The Knight Of The Golden Melice - John Turvill Adams (little red riding hood read aloud txt) 📗
- Author: John Turvill Adams
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By Nature The Same Feelings Animate The Hearts Of All Men, Whatever
May Be The Degree Of Their Civilization, Or The Color Of Their Skin.
On The Contrary, There Were Smiling Faces And Tones Of Welcome, And
Other Demonstrations, That Proved The Existence Of Affection. The
Squaws And Children Looked Askance At The Strangers, But Their Glances
Were Rather Timid Than Obtrusive, And Augured No Unfavorable
Prepossessions. Accompanied By A Constantly Increasing Number, Our
Friends Were Conducted To A Lodge In The Centre Of The Village, Which
They Were Told They Would Occupy During Their Stay. It Was Carefully
Covered With Bark, And, As Usual, Skins Were Hanging On The Sides, And
Lying On The Ground For Couches, And There Were Some Cooking Utensils,
Made Of Clay, On One Side. Such Were All The Articles Constituting The
Simple _Menage_ Of The Child Of Nature, And Completed His Idea Of
Necessary Furniture. Here The Strangers Were Left By Their Guides,
Though Several Of The Tribe Remained Lingering Around The Wigwam.
"Thus Far," Said The Knight, Stretching Himself Out On A Skin, For In
Whatever Circumstances He Might Be Placed, He Was Always At His Ease,
"Hath Heaven Breathed Favoring Airs Into Our Sails. We Will Accept The
Omen And Be Hopeful For The Future."
"No More Skilful Ambassador, It Seems To Me," Said Arundel, "Ever
Mediated Betwixt Mighty Governments Than Thyself, Sir Christopher.
Why, Ephraim Pike Was Right, And I Did Injustice To His Hang-Dog Look
When I Distrusted Him."
"What Said He?" Inquired The Knight.
"That Our Journey Would Be A Mere Pleasure Flight, Unattended With
Danger."
"He Would Have Found It Different Had He Undertaken It," Muttered Sir
Christopher. "And Was It Ephraim Who Advised Thee To Associate Thyself
With Me?"
"He Did Not Presume To Advise. I Scarcely Know How It Happened, But As
I Accidentally Met The Man, The Conversation Turned Upon Thy
Enterprise, Of The Dangers Whereof He Made Light."
"There Is Some Mystery," Said The Knight, "Connected With This. Be
Sure The Obscure Varlet Would Not Have Sought Thee Out For Such A
Purpose Of His Own Motion, But Was Instigated Thereto By Another."
"Who Could That Be, And With What Motive?"
"Nay, I Judge No Man; But, Perhaps, It So Happened That They Who
Intended Harm Conferred A Favor."
At This Moment They Saw Approaching Through The Opening In The Lodge A
Couple Of Squaws, Bearing In Their Hands Earthen Pots, From Which A
Warm Steam Was Issuing. These They Brought Straight Into The Wigwam,
And, Placing Them Before The White Men, Invited Them To Eat. After A
Few Words From The Knight, Which The Smiling Faces Of The Women Showed
Were Well Received, They Retired, And The Two Friends Addressed
Themselves To A Business Seldom Disagreeable, And Specially Pleasant
To Them. In The One Vessel They Found Pieces Of Broiled Venison, And
In The Other A Composition At That Time Peculiar To The Indians, But
Which Has Since Become A Favorite In New England, And Still Retains
Its Indian Name Of "Succotash." It Is A Dish Consisting Of Sweet Corn
And Beans Boiled Together, And Savored With Some Kind Of Meat,
According To The Taste. The Meat Preferred By The Vitiated Taste Of
The Whites Is Pork; But Inasmuch As Swine Were Unknown At The Time In
The Country, Except In The Civilized Settlements--The Unclean Animal
Having Been Introduced By The Europeans--Its Place In The Present
Instance Was Supplied By The More Wholesome Bear's Meat, For Such The
Experienced Palate Of The Knight Pronounced It To Be. At The
Completion Of The Meal, Although It Was Early According To Our Habits,
The Unbroken Silence That Reigned Around Indicated That The Indians
Had Retired To Rest, And The Two Weary Travelers, Imitating Their
Example, Threw Themselves On Their Couches.
Some Hours Had Passed Since They Laid Themselves Down To Sleep, When
The Knight Arose, And, After Glancing At His Companion, Started, With
A Light And Noiseless Step, To Leave The Wigwam. At The Opening He
Found A Taranteen, Whom His Stirring Had Wakened. With Him The Knight
Exchanged Some Whispered Words, And Then Took His Way In The Moonlight
Toward A Lodge Situated Near The Centre Of The Village, And
Conspicuous For Its Size. He Met No Interruption, And Having Arrived
At The Entrance, Drew Aside The Skin Which Served For A Door. The
First Object Which Caught His Eye Was A Flame Proceeding From Some
Pieces Of A Resinous Wood, Which Were Supported By A Sort Of Iron
Trestle Standing On A Rude Table In The Centre, And Sending Up Spirals
Of Smoke To Escape By An Aperture Above. By Means Of The Light Which
This Cast, He Was Enabled To Take A View Of The Apartment.
It Was Of An Oblong Shape, Some Forty Feet Long By Twenty Wide, And
Coming To A Line At The Top, And At First Seemed Destitute Of
Furniture And Of Occupants. As The Knight Stood Hesitating, A Voice
From The Remotest Part Of The Wigwam Addressed Him.
"Welcome!" It Said, In French, "True Son Of The Church! Valiant
Soldier Of The Cross! Servant Of Heaven! My Soul Hath Been In Travail
To See Thee; And Now, _Laus Deo_, Its Desire Is Gratified."
The Knight Advanced In The Direction Whence The Voice Proceeded, And
When He Had Passed On So Far That His Back Was To The Light, Could See
The Speaker. He Was One Who, Whatever Were The Mistakes Of His Creed,
Seems To Have Been Animated By A Purpose Lofty To Himself, And An
Ardent Faith In Its Truth, And, Therefore, Honor Be To His Memory, As
Well As To All Other Brave Spirits, Who, Like Him, (Though Erring,)
Forget Themselves For Others. But He Is Worthy Of Description.
He Was A Man Of About Sixty Years Of Age, Somewhat Under The Middle
Size, But Strongly Made, And Evidently Capable Of Enduring Great
Fatigue. His Eyes Were Black And Piercing, His Complexion So Dark As
To Be Almost Olive, And His Features Regular, The Mouth Being Small
And Sharply Chiseled And Compressed. Thick, Long, White Hair Covered
His Whole Head, With The Exception Of A Small Round Spot On The Crown
Which Was Bare, Revealing The Mark Of The Priest, And Fell Upon His
Shoulders. He Was Habited In A Long, Closely-Fitting Robe Of Some
Coarse Material, Which Had Once Been Black, But Was Now Faded And
Tarnished By Time And Exposure, And A Hempen Rope To Keep It In Place
Was Girded About His Loins. Such, As We Have Described Him, Was The
Famous Father Le Vieux, One Of The Most Active And Devoted Among The
French Jesuits In America.
Father Le Vieux Had Risen From His Seat, And Was Advancing Toward His
Visiter, When The Latter First Beheld Him. As The Two Men Drew Nigh,
The Knight Sunk On His Knees At The Feet Of The Priest.
"_Salve Fili Mi!_" Said The Father, Laying His Hands On The Head Of
The Kneeling Sir Christopher. "_Beatus Qui Venit In Nomine Domini_.
Arise, My Son!" He Continued, In French, Taking The Knight By The
Hand, And Assisting Him. "Thy Companion, I Trust, Sleeps Soundly."
"He Is Asleep, Reverend Father," Answered The Knight, In The Same
Language, "Like One Who Has Made A Covenant With His Eyes Not To Open
Them Before Morning."
"May The Blessed Angels Press Their Palms Thereupon, That He Awaken
Not. Now, Then, Disclose To Me What, For Our Mutual Purpose, It Is
Meet That I Should Know."
With These Words, He Led The Way Into That Part Of The Lodge Whence He
Came, And Was Followed By Sir Christopher, Who Sat Down By His Side On
A Sort Of Bench.
"First, Reverend Father," Said Sir Christopher, "Would I Confess My
Sins And Obtain Absolution. It Is Long Since My Bosom's Stains Were
Wiped Out By Authority Of Holy Church, And My Soul Languishes For
Forgiveness."
"Kneel, Then, And On Peril Of Thy Salvation Keep Nothing Back."
Sir Christopher, With Bowed Head, Knelt By His Side, And, In
Low-Murmured Tones, While The Priest Bowed Down To Him His Ear, Made
His Confession. It Lasted Some Considerable Time, For Which Reason The
Good Father Betrayed A Little Impatience, Either Because He Thought
That The Sins Were Too Trivial To Be Dwelt Upon So Long, Or Because He
Was Anxious To Hear The Communication Of His Penitent On Other
Matters. At Its Conclusion, He Placed His Hand On The Knight's Head,
And Said:
"The Sins Which, With A Penitent Heart And Lively Faith, Thou Hast
Confessed, Not Having Wilfully Concealed Anything, And Determined By
God's Grace To Commit Them No More, Do I, A Servant Of Holy Church,
Commissioned For That Purpose By The Successor Of Blessed St. Peter,
Whose Are The Sacred Keys, And Unto Whom And His Fellow-Servants It
Was Promised By The Head Of The Church, 'Whatsoever Ye Bind On Earth
Shall Be Bound In Heaven, And Whatsoever Ye Loose On Earth Shall Be
Loosed In Heaven,' Absolve Thee From, And Unbind And Remit Unto Thee,
Both In Time And In Eternity, _In Nomine Patris, Filii, Et Spiritus
Sancti_. Amen. Rise And Sin No More. And Now, Make Thy Report."
The Knight Rose From His Knees And Resumed His Seat, Whereupon Ensued
A Long Conversation.
It Referred To The Condition Of The Colony Under Winthrop, And Of The
Elder Settlement At Plymouth; The Prospect Of Their Increase; The
Dissensions Among Them; The Relations Maintained With The Savages, And
Influence Exerted Over Them; And, In Short, To Whatever Bore Upon The
Present Circumstances And Probable Destiny Of The Two Races. The
Occurrences At The Reception Of The Taranteen Embassy Were Also
Detailed--The Appearance Of Sassacus, The Excitement Of The Indians,
And The Consequences Which Followed.
"I Found It Hard," Said Sir Christopher, "To Allay Their Wild Passion
On The Discovery Of The Pequot Chief. I Had To Urge Upon Them That
They Were Committed To My Care By You (I Had Before Received Your
Missive From One Of Them) And That Instant Destruction Would Follow
Any Act Of Violence. I Reminded Them That Their Mission Was One Of
Peace, And Endeavored To Shame Them For Exhibiting So Much Feeling At
The Sight Of A Single Warrior. Nor Was I Blinded By Their Apparent
Submission, But Strove To Remove The Pequot Out Of Their Way. With How
Little Success You Know."
Father Le Vieux Listened With Profound Attention, And From Time To
Time Made Memoranda In His Tablets Of Those Parts Of The Communication
Which Possessed For Him The Deepest Interest. At Its Conclusion, He
Continued Silent Awhile, Looking Thoughtfully On The Ground, As If
Deliberating Over What He Had Heard.
"The Thoughts Of Man Are Vanity," He Said, At Length. "In A Way That
We Dreamed Not Of Hath Almighty Wisdom Delivered Us From This Peril.
Vainly, In Our Ignorance, We Strove To Prevent A Meeting Between The
Taranteens And The English Heretics; And Lo, It Was The Very Thing To
Be Desired! They Were Brought Together Only To Be More Widely Divided,
And A Commencing Friendship Has Ended In A Confirmed Enmity. Blessed
Be The Pequot, And Mitigated Be The Pains Of Purgatory To The Poor
Savages Who Fell In The Night Attack, For The Good They Have Done. We
Are Now Safe From This Danger."
The Father Paused, As If Reflecting, And Then Again Spoke.
"It Would Be Strange," He Said, "And The Thought Itself Seems Impious,
If This Goodly Land, With Its Thousands Of Immortal Souls, Should Be
Delivered Over Into The Hands Of These Accursed Heretics. My Heart Is
Troubled, And A Sacred Horror Invades Me When I Think Thereupon. This
Is A Time Of Tribulation, And Our Faces Gather Blackness. Holy Mary!"
He Continued, (Crossing Himself And Raising His Eyes To Heaven,)
"Intercede With Thy Glorified Son To Quicken Our Faith And Shorten The
Days Of Our Trouble. Let Not These Insatiable Locusts From The Pit Of
Darkness, Whose End Is Destruction--These Deceivers And Deceived, Who
Would Tear Down Thy Church, And Defile Her Altars, Have, Even In
Seeming, Their Will! O, Let A Strong Wind Arise And Cast Them Into The
Sea, That They May Devour Thy Heritage No More!"
"Amen, And Amen!" Responded The Sweet Voice Of Sir Christopher. "So
May All The Enemies Of The Church Perish! But O, Holy Father, Sad Is
It To See So Much Heroism In Men, So Much Resigned Fortitude In
Delicate Women, Such Wonderful Courage, Such Patience Wasted, In
Promoting Error."
"_Quam Diu Domine!_" Exclaimed The Father. "The Days Of Man Are But As
A Shadow And A Tale That Is Told. He Cometh Out Of Darkness, And
Returneth Thither Again. But Thy Years, O Lord, Are Everlasting, And
Thy Counsels Like The Great Deep. O, Stamp This Truth On Our Hearts,
And It Shall Cure Our Impatience. How Long Divine Wisdom Shall Permit
The Raging Waves Of This Pestilential Heresy Of The Arch-Deceiver, The
Licentious Luther, To Beat Against His Church, Threatening As With The
Jaws Of Hell To Devour Her, It Is Not For Man To
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