Rolf In The Woods - Ernest Thompson Seton (interesting books to read for teens .TXT) 📗

Against War," Said A Legislator From Down The River.

 

"Jersey Always Was Dead Against Everything That Was For The

National Good,  Sir," Said A Red-Faced,  Puffy,  Military Man,  With

A Husky Voice,  A Rolling Eye,  And A Way Of Ending Every Sentence

In "Sir."

 

"So Is Connecticut," Said Another; "They Say,  'Look At All Our

Defenceless Coasts And Harbour Towns.'"

 

"They're Not Risking As Much As New York," Answered The

Governor," With Her Harbours All The Way Up The Hudson And Her

Back Door Open To Invasion From Canada."

 

"Fortunately,  Sir,  Pennyslvania,  Maryland,  And The West Have Not

Forgotten The Glories Of The Past. All I Ask -- Is A Chance To

Show What We Can Do,  Sir. I Long For The Smell Of Powder Once

More,  Sir."

 

"I Understand That President Madison Has Sent Several Protests,

And,  In Spite Of Connecticut And New Jersey,  Will Send An

Ultimatum Within Three Months. He Believes That Britain Has All

She Can Manage,  With Napoleon And His Allies Battering At Her

Doors,  And Will Not Risk A War.

 

"It's My Opinion," Said Sylvanne; "That These English Men Is Too

Pig-Headed An' Ornery To Care A Whoop In Hell Whether We Get Mad

Or Not. They've A Notion Paul Jones Is Dead,  But I Reckon We've

Got Plenty Of The Breed Only Waitin' A Chance. Mor'n Twenty-Five

Of Our Merchantmen Wrecked Each Year Through Being Stripped Of

Their Crews By A 'Friendly Power.' 'Pears To Me We Couldn't Be

Worse Off Going To War,  An' Might Be A Dum Sight Better."

 

"Your Home An' Holdings Are Three Hundred Safe Miles From The

Seacoast," Objected The Man From Manhattan.

 

"Yes,  And Right Next Canada," Was The Reply.

 

"The Continued Insults To Our Flag,  Sir,  And The Personal

Indignities Offered To Our People Are Even Worse Than The Actual

Loss In Ships And Goods. It Makes My Blood Fairly Boil," And The

Worthy General Looked The Part As His Purple Jowl Quivered Over

His White Cravat.

 

"Gosh All Hemlock! The One Pricks,  But T'other Festers. It's

Tarnal Sure You Steal A Man's Dinner And Tell Him He's One O'

Nature's Noblemen,  He's More Apt To Love You Than If You Give Him

Five Dollars To Keep Out O' Your Sight," Said Sylvanne,  With Slow

Emphasis.

 

"There's Something To Be Said On The Other Side," Said The Timid

One. "You Surely Allow That The British Government Is Trying To

Do Right,  And After All We Must Admit That That Jilson Affair

Resected Very Little Credit On Our Own Administration."

 

"A Man Ken Make One Awful Big Mistake An' Still Be All Right,  But

He Can't Go On Making A Little Mistake Every Day Right Along An'

Be Fit Company For A Clean Crowd," Retorted The New Senator.

 

At Length The Governor Rose And Led The Way To The Drawing-Room,

Where They Rejoined The Ladies And The Conversation Took On A

Different Colour And Weight,  By Which It Lost All Value For Those

Who Knew Not The Art Of Twittering Persiflage And Found Less Joy

In A Handkerchief Flirtation Than In The Nation's Onward March.

Rolf And Quonab Enjoyed It Now About As Much As Skookum Had Done

All The Time.

 

 

 

Chapter 64 (The Grebes And The Singing Mouse)

Quonab Puzzled Long Over The Amazing Fact That Young Van

Cortlandt Had Evident High Standing "In His Own Tribe." "He Must

Be A Wise Counsellor,  For I Know He Cannot Fight And Is A Fool At

Hunting," Was The Ultimate Decision.

 

They Had A Final Interview With The Governor And His Son Before

They Left. Rolf Received For Himself And His Partner The Promised

One Hundred And Fifty Dollars,  And The Hearty Thanks Of All In

The Governor's Home. Next,  Each Was Presented With A Handsome

Hunting Knife,  Not Unlike The One Young Van Had Carried,  But

Smaller. Quonab Received His With "Ho -- Then,  After A Pause,  "He

Pull Out,  Maybe,  When I Need Him." -- "Ho! Good!" He Exclaimed,

As The Keen Blade Appeared.

 

"Now,  Rolf," Said The Lawyer,  "I Want To Come Back Next Year And

Bring Three Companions,  And We Will Pay You At The Same Rate Per

Month For Each. What Do You Say?"

 

"Glad To Have You Again," Said Rolf: "We'll Come For You On

August Fifteenth; But Remember You Should Bring Your Guitar And

Your Spectacles."

 

"One Word," Said The Governor,  "Do You Know The Canoe Route

Through Champlain To Canada? "

 

"Quonab Does."

 

"Could You Undertake To Render Scout Service In That Region?"

 

The Indian Nodded.

 

"In Case Of War,  We May Need You Both,  So Keep Your Ears Open."

 

And Once More The Canoe Made For The North,  With Quonab In The

Stern And Skookum In The Bow.

 

In Less Than A Week They Were Home,  And None Too Soon; For

Already The Trees Were Bare,  And They Had To Break The Ice On The

River Before They Ended Their Trip.

 

Rolf Had Gathered Many Ideas The Last Two-Months. He Did Not

Propose To Continue All His Life As A Trapper. He Wanted To See

New York. He Wanted To Plan For The Future. He Needed Money For

His Plans. He And Quonab Had Been Running A Hundred Miles Of

Traps,  But Some Men Run More Than That Single Handed. They Must

Get Out Two New Lines At Once,  Before The Frost Came. One Of

These They Laid Up The Hudson,  Above Eagle's Nest; The Other

Northerly On Blue Mountain,  Toward Racquet River. Doing This Was

Hard Work,  And When They Came Again To Their Cabin The Robins Had

Gone From The Bleak And Leafless Woods; The Grouse Were Making

Long Night Flights; The Hollows Had Tracks Of Racing Deer; There

Was A Sense Of Omen,  A Length Of Gloom,  For The Mad Moon Was

Afloat In The Shimmering Sky; Its Wan Light Ghasted All The

Hills.

 

Next Day The Lake Was Covered With Thin,  Glare Ice; On The Glassy

Surface Near The Shore Were Two Ducks Floundering. The Men Went

As Near As They Could,  And Quonab Said,  " No,  Not Duck,  But

Shingebis,  Divers.

 

They Cannot Rise Except From Water. In The Night The New Ice

Looks Like Water; They Come Down And Cannot Rise. I Have Often

Seen It." Two Days After,  A Harder Frost Came On. The Ice Was

Safe For A Dog; The Divers Or Grebes Were Still On Its Surface.

So They Sent Skookum. He Soon Returned With Two Beautiful Grebes,

Whose Shining,  White Breast Feathers Are As Much Prized As Some

Furs.

 

Quonab Grunted As He Held Them Up. "Ugh,  It Is Often So In This

Mad Moon. My Father Said It Is Because Of Kaluskap's Dancing."

 

"I Don't Remember That One."

 

"Yes,  Long Ago. Kaluskap Felt Lazy. He Wanted To Eat,  But Did Not

Wish To Hunt,  So He Called The Bluejay And Said: 'Tell All The

Woods That To-Morrow Night Kaluskap Gives A New Dance And Teaches

A New Song,' And He Told The Hoot Owl To Do The Same,  So One Kept

It Up All Day -- 'Kaluskap Teaches A New Dance To-Morrow Night,'

And The Other Kept It Up All Night: 'Kaluskap Teaches A New Song

At Next Council.'

 

"Thus It Came About That All The Woods And Waters Sent Their Folk

To The Dance.

 

"Then Kaluskap Took His Song-Drum And Said: 'When I Drum And Sing

You Must Dance In A Circle The Same Way As The Sun,  Close Your

Eyes Tightly,  And Each One Shout His War Whoop,  As I Cry "New

Songs"!'

 

"So All Began,  With Kaluskap Drumming In The Middle,  Singing:

 

"'New Songs From The South,  Brothers,  Close Your Eyes Tightly,

Brothers,  Dance And Learn A New Song.

 

"As They Danced Around,  He Picked Out The Fattest,  And,  Reaching

Out One Hand,  Seized Them And Twisted Their Necks,  Shouting Out,

'More War-Cries,  More Poise! That's It; Now You Are Learning!'

 

"At Length Shingebis The Diver Began To Have His Doubts And He

Cautiously Opened One Eye,  Saw The Trick,  And Shouted: 'Fly,

Brothers,  Fly! Kaluskap Is Killing Us !'

 

"Then All Was Confusion. Every One Tried To Escape,  And Kaluskap,

In Revenge,  Tried To Kill The Shingebis. But The Diver Ran For

The Water And,  Just As He Reached The Edge,  Kaluskap Gave Him A

Kick Behind That Sent Him Half A Mile,  But It Knocked Off All His

Tail Feathers And Twisted His Shape So That Ever Since His Legs

Have Stuck Out Where His Tail Was,  And He Cannot Rise From The

Land Or The Ice. I Know It Is So,  For My Father,  Cos Cob,  Told Me

It Was True,  And We Ourselves Have Seen It. It Is Ever So. To Go

Against Kaluskap Brings Much Evil To Brood Over."

 

A Few Nights Later,  As They Sat By Their Fire In The Cabin,  A

Curious Squeaking Was Heard Behind The Logs. They Had Often Heard

It Before,  But Never So Much As Now. Skookum Turned His Head On

One Side,  Set His Ears At Forward Cock. Presently,  From A Hole

'Twixt Logs And Chimney,  There Appeared A Small,  White Breasted

Mouse.

 

Its Nose And Ears Shivered A Little; Its Black Eyes Danced In The

Firelight. It Climbed Up To A Higher Log,  Scratched Its Ribs,

Then Rising On Its Hind Legs,  Uttered One Or Two Squeaks Like

Those They Had Heard So Often,  But Soon They Became Louder And

Continuous:

 

"Peg,   Peo,  Peo,  Peo,  Peo,  Peo,  Peo,  Oo. Tree,  Tree,  Tree,  Tree,

Trrrrrrr,  Turr,  Turr,  Turr,  Tur,  Tur,  Wee,  Wee,  Wee,  We "--

 

The Little Creature Was Sitting Up High On Its Hind Legs,  Its

Belly Muscles Were Working,  Its Mouth Was Gaping As It Poured Out

Its Music. For Fully Half A Minute This Went On,  When Skookum

Made A Dash; But The Mouse Was Quick And It Flashed Into The

Safety Of Its Cranny.

 

Rolf Gazed At Quonab Inquiringly.

 

"That Is Mish-A-Boh-Quas,  The Singing Mouse. He Always Comes To

Tell Of War. In A Little While There Will Be Fighting."

 

 

 

Chapter 65 (A Lesson In Stalking)

 

Did You Ever See Any Fighting,  Quonab?"

 

"Ugh! In Revolution,  Scouted For General Gates."

 

"Judging By The Talk,  We're Liable To Be Called On Before A Year.

What Will You Do? "

 

"Fight."

 

"As Soldier?"

 

"No! Scout."

 

"They May Not Want Us."

 

"Always Want Scouts," Replied The Indian.

 

"It Seems To Me I Ought To Start Training Now."

 

"You Have Been Training."

 

"How Is That?"

 

"A Scout Is Everything That An Army Is,  But It's All In One Man.

An' He Don't Have To Keep Step."

 

"I See,  I See," Replied Rolf,  And He Realized That A Scout Is

Merely A Trained Hunter Who Is Compelled By War To Hunt His

Country's Foes Instead Of The Beasts Of The Woods.

 

"See That?" Said The Indian,  And He Pointed To A Buck That Was

Nosing For Cranberries In The Open Expanse Across The River Where

It Left The Lake. "Now,  I Show You Scouting." He Glanced At The

Smoke From The Fire,  Found It Right For His Plan,  And Said: "See!

I Take My Bow. No Cover,  Yet I Will Come Close And Kill That

Deer."

 

Then Began A Performance That Was New To Rolf,  And Showed That

The Indian Had Indeed Reached The Highest Pitch Of Woodcraft. He

Took His Bow And Three Good Arrows,  Tied A Band Around His Head,

And Into This Stuck A Lot Of Twigs And Vines,  So That His Head

Looked Like A Tussock Of Herbage. Then He Left The Shanty Door,

And,  Concealed By The Last Bushes On The Edge,  He Reached The

Open Plain. Two Hundred Yards Off Was