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RESCSCITATION— THE MOHAWKS. The first sensations of returning life, experienced by Conrad, were a loud ringing of bells, together with a painful prickling in his limbs. Then he dis- tinguished words spoken in a strange language, yet not altogether unfamiliar to his ear, for he thought he had heard such before, though where, or at what time, he could not remember. He drew a long breath, which gave him acute pain, but it relieved him of an intolerable oppression, and opening his eyes, he found several Indian faces bending over him, strongly illuminated by the light of a flambeaiT '^^Id aloft; and that he was wrapped in blankets, .ad lying under a bark-shed, in front VOL. II. B 3 ELLEN CLAYTOl; OR, of which there was a large fire. These particulars, he noticed at a glance, and, with a vacant stare, inquired : " Where am I ?" "In the keeping of the Maquas," replied a middle-aged man in tolerable English, with a plea- sant smile upon his visapo; "does *he Pale-hair want for anything? He has but to speak j the Mohawks are the friends of the Yenffies."* Coni-ad put his hand to his fort^head in perplexity, then, all at once, he sprang up with a wild cry, caught the Indian by the arm, and asked in a low, broken voice : " What of the maiden ; did she perish ?" " Not so," was the reply ; " we gathered her, like a plucked lily, from the sand ; but after a little, life returned, and we were glad. Ever since then, has she been weeping among the women, coaxing, con- tinually, the Great Spirit to save her friend. Young stranger, the roots of her life were less loosed than yours by the tempest of the waters." "My God, I thank thee!" murmured Conrad, with solemnity, as he sunk once more upon his couch, and permitted his kind assistants to cover him up from the chill night-air, through' which occasional flakes of snow still fell, adding to the English. THE NOMA DBS OF THE WEST. 8 white deposit that covered even/ object, save those in the immediate neighbourhood of the camp-fire. Conrad felt extremely weak, and somewhat bruised, therefore he was obliged to stay where he was, though his first impulse was to go to Ellen ; finding, however, that he could not stand without support, he desisted from the attempt, with the promise that they would immediately acquaint the maiden with his restoration, and anxiety to know in what state she was, after the terribit; ordeal through which they had passed. Shortly after, he heard a light tread, and felt a kiss upon his cheek, while, at the same time, a silvery voice pronounced his name ; who could it be but Ellen ? She knelt down beside him, and put away the wet hair from his face, and called him in the tenderest accents, "her dear pre- server," and when Conrad beheld her, and found that, though very pale, there was little trace of suflFering in the sweet countenance that bent over him, he gave thanks silently unto God, and felt what a precious boon was life now, when he could bask in the kindly radiance of those eyes. In that glance, the first in hich their eyes met since they closed in temporary death, as the wild waves snatched them from the wreck, there was a some- thing which told them their destinies were one ; that through good and evil, they were thenceforth to bear a two-fold life of feeling, mysterious, subduing r.: ■ :: ■ w jJj^TJ M UJJ ' B. 'l -tLau.J g mm» 4 ELLEN CLAYTON J OR, and intense, which would exercise a sovereign in- fluence upon their future lot, and identify them with each other. It woke a thrill of rapture, not unmixed with a sense deep and solemn, beyond words, which their heai-ts could not define. Yet so pure and guileless were their thoughts, that they looked into each each other's eyes, as into a translucent well, where the spirit watched from its profound, to com- municate a genial lore, and flash back sympathy for sympathy. Their very being . Jied to meet and blend in that look, without scruple or shame. "Dear friend, how fareth it with thee?" asked Ellen, almost in a whisper, as she withdrew her eyes from that speechless, but intelligible commune. " Very happily, Ellen, for you are saved." " And were it not for thee, that had not been," rejoined the maiden, with strong emotion, covering her face with her hands ; " thou wast my suppoi't in that dreadful hour, and next to God, I owe my life unto thee, dear friend. Ah, Conrad ! what misery was mine, when 1 awoke from that awful dream, and they could not reply to my questionings con- cerning thee ! My heart was breaking, ' ' '^n a gracious-looking Indian came and told n^^, -jmy own tongue, that thou wert alive, but very feeble, and only a few steps from where I lay j then I could not rest, so the women gave me raiment, and I have THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 5 come unto thee, to be thy little nurse ; which is my office of right, being a woman," added she smil- ingly, " and we are wont to insist on these points, thou k nowest, and wilt not be oflFended ; besides," and Ellen's face grew anxious, '^I feel more con- tented when I am with thee, my dear protector ; for, though the women have been most kind, yet they are veiy wild-looking, and scarcely seem to know anything of what I say. Let me stay with thee until thou art well again ; thou art my only friend." " Need you ask it of me, Ellen ? It is pleasant to put oneself under such care. I am sure, with youi- aid, I shall soon be strong again, and then I promise to be yc ■champion, in real earnest. As for our hosts, you need have no fear of them ; they are our staunch allies, the Mohawks, and we could not have fallen into better hands on this wild coast. Alas ! Ellen, what has become of the rest of the ship's people ; have none else been recovered ?" "None! none ! Speak not of it, Conrad; it is too dreadful," she replied, with a shudder, burying her head in the folds of a blanket, as if to shut out the fearful vision the allusion recalled; and, for some time, neither spoke. Reposing side by side upon their couch of fir, the two friends passed the night, hand clasped in hand, with the innocence of those orphan children in the 'fp--' r i-r.Jttj. ' ^JLy.H ' . ' .^j.ga aBggiWB I 6 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, beautiful old story ; who, less fortunate than they, found none to shelter them in the wild, save the robins, that did their best, good birds, and covered them with leaves. There were, indeed, none of those on board that luckless vessel, except the two, frailest and most helpless of them all, left to tell the horrors of that fatal storm. The coast, for miles, presented an almost unbroken wall of rock than which, to be dashed against, it were far better to founder at once, deep as sea-lead ever sounded. There was one small opening in the cliff, however, worn by some fierce torrent, ages since, through which a minute rivulet then wound its way to the main, skirted by a bank of sand. This was nearly opposite the reef on which the ship struck j and it so chanced, that Conrad and Ellen, linked in that last embrace, and whirled along on the crest of the wave, were carried in that direction ; and as the billow broke, with a crash, against the precipices, on either side of the gully, it deposited its living burden, like some precious freight, upon the soft sand-beach within, and beyond the reach of the recurring breaker. Fortunately, a band of Mohawks had encamped there ; and put on the alert by the appearance of the ship's lights, and her guns of distress, the men were watching along the strand with flambeaux of THE N0MADG8 OP THE WEST. h ( -bark, when this took place, so that they dis- co*, ered, immediately, the singidar object ejected by the surf, and unwinding, with some force, the arms of each, they bore the two inanimate bodies to their cabins, where, with the application of dry garments and warmth, first Ellen, and a short time afterwards, Conrad revived to thank them for their care. Conrad, as we have seen, experienced a greater shock than his companion, whose body he had protected with his own, though all unconsciously, against the rude buffetings to which they were ex- posed. He was compelled, therefore, to remain an invalid for the present, under the gentle ministration of his fair attendant ; meanwhile, the day broke, and shortly after, the storm began to subside. Scouts were sent out to reconnoitre, who soon returned, saying that there was no living thing to be seen upon the shores in the vicinity, but many dead bodies and fragments of wreck; and, more- over, that the rest of the fleet had set sail, and the vessels were already far down the coast, being, no doubt, too anxious to resume their belated voyage to make much inquiry into the fate of their asso- ciates. Upon the second day, after giving burial to such of the victims of the storm as were thrown upon the coast adjacent, the Indians broke up their en- campment, and departed westward, accompanied by 3lEPS;; ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, of articulation, hiasing the words between his teeth, he folded his arms in his mantle, and said : " Young man, dost thou set at naught the judg- ment of Ka-na-ro-kos, the chief V " The son of Kanarokos speaks that which his heart tells him is right,'' replied the other, whose lofty and composed demean, t changed not be- neath the penetrating scowl of the parent, while the temper of the latter, lashed into fury by his words, like an impetuous torrent, burst through all op- position. "Rebellious dog!" he thundered forth; "learn to be silent and obey when the elders command !" and with sudden action he drew a tomahawk from his belt and swung it flashing above the head of his son ; yet still he quailed not, that noble boy ! but met the fierce regard of his father with a calm and invincible candour. In the very act of striking, it withheld his arm. A change came over the spirit of the aged Sachem, he lots the deadly weapon drop to the ground ; he passes his sinewy hand over his face ; he appears to muse. " Go, my son," said he, with a low and softened accent, " I forgive thee for thy dead mother's sake. She looks at me from your eyes. The prisoner is yours." Then elevating his voice that all might hear, he added : " To your lodges, Maquas ; there THE NOMADES UP THE WEST. 43 will be no burning to-day ;" and accompanied by his retinue, he immediately departed from the circle, which was then broken up, as the people began to disperse with loud shouts and violent gesti- culations, crowding along .e various avenues that led to their homes, d cussing, with considerable warmth, the scenes they had just witnessed. " That was a well-favoured youth with the sunny hair,'* observed a girl, with a plaintive smile, " how well he pleaded for the captive's life ; I know not what he said, but his voice was sweet, and it made me tremble with joy. I would have given much to understand his words ; didst thou V "No," replied the one questioned, a boastful young warrior, fresh from his first war-path. " No ; but what does it matter ? He never took a scalp, and has a face like a woman ?'* " Yet seemed it to me as good as that of the gentle Manitou, who watches an infant's slumbers," rejoined the other. "Ah-huyah!" ejaculated a blear-eyed and ragged Indian, plunging unsteadily along, and exhibiting in his visage that dull brutality occasioned by an over indulgence in those strong drinks which, with a potency more destructive than war or foreign disease, were already sapping the strength of the Indian nations, and selecting victims from the best and bravest among them. — "Who talks of the 0m. I 44 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, acciirsod Ycngie ? Crusli him ! He spoiled the fun. Sec here. I was pledged one fathom of wampum against five that the Abenake would not sing his death-song without flinching. I said he would be surt to squeak like a rat at the first touch of the fire, and now we can never know which was in the right ; by the ghost of a Maqua, it is too bad !" and he ground his teeth with passion as he jostled his way through the crowd. " Did not Sewantus-walie bear himself manlike when he stood up before his father?" observed another. " I would not have had his axe hanging over me, no, not for my weight in wampum, and I have seen battles ! There was a pattern for Braves !" " True, true," replied a busy, fidgety little man, the scandal-monger and quid-nunc of the place, who buzzed like a bee, from group to group, ex- tracting what he could from each, and leaving every where behind him the slow poison of doubt and discontent, " true, it was a famous sight, indeed j but there was a man to have been put to the torture, ray friends, and plenty of fire and noise and haran- guing. Now it seems we have had nothing of the sort, and the prisoner has got off, by some means or other. This is not as it was in the old times ; — the Mohawks have i,rown to be women, and faint at the sight of blood." THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 45 " Shame on thee, thou fangless fool !" retorted Otareha, who was close by. " Hadst thou seen more of it tho\i wouldst not babble thus. That tongue of thine wags too loosely, and will get thee into trouble if you do not tie it fast." " It shall be torn up by the roots ! It shall be given to the dogs!" howled the staggering de- bauchee. 46 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, CHAPTER IV. AN INTRODUCTION SALEXIS RELATES HIS ADVENTURES. In the mean time the young Indian had severed the bonds of Salexis, and taking him by the hand, led him towards where Conrad stood, in a frank and graceful manner, saying, — " Brother, behold thy friend. Receive him from the hands of Sewantus-walie ; let there be peace between us." " The G od whom we both worship will bless you for this," said Conrad, with warm emotion, as he shook the other's hand ; " I will never forget this day." "The Maquas are a great people," observed Salexis, emphatically. " Thou hast taught me, O Brave, why it is they are so famous among nations. They have big hearts !" THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 47 This was spoken in French, and had to be inter- preted to the Mohawk by Conrad ere he could reply. " There is room enough in them for justice and grand thoughts to take root, if the sun of peace would but shine for awhile. Men may grow re- nowned, but they can never prosper by continual war. At times I have thought it would be better for us to bury the hatchet and return to corn-planting, as in the ancient time ; but the nations around are as hungry as wolves for each other's blood, and were the Bears to fall asleep they would soon be devoured in their dens." " He speaks the truth," observed Salexis ; " the Redman must live with arms in his hands. He has no time to think of rejoicings or the gathering in of harvests. He dies as he was born— a hunter and a warrior." 'Tis a hard destiny, thought Conrad, as thus conversing the trio went on towards the dwelling of Otareha, which they entered. There the emancipated captive was cordially wel- comed, and was invited to partake of food, which was immediately set before him. After this the calumet circulated round, and Salexis became a free participant in the attentions and privileges accorded to a national guest, . 48 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, They were seated around a bright fire, which was lighted upon the hearth, for the day was cold, when Ellen came forth from her chamber and joined the group, looking so fresh and smiling that she ap- peared like a bright vision from some other world to those who now saw her, for the first time. The young Mohawk gave a slight start, and uttered an involuntary exclamation of wonder; the truest homage that could be offered to loveliness by an Indian, whose constant study is never to manifest surprise. Conrad, with unusual animation of manner, made room for Ellen, upon the bench beside him ; and after assuring himself that she was quite well again, he drew her notice towards his companions, and pronounced their names. With a sweet smile Ellen offered her hand freely to Salexis, who showed his white teeth in a grin when he observed how small and fair it was, contrasted with his own. It may have been the result, either of a natural reserve or a feeling of diffidence and respect, but the young Mohawk did not, in turn, put forth his hand, for he greeted the maiden with a slight inclination of the head merely, while the latter, abashed and struck by his appearance, made him a reverence and seated herself by Conrad. A pause succeeded,— such as often occurs when THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 49 Strangers meet together. It was broken by Se- wantus-walie, who arose and di-ew his robe around him, saying, "Peace unto you, brethren. Sewantus will see you again before long,- after which, with a grave inflection to Ellen, he left the lodge. "Who is that?" inquired Ellen; as soon as the sound of retreating footsteps had ceased, upon the frozen ground outside. "Even what he says," replied Conrad; ''Se- wantus-walie, the son of the great chief who rules here; now confess, Ellen, is he not a noble-looking Brave ?" ^ " He is indeed," returned she : « were he as well-favoured in his disposition, one might incline to the belief, which some have held, that we are not much better than those whom we call savages, after all. I„ our cities it would be hard to find a more shapely figure of a man V "And yet, I am certain, that he is as noble as he looks, rejoined Conrad, wannly; -for had it not been for him, Ellen, my friend Salexis, who i« Sitting there, would now be numbered with the Then he related what had taken place that mormng which filled Ellen with lively emotions, and exalted the young Indian to a higher place -her opinion, than the most profuse praises alone 50 ELLEN CLAYTON; OB, could possibly have done. There was a degree of romantic self-devotion, about the whole proceeding, that won upon her young imagination — keenly alive to everything lofty and heroic. She could also draw in her mind a distinction between the parts each had played, on the occasion in question. That of Conrad was, as she would have expected, generous and brave; but the Indian's bore the stamp of superior magnanimity, as it was purely disinterested, and seriously endangered the position he held among his people. An utter stranger to any stronger motive than the mere love of doing a good action, he had dared the popular prejudice and opposed its strong current, single-handed, in defiance of all considerations. Nevertheless, Ellen drew uo unfavourable comparison ; but if she felt a stronger pride and assurance in her protector and brother — as she sometimes stvled Conrad — she believed her warmest approval due to his high-spirited and handsome auxiliary. " Now," said Conrad, placing his hand with fi'ank familiarity upon the shoulder of Salexis, and speaking in French, with feeling, "thou hast a story to cell us, my good old friend ! When I look at thee, and think of all that has passed since we two sat together upon that lonely idand in the St, John, and in how strange a manner I lost and found thee; when I think of these, my friend, ■niE NOMADES o, jg^ „„ ^^ than hast to tell.- ^ ^ ^''*^° *° ^^^at The one addressed laid down his nJn. h- features, threw his head ^Z \T^"' commenced his narrative ^ "'^ ^°^ »•«» and confuted Brave,' I ! "' " take different road» .„d T' ?" '^ '""""^ •»■' «te path, «et .„Xf td""'/'"'"''^ ■'■^'' "- matched the othefll; delP f '" "y- of tie elder was filled witM" ' "'"' ""^ ''™'-' life preacrM to hin, Z'l' ""' '" '°°«'' f« «« faithful y„„u, he aawheflr""' "' '""'' "'' "-worthy „f that little eMd." "" "^-wthnof Salexis paused awhile «f ^u- 'o th. change that h J'^'":, '"""'"'"S «"-"» /"•»'^^4 -vhieh the 1-tl , ^^ '" '■'' 'o™--- »»" then eonti,ne ";^^""'''»'°P*nd, i— diately .o ^ obj^^T "'^^ -« mark. •' ^^ ""^ ^^^ Preliminary re- " Thou rememberest the fn^r, ^t«™^; and how nearJv u '""''' '"^ *^« '^ytl- falling tree \ir^^:.^-^--^^^ ""eiJ, m the calm night, » 2 52 ELLEN CLAYTOXJ OR, when the wind had died away, I lay awake thinking of these things and wondering if some wicked Manitou were not plotting against us, when I heard, as I thought, my sister's voice calling to me from the further shore. Now, for some time I doubted, thinking it might be a new snare of the evil ones; but still the voice kept calling sorrowfully, Salexis ! Salexis ! so that at last I was sure it must be my sister's; and getting up from thy side, I took my weapons, and forded the channel by the pale light of the moon, and stepped upon the main land. But the voic6 issued from the depth of the woods, so I went on towards it, through the darkness, struggling amidst under-brush and thick growing trees — but without being able to approach it ; for, as I advanced, it ever seemed the same distance from me. Then my mind misgave me, and I resolved to seek no more the weird voice, and prepared to go back. " Now, as [ crossed an open place I saw a grey wolf skulking near, for a stream of moon-light came T a into the forest there, and revealed him to me as he stood watching while I passed • so I fixed an an-ow to my bow, and took aim. But the thought of unhallowed things haunted me and made my arm unsteady; for the shaft only pierced the ear o^ the beast, and hung ^'pmsi^xasm^ THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 53 head oa„,c entirety off, .„d discovered w!/" «>".ng..v„ big eyes of fire,, .hen 1 iZ '' *ong, and with a whoop, I ru^h"^ ^ ^" ™e,ny, who rose up like a Zn , * '"""' human rtow) H. ! , '""^' '"'=-''"1' » •lu fjiowi. Me went down lilrp « „i.ii . . me, and in a ,.1„.. i. ™M before 'o=;.i™e'::„nti''L:irrr"^*-» 'he ma„.wolf, a '^ long^e fo I ^ ""~' """ "»' want to ki„ hi, a'd :;t *;" :t' ' f " arms. But he was « n,n ^ *° ^'"^^ ^'s ;'^M tbro„,h „y finj^ii^.;^™ ^™' ^^ ■™"ehed „a asund " 'a„d "T^, "' »"«'y ""nd, ->"ec. our senses, w; wel' ,^'" ■="">■-= oould ''-''.nd foot, a^idTtltiVr^' '-''•'"<' who made the woods rin. lil.e ' l^k ^"^ """"'^ ''t^;"«d,an,hterandt;i:;h:nT:r*"'"*' >o'ii::d;':i'-'''-'i^i^^-,and *.-, and that h^wibXr/Lr-^'^' ghngwas Bi^oa-ko-kok-has .' "" '""S- "The Medicine Owl had Cll j — '»ppedonrcrxr:;':r 54 ELLEN CLAYTON J OR, He thought also to have beguiled me away from thee with a lying voice ; but, for once, his cunning deceived him ; he was baffled by a simple warrior. Did I not tell thee that the sorcerer was in the wind? " Well, it seems that a party of Maquas, camping hard by, heard my cry when I sprung upon my unknown enemy, and, creeping silently upon us in the darkness, made us prisoners. Then we fol- lowed these powerful men, who were on a forray against Canada, it might be for more than a moon, when Bizon-ko kok-has made his escape— how, I cannot tell ; I only know that, from that time, I expected each day to be put to death. But this gave me little concern ; a warrior is taught to regard that last fight as his chiefest glory. His strong pride can conquer pain, and carry him across the whirlpools to the country of dreams. The keen spirit that wills within him can look down, as from a rock, upon those who make war against it, and laugh them to scorn. The last struggle is not so terrible to a true Brave. He prepares himself, from his youth, to sing his death-song to his tor- tures with a steady brow. " No, no, — what grieved me sorely was thinking of thee, boy; that made my heart heavy many times. I often wondered what thou wouldst do alone, and how astonished thou wouldst be to find THE NOM.IDE8 OF THE west. 55 Sale™ had d«crted thee. Couldrt .ho„ have be- lieved It, boy ?" "^ "Never/' replied Conrad, with fervour. "I„ darkest period of that grievous time, I nevl; once accused thee of leavin- me of thm«. ! and felt sure th«t i\. own accord, m.H T. ^'^ ""^^ '^'"e secret in the matter, which, whenever we met thnn , , exnlain T ' *^°" wouldst «-^Pia.n I never wronged thee, my friend- J knew thee too well for that fhJ ' sure.« ^^' **^°'^ Gayest be »«lex« by thy good words. The sky is bright .„ ium iioiv, without a speek or . „1 aI ■ the Indian whil, „ 1 . '""''• "•' »''«^'l a »u„-bea: I his\t:,: V"'"'"""" '"""^ ''^= nanee. ^ ^impassioned eoante- cl'tdTein: W "'■™- '"-^ '-"'»« '-i» captai;s were Xtd / ''™°"'' """" ""^ '"'^f <-«'.« be a p tTrlh m""' "'^ '""''''' '^"- -now of what".af.„tr; ""' ™'''' '» did he dream at ,1! . ' "■"•"oi-little Yengie boy 1, h ' *'' '"" ^"'-''«'-' oHtooidCrbeLThC-rd^th"""- "Thee„nni„gofa„.„is3ehildi.hthi„gt„ p 56 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, the Master above. He only is wise. He says nothing, but he works surprisingly for good." Here Salexis ceased speaking, and Conrad, in his turn, related what had happened to him since they parted, of which the reader is already aware. This seemed to engross the whole attention of the listener, who, at times, leaned forward with eager interest to catch the words, particularly in those parts relating to the siege, the voyayeur, and the shipwreck." "The Crooked-knife did well," he obseiTed, when Conrad finished his story; "I once smoked with him when he made a talk to my people, which is now thirty months ago and six. When he comes again I will take him fast hold by the hand and say, rest in my wigwam, brother; you are an honest man." Then, with a glance at Ellen, Salexis, after a little, drew Conrad aside, and lowering his voice that none elf s might hear, said, " This maiden is akin to thee in race and ways, and very pleasant to the eye. She has need of thy comfort and protec- tion, boy; for I think she is too delicate a flower to thrive among the forest people. Take her home." "Thou art right, good Salexis," was the reply ; five days from hence we leave with a party on its way home, which will take us a few leagues <( THB N0MADK8 OP THE WEST.* 57 of Orange^, where we are s.irp fn . • friends." ^^^ ^"^ "^^et with 80 contented with onp *i '"" ""^ ^'^ace. and for he nodded to him Jf „,"''''''' '"'°'' ' he puffed forth .ratoVL'^r "''"'■"" pe«..*.e.t„„.redi;::-:*;:r- * Albany, D 3 drBi .*^ 68 ELLEN CLAYTON : OB, iff! CHAPTER V. AN UNWELCOME aECOOXITION. One evening, subsequent t the period just re- ferred to, an Indian woman sat alone, in a small wigwam, situated apart from the more substantial and commodious tenements, and but a few paces from the stockades separating the town from the waters of the lake, the bright ripples of which washed almost up to the foot of the stout pickets of cedar, and contrasted pleasantly with a fringe of evergreens that half filled the intervening space in front of the conical structure, above-men- tioned. The woman was engaged in sewing minute beads, in a fanciful pattern, upon a pair of mocassins; small and beautifully formed in the fashion of the ^^'^% THK NOMADE8 OF THB WK8T. 59 "ion of ber f«,c denoted t ^ I, '"''"■'■■"• ever they „rc h„7 . , ""Ptafon,., „ Kat- -00" a r: t:; " "■« -'-pp^" "-king, f„.. ., ^ resumed her embroidery «},» ,.. * aea n with n ««- i • ■ '"'"t-ry, she went on , ^'"' * ^^'^y plaintive air, which she snn„ ■ lo- voiee, that it would have done 7 "^'" ' good to hear • if «. T '*">' ^'"^ « ^e"'* '•oneti, lor It was she, was dresmi ;„ i. best and looked ■ -.,„ in „,i, rt ''"' "''J' a-ouIdNotol^ibe;*; '^"'■"'"'"^'"'"- »'V .-ri:::;:::;^::;!-^^-'^-hede. bunch behind „-'/'""' ^S-^'^edin a bHght new i:r';ri::r "'*»•-'■-'■ figured ealioo frilled .Tl "'°". '""*' goou V„, „f ^aeoiw.andttirwi: :::sr :;'•■--- rich border^Tr b.!d ! f ^' '""""'^ "■"> » «ving linel"::'' It' '" °""r ""'"«' -" Plctedtheeostume Idt' ™ °' *"-'°"'- "oiuiue , and a heavy ncckl«PA »f ^ wan,pun, hu„g ,„„ herror H 7T ■•"■■"--'■-™r:ri;r lii?rSin-B»« MM 60 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, I pale lustre as she kept them in continual motion ; while brilliant drops of glass danced and sparkled at her ears in rivalry of her bright eyes ; — why was Notokeel sad ? The- time flew by unheeded, while thus engaged, and already the daylight was upon the wane, when the piece of blanket, at the.door of the Avigwam, was put aside wilhout noise, and crawling stealthily in, came a gaunt and enormous wolf. It appeared be- fore her entire, ere the woman was conscious of the singular intrusion. Now, had she been of a differ- ent colour, she would have immediately shrieked out with fright, no doubt ; but, some how or other, the forest women do not manifest their fears in that way, and, besides, Notokeel's apprehensions were somewhat allayed by the actions of the strange visitor*; for, seating himself opposite to her upon his extremity, he drew his hind legs under him, in a fashion more congenial to an Indian than a qua- druped, and then, putting one of his fore paws into a pocket in his skin, he produced a pipe ; scooped up a live coal iato it from the fire ; gave a curious shrug, to place it in his mouth ; jerked back the skin of his head, as if it were a hood, and disclosed the haggard, repulsive lineaments of the sorcerer-^ Bi-zon-ko-kok-has. Then it was that Notokeel shrunk back with ter- ror, and gave utterance to a low ciy, as she gazed I: ' hll THE NOMADES OJ THE WEST. 62 with Staring eyes at the visage before her. As soon snJr . , ''"'°'?'^ '"'^"'™' self-possession to pcal<,she demanded, in a tremulous voice, "Have the years eome laek again, or does Notokeel only « l.fe, that he m.ght be to her for a son in See »f one that she lost; and they listened to her „d :trherr'°r'"°™'^"'' »'''-'"" him to her home-treating him with kindness and 5 "»a evening of many days, during 62 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, 'II many moons; and they were as mother and child to one another. Now, who was that man ? Notokeel kept her eyes fixed intently upon the fire, as she put the question, and closed her lips awaiting a reply. " He was a young Abenake of repute, though no fighter of battles," returned the conjurer, who spoke the Mohawk language with fluency and emphasis. "They called him the Medicine Owl, because of his skill and cunning in things hidden from other, men. The Squaw was good unto him. He had a grateful heart." "Very well," continued Notokeel; "that poor, solitary woman, trusted in a stranger's faith. She adopted him for her own, and told him of her secret sorrow, and how it gnawed ever, like a wood-ant, at her heart, and choked it up with dry dust, and made her sad. She taught him the speech and ways of her people. She hardly f.sked him to cut a stick, or to catch a fish for the wigwam. These things she was contented to do for his comfort sake, so that he might eat and sleep without care ; indeed, his mother often went with- out, that he might satisfy his hunger, and bore her emptiness without murmuring, to make him con- tent. Now, what did this man do? We shall soon see. His adopted mother fell sick, and could m : I THE N0MADE8 OF THE WEST. 63 neither help him nor herself anv furth. v :"h/:* :: rr - r ' r "■" ™ "-^ - A second time, Notokppl «»< ..".etly m the lodge when her a„„ i. h^ He 64 ELLEN CLAYTON ) OR, i i J lages not yield him food enough for his charms and his foreknowledge of things that will come to pass, then he can set his traps and catch provision, like other men. Now I know well, my mother will oj)cn her heart to me, and find me a corner in her wigwam ; for, like her, I am of a fretting disposition, and have travelled very far to see her face once more." Alas ! for woman's better judgment ; how rarely is it beyond the control of those warm impulses, which, having their origin in everything that is tender and compassionate, so often serve but to mislead and make her the dupe of the designing ! Notokeel's long-hoarded indignation at the selfish conduct of one who, in conformity with an Indian practice often resorted to, she had adopted and rescued from the stake ; her belief in his faithlessness and want of feeling, her firm resolve to reject every overture to a reconciliation ; all melted away before the words of the wily conjurer, whose insinuating tones, even more than the language itself, implying, as they did, urgent entreaty and sincere repentance for his former delinquency, crept like a rill into her heart, and filled it until it overflowed with pity towards the offender. Notokeel, with all her faults, was not one to bear malice, or persist long in the refusal of any favour that it was in her power to bestow. ME NOMAOES OF THE WEST. gj The cloud cleared off gradually from ter face and ^ho c.„,e forth, a, i. were, fr„'„ her rese" it was wjth a softeued expression that she now ad dressed her companion. "A long journey, didst thou say? Yes now I »eap, look, and art hungry perhaps. Notokeel i, no hard-hearted; here is food, my »n " " As she spoke, she drew forth a vessel ^nnt ■ • several large pieces of m.: .?'''■ '"""tammg befo,.Biinrr„lhas Tht ' "" ■""'''' ;;;es,ht. Poeketin^hlptlX;,™^^^ anv ih- r "' '"° ^"' "««^ twice since any ^-g has entered ^his.outh, except s.oke an" ^r and they are not ve^r nourishing to a n,an The Manitous be good unto thee, mother' iT eo- along path to eat in thy wi'gwan!!;^' ' '^" lUe rapidity with which he mafJ^ fi, ^ j ,- 1- would have proved the Ch't w'f^H; justity the assertion : while he «..^ j j without any allusion tlT ^ '^ ^'^ ''^^''' cedinc if H ? ' "''""*' i°»"iediately pre- ceding ,t,the simple fact that he had been fl prisoner a semn^l f.-^ u , "*" oeen taken whom ho\T ^y *^' ^^^a^H from ^e P of a friendly Manitou, at least, so he wished tbe credulous Notokeel to believe. But the t^h 66 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, r was, with his usual cunning, he had managed, while his captors slept, to elude the observation of the sentinel, and apply some stray coals from the bi- vouac fire to the withes by which he was pinioned. By this means he recovered tLe fvv} use of his hmbs, at the expense of a few slight burui, and event lally succeeded, with their csrdstince, in ef- fectinj- a noiseless retrcai from tbe spot; without leaving a singK; tvace to imable his exasperated enemies vo follow In tii pursuit. Moreover, having by chance learned tlsat the party was fj jm the &iime castie wiiere he had once vrjourned, and where Notckeel dwelt, ^vho he found, upon inquir) , to be still there, he had conceived a strong- (iesire to visit her again ; and with that intent rdioived upon the trail of the Mohawks until it led him to the vicinity of her abode, where, for his better security, he drew aside, and in the night- time took possession of a canoe at the shore, to aid him in reconnoitering the stron;^hold without the risk of being discovered. He told also how several attempts to enter by the single gate that gave ad- mittance into the town were thwarted by the unceasing vigilance of the guards kept constantly there ; and he was obliged to have recourse to other measures to gain his point. Landing at night, directly opposite to where he remembered Notokeel's residence to have been, with great labour, and after THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. Qj repeated efforts, !,e sueceeded in loosenu,^ three p.cket, from the lines of defence, .nd thus Lure" a secret passage into the town. But here he found himself at fault, f„r ,he lodge stood no onger in its place, which was occupied l-y a small and empty wigwam, and he had -mamed many hours in the cedar thicket, e^ the arnval o her he sought, which he profited by as s«,„ „3 the twilight permitted him I leave hf hiding place. ^ 68 SLLEN CLAYTON; OH, CHAPTER VI. A PLOT AND AN ABDUCTION. "Now/^ added Bizon-ko-kok-has, in conclusion drawing a long and grateful respiration after his genial repast, and filling his short pipe— by way of a desert; "everything is settled, just as before." The words were spoken deliberately, as he was quite sure that his easy companion had, by this time, entirely restored him to her favour, and he began to assume that imposing confidence of manner which originally had obtained him such a powerful influence over her— when his slightest wish was a law. "Thou seest how it is, mother," he resumed; "should thy countrymen find me here, they will surely put me to death, and thy claim would not a/ail, a second time, to save me; THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 69 brides wl,ich, I »„ troubled with perplexing ances, by .,„„,, that will no. le, „,e s.^p v„.y '"g m one plaee-therefore I ean neither rest nor I've here So there is no help for it; thou must come „,th me to another country; it d„e, notraatterwh,eh, n„,„„t .joti , „„, . g^,. Mcd,e,ne, terrible and strong, that ean walk among he nat,o„s and have honour. I am no warrior (a! thou knowest) and yet I ean eonqner the bravest My words are keen as the ball, of the pale-faees' they p,erce through flesh and bone-even to the "...-row. With a look and a wave of my Z, 1 can make a whole people tremble, like siek men. I have talked to fieree speetral things that infest he sol,ta,y, plaees. I have drunk up their wisdom. It bums w.thin me like the fire-water of the ^trangen I am a walking fear. Who ean stand hefore feon-ko-kok-has, the dreamer of dreams? Come, Notokeel," he added, "this very night now, the eanoe is beneath the palisades, and ere the snow rests, we will be safe beyond the hunting grounds of the linked nations." ^ At this proposal, the eountenanee of the woman heeame agam overeast, and its former exp^ssiou ofanxety returned; she shook her head dis- •■^ntingly, and replied with some degree of em- barrassment, -No, no; it i, not Visible, I i 'I 70 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, cannot leave my people ; at least, not iu>w ! not now !" " Why not ?" abruptl) demanded the conjuror ; fi:]i ,n riir of wonder and mt.rtirinition. A ' 3el hesitated still, and Bizon-ko-kok-has repeated his demand. " If she cannot do what is asked of her, my mother has reasons. The ears of her son are wide open ; she can sp^oV " "I will, surtiy,^' said she ac length, shading her eyes with her hard; "but look not so at me, or I cannot find words. What I say is true, and it is not my fault if the nature in me is weak and easily beguiled ; the Great Spirit at first made me so, and it cannot be otherwise for all our striv- mg. Yet th( thing that drew it toward itself was very good, I thought so many times,— I still think so. I cannot be wrong; you shall see. We were far from this, aw.-iv ..ween the frost and sunrise, near the borders of the Mic- mac country from whence we journeyed, whon in a great storm, there came to us a pale-faced girl from out of the salt vater waves. Now, I beheld hei lying among the wneds, cold and motionless, likr them, luid without breath, but more beautifu^ than I can ever teii thee ; and seeing how the snow-flakes remained wiiuout melting upon her young hr.c, it made me sorry; THE NO ./)ES or THE WEST. 7J and I thought of those who loved her, and of thcr sorrow and that none of her companions • ->uld ever drop a friendly tear or weave burial gar and. by her grave and straightway I felt a Kusi>, hke the bursting fort), of a spring in mv »-«orn, and a wild passion seized upon J Stooping down, I gathered up that pale maiden >" my arms, and for a time, it did seem to me as .f my own baby dear were lying dead within horn ; so terrible was the gr.ef it wrought in me, tlif sight of that drowned stranger ! " It might have been the wilfof the good Mani- tou alone, or - night have been that there was a strong medicine m my sorrow, to break that stony trance, but I heard a faint sound coming out of her li]>8-a httle longer, and her breast heaved, the colour came to her cheeks, her eyes opened, she spoke,-she was alive. Then through the day and through the night, of all my people, I saw most of the beautiful Lily of the Waters-as we called her-and I loved her the best. I could not shut my eyes or ears, there u as no help for it • I ^vas become her slave; and often as we journeyed -^ the sound of her voice, my heart would melt a;>ay with kindness for her. She is here, at this time, and I cannot remain long absent from her ^itlioiit pam, neither can I sleep wit' dream- mg of the fair \ engie,^she is my sole jov -w 72 BLLEN CLAYTON , OR, I'i »t I ii shall be able to live whni she is gone ? Alas ! the second sunrise from now, will sec her de\mrt for the eountry of the Palefaces; the time slides by, there is no peace for Notokecl. Alas! alas I how can I go, my son, how can I tear myself away from her whom I love ? If thou wilt cure m. of this sickness, then, perhaps it may be as thou desircst, but, as it is, thou seest T cannot go- Now NotokccPs tale madi- a powerful impression upon her listener, though he chose to pn serve a careless and composed mien throughout the whole, which subsided gradually into cold abstraction, when the disclosure was ended ; but soon again, a gleam of subtle intelligence shone in his eyes, and the linis of his grim visage were brought into li\ ely play. " My mother is lucky to-day," said he ; "I have discovered a medicine that will make her glad; does she hcnr?" " Speak," was the quick response, as Notokeel looked up at the conjurer, with a contracted brow. " We will steal away this pale maiden, and take her with us, so that my mother will have her always beside her, like her own child, her whom she loves ; is it not good ?" Notokeel opened her eyes to their fullest extent, with an amazement so utter, that she met, for a full THE N0MADE8 O. THE WEST. yg 'he wa, evidently ,„„,• „,„ j^, "f" ''"; «-»"; Pr"|)o»iti„u of tl,e iTMilrf,,, . f "wughtsthe No'okeel I . child of " '^'''"' ">"• Poor <- could ,!,: ,3 7" '" ""- "- Prineiple, jer.™ouea„e:i ;r:i':r'"""''' ^" brooded „n„„ i, „, -, """ ""■> «'■■. as she picture of „„;„'' „;■ ""'•"="'"'■' " '"".ing «-ujoyment presented itanU ♦ l ® future, whose h.p,,i„e, „„„ jV,'"'^ '° ,'"••■• '" » companionship of tL beauw! 1, '"'"■•'^'' ''^ "■» »ou upon her affectionT sle « '^"' "''° '""'' '» ™»S .he was ahonTl 1 ''"'''"' "'* ^ "-c -h. proceeding "irdT::'?^ '""""-•« E"c"; or if she ^a, „„,,u°!/°™ '» »"'"' "pon Oe-ions.the.wereea: '';^^^,7.-''consi. ™olve .0 devote herself enttV „ h 'V ™'"' thus regain any fav„«r .u, JI? "■""'e'' ^'•^ ''c was ahont to p„Ze ' "'' ""^ ""^ »»"« P-cnee of Vl "n 'haT *""' '"''"'^ ""y •"c -' Icr thought"' ! d r"' ""'° ""■"'"i™ Wind ardour ^f 1,1 7 ■""«''' '"' ""i tic o-T i , ^ '"''''" '""'^'S" "' n.y father, „„ beCl '^''°°'' """' "'"" "-^ , iuji{, oerore J was born K„+ i-i. ».efa.ess left n,e, one day it eauTt' fl " T '"' -"turned, and then I t„,A "b! , ' ' '"'' "' the day, ant:l :::::: '"^^'"V«— eamp, where I ,ove to' s^ by n ^ t't": "■'' '""' %., and whenever I feel sad Tl' """""" o'd times, and because ,7 '"'"' "' "•"'^' water of that sprlrwhltCbrr'''''''^'''' watch. Now I can „ , """' ''''"'' ''«P ' ™° '"y *» the girl, Notokeel has a s 2 ' 76 ELLEX CLAYTON; OR, present for thee, fair Lily, but she has also a boon to beg; she would ask leave for once to lace her mo- cassins by the hearth, where her parents dwelt ; for it is an Indian proverb that whosoever does so for a stranger, by his own fire-side, will be lucky in his affairs. Then will she straightway consent, I know, for she is very docile and good, and reafly to do anything to please; and when she comes, it will be about the time that the bats begin to open their eyes. Then, hiding thyself close at hand, thou canst easily surprise, and bear her tenderly through the hole in the palisade, and away from the neigh- bourhood. I am only a woman, but I have followed my kinsman upon the war-path ; therefore, should there be some sense in what I say; is it not good ?" " Good and powerful as if the cunning Winasosis herself spoke in thy woids," replied Bizon-ko- kok-has, with a gesture of wild extravagance and a hideous grin, more befitting the mirth of the annual whose covering he wore, than that of a rational being. "He! ho!" he ejaculated, as concealing his head once more beneath the skin hood, he peered sharply out at Notokeel, through the eye-holes of his wolrish mask ; " He ! ho I Make ready, mother, j)ack up thy goods and squaw fancies; wc will rat N0MA0I8 or THE WEST. 11 show the Ongue-honwe* a manoeuvre they cannot -e mto for all their boasting- To-morrow lening Twin hi ^^ ': '" ""'' ''"^^ ""»- *' "i" 1 will be here and readv ; so be thou " Saying which, Bizon-ko-kok-has resumed h,s ongmal attUude, and crept ™ .uairufeie out o he w,gwam, muttering a. he th,-eaded hi, „ay through the thicket in the darkness, towards Z breach ,„ the defences: "The charm v;orks.peUS ™ 'ravel m a new path, and laugh at those whojhought . hold hin. prisoner Ahe eyele: thu?dt'"J r"""^ '° I'"™' ""^ Prehmmaries thus de ,ded upon f.™ being carried into effect Notokeel completed her work early in ,he after noon t e following day, and obtaiLd the Ll^t" d sL ''^' f™'H but s^mingly innocent desi„ upon which the success of the plot de times, her slender stock of clothes and utensils : '): •"•"" .-■>- ">e had met the conjurer, w ' at he appointed hour, did not fad to' maLe h ^ Weamnce m his shaggy envelope, which insured 7" '" "7' "i'^eTec from detection; should he chance to be observed by any of the inhab^ants: una 8ignitied~a people surpassing aU others. 1 I II 78 ELLEN CLAVTON j OR Who would naturally take him for one of the mechcme-inen or jugglers belonging to the place, iizon-ko-kok-has speedily deposited the pack which he received from Notokeel, in the canoe, previously drawn carefully up within a clump of alders that ovei-hung the lake immediately below, and returned to the wigwam, in one corner of which he gathered up i"s long limbs in an easy attitude, and was entirely concealed from view, by means of a large deerskin which his associate threw over him, preparatory to the arrival of her expected visiter. The final disposition had not been made many ni.nutes, when the sound of voices was heard in the vicinity, and soon that of Ellen could be dis tmguished, as she answered some inquiry of Conrad, who escorted her thus far, and now left her at her request to be alone; Notokeel, foreseeing such a contingency, having guarded against it by alleging that the efficacy of her visit would be much lessened, if not altogether destroyed, by the presence of a third party. Without any apprehension of danger, or the Bhghtest doubt in the integrity of her attendant and professed friend, the poor girl fell helplessly mto the trap laid for her. and entering the place of rendezvous with a smile of innocent confidence, seated herself down upon the fir branches, by the side of Notokeel. ^ THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 79 "Welcome to NotokeePe hearth, my Water-lily I Many snows have come and gone since one so good as thou sat beside it ; ay, or so beloved ! Now look,- added her host ; " here have I been striving to make something worthy a Yengie nmiden, but what does it avail ? an Indian woman is not as handy as the pale-faces, only she wishes her friend to take these poor things, that they may be for a memorj', when she is among her own people of one who looked upon her many days, and liked her well.'^ As she spoke, Notokeel produced a handkerchief and unfolding it, exhibited to view a pair of mocassins, richly ornamented, which she presented to Ellen, with as much ease and refinement of manner as if she had accustomed herself, all her life to acts of courtesy; and the latter, pleased no less with the taste displayed in the workmanship than with the generous partiality towards herself to which they bore testimony, .lipped oflFher shoes' and permitted Notokeel to replace them with her' gitt, and fasten the mocassins by their lacings around her small ankles, in the manner of her' tribe. "Now will good fortune be sure to come down to Notokeel,- said the woman, when the ceremonv was completed. "See, now, how well they shape 80 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, I i I hemselves to those little tender feet of thine, my chUd. Once, perhaps, I eould have boasted of my hem for beauty, and they are now as b.J and J.»gh upon the soles a, those of a bear. And so thou goest to-morrow, my My of the waters; thea what will Notokeel do ?" "Alas I my kind friend," replied Ellen, with . dejeeted a.r; "I g„, i^jeed, but whither I scar^ly know, for .„ the eountry to which 1 belong I™ w,th„utahome;I„n,yb„pe.h.tamongm;„™ I-ople I ma, find hearts as generous and honL, as those I have met with in the WUderness. If., hou beheveth, kindness to a stranger will insire .bessmg, then blest, in every truth, wUt thou be Notokeel, for all thy g«,dness unto me - "When you pray to the Great Spirit above, you wUl remember Notokeel." ' " 'n.y name shall go with mine unto Him, and we mil share al,ke .n His bounty," was the repty • " it il fte only,.t„™ I ^ „.ie thee for ,hyf.i^f„l ,„ve. God W.1 surely reward thee for it, my friend." Jilens voiee was low and tremulous as sh, coneluded,whdealarge.earshdoverh;rlfk and shone like a bngbt gem, for au instant, m tt hre light, ere it fell. ' ' Now each tone and look of the girl was a dagger THE N0MADB8 OF THE WEST. gj to the heart of the one .ddreaa^d, .„d fiUed her J th hvely agu.t,„„. Her eonseienee bee..„e ,ud. denly alarmed, .„d, tor the fat lime, the true he „o«„.ss of her eontemplated treachery Z t"„ of' apparent unto her, with ,he Tearfu, tram of consequenee, it wonid inflict npon one ^ ier by her a,de. Should she deliver sueh a eteem t T '" ""'^ ""» »''^ "'"'^ -er e.teem-tha mtraetable Bizon-ko-kok-has ? Oh "ever I never! foolish she might he but .h. not hull Ti. ... o"^ "'^' "Ut She was the elib n™' '"" "™ '° »™ ^"™ fr»- She ht ,r '""'■''= ^"'^''' *» -""'-l try. Sh ft herself grow strong „i,i the sudden re- solv^to faee eve^ risk and extricate her beloved As these thoughts passed rapidly in her m,„d, e!™'lo""T ' ""■"^ «'— '"wards th Z T :^'""' *» 'PPrehended danger to veheme^ f' '°' *™' "'* » ^-Iden and vehement gesture, rfgnis.j to the latter the -ess..y of immediate f„gb, A!,s ! , Jlt she -t:t;:-frrS'anXX-"S X 8 f. '■ 82 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, '1 !f. HI U skin ; and no sooner had the alarmed maiden with a wild impulse sprung from her seat to escape, than she was seized in a vice-like grasp, enveloped in the dccr-skin, and carried to the entrance of the wigwam, where a shawl was speedily bound over her mouth, to prevent her from crying out and giving alarm to the neighbourhood. Ellen, however, made no effort of the kind, for she was' half senseless with fright at the appearance of her uncouth assailant,— who seemed to have issued forth from the very ground itself, to make her his prey, and now kept glaring fiercely upon her from his monster eyes; making, meanwhile, menacing signs to Notokecl, who, excluded from all means of escape, and entirely discomfited by the failure of her attemi)t, shrunk speechless and trembhng upon the fir boughs. "Come on, squaw, and take heed," hissed the conjurer, in accents of warning and command, as he gathered up his victim in his bony arms and motioned Notokeel to go before him out of the door; "shouldst thou make a noise, or turn from the path, thou wilt find that my knife is sharp too, as well as my eyes !" The Indian woman obeyed, without a murmur or thought of opposition, and the three issued into the open air, where everything was now obscured by the rapidly increasing darkness, and no sound THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 83 couJd be hoard save the low moaning of the wmd through the palisades; stepping quiekly on, a few seconds brought them to the opening in the latter, !. vvhieh an easy passage was obtained to the shore of the lake, beyond the confines of tne village. The erafty conjurer did not omit, however, no withstanding his haste, to replace after him the pickets he had taken such pains to put aside: then making Notokeel enter the canoe which awaited below, he deposited therein his living burden, grasped a paddle, pushed gently off upon the lake and propelled the craft rapidly but with caution, along the shore, under cover of the bushes on Its margin. When he had doubled a projecting pomt which screened him from the observation of the sentinels posted at the entrance of the vilage, he uttered a low exclamation of triumph, and lendmg himself more freely to his task made the canoe shoot swiftly over the surface, right m the teeth of a swift breeze that blew from the direction of the discharge. 84 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, CHAPTER VII. ill: SALEXIS MAKES A OI8COVKRy-HI8 COGITATION. THEREON- A HEART BOWED DOWN. Need we attempt to describe the deep auxiety, the protracted hope, the immeasurable anguish,' which in turn, took complete possession of Conrad, as the night wore on and Ellen made not her appearance, and when upon revisiting the place -iear which he had left her, only a few hours oefore, neither she nor Notokeel could be found ; and lastly, when all inquiry elsewhere impelled to the conclusion that neither of the missing ones had been seen after that period. Why should we seek to pourtray his wild sorrow and utter aban- donment of purpose, as day after day passed on. and party after party, sent out to reconnoitre,' * THE N0MADE8 OF THE WEST. 86 [REOH— uxiety, onrud, at her place hours 3und; pelled ones Id we aban- l on, oitre. 'iiyBterious disap- id her attendant adian village, and as to the manner br-ught no tidings of his gentle co ,on ; for they retur ' after a fruitless search, rsuaded that no traces of the 1 gitives existed in ae vicinity of tne bourg. The reader's imagination alone, can do ample justice to the picture, therefore \\> need not dwell upon It; the polir-y of the pon is sometiuu s less to illustrate than to suggest,— in this instance we prefer the latter. The surprise caused by pearancc of the young stran was very great throughout th. gave rise to various surmis in which it had occurred j none, however, approached m the slightest degree towards the truth. The prevalent opinion was that they had been spirited away, bodily, by some malicious demon; such, as was believed to prowl by night about the haunts of Indians, to seize upon the unwary, who were carried off, heaven knows where, and either devoured or enslaved. •' 'Tis an ill wind that blows nobody good,'' saith the proverb, and its truth was made manifest on this occasion. Totems and charms against spectres and evil influences came into immediate requisition, and eveiy man, woman, and chUd was provided forthwith with one of these sovereign specifics, by I MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1.0 I.I 1.25 IIIIM IIIIM 1^ 1.4 2.5 1 2.2 2.0 1.8 1.6 A APPLIED IIVMGE Inc SS". 1653 East Moin Street r-S Rochester. New York 14609 USA ^= (716) 482 ~ 0300 - Phone as (716) 288 - 5989 - Fax »' ;* 86 ELLBN CLAYTON; OR, , the Medicine-Men of the tribe, who found them- selves elevated into unusual importance by the event, and suddenly enriched with the wampum and beaver skins that poured in upon them, in exchange for bits of bone, feathers, and birds' claws. These were consecrated and rendered efficacious by some species of mummery connected with a supersti- tion which, like that of the age, sought to people the earth with natures more malignant than it really contained-and deprived life of a portion of Its enjoyment by girding it with a chain of terror. There were two exceptions to this general belief of the natives. Sewantus-walie was superior to It, and Salexis had good reason, shortly, to attribute the abduction to a less equivocal source. The latter, with characteristic patience, and actuated by a lingering suspicion, proceeded to make, for a thn-d time, the circuit of the en- closed town; intently scrutinizing every bush shrub, and inch of ground in the vicinity of the defences. In this manner he arrived at the ehunp of alders where the Abenake conjurer had embarked, when, in the thickest part, he noticed a slight displacement of the grass that grew to the water\s edge, as if by the prow of a canoe. Following up this indication, and THE NOMADES OF THE WEST, 87 crouching close beside it, he observed a broken twig hanging from a projecting branch at aome distance towards the bank. Salexis then bent down still lower, until he could bring this object to bear in a straight line upon a point of the stockade. Assured of his mark, he then marched duectly towards it, and soon detected at the spot m question, indubitable proofs of the recent pre- sence of either a man or a wild beast; to all appearance, the latter, for the soil was scratched up and imprinted with marks of claws. More- over, on the rough pickets, he noticed several whitish hairs, and in a splinter there hung a flock, it might be, from some shaggy animal. Tliis Salexis seized upon with a guttiu-al " Ugh,^' of quick mtelligencej when down came the heavy post bringing with it a second, directly upon our good friend, who fell backwards with them, and had a tough scramble among the bushes into which he crushed, ere he could extricate him- self from the superincumbent weight and resume his perpendicular again. This he did with a broad grin and several distinct nods, as in assent to some suggestion that now occurred to his mind. He secured the tuft of hair, forthwith, removed the same number of pickets in the second and third rows of stockades, without evincing sur- pnse at the readiness with which he did so. 88 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, passed into the enclosure, and found himself close to the wigwam which Ellen had been seen to enter last, on the evening of her disappearance. This he now visited, and kneeling down, soon detected a few of the same whitish hairs adher- ing to the boughs upon its floor. This was sufficient to prove to him that whatever had made its way secretly through the def'^nces, had been there ; a conclusion satisfactory, inasmuch as it implied a direct human agency in the late transaction; for he was too well acquainted with the devices of his craft to be misled by the hirsute traces just mentioned. Nevertheless, this very accompaniment was the cause of a new perplexity to the Indian, for therewith were associated suspicions which he could in no wise reconcile with the occurrerce in question. Salexis pondered and cogitated^ and puzzled his brains to no effect ; he was evidently in a dilemma— or as the Americans would term it— *'a fix." There was but one alternative: yet It was seldom known to fail an Indian who has resource to it in difficulty, and Salexis adopted it. Seating himself gravely in ihe very place where Ellen had been surprised, and taking h* oking apparatus from his pouch, he filled his pi^^ struck fire with his knife-blade and a flint, into 'a piece of spunk, lighted it well, placed the morsel of THE N0MADE8 OP THlE WEST. 89 hair directly before him, folded his arms, and proceeded to hold a council w.th his reflections. While thus engaged, in face and limb, Salexis showed no more life or intelligence than a block of wood, and the only means of ascertaining what was passmg in his mind would have been by paying dose attention to the manner in which he allowed the smoke to escape from the comer of his mouth. At hrst he emitted it in dense and regular clouds, with a certain interval between each- then he puffed it out quickly and with vehemence. Now he would come to an abrupt halt, and press his lips 1u-mly together,-.shutting up f.he passage, hke the sudden closure of a steam.valve,-^and no more smoke was forthcoming. Then again vould recommence the slow, measured and full volume • evidently showing that the smoker had just over' come a knotty obstacle in his mental process, and was now travelling along once more with steadiness and deliberation. Salexis did not complete his purpose with his pipe, however; fo, when it was exhausted, he took up the trophy, upon which his eyes had been fixed throughout, and regarded it narrowly for sometime; then putting it up with an expletive of dissatisfaction and impatience, unusual with him, he dashed his fist violently against his 90 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, forehead, as if to smarten up his wits, drew the corners of his mouth more rigidly downward, and ground his teeth with vexation. The contingency was almost too much for han, but when once fairly roused, he was as obsti- nate as a she-bear, and would not let any amount of difficulty intimidate or turn him from his course; so he hugged his legs up under him pertinaciously^ refilled his pipe, deepened his outward stohdityi and concentrating his faculties more thoroughly upon the subject, once again became absorbed in his meditations. The solution of the problem was not destined, however, to reward the labours of Salexis, at that time, and the smoking was brought to a close without producing the tranquillizing effect which generally accompanies the proceeding. There was an evident mystery in the affair which he could not fathom; a strong suspicion awakened in his mind that only involved him in deeper perplexity the more he dwelt upon it. Therefore he was fain, in the end, to let the matter rest, for the present, in the hope that further light would be thrown upon it, in the course of the scrutiny which he well knew would take place, upon the first bruit of the intelligence he now had to communicate. THE NOMADES OP THi) WEST. 91 The astounding discovery, that soon became known m every lodge of the Indian town, produced a tremendous sensation among the inhabitants. Ihe scales of superstition, with which they had been bhnded, fell immediately from their eyes, at his palpable evidence of an hostile attempt against he secunty of their stronghold; and they we. e forced to yield to the unflattering conviction that hen. defences had been penetrated, and two of he.r number abstracted with impunity from under their very noses. This was particularly galling to a people, like the Mohawks, who, accustomed to indulge in the proud belief of their superiority over all other abongmal nations, and jealous of any attempt to lessen their high reputation for vigilance and military success-feared lest the present incident ""ght tend, in some measure, to weaken the prestige of their name, and induce others to under- take similar schemes of reprisal,-against which It would be extremely difficult to guard. A numerous crowd gathered around the breach in the stockade, and fierce threats and exclamations of amazement at the audacity of the act were reiterated on every side. Like a hive invaded by a blow from an unseen hand, the whole community was up m arms and swarming about the outraged I 92 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, quarter with wild notes of anger and alarm , like the bees also, each Mohawk possessed a wea^jon of oflfence, and longed to use it on an enemy. Soon after, the great war-drum was heard sound- mg from the council house near the square, to call the fighting men together ; the honour of the nation required that strenuous exertions should be made to eflfect the recovery of the lost females, and visit with their most summary vengeance the author of the mischief. Accordingly, the chiefs and prin- cipal warriors met together; prompt measures were at once adopted, and strong parties organized and equipped for instant service, and supplied with provision for a long march, so as to scour the sur- rounding woods to a considerable distance, should it be found necessary. The place resounded with the hum of active pre- paration until the sun went down, at which time many of the Braves retired to rest, as they were to set out early on the following morning. Now Salexis mentioned not a syllable about the additional signs he had discovered, for he knew very well that he himself could alone make use of them in identifying the individual to whom they referred. The riddle was half solved already, and It merely needed a further corroboration of his suspicions, in a certain direction, to satisfy his mind THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 93 entirely upon the subject ; and with this intent, he determined to put a question to his host, Otareha, that very evening. It was not easy for him to do this without an interpreter, for, besides his own dialect, he could only speak the Canadian French, in which his com- munications were made with his quondam foes. Yet he had managed, with the assistance of Conrad, to pick up a little English, though imperfectly, and he was compelled to resort to it in the present instance, not wishing that a third pair of ears should hear what he said. Watching his opportunity, therefore, when none but his host was present, he strolled up to him, and said casually : "Friend Otareha, 'spose me axem you leetle ting; you ever see one man, me callem Bizon-ko-kok-has ; he Abenake Injin. You ever know dat man ?" The one addressed looked at his questioner as if perplexed with his incoherency, and 'ere he ventured a reply, asked in the same language, which he spoke tolerably well : "Do you mean, brother, him who make his escape from the war-party what brought you in here V " Sartin, he dat one Injin man," returned Salexis with alacrity. " Then I will know him pretty well," was the 04 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, ) .ejcnder "He wa. save l„„g .go f,,„ „,e bur„,„g by my poor Notokccl, who is g„„e astray. She wanted a ao„, you see, and so took him; but he was a lazy toad. He ran away after a bit, and nobody hear of him sinee until „„w. I always hate hmi cause he had a forked tongue !" Salexis asked no mo,^e questions, he was sure of his ground now, every partieular previously shrouded m obseunty and doubt now appeared to grow into d.st.netness and bear the impress of truth, he therefore la,d by in eareful reserve the sum of his observations, uutU an opportunity offered in whieh mailn. " ' "" '" ""' ""'''' "'"'" '^"S"* By the first light of dawn the bands assembled and departed „po„ their errand, eaeh tak„,g sepa rate routes from the plaee of rendezvous without be stoekade. That in whieh Conrad, Salexis and Sewantus-wahe were ineluded, embarked in canoes, ,v,th a view of exploring the eountry adjacent to the lake and river into whieh it di,! charged. fo, h from those gates whieh he had entered so oyfullybutafewdaysbeforel As the faelite n h„ wanderings looked forward with ™pt„re to the moment of his reaching the promised land THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. Q5 SO had he anticipated his arrival at this friendly asylum, during the long toilsome journey through the wilderness, where, hourly subjected to the vi- Cissitudcs of the season, and the danger of meeting with a barbarous adversary, no opportunity was afforded for rest to the foot, or tranquillity to the mind. How ardently had he longed, more for his companion's sake than his own to reach the ter- nnnation of such an anxious period. Once within the enclosed hourg, and under the protection of the powerful Mohawks, how had his old associa- tions of country warmed within him, when he thought that all difficulties were now past, and that in a few days he would be once more with his people, from whom he had been so ruthlessly sepa- rated. Then also he could restore to her own land her in whom he had grown so deeply in- terested ; who, in fact, was insensibly become to him as a second home of kindred association and endeanng trust. Without being conscious of it at the time, Ellen had enwoven herself with his eveiy thought, and he awoke from his pleasant dream to the conviction that all the affection once engrossed by his dear parents was now centered entirely in her-the light of his solitary world, the dove of his havenless car . that, like the bird of 96 JLLEN CLAYTON; OR, old, had brought hope to his tempcst-drivcn ark, with the proiniHc of land. Then had the blow fallen; crushing his pleasing fancies and scattering his bright anticipations in the dust; even when he supposed them most secure. What had happened unto her? Where had she been carried to? Who could have con- ceivcd atid put in practice so cruel, and to all ap- pearance, so profitless a design, and what fate was m reserve for his dear, good Ellen ? were questions with which he tortured his mind through the hours of the two sleepless nights that succeeded her mys- terious disappearance. Now it was that he became impressed with the true character of his feelings for the friendless girl ; now, when perhaps she was lost to him for ever, he awoke to a complete consciousness of the necessity to his happiness which her presence could alone supply, and felt that he loved her not merely with the frankness of a boyish attachment, but that there mingled with that love the depth and absorb- mg energy of a more matured passion. The thought of her enwrapped him like a gar- nient, which he could not put by; her image stood before each avenue of the sense, shutting out all other objects; or, if he saw them, they appeared but dimly through the aerial medium that floated Tilt NOMABES OF THE WK8T. ^ I.C1W,,.,,. There „a., . burning, ec„,elc,. „hi„^, luunting ,,,^ , „i,,, the „„,„„ <,f Ellen, L Mod l,„„ „,t,, o„„ ia,„ J ___j proluljitca all icjiosc. VOL. II. 98 ELLKN CLAYTON ; OR, »j CHAPTER VIII. MOHAWKS AT FAULT — A GREAT RESOLVE. During all this, the son of the great chief, Sewantus- wali, jireserved a remarkable coldness of demeanour which it appeared difficult to account for when wc recall his previous enthusiasm, and readiness to sympathize with the strangers. Yet however open to such an accusation in point of manner, his con- duct furnished no exception, in the main, to the general manifestation that took place upon the occa- sion alluded to. But he abstained from all reference to the event, otherwise than to obtain such informa- tion as a view of the locality where it had happened, could not in itself supply ; and after that time never again mentioned the name of the English girl, who, as the reader will remember, he had seen but once. THE NOMiBES OF TBE WEST. 99 and then for a few moments only. Still his apathy :°t, rh'T,'"" "^'' "'- '"^ »>«» attention oith „h>eh he hstened to every sugsestion th», escaped the ehief Braves, eonnZtedXh/d covery of the missing parties, and the extreme eare w h wh,eh iemade his arrangements before setting out .n the.r quest, «re at singular variance with such a want of feeling. Those who knew the young Indian best, however would have rejected a supposition of his indifTerenee' to be mferred from his manner and speech. Had an effort of concealment in the latter, which showed hat no ordmary struggle was going on within, and that they were used as a mere sk to baffle obser- vation. Lofty, chivalrous, and susceptible of the hvehest .mpressions, it was not in the nature of ' spi™tTh '° ""■"" ""■"""^'-'■en the dullest and feed w,th unwonted interest for the common weal, and when the coldest stoic of them all wt^ restless w.th agitation. Then why should he hZ deemed .necessary to repress its utterance so Z t ™ly ? We cannot say, some powerful motive wa. a. bottom „„ doubt, which, were it known, miZ have justified his reserve. * Of one thing, however, his associates were well r 2 100 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, i^ i assured;— from this time forth, his laugh was less hearty and ready than it had previously been, and he became subject to fits of abstraction, which left a shade upon his brow it had not originally worn. The maidens remarked most the change in the young warrior, and more than one would sigh as he passed with a brief recognition, wondering what had hap- pened to make him so proud and so stranger-Uke towards them ; and so much more grave than he was wont to be. The morning upon which the parties began their march was cold, gusty, and lowering; and a shower of snow having fallen during the night, the ground was covered with it, to the depth of some inches, which tended to increase the cheerless and wintery character of the scene. Conrad was just about to step into the canoe, V hich, under the conduct of Salcxis, awaited him at the shore -from whence the others had already l)arted, and were buffetting the agitated waters— when Scwantus-wali appeared by his side, without previous intimation, and taking him by the hand, in his friendly and composed way, said briefly, " We will travel together, brother.*' He then took his place with the rest in the craft, which was soon dancing and balancing on the waves that covered the sheet of water before them, in a THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 101 maze of movin- lines/and dashed with a fierce hiss against it ,ow under the influence of a bleak wind. "Draw the capdt closer across thy breast, mon am; the air is winter-like this morning," said i>alexis to Conrad, observing that the latter was exposing himself to the blast, while he plied his paddle with the others. " I feel it not,- was the low reply ; " the wmter is m my heart, Salexis.*' "Nevertheless," returned the other, in his pecu- liar vem, with a smile of encouragement to his voun^ friend, "the fresh buds will eome forth and the flowers, therefore he of good cheer. The summer wdl be sure to come to thy heart again and make it green \" "You see how it is, brother," observed Sewantus- wah; "the clouds are thick overhead now, but they will soon clear away and leave the sky bright as before. You have a good hope left to make y^ou strong. Those only without that have cause to be ti'oubled. For such men there is but one way to act,-they must harden their hearts to stone, and so pass honourably along the track in which they travel. ^ The warrior spoke with the conviction of one who had proved, by experience, the efBcaey of the stern philosophy his words supplied; and yet he was ^3ai>i,;,Kr>.:. /, 102 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, 'f ! evidently too young to have been the victim of a necessity so repugnant to a nature generous and noble as his own. The observations, however, made a deep impression upon Conrad, and were remem- bered long aftewards, in painful association with the speaker, when they were found to possess a significance and application which he was entirely ignorant of at the time. The canoes, separating into two brigades, pro- ceeded in opposite directions, after leaving the point of embarkation, with the intention of making the complete circuit of the lake, after which they were to meet together at the outlet, and examine the shore on either side of this channel, which termi- nated in the main river of the Onondagas. The division to which Conrad belonged, skirting the southern shore, dispatched a messenger to give the alarm to the Oneidas, their confederates, whose chief castle was situated on a stream that ran into the lake, not far from the establishment of the Mo- hawks. It would be useless to follow them in the pro- longed search which was prosecuted for several days without intermission, even as far as Lake Ontario, or Cataracui, as it was then called, into which their course at length conducted them. It is sufficient to state that every exertion failed to detect any signs of the fugitives in that direction; and THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 108 although several camping places appeared along the shores, none of them bore evidence of recent use, and were supposed to have been left by a band of Onondagas, belonging to the council village of that nation, seated at a second lake on the same river that was known to have passed upward about a month before. If any still entertained an opinion that the rout they pursued was the same which the enemy had taken m his retreat, it was in consequence of the discovery of a small bark box of curious workman- ship, containing scraps of ribbon and materials for sewing, such as Indian women use, upon a rocky point jutting out into the great lake at the river's mouth, where it appeared to have been accidentally dropped but a short time previously; for its ornamented surface was quite dry, and unstained by exposure to the weather, which had recently become unsettled. Then the intention was to extend their exploration further along the coasts of that inland sea ; but they were soon warned to desist from so hazardous a coui-se by the daily accumu- lation of ice upon its borders, and the tempestuous character of the season, and ultimately were obliged to return homeward, dispirited and worn out with disappointment and fatigue. Nothing further transpired to encourage the '.' "Tnmiwn"'* wii 104) ;. I ( '! ELLEN CLAYTON; OR^ belief that the secret of Ellen's fate would eventually be known. Pay after day, some party came in, sullen and exr.perated by a sense of failure, and each brought bu, one reply to the distracted Conrad. "We have not seen a mocassin track since the snow fell that was not our own," said they, "though we travelled in a grand round, so that no one could have crossed the forest without cutting it somewhere and leavmg marks. The women and those who stole them away-if they be men indeed, and not spirits, as we begin to think-must have departed by the water-path alone." Every one was disposed, after mature reflection to admit this view of the case, in default of any evidence to the contrary; and although, upon pro- ducmg the utensil alluded to, it was found impos- sible to identify it as having belonged to Notokeel, for there were several of a description exactly similar then in the place, there was little difficulty in deciding as to its fashion and manufacture, which were purely Mohawk ; and this fact in itself sufficed to establish an hypothesis, where all else was idle speculation unsupported by any argument or testi- mony admissible to an Indian's mind. The hard, cold winter set in. The streams were chained up in its grasp; the wind moaned through the leafless forest; the snow lay thick upon the ■«««-■— 1-%..,-^^^,«,.,„,^,,^.. ^. THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 105 ground. There was a strange paralysis of life in the earth ; everything upon its face possessed the stony aspect of a corpse, telling in silent language of the awful eloquence of death; of that solemn trance, in the presence of which we feel inclined to admonish the very heart that it beat not too loudly, and disturb the breathless slumber— " The calm and immortal beauty, the deep and .mending repose." Hope faded from its first glow in Conrad's heart as the time wore on without bringing any tidings of his beloved; but he did not cease, on that account, his efforts in her behalf. He was a changed bemg from what he was, and had acquired new objects and new views; things hitherto uncared for now became his constant study, and what he had once considered as useless and unworthy of atten- tion now claimed his strongest interest, and excited a vehement desire to make it subservient to his purposes. He acquainted himself with the language com- mon to the cantons of the Five Nations, and accompanied several hunting parties during the wmter, in their excursions to the neighbouring mountains, to gain an insight into forest practices and mure himself to hardship, being determined. '"i 106 ELLEN CLAYTON; OB, by conforming to the Indian mode in every par- ticular, to assimilate himself to the rude, hardy condition of those with whom he proposed thence- forth to associate; for he had abandoned all wish to return to his country. What inducement did it hold out superior to that which retained him where he was, though 80 short a distance from its confines? He had neither a home, friends, nor prospects awaiting him there ; and all he could expect, at the furthest, was a careless reception from such as owned no imme- diate interest in his welfare, and were divided by party feeling and prejudices of sect to a degree unprecedented in the history of the colony whereas, among the natives, he was ever welcometl with honest frankness and hos],ita]ity, and, now that he had become somewhat habituated to their manners, and conversant with their peculiar policy, he began to look upon a residence in the woods with much less repugnance than he had hitherto done. But his principal inducement to adopt it, for the present, was, the chance it afforded of obtainin-^ some clue to the retreat of Ellen, and being the means of leading to her final rescue from captivity or whatever condition she chanced to be in, if she were still alive; as, from the absence of all proofs to the contrary, he was ever disposed to believe. it » ««..h..i>.^ v^.,..,, THE NOMADE8 OF THE WIST. 107 This, of itself, was sufficient to cheek any intention he might have had, to proceed on to the British frontier, and made him resolve to leave no means untried, and allow no personal considerations to in- terfere with what he deemed a sacred duty—to accomplish her liberation. Indeed, so jealous was he of any opposing interest which might chance to spnng up, that he forbore sending intelligence of his safety, to those whom he had known, at Albany which might have easily been done, as the usual water communication between the latter place and Canada led directly through the country of the Mohawks— choosing rather that they should believe he had perished at the massacre at Schenectady, than that he should be persuaded, through their re- monstrances, to abandon his enterprise and ex- change the simple lot of the aborigine for the tempting luxuries of civilization. During the winter, and accompanied by his two Indian friends, he visited the neighbouring tribes and made strict inquiry in every village, relative to the purpose in view, but without success; and every nook and portion of the territory belonging to the Indian confederacy, to the furthest limit of the Seneca countiy, on the shores of Lake Erie, was imprinted with the mark of his snow-shoes, foUow- mg the others in a close, interminable trail. Often the wild deer, in their winter lairs, started -*« ■■M—ii ■iii.i. i . i 108 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, With sudden alarm, as they sniffed up a scent that gave warning of the proximity of man but even while they hesitated to leave the beaten yard and plunge away into the deep and erusted snow, the offensive impression was wafted out of the keen air-the foresters had passed on. The ravenous wolf, m quest of the former, bent his lean body like a bow, with bristhng hair and a snarl of angry ap, prehension, as he was brought to a stand by the broad hue drawn on the frozen surface between him and his prey : had it been a wall of stone higher than his leap it could not have withheld him more thoroughly. The monster crossed not that suspicious line, and slinked off in a new direction ; his craving maw, palsied by a sight, which, for the time, drove the taste of venison entirely away. The solitary trapper, visiting his line of snares, often came unexpectedly upon a tramped path •ntersectmg his beat, and counting quickly in his inmd, "one, two, three,- as he examined the indi- cations, wondered who the strangers were, and upon what errand they had traversed his secluded range • and when he returned to his cave-like resting place he found the three already there waiting for him' ^et they made no stay; they smoked a fiiendly P^pe and asked a few questions, or spent the nioht m his wigwam, perchance ; but no soone. was it broad light in the woods again, than their feet were THK NOMADES OP THE WEST. 109 in the -nowshoe-lncings, treading the silent glades, and tho e-c tliat followed their lessening forms soon beheld them disappear— leaving no token of their brief visit, save two fresh tracks from the forest to the trapper's doorway. The youthful traveller, thrilled with sensations sueh as he had never yet experiencc-d, when, in the course of his wanderings, he saw, even as the first European, Father Hennepin, the incomparable Niagara. As in the immediate presence of the Eternal, the travellers bowed down in humble reverence, before the grand cadence of waters— where splendour, sublimity, and power, all that creates rapture and awe in the soul, are seated, as on a throne, encompassed with clouds and thunder. The Indians muttered, in a subdued voice, the word O-ni-aw-ga-rah !* and stood in rigid attitudes of silent adoration ; Conrad poured out his emotions in a spontaneous prayer, with his knees to the quiver- ing rock and his hands grasping the soil. When he departed fror^ that forest sanctuary and pursued h. -. weary way, he felt himself refi-eshed and glowing with new ardour to prosecute his design ; for the echo which the voice of the cataract left in his ear seemed to breathe a promise of success, in answer to his appeal; so with strong assurance, * The aboriginal name, which means-The tluinder of water. I. 110 ELLB.N CLAYTON; OR, ^ puihed on his toilsome exploration, but without When the siiuw melt^'d, Conrad, true to his pur- po^, again set out with SuLxis alone, and spent a year among the tribes of th. Abenake and their alhes, au.i raversed a wide tract of counti-y; but although he saw many prisoners, and heard of more that had been taken dui.ig the recent border war- fare, none, either from sight or description, proved to be those of whom he was in quest. Salexis never failed to add, to the usual inquiry one concerning Bizon-ko-kok-has ; but he allowed not his companion to believe that it bore any relation to the first, for he had sufficient acuteness and delicacy, to see that it would only add to the poignancy of the sorrow Conrad already felt, for the loss of Ellen, did he know in whose power he had reason to conclude she was : and the former sup- posed the question arose merely from a natural desire, on the part of Salexis, to learn what had become of one who had .o strangely crossed his path since the time of his escape from the outlying Mohawks. ^ *" But on this point, also, no intelligence was forth- comirg, for they found that the conjurer had not been seen in any of his usual haunts subsequently to that period. With no brightening prospect to cheer him on. TUi. N0MADE8 OP THE WEST. Ill or any probability of his b. \p; a single step fv •:.,»• advanced to requite his lab. urs in the cause in which he was en-agcd— Conrad obeyed the inward voice that still whispered to hiuf an unforg.,. 'on name, and retraced his steps to the country of the Iroquois, with the faithful Salexisj who wo.i'd not part frou. him to whom he was bound by gratitude, and per- sonal attachment, and to whom he was furthermore nnpelled to offer his services, from a feeling of interest in the result. The simple-minded hunter had, consequently, divided among his relatives what little property he possessed, being chiefly that left in charge of the missionary at Madawaska, which he had since reclaimed -and bidding his people a solemn farewell, he departed with Conrad, with the determination of devoting himself, thenceforth, en- tirely to the purpose of his friend. •1.,. V. . ■-'v.^.-^„ 112 BLLEN CLAYTON; OR, CHAPTER IX. SIGNS OF THE TRAIt. OxcE more, the wanderers drew nigh to the gate of the Mohawk village, in the quiet stillness of an autumn evening, ere the leaves had fallen. Eveiy- thing seemed unchanged, as though they had only left it the day before, and the smoke from the lodges streamed up into the blue air, with a lazy motion, suggesting pleasant pictures of domestic life, with its cheerful intercourse, and serene enjoyments, to those coming in from a long forest track. The scene, and the time operated powerfully upon the sensitive Conrad, and awakened emotions, which he strove in vain to subdue; his melancholy heart became suddenly surcharged, and telling his companion that he would follow after him, he sat ■•'# r THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 113 do^.n by the shore of the lake, and gave free vent to tears. There are times when Memoiy, with her despotic hand, selects her materials from the dark moiety of our experience. Then do we read, as in a chronicle, the sad record of our past lives, telling on each page of some thwarted expectation, some bitter lament, some cankering regret. They pass before us, m forlorn review, those spectres of long- cherished fallacies, soft illusive dreams which, like dissolving views, faded gradually out, into hard sterility, in " the light of common day." Thus was It then with Conrad, and blessed were his tears; for m the dreary catalogue was nothing vile or self- reproaching to arm reflection with a keener pang. He felt sorrow, and deep despondency, it is true but no remorse; the barb of an accusing conscience rankled not there. Again the old household fancies were busy mth him; again he laid his parents in the grave. The woe of his short existence was summed up, and compressed in that one reverie ; and among all its forms and phases, mingled the image of her whose reign was like those ideal dreams, joy-inspiring, and brief, whose advent had been to him as unex- pected as her disappearance was inexplicable; con- stituting his latest, and most enduring sorrow. The 114 .ji ■ I I ii* Mfl V t ' i ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, m.Id aspect of Nature, in that most hallowed hour was replete with sympathies, and recollections of departed things, which he could not resist, so, yielding to the impulse, the homeless one threw himself on her maternal breast, and wept long and passionately, in the sickness of hope defeiTcd. An Indian sauntered along, with folded arms and thoughtful brow, in the shade of the trees that fringed the verge of the forest, by the quiet lake; his form was very noble, and his bearing, as he moved silently on, denoted the easy grace peculiar to the natural man. Plunged in deep distraction, he scarcely noticed any object in his course, but kept his eyes fixed intently upon the ground; all at once however, pausing abruptly, he looked up to the sky, with a painful and imploring expression, while his hps moved as in prayer. Were the act devotional, the communion it implied was brief- for in a moment, he resumed his former position,' and then discovered Conrad a few paces in front, and seated with his back half-turned 'towards him. Ihe Indian gave a slight start, as he recognised the fair haired youth and composing his features, until all tmces of feeling were obliterated, he advanced qu^kb^towards the new-comer, and reached h side before his proximity was suspected A shadow appeared to flit before Conrad, and put if^ i;^ pwiur--'---, ^ ■— n^-mfK^ 1m -» THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 115 to flight his brooding fancies, and then, looking up, he beheld Sewantus-wali ; for he it was who stood regarding him with a placid and benign smile. " My brother is welcome to the Mohawk country,'' said the latter, in his sententious way , " we have been looking for him many days. His place is un- occupied at the lodge-fire." "Thanks, good Sewantus," returned Conrad, who, by this time had adopted the mode of address usual to the natives ; presenting his hand to his former and esteemed comrade, who shook it with the hearty frankness of a European. " Glad am I to see you once more ; 'tis the only pleasure remain- ing to your brother now, for he has had a weary and unprofitable task of it, since he parted from hence. There does not shine a single light over head to give him comfort in these days \" " Then he brings no good tidings from the sun- rise," rejoined the Indian; looking with strong in- terest into the face of Conrad, to discover if his conclusion were just." "I have no tidings of any kind, not a single token on which to rest any further chance of reco- vermg the one I seek. We travelled far summer and winter, and visited strange villages, and asked questions of all, but to no purpose. Now," added Conrad, turning his head away, and speaking in broken accents; "now does my mind misgive 116 gi » r if nu i ;i ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, me, at last; .Ae must surely be dead, else some- thmg would have been heard of her, ere this time" The Lily of the Waters is not dead ;" said the other, in a low emphatic voice, and with a look of assurance that struck his listener with surprise "How is this?- he quickly demanded; '-do you know aught about her; speak at once. I am in agony, Sewantus." " ^^^'' ^' ^^^^ y^^' my brother,- was the calm reply; my heart speaks in my words. They are true, and not spoken by a tongue that is forked • iisten to them : ' "It may 1,0 about a moon since tbat many of onr Che men went ,o a meeting by the side of the g.e.t Onondaga eouncil-fire, and Sewantus went w.th them. There came also depnties from the Nations, to smoke the ealmnct ,vith the Agonnon. seonnc-andsoIspokctoaShowanojoLofa con,„„ed people who hunt undo,, the evening sun. Now th,s ,„an had ..-avelled in a crooked path, and talked „.th the Nations by the frost, even he;ond h b,g lakes of fresh water that lie there. And he told me that lately there had tarried, among ,he Pottowattomies, a solitary kind of man, who had «.lh h,m two women, one of which was yonng and -ftly fashioned, and of the skin-colour of the Pale- „!r ^'"/i'°™° '^•'>' ■"°«over, that this man was aceouuted as a man without a tribe, whose I'i. THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 117 memory had gone astray. He travelled from village to village, in the course of the sun, and departed as he came, no one could tell whither; and this was all he knew. Now, when I heard this story, my heart leaped with joy on your accrunt. I said to myself— for very certain the trail of the thief is found out at last. I would have gone upon it straight, if the affairs of my people had not kept me back. So I thought it best to wait until you re- turned from the sunrise, that we might set off together. The way is long, my brother, and difficult, and full of danger. It is good to call one's senses together before we go upon a trail without a track. An unlucky Brave loses honour: that is all.'' " God bless you, Sewantus, you have brought me to life again V exclaimed Conrad, starting to his feet at once, every nerve thrilling with excitement at the cheering news. " Let us lose no time in com- mencing the pursuit. It must be them indeed, as you say. We will go together, with Salexis; would that we had lingered less among the Eastern tribes, then perhaps >ve might have reached the captives, and rescued them before now V "My brother could have done it, for certain, suppose he had wings," observed Sewantus, quietly; "but not being like a bird, his mocassins will have 118 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, to prmt the moss for some moons, I think, before he can come to that far eountry I spoke about. The island* upon which the red people dwell is very large. I never heard of a man who could look you m the face and say that he had stood on its edge and discovered where the sun went to when it sits/^ tan It be so distant where M^e have to go ?" mqmred Conrad, somewhat cooled in his enthu- «asm by these words, and turning anxiously towards ins companion — " Listen," was the reply. " My father, one time went a long journey towards the evening. He was curious to find out every thing that is, you see- not being entirely grown to a man-and I have heard him tell what he saw, and what he did, in tnat time. "He spoke of Nations, many and strong, who dwelt under wigwams of painted skins, and never went to sleep without their hands upon the war cub and the spear. Likewise he remembered plains of a surprising size, upon which you could march for a whole moon without meeting with a tree or a man; and where the stars rose up and flow over, and dropped down again, without seeing * It is a remarkable fact, that America is believed to be «. island by several Indian tribes. « ^ oe an THE NUMADES OF THE WEST. lid " He said also that grass grew there, as in the clearings of white people, and that the eneuh-en, which is a creature larger than a moose, and wild to look at, having long hair, — was as thick as pigeons in the berry season, — upon those plains, where they covered the whole ground in herds so numerous that the Great Spirit only could count them ; and them the people hunted and fed upon, who stopped there. " Now, you see, I believe what my father says ; therefore the path before us is long." Conrad was not inclined to be much disheartened by this account of the difficulties in reserve for him, somewhat vague and exaggerated, it must be con- fessed, but strictly in accordance with the belief then prevalent with the natives, of the illimitable extent of those vast western regions into which, with a few recent exceptions, even the enterprising Europeans had not yet penetrated to any considerable degree. He was devoured with eagerness to act upon the new impulse he had received ; for it seemed to him as though fate began to relax from her frown, and smile auspiciously upon his labours. Already, in fancy, his gentle and fay-likeEUen was restored to his side, beaming with grace and happiness, and repay- ing him for his solicitude with a look of love. In such a mood who could weigh, with calm deli- beration, the chances and liabilities of the scheme 120 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, now proposed : or listen tn th^ 1 1 11 , "1 listen to the cold sujrffcstionq cf prudence ? Siirelv nnf r i , 'ofCsnons icldon. nf I . , ^ "•'"''^ ^^'^« h«d 80 ^eldon., of late, known any pleasurable feeling It advised by his associates to take a p.od rest bpfn.. n.akin, a fresh de.and npon his streng hi ^ n y consent, after long persuasion and rLn trane^ to remain inactive for a few days, during which the necessary preparations for a loi... inn-n fullv m-ulp ■ f V, . ^ journey were care- oaf "thout "' ' "' '"""'^ ^'^'^ ---d to b a . thout injury privation and fatigue, and elated with ft.esh buoyancy of spirits, he took his departure J-with his two trusty friends-for that terra tZ Z "'^^'^ '? *'"' «^'"-^'- phraseology of tT: Indians, was known by the o-enpml i " the land nf .1, ^ ^ designation -f tne land of the setting sun '^ TTp i,„ i ^*^tmw-t» »*-*-* • THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 121 CHAPTER X. THE SCENE CHANGES. Six years had passed away since the events now recorded, and those who bade good speed to the departing travellers, absorbed their own cares, and beguiled by new impressicas, began to divest them- selves of any further concern about the absent ones ; or if at times a thought was given to the three friends who had left them on so uncertain an errand, it was only to wonder at their long delay, and what had befallen them in the interim • and when a transient feeling shaped itself in words' and the name of the young Mohawk Brave wr' repeated around the evening fire, or allusion v» . made to the fair-haired Yengie and his Abenake iriend, the wise ones would shake their heads VOL. II. 123 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, .'!'• Ill mysteriously, and remark: " Tliat their trail was very long, and that there were dangers in the path, and it might be they wouhl return no more." Then, doubthiss, th'^re would arise i-egrct for a moment, in some more gentle heart, for the loss of tliose young faces, and the honest warrior who was above fear ; but for a moment only. Each had his present life, his hopes, his instincts to enjoy ; why should they be o'ereast by a recollection tliat brought regret? To think was a weai-ying thing, and nothing could recal the past, or bring back dejiarted friends, therefore it was useless to repine. So they floated on, with the current, and contracted other friendships, until at length the very features of the absent were gradually obliterated from the minds of the inhabitants of the Indian village, or only recalled occasionally, in the fleeting passage of a dream. Thus, for all our striving with heart and arm, do we pass away, too surely, from the iremory of the living world. Six years ! what an iota of time^ and yet, what a cycle in a single life ! A throb of that great wave that wafts us on to the illimitable strand. In the vast lapse of centuries, but as a single grain to the sphere, and yet affording scope enough for " all human kind" to prove the failure of their little plan, the insufficiency of life, the inward THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 123 i pining for the hei/ond ; the certainty of that dread bU)W, which at the appointed time shall sweep them down. Six years ; with its mutations, its sunshine and storm, its flowers and harvests — its withered leaves. The old sank deeper still in their dreamy decline, babbling of those better times, " the days when they were young," and half unconscious, in their mental twilight, of the significant tokens of decay. The grandchild, spurred by his impressions, sprang up with a shout, affirming that the times were glorious, and, but for one thing, he would be content. The years were slow in passing, he thought, and he longed for the stature and inde- pendence of a man. Still, with the same even pace, the round world rolled on through the void, and its swarming myriads still, as ever, filled the land with strife, and died betimes; and the song of the mother- world was their requiem as it rolled on. There were two circles drawn upon it, by the finger of God, in the beginning, who sealed them with eternal ice, and said : " Let there be peace wiuiin." And these are the two extremities of the north and south, where life is not, and here, on all the broad circumference alone, the angels found an unpolluted realm, and folded their wings G 2 124 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, in reverence before the sanctuaries of the power that ui)hol(ls all things on the whirling sphere. Intrude not on those solitudes, presumptuous man : thy foot is upon holy ground ! The sun shone brightly over the landscape, which was of a character not uncommon to the region where we would transport the imagination of the reader; though it was one seldom or ever met with elsewhere, except at similar altitudes, in other parts of the globe, as the steppes of Asia or the l)auipas of South America. A beautiful valley covered with soft grass and enamelled with brilliant flowers, lay spread out, like a gorgeous carpet, to an extent of several miles, and shut in, apparently, by an almost un- broken wall of precipices on every side but one. This tract of verdure was sprinkled with groves of cotton-wood and box-elder, indicating the course of a stream that ran winding through its centre, and found its exit by a narrow chasm in the mural cliff towards the south-east. At the entrance of the valley, situated a little to the left of the water-course, and where the rocky barrier, (which in some places arose to the height of one hundred and fifty feet), blended insensibly with the soil— -the land rose with a gentle ascent, from the level of the lower bottom ; and in the midst, and almost equidistant from the boundary THE N0MADE8 OF THE WEST. 1:25 of precipice, on either side i niound of eurth, of a conical f\)rm, and covered with wiUl sage, and other shrubs, indigenous to the climate, reared itself above every f)ther object in its vicinity, a.s if to overlook the secluded haunt at its foot and dispute the passage of the grand portal in which it stood. The top of the mound was flat and bare, and upon it was a pile of stones. It was a- quiet place ; the sunbeams glittered softly on the grass and flowers, and the breeze was hden with their fragrance, as it ImgenKl there ; and ever and anon, some roving insect would dart past with a joyous hum, bent upon enjoyment, and anxious to make the most of the hour. Yet even here there had been, at no distant time, strife, and agony, and death; for at the base of the isolated hill, half veiled by clumps of sage and grass, are seen occasionally frag- ments of human skeletons protruding in glistening whiteness, from the herbage where they had been left by the wolves, that had disjointed and picked them clean. And should you examine the ground closely, you may discover many hoof-prints, dashed deeply in the soft alluvion, and perchance, a broken arrow, with its stone-head half-buried 126 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, therein, tolling of some struggle that took place: not long ago, in this now solitary glen. Let us ascend the step side of the mound that divides in two, the inclined plain leading to the fertile level beneath, and visit the cairn upon its summit. It consists of a few stones placed there, evidently by the hand of man, and with great care J being intended, no doubt, to commemorate a vic- tory at the expense of those mouldering bones below J or piled, perchance, by the victors, in honour of their companions who fell in the fray, and lay buried there. In very sooth, you might ride far, and not find a more befitting place for the fallen brave. Sublime and vast was the spectacle that presented itself to view from the top of this eminence, which might be termed the watch tower of the valley. On all sides, behold, a wide indefinite expanse of prairie, without a rock or tree to break its uniformity, and spreading like a boundless sea of verdure from the horizon to the very edge of the steeps that encompassed the vale, which was scooped out, like a deep trench in the level plain. An expanse, boundless, save by the sky, except to the west and north, where, above a tract of gentle undulations and a dark belt of hills, a chain of mountains hung, ridge over ridge, and peak after THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 127 peak, higher than the clouds and piercing the serene sky with their snowy crests, which appeared vague and ghost-Uke in the glare of noon-day. This stupendous fabric reared its aerial pinnacles in every form that fancy could suggest or the eye of a painter desire, but being afar and refracted by the sun^s rays, it seemed remarkably unreal, and like an assemblage of clouds upon the verge of the horizon ; and yet, when the evening luminaiy sunk behind the mighty barrier, it projected from its loftiest peak a great shadow, that reached beyond the valley and veiled its flowery lawns in twilight, long ere the rest of the landscape was involved in gloom. It was the spine of the North American con- tinent ; that colossal wall which divides the waters flowing east and west into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The wind rushed in a torrent over the wide plains, and whistled shrilly among the stones on the solitary hill : but in the bottom below, the foliage trembled only with a playful breeze under the shelter of the boundary cliffs ; and from the top of the mound is observed a feature in the prospect, not visible at the foot of the hill. Beyond the first grove of cotton-wood, to the furthest limit of the alluvial lands, traceable by the I' ^-m tA.a. m m i mimi'mm i 128 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, (: I- eye, was one dense mass of buffalo, covering the meadows on each side of the river, in innumerable swarms, almost to the foot of the precipices, and grazing quietly upon the fat pasturage the bottoms supplied. The living throng darkened the whole surface of the ground, but, save by an occasional low murmur that mingled with the air, no sound betrayed the vicinity of such a multitude when screened by the intermediate grove. A spur of rock, from the border of the upper prairie projected, in one place, out into the valley; and upon this was gathered a troop of hungry wolves, that peered with fierce eyes over the steep, at the feeding herd, and licked their yearning jaws in fond anticipation of a repast, whilst they took strange counsel together with the intent of inveigling the unconscious buffalo into their toils. Suddenly these gaunt marauders start with alarm; their quick instinct warns them of an enemy, and with a keen glance backward over the open plain, they slink off to their hiding places in the rocks. The grand prairie is no longer a lifeless waste ; a single horseman scours over it with the speed of the desert wind, his robe fluttering, his body inclined forward, while the hoofs of his charger THE NOMADES 01 THE WEST, 139 seen? to paw the air, so quickly and buoyantly they spring from the short grass in its antelope-like career. Skirting the edge of the cliffs in a wide curve, until he reached the spot where they subsided in the plain, the horseman directed his course towards the mound before-mentioned, and descending the inclined plain at full speed, arrived at its base. Here he checked his steed, leaped to the ground, and stepping scrupulously between the scattei'ed bones, ascended the hill, followed by the docile quadruped until he reached the level space and the pile of stones, when, taking from his belt a fresh scalp, he laid it gravely thereon and stood musingly beside it, leaning on a spear. He was a fair sample of the red cavalier of the Far West in his fantastic war array ; tall and well- proportioned, and of a proud and martial bearing. His face was strongly aquiline and rigid, expressing sternness and resolution, not unmixed with scorn. This uncommon severity, moreover, lost nothing from the gleam of two small eyes, piercing as those of a hawk, but at the same time cold and inscrutable, like armed men prepared for opposition, to whom confidence gives repose. His body was uncovered to the waist, around which was a centre cloth of the fine skin of the mountain sheep, carefully dressed and ornamented G 3 180 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, 1' I. j ij if l\ With a border of died quills of the porcupine, and painted figures of men and animals, rudely drawn Below this he wore tight leggins of antelope skin Similarly adorned, and edged with a long fringe of black hair, taken from his enemies in battle, which swept the ground at the heels of his embroidered mocassins. Around his neck was hung that favourite ornament of a prairie hunter, a collar garnished with the talons of the grizzly bear, inter- woven with the fur of the stoat, or North American ermine, and over one shoulder was throwa a lone cloak or mantle, formed of the skin of a youn^ buffalo, dressed with the hair on, and embellished on the inner side with painted representations of his exploits in war. But the most conspicuous par oi nis costume was a magnificent head-dress of eagle s feathers, extending from the crown of his head where it was fastened between two small buffalo horns, beautifully polished, backward almost to the feet, in a long, fan-like plume. His arms consisted of a panther-skin quiver of arrows, slung by a band that passed over the shoulder and across he breast, and was likewise adorned with scalp- locks and quills. Beside it was a short bow, made of bone, m several pieces, and strengthened on the back with tough sinews, of which the string was also fabricated in three twisted plies. On Ins left arm, by an embroidered loop, hung a small shield THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 131 of buffalo hide, hardened by smoking, and rendered stiff with glue, until it would turn off the point of an arrow, and baffle the strongest lance-thrust, though delivered in full career. This weapon of defence was edged with antelope hoofs, and fringed with coloured hair. At the wrist of the warrior was fastened a bull-hide whip, and he bore in his hand a slender lance, upwards of ten feet in length from end to end, the shaft of which was of tough ash, and the blade of volcanic flint, sharp as a razor on the edges. This weapon was tufted with eagles' quills at certain places along the shaft, which gave it the appearance of being winged. We must not fail to mention also the medicine- pouch of ermine bedecked with woodpeckers' beaks and hairs from the white buffalo, which hung on his breast, and contained his totem or charm, and a pair of carved ear-rings of pearl shell, from the coast of the western sea, The outfit, besides, com- prised a knife of copper, in an embroidered sheath, and a war-club of wood, armed with spikes of bone, that dangled by a thong from the shoulder of his horse. The body of the latter was half con- cealed by a showy caparison, bedizened in like manner with quill work and hair, while a crest of war-eagle's feathers interwoven with the mane, and the care bestowed upon its condition, sufficiently attested the pride and partiality of its master. But 132 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, I this paraphernalia, gay as it seemed at a glance had borne the brunt of many a rough skirmish and bison chase, and in several places showed stains of hard service and recent travel. The Indian's face, moreover, was covered with a black pigment, the ensign of grief; and as he stood, gazmg fixedly upon the monumental pile, the sternness of his features relaxed, and gave place to an expression of softness, while, at the same time, the proud lip grew tremulous, and the sharp eye became dim. Some powerful emotion had mastered the soul of the savage, apathetic and impervious as he seemed. He was a stoic, both by nature and intention, yet the barrier of his strong pride was swept down in an instant by the sorrow that oppressed him then, and impelled by a feeling of tenderness, he cast his right arm aflFectionately round tae neck of his horse, while the latter, as if conscious of the appeal, stretched its neck forward and rubbed its nose gently against his shoulder! The Indian acknowledged the mute caress by calling It by its soft, familiar name, and buried his face in the hair of its flowing mane. The weakness soon passed off however, and the warrior, raising himself up from his leaning pos- ture, addressed the creature in low and kindly tones, while his features resumed their original il THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 133 '»# hardness of outline as lie patted its glistening side. All of a sudden the horse pricked up its ears and started with a fretful snort^ and, guided by its eye, the Indian noticed for the first time the herds of buffalo that covered the extensive bottoms of the valley beneath; he came not there to hunt that day. What attracted his immediate attention, however, and had alarmed his sagacious steed, was the cir- cumstance that tuis immense mass was then in rapid motion, impelled by some unseen cause towards the entrance of the valley ; for the rearward ranks, closing furiously upon those in front, were causing a general commotion in the herd, which thoroughly aroused, was pressing and thundering down in the direction of the mound, to make its escape into the open prairie beyond. t 134 ELLEN CLAYTON; OHj If CHAPTER XI. OLD FBIENDS IN A NEW DRESS— A PRAIRIE '« BRAVE" TELLS HOW HIS SCALP WAS LOST AND WON. I II ■l! ;n i( The first impulse of :.he Indian was to vault on his horse, the second to fly, the taird, impressed in scorn on his lineaments, to remain and brave the emergency. The elements of his stubborn nature were awakened at the thought of peril ; he was in no humour just then to yield an inch, or turn his back upon a foe ; so he secured his seat on horseback, drew up behind the cairn, unslung his bow, and plucked several arrows from his sheaf. It was a curious and exciting spectacle to behold the dark host as it rolled onward like a billowy sea towards the pass, shaking the ground with its tread, swRssaSk. THE NUMADGS OF THE WEST. 135 n TELLS ault on ised in ve the were in no 8 back lebackj V, and jehold vy sea tread. and making the air resound with bellowings and shn'l ;vies. Kemmed in within the narrow limits of the valley, the bisons dashed n- lly upon each other, and with tails erect, went crashing through every obstacle in their way. The river and groves were filled with their dusky bodies, which speedily co- vered each available foot of soil between the steeps, to the entrance of the valley, where the fierce tide divided on reaching the foot of the mound, and rushed up the slope, in two streams, to the vast plateau above, where the shaggy troops dispersed and became hidden in a cloud of dust. The scene of wild confusion that took place, during the passage of the herd at this point, baffles all description, for urged by the irresistible pressure of countless numbers behind, the bisons were driven, with terrific force, against the insulated hill that stood directly in their path. There, they rolled, and struggled, and plunged among the scattered bones, overwhelmed by the succeeding files. And thus the wild multitude swept past, with a roar, and a rattling of horns, as the bulls fought and gored one another, and threw the soft vegetable loam high into the air. At length, the greater portion of the herd had made its way to the upper level, and the remainder were following swiftly, but less densely, in the same 136 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, m track, when there issued beyond the grove of cotton- wood, four horsemen, internnngled with the re- treating buffaloes, and in close pursuit of such as they had singled out for their prey. One, mounted, on a noble steed, rode by the side of a cow, balancing to and fro, as ho galloped a long spear, which, at every favourable opportunity he darted into the chest of the bison, coverini. it with blood, while the other hunters discharged arrow after arrow at their selected mark, without missing a shot. The foremost of the band,, when within a short distance of the mound, directed a fatal lunge with his spear, which brought the game to a sudden halt ; its vitals were pierced; it fell over, struggled an instant, and was dead. By this time, also, the others had secured each his prize, and dismounting from their horses, they commenced the work of cutting up the carcasses with a readiness, and celerity, that announced a thorough acquaintance, ship with prairie craft. This operation ended, and the choice parts, the skin, ^ump, and tongue packed up for carriage, the hunters began to look about them, and notice the remarkable appearance of the ravine, in which they were, having been too busily occupied to do so before. Then it was that one of them, chancing to look up at the singular hill, directly in front, discovered, with an excla- THE NOMADES OK THE WEST. 137 mation, the solitary hoi'seman upon its summit, who, erect and motionless, might have been mis- taken for a statue, in any other place, so little did either man or steed seem to be concerned by what was taking place below. The strangers beheld, with no little wotiuer, this sileut witness of their proceedings, a^.d made the signs which signified — friendship, and Dahcota, in the gesture-language of the prairies.* Upon this, the other deigned to leave his elevated perch, and descending the steep face of the hill, on his sure- footed charger, he advanced direcily towards the hunters. One of these, a young and handsome man, with a fair complexion, slight beard, and light, curling hair, stepped forth to meet him. He was dressed in a tunic of fine deer-skin, with a Canadian sash wound turban wise I'ound his head, from which .'i's fringed ends hung gracefully down. * The numerous tribes that occupy the great central regions of North America, speaking, as they do, so many different dialects, which render an intercourse with one another difScult, if not impossible, have adopted a sort of telegraphic method which, consisting chiefly of signals made by certain positions and movements of the hand, supplies, to a limited extent, the purposes of an oral language, whenever they chance to meet in the course of their wanderings. The sign for Dahcotais made by passing the hand across the throat ; a gesture especially significant of the phrase, which means — Throat-cutter. 188 ELLEV CLAYTON; OR, We a,^ fnends to the Dahco.»," said ho, i„ tl,c '".g-ge of .1,0 B„at Kunily of the ,„,„,.,„, ;„,,„; .0 called, t.„„sh better k„„.„ 4 .L'l„''^^ «.»«. a, the Freuch te™cd the,„; -our he.r^ are w,de oj„„ to every „„„ „.,„ ,^,, „, .^„, "^^ vL^I" " ""' «""'' '° ""■ '"""S- -PO" the "My brother ia right," wa, the ready reply „f W r d,a„, ,„ the ,„u,e la„„,ago; and' ,IL, as.d h,s weapons, he leaped fron, his horse with . f..n,l,.r though not undignified aetion, .daiu. • « l" " not good, as he says, to be strangers when the bean,sf™„.U Men a. not bearsl be so taj Theh^rtofTatungaisdark.butthereisnowJr another of he party, . noble looking young Indian, n the s,mple e„s,„n,e of .he plains, with . faee and forn, hke that of „„ „utiq„, ,,,,^^ „ °^ wear the black pa.nt on his faee, o'r travel :; m this solitary place ?" "Why do my brothers wear masks upon theirs?" demanded the other, in return, with a quick glance .t two of the party; "I never saw th". friends of the Dahcotas yet, with hair upon their chins." At th,s sally, another indiv.dual who had a beard, .tall black haired hunter, past the „.ddle age and of a frank and ruddy aspect, gav, a ringing n THE NOMAOES OF THE WEST. 189 yell thut sent the strange warrior backward with a bound, and made him seize his bow with an ni- stinctive clutch. But he recovered from his mo- mentary suspicion, as soon as he was given to un- derstand that what he took for a signal of hostility, was o\\\y caused by merriment at his observation, as those to whom it applied belonged to a great and powerful race of white people that lived towards the sunrise, and had hair upon their faces. The stranger then said : That he believed them ; but that none could be greater or stronger than the Dahcotas, who were the bravest of nations. As for the Scarred-Arms and Upsacoras, they were dogs. He had heard something, too, of white bearded men, but they were far towards the summer — meaning the south ; he never knew there were any such people by the sunrise. But he had been told many times, of a belt of tribes in those parts, ter- rible for war, and a scourge to the Shawans ; ^ that the most famous of these was the Mengwe, or Bears. He would go far, he said, to look at one of those Braves. Here an Indian, the last of the hunters, an honest vizaged veteran, who had not yet spoken, came forward, and placing his hand fammarly upon the shoulder of the young native that bore no faint resemblance to the Grecian Apollo, remarked quietly. 140 ELLEN CLAYTON; OB J.^» to the speaker: "Thou dost not need to g, anv tttSl^^^^""^^^^^^^-- -ehoId^neTf The strange Indian gazed with evident interest at f: '^''':.^' '^^ «- to whon. h. attention waTthu fo mbly du-ected, and who d.d, in truth, p.esen « flattering specimen of the martial raee th' of wliiVli I. A ""*' "ai race, the renown ot which had penetrated to thi. remote redon where, a, yet, the nante of the Saxon „r N^nZ' was an unimportant sound. re^l fnlr^;'" ""' ''" ™' ""-^ -''e his reseive, forthwith, and was soon upon a footing of fnendly mtiniacy with his new aequaintance « consummation promoted, in no slight degree by a present of tobaceo from the oldest of the pi '^ b Wl bearded man, before spoken of, who made him aeeept a supply „f ,he darling weed, whieh «" worth IS weight in gold in that mountain land Kindling a dre, the hunters were soon engaged m cooking some precious morsels taken fromSe bufe they had slain, while the Dahcota looked q«.e ly on, p„ffi„g ,.,, ^^^ ""^^ :ie":tii:rt""''""""^''^'°--'° pa take of .t with them; but he declined, saying that he was making a fast to the Great s;irittha; THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 141 day ; upon which they did not urge him further, but fell to, without delay, like men who had tra- velled far in the prairie wind, and were only lately arrived in the buffalo range. "My brother finds that pipe stuff to his liking; is it not so ?" inquii'ed Couteau-croche — for we hope that the reader has been able to recognize all our old friends ere this. "It is very good," returned the other. "It makes Tatunga's heart bound like a bird in his side. It dissolves away his sorrow." " Then my brother may tell why he wears the black paint, and why he fasts, and what the stones yonder signify. Our ears are very patient, but over- watching makes weary the toughest Brave.'*\ " Listen," was the abrupt reply, as the Dahcota, roused at the hint, sprang from the ground with a leap, and stood before them in the attitude of the warrior when about to recount a feat of arms. He made an imperious gesture with his hand, and his eyes flashed as he spoke. "Listen, strangers. The Dahcota loves war. He thirsts for the blood of his enemies. He scalps them in his dreams. He leaves nothing but their bones to bleach in the screaming hurricanes of the plains ! " Thi'ce moons since, the Dahcotas travelled and struck upon a trail which led them into this valley. Mv 'f f ill! 1 i ■ 1 if 142 h li ^i 4 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, where they f„„„d . wa.-ba„d of .he accused So.r„d Arm ^ our ™„rtal foes. What did we do then ' We Strang our buffalo bo„,, and sent a shower of arrows wh,sth„g among then,, whieh ™ade7he™ d^p, „any of then, like hollow pines i„ » storl Then shou„„g the war-ery of our nation, we [ZZ ourclubsand rushed in. <- i,«sped "They fought well too, for Searred Arms wi.h l™b:ra:"''"r^"''^"«''-"^ •>'*■" and f , ^ "'^''' ™ ""I" ''»"" V a blow hi.:!""™ """" "'' -dieine-dog/erushel enemv"'!; '" "^ "'''• ' ™"'' -"^ "-« »«"-' his enemy-the wdy serpent ! He twisted out of it, reach and by the red right hand of my ft,!* ather- before I eould withd,w it agah, I „ 'f "f f "y '-"-'s «ead^als„,a,hebelieved,by.heWs'ofhir™ " Well. I awoke, as I thought, in the blessed P-ams above; but I was a fool, for I was only by ft' -ge tufts of the valley, and a star was out and he -oon but no live thing near me, no, not one I inew not where I was, until I touehed with * P"^'«! ilie ChyeniiM ,„d Gro. Venire, «f .k. "b. are .ce„.,.„ed ,„ „„k .he.s.,vc. t ^^^T'"' ■"",• scars on the left arm. ^ transversal t Horse. THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 143 my fingers the face of my brother, and then the recollection of the battle came back to me, and how he was struck down. He will also awake, I said ; but he never did. " My face was stiflF with clotted blood. My teeth chattered with cold. My skull was like a lump of ice with the brains within. I put my hand to my head. What did I find there ? Nothing. I had lost my scalp and was alive. I, Tatunga ! "It was very wonderful, but the thought of that made me hot, hot, until what was ice seemed fire, and my eyes jumped in their sockets like swamp-lights, and I crawled by their blaze among the dead bodies, all the time in a burning dream : all the night long. " My memory came once again, and, lo ! I was in my own - 4;s. Then they told me that upon their return .ay after the fight, from the trail of the routed Scarred Arms, they found me raving among the dead warriors, with the greedy chunka monets,* those lean travelling dogs, looking on, impatient for the feast to begin. " Then, gathering up their Braves, they buried them on the bluff" here, by the battle-ground, and heaped over them a pile of stones, to preserve them * Wolves. h iw 144 t)LLEN CLAYTON; OR, from the beasts of the wild. The enemy they left where they fell, among the herbs of the valley Look ! they are rotting there still, bone by bone • but who shall tell a Searred Arm by his bones ?- ' Here the speaker, with a look of irony, pointed to the scattered fragments which, scarcely visible a. they were, among the tufts of grass, had not attracted the notice of the rest though in their immediate vicinity. Now, however, they made an eager, but silent examination of the mournful relies and then gravely resumed their seats by the fire' when the Dahcota went on, "Now the flesh wound' healed up again, but Tatunga was in pain. The Braves laughed at him, as a man without reputation who had lost his scalp. Therefore he prayed to Wakonda- the Master of life-for strength; and said to bmiself that he would never rest until he had won it back. "And journeying by the country of the Scarred Arms, he met a man; he remembered him well. It was him who had killed his brother in the fight and stolen away his honour. So he levelled his spear, and cried his war-cry, and rushed on "But the man said unto him. Why should Braves aght when they are tired? Let us rest under the shade, and when we are refreshed we will h THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. I45 do battle upon the prairie/ And Tatunga was well pleased, and said, ' be it so.' " Tying their medlcine-dogs to a tree, therefore, the two men sat down together by a fountain shaded from the noon,-the two men that were enemies. "Now a thought came into Tatunga^s head, and he spoke. ';j Son of the Scarred Arm,' said he, 'this will decide the matter,' and taking up a small pebble from the well, he covered it with his palms. ' Who- ever wms this game shall have power over the other, to scalp or to kill. If you have the good luck on your side, take my head also, you have already the hair.' th \'^"^. i'u "^r"^' '"^ '^'^ P^^y^^ '^' S^°>e of the hand,* head against scalp, and the Great Spirit was good to Tatunga, and he won. "Then drawing his knife, he told the other to kneel down, and he cut the scalp clean from his * This ia a favourite pastime among the western triho/ a >Wte : i; m^^ -r ^ ^^^^ ^* ^^ o^- resorte. to herein stated ' " ^"'^^''^^^^'^ ^^ « ^^^1 by battle, as VOL. n. ■MMM 146 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, crown, and took back his own, which hung as a trophy at his belt, and the Scarred Arm said no word. " Then Tatunga staunched the blood, and gave him provision for the way, and set him upon his village trail. " Now when those two men parted, they shook hands, and Tatunga said : — * Thou art a brave man, mine enemy, a man of honour. When we meet again, we will play another game ; and it shall be head against head.' And he replied, ' It shall !' " The narrator of this singular adventure tinctured so deeply as it was with a spirit of barbaric chivalry, peculiar to the West, made use of every variety of gesture, and intonation, to enforce his meaning, and impress it upon his hearers. It was, throughout, an expressive piece of acting, in which might be traced successively the intoxica- tion of the fight, the arresting blow, the awakening from temporary death : the deliverance and humilia- tion that supervened, together with the final triumph, and chivalrous farewell. Now, however, his faro resumed a portion of the sad expression that sofi d his natural sternness so completely, as he stood by the burial-pile, nor was there a vestige either of pride or triumph remaining in his voice, while he added : THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 147 " Tatunga tan-ied not then. His work was not yet done. He had never seen his brother's grave, but he did not forget him. "They had played together as children, and fought against the enemies of the Dahcota together as men. " He could look upon it now without shame. So he kept a fast, and came unto this place, and laid the scalp of the Scarred Arm on the grave of him he slew. « But Tatunga hid his own, here, in his medicine- bag;" and the speaker pointed to the ornamental amulet-case that was BUopended on his breast. " It will be a strong medicine to him, he believes, to bring him success in hunting. "This is why Tatunga paints himself black, and eats nothing. This is the meaning of the stones. Look, strangers! Who can say like Tatunga, I have lost, and worn my scalp, and am a livins man ?" * As he spoke, the Dahcota unfastened the homed plume that covered his head, and bent down when they saw that the crown was entirely denuded of hair, and that its place was usurped by an oblong, and angry-looking scar. u 2 -Jj'^kmw^vMmimm l'- 148 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, ; J ' I CHAPTER XII. ILLUSTRATES THE PROVERB MANY A SLIP 'tWIXT COP AND LIP. Having discussed their meal, the hunters mounted their horses, which carried in addition each a load of fresh buffalo meat, and proceeded on their course westward, accompanied, by the Dahcota, who gave them an invitation to his village, situated, as he said, at a distance of two davs' journey from the valley, which, as it offered no derangement to their plans, they concluded to avail themselves of. Accordingly, after traversing an undulating country, under the guidance of Tatunga, they reached at night-fall a river flowing from some boiling springs, in a beautiful dell, shut in by high jM THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 149 ;t cup and J hunters 1 addition proceeded d. by the bis village, two davs' offered no ed to avail mdulating nga, they rom some in by high tttble lands, which sloped abruptly, covered with oaks and pines, and overhting by a grand mountain, whose snowy summits pierced the western sky and reflected the rays of the luminary, long after they were withdrawn from the plains. Here they picketed their horses, and lit s. fire within a short distance of the Medicine Fountains, which, as Tatunga informed them, was the name they bore among the neighbouring tribes, who held them in especial veneration, and often came there to make offerings to the Great Spirit, as He had consecrated the spot by a peculiar manifestation of His power. The appearance of the surrounding trees gave ample testimony ox this, for they were thickly clothed with various articles of Indian ma- nufacture, such as bows, shields, head-dresses, and painted robes. While our travellers are enjoying a sweet repose, under the guardianship of the divinity that dwelt by the sacred waters, let us take a backward glance at the career of Conrad and his associates, since we took leave of theni, up to the period when they again made their appearance, which, in the progress of events, as before stated, was a lapse of six years. Passing through the country of the Senecas, at the commencement of their journey, the heroic little band embarked upon Lake Erie, and coasting the m 150 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, ,(! M |. :'!» 'v f southern shore to its extremity, turned north- ward, and ascended the river that discharges itself therein, until they arrived at the French fort and settlement of Detroit, which had been established but a few years before at the outlet of Lake St. Clair. Here, through the assistance of Salexis, who represented himself as an Abenake, the ct.nmander received them in a friendly manner, little suspecting that he was harbouring foes, in the associatts of one of a nation well Known as the oldest, and most faithful ally of the French colonista. This innocent ruse afforded them what thcv needed most, a few days' respite from fatigue, when they continued their voyage up the St. Clair into the broad expanse of Lake Huron, over which they held their course with the paddle for many days, encountering a severe storm, and the more alarming visitation of a war-party of Wyandots : who, espying them from the shore of Point aux Barques, at the entrance of Saginaw Bay, pursued them for many hours in a fleet of large canoes. Here again, the nationality of Salexis stood them in eminent need, and the fierce warriors shook them each wai-mly by the hand, at the sound of the Abenake dialect which some of them could speak, though sKghtly. But they were more aufait in Franco-Canadian, m -m THE N0MADE8 OF THE WEST. 151 and chose it to express a hearty welcome to the voyuffeurs, upon their visit to this ancient domain of the tribe to which they belonged. Notwithstanding this favourable disposition, how- ever, Conrad felt vastly relieved, when, after a short parley, they took leave of them, and continued on across the lake, for the purpose, as they informed them, of chastising a refractory village of Ottawas, in the north-east, somewhere beyond Lake Ontario. He had been in a state of constant tremor during their stay, lest they should suspect who Scwantus- walic really was : for he was assured that were any evil spirit to whisper the truth in their ears, they would tear them from limb to limb, and perhaps sacrifice them all to appease their sudden wrath, and prove their hatred of the race whose blood he bore — and which, more than any of the united nations of the terrible Iroquois, had been instrumental in enfeebling their power, as a people, and driving them from their ancient possession. But fortune smiled upon the solitary bark, and it went gently on over the grand inland sea, and entered the straits of Michilimackinac, where they recruited themselves for a few days at the island of that name, and then, with a fair wind, trimmed their blanket-sail, and passing rapidly by the Isles du Castor, steered south up the expanse of Michigan, !!! i fi iV li 152 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, which, fourteen years before had been furrowed by the keel of " Le Griffon," under the command of the adventurous La Salle : the first ship that ever navi- gated those glorious lakes. Moving onward without pause, or deviation, from their course, in calm and breeze, and baffling currents, the frail canoe bore its freight securely amid the solitude of woods and waters, unmolested and unnoticed by the natives, and arrived, in due time, at the termination of its voyage, the extremity of the lake, near where the city of Chicago now stands. There the wanderers rested from their arduous toils, and partook of the hospitality of a band of Miamis, a tribe belonging to the grand family of the Algonquins, that were encamped upon the shore. With these Indians, Conrad found several of a neighbouring people, the Pottowattomies, who occupied the undulating table-lands, bordering on the territory of the lUinees, and loways, to the south and west. From these individuals, he ob- tained such intelligence as caused him to forget at once the perils and fatigues he had undergone, and redoubled his impatience at any delay, in prose- cuting the purpose upon which he was bent. His lively enthusiasm imparted itself also to his com- panions, so that they avowed their willingness to ■MM*. THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 158 accede to his wishes at once, when he proposed for them to accompany the Pottowattomies, who were about to return home. Accordingly, at the time specified, the three friends shouldered their packs, and arn ed, and equipped, for the emergency, followed in the track of their new allies, and placed their feet, for the first time on the prairie soil, with their faces to the unknown West. The story told to Sewantus-walie by the Showano at the Onondaga council-fire, a distance of more than a thousand miles away, was confirmed in the most explicit manner by those with whom Conrad now travelled. There Ynji, in, eed, been a captive in their village since i le last s: >w, who answered to the description of EU ^n , hvit f.] ey had left home shortly after upon a h: tiii^j excursion to the country of the Manominics, lyinc; north wai*d on the borders of Michigan, where tbey had been de- tained until then, and therefore were unable to tell whether or not she were still there. How Conrad thrilled at every item of intelligence elicited relative to her who had existed for two years so entirely in his thoughts. He apprehended no difficulties with such zeal and determination as he was prepared to show, as soon as occasion would require him to strike for the prize ; and supported as he was by such trusty associates. H 3 ■ ■■ TTr' 154 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, iii^ If. • t; There was no bold practice, or cunning stratagem of Indian warfare, that he had not made himself acquainted with, and revolved in his mind, over and over again, in anticipation of the moment when, with their assistance, he should extricate his Ellen from the rude hands into which she had fallen. Invigorated by this prospect, as well as by his own sense of daily-increasing strength and competency to perform hU part with credit in the strange career in which he had been thrown, Conrad regained his natural cheerfulness, and bounded with fresh elasticity in the track which he fondly believed M'as leading him, stop by step, nearer to the lost girl. He was amid strange scenes also, and day by day some fresh object greeted his eyes, or excited his inquiry. A new phase of life was opened before him, in the appearance and manners of the inha- bitants of these remote glades and rolling plains, where the deer roamed in troops under the oaken canopy of the park-like groves, and the rich and picturesque openings appeared as if intended pur- posely for the growth of flowers and the abode of a sylvan people. It was a virgin world where, as yet, with the exception of a few Jesuits and traders, the restless European had not penetrated, or rendered his arts essential, either to the presei-vation or hap- piness of life. \i ■■-^^^m THB NOMADES OF THE WEST. 155 Conrad, however, was destined soon to receive a terrible blow to his expectations, which phmged him in a despondency deeper than he had felt during any of his previous trials, disheartening as they proved. Upon their arrival at the Pottowat- tomie village they learned that the object of their inquiry had gone, some months before, to a distant hamlet of the Nation towards the West, whither it pleased her vagrant master to bend his steps after a brief stay in the place where they now were. Here was, indeed, a cruel frustration of all their hopeful designs ; in one moment they were blighted and swept into oblivion. Each now saw that .here was a long and laborious task before him. Instead of being near the accomplishment of the undertak- ing, as had been believed, its real difficulty and peril were only now fully revealed to them, without even the remote prospect of a fortunate issue to encou- rage them in the course they were pursuing. As to Conrad, his mind was made up for the worst that might befall, life and home were nothing to him without Ellen ; it only remained for his confederates to choose whether they would continue on with him or return. When this alternative was submitted in plain terms to Salexis and Sewantus-walie they made no immediate reply, and upon its being repeated, gave / mHMMM>feucva>w 156 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, our hero to understand, each in his simple and ex- pressive way, that where he M'ent, there would they also go ; that they had not measured before hand the extent they were to travel, or their friendship for him, neither had they come so far on an honour- able path to desert it now. The Mohawk seemed even to be hurt at a suggestion that tallied so little with his sentiments, and implied a doubt of his sympathy with him who made it: and, drawing himself up before him, with melancholy reserve, he presented his naked breast, saying, in mournful accents, " Strike to the heart ! I can bear that better than my brother's words. If he be not tired of his friendship, Sewantus will follow in his steps." To be brief, they continued on together, arrived at the point to which they were referred, found once more that the bird had flown, and traced her pro- gress successively, from village to village, until they approached the confines of the loway hunting grounds, when they were obliged to desist from any further pursuit, at that time, in consequence of the sudden irruption of large bands of Illinees upon the Pottowattomie frontier, which entirely cut off all communication westward, and laid waste, with the ruthless concomitants of Indian war, several villages of the latter; driving back the scattered » I ■^9BS%^ \i c and ex- ould they Pore hand friendship a honour- k seemed d so little bt of his drawing eserve, he mournful bear that not tired V in his r, ariived >und once I her pro- intil they hunting from any ice of the upon the It off all ite, with , several scattered THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 157 hunters upon the main establishment of the Na- tion. These acts of aggression, caused by some slight, called the whole Pottowattomie Nation to arms ; and in a short space of time the country between the head waters of the Wabash and Mississippi, was traversed and intersected in every direction by parties of armed warriors, panting for revenge, and resounded with the -war cries of the coiitending factions. However averse he might be to engage in a quarrel between Nations to whom he was almost equally a stranger, Conrad was not of a temper to refuse to participate in the struggle of those whose hospitality he enjoyed; and the spirit of his fol- lowers seemed to catch a sympathetic glow from the preparations they beheld, and to bound responsive to the first shout of war. To Conrad, also, the bustle and excitement consequent upon these events were a means of blunting the poignancy of his regrets, and sustaining his mind in the course it had originally chosen. Now it was that Conrad had an opportunity of witnessing the system of warfare practiced by this portion of the great American race. Eveiy thing about these people filled him with the strongest interest. Their costumes and veapons, embellished with fanciful ornaments, and curiously wrought 158 ELLEN CLAYTON J OR, : -t (I i with implements of native copper and stone ; their proud carriage and mild dignity of demeanor, their sim])le and friendly manners : and above all, their stoical indiflference to suffering, and their inviolable integrity. They had not been innoculated with the meanness and trickery of civilization, or learned to oppose fraud with fraud. Aided by their alHes, the Miamis and lilano- minics, the Pottowattomies repelled the advances of their hostile neighbours, and, in turn, ravaged their country to its remotest border in despite of an ob- stinate resistance, and brought the Illinees to terms. During these transactions, Conrad bore himself manfully, and shared in several engagements : as was attested by some scars upon his limbs, which he carried as a memorial of the battle field, that en- titled him to the distinction of a Brave, at each council and gathering of the warlike nations with whom he sojourned. While his comrades in arms fougut by his side with the wild zest of their race for strife and martial renown. At length the war was brought to a close. The bands returned to their accustomed haunts, and hung up their bows and shields, while, for a time, nothing was to be heard but shouts of congratula- tion, interspersed with lamentings for the slain, tales of the war-path, and public rejoicings for the triumph they had obtained. THE NOSIADES OF THE WEST. 159 Then it was that Conrad began to experience a return of his old longing, and thought of pushing onward with his grand design, as the road was once more open after a lapse of nearly three years when, to his delight, his old friend, Couteau- eroche, made his appearance and gave a new com- plexion to his affairs. The voyageur was one of a party of Canadian free-traders, lately arrived at Lake Michigan, and engaged in can-ying on a traffic with the natives for the furs in which the country abounded : and he was no little astonished at recognizing his former />ro- tege in the weather-stained and vigorous young ranger Mhom he stumbled upon by the merest acci- dent, in those wilds. How they smoked and discoursed of old remi- niscences ; how they laughed at incidents that had occurred when they were last together, need not be told. The hours flew merrily by that evening at the lodge fire, animated as the social circle was by the cheerful countenance and infectious hilarity of the light-hearted Canadian. The result of all this was, that after hstening to an unreserved detail of his subsequent career, and rallying him slyly upon his newly acquired relish for forest pursuits, Couteau-croche expressed his determination, then and there, to share in the IT 160 i; f i I ■ Hi ■ ,M il ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, enterprise of his young friend; an avowal that in- spired the rest with no little satisfaction, as they WH-e now cnahled to regard, with a greater degree * r confidence, the idea of penetrating into the dtrange country that lay before them. Couteau-croche congratulated himself in jio moderate degree upon securing a share in the lik of wild vicissitude a)id enterprise which he foresaw would be embraced by the plan of Conrnd ; anu, be- sides, familiar as hi was with many remote mA wildly separated tribes of the norv|>: m Contim;nt, he had never penetrated so far to the i-orth-west, as their course would lead them, and felt do*, rou:: of visiting nations whose prowess and skill had cxcit »a his adiairaiion; as instanced in a few individuals who had Toiind vhclr way,, at times, to the council fires of the (vib. s he had visited with the coadjutors of La Salic, I I.^kiug; over his stock of peltries to the charge of his feLlovv-traders, and reserving, for pur- poses of his own, a small selection of triukei- and such articles of European manufacture as were most acceptable to the natives— in a short time he ex- pressed himself ready for the route; and, without further delay, Conrad took leave of his hosts, the Pottowattomies, and crossed the branches of the Illinois and Mississippi, to the territoiy of the loways-a brave and noble people that hunted upon I »^.»3(iSb. >wal that in- tion, as they eater degree g into the self in iio n the hk of he foivsaM^ d ; anu^ be- remote a^.i ontintmt, he est, as their -; of visiting excn-u his iduais who ;ouncil fires )adjutor8 of tries to the ig, for pur- rinkei^ and were ujost me he ex- d, without hosts, the les of the ly of the nted upon THE N0MADE8 OP THE WEST. 161 great plains, almost devoid of trees, and well storked with herds of bison and deer. With these children of the prairie, who occupied lodges made of skins, stretched over a light frame- work of poles — the party remained for several months, during which they visited many villages, and met with a variety of adventure, but without making any definite progress in their main project. It seemed as though the person in possession of Ellen, — if it were really she whom they had tracked with so much pains, by many an intricate road} — were apprized in some mysterious manner of their design ; for often when they thought themselves close at the heels of the fugitives, and all but cer- tain of putting their hands upon them, they arrived at the spot only to find it vacant, and the occupants flown. Then, for a time, no further intelligence could be obtained of the captive, or any trace of her passage discovered to throw them, once more, on the track. But though he was sometimes almost upon the point of giving up the pursuit in despair, he was often encouraged by meeting with evidences of Ellen's presence, among those with whom he mingled, in the course of his inquiries. The simple natives would point out to him the retired nook where the pale-faced captive had been my. 1 i i 162 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR I ^ ii I i : used to kneel every morning and evening, in prayer; repeat.ng n.eanwhile the n.any good things she bad told them concerning the Great Spirit, and of his love to his children, especially to such as did no harm to one another and forgave wrongs ; and con- cernmg the wonderful countries that were towards the rising sun, from whence she came. In these ministerings of a good and earnest nature, Conrad could not fail to recognize his gentle companion. They spoke also of her beauty and innocence, and he meekness of her ways, and how much they all loved her and were grieved at her abrupt departure : which they could only attribute to the singular disposition of her master, who was subject to wild fancies, that caused him to wander, without a settled plan, from country to country. Thev be- heved that he talked too much with the ManLs, and became like a man astray in the world, with terrible power to charm the ruin, and prophecy future even s : as they could testify by numerous instances which had come under their own observation, and which gained him considerable celebrity in that The pale maiden wa, also eonsidered great mejl. cne: mdeed, ,„ae went so far as to say, that her master denved all his power through herf ,„d th he wonid not stay long in one place for fearsome THfi NOMADES OP THE WEST. 163 one might coax her away from his mother^s lodge ; as a female^ holding that relation to the professor of magic, formed part of his travelling household. This at length became a favourite occupation of Conrad's : for it brought him into direct commuue, as it were, with the absent one, to revive her image in these temporary haunts, and contemplate her in each phase of her blameless and beneficent existence among the people of the wilderness, whose memory, tenacious of the smallest particular in respect to her, enabled him to gratify to the full this imaginative and lover-like fancy. Thus one summer opened upon the travellers at the western boundary of the loway range. They were now about to enter upon that vast spread of table-land that stretches between the waters of the Mississippi and the south-western branches of the Missouri, and beyond them to the base of the Rocky Mountains — being occupied almost exclusively by the numerous divisions of the great Sioux, or Dahcota family,* who wore their hair long. Having, with some difficulty, procured a horse to carry their provisions, — for the useful animal was very scarce and valuable in that country, to which * Among these were the Minda-warcarton, Burnt Thighs, Pineshou, Minecocias, Piankshaws, Black Feet, Broken Arrows, and Assinnaboius ; or rather such as were so designated at a later period. -- » I — I il 164 ELLEN CLAY ION ; OR, i » it was brought from the far iouth-wcst but a fevf years before, — Conrad and his companions continued their explorations, exposed at timeis to incredible hardships vhilg traversing the sterile and arid wastes that so ' t the wanderer on the great western pvaiiies. Foj' -uiys their food consisted purely of rosebuds, roots, and berries, from which they obtained a scanty nourishment in the absence ^<' ^" . nie. But there were times when even tins source failed, and they were fain to trudge, day after day, without a morsel or a drop of water with which to supply their natural wants, aggravated to an inordinate degree by the intense heat and the difficulties of a course diversified by rugged defiles, dried up water-chan- nels, fields of the prickly ^-ear and other cacti, and hilly deserts of sand. Soon after this, howevt •, they were fortunate enough to provide themselves with horses of tht; Spanish breed, which were found to be numerous anion^ the Sioux, who caught them from the wild herds that had already begun to extend over the adjacent prairie from the pasture plains f Mexico. This acquisition aforded them the "reatest iclief imaginable, and gave a ne charm to their subsf- quent jour "ings. Now it was that Conrad obsei-vcd the Indian m his full barb»r- . ,omp, and -^levated to pitch of THE N0MADE8 OP TH VEST. 168 independence and martial pride, .vhich he had not noticed beyond the purlieus of the Five Nations. He could have easily supported himself among the warlike tribes of Asia, of which he had read while a boy, as he passed from bund to band of these bold hunters of the bison and the grizzly bear. There was also a kind of chivalrous heroism and urbanity about them with which he was forcibly struck; while their thoughtful deliberations and friendly intercourse with one another; their strong sense of religion, interwoven with each act of their daily lives ; their national festivals, and feats of horsemanship, which the most skilful Arab wonld find it difficult to equal, still more surpass ,iever failed to exact his attention and yield him pleasure. Indeed the splendour of their appearance when decked in plumed embroidery, armed with spears, and bison shields, and mounted on their half- tamed steeds, likewise adorned with feather trap- pings — was beyond measure imposing. Conrad ^oved especially to see them at their war parades, charging along in dark squadrons over the plain, with ir and robes streaming in the wind; n king the ^i snd shaki with the tramp of their wild horses, and jouting their battle cries. With these cavaliers, Conrad and his associates went through a course of severe exercise to acquire a knowledge of horsemunaun): an art which, as mi ^u i r ■ 1 1 ■-' I 166 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR. be supposed, was almost unknown to them all. But before many months were flown, however, through perseverance and natural adroitness, they were sufficiently inducted into its mysteries to hunt buffalo with the Dahcota warriors, and display con- siderable expertness with the lance and bow, while launched in fua career, after the manner of the prairies. The adventurers remained three winters the guests of the hospitable Sioux, during which they made thei. selves familiar with the practices and language peculiar to these regions. The apprenticeship com- menced among the Pottowattomies and loways was now complete. At this time a fresh rumour put Conrad once more in motion; and, crossing the Missouri, he learned from m Indian trader, who belonged to a tribe of the Dahcota, the village of which was at the foot of the Shining Mountains,* that the medicine man and his white caj^five were there. For a long period all traces of the maiden had been lost, therefore the fresh indication was hailed with especial satisfaction. There could be but little chance of the object of their pursuit escaping them this time, they thought ; and buoyed up by the expectation of arriving at length at the term of * The Rocky Mountains were so called, from the appearance of their snow summits. THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 167 their arduous career, thev turned their horses' heads towards the south-west, and journeying for several days over a lifeless desert of stones and sand, where they were nearly famished, they entered the fertile preeincts of the bison range ; and here it was, that while pursuing the chase in the pleasant valley already described, within view of the mountains, they made the acquaintance of the solitary Dahcota, which formed the subject uf the preceding chapter, whence we will again resume the main thread of the narrative. '" """"••li'i" ' i>w»ir"r«iw,»»»,^.H*>**riagi«te»* ..•.: 168 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, CHAPTER XIII. AN AFPKCTINO INCIDKNT— A BRIEF RE-UNION AND A LONG FAREWELL. The travellers awoke, refreshed from their slum- bers, by the Medicine Fountains ; and, after adding each some small offering to the trees that shadowed them, pursued their way over an undulating tract interspersed with thick beds of cacti and pine- fringed ravines, through which thread-like streams wound their impetuous course from the adjacent mountains, overhung, in many places, by gloomy precipices, or bordered by flower-enamelled lawns, that were often divided off into retreats of most enticmg loveliness, and shut in from the wind by rocks and eotton-wood groves. About noon, after traversing a range of pine-clad y I THE N0MADE8 OP THE WEST. 169 hills which now loomed darkly behind them, in the north-east, they were following up one of these verdant strips of alluvion among the rugged up- . lands, through which it formed an easy and agreea- ble ])assage-when the attention of the party was suddenly arrested by the neighing of a horse at a short distance to the right of the trail. Ever on the alert, in a land where they were as likely to fall in with an enemy as a friend, each was ready for action in a moment, and rode cautiously towards the sound, apprehensive of an ambuscade. No lurkmg foe presented himself, however, and penetrating with some difficulty through a thick grove and coppice of box-elder, they discovered thr^ horses fastened to a picket, and in a miserable condition. Beyond these appeared the conical coverings of two skin lodges, beautifully painted, in the highest style of Indian art. Upon dismounting, they found one to be empty, while the other contained a single tenant only, an elderly squaw, wrapped in a buffalo robe, and unable to move or speak from extreme weakness, brought on, as appeared afterwards, by sickness and starvation. Partly divining her condition, they kindled a fire with speed, produced a remnant of their last mej of bison hump and wild turnip, boiled it into a gela> VOL. II. ^ 170 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, « tinous soup with the water of the neighbouring stream, and poured it, by spoonsfull, dowTi the voman's throat, until she pained sufficient strength to swallow it of her own accord. By this means, the wasted creature was enabled, at the end of a few hours, to answer the questions that were put to her without much diffictdty; thour^h her voice was very feeble, and hollow and unnatural in its tones. Altogether she presented a spectacle of helplessness and emaciation, piteous to behold. Now, in a reply to an inquiry of the Dahcota warrior, Sewantus' quick ear caught the accents of his native tongue, and drawing nearer, to his aston- ishment he found that the squaw was speaking in the Mohawk language, instead of the scarcely coherent Sioux she had previously used, and, gazing more closely into her face, he recognized, in its pinched and haggard lineaments, the once comely and long lost Notokeel ! The abrupt ejaculation which this discovery drew from the Indian, brought the rest quickly around, and caused the sufferer to open her eyes. She knew him directly, for, with a wild start, and trembling violently, she uttered his name. This incident created a powerful sensation among the group, and Conrad pressed forward THE N0MADE8 OF THE WEST. 171 eagerly to greet the companion of his beloved ; but with a look of distress and terror, Notokeel turned away her head, and refused to give any answer to his hurried questioning about the English girl whose disappearance was so closely connected with her own. Nor did she feel inclined to be very com- mun.cative with Sewantus, and all that could be extracted from her on the subject was, that she had fallen ill, on the jouraey from the Bahcota village and been left in that' place to starve by the man who had stolen her away. That he and the white girl had departed, whence she knew not, nor cared • "for she was skk and weary," she said, "and only waited for the Great Spirit to shew her the way to the blessed land, being ready to begin her journey - When appealed to, relative to the horses, she would not vouchsafe any explanation concerning them • at least none that was deemed sufficient to account for their being left behind, together with several domestic utensils and valuable fur robes, which were scattered about the interior of the lodges. ''Let her rest, comrades,'^ observed Couteau- croche ; " the squaw is weak and fatigued with our quesfonings, just now. Let her rest awhil., and then she will be more inclined to tell us all about this matter.'' What was it that gave immediate animation to I 2 t \ ^^^m 1 . ; 1 ! H ■ i j H ■■1 ! hH 17JJ if, ELLEN CLAYTON; OE, ; II* the frame of Notokeel ? Could there be a healing property in the tones of the voyageur ? They exercised, in every truth, a wonderous influence upon her, for, exhausted and feeble as she was, she raised herself up with a vigorous effort while he spoke, and stared fixedly at hira with a wistful, nameless expression thai sent a thrill to his soul. Then, in a tone of soft entreaty, each syllable as distinct as though she breathed it aloud, she whispered : " Speak again to Notokeel. Is she already among the spirits, or docs she only dream ? Speak again, Brave. ; 1 thought I heard a long silent voice in yoiu" words.'* " Thy eyes cheat thee, good woman. It is not possible thou shouldst know my voice.*' " It is hii !" screamed Notokeel, with a gleam of wild delight depicted on her features, which lost something of their pallid hue under the impulse of the strange emotion that possessed her, heightened as it was by an object that had just caught her eye. It may be remembered, that Couteau-croche bore upon his breaat the figure of a snow shoe, tatooed in blue lines on the skin, by the hand of his sire, when he was a child. Now, it happened that the warmth of the weather had caused him to throw back the front of his hunting frock, so that the "*♦:*■»«—•■»—*■ — ■ THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 173 curious symbol was exposed to view. To this, Notokeel now pointed with her finger, as she seized in the other hand the arm of the voyageur and de- manded, almost fiercely : " Tell me ! What does that mark mean V " The story is long," was the reply ; " but what matters it to thee ? I was marked so by one who is gone ; it might be, as a token, to know me for his child in case ! went astray, which did not happen." " His name \" shrieked the woman, with im- patience ; bending eagerly forward. " La-raquette-qui-vole," "La-raquette-qui-vole!" replied Notokeel with slow emphasis, lingering fondly upon each soft syllable, as if there were a dehcious music in the sound: while a happy smile broke over her face lately so contracted and care-worn. " La-raquette-qui-vole!" and the poor creature relaxed her grasp, and sank back in a swoon. They regarded each other in amazement at the strange effect which the presence of the Canadian occasioned upon her whom he had never seen be- fore. What mysterious association was there con- nected with his father's favourite soubriquet, that could move one thus reduced, to an overpowering frenzy of feeling ? Could it be but the casual delirium of a brain, unstrung aad agitated by the 174 ELI.EN CLAYTON; OR, ri i i^. \l presence of strangers, together with the distracting queries which their anxiety had urged them to press somewhat inconsiderately upon her ? It was a rea- sonable conjcctvire, and without seeking any further solution of the riddle, they strove to call back the suspended faculties of the suflferer, which was soon accomplished, though she remained very feeble and in a state of lethargy ; for her previous emotion had exhausted what little strength she possessed, and left her listless and imjjassive. Towards evening, her mood changed, after shed- ding an abundance of tears, which seemed to give relief and unseal the fountain of her sympathies again ; as, soon after this, she beckoned Couteau- croehe to her side. Notokeel examined, with a mild and mournful expression, every feature of his countenance, and terminating the scrutiny, at length, with manifest satisfaction, she withdrew her look, muttering, as if to herself : "The same clear eyes, and the same cheerful brightness, with something of the look of an In- dian Brave, beyond what he hau— my pale-faced husband." " Of whom does the sick squaw speak ? asked the listener, whose curiosity was aroused. "Of thy own father — La-raquette-qui-vole,'" was the low reply. THE N0MADE8 OF THE WEST. 175 " Tonnerre de Dieu ! What is it you tell me V* " The truth." " Then I am—" " Notokeel's son — her lost baby-boy \" faltered the mother, in a deep and thrilling whisper, and instantly relapsed into insensibility. This discovery made an extraordinary impression upon the whole party ; but the voyageur was affected in the most powerful manner by an acknowledg- ment that so immediately concerned himself. He had no reason to doubt the sincerity of the Mohawk squaw, and while he felt a strange yearning in his heart, towards his new found parent, he could not divest himself of the idea that an especial providence was concerned in bringing about this meeting for some good purpose which would be made manifest in the end. It has been stated, in a former chapter, that he had never been able to learn who his mother was : and his single relative died while he was still toe young to ovorf'-.:ue his natural awe, and combat his father's reserve ou a subject which gave him evident pain, and was tacitly forbi'jden between them. When Notokeel was restored sufficiently ^ .^ con- verse with him, Couteau-croche ir.oi'oned t'e rest to leave the lodge, and, kneeling dov. !iy her side, he took her hand and said gravely : " Notokeel, in the name of God, tell me what ^ 176 ELLEN CLAYTON : OR, thou canst of this matter; my mind ia perplexed terribly by what I have heard. In the name of God, I say, tell me all I" " Hush," replied she, with a look of superstitious terror; "the Great Spirit is near us now. Call not upon him too loud, lest he be angry. Why should not Notokeel speak fairly to her child, be- fore she goes home ? She has not seen him of late -this poor mother! The small leaf has shot up and become a tree, strong and tall, and big enough to give Notokeel shelter; only it is too late now, and she must go home. Kiss me, ray child." The stout-hearted voyagew, struggling with his emotions, stooped with brimming eyes to fulfil his mother's request, and pressed his lips to her cold forehead; but she gathered her feeble arms closely around him, in a loving embrace, and imprinted wild kisses on his cheeks, eyes, and lips. It was an afiecting union— that of the squaw and her son. She had spent her whole life in solitude, dreaming of him— her lost babe; while he was destined never to know the sweetness of a mother's caress, or the tenderness of her solicitude and love, save when too young to appreciate it to the full, «• too far advanced in years to render it indispensable to his well-being. Still, perhaps, it might have proved a source of happiness to both, greater than THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 177 they had ever experienced— that new found tie of spirit-scarching sympathies, had it been permitted to remain long undissolved. After a pause, Note' i, still holding the hand of the voyageur, spoke as follows : "Now will thy mother speak out, for her heart is at rest. Give ear unto what she is going to say. Thou needest not tell me why thy father was named La-raquettc-qui-vole, for I have heard him speak many times of his chase with the Oneidas, and how he outran their fleetest Braves, and I saw him mark thee on thy baby breast with the figure of a snow- shoe ; because it obtained him honour. " He was a souple Brave, brisk-spoken, and full of gladness, except when any thing vexed him, and then he would look sick-hearted, and the light would die out of his countenance, until it became bleak as the winter moon, when a cloud passes between it and you. "We were at peace with the people of Onanthio when the young pale-face came to our village and saw Notokeel, and they liked each other. So it came to pass that he took the Maqua maiden to his lodge— and she loved him well. "One day Notokeel awoke, and, lo ! the good Manitou had laid a young child on her bosom, soft and gentle, like a little bird, and her heart trembled I 3 BBWMWfc'W lw i 'WTinam n wm >— .gy - »L'asaa»:s3 178 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, n rf with delight, and was not h\^ enough to contain nil the love she felt ibv it, because it was so mighty. And Notokecl nourished it until it grew strong and playful, and bold as the fit dging of an eagle- -her precious boy ! " But she was very proud of her face, which was comely in that time, and a pleasant sight to the young Maquas ; so her pale-faced husband became jealous, and spoke hard words, that she could not bury in the ground for all her striving. She would punish him, she thought, and she left his lodge and went to anothei-'s — only seemingly, mind you — for she loved him well. "Then, after a little, Notokecl returned. Poor foolish squaw ! She found no fire kindled on her hearthstone. The })ale-faced Brave, her husband, was proud too, and had departed, they said, taking with him the man-child that was his own; and Notokc' waited long, hopingly- ay, very long, becau V <- her great love — but she has waited until now i " Ma.MV snows melted after that, and the war- path led again to the country of Onanthio. Pri- soners were brought in, from time to time, and Notokeel learned that he whom she had called hus- band was in the ground ; but she did not weep then, — she had no tears left — her eyes were become dry. **« t THE N0MADE8 OF THE WEST. 179 The tears wi in her heart, and there they remai — evermore — evermui ' "Nobod ever said to Nutokcel — thy son 1 .es: I will show thro the path. Go unto him, and be at peace ! Nobody rver came unto her with that message. So she lived in darkness, always until now. " Of a sudden, she heard a voice. It went through her with a shar]) keenness : it brouirht hack her early days. " She believed then that La-raqu jui-vole stood before her, but she was feeble-m ed, for it was his son she beheld, who was ciauu. back to speak to his mother; for she could not die without seeing r child once more : — that was good. "It is like a dream now ; the time when she held him by his little hand. But Notokeel always be- lieved that these two would meet at last — therefore she prayed. Behold now how the Great Spirit has brought it to pass !" This was what the Indian woman told her recently restored son, who forgot, in those moments, ihat he had been a lonely wanderer for so many years. The instinct which binds the offspring to its parent can never be entirely subdued. It may lie dor- mant, or become diverted from it- course, or im- poverished by vicious association, but when the occasion arrives, it is ready to orst forth again like MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1^ ■ so 1^ 2.8 m m 1^ Z5 2.2 1.8 A APPLIED IfVMGE Ir ^K 1653 East Main Street Sr^ Rochester, New York t4509 USA S^ (716) 482 - 0300- Phone ^S (7'6) 288 - 5989 - Fox - ^-Mm^VtifmmHt^M 180 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, gome pure flower, at nature's irresistible com- mand. Couteau-croche was subjected to this mysterious regeneration as he listened to his mother's tale : and by the force of the new impression, his inter- mediate life seemed to be swept away — annihilated — as though it had not been. In fancy, he was but a simple child again, among the forest paths, and she who guided his tottering steps was a mother very dearly loved. It was only a reflex of that which to Notokeel was as a dream ; the opening of some latent germ of memory his manhood had long put by. We need not detail what further took place between them. It was a blissful commune, fraught with consolation and happiness to both, and abundant in material to feed the solitary musings of one through all his after-life. Of one thing we may be sure ; that the honest ranger made it his care to dissipate from his parent's thoughts, whatever she might have entertained of his neglect in not seeking her before; a feeling which, if it ever existed, could not survive the solemn declaration, that his father had left him in total ignorance of his origin. It was already dark, and the white peaks of the mountains were invisible beyond the hills that shut in the narrow ravine, where they were en- "»<«•((••• THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 181 camped, when Couteau-croche joined his comrades, in the second lodge, who remarked that his eyes were swollen and red. They made no allusion, however, to what had transpired, except by asking how his mother then was ; and when he answered that she seemed much exhausted, and had gone to sleep, he saw that Conrad was buraing with impa- tience, and therefore added — " She would like to see her countryman Sewantus- walie to-morrow, she said : when she will be able, she hopes, to say that which concerns us all to hear ; till then we must needs rest." " Good," observed the Dahcota, who had been put in possession of a general outline of their his- tory and purpose; "my brother is right. The squaw is worn out with much fasting. Sleep is a powerful medicine. When the sun shines again, she will put us on the track of the wolf who stole away this white fawn." No one offered a dissent, and Conrad, with a sigh, wrapped himself in his buffalo robe, and Bought in forgetfulness relief from the pangs of protracted uncertainty, when, to all appearance, he was upon the very eve of tasting the value of his exertions, and ascertaining the hue of that future which fate held in reserve for him. The ray of the low morning sun had not yet found 182 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, ': i it8 way over the intervening cliffs, into the secluded dell, when the young Mohawk, at a sign trom the voyageur, entered the lodge where Notokeel lay. The invalid was free from pain, and more com- posed than when he last saw her; but he noticed a great change in her eyes and features, which inexperienced though he was in such cases, he regarded as an unfavourable sign. There was a glassy clearness and brilliancy about the former, unlike life, while the latter were overspread with i shade of pallid gray, and an expression of anxiety unnoticed the evening before. Notokeel received her countryman with a faint smile, and spoke to him affectionately in their native tongue. The interview v.as long, and th. revelations of the 8>ifferer were often interrupted by weakness and agitation. She related to him every thing that had occurred to her since her Hight from the village, admitting the part she had played in the abduction of the English maiden, and her constant and har- rowing remorse for the guilty act : but withholding the name of the tompter, which, she said, she wal bound never to disclose. With this reservation, her c.-tession was full and mmute, in every particular, and sufficiently clear up to the period of her ai rival at that spot, when the THB NOMADES OF THE WEST. 183 account became tinged with so much that was improbable and marvellous, that, although it was related with an evident conviction of its truth, her hearer was inclined to think that it bore reference rather to the hallucinations of a disordered intellect, consequent upon her illness, than to any circum- stance which had actually occm-red. But Notokeel persisted in the truth of what she affirmed, and repeated the same story without de- viating from its main particulars, upon the close cross-questioning of Sewantus, of whom she then took a solemn leave; desiring him to "take her name back with him to the village without a spot upon it, end to all who kiiew her her good love ; and to say to the yellow-haired 7engie that the Lily of the Waters saw him always in her dreams, and that, if he found her again, she would speak to him of Notokeel, her friend,'' Then she asked for her son, and the two remained alone together until the day was half completed, when Notokeel died. TLey buried her that same day, towards its close, in a secluded spot at the foot of the crags, where you might catch, through the arching branches, a glimpse of the bright water, and the sward and alder thickets, through which it wound its way along the narrow valley, and the cliffs beyond. The grave was dug with hunting knives, deep in 11 184 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, If ,| % ] ''' I 1 t ' 1 l:i 11 I i' m '' 1 -i i t'' ' the soft alluvion, and filled in, first with earth, and then with stones, to secure it from the wolves Over this was heaped an earthen mound, covered with sods of flowering turf, j,ut together with care ; and thus, a {ew hours after the mother of Couteau' croche closed her eyes, the wild flowers were growing on her grave. Poor Notokeel, thy life was a long lament; fain would we believe that its errors were atoned for by the anguish and self-abasement they brought to thy woman's heart, whose first fault had led to so gloomy an after portion. Amid thy failings we would not class the crowning weakness which impelled thee to love "not wisely^ perhaps, but only " too well.'* f » ^i THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 185 CHAPTER XIV. AN INEXPLICABLE ACCOUNT CORROBOBATED BT A VBBT SINGULAB DISCOVERT. When the last friendly office had been performed, and the remains, wrapped in furs, were consigned to the earth, Couteau-croche knelt thereby, and offered up a prayer, brief, but sincere, for the repose of the soul of her, the author of his being, whom he had found only to have so speedily snatched from him again, craving that the God of the white and red man would, in His good time, unite them once more, and for ever, in the land above. Brushing away some traces of tears from his rugged cheeks, he then joined his companions, and was prepared to take a part in the discussion, rela- tive to their future proceedings. It appeared, from the statement which Sewantua 186 ELLEN CLAYTON : OR, now submitted to them, a- he had received it from the hps of the dying woman, that throughout all her wanderings, Ellen had sustained her firm trust in a power which protected hei- from injury, and would ultimately restore her to freedom. And that, either awed by her gentleness and piety, or from some personal motive, known only to herself, the individual who claimed her as his property had treated her with a degree of consideration and respect, which caused her to feel less severely the change in her condition, with the (exposure and fatigue it entailed upon her, during her roamings over the western wilderness, consisting, as they did, of desultory journeys from village to vUlage at the caprice of her master, who acquired celebrity and wealth among the various tribes in his capacity of medicine-man, or jongleur, and travelled with an ample outfit of horses and lodges, one of each being appropriated to the sole use of his fair captive. That her female companion had done all that she possibly could to alleviate the condition of one so unused to the life she was doomed to lead. That, at length, by dint of time, and familiarity with scenes and habits to which she was originally a stranger, Ellen recovered her cheerfulness, and ap- peared to be reconciled to her lot, and even to thrive into a fuller life, as it were, in the air of the great prairies. THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 187 jeived it from uoughout all ;r firm trust 1 injury, and idom. And ad piety, or y to herself, lis property deration and severely the :posure and er roamings as they did, illage at the jlcbrity and I capacity of led with an P each being air captive, ill that she n of one so ead. That, liarity with •riginally a ss, and ap- id even to air of the But it was otherwise with Notokeel, who began to pine inwardly, and waste away, with s'^-ne un- known malady, for which her master, notwithstand- ing his pretended skill, coUd find no cure. And when, after a residence shorter than usual at the Dahcota village, the mania of change again induced their master to strike his lodges, and he had re- erected them for a few days at this spot, on her account, the Indian woman felt, for the first time, a strong conviction that she was near her end. But this did not grieve her much, she said, only the thought of leaving Ellen was as a sharp arrow in her side; for the latter was constantly with her during her decline, and sought by unwearied exer- tions to soothe and comfort the invalid, to requit, in ■ome degree, the strong affection her companion had ever manifested towards her, which endeared the English maiden still more to the heart of the ailing squaw. And now came that part of the story which appeared so dubious and incompre- hensible to the young warrior ; we will give it in NotokeePs words : " It so happened that I lay languishing thus one evening, six days back from now. The master was absent, running buffalo for food, and .; Lily in her own lodge, when I heard the hollow stroke of hoofs upon the ground, and the grass under my I i 188 £LLEN CLAYTON; OR, } i head shook with a troubled motion. All at once, I beheld, through the opening of the lodge, a strange horseman alight at the side of that where the Lily of the Waters was, and I was afraid. I could not cry out, for I was too weak, and the speech would not come to my mouth when I wanted it. I was struck dumb at what I saw. "It was a warrior, more glorious than ever I believed there could be, whose whole body was covered with such yellow and white stuff as the pale-faces love, which shone like the sun in bright- ness, so that you could not look at him without winking; and on his head he wore a covering, shaped like the head of a cat-a-mount with open jaws! This sparkled with all colours of precious stones, green, purple, blue, and blood-red. Over this, was a long, green plume, more beautiful than that fashioned of war-eagles' feathers, many times. His feet and legs were covered with skin, adorned with squaw- work in the yellow, shining stuff, and beads of the colour of the moon ; and I noticed a broad plate, like a great sun, in the midst of the shield he bore! Nor was this all. On his shoulders, hung a robe finer and more desirable than a Yengie blanket of the best stroud, ay many times, with colours in it of the glossy brightness of a hummingbird's breast ; and, in his hand, he carried a lance with a long THE N0MADE8 OP THE WEST. 189 blade of red copper, that glowed like a flame of fire. " Thus this strange and beautiful thing vanished in the door-way of the Lily's lodge. " I trembled, and could not move from where I was, but I soon heard the maiden talking calmly with the stranger, and grew content. " They talked long j at last the Lily of the Waters came to me prepared, as for a journey, and kissed me, weeping many tears, saying that she must leave me now, and that I had been good to her, and the Great Spirit would surely make me strong again. " Then the strange Brave put her on her own horse, and leaped into his saddle, and they rode away. " I think he was of some Manitou people, that stranger, for I never saw his like before, and there was no wickedness in his heart towards the Lily, I am sure ; for his countenance was goodly and grave. But I was sorry, because of the going away of her I loved. I said to myself, Notokeel will never behold her any more. "After a little, my master returned. He was cross, and hungry, having seen no game. He asked me where the pale-faced girl was, and I trembled bsfore him. I told what my eyes had beheld. " Then, grinding his teeth, he cursed the Mani- 190 ELI EN CLAYTON J OR, if > K 111 1 1 touB, leaped straitwny upon his horse again, and sped away, away, like a mad elk, upon their trail. "After that time, I starved day after day, and night after night, with no live ereature near me, but the horses that were starving, too, for want of food, and the medicine-wolf,* for I heard him whine in the silence of the night, and at the sound, the scared horses set up a cry. " I could not move about to dig up roots, or look for berries, and so I famished wearily until men came and gave me food, and when I returned to my memory, I found that I was among friends." Such was the purport of what Notokeel told her countryman, though the latter ab^ained from men- tioning that portion of her narrative which reflected so severely upon herself, in connection with the capture of Ellen, as he did not see what benefit would accrue from it, and was well aware of the pain it would inflict both upon Couteau-croche and * The cayeute, or small prairie wolf; a little timid animal, held in superstitious veneration on account of its supposed faculty of giving otice of coming events by its curious gestures and lengthened whines, when under the influence of hunger, it is observed scenting about in the neighbourhood of hunters, for the remnants of their meals. It is regarded as the messenger of the Great Spirit, by which his wishes are made known to his red chUdren, who are careful never to molest or offer it injury. THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 191 Conrad. Therefore he judged it better to let it remain a secret with himself, and thus screen the memory of his kinswoman from unnecessary re- proach. He made solely one observation upon the whole matter, namely, that it was somewhat strange Notokeel should have been so loath to make known the name of him who stole her from the village; to which Salexis leplied with a peculiar smile : " It does not matter, you see, veiy surely : it does not matter." The reflections and suppositions which this ac- count gave rise to, as may be inferred, were as various as the minds of those to whom it was addressed. The Indians, trained to regard everything extra- ordinary or difficult to explain, as the work of superhuman intelligences; who heard a spirit's accents in the noise of torrents, the soft murmur of the foliage, or the roar of the storm, and peopled the woods with subordinate divinities, as various as those of ancient Greece and Scandinavia ; were very much disposed to question the mundane character of the individual who now seemed to con- trol the destiny of the maiden ; if the description of Notokeel were not a gross exaggeration, and, indeed, the whole story but a mere fiction, based upon the sandy foundation of a dream, which, in her 1^ ^i i W i f ^poi ' -' T i i - i ^ ^i; ^;^ ^ I i I I i'i liii s 192 ELLEN CLAYTON; OB, then state, might easily be mistaken for a sensible reality. But in that case, where was the captive, and what could have induced her master to abandon the sick woraau, and leave behind him an amount of property which would not be considered un- worthy of ownership by the wealthiest Dahcota Brave ? This Tatunga avowed : adding, at the same time, in reply to an inquiry of Conrad, that he had never seen or heard of a people whose warriors dressed in anything but the skins of wild animals, trimmed witi calp hair and feathers, or in cloth woven from lue vegetable down : and he had crossed over the Shining Mountains to the ua- t.'ons beyond, and that he believed the bright warrior had come down from the sun, for they would find none like him on those plains. Couteau-croche was entirely at fault; with all his shrewdness this was a matter beyond the reach of his comprehension. The superstition of the Franco-Canadian engrafted upon his Indian educa- tion, had not left him much liberty of judgment i,i cases where the line between the natural and spiritual was not distinctly drawn. And his under- standing, strong and fertile as it was in ordinary circumstances of difficulty or peril, was t own from its balance by the violent agitation that had lately shaken him; so that, unable to bring his usual acuteness to bear upon the present emergency, THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 193 his only comment to the answer of Tatunga was a silent shrug : a paternal bequest, which, pro- claiming as it did the nationality of La-raquette- qui-vole, he was never known to make use of, except when peculiarly distressed. In this dilemma, our hero, although by no means free from a certain tinge of superstition, was the only one who preserved a consciousness of the sole available course by which to test the truth of the visionary tale they had heard. The means were simple and well known, yet bewildered by their extravagant fancies, they had entirely overlooked them on the present occasion. Calling his Mohawk friend to his side, he said to him: «Se^vantus can ..^d the ground-writing better than his white brother. He will tell him what it says about those who must have passed over it lately. If Notokeel told the truth, and was not cheated by a dream; as I am almost persuaded she "Right, brother,^' was the quick reply <' Se wantus was but a dullard; you speak like ' a true ^rave. The earth is the redman's book; and he must read it if he would be wise." Ere he ceased to speak he had tightened his girdle, seized his bow, and commenced a search VOL. II. ^ it ' 4: i I li 194 ELLEN CLAYTON J OR, for the tracks of those whose departing steps, according to his squaw's words, led up the grassy intervale of the valley. The group watched him for some time, as he moved among the clumps of wild sage and reeds, observing that he paused occasionally and stooped down to regard the ground more attentively as he advanced, until he was hidden from view by a turn of the defile, which was rendered partially indistinct already by the haze of approaching twilight. Some space of time had now elapsed, when a shrill and peculiar cry rang from a distance through the still air, and caught the ears of the party by the camp fire. "Hush-k!" exclaimed the Dahcota, with an abrupt aspirate, springing to his feet, and exa- mining his bone bow. " The Mengwe is shouting his war cry ; there are enemies in the path. Let us go I" "We do not need," answered Couteau-croche j "it is the signal the Braves of the Iroquois use when they are successful. I know the call well. Sewantus is telling us that he has made a dis- covery ; did he want our aid he could say so. Hark! It is as I thought; he will be back di- rectly ; there is his return cry." The ranger was correct, for soon after a second I'll' 1 PI Hi THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 195 the path. Let after a second sir- -1 was heard, and the one he alluded to stepped i:. iessly into the circle, and without speaking, laid down in their midst an object which made every individual start up from his buffalo robe with a simultaneous impulse, and a cry of wild amazement. There, before their eyes, lay the shield of the mysterious stranger, the gallant cavalier, glittering with rich emblazonry of fcatherwork, jewels, and gold! " The daughter of the Maquas did not lie,'' said Sewantus. « This was dropped upon the trail." All previous speculations and doubts were over- throv,-n at once by this event, which at the same time checked the disposition to resort to the supernatural, and brought the whole affair in a more tangible shape before them. The beautiful and costly implement of defence was passed round from hand to hand, and sub- mitted to a close scrutiny, amid a running com- ment upon its design, mechanism, and stren-th together with the fineness and rarity of the materials of which It was composed. Tatunga admitted that it was a wonderful thin- to look at, but, for his part, he would rather trust to his own smoked buffalo-skin buckler to screen him from the lance thrusts and arrows of the ' Scarred arras.' K 2 196 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, However true this might be, it was eminently worthy of admiration; attesting as it did, more than any work of art Conrad had yet seen among the nomadic races, the skill and luxurious refinement of its makers. That so much elegance of design, and knowledge of working the precious metals, could only be the result of considerable progress in science and the social arts, he was thoroughly convinced ; and as we infer the abiUty of the ancients, by inspecting a vase or a statue, Conrad was suddenly informed of a polished and ingenious people, whose very existence appeared to be unknown, but whose character, in default of more ample evidence, might be ably represented by that little shield. It was made of a framework of fine, polished reeds, covered on the outside with varnished leather, quilted with an elastic substance that raised it u]>wards from the periphery, in a line slightly curved, to the thickness of about two inches at the centre, which was ornamented with a large plate of the purest gold, wrought into the resemblance of a blazing sun, bordered by a double row of valuable pearls, and surrounded with rays. This central device was encircled with a zone of silver stars upon the black leather of the ground work, and the whole was embraced by a rich border of golden leaves and flowers in high relief, which formed the THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 197 circumference of the shield: and from its outer edge projected a fringe of fine cotton, enwrought in a curious mauner with hair and feathers of different colours, to form a brilliant and highly ornamental pattern ; this attachment, especially, engaged the notice of Conrad, as it was a species of manufacture which he had never seen before, and admirable no less from its delicacy and effect than the rest of the workmanship for its style and careful finishing. Altogether it was a miracle of inventive art, and remarkably light considering its thickness and materials, for it weighed far less than the hide targets used by the Sioux. Such was this elegant appurtenance to the panoply of the unknown cavalier, who had fore- stalled then- design, and constituted himself the champion of the captive Ellen, — which, no doubt, had been dropped accidentally by the way, in the vicinity of the spot whence he conducted his fair companion, and where it was found by Sewantus, dangling by its arm-bands from a branch of an alder, in which it had caught as it fell. This was within a few feet of a trail, dented deeply in the black mould and recent in appearance, con- sisting of several prints of horses' hoofs, in a double line, pointing to the West. And at wide intervals, among and upon these, ran another line of tracks If 198 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, i ii n •\ I of a single horse, like a series of dots traced at furious speed; for they were dashed deeply into the ground, and through the cacti and thick shrubs that crossed the tr.>ck which the Mohawk had fol- Iowed,^up, from the camping ground to the point Tvhere.the ,g,-and discovery took place, which was in a narrow pass, rugged and difficult for horses, and where they had slipped in their passage. Sewantus was satisfied. That infallible direc tory— "the red-man's book," as he termed it, had not failed him here. It brought before his mmd's eye a wild and glowing vision ; that of the captive and her unknown guardian in full flight, and pursued by the enraged conjurer with the savage speed of revenge. The death-chase passed away like a mirage from the brain of the Indian, and yet he stood in a deep reverie, gazing vacantly upon the track. Then he looked up into the sky with an imploring and melancholy expression, suggestive of prayer, while a quivering emotion passed over his features, such as we have noticed once already, when, some years since, we met him by the lake shore, taking that evening stroll which would have been solitary but for his reflections. A moment, and he was himself again, and the wide desert was around him, and by his side the THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 199 ts traced at eply into the ihick shrubs iwk had fol- to the point :, which was for horses, sage, illible direc- termed it, ; before his that of the I full flight, !r with the nirage from stood in a ack. Then )loring and ayer, while s features, fhen, some are, taking ien solitary Q, and the is side the wonderful shield. With quick impetuosity he caught it up, uttered his signal cries, and darted fleetly back along the trail. Long and earnest was the conference held that night upon the all-engrossing subject which had now assumed an aspect so remarkable, and which bid fair to tax their resources to tLe utmost, ere they could probe its hidden meaning, or determine whether it could be really looked upon as favourable to their great design. The purpose of this, upon mature reflection, both Conrad, Couteau-croche, and the Mohawk, were inclined to believe it might eventually subserve, if the flattering sketch of Ellen's friend, as drawn by Notokeel, were correct. This, as the impression was made when under the influence of terror — at the startling apparition of the stranger, was by no means improbable : indeed it seemed worthy of particular credit, on that very account alone. In that case, Ellen was safe, provided the pursuer had failed to track her successfully, or fallen by her protector's arm : the 'atter surmise being strengthened into probability by his prolonged absence. The difficulty was to find a clue to the new retreat of the maiden — a difficulty enhanced by the unusual character and mysterious origin of her deliverer. 200 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, as Tatunga's suggestion was finally adopted, „„ pointing out the best course of procedure for them to follow. "There is but one man in these plains able to make us see clear in this business/^ said the Dahcota. " We call him The Horns-of-the-Moon An old chief is he,-a very old-who has journeyed tar, and looked upon many nations. The pale haired warrior can talk to him, if he will. He ^s in the viUage of the Medicine-bows,* whither we go » With this intent, they struck the lodges, packed everything upon the spare horses, and following the du-ection of the trail, up the ravine, issued out upon a track of broken and hill-skirted prairie as the morning sun looked up over the eastern' border of the wild. For many leagues they traced the route of the fugitives, until it became indistinct and finally escaped the nicest glance, in a hard and stony soil, m which it terminated and was lost. At this point, the conjurer must have been sadly puzzled to continue the chase, and had need of his deepest arts to enable him to succeed-as the Indians affirmed-in spying out the vague thread of the trail, and the direction it subsequently pursued. ' * This was the name given to that subdivision of the Dahcota nation to which the speaker belonged. / 1 THB NOMADES OF THE WEST, 201 The main chain of the mountains, which had receded during the first part of the day, after noon again began to approach the travellers, who were crossing a series of undulating sweeps, diver- sified with frequent crags, and intersected by ravines which led to secluded vallons amidst the neighbouring hills. Along these coursed many a foaming toiTent formed by the thick vapours and the melting glaciers which they beheld, thousands of feet above them, bathing in sunlight, and walling in the prospect on the right, above the intermediate ridges and verdant slopes. These, in some places, were interspersed with huge clumps of absinth and wild sage, and a variety of shrubs, peculiar to that elevated and moister region, — and in others, clothed, from base to summit, with dark forests of pine. And as they rode leisurely along, they fell in with a party of horsemen who debouched slowly from a gorge among the hills, in a long, straggling file — with one bearing a calumet in the van. These were Sioux traders, returning from their annual journey to the northward, as far as the country of the Ojibeways, on the borders of that vast inland sea, Lake Superior, — the last and greatest of the Canadian chain. From thence they brought native copper, smelted into short bars, with which their horses were laden, in the form K 3 203 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, of huge sacks of buffalo hide, slung pannicr-fashion on either side of the saddle. They had also visited, as they said, the sacred pipe-stone quarry,— a celebrated place, situated between the head waters of the Missouri and Mississippi, and held in universal reverence,— where they had obtained a supply of the red stone so much used, even to this day, for the fabrication of calumets among the Western tribes. These men had been several months away from home, and therefore they greeted Tatunga with eagerness, and plied him with numerous inquiries about their families and friends j while they en- livened the rest of the journey, by relating the adventures they had met with in the course of their arduous undertaking. ? ' tinier-fashion THE NUMADES OF THE WEST. 203 CHAPTER XV. I course of THE MBDICINE BOWS — COUTEAU-CROCUE PROVES THE POWER OF THE WHITE MAN TO MAKE THUNDER. Conrad observed, with considerable interest, these hardy traders who, though engaged in an occupation entirely pacific, were well-armed and capable of repelling aggression, to which they were frequently subjected from hostile and pre- datory bands in the course of their travels. They offered a novel feature of Indian life which he had not yet beheld, and, as a class, were more unreserved in their address than the proud and dominating warriors, who were chary of speech, and held trade in contempt. Learning that they were dealers in metal; Conrad straightway bethought him of the shield. i ; I i ■ 1 204 ELLEN CLAYTON; OB, But after a careful examination of it, and a lengthy consultation among themselves — the elder of the troop, a sort of spokesman and leader, returned it to him, saying, that they knew the sort of substance with which it was embellished very well, for they had often seen it shining in grains and scales in the beds of the mountain streams, but rarely, and 'n small quantities only. One individual remem- bered to have seen once, a nose-ornamcnt of the same strange metal — the virtue of which was never to become crusted over and corroded like coj ptv, by exposure. But the trinket in question, was very rudely fashioned, and none of ihun had ever beheld so umch of it before, or knew of a people able to work it in so skilful a manner. In fine, they gave it as their joint opinion, that the buckler was worth, they could not undertake to say, how many robes and Medicine-dogs, and must be intended only for some grand war chiefs use. We are inclined to think that our hero was not in a frame of mind, just then, to be satisfied with this professional view of the subject, for he flung the object in discussion down against the pommel of his saddle, to which it was attached, with an air of impatience and chagrin, and a degree of violence that comported little with the exalted estimate of its value. § — « — ,^^jaBg'-..»-ai».&ri fM^iom ■•» M, TUB NOMADES OF TUE WEST. 206 Shortly after they cr : - :ntered a couple of bison nils that were ^i '..g in a hollow of the rolling pliiin, and to these Tatunga gave im- mediaiu chase, and soon succeeded in running them both dowti, by piercing them in the viteli with his arrows ; and by the time that the rest came up to liini, he had alreatly completed the work of butchering, when the meat w:h stowed upon one of the pack-horses, and the party continued on towards its destination, » hich it was now drawing nigh. " What do you intend to do with all that meat ?" inquired Couteau-croche of the hunter who rode beside him. " I thought we had sufficient and to spare, for our wants, already V " Good I'' was the reply, " bu; for what has Satunga ridden so far, and for what has he fasted, if not for the love he bon the WTiirling Cloud. And shall his wife and litle ones call Tatunga uncle, and be left to star e ? Not so. Tatunga is a panther upon the j ith — deadly and strong. lie is scalplessj but a rue Brave. He knows what is right ; shall it not be done ?" And without awaiting either comment or reply he gave his horse the rein, with a shout, nd darted off at full speed, in advance of the troop, until his centaur-like figure was concealed in cloud of dust. .jw^Aiaafc.«4i:«%tg::jii>iaii»— -1 ■i ? 206 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR/ I i i ; i.. "He goes to let the chiefs know there are visitors coming," observed one of the traders to Couteau-croche ; "we will soon see them ride out to give us welcome; then my brother will surely say he beholds Braves. He will travel far, I reckon, before he meets with better riders or better hunters than the Medicine-bows. The partiality of the speaker, for his native tribe, was not destined to excite expectations that were not strictly fulfilled, for, in a little time, the strangers beheld a large body of cavalry approach- ing them from the front, which, when within an arrow's flight of their advanced tiles, divided into squadrons and commenced performing various evolutions, with a quickness and precision truly astonishing, such as wheeling, charging, and deploymg, in endless succession, every movement being regulated by the piercing sound of a whistle. Then the whole mass, suddenly dividing, bore down upon the skirts of the little party, in two long strings: and as each cavalier passed, at a gallop, he uttered his war-cry, disappeared under covei of his horse's body, leaving nothing visible but a leg and arm, and saluted them with a blunt arrow, in mimic hostility, from under the creature's neck— with a readiness and agility almost incredi- ble. After this feat, the long files of warriors, crossing in the rear, exchanged sides and passed »t THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 207 there are traders to them ride Jther will ill travel ter riders tive tribe, that were ime, the approach- vithin an ided into ; various ion truly Ing, and lovement 1 whistle, ore down in two 3d, at a d under g visible a blunt reature'a incredi- svarriors, I passed again up to the front of the strangers ; while, as they swept along, each horseman stooped from the saddle, and recovered his shafts, by picking them up from the ground. Conrade witnessed this exhibition with wonder and enthusiastic delight. His pulse bounded — his spirit seemed to mount into the air with elasticity at the exciting scene ; and as he noticed the disciphned movements of these gallant sol- diers, in their warlike and picturesque array, he doubted whether the ancient Parthia ever produced a more dexterous and imposing cavalry. At last they drew up in a close column abreast, slung their bows at their backs and waited to receive the new-comers, with their shields and lances in a serried line. Tatunga now came forward and gave them a welcome in the name of the Grand War-Chief, who awaited to testify more fully to the friendly sentiments of the tribe towards their visitors, in the palaver-lodge of the village, Tvliither he had sent a noted cap- tain veith a band of chosen Braves to conduct them without delay. The returning traders like- wise received a hearty and public gratulation, on the part of their countrymen, and accompanied by the dashing cortege, the travellers advanced under the immediate auspices of the leader, a 1 208 ELLEN CLAYTON j OR, J vigorous and lively-faced little man, beyond the prime, who rejoiced in the name of The Two Sculls; a very doleful sobriquet for so sociable a per- sonage as he proved himself to be, by entering into conversation with his new acquaintances, and chatting with infinite good-humour and little of that conventional stiffness, considered essential to the dignity of a distinguished war-captain, such as he said he was. He mentioned it, however, merely as a fact complimentary to themselves, and without the smallest token of personal vanity in the confession. And while his restless retinue of wild young Braves scoured over the plain, on each side— uttering shrill cries, and brandish- ing their arms— making a striking picture with their eagle-plumes, and long il^wing-hair ; the leader presented a marked contrast both in his demeanour and di-ess. He remaiiicd composedly in the line, talking to Conrad, and the only ornaments abont his person were a whistle of polished bone, slung from his neck by a leather thong— a signifi- cant mark of his rank, as a war-leader— and a copious supply of hair-fringe to his leggins and horse- gear. But his whole equipment was in perfect con- dition, and the charger he bestrode— a graceful sinewy animal, was black as jet and shone like ■■■•-Tject of hia ^1 ate purpose r ■ 5 of the un- 1 ad exhibited '■ of curiosity a repressed by H agle, and a 1 ind, seemed H bts, and en- T^^^^^K age ; for he V hunt, or do * * m tter words? iB when they ffl )?" '|H lack Eagle. PB for him to Ifl can wait for IB 1. — Because ^H hildren. ^B )dge. They H have come to take advice of the father of the Medi- cine-bows. The voice of the time that was." The old man listened attentively, and raising him- self, with an effort, from his stooping posture, he opened his eyes and took a survey of the assembled crowd. Then he asked : " ^Miat wouldst thou ? The Horns of the Moon is old, as you say ; but he must speak when he can. In a little, and his children will be by themselves. The Horas of the Moon must soon go up to his fathers. What wouldst thou V The shield was placed before his eyes by the chief, who drew his attention towards it by remarking, " The Horns of the Moon is wise and has tra- velled among the nations. Can he tell his children what people make such bucklers as this to defend themselves with in battle ? It is a matter beyond their understanding." The old Indian regarded the attractive object with an interest that quickly increased into recog- nition, as a smile broke faintly over his impassive features, and lit up his horny eye. " Copper-knife," he murmured, as though giving unconscious utterance to some reminiscence of early life awakened b'- the sight, " Coppei'-knife had a spirit that woui.. not be content among his bre- thren. He strung his bow afresh, and filled his 216 ELLEN CLAYTON } OR, arrow-case, and travelled leftward of the setting sun. He travelled many days, and bound fresh mocassins on his feet many times. In those years, there were no Mediciue-dogs on the plains; no, my children, not a smgle one. But what did Copper- knife care? He was young, and supple as an antelope in the path. The Great Spirit had made him strong ! "Bo he reached a country where there were horned frogs, and water-lizards, large enough to swallow a man. Here he found a people who spoke, as it might be. the sound of his mother's tongue when he speaks and the words are sent back to him from the hills. From this, he came to find out they were coudns to the Shoshonees, one of the branches of a great tree that had broken off, and gone left of the sunrise more than a thousand moons before. And he was glad, because the mother of Copper-knife was a Shoshonee. " Now, beyond the hunting-grounds of this na- tion, there lived a people numerous and mighty, who owned a great country of plains and mountains, some of which spouted fire. These men had s-ept everything before them until they were masters of the land across a part of the big island on which we live ; they were called the Anahukas, and built lodges of stone. THE NOMADIS OP THE WEST. J]} "But after a time, a hairy people earae up out ol Zr T '"""""■'■'"'«»■ --' "- the Aiahuka! In l\ ? \"''° '""''''' "sLtm, and none eould ■tand before thou,. So they took possession of their great v. lages, and made them slaves, Thos^ who en,a,ned losing .„ ,eart. ,vent with their ft end, the Otonnes, toward, the sunrising, .„d wandered down upon the Comanehe eoun.ry. td seeing thTt hose men, the eousius of the Shoshonees, t^ok nu the hatchet, and beat them baek. ' "This,myehildren,w.s the tradition they told Copper-kmfe, of how the Medieine-dog, first e!„ -t... -aland, and why they went t:::;tr Here the aged Indian eeased to sneak anr! „ , to be gradually sinking haek into Ttl^-ZZ when^the Grand Chief recalled his atte^rlf; "My father is wiser than his grandchildren wh«e was u he first saw a shield like the one before "Copper-knife was a warrior «n^ 1. j ■ th;%h.mg.trai, With his ha,^^^^^^^^^^ ches that was brave!" resumed the patriareh waroung^up into sp„nt„neous energy, ijr::^' 218 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, flint, at the allusion to warriors, and the martial exploits of his youth. " Who says that the tribes of the great Dahcota are not brave ? " Wakon-tunga gave them the high plains from the Ojibwas to these mountains, upon which you may look in the summer moon, and see snow. And he said to them, he, the master— be strong, and keep for evermore what I have marked out for your hunting-grounds, and stocked with buffalo, a.id other game. " But when Copper-knife beheld the soldiers of Anahuka, he knew then that the Great Spirit had made others brave also, and men of might and cunning. They wore, some of them, clothes made of vegetable down, and some also that looked like woven sunbeams, and ornaments of stone. But thesp stones were brilliant, and many coloured, and some flashed, like sparks of fire, and some like woman's eyes. " They fought like evil spirits, but they called themselves, ' children of the sun,' and did not scalp those whom they slew, but strove, cunningly, to take their enemies alive to sacrifice them upon great altars of stone, which they built, not to one god, but to many. THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 219 find the murtial e great Dahcota igh plains from pon which you sec snow. And •be strong, and :ed out for your h buflfalo, a.id the soldiers of reat Spirit had of might and a, clothes made hat looked like f stone. But y coloured, and and some like ut they called d did not scalp cunningly, to em upon great t to one god, "The Comanches lost many Braves on that war.path, and the Anahukas, a chieftain of re- nown. " It was Coppcr-knife whose arrow made him di.'. rt found its cunning way through his thick breast.covering of metal, more dazzling than the copper of the Ojibwas, and through flesh, rib and heart. "Coppcr-knife saw him fall, and took his 8h,eld away from the place of battle as a trophy of what he had done, and flew like a hawk, on the backward trail with the worsted warriors. " Now, my children, it was a shield as like as two stars to that before the eyes of The Horns of time." "^' ""'' ''"'^ Copper-knife in that " Can the father of the Medicine-bows iell what became of the nation that warred with the Comanches r eagerly inquired Conrad, addressing himself to the old man, while he looked v^ Black -Ciagle. " Who can tell r was the reply. "Th.ysenta wampum belt to the great Wyandots of the sunrise begging for help; but the path between them was very long even for a bird to fly over, and not be weary. Perhaps they were all conquered at last by the hairy men of the sea. For, as the years began L 2 220 ELLEN CLAYTON; OH, to number many notches on my pipe-stem, the Medicine-dogs spread over all the plains, and the red men learned to ride and hunt upon them. "The Horns of the Moon cannot believe what he has not seen, and his memory is of former days. "Beware of lies, my children. They told me that those hairy men, of whom I spoke, made use of the thunder to destroy their enemies. Now, a wise man knows, that only to one thing alive has Wakon-tunga given the power to make thunder, and that it is hatched under a little bird's iving.''* Here Couteau-croche stepped forth, carbine in nand : in all his wanderings, he had clung to this favourite weapon, though he used it but rarely of late, being careful of his ammunition. " If my father will give me leave,'' said he, " I will show him what the stranger can do in that way. He need only walk outside to witness for himself that, with this medicine-iron, I can make both * Such is the belief of the Sioux, who term the place in which tliis phenomenon is produced, •• The nest of the thunder." There is a difference of opinion in regard to the size of this wonderful bird ; some supposing it to be as small as a humming bird, while others assert that it is larger than an eagle. B, THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 231 J pipe-stem, the the plains, and and hunt upon aot believe what •ry is of former They told me spoke, made use leraies. Now, a i thing alive has make thunder, a little bird's •rth, carbine in d clung to this t but rarely of n. !," said he, " I do in that way. ess for himself an make both the place in which thunder." There is e of this wonderful aiming bird, while |||H| thunder and lightning to kill, just like those hairy men, of whom I have heard before : since they arc born of a great race of white people, to another family of which I partly belong. Then will my father believe it to be no lie." This proposition was received with no little sur- prise, and incredulity by the assembly, and again a murmur of voices began to be heard in the council- lodge. The old Indian made an eflfort to rise, in which he was immediately aided by Black Eagle; and supported on either side, he moved slowly through the throng towards the door, followed by the guests, principal chiefs, and Braves-the latter ex- changing, among themselves, many a derisive smile, and whispered sarcasm, pointed at the bearded stranger who had presumptuously undertaken a task beyond the power of their greatest medicine-men, and which they were convinced would turn out a' failure. " Now,'' said Couteau-croche, when all were as- sembled, handling his charged weapon with an air of easy confidence, and a sense of his superiority to that unsophisticated crowd; "let Black-Eagle choose the staunchest Brave among his Braves, and let him take the toughest buckler he can find, and mount his horse, and hold it out upon his spear, at the 222 ELLEN clay-ton; Oft, distance of half an arrow's flight. Then will he see the thunder pass through it from this hollow iron when The Horns of the Moon sounds the war- whistle three times. This was soon done. For, called upon by the great chief, Two-sculls stationed himself at the required point, with a target elevated on the point of his lance. All were hushed and breathless with expectation when the first whistle sounded, and Couteau-croche, with a sharp click, cocked his mys- tenons implement. At the second, he raised it to his shoulder, and at the shrill note of the third, aimed quickly and fired. Never were such terror and confusion seen in that village before. A large proportion fell flat upon their faces as if dead. The sternest veterans who had never known what fear was, felt it then and were utterly unmanned by this first experience of a power, which, in after times, they were fated to know only too well. The aged guardian of the Medicine-bag was pros- trated in a swoon at the shock; while even the iron- soul of Black-Eagle shook, and his cheek grew pale. To add to the confusion, several horses broke loose from their pickets, and rushed in frantic terror through the encampment, uttering horrible cries. Then will he see this hollow iron lounds the war- led upon by the himself at the ited on the point I breathless with !e sounded, and cocked his mys- , he raised it to te of the third, nfusion seen in lortion fell flat iternest veterans ^as, felt it then, first experience they were fated 2-bag was pros- : even the iron- is cheek grew I horses broke 1 frantic terror horrible cries. THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 223 and trampling down men, women, and children in their passage; while those in hand became un- manageable, and employed the utmost skill of their riders to prevent themselves from being unhorsed upon the ground. Nor was the wonder lessened when Two-sculls, having mastered his fractious charger and his own agitation, exhibited the shield— perforated in its centre with a small round hole— to the trembling and dumb-founded Indians, who, from that mo- ment, sat down the two bearded foreigners, and particularly Couteau-croche, as great medicine-men, to whom nothing was impossible. They were therefore treated with an extraordinary degree of attention and respect ; a homage seldom withheld where there is belief in a power to in- jure, and self-interest suggests the policy of conci- liation. The Horns of the Moon was carried off to his lodge, where, being tended with anxious solicitude, he soon recovered sufficiently to bear ocular evidence of the effects of the white-man's thunder, which was found to have perforated, not only a well proven buckler, but the top skins of every lodge that stood in the line of fire. He therefore sent straightway a messenger to the voyageur, avowing his entire satisfaction as to the ^ 324 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR mirade itself; but urging him, strongly, not to use the thunder any more; "for it was a medicine too powerful for the hands of man, and some day might work contrary wise, and do to him as it done to the buffalo shield." v-.»-^ >n " It"'^'^ f.' ' * THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. ^25 CHAPTER XVI. THE PEARL THADBR— THE INOIAN «IRL. Conrad sat in front of the lodge appropriated to the use of the guests, pondering gloomily upon the unsuccessful issue of his interview with the Indian sage, on whom he had depended for a solution of the enigma which brought him agam to a stand. Disheartening indeed was it to have the prize for which he had laboured so long and arduously, ever snatched mysteriously away. To what far land would he be obliged to turn his steps now, m furtherance of an aim to which he had devoted his whole life and energies ? Should he act upon the vague suggestions excited by what the old L 3 226 ELLEN CLAYTON : OR, Indian told him concerning the Anahukas, with whom he was compelled to identify the owner of the golden shield, who had, it seems, so quickly won the confidence of the fair captive ? But he also asked himself, what right had he to suppose she would approve of any measures taken for her recovery, now that she had placed herself volun- tarily under the protection of another ? Was he authorized in following her, even thus far, by any marked preference on her part towards her one-time companion ? Did he not exaggerate the simple expression of her esteem into the semblance of a warmer sentiment ? He seemed now to have suddenly awakened from a sleep, in which he had wandered miserably. He saw that his heart had foolishly deceived him into a long and unprofitable career, of which he suspected selfish gratification formed the true stimulus and aim. He was humbled, mortified, degraded in his own esteem ; his heart forsook him, and he now felt hopeless indeed ! Poor Conrad — we would not be sure that with all this, there was not mingled a strong twinge of jealousy at the interference of the unknown cava- lier, and his power of persuasion with Ellen; but this would only have added to the pangs he f^- -v^r^*-^ "^ "*" THE NOMADFS OF THE WEST. 227 suffered. And those who have sobered into sudden reality, after a honeyed dream of years, will readily admit that our hero had reason to be supremely wretched on this occasion. In short, he was so engrossed with his unhap- piness, that, as his eyes coursed unconsciously over the rich tracery of the shield which, while he gazed upon it, seemed to harden and cool his heart— as if, like the fabled aegis, it could petrify into stone— he took no notice of a horseman who paused in passing, and honoured him with a deliberate and most peculiar stare. " My brother is aweary with the crookedness of the trail, I see very well. Come ! let him be cheerful. I can behold a little star far off, ever so little, now; but it will grow to a big sun, by and by. Come with me." "Where to?" inquired Conrad of Sewantus, for he it was who spoke;— come time after the curious stranger had g me past. " To the traders' lodge, and bring the shield." With this hurried explanation he followed his faithful friend, who, on more than one occasion already had proved a harbinger of good tidings. Within a tent of somewhat unusual dimensions, the circumference of which was divided into nu- merous stalls, filled with bales of peltries, rare ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, furs, copper bars, hatchets, lance heads, an.l a variety of other stores, Conrad found a knot of traders collected round a personage to whom they were paying a marked deference, while occupied in soliciting his attention to their several wares. This was a man of a light, cinnamon-coloured complexion, and a countenance that combined shrewdness and gravity in a remarkable degree ; suggesting the idea of one who thought deeply, and was not easily led into an indiscretion. His cheeks and chin were fringed with a slight beard and moustache, which distinguished him par- ticularly from those with whom he was. His dress was also peculiar, though simple, and consisted of a long tunic of light blue cotton, with a black figured border, gathered at the waist by a broad girdle of several rich colours ; long boots of brown leather, stamped with a fanciful design, and reaching to his knee, and a sort of turban of crimson cotton, wound synunetrically round his head, and hanging to the shoulder in tassellcd ends, beneath which appeared his black hair, oi' a moderate length and very glossy. There was an oriental repose about the stranger that struck Conrad, and a suave expression in his intelligent face which bespoke a refinement greater than that of his companions, whose Ian- THE N0MADE8 OP TUE WEST. 229 guage he uttered with an accent peculiar and ^ireign. This person no sooner caught a glimpse of Conrad, than cutting short the conversation with a terse remark, he made a secret sign for him to follow, and left the lodge. Crossing the village together in silence, the two came to some lodges, apart from the rest, where they found several men in turbans, tunics and sashes of a similar description, who were engaged in grooming a number of beautiful horses, apparently just arrived from a journey. Desiring two of these to be led up, the stranger gave a whispered injunction to an attendant, vaulted into the saddle, and nodded slightly to Conrad for him to follow his example, observing, as he did so, — " The evening is fine, brother, suppose we ride." Leaving the village and cultivated fields be- hind, the two horsemen rode out into the plain, until they came to a tall, obelisk-like rock, on the top of which was a solitary pinion tree, when the stranger drew up and broke silence, and the following colloquy took place : " Now we can speak without other eyes and 230 ELLEN CLAYTON : OR, ears than our own being put to sentinel's duty. Let us be brief: I have seen your friend.^' "Welir " You are a white skin." "lam." " In search c< her who went with the ownex' of that shield.- " Admitted. Can you put me upon her trail ?" "I know not. There are things more difficult possible." "You speak ambiguously. Whence come you ?" " I cannot tell." " Your name ?" "They call me the Pearl-trader in these plains." " Then what business has brought us to- gether/' added Conrad, somewhat impatiently: " the shadows of the mountains are spreading oeyond us, and the snow-peaks already begin to redden." "The pale Path-seeker is just,« was the calm reply, as Conrad's companion raised his hand and looked at him intently, with one eye half closed—a habit common to him, when earnestly 2 I THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 231 lence come engaged, that gave him an air particularly know- ing, collected and impenetrable. " Moments are fine pearls, not to be squandered away like the patrimony of fool ; therefore will he pay atten- tion to TV words, if he be wise. " He who speaks, has seen a face, not of the fashion of these plains, but something like yonder snow-cliff, white and red by turns, and shining with a light more glorious than the sacred fire. " It was that of a woman : more he may not say. " Now what he will do is this. He will endeavour to bring tidings that may be pleasant to the Pale traveller, becausa of his purpose, which is good, and for that the blood in his cheeks and the wave of his hair is the same as hers, and the light in his countenance ; but on one condition. '* " Name it \" demanded Conrad eagerly. "The Pearl-trader must carry home that shield '' His first impulse was to comply with the stranger's terms at once, and deliver up to him the article just named, when the thought struck him, that all this was merely a pretext to obtain possession of a bauble which had attracted the ' n 232 ELLK.V CLAYTON; OR, [f u admiration of the other traders, and that, urged by cupuhty, he was seeking to obtain his pur- pose by means of a cunningly planned decep- t'on. This restrained Conrad, who cautiously . observed : — ^ " I am a stranger, and unacquainted with the customs hereabout, but I have seen something of bartermg among the red-people. Bring me the tidmgs you spoke of, or show some proof hat the one you saw is the same as her I seek, and the buckler is yours." The trader smiled at the' suspicion thus ''"Plicd, but showed no sign of resentment- only he took from his breast a sort of scroll folded map-wise, and with a crayon made some' raFdaudfree touches upon one of its parchment! like divisions, which he held up before Conrad's If the Medicine.bows were astounded at the explosive properties of gunpowder, the young German was thunderstruck after a different ashion, by , he specimen of native skill ow exhibited to him. There, in all tl. . -blanee and life-like vi^ o a aiZi ~ were sketched out the lineament llUen— a master-piece of design I ne Wer uttered „ o^ „f j„y, ^i,,^ ^^^ THE N05(/VnE8 OP TUE WEST. 233 precious drawing, and inspired with full as- Burunce of the integrity of the draughtsman, yielded him immediate possesaion of the shield, saying : — ** Forgive me, brother, if I mistrusted thee at first. Here is a pledge, indeed, that neither of us have been deceived. Restore the shield to its owner, with all speed, since you know hira, and clear up this difficulty, whatever it be. Or why not speak freely now, and save needless delay ?" " The young soldier's blood is hot and restive as that of a wild horse," replied the trader; whose unmoved composure formed a marked contrast to the agitation of Conrad. *' By and by, it will mode"' te and become cooled i the snow of years. luough. I will meet him again, here, on ine evening of the fourth day from now ; 'tis a day of luck, and I may do him a service. " If my head be stingy of its knowledge, young st'-anger, it is because, at the bottom of this business, there lies a secret which, were it told unwisely, would shake the foundations of these mountains, like a clap of thunder. Peace, brother." Here the convert Jon terminated, and turning 234 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, their hoi-ses' heads, they rode back silently to the village, where Coorad took leave of his sententious and inexplicable companion. From inquiries subsequently made, relative to the individual with whom he had become so strangely associated, and who departed from the village, early on the following morning, Conrad found that his whole histoi7 was wrapped in an impenetrable mystery. Of his nation, plans, proceedings, nothing was re?Uy known; if exception be given to the bare fact of his periodical visits to the Medicine-bows, with the ostensible object of barter, which was no sooner satisfied, than his face turned once more towards the West, and he disappeared among the entangling defiles of the adjoining hills, on his way, as was supposed, to some ultra- montane nation, with whom they had never held any general or more direct inter- course. That they must be a highly-ingenious and superior people, was sufficiently manifest from the specimens of rare workmanship which, by means of the strange trader, became distributed among the villagers. These were principally ear-nngs and necklaces of mother-of-pearl, from the coast of the Western sea, -beautifully cut THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 235 and engraved, and a variety of clothes woven of the cotton-plant, and coloured with the richest dyes. This was a fabric unknown to the wandering bands, eastward of the Rocky mountains, and tilled the thoughts, waking and dreaming, of each Dahcota belle, who was fated to know no peace until she became the happy possessor of a garment of the foreign material. Thei'e was also another branch of trade carried on by his means, from which the Indians de- rived unbounded satisfaction. At certain periods, he would arrive among chem, accompanied by a few horses of a breed far superior to those caught wild, on the prairie ; and which the principal chiefs and Braves were eager to purchase at any price. For these productions, the trader received in exchange, copper, brass, and pipe-stone, buf- falo-robes, rare furs, and feathers, but all of the finest description only — which were care- fully packed upon horses' backs by his atten- dants, four of whom, silent and resolute-looking men, usually accompanied him. Being a mild and intelligent man, scrupu- lously just in his dealings and very liberal, his presence was hailed with joy by his customers. 236 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, M I who resemd for him the place of honour in each lodge, and at any council or festival which happened during his stay. But there was an habitual reserve and a natural taciturnity about him that repelled undue free- dom, and thwarted every attempt to ascertain bis place of residence; this, in the end, left bim m unmolested possession of what he was so determined to conceal. Thus, up to the period when Conrad be. came acquainted with him, two years since the establishment of the band at that place, he was a welcome and privileged guest ; yet, at the same time, in all but externals, as entirely a stranger as upon the first occa- sion of his entrance into the populous en. campment; some time after it arose, one spring- day--hke the creation of enchantment-dotting the lawns with its painted cones, between the wings of the mountains. Prompted by an inquisitive humour, some young men had been induced, on one occa- sion, to track the homeward course of the unknown; but, after following him secretly for some distance, amid the sinuosities of the hi"s, they got perplexed and found their way back with great difficulty and loss of temper THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 237 only to incur the ridicule of their companions. This failure caused the general curiosity to subside, as we have said, and led them to conclude that the trader was acquainted with an intricate pass, through the mountain-barrier, which conducted directly to his country, and which, for reasons of his own, he was anxious to keep a secret from the eastern tribes. There were not wanting a few, however, who believed they could discern a character of diablerie in the matter, and consigned the Pearl-trader and his wares with emphatic brevity to the powers of evil; for, as they affirmed, they saw him in their dreams, per- forming his weird spells, and fabricating horses and jewellery, with the aid of the accursed spirits — between the ribs of the mountains. But this doctrine found little favour with the majority, as its principal advocates chanced to be those who were disappointed in obtaining the coveted and showy ornaments, that were the boast of their rivals. Such was the substance of what Conrad elicited, concerning the person in whom he was now 80 strongly interested, possessing, as he evidently did, the power of communicating with Ellen's protector: and through whose agency 238 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, he hoped to penetrate to her place of re- That evening there were sounds of „,„sic and rejo,e,„g i„ ,he lodge „f Tatunga, the brother of the Whirfing-elond. in hon'o^r of There sat the staid wido^ and her fatherless Zi. "' "'™ ^''''=™ «»<• Sewantus. Some of the children a. tended ,0 the boiling « a large, hark kettle of gree„ eorn-by means of stones, which were heated in the tively, and with an air of fascination, to the a^flnte of deer-akin, upon which she was play. This was a tall and slender maiden, beautifuUv SirT'^:'"'"'™'"""''^™-^^^^ Clew skin, of a pale russet hue, and hmbs like a -Id gazelle. Her hlaek hair, parted on hL fore THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 239 head with a red crease, was brought in two long plaits upon her breast, beside which it fell in rich bands on each side of her neck, where the rays of the fire played hide-and-seek among its glossy folds. Her form was symmetry itself, and its sweUing contour could be easily detected beneath the loose garment of striped cotton that covered, but did not conceal it : for, as though proud of the charms it was intended to hide, it clung wilfully, whenever it could, to the curving outlines,' choosing rather to betray its trust than rob the fair possessor of her claims to regard. Nor can it be said that the beautiful musician was an object of slight interest to any one in that domestic circle, as she sat, breathing forth with exquisite delicacy, and expression, a wild, irre- gular air from her rudely-fashioned instrument, while her eyes were lit up with a rapture which showed susceptibility to the deeper emotions, and that her whole soul was in the strain. "I thank you very much, sister,- said Salexis, as the girl finished playing, and put the flute aside with an air of naive modesty, and confu- sion. "We have travelled somewhat, but never in a red man's lodge have we heard so good music before. 240 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, Tliere 13 a medicine in it, I think, for as I hstened, I vanished back into a child again, a child among the pines, and rushing waters of my own land— that was strange l" v^t t.r"*'"^' ^'''^'''" ^^^^"--d ^«t"nga, wi h affahhty, and the gratified pride of a Patron^^okmg, to each member of the oarty. ' No one .took a mouthful, iowcver, before »P>"t, by burnmg ,n the fire the West ear ». J ™tmg patiently until it was consul X ths thanksgiving, the feast commerced whf? -■vedaddi.ionaUestf„m,„ruZl's;; 212 ELLEN CLAYTOVj OR, pudding, flavoured with buffalo-berries, together with boiled rice, mixed with the desiccated paste of the wild cherry. When the various utensils at length disap- peared, and pipes were once niore in requisition, Sewantus-walie reminded the fair minstrel of her promise ; and the latter, without further hesita- tion, began the following chant, in a clear voice, with an intonation indescribably impressive, and wild: SONG OF THE CORN. " 0, the green corn ! the green corn ! "The women have plucked it from the fields, it is ripe and ready for the banquet. " They have torn off its soft green hair. " I heard a voice say— come to the festival. And the chiefs and war-braves, and the mystery-man painted with white clay ; and the little children came to the corn-dancing. " For it is good to sing praises to the One who giveth com ! " Our fathers did so, and our grandfathers ; \vere they not wise? " The moons of the year are many, but there is only One that brings green com." " O, the green corn ! the green corn ! " I saw it when it was a little seed, and we planted it in the ground ; and after many days, behold ! it shot up in graceful leaves, and became a fruitful ear. I n the fields, it is ripe but there is only One THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 243 "Therefore must we offer up thanksgiving and burnt offer- .ngB. because of gratitude to IIi„, who .akes the sun to shine, and the corn to grow and to mature. "Rice grows in the watery places, in the valleys grapes roots on the high plains. ^ '^ ' "The plains are covered with tracks of buffalo and deer. " The whole earth is a banquet to the birds. shield !r.rJ'" '"" ""' '""'='• '''' ™-'"»<=«' «"d the shield to the Master of Life-the Food Provider ?" " 0, the green corn ! the green corn I thp'r '* !T .''^ '™'' '"'^ '■'^°'""« ^° '^^' harvest time, for the Great Spirit loveth not sadness. "I looked at the morning, and the noonday, and the eve and they were joyful with a living joy. ' were'Vead"Z;T.''^".r^ ''' ''' «reen things that was so '"'' '"'-^'^^ °"^y Hlumber-and it " rt is good to hunt, and to go to war an,! tn a by fasting. ' ^ *° ^° reverence " 0, the green com ! the green corn !" The Indian girl concluded the last line of this siinple recitative with a lingering cadence of pas- donate and inspiring melody, that elicited a burst of applause : and the young Mohawk, loosening M 2 244 ELLEV CLAYTON; OR, »'' a, with the agitation of her efforts. ;^--, 3B„ „ade a.p,e a^enar'for r„r sion, by directinc manv . a ..■ , 1. 1 ° y " furtive s ance at th» handsome stranger wl,™. i ■ ° her that I,. ""»''', ''''™"er her mstincf told ehildtn von?: '"""""^ »'>"'" >vay. And the th . heirT ^ ™^'' "' *^y "^-' «»-ked that then- favounte paid kss attention to them ha„ she was w„nt, and quickly divining the cans" oTrreir^'-"-^--'-;^; ■;-,-a.dherhi:::;:rtrf:if: «tr.k,ng example of the disaster incidentTto the predato.7 races of the plains. *' The brother of Tatnnga, many years before zas, a nation then sifna+o^ ^ situated near the CouncU TUB iVOMADES OF THE WEST. 245 I31uffs of the Missouri, came to a place upon the praii-ic where au encampment had lately been ; for there were to be seen numerous lodge-poles, fragments of skin coverings, and various imple- ments of domestic use; but scattered about, broken, and half consumed. Yet a more mournful sight than these soon met his eye; the mutilated bodies of men, women, and babes, lying stark and stiflF upon the moss, amidst the wreck-strewn abodes. The Whirling-cloud beheld this spectacle with a sad heart, wondering what people it was that had been thus cut off from the land, and who their enemies were; when all at once the end of a scorched buffalo robe was softly raised, and the head of a beautiful little girl peeped out timor- ously at the stranger, who seized her kindly in his arms, and bore her away from the scene of slaughter which she alon° survived, and brought her up as his own child. At the time of the catastrophe that had swept her kindi-ed from the earth at a smgle blow, she was too young to retain a very vivid impression of what she had seen : and by the time she was able to converse, in the language of her new pro- tectors, her answer gave but a vague clue to her 246 BLLEN CLAVTO\; OB, "••'gill, and the nature nf ♦»,« "H» iicc-iali-clcf, which nican^ <' tu foinihiln .^' *i . 1 , "itant, the pure self iinfil fi. 1 ' ' ^'^^ hid her- y alte. «,„„ one can.c and to„l< her away .t„T„: "'='■ ™' "-«™''-. %„„„ the e„„h,. b oaTr ""? "" """'' "■ "-fr"". 'h^- fir.., "t^cause It sounded aercenhlv t.. ^u ^»i.-« .™... .h! ::!ir ; n: .": whose death had thrown her a «lt ^ ""'' tbe bottnty of his broti, P^^wncr up,,,, tio. to Hee. ah de ' "^'o^" T"' '"""''"^ ;*dandnobH:;atpar„.^r„l4t obhgat,o„ which she conld not repay. "'" The vdlage g„,,ip, ,h„„g^, ,^_^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ THE NOMA DBS OF THE WEST. 247 certainly take the fair protegee to his lod^e at last ; but neither of the parties chiefly concerned appeared to anticipate such an issue ; and though, iibatractly it might be considered a very natural supposition, to closer observers it was a v<'ry im- probable one. For Hee-lah-dee laughed and sang, and warbled upon her deer skin flute, and Tatunga pursued his field avocations with the Braves, as though neither knew or cared a jot if the other existed. Could love be there ? r Mi 248 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, j CHAPTER XVII. ^ SECRET ENTERPRISE_THE Mn„ THE MOUNTAIN PASS AND THK HAU.VTED CAVE. Tke soft breath of evenm„ „. , aromatic odours fa,„ .1 ® °" '"^'"^ ^'h • delicious oo7„^ "1" 1"'^'"' '"" '^P--" "> "■egWiers. tI ^ I'^'-'ft^'^ '«.". 'aoter of sublimitv j """" " 'ha- 1 i»oie irom a landscape of such THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 249 vast and simple materials, the outlines of which comprised, on one side, an illimitable prairie, and on the other, an almost unlimited maze of mountains, whose summits seemed to melt away and mingle with the heavens. The great soul of nature in an essence appeared to pervade it, and to rest upon the broad area as on a couch. And had you been there at that most meditative hour, your spirit would have humbled itself even to oppression in the awe of the universal hush that - .is in the earth and air, and you might have deemed it not a fantasy that you stood within the precincts of a temple, and before a presence in wliich it was a duty and a luxuiy to pray. These sentiments obtained at least an echo in the heart of Conrad as he waited by the isolated rock, and gazed with an exalted sense of the glory of the divine architect upon the solitude over which the sun then threw its parting ray. It was the first time he had been abroad since his conference with the stranger at that spot—the appointed rendezvous for their next meeting, the time of which was now arrived. The orb of day fell behind the mountains, and the whole plain was cast into shadow; still no living object appeared upon its wide expanse, and M 3 I] -1 ■!:■ 250 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OK, Conrad began to feel overburdened with the intense stillness and solitude around, and a vague sense of uneasiness stole over him. " If he deceive me,'' he thought, with a pang; but the suspicion was shortlived, for at the instant, a dot was descried at the extremity of a collateral branch of the mountain chain that ran curving into the plain. It was in rapid motion, for as he watched it, the distance between it and the cape widened perceptibly. A stray buflfalo or deer, perhaps ; no, for it advances rapidly, in a direct line, towards the rock; it increases in dimensions ; now it takes the outline of a horse- man at full speed ; another moment, and Conrad with joy is enabled to recognise the figure and crimson turban of his stately emissary, who soon drew up his foam-flecked steed within a few paces of the spot where he awaited him. " The pale Path-seexer is at his post,'' was his salutation. " Has he b -en tarrying long ?" " No," replied Conrad. " The mountain tops are only commencing to grow red. The Pearl- trader has kept his word." " And succeeded." " Speak ! What have you done ? la the trail recovered ?" "It was never los^" was the enigmatical reply THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 251 of the unknown, who, with a propitious smile, immediately added : " Be of good cheer, brother. I am come to guide you where you vi^iah to go. Let us rest to-night in the village. To-morrow we can depart before the sun rising. Are you content ?" " More than you can believe, my friend. I have not heard such welcome words for many a day as those you have just spoken ; but still, one question," — he hesitated. " I am listenuig." " Do we go alone ?" " That has already been decided.'' " In what manner ?" demanded Conrad, w ith surprise. " This, The white traveller can choose from his companions one up(m whom he can depend for fidelity and caution ; this one alone can accompany him where the Pearl-trader leads the way.'' Conrad mused for some moments, during which he turned over this proposition in his mind, and at length said — "It is well." •• And the matter being thus arranged to the extreme satisfaction of one at least of the parties, they rode off together in the direction of the 252 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, Village discussing minor details; and by mutual consent, separated at the outskirts of the encamp- ment when each betook himself to the quarter ^n which his lodge was situated, as it was not deemed prudent to be seen together oftener ^nfines'^ '"^'^ ^^^P ^1"!*^ within its inqmsitive That evening Conrad consulted his friends and made his final arrangements, pursuant to the mstructions he had received. Sewantus-walie was the one whom he selected to be his companion, a proposal readily agi-eed to on the part of the former, and approved by Couteau-crocbe and Salexis, who designed to profit by the interval, in making a hunting ex- cursion to the neighbouring hills, which abounded m several species of game entirely unknown to them which they were impatient to attack, being roused by the stories told by the Medicine-bows who wore about them the spoils obtained in th^i^ personal encounters with the savage denizens of those alpme recesses, with as much pride as the trophies won iu battle from theii- human anta- gonists. Conrad in this proceeding was guided by his secret predilection for the young Mohawk, whose age and tone of mind approached nearer to his i-^*^SfiWEr**i THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 253 own, and who was better able to sympathize with him in every respect, than his elder associates. During their years of companionship they had learned to know each other well, and become closely knit by a congeniality of feeling, and that participation in adventure which is conducive to such strong friendship between man and man. Conrad beheld in Sewantus all that he imagined him to be, when struck with his exterior at their first meeting in the Mohawk town ; and believing him to be by nature superior to himself in many respects, and inferior in none — except in the mere * hue of his skin, if that were a national exception — he felt a certain pride in claiming him as an equal and familiar friend, one with whom he could converse of those winged desires and beau- tiful recollections which made the frame-work of his inner life ; that spiritual being which broods within us — hke the imago in the worai — a thing apart from the common experience in every individual breast, that we hug to ourselves as a treasure of which nothing can despoil us, — neither the world's cupidity nor misfortune's frown. With this pure son of the forest, noble in lineage as in instinct, — who trod the soil with the assui'ed step of a freeman and the dignity y ^) 254 ELLEN CLAYTON; or, of . na.„., that h„d nc... ,„„ ,t, „,,^^ Joi the generous and kku nr lw..„ ! into the hackneyed i„,tdl„f "'""'' Conrad felt hilolf "2 ' "''"™"""- »«r * "'' °'"«' •» none bm , ^'=',""*°'" '«"•"« observation, ""*- '^U' fhemse vcs were ahmn^ * *l hour. ^'^'^"^^ »t that early % preconcerted nlan fl.»,. • ■ the PearUrader at the : htl 7hi:r i""^ "' their horses to a brisk 7,?';"*! ''"""« j««ing promontory hat 1-^'T t""""'" "' Plamfron, the graL m^ ■ "" '"J"'""' -<< slating tit Te'ir^-t-"-' ine lugJi-grouuda bor- THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 255 dcring the mountains beyond, were fully launched upon their hopeful but mysterioua adventure. The morning vapours, raritied by the sun's first rays, were already beginning to ascend, and gather in fantastic wreaths upon the escar])- ments and summits of the mountains : when the guide, upon searching a particular bluff, turned abruptly westward into a dark defile that ran within the bosom of the hills. Their course was now marked by frequent irregularities, caused by the capricious windings of the ravines, and the inaccessible steeps and broken masses of rock that keep continually facing them, as they penetrated deeper into the fastnesses of that wild chaos, where the tread of their horses reverberated in startling echoes, among caverns and precipices, thi-eatening, each mo- ment, to bring down an avalanche of earth and stones upon their heads. The herbage soon became scanty and stunted, and the austere foliage of the pines that bristled upon the ridges, only added to the sombre character of the scenery. Here they beheld, hundreds of feet above them, and standing at the edge of some dizzy ledge, the ahsahta, or big-horn; that strange animal v^ith the body II m it!^ 256 ELLEX CLAYTON- OR, horsemen, «.„„/•? "«l»'^"»dy at tk intruder. ' ' ■■ "'" "' ""^ '™k of ,he The guide seldom spoke exeent in «»d "he.; a ftL t '-"■« f" 'he ho..es, upon the j 1 2 """'" '"'■^ ""« 'k™ depth beW.° Bl.tr'"' " "° -"efinite O' pause, th..ead,t \ T T "'"'°'" '"=^"''«''« various torrenf*. fl.o* i ^"ursts of the "PperranJtitll-r^-'-o^the "Weh, i„3o„,e places ;„:':::'"' ^"™"' on account of the l. ',,'•"""« "npiwticable »een,ed to hateteett'T "' ^"""^' "■" '"Won, frou. ,h,!! ,K . ^ " "'Sl^'y eon- within them *\";'«';'»''™g ««% and piled inem .a shapeless heans fn k , passage from man. ^ ' '"^^ *^« THE N0MADE8 OF THE WEST. 257 These savage features were softened down into transient beauty by the occasional interven- tion of a fertile plain, or some beautiful lake set, like a jewel, in the recesses and over- hung by beetling cliffs of granite and the more elevated snow range, — whose solemn and icy spires were reflected in grim fidelity within its depths. By dint of incessant exertion, and surmounting in succession, ridge after ridge, the travellers accomplished the ascent, and arrived at a point within the region of perpetual snow : where above them appeared, in all their naked severity, the pinnacles of the grand peaks, cutting sharply against the blue sky, and looking, in their solitude, like the wan ghosts of mountains, that sent a chill to the blood with their frozen vast- ness and repose. Here the guide stopped, and took off his turban with an air of reverence, saying : "The stranger must not cross this place without doing homage to the Invisible. The Cause of Causes." " Where are we now ?" demanded Conrad. " Upon the crest of the world I" replied the guide. While in illustration, he pointed with , s- 258 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, both his arms downwards, in a direction East and West. Never in all their visions of glorv did the two M-anderers conceive a prosj)ect aa stupendous and sublime as that they now beheld. It would have repaid a week of toil— ( ,. look from that mountain -summit ? Beneath, and on three sides, froni the point CiUere they stood, the eye embraced an extent of country that a])peared immeasurable, from Its vastness and the imposing uirangcinent of Its parts— each being spread out with its minutest detail, conspicuous, as in a map : for so pure and transparent was the atmosphere of those elevated regions, that an object not larger than a buffalo or elk, could be plainly distinguished at a distance of twenty mUes— sometimes 8uspcn^''d in the a., by refrac- tion. There, beside and before them, \4>-! snowy peaks and rock-crowned rul-es, and the aving outlines of lateral spurs, falHng awa a less ening p,oflle, with a variety of shapes ..id hut cav .ed into dark gorges, enclasping smiling valleys, and sev-ed by rugged defiles. Amid thes. fastnesses, wild ai 1 impervi us as they u- ii r^ iklB NOMAOE8 t)P TIIK WEST. 259 seemed, wound many a rill and torrent, now lost, and now plunging in a glistening raacade through the air, from some steep in its pas- sage to the plains, into which the last heav- ings of the landsrnpc molted and spreaf) out, leagues upon leagues away — like the sub)?. deuce of a sea. Over this wide space the sunshine gleamed and floated in an ether of pale gold which disclo^^od at intervals again, the track of the mountain waters : now united and forming estuaries, that glided on composedly through the prairie -bottom <, by mn- ;i shadowmg bluff and narrow yatu^, until they were lost in the hazy perspective, or ; uiid the defiles of a mountain chain which could be descried, with its blue ridges, fringing the l.uri- zon. They were standing upon the summit of f he North American continent, and from its mighty spine beheld tin; secret origin and infancy of the streams that fertilize the vast countries through which they How into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Here the earth, convulsed, threw off her robes and lay with rib and member bleaching in the winds and snow-drifts of eternal wint r; a hu^e skeleton, frigid, gaunt and ' i li,,— 360 1 ELLEN CLAYTON j OB, P 1 Is; id There sweet summer held her reign, and scat- tered blessings and abundance over the wide table lands that sti-ctched to the foot of the dividing barrier. Conrad and his companion wtie struck dumb by the overpowering grandeur of the spectacle, and for some mouienfs they gave it the entire homage of their souls. " Behold !" said the guide, drawing attention to a broad river that curved south-westward from the mountain ravines through which it rushed in a thread of foam to the lower level, where it wound away and was lost. — " Behold, strangers f You are tlie first of the people of the far sunrise, who ever looked upon the fountain-lieud of that stream !" " I am like a man amazed \" observed Sewan- tus; "I see mnny waters running both ways when I look before and behind. That one must lead through a country close to the evening sun. I did believe the world ended with these moun- tains — I was a fool \" "The world is large," replied tl,. guide. "And where does yonder river empty itself at last ?" asked Conrad. "Into the Gulf of Pearls." " Is it from thence are brought the beau- THE N0MADE8 OF THE WEST. 261 ught the beau- tiftil shells which you sell to the Mcdicinc- b0W8 ?" " Even 80," was the rc'])ly. " It is an arm of a great occuu into which the sun drops when it sets." After breathing their horses, and feeding them on corn-leaves, the three travellers commenced the descent, being glad to get once again within shelter of th»; cliffs, from the icy gusts that roared around the snow-summits in their rear ; and following the course of a narrow fissure-hke defile, they crossed and recrossed several times the tortuous branches of the stream, hefore-men- tioned, whi.h has since received the appellation of the Colorado of the West. Once more, they were struggling among cliffs, fragments of rock, and ragged water-channels, rent in the granite hills : where the plunge of some fierce cataract gave animation to the soli- tude, and reverberated with a sound, like thunder, among the precipices. And by close of day, emerging from the wilder gorges, they dis- mounted in a secluded vallon, green and flat, and watered by a lake-like expansion of a moun- tain rivulet, formed by a colony of beavers that had erected a dam across its path, and overflowed i.^ 262 ELLEN CLAYTON; OB, the grassy plat— a mere shred as it was, in that wilderness of sterile hills. Here the guide led them to a cave, hollowed in the side of the rock, and partially open to the sky, where they found a supply of food, and buffalo-skins: for it was the usual resort of the trader in his journeys to and fro. It now offered a commodious lodging-place to the weary tra- vellers, and they took possession of it at once: for the night had already set in. Tlieir strange conductor did not dispose himself to rest at the same time as themselves, however; and ere Conrad closed his eyes, he observed him' to produce, by some inexplicable means, a blaze of ruddy light, aud kneel before it in devotion, until it flickered, and expired. To the European' he resembled one of the magicians of the East, engaged in some mischievous necromancy J with his astute face and striking costume, he bent over the flame. Could he, in very tmth, be holding commune viAh the genii of those wild mountams, and were the floating rumours re- gardmg him, not after all, the offspring of Ignorant prejudice as he had supposed them to be ? Conrad was startled at the suggestion, but hi« weariness proved greater than his alarm. THE NOMADE8 OP THE WEST. 263 and soon consigned him to the dominion of sleep. He woke with a start, and a consciousness that his slumbers had been disturbed in an unusual manner, though by what, he could not possibly imagine. Now, in the middle of the vaulted chamber was a small basin of water collected in a hollow, formed by the constant drippings of the roof overhead, which, as already stated, was somewhat imperfect : probably from the same cause — the infiltration of moisture from the cliff above. It was broad daylight, and Conrad's face, as he lay, was turned towards this reservoir, which shone, like a miiTor of quicksilver, in the external light, when in it he saw reflected, with terrible distinctness, a man's face, glaring at him with a savage eagerness, and malignancy, that curdled the blood in his veins. He could not speak or move for a time, while the eyes of the phantom fixed themselves upon liis own, and a grim smile contracted its linea- ments with a sudden spasm. As soon as Conrad could shake off the paralysis that seized him at this apparition, he sprang up from his couch upon the stone-floor, with a wild cry, and rushed ; I t .if Si i' m 264 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, to the side of the enchanted basin ; but the face had disappeared ! The others, awaking in alarm, demanded the cause of the uproar when, ere Conrad could reply, a shrill, tremulous sound from without echoed through the cavern ; such as a horse will utter when under the influence of terror. Seizing their arms, they sallied forth, but without being enabled to detect anything un- usual, though the horses were much excited, and had torn up their pickets and retreated, trem- bling violently, to that part of the dell the furthest removed from the cave. The guide, however, was disposed to treat the matter very lightly : at least so thought Conrad, when he related what he had seen upon being startled from slumber, as he now supposed, by the warning cries of the horses. He accounted for the incident in the following manner : The mountains in which they were, he nid, solitary as they appeared to be, were not really so, being inhabited by a strange race of people, diminutive and harmless, who fed upon roots, dried ants, and such smnll animals as they were able to ensnare by the simplest methods, THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 265 isin; but the face t in the following and without much pains. These people lived in caves among the rocks and burrows dug in the ground; and clothed themselves in skins, chiefly of the sage-rabbit. They were timid to a degree : flying from the approach of the traveller with the speed of the mountain-sheep, to their secret haunts, where few had the temerity to follow them ; while there was but little about them to excite the cupidity of the nations of the plains, for they were like the ani- mals in their mode of living, and miserably poor. Thus, he informed them, they were seldom to be seen, except by stealth, and always in the most inaccessible parts of the hills. On one occasion, he believed, that he himself was in their neigh' bourhood; for he observed streams of smoke issuing from a lonely dell among the clifl's, and heard their voices calling to one another. But he never wished to molest them, and so passed on : for, as he repeated, they were a poor inof- fensive people worthy of pity for their destitute condition. " Now,^^ added the trader, addi-essing Conrad " I believe one of those folk, being secreted in this vicinity, could not resist the curiosity to take a peep at the strangers while thev slept, and N H II,,'' f-- 266 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, SO climbed up to the opening in the roof, when the horses caught a sight of his wild figure, and gave the alarm. It must have been the face of one of the " Pigmies of the rocks,'' which my brother saw in the pool while he was looking down at him from the hole above/' This was a most rational explanation, it is true, nevertheless, it had greater weight with Sewantus than his friend. The face lately beheld was associated too closely with the darkest recollection of his life, and too correctly pourtrayed upon the watery miiTor to render such a solution of the phe- nomenon conclusive. Added to which, his mind was too much excited then to take a deliberate view of the subject, or to admit the possibility of his being deceived by a coincidence merely ; for in the spectral countenance he recognized the repulsi\'e features of his cruel taskmaster and enemy, Bizon-ko-kok-has, the Abenake sorcerer ! Never dreaming of his identity with the captor of Ellen, Conrad strove in vain to account for his presence, were it not that he possessed the ])ower of transporting himself thither by his secret spells, or of revealing himself to him as a phantom. The early dread with which the THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 267 maniac had inspired him, was never entirely obliterated ; what peace of mind then could he enjoy, while under an impression that either in the liesh or the spirit, that malignant shape was dogging his footsteps, and hovering secretly around him ? Occupied with these thoughts, which threw a gloom upon every object in his way, our hero followed in silence the route chosen by his com- panions, that soon led them out upon the slopes of the grass covered plains. They had accom- plished the passage of the Rocky Mountains. Keeping along the foot of the great escarp- ments, and pursuing a southerly course, they traversed an open prairie which divided from the main chain an isolated group of hills that towered up in front of the travellers, covered to the verge of its snow crests with forests of cedar, pinion, and the se\ i^ral varieties of the pine. Skirting this for some time, the guide, to Conrad^s surprise, turned abruptly into a narrow ravine conducting into the heart of the sierra, and they soon found themselves again ascending between precipitous steeps and over elevated ranges, but which were far less broken and sterile than those they had lately left— and N 2 If I r lii' il 268 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, "moving in a direction contrary to that of the Cs ' ^'''"''^^'^"^^'^-^-tlyinthe. It was near noon when the g,.ide called a halt and dismounted from his horse. (; ; THE NOMAOEB OF THE WEST. 269 CHAPTER XVIII. THK GRAND 8KCBXT 18 DIVULGED. They were now close to a sheer wall of rock that stretched as far as the eye could discern, on each side, and formed a belt upwards of a thou- sand feet in altitude, that no human effort could cross. Up to this led the narrow defile they had pursued, and here it terminated ; while through its middle r^n a rapid torrent, bubbling and sparkling among thf obstructions in its course ; and this k^'xtd fiom p remarkable opening, higher thar » norseman's head, whjch it had worn seemingly, by its own action, through the hard material of the rock. " Now,*' said the Pearl-trader, with a solemn If 270 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, and Stem voice, holding up his arm;-" children of the far sunrise, swear by the Invisible, the holy Cause of Causes, that neither of you will ever reveal to man what I am about to show you- not to your dying day !" "I swear,- replied Conrad, "i„ the name of the Christian's God, if it so please thee;-whv I know not/' ^' "And you,'' rejoined the trader, turning to Sewantus; "your skin and lineaments are dif- ferent but, if I judge aright, your heart is full ot faith ; hast thou too a God ?" "The son of Kankrakos is of a people who keep promises," was the proud reply. "Thev believe as their fathers believed, and caU upon the Great Spirit when they pray." "'Hien swear likewise, after thy fashion, to do this thing." The Indian took his bow in his left hand, and drawing an arrow from his quiver with the right pomted with it to the sky, to the ground, and tJ his breast; and then kissed the bow. This cere mony, the most sacred and binding with an Indian, wa^ an emphatic adjuration ; importing that If he failed in what was required of him, the Master of Heaven and Eai^h might pierce him to the heart with his own weapons. ^»4. THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 271 "Enough !" said the trader. " I believe you both to be trustworthy, else the sun would not M. ve shone on us three here, to-day." Ashe spoke these words, he stepped a few paces aside, and di-ew forth, from a fissure in the rock, a conch-shell and three torches of resinous- pine. These latter he ignited by the aid of some mixture which he carried about him, and in a manner similar to that already witnessed in the cave. Putting one of these into the hands of each of his companions, the guide rode out midway into the toiTcnt, bent forward within the arch- way from whence it issued, and blew a peculiar blast upon the conch : which echoed in wild peals through the tunnel and among the neighbouring cliffs, and died away in a faint shriek, far in the bowel of the mountain. The effect was such as caused the two foreigners to tremble as they sat, with wonder and super- stitious dread. The water which before had foamed and curled upon his horse's breast, was sinking rapidly ! — it reached only up to the fet- locks now. Wily enchanter ! was he drawing them into his unhallowed toils, and about to deliver them as up victims to his ronfederates ? " Not so," thought they. " Follow !" shouted the guide, waving his p 273 KLLEN CLAYTON; OK, 'iff! I torch ., he entered the ,.„eky .rehway; "The path lead, through the stone." ^ But nojthcr .Ivaaeed or moved f,.„m where what ,« fA 7 ^* ^ P"*"^^ '^'ours of Heaven defend u« frornL^'^T "'''^' maa!'> ^ treachery-sinful " He is a sen ant of thp ha,} ^f ^ tared Sewanlus in . Mamtou,," mut- into .ton? ''^'- "^ ™" ««"i «» »U^ atone a. „e ..and, „.an and h„,^,_at . "PolW in the path '" ,ho„ted the leader ure^ahng no not.ee of the aeeusationa. .ronie!Sr'""''"''"'^"''--«C„n™d, r^y." *"' "*■'»"»'' "--g™ ." - the ,„iet peJl -for th' "f ""l" "'" ' '"" *" -ieadly perii,— tor thy sole sake, Ellen !" >.'.wp,™ge,„.th.:z.;:.':'.h:tro; THE N0MADE8 OF THE WEST. 273 ^ archwayj "The 'he torrent; the wat< nich was now sta- aon«'*v at the depth of a ow inches only. Sewantus was not the man a forsake a friend in extremity ; and ere they well knew what the) were about, the two were foUowinjj: in the track of the stranger, and already fo' in the interior of the mountain ■ groping their way through the long gallery, by the j ight of the smoking torches, and making its t ill res und with the plash and clink of their h * hoofs over the submerged floor. After pursuin; ueir course thus for some time in a gradual ascei**^^, the guide turned off into a second tunnel-like gallery to the left, the sides and bottom of which were dry and smooth. This had a steeper inclination than the first ; having served, apparently, as an ancient water-chunnel at a higher level. Here they were soon brought to a stand ; for the passage terminated in a mas- sive door of metal, knol)bed and ribbed, and covered with green corrode from the humidity of the vault. The guide gave three stout blows upon it. He had no sooner done so, than an opening appeared, through which poured a beam of bril- liant light, und a voice challenged in a language unknown to the, strangers, but not to their con- N 3 "Vfy 7'-. ., MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART (ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No. 2) 1.0 I.I 1.25 u III 2.8 m 1.4 2.2 2£ 1.8 1.6 A /APPLIED IIVT/IGE Inc SSr. 165J East Main Stieet ~'-- Rochester, New York U609 USA *— (716) 482 - 0300 - Phone S:S (716) 288 - 5989 - Fox 4 274 ELLEN CLAYTON: OR, , ductor, who sent back a ready reply. The tones sounded gruflFand unnatural, and rang along the subterrene in fiendish discord :- the jeering laughter, it might be, of the malicious earth! demons, within whose sepulchral realm the two friends fully believed themselves to be. Slowly, and with a creak, that pierced to the man-ow of the bones, the door rolled back and disclosed to their dazzled eyes-no hideous spec tacle or device of the wizard Gnomes-but the famihar light of day, which glistened on the arms of a'guard of soldiers, in tunics of white cotton, and with pikes and targets, drawn up in array on each side of the portal; while stood to receive them a mounted cavalier, with plumed helmet, mantle, shield, and lance-almost the counterpart of him Notokeel had described, as the friend of the captive Ellen. Conrad and Sewantus followed their conductor who was ushered through the open ranks with the deepest respect, by the chief of the band, and rode on in advance conversing with him in the same strange accents they had already heard; and at every step their wonder increased at what they saw. They found themselves within the purlieu of a valley, only a few miles in extent, and completely THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 275 enclosed on every side by vertical cMs, above whicb towered, in endless irregularity, the more elevated ridges and snow-summits of the moun- tain. Beneath, gleaming like an emerald in its zone of rock, appeared a magnificent plain, teeming with cultivation, and interspersed with groves. But the interest of the strangers was soon en- grossed by ^ more remarkable feature. A beautiful lake wound through the centre of the vale, with wooded promontory and shadowy bay, stretching far into the distance,' and inter- sected, as it were, by belts of forest and meadows, that swept to its verge. In the midst of this sheet of water was a group of small islets, covered with foliage, above which several golden pinnacles shot up and glittered, like tongues of flame, in the sunshine ; and by the opposite shore, to the left, half hidden by intermediate groves, were visible the edifices of a city, in all the splendour of white, vermilion, and gold, and reflected with its pyramids and towers, like a mirage in the lake. Nor was this all ; for, in every direction, through the screen of woods, hamlets and clusters of habitations, with an occasional tower, all of a dazzling white, caught the eye — and contrasted pleasingly with the verdure. 276 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, til The two friends could scarcely b-l-vc that this lovely picture was aot a cheat of the eye wrought by enchantment to deceive them: and expected, each moment, that the stately city- the iake, with its isles and groves-would vanish mto empty air, and leave in their place only the rude sterUity of the defiles they had so lately travelled. ^ No effort of romance could surpass the mag- nificence of the scene before them. High over the great rampart that barred this wondrous retreat, seemin.,ly, from the external world,the clouds and gauze-like mists were floating mlongwreaths,asonthe surface of an upper-lake whde through them pierced the wh J cones :; the glaczers-th3 rocks of that aerul sea-which surmounted ,n, and crowned the whole amph. theatre with a serried phalaia No sound of life arose from 'the distant eity or the surr„„„d,„g tM. Eve:y .hi„g „„, i„_ tm^ess; even to the water in the centre, which Wled a narrow nver that ran meandering aW towards then,, and termi. ',d abrnptly, at ! dyke of stone close by, .,.. =.r the Le oi .he —n-waU at the suhterrneons entrance of Bnt when, by a glance, more rapid than words, THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 277 they had made these observations, a sudden change occurred ; a ringing sound, as of struck metal, vibrated through the air from behind, and at the signal a number of men appeared upon the dyke, and drew back, by means of cordage, a sliding gate in its middle, when out rushed a flood from the river above, into a deep hollow, whence it disappeared, almost immedi- ately, in a chasm of the mountain to which it led : thus sealing up once more the passage of the secret gallery, and offering an easy explana- tion of the manner in which the supply of the torrent had been retained. This natural solution of a phenomenon that had so disconcerted them, went very far in re- storing the confidence of our adventurers : who now noticed for the first time, the portal from which they had just issued. The door was of bronze covered with devices, like arabesques, in compartments, and surrounded by a mas?" ve frame-work set in a facing of black- marble, which projected in a porch from the rock, and was ribbed and over-run with an elaborate scroll-pattern. On either side, in alto-relievo^ appeared a colossal form, chiselled on the flat surface of the mountain, with its head to the entrance. li ill: ff m P'»f (1 i'lfl ;: m 1 If : ^ ■J. ■ 1 pi 278 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, One™ ani^age of the grct Mastodon, the perfect m every bone, with long tusks eurviag up™*,andn,a»ve claws, the other, that of an unknown ,„adruped, with its tnsis turning down. Over and between these, was the fign^ of a great sun, w th a nerinherv „e . ■ that shone with the iSetZi ' '"'"' " The Pearl-trader can tell ns if „e be in the blessed hn„t.ng.gronnds," observed Sewan ^ 'tj " ""'^ '°°'' "-^'^ -y along a bid wdl-b.ten road, leading i„ the dircctln of ;': h-mself. It .s not meet for him so to enter into the presence of his fathers." "The child of the sunrise is in the vale of tahunzel where the livin- abide" \ renlv « Tt ■ ^ , ° aowe, was the -•ep y. It IS not very large, but it is blest." And yo„,^lf, are you in sooth, a mere dealer m earrings and cotton fabrics as Thev -d yon were ?" asked Conrad incredulonsly ' "AmongtheDahcotas, itisevenso-t .n my native land, I am better kZw: ' TW call me Tazmco— the Shrewd " ^ "A good name 1" rejoined the questioner • who thought nevertheless, that it would be onitr. appropnate with the affi, „f_the tTuZ THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 279 Mastodon, the ^ liuge skeleton, ? tusks curving e other, that of ' tusks turning ', was the figure of waving rays, f we be in the ^'ed Sewantus- ilong a broad, rftction of the lie to prepare > to enter into u the vale of W was the ■ is blest/' >oth, a mere rics, as they edulously. en 80; here, iiown. They stioner : who ' be quite as 'e Taciturn^ instead j so little could they extract from their uncommunicative companion. And now, as they advanced along the lake, by which the road ran, fringed on each side by an almost continuous grove of aged and umbrageous trees that gave a grateful shelter from the r' >n, the various objects that greeted them proclai^ricd their approach to a large and prosperous resort. There were broad fields of maize, ripe and ready to be gathered in ; large plantations of cotton, tobacco, and the cactus cociniliftr, or cochineal- fig, on which that curious insect is reared ; together with an abundant growth of the maguey, or American aloe, with its erect, flowering stem and crown of leaves. In various places were seen patches of wild-rice, running into the shallows of the lake. Orchards laden with fruit, and gardens of flowers of every form and hue, charming the eye and intoxicating the senses with their fragrance ; while, in the pasture-lands and scattered through the groves, the strangers saw herds of domesticated buffaloes, in aspect unlike their fierce progenitors of the prairies : flocks of feeding turkeys, of the superb, wild- breed ; and, now and then, a group of beautiful horses enjoying the luxury of repose, under the It if II M .: Mi II 280 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, .hade of some cool clump wat diveraificd the level borders of the iaie. Besides this were noticed signs of a numerous populafon: for from the orchards and harves! felds came shouts and laughter, and half hidden m the trees appeared frequent habitations, some of wood, thatched „ith aloe-leaves, and s me o stone coated with lime. the wa^ls of a istaut hamlet in some miniature bay, while to and fro, on the surface of the lake T. r'?' ''"'^'' "' «""<«» of ™»<1, pro- pelled by the paddle, and loaded with frui a^d flowers ; or filled with gaily dressed p „; e belonging to the neighbouring city. '^ ' :i?HE N0MAD£8 OF THE WEST. 281 CHAPTER XIX. lAHCNZEL. The progress of the travellers was a series of surprises from the time of their admittance into this unkno^nn haunt ; each pace of their horses seemed but to give birth to some fresh enchantment greater than the last. Here, in a recess by the road-side, under a canopy of leaves, was a fountain of sculptured marble, ornamented by a statue, around the brow of which was wound a chaplet of freh flowers; and before it stood a group of gracelul maidens, in gowns of flowered cotton, falling from the waist, — ^who, gathering up the water in varnished jars, and suddenly arrested in 282 ELLEN CLAYTOVJ OR, ! I tke act threw Wok the raven hair on their naked shoulders and gazed, with utter ama,e. »=nt deputed in their brown eye, at Conrad and There aeross the lake, was espied a lofty, pyramidal strneture, white as the drifted snow and ternnnated by a long fa^e with towe™,' from wh,eh arose a clond of smoke ; as from the peaks of a volcano. Then they would be traversing the street of . qmet village the habitations of whieh were h.lf.bu„ed m shrnbbe,7, vines and variegated flowers. The inhabitants also, in broad gfrdles Irr'.. '■' ""' "'*'»-''''^ head-dresses, paused m the.r work, and made a salutation „ ^eotoTotytouehingeaeh, the earth w.th h,s hand and plaeing it upon his head, as the travellers passed; to whieh the trade responded by a paternal gesture, or a few kindly, toned words. ^ do!l Yf "; *'" "'^ '"'* "'™8'' «■> "^de of e« I'dT '"=,^''"''°-»"=rwoven branehes exe uded the sun's rays, and made a sort of twihght under the roofage of leaves. !l,™ /'^ '"' "" ""''■■' to follow U example; when, round a turn of the highway THE NOMADES OP THE WEST. 288 came a band of soldiers, in white quilted tunics, trimmed \;itb red embroidery, with targets and copper javelins, such as those at the secret jjortal, — whom they were going to relieve, — and at their head there rode a chief, whose armour glittered with jewela and gold ; and who wore on his shoulders a mantle of feather- work, of the most gorgeous hues, and in his fantastic helm, a long green plume. This cavalier saluted Tazinco respectfully, and replied to his questions, as he passed, with the promptness and brevity of an inferior : glancing meanwhile, with evident astonishment, at the strangely apparelled guests who had just been admitted into the guarded territory of his brethren ; but without evincing distrust. And now, with a sweep, the road traversed a wooded promontory, and brought them into full view of the city, which covered a broad peninsula with dwellings, — interspersed with gardens, pyramids and palaces profusely sculp- tured and decorated with gilding, vermilion and white. What a picture of glowing splendour was then unfolded to tV .. ! The wildest vision in Amadis de Gaui could not compete with it in 284 n i BLLEN CLAYTON; OR, romance ; the lamp of Aladdin never conjured The »-«'«" of the l.k„ „,hed to the foot 7Zt '' r™'"'" '="°''' -«»««= interior ofthecuy, u„„Uhe eye could „ot follow their cou.e any further dong ,he broad thorol fere, up which they ran; while upon them f„d along the terraced ,ho«, were gliding Tnnu -erable canoes, fancifully ahapej an' co„ c^wd ''.'"''' "'" "'™"8^d «A bu.y Tr! flat rr "^ """ '""" "<»-• "Wch were flat and turreted, contained group, „f people And high above all, apnea J I pyramidal ,tructj-e, h„f„ "PP'"™ the tl,.i„ J '"'"■' «'' ocfore-mentioned, with the,r „de, covered with painted aculptur; Tnd having upon their ,unimit,, temple, andT' from the latter of which »T ""'' fi wnicn, with one excentmn -::L:rthiirci;t^-- !-™^»''»P«»thi,wa,ere«et"'oft X: fane, plain and unadorned to the root :;th THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 285 was painted blue, and spangled with gold stars. This was the only tower from whence no smoke came. Conrad and Sewantua uttered a cry of amaze- ment when this grand pageant first revealed itself to them. And even the impassive guide seemed to catch a little of their emotion ; for his countenance lighted up as he pau^. d before the stately spectacle, and witnessed its effect upon the foreigners. "Answer me, brothers," said he, with an accent of pride ; " is there a sight more glorious in the far sunrise than that before ye ; tell me the veiy truth?" " None ' none ! by my word of honour !" exclaimed Conrad, with enthusiasm ,• " if it be real and not a falsehood of the eye ; as I do almost believe !" " The child of the Maquas is a plain warrior," remarked Sewantus. "He never devised such images in his dreams, as those he beholds. The stranger guide is a Great Medicine. It is a castle of the Manitous !" " Ha ! ha !" chuckled Tazinco, forgetting his ordinary gravity at the whimsical notion. "Life is, certainly, a thing of dreams; but my friends will not find this a picture in the clouds, which w i |W Jf -i it 286 1% il ! i li ELLEV CLAYTON; OR, the wind scatters. Do they not hear the hum that rises from the multitude, and the wash of water at their horses' feet, from the dipping of so many paddles ? It is the city of the three tnbes, under Unicum, their King !" At that instant a sonorous clangour rolled from the pyramid of the star-roofed tower; swelling in waves of sound, far and wide over the city, lake and groves; and the smoking pin- nacles on every sid ;ave forth a simultaneous jet of flame. The ..oving assemblage was ar- rested at the peal, and with one accord each mdividual bowed reverently down. Tazinco, also, turned his horse to the East, and bent his head to the creature's neck, until the sound died away: when, cautioning them to ride closely at his side, he continued on, and passmg along a narrow neck of land, the three entered an archway,-over which the triple emblems of the portal were repeated,- and emerged from it into the mysterious city of Lahunzel. As they rode through the principal streets, the broad Side-walks of which were covered wit" • rd cement, and the centre pierced by a spacious canal,-they attracted the gaze of curious crowds with their foreign exterior. Nor could they THE NOMADES OP THE WEST, 287 repress a feeling of intimidation, never yet expe- perienced during their wanderings, at the con- viction of their utter helplessness in this mountain-girded city, and among the many thousands that now environed them. But everywhere the throng gave way before the well-known figure of Tazinco, and the two friends could detect no hostile expression in the mild and serious faces that were turned, suc- cessively, towards them. Conrad, wrought up to a pitch of violent excitement, and bewildered with what he saw, — scarcely noticed, in detail, the costumes of the motley crowd. But 'iwantus-walie, with the pertinacity of an Indian and a Mohawk, let nothing escape his eye. He observed that there were several classes : for some wore only a broad, coloured girdle, — while others, besides tunics, sandals and rolled head-dresses, had square mantles of cotton richly figured and bordered, depending from their shoulders ; and others again were dressed in the same manner as Tazinco. Now and then, moreover, appeared a military- looking figure in a plumed cap, shaped in the form of some animal's head, with grinning jaws, and sparkling with gold, silver, and precious 1 1 I I fll i !' i 288 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, gems : while a mantle of superb featherwork was thrown carelessly over a elose doublet, furnished m some mstances with an embossed breast-plate, and m others covered entirely mth thin scales, or a fine chainwork of gold. These persons were generally mounted, and often accompanied by a numerous retinue. But there was not one of them, that on passing, failed to make a reverence to Tazinco, which the latter took as a matter of course, as though he were accustomed to receive homage. Meanwhile, they traversed the breadth of the city, passmg by many grand edifices covered with sculpture, and over several bridges that arched the canals, until they reached a colossal statue of the skeleton mammoth. This they passed under, when they found themselves in a new and more elegant quarter of the city than they had yet beheld, and in a short time amved at a grand gateway opening upon an extensive square, sur- rounded by a massive wall and a row of piazzas constinxcted of stone, and closed in with a lattice of bronze These were bordered by a canal that entered through a triangular arch in the wall Here the travellers dismounted, and leavinff then, horses in the charge of attendants, whom they found there, crossed the open space, which TIG NOMADES OP THE WEST. 289 was COT tied with cement, hard and smooth as poUshed marble, and reached a second gateway, where an armed guard gave them admittance into another court, or quadi'angle : bounded on three sides by ranges of elegant buildings, furnished with porticos along their front, and embellished with ornaments of a unique kind. Several foun- tains here threw up sparkling jets of water along the pavement of checkered marble, and diflFused an agreeable coolness around: while the ear was soothed by the silvery murmurs they emitted as they fell plashing into the reservoirs. But beyond this, and completing the quad- rangle, was a broad and lofty elevation, divided into three terraces of white marble, one above the other, the last of which gave siipport to a faqade of column-flanked piers that occupied nearly its entire length, and contained each, in alto-relievo, the figure of a robed warrior, or king, armed, and decorated with plumes. These, together with the sculptured cornice above, were painted in the most brilliant colours, such as vermihon, blue, yellow, green, and reddish brown. Nor was this all : for suspended by some invisible framework from the roof of the palace, as such it was, to the edge of the upper terrace, over the whole front stretched an awning of white cotton, VOL. II. n I If !ii f! f f ,1 '1 < 290 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, embellished with coloured tracery, which excluded the sun and rain, while, at the same time, it admitted a sufficiency of light through its semi- transparent texture, and added greatly to the effect of the whole pile, each portion of which was in strict harmony with the general plan. This, for originality and splendour, might vie with the happiest examples of Egyptian art, and even the most elaborate arabesques and embla- zonry of the middle ages : to which it bore » certain resemblance. It was a noble and im- posing display, as distinct as the two continents from the European style of the seventeenth century, yet not on that account less worthy of admiration-.as the young German believed. Tazinco now informed them that they were within the precincts of the royal abode; and, ascending the terraces, he beckoned to one of a number of richly dressed nobles who were scat- tered about the pavilion platform. Sending this person in advance, to give notice of his arrival, the guide then led his companions into a triangu- larly-arched corridor that seemed to run along the front of the building, within the piers, and was crowded with the different officers and menials of the court. After some delay, the noble in waiting returned THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 291 and ushered the two into an inner court of smaller dimensions, canopied and richly adorned with stuccoes and statuaiy : where they found them- selves in the presence of the sovereign of the valley. King Unicum was seated on a moveable throne of gold and silver cui'iously interwoven, one with the other, and adorned with precious stones; among which were cornelians, amethysts, and emeralds of an unusual size. His feet rested upon a stool, carved out of fossil ivoi-y and shaped like a tortoise with two heads, the eyes of which were diamonds. Over his head, and at- tached to the back of the throne, was a canopy of brilliant plumes that radiated from a jewelled centre, like a star. In singular opposition, hov/ever, to these ac- cessories of royalty, the person of the monarch was almost devoid of ornament ; but his white tunic was of the finest silk — a rare and costly article in Lahunzel, and his flowing mantle of the richest featherworkj with that delicacy of shading and lustrous freshness in the tints, pecu- liar to the breast of the bumming bird, or a butterfly's wing. His sandals were bound with gold, and the o 2 M I 11 * 11 rt 293 ELLEN CLAYTON; QK, leather thongs that fastened them 'to his ancles, \ ere embossed with pearls. Around his neck he wore a gold collar containing pearls of an enor- mous size, and upon his head was a jewelled fillet, with an aigrette of white feathers. Unicum was a man past the middle age, raUd, calm, and reflective; and his character was written on his countenance which, though im- pressed with thought, had nothing of severity in its lines. Like those over whom he ruled, his complexion was some shades lighter than that of the inha- bitants of the prairies, and unlike the last, he wore a slight moustache and beard, which, with his flowing hair, were of a light grey, and gave him a venerable and majestic appearance. On each side of the King were ranged a number of caciques, or nobles, in gallant array, with plumes, bracelets, and ear-ornaments flashing with jewelry: and several sallow-faced priests in long black robes covered with mystical devices, and with their dark hair hanging dishevelled over their shoulders, as if in mai-ked indifference to the pomp of the courtiei-s. As Tazinco entered with the strangers, some of the nobles in attendance swung golden ,«#fc^r; THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 293 censers, which gave forth clouds of fragrant in- cense of the gum copal, that spread under the painted canopy in a thin haze. Tazinco went forward and made the usual reverence, after which he stood in silence at the edge of the palm-leaf mat that covered the pave- ment by the throne, awaiting permission to speak. But Unicum immediately addressed him, and an earnest conversation followed, during which the former kept his eyes fixed intently upon Conrad and his friend. Tazinco then led them each forward by the hand, and the King, rising graciously, conducted them to seats of honour on either side of the throne. But here Sewantus, for the first time, amid the scenes through which he had lately passed, felt somewhat embarrassed. He had probably never seen either a chair or a stool in all his lifetime before, and felt a strong disinclination to the carved and gilded affair before him ; so he settled the matter at last, by seating himself in his usual manner, cross-legged upon the floor. " Welcome, good friends, to our habitations," said the King, addressing his guests in the Dah- 394 ELLEN CLAYTON ; OR, f !■ [i !■ 11 ' ^ 1? ; 4- 1 il 1^ pi u M ' K ;< % . r 1 ^ *■ i ' 1 !!,. 1 . 1 1 1 ! i i i : ] 1 cota language ; " it is long, very long, since the stranger sat by the side of Unicum, or feasted at his banquet; peace be unto thee !" "We have feasted our eyes already with his greatness, and learned to love him for the hap- piness of his people," replied Conrad, inclining somewhat to that complimental style which, in all time, has been considered appropriate with royalty. "My son must not judge too hastily by the outward aspect," rejoined Unicum with a smile. " And yet, if the Ruler of the world be good to Lahunzel, should its chosen leader be less ?" he demanded, turning affably to Sewantus, whose simple and manly figure seemed to engross no slight portion of his attention. " No,*' answered the Mohawk, else were he not worthy to lead men." " Boldly spoken, and truly," observed Unicum, in surprise, regarding the Indian warrior with a sort of respectful admiration, while a shade of gentle gravity settled on his features as he added, "Would, 0, my son! that every king had a counsellor like thee; then, there might be many Lahunzels I Speak, Tazmco, the Shrewd. Are my reflections just ?" "My father is just," replied the PearUtrader, THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 296 else were he who remained still before his sovereign, conspicu- ous from the throng, and with the easy air of one who stood pre-eminent in his master's favour; " my father is often just. The man of the sun- rise, who sits beside him, is of a strong nature, and immoveable as these mountains from his trust ; I have marked him well." " There, you behold, good Tazinco has drawn your picture with his tongue, more quickly than he could do it with his fingers ; and that is some- thing, even for him to do. Yet," continued Unicum, glancing merrily at the trader, " as I live, I will make him chant an ode, than which, I know, he would sooner die : should it appear that he has been playing the gossip with thee on thy journey hither ; what is the decree ?" "He neither sings nor dies, " replied Sewan- tus ; " for if what came out of his mouth were food for sparrows then would they starve. He may not do for a merry-making j but for a secret war-path, or a matter of council, I never saw his like. He keeps his teeth shut, and goes straight on V* Now, during all this time, Conrad's heart was beating tumultuously in his breast with impa- tience, and expectation. Was he really within i .t 296 ELLEN CLAYTON; OR, i I ^i the same walls that contained his beloved, and were all his exertions in her behalf to be crowned with success now ? Under what strange auspices should he find her in this abode of splendour, and amid a luxury of life surpassing everything he had ever beheld, or could have supposed to exist in the heart of those remote wilds ? There was such an air of romance, and fantastic beauty about what he saw, such a profusion of gold silver, and the most costly gems, flittering in the costumes and paraphernalia around : that he was like one in a state of delirium, and could scarcely preserve his composure, or prevent the eugcvness which devoured him from bursting forth as he sat during the conversation just de- tailed; and impelled, finally, by an involuntary impulse, he stood up before Unicum, and said • " Forgive me, O king ; but I came not into thy territory on the errand of an idler. I have been upon a long and weary search, and if I judge nghtly, the one of whom I am in quest has found shelter here/* Conrad spoke with glowing cheek and a warmth that made his chest swell, and gave an unwonted lustre to his eye. He was a gaUant- ^ THE K0MADE8 OP THE WEST. 297 looking youtL in his semi-indian dress, with his brown beard and copious chevelure of light, curling hair; and as he stood there, the re- presentative of an unknown race, his remarkable beauty and fairness of hue created a powerful impression in the dark-skinned circle. The King, too, gazed long "and silently upon him; marking, with an emotion he could not conceal, the rich blood that mantled under the translucent skin, the broad and erect brow, the azure orbs, the flowing locks — each lineament, in short, that denoted his Teutonic origin j and with an earnest scrutiny that evinced a stronger in- terest than mere curiosity in his foreign guest. " The virgin of the sunrise is here ;" he replied, in a low, serious voice. " In a little and thou shalt see her once again. Ye are of one lineage, in very truth ; the light of morning beams from thy countenance as from hers." So saying, Unicum arose, and taking Conrad by the hand, presented him to his court, in the following mysterious terms : " Priests, Caciques, and Nobles of the ancient tribes ; that which our fathers looked for during many cycles, in vain, has come to pass in these days. Behold, the brother of the white-skinned 1:1 298 £LLEN CLAYTON ; OR, Virgin I 0.«1 has conducted him to this secret land, therefore Jet him be cherished as a sacred guest. "Surely these must be tlie childi-en of Quet- ralcoatU. M,e Good, who.u he foretold would one day return to claim the irdieritance of their father. They are fashioned in the very likeness of the beneficial teacher, who departed to the riBing sun, and their faces are white and more glorious than the faces of the robbers of Malant- zm m the picture language of the Aztecs; or that of him who was misnamed Tonatiuh-the Scorchmg-sun ! " Give homage to the descendants of the Fea- thered Serpent— the divinity of the air '" Those to whom this singular address was alone intelligible, immediately comphed ; and Conrad, to his astonishment, found himself an object of veneration to the gay throng that bent before him with an oheisance greater than the good King himself exacted from his subjects. Ere he could speculate upon the cause, how- ever, Umcum called one of those present, a noble looking personage, and delivered Conrad into his charge with a whispered injunction; bidding his guest, at the same time, to be of good cheer until .0 thiM secret 1 as a Hucred THE NOMADES OF THE WEST. 299 he saw him again. 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