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PIONEERS, 
 
 SOURCES OF THE SUSQUEHANNA; 
 
 A DESCRIPTIVE TALE. 
 
 Extremes of habits, manners, time and space. 
 Brought close together, here stood face to face, 
 And gave at once a contrast to the view. 
 That other lands and ages never knew. 
 
 Paulding. 
 
 BY J. F. COOPER. 
 
 REVISED, CORRECTED, 
 AND ILLUSTRATED WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION, NOTES, ETC. 
 BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 LONDON: 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, JSTEW BURLmGTOlSr STREET ; 
 
 AND BELL & BRADFUTE, EDINBURGH. 
 1849. 
 
a 
 
 C7^p^^^^^'^^ STORAGE 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ^ As this work professes, in its titlepage, to be a de- 
 I scriptive tale, they who will take the trouble to read 
 t'^-it may be glad to know how much of its contents is 
 j2 literal fact, and how much is intended to represent a 
 1^ general picture. The Author is very sensible that, had 
 he confined liimself to the latter, always the most ef- 
 fective, as it is the most valuable, mode of conveying 
 knowledge of this nature, he would have made a far 
 better book. But in commencing to describe scenes, 
 and, perhaps, he may add, characters, that were so 
 familiar to his own youth, there was a constant tempt- 
 ation to delineate that which he had known, rather 
 than that which he might have imagined. This rigid 
 adhesion to truth, an indispensable requisite in history 
 and travels, destroys the charm of fiction ; for all that 
 cy- is necessary to be conveyed to the mind by the latter 
 had better be done by delineations of principles, and 
 of characters in their classes, than by a too fastidious 
 attention to originals. 
 
 New York having but one county of Otsego, and 
 tlie Susquehanna but one proper source, there can be 
 
vi 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 no mistake as to the site of the tale. The history of 
 this district of country, so far as it is connected with 
 civilised man, is soon told. 
 
 Otsego, in common with most of the interior of the 
 province of New York, was included in the county of 
 Albany, previously to the war of the separation. It then 
 became, in a subsequent division of territory, a part of 
 Montgomery ; and, finally, having obtained a sufficient 
 population of its own, it was set apart as a county by 
 itself, shortly after the peace of 1783. It lies among 
 those low spurs of the Alleganies which cover the 
 midland counties of New York ; and it is rather east of 
 a meridional line drawn through the centre of the 
 state. As the waters of New York either flow south- 
 erly into the Atlantic, or northerly into Ontario and 
 its outlet, Otsego Lake, being the source of the Sus- 
 quehanna, is, of necessity, among its highest lands. 
 The face of the country ; the climate as it was found 
 by the whites; and the manners of the settlers, are de- 
 scribed with a minuteness for which the Author has 
 no other apology than the force of his own recol- 
 lections. 
 
 Otsego is said to be a word compounded of Ot, 
 a place of meeting, and Sego, or Sago, the ordinary 
 term of salutation used by the Indians of this region. 
 There is a tradition which says, that the neighbouring 
 tribes were accustomed to meet on the banks of the 
 lake to make their treaties, and otherwise to strengthen 
 their alliances, and which refers the name to this prac- 
 tice. As the Indian agent of New York had a log 
 dwelling at the foot of the lake, however, it is not im- 
 possible that the appellation grew out of the meetings 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 vii 
 
 that were held at his council fires : the war drove off 
 the agent, in common with the other officers of the 
 crown ; and his rude dwelling was soon abandoned. 
 The Author remembers it a few years later, reducea 
 to the humble office of a smoke-house. 
 
 In 1779, an expedition was sent against the hostile 
 Indians who dwelt, about a hundred miles west of 
 Otsego, on the banks of the Cayuga. The whole coun- 
 try was then a wilderness, and it was necessary to 
 transport the baggage of the troops by means of the 
 rivers — a devious but practicable route. One brigade 
 ascended the Mohawk, until it reached the point near- 
 est to the sources of the Susquehanna ; whence it cut 
 a lane through the forest to the head of the Otsego. 
 The boats and baggage were carried over this " port- 
 age," and the troops proceeded to the other extremity 
 of the lake, where they disembarked, and encamped. 
 The Susquehanna, a narrow though rapid stream at 
 its source, was much filled with " flood wood," or fallen 
 trees ; and the troops adopted a novel expedient to 
 facilitate their passage. The Otsego is about nine 
 miles in length, varying in breadth from half a mile 
 to a mile and a half The water is of great depth, 
 limpid, and supplied from a thousand springs. At 
 its footj the banks are rather less than thirty feet 
 high ; the remainder of its margin being in mountains, 
 intervals, and points. The outlet, or the Susque- 
 hanna, flows through a gorge in the low banks just 
 mentioned, which may have a width of two hundred 
 feet. This gorge was dammed, and the waters of 
 the lake collected: the Susquehanna was converted 
 into a rill. When all was re?>dy, the troops embarked, 
 
viii 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the dam was knocked away, the Otsego poured out its 
 torrent, and the boats went merrily down with the 
 current. 
 
 General James Clinton, the brother of George Clin- 
 ton, then governor of New York, and the father of De 
 Witt Clinton, who died governor of the same state in 
 1827? commanded the brigade employed in this duty. 
 During the stay of the troops at the foot of the Otsego 
 a soldier was shot for desertion. The grave of this 
 unfortunate man was the first place of human inter- 
 ment that the author ever beheld, as the smoke- 
 house was the first ruin ! The swivel alluded to in this 
 work was buried and abandoned by the troops on 
 this occasion ; and it was subsequently found in dig- 
 ging the cellars of the Author s paternal residence. 
 
 Soon after the close of the war, Washington, ac- 
 companied by many distinguished men, visited the 
 scene of this tale, it is said, with a view to examine 
 the facilities of opening a communication by water 
 with other points of the country. He stayed but a few 
 hours. 
 
 \ In 1785, the Authors father, who had an interest in 
 extensive tracts of land in this wilderness, arrived 
 with a party of surveyors. The manner in which the 
 scene met his eye is described by Judge Temple. At 
 the commencement of the following year the settle- 
 ment began ; and from that time to this the country 
 has continued to flourish. It is a singular feature in 
 American life, that when, at the beginning of this 
 century, the proprietor of the estate had occasion for 
 settlers on a new settlement, and in a remote county, 
 he was enabled to draw them from among the increase 
 of the former colony. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ix 
 
 Although the settlement of this part of Otsego a 
 little preceded the birth of the Author, it was not 
 sufficiently advanced to render it desirable that that 
 event, so important to himself, should take place in 
 the wilderness. Perhaps his mother had a reasonable 
 distrust of the practice of Dr. Todd, who must then 
 have been in the noviciate of his experimental ac- 
 quirements. Be that as it may, the Author was 
 brought an infant into this valley, and all his first im- 
 pressions were here obtained. He has inhabited it, at 
 intervals, in later life ; and he thinks he can answer for 
 the faithfulness of the picture he has drawn. 
 
 Otsego has now become one of the most populous 
 districts of New York. It sends forth its emigrants 
 like any other old region ; and it is pregnant with in- 
 dustry and enterprise. Its manufactures are pros- 
 perous ; and it is worthy of remark, that one of the 
 most ingenious machines known in European art is 
 derived from the keen ingenuity which is exercised 
 in this remote region. 
 
 In order to prevent mistake, it may be well to say 
 that the incidents of this tale are purely a fiction. 
 The literal facts are chiefly connected with the natu- 
 ral and artificial objects, and the customs, of the in- 
 habitants. Thus the academy, and court-house, and 
 gaol, and inn, and most similar things, are exact. 
 They have all, long shice, given place to other build- 
 ings of a more pretending character. There is also 
 some liberty taken with the truth in the description of 
 the mansion-house : the real building had no " firstly " 
 and " lastly." It was of bricks, and not of stone ; and 
 its roof exhibited none of the peculiar beauties of the 
 " composite order." It was erected in an age too 
 a 
 
X 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 primitive for that ambitious school of architecture. 
 But the Author indulged his recollections freely when 
 he had fairly entered the door. Here all is literal, 
 even to the severed arm of Wolfe, and the urn which 
 held the ashes of Queen Dido.* 
 
 The Author has elsewhere said that the character of 
 the Leather- Stocking is a creation, rendered proba- 
 ble by such auxiliaries as were necessary to produce 
 that effect. Had he drawn still more upon fancy, the 
 lovers of fiction would not have so much cause for 
 their objections to his work. Still the picture would 
 not have been in the least true, without some substitutes 
 for most of the other personages. The great propri- 
 etor resident on his lands, and giving his name to, in- 
 stead of receiving it from, his estates, as in Europe, is 
 common over the whole of New York. The physician, 
 with his theory, rather obtained than corrected by 
 experiments on the human constitution ; the pious, 
 self-denying, laborious, and ill-paid missionary ; the 
 half-educated, litigious, envious, and disreputable law- 
 yer, with his counterpoise, a brother of the profession, 
 of better origin and of better character ; the shiftless, 
 bargaining, discontented seller of his " betterments 
 the plausible carpenter, and most of the others, are more 
 familiar to all who have ever dwelt in a new country. 
 
 * Though forests still crown the mountains of Otsego, the 
 bear, the wolf, and the panther are nearly strangers to them. 
 Even the innocent deer is rarely seen bounding beneath their 
 arches ; for the rifle, and the activity of the settlers, have driven 
 them to other haunts. To this change (which, in some particulars, 
 is melancholy to one who knew the country in its infancy,) it 
 may be added, that the Otsego is beginning to be a niggard of 
 its treasures. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xi 
 
 From circumstances which, after this Introduction, 
 will be obvious to all, the Author has had more plea- 
 sure in writing " The Pioneers" than it will, probably, 
 ever give any of its readers. He is quite aware of its 
 numerous faults ; some of which he has endeavoured 
 to repair in this edition : but as he has — in intention, 
 at least — done his full share in amusing the world, he 
 trusts to its good nature for overlooking this attempt 
 to please himself. 
 
 Paris, March, 1832. 
 
THE PIONEERS, 
 
 OR THE 
 
 SOURCES OF THE SUSQUEHANNA. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 See, Winter comes, to rule the varied year. 
 
 Sullen and sad, with all his rising train ; 
 
 Vapours, and clouds, and storms. — Thomson. 
 
 ISFear the centre of the State of New York lies an ex- 
 tensive district of country, whose surface is a succession of 
 hills and dales, or, to speak with greater deference to 
 geographical definitions, of mountains and valleys. It is 
 among these hills that the Delaware takes its rise ; and 
 flowing from the limpid lakes and thousand springs of this 
 region, the numerous sources of the Susquehanna meander 
 through the valleys, until, uniting their streams, they form 
 one of the proudest rivers of the United States. The 
 mountains are generally arable to the tops, although in- 
 stances are not wanting, where the sides are jutted with 
 rocks, that aid greatly in giving to the country that ro- 
 mantic and picturesque character which it so eminently 
 possesses. The vales are narrow, rich, and cultivated; 
 with a stream uniformly winding through each. Beautiful 
 and thriving villages are found interspersed along the 
 margins of the small lakes, or situated at those points of 
 if B 
 
2 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the streams which are favourable to manufacturing ; and 
 neat and comfortable farms^ with every indication of wealth 
 about them^ are scattered profusely through the vales, and 
 even to the mountain tops. Roads diverge in every direc- 
 tion^ from the even and graceful bottoms of the valleys, to 
 the most rugged and intricate passes of the hills. Aca- 
 demies, and minor edifices of learning, meet the eye of the 
 stranger, at every few miles, as he winds his way through 
 this uneven territory ; and places for the worship of God 
 abound with that frequency which characterises a moral 
 and reflecting people, and with that variety of exterior and 
 canonical government which flows from unfettered liberty 
 of conscience. In short, the whole district is hourly ex- 
 hibiting how much can be done, in even a rugged country, 
 and with a severe climate, under the dominion of mild 
 laws, and where every man feels a direct interest in the 
 prosperity of a commonwealth, of which he knows himself 
 to form a part. The expedients of the pioneers who first 
 broke ground in the settlement of this country, are suc- 
 ceeded by the permanent improvements of the yeoman^ 
 who intends to leave his remains to moulder under the sod 
 which he tills, or, perhaps, of the son, who, born in the 
 land, piously wishes to linger around the grave of his 
 father. Only forty years* have passed since this territory 
 was a wilderness. 
 
 Very soon after the establishment of the independence 
 of the States, by the peace of 1783, the enterprise of their 
 citizens was directed to a developement of the natural 
 advantages of their widely extended dominions. Before 
 the war of the revolution the inhabited parts of the colony 
 of New York were limited to less than a tenth of its pos- 
 sessions. A narrow belt of country, extending for a short 
 distance on either side of the Hudson, with a similar occu- 
 pation of fifty miles on the banks of the Mohawk, together 
 with the islands of Nassau and Staten, and a few insulated 
 settlements on chosen land along the margins of streams, 
 composed the country^ which was then inhabited by less 
 than two hundred thousand souls. Within the short period 
 
 ♦ The book was written in 1823, 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 3 
 
 we have mentioned^ the population has spread itself over 
 five degrees of latitude and seven of longitude^ and has 
 swelled to a million and a half of inhabitants*, who are 
 maintained in abundance, and can look forward to ages be- 
 fore the evil day must arrive, when their possessions shall 
 become unequal to their wants. 
 
 Our tale begins in 179^, about seven years after the 
 commencement of one of the earliest of those settlements, 
 which have conduced to effect that magical change in 
 the power and condition of the state, to which we have 
 alluded. 
 
 It was near the setting of the sun, on a clear, cold day 
 in December, when a sleigh was moving slowly up one of 
 the mountains, in the district we have described. The 
 day had been fine for the season, and but two or three 
 large clouds, whose colour seemed brightened by the Hght 
 reflected from the mass of snow that covered the earth, 
 floated in a sky of the purest blue. The road wound along 
 the brow of a precipice, and on one side was upheld by a 
 foundation of logs, piled one upon the other, while a narrow 
 excavation in the mountain, in the opposite direction, had 
 made a passage of sufficient width for the ordinary tra- 
 velling of that day. But logs, excavation, and every thing 
 that did not reach several feet above the earth, lay alike 
 buried beneath the snow. A single track, barely wide enough 
 to receive the sleight, denoted the route of the highway, 
 and this was sunken near two feet below the surrounding 
 surface. In the vale, which lay at a distance of several 
 hundred feet lower, there was what in the language of the 
 country was called a clearing, and all the usual improve- 
 ments of a new settlement ; these even extended up the hill 
 
 * The population of New York is now (1831) quite 2,000,000. 
 
 t Sleigh is the word used in every part of the United States to denote a 
 traineau. It is of local use in the west of England, whence it is most probably 
 derived by the Americans. The latter draw a distinction between a sled, or 
 sledge, and a sleigh ; the sleigh being shod with metal. Sleighs are also sub- 
 divided into two-horse and one-horse sleighs. Of the latter, there are the 
 cutter, with thills so arranged as to permit the horse to travel in the side track ; 
 the " pung," or " tow-pung," which is driven with a pole, and the " gumper," 
 a rude construction used for temporary purposes, in the new countries. 
 
 Many of the American sleighs are elegant, though the use of this mode of 
 conveyance is much lessened with the melioration of the climate, consequent on 
 ihe clearing of the forests, 
 
 B 2 
 
4 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 to the point where the road turned short and ran across the 
 level land_, which lay on the summit of the mountain ; but 
 the summit itself remained in forest. There was a glit- 
 tering in the atmosphere^, as if it were filled with innu- 
 merable shining particles,, and the noble bay horses that drew 
 the sleigh were covered, in many parts, with a coat of hoar 
 frost. The vapour from their nostrils was seen to issue like 
 smoke ; and every object in the view, as well as every ar- 
 rangement of the travellers, denoted the depth of a winter in 
 the mountains. The harness, which was of a deep dull 
 black, differing from the glossy varnishing of the present 
 day, was ornamented with enormous plates and buckles of 
 brass, that shone like gold in those transient beams of the 
 sun, which found their way obliquely through the tops of 
 the trees. Huge saddles, studded with nails, and fitted with 
 cloth that served as blankets to the shoulders of the cattle, 
 supported four high, square-topped turrets, through which 
 the stout reins led from the mouths of the horses to the hands 
 of the driver, who was a negro, of apparently twenty years 
 of age. His face, which nature had coloured with a glis- 
 tening black, was now mottled with the cold, and his large 
 shining eyes filled with tears j a tribute to its power, that 
 the keen frosts of those regions always extracted from one 
 of his African origin. Still there was a smiling expression 
 of good humour in his happy countenance, that was created 
 by the thoughts of home, and a Christmas fire-side, with 
 its Christmas frolics. The sleigh was one of those large, 
 comfortable, old-fashioned conveyances, which would admit 
 a whole family within its bosom, but which now contained 
 only two passengers besides the driver. The colour of its 
 outside was a modest green, and that of its inside a fiery 
 red. The latter was intended to convey the idea of heat, 
 in that cold climate. Large buffalo skins, trimmed around 
 the edges with red cloth, cut into festoons, covered the 
 back of the sleigh, and were spread over its bottom, and 
 drawn up around the feet of the travellers — one of whom 
 was a man of middle age, and the other a female, just 
 entering upon womanhood. The former w^as of a largo 
 stature ; but the precautions he had taken to guard against the 
 cold left but little of his person exposed to view. A great . 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 5 
 
 coat, that was abundantly ornamented by a profusion of 
 furs, enveloped the whole of his figure, excepting the head, 
 which was covered with a cap of marten skins, lined with 
 morocco, the sides of which were made to fall, if necessary, 
 and were now drawn close over the ears, and fastened be- 
 neath his chin with a black riband. The top of the cap 
 was surmounted with the tail of the animal whose skin had 
 furnished the rest of the materials, which fell back, not 
 ungracefully, a few inches behind the head. From beneath 
 this mask were to be seen part of a fine manly face, and 
 particularly a pair of expressive, large blue eyes, that pro- 
 mised extraordinary intellect, covert humour, and great 
 benevolence. The form of his companion was literally hid 
 beneath the garments she wore. There were furs and silks 
 peeping from under a large camlet cloak, with a thick flannel 
 lining, that, by its cut and size, was evidently intended for 
 a masculine wearer. A huge hood of black silk, that was 
 quilted with down, concealed the whole of her head, except 
 at a small opening in front for breath, through which occa- 
 sionally sparkled a pair of animated jet-black eyes. 
 
 Both the father and daughter (for such was the connection 
 between the travellers) were too much occupied with their 
 reflections to break a stillness, that received little or no in- 
 terruption from the easy gliding of the sleigh, by the sound 
 of their voices. The former was thinking of the wife that 
 had held this their only child to her bosom, when, four years 
 before, she had reluctantly consented to relinquish the so- 
 ciety of her daughter, in order that the latter might enjoy 
 the advantages of an education, which the city of New York 
 could only offer at that period. A few months afterwards, 
 death had deprived him of the remaining companion of his 
 solitude ; but still he had enough of real regard for his child^ 
 not to bring her into the comparative wilderness in which 
 he dwelt, until the full period had expired, to which he 
 had limited her juvenile labours. The reflections of the 
 daughter were less melancholy, and mingled with a pleased 
 astonishment, at the novel scenery she met at every turn in 
 the road. 
 
 The mountain on which they were journeying was co- 
 vered with pines, that rose without a branch some seventy 
 B 3 
 
6 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 or eighty feet^ and which frequently doubled that height^ by 
 the addition of the tops. Through the innumerable vistas 
 that opened beneath the lofty trees^ the eye could penetrate, 
 until it was met by a distant inequality in the ground^ o: 
 was stopped by a view of the summit of the mountain, 
 which lay on the opposite side of the valley to which they 
 were hastening. The dark trunks of the trees rose from the 
 pure white of the snow, in regularly formed shafts, until, 
 at a great height^ their branches shot forth horizontal limbs, 
 that were covered with the meagre foliage of an evergreen, 
 affording a melancholy contrast to the torpor of nature be- 
 low. To the travellers there seemed to be no wind ; but 
 these pines waved majestically at their topmost boughs, 
 sending forth a dull^ plaintive sound, that was quite in con- 
 sonance with the rest of the melancholy scene. 
 
 The sleigh had glided for some distance along the even 
 surface, and the gaze of the female was bent in inquisitive, 
 and, perhaps, timid glances, into the recesses of the forest, 
 when a loud and continued howling was heard, peaUng 
 under the long arches of the woods, like the cry of a nu- 
 merous pack of hounds. The instant the sounds reached 
 the ears of the gentleman, he cried aloud to the black — 
 
 Hold up, Aggy ; there is old Hector ; I should know 
 his bay among ten thousand ! The Leather-stocking has 
 put his hounds into the hills_, this clear day, and they have 
 started their game. There is a deer- track a few rods ahead ; 
 — and now, Bess, if thou canst muster courage enough to 
 stand fire, I will give thee a saddle for thy Christmas 
 dinner." 
 
 The black drew up, with a cheerful grin upon his chilled 
 features, and began thrashing his arms together, in order 
 to restore the circulation to his fingers, while the speaker 
 stood erect, and, throwing aside his outer covering, he 
 stept from the sleigh upon a bank of snow, which sustained 
 his weight without yielding. 
 
 In a few moments the speaker succeeded in extricating a 
 double-barrelled fowling-piece from among a multitude of 
 trunks and bandboxes. After throwing aside the thick 
 mittens which had encased his hands, that now appeared in 
 a pair of leather gloves tipped with fur^ he examined his 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 7 
 
 primings and was about to move forwara^ when the light 
 bounding noise of an animal plunging through the woods 
 was heard, and a fine buck darted into the path, a short 
 distance ahead of him. The appearance of the animal was 
 sudden, and his flight inconceivably rapid ; but the tra- 
 veller appeared to be too keen a sportsman to be discon- 
 certed by either. As it came first into view he raised the 
 fowling-piece to his shoulder, and, with a practised eye 
 and steady hand, drew a trigger. The deer dashed forward 
 undaunted, and apparently unhurt. Without lowering his 
 piece, the traveller turned its muzzle towards his victim, 
 and fired again. Neither discharge, however, seemed to 
 have taken effect. 
 
 The whole scene had passed with a rapidity that confused 
 the female, who was unconsciously rejoicing in the escape 
 of the buck, as he rather darted like a meteor, than ran 
 across the road, when a sharp, quick sound struck her ear, 
 quite different from the full, round reports of her father's 
 gun, but still sufficiently distinct to be known as the con- 
 cussion produced by fire-arms. At the same instant that 
 she heard this unexpected report, the buck sprang from the 
 snow, to a great height in the air, and directly a second 
 discharge, similar in sound to the first, followed, when the 
 animal came to the earth, falling headlong, and rolling over 
 on the crust with its own velocity. A loud shout was given 
 by the unseen marksman, and a couple of men instantly 
 appeared from behind the trunks of two of the pines, where 
 they had evidently placed themselves in expectation of the 
 passage of the deer. 
 
 Ha ! Natty, had I known you were in ambush, I 
 should not have fired," cried the traveller, moving towards 
 the spot where the deer lay — near to which he was followed 
 by the delighted black, with the sleigh ; but the sound 
 of old Hector was too exhilarating to be quiet ; though I 
 hardly think I struck him either." 
 
 No — no — Judge," returned the hunter, with an in- 
 ward chuckle, and with that look of exultation, that in- 
 dicates a consciousness of superior skill ; ^' you burnt your 
 powder, only to warm your nose this cold evening. Did 
 ye think to stop a full grown buck, with Hector and the 
 B 4 
 
8 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 slut open upon him^ within sound, with that pop-gun in 
 your hand? There's plenty of pheasants among the 
 swamps ; and the snow-birds are flying round your own 
 door, where you may feed them with crumbs, and shoot 
 them at pleasure, any day ; but if youVe for a buck, or a 
 little bear's meat. Judge, you'll have to take the long rifle, 
 with a greased wadding, or you'll waste more powder than 
 you'll fill stomachs, I'm thinking." 
 
 As the speaker concluded, he drew his bare hand across 
 the bottom of his nose, and again opened his enormous 
 mouth with a kind of inward laugh. 
 
 The gun scatters well. Natty, and it has killed a deer 
 before now,'' said the traveller, smiling good humouredly. 
 " One barrel was charged with buck-shot ; but the other 
 was loaded for birds, only. Here are two hurts; one through 
 the neck, and the other directly through the heart. It is 
 by no means certain. Natty, but I gave him one of the 
 two." 
 
 Let who will kill him," said the hunter, rather surlily, 
 I suppose the creatur is to be eaten." So saying, he 
 drew a large knife from a leathern sheath, which was stuck 
 through his girdle or sash, and cut the throat of the animal. 
 
 If there are two balls through the deer, I would ask if 
 there wern't two rifles fired — besides, who ever saw such 
 a ragged hole from a smooth-bore, as this through the 
 neck.? — and you will own yourself. Judge, that the buck 
 fell at the last shot, which was sent from a truer and a 
 younger hand, than your'n or mine either; but for my 
 part, although I am a poor man, I can live without the 
 venison, but I don't love to give up my lawful dues in a 
 free country. Though, for the matter of that, might often 
 makes right here, as well as in the old country, for what 
 I can see." 
 
 An air of sullen dissatisfaction pervaded the manner of 
 the hunter during the whole of this speech ; yet he thought 
 it prudent to utter the close of the sentence in such an 
 under tone, as to leave nothing audible but the grumbling 
 sounds of his voice. 
 
 Nay, Natty," rejoined the traveller, with undisturbed 
 good humour, " it is for the honour that I contend. A 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 9 
 
 few dollars will pay for the venison ; but what will requite 
 me for the lost honour of a buck's tail in my cap ? Think, 
 Natty^ how I should triumph over that quizzing dog^ Dick 
 Jones, who has failed seven times already this season, and 
 has only brought in one wood-chuck and a few grey 
 squirrels/' 
 
 Ah ! the game is becoming hard to find_, indeed, Judge, 
 with your clearings and betterments," said the old hunter, 
 with a kind of compelled resignation. ^ The time has 
 been, when I have shot thirteen deer, without counting the 
 fa'ns, standing in the door of my own hut ! — and for 
 bear's meat, if one wanted a ham or so, he had only to 
 watch a-nights, and he could shoot one by moonlight, 
 through the cracks of the logs ; no fear of his over- sleep- 
 ing himself, neither, for the howling of the wolves was 
 sartin to keep his eyes open. There's old Hector," — 
 patting with affection, a tall hound, of black and yellov/ 
 spots, with white belly and legs, that just then came in on 
 the scent, accompanied by the slut he had mentioned ; 
 
 see where the wolves bit his throat, the night I druv 
 them from the venison that was smoking on the chimbly 
 top ; — that dog is more to be trusted than many a Christian 
 man ; for he never forgets a friend, and loves the hand 
 that gives him bread." 
 
 There was a peculiarity in the manner of the hunter, 
 that attracted the notice of the young female, who had 
 been a close and interested observer of his appearance and 
 equipments, from the moment he came into view. He was 
 tall, and so meagre as to make him seem above even the 
 six feet that he actually stood in his stockings. On his 
 head, which was thinly covered with lank, sandy hair, he 
 wore a cap made of fox-skin, resembling in shape the one 
 we have already described, although much inferior in finish 
 and ornaments. His face was skinny, and thin almost to 
 ? emaciation ; but yet it bore no signs of disease ; — on the 
 contrary, it had every indication of the most robust and 
 enduring health. The cold and the exposure had, together, 
 given it a colour of uniform red. His grey eyes were 
 glancing under a pair of shaggy brows, that overhung them 
 in long hairs of grey mingled with their natural hue ; his 
 
10 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 scraggy neck was bare, and burnt to the same tint with his 
 face ; though a small part of a shirt collar^ made of the 
 country cheeky was to be seen above the over-dress he wore. 
 A kind of coat^ made of dressed deerskin, with the hair 
 on, was belted close to his lank body^ by a girdle of co- 
 loured worsted. On his feet were deerskin mocassins, 
 ornamented with porcupines' quills, after the manner of the 
 Indians, and his limbs were guarded with long leggings of 
 tlie same material as the mocassins, which, gartering over 
 the knees of his tarnished buckskin breeches, had obtained 
 for him, among the settlers, the nickname of Leather- 
 stocking. Over his left shoulder was slung a belt of deer- 
 skin, from which depended an enormous ox horn, so thinly 
 scraped, as to discover the powder it contained. The larger 
 end was fitted ingeniously and securely with a wooden bot- 
 tom, and the other was stopped tight by a little plug. A 
 leathern pouch hung before him, from which, as he con- 
 cluded his last speech, he took a small measure, and, filling 
 it accurately with powder, he commenced reloading the 
 rifle, which, as its butt rested on the snow before him, 
 reached nearly to the top of his foxskin cap. 
 
 The traveller had been closely examining the wounds 
 during these movements, and now, without heeding the 
 ill-humour of the hunter's manner, he exclaimed — 
 
 I would fain establish a right. Natty, to the honour of 
 this death ; and surely if the hit in the neck be mine, it 
 is enough ; for the shot in the heart was unnecessary — 
 what we call an act of supererogation. Leather-stocking.'' 
 
 You may call it by what larned name you please. 
 Judge," said the hunter, throwing his rifle across his left 
 arm, and knocking up a brass lid in the breech, from which 
 he took a small piece of greased leather, and wrapping a 
 ball in it, forced them down by main strength on the 
 powder, where he continued to pound them while speaking. 
 
 It's far easier to call names, than to shoot a buck on the 
 spring ; but the cretur came by his end from a younger 
 hand than either your'n or mine, as I said before." 
 
 What say you, my friend," cried the traveller, turning 
 pleasantly to Natty's companion ; shall we toss up this 
 dollar for the honour, and you keep the silver if you lose ; 
 what say you, friend ? " 
 
THE PIONEERS 
 
 11 
 
 That I killed the deer/' answered the young man. 
 with a Httle haughtiness^ as he leaned on another long rilie, 
 similar to that of Natty's. 
 
 Here are two to one^ indeed," replied the Judge, with 
 a smile ; am outvoted — over-ruled, as we say on the 
 bench. There is Aggy, he can't vote, being a slave ; and 
 Bess is a minor — so I must even make the best of it. 
 But you'll seU me the venison ; and the deuce is in it, but 
 I make a good story about its death." 
 
 The meat is none of mine to sell," said Leather- 
 stocking, adopting a little of his companion's hauteur ; for 
 my part I have know^n animals travel days with shots in 
 the neck, and I'm none of them who'll rob a man of his 
 rightful dues ? " 
 
 You are tenacious of your rights, this cold evening. 
 Natty," returned the Judge, with unconquerable good na- 
 ture ; but what say you, young man ; will three dollars 
 pay you for the buck." 
 
 ^' First let us determine the question of right to the 
 satisfaction of us both," said the youth, firmly but respect- 
 fully, and with a pronunciation and language vastly supe- 
 rior to his appearance ; with how many shot did you load 
 your gun ? " 
 
 " With five, sir," said the Judge, a little struck with 
 the other's manner ; are they not enough to slay a buck 
 Uke this?" 
 
 One would do it ; but," moving to the tree from be- 
 hind which he had appeared, you know, sir, you fired 
 in this direction — here are four of the bullets in the tree." 
 
 The Judge examined the fresh marks in the bark of the 
 pine, and shaking his head, said, with a laugh — 
 
 You are making out the case against yourself, my young 
 advocate — where is the fifth } " 
 
 Here," said the youth, throwing aside the rough over- 
 coat that he wore, and exhibiting a hole in his under gar- 
 ment, through which large drops of blood were oozing. 
 
 Good God ! " exclaimed the Judge, with horror ; have 
 I been trifling here about an empty distinction, and a fel- 
 low-creature suffering from my hands without a murmur ? 
 But hasten — quick — get into my sleigh — it is but a 
 
12 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 mile to the village^ where surgical aid can be obtained ; — 
 all shall be done at my expense, and thou shalt Hve with 
 me until thy wound is healed — ay_, and for ever after- 
 wards." 
 
 I thank you for your good intention, but I must de- 
 cline your offer. I have a friend who would be uneasy 
 were he to hear that I am hurt and away from him. The 
 injury is but shght, and the bullet has missed the bones ; 
 but I believe, sir, you will now admit my title to the 
 venison." 
 
 Admit it ! " repeated the agitated Judge ; '^1 here 
 give thee a right to shoot deer, or bears, or any thing thou 
 pleasest in my woods, for ever. Leather-stocking is the 
 only other man that I have granted the same privilege to ; 
 and the time is coming when it will be of value. But I 
 buy your deer — here, this bill will pay thee, both for thy 
 shot and my own.'* 
 
 The old hunter gathered his tall person up into an air 
 of pride, during this dialogue, but he waited until the other 
 had done speaking. 
 
 There's them living who say, that Nathaniel Bumppo's 
 right to shoot on these hills is of older date than Mar ma- 
 duke Temple's right to forbid him," he said. "But if 
 there's a law about it at all, though who ever heard of a law 
 that a man should' nt kill deer where he pleased I — but if 
 there is a law at all, it should be to keep people from the 
 use of smooth-bores. A body never knows where his lead 
 will fly, when he pulls the trigger of one of them uncertain 
 fire-arms." 
 
 Without attending to the soliloquy of Natty, the youth 
 bowed his head silently to the offer of the bank note, and 
 replied — 
 
 " Excuse me ; I have need of the venison." 
 
 ^^But this will buy you many deer," said the Judge; 
 
 take it, 1 entreat you," and lowering his voice to a whis- 
 per, he added — it is for a hundred dollars." 
 
 For an instant only, the youth seemed to hesitate, and 
 then, blushing even through the high colour that the cold 
 had given to his cheeks, as if with inward shame at his 
 own weakness, he again declined the offer. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 IS 
 
 During this scene the female arose, and, regardless of 
 the cold air, she threw back the hood which concealed her 
 features, and now spoke, with great earnestness. 
 
 Surely, surely, — young man, — sir — you would not 
 pain my father so much, as to have him think that he leaves 
 a fellow-creature in this wilderness, whom his own hand 
 has injured. I entreat you will go with us, and receive 
 medical aid." 
 
 Whether his wound became more painful, or, there was 
 something irresistible in the voice and manner of the 
 fair pleader for her father's feelings, we know not, but the 
 distance of the young man's manner was sensibly softened 
 by this appeal, and he stood in apparent doubt, as if re- 
 luctant to comply with, and yet unwilling to refuse her 
 request. The Judge, for such being his office, must in 
 future be his title, watched, with no little interest, the dis- 
 play of this singular contention in the feelings of the 
 youth, and advancing, kindly took his hand, and, as he 
 pulled him gently towards the sleigh, urged him to en- 
 ter it. 
 
 There is no human aid nearer than Templeton," he 
 said ; and the hut of Natty is full three miles from this ; 
 — come — come, my young friend, go with us, and let the 
 new doctor look to this shoulder of thine. Here is Natty 
 will take the tidings of thy welfare to thy friend ; and 
 should'st thou require it, thou shalt return home in the 
 morning." 
 
 The young man succeeded in extricating his hand from 
 the warm grasp of the Judge, but he continued to gaze on 
 the face of the female, who, regardless of the cold, was 
 still standing with her fine features exposed, which ex- 
 pressed feelings that eloquently seconded the request of her 
 father. Leather-stocking stood, in the mean time, leaning 
 upon his long rifle, with his head turned a little to one side, 
 as if engaged in sagacious musing ; when, having appa- 
 rently satisfied his doubts, by revolving the subject in his 
 mind, he broke silence. 
 
 It may be best to go, lad, after all ; for if the shot 
 hangs under the skin, my hand is getting too old to be 
 cutting into human flesh, as I once used to. Though some 
 
14 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 thirty years agone, in the old war, when I was out under 
 Sir William, I travelled seventy miles alone in the howling 
 wilderness, with a rifle bullet in my thigh, and then cut 
 it out with my own jack-knife. Old Indian John knows 
 the time well. I met him with a party of the Delawares, 
 on the trail of the Iroquois, who had been down and taken 
 five scalps on the Schoharie. But I made a mark on the 
 red-skin that I'll warrant he carried to his grave ! I took 
 him on his posteerum, saving the lady's presence, as he got 
 up from the ambushment, and rattled three buck shot into 
 his naked hide, so close, that you might have laid a broad 
 joe upon them all — '* here Natty stretched out his long 
 neck, and straightened his body, as he opened his mouth, 
 which exposed a single tusk of yellow bone, while his eyes, 
 his face, even his whole frame seemed to laugh, although 
 no sound was emitted, except a kind of thick hissing, as 
 he inhaled his breath in quavers. I had lost my bullet 
 mould in crossing the Oneida outlet, and had to make 
 shift with the buck-shot ; but the rifle was true, and didn' 
 scatter like your two-legged thing there, Judge, which 
 don't do, I find, to hunt in company with." 
 
 Natty's apology to the delicacy of the young lady was 
 unnecessary, for, while he was speaking, she was too much 
 employed in helping her father to remove certain articles 
 of baggage to hear him. Unable to resist the kind urgency 
 of the travellers any longer, the youth, though still with an 
 unaccountable reluctance suffered himself to be persuaded 
 to enter the sleigh. The black, with the aid of his master, 
 threw the buck across the baggage, and entering the vehicle 
 themselves, the Judge invited the hunter to do so likewise. 
 
 No, no," said the old man, shaking his head ; ^' I 
 have work to do at home this Christmas eve — drive on 
 with the boy, and let your doctor look to the shoulder ; 
 though if he will only cut out the shot, I have yarbs that 
 will heal the wound quicker than all his foreign 'intments." 
 He turned, and was about to move off, when, suddenly re- 
 collecting himself, he again faced the party, and added — 
 " If you see any thing of Indian John, about the foot of 
 the lake, you had better take him with you, and let him 
 lend the doctor a hand ; for old as he is, he is curious at 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 15 
 
 cuts and bruises^ and it's likelier than not he'll be in with 
 brooms to sweep your Christmas ha'arths/' 
 
 Stop^ stop/' cried the youth^ catching the arm of the 
 black as he prepared to urge his horses forward ; " Natty 
 — you need say nothing of the shot^ nor of where I am 
 going — remember^ Natty^ as you love me." 
 
 Trust old Leather-stocking/' returned the hunter^ sig- 
 nificantly ; he hasn't lived fifty years in the wilderness, 
 and not larnt from the savages how to hold his tongue — 
 trust to me, lad; and remember old Indian John." 
 
 And, Natty/' said the youth eagerly, still holding the 
 black by the arm, I will just get the shot extracted, and 
 bring you up, to night, a quarter of the buck, for the 
 Christmas dinner.** 
 
 He was interrupted by the hunter, who held up his fin- 
 ger with an expressive gesture for silence. He then moved 
 softly along the margin of the road, keeping his eyes stead- 
 fastly fixed on the branches of a pine. When he had ob- 
 tained such a position as he wished, he stopped, and cocking 
 his rifle, threw one leg far behind him, and stretching his 
 left arm to its utmost extent along the barrel of his piece, 
 he began slowly to raise its muzzle in a line with the 
 straight trunk of the tree. The eyes of the group in the 
 sleigh naturally preceded the movement of the rifle, and 
 they soon discovered the object of Natty *s aim. On a small 
 dead branch of the pine, which, at the distance of seventy 
 feet from the ground, shot out horizontally, immediately 
 beneath the living members of the tree, sat a bird, that in 
 the vulgar language of the country was indiscriminately 
 called a pheasant or a partridge. In size, it was but little 
 smaller than a common barn-yard fowl. The baying of 
 the dogs, and the conversation that had passed near the 
 root of the tree on which it was perched, had alarmed 
 the bird, which was now drawn up near the body of the 
 pine, with a head and neck so erect, as to form nearly a 
 straight line with its legs. As soon as the rifle bore on 
 the victim. Natty drew his trigger, and the partridge fell 
 from its height with a force that buried it in the snow. 
 
 Lie down, you old villain,** exclaimed Leather- stocking, 
 shaking his ramrod at Hector as he bounded towards the 
 
16 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 foot of the tree^ " lie down, I say." The dog obeyed, and 
 Natty proceeded with great rapidity, though with the nicest 
 accuracy, to reload his piece. When this was ended, he 
 took up his game, and showing it to the party without a 
 head, he cried — Here is a tit-bit for an old man's Christ- 
 mas — never mind the venison, boy, and remember Indian 
 John ; his yarbs are better than all the foreign 'intments. 
 Here, Judge,*' holding up the bird again, do you think a 
 smooth-bore would pick game off their roost, and not ruffle 
 a feather ? " The old man gave another of his remarkable 
 laughs, which partook so largely of exultation, mirth, and 
 irony, and shaking his head, he turned, with his rifle at a 
 trail, and moved into the forest with steps that were be- 
 tween a walk and a trot. At each movement he made, his 
 body lowered several inches, his knees yielding with an in- 
 clination inward ; but as the sleigh turned at a bend in the 
 road, the youth cast his eyes in quest of his old companion, 
 and he saw that he was already nearly concealed by the 
 trunks of the trees, while his dogs were following quietly 
 in his footsteps, occasionally scenting the deer track, that 
 they seemed to know instinctively was now of no further 
 use to them. Another jerk was given to the sleigh, and 
 Leather-stocking was hid from view. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 All places that the eye of Heaven visits, 
 
 Are to a wise man ports and happy havens : — 
 
 Think not the king did banish thee : 
 
 But thou the king. — Richard II. 
 
 An ancestor of Marmaduke Temple had, about one hundred 
 and twenty years before the commencement of our tale, come 
 to the colony of Pennsylvania, a friend and co-religionist 
 of its great patron. Old Marmaduke, for this formidable 
 prenomen was a kind of appellative to the race, brought 
 with him, to that asylum of the persecuted, an abundance 
 of the good things of this life. He became the master of 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 17 
 
 many thousands of acres of uninhabited territory, and the 
 supporter of many a score of dependants. He lived greatly 
 respected for his piety, and not a little distinguished as a 
 sectary ; was intrusted by his associates with many im- 
 portant political stations ; and died just in time to escape 
 the knowledge of his own poverty. It was his lot to share 
 the fortune of most of those who brought wealth with them 
 into the new settlements of the middle colonies. 
 
 The consequence of an emigrant into these provinces was 
 generally to be ascertained by the number of his white ser- 
 vants or dependants, and the nature of the pubhc situations 
 that he held. Taking this rule as a guide, the ancestor of 
 our Judge must have been a man of no little note. 
 
 It is, however, a subject of curious enquiry at the pre- 
 sent day, to look into the brief records of that early period, 
 and observe how regular, and with few exceptions how in- 
 evitable, were the gradations, on the one hand, of the 
 masters to poverty, and on the other, of their servants to 
 wealth. Accustomed to ease, and unequal to the struggles 
 incident to an infant society, the affluent emigrant was 
 barely enabled to maintain his own rank, by the weight of 
 his personal superiority and acquirements ; but the moment 
 that his head was laid in the grave, his indolent, and compa- 
 ratively uneducated offspring, were compelled to yield prece- 
 dency to the more active energies of a class, whose exertions 
 had been stimulated by necessity. This is a very common 
 course of things, even in the present state of the Union ; 
 but it was peculiarly the fortunes of the two extremes of 
 society, in the peaceful and unenterprising colonies of Penn- 
 sylvania and New J ersey. 
 
 The posterity of Marmaduke did not escape the common 
 lot of those, who depend rather on their hereditary posses- 
 sions than on their own powers ; and in the third generation, 
 they had descended to a point, below which, in this happy 
 country, it is barely possible for honesty, intellect, and 
 sobriety, to fall. The same pride of family that had, by 
 its self-satisfied indolence, conduced to aid their fall, now 
 became a principle to stimulate them to endeavour to rise 
 again. The feeling, from being morbid, was changed to a 
 healthful and active desire to emulate the character^ the 
 c 
 
18 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 condition^ and, perad venture, the wealth of their ancestors 
 also. It was the father of our new acquaintance, the Judge, 
 who first began to re-ascend in the scale of society : and in 
 this undertaking he was not a little assisted by a marriage, 
 which aided in furnishing the means of educating his only 
 son, in a rather better manner than the low state of the 
 common schools in Pennsylvania could promise; or than had 
 been the practice in the family, for the two or three pre- 
 ceding generations. 
 
 At the school where the reviving prosperity of his father 
 was enabled to maintain him, young Marmaduke formed 
 an intimacy with a youth, whose years were about equal to 
 his own. This was a fortunate connection for our Judge, 
 and paved the way to most of his future elevation in life. 
 
 There was not only great wealth, but high court interest, 
 among the connections of Edward Effingham. They were 
 one of the few families, then resident in the colonies, who 
 thought it a degradation to its members to descend to the 
 pursuits of commerce ; and who never emerged from the 
 privacy of domestic life, unless to preside in the councils of 
 the colony_, or to bear arms in her defence. The latter 
 had^ from youth, been the only employment of Edward's 
 father. Military rank, under the crown of Great Britain, 
 was attained with much longer probation, and by much 
 more toilsome services, sixty years ago, than at the present 
 time. Years were passed without murmuring, in the su- 
 bordinate grades of the service ; and those soldiers who 
 were stationed in the colonies, felt, when they obtained the 
 command of a company, that they were entitled to receive 
 the greatest deference from the peaceful occupants of the 
 soil. Any one of our readers, who has occasion to cross 
 the Niagara, may easily observe, not only the self-import- 
 ance, but the real estimation enjoyed by the humblest re- 
 presentative of the crown, even in that polar region of royal 
 sunshine. Such, and at no very distant period, was the 
 respect paid to the military in these states, where now, 
 happily, no symbol of war is ever seen, unless at the free 
 and fearless voice of their people. When, therefore, the 
 father of Marmaduke's friend^ after forty years' service, 
 retired with the rank of Major, maintaining in his domestic 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 19 
 
 establishment a comparative splendour^ he became a man 
 of the first consideration in his native colony — which was 
 that of New York. He had served with fidelity and cou- 
 rage^ and having been, according to the custom of the pro- 
 vinces, intrusted with commands much superior to those to 
 which he was entitled by rank, with reputation also. When 
 Major Effingham yielded to the claims of age, he retired 
 with dignity, refusing his half-pay, or any other compens- 
 ation for services, that he felt he could no longer perform. 
 
 The ministry proffered various civil offices, which yielded 
 not only honour but profit ; but he declined them all, with 
 the chivalrous independence and loyalty that had marked 
 his character through life. The veteran soon caused this 
 act of patriotic disinterestedness to be followed by another 
 of private munificence, that, however little it accorded with 
 prudence, was in perfect conformity with the simple in- 
 tegrity of his own views. 
 
 The friend of Marmaduke was his only child ; and to 
 this son, on his marriage with a lady to whom the father 
 was particularly partial, the Major gave a complete con- 
 veyance of his whole estate, consisting of monies in the 
 funds, a town and country residence, sundry valuable farms 
 in the old parts of the colony, and large tracts of wild land 
 in the new ; — in this manner throwing himself upon the 
 filial piety of his child for his own future maintenance. 
 Major Effingham, in declining the liberal offers of the Bri- 
 tish ministry, had subjected himself to the suspicion of 
 having attained his dotage, by all those who throng the 
 avenues to court patronage, even in the remotest corners of 
 that vast empire; but, when he thus voluntarily stripped him- 
 self of his great personal wealth, the remainder of the com- 
 munity seemed instinctively to adopt the conclusion also, 
 tliat he had reached a second childhood. This may ex- 
 plain the fact of his importance rapidly declining ; and, if 
 privacy was his object, the veteran had soon a free indul- 
 gence of his wishes. Whatever views the world might 
 entertain of this act of the Major, to himself and to his 
 child, it seemed no more than a natural gift by a father, of 
 those immunities which he could no longer enjoy or im- 
 prove^ to a soUj who was formed, both by nature and edu- 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 cation, to do both. The younger Effingham did not object 
 to the amount of the donation ; for he felt that while his 
 parent reserved a moral control over his actions, he was 
 relieving himself from a fatiguing burden : such, indeed, 
 was the confidence existing between them, that to neither 
 did it seem any thing more than removing money from one 
 pocket to another. 
 
 One of the first acts of the young man, on coming into 
 possession of his wealth, was to seek his early friend, with 
 a view to offer any assistance that it was now in his power 
 to bestow. 
 
 The death of Marmaduke's father, and the consequent 
 division of his small estate, rendered such an offer extremely 
 acceptable to the young Pennsylvanian : he felt his own 
 powers, and saw, not only the excellences, but the foibles, 
 in the character of his friend. Effingham was by nature 
 indolent, confiding, and at times impetuous and indiscreet ; 
 but Marmaduke was uniformly equable, penetrating, and 
 full of activity and enterprise. To the latter, therefore, the 
 assistance, or rather connection, that was proffered to him, 
 seemed to promise a mutual advantage. It was cheerfully 
 accepted, and the arrangement of its conditions were easily 
 completed. A mercantile house was established in the 
 metropolis of Pennsylvania, with the avails of Mr. Effing- 
 ham's personal property ; all, or nearly all, of which was 
 put into the possession of Temple, who w^as the only os- 
 tensible proprietor in the concern, while, in secret, the other 
 was entitled to an equal participation in the profits. This 
 connection was thus kept private for two reasons ; one of 
 which, in the freedom of their intercourse, was frankly 
 avowed to Marmaduke, while the other continued profoundly 
 hid in the bosom of his friend. The last was nothing more 
 than pride. To the descendant of a line of soldiers, com- 
 merce, even in that indirect manner, seemed a degrading 
 pursuit ; — but an insuperable obstacle to the disclosure 
 existed in the prejudices of his father. 
 
 We have already said that Major Effingham had served 
 as a soldier with reputation. On one occasion, while in 
 command on the western frontier of Pennsylvania, against 
 a league of the French and Indians, not only his glory, but 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 21 
 
 the safety of himself and his troops were jeopardied^ by the 
 peaceful policy of that colony. To the soldier^ this was 
 dii unpardonable offence. He was fighting in their defence 
 — he knew that the mild principles of this little nation of 
 practical Christians would be disregarded by their subtle 
 and malignant enemies ; and he felt the injury the more 
 deeply^ because he saw that the avowed object of the co- 
 lonists^ in withholding their succours, would only have a 
 tendency to expose his command^ without preserving the 
 peace. The soldier succeeded^ after a desperate conflict, 
 in extricating himself, with a handful of his men_, from 
 their murderous enemy : but he never forgave the people 
 who had exposed him to a danger_, which they left him to 
 combat alone. It was in vain to tell him, that they had 
 no agency in his being placed on their frontier at all ; it 
 was evidently for their benefit that he had been so placed, 
 and it was their religious duty/' so the Major always 
 expressed it ; it was their religious duty to have sup- 
 ported him." 
 
 At no time was the old soldier an admirer of the peaceful 
 disciples of Fox. Their disciplined habits, both of mind 
 and body, had endowed them with great physical perfection ; 
 and the eye of the veteran was apt to scan the fair pro- 
 portions and athletic frames of the colonists, with a look 
 that seemed to utter volumes of contempt for their moral 
 imbecility. He was also a little addicted to the expression 
 of a belief, that, where there was so great an observance of 
 the externals of religion, there could not be much of the 
 substance. — It is not our task to explain what is, or what 
 ought to be, the substance of Christianity, but merely to 
 record in this place the opinions of Major Effingham. 
 
 Knowing the sentiments of the father in relation to this 
 people, it was no wonder that the son hesitated to avow his 
 connection with, nay, even his dependence on the integrity 
 of, a quaker. 
 
 It has been seen that Marmaduke deduced his origin 
 from the contemporaries and friends of Penn. His father 
 had married without the pale of the church to which he 
 belonged, and had, in this manner, forfeited some of the 
 privileges of his offspring. Still, as young Marmaduke was 
 c 3 
 
 I 
 
22 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 educated in a colony and society^ where even the ordinary 
 intercourse between friends was tinctured with the aspect 
 of this mild religion^ his habits and language were some- 
 what marked by its peculiarities. His own marriage at a 
 future day with a lady without^ not only the pale, but the 
 influence of this sect of religionists, had a tendency, it is 
 true, to weaken his early impressions ; still he retained 
 them, in some degree, to the hour of his death, and was 
 observed uniformly, when much interested or agitated, to 
 speak in the language of his youth. — But this is anticipating 
 our tale. 
 
 When Marmaduke first became the partner of young 
 Effingham, he was quite the quaker in externals ; and it 
 was too dangerous an experiment for the son to think of 
 encountering the prejudices of the father on this subject. 
 The connection, the-refore, remained a profound secret to all 
 but those who were interested in it. 
 
 For a few years, Marmaduke directed the commercial 
 operations of his house with a prudence and sagacity that 
 afforded rich returns. He married the lady we have 
 mentioned, who was the mother of EHzabeth, and the 
 visits of his friend were becoming more frequent. There 
 was a speedy prospect of removing the veil from their 
 intercourse, as its advantages became each hour more 
 apparent to Mr. Effingham, when the troubles that preceded 
 the war of the revolution extended themselves to an alarming 
 degree. 
 
 Educated in the most dependent loyalty, Mr. Effingham 
 had, from the commencement of the disputes between the 
 colonists and the crown, warmly maintained, what he be- 
 lieved to be, the just prerogatives of his prince ; while, on 
 the other hand, the clear head and independent mind of 
 Temple had induced him to espouse the cause of the people. 
 Both might have been influenced by early impressions ; for, 
 if the son of the loyal and gallant soldier bowed in implicit 
 obedience to the will of his sovereign, the descendant of the 
 persecuted follower of Penn looked back, with a little 
 bitterness, to the unmerited wrongs that had been heaped 
 upon his ancestors. 
 
 This difference in opinion had long been a subject of 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 23 
 
 amicable dispute between them ; but^ latterly, the contest was 
 getting to be too important to admit of trivial discussions on 
 the part of Mar maduke, whose acute discernment was already 
 catching faint glimmerings of the important events that 
 were in embryo. The sparks of dissension soon kindled 
 into a blaze ; and the colonies^ or rather^ as they quickly 
 declared themselves, the states^, became a scene of strife 
 and bloodshed for years. 
 
 A short time before the battle of Lexington^ Mr. Effing- 
 ham, already a widower^ transmitted to Marmaduke^ for 
 safe-keeping, all his valuable effects and papers ; and left 
 the colony without his father. The war had, however, 
 scarcely commenced in earnest, when he re-appeared in 
 New York, wearing the livery of his king ; and, in a short 
 time, he took the field at the head of a provincial corps. In 
 the mean time, Marmaduke had completely committed 
 himself in the cause, as it was then called, of the rebellion. 
 Of course, all intercourse between the friends ceased — on the 
 part of Colonel Effingham it was unsought, and on that of 
 Marmaduke there was a cautious reserve. It soon became 
 necessary for the latter to abandon the capital of Phila- 
 delphia; but he had taken the precaution to remove the 
 whole of his effects beyond the reach of the royal forces, 
 including the papers of his friend also. There he continued 
 serving his country during the struggle, in various civil 
 capacities, and always with dignity and usefulness. While, 
 however, he discharged his functions with credit and fidelity, 
 Marmaduke never seemed to lose sight of his own interests; 
 for, when the estates of the adherents of the crown fell 
 under the hammer, by the acts of confiscation, he appeared 
 in New York, and became the purchaser of extensive pos- 
 sessions at, comparatively, low prices. 
 
 It is true that Marmaduke, by thus purchasing estates 
 that had been wrested by violence from others^ rendered 
 himself obnoxious to the censures of that sect which, at 
 the same time that it discards its children from a full par- 
 ticipation in the family union, seems ever unwilling to 
 abandon them entirely to the world. But either his success, 
 or the frequency of the transgression in others, soon wiped 
 off this slight stain from his character : and although there 
 c 4 
 
24^ 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 were a few who, dissatisfied with their own fortunes, or 
 conscious of their own demerits, would make dark hints 
 concerning the sudden prosperity of the unportioned quaker, 
 yet his services, and possibly his wealthy soon drove the 
 recollection of these vague conjectures from men's minds. 
 
 When the war ended, and the independence of the states 
 was acknowledged, Mr. Temple turned his attention from 
 the pursuit of commerce, which was then fluctuating and 
 uncertain, to the settlement of those tracts of land which he 
 had purchased. Aided by a good deal of money, and 
 directed by the suggestions of a strong and practical reason, 
 his enterprises throve to a degree, that the climate and rugged 
 face of the country which he selected would seem to forbid. 
 His property increased in a tenfold ratio^ and he v/as already 
 ranked among the most wealthy and important of his 
 countrymen. To inherit this wealth he had but one child 
 — the daughter whom we have introduced to the reader, 
 and whom he was now conveying from school, to preside 
 over a household that had too long wanted a mistress. 
 
 When the district in which his estates lay had become 
 sufficiently populous to be set off as a county, Mr. Temple 
 had, according to the custom of the new settlements, been 
 selected to fill its highest judicial station. This might make 
 a Templar smile, but in addition to the apology of necessity, 
 there is ever a dignity in talents and experience that is com- 
 monly sufficient, in any station, for the protection of its 
 possessor ; and Marmaduke, more fortunate in his native 
 clearness of mind than the judge of King Charles, not only 
 decided right, but was generally able to give a very good 
 reason for it. At all events, such was the universal practice 
 of the country and the times ; and Judge Temple, so far 
 from ranking among the lowest of his judicial contem- 
 poraries in the courts of the new counties, felt himself, and 
 was unanimously acknowledged to be, among the first. 
 
 We shall here close this brief explanation of the history 
 and character of some of our personages, leaving them in 
 future to speak and act for themselves. 
 
25 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 All that thou see'st, is nature's handiwork ; 
 
 Those rocks that upward throw their mossy brows. 
 
 Like castled pinnacles of elder times! 
 
 These venerable stems, that slowly rock 
 
 Their tow'ring branches in the wintry gale I 
 
 That field of frost, which glitters in the sun. 
 
 Mocking the whiteness of a marble breast ! — 
 
 Yet man can mar such works with his rude taste, 
 
 Like some sad spoiler of a virgin's fame. Duo. 
 
 Some little while elapsed ere Marmaduke Temple was suf- 
 ficiently recovered from his agitation to scan the person of 
 his new companion. He now observed^ that he was a youth 
 of some two or three and twenty years of age^ and ratlrer 
 above the middle height. Further observation was prevented 
 by the rough overcoat which was belted close to his form by 
 a worsted sash^ much like the one worn by the old hunter. 
 The eyes of the Judge^ after resting a moment on the figure 
 of the stranger^ were raised to a scrutiny of his countenance. 
 There had been a look of care^ visible in the features of the 
 youth^ when he first entered the sleigh_, that had not only 
 attracted the notice of Elizabeth, but which she had been 
 much puzzled to interpret. His anxiety seemed the 
 strongest when he was enjoining his old companion to se- 
 crecy; and even when he had decided, and was, rather pas- 
 sively, suffering himself to be conveyed to the village, tl^ 
 expression of his eyes by no means indicated any great de- 
 gree of self-satisfaction at the step. But the lines of an 
 uncommonly prepossessing countenance were gradually be- 
 coming composed ; and he now sat silent, and apparently 
 musing. The Judge gazed at him for some time with 
 earnestness, and then smiling, as if at his own forgetfulness, 
 he said — 
 
 I believe, my young friend, that terror has driven you 
 from my recollection — your face is very familiar, and yet 
 for the honour of a score of bucks' tails in my cap, I could 
 not tell your name. " 
 
 I came into the country but three weeks since, " re- 
 
26 THE PIONEP^RS. 
 
 turned the youth^ coldly, " and I understand you have been 
 absent twice that time. 
 
 It will be five to-morrow. Yet your face is one that I 
 have seen ; though it would not be strange, such has been 
 my affright, should I see thee in thy winding-sheet walking 
 by my bedside to-night. What say'st thou, Bess ? Am 
 1 compos mentis or not ? — Fit to charge a grand jury, 
 or, what is just now of more pressing necessity, able to do 
 the honours of a Christmas-eve in the hall of Templeton ?" 
 
 More able to do either, my dear father, " said a playful 
 voice from under the ample enclosures of the hood, than 
 Xjo kill deer with a smooth-bore. " A short pause follov;^ed ; 
 and the same voice, but in a different accent, continued — 
 W e shall have good reasons for our thanksgiving to-night, 
 oai more accounts than one. " 
 
 The horses soon reached a point, where they seemed to 
 know, by instinct, that the journey was nearly ended, and, 
 bearing on the bits, as they tossed their heads, they 
 rapidly drew the sleigh over the level land, which lay 
 on the top of the mountain, and soon came to the point 
 where the road descended suddenly, but circuitously, into 
 the valley. 
 
 The Judge was roused from his reflections, when he saw 
 the four columns of smoke, which floated above his own 
 chimneys. As house, village, and valley burst on his sight, 
 he exclaimed cheerfully to his daughter — 
 
 See, Bess, there is thy resting-place, for life ! — 
 And thine, too, young man, if thou wilt consent to dwell 
 with us." 
 
 The eyes of his auditors involuntarily met ; and if tlie 
 colour, that gathered over the face of Elizabeth, was con- 
 tradicted by the cold expression of her eye, the ambiguous 
 smile that again played about the lips of the stranger, 
 seemed equally to deny the probability of his consenting to 
 form one of this family group. The scene was one, how- 
 ever, which might easily warm a heart less given to philan- 
 thropy than that of Marmaduke Temple. 
 
 The side of the mountain, on which our travellers were 
 journeying, though not absolutely perpendicular, was so 
 steep as to render great care necessary in descending the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 '27 
 
 rude and narrow path, which, in that early day, wound 
 along the precipices. The negro reined in his impatient 
 steeds, and time was given Elizabeth to dwell on a scene 
 which was so rapidly altering under the hands of man, that 
 it only resembled, in its outlines, the picture she had so 
 often studied, with delight, in childhood. Immediately 
 beneath them lay a seeming plain, ghttering, without ine- 
 quality, and buried in mountains. The latter were preci- 
 pitous, especially on the side of the plain, and chiefly in 
 forest. Here and there the hills fell away in long, low 
 points, and broke the sameness of the outline ; or setting to 
 the long and wide field of snow, which, without house, 
 tree, fence, or any other fixture, resembled so much spotless 
 cloud settled to the earth. A few dark and moving spots 
 were, however, visible on the even surface, which the eye 
 of Elizabeth knew to be so many sleighs going their several 
 ways, to or from the village. On the western border of 
 the plain, the mountains, though equally high, were less 
 precipitous, and as they receded, opened into irregular 
 valleys and glens, or were formed into terraces, and hollows 
 that admitted of cultivation. Although the evergreens still 
 held dominion over many of the hills that rose on this side 
 of the valley, yet the undulating outlines of the distant 
 mountains, covered with forests of beech and maple, gave a 
 relief to the eye, and the promise of a kinder soil. Occa- 
 sionally, spots of white were discoverable amidst the forests 
 of the opposite hills, which announced, by the smoke that 
 curled over the tops of the trees, the habitations of man, 
 and the commencement of agriculture. These spots were 
 sometimes, by the aid of united labour, enlarged into what 
 were called settlements, but more frequently were small and 
 insulated ; though so rapid were the changes, and so per- 
 severing the labours of those who had cast their fortunes on 
 tlie success of the enterprise, that it was not difficult for 
 the imagination of Elizabeth to conceive they were enlarging 
 under her eye, while she was gazing, in mute wonder, at 
 the alterations that a few short years had made in the as- 
 pect of the country. The points on the western side of 
 this remarkable plain, on which no plant had taken root, 
 were both larger and more numerous than those on its 
 
28 
 
 THE PIONEERS 
 
 eastern, and one in particular thrust itself forward in such 
 a manner as to form beautifully curved bays of snow on 
 either side. On its extreme end an oak stretched forward, 
 as if to overshadow, with its branches, a spot which its 
 roots were forbidden to enter. It had released itself from 
 the thraldom, that a growth of centuries had imposed on 
 the branches- of the surrounding forest-trees, and threw its 
 gnarled and fantastic arms abroad, in the wildness of liberty. 
 A dark spot, of a few acres in extent, at the southern ex- 
 tremity of this beautiful flat, and immediately under the 
 feet of our travellers, alone showed, by its rippling surface, 
 and the vapours which exhaled from it, that what at first 
 might seem a plain, was one of the mountain lakes, locked 
 in the frosts of winter. A narrow current rushed im- 
 petuously from its bosom at the open place we have men- 
 tioned, and was to be traced, for miles, as it wound its way 
 towards the south through the real valley, by its borders of 
 hemlock and pine, and by the vapour wliich arose from its 
 warmer surface into the chill atmosphere of the hills. The 
 banks of this lovely basin, at its outlet, or southern end, 
 were steep but not high ; and in that direction the land 
 continued, far as the eye could reach, a narrow but graceful 
 valley, along which the settlers had scattered their humble 
 habitations, with a profusion that bespoke the quality of 
 die soil, and the comparative facilities of intercourse. Im- 
 mediately on the bank of the lake and its fort, stood the 
 village of Templeton. It consisted of some fifty buildings, 
 including those of every description, chiefly built of wood, 
 and which, in their architecture, bore no great marks of 
 taste, but which also, by the unfinished appearance of most 
 of the dwellings, indicated the hasty manner of their con- 
 struction. To the eye, they presented a variety of colours. 
 A few were white in both front and rear, but more bore 
 tiiat expensive colour on their fronts only, while thei^ 
 economical but ambitious owners had covered the remaining 
 sides of the edifices with a dingy red. One or two were 
 dowly assuming the russet of age ; while the uncovered 
 beams that were to be seen through the broken windows of 
 their second stories, showed, that either the taste, or the 
 vanity of their proprietors, had led them to undertake a 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 29 
 
 task which they were unable to accomplish. The whole 
 were grouped together in a manner that aped the streets of 
 a city^ and were evidently so arranged by the directions of 
 one who looked to the wants of posterity rather than to the 
 convenience of the present incumbents. Some three or 
 four of the better sort of buildings, in addition to the uni- 
 formity of their colour, were fitted with green blinds, 
 which, at that season at least, were rather strangely con- 
 trasted to the chill aspect of the lake, the mountains, the 
 forests^ and the wide fields of snow. Before the doors of 
 these pretending dwellings were placed a few sapKngs, 
 either without branches, or possessing only the feeble shoots 
 of one or two summer's growth, that looked not unlike tall 
 grenadiers on post near the threshold of princes. In truth, 
 the occupants of these favoured habitations were the nobles 
 of Templeton, as Marmaduke was its king. They were 
 the dwellings of two young men who were cunning in the 
 law ; an equal number of that class who chaffered to tl>8 
 wants of the community under the title of store-keepers ; 
 and a disciple of jSlsculapius, who, for a novelty, brouglu 
 more subjects into the w^orld than he sent out of it. In 
 the midst of this incongruous group of dwelHngs_, rose the 
 mansion of the Judge, towering above all its neighbours. 
 It stood in the centre of an enclosure of several acres, 
 which were covered with fruit trees. Some of the latter 
 had been left by the Indians, and began already to assume 
 the moss and inclination of age, therein forming a very 
 marked contrast to the infant plantations that peered over 
 most of the picketed fences in the village. In addition to 
 this show of cultivation, were two rows of young Lombardy 
 poplars, a tree but lately introduced into America, formally 
 lining either side of a pathway, which led from a gate, that 
 opened on the principal street to the front door of the 
 building. The house itself had been built entirely under 
 the superintendence of a certain Mr. Richard Jones, whom 
 we have already mentioned, and who, from his cleverness 
 in small matters, and an entire willingness to exert his 
 talents, added to the circumstance of their being sisters' 
 children, ordinarily superintended all the minor concerns of 
 Marmaduke Temple. Richard was fond of saying, that 
 
so 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 this child of his invention consisted of nothing more nor 
 less than what should form the ground-work of every cler- 
 gyman's discourse ; viz. a firstly^ and a lastly. He had 
 commenced his labours^ in the first year of their residence, 
 by erecting a tall, gaunt edifice of wood, with its gable 
 towards the highway. In this shelter, for it was little 
 more, the family resided three years. By the end of that 
 period, Richard had completed his design. He had availed 
 himself, in this heavy undertaking, of the experience of a 
 certain wandering eastern mechanic, who, by exhibiting a 
 few soiled plates of English architecture, and talking 
 learnedly of friezes, entablatures, and particularly of the 
 composite order, had obtained a very undue influence over 
 Richard's taste, in everything that pertained to that branch 
 of the fine arts. Not that Mr. Jones did not affect to con- 
 sider Hiram Doolittle a perfect empiric in his profession ; 
 being in the constant habit of listening to his treatises on 
 architecture with a kind of indulgent smile, yet, either from 
 an inability to oppose them by any thing plausible from 
 his own stores of learning, or from secret admiration, 
 Richard generally submitted to the arguments of his co- 
 adjutor. Together, they had not only erected a dwelling 
 for Marmaduke, but they had given a fashion to the archi- 
 tecture of the whole county. The composite order, Mr. 
 Doolittle would contend, was an order composed of many 
 others, and was intended to be the most useful of all, for 
 it admitted into its construction such alterations as con- 
 venience or circumstances might require. To this pro- 
 position Richard usually assented ; and when rival geniuses, 
 who monopolise not only all the reputation, but most of 
 the money of a neighbourhood, are of a mind, it is not un- 
 common to see them lead the fashion, even in graver 
 matters. In the present instance, as we have already 
 hinted, the castle, as Judge Templeton's dwelling w^as 
 termed in common parlance, came to be the model, in some 
 one or other of its numerous excellences, for every aspiring 
 edifice within twenty miles of it. 
 
 The house itself, or the lastly,'* was of stone ; large, 
 square, and far from uncomfortable. These were four 
 requisites^ on which Marmaduke had insisted with a little 
 
THE PIONEERS. 31 
 
 more than his ordinary pertinacity. But every thing else 
 was peaceably assigned to Richard and his associate. These 
 worthies found the material a Kttle too solid for the tools of 
 their workmen, which, in general, were employed on a 
 substance no harder than the white pine of the adjacent 
 mountains, a wood so proverbially soft, that it is commonly 
 chosen by the hunters for pillows. But for this awkward 
 dilemma, it is probable that the ambitious tastes of our 
 two architects would have left us much more to do in the 
 way of description. Driven from the faces of the house by 
 the obduracy of the material, they took refuge in the porch 
 and on the roof. The former, it was decided, should be 
 severely classical, and the latter a rare specimen of the 
 merits of the composite order. 
 
 A roof, Richard contended, was a part of the edifice that 
 the ancients always endeavoured to conceal, it being an ex- 
 crescence in architecture that was only to be tolerated on 
 account of its usefulness. Besides, as he wittily added, a 
 chief merit in a dwelling was to present a front, on which- 
 ever side it might happen to be seen ; for as it was exposed 
 to all eyes in all weathers, there should be no weak flank, 
 for envy or unneighbourly criticism to assail. It was, 
 therefore, decided, that the roof should be flat, and with 
 four faces. To this arrangement, Marmaduke objected the 
 heavy snows that lay for months, frequently covering the 
 earth to a depth of three or four feet. Happily, the faci- 
 lities of the composite order presented themselves to effect 
 a compromise, and the rafters were lengthened, so as to 
 give a descent that should carry off the frozen element. 
 But unluckily, some mistake was made in the admeasure- 
 ment of these material parts of the fabric ; and as one of 
 the greatest recommendations of Hiram was his ability 
 to work by the square rule," no opportunity was found 
 of discovering the effect, until the massive timbers were 
 raised, on the four walls of the building. Then, indeed, it 
 was soon seen, that, in defiance of all rule, the roof was 
 by far the most conspicuous part of the whole edifice. 
 Richard and his associate consoled themselves with the 
 belief, that the covering would aid in concealing this un-. 
 natural elevation ; but every shingle that was laid only 
 
d2 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 multiplied objects to look at, Richard assayed to remedy 
 the evil with paint, and four different colours were laid on 
 by his own hands. The first was a sky-blue, in the vain 
 expectation that the eye might be cheated into the belie'L 
 it was the heavens themselves that hung so imposingly 
 over Marmaduke's dwelling ; the second was what he 
 called a cloud-colour," being nothing more nor less than 
 an imitation of smoke ; the third was what Richard 
 termed an invisible green, an experiment that did not 
 succeed against a back-ground of sky. Abandoning the 
 attempt to conceal, our architects drew upon their invention 
 for means to ornament the offensive shingles. After much 
 deliberation, and two or three essays by moonlight, 
 Richard ended the affair by boldly covering the whole 
 beneath a colour that he christened sunshine," a cheap 
 way, as he assured his cousin, the Judge, of always keeping 
 fair weather over his head. The platform, as well as the 
 eaves of the house, were surmounted by gaudily painted 
 railings, and the genius of Hiram was exerted in the fabri- 
 cation of divers urns and mouldings, that were scattered 
 profusely around this part of their labours. Richard had 
 originally a cunning expedient, by which the chimneys 
 were intended to be so low, and so situated, as to resemble 
 ornaments on the balustrades ; but comfort required that 
 the chimneys should rise with the roof, in order that the 
 smoke might be carried off, and they thus became four 
 extremely conspicuous objects in the view. 
 
 As this roof was much the most important architectural 
 undertaking in which Mr. Jones was ever engaged, his 
 failure produced a correspondent degree of mortification. 
 At first, he whispered among his acquaintances, that it pro- 
 ceeded from ignorance of the square rule on the part of 
 Hiram, but as his eye became gradually accustomed to the 
 object, he grew better satisfied with his labours, and instead 
 of apologising for the defects, he commenced praising the 
 beauties of the mansion-house. He soon found hearers ; 
 and, as wealth and comfort are at all times attractive^ it 
 was, as has been said, made a model for imitation on a 
 small scale. In less than two years from its erection, he 
 had the pleasure of standing on the elevated platform, and 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 SS 
 
 of looking down on three humble imitators of its beauty. — 
 Thus it is ever with fashion^ which even renders the faults 
 of the great subjects of admiration. 
 
 Marmaduke bore this deformity in his dwelling with 
 great good nature^ and soon contrived, by his own improve- 
 ments_, to give an air of respectability and comfort to his 
 place of residence. Still there was much of incongruity, even 
 immediately about the mansion-house. Although poplars 
 had been brought from Europe to ornament the grounds, 
 and willows and other trees were gradually springing up 
 nigh the dwelling, yet many a pile of snow betrayed the 
 presence of the stump of a pine ; and even, in one -or two 
 instances, unsightly remnants of trees that had been partly 
 destroyed by fire were seen rearing their black, glistening 
 columns twenty or thirty feet above the pure w^hite of the 
 snow. These, which in the language of the country are 
 termed stubs, abounded in the open fields adjacent to the 
 village, and were accompanied, occasionally, by the ruin of 
 a pine or a hemlock that had been stripped of its bark, and 
 which waved in melancholy grandeur its naked limbs to 
 the blast, a skeleton of its former glory. But these and 
 many other unpleasant additions to the view were unseen 
 by the delighted Elizabeth, who, as the horses moved down 
 the side of the mountain, saw only in gross the cluster of 
 houses that lay like a map at her feet ; the fifty smokes 
 that were curling from the valley to the clouds ; the frozen 
 lake, as it lay embedded in mountains of evergreen, with 
 the long shadows of the pines on its white surface, length- 
 ening in the setting sun ; the dark riband of water, that 
 gushed from the outlet^ and was winding its way towards 
 the distant Chesapeake — the altered, though still remem- 
 bered, scenes of her childhood. 
 
 Five years had wrought greater changes than a century 
 would produce in countries where time and labour have 
 given permanency to the works of man. To the young 
 hunter and the Judge the scene had less of novelty ; though 
 none ever emerge from the dark forests of that mountain^ 
 and witness the glorious scenery of that beauteous valley, 
 as it bursts unexpectedly upon them, without a feeling of 
 delight. The former cast one admiring glance from north 
 
 D 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 to souths and sunk his face again beneath the folds of his 
 coat ; while the latter contemplated^ with philanthropic 
 pleasure^ the prospect of affluence and comfort,, that was 
 expanding around him ; the result of his own enterprise, 
 and much of it the fruits of his own industry. 
 
 The cheerful sound of sleigh-bells, however, attracted 
 the attention of the whole party, as they came jingling up 
 the sides of the mountain, at a rate that announced a pow- 
 erful team and a hard driver. The bushes which lined the 
 highway interrupted the view, and the two sleighs were 
 close upon each other before either was seen. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 How now ? whose mare's dead ? what's the matter ? — Falstaff. 
 
 A LARGE lumber-sleigh, drawn by four horses, was soon 
 seen dashing through the leafless bushes, which fringed the 
 road. The leaders were of grey, and the pole-horses of a 
 jet black. Bells, innumerable, were suspended from every 
 part of the harness, where one of the tinkling balls could be 
 placed ; while the rapid movement of the equipage, in de- 
 fiance of the steep ascent, announced the desire of the driver 
 to ring them to the utmost. The first glance at this sin- 
 gular arrangement acquainted the Judge with the character 
 of those in the sleigh. It contained four male figures. On 
 one of those stools that are used at writing-desks, lashed 
 firmly to the sides of the vehicle, was seated a little man, 
 enveloped in a great coat fringed with fur, in such a man- 
 ner that no part of him was visible excepting a face, of an 
 unvarying red colour. There was a habitual upward look 
 about the head of this gentleman, as if dissatisfied with its 
 natural proximity to the earth, and the expression of his 
 countenance was that of busy care. He was the charioteer, 
 and he guided the mettled animals along the precipice with 
 a fearless eye, and a steady hand. Immediately behind him, 
 with his face towards the other two, was a tall figure, to 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 35 
 
 whose appearance not even the dupHcate over-coats which 
 he wore, aided by the corner of a horse-blanket, could give 
 the appearance of strength. His face was protruding from 
 beneath a woollen night-cap ; and when he turned to the 
 vehicle of Marmaduke as the sleighs approached each other 
 it seemed formed by nature to cut the atmosphere with the 
 least possible resistance. The eyes alone appeared to create 
 any obstacle, as from either side of his forehead their light, 
 blue, glassy balls projected. The sallow of his countenance 
 was too permanent to be affected even by the intense cold 
 of the evening. Opposite to this personage sat a solid, 
 short, and square figure. No part of his form was to be 
 discovered through his over-dress, but a face that was illu- 
 minated by a pair of black eyes^ that gave the lie to every 
 demure feature in his countenance. A fair, jolly wig fur- 
 nished a neat and rounded outline to his visage^ and he, as 
 well as the other two, wore marten-skin caps. The fourth 
 was a meek-looking, long-visaged man^ without any other 
 protection from the cold than that which was furnished by 
 a black surtout, made with some little formality, but which 
 was rather thread-bare and rusty. He wore a hat of ex- 
 tremely decent proportions, though frequent brushing had 
 quite destroyed its nap. His face was pale, and withal a 
 little melancholy, or what might be termed of a studious 
 complexion. The air had given it, just now, a slight and 
 somewhat feverish flush. The character of his whole ap- 
 pearance, especially contrasted to the air of humour in his 
 next companion, was that of habitual mental care. No 
 sooner had the two sleighs approached within speaking 
 distance, than the driver of this fantastic equipage shouted 
 aloud — 
 
 Draw up in the quarry draw up, thou king of the 
 Greeks ; draw into the quarry, Agamemnon, or I shall 
 never be able to pass you. Welcome home, cousin 'duke — 
 welcome, welcome, black-eyed Bess. Thou seest, Mar- 
 maduke, that I have taken the field with an assorted cargo, 
 to do thee honour. Monsieur Le Quoi has come out with 
 only one cap ; Old Fritz would not stay to finish the bot- 
 tle ; and Mr. Grant has got to put the ^ lastly ' to his 
 sermon^ yet. Even all the horses would come — by the by, 
 D 2 
 
36 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Judge^ I must sell the blacks for you immediately ; they 
 interfere^ and the nigh one is a bad goer in double harness. 
 I can get rid of them to " 
 
 " Sell what thou wilt, Dickon, " interrupted the cheerful 
 ^oice of the Judge, so that thou leavest me my daughter 
 and my lands. Ah ! Fritz, my old friend, this is a kind 
 compliment, indeed, for seventy to pay to five and forty. 
 Monsieur Le Quoi, I am your servant. Mr. Grant, '* 
 lifting his cap, I feel indebted to your attention. Gentle- 
 men, I make you acquainted with my child. Yours are 
 names with which she is very familiar. " 
 
 '^Velcome, velcome, Tchooge," said the elder of the 
 party, with a strong German accent. " Miss Petsy vill 
 owe me a kiss. " 
 
 And cheerfully will I pay it, my good sir, cried the 
 soft voice of Elizabeth ; which sounded, in the clear air 
 of the hills, like tones of silver, amid the loud cries of 
 Richard. I have always a kiss for my old friend. Major 
 Hartmann. " 
 
 By this time the gentleman in the front seat, who had 
 been addressed as Monsieur Le Quoi, had arisen with some 
 difficulty, owing to the impediment of his over-coats, and 
 steadying himself by placing one hand on the stool of the 
 charioteer, with the other he removed his cap, and bowing 
 politely to the Judge, and profoundly to Elizabeth, he paid 
 his compliments. 
 
 Cover thy poll, Gaul, cover thy poll," cried the driver, 
 who was Mr. Richard Jones ; cover thy poll, or the frost 
 will pluck out the remnant of thy locks. Had the hairs on 
 the head of Absalom been as scarce as tkine, he might have 
 been living to this day." The jokes of Richard never 
 failed of exciting risibility, for he uniformly did honour to 
 his own wit ; and he enjoyed a hearty laugh on the pre- 
 sent occasion, while Mr. Le Quoi resumed his seat with a 
 polite reciprocation in his mirth. The clergyman, for such 
 was the office of Mr. Grant, modestly, though quite affec- 
 tionately, exchanged his greetings with the travellers also, 
 when Richard prepared to turn the heads of his horses 
 homeward. 
 
 It was in the quarry alone that he could effect this ob- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 37 
 
 ject, without ascending to the summit of the mountain. 
 A very considerable excavation had been made in 
 the side of the hill^ at the point where Richard had suc- 
 ceeded in stopping the sleighs_, from which the stones used 
 for building in the village were ordinarily quarried^ and in 
 which he now attempted to turn his team. Passing itself 
 was a task of difficulty^ and frequently of danger^ in that 
 narrow road ; but Richard had to meet the additional risk 
 of ti^rning his four-in-hand. The black civilly volunteered 
 his services to take off the leaders^ and the Judge very ear- 
 nestly seconded the measure with his advice. Richard 
 treated both proposals with great disdain : 
 
 ^' Why, and wherefore, cousin 'duke ? " he exclaimed a 
 little angrily ; the horses are gentle as lambs. You know 
 that I broke the leaders myself, and the pole-horses are too 
 near my whip to be restive. Here is Mr. Le Quoi, now, 
 who must know something about driving, because he has 
 rode out so often with me ; I will leave it to Mr. Le Quoi 
 whether there is any danger." 
 
 It was not in the nature of the Frenchman to disappoint 
 expectations so confidently formed ; although he sat looking 
 down the precipice which fronted him, as Richard turned 
 his leaders into the quarry, with a pair of eyes that stood 
 out like those of lobsters. The German's muscles were un- 
 moved, but his quick sight scanned each movement. Mr. 
 Grant placed his hands on the side of the sleigh, in prepar- 
 ation for a spring, but moral timidity deterred him from 
 taking the leap that bodily apprehension strongly urged him 
 to attempt, 
 
 Richard, by a sudden application of the whip, succeeded 
 in forcing the leaders into the snow-bank that covered the 
 quarry ; but the instant that the impatient animals suffered 
 by the crust, through which they broke at each step, they po- 
 sitively refused to move an inch further in that direction. 
 On the contrary, finding that the cries and blows of their 
 driver were redoubled at this juncture, the leaders backed 
 upon the pole-horses, who, in their turn, backed the sleigh. 
 Only a single log lay above the pile which upheld the road, 
 on the side toward the valley, and this was now buried in 
 the snow. The sleigh was easily forced across so slight an 
 
38 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 impediment ; and before Richard became conscious of his 
 danger, one half of the vehicle was projected over a pre- 
 cipice, which fell, perpendicularly, more than a hundred 
 feet. The Frenchman, who, by his position, had a full 
 view of their threatened flight, instinctively threw his body 
 as far forward as possible, and cried, Ah ! Mon cher 
 monsieur Deeck ! mon Dieu ! que faites vous ! " 
 
 Donner and blitzen, Richart," exclaimed the veteran 
 German, looking over the side of the sleigh with unusual 
 emotion, put you will preak ter sleigh and kilt ter hors*es." 
 
 Good Mr. Jones," said the clergyman, be prudent, 
 good sir — be careful." 
 
 Get up, obstinate devils !" cried Richard, catching a 
 bird's eye view of his situation, and, in his eagerness to 
 move forward, kicking the stool on which he sat, — Get up, 
 I say — Cousin 'duke, I shall have to sell the greys too ; 
 they are the worst broken horses — Mr. Le Quaw ! " Richard 
 was too much agitated to regard his pronunciation, of which 
 he was commonly a little vain ; Monsieur Le Quaw, pray 
 get off my leg; you hold my leg so tight, that it's no wonder 
 the horses back." 
 
 Merciful Providence!" exclaimed the Judge, they 
 will be all killed!" 
 
 Elizabeth gave a piercing shriek, and the black of Aga- 
 memnon's face changed to a muddy white. 
 
 At this critical moment, the young hunter, who, during 
 the salutations of the parties, had sat in rather sullen si- 
 lence, sprang from the sleigh of Marmaduke to the heads 
 of the refractory leaders. The horses, who were yet suf- 
 fering under the injudicious and somewhat random blows 
 of Richard, were dancing up and down with that ominous 
 movement, that threatens a sudden and uncontrollable start, 
 still pressing backward. The youth gave the leaders a 
 powerful jerk, and they plunged aside, and re-entered the 
 road in the position in which they were first halted. The 
 sleigh was whirled from its dangerous position, and upset 
 with the runners outwards. The German and the divine 
 were thrown, rather unceremoniously, into the highway, 
 but without danger to their bones. Richard appeared in 
 the air, describing the segment of a circle^ of which the 
 
IHE PIONEERS. 
 
 39 
 
 reins were the radii^ and landed at the distance of some fif- 
 teen feet^ in that snow-bank which the horses had dreaded, 
 right end uppermost. Here^ as he instinctively grasped 
 the reins_, as drowning men seize at straws_, he admirably 
 served the purpose of an anchor. The Frenchman^ who 
 was on his legs in the act of springing from the sleigh^ took 
 an aerial flight also^ much in the attitude which boys as- 
 sume when they play leap-frog^ and flying off in a tangent 
 to the curvature of his course, came into the snow-bank 
 head foremost, where he remained, exhibiting two lathy 
 legs on high, like scare-crows waving in a corn field. Ma- 
 jor Hartmann, whose self-possession had been admirably 
 preserved during the whole evolution, was the first of the 
 party that gained his feet and his voice. 
 
 Ter dey vel, Richart ! " he exclaimed, in a voice half 
 serious, half comical, put you unloat your sleigh very 
 hantily." 
 
 It may be doubtful^ whether the attitude in which Mr. 
 Grant continued for an instant after his overthrow was the 
 one into which he had been thrown, or was assumed, in 
 humbling himself before the power that he reverenced, in 
 thanksgiving at his escape. When he rose from his knees, 
 he began to gaze about him, with anxious looks, after the 
 welfare of his companions, while every joint in his body 
 trembled with nervous agitation. There was some con- 
 fusion in the faculties of Mr. Jones_, also; but as the mist 
 gradually cleared from before his eyes, he saw that all was 
 safe, and with an air of great self-satisfaction, he cried. 
 
 Well — that was neatly saved, any how ! — it was a lucky 
 thought in me to hold on the reins, or the fiery devils 
 would have been over the mountain by this time. How 
 well I recovered myself, 'duke ! Another moment would 
 have been too late ; but I knew just the spot where to 
 touch the off-leader ; that blow under his right flank, and 
 the sudden jerk I gave the reins, brought them round quite 
 in rule, I must own myself." 
 
 * The spectators, from immemorial usage, have a right to laugh at the ca- 
 sualties of a sleigh-ride ; and the Judge was no sooner certain that no harm was 
 done, than he made full use of the privilege. 
 
 D 4 
 
40 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Thou jerk ! thou recover thyself, Dickon !" he said; 
 but for that brave lad yonder, thou and thy horses, or ra- 
 ther mine, would have been dashed to pieces ; — but where 
 is Monsieur Le Quoi ? " 
 
 Oh ! mon cher Juge ! Mon ami !" cried a smothered 
 voice, praise be God, I live ; vill you. Mister Agamemnon, 
 be pleas come down ici, and help me on my leg?" 
 
 The divine and the negro seized the incarcerated Gaul 
 by his legs, and extricated him from a snow-bank of three 
 feet in depth, whence his voice had sounded as from the 
 tombs. The thoughts of Mr. Le Quoi, immediately on his 
 liberation, were not extremely collected ; and when he 
 reached the light, he threw his eyes upwards, in order to 
 examine the distance he had fallen. His good humour 
 returned, however, with a knowledge of his safety, though 
 it was some little time before he clearly comprehended the 
 case. 
 
 What, monsieur,** said Richard, who was busily as- 
 sisting the black in taking off the leaders ; are you there ? 
 I thought I saw you flying towards the top of the moun- 
 tain just now.** 
 
 Praise be God, I no fly down into de lake,** returned 
 the Frenchman, with a visage that was divided between 
 pain, occasioned by a few large scratches that he had re- 
 ceived in forcing his head through the crust, and the look 
 of complaisance that seemed natural to his pliable features : 
 ah ! mon cher Mister Deeck, vat you do next ? — derebe 
 noting you no try.** 
 
 The next thing, I trust, will be to learn to drive,** 
 said the Judge, who had busied himself in throwing the 
 buck, together with several articles of baggage, from his 
 own sleigh into the snow ; here are seats for you all, 
 gentlemen ; the evening grows piercingly cold, and the 
 hour approaches for the service of Mr. Grant : we will 
 leave friend Jones to repair the damages, with the assist- 
 ance of Agamemnon, and hasten to a warm fire. Here, 
 Dickon, are a few articles of Bess*s trumpery, that you 
 ian throw into your sleigh when ready, and there is also a 
 deer of my taking, that I will thank you to bring. — Aggy ! 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 41 
 
 remember there will be a visit from Santaclaus * to- 
 night." 
 
 The black grinned^ conscious of the bribe that was offered 
 him for silence on the subject of the deer^ while Richard^ 
 without in the least waiting for the termination of his 
 cousin's speech_, began his reply — 
 
 Learn to drive^ sayest thou, cousin 'duke ? Is there 
 a man in the county who knows more of horse-flesh than 
 myself ? Who broke in the filly, that no one else dare 
 mount ? though your coachman did pretend that he had 
 tamed her before I took her in hand ; but any body could 
 see that he hed — he was a great liar, that John — what's 
 that, a buck ? " — Richard abandoned the horses, and ran to 
 the spot where Marmaduke had thrown the deer : It is a 
 buck ! I am amazed ! Yes, here are two holes in him, he has 
 fired both barrels, and hit him each time. Ecod ! how 
 Marmaduke will brag ! he is a prodigious bragger about 
 any small matter like this now ; well, to think that 'duke 
 has killed a buck before Christmas ! There will be no such 
 thing as living with him — they are both bad shots though, 
 mere chance — mere chance; — now, I never fired twice at 
 a cloven hoof in my life ; — it is hit or miss with me — 
 dead or run away : — had it been a bear, or a wild cat, a 
 man might have wanted both barrels. Here ! you Aggy ! 
 how far off was the Judge when this buck was shot?" 
 
 Eh ! Massa Richard, may be a ten rod," cried the 
 black, bending under one of the horses, with the pretence 
 of fastening a buckle, but in reality to conceal the grin 
 that opened a mouth from ear to ear. 
 
 Ten rod ! " echoed the other ; why, Aggy, the deer 
 I killed last winter was at twenty — yes ! if any thing it was 
 nearer thirty than twenty. I wouldn't shoot at a deer at ten 
 rod : besides, you may remember, Aggy, I only fired once," 
 
 Yes, Massa Richard, I 'member 'em ! Natty Bumppo 
 fire t'oder gun. You know, sir, all 'e folk say Natty kill 
 him." 
 
 The folks lie, you black devil 1" exclaimed Richard in 
 
 * The periodical visits of St. Nicholas, or Santaclaus as he is termed, were 
 never forgotten among the inhabitants of New York, until the emigration from 
 New England brought in the opinion and usages of the puritans. Like the 
 •* bon homme de Notl," he arrives on each Christmas eve. 
 
42 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 great heat. I have not shot even a grey squirrel these 
 four years^ to which that old rascal has not laid claim^ or 
 some one for him. This is a damn'd envious world that 
 we live in — people are always for dividing the credit of a 
 thing, in order to bring down merit to their own level. 
 Now they have a story about the Patent*, that Hiram 
 Doolittle helped to plan the steeple to St. Paul's ; when 
 Hiram knows that it is entirely mine ; a little taken from 
 a print of its namesake in London, I own ; but essentially, 
 as to all points of genius, my own." 
 
 I don't know where he come from," said the black, 
 losing every mark of humour in an expression of admiration, 
 but eVry body say, he wonnerful hansome." 
 
 And well they may say so, Aggy," cried Richard, 
 leaving the buck and walking up to the negro with the air 
 of a man who has new interest awakened within him. I 
 think I may say, without bragging, that it is the hand- 
 somest and the most scientific country church in America. 
 I know that the Connecticut settlers talk about their Wea- 
 thersfield meeting-house ; but I never believe more than 
 half what they say, they are such unconscionable brag- 
 gers. Just as you have got a thing done, if they see 
 it likely to be successful, they are always for interfering ; 
 and then it's ten to one but they lay claim to half, or even 
 all of the credit. You may remember, Aggy, when I 
 painted the sign of the bold dragoon for Captain Hollister, 
 there was that fellow, who was about town laying brick 
 dust on the houses, came one day and offered to mix what 
 I call the streaky black, for the tail and mane, and then, 
 because it looks like horse hair, he tells every body that the 
 sign was painted by himself and Squire J ones. If Mar- 
 maduke don't send that fellow off the Patent, he may or- 
 nament his village with his own hands, for me.'* Here 
 Richard paused a moment, and cleared his throat by a loud 
 hem, while the negro, who was all this time busily engaged 
 in preparing the sleigh, proceeded with his work in re- 
 
 * The grants of land, made either by the crown or the state, were by letters 
 patent under the great seal, and the term " patent " is usually applied to any dis- 
 trict of extent, thus conceded. Though under the crown, manorial rights being 
 often granted with the soil, in the older counties, the word " manor " is 
 frequently used. There are many " manors " in New York, though all political 
 and judicial rights have ceased. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 43 
 
 spectful silence. Owing to the religious scruples of the 
 Judge^ Aggy was the servant of Richard^ who had his 
 services for a time^, and who^ of course^ commanded a legal 
 claim to the respect of the young negro. But when any dis- 
 pute between his lawful and his real master occurred^ thebJack 
 felt too much deference for both to express any opinion. 
 In the meanwhile_, Richard continued watching the negro 
 as he fastened buckle after buckle^ until^ stealing a look of 
 consciousness tovv^ard the other_, he continued^ Now, if 
 that young man^ who was in your sleigh^ is a real Connecticut 
 settler^ he will be telling every body how he saved my 
 horses^ when^ if he had let them alone for half a minute 
 longer^ 1 would have brought them in much better, without 
 upsetting, with the whip and rein — it spoils a horse to give 
 him his head. I should not wonder if I had to sell the 
 whole team, just for that one jerk he gave them." Richard 
 paused, and hemmed ; for his conscience smote him a little, 
 for censuring a man who had just saved his hfe: — Who 
 is the lad, Aggy — I don't remember to have seen him 
 before ? " 
 
 The black recollected the hint about Santaclaus ; and 
 while he briefly explained how they had taken up the 
 person in question on the top of the mountain, he forbore 
 to add any thing concerning the accident of the wound, only 
 saying that he believed the youth was a stranger. It was 
 so usual for men of the first rank to take into their sleighs 
 any one they found toiling through the snow, that Richard 
 was perfectly satisfied with this explanation. He heard 
 Aggy with great attention, and then remarked, Well, if 
 the lad has not been spoiled by the people in Templeton, 
 he may be a modest young man, and as he certainly meant 
 well, I shall take some notice of him — perhaps he is land- 
 hunting — I say, Aggy, may be he is out hunting 
 
 * The manumission of the slaves in New York has been gradual. When 
 public opinion became strong in their favour, then grew up a custom of buying 
 the services of a slave, for six or eight years, with a condition to liberate him at 
 the end of the period. Then the law provided that all born after a certain 
 day should be free, the males at twenty-eight, and the females at twenty-five. 
 After this the owner was obliged to cause his servants to be taught to read and 
 write before they reached the age of eighteen, and, finally, the few that 
 remained were all unconditionally liberated in 1826, or after the publication of 
 this tale. It was quite usual for men more or less connected with the quakers, 
 who never held slaves, to adopt the first expedient. 
 
44 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Eh ! yes^ massa Richard/' said the hlack^ a httle con- 
 fused ; for as Richard did all the floggings he stood in great 
 terror of his master, in the main : — " YeS;, sir, I b'lieve 
 he be." 
 
 Had he a pack and an axe } " 
 " No, sir, only he rifle.'* 
 
 Rifle ! ** exclaimed Richard, observing the confusion 
 of the negro, which now amounted to terror. By Jove, 
 he killed the deer ! I knew that Marmaduke couldn't kill 
 a buck on the jump — how was it, Aggy } tell me all about 
 it, and I'll roast 'duke quicker than he can roast his saddle 
 — How was it, Aggy.f* the lad shot the buck, and the 
 Judge bought it, ha ! and he is taking the youth down to 
 get the pay } " 
 
 The pleasure of this discovery had put Richard in such 
 a good humour, that the negro's fears in some measure 
 vanished, and he remem.bered the stocking of Santaclaus. 
 After a gulp or two, he made out to reply — 
 You forgit a two shot, sir ? " 
 
 Don't lie, you black rascal ! " cried Richard, stepping 
 on the snow-bank to measure the distance from his lash to 
 the negro's back ; speak truth, or I trounce you." While 
 speaking, the stock was slowly rising in Richard's right 
 hand, and the lash drawing through his left, in the scientific 
 manner with which drummers apply the cat, and Agamemnon, 
 after turning each side of himself towards his master, and 
 finding both equally unwilling to remain there, fairly gave 
 in. In a very few words he made his master acquainted 
 with the truth, at the same time earnestly conjuring Richard 
 to protect him from the displeasure of the Judge. 
 
 ^'^ I'll do it, boy, I'll do it," cried the other, rubbing his 
 hands with delight ; say nothing, but leave me to manage 
 'duke : — I have a great mind to leave the deer on the hill, 
 and to make the fellow send for his own carcass : but no, I 
 will let Marmaduke tell a few bouncers about it before I 
 come out upon him. Come, hurry in, Aggy, I must help 
 to dress the lad's wound; this Yankee* doctor knows 
 
 * In America the term Yankee is of local meaning. It is thought to be de. 
 rived from the manner in which the Indians of New England pronounced the 
 word " English" or " Yengeese " New York being originally a Dutch ^ro- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 45 
 
 nothing of surgery — I had to hold old Milligan's leg for 
 him^ while he cut it off." — Richard was now seated on 
 the stool again, and the black taking the hind seat, the 
 steeds were put in motion towards home. As they dashed 
 down the hill, on a fast trot, the driver occasionally turned 
 his face to Aggy, and continued speaking; for notwith- 
 standing their recent rupture, the most perfect cordiality 
 was again existing between them. " This goes to prove 
 that I turned the horses with the reins, for no man who is 
 shot in the right shoulder can have strength enough to 
 bring round such obstinate devils. I knew I did it from 
 the first ; but I did not want to multiply words with Mar- 
 maduke about it. — Will you bite, you villain ? — hip, boys, 
 hip ! Old Natty too, that is the best of it ! — Well, well 
 — 'duke will say no more about my deer — and the Judge 
 fired both barrels, and hit nothing but a poor lad, who was 
 behind a pine tree. I must help that quack to take out 
 the buck shot for the poor fellow." In this manner 
 Richard descended the mountain ; the bells ringing, and 
 his tongue going, until they entered the village, when the 
 whole attention of the driver was devoted to a display of 
 his horsemanship, to the admiration of all the gaping 
 women and children who thronged the windows to witness 
 the arrival of their landlord and his daughter. 
 
 vince, the term of course was not known there, and further south different 
 dialects among the natives, themselves, probably produced a different pronun- 
 elation. Marmaduke and his cousin being Pennsylvanians by birth were not 
 Yankees in the American sense of the word. 
 
4t) 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Natlianiel's coat, sir, was not fully made. 
 
 And Gabriel's pumps were all unpink'd i' th* heel; 
 
 There was no link to colour Peter's hat. 
 
 And Walter's dagger was not come from sheathing : 
 
 There were none fine, but Adam, Ralph, and Gregory, 
 
 Sharspeare. 
 
 After winding along the side of the mountain^ the road^ 
 on reaching the gentle declivity which lay at the hase of 
 the hill^ turned at a right angle to its former course^ and 
 shot down an inclined plane^ directly into the village of 
 Templeton. The rapid little stream^ that we have already 
 mentioned, was crossed by a bridge of hewn timber^ which 
 manifested, by its rude construction, and the unnecessary 
 size of its frame- work, both the value of labour and the 
 abundance of materials. This little torrent, whose dark 
 waters gushed over the limestones that lined its bottom, 
 was nothing less than one of the many sources of the 
 Susquehanna ; a river to which the Atlantic herself has 
 extended an arm in welcome. It was at this point, that the 
 powerful team of Mr. Jones brought him up to the more 
 sober steeds of our travellers. . A small hill was risen and 
 Elizabeth found herself at once amid the incongruous 
 dwelHngs of the village. The street was of the ordinary 
 width, notwithstanding the eye might embrace, in one 
 view, thousands and tens of thousands of acres, that were 
 yet tenanted only by the beasts of the forest. But such 
 had been the will of her father, and such had also met the 
 wishes of his followers. To them the road, that made the 
 most rapid approaches to the condition of the old, or, as 
 they expressed it, the down countries, was the most plea- 
 sant ; and surely nothing could look more like civilisation 
 than a city, even if it lay in a wilderness ! The width of 
 the street, for so it was called, might have been 100 feet * 
 but the tract for the sleighs was much more limited. On 
 either side of the highway were piled huge heaps of logs 
 that were daily increasing rather than diminishing in siz^ 
 
niE PIONEERS. 
 
 47 
 
 notwithstanding the enormous fires that might be seen 
 through every window. 
 
 The last object at which Elizabeth gazed when they 
 renewed their journey, after the rencontre with Richard^ 
 was the sun^ as it expanded in the refraction of the horizon, 
 and over whose disk the dark umbrage of a pine was steal- 
 ings while it slowly sunk behind the western hills. But 
 his setting rays darted along the openings of the mountain 
 she was on, and lighted the shining covering of the birches, 
 until their smooth and glossy coats nearly rivalled the 
 mountain-sides in colour. The outline of each dark pine 
 was delineated far in the depths of the forest ; and the 
 rocks too smooth and too perpendicular to retain the snow 
 that had fallen, brightened, as if smiling at the leave- 
 taking of the luminary. But at each step, as they descended, 
 Elizabeth observed that they were leaving the day behind 
 them. Even the heartless, but bright rays of a December 
 sun were missed, as they glided into the cold gloom of the 
 valley. Along the summits of the mountains in the 
 eastern range^ it is true, the light still lingered, receding 
 step by step from the earth into the clouds that were 
 gatheving, with the evening mist, about the limited horizon ; 
 but the frozen lake lay without a shadow on its bosom ; 
 the dwellings were becoming already gloomy and indistinct; 
 and ihe wood-cutters were shouldering their axes, and pre- 
 paring to enjoy, throughout the long evening before them, 
 the comforts of those exhilarating fires that their labour 
 had been supplying with fuel. They paused only to gaze 
 at the passing sleighs, to lift their caps to Marmaduke, to 
 exchange familiar nods with Richard, and each disappeared 
 in his dwelling. The paper curtains dropped behind our 
 travellers in every window, shutting from the air even the 
 fire-light of the cheerful apartments ; and when the horses 
 of her father turned, with a rapid whirl, into the open gate 
 of the mansion-house, and nothing stood before her but 
 the cold dreary stone-walls of the building, as she ap- 
 proached them through an avenue of young and leafless 
 poplars, Elizabeth felt as if all the loveliness of the moun- 
 tain-view had vanished like the fancies of a dream. Mar- 
 maduke retained so much of his early habits as to reject 
 
48 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the use of bells ; but the equipage of Mr. J ones came dash- 
 ing through the gate after them, sending its jingling sounds 
 through every cranny of the buildings and in a moment 
 the dwelling was in an uproar. 
 
 On a stone platform, of rather small proportions, consi- 
 dering the size of the building, Richard and Hiram 
 had, conjointly, reared four little columns of wood, which 
 in their turn supported the shingled roofs of the portico — 
 this was the name that Mr. Jones had thought proper to 
 give to a very plain, covered entrance. The ascent to 
 the platform was by five or six stone steps, somewhat has- 
 tily laid together, and which the frost had already begun 
 to move from their symmetrical positions. But the evils 
 of a cold cHmate, and a superficial construction, did not 
 end here. As the steps lowered, the platform necessarily 
 fell also, and the foundations actually left the superstruc- 
 ture suspended in the air, leaving an open space of a foot 
 between the base of the pillars and the stones on which 
 they had originally been placed. It was lucky for the 
 whole fabric, that the carpenter, who did the manual part 
 of the labour, had fastened the canopy of this classic en- 
 trance so firmly to the side of the house, that, when the 
 base deserted the superstructure in the manner we have 
 described, and the pillars, for the want of a foundation, 
 were no longer of service to support the roof, the roof was 
 able to uphold the pillars. Here was, indeed, an unfor- 
 tunate gap left in the ornamental part of Richard's column ; 
 but, like the window in Aladdin's palace, it seemed only 
 left in order to prove the fertility of its master's resources. 
 The composite order again offered its advantages, and a 
 second edition of the base was given, as the booksellers say, 
 with additions and improvements. It was necessarily 
 larger, and it was properly ornamented with mouldings : 
 still the steps continued to yield, and, at the moment when 
 Elizabeth returned to her father's door, a few rough wedges 
 were driven under the pillars to keep them steady, and to 
 prevent their weight from separating them from the pedi- 
 ment which they ought to have supported. 
 
 From the great door which opened into the porch 
 emerged two or three female domestics, and one male. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 49 
 
 The latter was bare-headed^ but evidently more dressed 
 than usual^ and in the whole^ was of so singular a form- 
 ation and attire^ as to deserve a more minute description. 
 He was about five feet in height^ of a square and athletic 
 frame^ with a pair of shoulders that would have fitted a 
 grenadier. His low stature was rendered the more 
 striking by a bend forward that he was in the habit of 
 assuming^ for no apparent reason, unless it might be 
 to give greater freedom to his arms, in a particularly 
 sweeping swing, that they constantly practised when their 
 master was in motion. His face was long, of a fair com- 
 plexion, burnt to a fiery red ; with a snub nose, cocked 
 into an inveterate pug ; a mouth of enormous dimensions, 
 filled with fine teeth ; and a pair of blue eyes, that seemed 
 to look about them, on surrounding objects, with habitual 
 contempt. His head composed full one fourth of his 
 whole length, and the queue that depended from its rear 
 occupied another. He wore a coat of very light drab cloth, 
 with buttons as large as dollars, bearing the impression of 
 a foul anchor." The skirts were extremely long, reach- 
 ing quite to the calf, and were broad in proportion. Be- 
 neath, there were a vest and breeches of red plush, some- 
 what worn and soiled. He had shoes with large buckles, 
 and stockings of blue and white stripes. 
 
 This odd-looking figure reported himself to be a native 
 of the county of Cornwall, in the island of Great Britain. 
 His boyhood had passed in the neighbourhood of the tin 
 mines, and his youth as the cabin-boy of a smuggler 
 between Falmouth and Guernsey. From this trade he had 
 been impressed into the service of his king, and, for the 
 want of a better, had been taken into the cabin, first as a 
 servant, and finally as steward to the captain. Here he 
 acquired the art of making chowder, lobskous, and one or 
 two other sea-dishes, and, as he was fond of saying, had 
 an opportunity of seeing the world. With the exception of 
 one or two out-ports in France, and an occasional visit to 
 Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Deal, he had in reality seen 
 no more of mankind, however, than if he had been riding 
 a donkey in one of his native mines. But, being dis- 
 charged from the navy at the peace of '83, he declared 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 that^ as he had seen all the civilised parts of the earthy he 
 was inclined to make a trip to the wilds of America. We 
 will not trace him in his brief wanderings^ under the in- 
 fluence of that spirit of emigration, that sometimes induces 
 a dapper Cockney to quit his home, and lands him, before 
 the sound of Bow bells is fairly out of his ears, within 
 the roar of the cataract of Niagara, but shall only add, that, 
 at a very early day, even before EUzabeth had been sent 
 to school, he had found his way into the family of Marma- 
 duke Temple, where, owing to a combination of qualities 
 that will be developed in the course of the tale, he held, 
 under Mr. Jones, the office of major-domo. The name of 
 this worthy was Benjamin Penguillan, according to his 
 own pronunciation ; but, owing to a marvellous tale that 
 he was in the habit of relating, concerning the length of 
 time he had to labour to keep his ship from sinking after 
 Rodney's victory, he had universally acquired the nick- 
 name of Ben Pump. 
 
 By the side of Benjamin, and pressing forward as if a 
 little jealous of her station, stood a middle-aged woman, 
 dressed in calico, rather violently contrasted in colour, with 
 a tall, meagre, shapeless figure, sharp features, and a 
 somewhat acute expression of her physiognomy. Her 
 teeth were mostly gone, and what did remain were of a light 
 yellow. The skin of her nose was drawn tightly over the 
 member, to hang in large wrinkles in her cheeks and about 
 her mouth. She took snufF in such quantities, as to create 
 the impression, that she owed the saffron of her lips and 
 the adjacent parts to this circumstance ; but it was the 
 unvarying colour of her whole face. She presided over the 
 female part of the domestic arrangements, in the capacity 
 of housekeeper ; was a spinster, and bore the name of 
 Remarkable Pettibone. To Elizabeth she was an entire 
 stranger, having been introduced into the family since the 
 death of her mother. 
 
 In addition to these, were three or four subordinate 
 menials, mostly black, some appearing at the principal door, 
 and some running from the end of the building, where stood 
 the entrance to the cellar-kitchen. 
 
 Besides these, there was a general rush from Richard's 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 hi 
 
 kennel, accompanied with every canine tone, from the howl 
 of the wolf-dog to the petulant bark of the terrier. The 
 master received their boisterous salutations with a variety 
 of imitations from his own throat, when the dogs, probably 
 from shame at being outdone, ceased their outcry. One 
 stately, powerful mastiff, who wore around his neck a brass 
 collar, with M. T." engraved in large letters on the rim, 
 alone was silent. He walked majestically, amid the con- 
 fusion, to the side of the Judge, where, receiving a kind 
 pat or two, he turned to Elizabeth, who even stooped to 
 kiss him, as she called him kindly by the name of Old 
 Brave." The animal seemed to know her, as she ascended 
 the steps, supported by Monsieur Le Quoi and her father, 
 in order to protect her from falling on the ice with which 
 they were covered. He looked wistfully after her figure, 
 and when the door closed on the whole party, he laid him- 
 self in a kennel that was placed nigh by, as if conscious 
 that the house contained something of additional value to 
 guard. 
 
 Elizabeth followed her father, who paused a moment to 
 whisper a message to one of his domestics, into a large hall, 
 that was dimly lighted by two candles, placed in high, old- 
 fashioned, brass candlesticks. The door closed, and the 
 party were at once removed from an atmosphere that was 
 nearly at zero, to one of sixty degrees above. In the centre 
 of the hall stood an enormous stove, the sides of which 
 appeared to be quivering with heat ; from which a large, 
 straight pipe, leading through the ceiling above, carried off 
 the smoke. An iron basin, containing water, was placed 
 on this furnace, for such only it could be called, in order 
 to preserve a proper humidity in the apartment. The room 
 was carpeted, and furnished with convenient, substantial 
 furniture ; some of which was brought from the city, and 
 the remainder having been manufactured by the mechanics 
 of Templeton. There was a sideboard of mahogany, inlaid 
 with ivory, and bearing enormous handles of glittering 
 brass, and groaning under piles of silver plate. Near it 
 stood a set of prodigious tables, made of the wild cherry, 
 to imitate the imported wood of the sideboard, but plain, 
 and without ornament of any kind. Opposite to these stood 
 E 2 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 a smaller table, formed from a lighter- coloured wood, through 
 the grains of which the wavy lines of the curled-maple of 
 the mountains were beautifully undulating. Near to this, 
 in a corner, stood a heavy, old-fashioned, brass-faced clock, 
 encased in a high box, of the dark hue of the black walnut 
 from the sea- shore. An enormous settee, or sofa, covered 
 with light chintz, stretched along the walls for near twenty 
 feet on one side of the hall, and chairs of wood, painted a 
 light yellow, with black lines that were drawn by no very 
 steady hand, were ranged opposite, and in the intervals 
 between the other pieces of furniture. A Fahrenheit's 
 thermometer, in a mahogany case, and with a barometer 
 annexed, was hung against the wall, at some little distance 
 from the stove, which Benjamin consulted, every half-hour, 
 with prodigious exactitude. Two small glass chandeliers 
 were suspended at equal distances between the stove and 
 the outer doors, one of which opened at each end of the 
 hall, and gilt lustres were affixed to the frame- work of the 
 numerous side doors that led from the apartment. Some 
 little display in architecture had been made in constructing 
 these frames and casings, which were surmounted vnth. 
 pediments, that bore each a little pedestal in its centre : 
 on these pedestals were small busts in blacked plaster of 
 Paris. The style of the pedestals, as well as the selection 
 of the busts, were all due to the taste of Mr. Jones. On 
 one stood Homer, a most striking Hkeness, Richard af- 
 firmed, as any one might see, for it was blind." Another 
 bore the image of a smooth visaged gentleman, with a 
 pointed beard, whom he called Shakspeare. A third or- 
 nament was an urn, which, from its shape, Richard was 
 accustomed to say, intended to represent itself as holding 
 the ashes of Dido. A fourth was certainly old Franklin, 
 in his cap and spectacles* A fifth as surely bore the dig- 
 nified composure of the face of Washington. A sixth was 
 a nondescript, representing; a man with a shirt collar 
 open," to use the language of Richard, with a laurel on 
 his head: — it was Julius Caesar or Dr. Faustus ; there 
 were good reasons for believing either." 
 
 The walls were hung with a dark, lead-coloured English 
 paper, that represented Britannia weeping over the tomb of 
 
•the pioneers. 
 
 53 
 
 -Wolfe. The hero himself stood at a little distance from 
 the mourning goddess, and at the edge of the paper. Each 
 width contained the figure, with the slight exception of one 
 arm of the general, which ran over on the next piece, so 
 that when Richard essayed, with his own hands, to put 
 together this dehcate outline, some difficulties occurred that 
 prevented a nice conjunction ; and Britannia had reason to 
 lament, in addition to the loss of her favourite's life, num- 
 berless cruel amputations of his right arm. 
 
 The luckless cause of these unnatural divisions now an- 
 nounced his presence in the hall, by a loud crack of his 
 whip. 
 
 Why, Benjamin ! you Ben Pump! is this the manner 
 in which you receive the heiress ? " he cried. Excuse 
 him, cousin Elizabeth. The arrangements were too intri- 
 cate to be trusted to every one ; but now I am here, things 
 will go on better. Come, light up, Mr. Penguillan, light 
 up, light up, and let us see one another's faces. Well, 
 'duke, I have brought home your deer ; what is to be done 
 with it, ha } " 
 
 By the lord. Squire," commenced Benjamin in reply, 
 first giving his mouth a wipe with the back of his hand, 
 if this here thing had been ordered sum'at earlier in the 
 day, it might have been got up, d'ye see, to your liking. 
 I had mustered all hands, and was exercising candles, when 
 you hove in sight ; but when the women heard your bells, 
 they started an end, as if they were riding the boatswain's 
 colt ; and, if-so-be there is that man in the house, who can 
 bring up a parcel of v^romen when they have got headway 
 on them, until they've run out the end of their rope, his 
 name is not Benjamin Pump. But Miss Betsy here must 
 have altered more than a privateer in disguise, since she 
 has got on her woman's duds, if she will take offence 
 with an old fellow for the small matter of lighting a few 
 candles." 
 
 Elizabeth and her father continued silent, for both ex- 
 perienced the same sensations on entering the hall. The 
 former had resided one year in the building before she left 
 home for school, and the figure of its lamented mistress 
 was missed by both husband and child. 
 
 E S 
 
54 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 But candles had been placed in the chandeliers and lus- 
 tres^ and the attendants were so far recovered from surprise 
 as to recollect their use : the oversight was immediately 
 remedied, and in a minute the apartment was in a blaze of 
 light. 
 
 The slight melancholy of our heroine and her father 
 \w3iS banished by this brilliant interruption ; and the whole 
 party began to lay aside the numberless garments they had 
 worn in the air. 
 
 During this operation, Richard kept up a desultory dia- 
 logue with the different domestics, occasionally throwing 
 out a remark to the Judge concerning the deer ; but as his 
 conversation at such moments was much like an accom- 
 paniment on a piano, a thing that is heard without being 
 attended to, we will not undertake the task of recording his 
 diffuse discourse. 
 
 The instant that Remarkable Pettibone had executed her 
 portion of the labour in illuminating, she returned to a 
 position near Elizabeth, with the apparent motive of re- 
 ceiving the clothes that the other threw aside, but in reality 
 to examine, with an air of curiosity — not unmixed with 
 jealousy, — the appearance of the lady who was to supplant 
 her in the administration of their domestic economy. The 
 housekeeper felt a little appalled, when, after cloaks, coat^ 
 shawls, and socks had been taken off in succession, the 
 large black hood was removed, and the dark ringlets, shining 
 like the raven's wing, fell from her head, and left the sweet 
 but commanding features of the young lady exposed to 
 view. Nothing could be fairer and more spotless than the 
 forehead of Elizabeth, and preserve the appearance of life 
 and health. Her nose would have been called Grecian, but 
 for a softly rounded swell, that gave in character to the 
 feature what it lost in beauty. Her mouth, at first sight, 
 seemed only made for love ; but the instant that its muscles 
 moved, every expression that womanly dignity could utter 
 played around it with the flexibility of female grace. It 
 spoke not only to the ear, but to the eye. So much, added 
 to a form of exquisite proportions, rather full and rounded 
 for her years, and of the tallest medium height, she inhe- 
 rited from her mother. Even the colour of her eye, the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 55 
 
 arched brows, and the long silken lashes^ came from the 
 same source; hut its expression was her father's. Inert 
 and composed, it was soft, benevolent, and attractive ; but 
 it could be roused, and that without much difficulty. At 
 such moments it was still beautiful, though it was a little 
 severe. As the last shawl fell aside, and she stood dressed 
 in a rich blue riding-habit, that fitted her form with the 
 nicest exactness ; her cheeks burning with roses, that bloomed 
 the richer for the heat of the hall^ and her eyes slightly 
 suffused with moisture, that rendered their ordinary beauty 
 more dazzling, and with every feature of her speaking 
 countenance illuminated by the lights that flared around 
 her. Remarkable felt that her own power had ended. 
 
 The business of unrobing had been simultaneous. Mar- 
 maduke appeared in a suit of plain neat black ; Monsieur 
 Le Quoi, in a coat of snuff colour, covering a vest of em- 
 broidery, with breeches, and silk stockings, and buckles — 
 that were commonly thought to be of paste. Major Hart- 
 mann wore a coat of sky-blue, with large brass buttons, a 
 club wig, and boots ; and Mr. Richard Jones had set off 
 his dapper little form in a frock of bottle-green, with bullet 
 buttons ; by one of which the sides were united over his 
 well-rounded waist, opening above, so as to show a jacket 
 of red cloth, with an under- vest of flannel, faced with green 
 velvet, and below, so as to exhibit a pair of buckskin 
 breeches, with long, soiled, white top-boots, and spurs ; 
 one of the latter a little bent, from its recent attacks on the 
 stool. 
 
 When the young lady had extricated herself from her 
 garments, she was at liberty to gaze about her, and to ex- 
 amine not only the household over which she was to pre- 
 side, but also the air and manner in which their domestic 
 arrangements were conducted. Although there was much 
 incongruity in the furniture and appearance of the hall, 
 there was nothing mean. The floor was carpeted, even in 
 its remotest corners. The brass candlesticks, the gilt 
 lustres, and the glass chandeliers, whatever might be their 
 keeping as to propriety and taste, were admirably kept as 
 to all the purposes of use and comfort. They were clean, 
 and glittering in the strong light of the apartment. Com- 
 E 4? 
 
56 
 
 THE PiOxVEERS. 
 
 pared with the chill aspect of the Decemher night without, 
 the warmth and brilliancy of the apartment produced an 
 effect that was not unlike enchantment. Her eye had not 
 time to detect in detail the little errors^ which^ in truth, 
 existed, but was glancing around her in delight, when an 
 object arrested her view that was in strong contrast to the 
 smiling faces and neatly attired personages who had thus 
 assembled to do honour to the heiress of Templeton. 
 
 In a corner of the hall, near the grand entrance, stood 
 the young hunter, unnoticed, and for the moment appa- 
 rently forgotten. But even the forgetfulness of the Judge, 
 which, under the influence of strong emotion, had banished 
 the recollection of the wound of this stranger, seemed sur- 
 passed by the absence of mind in the youth himself. On 
 entering the apartment he had mechanically lifted his cap, 
 and exposed a head covered with hair that rivalled in co- 
 lour and gloss the locks of Elizabeth. Nothing could have 
 wrought a greater transformation than the single act of 
 removing the rough fox-skin cap. If there was much that 
 was prepossessing in the countenance of the young hunter, 
 there was something even noble in the rounded outlines of 
 his head and brow. The very air and manner with which 
 the member haughtily maintained itself over the coarse and 
 even wild attire in which the rest of his frame was clad, 
 bespoke not only familiarity with a splendour that in those 
 new settlements was thought to be unequalled, but some- 
 thing very like contempt also. 
 
 The hand that held the cap rested lightly on the little 
 ivory-mounted piano of Elizabeth, with neither rustic re- 
 straint nor obtrusive vulgarity. A single finger touched 
 the instrument, as if accustomed to dweU on such places. 
 His other arm was extended to its utmost length, and the 
 hand grasped the barrel of his long rifle with something 
 like convulsive energy. The act and the attitude were 
 both involuntary, and evidently proceeded from a feeling 
 much deeper than that of vulgar surprise. His appearance, 
 connected as it was with the rough exterior of his dress, 
 rendered him entirely distinct from the busy group that 
 were moving across the other end of the long hall, occupied 
 in receiving the travellers, and exchanging their welcomes ; 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 57 
 
 and Elizabeth continued to gaze at him in wonder. The 
 contraction of the stranger's brows increased as his eyes 
 moved slowly from one object to another. For moments 
 the expression of his countenance was fierce^ and then again 
 it seemed to pass away in some painful emotion. The arm^ 
 that was extended^ bent^ and brought the hand nigh to his 
 face^ when his head dropped upon it^ and concealed the won- 
 derfully speaking lineaments. 
 
 ^' We forget^ dear sir_, the strange gentleman," (for her 
 life Elizabeth could not call him otherwise,) whom we 
 have brought here for assistance, and to whom we owe 
 every attention." 
 
 All eyes were instantly turned in the direction of those 
 of the speaker, and the youth, rather proudly, elevated his 
 head again, while he answered — 
 
 My wound is trifling, and I believe that Judge Tem- 
 ple sent for a physician the moment we arrived," 
 
 Certainly," said Marmaduke ; ^'^ I have not forgotten 
 the object of thy visit, young man, nor the nature of my 
 debt." 
 
 Oh !" exclaimed Richard, with something of a wag- 
 gish leer, " thou owest the lad for the venison, I suppose, 
 that thou killed, cousin 'duke ! Marmaduke ! Marma- 
 duke ! That was a marvellous tale of thine about the 
 buck ! Here, young man, are two dollars for the deer, 
 and Judge Temple can do no less than pay the doctor. I 
 shall charge you nothing for my services, but you shall not 
 fare the worse for that. Come, come, 'duke, don't be 
 down-hearted about it ; if you missed the buck, you con- 
 trived to shoot this poor fellow through a pine tree. Now 
 I own that you have beat me ; I never did such a thing in 
 all my Kfe." 
 
 And I hope never will," returned the Judge, if you 
 are to experience the uneasiness that I have suffered. But 
 be of good cheer, my young friend, the injury must be 
 small, as thou movest thy arm with apparent freedom." 
 
 Don't make the matter worse, 'duke, by pretending to 
 talk about surgery," interrupted Mr. Jones, with a con- 
 temptuous wave of the hand ; it is a science that can 
 only be learnt by practice. You know that my grand- 
 
58 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 father was a doctor^ but you haven't got a drop of medical 
 blood in your veins. These kind of things run in families. 
 All my family by the father's side had a knack at physic. 
 There was my uncle that was killed at Brandy wine, — he 
 died as easy again as any other man in the regiment, just 
 from knowing how to hold his breath naturally. Few men 
 know how to breathe, naturally.'* 
 
 I doubt not, Dickon," returned the Judge, meeting 
 the bright smile, which, in spite of himself, stole over the 
 stranger's features, that thy family thoroughly under- 
 stood the art of letting life slip through their fingers." 
 
 Richard heard him quite coolly, and putting a hand in 
 either pocket of his surtout, so as to press forward the 
 skirts, began to whistle a tune; but the desire to reply 
 overcame his philosophy, and with great heat he ex- 
 claimed — 
 
 You may affect to smile. Judge Temple, at hereditary 
 virtues, if you please ; but there is not a man on your 
 Patent who don't know better. Here, even this young 
 man^ who has never seen any thing but bears, and deers, 
 and wood-chucks, knows better than to believe virtues are 
 not transmitted in families. Don't you, friend } " 
 
 I believe that vice is not," said the stranger abruptly, 
 his eye glancing from the father to the daughter. 
 
 The Squire is right. Judge," observed Benjamin, 
 with a knowing nod of his head towards Richard, that be- 
 spoke the cordiality between them. Now, in the old 
 country, the king's majesty touches for the evil_, and that is 
 a disorder that the greatest doctor in the fleet, or, for the 
 matter of that, admiral either, can't cure ; only the king's 
 majesty, or a man that 's been hanged. Yes, the Squire is 
 right ; for if so be that he wasn't, how is it that the seventh 
 son always is a doctor, whether he ships for the cock-pit 
 or not, Now^ when we fell in with the mounsheers, under 
 De Grasse, d'ye see, we had aboard of us a doctor " 
 
 Very well, Benjamin/' interrupted Elizabeth, glancing 
 her eyes from the hunter to Monsieur Le Quoi, who was 
 most politely attending to what fell from each individual 
 in succession^ you shall tell me of that, and all your en- 
 tertaining adventures together ; just now, a room must be 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 59 
 
 prepared, in which the arm of this gentleman can be 
 dressed." 
 
 I will attend to that myself, cousin Elizabeth/' ob- 
 served Richard, somewhat haughtily. The young man 
 shall not suffer, because Marmaduke chooses to be a little 
 obstinate. Follow me, my friend, and I will examine the 
 hurt myself." 
 
 It will be well to wait for the physician," said the 
 hunter coldly ; he cannot be distant." 
 
 Richard paused, and looked at the speaker, a little as- 
 tonished at the language, and a good deal appalled at the 
 refusal. He construed the latter into an act of hostility, 
 and placing his hands in the pockets again, he walked up 
 to Mr. Grant, and putting his face close to the countenance 
 of the divine, said in an under tone — 
 
 *^ Now, mark my words : there will be a story among 
 the settlers, that all our necks would have been broken, but 
 for that fellow — as if I did not know how to drive. Why, 
 you might have turned the horses yourself, sir ; nothing 
 was easier ; it was only pulling hard on the nigh rein, and 
 touching the off flank of the leader. I hope, my dear sir, 
 you are not at all hurt by the upset the lad gave us ? " 
 
 The reply was interrupted by the entrance of the village 
 physician. 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 ■ And about his shelves, 
 A beggarly account of empty boxes. 
 Green earthen pots, bladders, and musty seeds. 
 Remnants of packthread, and old cakes of roses, 
 Were thinly scattered to make up a show. Shakspeare. 
 
 Doctor Elnathan Todd, for such was the name of the 
 man of physic, was commonly thought to be, among the 
 settlers, a gentleman of great mental endowments ; and he 
 was assuredly of rare personal proportions. In height he 
 
(60 
 
 THE PIONEERS 
 
 measured^ without his shoes, exactly six feet and four inches. 
 His hands, feet, and knees, corresponded in every respect 
 with this formidable stature ; but every other part of his 
 frame appeared to have been intended for a man several 
 sizes smaller, if we except the length of the limbs. His 
 shoulders were square, in one sense at least, being in a 
 right line from one side to the other ; but they were so 
 narrow, that the long dangling arms they supported seemed 
 to issue out of his back. His neck possessed, in an emi- 
 nent degree, the property of length to which we have 
 alluded, and it was topped by a small bullet-head that ex- 
 hibited, on one side, a bush of bristling brown hair, and 
 on the other, a short, twinkling visage, that appeared to 
 maintain a constant struggle with itself in order to look 
 wise. He was the youngest son of a farmer in the 
 western part of Massachusetts, who, being in somewhat 
 easy circumstances, had allowed this boy to shoot up to 
 the height we have mentioned, without the ordinary in- 
 terruptions of field-labour, wood-chopping, and such other 
 toils as were imposed on his brothers. Elnathan was in- 
 debted for this exemption from labour, in some measure to 
 his extraordinary growth, which, leaving him pale, inani- 
 mate, and listless, induced his tender mother to pronounce 
 him a sickly boy, and one that was not equal to work, but 
 who might earn a living, comfortably enough, by taking to 
 pleading law, or turning minister, or doctoring, or some such 
 like easy calling." Still there was great uncertainty which 
 of these vocations the youth was best endowed to fill ; but, 
 having no other employment, the stripling was constantly 
 lounging about the homestead," munching green apples, 
 and hunting for sorrel •; when the same sagacious eye, that 
 had brought to light his latent talents, seized upon this cir- 
 cumstance, as a clue to his future path through the tiirmoils 
 of the w^orld, Elnathan was cut out for a doctor," she 
 knew, for he was for ever digging for herbs, and tasting 
 all kinds of things that grow'd about the lots. Then again 
 he had a natural love for doctor-stuff, for when she had 
 left the bilious pills out for her man, all nicely covered 
 with maple sugar, just ready to take, Nathan had come in, 
 and swallowed them, for all the world as if they were 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 61 
 
 nothing, while Ichabod (her husband) could never get one 
 down without making such desperate faces^ that it was 
 awful to look on/' 
 
 This discovery decided the matter. Elnathan, then about 
 fifteen, was, much like a wild colt, caught and trimmed, 
 by clipping his bushy locks ; di'cssed in a suit of bome- 
 spun, died in the butternut bark ; furnished with a New 
 Testament,'' and a Webster's Spelling Book," and sent 
 to school. As the boy was by nature quite shrewd enough, 
 and had previously, at odd times, laid the foundations of 
 reading, writing, and arithmetic, he was soon conspicuous 
 in the school for his learning. The delighted mother had 
 the gratification of hearing, from the lips of the master, 
 that her son was a prodigious boy, and far above all his 
 class." He also thought that the youth had a natural 
 love for doctoring, as he had known him frequently advise 
 the smaller children against eating too much ; and once or 
 twice, when the ignorant little things had persevered in 
 opposition to Elnathan's advice, he had known her son 
 empty the school-baskets with his own mouth, to prevent 
 the consequences." 
 
 Soon after this comfortable declaration from his school- 
 master, the lad was removed to the house of the village 
 doctor, a gentleman whose early career had not been unlike 
 that of our hero, where he Vv^as to be seen, sometimes water- 
 ing a horse, at others watering medicines, blue, yellow, and 
 red ; then again he might be noticed, lolling under an 
 appletree, with Ruddiman's Latin Grammar in his hand, 
 and a corner of Denman's Midwifery sticking out of a 
 pocket ; — for his instructor held it absurd to teach his 
 pupil how to despatch a patient regularly from this world, 
 before he knew how to bring him into it. 
 
 This kind of life continued for a twelvemonth, when he 
 sudderdy appeared at meeting in a long coat (and well did 
 it deserve the name !) of black homespun, with little bootees, 
 bound with uncoloured calf-skin, for the want of red 
 morocco. 
 
 Soon after, he was seen shaving with a dull razor. Three 
 or four months had scarce elapsed before several elderly 
 ladies were observed hastening towards the house of a poor 
 
62 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 woman in the village_, while others were running to and 
 fro in great apparent distress. — One or two boys were 
 mounted^ bareback, on horses, and sent off at speed in 
 various directions. Several indirect questions were put 
 concerning the place where the physician was last seen ; 
 but all would not do ; and at length Elnathan was seen 
 issuing from his door, with a very grave air, preceded by 
 a little white-headed boy, out of breath, trotting before 
 him. The following day the youth appeared in the street^ 
 as the highway was called, and the neighbourhood was 
 much edified by the additional gravity of his air. The 
 same week he bought a new razor ; and the succeeding 
 Sunday he entered the meeting-house with a red silk hand- 
 kerchief in his hand, and with an extremely demure coun- 
 tenance. In the evening he called upon a young woman 
 of his own class in life, for there were no others to be 
 found, and, when he was left alone with the fair, he was 
 called, for the first time in his hfe. Doctor Todd, by her 
 prudent mother. The ice once broken in this manner, 
 Elnathan was greeted from every mouth with his official 
 appellation. 
 
 Another year passed under the superintendence of the 
 same master, during which the young physician had the 
 credit of riding with the old doctor,*' although they were 
 generally observed to travel different roads. At the end of 
 that period. Dr. Todd attained his legal majority. He then 
 took a jaunt to Boston, to purchase medicines, and, as some 
 intimated, to walk the hospital; we know not how the 
 latter might have been, but if true, he soon walked through 
 it, for he returned within a fortnight, bringing with him 
 a suspiciously-looking box, that smelled powerfully of 
 brimstone. 
 
 The next Sunday he was married ; and the following 
 morning he entered a one-horse sleigh with his bride, hav- 
 ing before him the box we have mentioned, with another 
 filled with home-made household linen, a paper-covered 
 trunk, with a red umbrella lashed to it, a pair of quite new 
 saddle-bags, and a bandbox. The next inteUigence that 
 his friends received of the bride and bridegroom was, that 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 6^ 
 
 the latter was " settled in the new countries^ and well to 
 do as a doctor,, in Templeton^ in York state I " 
 
 If a Templar would smile at the qualifications of Mar- 
 maduke to fill the judicial seat he occupied^ we are certain 
 that a graduate of Ley den or Edinburgh would be ex- 
 tremely amused with this true narration of the servitude 
 of Elnathan in the temple of ^sculapius. But the same 
 consolation was afforded to both the jurist and the leech ; 
 for Dr. Todd was quite as much on a level with his com- 
 peers of the profession^ in that country^ as was Marmaduke 
 with his brethren on the bench. 
 
 Time and practice did wonders for the physician. He 
 was naturally humane, but possessed of no small share of 
 moral courage ; or, in other words, he was chary of the 
 lives of his patients, and never tried uncertain experiments 
 on such members of society as were considered useful ; but 
 once or twice, when a luckless vagrant had come under his 
 care, he was a little addicted to trying the effects of every 
 phial in his saddle-bags on the stranger's constitution. 
 Happily their number was small, and in most cases their 
 natures innocent. By these means Elnathan had acquired 
 a certain degree of knowledge in fevers and agues, and 
 could talk with much judgment concerning inter mitten ts, 
 remittents, tertians, quotidians, &c. In certain cutaneous 
 disorders, very prevalent in new settlements, he was con- 
 sidered to be infallible ; and there was no woman on the 
 Patent, but would as soon think of becoming a mother 
 without a husband, as without the assistance of Dr. Todd, 
 In short, he was rearing, on this foundation of sand, a 
 superstructure, cemented by practice, though composed of 
 somewhat brittle materials. He, however, occasionally re- 
 newed his elementary studies, and, with the observation of 
 a shrewd mind, was comfortably applying his practice to 
 his theory. 
 
 In surgery, having the least experience, and it being a 
 business that spoke directly to the senses, he was most apt 
 to distrust his own powers ; but he had applied oils to 
 several burns, cut round the roots of sundry defective teeth, 
 and sewed up the wounds of numberless wood-choppers. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 with considerable eclat, when an unfortunate jobber* suf- 
 fered a fracture of his leg by the tree that he had been 
 felling. It was on this occasion that our hero encountered 
 the greatest trial his nerves and moral feeling had ever 
 sustained. In the hour of need, however, he was not 
 found wanting. — Most of the amputations in the new 
 settlements, and they were quite frequent, were performed 
 by some one practitioner, who, possessing originally a re- 
 putation, was enabled by this circumstance to acquire an 
 experience that rendered him deserving of it and Elna- 
 than had been present at one or two of these operations. 
 But on the present occasion the man of practice was not to 
 be obtained, and the duty fell, as a matter of course, to the 
 share of Mr. Todd. He went to work with a kind of blind 
 desperation, observing, at the same time, all the externals 
 of decent gravity and great skill. The sufferer's name was 
 Milligan, and it was to this event that Richard alluded 
 when he spoke of assisting the Doctor, at an amputation — 
 by holding the leg ! The limb was certainly cut off, and 
 the patient survived the operation. It was, however, two 
 years before poor Milligan ceased to complain that they had 
 buried the leg in so narrow a box, that it was straitened 
 for room ; he could feel the pain shooting up from the in- 
 humed fragment into the living members. Marmaduke 
 suggested that the fault might lie in the arteries and 
 nerves ; but Richard, considering the amputation as part 
 of his own handiwork, strongly repelled the insinuation, 
 at the same time declaring, that he had often heard of men 
 who could tell when it was about to rain, by the toes of 
 amputated limbs. After two or three years, notwithstand- 
 ing Milligan's complaints gradually diminished, the leg was 
 dug up, and a larger box furnished, and from that hour no 
 one had heard the sufferer utter another complaint on the 
 subject. This gave the public great confidence in Doctor 
 Todd, whose reputation was hourly increasing, and, luckily 
 for his patients, his information also. 
 
 Notwithstanding Mr. Todd's practice, and his success 
 with the leg, he was not a little appalled on entering the 
 hall of the mansion-house. It was glaring with the light 
 * People who clear land by the acre or job, are thus called. 
 
TPIE PIONEERS. 
 
 65 
 
 of day ; it looked so splendid and imposing^ compared 
 ■with the hastily built and scantily furnished apartments 
 which he frequented in his ordinary practice^ and contained 
 so many well dressed persons_, and anxious faces^ that his 
 usually firm nerves were a good deal discomposed. He 
 had heard from the messenger who summoned him_, that it 
 was a gun-shot wound, and had come from his own home, 
 wading through the snow, with his saddle-bags thrown over 
 his arm, while separated arteries, penetrated lungs, and 
 injured vitals, were whirling through his brain, as if he 
 were stalking over a field of battle, instead of Judge Tem- 
 ple's peaceable enclosure. 
 
 The first object thai met his eye, as he moved into the 
 room, was Elizabeth in her riding-habit, richly laced with 
 gold cord, her fine form bending towards him, and her face 
 expressing deep anxiety in every one of its beautiful fea- 
 tures. The enormous bony knees of the physician struck 
 each other with a noise that was audible ; for in the absent 
 state of his mind, he mistook her for a general officer, 
 perforated with bullets, hastening from the field of battle 
 to implore assistance. The delusion, however, was but mo- 
 mentary, and his eye glanced rapidly from the daughter 
 to the earnest dignity of the father's countenance ; thence 
 to the busy strut of Richard, who was cooling his impa- 
 tience at the hunter's indifference to his assistance, by 
 pacing the hall and cracking his whip ; from him, to the 
 Frenchman, who had stood for several minutes unheeded 
 with a chair for the lady ; thence to Major Hartmann, 
 who was very coolly lighting a pipe three feet long by a 
 candle in one of the chandeliers ; thence to Mr. Grant, who 
 was turning over a manuscript with much earnestness at 
 ope of the lustres ; thence to Remarkable, who stood, with 
 her arms demurely folded before her, surveying, with a, 
 look of admiration and envy, the dress and beauty of the 
 young lady ; and from her to Benjamin, who, with his feet 
 standing wide apart, and his arms a-kimbo, was balancing 
 his square little body, with the indifference of one who 
 was accustomed to wounds and bloodshed. All of these 
 seemed to be unhurt, and the operator began to breathe 
 more freely ; but before he had time to take a second look, 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the Judge^ advancing, shook him kindly by the hand, and 
 spoke. 
 
 " Thou art welcome,, my good sir, quite welcome, in- 
 deed ; here is a youth, whom I have unfortunately 
 wounded in shooting a deer this evening, and who requires 
 some of thy assistance." 
 
 ^'^ Shooting at a deer, 'duke," interrupted Richard, — 
 
 shooting at a deer. Who do you think can prescribe, 
 unless he knows the truth of the case ? It is always so, with 
 some people ; they think a doctor can be deceived with the 
 same impunity as another man." 
 
 " Shooting at a deer truly," returned the Judge, smiling 
 although it is by no means certain that I did not aid in 
 destroying the buck ; but the youth is injured by my 
 hand, be that as it may ; and it is thy skill that must 
 cure him, and my pocket shall amply reward thee for it." 
 
 " Two ver good tings to depend on," observed Monsieur 
 Le Quoi, bowing politely, with a sweep of his head, to the 
 Judge and the practitioner. 
 
 I thank you. Monsieur," returned the J udge ; but 
 we keep the young man in pain. Remarkable, thou wilt 
 please to provide linen for lint and bandages." 
 
 This remark caused a cessation of the compliments, and 
 induced the physician to turn an inquiring eye in the di- 
 rection of his patient. During the dialogue the young 
 hunter had thrown aside his over-coat, and now stood clad 
 in a plain suit of the common, light-coloured homespun of the 
 country, that was evidently but recently made. His hand 
 was on the lapels of his coat, in the attitude of removing 
 the garment, when he suddenly suspended the movement, 
 and looked towards the commiserating Elizabeth, who was 
 standing in an unchanged posture, too much absorbed with 
 her anxious feehngs to heed his actions. A slight colour 
 appeared on the brow of the youth. 
 
 Possibly the sight of blood may alarm the lady ; 
 1 will retire to another room, while the wound is dress- 
 mg. 
 
 By no means," said Dr. Todd, who, having discovered 
 that his patient was far from being a man of importance 
 felt much emboldened to perform his duty. — The 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 67 
 
 strong light of these candles is favourable to the operation, 
 and it is seldom that we hard students enjoy good eye- 
 sight." 
 
 While speaking, Elnathan placed a pair of large iron- 
 rimmed spectacles on his face, v/here they dropped, as it 
 were by long practice, to the extremity of his slim pug 
 nose ; and if they were of no service as assistants to his 
 eyes, neither were they any impediment to his vision ; for 
 his little grey organs were twinkling above them, like two 
 stars emerging from the envious cover of a cloud. The 
 action was unheeded by all but Remarkable, who observed 
 to Benjamin — 
 
 Dr. Todd is a comely man to look on, and disp'ut 
 pretty. How well he seems in spectacles. I declare, they 
 give a grand look to a body's face. I have quite a great 
 mind to try them myself." 
 
 The speech of the stranger recalled the recollection of 
 Miss Temple, who started, as if from deep abstraction, 
 and, colouring excessively, she motioned to a young w^oman, 
 who served in the capacity of maid, and retired, with an 
 air of womanly reserve. 
 
 The field was now left to the physician and his patient, 
 while the different personages who remained, gathered 
 around the latter, with faces expressing the various degrees 
 of interest, that each one felt in his condition. Major 
 Hartmann alone retained his seat, where he continued to 
 throw out vast quantities of smoke, now rolling his eyes up 
 to the ceiling, as if musing on the uncertainty of life, 
 and now bending them on the wounded man, with an 
 expression that bespoke some consciousness of his situ- 
 ation. 
 
 In the mean time, Elnathan, to whom the sight of a 
 gun-shot wound was a perfect novelty, commenced his 
 preparations, with a solemnity and care that were worthy 
 of the occasion. An old shirt was procured by Benjamin, 
 and placed in the hands of the other, who tore divers 
 bandages from it, with an exactitude, that marked both his 
 own skill, and the importance of the operation. 
 
 When this preparatory measure was taken, Dr. Todd 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 selected a piece of the shirt with great care^ and^ handing 
 it to Mr. JoneSj without moving a muscle^ said, — 
 
 Here, Squire Jones, you are well acquainted with these 
 things ; will you please to scrape the lint ? It should be 
 fine, and soft, you know, my dear sir ; and be cautious 
 that no cotton gets in, or it may p'ison the wound. The 
 shirt has been made with cotton thread, but you can easily 
 pick it out." 
 
 Richard assumed the office, with a nod at his cousin, 
 that said, quite plainly, You see, this fellow can't get 
 along without me ; " and began to scrape the linen on his 
 knee, with great diligence. 
 
 A table was now spread, with phials, boxes of salve, and 
 divers surgical instruments. As the latter appeared, in 
 succession, from a case of red morocco, their owner held 
 up each implement to the strong light of the chandelier, 
 near to which he stood, and examined it with the nicest care. 
 A red silk handkerchief was frequently applied to the glit- 
 tering steel, as if to remove from the polished surfaces 
 the least impediment which might exist, to the most deli- 
 cate operation. After the rather scantily furnished pocket- 
 case, which contained these instruments, was exhausted, 
 the physician turned to his saddle-bags, and produced va- 
 rious phials, filled with liquids of the most radiant colours. 
 These were arranged, in due order, by the side of the 
 murderous saws, knives, and scissors, when Elnathan 
 stretched his long body to its utmost elevation, placing his 
 hand on the small of his back, as if for support, and 
 looked about him to discover what effect this display of 
 professional skill was likely to produce on the spectators. 
 
 Upon my wort, toctor," observed Major Hartmann, 
 with a roguish roll of his little black eyes, but with every 
 other feature of his face in a state of perfect rest, put 
 you have a very pretty pocket-pook of tools tere, and your 
 toctor-stufF glitters, as if it was petter for ter eyes as for 
 ter pelly." 
 
 Elnathan gave a hem, — one that might have been equally 
 taken for that kind of noise which cowards are said to 
 make, in order to awaken their dormant courage, or for a 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 69 
 
 natural effort to clear the throat : if for the latter^ it was 
 successful; for^ turning his face to the veteran German, 
 he said — 
 
 Very true. Major Hartmann, very true, sir ; a prudent 
 man will always strive to make his remedies agreeable to 
 the eyes, though they m.ay not altogether suit the stomach. 
 It is no small part of our art, sir," and he now spoke with 
 the confidence of a man who understood his subject, to 
 reconcile the patient to what is for his own good, though, 
 at the same time, it may be unpalatable." 
 
 Sartain ! Dr. Todd is right,*' said Remarkable, and 
 has Scripter for what he says. The Bible tells us, how things 
 may be sweet to the mouth, and bitter to the inwards." 
 
 True, true," interrupted the Judge, a little impatiently; 
 but here is a youth who needs no deception to lure him 
 to his own benefit. I see, by his eye, that he fears nothing 
 more than delay.'* 
 
 The stranger had, without assistance, bared his own 
 shoulder, when the slight perforation, produced by the pas- 
 sage of the buck-shot, was plainly visible. The intense cold 
 of the evening had stopped the bleeding, and Dr. Todd, 
 casting a furtive glance at the wound, thought it by no 
 means so formidable an affair as he had anticipated. Thus 
 encouraged, he approached his patient, and made some 
 indication of an intention to trace the route that had been 
 taken by the lead. 
 
 Remarkable often found occasions, in after days, to re- 
 count the minutiae of that celebrated operation : and when 
 she arrived at this point, she commonly proceeded as fol- 
 lows : — And then the Doctor tuck out of the pocket- 
 book a long thing, like a knitting-needle, with a button 
 fastened to the end on't ; and then he pushed it into the 
 wownd ; and then the young man looked awful ; and then 
 I thought I should have swaned away — 1 felt in sitch a 
 disp'ut taking ; and then the Doctor had run it right through 
 his shoulder, and shoved the bullet out on t'other side ; and 
 so Dr. Todd cured the young man — of a ball that the Judge 
 had shot into him, for all the world, as easy as I could pick 
 out a splinter with my darning-needle." 
 
 Such were the impressions of Remarkable on the subject; 
 F 3 
 
70 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 and such, doubtless^ were the opinions of most of those who 
 felt it necessary to entertain a species of religious veneration 
 for the skill of Elnathan; but such was far from the truth. 
 
 When the physician attempted to introduce the instru- 
 ment described by Remarkable^ he was repulsed by the 
 stranger^ with a good deal of decision^ and some little con- 
 tempt^ in his manner. 
 
 ''^ I believe^ sir/' he said^ that a probe is not neces- 
 sary; the shot has missed the bone^ and has passed directly 
 through the arm to the opposite side^ where it remains but 
 skin-deep^ and whence^ I should think^ it might be easily 
 extracted.*' 
 
 The gentleman knows best/' said Dr. Todd^ laying 
 down the probe^ with the air of a man who had assumed it 
 merely in compliance with forms ; and turning to Richard, 
 he fingered the lint with the appearance of great care and 
 foresight. Admirably well scraped. Squire Jones ! it is 
 about the best lint I have ever seen. I want your assist- 
 ance, my good sir, to hold the patient's arm, while I make 
 an incision for the ball. Now, I rather guess, there is not 
 another gentleman present who could scrape the lint so well 
 as Squire Jones." 
 
 Such things run in families," observed Richard, rising 
 with alacrity to render the desired assistance. My fa- 
 ther, and my grandfather before him, were both celebrated 
 for their knowledge of surgery ; they were not, like Mar- 
 maduke here, puifed up with an accidental thing, such as the 
 time when he drew in the hip-joint of the man who was 
 throwm from his horse : that was the fall before you came 
 into the settlement. Doctor ; but they were men who v/ei-e 
 taught the thing regularly, spending half their lives in 
 learning those little niceties ; though, for the matter of 
 that, my grandfather was a college-bred physician, and the 
 best in the colony, too — that is, in his neighbourhood." 
 
 So it goes with the world, Squire," cried Benjamin^ 
 if-so-be that a man wants to walk the quarter-deck v/ith 
 credit, d'ye see, and with regular built swabs on his shoul- 
 ders, he mus nt think to do it by getting in at the cabin- 
 windows. There are two ways to get into a top, besides 
 the lubber-holes. The true way to walk aft, is to begin 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 71 
 
 forrard; tho'f it be only in a humble way, like myself, d'ye 
 see, which was, from being only a bander of top-gallant- 
 sails, and a stower of the flying-jib, to keeping the key of 
 the Captain's locker." 
 
 Benjamin speaks quite to the purpose," continued 
 Richard. I dare say, that he has often seen shot ex- 
 tracted, in the different ships in which he has served ; sup- 
 pose we get him to hold the basin ; he must be used to the 
 sight of blood." 
 
 That he is, Squire, that he is," interrupted the ci-devant 
 steward : many's the good shot, round, double-headed, 
 and grape, that I've seen the doctors at work on. For the 
 matter of that, I was in a boat, alongside the ship, when 
 they cut out the twelve-pound shot from the thigh of the 
 Captain of the Foody-rong, one of Moun sheer Ler Quaw's 
 countrymen ! " * 
 
 A twelve-pound ball from the thigh of a human being?" 
 exclaimed Mr. Grant, with great simplicity, dropping the 
 sermon he was again reading, and raising his spectacles to 
 the top of his forehead. 
 
 A twelve-pounder !" echoed Benjamin, staring around 
 him with much confidence ; a twelve-pounder ! ay ! a 
 twenty-four pound shot can easily be taken from a man's 
 body, if-so-be a doctor only knows how. There's Squire 
 Jones, now, ask him, sir; he reads all the books; ask him, 
 if he never fell in with a page that keeps the reckoning of 
 such things." 
 
 Certainly, more important operations than that have 
 been performed," observed Richard ; the Encyclopaedia 
 mentions much more incredible circumstances than that, 
 as, I dare say, you know. Doctor Todd." 
 
 Certainly, there are incredible tales told in the En- 
 cyclopaedias," returned Elnathan, " though I cannot say, 
 that I have ever seen, myself, any thing larger than a 
 nmsket-buliet extracted." 
 
 During this discourse, an incision had been made through 
 the skin of the young hunter's shoulder, and the lead was 
 
 * It is possible that, the reader may start at this declaration of Benjamin, but 
 those who have hved in the new settlements of America, are too much accus- 
 tomed to hear of these European exploits, to doubt it. 
 
 F 4 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 laid bare. Elnathan took a pair of glittering forceps^ and 
 was in the act of applying them to the wound, when a 
 sudden motion of the patient caused the shot to fall out of 
 itself. The long arm and broad hand of the operator were 
 now of singular service ; for the latter expanded itself, and 
 caught the lead, while at the same time, an extremely am- 
 biguous motion was made, by its brother, so as to leave it 
 doubtful to the spectators, how great was its agency in re- 
 leasing the shot. Richard, however, put the matter at rest, 
 by exclaiming — 
 
 Very neatly done. Doctor ! I have never seen a shot 
 more neatly extracted ; and, 1 dare say, Benjamin will say 
 the same." 
 
 Why, considering," returned Benjamin, I must say, 
 that it was ship-shape, and Brister-fashion. — Now all that 
 the Doctor has to do, is to clap a couple of plugs in the 
 holes, and the lad will float in any gale, that blows in these 
 here hills.'* 
 
 I thank you, sir, for what you have done,*' said the 
 youth, with a little distance : " but here is a man who 
 will take me under his care, and spare you all, gentlemen, 
 any further trouble on my account." 
 
 The whole group turned their heads in surprise, and 
 beheld, standing at one of the distant doors of the hall, 
 the person of Indian John. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 From Susquehanna's utmost springs, 
 
 "Where savage tribes pursue their game. 
 
 His blanket tied with yellow strings. 
 
 The shepherd of the forest came. Freneau. 
 
 Before the Europeans, or, to use a more significant term, 
 the Christians, dispossessed the original owners of the soil, 
 all that section of country, which contains the New-Eng- 
 land States, and those of the Middle, which lie east of the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 73 
 
 mountains, was occupied by two great nations of Indians, 
 from whom had descended numberless tribes. But, as the 
 original distinctions between these nations were marked by 
 a difference in language, as well as by repeated and bloody 
 wars, they never were known to amalgamate, until after the 
 power and inroads of the w^hites had reduced some of the 
 tribes to a state of dependence, that rendered not only their 
 political, but, considering the wants and habits of a savage, 
 their animal existence also, extremely precarious. 
 
 These two great divisions consisted, on the one side, of 
 the Five, or, as they were afterwards called, the Six Nations, 
 and their allies ; and, on the other, of the Lenni Lenape, or 
 Delawares, with the numerous and powerful tribes, that 
 owned that nation as their Grandfather. The former were 
 generally called, by the Anglo-Americans, Iroquois, or the 
 Six Nations, and sometimes Mingoes. Their appellation, 
 among their rivals, seems generally to have been the Mengwe, 
 or Maqua. They consisted of the tribes, or, as their allies 
 were fond of asserting, in order to raise their consequence, 
 of the several nations of the Mohawks, tlie Oneidas, the 
 Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas ; who ranked, in the 
 confederation, in the order in which they are named. The 
 Tuscaroras were admitted to this union, near a century 
 after its formation, and thus completed the number to six. 
 
 Of the Lenni Lenape, or as they were called by the 
 whites, from the circumstance of their holding their great 
 council-fire on the banks of that river, the Delaware nation, 
 the principal tribes, besides that which bore the generic 
 name, were, the Mahicanni, Mohicans or Mohegans, and 
 the Nanticokes, or Nentigoes. Of these, the latter held the 
 country along the waters of the Chesapeake and the sea- 
 shore ; while the Mohegans occupied the district between 
 the Hudson and the ocean, including much of New-England. 
 Of course, these two tribes were the first who were dis- 
 possessed of their lands by the Europeans. 
 
 The wars of a portion of the latter are celebrated among 
 us, as the wars of King Philip ; but the peaceful policy of 
 William Penn, or Miquon, as he was termed by the natives, 
 effected its object with less difficulty, though not with less 
 certainty. As the natives gradually disappeared from the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 country of the Mohegans, some scattering families sought 
 a refuge around the council-fire of the mother tribe, or the 
 Delawares. 
 
 This people had been induced to suffer themselves to be 
 called women, by their old enemies_, the Mingoes_, or Iro- 
 quois^ after the latter^ having in vain tried the effects of 
 hostility^ had recourse to artifice^ in order to prevail over 
 their rivals. According to this declaration^ the Delawares 
 were to cultivate the arts of peace, and to intrust their 
 defence entirely to the men, or warlike tribes of the Six 
 Nations. 
 
 This state of things continued until the war of the Re- 
 volution, when the Lenni Lenape formally asserted their 
 independence, and fearlessly declared, that they were again 
 men. But in a government so peculiarly republican as the 
 Indian polity, it was not, at all times, an easy task to re- 
 strain its members within the rules of the nation. Several 
 fierce and renowned warriors of the Mohegans, finding the 
 conflict with the whites to be in vain, sought a refuge with 
 their Grandfather, and brought with them the feelings and 
 principles that had so long distinguished them in their 
 own tribe. These chieftains kept alive, in some measure, 
 the martial spirit of the Delawares ; and would, at times, 
 lead small parties against their ancient enemies, or such 
 other foes as incurred their resentment. 
 
 Among these warriors was one race particularly famous 
 for their prowess, and for those qualities that render an 
 Indian hero celebrated. But war_, time, disease, and want, 
 had conspired to thin their number ; and the sole represent- 
 ative of this once renowned family now stood in the hall 
 of Marmaduke Temple. He had, for a long time, been an 
 associate of the white men, particularly in their w^ars ; and, 
 having been, at a season when his services were of import- 
 ance, much noticed and flattered, he had turned Christian, 
 and was baptized by the name of John. He had suffered 
 severely in his family during the recent war, having had 
 every soul to whom he was allied cut off by an inroad of 
 the enemy ; and when the last, lingering remnant of his 
 nation extinguished their fires^ among the hills of the 
 Delaware, he alone had remained, with a determination of 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 75 
 
 laying his bones in that country^ where his fathers had so 
 long lived and governed. 
 
 It was only^ however, within a few months, that he had 
 appeared among the mountains that surrounded Templeton. 
 To the hut of the old hunter he seemed peculiarly welcome ; 
 and, as the habits of the Leather-stocking" were so 
 nearly assimilated to those of the savages, the conjunction 
 of their interests excited no surprise. They resided in the 
 same cabin, ate of the same food, and were chiefly occupied 
 in the same pursuits. 
 
 We have already mentioned the baptismal name of this 
 ancient chief ; but in his conversation with Natty, held in 
 the language of the Delawares, he was heard uniformly to 
 call himself Chingachgook, which, interpreted, means the 
 
 Great Snake." This name he had acquired in youth, 
 by his skill and prowess in war ; but when his brows began 
 to wrinkle with time, and he stood alone, the last of his 
 family, and his particular tribe, the few Delawares, who 
 yet continued about the head-waters of their river, gave 
 him the mournful appellation of Mohegan. Perhaps there 
 was something of deep feeling excited in the bosom of this 
 inhabitant of the forest by the sound of a name that recalled 
 the idea of his nation in ruins, for he seldom used it him- 
 self — never indeed, excepting on the most solemn occasions 3 
 but the settlers had united, according to the Christian 
 custom, his baptismal with his national name, and to them 
 he was generally knov;n as John Mohegan, or, more fami- 
 liarly, as Indian John. 
 
 From his long association with the white men, the habits 
 of Mohegan were a mixture of the civilised and savage 
 states, though there was certainly a strong preponderance 
 in favour of the latter. In common with all his people, 
 who dwelt within the influence of the Anglo-Americans, he 
 had acquired new wants, and his dress was a mixture of 
 his native and European fashions. Notwithstanding the 
 intense cold without, his head was uncovered ; but a pro- 
 fusion of long, black, coarse hair, concealed his forehead, 
 his crown, and even hung about his cheeks, so as to convey 
 the idea, to one who knew his present and former conditions, 
 that he encouraged its abundance, as a willing veil, to hide 
 
76 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the shame of a noble soul^ mourning for glory once known. 
 His forehead, when it could be seen, appeared lofty, broad, 
 and noble. His nose was high, and of the kind called 
 Roman, with nostrils that expanded, in his seventieth year, 
 with the freedom that had distinguished them in youth. 
 His mouth was large, but compressed, and possessing a 
 great share of expression and character, and, when opened, 
 it discovered a perfect set of short, strong, and regular 
 teeth. His chin was full, though not prominent ; and his 
 face bore the infallible mark of his people, in its square, 
 high cheek-bones. The eyes were not large, but their black 
 orbs glittered in the rays of the candles, as he gazed intently 
 down the hall, like two balls of fire. 
 
 The instant that Mohegan observed himself to be noticed 
 by tlie group around the young stranger, he dropped the 
 blanket, which covered the upper part of his frame, from 
 his shoulders, suffering it to fall over his leggins of un- 
 tanned deer-skin, where it was retained by a belt of bark, 
 that confined it to his waist. 
 
 As he walked slowly down the long hall, the dignified 
 and deliberate tread of the Indian surprised the spectators. 
 His shoulders, and body to his waist, were entirely bare, 
 with the exception of a silver medallion of Washington, 
 that w^as suspended from his neck by a thong of buck-skin, 
 and rested on his high chest, amidst many scars. His 
 shoulders were rather broad and full ; but the arms, though 
 straight and graceful, wanted the muscular appearance that 
 labour gives to a race of men. The medallion was the 
 only ornament he wore, although enormous slits in the rim 
 of either ear, which suffered the cartilages to fall two inches 
 below the members, had evidently been used for the pur- 
 poses of decoration in other days. In his hand he held 
 a small basket, of the ash- wood slips, coloured in divers 
 fantastical conceits, with red and black paints mingled with 
 the white of the wood. 
 
 As this child of the forest approached them, the whole 
 party stood aside, and allowed him to confront the object 
 of his visit. He did not speak, however, but stood fixing 
 his glowing eyes on the shoulder of the young hunter, and 
 then turning them intently on the countenance of the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 77 
 
 Judge. The latter was a good deal astonished at this 
 unusual departure from the ordinarily subdued and quiet 
 manner of the Indian ; but he extended his hand^ and 
 said — 
 
 Thou art welcome^ John. This youth entertains a 
 high opinion of thy skilly it seems^ for he prefers thee to 
 dress his wound even to our good friend Dr. Todd." 
 
 Mohegan now spoke, in tolerable English, but in a low, 
 monotonous, guttural tone : — 
 
 The children of Miquon do not love the sight of blood ; 
 and yet, the Young Eagle has been struck by the hand that 
 should do no evil ! " 
 
 Mohegan ! old John !" exclaimed the Judge, thinkest 
 thou, that my hand has ever drawn human blood willingly ? 
 For shame ! for shame, old John ! thy religion should have 
 taught thee better." 
 
 The evil spirit sometimes lives in the best heart," 
 returned John, but my brother speaks the truth; his 
 hand has never taken life, when awake ; no ! not even when 
 the children of the great English Father were making the 
 waters red with the blood of his people." 
 
 Surely, John," said Mr. Grant, with mach earnestness, 
 you remember the divine command of our Saviour, 
 ' Judge not, lest ye be judged.' What motive could Judge 
 Temple have for injuring a youth like this ; one to whom 
 he is unknown, and from whom he can receive neither in* 
 jury nor favour !" 
 
 John listened respectfully to the divine, and when he 
 had concluded, he stretched out his arm, and said with 
 energy — 
 
 He is innocent — my brother has not done this." 
 Marmaduke received the offered hand of the other with 
 a smile, that showed, however he might be astonished at 
 his suspicion, he had ceased to resent it ; while the wounded 
 youth stood, gazing from his red friend to his host, with 
 interest powerfully delineated in his countenance. No 
 sooner was this act of pacification exchanged, than John 
 proceeded to discharge the duty, on which he had come. 
 Dr. Todd was far from manifesting any displeasure at this 
 invasion of his rights, but made way for the new leech. 
 
78 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 with an air that expressed a willingness to gratify the 
 humours of his patient^ now that the all-important part of 
 the business was so successfully performed^ and nothing 
 remained to be done^ but what any child might effect. 
 Indeed^ he whispered as much to Monsieur Le Quoi^ when 
 he said — 
 
 It was fortunate that the ball was extracted before 
 this Indian came in ; but any old woman can dress the 
 wound. The young man, I hear, lives with John and 
 Natty Bumppo, and it's always best to humour a patient, 
 when it can be done discreetly — I say, discreetly, Mon- 
 sieur." 
 
 " Certain em en t," returned the Frenchman ; you seem 
 ver happy^ mister Todd, in your pratique. I tink de elder 
 lady might ver well finish, vat you so skeelfuUy begin." 
 
 But Richard had, at the bottom, a great deal of venera- 
 tion for the knowledge of Mohegan, especially in external 
 wounds ; and retaining all his desire for a participation in 
 glory, he advanced nigh the Indian, and said — 
 
 Sago, sago, Mohegan ! sago, my good fellow I I am 
 glad you have come ; give me a regular physician, like Dr. 
 Todd, to cut into flesh, and a native to heal the wound. 
 Do you remember, John, the time when I and you set the 
 bone of Natty Bumppo's little finger, after he broke it by 
 falling from the rock, when he was trying to get the par^ 
 tridge that fell on the cliffs. I never could tell yet, whether 
 it was I or Natty, who killed that bird : he fired first, and 
 the bird stooped, but then it was rising again as I pulled 
 trigger. I should have claimed it, for a certainty, but 
 Natty said the hole was too big for shot, and he fired a 
 single ball from his rifle; but the piece I carried then 
 didn't scatter, and I have known it to bore a hole through 
 a board, when I've been shooting at the mark, very much 
 like rifle bullets. Shall I help you, John ? You know I 
 have a knack at these things." 
 
 Mohegan heard this disquisition quite patiently, and 
 when Richard concluded, he held out the basket, which 
 contained his specifics, indicating, by a gesture, that he 
 might hold it. Mr. Jones was quite satisfied with this 
 commission j and, ever after, in speaking of the event, was 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 79 
 
 used to say, that Doctor Todd and I cut out the bullet, 
 and I and Indian John dressed the wound." 
 
 The patient was much more deserving of that epithet, 
 while under the hands of Mohegan, than while suffering 
 under the practice of the physician. Indeed, the Indian 
 gave him but little opportunity for the exercise of a for- 
 bearing temper, as he had come prepared for the occasion. 
 His dressings were soon applied, and consisted only of 
 some pounded bark, moistened with a fluid that he had 
 expressed from some of the simples of the woods. 
 
 Among the native tribes of the forest, there were always 
 two kinds of leeches to be met with. The one placed its 
 whole dependence on the exercise of a supernatural power, 
 and was held in greater veneration than their practice could 
 at all justify ; but the other was really endowed with great 
 skill, in the ordinary complaints of the human body, and 
 was, more particularly, as Natty had intimated, curous 
 in cuts and bruises." 
 
 While John and Richard were placing the dressings on 
 the wound, Elnathan was acutely eyeing the contents of 
 Mohegan's basket, which Mr. Jones, in his physical ardour, 
 had transferred to the Doctor, in order to hold, himself, 
 one end of the bandages. Here he was soon enabled to 
 detect sundry fragments of wood and bark, of which he, 
 quite coolly, took possession, very possibly without any 
 intention of speaking at all upon the subject ; but when he 
 beheld the full blue eye of Marmaduke, watching his 
 movements, he whispered to the Judge — 
 
 "It is not to be denied. Judge Temple, but what the 
 savages are knowing, in small matters of physic. They 
 hand these things down in their traditions. Now in cancers 
 and hydrophoby, they are quite ingenious. I will just take 
 this bark home, and analyze it; for, though it can't be 
 worth sixpence to the young man's shoulder, it may be good 
 for the toothach, or rheumatism, or some of them com- 
 plaints. A man should never be above learning, even if it 
 be from an Indian." 
 
 It was fortunate for Dr. Todd, that his principles were 
 so liberal, as, coupled with his practice, they were the 
 means by which he acquired all his knowledge, and by 
 
80 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 which he was gradually qualifying himself for the duties 
 of his profession. The process to which he subjected the 
 specific^ differed^ however^ greatly from the ordinary rules 
 of chemistry ; for, instead of separating, he afterwards 
 united the component parts of Mohegan's remedy, and 
 thus was able to discover the tree whence the Indian had 
 taken it. 
 
 Some ten years after this event, when civilisation and its 
 refinements had crept, or rather rushed, into the settlements 
 among these wild hills, an affair of honour occurred, and 
 Elnathan was seen to apply a salve to the wound received 
 by one of the parties, which had the flavour that was pe- 
 culiar to the tree, or root, that Mohegan had used. Ten 
 years later still, when England and the United States were 
 again engaged in war, and the hordes of the western parts 
 of the state of New-York were rushing to the field, Elna- 
 than, presuming on the reputation obtained by these two 
 operations, followed in the rear of a brigade of militia, a« 
 its surgeon ! 
 
 When Mohegan had applied the bark, he freely relin- 
 quished to Richard the needle and thread that were used in 
 sewing the bandages, for these were implements of which 
 the native but little understood the use ; and, stepping back, 
 with decent gravity, awaited the completion of the business 
 by the other. 
 
 '^^ Reach me the scissors," said Mr. Jones, when he had 
 finished, and finished for the second time, after tying the 
 linen in every shape and form that it could be placed; 
 
 reach me the scissors, for here is a thread that must be 
 cut off, or it might get under the dressings, and inflame the 
 wound. See, John, I have put the lint I scraped, between 
 two layers of the linen ; for though the bark is certainly 
 best for the flesh, yet the lint will serve to keep the cold 
 air from the wound. If any lint will do it good, it is this 
 lint ; I scraped it myself, and I will not turn my back, at 
 scraping lint, to any man on the Patent. I ought to know 
 how, if any body ought, for my grandfather was a doctor, 
 and my father had a natural turn that way.'' 
 
 Here, Squire, is the scissors," said Remarkable, pro- 
 ducing from beneath her petticoat of green moreen, a pair 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 81 
 
 of dull-looking shears ; well^ upon my say-so^ you have 
 sewed on the rags as well as a woman." 
 
 As well as a woman ! " echoed Richard^ with indigna- 
 tion ; what do women know of such matters ? and you 
 are proof of the truth of what I say. Who ever saw such 
 a pair of shears used about a wound ? Dr. Todd^ I will 
 thank you for the scissors from the case. Now^ young 
 man, I think you'll do. The shot has been very neatly 
 taken out, although, perhaps, seeing I had a hand in it, I 
 ought not to say so ; and the wound is admirably dressed. 
 You will soon be well again ; though the jerk you gave my 
 leaders must have a tendency to inflame the shoulder, yet, 
 you wall do, you will do. You were rather flurried, I 
 suppose, and not used to horses ; but I forgive the accident 
 for the motive : — no doubt, you had the best of motives; — 
 yes, now you will do." 
 
 Then, gentlemen," said the wounded stranger, rising, 
 and resuming his clothes, it will be unnecessary for me to 
 trespass longer on your time and patience. There remains 
 but one thing more to be settled, and that is, our respective 
 rights to the deer. Judge Temple." 
 
 I acknowledge it to be thine," said Marmaduke; 
 *^ and much more deeply am I indebted to thee, than for 
 this piece of venison. But in the morning thou wilt call 
 here, and we can adjust this, as well as more important 
 matters. Elizabeth," — for the young lady being apprised 
 that the wound was dressed, had re-entered the hall, — 
 
 thou wilt order a repast for this youth before we proceed 
 to the church ; and Aggy will have a sleigh prepared, to 
 convey him to his friend." 
 
 " But, sir, I cannot go without a part of the deer," 
 returned the youth, seemingly struggling with his own 
 feelings ; I have already told you, that I needed the 
 venison for myself." 
 
 *^ Oh ! we will not be particular," exclaimed Richard ; 
 
 the Judge will pay you, in the morning, for the whole 
 deer ; and. Remarkable, give the lad all the animal except- 
 ing the saddle; so, on the whole, I think, you may con- 
 sider yourself as a very lucky young man ; — you have 
 been shot, without being disabled; have had the wound 
 
83 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 dressed in the best possible manner^ here in the woods^ as 
 well as it would have been done in the Philadelphia hos- 
 pital,, if not better ; have sold your deer at a high price^ 
 and yet can keep most of the carcass^ with the skin in the 
 bargain. 'Marky^ tell Tom to give him the skin too ; and 
 in the morning, bring the skin to me, and I will give you 
 half-a-dollar for it, or at least, three-and-sixpence. 1 
 want just such a skin to cover the pillion that I am making 
 for cousin Bess.*' 
 
 I thank you, sir, for your liberality, and, I trust, am 
 also thankful for my escape,*' returned the stranger ; but 
 you reserve the very part of the animal that I wished for 
 my own use. I must have the saddle myself." 
 
 Must ! ** echoed Richard ; must is harder to be 
 swallowed than the horns of the buck." 
 
 Yes, must,*' repeated the youth ; when, turning his 
 head proudly around him, as if to see who would dare to 
 controvert his rights, he met the astonished gaze of Eliza- 
 beth, and proceeded more mildly — ^'^that is, if a man is 
 allowed the possession of that which his hand hath killed, 
 and the law will protect him in the enjoyment of his 
 own." 
 
 The law will do so," said Judge Temple, with an air 
 of mortification, mingled with surprise. Benjamin, see 
 that the whole deer is placed in the sleigh ; and have this 
 youth conveyed to the hut of Leather-stocking. But, 
 young man, thou hast a name, and I shall see you again, 
 in order to compensate thee for the wrong I have done 
 thee.?* " 
 
 I am called Edwards,'* returned the hunter, Oliver 
 Edwards. I am easily to be seen, sir, for I live nigh by, 
 and am not afraid to show my face, having never injured 
 any man." 
 
 It is we who have injured you, sir," said Elizabeth ; 
 and the knowledge that you decline our assistance would 
 give my father great pain. He would gladly see you in the 
 morning." 
 
 The young hunter gazed at the fair speaker, until his 
 earnest look brought the blood to her temples ; when^ re- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 collecting himself, he hent his head, dropping his eyes to the 
 carpet, and replied — 
 
 In the morning, then, will I return, and see Judge 
 Temple ; and I will accept his offer of the sleigh, in token 
 of amity/* 
 
 Amity !" repeated Marmaduke ; there was no malice 
 in the act that injured thee, young man ; there should he 
 none in the feelings which it may engender." 
 
 Forgive our trespasses, as we forgive those who tres- 
 pass against us," observed Mr. Grant, is the language used 
 by our Divine Master himself, and it should be the golden 
 rule of us, his humble followers.'* 
 
 The stranger stood a moment, lost in thought, and then 
 glancing his dark eyes, rather wildly, around the hall, he 
 bowed low to the divine, and moved from the apartment, 
 with an air that would not admit of detention. 
 
 'Tis strange that one so young should harbour such 
 feelings of resentment," said Marmaduke, when the door 
 closed behind the stranger ; but while the pain is recent, 
 and the sense of the injury so fresh, he must feel more 
 strongly than in cooler moments. I doubt not, we shall see 
 him, in the morning, more tractable." 
 
 Elizabeth, to whom this speech was addressed, did not 
 reply, but moved slowly up the hall, by herself, fixing her 
 eyes on the little figure of the English ingrained carpet that 
 covered the floor ; while, on the other hand, Richard gave 
 a loud crack with his whip, as the stranger disappeared, 
 and cried — 
 
 Well, 'duke, you are your own master, but I would 
 have tried law for the saddle, before I would have given it 
 to the fellow. Do you not own the mountains, as well as 
 the valleys ? are not the woods your own } what right has 
 this chap, or the Leather-stocking, to shoot in your woods, 
 without your permission ? Now, I have known a farmer, 
 in Pennsylvania, order a sportsman off his farm, with as 
 little ceremony as I would order Benjamin to put a log in 
 the stove. By the by, Benjamin, see how the thermometer 
 stands. Now, if a man has a right to do this on a farm of 
 a hundred acres, what power must a landlord have^ who 
 
 Q 2 
 
84 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 owns sixty thousand — ay ! for the matter of that, including 
 the late purchases, a hundred thousand ? There is Mo- 
 hegan, to be sure, he may have some right, being a native ; 
 but it*s little the poor fellow can do now with his rifle. 
 How is this managed in France, Monsieur Le Quoi ? do 
 you let every body run over your land, in that country, 
 helter-skelter, as they do here, shooting the game, so that 
 a gentleman has but little or no chance with his gun ? ** 
 
 Bah ! diable_, no, Meester Deeck,'* replied the French- 
 man ; we give, in France, no liberty, except to de ladi.'* 
 
 Yes, yes, to the women, I know," said Richard ; that 
 is your Salick law, I read, sir, all kinds of books ; of France, 
 as well as England ; of Greece, as well as Rome. But if 
 I were in 'duke's place, I would stick up advertisements 
 to-morrow morning, forbidding all persons to shoot, or 
 trespass, in any manner, on my woods. I could write such 
 an advertisement myself, in an hour^ as would put a stop 
 to the thing at once." 
 
 " Richart," said Major Hartmann, very coolly, knocking 
 the ashes from his pipe into the spitting-box, by his side, 
 now listen ; I have livet seventy-five years on ter Mohawk, 
 and in ter woots. — You hat petter mettle as mit ter deyvel, 
 as mit ter hunters. Tey Hve mit ter gun, and a rifle is 
 petter as ter law." 
 
 A'nt Marmaduke a judge ? " said Richard, indignantly. 
 Where is the use of being a judge, or having a judge, if 
 there is no law ? Damn the fellow ! I have a great mind 
 to sue him in the morning myself, before Squire DooHttle, 
 for meddling with my leaders. I am not afraid of his rifle. 
 I can shoot too. I have hit a dollar, many a time, at fifty 
 rods." 
 
 Thou hast missed more dollars than ever thou hast hit, 
 Dickon," exclaimed the cheerful voice of the Judge. — 
 But we will now take our evening's repast, which, I per- 
 ceive by Remarkable's physiognomy, is ready. Monsieur 
 Le Quoi, Miss Temple has a hand at your service. Will 
 you lead the way, my child ? " 
 
 Ah ! ma chere Mam'selle, comme je suis enchante ! " 
 said the Frenchman. II ne manque que les dames de 
 faire un paradis de Templeton." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 85 
 
 Mr. Grant and Mohegan continued in the hall, while the 
 remainder of the party withdrew to an eating parlour, if we 
 except Benjamin, who, civilly remained, to close the rear 
 after the clergyman, and to open the front door for the exit 
 of the Indian. 
 
 John," said the divine, when the figure of Judge 
 Temple disappeared, the last of the group, to-morrow is 
 the festival of the nativity of our blessed Redeemer, when 
 the church has appointed prayers and thanksgivings, to be 
 offered up by her children, and when all are invited to par- 
 take of the mystical elements. As you have taken up the 
 cross, and become a follower of good, and an eschewer of 
 evil, I trust I shall see you before the altar, with a contrite 
 heart and a meek spirit." 
 
 " John will come," said the Indian, betraying no surprise ; 
 though he did not understand all the terms used by the other. 
 
 Yes," continued Mr. Grant, laying his hand gently on 
 the tawny shoulder of the aged chief, but it is not enough 
 to be there in the body ; you must come in the spirit and in 
 truth. The Redeemer died for all, for the poor Indian, as 
 well as for the white man. Heaven knows no difference in 
 colour ; nor must earth witness a separation of the church. 
 It is good and profitable, John, to freshen the understand- 
 ing, and support the wavering, by the observance of our 
 holy festivals ; but all form is but stench in the nostrils of 
 the Holy One, unless it be accompanied by a devout and 
 humble spirit." 
 
 The Indian stepped back a little, and, raising his body 
 to its utmost powers of erection, he stretched his right arm 
 on high, and dropped his fore-finger downward, as if point- 
 ing from the heavens, then striking his other hand on his 
 naked breast, he said, with energy — 
 
 The eye of the Great Spirit can see from the clouds ; — 
 the bosom of Mohegan is bare ! " 
 
 It is well, John, and I hope you will receive profit and 
 consolation from the performance of this duty. The Great 
 Spirit overlooks none of his children ; and the man of the 
 woods is as much an object of his care, as he who dwells in 
 a palace. I wish you a good night, and pray God to bless 
 you." 
 
 G 3 
 
86 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 The Indian bent his head, and they separated — the one 
 to seek his hut, and the other to join the party at the 
 supper- table. While Benjamin was opening the door for 
 the passage of the chief, he cried, in a tone that was meant 
 to be encouraging — 
 
 The parson says the word that is true, John. If-so-be 
 that they took count of the colour of a skin in heaven, why, 
 they might refuse to muster on their books a Christian-born, 
 like myself, just for the matter of a little tan, from cruising 
 in warm latitudes ; though, for the matter of that, this damned 
 nor- wester is enough to whiten the skin of a blackamoor. 
 Let the reefs out of your blanket, man, or your red hide will 
 hardly weather the night, without a touch from the frost." 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 For here the exile met from every clime. 
 
 And spoke, in friendship, every distant tongue. Campbell. 
 
 WjE have made our readers acquainted with some variety in 
 character and nations, in introducing the most important 
 personages of this legend to their notice : but, in order to 
 establish the fidelity of our narrative, we shall briefly attempt 
 to explain the reason why we have been obliged to present 
 so motley a dramatis personae. 
 
 Europe, at the period of our tale, was in the commence- 
 ment of that commotion which afterwards shook her po- 
 litical institutions to the centre. Louis the Sixteenth had 
 been beheaded, and a nation, once esteemed the most refined 
 among the civilised people of the world, was changing its 
 character, and substituting cruelty for mercy, and subtlety 
 and ferocity for magnanimity and courage. Thousands of 
 Frenchmen were compelled to seek protection in distant 
 lands. Among the crowds who fled from France and her 
 islands, to the United States of America, was the gentleman 
 whom we have already mentioned as Monsieur Le Quoi. 
 He had been recommended to the favour of Judge Temple, 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 87 
 
 by the head of an eminent mercantile house in New York, 
 with whom Marmaduke was in habits of intimacy, and 
 accustomed to exchange good offices. At his first interview 
 with the Frenchman, our Judge had discovered him to be 
 a man of breeding, and one who had seen much more pros- 
 perous days in his own country. From certain hints that 
 had escaped him, Monsieur Le Quoi was suspected of having 
 been a West-India planter, great numbers of whom had fled 
 from St. Domingo and the other islands, and were now living 
 in the Union, in a state of comparative poverty, and some 
 in absolute want. The latter was not, however, the lot of 
 Monsieur Le Quoi. He had but little, he acknowledged, 
 but that little was enough to furnish, in the language of the 
 country, an assortment for a store. 
 
 The knowledge of Marmaduke was eminently practical, 
 and there was no part of a settlers life with which he was 
 not familiar. Under his direction. Monsieur Le Quoi made 
 some purchases, consisting of a few cloths ; some groceries, 
 with a good deal of gunpowder and tobacco ; a quantity of 
 iron ware, among which was a large proportion of Barlow's 
 jack-knives, potash-kettles, and spiders ; a very formi- 
 dable collection of crockery, of the coarsest quality and 
 most uncouth forms; together with every other common 
 article that the art of man has devised for his wants, not 
 forgetting the luxuries of looking-glasses and Jews* harps. 
 With this collection of valuables. Monsieur Le Quoi had 
 stepped behind a counter, and, with a wonderful pliability 
 of temperament, had dropped into his assumed character as 
 gracefully as he had ever moved in any other. The gentle- 
 ness and suavity of his manners rendered him extremely 
 popular ; besides this, the women soon discovered that he 
 had a taste. His calicoes were the finest, or, in other words, 
 the most showy, of any that were brought into the country ; 
 and it was impossible to look at the prices asked for his 
 goods by so pretty a spoken man." Through these con- 
 joint means, the affairs of Monsieur Le Quoi were again in 
 a prosperous condition, and he was looked up to by the 
 settlers as the second-best man on the Patent." 
 
 This term, Patent," which we have already used, and 
 for which we may have further occasion, meant the district 
 a 4 
 
88 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 of country that had heen originally granted to old Major 
 Effingham by the king's letters patent/' and which had 
 now become^ by purchase under the act of confiscation, the 
 property of Marmaduke Temple. It was a term in com- 
 mon use throughout the new parts of the state ; and was 
 usually annexed to the landlord's name, as Temple's or 
 Effingham's Patent/' 
 
 Major Hartmann was the descendant of a man who, in 
 company with a number of his countrymen, had emigrated, 
 with their families, from the banks of the Rhine to those 
 of the Mohawk. This migration had occurred as far back 
 as the reign of Queen Anne ; and their descendants were 
 now living, in great peace and plenty, on the fertile borders 
 of that beautiful stream. 
 
 The Germans, or High Dutchers," as they were called, 
 to distinguish them from the original or Low Dutch colo- 
 nists, were a very peculiar people. They possessed all the 
 gravity of the latter, without any of their phlegm ; and, 
 like them, the High Butchers " were industrious, honest, 
 and economical. 
 
 Fritz, or Frederick, Hartmann was an epitome of all the 
 vices and virtues, foibles and excellences, of his race. He 
 was passionate, though silent, obstinate, and a good deal 
 suspicious of strangers; of immovable courage, inflexible 
 honesty, and undeviating in his friendships. Indeed there 
 was no change about him, unless it were from grave to gay. 
 He was serious by months, and jolly by weeks. He had, 
 early in their acquaintance, formed an attachment for 
 Marmaduke Temple, who was the only man that could 
 not speak High Dutch that ever gained his entire confi- 
 dence. Four times in each year, at periods equidistant, he 
 left his low stone dwelling, on the banks of the Mohawk, 
 and travelled thirty miles, through the hills, to the door of 
 the mansion-house in Templeton. Here he generally stayed 
 a week ; and was reputed to spend much of that time in 
 riotous living, greatly countenanced by Mr. Richard Jones. 
 But every one loved him, even to Remarkable Pettibone, 
 to whom he occasioned some additional trouble, he was so 
 frank, so sincere, and^ at times, so mirthful. He was now 
 on his regular Christmas visit^ and had not been in the vil- 
 
l-HE PIONEERS. 
 
 89 
 
 lage an hour when Richard summoned him to fill a seat 
 in the sleigh^ to meet the landlord and his daughter. 
 
 Before explaining the character and situation of Mr. 
 Grantj it will be necessary to recur to times far back in the 
 brief history of the settlement. 
 
 There seems to be a tendency in human nature to en- 
 deavour to provide for the wants of this world, before our 
 attention is turned to the business of the other. Religion 
 was a quality but little cultivated amid the stumps of 
 Temple's Patent for the first few years of its settlement ; 
 but_, as most of its inhabitants were from the moral states 
 of Connecticut and Massachusetts, when the wants of nature 
 were satisfied, they began seriously to turn their attention to 
 the introduction of those customs and observances which 
 had been the principal care of their forefathers. There was 
 certainly a great variety of opinions on the subject of grace 
 and free-will among the tenantry of Marmaduke ; and, 
 when we take into consideration the variety of the religious 
 instruction which they received, it can easily be seen that it 
 could not well be otherwise. 
 
 Soon after the village had been formally laid out into the 
 streets and blocks that resembled a city, a meeting of its 
 inhabitants had been convened, to take into consideration 
 the propriety of establishing an academy. This measure 
 originated with Richard, who, in truth, was much disposed 
 to have the institution designated a university, or at least a 
 college. Meeting after meeting was held, for this purpose, 
 year after year. The resolutions of these assemblages ap- 
 peared in the most conspicuous columns of a little, blue- 
 looking newspaper, that was already issued weekly from the 
 garret of a dwelling-house in the village, and which the 
 traveller might as often see stuck into the fissure of a stake, 
 erected at the point where the footpath from the log cabin 
 of some settler entered the highway, as a post-office for an 
 individual. Sometimes the stake supported a small box, and 
 a whole neighbourhood received a weekly supply for their 
 literary wants, at this point, where the man who ^' rides 
 post" regularly deposited a bundle of the precious commo- 
 dity. To these flourishing resolutions, which briefly re- 
 counted the general utility of education, the political and 
 
90 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 geographical rights of the village of Templeton to a partici- 
 pation in the favours of the regents of the university_, the 
 salubrity of the air^ and wholesomeness of the water^ toge- 
 ther with the cheapness of food and the superior state of 
 morals in the neighbourhood, were uniformly annexed, in 
 large Roman capitals, the names of Marmaduke Temple as 
 chairman, and Richard Jones as secretary. 
 
 Happily for the success of this undertaking, the regents 
 were not accustomed to resist these appeals to their gene- 
 rosity, whenever there was the smallest prospect of a dona- 
 tion to second the request. Eventually Judge Temple 
 concluded to bestow the necessary land, and to erect the re- 
 quired edifice at his own expense. The skill of Mr., or, as 
 he was now called, from the circumstance of having 
 received the commission of a justice of the peace. Squire, 
 Doolittle, was again put in requisition ; and the science of 
 Mr. Jones was once more resorted to. 
 
 We shall not recount the different devices of the archi- 
 tects on the occasion j nor would it be decorous so to do, 
 seeing that there was a convocation of the society of the 
 ancient and honourable fraternity of the Free and Ac- 
 cepted Masons," at the head of whom was Richard, in the 
 capacity of master, doubtless to approve or reject such of 
 tlie plans as, in their wisdom, they deemed to be for the 
 best. The knotty point was, however_, soon decided ; and, 
 on the appointed day, the brotherhood marched in great 
 state, displaying sundry banners and mysterious symbols, 
 each man with a little mimic apron before him, from a most 
 cunningly contrived apartment in the garret of the Bold 
 Dragoon," an inn kept by one Captain HoUister, to the 
 site of the intended edifice. Here Richard laid the corner- 
 stone, with suitable gravity, amidst an assemblage of more 
 than half the men, and all the women, within ten miles of 
 Templeton. 
 
 In the course of the succeeding week there was another 
 meeting of the people, not omitting swarms of the gentler 
 sex, when the abilities of Hiram, at the square rule," 
 were put to the test of experiment. The frame fitted well; 
 and the skeleton of the fabric was reared without a single 
 accident, if we except a few falls from horses while the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 91 
 
 labourers were returning home in the evening. From this 
 time the work advanced with great rapidity_, and in the 
 course of the season the labour was completed ; the edifice 
 standings in all its beauty and proportions^ the boast of the 
 village, the study of young aspirants for architectural fame, 
 and the admiration of every settler on the Patent. 
 
 It was a long, narrow house, of wood, painted white, and 
 more than half windows ; and when the observer stood at 
 the western side of the building, the edifice offered but a 
 small obstacle to a full view of the rising sun. It was, in 
 truth, .but a very comfortless, open place, through which 
 the daylight shone with natural facility. On its front were 
 divers ornaments, in wood, designed by Richard, and exe- 
 cuted by Hiram ; but a window in the centre of the second 
 story, immediately over the door, or grand entrance, and 
 the steeple," were the pride of the building. The former 
 was, we believe, of the composite order ; for it included in 
 its composition a multitude of ornaments, and a great 
 variety of proportions. It consisted of an arched compart- 
 ment in the centre, with a square and small division on 
 either side, the whole encased in heavy frames, deeply and 
 laboriously moulded in pine-wood, and lighted with a vast 
 number of blurred and green-looking glass, of those dimen- 
 sions which are commonly called eight by ten." Blinds, 
 that were intended to be painted green, kept the window in 
 a state of preservation ; and probably might have contri- 
 buted to the effect of the whole, had not the failure in the 
 public funds, which seems always to be incidental to any 
 undertaking of this kind, left them in the sombre coat 
 of lead colour with which they had been originally clothed. 
 The steeple" was a little cupola, reared on the very centre 
 of the roof, on four tall pillars of pine, that were fluted 
 with a gouge, and loaded with mouldings. On the tops of 
 the columns was reared a dome or cupola, resembling in 
 shape an inverted tea-cup without its bottom, from the 
 centre of which projected a spire, or shaft of wood, trans- 
 fixed with two iron rods, that bore on their ends the letters 
 N. S. E. and W,, in the same metal. The whole was sur- 
 mounted by an imitation of one of the finny tribe, carved in 
 wood by the hands of Richaid, and painted what he called 
 
92 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 a scale- colour.** This animal Mr. Jones affirmed to be an 
 admirable resemblance of a great favourite of the epicures 
 in that country, which bore the title of lake-fish ; " and 
 doubtless the assertion was true ; for, although intended to 
 answer the purposes of a weathercock, the fish was observed 
 invariably to look, with a longing eye, in the direction of 
 the beautiful sheet of water that lay imbedded in the 
 mountains of Templeton. 
 
 For a short time after the charter of the regents was 
 received, the trustees of this institution employed a gra- 
 duate of one of the eastern colleges, to instruct such youth 
 as aspired to knowledge, within the walls of the edifice 
 which we have described. The upper part of the building 
 was in one apartment, and was intended for gala-days and 
 exhibitions ; and the lower contained two rooms, that were 
 intended for the great divisions of education, viz. the Latin 
 and the English scholars. The former were never very 
 numerous; though the sounds of " nominative, pennaa, — 
 genitive, penny" were soon heard to issue from the win- 
 dows of the room, to the great delight and manifest edifi- 
 cation of the passenger. 
 
 Only one labourer in this temple of Minerva, however, 
 was known to get so far as to attempt a translation of 
 Virgil. He, indeed, appeared at the annual exhibition, to 
 tlie prodigious exultation of all his relatives, a farmer's 
 family in the vicinity, and repeated the whole of the first 
 eclogue from memory, observing the intonations of the 
 dialogue with much judgment and effect. The sounds, 
 as they proceeded from his mouth, of 
 
 ** Titty-ree too patty-lee ree-coo-bans sub teg-mi-nee faa-gy 
 Syl-ves-trem ten-oo-i moo-sam med-i-taa-ris aa-ve-ny 
 
 were the last that had been heard in that building, as pro- 
 bably they were the first that had ever been heard, in the 
 same language, there or any where else. By this time the 
 trustees discovered that they had anticipated the age, and 
 the instructevy or principal, was superseded by a master, 
 who went on to teach the more humble lesson of the 
 more haste the worse speed/' in good, plain English. 
 From this time, until the date of our incidents, the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 93 
 
 Academy was a common country school ; and the great 
 room of the building was sometimes used as a court-room, 
 on extraordinary trials ; sometimes for conferences of the 
 religious, and the morally disposed, in the evening; at 
 others for a ball, in the afternoon, given under the auspices 
 of Richard ; and on Sundays, invariably, as a place of 
 public worship. 
 
 When an itinerant priest of the persuasion of the Me- 
 thodists, Baptists, Universalists, or of the more numerous 
 sect of the Presbyterians, was accidentally in the neigh- 
 bourhood, he was ordinarily invited to officiate, and was 
 commonly rewarded for his services by a collection in a 
 hat, before the congregation separated. When no such 
 regular minister offered, a kind of colloquial prayer or two 
 was made by some of the more gifted members, and a 
 sermon was usually read, from Sterne^ by Mr. Richard 
 Jones. 
 
 The consequence of this desultory kind of priesthood 
 was, as we have already intimated, a great diversity in 
 opinion, on the more abstruse points of faith. Each sect 
 had its adherents, though neither was regularly organised 
 and disciplined. Of the religious education of Marmaduke, 
 we have already written, nor was the doubtful character of 
 his faith completely removed by his marriage. The mother 
 of Elizabeth was an Episcopalian, as^ indeed, was the 
 mother of the Judge himself ; and the good taste of Mar- 
 maduke revolted at the familiar colloquies which the leaders 
 of the conferences held with the Deity^ in their nightly 
 meetings. In form, he was certainly an Episcopalian^ 
 though not a sectary of that denomination. On the other 
 hand, Richard was as rigid in the observance of the canons 
 of his church as he was inflexible in his opinions. Indeed, 
 he had once or twice essayed to introduce the Episcopal 
 form of service, on the Sundays that the pulpit was vacant ; 
 but Richard was a good deal addicted to carrying things 
 to an excess, and then there was something so papal in his 
 air, that the greater part of his hearers deserted him on 
 the second Sabbath — on the third, his only auditor was 
 Ben Pump, who had all the obstinate and enlightened 
 orthodoxy of a high-churchman. 
 
94 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Before the war of the revolution^ the Enghsh church 
 was supported^ in the colonies_, with much interest, by- 
 some of its adherents in the mother country_, and a few 
 of the congregations were very amply endowed. But_, for 
 a season, after the independence of the States was esta- 
 blished, this sect of Christians languished, for the want of 
 the highest order of its priesthood. Pious and suitable 
 divines were at length selected, and sent to the mother 
 country, to receive that authority, which, it is understood, 
 can only be transmitted directly from one to the other, 
 and thus obtain, in order to preserve, that unity in their 
 churches, which properly belonged to a people of the same 
 nation. But unexpected difficulties presented themselves, 
 in the oaths with which the policy of England had fettered 
 their establishment ; and much time was spent before a 
 conscientious sense of duty would permit the prelates of 
 Britain to delegate the authority so earnestly sought. 
 Time, patience, and zeal, however, removed every im- 
 pediment ; and the venerable men, who had been set apart 
 by the American churches, at length returned to their 
 expecting dioceses, endowed with the most elevated func- 
 tions of their earthly church. Priests and deacons were 
 ordained ; and missionaries provided, to keep ahve the 
 expiring flame of devotion in such members as were de- 
 prived of the ordinary administrations, by dwelling in new 
 and unorganised districts. 
 
 Of this number was Mr. Grant. He had been sent into 
 the county of which Templeton was the capital, and had 
 been kindly invited by Marmaduke, and officiously pressed 
 by Richard to take up his abode in the village. A small 
 and humble dwelling was prepared for his family, and the 
 divine had made his appearance in the place but a few 
 days previously to the time of his introduction to the 
 reader. As his forms w^ere entirely new to most of the 
 inhabitants, and a clergyman of another denomination had 
 previously occupied the field, by engaging the academy, 
 the first Sunday after his arrival w^as suffered to pass in 
 silence ; but now that his rival had passed on, like a 
 meteor, filling the air with the light of his wisdom, 
 Richard was empowered to give notice, that Public wor- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ehipj after the forms of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 
 would be held, on the night before Christmas, in the long 
 room of the academy in Templeton, by the Rev. Mr. 
 Grant." 
 
 This annunciation excited great commotion among the 
 different sectaries. Some wondered as to the nature of 
 the exhibition ; others sneered ; but a far greater part, 
 recollecting the essays of Richard in that way, and mindful 
 of the liberality, or rather laxity of Marmaduke's notions 
 on the subject of sectarianism, thought it most prudent to 
 be silent. 
 
 The expected evening, was, however, the wonder of 
 the hour; nor was the curiosity at all diminished, when 
 Richard and Benjamin, on the morning of the eventful 
 day, were seen to issue from the woods in the neighbour- 
 hood of the village, each bearing on his shoulders a large 
 bunch of evergreens. This worthy pair was observed to 
 enter the academy, and carefully to fasten the door, after 
 which their proceedings remained a profound secret to the 
 rest of the village; Mr. Jones, before he commenced this 
 mysterious business, having informed the schoolmaster, to 
 the great delight of the white-headed flock he governed, 
 that there could be no school that day. Marmaduke was 
 apprised of all these preparations, by letter, and it was 
 especially arranged, that he and EHzabeth should arrive in 
 season, to participate in the solemnities of the evening. 
 
 After this digression, we shall return to our narrative. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Now all admire, in each high-flavoured dish. 
 The capabilities of flesh — fowl — fish ; 
 In order due each guest assumes his station. 
 Throbs high his breast with fond anticipation. 
 And prelibates the joys of mastication. 
 
 Heliogabaliad. 
 
 The apartment to which Monsieur Le Quoi handed EHza- 
 beth, communicated with the hall, through the door that 
 led under the urn which was supposed to contain the ashes 
 
96 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 of Dido. The room was spacious^ and of very just pro- 
 portions ; but in its ornaments and furniture, the same di- 
 versity of taste, and imperfection of execution, were to be 
 observed, as existed in the hall. Of furniture, there were 
 a dozen green, wooden arm-chairs, with cushions of moreen, 
 taken from the same piece as the petticoat of Remarkable* 
 The tables were spread, and their materials and workman- 
 ship could not be seen ; but they were heavy, and of great 
 size. An enormous mirror, in a gilt frame, hung against 
 the wall, and a cheerful fire, of the hard or sugar-maple, 
 was burning on the hearth. The latter was the first object 
 that struck the attention of the Judge, who, on beholding it, 
 exclaimed, rather angrily, to Richard — 
 
 How often have I forbidden the use of the sugar- 
 maple, in my dwelling. The sight of that sap, as it exudes 
 with the heat, is painful to me, Richard. Really, it behoves 
 the owner of woods so extensive as mine, to be cautious 
 what example he sets his people, who are already felling 
 the forests, as if no end could be found to their treasures, 
 nor any limits to their extent. If we go on in this way, 
 twenty years hence we shall want fuel." 
 
 Fuel in these hills, cousin 'duke ! " exclaimed Richard, 
 in derision — fuel ! why, you might as well predict, that 
 the fish will die, for the want of water in the lake, because 
 I intend, when the frost gets out of the ground, to lead 
 one or two of the springs, through logs, into the village. 
 But you are always a little wild on such subjects, Mar- 
 maduke." 
 
 Is it wildness," returned the Judge, earnestly, to 
 ^condemn a practice, which devotes these jewels of the 
 forest, these precious gifts of nature, these mines of comfort 
 and wealth, to the common uses of a fire-place ? But I 
 must, and will, the instant the snow is off the earth, send 
 out a party into the mountains to explore for coal." 
 
 Coal I " echoed Richard ; who the devil do you think 
 wiU dig for coal, when in hunting for a bushel, he would 
 have to rip up more roots of trees, than would keep him in 
 fuel for a twelvemonth ? Poh ! poh ! Marmaduke, you 
 should leave the management of these things to me, who 
 have a natural turn that way. It was I that ordered this 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 9T 
 
 fire^ and a noble one it is, to warm the blood of my pretty 
 cousin Bess." 
 
 The motive, then, must be your apology, Dickon," 
 said the Judge. — But, gentlemen, we are waiting. Eliza- 
 beth, my child, take the head of the table ; Richard, I see, 
 means to spare me the trouble of carving, by sitting oppo- 
 site to you." 
 
 To be sure I do," cried Richard ; here is a turkey to 
 carve ; and I flatter myself that I understand carving a 
 turkey, or, for that matter, a goose, as well as any man 
 alive. Mr. Grant ! where's Mr. Grant ? will you please to 
 say grace, sir ? Every thing is getting cold. Take a thing 
 from the fire, this cold weather, and it will freeze in five 
 minutes. Mr. Grant ! we want you to say grace. ' For 
 what we are about to receive, the Lord make us thankful.' 
 Come, sit down, sit down. Do you eat wing or breast, 
 cousin Bess." 
 
 But Elizabeth had not taken her seat, nor was she in 
 readiness to receive either the wing or breast. Her laugh- 
 ing eyes were glancing at the arrangements of the table, 
 and the quality and selection of the food. The eyes of the 
 father soon met the wondering looks of his daughter, and 
 he said, with a smile — 
 
 You perceive, my child, how much we are indebted to 
 Remarkable, for her skill in housewifery ; she has indeed 
 provided a noble repast ; such as well might stop the 
 cravings of hunger." 
 
 Law !" said Remarkable, I'm glad if the Judge is 
 pleased ; but I'm notional that you'll find the sa'ce over- 
 done. I thought, as Elizabeth was coming home, that a 
 body could do no less than make things agreeable." 
 
 " My daughter has now grown to woman's estate, and is 
 from this moment mistress of my house," said the Judge ; 
 
 it is proper that all, who live with me, address her as 
 Miss Temple." 
 
 Do tell ! " exclaimed Remarkable, a little aghast ; 
 
 well, who ever heerd of a young woman's being called 
 Miss ? If the Judge had a wife now, I should'nt think of 
 
 calling her any thing but Miss Temple ; but " 
 
 Having nothing but a daughter, you will observe that 
 
 H 
 
9S 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Style to her, if you please^ in future/' interrupted Mar- 
 maduke. 
 
 As the Judge looked seriously displeased,, and, at such 
 moments, carried a particularly commanding air with him, 
 the wary housekeeper made no reply ; and, Mr. Grant 
 entering the room, the whole party were soon seated at the 
 table. As the arrangements of this repast were much in 
 the prevailing taste of that period and country, we shall 
 endeavour to give a short description of the appearance of 
 the banquet. 
 
 The table-linen was of the most beautiful damask, and 
 the plates and dishes of real china, an article of great 
 luxury at this early period in American commerce. The 
 knives and forks were of exquisitely polished steel, and 
 were set in unclouded ivory. So much, being furnished by 
 the wealth of Marmaduke, was not only comfortable, but 
 even elegant. The contents of the several dishes, and their 
 positions, however, were the result of the sole judgment of 
 Remarkable. Before Elizabeth, was placed an enormous 
 roasted turkey, and before Richard, one boiled. In the 
 centre of the table, stood a pair of heavy silver castors, 
 surrounded by four dishes ; one a fricassee, that consisted 
 of gray squirrels ; another of fish fried ; a third of fish 
 boiled ; the last was a venison steak. Between these 
 dishes and the turkeys, stood, on the one side, a prodigious 
 chine of roasted bear's meat, and on the other a boiled leg 
 of delicious mutton. Interspersed among this load of 
 meats, was every species of vegetables that the season and 
 country afforded. The four corners were garnished with 
 plates of cake. On one was piled certain curiously twisted 
 and complicated figures, called nut-cakes.*' On another 
 were heaps of a black-looking substance, which, receiving 
 its hue from molasses, was properly termed ^'^ sweet- cake ;" 
 a wonderful favourite in the coterie of Remarkable. A 
 third was filled, to use the language of the housekeeper, 
 with cards of gingerbread and the last held a " plum- 
 cake," so called from the number of large raisins that were 
 showing their black heads, in a substance of a suspiciously 
 similar colour. At each corner of the table stood saucers, 
 filled with a thick fluid, of somewhat equivocal colour 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 99 
 
 and consistence, variegated with small dark lumps of a 
 substance that resembled nothing but itself, which Remark- 
 able termed her " sweet-meats." At the side of each plate, 
 which was placed bottom upwards, with its knife and fork 
 most accurately crossed above it, stood another, of smaller 
 size, containing a motley-looking pie, composed of trian- 
 gular slices of apple, mince, pumpkin, cranberry, and 
 custard, so arranged as to form an entire whole. Decan- 
 ters of brandy, rum, gin, and wine, with sundry pitchers 
 of cider, beer, and one hissing vessel of flipj," were put 
 wherever an opening would admit of their introduction. 
 Notwithstanding the size of the tables, there was scarcely a 
 spot where the rich damask could be seen, so crov/ded 
 were the dishes, with their associated bottles, plates, and 
 saucers. The object seemed to be profusion, and it was 
 obtained entirely at the expense of order and elegance. 
 
 All the guests, as well as the Judge himself, seemed 
 perfectly familiar with this description of fare, for each one 
 commenced eating, with an appetite that promised to do 
 great honour to Remarkable's taste and skill. What ren- 
 dered this attention to the repast a little surprising, was 
 the fact, that both the German and Richard had been 
 summoned from another table, to meet the Judge; but 
 Major Hartmann both ate and drank Avithout any rule, 
 when on his excursions ; and Mr. Jones invariably made it 
 a point to participate in the business in hand, let it be what 
 it would. The host seemed to think some apology necessary 
 for the warmth he had betrayed on the subject of the fire- 
 wood, and when the party were comfortably seated, and 
 engaged with their knives and forks, he observed — 
 
 The wastefulness of the settlers, with the noble trees 
 of this country, is shocking, JMonsieur Le Quoi, as doubt- 
 less you have noticed. I have seen a man fell a pine, when 
 he has been in want of fencing- stuff, and roll its first cuts 
 into the gap, where he left it to rot, though its top would 
 have made rails enough to answer his purpose, and its but 
 would have sold in the Philadelphia market for twenty 
 dollars." 
 
 And how the devil — I beg your pardon, Mr. Grant," 
 interrupted Richard; but how is the poor devil to get 
 li ^ 
 
100 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 his logs to the Philadelphia market^ pray ? put them in his 
 pockety ha ! as you would a handful of chestnuts^, or a bunch 
 of chicker-berries ? I should like to see you walking up 
 High Street^ with a pine log in each pocket 1 — Poh ! poh ! 
 cousin *dukej there are trees enough for us all^ and some to 
 spare. Why^ I can hardly tell which way the wind blows, 
 when I'm out in the clearings, they are so thick, and so 
 tall; — I couldn't at all, if it was'nt for the clouds, and I 
 happen to know all the points of the compass, as it were, 
 by heart." 
 
 Ay ! ay ! Squire," cried Benjamin, who had now 
 entered, and taken his place behind the Judge's chair, a 
 little aside withal, in order to be ready for any observation 
 like the present ; look aloft, sir, look aloft. The old 
 seamen say, ^ that the devil wouldn't make a sailor, unless 
 he look'd aloft.' As for the compass, why, there is no 
 such thing as steering without one. I'm sure I never lose 
 sight of the main- top, as I call the Squire's look-out on the 
 roof, but I set my compass, d'ye see, and take the bearings 
 and distance of things, in order to work out my course, if- 
 so-be that it should cloud up, or the tops of the trees should 
 shut out the light of heaven. The steeple of St. Paul's, 
 now that we have got it on end, is a great help to the navi- 
 gation of the woods, for, by the lord Harry, as I was — " 
 ^' It is well, Benjamin," interrupted Marmaduke, ob- 
 serving that his daughter manifested displeasure at the 
 major-domo's familiarity ; but you forget there is a lady 
 in company, and the women love to do most of the talking 
 themselves." 
 
 The Judge says the true word," cried Benjamin, with 
 one of his discordant laughs : now here is Mistress 
 Remarkable Prettybones ; just take the stopper off her 
 tongue, and you'll hear a gabbling, worse like than if you 
 should happen to fall to leeward in crossing a French 
 privateer, or some such thing, mayhap, as a dozen monkeys 
 stowed in one bag." 
 
 It were impossible to say, how perfect an illustration of 
 the truth of Benjamin's assertion the housekeeper would have 
 furnished, if she had dared ; but the Judge looked sternly 
 at her, and, unwilling to incur his resentment, yet unable 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 101 
 
 to contain her anger^ she threw herself out of the room, 
 with a toss of the body, that nearly separated her frail form 
 in the centre. 
 
 Richard," said Marmaduke, observing that his dis- 
 pleasure had produced the desired effect, can you inform 
 me of any thing concerning the youth, whom I so unfor- 
 tunately wounded ? I found him on the mountain, hunt- 
 ing in company with the Leather-stocking, as if they were 
 of the same family ; but there is a manifest difference in 
 their maimers. The youth delivers himself in chosen lan- 
 guage ; such as is seldom heard in these hills, and such as 
 occasions great surprise to me, how one so meanly clad, and 
 following so lowly a pursuit, could attain. Mohegan also 
 knew him. Doubtless he is a tenant of Natty's hut. Did 
 you remark the language of the lad. Monsieur Le Quoi ? " 
 
 Certainement, Monsieur Tempi'," returned the French- 
 man, " he deed conovairse in de excellent Anglaise." 
 
 The boy is no miracle," exclaimed Richard ; IVe 
 known children that were sent to school early, talk much 
 better, before they were twelve years old. There was 
 Zared Coe, old Nehemiah's son, who first settled on the 
 beaverdam meadow, he could write almost as good a hand 
 as myself, when he was fourteen ; though it*s true, I helped 
 to teach him a little, in the evenings. But this shooting 
 gentleman ought to be put in the stocks, if he ever takes a 
 rein in his hand again. He is the most awkward fellow 
 about a horse I ever met with. I dare say, he never drove 
 any thing but oxen in his life.*' 
 
 There I think, Dickon, you do the lad injustice," said 
 the Judge ; he uses much discretion in critical moments. 
 Dost thou not think so, Bess ? 
 
 There was nothing in this question particularly to excite 
 blushes, but Elizabeth started from the reverie into which 
 she had fallen, and coloured to her forehead, as she 
 answered — 
 
 To me, dear sir, he appeared extremely skilful, and 
 prompt, and courageous ; but perhaps cousin Richard will 
 say, I am as ignorant as the gentleman himself." 
 
 Gentleman ! " echoed Richard ; do you call such 
 ehaps gentlemen, at school, Elizabeth ? " 
 
102 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Every man is a gentleman^ who knows how to treat a 
 woman with respect and consideration^" returned the young 
 lady^ promptly^ and a little smartly. 
 
 So much for hesitating to appear before the heiress in 
 his shirt sleeves/' cried Richard, winking at Monsieur Le 
 Quoi_, who returned the hint with one eye_, while he rolled 
 the other, with an expression of sympathy, towards the 
 young lady. Well, well, to me he seemed any thing but 
 a gentleman. I must say, however, for the lad, that he 
 draws a good trigger, and has a true aim. He's good at 
 shooting a buck, ha ! Marmaduke .^^ " 
 
 Richart,'' said Major Hartmann, turning his grave 
 countenance towards the gentleman he addressed, with 
 much earnestness, ter poy is goot. lie savet your life, 
 and my life, and ter life of Tominie Grant, and ter life of 
 ter Frenchman ; and, Richart, he shall never vant a pet to 
 s!eep in yile olt Fritz Hartmann has a shingle to cover 
 his het mit." 
 
 Well, well, as you please, old gentleman," returned 
 Mr. Jones, endeavouring to look indifferent; put him 
 into your own stone house, if you will. Major. I dare say 
 the lad never slept in any thing better than a bark shanty 
 in his life, unless it was some such hut as the cabin of 
 Leather-stocking. I prophesy you will soon spoil him ; 
 any one could see how proud he grew, in a short time, just 
 because he stood by my horses' heads, while I turned them 
 into the highway." 
 
 " No, no, my old friend," cried Marmaduke, " it shall 
 be my task, to provide in some manner for the youth : I 
 owe him a debt of my own, besides the service he has done 
 me, through my friends. And yet I anticipate some httle 
 trouble, in inducing him to accept of my services. He 
 showed a marked dislike, I thought, Bess, to my offer of a 
 residence within these walls for life." 
 
 Really, dear sir," said Elizabeth, projecting her beau- 
 tiful under-lip, I have not studied the gentleman so 
 closely, as to read his feelings in his countenance. I thought 
 he might very naturally feel pain from his wound, and 
 therefore pitied him ; but" — and as she spoke she glanced 
 her eye, with suppressed curiosity, towards the major- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 103 
 
 domo — I dare say^ sir, that Benjamin can tell you some- 
 thing about him. He cannot have been in the village^ and 
 Benjamin not have seen him often." 
 
 Ay ! I have seen the boy before/' said Benjamin^ who 
 wanted little encouragement to speak : *^ he has been back- 
 ing and filling in the wake of Natty Bumppo^ through the 
 mountains^ after deer^ like a Dutch long-boat in tow of an 
 Albany sloop. He carries a good rifle too. The Leather- 
 stocking said^ in my hearing, before Betty Hollister's bar- 
 room fire^ no later than the Tuesday night, that the younker 
 was certain death to the wild beasts. If-so-be he can kill 
 the wild-cat, that has been heard moaning on the lake side, 
 since the hard frosts and deep snows have driven the deer 
 to herd, he will be doing the thing that is good. Your 
 wild- cat is a bad ship-mate, and should be made to cruise 
 out of the track of Christian men.'' 
 
 Lives he in the hut of Bumppo ? " asked Marmaduke, 
 with some interest. 
 
 Cheek by jowl : the Wednesday will be three weeks 
 since he first hove in sight, in company with Leather- 
 stocking. They had captured a wolf between them, and 
 had brought in his scalp for the bounty. That Mister 
 Bump-ho has a handy turn with him, in taking off a scalp ; 
 and there's them, in this here village, who say he larnt the 
 trade by working on Christian men. If-so-be that there 
 is truth in the saying, and I commanded along shore here, 
 as your honour does, why, d'ye see, I'd bring him to the 
 gangway for it yet. There's a very pretty post rigged 
 alongside of the stocks ; and for the matter of a cat, I can 
 fit one with my own hands ; ay ! and use it too, for the 
 want of a better." 
 
 You are not to credit the idle tales you hear of Natty : 
 he has a kind of natural right to gain a livelihood in these 
 mountains ; and if the idlers in the village take it into their 
 heads to annoy him, as they sometimes do reputed rogues, 
 they shaU find him protected by the strong arm of the 
 law." 
 
 " Ter rifle is petter as ter law/' said the Major, senten- 
 tiously. 
 
 That for his rifle ! " exclaimed Richard, snapping his 
 H 4 
 
104 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 fingers: Ben is rights and I " He was stopped by the 
 
 sounds of a common ship-bell^ that had been elevated to 
 the belfry of the academy, which now announced,, by its 
 incessant ringings that the hour for the appointed service 
 had arrived. ' For this and every other instance of his 
 goodness ' — I beg pardon ; Mr. Grant, will you please to 
 return thanks, sir ? it is time we should be moving, as we 
 are the only Episcopalians in the neighbourhood ; that is, 
 I, and Benjamin, and Elizabeth ; for I count half-breeds, 
 like Marmaduke, as bad as heretics." 
 
 The divine arose, and performed the office, meekly and 
 fervently, and the whole party instantly prepared themselves 
 for the church — or rather academy. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 And, calling sinful man to pray, 
 
 Loud, long, and deep the bell had toird. 
 
 Scott's Burgher. 
 
 While Richard and Monsieur Le Quoi, attended by Ben- 
 jamin, proceeded to the academy by a footpath through the 
 snow, the Judge, his daughter, the Divine, and the Major, 
 took a more circuitous route to the same place by the 
 streets of the village. 
 
 The moon had risen, and its orb was shedding a flood of 
 light over the dark outline of pines which crowned the 
 eastern mountain. In many climates, the sky would have 
 been thought clear and lucid for a noontide. The stars 
 twinkled in the heavens, like the last glimmerings of dis- 
 tant fire, so much were they obscured by the overwhelming 
 radiance of the atmosphere ; the rays from the moon 
 striking upon the smooth white surfaces of the lake and 
 fields, reflecting upwards a light that was brightened by the 
 spotless colour of the immense bodies of snow which covered 
 the earth. 
 
 Ehzabeth employed herself with reading the signs, one 
 of which appeared over almost every door; while the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 105 
 
 sleigh moved^ steadily and at an easy gait_, along the prin- 
 cipal street. Not only new occupations^ but names that 
 were strangers to her ears_, met her gaze at every step they 
 proceeded. The very houses seemed changed. This had 
 been altered by an addition ; that had been painted ; an- 
 other had been erected on the site of an old acquaintance^ 
 which had been banished from the earth almost as soon as 
 it made its appearance on it. All were^ however^ pouring 
 forth their inmates^ who uniformly held their way towards 
 the point where the expected exhibition of the conjoint taste 
 of Richard and Benjamin was to be made. 
 
 After vievv^ing the buildings^ which really appeared to 
 some advantage^ under the bright but mellow light of the 
 moon^ our heroine turned her eyes to a scrutiny of the dif- 
 ferent figures that they passed^ in search of any form that 
 she knew. But all seemed alike^ as muffled in cloaks, 
 hoods, coats, or tippets, they glided along the narrow pass- 
 ages in the snow which led under the houses, half hid by 
 the bank that had been thrown up in excavating the deep 
 path in which they trod. Once or twice she thought there 
 was a stature or a gait that she recollected ; but the person 
 who owned it instantly disappeared behind one of those 
 enormous piles of wood that lay before most of the doors. 
 It was only as they turned from the main street into another 
 that intersected it at right angles, and which led directly to 
 the place of meeting, that she recognised a face and building 
 that she knew. 
 
 The house stood at one of the principal corners in the 
 village ; and, by its well-trodden doorway, as well as the 
 sign that was swinging with a kind of doleful sound in the 
 blasts that occasionally swept down the lake, was clearly 
 one of the most frequented inns in the place. The building 
 was only of one story ; but the dormer windows in the 
 roof, the paint, the window-shutters, and the cheerful fire 
 that shone through the open door, gave it an air of comfort 
 that was not possessed by many of its neighbours. The 
 sign was suspended from a common ale-house post, and re- 
 presented the figure of a horseman, armed with sabre and 
 pistols, and surmounted by a bear-skin cap, with a fiery 
 animal that he bestrode rampant." All these particulars 
 
106 
 
 THE PIONEERS, 
 
 were easily to be seen by the aid of the moon^ together with 
 a row of somewhat illegible writing in black paint, but in 
 which Elizabeth, to whom the whole was familiar, read 
 with facility The Bold Dragoon." 
 
 A man and a woman were issuing from the door of this 
 habitation as the sleigh was passing. The former moved 
 with a stiff, military step, that was a good deal heightened 
 by a limp in one leg ; but the woman advanced with a mea- 
 sure and an air that seemed not particularly regardful of 
 what she might encounter. The light of the moon fell 
 directly upon her full, broad, and red visage, exhibiting her 
 masculine countenance, under the mockery of a ruffled cap 
 that was intended to soften the lineaments of features that 
 were by no means squeamish. A small bonnet of black silk, 
 and of a slightly formal cut, was placed on the back of her 
 head, but so as not to shade her visage in the least. Her 
 face, as it encountered the rays of the moon from the east, 
 seemed not unlike a sun rising in the west. She advanced, 
 with masculine strides, to intercept the sleigh ; and the 
 Judge, directing the namesake of the Grecian king, who 
 held the lines, to check his horses, the parties were soon 
 near to each other. 
 
 Good luck to ye, and a wilcome home, Jooge ! " cried 
 die female, with a strong Irish accent ; and I'm sure it's 
 to me that ye'r always wilcome. Sure ! and there's Miss 
 'Lizzy, and a fine young woman is she grown. What a 
 heart-ach would she be giving the young men now, if there 
 was sich a thing as a rigiment in the town ! Och ! but 
 it's idle to talk of sich vanities, while the bell is calling us 
 to mateing, jist as we shall be call'd away unexpictedly, 
 some day, when we are the laist calkilating. Good even. 
 Major : will I make the bowl of gin- toddy the night ? or 
 it's likely ye'U stay at the big house the Christmas eve, and 
 the very night of ye'r getting there ? " 
 
 I am glad to see you, Mrs. Hollister," returned Eliza- 
 beth. I have been trying to find a face that I know, 
 since we left the door of the mansion-house; but none 
 have I seen, except your own. Your house, too, is unal- 
 tered ; while all the others are so changed, that, but for the 
 places where they stand, they would be utter strangers. I 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 107 
 
 observe you keep also the dear sign that I saw cousin 
 Richard paint ; and even the name at the bottom^ about 
 which^ you may remember, you had the disagreement/' 
 
 Is it the bould dragoon ye mane ? And what name 
 would he have, who niver was known by any other, as my 
 nusband here, the Captain, can testify. He was a pleasure 
 to wait upon, and was ever the foremost in need. Och ! 
 but he had a sudden end ! But it's to be hoped that 
 Jie was justified by the cause. And it's not Parson 
 Grant there who'll gainsay that same. Yes, yes; the 
 Squire would paint, and so I thought that we might have 
 his face up there, who had so often shared good and evil 
 wid us. The eyes is no so large nor so fiery as the Captain's 
 own ; but the whiskers and the cap is as like as two paes. 
 Well, well, I'll not keep ye in the cowld, talking ; but will 
 drop in the morrow after sarvice, and ask ye how ye do. 
 It's our bounden duty to make the most of this present, and 
 to go to the house which is open to all ; so God bless ye, 
 and keep ye from evil ! Will I make the gin-twist the 
 night, or no. Major ? " 
 
 To this question the German replied, very sententiously, 
 in the affirmative; and, after a few words had passed be- 
 tween the husband of this fiery-faced hostess and the Judge, 
 the sleigh moved on. It soon reached the door of the 
 academy, where the party alighted and entered the building. 
 
 In the mean time Mr. Jones and his two companions, 
 having a much shorter distance to journey, had arrived 
 before the appointed place several minutes sooner than the 
 party in the sleigh. Instead of hastening into the room, in 
 order to enjoy the astonishment of the settlers, Richard 
 placed a hand in either pocket of his surtout, and affected 
 to walk about, in front of the academy, like one to whom 
 the ceremonies were familiar. 
 
 The villagers proceeded uniformly into the building, 
 with a decorum and gravity that nothing could move, on 
 such occasions ; but with a haste that was probably a little 
 heightened by curiosity. Those who came in from the ad- 
 jacent country, spent some little time in placing certain blue 
 and white blankets over their horses before they proceeded 
 to indulge their desire to view the interior of the house. 
 
108 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Most of these men Richard approached^ and enquired after 
 the health and condition of their families. The readiness 
 with which he mentioned the names of even the children, 
 showed how very familiarly acquainted he was with their 
 circumstances ; and the nature of the answers he received, 
 proved that he was a general favourite. 
 
 At length one of the pedestrians from the village stopped 
 also, and fixed an earnest gaze at a new brick edifice, that 
 was throwing a long shadow across the fields of snow, as it 
 rose, with a beautiful gradation of light and shade, under 
 the rays of a full moon. In front of the academy was a 
 vacant piece of ground, that was intended for a public 
 square. On the side opposite to Mr. Jones, the new and 
 as yet unfinished church of St. Paul's was erected. This 
 edifice had been reared during the preceding summer, by 
 the aid of what was called a subscription ; though all, or 
 nearly all, of the money, came from the pocket of the land- 
 lord. It had been built under a strong conviction of the 
 necessity of a more seemly place of worship than the long 
 room of the academy," and under an implied agreement, 
 that, after its completion, the question should be fairly put 
 to the people, that they might decide to what denomination 
 rt should belong. Of course, this expectation kept alive a 
 strong excitement in some few of the sectaries who were 
 interested in its decision ; though but little was said openly 
 on the subject. Had Judge Temple espoused the cause 
 of any particular sect, the question would have been im- 
 mediately put at rest, for his influence was too powerful 
 to be opposed ; but he dechned interference in the matter, 
 positively refusing to lend even the weight of his name on 
 the side of Richard, who had secretly given an assurance 
 to his Diocesan, that both the building and the congre- 
 gation would cheerfully come within the pale of the Pro- 
 testant Episcopal Church. But when the neutraUty of the 
 Judge was clearly ascertained, Mr. Jones discovered that 
 he had to contend with a stiff-necked people. His first 
 measure was to go among them, and commence a course 
 of reasoning, in order to bring them round to his own way 
 of thinking. They all heard him patiently, and not a man 
 uttered a word in reply, in the way of argument: and 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 109 
 
 Richard thought^ by the time that he had gone through 
 the settlement, the point was conclusively decided in his 
 favour. Willing to strike while the iron was hot^ he 
 called a meeting, through the newspaper, with a view to 
 decide the question by a vote, at once. Not a soul at- 
 tended; and one of the most anxious afternoons that he 
 had ever known, was spent by Richard in a vain discussion 
 with Mrs. Hollister, who strongly contended that the Me-* 
 thodist (her own) church was the best entitled to, and 
 most deserving of, the possession of the new tabernacle. 
 Richard now perceived that he had been too sanguine, and 
 had fallen into the error of all those who ignorantly deal 
 with that wary and sagacious people. He assumed a dis- 
 guise himself, that is, as well as he knew how, and pro- 
 ceeded step by step to advance his purpose. 
 
 The task of erecting the building had been unanimously 
 transferred to Mr. Jones and Hiram Doolittle. Together they 
 had built the mansion-house, the academy, and the gaol; and 
 they alone knew how to plan and rear such a structure as was 
 now required. Early in the day, these architects had made 
 an equitable division of their duties. To the former was 
 assigned the duty of making all the plans, and to the latter^ 
 the labour of superintending the execution. 
 
 Availing himself of this advantage, Richard silently de- 
 termined that the windows should have the Roman arch ; 
 the first positive step in effecting his wishes. As the 
 building was made of bricks, he was enabled to conceal his 
 design, until the moment arrived for placing the frames : 
 then, indeed, it became necessary to act. He communicated 
 his wishes to Hiram with great caution ; and, without in 
 the least adverting to the spiritual part of his project, he 
 pressed the point a little warmly, on the score of archi- 
 tectural beauty. Hiram heard him patiently, and without 
 contradiction ; but still Richard was unable to discover the 
 views of his coadjutor on this interesting subject. As the 
 right to plan was duly delegated to Mr. Jones^ no direct 
 objection was made in words, but numberless unexpected 
 difficulties arose in the execution. At first, there was a 
 scarcity in the right kind of material necessary to form the 
 frames; but this objection was instantly silenced, by Richard 
 
110 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 running his pencil through two feet of their length at one 
 stroke. Then the expense was mentioned; hut Richard 
 reminded Hiram that his cousin paid^ and that he was his 
 treasurer. This last intimation had great weighty and after 
 a silent and protracted^ but fruitless opposition_, the work 
 was suffered to proceed on the original plan. 
 
 The next difficulty occurred in the steeple, which Richard 
 had modelled after one of the smaller of those spires that 
 adorn the great London Cathedral. The imitation was 
 somewhat lame, it is true, the proportions being but in- 
 differently observed ; but, after nmch difficulty, Mr. Jones 
 had the satisfaction of seeing an object reared that bore, in 
 in its outlines, a striking resemblance to a vinegar-cruet. 
 There was less opposition to this model than to the windows ; 
 for the settlers were fond of novelty, and their steeple was 
 without a precedent. 
 
 Here the labour ceased for the season, and the difficult 
 question of the interior remained for further dehberation. 
 Richard well knew, that when he came to propose a reading 
 desk and a chancel, he must unmask ; for these were 
 arrangements known to no church in the country but his 
 own. Presuming, however, on the advantages he had 
 already obtained, he boldly styled the building St. Paul's, 
 and Hiram prudently acquiesced in this appellation, making, 
 however, the slight addition of calling it New St. Paul's," 
 feeling less aversion to a name taken from the English 
 Cathedral than from the saint. 
 
 The pedestrian whom we have already mentioned, as 
 pausing to contemplate this edifice, was no other than the 
 gentleman so frequently named as Mr., or Squire, Doolittle. 
 He was of a tali, gaunt formation, with sharp features, and 
 a face that expressed formal propriety, mingled with low 
 cunning. Richard approached him, followed by Monsieur 
 Le Quoi and the major-domo. 
 
 Good evening, Squire," said Richard, bobbing his 
 head, but without moving his hands from his pockets. 
 
 Good evening. Squire,'* echoed Hiram_, turning his 
 body, in order to turn his head also. 
 
 A cold night, Mr. Doolittle, a cold night, sir." 
 
 Coolish ; a tedious spell on't." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Ill 
 
 What^ looking at our church, ha ! it looks well, by 
 moonlight ; how the tin of the cupola glistens ! I warrant 
 you the dome of the other St. Paul's, never shines so in 
 the smoke of London." 
 
 It is a pretty meeting-house to look on/* returned 
 lliram, and I believe that Monshure Ler Quow and 
 Mr. Penguilliam will allow it.'' 
 
 Sairtainlee ! " exclaimed the complaisant Frenchman, 
 it ees ver fine." 
 
 I thought the Monshure would say so. The last 
 molasses that we had was excellent good. It is'nt likely that 
 you have any more of it on hand ? " 
 
 Ah ! oui ; ees, sair/' returned Monsieur Le Quoi, 
 with a slight shrug of his shoulder, and a trifling grimace, 
 dere is more. I feel ver happi dat you love eet. I hope 
 dat Madame Doleet' is in good 'ealth." 
 
 Why, so as to be stirring,'* said Hiram. — The Squire 
 hasn't finished the plans for the inside of the meeting-house 
 yet } " 
 
 ^^'^ No — no — no," returned Richard, speaking quickly, 
 but making a significant pause between each negative — it 
 requires reflection. There is a great deal of room to fill 
 up, and I am afraid we shall not know how to dispose of 
 it to advantage. There will be a large vacant spot around 
 the pulpit, which 1 do not mean to place against the wall, 
 like a sentry-box stuck up on the side of a fort." 
 
 It is ruleable to put the deacon's box under the pulpit," 
 said Hiram ; and then, as if he had ventured too much, 
 he added, but there's different fashions in different 
 countries." 
 
 That there is," cried Benjamin ; now, in running 
 down the coast of Spain and Portingall, you may see a 
 nunnery stuck out on every headland, with more steeples 
 and outriggers, such as dog- vanes and weather- cocks than 
 you'll find aboard of a three-masted schooner. If-so-be 
 that a well-built church is wanting. Old England, after all, 
 is the country to go to after your models and fashion 
 pieces. As to Paul's, thof I've never seen it, being that it's 
 a long way up town from RadclifFe-highway and the docks, 
 yet every body knows that it's the grandest place in the 
 
112 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 world. Now, I've no opinion but this here church over 
 there, is as like one end of it, as a grampus is to a whale; 
 and that's only a small difference in bulk. Mounsheer Ler 
 Quaw, here, has been in foreign parts ; and thof that is not 
 the same as having been at home, yet he must have seen 
 churches in France too, and can form a small idee of what 
 a church should be : now, I ask the Mounsheer to his face, 
 if it is not a clever little thing, taking it by and large ? " 
 
 It ees ver apropos of saircumstance," said the French- 
 man — ver jugement — but it is in de catholique country 
 dat dey build de — vat you call — ah a ah -ha — la grande 
 cathedrale — de big church. St. Paul, Londre, is ver fine; ver 
 belle; ver grand — vat you call beeg; but. Monsieur Ben,par- 
 donnez moi, it is no vort so much as Notre Dame." 
 
 Ha ! Mounsheer, what is that you say } " cried Ben- 
 jamin — St. Paul's church not worth so much as a damn ! 
 Mayhap you may be thinking too that the Royal Billy 
 isn't so good a ship as the Billy de Paris ; but she would 
 have lick'd two of her, any day, and in all weathers/' 
 
 As Benjamin had assumed a very threatening kind of 
 attitude, flourishing an arm, with a bunch at the end of it 
 that was half as big as Monsieur Le Quoi's head, Richard 
 thought it time to interpose his authority. 
 
 " Hush, Benjamin, hush," he said ; you both mis- 
 understand Monsieur Le Quoi, and forget yourself. — But 
 here comes Mr. Grant, and the service will commence. Let 
 us go in." 
 
 The Frenchman, who received Benjamin's reply with a 
 well-bred good humour, that would not admit of any feeling 
 but pity for the other's ignorance, bowed in acquiescence, 
 and followed his companion. 
 
 Hiram and the major-domo brought up the rear, the 
 latter grumbling, as he entered the building — 
 
 If-so-be that the King of France had so much as a 
 house to live in, that would lay alongside of Paul's, one 
 might put up with their jaw. It's more than flesh and 
 blood can bear, to hear a Frenchman run down an English 
 church in this manner. Why, Squire DooHttle, I've been 
 at the whipping of two of them in one day — clean built, 
 snug frigates, with standing-royals^ and them new-fashioned 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 113 
 
 cannonades on their quarters — such as^ if they had only 
 Englishmen aboard of them^ would have font the devil/' 
 
 With this ominous word in his mouthy Benjamin entered 
 the church. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 And fools, who came to scoff, remain'd to pray. Goldsmith. 
 
 Notwithstanding the united labours of Richard and 
 Benjamin^ the long-room'' was but an extremely in- 
 artificial temple. Benches^ made in the coarsest manner, 
 and entirely with a view to usefulness^ were arranged in 
 rows_, for the reception of the congregation ; while a rough, 
 unpainted box, was placed against the wall, in the centre 
 of the length of the apartment, as an apology for a pulpit. 
 Something like a reading-desk was in front of this rostrum, 
 and a small mahogany table, from the mansion-house, 
 covered with a spotless damask cloth, stood a little on one 
 side, by the way of an altar. Branches of pines and 
 hemlocks were stuck in each of the fissures that offered, in 
 the unseasoned, and hastily- completed wood- work, of both 
 the building and its furniture; while festoons and hiero- 
 glyphics met the eye in vast profusion along the brown 
 sides of the scratch-coated walls. As the room was only 
 lighted by some ten or fifteen miserable candles, and the 
 windows were without shutters, it would have been but a 
 dreary, cheerless place for the solemnities of a Christmas- 
 eve, had not the large fire, that was crackling at each end of 
 the apartment, given an air of cheerfulness to the scene, by 
 throwing an occasional glare of light through the vistas of 
 bushes and faces. 
 
 The two sexes were separated by an area in the centre of 
 the room immediately before the pulpit, and a few benches 
 lined this space, that were occupied by the principal per- 
 sonages of the village and its vicinity. This distinction was 
 rather a gratuitous concession, made by the poorer and less 
 
114 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 polished part of the population^ than a right claimed by the 
 favoured few. One bench was occupied by the party of 
 Judge Temple^, including his daughter ; and^ with the ex- 
 ception of Dr. Todd^ no one else appeared willing to incur 
 the imputation of pride, by taking a seat in what was, 
 literally, the high place of the tabernacle. 
 
 Richard filled the chair, that was placed behind an- 
 other table, in the capacity of clerk ; while Benjamin, 
 after heaping sundry logs on the fires, posted himself nigh 
 by, in reserve for any movement that might require co- 
 operation. 
 
 It would greatly exceed our limits to attempt a de- 
 scription of the congregation ; for the dresses were as 
 various as the individuals. Some one article, of more than 
 usual finery, and perhaps the relic of other days, was to be 
 seen about most of the females, in connection with the 
 coarse attire of the woods. This, wore a faded silk, that 
 had gone through at least three generations, over coarse, 
 woollen black stockings ; that, a shawl, whose dies were as 
 numerous as those of the rainbow, over an awkwardly fitting 
 gown, of rough brown " woman's wear." In short, each 
 one exhibited some favourite article, and all appeared in 
 their best, both men and women ; while the ground-works 
 in dress, in either sex, were the coarse fabrics manufactured 
 within their own dwellings. One man appeared in the dress 
 of a volunteer company of artillery, of which he had been 
 a member in the down-countries," precisely for no other 
 reason than because it was the best suit he had. Several, 
 particularly of the younger men, displayed pantaloons of 
 blue, edged with red cloth down the seams, part of the 
 equipments of the '^^ Templeton Light Infantry," from a little 
 vanity to be seen in bough ten clothes." There was also 
 one man in a rifle frock,'' with its fringes and folds of 
 spotless white, striking a chill to the heart with the idea 
 of its coolness ; although the thick coat of brown home 
 made,*' that was concealed beneath, preserved a proper 
 degree of warmth. 
 
 There was a marked uniformity of expression in coun- 
 tenance, especially in that half of the congregation who did 
 not enjoy the advantages of the polish of the village. A 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 115 
 
 sallow skin^ that indicated nothing but exposure^ was 
 common to all^ as was an air of great decency and attention^ 
 mingled^ generally, with an expression of shrewdness^ and^ 
 in the present instance^ of active curiosity. Now and then 
 a face and dress were to be seen among the congregation, 
 that differed entirely from this description. If pock- 
 marked and florid, with gaitered legs, and a coat that 
 snugly fitted the person of the wearer, it was surely an 
 English emigrant, who had bent his steps to this retired 
 quarter of the globe. If hard-featured, and without colour, 
 with high cheek bones, it was a native of Scotland, in 
 similar circumstances. The short, black-eyed man, with a 
 cast of the swarthy Spaniard in his face, who rose repeatedly, 
 to make room for the belles of the village, as they entered, 
 was a son of Erin, who had lately left off his pack, and 
 become a stationary trader in Templeton. In short, half 
 the nations in the north of Europe had their representatives 
 in this assembly, though all had closely assimilated them- 
 selves to the Americans in dress and appearance, except the 
 Englishman. He, indeed, not only adhered to his native 
 customs in attire and living, but usually drove his plough, 
 among the stumps, in the same manner as he had before 
 done on the plains of Norfolk, until dear-bought experience 
 taught him the useful lesson, that a sagacious people knew 
 what was suited to their circumstances better than a casual 
 observer ; or a sojourner, who was, perhaps, too much pre- 
 judiced to compare, and, peradventure, too conceited to 
 learn. 
 
 Elizabeth soon discovered that she divided the attention 
 of the congregation with Mr. Grant. Timidity, therefore, 
 confined her observation of the appearances which we have 
 described to stolen glances ; but, as the stamping of feet was 
 now becoming less frequent, and even the coughing, and 
 other little preliminaries of a congregation settling them- 
 selves down into reverential attention, were ceasing, she 
 felt emboldened to look around her. Gradually all noises 
 diminished, until the suppressed cough denoted that it 
 was necessary to avoid singularity, and the most profound 
 stillness pervaded the apartment. The snapping of the fires, 
 as they threw a powerful heat into the room, was alone 
 I 2 
 
116 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 heard^ and each face^ and every eye^ were turned on the 
 divine. 
 
 At this moment^ a heavy stamping of feet was heard in 
 the passage below^ as if a new comer was releasing his limbs 
 from the snow that was necessarily clinging to the legs of 
 a pedestrian. It was succeeded by no audible tread ; but 
 directly Mohegan^ followed by the Leather-stocking and the 
 young hunter^ made his appearance. Their footsteps would 
 not have been heard^ as they trod the apartment in their 
 mocassins^ but for the silence which prevailed. 
 
 The Indian moved with great gravity across the floor, 
 and, observing a vacant seat next to the Judge, he took it, 
 in a manner that manifested his sense of his own dignity. 
 Here, drawing his blanket closely around him, so as partly to 
 conceal his countenance, he remained, during the service, 
 immovable, but deeply attentive. Natty passed the place, 
 that was so freely taken by his red companion, and seated 
 himself on one end of a log that was lying near the fire, 
 where he continued, with his rifle standing between his legs, 
 absorbed in reflections, seemingly, of no very pleasing 
 nature. The youth found a seat among the congregation, 
 and another silence prevailed. 
 
 Mr. Grant now arose, and commenced his service, with 
 the sublime declaration of the Hebrew prophet — The 
 Lord is in his holy temple ; let all the earth keep silence 
 before him." The example of Mr. Jones was unnecessary 
 to teach the congregation to rise : the solemnity of the divine 
 effected this as by magic. After a short pause, Mr. Grant 
 proceeded with the solemn and winning exhortation of his 
 service. Nothing w^as heard but the deep, though affec- 
 tionate, tones of the reader, as he slowly went through this 
 exordium ; until, something unfortunately striking the mind 
 of Richard as incomplete, he left his place, and walked on 
 tip -tee from the room. 
 
 When the clergyman bent his knees in prayer and con- 
 fession, the congregation so far imitated his example as to 
 resume their seats; w^hence no succeeding eflbrt of the 
 divine, during the evening, was able to remove them in a 
 body. Some rose at times ; but by far the larger part 
 continued unbending ; observant, it is true, but it was the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 117 
 
 kind of observation that regarded the ceremony as a spectacle 
 rather than a worship in which they were to participate. 
 Thus deserted by his clerk, Mr. Grant continued to read ; 
 but no response was audible. The short and solemn pause 
 that succeeded each petition was made ; still no voice re- 
 peated the eloquent language of the prayer. 
 
 The lips of Elizabeth moved, but they moved in vain ; 
 and, accustomed as she was to the service in the churches 
 of the metropolis, she was beginning to feel the awk- 
 wardness of the circumstance most painfully, when a soft, 
 low, female voice repeated after the priest, We have left 
 undone those things which we ought to have done." Startled 
 at finding one of her own sex in that place, who could rise 
 superior to natural timidity. Miss Temple turned her eyes 
 in the direction of the penitent. She observed a young 
 female, on her knees, but a short distance from her, with 
 her meek face humbly bent over her book. The appearance 
 of this stranger, for such she was, entirely, to Elizabeth, was 
 light and fragile. Her dress was neat and becoming ; and 
 her countenance, though pale, and slightly agitated, excited 
 deep interest by its sweet, and melancholy expression. A 
 second and third response were made by this juvenile 
 assistant, when the manly sounds of a male voice proceeded 
 from the opposite part of the room. Miss Temple knew 
 the tones of the young hunter instantly, and, struggling to 
 overcome her own diffidence, she added her low voice to 
 the number. 
 
 All this time, Benjamin stood thumbing the leaves of a 
 prayer-book with great industry ; but some unexpected 
 difficulties prevented his finding the place. Before the 
 divine reached the close of the confession, however, Richard 
 re-appeared at the door, and, as he moved lightly across the 
 room, he took up the response, in a voice that betrayed no 
 other concern than that of not being heard. In his hand 
 he carried a small open box, with the figures of 8 by 10" 
 written in black paint on one of its sides ; which having 
 placed in the pulpit, apparently as a footstool for the 
 divine, he returned to his station in time to say, sonorously. 
 
 Amen." The eyes of the congregation, very naturally, 
 were turned to the windows, as Mr. Jones entered with 
 I 3 
 
118 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 this singular load^ and then, as if accustomed to his 
 general agency/' were again bent on the priest, in close 
 and curious attention. 
 
 The long experience of Mr. Grant admirably qualified 
 him to perform his present duty. He well understood the 
 character of his listeners, who were mostly a primitive 
 people in their habits ; and who, being a good deal ad- 
 dicted to subtleties and nice distinctions in their religious 
 opinions, viewed the introduction of any such temporal 
 assistance as form, into their spiritual worship, not only 
 with jealousy, but frequently with disgust. He had ac- 
 quired much of his knowledge from studying the great 
 book of human nature, as it lay open in the world ; and, 
 knowing how dangerous it was to contend with ignorance, 
 uniformly endeavoured to avoid dictating, where his better 
 reason taught him it was the most prudent to attempt to 
 lead. His orthodoxy had no dependence on his cassock ; 
 he could pray, with fervour and with faith, if circumstances 
 required it, without the assistance of his clerk ; and he had 
 even been known to preach a most evangelical sermon, in 
 the winning manner of native eloquence, without the aid 
 of a cambric handkerchief. 
 
 In the present instance he yielded, in many places, to 
 the prejudices of his congregation ; and when he had 
 ended, there was not one of his new hearers, who did not 
 think the ceremonies less papal and offensive, and more 
 conformant to his or her own notions of devout worship, 
 than they had been led to expect from a service of forms. 
 Richard found in the divine, during the evening, a most 
 powerful co-operator in his religious schemes. In preach- 
 ing, Mr. Grant endeavoured to steer a middle course, be- 
 tween the mystical doctrines of those sublimated creeds, 
 which daily involve their professors in the most absurd 
 contradictions, and those fluent rules of moral government, 
 which would reduce the Saviour to a level with the teacher 
 of a school of ethics. Doctrine it was necessary to preach, 
 for nothing less would have satisfied the disputatious people 
 who were his listeners, and who would have interpreted 
 silence on his part, into a tacit acknowledgment of the su- 
 perficial nature of his creed. We have already said that, 
 among the endless variety of religious instructors, the set- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 11.9 
 
 tiers were accustomed to hear every denomination urge its 
 own distinctive precepts; and to have found one indif- 
 ferent to this interesting subject_, would have been destruc- 
 tive to his influence. But Mr. Grant so happily blended 
 the universally received opinions of the Christian faith^ 
 with the dogmas of his own churchy that^ although none 
 were entirely exempt from the influence of his reasons, 
 very few took any alarm at the innovation. 
 
 When we consider the great diversity of the. human 
 character^ influenced as it is by education, by opportunity, 
 and by the physical and moral conditions of the creature, 
 my dear hearers/' he earnestly concluded, it can excite 
 no surprise, that creeds, so very different in their tenden- 
 cies, should grow out of a religion, revealed, it is true, but 
 whose revelations are obscured by the lapse of ages, and 
 whose doctrines were, after the fashion of the countries in 
 which they were first promulgated, frequently delivered in 
 parables, and in a language abounding in metaphors, and 
 loaded with figures. On points where the learned have, in 
 purity of heart, been compelled to differ, the unlettered 
 will necessarily be at variance. But, happily for us, my 
 brethren, the fountain of divine love flows from a source 
 too pure to admit of pollution in its course ; it extends, to 
 those who drink of its vivifying waters, the peace of the 
 righteous, and life everlasting ; it endures through all time, 
 and it pervades creation. If there be mystery in its 
 workings, it is the mystery of a Divinity. With a clear 
 knowledge of the nature, the might, and majesty of God, 
 there might be conviction, but there could be no faith. 
 If we are required to believe in doctrines that seem not 
 in conformity with the deductions of human wisdom, 
 let us never forget, that such is the mandate of a wisdom 
 that is infinite. It is sufficient for us, that enough is 
 developed to point our path aright, and to direct our 
 wandering steps to that portal, which shall open on the 
 light of an eternal day. Then, indeed, it may be hum- 
 bly hoped, that the film, which has been spread by the 
 subtleties of earthly arguments, will be dissipated by the 
 spiritual light of heaven ; and that our hour of probation, 
 by the aid of divine grace, being once passed in triumph, 
 I 4 
 
120 
 
 . THE PIONEERS. 
 
 will be followed by an eternity of intelligence^ and endless 
 ages of fruition. All that is now obscure shall become 
 plain to our expanded faculties ; and what to our present 
 senses may seem irreconcilable to our limited notions of 
 mercy, of justice, and of love, shall stand, irradiated by 
 the light of truth, confessedly the suggestions of Omni- 
 science, and the acts of an All-powerful Benevolence. 
 
 ^'^ What a lesson of humility, my brethren, might not 
 each of us obtain, from a review of his infant hours, and 
 the recollection of his juvenile passions ! How differ- 
 ently do the same acts of parental rigour appear, in the 
 eyes of the suffering child, and of the chastened man ! 
 When the sophist would supplant, with the wild theories 
 of his worldly wisdom, the positive mandates of inspiration, 
 let him remember the expansion of his own feeble intel- 
 lects, and pause — let him feel the wisdom of God, in what 
 is partially concealed, as well as in that which is revealed ; 
 
 — in short, let him substitute humility for pride of reason 
 
 — let him have faith, and live ! 
 
 The consideration of this subject is full of consolation^ 
 my hearers, and does not fail to bring with it lessons of hu- 
 mility and of profit, that, duly improved, would both chasten 
 the heart, and strengthen the feeble-minded man in his 
 course. It is a blessed consolation, to be able to lay the 
 misdoubtings of our arrogant nature at the threshold of the 
 dwelling-place of the Deity, from whence they shall be 
 swept away, at the great opening of the portal, like the 
 mists of the morning before the rising sun. It teaches us 
 a lesson of humility, by impressing us with the imperfec- 
 tion of human powers, and by warning us of the many 
 weak points^ where we are open to the attacks of the great 
 enemy of our race ; it proves to us, that we are in danger 
 of being weak, when our vanity would fain soothe us into 
 the belief that we are most strong ; it forcibly points out 
 to us the vain-glory of intellect, and shows us the vast 
 difference between a saving faith, and the corollaries of a 
 philosophical theology; and it teaches us to reduce our 
 self-examination to the test of good works. By good works, 
 must be understood the fruits of repentance, the chiefest of 
 which is charity. Not that charity only, which causes us 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 121 
 
 to help the needy and comfort the sufferings hut that feel- 
 ing of universal philanthropy, which_, by teaching us to 
 love, causes us to judge with lenity, all men ; striking at 
 the root of self-righteousness, and warning us to be sparing 
 of our condemnation of others, while our own salvation is 
 not yet secure. 
 
 The lesson of expediency, my brethren, which I would 
 gather from the consideration of this subject, is most strongly 
 inculcated by humility. On the leading and essential points 
 of our faith, there is but little difference, among those classes 
 of Christians who acknowledge the attributes of the Sa- 
 viour, and depend on his mediation. But heresies have 
 polluted every church, and schisms are the fruits of dis- 
 putation. In order to arrest these dangers, and to ensure 
 the union of his followers, it would seem that Christ had 
 established his visible church, and delegated the ministry. 
 Wise and holy men, the fathers of our religion, have ex- 
 pended their labours in clearing what was revealed from 
 the obscurities of language, and the results of their expe- 
 rience and researches have been embodied in the form of 
 evangelical discipline. That this discipline must be salu- 
 tary, is evident from the view of the weakness of human 
 nature that we have already taken : and that it may be 
 profitable to us, and all who listen to its precepts and its 
 liturgy, may God, in his infinite wisdom, grant. — And 
 now to," &c. 
 
 With this ingenious reference to his own forms and 
 ministry, Mr. Grant concluded the discourse. The most 
 profound attention had been paid to the sermon during 
 the whole of its delivery, although the prayers had not 
 been received with so perfect a demonstration of re- 
 spect. This was by no means an intended slight of that 
 liturgy, to which the divine alluded, but was the habit of 
 a people, who owed their very existence, as a distinct na- 
 tion, to the doctrinal character of their ancestors. Sundry 
 looks of private dissatisfaction were exchanged between 
 Hiram and one or two of the leading members of the con^ 
 ference, but the feeling went no farther at that time ; and 
 the congregation, after receiving the blessing of Mr. Grant, 
 dispersed in silence, and with great decorum. 
 
122 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Your creeds and dogmas of a learned church 
 
 May build a fabric, fair with moral beauty j 
 
 But it would seem, that the strong hand of God 
 
 Can, only, 'rase the devil from the heart. Duo. 
 
 While the congregation was separating, Mr. Grant ap- 
 proached the place where Ehzabeth and her father were 
 seated, leading the youthful female, whom we have men- 
 tioned in the preceding chapter, and presented her as his 
 daughter. Her reception was as cordial and frank as the 
 manners of the country, and the value of good society, 
 could render it ; the two young women feeling, instantly, 
 that they were necessary to the comfort of each other. The 
 Judge, to whom the clergyman's daughter was also a stranger, 
 was pleased to find one, who, from habits, sex, and years, 
 could probably contribute largely to the pleasures of his 
 own child, during her first privations, on her removal from 
 the associations of a city to the solitude of Templeton ; 
 while Ehzabeth, who had been forcibly struck with the 
 sweetness and devotion of the youthful suppliant, removed 
 the slight embarrassment of the timid stranger, by the ease 
 of her own manners. They were at once acquainted ; and, 
 during the ten minutes that the academy" was clearing, 
 engagements were made between the young people, not only 
 for the succeeding day, but they would probably have em- 
 braced in their arrangements half of the winter, had not 
 the divine interrupted them, by saying — 
 
 Gently, gently, my dear Miss Temple, or you will 
 make my girl too dissipated. You forget that she is my 
 housekeeper, and that my domestic affairs must remain 
 unattended to, should Louisa accept of half the kind offers 
 you are so good as to make her.'' 
 
 And why should they not be neglected entirely, sir ? " 
 mterrupted Elizabeth. There are but two of you ; and 
 certain I am that my father's house will not only contain 
 you both, but will open its doors spontaneously, to receive 
 such guests. Society is a good, not to be rejected on ac- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 123 
 
 count of cold forms^ in this wilderness^ sir ; and 1 have 
 often heard my father say^ that hospitahty is not a virtue 
 in a new country^ the favour being conferred by the guest." 
 
 The manner in which Judge Temple exercises its rites 
 would confirm this opinion ; but we must not trespass too 
 freely. Doubt not that you will see us often^ my child 
 particularly^ during the frequent visits that I shall be com- 
 pelled to make to the distant parts of the county. But to 
 obtain an influence with such a people/' he continued, 
 glancing his eyes towards the few who were still lingering, 
 curious observers of the interview, a clergyman must not 
 awaken envy or distrust, by dwelling under so splendid a 
 roof as that of Judge Temple." 
 
 You like the roof, then, Mr. Grant," cried Richard, 
 who had been directing the extinguishment of the fires, 
 and other little necessary duties, and who approached, in 
 time, to hear the close of the divine's speech, — 1 am 
 glad to find one man of taste at last. Here's 'duke, now, 
 pretends to call it by every abusive name he can invent ; 
 but though 'duke is a very tolerable judge, he is a very 
 poor carpenter, let me tell him. Well, sir, well, I think 
 we may say, without boasting, that the service w^as as well 
 performed this evening as you often see ; I think, quite as 
 well as I ever knew it to be done in old Trinity — that is, 
 if we except the organ. But there is the schoolmaster leads 
 a psalm with a very good air. I used to lead myself, but 
 latterly I have sung nothing but bass. There is a good 
 deal of science to be shown in the bass, and it affords a fine 
 opportunity to show off a full, deep voice. Benjamin, too, 
 sings a good bass, though he is often out in the words. 
 Did you ever hear Benjamin sing the ^ Bay of Biscay, O ? 
 
 I believe he gave us part of it this evening," said 
 Marmaduke, laughing. There w^as, now and then, a 
 fearful quaver in his voice, and it seems that Mr. Pen- 
 guillian is like most others who do one thing particularly 
 well ; he knows nothing else. He has, certainly, a won- 
 derful partiality to one tune, and he has a prodigious self- 
 confidence in that one, for he delivers himself like a north- 
 wester sweeping across the lake. But come, gentlemen, 
 our way is clear, and the sleigh waits. — Good evening. 
 
124 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Mr. Grant. Good nighty young lady — remember that you 
 dine beneath the Corinthian roof to-morrow, with Eliza- 
 beth." 
 
 The parties separated, Richard holding a close disser- 
 tation with Mr. Le Quoi, as they descended the stairs, on 
 the subject of psalmody, which he closed by a violent eu- 
 logium on the air of the Bay of Biscay O,'' as particularly 
 connected with his friend Benjamin's execution. 
 
 During the preceding dialogue, Mohegan retained his 
 seat, with his head shrouded in his blanket, as seemingly 
 inattentive to surrounding objects, as the departing con- 
 gregation was, itself, to the presence of the aged chief. 
 Natty, also, continued on the log, where he had first placed 
 himself, with his head resting on one of his hands, while 
 the other held the rifle, which was thrown carelessly across 
 his lap. His countenance expressed uneasiness, and the 
 occasional unquiet glances that he had thrown around him 
 during the service, plainly indicated some unusual causes 
 for unhappiness. His continuing seated was, however, out 
 of respect to the Indian chief, to whom he paid the utmost 
 deference on all occasions, although it was mingled with 
 the rough manner of a hunter. 
 
 The young companion of these two ancient inhabitants 
 of the forest remained also, standing before the extinguished 
 brands, probably from an unwillingness to depart without 
 his comrades. The room was now deserted by all but this 
 group, the divine, and his daughter. As the party from 
 the Mansion-house disappeared, John arose, and dropping 
 the blanket from his head, he shook back the mass of black 
 hair from his face, and approaching Mr. Grant, he extended 
 his hand, and said solemnly — 
 
 Father, I thank you. The words that have been said, 
 since the rising moon, have gone upward, and the Great 
 Spirit is glad. What you have told your children, they 
 will remember, and be good.*' He paused a moment, and 
 then, elevating himself with the grandeur of an Indian 
 chief, he added, — If Chingachgook lives to travel to- 
 wards the setting sun, after his tribe, and the Great Spirit 
 carries him over the lakes and mountains with the breath 
 in his body, he will tell his people the good talk he has 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 U5 
 
 heard ; and they will helieve him ; for who can say that 
 Mohegan has ever lied ? " 
 
 Let him place his dependence on the goodness of 
 Divine mercy/' said Mr. Grant, to whom the proud con- 
 sciousness of the Indian sounded a little heterodox, and 
 it never will desert him. When the heart is filled with 
 love to Godj there is no room for sin. — But, young man, 
 to you I owe not only an obligation, in common with those 
 you saved this evening on the mountain, but my thanks, 
 for your respectful and pious manner in assisting in the 
 service at a most embarrassing moment. I should be happy 
 to see you sometimes at my dwelling, when, perhaps, my 
 conversation may strengthen you in the path which you 
 appear to have chosen. It is so unusual to find one of 
 your age and appearance, in these woods, at all acquainted 
 with our holy liturgy, that it lessens at once the distance 
 between us, and I feel that we are no longer strangers. 
 You seem quite at home in the service : I did not perceive 
 that you had even a book, although good Mr. Jones had 
 laid several in different parts of the room.*' 
 
 It would be strange, if I were ignorant of the service 
 of our church, sir," returned the youth modestly ; for I 
 was baptized in its communion, and I have never yet at- 
 tended public worship elsewhere. For me to use the forms 
 of any other denomination, would be as singular as our 
 own have proved to the people here this evening." 
 
 You give me great pleasure, my dear sir," cried the 
 divine, seizing the other by the hand, and shaking it cor- 
 dially. — You will go home with me now — indeed you 
 must — my child has yet to thank you for saving my life. 
 I will listen to no apologies. This worthy Indian_, and 
 your friend there, will accompany us. — Bless me! to think 
 that he has arrived at manhood, in this country^ without 
 entering a dissenting * meeting-house 1 " 
 
 No, no," interrupted the Leather-stocking, I must 
 away to the wigwam ; there's work there that mus'n't be 
 forgotten, for all your churchings and merry-makings. Let 
 the lad go with you in welcome ; he is used to keeping 
 
 * The divines of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States, com- 
 monly call other denominations Dissenters^ though there never was an estah. 
 Ushed church in their own country : 
 
126 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 company with ministers^ and talking of such matters ; so 
 is old John^ who was christianised by the Moravians about 
 the time of the old war. But I am a plain^ unlarned man^ 
 that has sarved both the king and his country^ in his day, 
 ag'in the French and savages, but never so much as looked 
 into a book, or larnt a letter of scholarship, in my born 
 days. I've never seen the use of such in-door work, though 
 I have lived to be partly bald, and, in my time, have killed 
 two hundred beaver in a season, and that without counting 
 the other game. — If you mistrust what I am telling you^ 
 you can ask Chingachgook there, for I did it in the heart 
 of the Delaware country, and the old man is knowing to 
 the truth of every word I say." 
 
 " I doubt not, my friend, that you have been both a 
 valiant soldier and skilful hunter, in your day," said the 
 divine ; but more is wanting, to prepare you for that 
 end which approaches. You may have heard the maxim, 
 that ^ young men may die, but that old men must! " 
 
 ^'^ I*m sure I never was so great a fool as to expect to 
 live for ever," said Natty, giving one of his silent laughs : 
 
 no man need do that, who trails the savages through the 
 woods, as I have done, and lives, for the hot months, on 
 the lake streams. I've a strong constitution, I must say 
 that for myself, as is plain to be seen ; for IVe drunk the 
 Onondaga water a hundred times, while I've been watching 
 the deer-licks, when the fever- an-agy seeds was to be seen 
 in it, as plain and as plenty as you can see the rattle-snakes 
 on old Crumhorn. But then, I never expected to hold 
 out for ever ; though there's them living who have seen the 
 Garman flats a wilderness ; ay ! and them that's larned, 
 and acquainted with religion too ; though you might look 
 a week now, and not find even the stump of a pine on 
 them; and that's a wood that lasts in the ground the better 
 part of a hundred years after the tree is dead." 
 
 This is but time, my good friend," returned Mr. Grant, 
 who began to take an interest in the welfare of his new ac- 
 quaintance, but I would have you prepare for eternity 
 It is incumbent on you to attend places of public worship, 
 as I am pleased to see that you have done this evening. 
 Would it not be heedless in you to start on a day's toil 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 127 
 
 of hard huntings and leave your ramrod and flint 
 behind ? " 
 
 " It must be a young hand in the woods/' interrupted 
 Natty_, with another laugh_, that did'nt know how to dress 
 a rod out of an ash saplings or find a fire-stone in the moun- 
 tains. No^ no^ I never expected to live for ever ; but I see,, 
 times be altering in these mountains from what they was thirty 
 years ago, or^ for that matter^ ten years. But might makes 
 rights and the law is stronger than an old man^ whether he 
 is one that has much larning^ or only one like me^ that is 
 better now at standing at the passes than in following the 
 hounds^ as I once used to could. Heigh-ho ! I never 
 know'd preaching come into a settlement, but it made game 
 scarce, and raised the price of gunpowder; and that's a thing 
 that's not as easily made as a ramrod, or an Indian flint.'' 
 
 The divine, perceiving that he had given his opponent 
 an argument, by his own unfortunate selection of a com- 
 parison, very prudently relinquished the controversy; al- 
 though he was fully determined to resume it at a more 
 happy moment. Repeating his request to the young hunter, 
 with great earnestness, the youth and Indian consented to 
 accompany him and and his daughter to the dwelling, that 
 the care of Mr. Jones had provided for their temporary resi- 
 dence. Leather-stocking persevered in his intention of return- 
 ing to the hut, and at the door of the building they separated. 
 
 After following the course of one of the streets of the 
 village a short distance, Mr. Grant, who led the way, turned 
 into a field, through a pair of open bars, and entered a foot- 
 path, of but sufficient width to admit one person to walk in 
 it at a time. The moon had gained a height that enabled 
 her to throw her rays perpendicularly on the valley ; and the 
 distinct shadows of the party flitted along on the banks of 
 the silver snow, like the presence of aerial figures, gliding 
 to their appointed place of meeting. The night still con- 
 tinued intensely cold, although not a breath of wind was felt. 
 The path was beaten so hard, that the gentle female, who 
 made one of the party, moved with ease along its windings ; 
 though the frost emitted a low creaking, at the impression 
 of even her light footsteps. 
 
 The clergyman in his dark dress of broad-cloth , with his 
 
128 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 mild^ benevolent countenance occasionally turned towards 
 his companions^ expressing that look of subdued care, which 
 was its characteristic, presented the first object in this sin- 
 gular group. Next to him moved the Indian, his hair 
 falling about his face, his head uncovered, and the rest of 
 his form concealed beneath his blanket. As his swarthy 
 visage, with its muscles fixed in rigid composure, was seen 
 under the light of the moon which struck his face obliquely, 
 he seemed a picture of resigned old age, on whom the storms 
 of winter had beaten in vain, for the greater part of a cen- 
 tury ; but when in turning his head, the rays fell directly 
 on his dark, fiery eyes, they told a tale of passions unre- 
 strained, and of thoughts free as air. The slight person of 
 Miss Grant, which followed next, and which was but too 
 thinly clad for the severity of the season, formed a marked 
 contrast to the wild attire, and uneasy glances of the Dela- 
 ware chief; and more than once, during their walk, the 
 young hunter, himself no insignificant figure in the group, 
 was led to consider the difference in the human form, as the 
 face of Mohegan, and the gentle countenance of Miss Grant, 
 with, eyes that rivalled the soft hue of the sky, met his 
 view, at the instant that each turned, to throw a glance at 
 the splendid orb which lighted their path. Their way, 
 which led through fields, that lay at some distance in the 
 rear of the houses, was cheered by a conversation, that 
 flagged or became animated with the subject. The first to 
 speak was the divine. 
 
 Really," he said, ^^it is so singular a circumstance to 
 meet with one of your age, that has not been induced, by 
 idle curiosity, to visit any other church than the one in 
 which he has been educated, that I feel a strong curiosity 
 to know the history of a life so ft)rtunately regulated. — 
 Your education must have been excellent ; as indeed is 
 evident from your manners and language. Of which of the 
 states are you a native, Mr. Edwards ? for such, I believe, 
 was the name that you gave Judge Temple." 
 
 Of this." 
 
 Of this ! I was at a loss to conjecture, from your dia- 
 lect, which does not partake, particularly, of the peculia- 
 rities of any country with which I am acquainted. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 You have^ then, resided much in the cities, for no other 
 part of this country is so fortunate as to possess the constant 
 enjoyment of our excellent liturgy." 
 
 The young hunter smiled, as he listened to the divine 
 while he so clearly betrayed from what part of the country 
 he had come himself; but for reasons, probably, connected 
 with his present situation, he made no answer. 
 
 I am delighted to meet with you, my young friend, 
 for I think an ingenuous mind, such as I doubt not yours 
 must be, will exhibit all the advantages of a settled doctrine 
 and devout liturgy. You perceive how I was compelled 
 to bend to the humours of my hearers this evening. Good 
 Mr. Jones wished me to read the communion, and, in fact, 
 all the morning service ; but, happily, the canons do not 
 require this of an evening. It would have wearied a new 
 congregation ; but to-morrow I purpose administering the 
 sacrament. Do you commune, my young friend ?" 
 
 I believe not, sir," returned the youth, with a little 
 embarrassment, that was not at all diminished by Miss 
 Grant's pausing involuntarily, and turning her eyes on him 
 in surprise — I fear that I am not qualified ; 1 have never 
 yet approached the altar ; neither would I wish to do it, 
 while I find so much of the world clinging to my heart." 
 
 Each must judge for himself," said Mr. Grant ; 
 though I should think that a youth who had never 
 been blown about by the wind of false doctrines, and who 
 has enjoyed the advantages of our liturgy for so many years 
 in its purity, might safely come. Yet, sir, it is a solemn 
 festival, which none should celebrate, until there is reason 
 to hope it is not mockery. I observed this evening, in 
 your manner to Judge Temple, a resentment that bordered 
 on one of the worst of human passions. — We will cross 
 this brook on the ice : it must bear us all, I think, in safety. 
 — Be careful not to slip, my child." While speaking, he 
 descended a little bank by the path, and crossed one of the 
 small streams that poured their waters into the lake ; and, 
 turning to see his daughter pass, observed that the youth 
 had advanced, and was kindly directing her footsteps. 
 When all were safely over, he moved up the opposite bank, 
 and continued his discourse. — It was wrong, my dear sir» 
 
 K 
 
130 
 
 THE PIONEERS 
 
 very wrong, to suffer such feelings to rise, under any cir- 
 cumstances, and especially in the present, where the evil 
 was not intended." 
 
 There is good in the talk of my father," said Mohegan, 
 stopping short, and causing those who were behind him to 
 pause also ; it is the talk of Miquon. The white man 
 may do as his fathers have told him ; but the ^ Young Eagle' 
 has the blood of a Delaware chief in his veins : it is red, 
 and the stain it makes can only be washed out with the 
 blood of a Mingo." 
 
 Mr. Grant was surprised by the interruption of the In« 
 dian, and, stoppings faced the speaker. His mild features 
 were confronted to the fierce and determined looks of the 
 chief, and expressed the horror he felt at hearing such sen- 
 timents from one who professed the religion of his Saviour. 
 Raising his hands to a level with his head, he exclaimed — 
 
 John, John ! is this the religion that you have learned 
 from the Moravians } But no — I will not be so uncha- 
 ritable as to suppose it. They are a pious, a gentle, and a 
 mild people, and could never tolerate these passions. Listen 
 to the language of the Redeemer — ^ But I say unto you, 
 love your enemies ; bless them that curse you ; do good to 
 them that hate you ; and pray for them that despitefully 
 use you and persecute you.' — This is the command of God, 
 John, and without striving to cultivate such feelings, no 
 man can see him." 
 
 The Indian heard the divine with attention ; the unusual 
 fire of his eye gradually softened, and his muscles relaxed 
 into their ordinary composure ; but, slightly shaking his 
 head, he motioned with dignity for Mr. Grant to resume 
 his walk, and followed himself in silence. The agitation 
 of the divine caused him to move with unusual rapidity 
 along the deep path, and the Indian, without any apparent 
 exertion, kept an equal pace ; but the young hunter ob- 
 served the female to linger in her steps, until a trifling 
 distance intervened between the two former and the latter. 
 Struck by the circumstance, and not perceiving any new 
 impediment to retard her footsteps, the youth made a tender 
 of his assistance. 
 
 You are fatigued^ Miss Grant/' he said : the snow 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 131 
 
 yields to the foot^ and you are unequal to the strides of us 
 men. Step on the crust, 1 entreat you, and take the help 
 of my arm. Yonder light is, I believe, the house of your 
 father ; but it seems yet at some distance." 
 
 ^ I am quite equal to the walk,'' returned a low, tre- 
 mulous voice ; but I am startled by the manner of thai 
 Indian. Oh ! his eye was horrid, as he turned to the moon, 
 in speaking to my father. But I forget, sir ; he is your 
 friend, and by his language may be your relative; and yet 
 of you I do not feel afraid." 
 
 The young man stepped on. the bank of snow, which 
 firmly sustained his weight, and by a gentle effort induced 
 his companion to follow. Drawing her arm through his 
 own, he lifted his cap from his headj allowing the dark locks 
 to flow in rich curls over his open brow, and walked by her 
 side, with an air of conscious pride, as if inviting an ex- 
 amination of his inmost thoughts. — Louisa took but a 
 furtive glance at his person, and moved quietly along, at a 
 rate that was greatly quickened by the aid of his arm. 
 
 You are but little acquainted with this peculiar people. 
 Miss Grant," he said, or you would know that revenge 
 is a virtue with an Indian. They are taught, from infancy 
 upward, to believe it a duty, never to allow an injury to 
 pass unresisted ; and nothing, but the stronger claims of 
 hospitaUty, can guard one against their resentments, where 
 they have power." 
 
 Surely, sir," said Miss Grant, involuntarily withdraw- 
 ing her arm from his, you have not been educated with 
 such unholy sentiments." 
 
 It might be a sufficient answer to your excellent 
 father, to say, that I was educated in the church," he re, 
 turned ; but to you I will add, that I have been taught 
 deep and practical lessons of forgiveness. I believe that, 
 on this subject, I have but little cause to reproach myself ; 
 it shall be my endeavour that there yet be less." 
 
 While speaking, he stopped, and stood with his arm 
 again proffered to her assistance. As he ended, she quietly 
 accepted his offer, and they resumed their walk. 
 
 Mr. Grant and Mohegan had reached the door of the 
 former's residence, and stood waiting near its threshold for 
 K 2 
 
132 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the arrival of their young companions. The former was 
 earnestly occupied in endeavouring to correct^ by his pre- 
 cepts_, the evil propensities that he had discovered in the 
 Indian during their conversation ; to which the latter lis- 
 tened in profound^ but respectful attention. On the arrival 
 of the young hunter and the lady, they entered the building. 
 
 The house stood at some distance from the village, in 
 the centre of a field, surrounded by stumps that were peer- 
 ing above the snow, bearing caps of pure white nearly two 
 feet in thickness. Not a tree nor a shrub was nigh it ; but 
 the house, externally, exhibited that cheerless, unfinished 
 aspect which is so common to the hastily erected dwellings 
 of a new country. The uninviting character of its outside 
 was, however, happily relieved by the exquisite neatness, 
 and comfortable warmth, within. 
 
 They entered an apartment that was fitted as a parlour, 
 though the large fire-place, with its culinary arrangements, 
 betrayed the domestic uses to which it was occasionally 
 applied. The bright blaze from the hearth rendered the 
 light, that proceeded from the candle Louisa produced, 
 unnecessary ; for the scanty furniture of the room was 
 easily seen and examined by the former. The floor was 
 covered, in the centre, by a carpet made of rags, a species 
 of manufacture that was then, and yet continues to be, 
 much in use in the interior ; while its edges, that were ex- 
 posed to view, were of unspotted cleanliness. There was a 
 trifling air of better life, in a tea-table and work-stand, as 
 well as in an old-fashioned mahogany book- case ; but the 
 chairs, the dining-table, and the rest of the furniture, were 
 of the plainest and cheapest construction. Against the 
 walls were hung a few specimens of needlework and draw- 
 ing, the former executed with great neatness, though of 
 somewhat equivocal merit in their designs, while the latter 
 were strikingly deficient in both. 
 
 One of the former represented a tomb, with a youthful 
 female weeping over it, exhibiting a church with arched 
 windows in the back ground. On the tomb were the 
 names, with the dates of the births and deaths, of several 
 individuals, all of whom bore the name of Grant. An ex- 
 tremely cursory glance at this record, was sufficient to dis- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 133 
 
 cover to the young hunter the domestic state of the divine. 
 He there read^ that he was a widower^ and that the inno- 
 cent and timid maiden^ who had been his companion^ was 
 the only survivor of six children. The knowledge of the 
 dependence, which each of these meek Christians had on 
 the other, for happiness, threw an additional charm around 
 the gentle, but kind attentions, which the daughter paid to 
 the father. 
 
 These observations occurred while the party were seating 
 themselves before the cheerful fire, during which time there 
 was a suspension of discourse. But when each was com- 
 fortably arranged, and Louisa, after laying aside a thin 
 coat of faded silk, and a gipsy hat, that was more be- 
 coming to her modest, ingenuous countenance than appro- 
 priate to the season, had taken a chair between her father 
 and the youth, the former resumed the conversation. 
 
 I trust, my young friend," he said, ^^that the education 
 you have received has eradicated most of those revengeful 
 principles, which you may have inherited by descent ; for 
 I understand from the expressions of John, that you have 
 some of the blood of the Delaware tribe. Do not mistake 
 me, I beg, for it is not colour, nor lineage, that constitutes 
 merit ; and I know not that he who claims affinity to the 
 proper owners of this soil, has not the best right to tread 
 these hills with the hghtest conscience." 
 
 Mohegan turned solemnly to the speaker, and, with the 
 peculiarly significant gestures of an Indian, he spoke : — 
 
 Father, you are not yet past the summer of life ; 
 your» limbs are young. Go to the highest hill, and look 
 around you. All that you see from the rising to the 
 setting sun, from the head waters of the great spring, to 
 where the ^crooked river'* is hid by the hills, is his. He 
 has Delaware blood, and his right is strong. But the bro- 
 ther of Miquon is just : he will cut the country in two 
 parts, as the river cuts the low-lands, and will say to the 
 ' Young Eagle,' Child of the Dela wares ! take it — keep it 
 — and be a chief in the land of your fathers." 
 
 * The Susquehannah means crooked river, " hannah," or hannock, meant 
 river," in many of the native dialects. Thus we find Rappehannock, as lur 
 south as Virginia. 
 
 K 3 
 
134 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Never ! " exclaimed the young hunter^ with a ve- 
 hemence that destroyed the rapt attention^ with which the 
 divine and his daughter were hstening to the Indian. 
 
 The wolf of the forest is not more rapacious for his 
 prey^ than that man is greedy of gold ; and yet his glid- 
 ings into wealth are subtle as the movements of a serpent." 
 
 ^'^ Forbear, forbear, my son, forbear/' interrupted Mr. 
 Grant. These angry passions must be subdued. The 
 accidental injury you have received from Judge Temple 
 has heightened the sense of your hereditary wrongs. But 
 remember that the one was unintentional, and that the 
 other is the effect of political changes, which have, in 
 their course, greatly lowered the pride of kings, and swept 
 mighty nations from the face of the earth. Where now 
 are the Philistines, who so often held the children of Is- 
 rael in bondage ? or that city of Babylon, which rioted in 
 luxury and vice, and who styled herself the Queen of 
 Nations, in the drunkenness of her pride ? Remember 
 the prayer of our holy litany, where we implore the Di- 
 vine Power — ^ that it may please thee to forgive our 
 enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their 
 hearts.' The sin of the wrongs which have been done to 
 the natives is shared by Judge Temple only in common 
 with a whole people, and your arm will speedily be restored 
 to its strength." 
 
 This arm!" repeated the youth, pacing the floor in 
 violent agitation. Think you, sir, that I believe the man 
 a murderer? — Oh, no! he is too wily, too cowardly for 
 such a crime. But let him and his daughter riot in their 
 wealth — a day of retribution will come. No, no, no," he 
 continued, as he trod the floor more calmly — it is for 
 Mohegan to suspect him of an intent to injure me : but the 
 trifle is not worth a second thought/' 
 
 He seated himself, and hid his face between his hands, 
 as they rested on his knees. 
 
 It is the hereditary violence of a native's passion, my 
 child," said Mr. Grant in a low tone, to his affrighted 
 daughter, who was clinging in terror to his arm. He 
 is mixed witli the blood of the Indians, you have heard ; 
 and neither the refinements of education, nor the ad van- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 135 
 
 tages of our excellent liturgy, have been able entirely to 
 eradicate the evil. But care and time will do much for 
 him yet." 
 
 Although the divine spoke in a low tone, yet what he 
 uttered was heard by the youth, who raised his head, 
 with a smile of indefinite exoression, and spoke more 
 calmly. 
 
 Be not alarmed. Miss Grant, at either the wildness of 
 my manner, or that of my dress. I have been carried 
 away by passions that I should struggle to repress. I must 
 attribute it, with your father, to the blood in my veins, al- 
 though I would not impeach my lineage willingly ; for it 
 is all that is left me to boast of. Yes ! I am proud of 
 my descent from a Delaware chief, who was a warrior 
 that ennobled human nature. Old Mohegan was his friend, 
 and will vouch for his virtues." 
 
 Mr. Grant here took up the discourse, and, finding the 
 young man more calm, and the aged chief attentive, he 
 entered into a full and theological discussion of the duty of 
 forgiveness. The conversation lasted for more than an 
 hour, when the visiters arose, and, after exchanging good 
 wishes with their entertainers, they departed. At the door 
 they separated, Mohegan taking the direct route to the 
 village, while the youth moved towards the lake. The di- 
 vine stood at the entrance of his dwelling, regarding the 
 figure of the aged chief as it glided, at an astonishing 
 gait for his years, along the deep path ; his black, straight 
 hair just visible over the bundle formed by his blanket, 
 which was sometimes blended with the snow, under the 
 silvery light of the moon. From the rear of the house 
 was a window, that overlooked the lake ; and here Louisa 
 was found by her father, when he entered, gazing intently 
 on some object in the direction of the eastern mountain. 
 He approached the spot, and saw the figure of the young 
 hunter, at the distance of half a mile, walking with pro- 
 digious steps across the wide fields of frozen snow, that 
 covered the ice, towards the point where he knew the hut 
 inhabited by the Leather- stocking was situated on the 
 margin of the lake, under a rock, that was crowned by 
 pines and hemlocks. At the next instant, the wildly-looking 
 K 4 
 
136 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 form entered the shadow^ cast from the overhanging trees, 
 and was lost to view. 
 
 It is marvellous_, how long the propensities of the 
 savage continue in that remarkable race^" said the good di- 
 vine ; but if he persevere, as he has commenced, his 
 triumph shall yet be complete. Put me in mind, Louisa, 
 to lend him the homily ^ against peril of idolatry,' at his 
 next visit.'* 
 
 Surely, father, you do not think him in danger of re- 
 lapsing into the worship of his ancestors ! " 
 
 No, my child," returned the clergyman, laying his hand 
 affectionately on her flaxen locks, and smiling ; " his white 
 blood would prevent it ; but there is such a thing as the 
 idolatry of our passions." 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 And I'll drink out of the quart pot, — 
 
 Here's a health to the barley mow. Drinking Song. 
 
 On one of the corners, where the two principal streets of 
 Templeton intersected each other, stood, as we have already 
 mentioned, the inn called the Bold Dragoon.'' In the 
 original plan, it was ordained that the village should stretch 
 along the little stream that rushed down the valley, and the 
 street which led from the lake to the academy, was in- 
 tended to be its ^vestern boundary. But convenience fre- 
 quently frustrates the best regulated plans. The house of 
 Mr., or as, in consequence of commanding the militia of 
 that vicinity, he was called. Captain HoUister, had, at an 
 early day, been erected directly facing the main street, and 
 ostensibly interposed a barrier to its further progress. — 
 Horsemen, and subsequently teamsters, however, availed 
 themselves of an opening, at the end of the building, to 
 shorten their passage westward, until, in time, the regular 
 highway was laid out along this course, and houses were 
 gradually built on either side, so as effectually to prevent 
 any subsequent correction of the evil. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 137 
 
 Two material consequences followed this change in the 
 regular plans of Marmaduke. The main street, after 
 running about half its length, was suddenly reduced to pre- 
 cisely that difference in its width ; and the Bold Dragoon" 
 became, next to the Mansion-house, by far the most con- 
 spicuous edifice in the place. 
 
 This conspicuousness, aided by the characters of the 
 host and hostess, gave the tavern an advantage, over all its 
 future competitors, that no circumstances could conquer. — 
 An effort was, however, made to do so ; and at the corner 
 diagonally opposite, stood a new building, that was intended 
 by its occupants to look down all opposition. It was a 
 house of wood, ornamented in the prevailing style of archi- 
 tecture, and, about the roof and balustrades, was one of the 
 three imitators of the Mansion-house. The upper windows 
 were filled with rough boards, secured by nails, to keep out 
 the cold air ; for the edifice was far from finished, although 
 glass was to be seen in the lower apartments, and the 
 light of the powerful fires within, denoted that it was already 
 inhabited. The exterior was painted white, on the front and 
 on the end which w^as exposed to the street ; but in the 
 rear, and on the side which was intended to join the 
 neighbouring house, it was coarsely smeared with Spanish 
 brown. Before the door stood two lofty posts, connected 
 at the top by a beam, from which was suspended an enor- 
 mous sign, ornamented around its edges with certain cu- 
 rious carvings in pine boards, and on its faces loaded with 
 masonic emblems. Over these mysterious figures was 
 written^ in large letters, The Templeton Coffee- House, 
 and Travellers' Hotel," and beneath them, By Habakkuk 
 Foote and Joshua Knapp." This was a fearful rival to the 
 Bold Dragoon," as our readers will the more readily per- 
 ceive, when we add, that the same sonorous names were to 
 be seen over the door of a newly erected store in the village, 
 a hatter s shop, and the gates of a tan-yard. But, either 
 because too much was attempted to be executed well, or 
 that the " Bold Dragoon" had established a reputation which 
 could not be easily shaken, not only Judge Temple and his 
 friends, but most of the villagers also, who were not in debt 
 to the powerful firm we have named, frequented the inn of 
 
138 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Captain Hollister^ on all occasions where such a house was 
 necessary. 
 
 On the present evenings the limping veteran and his 
 consort were hardly housed_, after their return from the 
 academy^ when the sounds of stamping feet at their 
 threshold announced the approach of visiters, who were 
 probahly assembling with a view to compare opinions on the 
 subject of the ceremonies they had witnessed. 
 
 The public^ or, as it was called, the ^' bar-room," of the 
 Bold Dragoon/' was a spacious apartment, lined on three 
 sides with benches, and on the fourth by fire-places. Of 
 the latter there were two_, of such size as to occupy, with 
 their enormous jambs, the whole of that side of the 
 apartment where ihey were placed, excepting room 
 enough for a door or two, and a little apartment in one 
 corner, which was protected by miniature palisadoes, and 
 profusely garnished with bottles and glasses. In the entrance 
 to this sanctuary, Mrs. HoUister was seated with great gra- 
 vity in her air, while her husband occupied himself with 
 stirring the fires ; moving the logs with a large stake, burnt 
 to a point at one end. 
 
 There, Sargeant dear," said the landlady, after she 
 thought the veteran had got the logs arranged in the most 
 judicious manner, ^^give over poking, for it*s no good 
 ye'll be doing, now that they burn so convaniently. — 
 There's the glasses on the table there, and the mug that the 
 Doctor was taking his cider and ginger in, before the fire 
 here, — just put them in the bar, will ye ? for well be 
 having the Jooge, and the Major, and Mr. Jones, down the 
 night, vvidout reckoning Benjamin Poomp, and the law- 
 yers : so ye'll be fixing the room tidy ; and put both flip 
 irons in the coals; and tell Jude, the lazy, black baste, that 
 if she's no be claneing up the kitchen, I'll turn her out of 
 tlie house, and she may live wid the jontlemen that kape 
 the ' Coffee-house,' good luck to 'em. Och ! Sargeant, sure 
 it's a great privilege to go to a mateing, where a body can sit 
 asy, widout joomping up and down so often, as this Mr. 
 Grant is doing that same." 
 
 It's a privilege at all times, Mrs. HoUister, whether 
 we stand or be seated ; or, as good Mr. Whitefield used to 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 139 
 
 do, after he had made a wearisome day's march, get on our 
 knees and pray, like Moses of old, with a flanker to the 
 right and left, to lift his hands to heaven,*' returned her 
 husband, who composedly performed what she had directed 
 to be done. It was a very pretty fight, Betty, that the 
 Israelites had on that day, with the Amalekites. It seems 
 that they font on a plain, for Moses is mentioned as having 
 gone on to the heights, to overlook the battle, and wrestle 
 in prayer ; and if I should judge, with my little larning, 
 the Israelites depended mainly on their horse, for it is 
 written, that Joshua cut up the enemy with the edge of 
 the sword ; from which I infer, not only that they were 
 horse, but well disciplyn'd troops. Indeed, it says as 
 much as that they were chosen men ; quite likely vo- 
 lunteers ; for raw dragoons seldom strike with the edge 
 of their swords, particularly if the weapon be any way 
 crooked." 
 
 Pshaw ! why do ye bother yourself wid taxts, man, 
 about so small a matter," interrupted the landlady ; sure 
 it was the Lord v%^ho was wid 'em ; for he always sided 
 wid the Jews, before they fell away ; and it's but little 
 matter what kind of men Joshua commanded, so that he 
 was doing the right bidding. Aven them cursed millaishy, 
 the Lord forgive me for swearing, that was the death of 
 him, wid their cowardice, would have carried the day in old 
 times. There's no rason to be thinking that the soldiers 
 was used to the drill." 
 
 I must say, Mrs. HoUister, that I have not often seen 
 raw troops fight better than the left flank of the militia, at 
 the time you mention. They rallied handsomely, and that 
 without beat of drum, which is no easy thing to do under 
 fire, and were very steady till he fell. But the Scriptures 
 contain no unnecessary words ; and I will maintain, that 
 horse, who know how to strike with the edge of the sword, 
 must be well disciplyn'd. Many a good sarmon has been 
 preached about smaller matters than that one word ! If the 
 text was not meant to be particular, why wasn't it written 
 with the sword, and not with the edge ? Now, a back- 
 handed stroke, on the edge, takes long practice. Goodness I 
 what an argument would Mr. Whitefield make of that word 
 
140 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 edge ! As to the Captain, if he had only called up the 
 guard of dragoons when he rallied the foot, they would 
 have shown the inimy what the edge of a sword was ; for^ 
 although there was no commissioned officer with them, yet 
 I think I may say/' — the veteran continued, stiffening 
 his cravat ahout the throat, and raising himself up, with the 
 air of a drill-sergeant, — they were led by a man, who 
 know'd how to bring them on, in spite of the ravine/' 
 
 Is it lade on ye would ? " cried the landlady, when 
 ye know yourself, Mr. HoUister, that the baste he rode 
 was but little able to joomp from one rock to another, and 
 the animal was as spry as a squirrel ? Och ! but it 's 
 useless to talk, for he's gone this many a year. I would 
 that he had lived to see the true light ; but there's mercy 
 for a brave sowl, that died in the saddle, fighting for the 
 liberty. It's a poor tombstone they have given him, any 
 way, and many a good one that died like himself : but the 
 sign is very like, and I will be kapeing it up, while the 
 blacksmith can make a hook for it to swing on, for aU the 
 ^ coffee-houses* betwane this and Albany." 
 
 There is no saying where this desultory conversation 
 would have led the worthy couple, had not the men, who 
 were stamping the snow off their feet, on the little platform 
 before the door, suddenly ceased their occupation, and en- 
 tered the bar-room. 
 
 For ten ten or fifteen minutes, the different individuals, 
 who intended either to bestow or receive edification, before 
 the fires of the Bold Dragoon," on that evening, were col- 
 lecting, until the benches were nearly filled with men of 
 different occupations. Dr. Todd, and a slovenly-looking, 
 shabby genteel young man, who took tobacco profusely, wore 
 a coat of imported cloth, cut with something like a fashion- 
 able air, frequently exhibited a large French silver watch, 
 with a chain of woven hair and a silver key, and who, al- 
 together, seemed as much above the artisans around him, 
 as he was himself inferior to the real gentlemen, — occu- 
 pied a high back, wooden settee, in the most comfortable 
 corner in the apartment. 
 
 Sundry brown mugs, containing cider or beer, were 
 placed between the heavy andirons, and little groups were 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 141 
 
 formed among the guests^ as subjects arose^ or the liquor 
 was passed from one to the other. No man was seen to 
 drink by himself^ nor in any instance was more than one 
 vessel considered necessary for the same beverage ; but the 
 glasSj or the mug, was passed from hand to hand_, until a 
 chasm in the line^ or a regard to the rights of ownership, 
 would regularly restore the dregs of the potation to him who 
 defrayed the cost. 
 
 Toasts were uniformly drunk; and occasionally^ some 
 one, who conceived himself peculiarly endowed by nature 
 to shine in the way of wit, would attempt some such sen- 
 timent as hoping that he" who treated, might make 
 a better man than his father ; " or, live till all his friends 
 wished him dead ; " while the more humble pot-companion 
 contented himself by saying, with a most imposing gravity 
 in his air, come, here's luck,** or by expressing some 
 other equally comprehensive desire. In every instance, the 
 veteran landlord was requested to imitate the custom of the 
 cupbearers to kings, and taste the liquor he presented, by 
 the invitation of ^^'^ after you is manners;** with which 
 request he ordinarily complied, by wetting his lips, first 
 expressing the wish of here's hoping,** leaving it to the 
 imagination of the hearers to fill the vacuum by whatever 
 good each thought most desirable. During these move- 
 ments, the landlady was busily occupied with mixing the 
 various compounds, required by her customers^ with her 
 own hands, and occasionally exchanging greetings and en- 
 quiries concerning the conditions of their respective fami- 
 lies, with such of the villagers as approached the bar. 
 
 At length the common thirst being in some measure 
 assuaged, conversation of a more general nature became the 
 order of the hour. The physician, and his companion, 
 who was one of the two lawyers of the village, being con- 
 sidered the best qualified to maintain a public discourse with 
 credit, were the principal speakers^ though a remark was 
 hazarded, now and then, by Mr. Doolittle, who was thought 
 to be their inferior only in the enviable point of education. 
 A general silence was produced on all but the two speakers, 
 by the following observation from the practitioner of the 
 law : — 
 
142 
 
 THE PINOEERS. 
 
 So^ Dr. Todd^ I understand that you have been per- 
 forming an important operation, this evening, by cutting a 
 charge of buckshot from the shoulder of the son of Lea- 
 ther-stocking ? " 
 
 Yes, sir/' returned the other, elevating his little head, 
 with an air of importance. I had a small job up at the 
 Judge's in that way : it was, however, but a trifle to what 
 it might have been, had it gone through the body. The 
 shoulder is not a very vital part ; and I think the young 
 man will soon be well. But I did not know that the pa- 
 tient was a son of Leather- stocking : it is news to me, to 
 hear that Natty had a wife." 
 
 It is by no means a necessary consequence," returned 
 the other, winking, with a shrewd look around the bar- 
 room ; " there is such a thing, I suppose you know, in 
 law, as a *^ fiiius nullius/ " 
 
 Spake it out, man," exclaimed the landlady ; spake 
 it out in king's English ; what for should ye be talking 
 Indian, in a room full of Christian folks, though it is about 
 a poor hunter, who is but a little better in his ways than 
 the wild savages themselves? Och ! it's to be hoped that 
 the missionaries will, in his own time, make a convarsion 
 of the poor divils; and then it will matter little of what 
 colour is the skin, or wedder there be wool or hair on the 
 head." 
 
 Oh ! it is Latin, not Indian, Miss HoUister," returned 
 the lawyer, repeating his winks and shrewd looks ; and 
 Dr. Todd understands Latin, or how would he read the 
 labels on his gallipots and drawers ? — No, no. Miss HoU 
 lister, the Doctor understands me ; don't you. Doctor ? " 
 
 Hem — why I guess I am not far out of the way,' 
 returned Elnathan, endeavouring to imitate the expression 
 of the other's countenance, by looking jocular ; Latin is 
 a queer language, gentlemen ; — now I rather guess there 
 is no one in the room except Squire Lippet, who can be- 
 lieve that ^ Far. A v.' means oatmeal, in Enghsh." 
 
 The lawyer in his turn was a good deal embarrassed by 
 this display of learning; for, although he actually had 
 taken his first degree at one of the eastern universities, 
 he was somewhat puzzled with the terms used by his 
 
THE PIONEERS* 
 
 143 
 
 companion. It was dangerous^ however^ to appear to be 
 outdone in learning in a public bar-room^ and before so 
 many of his clients ; he therefore put the best face on the 
 matter^ and laughed^ knowingly, as if there were a good 
 joke concealed under it, that was understood only by the 
 physician and himself. All this was attentively observed 
 by the listeners, who exchanged looks of approbation ; and 
 the expressions of tonguey man,'* and I guess Squire 
 Lippet knows, if any body doos," were heard in different 
 parts of the room, as vouchers for the admiration of his 
 auditors. Thus encouraged, the lawyer rose from his chair, 
 and turning his back to the fire^ facing the company, he 
 continued — 
 
 The son of Natty, or the son of nobody, I hope the 
 young man is not going to let the matter drop. This is a 
 country of laws ; and I should like to see it fairly tried, 
 whether a man who owns, or says he owns, a hundred 
 thousand acres of land, has any more right to shoot a body 
 than another. What do you think of it. Dr. Todd ? " 
 
 Oh ! sir, I am of opinion that the gentleman will soon 
 be well, as I said before ; the wound isn't in a vital part ; 
 and as the ball was extracted so soon, and the shoulder 
 was what I call well attended to, I do not think there is as 
 much danger as there might have been." 
 
 I say. Squire Doolittle," continued the attorney, raising 
 his voice, you are a magistrate, and know what is law, 
 and what is not law. I ask you, sir, if shooting a man is 
 a thing that is to be settled so very easily ? Suppose, sir, 
 that the young man had a wife and family ; and suppose 
 that he was a mechanic like yourself, sir ; and suppose that 
 his family depended on him for bread ; and suppose that 
 the ball, instead of merely going through the flesh, had 
 broken the shoulder-blade^ and crippled him for ever ; — 
 I ask you all, gentlemen, supposing this to be the case, 
 whether a jury wouldn't give what I call handsome da- 
 mages } " 
 
 As the close of this supposititious case was addressed to 
 the company, generally, Hiram did not, at first, consider 
 himself called on for a reply ; but finding the eyes of the 
 listeners bent on him in expectation^ he remembered his 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 character for judicial discrimination, and spoke^ observing 
 a due degree of deliberation and dignity. 
 
 Why, if a man should shoot another/' he said, " and 
 if he should do it on purpose, and if the law took notice 
 on*t, and if a jury should find him guilty, it would be likely 
 to turn out a state-prison matter." 
 
 It would so, sir," returned the attorney. — The 
 law, gentlemen, is no respecter of persons in a free country. 
 It is one of the great blessings that has been handed down 
 to us from our ancestors, that all men are equal in the eye 
 of the law as they are by nater. Though some may get 
 property, no one knows how, yet they are not privileged 
 to transgress the laws any more than the poorest citizen in 
 the state. This is my notion, gentlemen ; and I think that 
 if a man had a mind to bring this matter up, something 
 might be made out of it that would help pay for the salve 
 
 — ha ! Doctor ? " 
 
 Why, sir," returned the physician, who appeared a 
 little uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking, I 
 have the promise of Judge Temple before men — not but 
 what I would take his word as soon as his note of hand 
 
 — but it was before men. Let me see — there was Moun- 
 shier Ler Quow, and Squire Jones, and Major Hartmann^ 
 and Miss Pettibone, and one or two of the blacks by, when 
 he said that his pocket would amply reward me for what 
 I did." 
 
 Was the promise made before or after the service was 
 performed ? " asked the attorney. 
 
 It might have been both," returned the discreet phy- 
 sician; though I'm certain he said so, before I under- 
 took the dressing." 
 
 But it seems that he said his pocket should reward 
 you. Doctor," observed Hiram. Now I don't know that 
 the law will hold a man to such a promise ; he might give 
 you his pocket with sixpence in't, and tell you to take your 
 pay out on 't." 
 
 That would not be a reward in the eye of the law," 
 interrupted the attorney — not what is called a ' quid 
 pro quo;* nor is the pocket to be considered as an agent, 
 but as part of a man's own person^ that is, in this particu- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 145 
 
 lar. I am of opinion that an action would lie on that pro- 
 mise^ and I will undertake to bear him out_, free of costs, 
 if he don't recover/' 
 
 To this proposition the physician made no reply ; but 
 he was observed to cast his eyes around him_, as if to enu- 
 merate the witnesses, in order to substantiate this promise 
 also, at a future day, should it prove necessary. A subject 
 so momentous, as that of suing Judge Temple, was not 
 very palatable to the present company in so public a place ; 
 and a short silence ensued, that was only interrupted by 
 the opening of the door, and the entrance of Natty himself. 
 
 The old hunter carried in his hand his never-failing 
 companion, the rifle ; and although all of the company 
 were uncovered, excepting the lawyer, who wore his hat on 
 one side, with a certain dam'me air. Natty moved to the 
 front of one of the fires, without in the least altering any 
 part of his dress or appearance. Several questions were 
 addressed to him, on the subject of the game he had killed, 
 which he answered readily, and with some little interest ; 
 and the landlord, between whom and Natty there existed 
 much cordiality, on account of their both having been sol- 
 diers in youth, offered him a glass of a liquid, which, if 
 we might judge from its reception, was no unwelcome 
 guest. When the forester had gotten his potation also, he 
 quietly took his seat on the end of one of the logs, that lay 
 nigh the fires, and the slight interruption produced by his 
 entrance seemed to be forgetten. 
 
 The testimony of the blacks could not be taken, sir,'* 
 continued the lawyer, for they are all the property of 
 Mr. Jones, who owns their time. But there is a way by 
 which Judge Temple, or any other man, might be made to 
 pay for shooting another, and for the cure in the bargain. 
 — There is a way, I say, and that without going into the 
 ^ court of errors' too." 
 
 And a mighty big error ye would make of it, Mister 
 Todd," cried the landlady, should ye be putting tlie 
 matter into the law at all, with Joodge Temple, who has a 
 purse as long as one of them pines on the hill, and who is 
 an asy man to dale wid, if yees but mind the humour of 
 him. He's a good man is Joodge Temple, and a kind one, 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 and one who will be no the likelier to do the pratty thing, 
 hekaase ye would wish to tarrify him wid the law. I 
 know of but one obj action to the same, which is an over- 
 carelessness about his sowl. It's neither a Methodie, nor 
 a Papish, nor Prasbetyrian, that he is, but just nothing at 
 all ; and it's hard to think that he, ^ who will not fight the 
 good fight, under the banners of a rig'lar church, in this 
 world, will be mustered among the chosen in heaven,' as 
 my husband, the captain there, as ye call him, says — 
 though there is but one captain that I know, who desaarves 
 the name. I hopes. Lather-stocking, ye'U no be foolish, 
 and putting the boy up to try the law in the matter ; for 
 'twill be an evil day to ye both, when ye first turn the 
 skin of so paceable an animal as a sheep into a bone of 
 contention. The lad is wilcome to his drink for nothing, 
 until his shouther will bear the rifle ag'in." 
 
 Well, that's ginVous," was heard from several mouths 
 at once, for this was a company in which a liberal offer 
 was not thrown away ; while the hunter, instead of ex- 
 pressing any of that indignation which he might be sup- 
 posed to feel, at hearing the hurt of his young companion 
 alluded to, opened his mouth, with the silent laugh for 
 which he was so remarkable ; and after he had indulged 
 his humour made this reply : — 
 
 I know'd the Judge would do nothing with his smooth- 
 bore, when he got out of his sleigh. I never saw but one 
 smooth-bore, that would carry at all, and that was a 
 French ducking-piece, upon the big lakes : it had a barrel 
 half as long ag'in as my rifle, and would throw fine shot 
 into a goose, at 100 yards; but it made dreadful work 
 with the game, and you wanted a boat to carry it about iri. 
 When I went with Sir William ag'in the French, at Fort 
 Niagara, all the rangers used the rifle ; and a dreadful 
 weapon it is, in the hands of one who knows how to 
 charge it, and keep a steady aim. The Captain knows, 
 for he says he was a soldier in Shirley's ; and though they 
 were nothing but baggonet-men, he must know how we 
 cut up the French and Iroquois in the skrimmages in that 
 war. Chingachgook, which means ^ Big Sarpent' in En- 
 glish^ old John Mohegan, who Kves up at the hut with 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 147 
 
 me, was a great warrior then^ and was out with us ; he 
 can tell all about it, too ; though he was an overhand for 
 the tomahawk, never firing more than once or twice, before 
 he was running in for the scalps. Ah ! times is dread- 
 fully altered since then. Why, Doctor, there was notliing 
 but a footpath, or at the most a track for pack-horses, 
 along the Pvlohawk, from the Jarman Flats up to the forts 
 Now, they say, they talk of running one of them wide 
 roads with gates on it along the river ; first making a road, 
 and then fencing it up ' 1 hunted one season back of 
 tlie Kaatskills, nigh-hand to the settlements, and the dogs 
 often lost the scent, when they came to them highways, 
 there was so much travel on them ; though I can't say that 
 the brutes was of a very good breed. Old Hector will 
 wind a deer in the fall of the year, across the broadest 
 place in the Otsego, and that is a mile and a half, for I 
 paced it myself on the ice, when the tract was first sur- 
 veyed, under the Indian gi-ant." 
 
 It sames to me. Natty, but a sorry compliment, to 
 call your comrad after the evil one,*' said the landlady ; 
 " and it's no much like a snake that old John is looking 
 now. Nimrood would be a more besaming name for the 
 lad, and a more Christian too, seeing that it comes from 
 the Bible. The sargeant read me the chapter about him, the 
 night before my christening, and a mighty asement it was, 
 ta listen to any thing from the book." 
 
 Old John and Chingachgook were very different men 
 to look on," returned the hunter, shaking his head at his 
 melancholy recollections. — In the fifty-eighth war,' he 
 was in the middle of manhood, and taller than now by 
 three inches. If you had seen him, as I did, the morning 
 we beat Dieskau, from behind our log walls, you would 
 have called him as comely a red-skin as ye ever set eyes 
 on. He was naked, all to his breech-cloth and leggens ; 
 and you never seed a creater so handsomely painted. One 
 side of his face was red, and the other black. His head 
 was shaved clean, all to a few hairs on the crown, where 
 he wore a tuft of eagle's leathers, as bright as if they had 
 c(Mie from a peacock's taiL He had coloured his sides, so 
 that they looked like an atomy, ribs and all ; for Chin- 
 h 2 
 
148 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 gachgook had a great taste in such things : so that, what 
 with his bold, fiery countenance, his knife, and his toma- 
 hawk, I have never seen a fiercer warrior on the ground. 
 He played his part, too, like a man ; for I saw him next 
 day, with thirteen scalps on his pole. And I will say this 
 for the ^ Big Snake,' that he always dealt fair, and never 
 scalped any that he didn't kill with his own hands." 
 
 Weil, well,'' cried the landlady ; " fighting is fight- 
 ing, any way, and there is different fashions in the thing ; 
 though I can't say that I relish mangling a body after the 
 breath is out of it ; neither do I think it can be uphild by 
 doctrine. I hope, sargeant, ye niver was helping in sich 
 evil worrek." 
 
 It was my duty to keep my ranks, and to stand or fall 
 by the baggonet or lead," returned the veteran. I was 
 tlien in the fort, and, seldom leaving my place, saw but 
 little of the savages, who kept on the flanks, or in front, 
 skrimmaging. I remember, howsomever, to have heard 
 mention made of the ^ Great Snake,' as he was called, for 
 he was a chief of renown ; but little did I ever expect ta 
 see him enlisted in the cause of Christianity, and civilised 
 like old John." 
 
 Oh ! he was Christianised by the Moravians, who 
 were always over intimate with the Delawares," said 
 Leather-stocking. It's my opinion, that, had they been 
 left to themselves, there would be no such doings now, 
 about the head waters of the two rivers, and that these 
 hills mought have been kept as good hunting-ground by 
 their right owner, who is not too old to carry a rifle, and 
 
 whose sight is as true as a fish-hawk hovering " 
 
 He was interrupted by more stamping at the door, and 
 presently the party from the Mansion-house entered, fol- 
 lowed by the Indian himself. 
 
149 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 There's quart pot, pint pot, half-pint. 
 Gill pot, half.gill, nipperkin, 
 
 And the brown bowl — 
 Here's a health to the barley mow. 
 
 My brave boys, 
 Here's a health to the barley mow. ^Drinking Song. 
 
 Some little commotion was produced by the appearance of 
 the new guests^ during which the lawyer slunk from the 
 room. Most of the men approached Marmaduke^ and 
 shook his oflPered hand^ hoping that the Judge was well 
 while Major Hartmann^ having laid aside his hat and wig, 
 and substituted for the latter a warm, peaked, woollen 
 night-cap, took his seat very quietly on one end of the 
 settee which was relinquished by its former occupants. 
 His tobacco-box was next produced, and a clean pipe was 
 handed him by the landlord. When he had succeeded in 
 raising a smoke, the Major gave a long whiff, and, turning 
 his head towards the bar, he said — 
 Petty, pring in ter toddy." 
 In the mean time, the Judge had exchanged his salu- 
 tations with most of the company, and taken a place by the 
 side of the Major, and Richard had bustled himself into 
 the most comfortable seat in the room. Mr. Le Quoi was 
 the last seated, nor did he venture to place his chair finally, 
 until, by frequent removals, he had ascertained that he 
 could not possibly intercept a ray of heat from any indi- 
 vidual present. Mohegan found a place on an end of one 
 of the benches, and somewhat approximated to the bar. 
 When these movements had subsided, the Judge remarked, 
 pleasantly — 
 
 W ell, Betty, I find you retain your popularity through 
 all weathers, against all rivals, and among all religions. — 
 How liked you the sermon ? " 
 
 Is it the sarmon ? " exclaimed the landlady. I 
 can't say but it was rasonable ; but the prayers is mighty 
 unasy. It's no so small a matter for a body, in their fifty- 
 nint' year, to be moving so much in church. Mr, Grant 
 L 3 
 
150 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 sames a godly man, any way, and his garrel is a hoomble 
 one, and a devout. — Here, John, is a mug of cider laced 
 with whisky. An Indian, will drink cider, though he 
 niver be athirst." 
 
 I must say," observed Hiram, with due deliberation, 
 that it was a tonguey thing ; and I rather guess that it 
 gave considerable satisfaction. There was one part, though, 
 which might have been left out, or something else put in ; 
 but then, I s'pose that, as it was a written discourse, it is 
 not so easily altered, as where a minister preaches without 
 notes." 
 
 Ay ! there's the rub, Joodge," cried the landlady. 
 ^' How can a man stand up and be praching his word, 
 when all that he is saying is written down, and he is 
 as much tied to it as iver a thaving dragoon was to the 
 pickets ? " 
 
 Well, well," cried Marmaduke, waving his hand for 
 silence, there is enough said ; as Mr. Grant told us, 
 there are different sentiments on such subjects, and in my 
 opinion he spoke most sensibly. — So, Jotham, I am told 
 you have sold your betterments to a new settler, and have 
 moved into the village and opened a school. Was it cash 
 or dicker ? " 
 
 The man who was thus addressed occupied a seat imme- 
 diately behind Marmaduke ; and one, who was ignorant of 
 the extent of the Judge's observation, might have thought he 
 would have escaped notice. — He was of a thin, shapeless 
 figure, with a discontented expression of countenance, and 
 with something extremely shiftless in his whole air. Thus 
 spoken to, after turning and twisting a little, by way of 
 preparation, he made a reply. 
 
 Why, part cash, and part dicker. I sold out to a 
 Pumfret-man, who was so'thin forehanded. He was to 
 give me ten dollars an acre for the clearin, and one dollar 
 an acre over the first cost, on the woodland ; and we 
 agreed to leave the buildins to men. So I tuck Asa 
 Mountagu, and he tuck Absalom Bement, and they two 
 tuck old Squire Naphtali Green. And so they had a 
 meetin, and made out a vardict of eighty dollars for the 
 buildins. There was twelve acres of clearin^ at ten doJ«. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 151 
 
 iars, and eighty-eight at one, and the whull came to two 
 hundred and eighty-six dollars and a half, after paying 
 the men." 
 
 Hum/* said Marmaduke : what did you give for 
 the place ? '* 
 
 Why, besides what's comin to the Judge, I gi'n my 
 brother Tim a hundred dollars for his bargain ; but then 
 there's a new house on't, that cost me sixty more^ and I 
 paid Moses a hundred dollars, for choppin, and loggin, 
 and sowin ; so that the whull stood me in about two 
 hundred and sixty dollars. But then I had a great crop 
 off on't, and as I got twenty-six dollars and a half more 
 than it cost, I conclude I made a pretty good trade on't." 
 
 ^'^ Yes, but you forgot that the crop was yours without 
 the trade, and you have turned yourself out of doors for 
 twenty-six dollars." 
 
 Oh ! the Judge is clean out," said the man, with a 
 look of sagacious calculation ; he turned out a span of 
 horses, that is wuth a hundred and fifty dollars of any 
 man's money, with a bran new wagon; fifty dollars in 
 cash ; and a good note for eighty more ; and a side saddle 
 that was valued at seven and a half — so there was jist 
 twelve shillings betwixt us. I wanted him to turn out a 
 set of harness, and take the cow and the sap troughs. He 
 wouldn't — but I saw through it; he thought I should have 
 to buy the tacklin afore I could use the wagon and horses ; 
 but I know'd a thing or two myself; I should like to know 
 of what use is the tacklin to him ! I offered him to trade 
 back agin, for one hundred and fifty-five. But my wo- 
 man said she wanted a churn, so I tuck a churn for the 
 change." 
 
 And what do you mean to do with your time this win- 
 ter ? you must remember that time is money." 
 
 " Why, as the master is gone down country, to see 
 his mother, who, they say, is going to make a die on't, I 
 agreed to take the school in hand till he comes back. If 
 times doosn't get worse in the spring, I've some notion of 
 going into trade, or maybe I may move off to the Genessee; 
 they say they are carryin' on a great stroke of business 
 that-a-way. If the wust comes to the w^ust, I can but 
 L 4 
 
152 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 work at my trade^ for I was brought up in a shoe manu- 
 factory." 
 
 It would seem, that Marmaduke did not think his so- 
 ciety of sufficient value, to attempt inducing him to remain 
 where he was ; for he addressed no further discourse to the 
 man, but turned his attention to other subjects. — After a 
 short pause, Hiram ventured a question : — 
 
 What news does the J udge bring us from the legis- 
 lature? it's not likely that congress has done much this 
 session ; or maybe the French haven't fit any more battles 
 lately 
 
 The French, since they have beheaded their king, have 
 done nothing but fight," returned the Judge. — The cha- 
 racter of the nation seems changed. I knew many French 
 gentlemen_, during our war, and they all appeared to me to 
 be men of great humanity and goodness of heart ; but 
 these Jacobins are as blood-thirsty as bull-dogs." 
 
 There was one Roshambow wid us, down at Yorrek- 
 town," cried the landlady ; a mighty pratty man he was, 
 too ; and their horse was the very same. It was there that 
 the sargeant got the hurt in the leg, from the English bat- 
 teries, bad luck to 'em." 
 
 Ah ! mon pauvre Roi ! " murmured Monsieur Le 
 Quoi. 
 
 ^^The legislature have been passing laws," continued 
 Marmaduke, that the country much required. Among 
 others, there is an act prohibiting the drawing of seines, at 
 any other than proper seasons, in certain of our streams 
 and small lakes ; and another, to prohibit the killing of 
 deer in the teeming months. These are laws that were 
 loudly called for, by judicious men ; nor do I despair of 
 getting an act, to make the unlawful felhng of timber a 
 criminal offence." 
 
 The hunter listened to this detail with breathless at- 
 tention, and when the Judge had ended, he laughed in 
 open derision. 
 
 You may make your laws, Judge," he cried, ^^but who 
 will you find to watch the mountains through the long 
 summer days, or the lakes at night ? Game is game, and 
 he who finds may kill ; that has been the law in these 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 153 
 
 mountains for forty years^ to my sartain knowledge ; and I 
 think one old law is worth two new ones. None but a 
 green-one would wish to kill a doe with a fa'n by its side, 
 unless his mocassins was getting old^ or his leggins ragged, 
 for the flesh is lean and coarse. But a rifle rings among the 
 rocks along the lake shore, sometimes, as if fifty pieces 
 were fired at once : — it would be hard to tell where the 
 man stood who pulled the trigger." 
 
 Armed with the dignity of the law, Mr. Bumppo," 
 returned the Judge gravely, ^^a vigilant magistrate can 
 prevent much of the evil that has hitherto prevailed, and 
 which is already rendering the game scarce. I hope to 
 live to see the day^ when a man's rights in his game shall 
 be as much respected as his title to his farm.'' 
 
 Your titles and your farms are all new together," cried 
 Natty ; but laws should be equal, and not more for one 
 than another. I shot a deer, last Wednesday was a fort- 
 night, and it floundered through the snow banks till it got 
 over a brush fence ; I catch'd the lock of my rifle in the 
 twigs, in following, and was kept back, until finally the 
 Greater got off. Now I want to know who is to pay me 
 for that deer ; and a fine buck it was. If there hadn't 
 been a fence, I should have gotten another shot into it ; 
 and I never draw'd upon any thing that hadn't wings three 
 times running, in my born days. — No, no. Judge, it's 
 the farmers that makes the game scarce, and not the 
 hunters." 
 
 Ter teer is not so plenty as in ter old war, Pumppo," 
 said the Major, who had been an attentive listener, amidst 
 douds of smoke ; put ter lant is not mate as for ter teer 
 to live on, put for Christians." 
 
 Why, Major, I believe you're a friend to justice and 
 the right, though you go so often to the grand house; 
 but it's a hard case to a man, to have his honest calling for 
 a livelihood stopped by laws, and that too when, if right was 
 done, he mought hunt or fish on any day in the week, or 
 on the best flat in the Patent, if he was so minded." 
 
 ^* I unterstant you, Letter-stockint," returned the Ma- 
 jor, fixing his black eyes, with a look of peculiar meaning. 
 
154 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 on the hunter ; put you tidn't use to be so prutent, as to 
 look ahet mit so much care." 
 
 Maybe there wasn't so much occasion/' said the hunter, 
 a little sulkily ; when he sunk into a silence,, from which 
 he was not roused for some time. 
 
 " The Judge was saying so'thin about the French/' 
 Hiram observed, when the pause in the conversation had 
 continued a decent time. 
 
 "Yes, sir," returned Marmaduke "the Jacobins of 
 France seem rushing from one act of licentiousness to 
 another. They continue those murders, which are digni- 
 fied by the name of executions. You have heard, that 
 they have added the death of their Queen to the long list 
 of their crimes." 
 
 " Les monstres ! '* again murmured Monsieur Le Quoi, 
 turning himself suddenly in his chair, with a convulsive 
 start. 
 
 The province of La Vendee is laid waste by the 
 troops of the republic, and hundreds of its inhabitants, 
 who are royalists in their sentiments, are shot at a time. — 
 La Vendee is a district in the south-west of France, that 
 continues yet much attached to the family of the Bourbons; 
 doubtless Monsieur Le Quoi is acquainted with it, and can 
 describe it more faithfully." 
 
 " Non, non, non, mon cher ami," returned the French- 
 man, in a suppressed voice, but speaking rapidly, and ges- 
 ticulating with his right hand, as if for mercy, while with 
 his left he concealed his eyes. 
 
 " There have been many battles fought lately," continued 
 Marmaduke, and the infuriated republicans are too often 
 victorious. I cannot say, however, that I am sorry they 
 have captured Toulon from the English, for it is a place 
 to which they have a just right." 
 
 "Ah — ha!" exclaimed Monsieur Le Quoi, springing 
 on his feet, and flourishing both arms with great animation ; 
 " ces Anglais ! " 
 
 The Frenchman continued to move about the room with 
 great alacrity for a few minutes, repeating his exclamations 
 to himself; when, overcome by the contradictory nature of 
 his emotions, he suddenly burst out of the house, and was 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 155 
 
 seen wading through the snow towards his little shop, 
 waving his arms on high^ as if to pluck down honour from 
 the moon. His departure excited but little surprise, for 
 the villagers were used to his manner ; but Major Hart- 
 mann laughed outright, for the first time during his visit, 
 as he lifted the mug, and observed — 
 
 Ter Frenchman is mat — put he is goot as for notting 
 to trink ; he is trunk mit joy." 
 
 The French are good soldiers," said Captain Hollister ; 
 " they stood us in hand a good turn, down at York-town ; 
 nor do I think, although 1 am an ignorant man about the 
 great movements of the army, that his Excellency would 
 have been able to march against Cornwallis, without their 
 reinforcements." 
 
 Ye spake the trut', sargeant," interrupted his wife, 
 and I would iver have ye be doing the same. It's varry 
 pratty men is the French ; and jist when I stopt the cart, 
 the time when ye was pushing on in front it was, to kape 
 the riglers in, a rigiment of the jontlemen marched by, 
 and so I dealt them out to their liking. Was it pay I got? 
 sure did I, and in good solid crowns: the divil a bit of 
 continental could they muster among them all, for love nor 
 money. Och ! the Lord forgive me for swearing, and 
 spakeing of such vanities : but this I will say for the 
 French, that they paid in good silver ; and one glass would 
 go a great way wid'em, for they gin 'rally handed it back 
 wid a drop in the cup ; and that's a brisk trade, J oodge, 
 where the pay is good, and the men not over partic'lar." 
 
 A thriving trade, Mrs. Hollister,'' said Marmaduke. 
 " But what has become of Richard ? he jumped up as 
 soon as seated, and has been absent so long that I am 
 fearful he has frozen." 
 
 " No fear of that, cousin 'duke,'' cried the gentleman 
 himself ; business will sometimes keep a man warm, the 
 coldest night that ever snapt in the mountains. Betty, 
 your husband told me, as we came out of church, that your 
 hogs were getting mangy, so I have been out to take a look 
 at them, and found it true. I stepped across. Doctor, and 
 got your boy to weigh me out a pound of salts, and have 
 been mixing it with their swill. I'll bet a saddle of veni- 
 
156 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 son against a grey squirrel, that they are better in a week. 
 And now, Mrs. Hollister, I'm ready for a hissing mug 
 of flip." 
 
 " Sure I know*d yee'd be wanting that same," said the 
 landlady ; it's mixt and ready to the boiling. Sargeant, 
 dear, be handing up the iron, will ye ? — no, the one in the 
 far fire, it's black, ye will see. — Ah ! you've the thing now; 
 look if it's not as red as a cherry." 
 
 The beverage was heated, and Richard took that kind of 
 draught which men are apt to indulge in, who think that 
 they have just executed a clever thing, especially when 
 they like the liquor. 
 
 Oh ! you have a hand Betty, that was formed to mix 
 flip," cried Richard, when he paused for breath. The 
 very iron has a flavour in it. Here, John, drink, man, 
 drink. I and you and Dr. Todd, have done a good thing 
 with the shoulder of that lad this very night. 'Duke, I 
 made a song while you were gone — one day when I 
 had nothing to do ; so I'll sing you a verse or two, though 
 I haven't really determined on the tune yet : — 
 
 What is life but a scene of care, 
 
 Where each one must toil in his way? 
 Then let us be jolly, and prove that we are 
 A set of good fellows, who seem very rare. 
 And can laugh and sing all the day. 
 Then let us be jolly, 
 And cast away folly. 
 For grief turns a black head to gray. 
 
 There, 'duke, what do you think of that ? There is another 
 verse of it, all but the last line. I haven't got a rhyme 
 for the last line yet. — Well, old John, what do you think 
 of the music } as good as one of your war songs, ha " 
 
 Good," said Mohegan, who had been sharing deeply 
 in the potations of the landlady besides paying a proper 
 respect to the passing mugs of the Major and Marmaduke. 
 
 Pravo ! pravo ! Ri chart," cried the Major, whose black 
 eyes were beginning to swim in moisture ; pravissimo ! 
 it is a goot song ; put Natty Pumppo hast a petter. Letter- 
 stockint, vilt sing } say, olt poy, vilt sing ter song, as apout 
 ter woots } " 
 
 " No, no. Major," returned the hunter, with a melan- 
 choly shake of the head, I have lived to see what I 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 157 
 
 thought eyes could never hehold in these hills^ and I have 
 no heart left for singing. If he, that has a right to be 
 master and ruler here, is forced to squinch his thirst, when 
 a-dry, with snow-water, it ill becomes them that have lived 
 by his bounty to be making merry, as if there was nothing 
 in the world but sunshine and summer." 
 
 When he had spoken. Leather-stocking again dropped 
 his head on his knees, and concealed his hard and wrinkled 
 features with his hands. The change from the excessive 
 cold without to the heat of the bar-room, coupled with the 
 depth and frequency of Richard's draughts, had already 
 levelled whatever inequality there might have existed be- 
 tween him and the other guests, on the score of spirits ; 
 and he now held out a pair of swimming mugs of foaming 
 flip towards the hunter, as he cried — 
 
 Merry ! ay ! merry Christmas to you, old boy ! Sun- 
 shine and summer ! no ! you are blind, Leather-stocking, 
 'tis moonshine and winter ; — take these spectacles, and open 
 your eyes — 
 
 So let us be jolly, 
 And cast away folly, 
 For grief turns a black head to gray. 
 
 ^' Hear how old John turns his quavers. What damned 
 duU music an Indian song is, after all. Major. I wonder 
 if they ever sing by note.'' 
 
 While Richard was singing and talking, Mohegan was 
 uttering dull, monotonous tones, keeping time by a gentle 
 motion of his head and body. He made use of but few 
 words, and such as he did utter were in his native language, 
 and consequently only understood by himself and Natty. 
 Without heeding Richard, he continued to sing a kind of 
 wild, melancholy air, that rose, at times, in sudden and 
 quite elevated notes, and then fell again into the low, 
 quavering sounds, that seemed to compose the character of 
 his music. 
 
 The attention of the company was now much divided, 
 the men in the rear having formed themselves into little 
 groups, where they were discussing various matters ; among 
 the principal of which were, the treatment of mangy hogs, 
 and Parson Grant's preaching; while Dr. Todd was 
 
158 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 endeavouring to explain to Marmaduke the nature of the 
 hurt received by the young hunter. Mohegan continued to 
 sing, while his countenance was becoming vacant^ though^ 
 coupled with his thick bushy hair, it was assuming an ex- 
 pression very much like brutal ferocity. His notes were 
 gradually growing louder, and soon rose to a height that 
 caused a general cessation in the discourse. The hunter 
 now raised his head again, and addressed the old warrior, 
 warmly, in the Delaware language, which, for the benefit 
 of our readers, we shall render freely into English. 
 
 " Why do you sing of your battles, Chingachgook, and 
 of the warriors you have slain, when the worst enemy of 
 all is near you, and keeps the Young Eagle from his 
 rights ? I have fought in as many battles as any warrior 
 in your tribe, but cannot boast of my deeds at such a time 
 as this." 
 
 Hawk-eye," said the Indian, tottering with a doubtful 
 step from his place, I am the Great Snake of the Dela- 
 wares ; I can track the Mingoes, like an adder that is 
 stealing on the whip-poor-will's eggs, and strike them, like 
 the rattlesnake, dead at a blow. The white man made 
 the tomahawk of Chingachgook bright as the waters of 
 Otsego, when the last sun is shining ; but it is red with 
 the blood of the Maquas.*' 
 
 And why have you slain the Mingo warriors ? Was 
 it not to keep these hunting grounds and lakes to your 
 father's children ? and were they not given in solem_n 
 council to the Fire-eater ? and does not the blood of a war- 
 rior run in the veins of a young chief, who should speak 
 aloud, where his voice is now too low to be heard ? " 
 
 The appeal of the hunter seemed in some measure to 
 recall the confused faculties of the Indian, who turned his 
 face towards the listeners, and gazed intently on the Judge. 
 He shook his head, throwing his hair back from his coun- 
 tenance, and exposed eyes that were glaring with an ex- 
 pression of wild resentment. But the man was not him- 
 self. His hand seemed to make a fruitless effort to release 
 his tomahawk, which was confined by its handle to his 
 belt, while his eyes gradually became vacant. Richard at 
 that instant thrusting a mug before him, his features changed 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 159 
 
 to the grin of idiocy, and seizing the vessel with both 
 hands, he sunk backward on the bench, and drank until 
 satiated, when he made an effort to lay aside the mug 
 with the helplessness of total inebriety. 
 
 Shed not blood ! " exclaimed the hunter as he watched 
 the countenance of the Indian in its moment of ferocity ; 
 
 but he is drunk, and can do no harm. This is the way 
 with all the savages ; give them liquor, and they make dogs 
 of themselves. Well, well — the time will come when 
 right will be done ; and we must have patience." 
 
 Natty still spoke in the Delaware language, and of 
 course was not understood. He had hardly concluded, 
 before Richard cried — 
 
 Well, old John is soon sowed up. Give him a birth, 
 Captam^ in the barn, and I will pay for it. I am rich to- 
 night, ten times richer than 'duke, with all his lands, and 
 military lots, and funded debts, and bonds, and mortgages. 
 
 Come let us be jolly, 
 And cast away folly. 
 For grief— 
 
 Drink, King Hiram — drink, Mr. Doo-nothing — drink, 
 sir, I say. This is a Christmas eve, which comes, you 
 know, but once a year." 
 
 He ! he ! he ! the Squire is quite moosical to-night," 
 said Hiram, whose visage began to give marvellous signs 
 of relaxation. I rather guess we shall make a church 
 on't yet. Squire ? " 
 
 A church, Mr. Doolittle ! we will make a cathedral of 
 it ! bishops, priests, deacons, wardens, vestry, and choir ; 
 organ, organist, and bellows ! By the lord Harry, as Ben^ 
 jamin says, we will clap a steeple on the other end of it, 
 and make two churches of it. What say you, 'duke, will 
 you pay ? ha ! my cousin Judge, wilt pay ? " 
 
 Thou makest such a noise, Dickon/' returned Mar- 
 maduke, it is impossible that I can hear what Dr. Todd 
 is saying, — I think thou observedst, it is probable the 
 wound will fester, so as to occasion danger to the Hmb in 
 this cold weather ? " 
 
 Out of nater, sir, quite out of nater," said Elnathan, 
 attempting to expectorate^ but succeeding only in throwing 
 
l6o 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 a light,, frothy substance, like a flake of snow, into the fire 
 — quite out of nater, that a wound so well dressed, and 
 with the baU in my pocket, should fester. I s'pose, as the 
 Judge talks of taking the young man into his house, it will 
 be most convenient if I make but one charge on't." 
 
 I should think one would do," returned Mannaduke, 
 with that arch smile that so often beamed on his face ; 
 leaving the beholder in doubt whether he most enjoyed the 
 character of his companion, or his own covert humour. 
 
 The landlord had succeeded in placing the Indian on 
 some straw in one of his out-buildings, where, covered with 
 his own blanket, John continued for the remainder of the 
 night. 
 
 In the mean time. Major Hartmann began to grow 
 noisy and jocular; glass succeeded glass, and mug after 
 mug was introduced, until the carousal had run deep into 
 the night, or rather morning : when the veteran German 
 expressed an inclination to return to the Mansion-house. 
 Most of the party had already retired, but Marmaduke 
 knew the habits of his friend too well to suggest an earlier 
 adjournment. So soon, however, as the proposal was 
 made, the Judge eagerly availed himself of it, and the trio 
 prepared to depart. Mrs. Hollister attended them to the 
 door in person, cautioning her guests as to the safest man- 
 ner of leaving her premises. 
 
 *^^Lane on Mister Jones, Major," said she, he's young, 
 and will be a support to ye. Well, it's a charming sight 
 to see ye, any way, at the Bould Dragoon : and sure it's 
 no harm to be kaping a Christmas-eve wid a light heart, 
 for it's no telling when we may have sorrow come upon us. 
 So good night, J oodge, and a merry Christmas to ye ail, to- 
 morrow morning." 
 
 The gentlemen made their adieus as well as they could, 
 and taking the middle of the road, which was a fine, wide, 
 and weU-beaten path, they did tolerably weU until they 
 reached the gate of the Mansion-house ; but on entering 
 the Judge's domains, they encountered some slight difli- 
 culties. We shall not stop to relate them, but will just 
 mention that, in the morning, sundry diverging paths were 
 to be seen in the snow j and that once during their pre 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 161 
 
 gress to the door^ Marmaduke^ missing his companions, 
 was enabled to trace them, by one of these paths, to a spot 
 where he discovered them with nothing visible but their 
 heads ; Richard singing in a most vivacious strain, 
 
 " Come, let us be jolly. 
 And cast away folly, 
 For grief turns a black head to gray." 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 " As she lay, on that day, in the Bay of Biscay, O ! " 
 
 Previously to the occurrence of the scene at the Bold 
 Dragoon," Elizabeth had been safely reconducted to the 
 Mansion-house, where she was left, as its mistress, either 
 to amuse or employ herself during the evening, as best 
 suited her own inclination. Most of the lights were extin- 
 guished ; but as Benjamin adjusted, with great care and 
 regularity, four large candles, in as many massive candlesticks 
 of brass, in a row on the sideboard, the hall possessed a 
 peculiar air of comfort and warmth, contrasted with the 
 cheerless aspect of the room she had left in the academy. 
 
 Remarkable had been one of the listeners to Mr. Grant, 
 and returned with her resentment, which had been not a 
 Httle excited by the language of the Judge, somewhat 
 softened by reflection and the worship. She recollected 
 the youth of Elizabeth, and thought it no difficult task, 
 under present appearances, to exercise that power indi- 
 rectly, which hitherto she had enjoyed undisputed. The 
 idea of bemg governed, or of being compelled to pay the 
 deference of servitude, was absolutely intolerable ; and she 
 had already determined within herself, some half dozen 
 times, to make an effort, that should at once bring to an 
 issue the delicate point of her domestic condition. But as 
 often as she met the dark, proud eye of Elizabeth, who 
 w^as walking up and down the apartment, musing on the 
 scenes of her youth, and the change in her condition, and 
 
 M 
 
162 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 perhaps the events of the day, the housekeeper experienced 
 an awe_, that she would not own to herself could he ex- 
 cited by any thing mortal. It, however, checked her ad- 
 vances, and for some time held her tongue-tied. At length 
 she determined to commence the discourse, by entering on 
 a subject that was apt to level all human distinctions, and 
 in which she might display her own abilities. 
 
 It was quite a wordy sarmon that Parson Grant gave 
 us to-night,*' said Remarkable. — The church ministers 
 be commonly smart sarmonizers ; but they write down 
 their idees, which is a great privilege. — I don't think that 
 by nater they are as tonguey speakers, for an off-hand dis- 
 course, as the standing- order ministers." 
 
 And what denomination do you distinguish as the 
 standing-order?" enquired Miss Temple^ with some sur- 
 prise. 
 
 Why, the Presbyter'ans and Congregationals, and 
 Baptists too, for-ti-'now ; and all sitch as don't go on their 
 knees to prayer." 
 
 By that rule, then, you would call those who belong 
 to the persuasion of my father, the sitting-order," observed 
 EUzabeth. 
 
 I'm sure I've never heard 'em spoken of by any other 
 name than Quakers, so called," returned Remarkable, be- 
 traying a slight uneasiness : I should be the last to call 
 them otherwise, for I never in my life used a disparaging 
 tarm of the Judge, or any of his family. I've always set 
 store by the Quakers, they are so pretty- spoken, clevef 
 people ; and it's a wonderment to me, how your fatnei 
 come to marry into a church family, for they are as con- 
 trary in religion as can be. One sits still, and, for the 
 most part, says nothing, while the church folks practyse 
 all kinds of ways, so that I sometimes think it quite moo- 
 sical to see them ; for I went to a church-meeting once 
 before, down country." 
 
 You have found an excellence in the church liturgy 
 that has hitherto escaped me. I will thank you to enquire 
 whether the fire in my room burns : I feel fatigued with 
 ray journey, and will retire." 
 
 Remarkable felt a wonderful inclination to tell the young 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 165 
 
 mistress of the mansion^ that by opening a door she might 
 see for himself; but prudence got the better of resentment, 
 and after pausing some Uttle time, as a salvo to her dignity, 
 she did as desired. The report was favourable, and the 
 young lady, wishing Benjamin, who was filling the stove 
 with wood, and the housekeeper, each a good night, with- 
 drew. 
 
 The instant the door closed on Miss Temple, Remark- 
 able commenced a sort of mysterious, ambiguous discourse, 
 that was neither abusive nor commendatory of the qualities 
 of the absent personage ; but which seemed to be drawing 
 nigh, by regular degrees, to a most dissatisfied description. 
 The major-domo made no reply, but continued his occu- 
 pation with great industry, which being happily com- 
 pleted, he took a look at the thermometer^ and then, 
 opening a drawer of the sideboard, he produced a supply of 
 stimulants, that would have served to keep the warmth in 
 his system, without the aid of the enormous fire he had 
 been building. A small stand was drawn up near the 
 stove, and the bottles and the glasses necessary for con- 
 venience, were quietly arranged. Two chairs were placed 
 by the side of this comfortable situation, when Benjamin , 
 for the first time, appeared to observe his companion. 
 
 Come," he cried, come Mistress Remarkable, bring 
 yourself to an anchor in this chair. It's a peeler without, 
 I can tell you, good woman ; but what cares I ? blow high 
 or blow low, d'ye see, it's all the same thing to Ben. The 
 niggers are snug stowed below, before a fire that would 
 roast an ox whole. The thermometer stands now at fifty- 
 five, but if there's any vartue in good maple wood, I'll 
 weather upon it, before one glass, as much as ten points 
 more, so that the Squire, when he comes home from Betty 
 HoUister's warm room, will feel as hot as a hand that 
 has given the rigging a lick with bad tar. Come, mistress, 
 bring up in this here chair, and tell me how you like our 
 new heiress." 
 
 "Why, to my notion, Mr. Penguillum 
 
 Pump, Pump," interrupted Benjamin ; it's Christ- 
 mas-eve, Mistress Remarkable, and so, d'ye see, you had 
 better call me Pump. It's a shorter name, and as I mean 
 Br 2 
 
16*4 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 to pump this here decanter till it sucks^ why you may as 
 well call me Pump/' 
 
 ^^ Did you ever ! '* cried Remarkable, with a laugh that 
 seemed to unhinge every joint in her body. You're a 
 moosical creater, Benjamin, when the notion takes you. But 
 as I was saying, I rather guess that times will be altered 
 now in this house." 
 
 Altered ! " exclaimed the major-domo, eyeing the 
 bottle, that was assuming the clear aspect of cut glass 
 with astonishing rapidity ; it don't matter much. Mis- 
 tress Remarkable, so long as I keep the keys of the lockers 
 in my pocket." 
 
 I can't say," continued the housekeeper, but there's 
 good eatables and drinkables enough in the house for a body's 
 content — a little more sugar, Benjamin, in the glass — for 
 Squire Jones is an excellent provider. But new lords, new 
 laws ; and I shouldn't wonder, if you and 1 had an unsar- 
 tain time on't in footer." 
 
 Life is as unsartain as the wind that blows," said 
 Benjamin, with a moralising air; — and nothing is 
 more vari'ble than the wind. Mistress Remarkable, unless 
 you happen to fall in with the trades, d'ye see, and then 
 you may run for the matter of a month at a time, with 
 studding-sails on both sides, alow and aloft, and with the 
 cabin-boy at the wheel." 
 
 I know that life is disp'ut unsartain," said Remarkable, 
 compressing her features to the humour of her companion ; 
 
 but I expect there will be great changes made in the house 
 to rights j and that you will find a young man put over 
 your head, as there is one that wants to be over mine ; and 
 after having been settled as long as you have, Benjamin, I 
 should judge that to be hard." 
 
 Promotion should go according to length of sarvice," 
 said the major-domo ; and if-so-be that they ship a hand 
 for my birth, or place a new steward aft, I shall throw up 
 my commission in less time than you can put a pilot-boat 
 in stays. Thof Squire Dickens" — this was a common 
 misnomer with Benjamin — is a nice gentleman, and as 
 good a man to sail with as heart could wish, yet I shall tell 
 the Squire, d'ye see, in plain Enghsh^ and that's ray native 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 165 
 
 tongue^ thatif-so-be he is thinking of putting any Johnny 
 Raw over my head, why I shall resign. I began forrard. 
 Mistress Prettybones, and worked my way aft_, like a man. 
 I was six months aboard a Garnsey lugger, hauling in the 
 slack of the lee- sheet, and coiling up rigging. From that 
 I went a few trips in a fore-and-after, in the same trade, 
 which, after all, was but a blind kind of sailing in the 
 dark, where a man larns but little, excepting how to 
 steer by the stars. Well, then, d'ye see, I larnt how 
 a topmast should be slushed, and how a top-gallant- 
 sail was to be becketted; and then I did small jobs 
 in the cabin_, such as mixing the skipper's grog. — 
 'Twas there I got my taste, which, you must have 
 often seen_, is excellent. Well, here's better acquaintance 
 to us." 
 
 Remarkable nodded a return to the compliment, and took 
 a sip of the beverage before her; for, provided it was well 
 sweetened, she had no objection to a small potation now 
 and then. After this observance of courtesy between the 
 worthy couple, the dialogue proceeded. 
 
 You have had great experences in life, Benjamin ; for, 
 as the Scripter says, ' They that go down to the sea in ships 
 see the works of the Lord.' " 
 
 Ay ! for that matter, they in brigs and schooners too ; 
 and it mought say, the works of the devil. The sea. Mis- 
 tress Remarkable, is a great advantage to a man, in the 
 way of knowledge, for he sees the fashions of nations, and 
 the shape of a country. Now, I suppose, for myself 
 here, who is but an unlarned man to some that follows the 
 seas, 1 suppose that, taking the coast from Cape Ler 
 Hogue, as low down as Cape Finish-there, there isn't so 
 much as a head-land, or an island, that I don't know either 
 the name of it, or something more or less about it. Take 
 enough, woman, to colour the water. Here's sugar. It's 
 a sweet tooth, that fellow that you hold on upon yet, Mis- 
 tress Prettybones. But, as I was saying, take the whole 
 coast along, I know it as well as the way from here to the 
 Bold Dragoon ; and a devil of an acquaintance is that 
 Bay of Biscay. Whew ! I wish you could but hear 
 the wind blow there. It sometimes takes two to hold 
 M 3 
 
166 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 one man's hair on his head. Scudding through the Bay 
 is pretty much the same thing as travelling the roads in 
 this country, up one side of a mountain, and down the 
 other." 
 
 Do tell ! " exclaimed Remarkable ; and does the sea 
 run as high as mountains, Benjamin ? " 
 
 Well, I will tell ; but first let's taste the grog. — Hem ! 
 it's the right kind of stuff, I must say, that you keep in 
 this country ; but then you're so close aboard the West In- 
 dies, you make but a small run of it. By the lord Harry, 
 woman, if Garnsey only lay somewhere between Cape Hat- 
 teras and the Bite of Logann, but you'd see rum cheap ! 
 As to the seas, they runs more in lippers in the Bay of 
 Biscay, unless it may be in a sow- wester, when they tum- 
 ble about quite handsomely ; thof it's not in the narrow 
 seas that you are* to look for a swell ; just go off the West- 
 ern Islands, in a westerly blow, keeping the land on your 
 larboard hand, with the ship's head to the south'ard, and 
 bring to, under a close-reef'd topsail ; or, mayhap, a reef 'd 
 foresail, with a fore-topmast-staysail, and mizzen-staysail, 
 to keep her up to the sea, if she will bear it ; and lay 
 there for the matter of two watches, if you want to see 
 mountains. Why, good woman, I've been off there in 
 the Boadishey frigate, when you coidd see nothing but 
 some such matter as a piece of sky, mayhap, as big 
 as the mainsail ; and then again, there was a hole under 
 your lee-quarter, big enough to hold the whole British 
 navy." 
 
 Oh ! for massy's sake ! and wan't you afeard, Benja- 
 min ? and how did you get off? " 
 
 Afeard ! who the devil do you think was to be fright- 
 ened at a little salt water tumbling about his head ? As 
 for getting off, when we had enough of it, and had washed 
 our decks down pretty well, we called all hands, for, d'ye 
 see, the watch below was in their hammocks, all the same 
 as if they were in one of your best bed-rooms ; and so we 
 watched for a smooth time ; clapt her helm hard a- wea- 
 ther, let fall the foresail, and got the tack aboard ; and so, 
 when we got her afore it, I ask you. Mistress Prettybones, 
 if she didn't walk ? didn't she I'm no liar, good woman. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 when I say that I saw that ship jump from the top of one 
 sea to another,, just like one of these squirrels^ that can fly, 
 jumps from tree to tree." 
 
 " What, clean out of the water ! " exclaimed Remarkable, 
 lifting her two lank arms, with their bony hands spread in 
 astonishment. 
 
 It was no such easy matter to get out of the water, 
 good woman ; for the spray flew so that you couldn't tell 
 which was sea and which was cloud. So there we kept her 
 afore it, for the matter of two glasses. The first lieutenant 
 he cun'd the ship himself, and there was four quarter-mas- 
 ters at the wheel, besides the master, with six forecastle 
 men in the gun-room, at the relieving tackles. But then she 
 behaved herself so well ! Oh ! she was a sweet ship, mistress ! 
 That one frigate was well worth more, to live in, than the 
 best house in the island. If I was king of England, I'd have 
 her hauled up above Lon'on bridge, and fit her up for a 
 palace ; because why } if any body can afford to live com- 
 fortably, his majesty can." 
 
 Well ! but Benjamin," cried the listener, who was in 
 an ecstasy of astonishment, at this relation of the steward's 
 dangers, what did you do .^^ " 
 
 Do ! why we did our duty, like hearty fellows. Now 
 if the countrymen of Mounsheer Ler Quaw had been 
 aboard of her, they would have just stuck her ashore on 
 some of them small islands ; but we run along the land, 
 until we foi;ind her dead to leeward off the mountains 
 of Pico, and dam'me if I know to this day how we 
 got there ; whether we jumped over the island, or 
 hauled round it; — but there we was, and there we lay, 
 under easy sail, fore-reaching, first upon one tack, and 
 then upon t'other, so as to poke her nose out now and then, 
 and take a look to wind'ard, till the gale blow'd it's pipe 
 out." 
 
 I wonder now ! " exclaimed Remarkable, to whom 
 most of the terms used by Benjamin were perfectly unin- 
 telligible, but who had got a confused idea of a raging 
 tempest. " It must be an awful life, that going to sea ! 
 and I don't feel astonishment that you're so affronted with 
 the thoughts of being forced to quit a comfortable home 
 M 4 
 
168 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 like this. Not that a body cares much for*t, as there's 
 more houses than one to live in. ^^^hy, when the Judge 
 agreed with me to come and live with him^ I'd no more no- 
 tion of stopping any time than any thing. I happened in, 
 just to see how the family did, about a week after Miss 
 Temple died, thinking to be back home agin night; but 
 the family was in sitch a distressed way, that I couldn't 
 but stop awhile, and help 'em on. I thought the situation 
 a good one, seeing that I was an unmarried body, and they 
 were so much in want of help ; so I tarried.*' 
 
 And a long time have you left your anchors down in 
 the same place, mistress. I think you must find that the 
 ship rides easy." 
 
 How you talk, Benjamin I there's no believing a word 
 you say. I must say that the Judge and Squire Jones 
 have both acted quite clever, so long ; but I see that now 
 we shall have a specimen to the contrary. I heer'n say 
 that the Judge was gone a great 'broad, and that he meant 
 to bring his darter hum, but I didn't calculate on sitch 
 carrins on. To my notion, Benjamin, she's likely to turn 
 out a desput ugly gal." 
 
 Ugly !" echoed the major-domo, opening eyes, that 
 were beginning to close in a very suspicious sleepiness, 
 in wide amazement. By the lord Harry, woman, 1 
 should as soon think of calling the Boadishey a clumsy 
 frigate. What the devil would you have } arn't her eyes 
 as bright as the morning and evening stars } and isn't her 
 Hair as black and glistening as rigging that has just had a 
 lick of tdiv} doesn't she move as stately as a first-rate in 
 smooth water, on a bow-line ? Why, woman, the figure- 
 head of the Boadishey was a fool to her, and that, as 
 I've often heard the captain say, was an image of a great 
 queen ; and arn't queens always comely, woman } for 
 who do you think would be a king, and not choose a hand- 
 some bedfellow ? " 
 
 Talk decent, Benjamin," said the housekeeper, or I 
 won't keep your company. I don't gainsay her* being 
 comely to look on, but I will maintain, that she's Hkely 
 to show poor conduct. She seems to think herself too 
 good to talk to a body. From what Squire Jones had 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 tell'd me^ I some expected to be quite captivated by her 
 company. Now^ to my reckonings Lowizy Grant is 
 much more pritty behaved than Betsy Temple. She 
 wouldn't so much as hold discourse with me^ when I 
 wanted to ask her how she felt_, on coming home and miss- 
 ing her mammy." 
 
 Perhaps she didn't understand you_, woman ; you are 
 none of the best linguister ; and then Miss Lizzy has been 
 exercising the King's English under a great Lon'ou 
 lady^ and^ for that matter_, can talk the language almost as 
 well as myself, or any native born British subject. You've 
 forgot your schooling, and the young mistress is a great 
 scollard." 
 
 Mistress ! " cried Remarkable, don't make one out to 
 be a nigger, Benjamin. She's no mistress of mine, and 
 never will be. And as to speech, I hold myself as second 
 to nobody out of New England. I was born and raised in 
 Essex county ; and I've always heer'n say, that the Bay 
 State was provarbal for pronounsation ! " 
 
 " I've often heard of that Bay of State," said Benjamin, 
 but can't say that I've ever been in it, nor do I know ex- 
 actly where away it is that it lays ; but I suppose there is 
 good anchorage in it, and that it's no bad place for the 
 taking of ling ; but for size, it can't be so much as a yawl 
 to a sloop of war, compared with the Bay of Biscay, or, 
 mayhap. Tor-bay. And as for language, if you want to 
 hear the dictionary overhauled, like a long-line in a blow, 
 you must go to Wapping, and listen to the Londoners, as 
 they deal out their lingo. Howsomever, I see no such 
 mighty matter that Miss Lizzy has been doing to you, good 
 woman, so take another drop of your brew, and forgive and 
 forget, like an honest soul." 
 
 No, indeed ! and I shan't do sitch a thing, Benjamin. 
 This treatment is a newity to me, and what I won't put up 
 with. I have a hundred and fifty dollars at use, besides a 
 bed and twenty sheep, to good ; and I don't crave to live in 
 .1 house where a body musn't call a young woman by her 
 given name to her face. I will call her Betsy as much as I 
 please ; it's a free country^ and no one can stop me. I did 
 
170 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 intend to stop while summer, but I shall quit to-morrow 
 morning ; and I will talk just as 1 please/* 
 
 For that matter. Mistress Remarkable/' said Benjamin, 
 there's none here who will contradict you ; for Tm of 
 opinion that it would be as easy to stop a hurricane with a 
 Barcelony hankerchy, as to bring up your tongue when 
 the stopper is off. I say, good woman, do they grow many 
 monkeys along the shores of that Bay of State ? " 
 
 You're a monkey yourself, Mr. Penguillum," cried the 
 enraged housekeeper, or a bear ! a black, beastly bear ! 
 and an't lit for a decent woman to stay with. I'll never 
 keep your company agin, sir, if I should live thirty years 
 with the Judge. Sitch talk is more befitting the kitchen 
 than the keeping-room of a house of one whp is well to do 
 in the world." 
 
 Look you. Mistress Pitty — Patty — Prettybones, 
 mayhap I'm some such matter as a bear, as they will find 
 who come to grapple with me ; but dam'me if I'm a mon- 
 key — a thing that chatters without knowing a word of 
 what it says — a parrot; that will hold a dialogue, for what 
 an honest man knows, in a dozen languages ; mayhap in 
 the Bay of State Hugo ; mayhap in Greek or High Dutch. 
 But dost it know what it means itself? canst answer me 
 that, good woman ? Your midshipman can sing out, and 
 pass the word, when the captain gives the order, but just 
 set him adrift by himself, and let him work the ship of his 
 own head, and, stop my grog, if you don't find all the 
 Johnny Raws laughing at him." 
 
 Stop your grog, indeed ! " said Remarkable, rising 
 with great indignation, and seizing a candle ; you're 
 groggy now, Benjamin, and I'll quit the room before I 
 hear any misbecoming words from you." 
 
 The housekeeper retired, with a manner but little less 
 dignified, as she thought, than the air of the heiress, mut- 
 tering, as she drew the door after her, with a noise like 
 the report of a musket, the opprobrious terms of drunk- 
 ard," sot," and beast." 
 
 Who's that you say is drunk?" cried Benjamin, 
 fiercely, rising and making a movement towards Remark- 
 able. You talk of mustering yourself with a lady ! you're 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 171 
 
 just fit to grumble and find fault. Where the devil should 
 you larn behaviour and dictionary ? in your damned Bay 
 of State^ ha ? 
 
 Benjamin here fell back in his chair^ and soon gave vent 
 to certain ominous sounds^ which resembled not a little 
 the growling of his favourite animal^ the bear itself. Be- 
 fore,, however, he was quite locked — to use the language 
 that would suit the Delia- cruscan humour of certain refined 
 minds of the present day — ^' in the arms of Morpheus/* 
 he spoke aloud, observing due pauses between his epithets, 
 the impressive terms of monkey," parrot," pic-nic,* 
 " tar-pot," and linguisters." 
 
 We shall not attempt to explain his meaning, nor con- 
 nect his sentences ; and our readers must be satisfied with 
 our informing them, that they were expressed with all that 
 coolness of contempt that a man might well be supposed 
 to feel for a monkey. 
 
 Nearly two hours passed in this sleep, before the major- 
 domo was awakened by the noisy entrance of Richard, 
 Major Hartmann, and the master of the mansion. Ben- 
 jamin so far rallied his confused faculties, as to shape the 
 course of the two former to their respective apartments, 
 when he disappeared himself, leaving the task of securing 
 the house to him who was most interested in its safety. 
 Locks and bars were but little attended to in the early day 
 of that settlement ; and so soon as Marmaduke had given 
 an eye to the enormous fires of his dwelling, he retired. 
 With this act of prudence closes the first night of our tale. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Watch, (aside) Some treason, masters — 
 Yet stand close. Much ado about Nothing, 
 
 It was fortunate for more than one of the bacchanalians, 
 who left the Bold Dragoon" late in the evening, that 
 the severe cold of the season was becoming rapidly less 
 dangerous, as they threaded the different mazes through 
 
172 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the snow-banks that led to their respective dwellings. Thin, 
 driving clouds began, towards morning, to flit across the 
 heavens, and the moon set behind a volume of vapour, that 
 was impelled furiously towards the north, carrying with it 
 the softer atmosphere from the distant ocean. The rising 
 sun was obscured by denser and increasing columns of 
 clouds, while the southerly wind, that rushed up the valley, 
 brought the never-failing symptoms of a thaw. 
 
 It was quite late in the morning before Elizabeth, ob- 
 serving the faint glow which appeared on the eastern 
 mountain, long after the light of the sun had struck the 
 opposite hills, ventured from the house, with a view to 
 gratify her curiosity with a glance by daylight at the sur- 
 rounding objects, before the tardy revellers of the Christ- 
 mas-eve should make their appearance at the breakfast 
 table. While she was drawing the folds of her pelisse 
 more closely around her form, to guard against a cold that 
 was yet great, though rapidly yielding, in the small en- 
 closure that opened in the rear of the house on a little 
 thicket of low pines, that were springing up where trees of 
 a mightier growth had lately stood, she was surprised at 
 the voice of Mr. J ones. 
 
 Merry Christmas, merry Christmas to you, cousin 
 Bess," he shouted. Ah, ha ! an early riser, I see ; but 
 I knew I should steal a march on you. I never was in a 
 house yet, where I didn't get the first Christmas greeting 
 on every soul in it, man, woman, and child ; great and 
 small ; black, white, and yellow. But stop a minute, till 
 I can just slip on my coat ; you are about to look at the 
 improvements, I see, which no one can explain so well as 
 I, who planned them all. It will be an hour before 'duke 
 and the Major can sleep off Mrs. Hollister's confounded 
 distillations, and so I'll come down and go with you.'' 
 
 Elizabeth turned, and observed her cousin in his night- 
 cap, with his head out of his bed-room window, where his 
 zeal for pre-eminence, in defiance of the weather, had im- 
 pelled him to thrust it. She laughed, and promising to 
 wait for his company, re-entered the house, making her 
 ppearance again, holding in her hand a packet that was 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 173 
 
 secured by several large and important seals^ just in time 
 to meet the gentleman. 
 
 Come, Bessy, come/' he cried, drawing one of her 
 arms through his own ; the snow begins to give, but it 
 will bear us yet. Don't you snuff old Pennsylvania in the 
 very air .f' This is a vile climate, girl ; now at sunset, last 
 evening, it was cold enough to freeze a man's zeal, and 
 that, I can tell you, takes a thermometer near zero for me ; 
 then about nine or ten it began to moderate ; at twelve it 
 was quite mild, and here all the rest of the night I have 
 been so hot as not to bear a blanket on the bed. — Holla ! 
 Aggy, — -merry Christmas, Aggy — I say, do you hear me, 
 you black dog ! there's a dollar for you ; and if the gen- 
 tlemen get up before I come back, do you come out and 
 let me know. I wouldn't have 'duke get the start of me 
 for the worth of your head." 
 
 The black caught the money from the snow, and pro- 
 mising a due degree of watchfulness, he gave the dollar a 
 whirl of twenty feet in the air, and catching it as it fell, 
 in the palm of his hand, he withdrew to the kitchen, to 
 exhibit his present, with a heart as light as his face was 
 happy in its expression. 
 
 Oh, rest easy, my dear coz," said the young lady ; 
 I took a look in at my father, who is likely to sleep an 
 hour ; and, by using due vigilance, you will secure all the 
 honours of the season." 
 
 Why, 'duke is your father, Elizabeth ; but 'duke is a 
 man who likes to be foremost, even in trifles. Now, as 
 for myself, I care for no such things, except in the way of 
 competition ; for a thing, which is of no moment in itself, 
 may be made of importance in the way of competition. So 
 it is with your father — he loves to be first ; but I only 
 struggle with him as a competitor." 
 
 It's all very clear, sir," said Elizabeth ; " you would 
 not care a fig fbr distinction, if there were no one in the 
 world but yourself ; but as there happen to be a great many 
 others, why, you must struggle with them all — in the way 
 of competition." 
 
 Exactly so ; I see you are a clever girl, Bess, and one 
 who does credit to her masters. It was my plan to send 
 
174 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 you to that school ; for when your father first mentioned 
 the thing, I wrote a private letter for advice to a judicious 
 friend in the city, who recommended the very school you 
 went to, 'Duke was a Uttle obstinate at first, as usual, 
 but when he heard the truth, he was obliged to send you." 
 
 Well, a truce to 'duke's foibles, sir ; he is my father ; 
 and if you knew what he has been doing for you while 
 we were in Albany, you would deal more tenderly with his 
 character." 
 
 For me ! " cried Richard, pausing a moment in his 
 walk to reflect. Oh ! he got the plans of the new Dutch 
 meeting-house for me, I suppose ; but I care very little 
 about it, for a man, of a certain kind of talent, is seldom 
 aided by any foreign suggestions: his own brain is the 
 best architect." 
 
 No such thing," said Elizabeth, looking provokingly 
 knowing. 
 
 " No ! let me see — perhaps he had my name put in 
 the bill for the new turnpike, as a director ? 
 
 He might possibly ; but it is not to such an appoint- 
 ment that I allude." 
 
 Such an appointment!" repeated Mr. Jones, who began 
 to fidget with curiosity ; then it is an appointment. If 
 it is in the militia, I won't take it." 
 
 No, no, it is not in the militia," cried Elizabeth, show- 
 ing the packet in her hand, and then drawing it back, with 
 a coquettish air ; it is an office of both honour and emo- 
 lument." 
 
 Honour and emolument ! " echoed Richard, in painful 
 suspense ; " show me the paper, girl. Say, is it an office 
 where there is any thing to do ? " 
 
 You have hit it, cousin Dickon ; it is the executive 
 office of the county ; at least so said my father, when he 
 gave me this packet to offer you as a Christmas-box. — 
 ' Surely, if any thing will please Dickon/ he said, ^ it will 
 be to fill the executive chair of the county.' " 
 
 Executive chair ! what nonsense ! " cried the impatient 
 gentleman, snatching the packet from her hand ; there 
 is no such office in the county. Eh ! what ! it is, I declare, 
 a commission, appointing Richard Jones, Esquire, sheriff 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 175 
 
 of the county. Well^ this is kind in Muke^ positively. I 
 must say 'duke has a warm hearty and never forgets his 
 
 friends. Sheriff ! High Sheriff of ! It sounds well, 
 
 Bess, but it shall execute better. 'Duke is a judicious man, 
 after all, and knows human nature thoroughly. I'm much 
 obliged to him," continued Richard, using the skirt of his 
 coat, unconsciously, to wipe his eyes ; though I would 
 do as much for him any day, as he shall see, if I have an 
 opportunity to perform any of the duties of my office on 
 him. It shall be done, cousin Bess — it shall be done, 
 I say. — How this cursed south wind makes one's eyes 
 water." 
 
 Now, Richard," said the laughing maiden, " now I 
 think you will find something to do. I have often heard 
 you complain of old, that there was nothing to do in this 
 new country, while to my eyes it seemed as if every thing 
 remained to be done." 
 
 Do !" echoed Richard, who blew his nose, raised his 
 little form to its greatest elevation, and looked serious. 
 
 Every thing depends on system, girl. I shall sit down 
 this afternoon, and systematise the county. I must have 
 deputies, you know. I will divide the county into districts, 
 over which I will place my deputies ; and I will have one 
 for the village, which I will call my home department. 
 Let me see — oh I Benjamin ! yes, Benjamin will make a 
 good deputy ; he has been naturalised, and would answer 
 admirably, if he could only ride on horseback." 
 
 Yes, Mr. Sheriff," said his companion; and as he 
 understands ropes so well, he would be very expert, should 
 occasion happen for his services, in another way." 
 
 No," interrupted the other, I flatter myself that no 
 man could hang a man better than — that is — ha — oh ! 
 yes, Benjamin would do extremely well, in such an unfor- 
 tunate dilemma, if he could be persuaded to attempt it. But 
 I should despair of the thing. I never could induce him 
 to hang, or teach him to ride on horseback. I must seek 
 another deputy." 
 
 Well, sir, as you have abundant leisure for all these 
 important affairs, I beg that you will forget that you are 
 High Sheriff; and devote some little of your time to gallantry. 
 
170 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Where are the beauties and improvements which you were 
 to show me ? " 
 
 Where ? why every where. Here I have laid out 
 some new streets ; and when they are opened, and the trees 
 felled^ and they are all built up, will they not make a fine 
 town ? Well^ 'duke is a liberal-hearted fellow, with all his 
 stubbornness. — Yes, yes, I must have at least four deputies^ 
 besides a gaoler." 
 
 I see no streets in the direction of our walk,'* said 
 Elizabeth, unless you call the short avenues through 
 these pine bushes by that name. Surely you do not con- 
 template building houses, very soon, in that forest before 
 us, and in those swamps." 
 
 We must run our streets by the compass, coz, and 
 disregard trees^ hills, ponds, stumps, or^ in fact, any thing 
 but posterity. Such is the will of your father^ and your 
 father, you know " 
 
 Had you made Sheriff^ Mr. Jones," interrupted the 
 lady, with a tone that said very plainly to the gentleman, 
 that he was touching a forbidden subject. 
 
 I know it, I know it/' cried Richard ; and if it 
 were in my power, I'd make 'duke a king. He is a noble- 
 hearted fellow, and would make an excellent king ; that is, 
 if he had a good prime minister. — But who have we here? 
 voices in the bushes ; — a combination about mischief^ I'll 
 wager my commission. Let us draw near, and examine a 
 little into the matter." 
 
 During this dialogue, as the parties had kept in motion^ 
 Richard and his cousin advanced some distance from the 
 house, into the open space in the rear of the village, where, 
 as may be gathered from the conversation, streets were 
 planned, and future dwellings contemplated ; but where, in 
 truth, the only mark of improvement that was to be seen, 
 was a neglected clearing along the skirt of a dark forest of 
 mighty pines, over which the bushes or sprouts of the same 
 tree had sprung up, to a height that interspersed the fields 
 of snow with little thickets of evergreen. The rushing of 
 the wind, as it whistled through the tops of these mimic 
 trees, prevented the footsteps of the pair from being heard, 
 while the branches concealed their persons. Thus aided. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the listeners drew nigh to a spot, where the young hunter. 
 Leather-stocking, and the Indian chief, were collected in an 
 earnest consultation. The former was urgent in his manner, 
 and seemed to think the subject of deep importance, while 
 Natty appeared to listen, with more than his usual attention, 
 to what the other was saying. Mohegan stood a little on 
 one side, with his head sunken on his chesty his hair falling 
 forward, so as to conceal most of his features, and his whole 
 attitude expressive of deep dejection, if not of sham.e. 
 
 Let us withdraw," whispered Elizabeth ; ^'^ we are in- 
 truders, and can have no right to listen to the secrets of 
 these men." 
 
 No right!" returned Richard, a little impatiently, in 
 the same tone, and drawing her arm so forcibly through his 
 own as to prevent her retreat ; you forget, cousin, that 
 it is my duty to preserve the peace of the county, and see 
 the laws executed. These wanderers frequently commit 
 depredations; though I do not think John would do any 
 thing secretly. Poor fellow ! he was quite boozy last night, 
 and hardly seems to be over it yet. Let us draw nigher, 
 and hear what they say.'' 
 
 Notwithstanding the lady's reluctance, Richard, stimu- 
 lated doubtless by his nice sense of duty, prevailed ; and 
 tbey were soon so near as distinctly to hear sounds. 
 
 The bird must be had," said Natty, by fair means or 
 foul. Heigho ! I've known the time, lad, when the wild 
 turkeys wasn't over scarce in the country ; though you 
 must go into the Virginy gaps, if you want them now. To 
 be sure, there is a different taste to a partridge, and a well- 
 fattened turkey; though, to my eating, beaver's tail and 
 bear's hams makes the best of food. But then every one 
 has his own appetite. I gave the last farthing, all to that 
 shilling, to the French trader, this very morning, as I came 
 through the town, for powder ; so, as you have nothing, we 
 can have but one shot for it. .1 know that Billy Kirby is 
 out, and means to have a pull of the trigger at that very 
 turkey. John has a true eye for a single fire, and somehow, 
 my hand shakes so, whenever I have to do any thing ex- 
 trawnary, that I often lose my aim. Now, when I killed 
 the she-bear this fall, with her cubs, though they were so 
 
 N 
 
J78 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 mighty ravenous, I knocked them over one at a shot, and 
 loaded while I dodged the trees in the bargain ; but this is 
 a very different thing, Mr. Oliver." 
 
 This/* cried the young man with an accent that 
 sounded as if he took a bitter pleasure in his poverty, while 
 he held a shilling up before his eyes — this is all the 
 treasure that I possess — this and my rifle ! Now, indeed, 
 I have become a man of the woods, and must place my sole 
 dependence on the chase. Come, Natty, let us stake the 
 last penny for the bird ; with your aim, it cannot fail to be 
 successful." 
 
 I would rather it should be John, lad; my heart jumps 
 into my mouth, because you set your mind so much on't ; 
 and I'm sartain that 1 shall miss the bird. Them Indians 
 can shoot one time as well as another ; nothing ever troubles 
 them. I say, John, here's a shilling; take my rifle, and 
 get a shot at the big turkey they've put up at the stump. 
 Mr. Oliver is over anxious for the creater, and I'm sure to 
 do nothing when I have over anxiety about it," 
 
 The Indian turned his head gloomily, and, after looking 
 keenly for a moment, in profound silence, at his companions, 
 he replied — 
 
 When John was young, eyesight was not straighter 
 than his bullet. The Mingo squaws cried out at the sound 
 of his rifle. The Mingo warriors were made squaws. When 
 did he ever shoot twice ! The eagle went above the clouds, 
 when he passed the wigwam of Chingachgook ; his feathers 
 were plenty with the women. — But see," he said, raising 
 his voice, from the low, mournful tones in which he had 
 spoken, to a pitch of keen excitement, and stretching forth 
 both hands — they shake like a deer at the wolf's howl. Is 
 John old.?* When was a Mohican a squaw, with seventy 
 winters ! No I the white man brings old age with him — 
 rum is his tomahawk !" 
 
 Why then do you use it, old man ? " exclaimed the 
 young hunter ; why will one, so noble by nature, aid the 
 devices of the devil, by making himself a beast I " 
 
 Beast ! is John a beast ? " replied the Indian, slowly ; 
 yes ; you say no lie, child of the Fire-eater I John is a 
 beast. The smokes were once few in these hills. The deer 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 179 
 
 would lick the hand of a white man, and the birds rest on 
 his head. They were strangers to him. My fathers came 
 from the shores of the salt lake. They fled before rum. 
 They came to their grandfather, and they lived in peace ; 
 or, when they did raise the hatchet, it was to strike it into 
 the brain of a Mingo. They gathered around the council- 
 fire, and what they said was done. Then John was the 
 man. But warriors and traders with light eyes followed 
 them. One brought the long knife, and one brought rum. 
 They were more than the pines on the mountains ; and 
 they broke up the councils, and took the lands. The evil 
 spirit was in their jugs, and they let him loose. — Yes, 
 yes — you say no lie. Young Eagle; John is a Christian 
 beast." 
 
 Forgive me, old warrior," cried the youth, grasping 
 his hand ; I should be the last to reproach you. The 
 curses of heaven light on the cupidity that has destroyed 
 such a race. Remember, John, that I am of your family, 
 and it is now my greatest pride." 
 
 The muscles of Mohegan relaxed a little, and he said 
 more mildly — 
 
 You are a Delaware, my son ; your words are not 
 heard — John cannot shoot." 
 
 I thought that lad had Indian blood in him," whispered 
 Richard, by the awkward way he handled my horses last 
 night. You see, coz, they never use harness. But the 
 poor fellow shall have two shots at the turkey, if he wants 
 it, for I'll give him another shilHng myself; though, per- 
 haps, I had better offer to shoot for him. They have got 
 up their Christmas sports, I find, in the bushes yonder, 
 where you hear the laughter ; — though it is a queer taste this 
 chap has for turkey ; not but what it is good eating too." 
 
 Hold, cousin Richard," exclaimed Elizabeth, clinging 
 to his arm, would it be dehcate to offer a shilling to that 
 gentleman ?" 
 
 " Gentleman again ! do you think a half-breed, like him, 
 will refuse money ? No, no, girl ; he will take the shilling; 
 ay ! and even rum too, notwithstanding he moralises so 
 much about it. — But I'll give the lad a chance for his 
 N 2 
 
180 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 turkey, for that Billy Kirby is one of the best marksmen in 
 the country ; that is, if we except the — the gentleman." 
 
 Then/' said Elizabeth, who found her strength unequal 
 to her will, "then, sir, I will speak." — She advanced, with 
 an air of determination, in front of her cousin, and entered 
 the little circle of bushes that surrounded the trio of hun- 
 ters. Her appearance startled the youth, who at first made 
 an unequivocal motion towards retiring, but, recollecting 
 himself, bowed, by lifting his cap, and resumed his attitude 
 of leaning on his rifle. Neither Natty nor Mohegan be- 
 trayed any emotion, though the appearance of Elizabeth was 
 so entirely unexpected. 
 
 I find," she said, that the old Christmas sport of 
 shooting the turkey is yet in use among you. — I feel in- 
 clined to try my chance for a bird. Which of you will take 
 this money, and, after paying my fee, give me the aid of his 
 rifle.?" 
 
 " Is this a sport for a lady ? " exclaimed the young 
 hunter, with an emphasis that could not well be mistaken, 
 and with a rapidity that showed he spoke without consulting 
 any thing but feeling. 
 
 Why not, sir ? If it be inhuman, the sin is not 
 confined to one sex only. But I have my humour as well 
 as others. I ask not your assistance; but" — turning to 
 Natty, and dropping a dollar in his hand — this old ve- 
 teran of the forest will not be so ungallant, as to refuse one 
 fire for a lady." 
 
 Leather- stocking dropped the money into his pouch, and 
 throwing up the end of his rifle, he freshened his priming ; 
 and, first laughing in his usual manner, he threw the piece 
 over his shoulder, and said — 
 
 " If Billy Kirby don't get the bird before me, and the 
 Frenchman's powder don't hang fire this damp morning, 
 vou'll see as fine a turkey dead, in a few minutes, as ever 
 was eaten in the Judge's shanty. I have know'd the Dutch 
 women, on the Mohawk and Scoharie, count greatly on 
 coming to the merry-makings ; and so, lad, you shouldn't 
 be short with the lady. Come, let us go forward, for if 
 we wait, the finest bird will be gone." 
 
 " But I have a right before you. Natty, and shall try 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 181 
 
 my own luck first. You will excuse me^ Miss Temple ; 
 I have much reason to wish that bird, and may seem un- 
 gallant, but 1 must claim my privileges." 
 
 Claim any thing that is justly your own, sir_," returned 
 the lady ; we are both adventurers, and this is my knight. 
 I trust my fortune to his hand and eye. Lead on. Sir 
 Leather-stocking, and we will follow." 
 
 Natty, who seemed pleased with the frank address of the 
 young and beauteous Elizabeth, who had so singularly in- 
 trusted him with such a commission, returned the bright 
 smile with which she had addressed him, by his own pecuhar 
 mark of mirth, and moved across the snow, towards the spot 
 whence the sounds of boisterous mirth proceeded, with the 
 long strides of a hunter. His companions followed in 
 silence, the youth casting frequent and uneasy glances 
 towards Ehzabeth, who was detained by a motion from 
 Richard. 
 
 I should think, Miss Temple," he said, so soon as the 
 others were out of hearing, that if you really wished a 
 turkey, you would not have taken a stranger for the office, 
 and such a one as Leather- stocking. But I can hardly 
 believe that you are serious, for I have fifty at this moment 
 shut up in the coops, in every stage of fat, so that you 
 might choose any quality you pleased. There are six that 
 I am trying an experiment on, by giving them brick-bats 
 with " 
 
 " Enough, cousin Dickon," interrupted the lady ; I 
 do wish the bird, and it is because I so wish, that I com- 
 missioned this Mr. Leather-stocking." 
 
 Did you ever hear of the great shot that I made at 
 the wolf, cousin Elizabeth, who was carrying off your 
 father's sheep ? " said Richard, drawing himself up into an 
 air of displeasure. He had the sheep on his back ; and 
 had the head of the wolf been on the other side, I should 
 have killed him dead ; as it was " 
 
 You killed the sheep, — I know it all, dear coz. But 
 
 would it have been decorous for the High Sheriff of 
 
 to mingle in such sports as these ? " 
 
 Surely you did not think J intended actually to fire 
 with my own hands ? " said Mr. Jones. — But let us 
 N 3 
 
182 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 follow^ and see the shooting. There is no fear of any 
 thing unpleasant occurring to a female in this new country_, 
 especially to your father's daughter^ and in my presence." 
 
 My father's daughter fears nothing, sir, more espe- 
 cially when escorted by the highest executive officer in the 
 county.*' 
 
 She took his arm, and he led her through the mazes of 
 the bushes to the spot where most of the young men of the 
 village were collected for the sports of shooting a Christmas 
 match, and whither Natty and his companions had aheady 
 preceded them. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 I guess, by all this quaint array, 
 
 The burghers hold their sports to-day. Scott. 
 
 The ancient amusement of shooting the Christmas turkey 
 is one of the few sports that the settlers of a new country 
 seldom or never neglect to observe. It was connected with 
 the daily practices of a people who often laid aside the axe 
 or the scythe to seize the rifle, as the deer glided through 
 the forests they were felling, or the bear entered their rough 
 meadows to scent the air of a clearing, and to scan, with a 
 look of sagacity, the progress of the invader. 
 
 On the present occasion_, the usual amusement of the 
 day had been a little hastened, in order to allow a fair op- 
 portunity to Mr. Grant, whose exhibition was not less a 
 treat to the young sportsmen, than the one which engaged 
 their present attention. The owner of the birds was a free 
 black, who had prepared for the occasion a collection of 
 game, that w^as admirably qualified to inflame the appetite 
 of an epicure, and was well adapted to the means and skill 
 of the different competitors, who were of all ages. He had 
 offered to the younger and more humble marksmen divers 
 birds of an inferior quality, and some shooting had already 
 taken place, much to the pecuniary advantage of the sable 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 183 
 
 owner of the game. The order of the sports was extremely 
 simple, and well understood. The hird was fastened by a 
 string to the stump of a large pine, the side of which, to- 
 wards the point where the marksmen were placed, had been 
 flattened with an axe, in order that it might serve the pur- 
 pose of a target, by which the merit of each individual 
 might be ascertained. The distance between the stump 
 and shooting- stand was one hundred measured yards : a 
 foot more or a foot less being thought an invasion of the 
 right of one of the parties. The negro affixed his own 
 price to every bird, and the terms of the chance : but when 
 these were once established, he was obliged, by the strict 
 principles of public justice that prevailed in the country, 
 to admit any adventurer who might offer. 
 
 The throng consisted of some twenty or thirty young 
 men, most of whom had rifles, and a collection of all the 
 boys in the village. The little urchins, clad in coarse but 
 warm garments, stood gathered around the more distin- 
 guished marksmen, with their hands stuck under their 
 waistbands, listening eagerly to the boastful stories of skill 
 that had been exhibited on former occasions, and were 
 already emulating in their hearts these wonderful deeds in 
 gunnery. 
 
 The chief speaker was the man who had been mentioned 
 by Natty, as Billy Kirby. This fellow, whose occupation, 
 when he did labour, was that of clearing lands, or chopping 
 jobs, was of great stature, and carried, in his very air, the 
 index of his character. He was a noisy, boisterous, reck- 
 less lad, whose good-natured eye contradicted the bluntness 
 and bullying tenor of his speech. For weeks he would 
 lounge around the taverns of the county, in a state of perfect 
 idleness, or doing small jobs for his liquor and his meals, 
 and cavilling with applicants about the prices of his labour : 
 frequently preferring idleness to an abatement of a tittle of 
 his independence, or a cent in his wages. But when these 
 embarrassing points were satisfactorily arranged, he would 
 shoulder his axe and his rifle, slip his arms through the 
 straps of his pack, and enter the woods with the tread of 
 a Hercules. His first object was to learn his limits, round 
 which he would pace, occasionally freshening, with a blow 
 N 4 
 
184 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 of his axe, the marks on the boundary trees ; and then he 
 would proceed, with an air of great deliberation, to the 
 centre of his premises, and, throwing aside his superfluous 
 garments, measure, with a knowing eye, one or two of the 
 nearest trees that were towering apparently into the very 
 clouds as he gazed upwards. Commonly selecting one of 
 the most noble, for the first trial of his power, he would 
 approach it with a listless air, whistling a low tune ; and 
 wielding his axe, with a certain flourish, not unlike the 
 salutes of a fencing master, he would strike a light blow 
 into the bark, and measure his distance. The pause that 
 followed was ominous of the fall of the forest, which had 
 flourished there for centuries. The heavy and brisk blows 
 that he struck were soon succeeded by the thundering re- 
 port of the tree, as it came, first cracking and threatening, 
 with the separation of its own last ligaments, then thresh- 
 ing and tearing with its branches the tops of its surround- 
 ing brethren, and finally meeting the ground with a shock 
 but little inferior to an earthquake. From that moment 
 the sounds of the axe were ceaseless, while the falling of 
 the trees was like a distant cannonading ; and the daylight 
 broke into the depths of the woods with the suddenness of 
 a winter morning. 
 
 For days, weeks, nay months, Billy Kirby would toil, 
 with an ardour that evinced his native spirit, and with an 
 effect that seemed magical, until, his chopping being ended^ 
 his stentorian lungs could be heard emitting sounds, as he 
 called to his patient oxen, which rung through the hills 
 like the cries of an alarm. He had been often heard, on 
 a mild summer's evening, a long mile across the vale of 
 Templeton ; when the echoes from the mountains would 
 take up his cries, until they died away in feeble sounds 
 from the distant rocks that overhung the lake. His piles, 
 or, to use the language of the country, his logging, ended, 
 with a despatch that could only accompany his dexterity 
 and Herculean strength, the jobber would collect together 
 his implements of labour, like the heaps of timber, and 
 march away, under the blaze of the prostrate forest, like 
 the conqueror of some city, who, having first prevailed 
 over his adversary, applies the torch as the finishing blow 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 185 
 
 to his conquest. For a long time Billy Kirby would then 
 be seen, sauntering around the taverns, the rider of scrub- 
 races, the bully of cock-fights, and not unfrequently the 
 hero of such sports as the one in hand. 
 
 Between him and the Leather- stocking there had long 
 existed a jealous rivalry on the point of skill with the rifle. 
 Notwithstanding the long practice of Natty, it was com- 
 monly supposed that the steady nerves and quick eye of 
 the wood-chopper rendered him his equal. The competi- 
 tion had, however, been confined hitherto to boastings, and 
 comparisons made from their success in various hunting 
 excursions; but this was the first time that they had ever 
 come in open collision. A good deal of higgling about the 
 price of the choicest bird had taken place between Billy 
 Kirby and its owner before Natty and his companions re- 
 joined the sportsmen. It had, however, been settled at 
 one shilling* a shot, which was the highest sum ever exacted, 
 the black taking care to protect himself from losses, as 
 much as possible, by the conditions of the sport. The 
 turkey was already fastened at the mark," but its body 
 was entirely hid by the surrounding snow, nothing being 
 visible but its red swelling head and long neck. If thij 
 bird was injured by any bullet that struck below the snow, 
 it was to continue the property of its present owner, but if 
 a feather was touched in a visible part, the animal became 
 the prize of the successful adventurer. 
 
 These terms were loudly proclaimed by the negro, who 
 was seated in the snow, in a somewhat hazardous vicinity 
 to his favourite bird, when Elizabeth and her cousin ap- 
 proached the noisy sportsmen. The sounds of mirth and 
 contention sensibly lowered at this unexpected visit ; but, 
 after a moment's pause, the curious interest exhibited in 
 the face of the young lady, together with her smiling air, 
 restored the freedom of the morning ; though it was some- 
 what chastened, both in language and vehemence, by the 
 presence of such a spectator. 
 
 * Before the revolution each province had its own money of account, though 
 neither coined any but copper pieces. In New York the Spanish dollar was 
 divided into eight shillings, each of the value of a fraction more than sixpence 
 sterling. At present the Union has provided a decimal system, and coins to 
 represent it. 
 
186 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Stand out of the way there, boys ! *' cried the wood- 
 chopper, who was placing himself at the shooting-point — 
 
 stand out of the way, you little rascals, or I will shoot 
 through you. Now, Biom, take leave of your turkey." 
 
 " Stop !" cried the young hunter; " I am a candidate 
 for a chance. Here is my shilHng, Brom ; I wish a shot 
 too." 
 
 You may wish it in welcome," cried Kirby, but if I 
 ruffle the gobbler's feathers, how are you to get it ? Is 
 money so plenty in your deer- skin pocket, that you pay for 
 a chance that you may never have?" 
 
 How know you, sir^ how plenty money is in my 
 pocket ? '* said the youth, fiercely. Here is my shilling, 
 Brom, and I claim a right to shoot." 
 
 Don't be crabbed, my boy," said the other, who was 
 very coolly fixing his flint. They say you have a hole 
 in your left shoulder, yourself: so I think Brom may give 
 you a fire for half price. It will take a keen one to hit 
 that bird, I can tell you, my lad, even if I give you a 
 chance, which is what I have no mind to do." 
 
 " Don't be boasting, Billy Kirby," said Natty, throwing 
 the breech of his rifle into the snow, and leaning on its 
 barrel ; you'll get but one shot at the creater, for if the 
 lad misses his aim, which wouldn't be a wonder if he did, 
 with his arm so stifl* and sore, you'll find a good piece and 
 an old eye coming a'ter you. Maybe it's true that I can't 
 shoot as I used to could, but a hundred yards is a short 
 distance for a long rifle." 
 
 What, old Leather-stocking, are you out this morn- 
 ing?" cried his reckless opponent. *^ Well, fair play's a 
 jewel. I've the lead of you, old fellow ; so here goes, for 
 a dry throat or a good dinner." 
 
 The countenance of the negro evinced not only all the 
 interest which his pecuniary adventure might occasion, but 
 also the keen excitement that the sport produced in the 
 others, though with a very different wish as to the result. 
 While the wood-chopper -was slowly and steadily raising 
 his rifle, he bawled — 
 
 Fair play, Billy Kirby — stand back — make 'em stand 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 187 
 
 back, boys — gib a nigger fair play — poss-up, gobbler ; 
 shake a head, fool ; don't a see *em taking aim ? " 
 
 These cries, which were intended as much to distract 
 the attention of the marksman, as for any thing else, were 
 fruitless. The nerves of the wood- chopper were not so 
 easily shaken, and he took his aim with the utmost deliber- 
 ation. Stillness prevailed, for a moment, and he fired. 
 The head of the turkey was seen to dash on one side, 
 and its wings were spread in momentary fluttering ; but it 
 settled itself down, calmly, into its bed of snow, and 
 glanced its eyes uneasily around. For a time long enough 
 to draw a deep breath, not a sound was heard. The si- 
 lence was then broken, by the noise of the negro, who 
 laughed, and shook his body, with all kinds of antics, 
 rolling over in the snow in the excess of delight. 
 
 Well done a gobbler," he cried, jumping up, and 
 affecting to embrace his bird ; I tell 'em to poss-up, and 
 you see 'em dodge. Gib anoder shillin, Billy, and hab 
 anoder shot." 
 
 ^' No — the shot is mine," said the young hunter; you 
 have my money already. Leave the mark, and let me try 
 my luck." 
 
 Ah ! its but money thrown away, lad," said Leather- 
 stocking. A turkey's head and neck is but a small mark 
 for a new hand and a lame shoulder. You'd best let me 
 take the fire, and maybe we can make some settlement 
 with the lady about the bird." 
 
 " The chance is mine," said the young hunter. " Clear 
 the ground, that I may take it." 
 
 The discussions and disputes concerning the last shot 
 were now abating, it having been determined, that if the 
 turkey's head had been any where but just where it was at 
 the moment, the bird must certainly have been killed. 
 There was not much excitement produced by the pre- 
 parations of the youth, who proceeded in a hurried manner 
 to take his aim, and was in the act of pulling the trigger, 
 when he was stopped by Natty. 
 
 Your hand shakes, lad/' he said, and you seem over 
 eager. Bullet wounds are apt to weaken flesh, and, to my 
 judgment, you'll not shoot so well as in common. If you 
 
188 
 
 TTTE PIONEERS. 
 
 will nre_, you should slioot quick;, before there is time to 
 shake off the aim." 
 
 Fair play/' again shouted the negro ; fair play — 
 gib a nigger fair play. What right a Nat-Bumppo advise 
 a young man? Let 'em shoot — clear a ground." 
 
 The youth fired with great rapidity ; but no motion was 
 made by the turkey ; and when the examiners for the ball 
 returned from the ^'^ mark/' they declared that he had 
 missed the stump. 
 
 Elizabeth observed the change in his countenance, and 
 could not help feeling surprise, that one so evidently su- 
 perior to his companions, should feel a trifling loss so sen- 
 sibly. But her own champion was now preparing to enter 
 the lists. 
 
 The mirth of Brom, which had been again excited, 
 though in a much smaller degree than before, by the failure 
 of the second adventurer, vanished, the instant Natty took 
 his stand. His skin became mottled with large brown 
 spots, that fearfully sullied the lustre of his native ebony, 
 while his enormous lips gradually compressed around two 
 rows of ivory, that had hitherto been shining in his visage, 
 like pearls set in jet. His nostrils, at all times the most 
 conspicuous features of his face, dilated, until they covered 
 the greater part of the diameter of his countenance ; while 
 his brov/n and bony hands unconsciously grasped the snow- 
 crust near him, the excitement of the moment completely 
 overcoming his native dread of cold. 
 
 While these indications of apprehension were exhibited 
 in the sable owner of the turkey, the man who gave rise to 
 this extraordinary emotion was as calm and collected, as if 
 there was not to be a single spectator of his skill. 
 
 I was down in the Dutch settlements on the Scoharie,'' 
 said Natty, carefully removing the leather guard from the 
 lock of his rifle, just before the breaking out of the last 
 war, and there was a shooting-match among the boys ; so 
 I took a hand. I think I opened a good many Dutch eyes 
 that day, for I won the powder-horn, three bars of lead, 
 and a pound of as good powder as ever flashed in pan. 
 Lord ! how they did swear in Jarman ! They did tell of 
 one drunken Dutchman, who said he'd have the hfe of me. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 189 
 
 before I got back to the lake ag'in. But if he had put his 
 rifle to his shoulder with evil intent, God would have 
 punished him for it ; and even if the Lord didn't, and he 
 had missed his aim, I know one that would have given him 
 as good as he sent, and better too, if good shooting could 
 come into the 'count." 
 
 8y this time the old hunter was ready for his business, 
 and throwing his right leg far behind him, and stretching 
 his left arm along the barrel of his piece, he raised it to- 
 wards the bird. Every eye glanced rapidly from the 
 marksman to the mark ; but at the moment when each ear 
 was expecting the report of the rifle, they were disappointed 
 by the ticking sound of the flint. 
 
 A snap, a snap V shouted the negro, springing from 
 his crouching posture, like a madman, before his bird. 
 
 A snap good as fire — Natty Bumppo gun he snap — 
 Natty Bumppo miss a turkey ! '' 
 
 Natty Bumppo hit a nigger/' said the indignant old 
 hunter, if you don't get out of the way, Brom. It's 
 contrary to the reason of the thing, boy, that a snap should 
 count for a fire, when one is nothing more than a fire-stone 
 striking a steel pan_, and the other is sudden death ; so^, get 
 out my way, boy, and let me show Billy Kirby how to 
 shoot a Christmas turkey." 
 
 Gib a nigger fair play ! " cried the blacky who con- 
 tinued resolutely to maintain his post, and making that 
 appeal to the justice of his auditors, which the degraded 
 condition of his caste so naturally suggested. Ebbery 
 body know dat snap as good as fire. Leah it to Massa 
 Jone — leab it to lady." 
 
 Sartain/' said the wood- chopper ; it's the law of 
 the game in this part of the country. Leather-stocking. If 
 you fire ag'in, you must pay up the other shilling. I 
 b'lieve 111 try luck once more myself ; so, Brom_, here's 
 my money, and I take the next fire." 
 
 It's likely you know the laws of the woods better than 
 I do, Billy Kirby," returned Natty. You come in with 
 the settlers, with an ox goad in your hand, and I come in 
 with mocassins on my feet, and with a good rifle on my 
 <ihoulderc5, so long back as afore the old war. Which is 
 
IpO 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 likely to know the best ? I say, no man need tell me that 
 snapping is as good as firing, when I pull the trigger." 
 
 Leab it to Massa Jone," said the alarmed negro ; he 
 know ebbery ting." 
 
 This appeal to the knowledge of Richard was too flat- 
 tering to be unheeded. He therefore advanced a little 
 from the spot whither the delicacy of Elizabeth had in- 
 duced her to withdraw, and gave the following opinion, 
 with the gravity that the subject and his own rank de- 
 manded : — 
 
 There seems to be a difference in opinion," he said, 
 " on the subject of Nathaniel Bumppo's right to shoot at 
 Abraham Freeborn's turkey, without the said Nathaniel 
 paying one shilling for the privilege." This fact was too 
 evident to be denied, and, after pausing a moment, that the 
 audience might digest his premises, Richard proceeded : — 
 It seems proper that I should decide this question, as I 
 am bound to preserve the peace of the county ; and men 
 with deadly weapons in their hands should not be heed- 
 lessly left to contention, and their own malignant passions. 
 It appears that there was no agreement, either in writing 
 or in words, on the disputed point; therefore we must 
 reason from analogy, which is, as it were, comparing one 
 thing with another. Now, in duels, where both parties 
 shoot, it is generally the rule that a snap is a fire ; and if such 
 is the rule, where the party has a right to fire back again, 
 it seems to me unreasonable to say, that a man may stand 
 snapping at a defenceless turkey all day. I therefore am 
 of opinion, that Nathaniel Bumppo has lost his chance, 
 and must pay another shilUng, before he renews his 
 right.*' 
 
 As this opinion came from so high a quarter, and was 
 delivered with effect, it silenced all murmurs, — for the 
 whole of the spectators had begun to take sides with great 
 warmth, — except from the Leather-stocking himself. 
 
 I tliink Miss EHzabeth's thoughts should be taken," 
 said Natty. " I've known the squaws give very good 
 counsel, when the Indians have been dumb foundered. If 
 she says that I ought to lose, I agree to give it up." 
 
 Then I adjudge you to be a loser^ for this time," said 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Miss Temple ; but pay your money^ and renew your 
 chance ; unless Brom will sell me the bird for a dollar. I 
 will give him the money, and save the life of the poor 
 victim." 
 
 This proposition was evidently but little relished by any 
 of the listeners_, even the negro feeling the evil excitement 
 of the chances. In the meanwhile, as BilJy Kirby was 
 preparing himself for another shot. Natty left the stand, 
 with an extremely dissatisfied manner, muttering — 
 
 There hasn't been such a thing as a good flint sold at 
 the foot of the lake, since the Indian traders used to come 
 into the country ; — and if a body should go into the flats 
 along the streams in the hills, to hunt for such a thing, it's 
 ten to one but they will be all covered up with the plough. 
 Heigho ! it seems to me, that just as the game grows 
 scarce, and a body wants the best ammunition to get a 
 livelihood, every thing that's bad falls on him, like a judg- 
 ment. But I'll change the stone, for Billy Kirby hasn't 
 the. eye for such a mark, I know.'* 
 
 The wood-chopper seemed now entirely sensible that his 
 reputation depended on his care ; nor did he neglect any 
 means to ensure success. He drew up his rifle, and 
 renewed his aim, again and again, still appearing reluctant 
 to fire. No sound was heard from even Brom, during 
 these portentous movements, until Kirby discharged his 
 piece, with the same want of success as before. Then, 
 indeed, the shouts of the negro rang through the bushes, 
 and sounded among the trees of the neighbouring forest, 
 like the outcries of a tribe of Indians. He laughed, roUing 
 his head, first on one side, then on the other, until nature 
 seemed exhausted with mirth. He danced, until his legs 
 were wearied with motion, in the snow ; and, in short, he 
 exhibited all that violence of joy that characterises the 
 mirth of a thoughtless negro. 
 
 The wood-chopper had exerted all his art, and felt a 
 proportionate degree of disappointment at the failure. He 
 first examined the bird with the utmost attention, and 
 more than once suggested that he had touched its feathers ; 
 but the voice of the multitude was against him, for it felt 
 
192 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 disposed to listen to the often repeated cries of the black, 
 to gib a nigger fair play/* 
 
 Finding it impossible to make out a title to the bird, 
 Kirby turned fiercely to the black, and said — 
 
 Shut your oven, you crow ! Where is the man that 
 can hit a turkey's head at a hundred yards ? I was a fool 
 for trying. You needn't make an uproar, like a falling 
 pine-tree, about it. Show me the man who can do it.'' 
 
 " Look this a- way, Billy Kirby,'' said Leather- stroking, 
 
 and let them clear the mark, and I'll show you a man 
 who's made better shots afore now, and that v/hen he's been 
 hard pressed by the savages and wild beasts." 
 
 Perhaps there is one whose rights come before ours. 
 Leather-stocking," said Miss Temple ; if so, we will 
 wave our privilege." 
 
 " If it be me that you have reference to," said the 
 young hunter, I shall decline another chance. My 
 shoulder is yet weak, I find." 
 
 Elizabeth regarded his manner, and thought that she 
 could discern a tinge on his cheek, that spoke the shame of 
 conscious poverty. She said no more, but suffered her own 
 champion to make a trial. Although Natty Bumppo had 
 certainly made hundreds of more momentous shots, at his 
 enemies or his game, yet he never exerted himself more to 
 excel. He raised his piece three several times ; once to get 
 his range ; once to calculate his distance ; and once because 
 the bird, alarmed by the deathlike stillness, turned its head 
 quickly, to examine its foes. But the fourth time he fired- 
 The smoke, the report, and the momentary shock, prevented 
 most of the spectators from instantly knowing the result ; 
 but Elizabeth, when she saw her champion drop the end of 
 his rifle in the snow, and open his mouth in one of its 
 silent laughs, and then proceed very coolly to recharge his 
 piece, knew that he had been successful. The boys rushed 
 to the mark^ and lifted the turkey on high, lifeless, and 
 with nothing but the remnant of a head. 
 
 Bring in the creater," said Leather-stocking, and 
 put it at the feet of the lady. I was her deputy in the 
 matter, and the bird is her property." 
 
THE riONEERS. 
 
 And a good deputy you have proved yourself/' re- 
 turned Elizabeth, — so good, cousin Richard, that I would 
 advise you to remember his qualities." She paused, and 
 the gaiety that beamed on her face gave place to a more 
 serious earnestness. She even blushed a little as she turned 
 to the young hunter, and, with the charm of a woman's 
 manner, added — But it was only to see an exhibition of 
 the far-famed skill of Leather-stocking, that I tried my 
 fortunes. Will you, sir, accept the bird, as a small peace- 
 ofFering, for the hurt that prevented your own success?'* 
 
 The expression with which the youth received this 
 present was indescribable. He appeared to yield to the 
 blandishment of her air, in opposition to a strong inward 
 impulse to the contrary. He bowed, and raised the victim 
 silently from her feet, but continued silent. 
 
 Elizabeth handed the black a piece of silver as a remu- 
 neration for his loss, which had some effect in again un- 
 bending his muscles, and then expressed to her companion 
 her readiness to return homeward. 
 
 Wait a minute, cousin Bess," cried Richard ; there 
 is an uncertainty about the rules of this sport, that it is 
 proper I should remove. If you will appoint a committee, 
 gentlemen, to wait on me this morning, I will draw up in 
 writing a set of regulations — — " He stopped, with 
 some indignation, for at that instant a hand was laid fami- 
 liarly on the shoulder of the High Sheriff of — . 
 
 A merry Christmas to you, cousin Dickon," said Judge 
 Temple, who had approached the party unperceived : I 
 must have a vigilant eye to my daughter, sir, if you are to 
 be seized daily with these gallant fits. I admire the taste, 
 which would introduce a lady to such scenes ! " 
 
 " It is her own perversity, 'duke," cried the disap- 
 pointed Sheriff, who felt the loss of the first salutation as 
 grievously as many a man would a much greater misfor- 
 tune ; and I must say that she comes honestly by it. I 
 led her out to show her the improvements, but away she 
 scampered, through the snow, at the first sound of fire- 
 arms, the same as if she had been brought up in a camp^ 
 instead of a first-rate boarding-school, I do think. Judge 
 Temple, that such dangerous amusements should be sup-i 
 o 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 pressed by statute, nay, I doubt whether they are not 
 already indictable at common law." 
 
 " Well, sir, as you are Sheriff of the county, it becomes 
 your duty to examine into the matter," returned the smiling 
 Marmaduke. I perceive that Bess has executed her 
 commission, and I hope it met with a favourable reception." 
 Richard glanced his eye at the packet, which he held in his 
 hand, and the slight anger produced by disappointment 
 vanished instantly. 
 
 Ah ! 'duke, my dear cousin," he said, step a little 
 on one side ; I have something I would say to you." Mar- 
 maduke complied, and the Sheriff led him to a little dis- 
 tance in the bushes, and continued — First, 'duke, let me 
 thank you for your friendly interest with the Council and 
 the Governor, without which, I am confident, that the 
 greatest merit would avail but little. But we are sisters* 
 children — we are sisters' children; and you may use me 
 like one of your horses ; ride me or drive me, 'duke, I am 
 wholly yours. But in my humble opinion, this young 
 companion of Leather-stocking requires looking after. He 
 has a very dangerous propensity for turkey." 
 
 Leave him to my management, Dickon," said the 
 Judge, and I will cure his appetite by indulgence. It 
 is with him that I would speak. Let us rejoin the 
 sportsmen." 
 
 CHAPTER XAaiL 
 
 Poor wretch ! the mother that him bare, 
 If she had been in presence there, 
 In his wan face, and sun-burnt hair, 
 She had not known her child. Scott. 
 
 It diminished, in no degree, the effect produced by the 
 conversation which passed between Judge Temple and the 
 young hunter, that the former took the arm of his daughter, 
 and drew it through his own, when he advanced from the 
 spot whither Richard had led him to that where the youth 
 was standing, leaning on his rifle, and contemplating the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 195 
 
 dead bird at his feet. The presence of Marmaduke did 
 not interrupt the sports^ which were resumed^ by loud and 
 clamorous disputes concerning the conditions of a chance^, 
 that involved the life of a bird of much inferior quality to 
 the last. Leather-stocking and Mohegan had alone drawn 
 aside to their youthful companion ; and, although in the 
 immediate vicinity of a such a throng, the following con- 
 versation was heard only by those who were interested 
 in it. 
 
 I have greatly injured you, Mr. Edwards," said the 
 Judge; but the sudden and inexplicable start, with which 
 the person spoken to received this unexpected address, 
 caused him to pause a moment. As no answer was given, 
 and the strong emotion exhibited in the countenance of the 
 youth gradually passed away, he continued — But, for- 
 tunately, it is in some measure in my power to compensate 
 you for what I have done. My kinsman, Richard Jones, 
 has received an appointment that will, in future, deprive 
 me of his assistance, and leaves me, just now, destitute of 
 one who might greatly aid me with his pen. Your manner, 
 notwithstanding appearances, is a sufficient proof of your 
 education, nor will thy shoulder suffer thee to labour, for 
 some time to come." (Marmaduke insensibly relapsed 
 into the language of the Friends as he grew warm.) My 
 doors are open to thee, my young friend, for in this 
 infant country we harbour no suspicions : little offering to 
 tempt the cupidity of the evil disposed. Become my 
 assistant, for at least a season, and receive such compen- 
 sation as thy services will deserve." 
 
 There was nothing in the manner, or the offer of the 
 Judge, to justify the reluctance, amounting nearly to 
 loathing, with which the youth listened to his speech : but 
 after a powerful effort, for self-command, he replied — 
 
 I would serve you, sir, or any other man, for an 
 honest support, for I do not affect to conceal that my 
 necessities are very great, even beyond what appearances 
 would indicate ; but I am fearful that such new duties 
 would interfere too much with more important business : 
 so that I must decline your offer, and depend on my rifle^ 
 as before, for subsistence." 
 
 o 2 
 
196 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Richard here took occasion to whisper to the young 
 lady^ who had shrunk a httle from the foreground of the 
 picture — 
 
 This^ you see, cousin Bess, is the natural reluctance 
 of a half-breed to leave the savage state. Their attach- 
 ment to a wandering life is, I verily believe_, uncon- 
 querable." 
 
 It is a precarious life/' observed Marmaduke, without 
 hearing the Sheriff's observation, and one that brings more 
 evils with it than present suffering. Trust me, young 
 friend, my experience is greater than thine, when I tell 
 thee, that the unsettled life of these hunters is of vast dis- 
 advantage for temporal purposes, and it totally removes 
 one from within the influence of more sacred things." 
 
 No, no. Judge," interrupted the Leather-stocking, 
 who was hitherto unseen, or disregarded ; take him into 
 your shanty in welcome, but tell him truth. I have lived 
 in the woods for forty long years, and have spent five at a 
 time without seeing the light of a clearing bigger than a 
 wind-row in the trees ; and I should like to know where 
 you'll find a man, in his sixty-eighth year, who can get an 
 easier living, for all your betterments, and your deer-laws : 
 and, as for honesty, or doing what's right between man 
 and man, I'll not turn my back to the longest winded 
 deacon on your Patent." 
 
 Thou art an exception. Leather- stocking," returned 
 the Judge, nodding good-naturedly at the hunter ; " for 
 thou hast a temperance unusual in thy class, and a hardi- 
 hood exceeding thy years. But this youth is made of 
 materials too precious to be wasted in the forest. I en- 
 treat thee to join my family, if it be but till thy arm be 
 healed. My daughter here, who is mistress of my dwell- 
 ing, will tell thee that thou art welcome." 
 
 Certainly," said Elizabeth, whose earnestness was a 
 little checked by female reserve. The unfortunate would 
 be welcome at any time, but doubly so, when we feel that 
 we have occasioned the evil ourselves." 
 
 Yes," said Richard, and if you relish turkey, young 
 man, there are plenty in the coops, and of the best kind, I 
 can assure you." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 197 
 
 Finding himself thus ably seconded^ Marmaduke pushed 
 his advantage to the utmost. He entered into a detail 
 of the duties that would attend the situation^ and circum- 
 stantially mentioned the reward, and all those points which 
 are deemed of importance among men of business. The 
 youth listened in extreme agitation. There was an evi- 
 dent contest in his feelings ; at times he appeared to wish 
 eagerly for the change/ and then again the incomprehen- 
 sible expression of disgust would cross his features^ like a 
 dark cloud obscuring a noonday sun. 
 
 The Indian_, in whose manner the depression of self- 
 abasement was most powerfully exhibited, listened to the 
 offers of the Judge with an interest that increased with 
 each syllable. Gradually he drew nigher to the group ; 
 and when, with his keen glance, he detected the most 
 marked evidence of yielding in the countenance of his 
 young companion, he changed at once from his attitude 
 and look of shame to the front of an Indian warrior, and 
 moving, with great dignity, closer to the parties, he spoke — 
 Listen to your Father," he said ; his words are old. 
 Let the Young Eagle and the Great Land Chief eat toge- 
 ther ; let them sleep, without fear, near each other. The 
 children of Miquon love not blood; they are just, and 
 will do right. The sun must rise and set often, before 
 men can make one family ; it is not the work of a day, 
 but of many winters. The Mingoes and the' Delawares 
 are born enemies ; their blood can never mix in the wig- 
 wam : it never will run in the same stream in the battle. 
 What makes the brother of Miquon and the Young Eagle 
 foes } They are of the same tribe : their fathers and 
 mothers are one. Learn to wait, my son : you are a Dela- 
 ware, and an Indian warrior knows how to be patient." 
 
 This figurative address seemed to have great weight 
 with the young man, who gradually yielded to the repre- 
 sentations of Marmaduke, and eventually consented to his 
 proposal. It was, however, to be an experiment only ; 
 and if either of the parties thought fit to rescind the 
 engagement, it was left at his option so to do. The 
 remarkable and ill-concealed reluctance of the youth to 
 accept of an offer, which most men in his situation would 
 o 3 
 
198 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 consider as an unhoped-for elevation^ occasioned no little 
 surprise in those to whom he was a stranger ; and it left 
 a slight impression to his disadvantage. When the par- 
 ties separated^ they very naturally made the subject the 
 topic of a conversation^ which we shall relate ; first com- 
 mencing with the Judge, his daughter and Richard, who 
 were slowly pursuing the way back to the Mansion-house. 
 
 I have surely endeavoured to remember the holy 
 mandates of our Redeemer, when he bids us ^ love them 
 who despitefully use you,' in my intercourse with this 
 incomprehensible boy," said Marmaduke. I know not 
 what there is in my dwelling to frighten a lad of his years, 
 unless it may be thy presence and visage, Bess." 
 
 No, no," said Richard, with great simplicity ; it is 
 not cousin Bess. But when did you ever know a half-breed, 
 'duke, who could bear civilisation } For that matter, they 
 are worse than the savages themselves ? Did you notice 
 how knock-kneed he stood, Elizabeth, and what a wild 
 look he had in his eyes } " 
 
 I heeded not his eyes, nor his knees, which would be 
 all the better for a little humbling. Really, my dear sir, I 
 think you did exercise the Christian virtue of patience to 
 the utmost. I was disgusted with his airs, long before he 
 consented to make one of our family. Truly, we are much 
 honoured by the association ! In what apartment is he to 
 be placed, sir ? and at what table is he to receive his nectar 
 and ambrosia ? " 
 
 With Benjamin and Remarkable," interrupted Mr. 
 Jones ; you surely would not make the youth eat with 
 the blacks ! He is part Indian, it is true ; but the natives 
 hold the negroes in great contempt. No, no ; he would 
 starve before he would break a crust with the negroes." 
 
 I am but too happy, Dickon, to tempt him to eat with 
 ourselves," said Marmaduke, ^' to think of offering even 
 the indignity you propose." 
 
 Then, sir," said Elizabeth, with an air that was 
 slightly affected, as if submitting to her father's orders in 
 opposition to her own will, it is your pleasure that he be 
 a gentleman." 
 
 Certainly ; he is to fill the station of one. Let him 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 199 
 
 receive the treatment that is due to his place_, until we find 
 him unworthy of it." 
 
 Well, well, 'duke/' cried the SherifF, you will find 
 it no easy matter to make a gentleman of him. The old 
 proverb says, ^ that it takes three generations to make a 
 gentleman.* There was my father, whom every body knew ; 
 my grandfather was an M. D. ; and his father a D. D. ; 
 and his father came from England. I never could come at 
 the truth of his origin ; but he was either a great merchant 
 in London, or a great country lawyer, or the youngest son 
 of a bishop." 
 
 Here is a true American genealogy for you," said 
 Marrnaduke, laughing. It does very well till you get 
 across the water, where, as every thing is obscure, it is cer- 
 tain to deal in the superlative. You are sure that your 
 English progenitor was great, Dickon, whatever his pro- 
 fession might have been ? " 
 
 To be sure I am," returned the other. I have heard 
 my old aunt talk of him by the month. We are of a good 
 family. Judge Temple, and have never filled any but 
 honourable stations in life." 
 
 *^ I marvel that you should be satisfied with so scanty a 
 provision of gentility in the olden time, Dickon. Most of 
 the American genealogists commence their traditions, like 
 the stories for children, with three brothers, taking especial 
 care that one of the triumvirate shall be the progenitor of 
 any of the same name who may happen to be better fur- 
 nished with worldly gear than themselves. But, here, all 
 are equal who know how to conduct themselves with pro- 
 priety ; and Oliver Edwards comes into my family on a 
 footing with both the High Sheriff and the Judge." 
 
 Well, 'duke, I call this democracy, not republicanism ; 
 but I say nothing : only let him keep within the law, or I 
 shall show him that the freedom of even this country is 
 under wholesome restraint." 
 
 Surely, Dickon, you will not execute till 1 condemn ! 
 But what says Bess to the new inmate ? We must pay a 
 deference to the ladies in this matter, after all." 
 
 Oh, sir ! " returned Elizabeth, I believe I am much 
 like a certain Judge Temple in this particular — not easily 
 0 4? 
 
200 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 to be turned from my opinion. But^ to be serious, althougb 
 I must think the introduction of a demi-savage into the 
 family a somewhat startling event, whomsoever you think 
 proper to countenance may be sure of my respect/' 
 
 The Judge drew her arm more closely in his own, and 
 smiled ; while Richard led the way through the gate of 
 the little court-yard in the rear of the dwelling, dealing 
 out his ambiguous warnings with his accustomed loquacity. 
 
 On the other hand, the foresters — for the three hunters, 
 notwithstanding their difference in character, well deserved 
 this common name — pursued their course along the skirts 
 of the village in silence. It was not until they had reached 
 the lake, and were moving over its frozen surface towards 
 the foot of the mountain, where their hut stood, that the 
 youth exclaimed, — 
 
 Who could have foreseen this a month since ! I have 
 consented to serve Marmaduke Temple, — to be an inmate 
 in the dwelling of the greatest enemy of my race : yet what 
 better could I do ? The servitude cannot be long ; and 
 when the motive for submitting to it ceases to exist, I will 
 shake it off, like the dust from my feet." 
 
 Is he a Mingo, that you will call him enemy ? " said 
 Mohegan. The Delaware warrior sits still, and waits the 
 time of the Great Spirit. He is no woman, to cry out like 
 a child." 
 
 Well, I'm mistrustful, John," said Leather- stocking, 
 in whose air there had been, during the w^hole business, a 
 strong expression of doubt and uncertainty. They say 
 that there's new laws in the land, and I am sartain that 
 there's new ways in the mountains. One hardly knows 
 the lakes and streams, they've altered the country so much. 
 I must say I'm mistrustful of such smooth speakers ; for 
 I've known the whites talk fair, when they wanted the 
 Indian lands most. This I will say, though I'm white 
 myself, and was born ni^h York, and of honest parents 
 too." 
 
 I will submit," said the youth : I will forget who I 
 am. Cease to remember, old Mohegan, that I am the de- 
 scendant of a Delaware chief, who once was master of these 
 noble hillsj these beautiful vales, and of tliis water over 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 which we tread. Yes^ yes ; I will become his bondsman, 
 — his slave ! Is it not an honourable servitude_, old 
 man?" 
 
 Old man!" repeated the Indian solemnly, and paus- 
 ing in his walk, as usual, when much excited : yes ; 
 John is old. Son of my brother ! if Mohegan was young, 
 when would his rifle be still ? — where would the deer hide, 
 and he not find him ? But John is old; his hand is the 
 hand of a squaw ; his tomahawk is a hatchet ; brooms and 
 baskets are his enemies • — he strikes no other. Hunger and 
 old age come together. See, Hawk-eye ! when young, he 
 would go days and eat nothing ; but should he not put the 
 brush on the fire now, the blaze would go out. Take the 
 son of Miquon by the hand, and he will help you." 
 
 " I'm not the man I was, I'll own, Chingachgook," re- 
 turned the Leather- stocking ; '^'^but I can go without a meal 
 now, on occasion. When we tracked the Iroquois through 
 the *^ Beech-woods,' they drove the game afore them, for I 
 hadn't a morsel to eat from Monday morning come Wed- 
 nesday sundown ; and then I shot as fat a buck, on the 
 Pennsylvany line, as ever mortal laid eyes on. It would 
 have done your heart good to have seen the Delawares eat ; 
 for I was out scouting and skrimmaging with their tribe at 
 the time. Lord ! the Indians, lad, lay still, and just waited 
 tiU Providence should send them their game ; but I 
 foraged about, and put a deer up, and put him down too, 
 'fore he had made a dozen jumps. I was too weak and too 
 ravenous to stop for his flesh ; so I took a good drink of 
 his blood, and the Indians ate of his meat raw. John was 
 there, and John knows. But then starvation would be apt 
 to be too much for me now, I will own, though I'm no 
 great eater at any time." 
 
 " Enough is said, my friends," cried the youth. I feel 
 that every where the sacrifice is required at my hands, and 
 it shall be made ; but say no more, I entreat you : I 
 cannot bear this subject now." 
 
 His companions were silent ; and they soon reached the 
 hut, which they entered, after removing certain complicated 
 and ingenious fastenings, that were put there apparently to 
 guard a property of but very little value. Immense piles of 
 
202 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 snow lay against the log walls of this secluded habitation, 
 on one side ; while fragments of small trees, and branches 
 of oak and chestnut, that had been torn from their parent 
 stems by the winds, were thrown into a pile, on the other. 
 A small column of smoke rose through a chimney of sticks, 
 cemented with clay, along the side of the rock ; and had 
 marked the snow above with its dark tinges, in a wavy line, 
 fxom the point of emission to another, where the hill receded 
 from the brow of a precipice, and held a soil that nourished 
 trees of a gigantic growth that overhung the little bottom 
 beneath. 
 
 The remainder of the day passed off as such days are 
 commonly spent in a new country. The settlers thronged 
 to the academy again, to witness the second effort of Mr. 
 Grant ; and Mohegan was one of his hearers. But, not- 
 withstanding the Divine fixed his eyes intently on the 
 Indian, when he invited his congregation to advance to the 
 table, the shame of last night's abasement was yet too keen 
 in the old chief to suffer him to move. 
 
 When the people were dispersing, the clouds, that had 
 been gathering all the morning, were dense and dirty ; and 
 before half of the curious congregation had reached their 
 different cabins, that were placed in every glen and hollow 
 of the mountains, or perched on the summits of the hiUs 
 themselves, the rain was falling in torrents. The dark 
 edges of the stumps began to exhibit themselves, as the 
 snow settled rapidly : the fences of logs and brush, which 
 before had been only traced by long lines of white mounds, 
 that ran across the vaUey and up the mountains, peeped 
 out from their covering; and the black stubs were mo- 
 mentarily becoming more distinct, as large masses of snow 
 and ice fell from their sides, under the influence of the 
 thaw. 
 
 Sheltered in the warm hall of her father's comfortable 
 mansion, EUzabeth, accompanied by Louisa Grant, looked 
 abroad with admiration at the ever- varying face of things 
 without. Even the village, which had just before been 
 glittering with the colour of the frozen element, reluctantly 
 dropped its mask, and the houses exposed their dark roofs 
 and smoked chimneys. The pines shook off the covering 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 203 
 
 of snow^ and every thing seemed to be assuming its proper 
 hue^ with a transition that bordered on the supernatural. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 And yet, poor Edwin was no vulgar boy. Beaitie, 
 
 The close of Christmas day^ A.D. 1793^ was tempestuous^ 
 but comparatively warm. When darkness had again hid 
 the objects in the village from the gaze of Elizabeth^ she 
 turned from the window, where she had remained while the 
 least vestige of light lingered over the tops of the dark pines, 
 with a curiosity that was rather excited than appeased by 
 the passing glimpses of woodland scenery that she had 
 caught during the day. 
 
 With her arm locked in that of Miss Grant, the young 
 mistress of the mansion walked slowly up and down the hall, 
 musing on scenes that were rapidly recurring to her me- 
 mory, and possibly dwelling, at times, in the sanctuary of 
 her thoughts, on the strange occurrences that had led to 
 the introduction to her father's family, of one, whose 
 manners so singularly contradicted the inferences to be 
 drawn from his situation. The expiring heat of the apart- 
 ment, — for its great size required a day to reduce its tem- 
 perature, — had given to her cheeks a bloom that exceeded 
 their natural colour, while the mild and melancholy features 
 of Louisa were brightened with a faint tinge, that, Mke the 
 hectic of disease, gave a painful interest to her beauty. 
 
 The eyes of the gentlemen, who were yet seated around 
 the rich wines of Judge Temple, frequently wandered from 
 the table, that was placed at one end of the hall, to the forms 
 that were silently moving over its length. Much mirth, and 
 that, at times, of a boisterous kind, proceeded from the 
 mouth of Richard ; but Major Hartmann was not yet ex- 
 cited to his pitch of merriment, and Marmaduke respected 
 the presence of his clerical guest too much, to indulge in 
 even the innocent humour, that formed no small ingredient 
 in his character. 
 
204 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Such were^ and such continued to be^ the pursuits of the 
 party^ for half an hour after the shutters were closed^ and 
 candles were placed in various parts of the hall^ as sub- 
 stitutes for the departing daylight. The appearance of 
 Benjamin, staggering under the burden of an armful of 
 wood^ was the first interruption to the scene. 
 
 ^ How now^ Master Pump ! " roared the newly appointed 
 sheriff ; is there not warmth enough in 'duke's best Ma- 
 deira^ to keep up the animal heat through this thaw ? 
 Remember^ old boy^ that the Judge is particular with his 
 beech and maple_, beginning to dread_, already, a scarcity of 
 the precious articles. Ha ! ha ! ha ! 'duke^ you are a good^ 
 warm-hearted relation^ I will own, as in duty bound, but 
 you have some queer notions about you, after all. ^ Come, 
 let us be jolly, and cast away folly.' 
 
 The notes gradually sunk into a hum^ while the major- 
 domo threw down his load_, and turning to his interrogator 
 with an air of earnestness, replied — 
 
 Why, look you, Squire Dickens, mayhap there's a warm 
 latitude round about the table there, thof it's not the stuff 
 to raise the heat in my body, neither ; the raal Jamaiky 
 being the only thing to do that, besides good wood, or some 
 such matter as Newcastle coal. But, if I know any thing 
 of weather, d'ye see, its time to be getting all snug, and for 
 putting the ports in, and stirring the fires a bit. Mayhap 
 I've not followed the seas twenty-seven years, and lived 
 another seven in these here woods, for nothing, gemmen." 
 
 Why, does it bid fair for a change in the weather, 
 Benjamin?" enquired the master of the house. 
 
 There's a shift of wind, your honour," returned the 
 steward ; and when there's a shift of wind, you may look 
 for a change in this here climate. I was aboard of one of 
 Rodney's fleet, d'ye see, about the time we licked De Grasse, 
 Mounsheer Ler Quaw's countryman, there ; and the wind 
 was here at the south'ard and east'ard ; and I was below, 
 mixing a toothfid of hot stuff for the captain of marines, 
 who dined, d'ye see, in the cabin, that there very same day j 
 and I suppose he wanted to put out the Captain's fire with 
 a gunroom ingyne: and so, just as I got it to my own 
 liking, after tasting pretty often, for the soldier was difficult 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 205 
 
 to please^ slap came the fore-sail ag'in the raast^ whiz went 
 the ship round on her heel^ like a whirligig. And a lucky 
 thing was it that our helm was down ; for as she gathered 
 starnway she payed ofF^ which was more than every ship in 
 the fleet did^ or could do. But she strained herself in the 
 trough of the sea^ and she shipped a deal of water over her 
 quarter. I never swallowed so much clear water at a time^ 
 in my life^ as I did then^ for I was looking up the after- 
 hatch at the instant.'' 
 
 I wonder J Benjamin^ that you did not die with a 
 dropsy ! " said Marmaduke. 
 
 I mought, Judge/' said the old tar_, with a broad grin ; 
 but there was no need of the med'cine chest for a cure ; 
 for, as I thought the brew was spoilt for the marine's taste, 
 and there was no telling when another sea might come and 
 spoil it for mine, I finished the mug on the spot. So then 
 all hands was called to the pumps, and there we began to 
 ply the pumps " 
 
 Well, but the weather ? " interrupted Marmaduke ; 
 what of the weather without doors ? " 
 
 Why, here the wind has been all day at the south, and 
 now there's a lull, as if the last blast was out of the bellows ; 
 and there's a streak along the mountain, to the north'ard, 
 that, just now, wasn't wider than the bigness of your hand ; 
 and then the clouds drive afore it as you'd brail a mainsail, 
 and the stars are heaving in sight, like so many lights and 
 beacons, put there to warn us to pile on the wood ; and, 
 if-so-be that I'm a judge of weather, it's getting to be time 
 to build on a fire ; or you'll have half of them there porter 
 bottles, and them dimmy-johns of wine, in the locker 
 here, breaking with the frost, afore the morning watch is 
 called." 
 
 Thou art a prudent sentinel," said the Judge. Act 
 thy pleasure with the forests, for this night at least." 
 
 Benjamin did as he was ordered ; nor had two hours 
 elapsed, before the prudence of his precautions became very 
 visible. The south wind had, indeed, blown itself out, and 
 it was succeeded by the calmness that usually gave warning 
 of a serious change in the weather. Long before the family 
 retired to rest, the cold had become cuttingly severe ; and 
 
206 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 when Monsieur Le Quoi sallied forth^ under a bright moon^ 
 to seek his own abode^ he was compelled to beg a blanket, 
 in which he might envelope his form, in addition to the 
 numerous garments that his sagacity had provided for the 
 occasion. The divine and his daughter remained, as in- 
 mates of the Mansion-house, during the night, and the 
 excess of last night's merriment induced the gentlemen to 
 make an early retreat to their several apartments. Long 
 before midnight, the whole family were invisible. 
 
 Elizabeth and her friend had not yet lost their senses in 
 sleep, when the bowlings of the north-west wind were 
 heard around the buildings, and brought with them that 
 exquisite sense of comfort, that is ever excited under such 
 circumstances, in an apartment where the fire has not yet 
 ceased to glimmer ; and curtains, and shutters, and feathers, 
 unite to preserve the desired temperature. Once, just as 
 her eyes had opened, apparently in the last stage of drow- 
 siness, the roaring winds brought with them a long and 
 plaintive howl, that seemed too wild for a dog, and yet 
 resembled the cries of that faithful animal, when night 
 awakens his vigilance, and gives sweetness and solemnity 
 to his alarms. The form of Louisa Grant instinctively 
 pressed nearer to that of the young heiress, who, finding 
 her companion was yet awake, said, in a low tone, as if 
 afraid to break a charm with her voice — 
 
 Those distant cries are plaintive, and even beautiful. 
 Can they be the hounds from the hut of Leather-stocking.^ " 
 
 They are wolves, who have ventured from the moun- 
 tain, on the lake," whispered Louisa, and who are only 
 kept from the village by the lights. One night, since we 
 have been here, hunger drove them to our very door. Oh, 
 what a dreadful night it was ! But the riches of Judge 
 Temple have given him too many safeguards, to leave room 
 for fear in this house." 
 
 The enterprise of Judge Temple is taming the very 
 forests I exclaimed Elizabeth, throwing off the covering, 
 and partly rising in the bed. How rapidly is civilisation 
 treading on the footsteps of nature ! " she continued, as her 
 eye glanced over, not only the comforts, but the luxuries 
 of her apartment, and her ear again listened to the distant 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 207 
 
 but often repeated howls from the lake. Finding, however, 
 that the timidity of her companion rendered the sounds 
 painful to her, Elizabeth resumed her place, and soon 
 forgot the changes in the country, with those in her own 
 condition, in a deep sleep. 
 
 The following morning, the noise of the female servant, 
 who entered the apartment to light the f5.re, awoke the fe- 
 males. They arose, and finished the slight preparations of 
 their toilets in a clear, cold atmosphere, that penetrated 
 through all the defences of even Miss Temple's warm 
 room. When Elizabeth was attired, she approached a 
 window and drew its curtain, and, throwing open its 
 shutters, she endeavoured to look abroad on the village and 
 the lake. But a thick covering of frost, on the glass, while 
 it admitted the light, shut out the view. She raised the 
 sash, and then, indeed, a glorious scene met her delighted 
 eye. 
 
 The lake had exchanged its covering of unspotted snow, 
 for a face of dark ice, that reflected the rays of the rising 
 sun, like a polished mirror. The houses were clothed in a 
 dress of the same description, but which, owing to its po- 
 sition, shone like bright steel ; while the enormous icicles, 
 that were pendent from every roof, caught the brilliant 
 light, apparently throwing it from one to the other, as each 
 glittered, on the side next the luminary, with a golden 
 lustre, that melted away, on its opposite, into the dusky 
 shades of a back-ground. But it was the appearance of the 
 boundless forests, that covered the hills as they rose, in the 
 distance, one over the other, that most attracted the gaze 
 of Miss Temple. The huge branches of the pines and 
 hemlocks bent with the weight of the ice they supported, 
 while their summits rose above the swelling tops of the 
 oaks, beeches, and maples, like spires of burnished silver 
 issuing from domes of the same material. The limits of 
 the view, in the west, were marked by an undulating out- 
 line of bright light, as if, reversing the order of nature, 
 numberless suns might momentarily be expected to heave 
 above the horizon. In the foreground of the picture, along 
 the shores of the lake, and near to the village, each tree 
 seemed studded with diamonds. Even the sides of the 
 
208 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 mountains where the rays of the sun could not yet fall, 
 were decorated with a glassy coat^ that presented every 
 gradation of brilliancy, from the first touch of the luminary 
 to the dark foliage of the hemlock, glistening through its 
 coat of crystal. In short, the whole view was one scene of 
 quivering radiancy, as lake, mountains, village, and woods, 
 each emitted a portion of light, tinged with its peculiar 
 hue, and varied by its position and its magnitude. 
 
 See !" cried Elizabeth — see, Louisa ; hasten to the 
 window, and observe the miraculous change ! " 
 
 Miss Grant complied ; and, after bending for a moment 
 in silence, from the opening, she observed, in a low tone, 
 as if afraid to trust the sound of her voice — 
 
 The change is indeed wonderful ! I am surprised 
 that he should be able to effect it so soon." 
 
 Elizabeth turned in amazement, to hear so sceptical a 
 sentiment from one educated like her companion ; but was 
 surprised to find that, instead of looking at the view, the 
 mild blue eyes of Miss Grant were dwelling on the form 
 of a well-dressed young man, who was standing before the 
 door of the building, in earnest conversation with her father. 
 A second look was necessary, before she was able to recog- 
 nise the person of the young hunter, in a plain_, but, as- 
 suredly, the ordinary, garb of a gentleman. 
 
 Every thing in this magical country seems to border 
 on the marvellous," said Elizabeth ; and among all the 
 changes, this is certainly not the least wonderful. The 
 actors are as unique as the scenery." 
 
 Miss Grant coloured, and drew in her head. 
 
 I am a simple country girl. Miss Temple, and I am 
 afraid you will find me but a poor companion," she said. 
 
 I — I am not sure that 1 understand all you say. But I 
 really thought that you wished me to notice the alteration 
 in Mr. Edwards. Is it not more wonderful, when we re- 
 collect his origin ? They say he is part Indian." 
 
 He is a genteel savage ; ^but let us go down, and give 
 the Sachem his tea ; — for I suppose he is a descendant of 
 King Philip, if not a grandson of Pocahontas." 
 
 The ladies were met in the hall by Judge Temple, who 
 took his daughter aside, to apprise her of that alteration in 
 
THE PIONKERS. 
 
 209 
 
 the appearance of their new inmate^ with which she was 
 already acquainted. 
 
 He appears reluctant to converse on his former situ- 
 ation/' continued Marmaduke ; " but I gather from his 
 discourse, as is apparent from his manner, that he has seen 
 better days; and I really am inclining to the opinion of 
 Richard, as to his origin ; for it was no unusual thing for 
 the Indian agents to rear their children in a laudable man- 
 ner_, and " 
 
 Very well, my dear sir,' interrupted his daughter, 
 laughing, and averting her eyes ; ^'^ it is all well enough, I 
 dare say ; but as I do not understand a word of the Mo- 
 hawk language, he must be content to speak English ; and 
 as for his behaviour, I trust to your discernment to con- 
 trol it." 
 
 Ay ! but, Bess," said the Judge, detaining her gently 
 with his hand, nothing must be said to him of his past 
 life. This he has begged particularly of me, as a favour. 
 He is, perhaps, a little soured, just now, with his wounded 
 arm ; the injury seems very light, and another time he 
 may be more communicative.'* 
 
 Oh ! I am not much troubled, sir, with that laudable 
 thirst after knowledge, that is called curiosity. I shall 
 believe him to be the child of Corn-stalk, or Corn-planter, 
 or some other renowned chieftain ; possibly of the Big 
 Snake himself ; and shall treat him as such, until he sees 
 fit to shave his good-looking head, borrow some half-dozen 
 pair of my best ear-rings, shoulder his rifle again, and dis- 
 appear as suddenly as he made his entrance. So come, my 
 dear sir, and let us not forget the rights of hospitaUty, for 
 the short time he is to remain with us." 
 
 Judge Temple smiled at the playfulness of his child, and 
 taking her arm, they entered the breakfast parlour, where 
 the young hunter was seated, with an air that showed his 
 determination to domesticate himself in the family, with as 
 little parade as possible. 
 
 Such were the incidents that led to this extraordinary 
 increase in the family of Judge Temple, where, having 
 once established the youth, the subject of our tale requires 
 us to leave him, for a time, to pursue with diligence and in- 
 
210 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 telligence the employments that were assigned him by 
 Marmaduke. 
 
 Major Hartmann made his customary visit, and took his 
 leave of the party, for the next three months. Mr. Grant 
 was compelled to be absent much of his time, in remote 
 parts of the country, and his daughter became almost a 
 constant visiter at the Mansion-house. Richard entered, 
 with his constitutional eagerness, on the duties of his new 
 office; and, as Marmaduke was much employed, with the 
 constant applications of adventurers for farms, the winter 
 passed swiftly away. The lake was a principal scene for 
 the amusements of the young people ; where the ladies, in 
 their one-horse cutter, driven by Richard, and attended, 
 when the snow would admit of it, by young Edwards, on 
 his skates, spent many hours, taking the benefit of exercise 
 m the clear air of the hills. The reserve of the youth 
 gradually gave way to time and his situation, though it was 
 still evident, to a close observer, that he had frequent mo- 
 ments of bitter and intense feeling. 
 
 Elizabeth saw many large openings appear in the sides 
 of the mountains during the three succeeding months, 
 where different settlers had, in the language of the country, 
 
 made their pitch;" while the numberless sleighs that 
 passed through the village, loaded with wheat and barrels 
 of pot-ashes, afforded a clear demonstration that all these 
 labours were not undertaken in vain. In short, the whole 
 country was exhibiting the bustle of a thriving settlement, 
 where the highways were thronged with sleighs, bearing 
 piles of rough household furniture ; studded, here and 
 there, with the smiling faces of women and children, happy 
 in the excitement of novelty ; or with loads of produce, 
 hastening to the common market at Albany, that served as 
 so many snares, to induce the emigrants to enter into those 
 wild mountains in search of competence and happiness. 
 
 The village was alive with business; the artisans in- 
 creasing in wealth with the prosperity of the country, and 
 each day witnessing some nearer approach to the manners 
 and usages of an old-settled town. The man who carried 
 the mail, or the post," as he was called, talked much of 
 running a stage, and, once or twice during the winter, he 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 211 
 
 was seen taking a single passenger, in his cutter, through 
 the snow-banks, towards the Mohawk, along which a re- 
 gular vehicle glided, semi- weekly, with the velocity of light- 
 ning, and under the direction of a knowing whip from the 
 down countries." Towards spring, divers families, 
 who had been into the old states," to see their relatives, 
 returned, in time to save the snow, frequently bringing 
 with them whole neighbourhoods, who were tempted by 
 their representations to leave the farms of Connecticut 
 and Massachusetts, and make a trial of fortune in the 
 woods. 
 
 During all this time, OHver Edwards, whose sudden 
 elevation excited no surprise in that changeful country, was 
 earnestly engaged in the service of Marmaduke, during the 
 days ; but his nights were often spent in the hut of Leather- 
 stocking. The intercourse between the three hunters was 
 maintained with a certain air of mystery, it is true, but 
 with much zeal and apparent interest to all the parties. 
 Even Mohegan seldom came to the Mansion-house, and 
 Natty, never ; but Edwards sought every leisure moment 
 to visit his former abode, from which he would often return 
 in the gloomy hours of night, through the snow, or, if de- 
 tained beyond the time at which the family retired to rest, 
 with the morning sun. These visits certainly excited much 
 speculation in those to whom they were known, but no 
 comments were made, excepting occasionally, in whispers 
 from Richard, who would say — 
 
 It is not at all remarkable ; — a half-breed can never 
 be weaned from the savage ways — and for one of his lineage, 
 the boy is much nearer civilisation than could, in reason, 
 be expected." 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Away ! nor let me loiter in my song. 
 
 For we have many a mountain path to tread. Byron. 
 
 As the spring gradually approached, the immense piles of 
 snow, that by alternate thaws and frosts, and repeated 
 p 2 
 
212 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 « 
 
 storms, had obtained a firmness which threatened a tire- 
 some durabiHty, began to yield to the influence of milder 
 breezes and a warmer sun. The gates of Heaven at times 
 seemed to open, and a bland air diffused itself over the 
 earth, when animate and inanimate nature would awaken, 
 and, for a few hours, the gaiety of spring shone in every 
 eye, and smiled on every field. But the shivering blasts 
 from the north would carry their chill influence over the 
 scene again, and the dark and gloomy clouds that inter- 
 cepted the rays of the sun were not more cold and dreary 
 than the re-action. These struggles between the seasons 
 became daily more frequent, while the earth, like a victim 
 to contention, slowly lost the animated brilliancy of winter, 
 without obtaining the aspect of spring. 
 
 Several weeks were consumed in this cheerless manner, 
 during which the inhabitants of the country gradually 
 changed their pursuits from the social and bustling move- 
 ments of the time of snow, to the laborious and domestic 
 engagements of the coming season. The village was no 
 longer thronged with visiters; the trade, that had enlivened 
 the shops for several months, began to disappear ; the 
 highways lost their shining coats of beaten snow in im- 
 passable sloughs, and were deserted by the gay and noisy 
 travellers who, in sleighs, had, during the winter, glided 
 along their windings ; and, in short, every thing seemed 
 indicative of a mighty change, not only in the earth, but 
 in those who derived their sources of comfort and happiness 
 from its bosom. 
 
 The younger members of the family in the Mansion- 
 house, of which Louisa Grant was now habitually one, 
 were by no means indifferent observers of these fluctuating 
 and tardy changes. While the snow rendered the roads 
 passable, they had partaken largely in the amusements of 
 the winter, which included not only daily rides over the 
 mountains, and through every valley within twenty miles 
 of them, but divers ingenious and varied sources of plea- 
 sure, on the bosom of their frozen lake. There had been 
 excursions in the equipage of Richard, when, with his four 
 horses, he had outstripped the winds, as it flew over the 
 glassy ice which invariably succeeded a thaw. Then the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 213 
 
 exciting and dangerous whirKgig'* would be suffered to 
 possess its moment of notice. Cutters_, drawn by a single 
 horse^ and hand-sleds^ impelled by the gentlemen^ on skates^ 
 would each in turn be used ; and^ in short, every source of 
 relief against the tediousness of a winter in the mountains 
 was resorted to by the family. Elizabeth was compelled 
 to acknowledge to her father, that the season, with the aid 
 of his library, was much less irksome than she had anti- 
 cipated. 
 
 As exercise in the open air was in some degree necessary 
 to the habits of the family, when the constant recurrence 
 of frosts and thaws rendered the roads, which were dan- 
 gerous at the most favourable times, utterly impassable for 
 wheels, saddle horses were used as substitutes for other 
 conveyances. Mounted on small and sure-footed beasts, 
 the ladies would again attempt the passages of the moun- 
 tains, and penetrate into every retired glen, where the en- 
 terprise of a settler had induced him to establish himself. 
 In these excursions they were attended by some one or all 
 of the gentlemen of the family, as their different pursuits 
 admitted. Young Edwards was hourly becoming more 
 familiarised to his situation, and not unfrequently mingled 
 in the parties, with an unconcern and gaiety, that for a 
 short time would expel all unpleasant recollections from 
 his mind. Habit, and the buoyancy of youth, seemed to 
 be getting the ascendency over the secret causes of his un- 
 easiness ; though there were moments, when the same re- 
 markable expression of disgust would cross his intercourse 
 with Marmaduke, that had distinguished their conversations 
 in the first days of their acquaintance. 
 
 It was at the close of the month of March, that the 
 Sheriff succeeded in persuading his cousin and her young 
 friend to accompany him in a ride to a hill that was said 
 to overhang the lake in a manner pecuHar to itself. 
 
 " Besides, cousin Bess," continued the indefatigable 
 Richard, we will stop and see the ' sugar bush' of Billy 
 Kirby : he is on the east end of the Ransom lot, making 
 sugar for Jared Ransom. There is not a better hand over 
 a kettle in the county than that same Kirby. You re- 
 member, *duke, that I had him his first season, in our own 
 p 3 
 
214 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 camp ; and it is not a wonder that he knows something of 
 his trade." 
 
 He's a good chopper^ is Billy/* observed Benjamin,, 
 who held the bridle of the horse while the Sheriff mounted ; 
 
 and he handles an axe much the same as a forecastle- 
 man does his marling-spike^ or a tailor his goose. They 
 say he'll lift a potash kettle off the arch alone^ thof I can't 
 say that I've ever seen him do it with my own eyes ; but 
 that is the say. And I've seen sugar of his makings which, 
 maybe, wasn't as white as an old top-gallant sail, but which 
 my friend Mistress Prettybones, within there, said had the 
 true molasses smack to it ; and you are not the one, Squire 
 Dickens, to be told that Mistress Remarkable has a remark- 
 able tooth for sweet things, in her nut grinder." 
 
 The loud laugh that succeeded the wit of Benjamin^ 
 and in which he participated, with no very harmonious 
 sounds, himself, very fully illustrated the congenial temper 
 which existed between the pair. Most of its point was, 
 however, lost on the rest of the party, who were either 
 mounting their horses, or assisting the ladies at the mo- 
 ment. When all were safely in their saddles, they moved 
 through the village in great order. They paused for a 
 moment before the door of Monsieur Le Quoi, until he 
 could bestride his steed, and then issuing from the little 
 cluster of houses, they took one of the principal of those 
 highways that centred in the village. 
 
 As each night brought with it a severe frost, which the 
 heat of the succeeding day served to dissipate, the eques- 
 trians were compelled to proceed singly along the margin 
 of the road, where the turf, and firmness of the ground, 
 gave the horses a secure footing. Very trifling indications 
 of vegetation were to be seen, the surface of the earth pre- 
 senting a cold, wet, and cheerless aspect that chilled the 
 blood. The snow yet lay scattered over most of those 
 distant clearings that were visible in different parts of the 
 mountains ; though here and there an opening might be 
 seen, where, as the white covering yielded to the season, 
 the bright and lively green of the wheat served to enkindle 
 the hopes of the husbandman. Nothing could be more 
 marked than the contrast between the earth and the hea- 
 
THE PIONEERS, 
 
 215 
 
 vens ; for^ while the former presented the dreary view that 
 we have described^ a warm and invigorating sun was dis- 
 pensing his heats from a sky that contained but a solitary 
 cloudy and through an atmosphere that softened the colours 
 of the sensible horizon until it shone like a sea of blue. 
 
 Richard led the way, on this, as on all other occasions, 
 that did not require the exercise of unusual abilities ; and 
 as he moved along, he essayed to enliven the party with 
 the sounds of his experienced voice. 
 
 This is your true sugar weather, 'duke," he cried ; a 
 frosty night and a sunshiny day. I warrant me that the 
 sap runs like a mill-tail up the maples this warm morning. 
 It is a pity. Judge, that you do not introduce a little more 
 science into the manufactory of sugar among your tenants. 
 It might be done, sir, without knowing as much as Doctor 
 Franklin — it might be done. Judge Temple." 
 
 The first object of my solicitude, friend Jones," re- 
 turned Marmaduke, is to protect the sources of this great 
 mine of comfort and wealth from the extravagance of the 
 people themselves. When this important point shall be 
 achieved, it will be in season to turn our attention to an 
 improvement in the manufacture of the article. But thou 
 knowest, Richard, that I have already subjected our sugar 
 to the process of the refiner, and that the result has pro- 
 duced loaves as white as the snow on yon fields, and pos- 
 sessing the saccharine quality in its utmost purity." 
 
 Saccharine, or turpentine, or any other 'ine. Judge 
 Temple, you have never made a loaf larger than a good 
 sized sugar-plum," returned the Sheriff. Now, sir, I 
 assert that no experiment is fairly tried, until it be reduced 
 to practical purposes. If, sir, I owned a hundred, or, for 
 that matter, two hundred thousand acres of land, as you 
 do, I would build a sugar-house in the village ; I would 
 invite learned men to an investigation of the subject, — and 
 such are easily to be found, sir ; yes, sir, they are not 
 difficult to find, — men who unite theory with practice ; 
 and I would select a wood of young and thrifty trees ; and 
 instead of making loaves of the size of a lump of candy, 
 dam'me, 'duke, but I'd have them as big as a haycock." 
 
 And purchase the cargo of one of those ships, that 
 p 4 
 
215 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 they say, are going to China/' cried Elizabeth ; turn your 
 potash-kettles into tea-cups_, the scows on the lake into 
 saucers ; bake your cake in yonder lime-kiln, and invite 
 the county to a tea-party. How wonderful are the projects 
 of genius ! Really, sir, the world is of opinion that Judge 
 Temple has tried the experiment fairly, though he did not 
 cause his loaves to be cast in moulds of the magnitude that 
 would suit your magnificent conceptions." 
 
 You may laugh, cousin Elizabeth — you may laugh^ 
 madam,'' retorted Richard, turning himself so much in his 
 saddle as to face the party, and making dignified gestures 
 with his whip ; but I appeal to common sense, good 
 sense, or, what is of more importance than either, to the 
 sense of taste, which is one of the five natural senses, 
 whether a big loaf of sugar is not likely to contain a better 
 illustration of a proposition than such a lump as one of 
 your Dutch women puts under her tongue when she drinks 
 her tea. There are two ways of doing every thing ; the 
 right way, and the wrong way. You make sugar now, I 
 will admit, and you may, possibly, make loaf-sugar ; but 
 I take the question to be, whether you make the best pos- 
 sible sugar, and in the best possible loaves." 
 
 Thou art very right, Richard,'' observed Marmaduke, 
 with a gravity in his air that proved how much he was 
 interested in the subject. It is very true that we ma- 
 nufacture sugar, and the enquiry is quite useful, how much ? 
 and in what manner ? I hope to live to see the day, when 
 farms and plantations shall be devoted to this branch of 
 business. Little is known concerning the properties of the 
 tree itself, the source of all this wealth ; how much it 
 may be improved by cultivation, by the use of the hoe and 
 plough." 
 
 Hoe and plough ! " roared the Sheriff ; — would you 
 set a man hoeing round the root of a maple like this ? " — 
 pointing to one of the noble trees that occur so frequently 
 in that part of the country. — Hoeing trees ! are you mad, 
 'duke ? This is next to hunting for coal ! Poh ! poh ! my 
 dear cousin, hear reason, and leave the management of the 
 sugar-bush to me. Here is Mr. Le Quoi, he has been in 
 the West Indies, and has seen sugar made. Let him give 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ^17 
 
 an account of how it is made there^ and you will hear the 
 philosophy of the thing. — Well_, Monsieur, how is it that 
 you make sugar in the West Indies ; any thing in Judge 
 Temple's fashion ? " 
 
 The gentleman to whom this query was put was mounted 
 on a small horse, of no very fiery temperament, and was 
 riding with his stirrups so short, as to bring his knees, 
 while the animal rose a small ascent in the wood-path they 
 were now travelling, into a somewhat hazardous vicinity to 
 his chin. There was no room for gesticulation or grace in 
 the delivery of his reply, for the mountain was steep and 
 slippery ; and although the Frenchman had an eye of un- 
 common magnitude on either side of his face, they did not 
 seem to be half competent to forewarn him of the impedi- 
 ments of bushes, twigs, and fallen trees, that were mo- 
 mentarily crossing his path. With one hand employed in 
 averting these dangers, and the other grasping his bridle^ 
 to check an untoward speed that his horse was assuming, 
 the native of France responded as follows — 
 
 Sucre ! dey do make sucre in Martinique : mais — 
 mais ce n'est pas, one tree ; — ah — ah — vat you call — 
 Je voudrois que ces chemins fussent au diable — vat you 
 call — steeck pour le promenade.'* 
 
 ^' Cane," said Elizabeth, smiling at the imprecation 
 which the wary Frenchman supposed was understood only 
 by himself. 
 
 Oui, mam'selle, cane." 
 
 ^'^ Yes, yes/' cried Richard, " cane is the vulgar name 
 for it, but the real term is saccharum officinarum ; and 
 what we call the sugar, or hard maple, is acer saccharinum. 
 These are the learned names. Monsieur, and are such as, 
 doubtless, you well understand." 
 
 Is this Greek or Latin, Mr. Edwards ? " whispered 
 Elizabeth to the youth, who was opening a passage for her- 
 self and her companions through the bushes — ^"^or perhaps 
 it is a still more learned language, for an interpretation of 
 which we must look to you." 
 
 The dark eye of the young man glanced towards the 
 speaker, but its resentful expression changed, in a moment. 
 I shall remember your doubts. Miss Temple, when next 
 
§18 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 I visit my old friend Mohegan, and either his skill, or that 
 of Leather-stocking, shall solve them." 
 
 And are you, then, really ignorant of their language ? " 
 ^^Not absolutely; but the deep learning of Mr. Jones is 
 more familiar to me, or even the polite masquerade of 
 Monsieur Le Quoi.*' 
 
 Do you speak French ? " said the lady, v^^ith quick- 
 ness. 
 
 It is a common language with the Iroquois, and through 
 the Canadas," he answered, smiling. 
 
 Ah ! but they are Mingoes, and your enemies." 
 
 " It will be well for me, if I have no worse," said the 
 youth, dashing ahead with his horse, and putting an end to 
 the evasive dialogue. 
 
 The discourse, however, was maintained with great 
 vigour by Richard, until they reached an open wood on 
 the summit of the mountain, where the hemlocks and pines 
 totally disappeared, and a grove of the very trees that 
 formed the subject of debate covered the earth with their 
 tall, straight trunks and spreading branches, in stately 
 pride. The underwood had been entirely removed from 
 this grove, or bush, as in conjunction with the simple ar- 
 rangements for boiling, it was called, and a wide space of 
 many acres was cleared, which might be likened to the 
 dome of a mighty temple, to which the maples formed the 
 columns, their tops composing the capitals, and the heavens 
 the arch. A deep and careless incision had been made 
 into each tree, near its root, into which little spouts, 
 formed of the bark of the alder, or of the sumach, were 
 fastened ; and a trough, roughly dug out of the linden, 
 or basswood, was lying at the root of each tree, to catch 
 the sap that flowed from this extremely wasteful and inarti- 
 ficial arrangement. 
 
 The party paused a moment, on gaining the flat, co 
 breathe their horses, and, as the scene was entirely new to 
 several of their number, to view the manner of collecting 
 the fluid. A fine powerful voice aroused them from their 
 momentary silence, as it rung under the branches of the 
 trees, singing the following words of that inimitable dog- 
 grel, whose verses, if extended, would reach from the waters 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 219 
 
 of the Connecticut to the shores of Ontario. The tune 
 was, of course, that familiar air, which, although it is said 
 to have been first applied to his nation in derision, circum- 
 stances have since rendered so glorious, that no American 
 ever hears its jingling cadence without feeUng a thrill at 
 his heart. 
 
 " The Eastern States be full of men. 
 The Western full of woods, sir. 
 The hills be like a cattle pen. 
 The roads be full of goods, sir ! 
 
 Then flow away, my sweety sap. 
 
 And I will make you boily ; 
 Nor catch a woodman's hasty nap. 
 For fear you should get roily. 
 
 " The maple tree's a precious one, 
 'Tis fuel, food, and timber ; 
 And when your stiff day's work is done. 
 Its juice will make you limber. 
 Then flow away, &c. 
 
 " And what's a man without his glass. 
 His wife without her tea, sir ? 
 But neither cup nor mug will pass. 
 Without this honey-bee, sir I 
 Then flow away," &c 
 
 During the execution of this sonorous doggrel, Richard 
 kept time with his whip on the mane of his charger, ac- 
 companying the gestures with a corresponding movement 
 of his head and body. Towards the close of the song, he 
 was overheard humming the chorus, and at its last repetition, 
 to strike in at sweety sap," and carry a second through, 
 ^ith a prodigious addition to the effect" of the noise, if 
 not to that of the harmony. 
 
 Well done us ! " roared the Sheriff, on the same key 
 with the tune ; " a very good song, Billy Kirby, and very 
 well sung. Where got you the words, lad ? is there more 
 of it, and can you furnish me with a copy ? " 
 
 The sugar-boiler, who was busy in his camp," at a 
 short distance from the equestrians, turned his head with 
 great indifference, and surveyed the party, as they ap- 
 proached, with admirable coolness. To each individual, as 
 he or she rode close by him, he gave a nod that was ex- 
 tremely good-natured and affable, but which partook largely 
 of the virtue of equality, for not even to the ladies did he 
 
220 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 in the least vary his mode of salutation^ by touching the 
 apology for a hat that he wore, or by any other motion than 
 the one we have mentioned. 
 
 How goes it, how goes it, SlierifF? " said the 
 wood-chopper ; what's the good word in the village ? " 
 
 Why, much as usual, Billy," returned Richard. But 
 how is this ? where are your four kettles, and your troughs, 
 and your iron coolers ? Do you make sugar in this slo- 
 venly way ? I thought you were one of the best sugar- 
 boilers in the county." 
 
 I'm all that. Squire Jones," said Kirby, who continued 
 his occupation ; I'll turn my back to no man in the Ot- 
 sego hills, for chopping and logging, for boihng down the 
 maple sap, for tending brick-kiln, splitting out rails, making 
 potash, and parling too, or hoeing corn ; though I keep 
 myself, pretty much, to the first business, seeing that the 
 axe comes most natural to me.*' 
 
 ^'^ You be von Jack All-trade, Mister Beel," said Mon- 
 sieur Le Quoi. 
 
 ^' How ? " said Kirby, looking up, with a simplicity 
 which, coupled with his gigantic frame and manly face, 
 was a little ridiculous, if you be for trade, Mounsher, 
 here is some as good sugar as you'll find the season through. 
 It's as clear from dirt as the Jarman Flats is free from 
 stumps, and it has the raal maple flavour. Such stuff 
 would sell in York for candy.'* 
 
 The Frenchman approached the place where Kirby had 
 deposited his cakes of sugar, under the cover of a bark roof, 
 and commenced the examination of the article, with the eye 
 of one who well understood its value. Marmaduke had 
 dismounted, and was viewing the works and the trees very 
 closely, and not without frequent expressions of dissatis- 
 faction at the careless manner in which the manufacture 
 was conducted. 
 
 You have much experience in these things, Kirby," he 
 said ; what course do you pursue in making your sugar ? 
 I see you have but two kettles." 
 
 ^^Two is as good as two thousand. Judge, I'm none of 
 your polite sugar-makers, that boils for the great folks ; but 
 if the raal sweet maple is wanted, I can answer your turn. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 221 
 
 Firsts I choose, and then I tap my trees ; say along about 
 the last of February, or in these mountains may be not 
 afore the middle of March ; but any way, just as the sap 
 
 begins to cleverly run *' 
 
 Well, in this choice,'' interrupted Marmaduke, are 
 you governed by any outward signs, that prove the quality 
 of the tree ? " 
 
 Why, there's judgment in all things," said Kirby, 
 stirring the liquor in his kettles briskly. There's some- 
 thing in knowing when and how much to stir the pot. It's 
 a thing that must be larnt. Rome wasn't built in a day, 
 nor, for that matter, Templetown either, though it may be 
 said to be a quick-growing place. I never put my axe into 
 a stunty tree, or one that hasn't a good, fresh-looking bark ; 
 for trees have disorders like creaters : and where's the po- 
 licy of taking a tree that's sickly, any more than you'd 
 choose a foundered horse to ride post, or an overheated ox 
 to do your logging." 
 
 All this is true. But what are the signs of illness ? 
 how do you distinguish a tree that is well from one that is 
 diseased ? " 
 
 How does the doctor tell who has fever, and who 
 colds ? " interrupted Richard — by examining the skin, 
 and feeling the pulse, to be sure." 
 
 Sartain," continued Billy, the Squire an't far out of 
 the way. It's by the look of the thing, sure enough. — 
 Well, when the sap begins to get a free run, I hang over 
 the kettles, and set up the bush. My first boiling I push 
 pretty smartly, till I get the virtue of the sap ; but when it 
 begins to grow of a molasses nater, like this in the kettle, 
 one musn't drive the fires too hard, or you'll burn the sugar: 
 and burny sugar is bad to the taste, let it be never so sweet. 
 So you ladle out from one kettle into the other, till it gets 
 so, when you put the stirring stick into it, that it will draw 
 into a thread — when it takes a kerful hand to manage it. — 
 There is a way to drain it off, after it has grained, by putting 
 clay into the pans, but it isn't always practised : some doos, 
 and some doesn't. Well, Mounsher, be we likely to make 
 a trade ? " 
 
 . I vill give you, Mister Beel, for von pound, dix sous/ 
 
222 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 No, I expect cash fort : I never dicker my sugar. — 
 But, seeing that it's you, Mounsher," said Billy, with a 
 coaxing smile, I'll agree to receive a gallon of rum, and 
 cloth enough for two shirts, if you will take the molasses in 
 the bargain. It's raal good. I wouldn't deceive you or 
 any man ; and to my drinking it's about the best molasses 
 that come out of a sugar-bush." 
 
 " Mr. Le Quoi has offered you ten pence," said young 
 Edwards. 
 
 The manufacturer stared at the speaker^ with an air of 
 great freedom, but made no reply. 
 
 ^^Oui," said the Frenchman, ten penny. Je vous 
 remercie. Monsieur : ah ! mon Anglois I je I'oublie 
 toujours." 
 
 The wood-chopper looked from one to the other, with 
 some displeasure ; and evidently imbibed the opinion that 
 they were amusing themselves at his expense. He seized 
 the enormous ladle, which was lying in one of his kettles, 
 and began to stir the boiling liquid with great diHgence.-— 
 After a moment passed in dipping the ladle full, and 
 then raising it on high, as the thick rich fluid fell back 
 into the kettle, he suddenly gave it a whirl, as if to cooi 
 what yet remained, and offered the bowl to Mr. Le Quoi, 
 saying — 
 
 Taste that, Mounsher, and you will say it is worth 
 more than you offer. The molasses itself would fetch the 
 money." 
 
 The complaisant Frenchman, after several timid efforts 
 to trust his lips in contact with the bowl of the ladle, got a 
 good swallow of the scalding liquid. He clapped his hand 
 on his breast, and looked most piteously at the ladies, for a 
 single instant ; and then, to use the language of Billy, 
 when he afterwards recounted the tale, no drumsticks 
 ever went faster on the skin of a sheep, than the French- 
 man's legs, for a round or two : and then, such swearing 
 and spitting, in French, you never saw. But it's a knowing 
 one, from the old countries, that thinks to get his jokes 
 smoothly over a wood-chopper." 
 
 The air of innocence with which Kirby resumed the oc- 
 cupation of stirring the contents of his kettle, would have 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 223 
 
 completely deceived the spectators, as to his agency in the 
 temporary suffering of Mr. Le Quoi_, had not the reckless 
 fellow thrust his tongue into his cheek, and cast his eyes 
 over the party, with a simplicity of expression that was too 
 exquisite to be natural. Mr. Le Quoi soon recovered his 
 presence of mind, and his decorum ; he briefly apologised 
 to the ladies for one or two very intemperate expressions, 
 that had escaped him in a moment of extraordinary excite- 
 ment, and remounting his horse, he continued in the back- 
 ground during the remainder of the visit, the wit of 
 Kirby putting a violent termination, at once, to all 
 negotiations on the subject of trade. During all this 
 time_, Marmaduke had been wandering about the grove, 
 making observations on his favourite trees, and the 
 wasteful manner in which the wood-chopper conducted his 
 manufacture. 
 
 It grieves me to witness the extravagance that per- 
 vades this country," said the Judge, where the settlers 
 trifle with the blessings they might enjoy, with the prodi- 
 gality of successful adventurers. You are not exempt from 
 the censure yourself, Kirby, for you make dreadful wounds 
 in these trees, where a small incision would effect the same 
 object. I earnestly beg you will remember, that they are 
 the growth of centuries, and when once gone, none living 
 will see their loss remedied." 
 
 " Why, I don't know. Judge," returned the man he ad- 
 dressed : It seems to me, if there's a plenty of any thing 
 in this mountaynious country, it's the trees. If there's 
 any sin in chopping them, I've a pretty heavy account to 
 settle ; for iVe chopped over the best half of a thousand 
 acres, with my own hands, counting both Varmount and 
 York states ; and I hope to live to finish the whuU, before 
 I lay up my axe. Chopping comes quite natural to me, 
 and I wish no other employment ; but Jared Ransom 
 said that he thought the sugar waa likely to be scurce 
 this season, seeing that so many folks was coming into 
 the settlement, and so I concluded to take the ^bush' 
 on sheares, for this one spring. What's the best news. 
 Judge, consarning ashes } do pots hold so that a man can 
 
224 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 live by them still? I s*pose they will, if they keep on lighting 
 across the water." 
 
 Thou reasonest with judgment^ William/' returned 
 Marmaduke. So long as the old world is to be 
 convulsed with wars, so long will the harvest of America 
 continue." 
 
 Well, it's an ill wind, Judge, that blows nobody any 
 good. I'm sure the country is in a thriving way ; and, 
 though I know you calkilate greatly on the trees, setting as 
 much store by them as some men would by their children, 
 yet to my eyes they are a sore sight at any time, unless I'm 
 privileged to work my will on them ; in which case I can't 
 say but they are more to my liking. I have heard the 
 settlers from the old countries say that their rich men keep 
 great oaks and elms, that would make a barrel of pots to the 
 tree, standing round their doors and humsteads, and scattered 
 over their farms, just to look at. Now, I call no country 
 much improved, that is pretty well covered with trees. 
 Stumps are a different thing, for they don't shade the land ; 
 and besides, if you dig them, they make a fence that will 
 turn any thing bigger than a hog, being grand for breachy 
 cattle." 
 
 Opinions on such subjects vary much in different 
 countries," said Marmaduke ; but it is not as ornaments 
 that I value the noble trees of this country ; it is for their 
 usefulness. We are stripping the forests, as if a single year 
 would replace what we destroy. But the hour approaches, 
 when the laws will take notice of not only the woods, but 
 the game they contain also." 
 
 With this consoling reflection, Marmaduke remounted, 
 and the equestrians passed the sugar-camp, on their way to 
 the promised landscape of Richard. The wood-chopper 
 was left alone, in the bosom of the forest, to pursue his 
 labours. Elizabeth turned her head, when they reached 
 the point where they were to descend the mountain, and 
 thought that the slow fires that were glimmering under his 
 enormous kettles, his little brush shelter, covered with 
 pieces of hemlock bark, his gigantic size, as he wielded his 
 ladle with a steady and knowing air, aided by the back 
 ground of stately trees, with their spouts and troughs. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 225 
 
 formed, altogether, no unreal picture of human life in its 
 first stages of civilisation. Perhaps whatever the scene 
 possessed of a romantic character was not injured by the 
 powerful tones of Kirby's voice ringing through the woods, 
 as he again awoke his strains to another tune, which was 
 but little more scientific than the former. All that she 
 understood of the words were — 
 
 And when the proud forest is falling. 
 To my oxen cheerfully calling, 
 From morn until night I am bawling. 
 
 Woe, back there, and hoy and gee j 
 Till our labour is mutually ended. 
 By my strength and cattle befriended. 
 And against themusquitoes defended. 
 
 By the bark of the walnut-tree. — 
 
 ** Away ! then, you lads who would buy land. 
 Choose the oak that grows on the high land. 
 Or the silvery pine on the dry land. 
 It matters but little to me." 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Speed ! Malise, speed ! such cause of haste 
 Thine active sinews never brac'd, Scott. 
 
 The roads of Otsego, if we except the principal highways, 
 were, at the early day of our tale, but little better than 
 wood-paths. The high trees that were growing on the very 
 verge of the wheel-tracks excluded the sun's rays, unless at 
 meridian, and the slowness of the evaporation, united with 
 the rich mould of vegetable decomposition, that covered 
 the whole country, to the depth of several inches^ occasioned 
 but an indifferent foundation for the footing of travellers. 
 Added to these, there were the inequahties of a natural 
 surface, and the constant recurrence of enormous and 
 shppery roots, that were laid bare by the removal of the 
 light soil, together with stumps of trees, to make a passage 
 not only difficult but dangerous. Yet the riders, among 
 these numerous obstructions, which were such as would 
 terrify an unpractised eye, gave no demonstrations of un- 
 Q 
 
220 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 easiness, as their horses toiled through the sloughs, or 
 trotted with uncertain paces along the dark route. In many 
 places, the marks on the trees were the only indications of 
 a road, with, perhaps, an occasional remnant of a pine, that, 
 by being cut close to the earth, so as to leave nothing visible 
 but its base of roots, spreading for twenty feet in every 
 direction, was apparently placed there as a beacon, to warn 
 the traveller that it was the centre of the highway. 
 
 Into one of these roads the active sheriff led the way, 
 first striking out of the footpath, by which they had de- 
 scended from the sugar-bush, across a little bridge, formed 
 of round logs laid loosely on sleepers of pine, in which 
 large openings, of a formidable width, were frequent. The 
 nag of Richard, when it reached one of these gaps, laid its 
 nose along the logs, and stepped across the difficult passage 
 with the sagacity of a man ; but the blooded filly which 
 Miss Temple rode disdained so humble a movement. She 
 made a step or two with an unusual caution, and then on 
 reaching the broadest opening, obedient to the curb and 
 whip of her fearless mistress, she bounded across the dan- 
 gerous pass with the activity of a squirrel. 
 
 " Gently, gently, my child," said Marmaduke, who was 
 following in the manner of Richard, this is not a country 
 for equestrian feats. Much prudence is requisite to journey 
 through our rough paths with safety. Thou mayst practise 
 thy skill in horsemanship on the plains of New- Jersey 
 with safety ; but in the hills of Otsego they must be sus- 
 pended for a time." 
 
 ^' I may as well, then, relinquish my saddle at once, 
 dear sir," returned his daughter ; for if it is to be laid 
 aside until this wild country be improved, old age will 
 ' overtake me, and put an end to what you term my 
 equestrian feats." 
 
 " Say not so, my child,'* returned her father ; " but if 
 thou venturest again, as in crossing this bridge, old age 
 will never overtake thee, but I shall be left to mourn thee, 
 cut off in thy pride, my Elizabeth. If thou hadst seen 
 this district of country, as I did, when it lay in the sleep 
 of nature, and had witnessed its rapid changes, as it awoke 
 to supply the wants of man, thou wouldst curb thy im- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 patience for a little time^ though thou shouldst not check 
 thy steed." 
 
 I recollect hearing you speak of your first visit to these 
 woods, hut the impression is faint, and blended with the 
 confused images of childhood. Wild and unsettled as it 
 may yet seem, it must have been a thousand times more 
 dreary then. Will you repeat, dear sir, what you then 
 thought of your enterprise, and what you felt ? " 
 
 During this speech of Elizabeth, which was uttered 
 with the fervour of affection, young Edwards rode more 
 closely to the side of the Judge, and bent his dark eyes on 
 his countenance with an expression that seemed to read his 
 thoughts. 
 
 Thou wast then young, my child, but must remember 
 when I left thee and thy mother, to take my first survey of 
 these uninhabited mountains," said Marmaduke, But 
 thou dost not feel all the secret motives that can urge a man 
 to endure privations in order to accumulate wealth. In my 
 case they have not been trifling, and God has been pleased 
 to smile on my efforts. If I have encountered pain, famine, 
 and disease, in accomplishing the settlement of this rough 
 territory, I have not the misery of failure to add to the 
 grievances." 
 
 Famine ! " echoed Elizabeth ; " I thought this was 
 the land of abundance ! had you famine to contend with ? " 
 
 Even so, my child," said her father. Those who 
 look around them now, and see the loads of produce that 
 issue out of every wild path in these mountains, during the 
 season of travelling, will hardly credit that no more than 
 five years have elapsed, since the tenants of these woods 
 were compelled to eat the scanty fruits of the forest to sustain 
 life, and, with their unpractised skill, to hunt the beasts as 
 food for their starving families." 
 
 Ay ! " cried Richard, who happened to overhear the 
 last of this speech, between the notes of the wood-chopper's 
 song, which he was endeavouring to breathe aloud ; that 
 was the starving time*, cousin Bess. I grew as lank as a 
 
 * The author has no better apology for interrupting the interest of a work ©f 
 fiction by these desultory dialogues, than that they have reference to' facts. 
 In reviewing his work, after so many years, he is compelled to confess it is in- 
 jured by too many allusions to incidents that are not at all suited to satisfy the 
 Q 2 
 
228 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 weasel that fall, and my face was as pale as one of your fever- 
 and-ague visages. Monsieur Le Quoi, there, fell away like 
 a pumpkin in drying ; nor do I think you have got fairly 
 over it yet, Monsieur. Benjamin, I thought, bore it with 
 a worse grace than any of the family ; for he swore it was 
 harder to endure than a short allowance in the calm lati- 
 tudes. Benjamin is a sad fellow to swear, if you starve 
 him ever so little. I had half a mind to quit you then, 
 'duke, and go into Pennsylvania to fatten ; but, damn it, 
 thinks I, we are sisters' children, and I will live or die 
 with him, after all." 
 
 " I do not forget thy kindness," said Marmaduke, nor 
 that we are of one blood." 
 
 But, my dear father," cried the wondering Elizabeth, 
 was there actual suffering ? where were the beautiful and 
 fertile vales of the Mohawk ? could they not furnish food 
 for your wants ? " 
 
 It was a season of scarcity ; the necessities of life 
 commanded a high price in Europe, and were greedily 
 sought after by the speculators. The emigrants, from the 
 east to the west, invariably passed along the valley of the 
 Mohawk, and swept away the means of subsistence, like a 
 swarm of locusts. Nor were the people on the Flats in a 
 much better condition. They were in want themselves, 
 but they spared the little excess of provisions, that nature 
 did not absolutely require, with the justice of the German 
 character. There was no grinding of the poor. The word 
 speculator was then unknown to them. I have seen many 
 a stout man, bending under the load of the bag of meal, 
 which he was carrying from the Mills of the Mohawk, 
 through the rugged passes of these mountains, to feed his 
 half-famished children, with a heart so light, as he ap- 
 proached his hut, that the thirty miles he had passed 
 seemed nothing. Remember, my child, it was in our very 
 
 just expectations of the general reader. One of these events is slightly touched 
 on, in the commencement of this chapter. 
 
 More than thirty years since, a very near and dear relative of the writer, an 
 elder sister and a second mother, was killed by a fall from a horse, in a ride 
 among the very mountains mentioned in this tale. Few of her sex and years 
 xvere more extensively known, or more universally beloved, than the admirable 
 woman who thus fell a victim to the chances of the wilderness. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 229 
 
 infancy ; we had neither mills, nor grain, nor roads, nor 
 often clearings; we had nothing of increase, but the 
 mouths that were to be fed ; for, even at that inauspicious 
 moment, the restless spirit of emigration was not idle ; 
 nay, the general scarcity, which extended to the east, tended 
 to increase the number of adventurers." 
 
 And how, dearest father, didst thou encounter this 
 dreadful evil ? " said Elizabeth, unconsciously adopting the 
 dialect of her parent in the warmth of her sympathy. 
 
 Upon thee must have fallen the responsibility, if not the 
 suffering." 
 
 It did, EUzabeth," returned the Judge, pausing for a 
 single moment, as if musing on his former feelings. I 
 had hundreds, at that dreadful time, daily looking up to me 
 for bread. The sufferings of their families, and the gloomy 
 prospect before them, had paralysed the enterprise and ef- 
 forts of my settlers ; hunger drove them to the woods for 
 food, but despair sent them, at night, enfeebled and wan, 
 to a sleepless pillow. It was not a moment for inaction. 
 I purchased cargoes of wheat from the granaries of Penn- 
 sylvania ; they were landed at Albany, and brought up the 
 Mohawk in boats ; from thence it was transported on pack- 
 horses into the wilderness, and distributed among my people. 
 Seines were made, and the lakes and rivers were dragged for 
 fish. Something like a miracle was wrought in our favour, 
 for enormous shoals of herrings were discovered to have 
 wandered five hundred miles, through the windings of 
 the impetuous Susquehanna, and the lake was alive with 
 their numbers. These were at length caught, and dealt 
 out to the people, with proper portions of salt ; and from 
 that moment we again began to prosper." * 
 
 Yes," cried Richard, and I was the man who served 
 out the fish and the salt. When the poor devils came to 
 receive their rations, Benjamin, who was my deputy, was 
 obliged to keep them off by stretching ropes around me, for 
 they smelt so of garlic, from eating nothing but the wild 
 onion, that the fumes put me out, often, in my measure- 
 ment. You were a child then, Bess, and knew nothing of 
 the matter, for great care was observed to keep both you 
 
 * All this was literally true. 
 
 « 3 
 
230 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 and your mother from suffering. That year put me back, 
 dreadfully, both in the breed of my hogs, and of my 
 turkeys." 
 
 No, Bess/* cried the Judge, in a more cheerful tone, 
 disregarding the interruption of his cousin, he who hears 
 of the settlement of a country knows but httle of the toil 
 and suffering by which it is accomplished. Unimproved 
 and wild as this district now seems to your eyes, what was 
 it when I first entered the hills ! I left my party, the 
 morning of my arrival, near the farms of the Cherry Valley, 
 and, following a deer-path, rode to the summit of the 
 mountain, that I have since called Mount Vision ; for the 
 sight that there met my eyes seemed to me as the deceptions 
 of a dream. The fire had run over the pinnacle, and, in a 
 great measure, laid open the view. The leaves were fallen, 
 and I mounted a tree, and sat for an hour looking on the 
 silent wilderness. Not an opening was to be seen in the 
 boundless forest, except where the lake lay, like a mirror of 
 glass. The water was covered by myriads of the wild-fowl 
 that migrate with the changes in the season ; and, while in 
 my situation on the branch of the beech, I saw a bear, with 
 her cubs, descend to the shore to drink. I had met many 
 deer, gliding through the woods, in my journey ; but not 
 the vestige of a man could I trace, during my progress, nor 
 from my elevated observatory. No clearing, no hut, none 
 of the winding roads that are now to be seen, were there ; 
 nothing but mountains rising behind mountains, and the 
 valley, with its surface of branches, enhvened here and there 
 with the faded foliage of some tree, that parted from its 
 leaves with more than ordinary reluctance. Even the 
 Susquehanna was then hid, by the height and density of 
 the forest." 
 
 And were you alone } " asked Elizabeth ; passed you 
 the night in that solitary state ? " 
 
 Not so, my child," returned her father. After mus- 
 ing on the scene for an hour, with a mingled feeling of 
 pleasure and desolation, I left my perch and descended the 
 mountain. My horse was left to browse on the twigs that 
 grew within his reach, while I explored the shores of the 
 lake, and the spot where Templeton stands. A pine of more 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 23J 
 
 than ordinary growth stood where my dwelling is now 
 placed ! a wind-row had been opened through the trees from 
 thence to the lake^ and my view was but little impeded. 
 Under the branches of that tree I made my solitary dinner; 
 I had just finished my repast as I saw a smoke curling 
 from under the mountain_, near the eastern bank of the lake. 
 It was the only indication of the vicinity of man that I had 
 then seen. After much toil I made my way to the spot,, 
 and found a rough cabin of logs^ built against the foot of a 
 rock^ and bearing the marks of a tenant, though I found no 
 
 one within it " 
 
 It was the hut of Leather-stocking/' said Edwards, 
 quickly. 
 
 It was ; though I, at first, supposed it to be a habitation 
 of the Indians. But while I was lingering around the spot, 
 Natty made his appearance, staggering under the carcass of 
 a buck that he had slain. Our acquaintance commenced 
 at that time ; before, I had never heard that such a being 
 tenanted the woods. He launched his bark canoe, and set 
 me across the foot of the lake, to the place where I had 
 fastened my horse, and pointed out a spot where he might 
 get a scanty browsing until the morning ; when I returned 
 and passed the night in the cabin of the hunter." 
 
 Miss Temple was so much struck by the deep attention 
 of young Edwards, during this speech, that she forgot to 
 resume her interrogatories; but the youth himself continued 
 the discourse, by asking — 
 
 And how did the Leather-stocking discharge the duties 
 of a host, sir ? " 
 
 Why, simply but kindly, until late in the evening, when 
 he discovered my name and object, and the cordiality of 
 his manner very sensibly diminished, or, I might better 
 say, disappeared. He considered the introduction of the 
 settlers as an innovation on his rights, I believe ; for he 
 expressed much dissatisfaction at the measure, though it 
 was in his confused and ambiguous manner. I hardly un- 
 derstood his objections myself, but supposed they referred 
 chiefly to an interruption of the hunting." 
 ^ Had you then purchased the estate, or were you ex- 
 Q 4 
 
^32 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 amining it with an intent to buy ? " asked Edwards, a little 
 abruptly. 
 
 It had been mine for several years. It was with a 
 view to people the land that I visited the lake. Natty 
 treated me hospitably, but coldly, I thought, after he learned 
 the nature of my journey. I slept on his own bear-skin, 
 however, and in the morning joined my surveyors again." 
 
 Said he nothing of the Indian rights, sir ? The Lea- 
 ther-stocking is much given to impeach the justice of the 
 tenure by which the whites hold the country." 
 
 I remember that he spoke of them, but I did not clearly 
 comprehend him, and may have forgotten what he said ; for 
 the Indian title was extinguished so far back as the close of 
 the old war ; and if it had not been at aU, I hold under the 
 patents of the Royal Governors, confirmed by an act of our 
 own State Legislature, and no court in the country can affect 
 my title." 
 
 Doubtless, sir, your title is both legal and equitable," 
 returned the youth, coldly, reining his horse back, and 
 remaining silent till the subject was changed. 
 
 It was seldom Mr. Jones suffered any conversation to 
 continue, for a great length of time, without his partici- 
 pation. It seems that he was of the party that Judge Temple 
 had designated as his surveyors ; and he embraced the op- 
 portunity of the pause that succeeded the retreat of young 
 Edwards, to take up the discourse, and with it a narration 
 of their further proceedings, after his own manner. As it 
 wanted, however, the interest that had accompanied the 
 description of the Judge, we must decline the task of com- 
 mitting his sentences to paper. 
 
 They soon reached the point where the promised view was 
 to be seen. It was one of those picturesque and peculiar 
 scenes that belong to the Otsego, but which required the ab- 
 sence of the ice, and the softness of a summer's lajidscape, to 
 be enjoyed i^i all its beauty. Marmaduke had early fore- 
 warned his daughter of the season, and of its effect on the 
 prospect; and after casting a cursory glance at its capabili- 
 ties, the party returned homeward, perfectly satisfied that its 
 beauties would repay them for the toil of a second ride, at 
 a more propitious season. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 233 
 
 The spring is the gloomy time of the American year^" 
 said the Judge ; and it is more peculiarly the case in these 
 mountains. The winter seems to retreat to the fastnesses 
 of the hills, as to the citadel of its dominion, and is only 
 expelled, after a tedious siege, in which either party, at 
 times, would seem to be gaining the victory/' 
 
 A very just and apposite figure. Judge Temple," ob- 
 served the Sheriff ; and the garrison under the command 
 of J ack Frost made formidable sorties — you understand 
 what I mean by sorties. Monsieur; sallies in English — 
 and sometimes drive General Spring and his troops back 
 again into the low countries/' 
 
 Yes, sair,*' returned the Frenchman, whose prominent 
 eyes were watching the precarious footsteps of the beast he 
 rode, as it picked its dangerous way among the roots of trees_, 
 holes, log-bridges, and sloughs that formed the aggregate of 
 the highway. Je vous entend ; de low countrie is freeze 
 up for half de year/' 
 
 The error of Mr. Le Quoi was not noticed by the Sheriff; 
 and the rest of the party were yielding to the influence of 
 the changeful season, which was already teaching the eques- 
 trians that a continuance of its mildness was not to be 
 expected for any length of time. Silence and thoughtful- 
 ness succeeded the gaiety and conversation that had prevail- 
 eil during the commencement of the ride, as clouds began to 
 gather about the heavens, apparently collecting from every 
 quarter, in quick motion, without the agency of a breath 
 of air. 
 
 While riding over one of the cleared eminences that oc- 
 curred in their route, the watchful eye of Judge Temple 
 pointed out to his daughter the approach of a tempest. 
 Flurries of snow already obscured the mountain that formed 
 the northern boundary of the lake, and the genial sensation 
 which had quickened the blood through their veins, was 
 already succeeded by the deadening influence of an ap- 
 proaching north-wester. 
 
 All of the party were now busily engaged in making the 
 best of their way to the village, though the badness of the 
 roads frequently compelled them to check the impatience of 
 
234 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 their animals, which often carried them over places that 
 would not admit of any gait faster than a walk. 
 
 Richard continued in advance, followed by Mr.LeQuoi; 
 next to whom rode Elizabeth, who seemed to have imbibed 
 the distance which pervaded the manner of young Edwards, 
 since the termination of the discourse between the latter 
 and her father. Marmaduke followed his daughter, giving 
 her frequent and tender warnings as to the management of 
 her horse. It was, possibly, the evident dependence that 
 Louisa Grant placed on his assistance, which induced the 
 youth to continue by her side, as they pursued their way 
 through a dreary and dark wood, where the rays of the sun 
 could but rarely penetrate, and where even the daylight was 
 obscured and rendered gloomy by the deep forests that sur- 
 rounded them. No wind had yet reached the spot where 
 the equestrians were in motion, but that dead stillness that 
 often precedes a storm, contributed to render their situation 
 more irksome than if they were already subject to the fury 
 of the tempest. Suddenly the voice of young Edwards was 
 heard shouting, in those appalling tones that carry alarm 
 to the very soul, and which curdle the blood of those that 
 hear them — 
 
 A tree ! a tree ! whip — spur for your lives ! a tree ! 
 a tree !" 
 
 , A tree ! a tree ! " echoed Richard, giving his horse a 
 blow that caused the alarmed beast to jump nearly a rod, 
 throwing the mud and water into the air, like a hurricane. 
 
 Von tree ! von tree !" shouted the Frenchman, bend- 
 ing his body on the neck of his charger, shutting his eyes, 
 and playing on the ribs of his beast with his heels, at a rate 
 that caused him to be conveyed on the crupper of the Sheriff, 
 with a marvellous speed. 
 
 Elizabeth checked her filly, and looked up, with an un- 
 conscious but alarmed air, at the very cause of their danger, 
 while she listened to the crackling sounds that awoke the 
 stillness of the forest ; but, the next instant, her bridle was 
 seized by her father, who cried — 
 
 God protect my child ! " and she felt herself hurried 
 onward, impelled by the vigour of his nervous arm. 
 
 Each one of the party bowed to their saddle-bows, as the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Q3b 
 
 tearing of branches was succeeded by a sound like the rushing 
 of the windsj which was followed by a thundering report, 
 and a shock that caused the very earth to tremble_, as one 
 of the noblest ruins of the forest fell directly across their 
 path. 
 
 One glance was enough to assure Judge Temple that his 
 daughter and those in front of him, were safe, and he 
 turned his eyes, in dreadful anxiety, to learn the fate of 
 the others. Young Edwards was on the opposite side of the 
 tree_, his form thrown back in his saddle to its utmost dis- 
 tance, his left hand drawing up his bridle with its greatest 
 force, while the right grasped that of Miss Grants so as to 
 draw the head of her horse under its body. Both the 
 animals stood shaking in every joint with terror, and snort- 
 ing fearfully. Louisa herself had relinquished her reins, 
 and with her hands pressed on her face sat bending forward 
 in her saddle, in an attitude of despair_, mingled strangely 
 with resignation. 
 
 Are you safe?" cried the Judge, first breaking the 
 awful silence of the moment. 
 
 By God's blessing/' returned the youth ; but if there 
 had been branches to the tree we must have been lost — " 
 
 He was interrupted by the figure of Louisa, slowly 
 yielding in her saddle ; and but for his arm, she would 
 have sunk to the earth. Terror, however, was the only 
 injury that the clergyman's daughter had sustained, and 
 with the aid of Elizabeth^ she was soon restored to her 
 senses. After some little time was lost in recovering her 
 strength, the young lady was replaced in her saddle, and^ 
 supported on either side by Judge Temple and Mr. Ed- 
 wards, she was enabled to follow the party in their slow 
 progress. 
 
 " The sudden falling of the trees," said Marmaduke, 
 are the most dangerous accidents in the forest, for they 
 are not to be foreseen^ being impelled by no winds, nor any 
 extraneous or visible cause, against which we can guard." 
 
 The reason of their falling. Judge Temple, is very 
 obvious," said the Sheriff. " The tree is old and decayed, 
 and it is gradually weakened by the frosts, until a line 
 drawn from the centre of gravity falls without its base, and 
 
236 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 then the tree comes of a certainty ; and I should like to 
 know^ what greater compulsion there can be for any thing, 
 than a mathematical certainty. I studied mathe " 
 
 Very true, Richard/' interrupted Marmaduke ; thy 
 reasoning is true, and if my memory be not over treacherous, 
 was furnished by myself on a former occasion. But how 
 is one to guard against the danger ? canst thou go through 
 the forests, measuring the bases, and calculating the centres 
 of the oaks ? answer me that, friend Jones, and I will say 
 thou wilt do the country a service." 
 
 Answer thee that, friend Temple V* returned Richard ; 
 a well-educated man can answer thee any thing, sir. Do 
 any trees fall in this manner, but such as are decayed.'* 
 Take care not to approach the roots of a rotten tree, and 
 you will be safe enough." 
 
 That would be excluding us entirely from the forests,*' 
 said Marmaduke. But, happily, the winds usually force 
 down most of these dangerous ruins, as their currents are 
 admitted into the woods by the siurrounding clearings, and 
 such a fall, as this has been, is very rare." 
 
 Louisa, by this time, had recovered so much strength, as 
 to allow the party to proceed at a quicker pace ; but long 
 before they were safely housed, they were overtaken by the 
 storm ; and when they dismounted at the door of the Man- 
 sion-house, the black plumes of Miss Temple's hat were 
 drooping with the weight of a load of damp snow, and 
 the coats of the gentlemen were powdered with the same 
 material. 
 
 While Edwards was assisting Louisa from her horse, the 
 warm-hearted girl caught his hand with fervour, and whis- 
 pered — 
 
 Now, Mr. Edwards, both father and daughter owe 
 their lives to you." 
 
 A driving, north-westerly storm succeeded ; and before 
 the sun was set, every vestige of spring had vanished ; the 
 lake, the mountains, the village, and the fields, being again 
 hid under one dazzling coat of snow. 
 
237 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Men, boys, and girls. 
 Desert th* unpeopled village ; and wild crowds 
 Spread o'er the plain, by the sweet frenzy driven. Somervillb. 
 
 From this time to the close of April, the weather continued 
 to be a succession of great and rapid changes. One day, 
 the soft airs of spring seemed to be stealing along the valley, 
 and, in unison with an invigorating sun, attempting, co- 
 vertly, to rouse the dormant powers of the vegetable world ; 
 while on the next, the surly blasts from the north would 
 sweep across the lake, and erase every impression left by 
 their gentle adversaries. The snow, however, finally dis- 
 appeared, and the green wheat-fields were seen in every di- 
 rection, spotted with the dark and charred stumps that had, 
 the preceding season, supported some of the proudest trees 
 of the forest. Ploughs were in motion, wherever those 
 useful implements could be used, and the smokes of the 
 sugar-camps were no longer seen issuing from the woods 
 of maple. The lake had lost the beauty of a field of ice, 
 but still a dark and gloomy covering concealed its waters, 
 for the absence of currents left them yet hid under a porous 
 crust, which, saturated with the fluid, barely retained enough 
 strength to preserve the contiguity of its parts. Large 
 flocks of wild geese were seen passing over the country, 
 which hovered, for a time, around the hidden sheet of 
 water, apparently searching for a resting-place ; and then, 
 on finding themselves excluded by the chill covering, would 
 soar away to the north, filling the air with discordant screams, 
 as if venting their complaints at the tardy operations of 
 nature. 
 
 For a week, the dark covering of the Otsego was left 
 to the undisturbed possession of two eagles, who alighted 
 on the centre of its field, and sat eyeing their undisputed 
 territory. During the presence of these monarchs of the 
 air, the flocks of migrating birds avoided crossing the plain 
 of ice, by turning into the hills, apparently seeking the 
 
238 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 protection of the forests, while the white and bald heads 
 of the tenants of the lake were turned upward_, with a look 
 of contempt. But the time had come_, when even these 
 kings of birds were to be dispossessed. An opening had 
 been gradually increasing, at the lower extremity of the 
 lake, and around the dark spot where the current of the 
 river prevented the formation of ice, during even the coldest 
 weather ; and the fresh southerly winds, that now breathed 
 freely upon the valley, made an impression on the waters. 
 Mimic waves began to curl over the margin of the frozen 
 field, which exhibited an outline of crystallisations, that 
 slowly receded towards the north. At each step the power 
 of ihe winds and the waves increased, until, after a struggle 
 of a few hours, the turbulent little billows succeeded in 
 setting the whole field in motion, when it was driven beyond 
 the reach of the eye, with a rapidity that was as magical as 
 the change produced in the scene by this expulsion of the 
 lingering remnant of winter. Just as the last sheet of 
 agitated ice was disappearing in the distance, the eagles 
 rose, and soared with a wide sweep above the clouds, while 
 the waves tossed their little caps of snow into the air, as if 
 rioting in their release from a thraldom of five months* 
 duration. 
 
 The following morning Elizabeth was awakened by the 
 exhilarating sounds of the martins, who were quarrelling 
 and chattering around the little boxes suspended above her 
 windows, and the cries of Richard, who was calling, in 
 tones animating as the signs of the season itself — 
 
 Awake ! awake ! my fair lady 1 the gulls are hovering 
 over the lake already, and the heavens are alive with pi- 
 geons. You may look an hour before you can find a hole, 
 through which to get a peep at the sun. Awake I awake ! 
 lazy ones ! Benjamin is overhauHng the ammunition, and 
 we only wait for our breakfasts, and away for the moun- 
 tains and pigeon shooting.'* 
 
 There was no resisting this animated appeal, and in a 
 few minutes Miss Temple and her friend descended to the 
 parlour. The doors of the hall were thrown open, and the 
 mild, balmy air of a clear spring morning was ventilating 
 the apartment, where the vigilance of the ex-steward had 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 239 
 
 been so long maintaining an artificial heat with such un- 
 remitted diligence. The gentlemen were impatiently wait- 
 ing for their morning's repast^ each equipt in the garb of a 
 sportsman. Mr. Jones made many visits to the southern 
 door, and would cry — 
 
 See, cousin Bess ! see, 'duke, the pigeon-roosts of the 
 south have broken up ! They are growing more thick 
 every instant. Here is a flock that the eye cannot see the 
 end of. There is a food enough in it to keep the army of 
 Xerxes for a month, and feathers enough to make beds for 
 the whole country. Xerxes, Mr. Edwards, was a Grecian 
 king, who — no, he was a Turk, or a Persian, who wanted 
 to conquer Greece, just the same as these rascals will over- 
 run our wheat-fields, when they come back in the fall. 
 Away ! away ! Bess ; I long to pepper them." 
 
 In this wish both Marmaduke and young Edwards seemed 
 equally to participate, for the sight was exhilarating to a 
 sportsman ; and the ladies soon dismissed the party, after 
 a hasty breakfast. 
 
 If the heavens were alive with pigeons, the whole village 
 seemed equally in motion, with men, women, and children. 
 Every species of fire-arms, from the French ducking-gun, 
 with a barrel near six feet in length, to the common horse- 
 man's pistol, was to be seen in the hands of the men and 
 boys ; while bows and arrows, some made of the simple 
 stick of a walnut sapling, and others in a rude imitation 
 of the ancient cross-bows, were carried by many of the 
 latter. 
 
 The houses and the signs of life apparent in the village, 
 drove the alarmed birds from the direct line of their flight, 
 towards the mountains, along the sides and near the bases 
 of which they were glancing in dense masses, equally won- 
 derful by the rapidity of their motion, and their incredible 
 numbers. 
 
 We have already said, that across the inclined plane 
 which fell from the steep ascent of the mountain to the 
 banks of the Susquehanna, ran the high way, on either 
 side of which a clearing of many acres had been made at a 
 very early day. Over those clearings, and up the eastern 
 mountain, and along the dangerous path that was cut into 
 
240 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 its side^ the different individuals posted themselves, and in 
 a few moments the attack commenced. 
 
 Among the sportsmen was the tall, gaunt form of Lea- 
 ther-stocking, walking over the field, with his rifle hanging 
 on his arm, his dogs at his heels ; the latter now scenting 
 the dead or wounded birds, that were beginning to tumble 
 from the flocks, and then crouching under the legs of their 
 master, as if they participated in his feehngs at this waste- 
 ful and unsportsmanlike execution. 
 
 The reports of the fire-arms became rapid, whole vol- 
 leys rising from the plain, as flocks of more than ordinary 
 numbers darted over the opening, shadowing the field, like 
 a cloud ; and then the light smoke of a single piece would 
 issue from among the leafless bushes on the mountain, as 
 death was hurled on the retreat of the affrighted birds, who 
 were rising from a volley, in a vain effort to escape. Ar- 
 rows, and missiles of every kind, were in the midst of the 
 flocks ; and so numerous were the birds, and so low did 
 they take their flight, that even long poles, in the hands of 
 those on the sides of the mountain, were used to strike them 
 to the earth. 
 
 During all this time, Mr. Jones, who disdained the hum- 
 ble and ordinary means of destruction used by his com- 
 panions, was busily occupied, aided by Benjamin, in making 
 arrangements for an assault of a more than ordinarily fata] 
 character. Among the relics of the old military excursions, 
 that occasionally are discovered throughout the different 
 districts of the w^estern part of New York, there had been 
 found in Templeton, at its settlement, a small swivel, which 
 would carry a ball of a pound weight. It was thought to 
 have been deserted by a war-party of the whites, in one 
 of their inroads into the Indian settlements, when, perhaps, 
 convenience or their necessity induced them to leave such 
 an incumbrance behind them in the woods. This minia- 
 ture cannon had been released from the rust, and being 
 mounted on little wheels, was now in a state for actual ser- 
 vice. For several years, it was the sole organ for extra- 
 ordinary rejoicings used in those mountains. On the 
 mornings of the Fourths of July, it would be heard ring- 
 ing among the hills, and even Captain HoUister, who was 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 241 
 
 the highest authority in that part of the country on all such 
 occasions^ affirmed that, considering its dimensions, it was 
 no despicable gun for a salute. It was somewhat the worse 
 for the service it had performed, it is true, there being but 
 a trifling difference in size between the touch-hole and the 
 muzzle. Still, the grand conceptions of Richard had sug- 
 gested the importance of such an instrument, in hurling 
 death at his nimble enemies. The swivel was dragged by 
 a horse into a part of the open space, that the Sheriff 
 thought most eligible for planting a battery of the kind, 
 and Mr. Pump proceeded to load it. Several handfuls of 
 duck-shot were placed on top of the powder, and the major- 
 domo announced that his piece was ready for service. 
 
 The sight of such an implement collected all the idle 
 spectators to the spot, who, being mostly boys, filled the 
 air with cries of exultation and delight. The gun wa? 
 pointed high, and Richard, holding a coal of fire in a pair 
 of tongs, patiently took his seat on a stump, awaiting the 
 appearance of a flock worthy of his notice. 
 
 So prodigious was the number of the birds, that the 
 scattering fire of the guns, with the hurling of missiles, 
 and the cries of the boys, had no other effect than to break 
 off small flocks from the immense masses that continued 
 to dart along the valley, as if the whole of the feathered 
 tribe were pouring through that one pass. None pretended 
 to collect the game, which lay scattered over the fields in 
 such profusion as to cover the very ground with the flut- 
 tering victims. 
 
 Leather-stocking was a silent, but uneasy spectator of 
 all these proceedings, but was able to keep his sentiments 
 to himself until he saw the introduction of the swivel into 
 the sports. 
 
 This comes of settling a country ! " he said : — here 
 have I known the pigeons to fly for forty long years, and, 
 till you made your clearings, there was nobody to skear or 
 to hurt them. I loved to see them come into the woods, 
 for they were company to a body ; hurting nothing ; 
 being, as it was, as harmless as a garter-snake. But now 
 it gives me sore thoughts when I hear the frighty things 
 whizzing through the air, for I know it's only a motion to 
 
 R 
 
242 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 bring out all the brats in the village. Well ! the Lord 
 won't see the waste of his creaters for nothing, and right 
 will be done to the pigeons^ as well as others^ by and by. 
 There's Mr. Ohver, as bad as the rest of them^ firing into 
 the flocks, as if he was shooting down nothing but Mingo 
 warriors." 
 
 Among the sportsmen was Billy Kirby, who, armed with 
 an old musket, was loading, and without even looking into 
 the air, was firing and shouting as his victims fell even on 
 his own person. He heard the speech of Natty, and took 
 upon himself to reply — 
 
 What ! old Leather-stocking, " he cried, grumbling 
 at the loss of a few pigeons ! If you had to sow your 
 wheat twice, and three times, as I have done, you wouldn't 
 be so massyfuUy feehng'd towards the divils. — Hurrah, 
 boys ! scatter the feathers ! This is better than shooting at 
 a turkey's head and neck, old fellow." 
 
 It's better for you, maybe, Billy Kirby," replied the 
 indignant old hunter, ''^and all them that don't know how 
 to put a ball down a rifle barrel, or how to bring it up 
 again witli a true aim ; but it's wicked to be shooting into 
 flocks in this wasty manner ; and none do it, who know 
 how to knock over a single bird. If a body has a craving 
 for pigeon's flesh, why ! it's made the same as all other 
 creaters, for man's eating ; but not to kill twenty and eat 
 one. When I want such a thing I go into the woods till 
 I find one to my liking, and then I shoot him off the 
 branches, without touching a feather of another, though 
 there might be a hundred on the same tree. You couldn't 
 do such a thing, Billy Kirby — you couldn't do it, if you 
 tried." 
 
 What's that, old corn-stalk ! you sapless stub !" cried 
 the wood-chopper. You've grown wordy^ since the affair 
 of the turkey ; but if you're for a single shot, here goes at 
 that bird which comes on by himself." 
 
 The fire from the distant part of the field had driven a 
 single pigeon below the flock to which it belonged, and, 
 frightened with the constant reports of the muskets, it was 
 approaching the spot where the disputants stood, darting 
 first from one side, and then to the other, cutting the air 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 243 
 
 with the swiftness of lightning, and making a noise with 
 its wings, not unhke the rushing of a bullet. Unfor- 
 tunately for the wood- chopper, notwithstanding his vaunt, 
 he did not see this bird until it was too late to fire as it ap- 
 proached, and he pulled his trigger at the unlucky moment 
 when it was darting immediately over his head. The bird 
 continued its course with the usual velocity. 
 
 Natty lowered the rifle from his arm, when the challenge 
 was made, and, waiting a moment, until the terrified victim 
 had got in a line with his eye, and had dropped near the 
 bank of the lake, he raised it again with uncommon ra- 
 pidity, and fired. It might have been chance, or it might 
 have been skill, that produced the result ; it was probably 
 a union of both ; but the pigeon whirled over in the air, 
 and fell into the lake, with a broken wing. At the sound 
 of his rifle, both his dogs started from his feet, and in a 
 few minutes the ^^slut" brought out the bird, still alive. 
 
 The wonderful exploit of Leather-stocking was noised 
 through the field with great rapidity, and the sportsmen 
 gathered in, to learn the truth of the report. 
 
 What ! said young Edwards, have you really killed 
 a pigeon on the wing. Natty, with a single ball ? " 
 
 Haven't I killed loons before now, lad, that dive at 
 the flash ? " returned the hunter. It's much better to 
 kill only such as you want, without wasting your powder 
 and lead, than to be firing into God's creaters in this wicked 
 manner. But I come out for a bird, and you know the 
 reason why I like small game, Mr. Oliver, and now I have 
 got one I will go home, for I don't rehsh to see these wasty 
 ways that you are all practysing, as if the least thing wasn't 
 made for use, and not to destroy." 
 
 " Thou sayest well. Leather- stocking," cried Marma- 
 duke, *^ and I begin to think it time to put an end to this 
 work of destruction." 
 
 Put an ind. Judge, to your clearings. A n't the woods 
 his work as well as the pigeons ? Use, but don't waste. 
 Wasn't the woods made for the beasts and birds to harbour 
 in ? and when man wanted their flesh, their skins, or their 
 feathers, there's the place to seek them. But I'll go to the 
 hut with my own game, for I wouldn't touch one of the 
 R 2 
 
244 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 iiarmless things that cover the ground here^ looking up with 
 their eyes on me, as if they only wanted tongues to say 
 their thoughts." 
 
 With this sentiment in his mouth. Leather-stocking 
 threw his rifle over his arm, and followed by his dogs, step- 
 ped across the clearing with great caution, taking care not 
 to tread on one of the wounded birds in his path. He soon 
 entered the bushes on the margin of the lake, and was hid 
 from view. 
 
 Whatever impression the morality of Natty made on the 
 Judge, it was utterly lost on Richard. He availed himself 
 of the gathering of the sportsmen, to lay a plan for one 
 '^'^fell swoop" of destruction. The musket-men were drawn 
 up in battle array, in a line extending on each side of his 
 artillery, with orders to await the signal of firing from 
 himself. 
 
 Stand by, my lads," said Benjamin, who acted as an 
 aide-de-camp, on this occasion, stand by, my hearties, and 
 when Squire Dickens heaves out the signal to begin firing, 
 d'ye see, you may open upon them in a broadside. Take 
 care and fire low, boys, and you'll be sure to hull the 
 flock." 
 
 Fire low!" shouted Kirby : — ^Miear the old fool! 
 If we fire low, we may hit the stumps, but not ruffle a 
 pigeon." 
 
 How should you know, you lubber ?" cried Benjamin, 
 with a very unbecoming heat for an oflScer on the eve of 
 battle — how should you know, you grampus ? Haven't I 
 sailed aboard of the Boadishy for five years ? and wasn't it 
 a standing order to fire low, and to hull your enemy ? 
 Keep silence at your guns, boys, and mind the order that 
 is passed." 
 
 The loud laughs of the musket-men were silenced by the 
 more authoritative voice of Richard, w^ho called for atten- 
 tion and obedience to his signals. 
 
 Some millions of pigeons were supposed to have already 
 passed, that morning, over the valley of Templeton ; but 
 nothing like the flock that was now approaching had been 
 seen before. It extended from mountain to mountain in 
 one solid blue mass, and the eye looked in vain, over the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 245 
 
 soutnem hills, to find its termination. The front of this 
 living column was distinctly marked by a line but very 
 slightly indented, so regular and even was the flight. Even 
 Marmaduke forgot the morality of Leather- stocking as it 
 approached, and, in common with the rest^ brought his 
 musket to a poise. 
 
 Fire ! " cried the Sheriff, clapping a coal to the priming 
 of the cannon. As half of Benjamin's charge escaped 
 through the touch-hole, the whole volley of the musketry 
 preceded the report of the swivel. On receiving this united 
 discharge of small arms, the front of the flock darted up- 
 ward, while, at the same instant, myriads of those in the 
 rear rushed with amazing rapidity into their places, so that 
 when the column of white smoke gushed from the mouth 
 of the little cannon, an accumulated mass of objects was 
 gliding over its point of direction. — The roar of the gun 
 echoed along the mountains, and died away to the north, 
 like distant thunder, while the whole flock of alarmed 
 birds seemed, for a moment, thrown into one disorderly and 
 agitated mass. The air was filled with their irregular 
 flight, layer rising above layer, far above the tops of the 
 highest pines, none daring to advance beyond the dangerous 
 pass ; when, suddenly, some of the leaders of the feathered 
 tribe shot across the valley, taking their flight directly over 
 the village, and hundreds of thousands in their rear followed 
 the example, deserting the eastern side of the plain to their 
 persecutors and the slain. 
 
 Victory ! " shouted Richard^ victory ! we have driven 
 the enemy from the fleld." 
 
 Not so, Dickon,*' said Marmaduke : the field is 
 covered with them ; and, like the Leather-stocking, I see 
 nothing but eyes, in every direction, as the innocent suf- 
 ferers turn their heads, in terror. Full one half of those 
 that have fallen are yet alive ; and I think it is time to end 
 the sport, if sport it be." 
 
 Sport ! " cried the Sheriff; " it is princely sport ! 
 There are some thousands of the blue-coated boys on the 
 ground, so that every old woman in the village may have a 
 pot-pie for the asking." 
 
 Well, we have happily frightened the birds from this 
 K 3 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 side of the valley/' said Marmaduke, and the carnage 
 must of necessity end, for the present. Boys^ I will give 
 you sixpence a hundred for the pigeons' heads only : so go 
 to work, and bring them into the village." 
 
 This expedient produced the desired effect, for every 
 urchin on the ground went industriously to work to wring 
 the necks of the wounded birds. Judge Temple retired 
 towards his dwelling with that kind of feeling that many a 
 man has experienced before him, who discovers, after the 
 excitement of the moment has passed, that he has pur- 
 chased pleasure at the price of misery to others. Horses 
 were loaded with the dead ; and, after this first burst of 
 sporting, the shooting of pigeons became a business, with a 
 few idlers, for the remainder of the season. Richard, how- 
 ever, boasted for many a year, of his shot with the 
 
 cricket;" and Benjamin gravely asserted, that he thought 
 they killed nearly as many pigeons on that day, as there 
 were Frenchmen destroyed on the memorable occasion of 
 Rodney's victory. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Help, masters, help; here's a fish hangs in the net, like a poor man^s 
 right in the law. Fericles of Tyre. 
 
 The advance of the season now became as rapid as its 
 first approach had been tedious and lingering. The days 
 were uniformly mild, while the nights, though cool, 
 were no longer chilled by frosts. The whip-poor-will 
 was heard whistling his melancholy notes along the 
 margin of the lake, and the ponds and meadows were 
 sending forth the music of their thousand tenants. The 
 leaf of the native poplar was seen quivering in the 
 woods ; the sides of the mountains began to lose their hue 
 of brown, as the lively green of the different members of 
 the forest blended their shades with the permanent colours 
 of the pine and hemlock ; and even the buds of the tardy 
 oak were swelling with the promise of the coming summer. 
 The gay and fluttering blue-bird, the social robin, and the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 247 
 
 industrious little wren, were all to be seen enlivening the 
 fields with their presence and their songs ; while the soar- 
 ing fish-hawk was already hovering over the waters of the 
 Otsego, watching, with native voracity, for the appearance 
 of his prey. 
 
 The tenants of the lake were far-famed for both their 
 quantities and their quality, and the ice had hardly dis- 
 appeared, before numberless little boats were launched from 
 the shores, and the lines of the fishermen were dropped into 
 the inmost recesses of its deepest caverns, tempting the un- 
 wary animals with every variety of bait that the ingenuity 
 or the art of man had invented. But the slow, though 
 certain adventures with hook and line were ill-suited to the 
 profusion and impatience of the settlers. — More destructive 
 means were resorted to ; and, as the season had now ar- 
 rived when the bass-fisheries were allowed by the provisions 
 of the law that Judge Temple had procured, the Sheriff 
 declared his intention, by availing himself of the first dark 
 night, to enjoy the sport in person. 
 
 And you shall be present, cousin Bess,'' he added, 
 when he announced this design, and Miss Grant, and 
 Mr. Edwards ; and I will show you what I call fishing — 
 not nibble, nibble, nibble, as 'duke does when he goes after 
 the salmon-trout. There he will sit for hours, in a broiling 
 sun, or, perhaps, over a hole in the ice, in the coldest days 
 in winter, under the lee of a few bushes, and not a fish will 
 he catch, after all this mortification of the flesh. No, no 
 — give me a good seine that's fifty or sixty fathoms in 
 length, with a jolly parcel of boatmen to crack their jokes 
 the while, with Benjamin to steer, and let us haul them in 
 by thousands ; I call that fishing." 
 
 Ah ! Dickon," cried Marmaduke, thou knowest but 
 little of the pleasure there is in playing with the hook and 
 line, or thou wouldst be more saving of the game. I have 
 known thee to leave fragments enough behind thee, when 
 thou hast headed a night-party on the lake, to feed a dozen 
 famishing families." 
 
 " I shall not dispute the matter. Judge Temple: this 
 night will I go ; and I invite the company to attend, and 
 then let them decide between us." 
 
 R 4 
 
248 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Richard was busy^ during most of the afternoon^ making 
 his preparations for the important occasion. Just as the 
 light of the setting sun had disappeared, and a new moon 
 had begun to throw its shadows on the earth_, the fishermen 
 took their departure in a boat, for a point that was situated 
 on the western shore of the lake, at the distance of rather 
 more than half a mile from the village. The ground had 
 become settled, and the walking was good and dry. Mar- 
 maduke, with his daughter, her friend, and young Edwards, 
 continued on the high grassy banks at the outlet of the 
 placid sheet of water, watching the dark object that was 
 moving across the lake, until it entered the shade of the 
 western hills, and was lost to the eye. The distance round 
 by land to the point of destination was a mile, and he ob- 
 served — 
 
 It is time for us to be moving : the moon will be down 
 ere we reach the point, and then the miraculous hauls of 
 Dickon will commence." 
 
 The evening was warm, and, after the long and dreary 
 winter from which they had just escaped, delightfully in- 
 vigorating. Inspirited by the scene and their anticipated 
 amusement, the youthful companions of the Judge followed 
 his steps, as he led them along the shores of the Otsego^ 
 and through the skirts of the village. 
 
 See ! " said young Edwards, they are building their 
 fire already ; it glimmers for a moment, and dies again like 
 the light of a fire-fly." 
 
 Now it blazes," cried Elizabeth : you can perceive 
 figures moving around the light. Oh ! I would bet my 
 jewels against the gold beads of Remarkable, that my im- 
 patient cousin Dickon had an agency in raising that bright 
 flame ; — and see ; it fades again, like most of his brilliant 
 schemes." 
 
 Thou hast guessed the truth, Bess," said her father ; 
 he has thrown an armful of brush on the pile, which 
 has burnt out as soon as lighted. But it has enabled them 
 to find a better fuel, for their fire begins to blaze with a 
 more steady flame. It is the true fisherman's beacon now; 
 observe how beautifully it throws its little circle of light on 
 the water ! " 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 249 
 
 The appearance of the fire urged the pedestrians on^ for 
 even the ladies had become eager to witness the miraculous 
 draught. By the time they reached the bank^ which rose 
 above the low point where the fisherman had landed^ the 
 moon had sunk behind the tops of the western pines^ and, 
 as most of the stars were obscured by clouds, there was but 
 little other light than that which proceeded from the fire. 
 At the suggestion of Marmaduke, his companions paused to 
 listen to the conversation of those below them, and examine 
 the party, for a moment, before they descended to the 
 shore. 
 
 The whole group were seated around the fire, with the 
 exception of Richard and Benjamin ; the former of whom 
 occupied the root of a decayed stump, that had been drawn 
 to the spot as part of their fuel, and the latter was standing, 
 with his arms a-kimbo, so near to the flame, that the smoke 
 occasionally obscured his solemn visage, as it waved around 
 the pile, in obedience to the night airs, that swept gently 
 over the water." 
 
 Why, look you. Squire," said the major-domo, you 
 may call a lake-fish that will weigh twenty or thirty pounds 
 a serious matter; but to a man who has hauled in a 
 shovel-nosed shirk, d'ye see, it's but a poor kind of fishing 
 after all." 
 
 I don't know, Benjamin," returned the Sheriff: a 
 haul of one thousand Otsego bass, without counting pike, 
 pickerel, perch, bull-pouts, salmon-trouts, and suckers, is no 
 bad fishing, let me tell you. There may be sport in sticking 
 a shark, but what is he good for after you have got him ? 
 Now any one of the fish that I have named is fit to set be- 
 fore a king." 
 
 Well, Squire," returned Benjamin, just listen to the 
 philosophy of the thing. Would it stand to reason, that 
 such fish should live and be catched in this here Kttle pond 
 of water, where it's hardly deep enough to drown a man, 
 as you'll find in the wide ocean, where, as every body 
 knows, that is, every body that has followed the seas, 
 whales and grampuses . are to be seen, that are as long as 
 one of the pine trees on yonder mountain ?" 
 
 Softly, softly, Benjamin," said the Sheriff, as if he 
 
250 
 
 THE PIONEERS 
 
 wished to save the credit of his favourite ; " why some of 
 the pines will measure two hundred feet^ and even more.'* 
 Two hundred or two thousand^ it's all the same thing/' 
 cried Benjamin, with an air which manifested that he was 
 not easily to he bullied out of his opinion, on a subject 
 like the present. ''^ Haven't I been there, and haven't I 
 seen } I have said that you fall in with whales as long as 
 one of them there pines ; and what I have once said I'll 
 stand to } " 
 
 During this dialogue, which was evidently but the close 
 of a much longer discussion, the huge frame of Billy Kirby 
 was seen extended on one side of the fire, where he was 
 picking his teeth with splinters of the chips near him, and 
 occasionally shaking his head, with distrust of Benjamin's 
 assertions. 
 
 " I've a notion,'* said the wood-chopper, that there's 
 water in this lake to swim the biggest whale that ever was 
 invented ; and, as to the pines, I think I ought to know 
 so'thing consarning them ; I have chopped many a one 
 that was sixty times the length of my helve, without 
 counting the eye ; and I believe, Benny, that if the old 
 pine that stands in the hollow of the Vision Mountain, just 
 over the viUage, — you may see the tree itself by looking 
 up, for the moon is on its top yet : — well, now I believe, 
 if that same tree was planted out in the deepest part of the 
 lake, there would be water enough for the biggest ship that 
 ever was built to float over it, without touching its upper 
 branches, I do." 
 
 Did'ee ever see a ship. Master Kirby ? " roared the 
 steward — did'ee ever a ship, man ? or any craft bigger 
 than a lime-scow, or a wood-boat, on this here smaU bit of 
 fresh water?" 
 
 Yes, I have," said the wood-chopper, stoutly ; " I 
 can say that I have, and tell no lie." 
 
 Did'ee ever see a British ship. Master Kirby ? an 
 English line-of-battle ship, boy ? Where away did'ee ever 
 faU in with a regular-built vessel, with starn-post and cut- 
 water, garboard streak and plank-shear, gangways, and 
 hatchways, and waterways, quarter-deck and forecastle, ay, 
 and flush-deck ? — tell me that, man, if you can ; where 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 251 
 
 away did'ee ever fall in with a full-rigged, regular-built, 
 decked vessel ? " 
 
 The whole company were a good deal astounded with 
 this overwhelming question, and even Richard afterward 
 remarked, that it was a thousand pities that Benjamin 
 could not read, or he must have made a valuable officer to 
 the British marine. It is no wonder that they over- 
 come the French so easily on the water, when even the 
 lowest sailor so well understood the different parts of a 
 vessel." But Billy Kirby was a fearless wight, and had 
 great jealousy of foreign dictation ; he had arisen on his 
 feet, and turned his back to the fire, during the voluble 
 delivery of this interrogatory ; and when the steward ended, 
 contrary to aU expectation, he gave the following spirited 
 reply: — 
 
 Where ! why on the North River, and maybe on 
 Champlain. There's sloops on the river, boy, that would 
 give a hard time on't to the stoutest vessel King George 
 owns. They carry masts of ninety feet in the clear, of 
 good, solid pine, for I've been at the chopping of many a 
 one in Varmount state. I wish I was captain in one of 
 them, and you was in that Board-dish that you talk so 
 much about ; and we'd soon see what good Yankee stuff 
 is made on, and whether a Varmounter's hide an't as thick 
 as an Englishman's." 
 
 The echoes from the opposite hills, which were more 
 than half a mile from the fishing point, sent back the 
 discordant laugh that Benjamin gave forth at this chal- 
 lenge ; and the woods that covered their sides, seemed, by 
 the noise that issued from their shades, to be full of 
 mocking demons. 
 
 Let us descend to the shore," whispered Marmaduke, 
 
 or there wiU soon be ill blood between them. Benjamin 
 is a fearless boaster, and Kirby, though good-natured, is 
 a careless son of the forest, who thinks one American 
 more than a match for six Englishmen. I marvel that 
 Dickon is silent, where there is such a trial of skill in 
 the superlative I " 
 
 The appearance of Judge Temple and the ladies pro- 
 duced, if not a pacification, at least a cessation of hosti- 
 
252 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 lities. Obedient to the directions of Mr. Jones^ the fisher- 
 men prepared to launch their boat^ which had been seen 
 in the back-ground of the view^ with the net carefully 
 disposed on a little platform in its stern^ ready for service. 
 Richard gave vent to his reproaches at the tardiness of the 
 pedestrians^ when all the turbulent passions of the party 
 were succeeded by a calm^ as mild and as placid as that 
 which prevailed over the beautiful sheet of water^ that they 
 were about to rifle of its best treasures. 
 
 The night had now become so dark as to render objects^ 
 without the reach of the light of the fire^ not only in- 
 distinct, but, in most cases, invisible. For a little distance 
 the water was discernible, glistening, as the glare from the 
 fire danced over its surface, touching it, here and there, 
 with red, quivering streaks ; but at a hundred feet from 
 the shore, there lay a boundary of impenetrable gloom. 
 One or two stars were shining through the openings of 
 the clouds, and the lights were seen in the village, glim- 
 mering faintly, as if at an immeasurable distance. At 
 times, as the fire lowered, or as the horizon cleared, the 
 outline of the mountain, on the other side of the lake, 
 might be traced, by its undulations ; but its shadow was 
 cast, wide and dense, on the bosom of the water, rendering 
 the darkness, in that direction, trebly deep. 
 
 Benjamin Pump was invariably the cockswain and net- 
 caster of Richard's boat, unless the Sheriff saw fit to pre- 
 side in person ; and, on the present occasion, Billy Kirby, 
 and a youth of about half his strength, were assigned to 
 the oars. The remainder of the assistants were stationed 
 at the drag ropes. The arrangements were speedily made, 
 and Richard gave the signal to shove off.'* 
 
 Elizabeth watched the motion of the batteau, as it pulled 
 from the shore, letting loose its rope as it went, but it soon 
 disappeared in the darkness, when the ear was her only 
 guide to its evolutions. There was great affectation of 
 stillness, during all these manoeuvres, in order, as Richard 
 assured them, not to frighten the bass, who were running 
 into the shoal waters, and who would approach the light, 
 if not disturbed by the sounds from the fishermen." 
 
 The hoarse voice of Benjamin was alone heard, issuin^i 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 253 
 
 out of the gloom, as he uttered, in authoritative tones, 
 pull larboard oar/' pull starboard/' give way toge- 
 ther, boys/' and such other dictative mandates as were 
 necessary for .the right disposition of his seine. A long- 
 time was passed in this necessary part of the process, for 
 Benjamin prided himself greatly on his skill in throwing 
 the net, and, in fact, most of the success of the sport de- 
 pended on its being done with judgment. At length a 
 loud splash in the water, as he threw away the staff," 
 or stretcher," with a hoarse call from the steward, of 
 clear," announced that the boat was returning ; when 
 Richard seized a brand from the fire_, and ran to a point, 
 as far above the centre of the fishing ground, as the one 
 from which the batteau had started was below it. 
 
 Stick her in dead for the Squire, boys/' said the 
 steward,, and we'll have a look at what grows in this 
 here pond." 
 
 In place of the falling net were now to be heard the 
 quick strokes of the oars, and the noise of the rope running 
 out of the boat. Presently the batteau shot into the circle 
 of light, and in an instant she was pulled to shore. Se- 
 veral eager hands were extended, to receive the line, and, 
 both ropes being equally well manned, the fishermen com- 
 menced hauling in^ with slow and steady drags, Richard 
 standing in the centre, giving orders, first to one party 
 and then to the other, to increase or slacken their efforts, 
 as occasion required. The visiters were posted near him, 
 and enjoyed a fair view of the whole operation, which was 
 slowly advancing to an end. 
 
 Opinions^ as to the result of their adventure, were now 
 freely hazarded by all the men, some declaring that the 
 net came in as light as a feather, and others affirming that 
 it seemed to be full of logs. As the ropes w^ere many 
 hundred feet in length, these opposing sentiments were 
 thought to be of little moment by the Sheriff, who would 
 go first to one line and then to the other, giving each a 
 small pull, in order to enable him to form an opinion for 
 himself. 
 
 Why, Benjamin," he cried, as he made his first effort 
 in this way, you did not throw the net clear. I can 
 
254 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 move it with my little finger. The rope slackens in my 
 hand." 
 
 ^'^ Did you ever see a whale^ Squire ? " responded the 
 steward : I say that if that there net is foul_, the devil is 
 in the lake in the shape of a fish^ for I cast it as fair as 
 ever rigging was rove over the quarter-deck of a flag-ship." 
 
 But Richard discovered his mistake, when he saw Billy 
 Kirby before him, standing, with his feet in the water, at 
 an angle of forty-five degrees, inclining shore wards, and 
 expending his gigantic strength in sustaining himself in 
 that posture. He ceased his remonstrances, and proceeded 
 to the party at the other line. 
 
 I see the '^staffs,'" shouted Mr. Jones; — gather 
 in, boys, and away with it; to shore with her ! — to shore 
 with her ! " 
 
 At this cheerful sound, Elizabeth strained her eyes and 
 saw the ends of the two sticks on the seine, emerging 
 from the darkness, while the men closed, near to each 
 other, and formed a deep bag of their net. The exertions 
 of the fishermen sensibly increased, and the voice of 
 Richard was heard encouraging them to make their great- 
 est efforts at the present moment. 
 
 Now's the time, my lads," he cried ; let us get the 
 ends to land, and all we have will be our own — away 
 with her ! " 
 
 Away wdth her, it is," echoed Benjamin ! — hurrah ! 
 ho-a-hoy, ho-a-hoy, ho-a ! " 
 
 In with her," shouted Kirby, exerting himself in a 
 manner that left nothing for those in his rear to do, but 
 to gather up the slack of the rope which passed through 
 his hands. 
 
 Staff, ho ! " shouted the steward, 
 '^^ Staff, ho ! " echoed Kirby, from the other rope. 
 The men rushed to the water's edge, some seizing the 
 upper rope, and some the lower, or lead-rope, and began 
 to haul with great activity and zeal. A deep semi- 
 circular sweep, of the little balls that supported the seine 
 in its perpendicular position, was plainly visible to the 
 spectators, and, as it rapidly lessened in size, the bag of 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 255 
 
 the net appeared^ while an occasional flutter on the water 
 announced the uneasiness of the prisoners it contained. 
 
 " Haul in^ my lads^" shouted Richard — I can see the 
 dogs kicking to get free. Haul in^ and here's a cast that 
 will pay for the labour.*' 
 
 Fishes of various sorts were now to be seen^ entangled 
 in the meshes of the net_, as it was passed through the 
 hands of the labourers ; and the water^ at a little distance 
 from the shore was alive with the movements of the 
 alarmed victims. Hundreds of white sides were glancing 
 up to the surface of the water^ and glistening in the fire- 
 light^ when frightened at the uproar and the change^ the 
 fish would again dart to the bottom, in fruitless efforts for 
 freedom. 
 
 Hurrah ! " shouted Richard ; one or two more heavy 
 drags, boys, and we are safe." 
 
 Cheerily, boys, cheerily !" cried Benjamin ; I see a 
 salmon-trout that is big enough for a chowder." 
 
 Away with you, you varmint ! " said Billy Kirby, 
 plucking a bull-pout from the meshes, and casting the 
 animal back into the lake with contempt. Pull, boys, 
 pull ; here's all kinds, and the Lord condemn me for a 
 liar, if there an't a thousand bass ! " 
 
 Inflamed beyond the bounds of discretion at the sight, 
 and forgetful of the season, the wood-chopper rushed to 
 his middle into the water, and began to drive the reluctant 
 animals before him from their native element. 
 
 Pull, heartily boys," cried Marmaduke, yielding to 
 the excitement of the moment, and laying his hands to 
 the net, with no trifling addition to the force. Edwards 
 had preceded him, for the sight of the immense piles of 
 fish, that were slowly rolling over on the gravelly beach, 
 had impelled him also to leave the ladies, and join the 
 fishermen. 
 
 Great care was observed in bringing the net to land, 
 and, after much toil, the whole shoal of victims was safe 
 deposited in a hollow of the bank, where they were left 
 to flutter away their brief existence in the new and fatal 
 element. 
 
256 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Even Elizabeth and Louisa were greatly excited and 
 highly gratified by seeing two thousand captives thus drawn 
 from the bosom of the lake, and laid prisoners at their feet. 
 But when the feelings of the moment were passing away, 
 Marmaduke took in his hands a bass^ that might have 
 weighed two pounds_, and after viewing it a momeni_, in 
 melancholy musing, he turned to his daughter, and ob- 
 served — 
 
 This is a fearful expenditure of the choicest gifts of 
 Providence. These fish, Bess, which thou seest lying in 
 such piles before thee, and which, by two-morrow evening 
 will be rejected food on the meanest table in Templeton, 
 are of a quality and flavour that, in other countries, would 
 make them esteemed a luxury on the tables of princes or 
 epicures. The world has no better fish than the bass of 
 Otsego : it unites the richness of the shad* to the firmness 
 of the salmon." 
 
 But surely, dear sir," cried Elizabeth, they must 
 prove a great blessing to the country, and a powerful friend 
 to the poor." 
 
 The poor are always prodigal, my child, where there 
 is plenty, and seldom think of a provision against the mor- 
 row. But if there can be any excuse for destroying animals 
 in this manner, it is in taking the bass. During the winter, 
 you know, they are entirely protected from our assaults by 
 the ice, for they refuse the hook ; and during the hot months 
 they are not seen. It is supposed they retreat to the deep 
 and cool waters of the lake, at that season ; and it is only 
 in the spring and autumn, that, for a few days, they are to 
 be found around the points where they are within the reach 
 of a seine. But, like all the other treasures of the wilderness, 
 they already begin to disappear before the wasteful extra- 
 vagance of man." 
 
 ^' Disappear, 'duke ! disappear !" exclaimed the Sheriff; 
 if you don't call this appearing, I know not what you 
 will. Here are a good thousand of the shiners, some hun- 
 dreds of suckers, and a powerful quantity of other fry. But 
 this is always the way with you, Marmaduke ; first it's the 
 
 * Of all the fish the writer has ever tasted, he thinks the one m question the 
 best. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 257 
 
 trees^ then it's the deer^ after that it's the maple sugar, and 
 so on to the end of the chapter. One day you talk of canals 
 through a country where there's a river or a lake every half- 
 mile, just because the water won't run the way you wish it 
 to go ; and the next, you say something about mines of 
 coal, though any man who has good eyes like myself — I 
 say with good eyes — can see more wood than would keep 
 the city of London in fuel for fifty years ; wouldn't it, 
 Benjamin ?" 
 
 ^* Why, for that, Squire," said the steward, Lon'on is 
 no small place. If it was stretched an end, all the same as 
 a town on one side of a river, it would cover some such 
 matter as this here lake. Tho'f I dar'st to say, that the 
 wood in sight might sarve them a good turn, seeing that the 
 Lon'oners mainly burn coal." 
 
 Now we are on the subject of coal. Judge Temple,'* 
 interrupted the Sheriff, I have a thing of much importance 
 to communicate to you ; but I will defer it until to-morrow. 
 I know that you intend riding into the eastern part of the 
 Patent, and I will accompany you, and conduct you to a 
 spot, where some of your projects may be realised. We 
 will say no more now, for there are listeners; but a 
 secret has this evening been revealed to me, 'duke, that is 
 of more consequence to your welfare, than all your estates 
 united." 
 
 Marmaduke laughed at the important intelligence, to 
 which in a variety of shapes he was accustomed, and the 
 SherijSP, with an air of great dignity, as if pitying his want 
 of faith, proceeded in the business more immediately before 
 them. As the labour of drawing the net had been very 
 great, he directed one party of his men to commence throw- 
 ing the fish into piles, preparatory to the usual division, 
 while another, under the superintendence of Benjamin, 
 prepared the seine for a second haul. 
 
 6 
 
258 
 
 THE PIONEEHS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 "While from its margin, terrible to tell ! 
 
 Three sailors with their gallant boatswain fell. Falconer. 
 
 While the fishermen were employed in making the pre- 
 parations for an equitable division of the spoil^ Elizabeth 
 and her friend strolled a short distance from the group, 
 along the shores of the lake. After reaching a pointy to 
 which even the brightest of the occasional gleams of the fire 
 did not extend, they turned, and paused a moment, in 
 contemplation of the busy and lively party they had left, 
 and of the obscurity, which, like the gloom of oblivion, 
 seemed to envelope the rest of the creation. 
 
 This is indeed a subject for the pencil!" exclaimed 
 Elizabeth. " Observe the countenance of that wood- 
 chopper, while he exults in presenting a larger fish than 
 common to my cousin Sheriff ; and see, Louisa, how hand- 
 some and considerate my dear father looks, by the light of 
 that fire, where he stands viewing the havoc of the game. 
 He seems melancholy, as if he actually thought that a day 
 of retribution was to follow this hour of abundance and 
 prodigality ! Would they not make a picture, Louisa } 
 
 You know that I am ignorant of all such accomplish- 
 ments. Miss Temple." 
 
 Call me by my Christian name," interrupted Elizabeth ; 
 this is not a place, neither is this a scene, for forms." 
 
 Well, then, if I may venture an opinion," said Louisa, 
 timidly, I should think it might indeed make a picture. 
 The selfish earnestness of that Kirby over his fish would 
 contrast finely with the — the — expression of Mr. Edwards's 
 face. I hardly know what to call it; but it is — a — is — 
 you know what I would say, dear Elizabeth." 
 
 You do me too much credit. Miss Grant," said the 
 heiress ; I am no diviner of thoughts, or interpreter of 
 expressions." 
 
 Th^,re was certainly nothing harsh, or even cold, in the 
 manner of the speaker, but still it repressed the conversation 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 259 
 
 And they continued to stroll still further from the party, 
 retaining each other's arm, but observing a profound silence. 
 Elizabeth, perhaps, conscious of the improper phraseology 
 of her last speech, or perhaps excited by the new object that 
 met her gaze, was the first to break the awkward cessation 
 in the discourse, by exclaiming — 
 
 Look, Louisa ! we are not alone ; there are fishermen 
 lighting a fire on the other side of the lake, immediately 
 opposite to us ; it must be in front of the cabin of Leather- 
 stocking ! *' 
 
 Through the obscurity, which prevailed most immedi- 
 ately under the eastern mountain, a small and uncertain 
 light was plainly to be seen, though as it was occasionally 
 lost to the eye, it seemed struggling for existence. They 
 observed it to move, and sensibly to lower, as if carried 
 down the descent of the bank to the shore. Here, in a very 
 short time, its flame gradually expanded, and grew brighter, 
 until it became of the size of a man's head, when it con- 
 tinued to shine, a steady ball of fire. 
 
 Such an object, lighted as it were by magic, under the 
 brow of the mountain, and in that retired and unfrequented 
 place, gave double interest to the beauty and singularity of 
 its appearance. It did not at all resemble the large and 
 unsteady light of their own fire, being much more clear 
 and bright, and retaining its size and shape with perfect 
 uniformity. 
 
 There are moments when the best regulated minds are, 
 more or less, subjected to the injurious impressions which 
 few have escaped in infancy ; and Elizabeth smiled at her 
 own weakness, while she remembered the idle tales which 
 were circulated through the village, at the expense of the 
 Leather- stocking. The same ideas seized her companion, 
 and at the same instant, for Louisa pressed nearer to her 
 friend, as she said in a low voice, stealing a timid glance 
 towards the bushes and trees that overhung the bank near 
 them — 
 
 Did you ever hear the singular ways of this Natty 
 spoken of. Miss Temple ? They say that, in his youth, he 
 was an Indian warrior ; or, what is the same thing, a 
 white man leagued with the savages ; and it is thought he 
 s 2 
 
260 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 has been concerned in many of their inroads^ in the old 
 wars." 
 
 The thing is not at all improbable/' returned Eliza- 
 beth : he is not alone in that particular." 
 
 No^ surely ; but is it not strange that he is so cautious 
 with his hut ? He never leaves it^ without fastening it in a 
 remarkable manner; and^ in several instances, when the 
 children, or even the men of the village, have wished to 
 seek a shelter there from the storms, he has been known to 
 drive them from his door with rudeness and threats. That, 
 surely, is singular in this country I" 
 
 It is certainly not very hospitable ; but we must 
 remember his aversion to the customs of civilised life. You 
 heard my father say, a few days since, how kindly he was 
 treated by him on his first visit to this place." Elizabeth 
 paused, and smiled, with an expression of peculiar arch- 
 ness, though the darkness hid its meaning from her com- 
 panion, as she continued — Besides, he certainly admits 
 the visits of Mr. Edwards, whom we both know to be far 
 from a savage.*' 
 
 To this speech Louisa made no reply ; but continued 
 gazing on the object which had elicited her remarks. In 
 addition to the bright and circular flame, was now to be 
 seen a fainter, though a vivid light, of an equal diameter to 
 the other at the upper end ; but which, after extending 
 downward for many feet, gradually tapered to a point at its 
 lower extremity. A dark space was plainly visible between 
 the two ; and the new illumination was placed beneath the 
 other; the whole forming an appearance not unlike an in- 
 verted note of admiration. It was soon evident that the 
 latter was nothing but the reflection, from the water, of the 
 former ; and that the object, whatever it might be, was ad- 
 vancing across, or rather over, the lake, for it seemed to be 
 several feet above its surface, in a direct line with them- 
 selves. Its motion was amazingly rapid, the ladies having 
 hardly discovered that it was moving at all, before the 
 waving hght of a flame was discerned, losing its regular 
 shape, while it increased in size, as it approached. 
 
 It appears to be supernatural!" whispered Louisa, 
 beginning to r<etrace her steps towards the party. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 261 
 
 It is beautiful ! " exclaimed Elizabeth. 
 
 A brilliant, though waving flame, was now plainly 
 visible, gracefully gliding over the lake, and throwing its 
 light on the water in such a manner as to tinge it slightly ; 
 though in the air, so strong was the contrast, the darkness 
 seemed to have the distinctness of material substances, as if 
 the fire were imbedded in a setting of ebony. This appear- 
 ance, however, gradually wore ofl^ ; and the rays from the 
 torch struck out, and enlightened the atmosphere in front 
 of it, leaving the back-ground in a darkness that was more 
 impenetrable than ever. 
 
 "Ho! Natty, is that you?" shouted the Sheriff. 
 
 Paddle in, old boy, and I'll give you a mess of fish that 
 is fit to place before the Governor." 
 
 The light suddenly changed its direction ; and a long 
 and slightly-built boat hove up out of the gloom, while the 
 red glare fell on the weather-beaten features of the Leather- 
 stocking, whose tall person was seen erect in the frail vessel, 
 wielding, with the grace of an experienced boatman, a long 
 fishing spear, which he held by its centre, first dropping 
 one end and then the other into the water, to aid in pro- 
 pelling the little canoe of bark, we will not say through, 
 but over, the water. At the farther end of the vessel, a 
 form was faintly seen, guiding its motions, and using a 
 paddle with the ease of one who felt there was no necessity 
 for exertion. The Leather-stocking struck his spear lightly 
 against the short staff which upheld, on a rude grating 
 framed of old hoops of iron, the knots of pine that com- 
 posed the fuel, and the light, which glared high, for an 
 instant fell on the swarthy features, and dark, glancing 
 eyes, of Mohegan. 
 
 The boat glided along the shore until it arrived oppo-^ 
 site the fishing-ground, when it again changed its direction, 
 and moved on to the land, with a motion so graceful, and 
 yet so rapid, that it seemed to possess the power of regu- 
 lating its own progress. The water in front of the canoe 
 was hardly ruffled by its passage, and no sound betrayed 
 the collision, when the light fabric shot on the gravelly 
 beach for nearly half its length. Natty receding a step or 
 ,two from its bow, in order to facilitate the landing, 
 s S 
 
262 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Approach^ Mohegan/' said Marmaduke : approach. 
 Leather-stocking, and load your canoe with bass. It would 
 be a shame to assail the animals with the spear, when such 
 multitudes of victims lie here, that will be lost as food for 
 the want of mouths to consume them." 
 
 No, no. Judge," returned Natty, his tall figure stalk- 
 ing over the narrow beach, and ascending to the little grassy 
 bottom where the fish were laid in piles : I eat of no 
 man's wasty ways. I strike my spear into the eels, or the 
 trout, when I crave the creaters ; but I wouldn't be helping 
 to such a sinful kind of fishing for the best rifle that was 
 ever brought out from the old countries. If they had fur 
 like a beaver, or you could tan their hides like a buck, 
 something might be said in favour of taking them by the 
 thousands with your nets ; but as God made them for man's 
 food, and for no other disarnable reason, I call it sinful and 
 wasty to catch more than can be eat." 
 
 Your reasoning is mine : for once, old hunter, we 
 agree in opinion ; and I heartily wish we could make a 
 convert of the Sheriff. A net of half the size of this 
 would supply the whole village with fish for a week, at one 
 haul." 
 
 The Leather-stocking did not relish this alliance in 
 sentiment ; and he shook his head doubtingly, as he 
 answered — 
 
 " No, no ; we are not much of one mind. Judge, or 
 you'd never turn good hunting grounds into stumpy pas- 
 tures. And you fish and hunt out of rule ; but, to me, the 
 flesh is sweeter where the creater has some chance for its 
 life : for that reason, I always use a single ball, even if it 
 be at a bird or a squirrel. Besides, it saves lead ; for, v/hen 
 a body knows how to shoot, one piece of lead is enough for 
 aU, except hard-lived animals.*' 
 
 The Sheriff* heard these opinions with great indignation • 
 and when he completed the last arrangement for the divi- 
 sion, by carrying, with his own hands, a trout of a large 
 size, and placing it on four different piles in succession, as 
 his vacillating ideas of justice required, he gave vent to his 
 spleen. 
 
 A very pretty confederacy, indeed ! Judge Temple, 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ^6S 
 
 the landlord and owner of a township^ with Nathaniel 
 Bumppo^ a lawless squatter^ and professed deer-killer_, in 
 order to preserve the game of the county ! But^ 'duke^ when 
 I fish, I fish ; so, away, hoys, for another haul, and we'll 
 send out wagons and carts in the morning to bring in our 
 prizes." 
 
 Marmaduke appeared to understand that all opposition to 
 the will of the Sheriff' would be useless ; and he strolled 
 from the fire to the place where the canoe of the hunters 
 lay, whither the ladies and Oliver Edwards had already 
 preceded him. 
 
 Curiosity induced the females to approach this spot ; 
 but it was a different motive that led the youth thither. 
 Elizabeth examined the light ashen timbers and thin bark 
 covering of the canoe, in admiration of its neat but simple 
 execution, and with wonder that any human being could be 
 so daring as to trust his life in so frail a vessel. But the 
 youth explained to her the buoyant properties of the boat, 
 and its perfect safety when under proper management ; 
 adding, in such glowing terms, a description of the manner 
 in which the fish were struck with the spear, that she 
 changed suddenly, from an apprehension of the danger of 
 the excursion, to a desire to participate in its pleasures. 
 She even ventured a proposition to that effect to her father^ 
 laughing at the same time at her own wish, and accusing 
 herself of acting under a woman's caprice. 
 
 Say not so, Bess," returned the Judge : 1 would 
 have you above the idle fears of a silly girl. These canoes 
 are the safest kind of boats to those who have skill and 
 steady nerves. I have crossed the broadest part of the 
 Oneida in one much smaller than this." 
 
 And I the Ontary,*' interrupted the Leather-stocking ; 
 and that with squaws in the canoe, too. But the Dela- 
 ware women are used to the paddle, and are good hands in 
 a boat of this nater. If the young lady would like to see 
 an old man strike a trout for his breakfast, she is welcome 
 to a seat. John will say the same, seeing that he built the 
 canoe, which was only launched yesterday ; for I'm not 
 over curous at such small work as brooms, and basket- 
 making, and other-like Indian trades." 
 
 6 4 
 
254 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Natty gave Elizabeth one of his significant laughs_, with 
 a kind nod of the head, when he concluded his invitation ; 
 but Mohegan, with the native grace of an Indian, ap- 
 proached, and taking her soft white hand into his own 
 swarthy and wrinkled palm, said — 
 
 Come, grand- daughter of Miquon, and John will be 
 glad. Trust the Indian : his heaJ is old, though his hand 
 is not steady. The young Eagle will go, and see that no 
 harm hurts his sister." 
 
 Mr. Edwards," said Elizabeth, blushing slightly, 
 your friend Mohegan has given a promise for you. Do 
 you redeem the pledge ? " 
 
 With my life, if necessary. Miss Temple," cried the 
 youth, with fervour. The sight is worth some little 
 apprehension ; for of real danger there is none. I will go 
 with you and Miss Grant, however, to save appearances." 
 
 With me!" exclaimed Louisa. No, not with me, 
 Mr. Edwards ; nor, surely, do you mean to trust yourself 
 in that slight canoe." 
 
 " But I shall ; for I have no apprehensions any longer,'* 
 said Elizabeth, stepping into the boat, and taking a seat 
 where the Indian directed. Mr. Edwards, you may 
 remain, as three do seem to be enough for such an egg- 
 shell." 
 
 It shall hold a fourth," cried the young man, springing 
 to her side, with a violence that nearly shook the weak 
 fabric of the vessel asunder. Pardon me. Miss Temple, 
 that I do not permit these venerable Charons to take you to 
 the shades unattended by your genius." 
 
 Is it a good or evil spirit } " asked Elizabeth. 
 
 Good to you." 
 ^ And mine," added the maiden, with an air that 
 strangely blended pique with satisfaction. But the motion 
 of the canoe gave rise to new ideas, and fortunately afforded 
 a good excuse to the young man to change the discourse. 
 
 It appeared to Elizabeth that they glided over the 
 water by magic, so easy and graceful was the manner in 
 which Mohegan guided his little bark. A sHght gesture 
 with his spear indicated the way in which the Leather- 
 stocking wished to go, and a profound silence was preserved 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 265 
 
 by the whole party^ as a precaution necessary to the success 
 of their fishery. At that point of the lake, the water 
 shoaled regularly, differing, in this particular, altogether, 
 from those parts where the mountains rose, nearly in per- 
 pendicular precipices, from the heach. There, the largest 
 vessels could have lain, with their yards interlocked with 
 the pines ; while here, a scanty growth of rushes lifted their 
 tops ahove the lake, gently curling the waters, as their 
 bending heads waved with the passing breath of the night 
 air. It was at the shallow points, only, that the bass could 
 be found, or the net cast with success. 
 
 Elizabeth saw thousands of these fish swimming in 
 shoals along the shallow and v/arm waters of the shore ; for 
 the flaring light of their torch laid bare the mysteries of 
 the lake, as plainly as if the limpid sheet of the Otsego was 
 but another atmosphere. Every instant she expected to 
 see the impending spear of Leather-stocking darting into 
 the thronging hosts that were rushing beneath her, where 
 it would seem that a blow could not go amiss ; and where, 
 as her father had already said, the prize that would be 
 obtained was worthy any epicure. But Natty had his 
 pecuhar habits, and, it would seem, his peculiar tastes also. 
 His tall stature, and his erect posture, enabled him to see 
 much further than those who were seated in the bottom of 
 the canoe ; and he turned his head warily, in every direc- 
 tion, frequently bending his body forward, and straining his 
 vision, as if desirous of penetrating the water, that sur- 
 rounded their boundary of light. At length his anxious 
 scrutiny was rewarded with success, and, waving his spear 
 from the shore, he said in a cautious tone— 
 
 Send her outside the bass, John ; I see a laker there, 
 that has run out of the school. It's seldom one finds such 
 a creater in shallow water, where a spear can touch it." 
 
 Mohegan gave a wave of assent with his hand, and in 
 the next instant the canoe was without the run of the 
 bass,'* and in water nearly twenty feet in depth. A few- 
 additional knots were laid on the grating, and the light 
 penetrated to the bottom. Elizabeth then saw a fish of 
 unusual size, floating above small pieces of logs and sticks. 
 The animal was only distinguishable, at that distance, by a 
 
266 
 
 TrtE PIONEERS. 
 
 slight, but almost imperceptible motion of its fins and tail. 
 The curiosity excited by this unusual exposure of the secrets 
 of the lake seemed to be mutual between the heiress of the 
 land and the lord of these waters, for the salmon-trout" 
 soon announced his interest by raising his head and body, 
 for a few degrees above a horizontal line, and then dronping 
 them again into a horizontal position. 
 
 Whist ! whist ! " said Natty, in a low voice, on hear- 
 ing a slight sound made by Elizabeth, in bending over the 
 side of the canoe, in curiosity ; — 'tis a skeary animal, 
 and it's a far stroke for a spear. My handle is but four- 
 teen foot, and the creater lies a good eighteen from the top 
 of the water ; but I'll try him, for he's a ten-pounder." 
 
 While speaking, the Leather-stocking was poising and 
 directing his weapon. Elizabeth saw the bright, polished 
 tines, as they slowly and silently entered the water, where 
 the refraction pointed them many degrees from the true 
 direction of the fish ; and she thought that the intended 
 victim saw them also, as he seemed to increase the play of 
 his tail and fins, though without moving his station. At 
 the next instant, the tall body of Natty bent to the water's 
 edge, and the handle of his spear disappeared in the lake. 
 The long, dark streak of the gliding weapon, and the little 
 bubbling vortex, which followed its rapid flight, were easily 
 to be seen ; but it was not until the handle shot again into 
 the air, by its own re-action, and its master, catching it in 
 his hand, threw its tines uppermost, that Elizabeth was 
 acquainted with the success of the blow. A fish of great 
 size was transfixed by the barbed steel, and was very soon 
 shaken from its impaled situation into the bottom of the 
 canoe. 
 
 That will do John," said Natty, raising his prize by 
 one of his fingers, and exhibiting it before the torch ; I 
 shall not strike another blow to-night." 
 
 The Indian again waved his hand, and replied with the 
 simple and energetic monosyllable of — 
 
 Good." 
 
 Elizabeth was awakened from the trance created by this 
 scene, and by gazing in that unusual manner at the bottom 
 of the lake, by the hoarse sounds of Benjamin's voice, and 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 267 
 
 me dashing of oars, as the heavier boat of the seine-drawers 
 approached the spot where the canoe lay, dragging after it 
 ihe folds of the net. 
 
 " Haul ofF^ haul off, Master Bumppo^" cried Benjamin ; 
 ^' your top-light frightens the fish, who see the net and 
 sheer off soundings. A fish knows as much as a horse, or, 
 for that matter, more, seeing that it's brought up on the 
 water. Haul off. Master Bumppo, haul off, I say, and 
 give a wide berth to the seine.'* 
 
 Mohegan guided their little canoe to a point where the 
 movements of the fishermen could be observed, without 
 interruption to the business, and then suffered it to lie 
 quietly on the water, looking like an imaginary vessel float- 
 ing in air. There appeared to be much ill humour among 
 the party in the batteau, for the directions of Benjamin 
 were not only frequent, but issued in a voice that partook 
 largely of dissatisfaction. 
 
 Pull larboard oar, will ye. Master Kirby,'* cried the 
 'old seaman ; Pull larboard best. It would puzzle the 
 oldest admiral in the British fleet to cast this here net fair, 
 with a wake like a cork-screw. Pull starboard, boy, pull 
 starboard oar, with a will." 
 
 Harkee, Mister Pump,'* said Kirby, ceasing to row, 
 and speaking with some spirit ; I'm a man that likes 
 civil language and decent treatment, such as is right 'twixt 
 man and man. If you want us to go hoy, say so, and hoy 
 I'll go, for the benefit of the company ; but I'm not used 
 to being ordered about like dumb cattle." 
 
 Who's dumb cattle ?" echoed Benjamin, fiercely, turn- 
 ing his forbidding face to the glare of light from the canoe, 
 and exhibiting every feature teeming with the expression 
 of disgust. If you want to come aft and cun the boat 
 round, come and be damned, and pretty steerage you'll 
 make of it. There's but another heave of the net in the 
 st^rn-sheets, and we're clear of the thing. Give way, will 
 ye ? and shoot her ahead for a fathom or two, and if you 
 catch me afloat again with such a horse-marine as yourself, 
 'why rate me a ship's jackass, that's all." 
 
 Probably encouraged by the prospect of a speedy termi- 
 nation to his labour, the wood-chopper resumed his oar 
 
268 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 and, under strong excitement, gave a stroke, that not only 
 cleared the boat of the net, but of the steward, at the same 
 instant. Benjamin had stood on the little platform that 
 held the seine, in the stern of the boat, and the violent 
 whirl occasioned by the vigour of the wood-chopper's arm 
 completely destroyed his balance. The position of the 
 lights rendered objects in the batteau distinguishable, both 
 from the canoe and the shore ; and the heavy fall on the 
 water drew all eyes to the steward, as he lay struggling, for 
 a moment, in sight. 
 
 A loud burst of merriment, to which the lungs of Kirby 
 contributed no small part, broke out like a chorus of 
 laughter, and rung along the eastern mountain, in echoes, 
 until it died away in distant, mocking mirth, among the 
 rocks and woods. The body of the steward was seen 
 slowly to disappear, as was expected ; but when the light 
 waves, which had been raised by his fall, began to sink in 
 calmness, and the water finally closed over his head, un- 
 broken and still, a very different feeling pervaded the 
 spectators. 
 
 How fare you, Benjamin?" shouted Richard from 
 the shore. 
 
 The dumb devil can't swim a stroke ! " exclaimed 
 Kirby, rising, and beginning to throw aside his clothes. 
 
 Paddle up, Mohegan," cried young Edwards, the 
 light will show us where he lies, and I will dive for the 
 body." 
 
 Oh ! save him ! for God's sake, save him ! " exclaimed 
 Elizabeth, bowing her head on the side of the canoe in 
 horror. 
 
 A powerful and dexterous sweep of Mohegan's paddle 
 sent the canoe directly over the spot where the steward 
 had fallen, and a loud shout from the Leather-stocking 
 announced that he saw the body. 
 
 Steady the boat while I dive," again cried Edwards. 
 Gently, lad, gently," said Natty ; Til spear the 
 Greater up in half the time, and no risk to any body." 
 
 The form of Benjamin was lying, about half way to the 
 bottom, grasping with both hands some broken rushes. 
 The blood of Elizabeth curdled to her heart, as she saw 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 269 
 
 the figure of a fellow creature thus extended under an im- 
 mense sheet of water, apparently in motion, by the undu- 
 lations of the dying waves, with its face and hands, viewed 
 by that light, and through the medium of the fluid, already 
 coloured with hues like death. 
 
 At the same instant, she saw the shining tines of Natty 's 
 spear approaching the head of the sufferer, and entwining 
 themselves, rapidly and dexterously, in the hairs of his 
 queue and the cape of his coat. The body was now raised 
 slowly, looking ghastly and grim, as its features turned 
 upward to the light, and approached the surface. The 
 arrival of the nostrils of Benjamin into their own atmo- 
 sphere, was announced by a breathing that would have 
 done credit to a porpoise. For a moment. Natty held the 
 steward suspended, with his head just above the water, 
 while his eyes slowly opened, and stared about him, as if 
 he thought that he had reached a new and unexplored 
 country. 
 
 As all the parties acted and spoke together, much less 
 time was consumed in the occurrence of these events, than 
 in their narration. To bring the batteau to the end of the 
 spear, and to raise the form of Benjamin into the boat, 
 and for the whole party to gain the shore, required but a 
 minute. Kirby, aided by Richard, whose anxiety induced 
 him to run into the water to meet his favourite assistant, 
 carried the motionless steward up the bank, and seated him 
 before the fire, while the Sheriff proceeded to order the 
 most approved measures then in use, for the resuscitation 
 of the drowned. 
 
 Run, Billy,** he cried, to the village, and bring up 
 the rum-hogshead that lies before the door, in which I am 
 making vinegar, and be quick, boy, don't stay to empty the 
 vinegar ; and stop at Mr. Le Quoi's, and buy a paper of 
 tobacco and half-a-dozen pipes; and ask Remarkable for 
 some salt, and one of her flannel petticoats; and ask Dr. 
 
 Todd to send his lancet, and to come himself; and ha! 
 
 'duke, what are you about ? would you strangle a man who 
 is full of water, by giving him rum ! Help me to open his 
 hand, that I may pat it.** 
 
 All this time Benjamin sat, with his muscles fixed, his 
 
270 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 mouth shut;, and his hands clenching the rushes^ which he 
 had seized in the confusion of the moment, and which, as 
 he held fast, like a true seaman, had been the means of 
 preventing his body from rising again to the surface. His 
 eyes, however, were open, and stared wildly on the group 
 about the fire, while his lungs were playing like a black- 
 smith's bellows, as if to compensate themselves for the 
 minute of inaction to which they had been subjected. As 
 he kept his lips compressed, with a most inveterate deter- 
 mination, the air was compelled to pass through his nostrils, 
 and he rather snorted than breathed, and in such a manner, 
 that nothing but the excessive agitation of the Sheriff could 
 at all justify his precipitous orders. 
 
 The bottle, applied to the steward's lips by Marmaduke, 
 acted like a charm. His mouth opened instinctively ; his 
 hands dropped the rushes, and seized the glass ; his eyes 
 raised from their horizontal stare to the heavens ; and the 
 whole man was lost, for a moment, in a new sensation. 
 Unhappily for the propensity of the steward, breath was as 
 necessary after one of these draughts, as after his submer- 
 sion, and the time at length arrived when he was compelled 
 to let go the bottle. 
 
 Why, Benjamin !*' roared the Sheriff ; " you amaze 
 me ! for a man of your experience in drownings to act so 
 foolishly ! just now, you were half full of water, and now 
 you are " 
 
 Full of grog," interrupted the steward, his features 
 settling down, with amazing flexibility, into their natural 
 economy. But, d'ye see. Squire, I kept my hatches close, 
 and it is but little water that ever gets into my scuttle-butt. 
 Harkee, Master Kirby ! I've followed the salt water for 
 tlie better part of a man's life, and have seen some naviga- 
 tion on the fresh ; but this here matter I will say in your 
 favour, and that is, that you're the awk'ardest green'un that 
 ever straddled a boat's thwart. Them that likes you for a 
 ship-mate, may sail with you and no thanks ; but dam'me 
 if I even walk on the lake shore in your company. For 
 why ? you'd as lief drown a man as one of them there fish; 
 not to throw a Christian creature so much as a rope's end, 
 when he was adrift, and no life-buoy in sight! — Natty 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 271 
 
 Bumppo, give us your fist. There's them that says you're 
 an Indian, and a scalper, but you've sarved me a good 
 turn, and you may set me down for a friend; tho'f it 
 would have been more ship-shape to lower the bight of a 
 rope, or running bow-line, below me, than to seize an old 
 seaman by his head-lanyard ; but I suppose you are used to 
 taking men by the hair, and seeing you did me good instead 
 of harm thereby, why, it's the same thing, d'ye see." 
 
 M^irmaduke prevented any reply, and assuming the di- 
 rection of matters, with a dignity and discretion that at 
 once silenced all opposition from his cousin, Benjamin was 
 despatched to the village by land, and the net was hauled to 
 shore in such a manner that the fish, for once, escaped its 
 meshes with impunity. 
 
 The division of the spoils was made in the ordinary 
 manner, by placing one of the party with his back to the 
 game, who named the owner of each pile. Billy Kirby 
 stretched his large frame on the grass, by the side of the 
 fire, as sentinel until morning, over net and fish ; and the 
 remainder of the party embarked in the batteau, to re- 
 turn to the village. 
 
 The wood-chopper was seen broiling his supper on the 
 coals, as they lost sight of the fire ; and when the boat 
 approached the shore, the torch of Mohegan's canoe was 
 shining again under the gloom of the eastern mountain* 
 Its motion ceased suddenly ; a scattering of brands was 
 in the air, and then all remained dark as the conjunction of 
 night, forest, and mountain, could render the scene. 
 
 The thoughts of Elizabeth wandered from the youth, 
 who was holding a canopy of shawls over herself and 
 Louisa, to the hunter and the Indian warrior ; and she felt 
 an awakening curiosity to visit a hut, where men of such 
 different habits and temperament were drawn together, as 
 by common impulse. 
 
272 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Cease all this parlance about hills and dales j 
 None listen to thy scenes of boyish frolic. 
 Fond dotard ! with such tickled ears as thou dost ; 
 Come 1 to thy tale. Duo. 
 
 Mr. Jones arose^ on the following morning, with the 
 sun, and ordering his own and Marmaduke's steeds to be 
 saddled, he proceeded, with a countenance big with some 
 business of unusual moment, to the apartment of the Judge. 
 The door was unfastened, and Richard entered, with the 
 freedom that characterised not only the intercourse between 
 the cousins, but the ordinary manners of the Sheriff. 
 
 Well, 'duke, to horse," he cried, and I will explain 
 to you my meaning in the allusions I made last night. 
 David says, in the Psalms — no^ it was Solomon, but it 
 was all in the family — Solomon said, there was a time for 
 all things ; and in my humble opinion, a fishing party is 
 not the moment for discussing important subjects. — Ha! 
 why, what the devil ails you, Marmaduke ? an't you well ? 
 let me feel your pulse : my grandfather, you know " 
 
 Quite well in the body, Richard," interrupted the 
 Judge, repulsing his cousin, w^ho was about to assume the 
 functions that properly belonged to Dr. Todd ; but ill at 
 heart. I received letters by the post of last night, after we 
 returned from the point, and this among the number." 
 
 The Sheriff took the letter, but without turning his eyes 
 on the writing, for he was examining the appearance of the 
 other with astonishment. From the face of his cousin, the 
 gaze of Richard wandered to the table, which was covered 
 with letters, packets, and newspapers; then to the apart- 
 ment, and all that it contained. On the bed there was the 
 impression that had been made by a human form, but the 
 coverings were unmoved, and every thing indicated that 
 the occupant of the room had passed a sleepless night. 
 The candles had burned to the sockets, and had evidently 
 extinguished themselves in their own fragments Mar- 
 maduke had drawn his curtains, and opened both the shut- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 273 
 
 ters and the sashes, to admit the balmy air of a spring 
 morning; but his pale cheek, his quivering hp, and his 
 sunken eye, presented, altogether, so very different an ap- 
 pearance from the usual calm, nanly, and cheerful aspect 
 of the Judge, that the Sheriff grew each moment more and 
 more bewildered with astonishment. At length Richard 
 found time to cast his eyes on the direction of the letter, 
 which he still held unopened, crumbling it in his hand. 
 
 " What ! a ship-letter he exclaimed: and from Eng- 
 land ! ha I 'duke, here must be news of importance indeed! " 
 
 " Read it,'* said Marmaduke, pacing the floor in exces- 
 sive agitation. 
 
 Richard, who commonly thought aloud, was unable to 
 read a letter without suffering part of its contents to escape 
 him in audible sounds. So much of the epistle as was 
 chvulged in that manner, we shall lay before the reader, 
 accompanied by the passing remarks of the Sheriff : — 
 
 ' London, February 12th, 1793.' What a devil of a 
 passage she had ! but the wind has been north-west for six 
 weeks, until within the last fortnight. 
 
 ' Sir, your favours of August 10th, September 23d, and 
 of December 1st, were received in due season, and the first 
 answered by return of packet. Since the receipt of the last, 
 I'" — Here a long passage was rendered indistinct, by a 
 kind of humming noise made by the Sheriff. ' 1 grieve 
 to say, that ' — hum, hum, bad enough to be sure — ^ but 
 trust that a merciful Providence has seen fit' — hum, hum, 
 hum ; seems to be a good pious sort of a man, ' duke ; 
 belongs to the established church, I dare say ; hum, hum — 
 * vessel sailed from Falmouth on or about the 1st September 
 of last year, and' — hum, hum, hum. ' If any thing should 
 transpire on this afflicting subject, shall not fail' — hum, 
 hum ; really a good-hearted man, for a law^yer, — * but can 
 communicate nothing further at present ' — hum, hum. 
 
 The national convention' — hum, hum — *^ unfortunate 
 Louis' — hum, hum — ' example of your Washington' — a 
 very sensible man, I declare, and none of your crazy de- 
 mocrats. Hum, hum — ' our gallant navy' — hum, hum — . 
 
 under our most excellent monarch' — ay, a good man 
 enough, that King George, but bad advisers; hum, hum — 
 
 T 
 
274 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ^ I beg to conclude with assurances of my perfect respect 
 — hum^ hum — '^Andrew Holt/ — Andrew Holt — a 
 very sensible,, feeling man^ this Mr. Andrew Holt — but the 
 writer of evil tidings. What will you do next^ cousin 
 Marmaduke ? 
 
 *^ What can I do^ Richard, but trust to time and the will 
 of Heaven } Here is another letter, from Connecticut, but 
 it only repeats the substance of the last. There is but one 
 consoling reflection to be gathered from the English news, 
 which is, that my last letter was received by him before the 
 ship sailed." 
 
 This is bad enough, indeed ! *duke, bad enough, indeed ! 
 and away go all my plans of putting wings to the house, to 
 the devil. I had made arrangements for a ride, to intro- 
 duce you to something of a very important nature. You 
 know how much you think of mines " 
 
 Talk not of mines," interrupted the Judge; there is 
 a sacred duty to be performed, and that without delay. I 
 must devote this day to writing; and thou must be my 
 assistant, Richard ; it will not do to employ Oliver in a 
 matter of such secrecy and interest." 
 
 No, no, 'duke," cried the Sheriff, squeezing his hand ; 
 I am your man, just now ; we are sisters' children, and 
 blood, after all, is the best cement to make friendship stick 
 together. Well, well, there is no hurry about the silver 
 mine, just now ; another time will do as well. We shall 
 want Dirky Van, I suppose } " 
 
 Marmaduke assented to this indirect question, and the 
 Sheriff relinquished all his intentions on the subject of the 
 ride, and repairing to the breakfast parlour, he despatched 
 a messenger to require the immediate presence of Dirck Van 
 der School. 
 
 The village of Templeton, at that time, supported but 
 two lawyers, one of whom was introduced to our readers in 
 the bar-room of the Bold Dragoon," and the other was 
 the gentleman of whom Richard spoke, by the friendly 
 yet familiar appellation of Dirck, or Dirky Van. Great 
 good-nature, a very tolerable share of skill in his profession, 
 and, considering the circumstances, no contemptible degree 
 of honesty, were the principal ingredients in the character 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 275 
 
 of this man^ who was known to the settlers as Squire Van 
 der School, and sometimes by the flattering, though ano- 
 malous title of the Dutch/' or honest lawyer." We 
 would not wish to mislead our readers in their conceptions 
 of any of our characters, and we therefore feel it necessary 
 to add, that the adjective, in the preceding agnomen of 
 Mr. Van der School, was used in direct reference to its 
 substantive. Our orthodox friends need not be told, that 
 all merit in this world is comparative ; and, once for all, 
 we desire to say, that where any thing which involves 
 qualities or character is asserted, we must be understood to 
 mean, under the circumstances." 
 
 During the remainder of the day, the Judge was closeted 
 with his cousin and his lawyer ; and no one else was ad- 
 mitted to his apartment, excepting his daughter. The deep 
 distress, that so evidently afflicted Marmaduke, was, in 
 some measure, communicated to Elizabeth also ; for a look 
 of dejection shaded her intelligent features, and the buoy- 
 ancy of her animated spirits was sensibly softened. Once 
 on that day, young Edwards, who was a wondering and 
 observant spectator of the sudden alteration produced in 
 the heads of the family, detected a tear stealing over the 
 cheek of Elizabeth, and suffusing her bright eyes with a 
 softness that did not always belong to their expression. 
 
 Have any evil tidings been received. Miss Temple ? " 
 he enquired, with an interest and voice that caused Louisa 
 Grant to raise her head from her needlework, with a quick- 
 ness at which she instantly blushed herself. I would 
 offer my services to your father, if, as I suspect, he needs 
 an agent in some distant place, and I thought it would givci 
 you relief." 
 
 " We have certainly heard bad news," returned Eliza- 
 beth, " and it may be necessary that my father should 
 leave home, for a short period ; unless I can persuade him 
 to trust my cousin Richard with the business, whose ab- 
 sence from the county, just at this time, too, might be in- 
 expedient." 
 
 The youth paused a moment, and the blood gathered 
 slowly to his temples, as he continued — 
 
 If it be of a nature that I could execute " 
 
 T 2 
 
276 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 *^ It is such as can only be confided to one we know — 
 one of ourselves/' 
 
 Surely^ you know me^ Miss Temple ! " he added^ with 
 a warmth that he seldom exhibited^ but which did some- 
 times escape him, in the moments of their frank commu- 
 nications. — Have I lived five months under your roof to 
 be a stranger ? '* 
 
 Elizabeth was engaged with her needle also, and she 
 bent her head to one side, affecting to arrange her muslin ; 
 but her hand shook, her colour heightened, and her eyes 
 lost their moisture in an expression of ungovernable interest, 
 as she said — 
 
 How much do we know of you, Mr. Edwards?" 
 
 ''^ How much ! " echoed the youth, gazing from the 
 speaker to the mild countenance of Louisa, that was also 
 illuminated with curiosity ; how much ! have I been so 
 long an inmate with you, and not known ? " 
 
 The head of Elizabeth turned slov/ly from its affected 
 position, and the look of confusion that had blended so 
 strongly with an expression of interest changed to a smile. 
 
 " We know you, sir, indeed : you are called Mr. Oliver 
 Edwards. I understand that you have informed my friend. 
 Miss Grant, that you are a native 
 
 " Elizabeth ! " exclaimed Louisa, blushing to the eyes, 
 and trembling like an aspen ; you misunderstood me, 
 dear Miss Temple ; I — I — it was only conjecture. Besides, 
 if Mr. Edwards is related to the natives, why should we 
 reproach him ? In what are we better ? at least I, who am 
 the child of a poor and unsettled clergyman ? " 
 
 Elizabeth shook her head, doubtingly, and even laughed, 
 but made no reply, until, observing the melancholy which 
 pervaded the countenance of her companion, who was 
 thinking of the poverty and labours of her father, she 
 continued — 
 
 Nay, Louisa, humility carries you too far. The 
 daughter of a minister of the church can have no superiors. 
 Neither I nor Mr. Edwards is quite your equal, unless,'* 
 she added, again smiling, ^' he is in seciet a king." 
 
 A faithful servant of the King of kings. Miss Temple, 
 inferior to none on earth," said Louisa ; but his honours 
 
THE PIONEKRS. 
 
 277 
 
 are his own ; 1 am only the child of a poor and friendless 
 man, and can claim no other distinction. Why, then, 
 should 1 feel myself elevated above Mr. Edwards, because 
 
 — because — perhaps he is only very, very distantly related 
 to John Mohegan ? " 
 
 Glances of a very comprehensive meaning were exchanged 
 between the heiress and the young man, as Louisa betrayed, 
 while vindicating his lineage, the reluctance with which 
 she admitted his alliance to the old warrior ; but not even 
 a smile at the simplicity of their companion was indulged 
 by either. 
 
 On reflection, I must acknowledge that my situation 
 here is somewhat equivocal," said Edwards, though I 
 may be said to have purchased it with my blood," 
 
 The blood, too, of one of the native lords of the 
 soil!" cried Elizabeth, who evidently put little faith in his 
 aboriginal descent. 
 
 ^' Do I bear the marks of my lineage so very plainly 
 impressed on my appearance? I am dark_,but not very red 
 
 — not more so than common ? " 
 
 Rather more so, just now." 
 
 I am sure. Miss Temple," cried Louisa, you cannot 
 have taken much notice of Mr. Edwards. His eyes are 
 not so black as Mohegan's, or even your own^ nor is his 
 hair!" 
 
 Very possibly, then, I can lay claim to the same 
 descent It would be a great relief to my mind to think 
 so, for I own that I grieve when I see old Mohegan walk- 
 ing about these lands, like the ghost of one of their ancient 
 possessors, and feel how small is my own right to possess 
 them." 
 
 Do you.>** cried the youth, with a vehemence that 
 startled the ladies. 
 
 I do, indeed," returned Elizabeth, after suffering a 
 moment to pass in surprise ; but what can I do } what 
 can my father do ? Should we offer the old man a home 
 and a maintenance, bis habits would compel him to refuse 
 us. Neither, were we so silly as to wish such a thing, 
 could we convert these clearings and farms, again, into 
 
 T S 
 
278 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 hunting-grounds^ as the Leather-stocking would wish to 
 see them." 
 
 You speak the truths Miss Temple/' said Edwards 
 What can you do^ indeed ! But there is one thing that 
 I am certain you can and will do^ when you hecome the 
 mistress of these beautiful valleys — use your wealth with 
 indulgence to the poor and charity to the needy ; — indeed, 
 you can do no more." 
 
 And that will be doing a good deal/' said Louisa, 
 smiling in her turn. " But there will, doubtless, be one 
 to take the direction of such things from her hands." 
 
 I am not about to disclaim matrimony, like a silly 
 girl, who dreams of nothing else from morning till night ; 
 but I am a nun, here, without the vow of celibacy. Where 
 should I find a husband, in these forests } 
 
 There is none. Miss Temple," said Edwards, quickly, 
 there is none who has a right to aspire to you, and I 
 know that you will wait to be sought by your equal ; or 
 die, as you live, loved, respected, and admired, by all who 
 know you/' 
 
 The young man seemed to think that he had said all 
 that was required by gallantry, for he arose, and taking his 
 hat, hurried from the apartment. Perhaps Louisa thought 
 that he had said more than was necessary, for she sighed, 
 with an aspiration so low that it was scarcely audible to 
 herself, and bent her head over her work again. And it is 
 possible that Miss Temple wished to hear more, for her 
 eyes continued fixed, for a minute, on the door through 
 which the young man had passed, then glanced quickly 
 towards her companion, when the long silence that suc- 
 ceeded, manifested how much zest may be given to the 
 conversation of two maidens under eighteen, by the pre- 
 sence of a youth of three-and-twenty. 
 
 The first person encountered by Mr. Edwards, as he ra- 
 ther rushed than walked from the house, was the little 
 square-built lawyer, with a large bundle of papers under 
 his arm, a pair of green spectacles on his nose, with glasses 
 at the sides, as if to multiply his power of detecting frauds, 
 by additional organs of vision. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 279 
 
 Mr. Van der School was a well-educated man^ but of 
 slow comprehension, who had imbibed a wariness in his 
 speeches and actions, from having suffered by his collisions 
 with his more mercurial and apt brethren who had laid the 
 foundations of their practice in the eastern courts^ and who 
 had sucked in shrewdness with their mother's milk. The 
 caution of this gentleman was exhibited in his actions^ by 
 the utmost method and punctuality, tinctured with a good 
 deal of timidity ; and in his speeches, by a parenthetical 
 style, that frequently left to his auditors a long search after 
 his meaning. 
 
 A good morning to you, Mr. Van der School," said 
 Edwards ; " it seems to be a busy day with us at the 
 Mansion-house." 
 
 Good morning, Mr. Edwards, (if that is your name, 
 (for, being a stranger, we have no other evidence of the 
 fact than your own testimony,) as I understand you have 
 given it to Judge Temple,) good morning, sir. It is, ap- 
 parently, a busy day, (but a man of your discretion need 
 not be be told, (having, doubtless, discovered it of your 
 own accord,) that appearances are often deceitful,) up at 
 the Mansion-house.'' 
 
 Have you papers of consequence, that will require 
 copying } can I be of assistance in any way ? " 
 
 There are papers, (as doubtless, you see (for your 
 eyes are young) by the outsides,) that require copying.^" 
 
 Well, then I will accompany you to your office, and 
 receive such as are most needed, and by night I shall have 
 them done, if there be much haste." 
 
 I shall be always glad to see you, sir, at my office, (as 
 in duty bound, (not that it is obligatory to receive any 
 man within your dwelling, (unless so inclined,) which is a 
 castle,) according to the forms of politeness,) or at any 
 other place ; but the papers are most strictly confidential, 
 (and as such, cannot be read by any one,) unless so di- 
 rected (by Judge Temple's solemn injunctions), and are in- 
 visible to all eyes ; excepting those whose duties (I mean 
 assumed duties) require it of them." 
 
 Well, sir, as I perceive that I can be of no service, I 
 wish you another good morning ; but beg you will re- 
 T 4 
 
280 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 member, that I am quite idle, just now, and I wish yon 
 would intimate as much to Judge Temple, and make him 
 a tender of my services, in any part of the world ; unless 
 unless — it be far from Templeton." 
 I will make the communication, sir, in your name, 
 (with your own qualifications,) as your agent. Good 
 morning, sir. — But stay proceedings, Mr. Edwards, (so 
 called,) for a moment. Do you wish me to state the offer 
 of travelling, as a final contract, (for which consideration 
 has been received, at former dates, (by sums advanced,) 
 which would be binding,) or as a tender of services, for 
 which compensation is to be paid (according to future 
 agreement between the parties), on performance of the con^ 
 ditions ? " 
 
 Any way, any way," said Edwards : — he seems 
 in distress, and I would assist him." 
 
 The motive is good, sir, (according to appearances^ 
 (which are often deceitful,) on first impressions,) and does 
 you honour. I will mention your wish, young gentleman, 
 (as you now seem,) and will not fail to communicate the 
 answer, by five o'clock, p. m. of this present day, (God 
 willing,) if you give me an opportunity so to do." 
 
 The ambiguous nature of the situation and character of 
 Mr. Edwards had rendered him an object of peculiar sus- 
 picion to the lawyer, and the youth was consequently too 
 much accustomed to similar equivocal and guarded speeches, 
 to feel any unusual disgust at the present dialogue. He 
 saw, at once, that it was the intention of the practitioner to 
 conceal the nature of his business, even from the private 
 secretary of Judge Temple ; and he knew too well the dif- 
 ficulty of comprehending the meaning of Mr. Vander 
 School, when the gentleman most wished to be luminous 
 in his discourse, not to abandon all thoughts of a discovery, 
 when he perceived that the attorney was endeavouring to 
 avoid any thing like an approach to a cross-examination. 
 They parted at the gate, the lawyer walking, with an im- 
 portant and hurried air, towards his office, keeping his 
 right hand firmly clenched on the bundle of papers. 
 
 It must have been obvious to all our readers, that the 
 youth entertained an unusual and deeply seated prejudice 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 281 
 
 against the character of the Judge ; but^ owing to some 
 counteracting cause, his sensations were now those of 
 powerful interest in the state of his patron's present 
 feeUngs, and in the cause of his secret uneasiness. 
 
 He remained gazing after the lawyer, until the door 
 closed on both the bearer and the mysterious packet, when 
 he returned slowly to the dwelling, and endeavoured to for- 
 get his curiosity, in the usual avocations of his office. 
 
 When the Judge made his re-appearance in the circles 
 of his family, his cheerfulness was tempered by a shade of 
 melancholy, that lingered for many days around his manly 
 brow ; but the magical progression of the season aroused 
 him from his temporary apathy^ and his smiles returned 
 with the summer. 
 
 The heats of the days, and the frequent occurrence of 
 balmy showers, had completed, in an incredibly short pe- 
 riod, the growth of plants, which the lingering spring had 
 so long retarded in the germ ; and the woods presented 
 every shade of green that the American forests know. 
 The stumps in the cleared fields were already hid beneath 
 the wheat that was waving with every breath of the sum- 
 mer air, shining, and changing its hues like velvet. 
 
 During the continuance of his cousin's dejection, Mr. 
 Jones forbore, with much consideration, to press on his at- 
 tention a business that each hour was drawing nearer to 
 the heart of the Sheriff, and which, if any opinion could 
 be formed by his frequent private conferences with the 
 man, who was introduced in these pages by the name of 
 Jotham, at the bar-room of the Bold Dragoon, was be- 
 coming also of great importance. 
 
 At length the Sheriff ventured to allude again to the 
 subject ; and one evening, in the beginning of July, Mar- 
 maduke made him a promise of devoting the following day 
 to the desired excursion. 
 
282 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Speak on, my dearest father! 
 Thy words are like the breezes of the west. MiLMAN. 
 
 It was a mild and soft morning, when Marmaduke and 
 Richard mounted their horses, to proceed on the expedi- 
 tion that had so long heen uppermost in the thoughts of 
 the latter ; and Elizabeth and Louisa appeared at the same 
 instant in the hall, attired for an excursion on foot. 
 
 The head of Miss Grant was covered by a neat little hat 
 of green silk, and her modest eyes peered from under its 
 shade, with the soft languor that characterised her whole 
 appearance ; but Miss Temple trod her father's wide apart- 
 ments with the step of their mistress, holding in her hand, 
 dangling by one of its ribands, the gipsy that was to con- 
 ceal the glossy locks that curled around her polished fore- 
 head, in rich profusion. 
 
 " What! are you for a walk, Bess?" cried the Judge, 
 suspending his movements for a moment, to smile, with 
 a father's fondness, at the display of womanly grace and 
 beauty that his child presented. Remember the heats of 
 July, my daughter ; nor venture further than thou canst 
 retrace before the meridian. Where is thy parasol, girl ? 
 thou wilt lose the polish of that brow, under this sun and 
 southern breeze, unless thou guard it with unusual care.'* 
 
 I shall then do more honour to my connections,'' re- 
 turned the smiling daughter. Cousin Richard has a 
 bloom that any lady might envy. At present the resemblance 
 between us is so trifling, that no stranger would know us to 
 be *■ sisters* children.* ** 
 
 Grand-children, you mean, cousin Bess,*' said the She- 
 riff. But on, J udge Temple ; time and tide wait for no 
 man ; and if you take my counsel, sir, in twelve months 
 from this day you may make an umbrella for your daughter 
 of her camel's hair shawl, and have its frame of solid silver. 
 I ask nothing for myself, 'duke ; you have been a good friend 
 to me already ; besides, all that I have will go to Bess, 
 there, one of these melancholy days, so it's as long as it's 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 283 
 
 shorty whether I or you leave it. But we have a day's ride 
 before us^ sir ; so move forward^ or dismount^ and say you 
 won't go, at once." 
 
 ^'^ Patience, patience, Dickon/' returned the Judge, 
 checking his horse, and turning again to his daughter. 
 
 If thou art for the mountains, love, stray not too deep 
 into the forest, I entreat thee ; for, though it is done often 
 with impunity, there is sometimes danger." 
 
 ^' Not at this season, I believe, sir," said Elizabeth ; 
 
 for, I will confess, it is the intention of Louisa and my- 
 self to stroll among the hills." 
 
 Less at this season than in the winter, dear ; but still 
 there may be danger in venturing too far. But though 
 thou art resolute, Elizabeth, thou art too much like thy 
 mother not to be prudent." 
 
 The eyes of the parent turned reluctantly from his child, 
 and the Judge and Sheriff rode slowly through the gateway, 
 and disappeared among the buildings of the village. 
 
 During this short dialogue, young Edwards stood, an 
 attentive listener, holding in his hand a fishing-rod, the day 
 and the season having tempted him also to desert the house, 
 for the pleasure of exercise in the air. As the equestrians 
 turned through the gate, he approached the young females, 
 who were already moving towards the street, and was about 
 to address them, as Louisa paused, and said quickly — 
 Mr. Edwards would speak to us, Elizabeth." 
 
 The other stopped also, and turned to the youth, po- 
 litely, but with a slight coldness in her air, that sensibly 
 checked the freedom with which he had approached them. 
 
 Your father is not pleased that you should walk un- 
 attended in the hills. Miss Temple. If I might offer my- 
 self, as a protector " 
 
 Does my father select Mr. Oliver Edwards as the organ 
 of his displeasure ? " interrupted the lady. 
 
 *^ Good Heaven ! you misunderstood my meaning ; I 
 should have said uneasy, for not pleased. I am his servant, 
 madam, and in consequence yours. I repeat that, with your 
 consent, I will change my rod for a fowling piece, and keep 
 nigh you, on the mountain." 
 
 " I thank you, Mr. Edwards; but where there is no 
 
284 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 danger J no protection is required. We are not yet reduced 
 to wandering among these free hills accompanied hy a body- 
 guard. If such a one is necessary^ there he is^ however. — 
 Here, Brave^ — Brave — my noble Brave !" 
 
 The huge mastiff^ that has been already mentioned^ ap, 
 peared from his kennel, gaping and stretching himself, with 
 pampered laziness ; but as his mistress again called — 
 
 Come, dear Brave ; once have you served your master 
 well ; let us see how you can do your duty by his daughter** 
 — the dog wagged his tail, as if he understood her language, 
 walked with a stately gait to her side, where he seated him- 
 self, and looked up at her face, with an intelligence but 
 little inferior to that which beamed in her own lovely 
 countenance. 
 
 She resumed her walk, but again paused, after a few steps, 
 and added, in tones of conciliation — 
 
 You can be serving us equally, and, I presume, more 
 agreeably to yourself, Mr. Edwards, by bringing us a string 
 of your favourite perch, for the dinner-table." 
 
 When they again began to walk. Miss Temple did not 
 look back to see how the youth bore this repulse ; but the 
 head of Louisa was turned several times before they reached 
 the gate, on that considerate errand. 
 
 I am afraid, Elizabeth," she said, ^'^ that we have mor- 
 tified Oliver. He is still standing where we left him, lean- 
 ing on his rod. Perhaps he thinks us proud." 
 
 He thinks justly," exclaimed Miss Temple, as if 
 awaking from a deep musing ; he thinks justly, then. 
 We are too proud to admit of such particular attentions 
 from a young man in an equivocal situation. What ! make 
 him the companion of our most private walks ! It is pride, 
 Louisa, but it is the pride of a woman." 
 
 It was several minutes before Oliver aroused himself from 
 the abstracted position in which he was standing when 
 Louisa last saw him ; but when he did, he muttered some- 
 thing rapidly and incoherently, and throwing his rod over 
 his shoulder^ he strode down the walk, through the gate, 
 and along one of the streets of the village, until he reached 
 the lake-shore, with the air of an emperor. At this spot 
 boats were kept for the use of Judge Temple and his family. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 285 
 
 The young man threw himself into a light skifF^ and 
 seizing the oars^ he sent it across the lake towards the hut 
 of Leather-stocking, with a pair of vigorous arms. By the 
 time he had rowed a quarter of a mile, his reflections were 
 less bitter ; and when he saw the bushes that lined the shore 
 in front of Natty 's habitation gliding by him, as if they 
 possessed the motion which proceeded from his own efforts^ 
 he was quite cooled in mind_, though somewhat heated in 
 body. It is quite possible, that the very same reason which 
 guided the conduct of Miss Temple, suggested itself to a 
 man of the breeding and education of the youth ; and it is 
 very certain, that if such were the case, Elizabeth rose in- 
 stead of falling in the estimation of Mr. Edwards. 
 
 The oars were now raised from the water^ and the boat 
 shot close in to the land, where it lay gently agitated by 
 waves of its own creating, while the young man, first casting 
 a cautious and searching glance around him in every di- 
 rection, put a small whistle to his mouth, and blew a long, 
 shrill note, that rung among the echoing rocks behind the 
 hut. At this alarm^ the hounds of Natty rushed out of 
 their bark kennel, and commenced their long, piteous howls_, 
 leaping about as if half frantic^ though restrained by the 
 leashes of buck-skin^ by which they were fastened. 
 
 Quiet, Hector, quiet,*' said Oliver^ again applying his 
 whistle to his mouth, and drawing out notes still more shrill 
 than before. No reply was made, the dogs having returned 
 to their kennel at the sounds of his voice. 
 
 Edwards pulled the bows of the boat on the shore, and 
 landing, ascended the beach and approached the door of the 
 cabin. The fastenings were soon undone, and he entered, 
 closing the door after him, when all was as silent, in that 
 retired spot, as if the foot of man had never trod the wilder- 
 ness. The sounds of the hammers, that were in incessant 
 motion in the village, were faintly heard across the water; 
 but the dogs had crouched into their lairs, satisfied that 
 none but the privileged had approached the forbidden 
 ground. 
 
 A quarter of an hour elapsed before the youth re-appeared_, 
 when he fastened the door again, and spoke kindly to the 
 hounds. The dogs came out at the well-known tones^ and 
 
286 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the slut jumped upon his person^ whining and barkings as 
 if entreating Oliver to release her from prison. But old 
 Hector raised his nose to the light current of air^ and opened 
 a long howl^ that might have been heard for a mile. 
 
 Ha ! what do you scent, old veteran of the woods ? " 
 cried Edwards. If a beast^ it is a bold one ; and if a man, 
 an impudent." 
 
 He sprung through the top of a pine that had fallen near 
 the side of the hut, and ascended a small hillock that shel- 
 tered the cabin to the south, where he caught a glimpse of 
 the formal figure of Hiram Doolittie, as it vanished with 
 unusual rapidity for the architect, amid the bushes. 
 
 What can that fellow be wanting here ? " muttered 
 Oliver. He has no business in this quarter, unless it be 
 curiosity, which is an endemic in these woods. But against 
 that I will effectually guard, though the dogs should take 
 a liking to his ugly visage, and let him pass." The youth 
 returned to the door, while giving vent to this soliloquy, 
 and completed the fastenings, by placing a small chain 
 through a staple, and securing it there by a padlock. He 
 is a pettifogger, and surely must know that there is such a 
 thing as feloniously breaking into a man's house." 
 
 Apparently well satisfied with this arrangement, the 
 youth again spoke to the hounds ; and, descending to the 
 shore, he launched his boat, and taking up his oars, pulled 
 ofF into the lake. 
 
 There were several places in the Otsego that were cele- 
 brated fishing-ground for perch. One was nearly opposite 
 to the cabin, and another, still more famous, was near a point, 
 at the distance of a mile and a half above it, under the brow 
 of the mountain, and on the same side of the lake with the 
 hut. Oliver Edwards pulled his little skiff to the first, and 
 sat, for a minute, undecided whether to continue there, with 
 his eyes on the door of the cabin, or to change his ground, 
 with a view to get superior game. While gazing about 
 him, he saw the light- coloured bark canoe of his old com- 
 panions, riding on the water, at the point we have men- 
 tioned, and containing two figures, that he at once knew to 
 be Mohegan and the Leather-stocking. This decided the 
 matter, and the youth pulled, in a very few minutes, to the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 287 
 
 place where his friends were fishing, and fastened his boat 
 to the hght vessel of the Indian. 
 
 The old men received Oliver with welcoming nods, but 
 neither drew his line from the water, nor, in the least, varied 
 his occupation. When Edwards had secured his own boat, 
 he baited his hook and threw it into the lake, without 
 s^ eaking. 
 
 " Did you stop at the wigwam, lad, as you rowed past ? " 
 asked Natty. 
 
 Yes, and I found all safe ; but that carpenter and jus- 
 tice of the peace, Mr., or, as they call him. Squire Doolittle, 
 was prowling through the woods. I made sure of the door, 
 before I left the hut, and I think he is too great a coward 
 to approach the hounds." 
 
 There's little to be said in favour of that man," said 
 Natty, while he drew in a perch and baited his hook. •'^He 
 craves dreadfully to come into the cabin, and has as good as 
 asked me as much to my face ; but I put him off with un- 
 sartain answers, so that he is no wiser than Solomon. This 
 comes of having so many laws that such a man may be 
 called on to intarpret them." 
 
 I fear he is more knave than fool," cried Edwards : 
 he makes a tool of that simple man, the Sheriff; and 1 
 dread that his impertinent curiosity may yet give us much 
 trouble." 
 
 " If he harbours too much about the cabin, lad, I'll 
 shoot the creater," said the Leather-stocking, quite simply. 
 
 " No, no. Natty, you must remember the law," said 
 Edwards, " or we shall have you in trouble ; and that, 
 old man, would be an evil dav, and sore tidings to 
 us all." 
 
 ^' Would it, boy ! " exclaimed the hunter, raising his 
 eyes with a look of friendly interest towards the youth. 
 
 You have the true blood in your veins, Mr. Oliver ; and 
 ril support it, to the face of Judge Temple, or in any court 
 in the country. How is it, John.^ Do I speak the true 
 word } Is the lad stanch, and of the right blood ? " 
 
 He is a Delaware," said Mohegan, '^'^ and my brother 
 The young Eagle is brave, and he will be a chief. No harm 
 can come." 
 
i288 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ^'^ Well^ well/' cried the youth^, impatiently^ say no 
 more about it^ my good friends ; if I am not all that your 
 partiality would make me, I am yours through life — in 
 prosperity as in poverty. We will talk of other matters." 
 
 The old hunters yielded to his wish^ which seemed to be 
 their law. For a short time a profound silence prevailed, 
 during which each man was very busy with his hook and 
 line ; but Edwards, probably feeling that it remained with 
 him to renew the discourse, soon observed, with the air of 
 one who knew not what he said, — 
 
 How beautifully tranquil and glassy the lake is ! Saw 
 you it ever more calm and even than at this moment. 
 Natty ? " 
 
 I have known the Otsego water for five-and-forty 
 years," said Leather-stocking ; and 1 v/ill say that for it, 
 which is, that a cleaner spring or better fishing is not to he 
 found in the land. Yes, yes ; I had the place to myself 
 once, and a cheerful time I had of it. The game was 
 plenty as heart could wish ; and there was none to meddle 
 with the ground, unless there might have been a hunting 
 party of the Delawares crossing the hills, or, may be, a 
 rifling scout of them thieves the Iroquois. There was one 
 or two Frenchmen that squatted in the flats, further west, 
 and married squaws ; and some of the Scotch- Irishers, from 
 the Cherry Valley, would come on to the lake, and borrow 
 my canoe, to take a mess of parch, or drop a line for a 
 salmon-trout ; but, in the main, it was a cheerful place, 
 and I had but little to disturb me in it. John would come, 
 and John knows." 
 
 Mohegan turned his dark face at this appeal ; and, 
 moving his hand forward with a graceful motion of assent, 
 he spoke, using the Delaware language, — 
 
 " The land was owned by my people ; we gave it to my 
 brother, in council — to the Fire-eater ; and what the 
 Delawares give lasts as long as the waters run. Hawk-eye 
 smoked at that council, for we loved him." 
 
 No, no, John," said Natty ; I was no chief, seeing 
 that I know'd nothing of scholarship, and had a white 
 skin. But it was a comfortable hunting ground then, lad^ 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 289 
 
 and would have been so to this day^ but for the money of 
 Marmaduke Temple, and the twisty ways of the law." 
 
 It must have been a sight of melancholy pleasure in- 
 deed;," said Edwards, while his eye roved along the shores 
 and over the hills, where the clearings, groaning with the 
 golden corn, were cheering the forests with the signs of life, 
 ^^to have roamed over these mountains, and along this 
 sheet of beautiful water, without a living soid to speak to, 
 or to thwart your humour." 
 
 Haven't I said it was cheerful ?" said Leather-stocking. 
 Yes, yes; when the trees begun to be covered with 
 leaves, and the ice was out of the lake, it was a second 
 paradise. I have travelled the woods for fifty-three years, 
 and have made them my home for more than forty ; and I 
 can say that I have met but one place that was more to my 
 liking ; and that was only to eyesight, and not for hunting 
 or fishing." 
 
 And where was that ? " asked Edwards. 
 
 Where ! why up on the Cattskills. I used often to go 
 up into the mountains after wolves' skins and bears ; once 
 they paid me to get them a stuffed painter, and so I often 
 went. There's a place in them hills that I used to climb 
 to, when I wanted to see the carryings on of the world, that 
 would well pay any man for a barked shin or a torn mo- 
 cassin. You know the Cattskills, lad ; for you must have 
 seen them on your left, as you followed the river up from 
 York, looking as blue as a piece of clear sky, and holding 
 the clouds on their tops, as the smoke curls over the head of 
 an Indian chief at a council fire. Well, there's the High- 
 peak and the Round- top, which lay back, like a father and 
 mother among their children, seeing they are far above all 
 the other hills. But the place I mean is next to the river, 
 where one of the ridges juts out a little from the rest, and 
 where the rocks fall, for the best part of a thousand feet, so 
 much up and down, that a man standing on their edges is 
 fool enough to think he can jump from top to bottom/' 
 ' What see you when you get there ? " asked Edwards 
 
 Creation," said Natty, dropping the end of his rod into 
 the water, and sweeping one hand around him in a circle : 
 all creation, lad. I was on that hill when Vaughan 
 
290 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 burned 'Sopus, in the last war ; and I saw the vessels come 
 out of the Highlands as plain as I can see that lime-scow 
 rowing into the Susquehanna^ though one was twenty times 
 further from me than the other. The river was in sight for 
 seventy miles, looking like a curled shaving, under my feet, 
 though it was eight long miles to its banks. I saw the hills 
 in the Hampshire grants, the high lands of the river, and 
 all that God had done or man could do, far as eye could 
 reach — you know that the Indians named me for my sight, 
 lad ; and from the flat on the top of that mountain, I have 
 often found the place where Albany stands. And as for 
 'Sopus, the day the royal troops burnt the town, the 
 smoke seemed so nigh, that I thought I could hear the 
 screeches of the women." 
 
 '^^ It must have been worth the toil to meet with such a 
 glorious view." 
 
 If being the best part of a mile in the air, and having 
 men's farms and housen at your feet, with rivers looking 
 like ribands, and mountains bigger than the ^ Vision/ seem- 
 ing to be haystacks of green grass under you, gives any 
 satisfaction to a man, I can recommend the spot. When I 
 first came into the woods to live, I used to have weak 
 spells when I felt lonesome ; and then I would go into the 
 Cattskills, and spend a few days on that hill to look at the 
 ways of man ; but it's now many a year since I felt any 
 such longings, and I'm getting too old for rugged rocks. 
 But there's a place, a short two miles back of that very 
 hill, that in late times I relished better than the mountain ; 
 for it was more covered with the trees, and nateral." 
 
 And where was that ? " enquired Edwards, whose 
 curiosity was strongly excited by the simple description of 
 the hunter. 
 
 Why, there's a fall in the hills, where the water of two 
 little ponds that lie near each other breaks out of their 
 bounds, and runs over the rocks into the valley. The 
 stream is, maybe, such a one as would turn a mill, if so 
 useless a thing was wanted in the wilderness. But the hand 
 that made that ^ Leap' never made a mill. There the water 
 comes crooking and winding among the rocks ; first so slow 
 that a trout could swim in it, and then starting and running 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 like a creater that wanted to make a far spring, till it gets to 
 where the mountain divides, like the cleft hoof of a deer, 
 leaving a deep hollow for the brook to tumble into. The 
 first pitch is nigh two hundred feet, and the water looks 
 like flakes of driven snow, afore it touches the bottom ; and 
 there the stream gathers itself together again for a new 
 start, and maybe flutters over fifty feet of flat rock, before 
 it falls for another hundred, when it jumps about from shelf 
 to shelf, first turning this-away and then turning that-away, 
 striving to get out of the hollow, tiU it finally comes to the 
 plain." 
 
 I have never heard of this spot before : it is not men- 
 tioned in the books." 
 
 ''^ I never read a book in my life,'' said Leather-stocking; 
 ^'^and how should a man who has lived in towns and 
 schools know any thing about the wonders of the woods ? 
 No, no, lad; there has that little stream of water been 
 playing among the hills, since He made the world, and not 
 a dozen white men have ever laid eyes on it. The rock 
 sweeps like mason- work, in a half-round, on both sides of 
 the fall, and shelves over the bottom for fifty feet ; so that 
 when I've been sitting at the foot of the first pitch, and my 
 hounds have run into the caverns behind the sheet of water, 
 they've looked no bigger than so many rabbits. To my 
 judgment, lad, it's the best piece of work that I've met with 
 in the woods ; and none know how often the hand of God 
 is seen in a wilderness, but them that rove it for a man's 
 life." 
 
 What becomes of the water ? In which direction does 
 it run ? Is it a tributary of the Delaware ? " 
 Anan ! " said Natty. 
 
 Does the water run into the Delaware ? " 
 
 No, no ; it's a drop for the old Hudson, and a merry 
 time it has till it gets down off* the mountain. I've sat on 
 the shelving rock many a long hour, boy, and watched the 
 bubbles as they shot by me, and thought how long it would 
 be before that very water, which seemed made for the wil- 
 derness, would be under the bottom of a vessel, and tossing 
 in the salt sea. It is a spot to make a man solemnise. You 
 can see right down into the valley that lies to the east of 
 u 2 
 
292 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the High Peak, where, in the fall of the year, thousands of 
 acres of woods are before your eyes, in the deep hollow, and 
 along the side of the mountain, painted like ten thousand 
 rainbows, by no hand of man, though without the ordering 
 of God's providence." 
 
 You are eloquent. Leather-stocking," exclaimed the 
 youth. 
 
 Anan V repeated Natty. 
 
 The recollection of the sight has warmed your blood, 
 old man. How many years is it since you saw the place ? " 
 
 The hunter made no reply ; but, bending his ear near 
 the water, he sat holding his breath, and listening atten- 
 tively as if to some distant sound. At length he raised his 
 head, and said — 
 
 If I hadn't fastened the hounds with my own hands, 
 with a fresh leash of green buck-skin, I'd take a Bible oath 
 that I heard old Hector ringing his cry on the mountain." 
 
 It is impossible," said Edwards ; it is not an hour 
 since I saw him in his kennel." 
 
 By this time the attention of Mohegan was attracted to 
 the sounds ; but, 'notwithstanding the youth was both silent 
 and attentive, he could hear nothing but the lowing of 
 some cattle from the western hills. He looked at the old 
 men. Natty sitting with his hand to his ear, like a trum- 
 pet, and Mohegan bending forward, with an arm raised to 
 a level with his face, holding the fore-finger elevated as a 
 signal for attention, and laughed aloud at what he deemed 
 to be their imaginary sounds. 
 
 Laugh if you v*rill, boy," said Leather-stocking, the 
 hounds be out, and are hunting a deer. No man can 
 deceive me in such a matter. I wouldn't have had the 
 thing happen for a beaver's skin. Not that I care for the 
 law ! but the venison is lean now, and the dumb things 
 run the flesh off their own bones for no good. Now do 
 you hear the hounds ? " 
 
 Edwards started, as a full cry broke on his ear, changing 
 from the distant sounds that were caused by some inter- 
 vening hill, to confused echoes that rung among the rocks 
 that the dogs were passing, and then directly to a deep 
 and hollow baying that pealed under the forest on the lake 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 shore. These variations in the tones of the hounds passed 
 with amazing rapidity ; and while his eyes were glancing 
 along the margin of the water, a tearing of the branches of 
 the alder and dog- wood caught his attention, at a spot near 
 them, and at the next moment a noble buck sprang on the 
 shore, and buried himself in the lake. A full-mouthed cry 
 followed^ when Hector and the slut shot through the open- 
 ing in the bushes, and darted into the lake also, bearing 
 their breasts gallantly against the water. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Oft in the full descending flood he tries 
 
 To lose the scent, and lave his burning sides. Thomson. 
 
 I know'd it — I know'd it!" cried Natty, when both 
 deer and hounds were in full view ; — the buck has gone 
 by them with the wind, and it has been too much for the 
 poor rogues ; but I must break them of these tricks, or 
 tliey'U give me a deal of trouble. He-ere, he-ere — shore 
 with you, rascals — shore with you — will ye? — Oh! off 
 with you, old Hector, or 111 hatchel your hide with my 
 ramrod when I get ye." 
 
 The dogs knew their master's voice, and after swimming 
 in a circle, as if reluctant to give over the chase, and yet 
 afraid to persevere, they finally obeyed, and returned to 
 the land, where they filled the air with their cries. 
 
 In the mean time the deer, urged by his fears, had swam 
 over half the distance between the shore and the boats, 
 before his terror permitted him to see the new danger. 
 But at the sounds of Natty^s voice, he turned short in his 
 course, and for a few moments seemed about to rush back 
 again, and brave the dogs. His retreat in this direction 
 was, however, effectually cut off, and turning a second 
 time, he urged his course obliquely for the centre of the 
 lake, with an intention of landing on the western shore. 
 As the buck swam by the fishermen, raising his nose high 
 u 3 
 
294 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 into the air_, curling the water before his slim neck like the 
 beak of a galley, the Leather-stocking began to sit very 
 uneasy in his canoe. 
 
 'Tis a noble creater!" he exclaimed; what a pair 
 of horns ! a man might hang up all his garments on the 
 branches. Let me see — July is the last month, and the 
 flesh must be getting good." While he was talking. Natty 
 had instinctively employed himself in fastening the inner 
 end of the bark rope, that served him for a cable, to a 
 paddle, and, rising suddenly on his legs, he cast this buoy 
 away, and cried — ^' Strike out, John ! let her go. The 
 creater's a fool to tempt a man in this way." 
 
 Mohegan threw the fastening of the youth's boat from 
 the canoe, and with one stroke of his paddle sent the light 
 bark over the water like a meteor. 
 
 Hold ! " exclaimed Edwards. Remember the law, 
 my old friends. You are in plain sight of the village, 
 and I know that Judge Temple is determined to prosecute 
 all, indiscriminately, who kill deer out of season." 
 
 The remonstrance came too late : the canoe was already 
 far from the skiff, and the two hunters were too much 
 engaged in the pursuit to listen to his voice. 
 
 The buck was now within fifty yards of his pursuers, 
 cutting the water gallantly, and snorting at each breath 
 with terror and his exertions, while the canoe seemed to 
 dance over the waves, as it rose and fell with the undula- 
 tions made by its own motion. Leather- stocking raised 
 his rifle and freshened the priming, but stood in suspense 
 whether to slay his victim or not. 
 
 Shall I, John, or no?" he said. It seems but a 
 poor advantage to take of the dumb thing too. I won't ; 
 it has taken to the water on its own nater, which is the 
 reason that God has given to a deer, and I'll give it the 
 lake play ; so, John, lay out your arm, and mind the turn 
 of the buck ; its easy to catch them, but they'll turn like a 
 snake." 
 
 The Indian laughed at the conceit of his friend, but 
 continued to send the canoe forward with a velocity that 
 proceeded much more from his skill than his strength. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Both of the old men now used the language of the Dela- 
 wares when they spoke. 
 
 ^^Hugh!" exclaimed Mohegan ; the deer turns his 
 head. Hawk-eye, lift your spear." 
 
 Natty never moved abroad without taking with him 
 every implement that might, by possibility, be of service in 
 his pursuits. From his rifle he never parted ; and although 
 intending to fish with the line, the canoe was invariably 
 furnished with all of its utensils, even to its grate. This 
 precaution grew out of the habits of the hunter, who was 
 often led, by his necessities or his sports, far beyond the 
 limits of his original destination. A few years earlier than 
 the date of our tale, the Leather-stocking had left his hut 
 on the shores of the Otsego, with his rifle and his hounds, 
 for a few days' hunting in the hills ; but before he returned 
 he had seen the waters of Ontario. One, two, or even 
 three hundred miles had once been nothing to his sinews, 
 which were now a little stiffened by age. The hunter did 
 as Mohegan advised, and prepared to strike a blow, with 
 the barbed weapon, into the neck of the buck. 
 
 Lay her more to the left, John," he cried, lay her 
 more to the left ; another stroke of the paddle, and I have 
 him." 
 
 While speaking, he raised the spear, and darted it from 
 him like an arrow. At that instant the buck turned, the 
 long pole glanced by him, the iron striking against his 
 horn, and buried itself, harmlessly, in the lake. 
 
 Back water," cried Natty, as the canoe glided over the 
 place where the spear had fallen; ^^hold water, John." 
 
 The pole soon re-appeared, shooting upward from the 
 lake, and as the hunter seized it in his hand, the Indian 
 whirled the light canoe round, and renewed the chase. But 
 this evolution gave the buck a great advantage ; and it also 
 allowed time for Edwards to approach the scene of action. 
 
 " Hold your hand, Natty ! " cried the youth, hold your 
 hand ! remember it is out of season." 
 
 This remonstrance was made as the batteau arrived close 
 to the place where the deer was struggling with the water, 
 his back now rising to the surface, now sinking beneath it, 
 u 4 
 
296 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 as the waves curled from his neck^ the animal still sustain- 
 ing itself nobly against the odds. 
 
 "Hurrah!" shouted Edwards^ inflamed beyond pru- 
 dence at the sight; mind him as he doubles — mind him 
 as he doubles ; sheer more to the right, Mohegan, more to 
 the right, and I'll have him by the horns; I'll throw the 
 rope over his antlers." 
 
 The dark eye of the old warrior was dancing in his 
 head, with a wild animation, and the sluggish repose in 
 which his aged frame had been resting in the canoe was 
 now changed to all the rapid inflections of practised agility. 
 The canoe whirled with each cunning evolution of the 
 chase, like a bubble floating in a whirlpool ; and when the 
 direction of the pursuit admitted of a straight course, the 
 little bark skimmed the lake with a velocity that urged the 
 deer to seek its safety in some new turn. It was the fre- 
 quency of these circuitous movements, that, by confining 
 the action to so small a compass, enabled the youth to keep 
 near his companions. More than twenty times both the 
 pursued and the pursuers glided by him, just without the 
 reach of his oars, until he thought the best way to view the 
 sport was to remain stationary, and, by watching a favour- 
 able opportunity, assist as much as he could, in taking the 
 victim. 
 
 He was not required to wait long, for no sooner had he 
 adopted this resolution, and risen in the boat, than he saw 
 the deer coming bravely towards him, with an apparent 
 intention of pushing for a point of land at some distance 
 from the hounds, who were still barking and howling on 
 the shore. Edwards caught the painter of his skiff*, and, 
 making a noose, cast it from him with all his force, and 
 luckily succeeded in drawing its knot close around one of 
 the antlers of the buck. 
 
 For one instant, the skiff* was drawn through* the water, 
 but in the next, the canoe glided before it, and Natty, 
 bending low, passed his knife across the throat of the 
 animal, whose blood followed the wound, dying the waters. 
 The short time that was passed in the last struggles of the 
 animal was spent by the hunters in bringing their boats 
 together, and securing them in that position, when Leather- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 297 
 
 Stocking drew the deer from the water, and laid its lifeless 
 form in the bottom of the canoe. He placed his hands 
 on the ribs, and on different parts of the body of his 
 prize, and then, raising his head, he laughed in his peculiar 
 manner — 
 
 So much for Marmaduke Temple's law ! he said. 
 
 This warms a body's blood, old John; I haven't killed 
 a buck in the lake afore this, sin' many a year. I call that 
 good venison, lad ; and I know them that will relish the 
 creater's steaks, for all the betterments in the land.'* 
 
 The Indian had long been drooping with his years, and 
 perhaps under the calamities of his race, but this in- 
 vigorating and exciting sport caused a gleam of sunshine 
 to cross his swarthy face that had long been absent from 
 his features. It was evident the old man enjoyed the 
 chase more as a memorial of his youthful sports and deeds, 
 than with any expectation of profiting by the success. He 
 felt the deer, however, lightly, his hand already trembling 
 with the re-action of his unusual exertions, and smiled 
 with a nod of approbation, as he said, in the emphatic 
 and sententious manner of his people — 
 Good." 
 
 I am afraid. Natty," said Edwards, when the heat of 
 the moment had passed, and his blood began to cool, that 
 we have all been equally transgressors of the law. But 
 keep your own counsel, and there are none here to betray 
 us. Yet, how came those dogs at large ? " I left them 
 securely fastened, I know, for I felt the thongs, and exa- 
 mined the knots, when I was at the hut." 
 
 It has been too much for the poor things," said Natty, 
 to have such a buck take the wind of them. See, lad, the 
 pieces of the buck-skin are hanging from their necks yet. 
 Let us paddle up, John, and I will call them in, and look 
 a little into the matter." 
 
 When the old hunter landed, and examined the thongs 
 that were yet fast to the hounds, his countenance sensibly 
 changed, and he shook his head doubtingly. 
 
 Here has been a knife at work," he said : — this skin 
 was never torn, nor is this the mark of a hound's tooth. 
 No, no — Hector is not in fault, as I feared." 
 
298 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Has the leather been cut ? " cried Edwards. 
 
 No^ no — I didn't say it had been cut;, lad ; but this 
 is a mark that was never made by a jump or a bite." 
 
 Could that rascally carpenter have dared ! " 
 
 Ay ! he durst to do any thing when there is no 
 danger/* said Natty : he is a curious body^ and loves to 
 be helping other people on with their consarns. But he 
 had best not harbour so much near the wigwam ! " 
 
 In the mean time, Mohegan had been examining, with 
 an Indian's sagacity, the place where the leather thong had 
 been separated. After scrutinising it closely, he said, in 
 Delaware — 
 
 It was cut with a knife — a sharp blade and a long 
 handle — the man was afraid of the dogs." 
 
 How is this, Mohegan ? " exclaimed Edwards : you 
 saw it not ! how can you know these facts ? " 
 
 Listen, son," said the warrior. The knife was 
 sharp, for the cut is smooth ; — the handle was long, for 
 a man's arm would not reach from this gash to the cut 
 that did not go through the skin : — he was a coward, 
 or he would have cut the thongs around the necks of the 
 hounds." 
 
 On my life," cried Natty, John is on the scent ! 
 It was the carpenter ; and he has got on the rock back of 
 the kennel, and let the dogs loose by fastening his knife to 
 a stick. It would be an easy matter to do it, where a 
 man is so minded ? " 
 
 And why should he do so ? " asked Edwards : who 
 has done him wrong, that he should trouble two old men 
 like you ? " 
 
 It*s a hard matter, lad, to know men's ways, I find, 
 since the settlers have brought in their new fashions. 
 But is there nothing to be found out in the place? and 
 maybe he is troubled with his longings after other people's 
 business, as he often is." 
 
 Your suspicions are just. Give me the canoe : I am 
 young and strong, and will get down there yet, perhaps, 
 in time to interrupt his plans. Heaven forbid, that we 
 should be at the mercy of such a man ! '* 
 
 His proposal was accepted, the deer being placed in the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 299 
 
 skifF in order to lighten the canoe, and in less than five 
 minutes the little vessel of bark wsls gliding over the glassy 
 lake, and was soon hid by the points of land, as it shot 
 close along the shore. 
 
 Mohegan followed slowly with the skiff, while Natty 
 called his hounds to him, bade them keep close, and, shoul- 
 dering his rifle, he ascended the mountain, with an inten- 
 tion of going to the hut by land. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Ask me not what the maiden feels. 
 Left in that dreadful hour alone ; 
 
 Perchance, her reason stoops, or reels ; 
 Perchance, a courage not her own. 
 Braces her mind to desperate tone. Scott. 
 
 While the chase was occurring on the lake. Miss Temple 
 and her companion pursued their walk on the mountain. 
 Male attendants, on such excursions, were thought to be 
 altogether unnecessary, for none were ever known to offer 
 an insult to a female, who respected herself. After the 
 embarrassment, created by the parting discourse with Ed- 
 wards, had dissipated, the girls maintained a conversation 
 that was as innocent and cheerful as themselves. 
 
 The path they took led them but a short distance above 
 the hut of Leather-stocking, and there was a point in the 
 road which commanded a bird's eye view of the seques- 
 tered spot. 
 
 From a feeling, that might have been natural, and must 
 have been powerful, neither of the friends, in their fre- 
 quent and confidential dialogues, had ever trusted herself 
 to utter one syllable concerning the equivocal situation 
 in which the young man, who was now so intimately 
 associated with them, had been found. If Judge Temple 
 had deemed it prudent to make any enquiries on the 
 subject, he had also thought it proper to keep the answers 
 to himself ; though it was so common an occurrence to 
 
300 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 find the well-educated youth of the eastern states in every 
 stage of their career to wealth, that the simple circum- 
 stance of his intelligence^, connected with his poverty, 
 would not, at that day, and in that country, have excited 
 any very powerful curiosity. With his breeding, it might 
 have been different ; but the youth himself had so effec- 
 tually guarded against surprise on this subject, by his cold, 
 and even, in some cases, rude deportment, that when his 
 manners seemed to soften by time, the Judge, if he thought 
 about it at all, would have been most likely to imagine 
 that the improvement was the result of his late association. 
 But women are always more alive to such subjects than 
 men; and what the abstraction of the father had over- 
 looked, the observation of the daughter had easily detected. 
 In the thousand little courtesies of polished life, she had 
 early discovered that Edwards was not wanting, though 
 his gentleness was so often crossed by marks of what she 
 conceived to be fierce and uncontrollable passions. It 
 may, perhaps, be unnecessary to tell the reader that Louisa 
 Grant never reasoned so much after the fashions of the 
 world. The gentle girl, however, had her own thoughts 
 on the subject, and, like others, she drew her own con- 
 clusions. 
 
 I would give all my other secrets, Louisa," exclaimed 
 Miss Temple, laughing, and shaking back her dark locks, 
 with a look of childish simplicity that her intelligent face 
 seldom expressed, to be mistress of all that those rude 
 logs have heard and witnessed." 
 
 They were both looking at the secluded hut, at the 
 instant, and Miss Grant raised her mild eyes as she an- 
 swered — 
 
 I am sure they would tell nothing to the disadvantage 
 of Mr. Edwards." 
 
 Perhaps not; but they might, at least, tell who he is." 
 
 Why, dear Miss Temple, we know all that already. I 
 have heard it all very rationally explained by your cousin — " 
 
 The executive chief ! he can explain any thing. His 
 ingenuity will one day discover the philosopher's stone. 
 But what did he say ? " 
 
 Say ! " echoed Louisa, with a look of surprise ; why. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 301 
 
 every thing tliat seemed to me to be satisfactory, and I have 
 believed it to be true. He said that Natty Bumppo had 
 lived most of his life in the woods, and among the Indians, 
 by which means he had formed an acquaintance with old 
 John, the Delaware chief." 
 
 Indeed ! that was quite a matter-of-fact tale for cousin 
 Dickon. What came next ? " 
 
 I believe he accounted for their close intimacy, by 
 some story about the Leather-stocking saving the life of 
 John in a battle." 
 
 Nothing more likely," said Elizabeth, a little impa- 
 tiently ; but what is all this to the purpose ? " 
 
 Nay, Elizabeth, you must bear with my ignorance, 
 and I will repeat all that I remember to have overheard ; 
 for the dialogue was between my father and the Sheriff, so 
 lately as the last time they met. He then added, that the 
 kings of England used to keep gentlemen as agents among 
 the different tribes of Indians, and sometimes officers in the 
 army, who frequently passed half their lives on the edge of 
 the wilderness." 
 
 Told with wonderful historical accuracy ! And did 
 he end there } " 
 
 " Oh ! no — then he said that these agents seldom 
 married; and — and — they must have been wicked men, 
 Elizabeth ! but I assure you he said so." 
 
 Never mind," said Miss Temple, blushing and smiling, 
 though so shghtly, that both were unheeded by her com- 
 panion — skip all that." 
 
 Well, then he said that they often took great pride in 
 the education of their children, whom they frequently sent 
 to England, and even to the colleges ; and this is the way 
 that he accounts for the liberal manner in which Mr. Ed- 
 wards has been taught ; for he acknowledges that he knows 
 almost as much as your father — or mine — or even himself! " 
 
 Quite a climax in learning ! And so he made Mohegan 
 the grand uncle, or grandfather of OHver Edwards." 
 
 You have heard him yourself, then ? " said Louisa. 
 " Often ; but not on this subject. Mr. Richard Jones, 
 you know, dear, has a theory for every thing ; but has he 
 one which will explain the reason why that hut is the only 
 
302 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 habitation within fifty miles of us_, whose door is not open 
 to every person who may choose to lift its latch?" 
 
 I have never heard him say any thing on this subject," 
 returned the clergyman's daughter ; but I suppose that, 
 as they are poor, they very naturally are anxious to keep the 
 little that they honestly own. It is sometimes dangerous 
 to be rich. Miss Temple ; but you cannot know how hard it 
 is to be very, very poor." 
 
 Nor you, I trust, Louisa; at least I should hope, that in 
 this land of abundance, no minister of the church could be 
 left to absolute suffering." 
 
 There cannot be actual misery," returned the other, in 
 a low and humble tone, where there is a dependence on 
 our Maker ; but there may be such suffering as will cause the 
 heart to ache." 
 
 But not you — not you," said the impetuous Elizabeth — 
 " not you, dear girl ; you have never known the misery that 
 is connected with poverty." 
 
 Ah ! Miss Temple, you little understand the troubles of 
 this life, I believe. My father has spent many years as a 
 missionary, in the new countries, where his people were 
 poor, and frequently we have been without bread ; unable to 
 buy, and ashamed to beg, because we would not disgrace his 
 sacred calling. But how often have I seen him leave his 
 home, where the sick and the hungry felt, when he left 
 them, that they had lost their only earthly friend, to ride on 
 a duty which could not be neglected for domestic evils. Oh ! 
 how hard it must be, to preach consolation to others, when 
 your own heart is bursting with anguish ! " 
 
 But it is all over now ! your father's income must now 
 be equal to his wants — it must be — it shall be " 
 
 It is," replied Louisa, dropping her head on her bosom, 
 to conceal the tears which flowed in spite of her gentle Chris- 
 tianity, — for there are none left to be supplied but me." 
 
 The turn the conversation had taken drove from the 
 minds of the young maidens all other thoughts but those 
 of holy charity ; and Elizabeth folded her friend in her arms, 
 when the latter gave vent to her momentary grief, in audible 
 sobs. When this burst of emotion had subsided, Louisa 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 303 
 
 raised her mild countenance^ and they continued their walk 
 in silence. 
 
 By this time they had gained the summit of the moun- 
 tain, where they left the highway, and pursued their course, 
 under the shade of the stately trees that crowned the emi- 
 nence. The day was becoming warm, and the girls plunged 
 more deeply into the forest, as they found its invigorating 
 coolness agreeably contrasted to the excessive heat they had 
 experienced in the ascent. The conversation, as if by mu- 
 tual consent, was entirely changed to the little incidents and 
 scenes of their walk, and every tall pine, and every shrub or 
 flower, called forth some simple expression of admiration. 
 
 In this manner they proceeded along the margin of the 
 precipice, catching occasional glimpses of the placid Otsego, 
 or pausing to listen to the rattling of wheels and the sounds 
 of hammers, that rose from the valley, to mingle the signs 
 of men with the scenes of nature, when Elizabeth suddenly 
 started, and exclaimed — 
 
 Listen! there are the cries of a child on this mountain! 
 is there a clearing near us ? or can some little one have 
 strayed from its parents } " 
 
 Such things frequently happen," returned Louisa. 
 Let us follow the sounds ; it may be a wanderer starving 
 on the hill." 
 
 Urged by this consideration, the females pursued the low, 
 mournful sounds, that proceeded from the forest, with quick 
 and impatient steps. More than once, the ardent Elizabeth 
 was on the point of announcing that she saw the sufferer, 
 when Louisa caught her by the arm, and pointing behind 
 them, cried — 
 
 Look at the dog !" 
 
 Brave had been their companion, from the time the voice 
 of his young mistress lured him from his kennel, to the 
 present moment. His advanced age had long before de- 
 prived him of his activity ; and when his companions 
 stopped to view the scenery, or to add to their bouquets, 
 the mastiff would lay his huge frame on the ground, and 
 await their movements, with his eyes closed, and a listless- 
 ness in his air that ill accorded with the character of a 
 protector. But when, aroused by this cry from Louisa, 
 
304 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Miss Temple turned, she saw the dog with his eyes keenly 
 set on some distant object, his head bent near the ground, 
 and his hair actually rising on his body, through fright or 
 anger. It was most probably the latter, for he was growl- 
 ing in a low key, and occasionally showing his teeth, in a 
 manner that would have terrified his mistress, had she not 
 so well known his good qualities. 
 
 Brave ! '* she said, be quiet. Brave ! what do you 
 see, fellow?" 
 
 At the sounds of her voice, the rage of the mastiff, instead 
 of being at all diminished, was very sensibly increased. He 
 stalked in front of the ladies, and seated himself at the feet 
 of his mistress, growling louder than before, and occasion- 
 ally giving vent to his ire, by a short, surly barking. 
 
 ^'^ Wliat does he see ? " said Elizabeth : there must be 
 some animal in sight." 
 
 Hearing no answer from her companion. Miss Temple 
 turned her head, and beheld Louisa, standing with her face 
 whitened to the colour of death, and her finger pointing 
 upward, with a sort of flickering, convulsed motion. The 
 quick eye of EKzabeth glanced in the direction indicated by 
 her friend, where she saw the fierce front and glaring eyes 
 of a female panther, fixed on them in horrid malignity, and 
 threatening to leap. 
 
 Let us fly ! " exclaimed Elizabeth, grasping the arm of 
 Louisa, whose form yielded like melting snow. 
 
 There was not a single feeling in the temperament of 
 Elizabeth Temple, that could prompt her to desert a com- 
 panion in such an extremity. She fell on her knees, by the 
 side of the inanimate Louisa, tearing from the person of 
 her friend, with instinctive readiness, such parts of her 
 dress as might obstruct her respiration, and encouraging 
 their only safeguard, the dog, at the same time, by the 
 sounds of her voice. 
 
 Courage, Brave ! " she cried, her own tones beginning 
 to tremble, courage, courage, good Brave ! " 
 
 A quarter-grown cub, that had hitherto been unseen, 
 now appeared, dropping from the branches of a sapling 
 that grew under the shade of the beech which held its dam. 
 This ignorant, but vicious creature, approached the dog. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 305 
 
 imitating the actions and sounds of its parent_, but exhibiting 
 a strange mixture of the playfulness of a kitten with the 
 ferocity of its race. Standing on its hind legs^ it would 
 rend the bark of a tree with its fore paws^ and play the 
 antics of a cat ; and then^ by lashing itself with its tail, 
 growling, and scratching the earth_, it would attempt the 
 manifestations of anger that rendered its parent so terrific. 
 
 All this time Brave stood firm and undaunted^ his short 
 tail erect, his body drawn backward on its haunches, and 
 his eyes following the movements of both dam and cub. At 
 every gambol played by the latter^ it approached nigher to 
 the dog, the growling of the three becoming more horrid at 
 each moment_, until the younger beast overleaping its in- 
 tended bound, fell directly before the mastiff. There was 
 a moment of fearful cries and struggles, but they ended 
 almost as soon as commenced, by the cub appearing in the 
 air, hurled from the jaws of Brave, with a violence that 
 sent it against a tree so forcibly as to render it completely 
 senseless. 
 
 Elizabeth witnessed the short struggle, and her blood 
 was warming with the triumph of the dog, when she saw 
 the form of the old panther in the air, springing twenty 
 feet from the branch of the beech to the back of the mas- 
 tiff. No words of ours can describe the fury of the con- 
 flict that followed. It was a confused struggle on the 
 dried leaves, accompanied by loud and terrific cries. Miss 
 Temple continued on her knees, bending over the form of 
 Louisa, her eyes fixed on the animals, with an interest so 
 horrid, and yet so intense, that she almost forgot her own 
 stake in the result. So rapid and vigorous were the bounds 
 of the inhabitant of the forest, that its active frame seemed 
 constantly in the air, while the dog nobly faced his foe at 
 each successive leap. When the panther lighted on the 
 shoulders of the mastiff, which was its constant aim, old 
 Brave, though torn with her talons, and stained with his 
 own blood, that already flowed from a dozen wounds, 
 would shake off his furious foe, hke a feather, and rearing 
 on his hind legs, rush to the fray again, with jaws dis- 
 tended, and a dauntless eye. But age, and his pampered 
 life, greatly disqualified the noble mastiff for such a strug- 
 
 X 
 
306 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 gle. In every thing but courage^ he was only the vestige 
 of what he had once been. A higher bound than ever 
 raised the wary and furious beast far beyond the reach of the 
 dog, who was making a desperate but fruitless dash at her, 
 from which she alighted in a favourable position, on the 
 back of her aged foe. For a single moment only could 
 the panther remain there, the great strength of the dog 
 returning with a convulsive effort. But Elizabeth saw, as 
 Brave fastened his teeth in the side of his enemy, that the 
 collar of brass around his neck, which had been glittering 
 throughout the fray, was of the colour of blood, and directly, 
 that his frame was sinking to the earth, where it soon lay 
 prostrate and helpless. Several mighty efforts of the wild- 
 cat to extricate herself from the jaws of the dog followed, 
 but they were fruitless, until the mastiff turned on his back, 
 his lips collapsed, and his teeth loosened, when the short 
 convulsions and stillness that succeeded, announced the 
 death of poor Brave. 
 
 Elizabeth now lay wholly at the mercy of the beast. 
 There is said to be something in the front of the image of 
 the Maker, that daunts the hearts of the inferior beings of 
 his creation ; and it would seem that some such power, in 
 the present instance, suspended the threatened blow. The 
 eyes of the monster and the kneeling maiden met, for an 
 instant, when the former stooped to examine her fallen foe ; 
 next to scent her luckless cub. From the latter examin- 
 ation, it turned, however, with its eyes apparently emitting 
 flashes of fire, its tail lashing its sides furiously, and its 
 claws projecting inches from her broad feet. 
 
 Miss Temple did not, or could not, move. Her hands 
 were clasped in the attitude of prayer, but her eyes were 
 still drawn to her terrible enemy — her cheeks were blanched 
 to the whiteness of marble, and her lips were slightly 
 separated with horror. The moment seemed now to have 
 arrived for the fatal termination, and the beautiful figure 
 of Elizabeth was bowing meekly to the stroke, when a rust- 
 ling of leaves behind seemed rather to mock the organs, 
 than to meet her ears. 
 
 Hist ! hist ! " said a low voice : — steep lower, gal ; 
 your bonnet hides the creater's head/' 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 S07 
 
 It was rather the yielding of nature than a compliance 
 with this unexpected order, that caused the head of our 
 heroine to sink on her bosom ; when she heard the report 
 of the rifle, the whizzing of the bullet, and the enraged 
 cries of the beast, who was rolling over on the earth, biting 
 its own flesh, and tearing the twigs and branches within 
 its reach. At the next instant the form of the Leather- 
 stocking rushed by her, and he called aloud — 
 
 Come in. Hector, come in, old fool ; 'tis a hard-lived 
 animal, and may jump ag'in." 
 
 Natty fearlessly maintained his position in front of the 
 females, notwithstanding the violent bounds and threaten- 
 ing aspect of the wounded panther, which gave several in- 
 dications of returning strength and ferocity, until his rifle 
 was again loaded, when he stepped up to the enraged 
 animal, and placing the muzzle close to its head, every 
 spark of life was extinguished by the discharge. 
 
 The death of her terrible enemy appeared to Elizabeth 
 like a resurrection from her own grave. There was an 
 dasticity in the mind of our heroine, that rose to meet the 
 pressure of instant danger, and the more direct it had been, 
 the more her nature had struggled to overcome them. But 
 still she was woman. Had she been left to herself, in her 
 late extremity, she would probably have used her faculties 
 to the utmost, and with discretion, in protecting her per- 
 son, but encumbered with her inanimate friend, retreat 
 was a thing not to be attempted. — Notwithstanding the 
 fearful aspect of her foe, the eye of Elizabeth had never 
 shrunk from its gaze, and long after the event, her thoughts 
 would recur to her passing sensations, and the sweetness of 
 her midnight sleep would be disturbed, as her active fancy 
 conjured, in dreams, the most trifling movements of savage 
 fury, that the beast had exhibited in its moment of 
 power. 
 
 We shall leave the reader to imagine the restoration of 
 Louisa's senses, and the expressions of gratitude which fell 
 from the young women. The former was effected by a 
 little water, that was brought from one of the thousand 
 springs of those mountains, in the cap of the Leather- 
 stocking ; and the latter were uttered with the warmth 
 X 2 
 
308 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 that might be expected from the character of Elizabeth. 
 Natty received her vehement protestations of gratitude with 
 a simple expression of good-will, and with indulgence for 
 her present excitement_, but with a carelessness that showed 
 how little he thought of the service he had rendered. 
 
 " Well, well/' he said, be it so, gal ; let it be so, if 
 you wish it — we'll talk the thing over another time. Come, 
 come — let us get into the road, for youVe had terror 
 enough to make you wish yourself in your father's house 
 ag'in." 
 
 This was uttered as they were proceeding, at a pace 
 that was adapted to the weakness of Louisa, towards the 
 highway : on reaching which the ladies separated from 
 their guide, declaring themselves equal to the remainder of 
 the walk without his assistance, and feeling encouraged by 
 the sight of the village which lay beneath their feet, like a 
 picture, with its limpid lake in front, the winding stream 
 along its margin, and its hundred chimneys of whitened 
 bricks. 
 
 The reader need not be told the nature of the emotions 
 which two youthful, ingenuous, and well-educated girls 
 would experience at their escape from a death so horrid as 
 the one which had impended over them, while they pur- 
 sued their way in silence along the track on the side of 
 the mountain ; nor how deep were their mental thanks to 
 that Power which had given them their existence, and 
 which had not deserted them in their extremity ; neither 
 how often they pressed each other's arms, as the assurance 
 of their present safety came, like a healing balm, athwart 
 their troubled spirits, when their thoughts were recurring to 
 the recent moments of horror. 
 
 Leather-stocking remained on the hill, gazing after their 
 retiring figures, until they were hid by a bend in the road, 
 when he whistled in his dogs, and shouldering his rifle, he 
 returned into the forest. 
 
 Well, it was a skeary thing to the young creaters," 
 said Natty, while he retrod the path towards the slain. 
 
 It might frighten an older woman, to see a she painter 
 so near her, with a dead cub by its side. I wonder if I 
 had aimed at the varmint's eye, if I shouldn't have touched 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 309 
 
 the life sooner than in the forehead ; hut they are hard- 
 lived animals^ and it was a good shot^ considering that I 
 could see nothing but the head and the peak of its tail. 
 Hah ! who goes there ? " 
 
 How goes it^ Natty ? " said Mr. Doolittle^ stepping out 
 of the bushes^ with a motion that was a good deal accele- 
 rated by the sight of the rifle_, that was already lowered in 
 his direction. What ! shooting this warm day ! mind, 
 old man, the law don't get hold on you." 
 
 ^' The law, squire ! I have shook hands with the law 
 these forty year," returned Natty ; for what has a man 
 who lives in the wilderness to do with the ways of the 
 law ? " 
 
 Not much, may he," said Hiram ; but you some- 
 times trade in venison. I s'pose you know. Leather-stock- 
 ing, that there is an act passed to lay a fine of five pounds 
 currency, or twelve dollars and fifty cents, by decimals, on 
 every man who kills a deer betwixt January and August. 
 The Judge had a great hand in getting the law through." 
 
 I can believe it," returned the old hunter ; I can 
 believe that or any thing, of a man who carries on as he 
 does in the country." 
 
 Yes, the law is quite positive, and the Judge is bent 
 on putting it in force — five pounds penalty. I thought 
 I heard your hounds out on the scent of so'thing this morn- 
 ing : I did'nt know but they might get you in difficulty." 
 
 They know their manners too well," said Natty, care- 
 lessly. And how much goes to the state's evidence, 
 squire } " 
 
 How much ! " repeated Hiram, quailing under the 
 honest but sharp look of the hunter : — the informer gets 
 half, I — I b'lieve ; — yes, I guess it's half. But there's 
 blood on your sleeve, man — you haven't been shooting any 
 thing this morning ? " 
 
 *^ I have, though," said the hunter, nodding his head 
 significantly to the other, and a good shot I made of it." 
 
 H-e-m !" ejaculated the magistrate ; and where is 
 the game.f* I s'pose it's of a good nater, for your dogs 
 won't hunt at any thing that isn't choice." 
 
 They'll hunt any thing I tell them to, squire," cried 
 X 3 
 
310 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Natty, favouring the other with his laugh. TheyTl 
 hunt you, if I say so. He-e-e-re, he-e-e-re, Hector — 
 he-e-e-re, slut — come this a- way, pups — come this a- way 
 — come hither." 
 
 Oh ! I have always heard a good character of the 
 dogs," returned Mr. Doolittle, quickening his pace by 
 raising each leg in rapid succession, as the hounds scented 
 around his person. And where is the game. Leather- 
 stocking ? " 
 
 During this dialogue, the speakers had been walking at 
 a very fast gait, and Natty swung the end of his rifle 
 round, pointing through the bushes, and replied — 
 
 There lies one. How do you like such meat ? " 
 
 This ! exclaimed Hiram ; why this is Judge Tem- 
 ple's dog Brave. Take care. Leather-stocking, and don't 
 make an enemy of the Judge. I hope you haven't harmed 
 the animal ? " 
 
 Look for yourself, Mr. Doolittle," said Natty, drawing 
 his knife from his girdle, and wiping it, in a knowing 
 manner, once or twice across his garment of buckskin ; 
 does his throat look as if I had cut it with this knife ? " 
 " It is dreadfully torn ! it's an awful wound — no knife 
 never did this deed. Who could have done it ? " 
 
 The painters behind you, squire." 
 
 Painters ! " echoed Hiram, whirling on his heel with 
 an agility that would have done credit to a dancing master. 
 
 Be easy, man," said Natty ; there's two of the ve- 
 nomous things ; but the dog finished one, and I have fas- 
 tened the other's jaws for her ; so don't be frightened, squire, 
 they won't hurt you." 
 
 And where's the deer ? " cried Hiram, staring about 
 him with a bewildered air. 
 
 Anan ! deer ! " repeated Natty. 
 
 Sartain, an't there ven'son here, or didn't you kill a 
 buck ? " 
 
 What ! when the law forbids the thing, squire ! " said 
 the old hunter. I hope there's no law ag'in killing the 
 painters." 
 
 " No; there's a bounty on the scalps — but — will your 
 dogs hunt painters. Natty ? " 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 311 
 
 Any thing ; did'nt I tell you they'd hunt a man ? 
 He-e-re^ he-e-re, pups " 
 
 Yes^ yes, I remember. Well, they are strange dogs, 
 I must say — I am quite in a wonderment.'* 
 
 Natty had seated himself on the ground, and having laid 
 the grim head of his late ferocious enemy in his lap, was 
 drawing his knife with a practised hand around the ears, 
 which he tore from the head of the beast in such a manner 
 as to preserve their connection, when he answered — 
 
 What at, squire ? did you never see a painter's scalp 
 afore ? Come, you are a magistrate, I wish you'd make 
 me out an order for the bounty." 
 
 The bounty !" repeated Hiram, holding the ears on 
 the end of his finger, for a moment, as if uncertain how to 
 proceed. Well, let us go down to your hut, where you 
 can take the oath, and I will write out the order. I sup- 
 pose you have a Bible ? all the law wants is the four Evan- 
 gelists and the Lord's prayer." 
 
 I keep no books," said Natty, a little coldly ; not 
 such a Bible as the law needs." 
 
 Oh ! there's but one sort of Bible that's good in law," 
 returned the magistrate ; and yourn will do as well as 
 another's. Come, the carcasses are worth nothing, man ; 
 let us go down and take the oath." 
 
 " Softly, softly, squire," said the hunter, lifting his 
 trophies very deliberately from the ground, and shouldering 
 his rifle ; why do you want an oath at all, for a thing that 
 your own eyes has seen ? won't you believe yourself, that 
 another man must swear to a fact that you know to be 
 true.f* You have seen me scalp the creaters, and if I 
 must swear to it, it shall be before Judge Temple, who 
 needs an oath." 
 
 But we have no pen or paper here. Leather- stocking ; 
 we must go to the hut for them, or how can I write the 
 order." 
 
 Natty turned his simple features on the cunning magis- 
 trate with another of his laughs, as he said — 
 
 And what should I be doing with scholars' tools } I 
 want no pens or paper, not knowing the use of either ; and 
 I keep none. No, no, I'll bring the scalps into the village, 
 X 4 
 
312 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 S{|uire^ and you can make out the order on one of your 
 law-books, and it will be all the better for it. The deuce 
 take this leather on the neck of the dog, it will strangle the 
 old fool. Can you lend me a knife^ squire ? " 
 
 Hiram, who seemed particularly anxious to be on good 
 terms with his companion, unhesitatingly complied. Natty 
 cut the thong from the neck of the hound, and, as he re- 
 turned the knife to its owner, carelessly remarked — 
 
 'Tis a good bit of steel, and has cut such leather as 
 this very same, before now, I dare say." 
 
 Do you mean to charge me with letting your hounds 
 loose ? " exclaimed Hiram, with a consciousness that dis- 
 armed his caution. 
 
 Loose ! " repeated the hunter — I let them loose 
 myself. I always let them loose before I leave the hut." 
 
 The ungovernable amazement with which Mr. Doolittle 
 listened to this falsehood, would have betrayed his agency 
 in the liberation of the dogs, had Natty wanted any further 
 confirmation ; and the coolness and management of the old 
 man now disappeared in open indignation. 
 
 Look you here, Mr. Doolittle," he said^ striking the 
 breech of his rifle violently on the ground ; what there 
 is in the wigwam of a poor man like me, that one like you 
 can crave, I don't know ; but this I tell you to your face, 
 that you never shall put foot under the roof of my cabin 
 with my consent, and that if you harbour round the spot 
 as you have done lately, you may meet with treatment that 
 you will little relish." 
 
 And let me tell you, Mr. Bumppo," said Hiram, re- 
 treating, however, with a quick step, that I know you've 
 broke the law, and that I'm a magistrate, and will make 
 you feel it too, before you are a day older." 
 
 That for you and your law too," cried Natty, snap- 
 ping his fingers at the justice of the peace: — away with 
 you, you varmint, before the devil tempts me to give you 
 your desarts. Take care, if I ever catch your prowling 
 face in the woods ag'in, that I don't shoot it for an owl." 
 
 There is something at all times commanding in honest 
 indignation, and Hiram did not stay to provoke the wrath 
 of the old hunter to extremities. When the intruder was 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 813 
 
 out of sights Natty proceeded to the hut^ where he found 
 all quiet as the grave. He fastened his dogs^ and tapping 
 at the door^ which was opened by Edwards, asked — 
 Is all safe, lad!" 
 
 Every thing/' returned the youth. Some one at- 
 tempted the lock, but it was too strong for him." 
 
 I know the creater," said Natty, but he'll not trust 
 himself within reach of my rifle very soon — " What 
 more was uttered by the Leather-stocking, in his vexation, 
 was rendered inaudible by the closing of the door of the 
 cabin. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 It is noised, he hath a mass of treasure. Timon of Athens. 
 
 When Marmaduke Temple and his cousin rode through 
 the gate of the former, the heart of the father had been 
 too recently touched with the best feeling of our nature, to 
 leave inclination for immediate discourse. There was an 
 importance in the air of Richard, which would not have 
 admitted of the ordinary informal conversation of the She- 
 riff, without violating all the rules of consistency ; and the 
 equestrians pursued their way with great diligence, for 
 more than a mile, in profound silence. At length the soft 
 expression of parental affection was slowly chased from the 
 handsome features of the Judge, and was gradually sup- 
 planted by the cast of humour and benevolence that was 
 usually seated on his brow. 
 
 Well, Dickon," he said, since I have yielded my- 
 self, so far, imphcitly to your guidance, I think the mo- 
 ment has arrived, when I am entitled to further confidence- 
 Why and wherefore are we journeying together in this 
 solemn gait } " 
 
 The Sheriff gave a loud hem, that rung far in the forest, 
 and keeping his eyes fixed on objects before him, like a 
 man who is looking deep into futurity — 
 
314 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 There has always been one point of difference between 
 us. Judge Temple, I may say, since our nativity," he 
 replied ; not that I would insinuate that you are at all 
 answerable for the acts of nature ; for a man is no more 
 to be condemned for the misfortunes of his birth, than he 
 is to be commended for the natural advantages he may 
 possess ; but on one point we may be said to have differed 
 from our births, and they, you know, occurred within two 
 days of each other." 
 
 I really marvel, Richard, what this one point can be ; 
 for, to my eyes, we seem to differ so materially, and so 
 often " 
 
 Mere consequences, sir," interrupted the Sheriff ; all 
 our minor differences proceed from one cause, and that is, 
 our opinions of the universal attainments of genius." 
 
 In what, Dickon ? " 
 
 I speak plain English, I believe. Judge Temple; at 
 least I ought ; for my father, who taught me, could 
 speak " 
 
 Greek and Latin," interrupted Marmaduke. — 1 well 
 know the qualifications of your family in tongues, Dickon. 
 But proceed to the point ; why are we travelling over this 
 mountain to-day ? " 
 
 " To do justice to any subject, sir, the narrator must 
 be suffered to proceed in his own way," continued the 
 Sheriff. You are of opinion. Judge Temple, that a man 
 is to be qualified by nature and education to do only one 
 thing well, whereas I know that genius wiU supply the 
 place of learning, and that a certain sort of man can do any 
 thing and every thing." 
 
 Like yourself, I suppose," said Marmaduke, smiling. 
 
 I scorn personalities, sir, I say nothing of myself; 
 but there are three men on your Patent, of the kind that 
 I should term talented by nature for her general pur- 
 poses, though acting under the influence of different situ- 
 ations." 
 
 " We are better off, then, than I had supposed. Who 
 are these triumviri ? " 
 
 Why, sir, one is Hiram Doolittle ; a carpenter by 
 trade, as you know, — ? and I need only point to the village 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 315 
 
 to exhibit his merits. Then he is a magistrate^ and might 
 shame many a man^ in his distribution of justice^ who has 
 had better opportunities." 
 
 Well, he is one_," said Marmaduke, with the air of a 
 man that was determined not to dispute the point. 
 
 Jotham Riddel is another." 
 
 Who?" 
 
 Jotham Riddel." 
 
 What, that dissatisfied, shiftless, lazy, speculating fel- 
 low ! he who changes his county every three years, his farm 
 every six months, and his occupation every season ! an 
 agriculturist yesterday, a shoemaker to-day, and a school- 
 master to-morrow ! that epitome of all the unsteady and 
 profitless propensities of the settlers without one of their 
 good qualities to counterbalance the evil ! Nay, Richard, 
 this is too bad for even but the third ? " 
 
 As the third is not used to hearing such comments on 
 his character. Judge Temple, I shall not name him." 
 
 The amount of all this, then, Dickon, is, that the trio, 
 of which you are one, and the principal, have made some 
 important discovery." 
 
 " I have not said that I am one. Judge Temple. As I 
 told you before, I say nothing egotistical. B^'t a discovery 
 has been made, and you are deeply interested in it," 
 
 Proceed — I am all ears." 
 
 No, no, 'duke, you are bad enough, I own, but not so 
 bad as that either ; your ears are not quite full grown." 
 
 The Sheriff laughed heartily at his own wit, and put 
 himself in good humour thereby, when he gratified his 
 patient cousin with the following explanation ; — 
 
 You know, 'duke, there is a man living on your estate 
 that goes by the name of Natty Bumppo. Here has this 
 man lived, by what I can learn, for more than forty years 
 — by himself, until lately ; and now with strange com- 
 panions." 
 
 Part very true, and all very probable," said the Judge. 
 
 All true, sir ; all true. Well, within these last few 
 months have appeared as his companions, an old Indian 
 chief, the last, or one of the last of his tribe that is to be 
 
316 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 found in this part of the country^ and a young man^ who 
 is said to be the son of some Indian agent_, by a squaw/* 
 
 Who says that ? " cried Marmaduke^ with an interest 
 that he had not manifested before. 
 
 Who ! why common sense — common report — the 
 hue and cry. But listen till you know all. This youth has 
 very pretty talents — yes^ what I call very pretty talents — 
 and has been well educated^ has seen very tolerable com- 
 pany^ and knows how to behave himself, when he has a 
 mind to. Now^ Judge Temple^ can you tell me what has 
 brought three such men as Indian John^ Natty Bumppo, 
 and OHver Edwards^ together ? " 
 
 Marmaduke turned his countenance, in evident surprise, 
 to his cousin, and replied quickly — 
 
 Thou hast unexpectedly hit on a subject, Richard, 
 that has often occupied my mind. But knowest thou any 
 thing of this mystery, or are they only the crude conjec- 
 tures of " 
 
 Crude nothing, 'duke, crude nothing ; but facts, stub- 
 born facts. You know there are mines in these mountains ; 
 I have often heard you say that you believed in their 
 existence." 
 
 Reasoning from analogy, Richard, but not with any 
 certainty of the fact." 
 
 You have heard them mentioned, and have seen spe- 
 cimens of the ore, sir ; you will not deny that ! and, 
 reasoning from analogy, as you say, if there be mines in 
 South America, ought there not to be mines in North 
 America too ? " 
 
 Nay nay, I deny nothing, my cousin. I certainly have 
 heard many rumours of the existence of mines in these 
 hills ; and I do believe that I have se^ specimens of the 
 precious metals that have been found here. It would oc- 
 casion me no surprise to learn that tin and silver, or what 
 I consider of more consequence, good coal " 
 
 Damn your coal," cried the Sheriff ; who wants to 
 find coal in these forests ? No, no, silver, 'duke ; silver 
 is the one thing needful, and silver is to be found. But 
 listen : you are not to be told that the natives have long 
 known the use of gold and silver ; now who so likely to be 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 517 
 
 acquainted where they are to be founds as the ancient inha- 
 bitants of a country ? I have the best reasons for believing 
 that both Mohegan and the Leather-stocking have been 
 privy to the existence of a mine in this very mountain^ for 
 many years/* 
 
 The Sheriff had now touched his cousin in a sensitive 
 spot ; and Marmaduke lent a more attentive ear to the 
 speaker^ who, after waiting a moment, to see the effect of 
 this extraordinary developement, proceeded — 
 
 Yes, sir, I have my reasons, and at a proper time you 
 shall know them." 
 
 No time is so good as the present/* 
 
 Well, well, be attentive," continued Richard, looking 
 cautiously about him, to make certain that no eavesdropper 
 was hid in the forest, though they were in constant motion 
 I have seen Mohegan and the Leather- stocking, with my 
 own eyes — and my eyes are as good as any body's eyes — 
 I have seen them, I say, both going up the mountain and 
 coming down it ; with spades and picks ; and others have 
 seen them carrying things into their hut, in a secret and 
 mysterious manner, after dark. Do you call this a fact of 
 importance ? " 
 
 The Judge did not reply, but his brow had contracted, 
 with a thoughtfulness that he always wore when much in- 
 terested, and his eyes rested on his cousin in expectation of 
 hearing more. Richard continued — 
 
 It was ore. Now, sir, I ask if you can tell me who 
 this Mr. Oliver Edwards is, that has made a part of your 
 household since Christmas.'^" 
 
 Marmaduke again raised his eyes, but continued silent, 
 shaking his head in the negative. 
 
 That he is a half-breed we know, for Mohegan does 
 not scruple to call him, openly, his kinsman; that he is well 
 educated we know. But as to his business here — do you 
 remember that about a month before this young man made 
 his appearance among us. Natty was absent from home 
 several days } You do ; for you enquired for him, as you 
 wanted some venison to take to your friends, when you 
 went for Bess. Well, he was not to be found. Old John 
 was left in the hut alone ; and when Natty did appear^ al- 
 
318 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 though he came on in the night, he was seen drawing one 
 of those jumpers that they carry their grain to mill in, and 
 to take out something with great care, that he had covered 
 up under his bear-skins. Now let me ask you. Judge 
 Temple, what motive could induce a man like the Leather- 
 stocking to make a sled, and toil with a load over these 
 mountains, if he had nothing but his rifle or his ammu- 
 nition to carry ? 
 
 They frequently make these jumpers to convey their 
 game home, and you say he had been absent many days." 
 
 How did he kill it ? His rifle was in the village, to be 
 mended. No, no — that he was gone to some unusual place 
 is certain ; that he brought back some secret utensils is 
 more certain ; and that he has not allowed a soul to ap- 
 proach his hut since, is most certain of all." 
 
 He was never fond of intruders " 
 
 I know it,'* interrupted Richard ; but did he drive 
 them from his cabin morosely ? Within a fortnight of his 
 return, this Mr. Edwards appears. They spend whole days 
 in the mountains, pretending to be shooting, but in reality 
 exploring ; the frosts prevent their digging at that time, 
 and he avails himself of a lucky accident to get into good 
 quarters. But even now, he is quite haif of his time in 
 that hut — many hours every night. They are smelting, 
 *duke, they are smelting, and as they grow rich, you grow 
 poor. 
 
 How much of this is thine own, Richard, and how 
 much comes from others } 1 would sift the wheat from 
 the chafl*." 
 
 Part is my own, for I saw the jumper, though it was 
 broken up and burnt in a day or two. I have told you 
 that I saw the old man with his spades and picks. Hiram 
 met Natty, as he was crossing the mountain, the night of 
 his arrival with the sled, and very good-naturedly offered 
 — Hiram is good-natured — to carry up part of his load, 
 for the old man had a heavy pull up the back of the moun- 
 tain, but he wouldn't listen to the thing, and repulsed the 
 off^er in such a manner that the Squire said he had half a 
 mind to swear the peace against him. Since the snow has 
 been off*^ more especially after the frosts got out of the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ground_, we have kept a watchful eye on the gentleman^ in 
 which we have found Jotham useful." 
 
 Marmaduke did not much like the associates of Richard 
 in this business; still he knew them to he cunning and 
 ready in expedients ; and as there was certainly something 
 mysterious^ not only in the connection between the old 
 hunters and Edwards_, but in w hat his cousin had just re- 
 lated^ he began to revolve the subject in his own mind with 
 more care. On reflection^ he remembered various cir- 
 cumstances that tended to corroborate these suspicions^ and, 
 as the whole business favoured one of his infirmities^ he 
 yielded the more readily to their impression. The mind of 
 Judge Temple, at all times comprehensive, had received, 
 from his peculiar occupations, a bias to look far into fu- 
 turity, in his speculations on the improvements that pos- 
 terity were to make in his lands. To his eye, where others 
 saw nothing but a wilderness, towns, manufactories, bridges 
 canals, mines, and ail the other resources of an old country, 
 were constantly presenting themselves, though his good 
 sense suppressed, in some degree, the exhibition of these 
 expectations. 
 
 As the Sheriff allowed his cousin full time to reflect on 
 what he had heard, the probability of some pecuniary ad- 
 venture being the connecting link in the chain that brought 
 Oliver Edwards into the cabin of Leather-stocking, ap- 
 peared to him each moment to be stronger. But Marma- 
 duke was too much in the habit of examining both sides 
 of a subject, not to perceive the objections, and he reasoned 
 with himself aloud : — 
 
 It cannot be so, or the youth would not be driven so 
 near the verge of poverty." 
 
 What so Hkely to make a man dig for money, as 
 being poor ? " cried the Sheriff. 
 
 Besides, there is an elevation of character about Oliver, 
 that proceeds from education, which would forbid so clan- 
 destine a proceeding." 
 
 Could an ignorant fellow smelt continued Richard. 
 
 Bess hints that he was reduced even to his last shil- 
 ling, when we took him into our dwelling." 
 
 He had been buying tools. And would he spend his 
 
S20 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 last sixpence for a shot at a turkey, had he not known where 
 to get more ? " 
 
 Can I have possibly been so long a dupe ! His man- 
 ner has been rude to me at times ; but I attributed it to 
 his conceiving himself injured, and to his mistaking the 
 forms of the world." 
 
 Haven't you been a dupe all your life, 'duke ? and an't 
 what you call ignorance of forms deep cunning, to conceal 
 his real character ? " 
 
 If he were bent on deception, he would have con- 
 cealed his knowledge, and passed with us for an inferior 
 man." 
 
 He cannot. I could no more pass for a fool, myself, 
 than I could fly. Knowledge is not to be concealed, like 
 a candle under a bushel." 
 
 Richard," said the Judge, turning to his cousin, there 
 are many reasons against the truth of thy conjectures ; but 
 thou hast awakened suspicions which must be satisfied. 
 But why are we travelling here ? " 
 
 Jotham, who has been much in the mountain latterly, 
 being kept there by me and Hiram, has made a discovery, 
 which he will not explain, he says, for he is bound by an 
 oath ; but the amount is, that he knows where the ore 
 lies, and he has this day begun to dig. I would not con- 
 sent to the thing, 'duke, without your knowledge, for the 
 land is yours ; and now you know the reason of our ride. 
 I call this a countermine, ha ! " 
 
 And where is the desirable spot?" asked the Judge^ 
 with an air half comical, half serious. 
 
 At hand ; and when we have visited that, I will show 
 you one of the places that we have found within a week, 
 where our hunters have been amusing themselves for six 
 months past." 
 
 The gentlemen continued to discuss the matter, while 
 their horses picked their way under the branches of trees, 
 and over the uneven ground of the mountain. They soon 
 arrived at the end of their journey, where, in truth, they 
 found Jotham already buried to his neck in a hole that he 
 had been digging. 
 
 Marmaduke questioned the miner very closely, as to his 
 
THE PIOIvEERS. 
 
 321 
 
 reasons for believing in the existence of the precious me- 
 tals near that particular spot ; but the fellow maintained an 
 obstinate mystery in his answers. He asserted that he had 
 the best of reasons for what he did, and enquired of the 
 Judge what portion of the profits would fall to his own 
 share^ in the event of success, with an earnestness that 
 proved his faith. After spending an hour near the place, 
 examining the stones, and searching for the usual indica- 
 tions of the proximity of ore, the Judge remounted, 
 and suffered his cousin to lead the way to the place where 
 the mysterious trio had been making their excavation. 
 
 The spot chosen by Jotham was on the back of the 
 mountain that overhung the hut of Leather-stocking, and 
 the place selected by Natty and his companions w^as on the 
 other side of the same hill, but above the road, and, of 
 course, in an opposite direction to the route taken by the 
 ladies in their walk. 
 
 We shall be safe in approaching the place now," said 
 Richard, while they dismounted and fastened their horses ; 
 ^^for I took a look with the glass, and saw John and 
 Leather-stocking in their canoe fishing, before we left 
 home, and Oliver is in the same pursuit ; but these may 
 be nothing but shams, to blind our eyes, so we will be ex- 
 peditious, for it would not be pleasant to be caught here 
 by them." 
 
 Not on my own land!'' said Marmaduke sternly. 
 ^^If it be as you suspect, I will know their reasons for 
 making this excavation." 
 
 Mum," said Richard, laying a finger on his lip, and 
 leading the way down a very difficult descent to a sort of 
 natural cavern, v^hich was formed in the face of the rock, 
 and was not unlike a fire-place in shape. In front of this 
 place lay a pile of earth, which had evidently been taken 
 from the recess, and part of which was yet fresh. An 
 examination of the exterior of the cavern left the Judge 
 in doubt whether it was one of nature's frolics that had 
 thrown it into that shape, or whether it had been wrought 
 by the hands of man, at some earlier period. But there 
 could be no doubt that the whole of the interior was of 
 recent formation, and the marks of the pick were still 
 
522 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 visible^ where the soft^ lead- coloured rock had opposed itself 
 to the progress of the miners. The whole formed an ex- 
 cavation of about twenty feet in width^ and nearly twice 
 that distance in depth. The height was much greater than 
 was required for the ordinary purposes of experiment; 
 but this was evidently the effect of chance^ as the roof of 
 the cavern was a natural stratum of rock^ that projected 
 many feet beyond the base of the pile. Immediately in 
 front of the recess^ or cave, was a little terrace, partly formed 
 by nature, and partly by the earth that had been carelessly 
 thrown aside by the labourers. The mountain fell off pre- 
 cipitately in front of the terrace, and the approach by its 
 sides, under the ridge of the rocks, was difficult and a little 
 dangerous. The whole was wild, rude, and apparently 
 incomplete : for, while looking among the bushes, the Sher'fF 
 found the very implements that had been used in the 
 work. 
 
 When the Sheriff thought that his cousin had examined 
 the spot sufficiently, he asked solemnly — 
 Judge Temple, are you satisfied?" 
 Perfectly, that there is something mysterious and per- 
 plexing in this business. It is a secret spot, and cunningly 
 devised, Richard ; yet I see no symptoms of ore.*' 
 
 " Do you expect, sir, to find gold and silver lying like 
 pebbles on the surface of the earth ? — dollars and dimes 
 ready coined to your hands ! No, no — the treasure must 
 be sought after to be won. But let them mine ; I shall 
 countermine 
 
 The Judge took an accurate survey of the place, and 
 noted in his memorandum-book such marks as were neces- 
 sary to find it again, in the event of Richard's absence ; 
 when the cousins returned to their horses. 
 
 On reaching the highway they separated, the Sheriff to 
 summon twenty-four good men and true,'' to attend as 
 the inquest of the county, on the succeeding Monday, when 
 Marmaduke held his stated court of common pleas and 
 and general sessions of the peace," and the Judge to return, 
 musing deeply on what he had seen and heard in the course 
 of the morning. 
 
 When the horse of the latter reached the spot where the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 323 
 
 highway fell towards the valley^ the eye of Marmaduke 
 rested, it is true, on the same scene that had, ten minutes 
 before, been so soothing to the feelings of his daughter and 
 her friend, as they emerged from the forest ; but it rested 
 in vacancy. He threw the reins to his sure-footed beast, 
 and suffered the animal to travel at its own gait, while he 
 soliloquised as follows : — 
 
 There may be more in this than I at first supposed. — 
 I have suffered my feeling to blind my reason, in admitting 
 an unknown youth in this manner to my dwelling ; — yet 
 this is not the land of suspicion. I will have the Leather- 
 stocking before me, and, by a few direct questions, extract 
 the truth from the simple old man." 
 
 At that instant the Judge caught a glimpse of the figures 
 of Elizabeth and Louisa, who were slowly descending the 
 mountain, a short distance before him. He put spurs to 
 his horse, and riding up to them, dismounted, and drove 
 his steed along the narrow path. While the agitated 
 parent was listening to the vivid description that his 
 daughter gave of her recent danger, and her unexpected 
 escape, all thoughts of mines, vested rights, and exa- 
 minations, were absorbed in emotion ; and when the 
 image of Natty again crossed his recollection, it was not as 
 a lawless and depredating squatter, but as the preserver of 
 his child. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 The court awards it, and the law doth give it. Merchant of Venice. 
 
 Remarkable Pettibone, who had forgotten the wound 
 received by her pride, in the contemplation of the ease and 
 comforts of her situation, and who still retained her station 
 in the family of Judge Temple, was despatched to the 
 humble dwelling which Richard already styled '^The Rec- 
 tory," in attendance on Louisa, who was soon consigned to 
 the arms of her father, 
 
 Y 2 
 
324 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 In the mean time_, Marmaduke and his daughter were 
 closeted for more than an hour^ nor shall we invade the 
 sanctuary of parental love_, by relating the conversation, — 
 "Vl^hen the curtain rises on the reader^ the Judge is seen 
 walking up and down the apartment, with a tender 
 melancholy in his air, and his child reclining on a settee, 
 with a flushed cheek, and her dark eyes, seeming to float 
 in crystals. 
 
 It was a timely rescue ! it was, indeed, a timely res- 
 cue, my child ! " cried the Judge. Then thou didst not 
 desert thy friend, my noble Bess ? " 
 
 I believe I may as well take the credit of fortitude," 
 said Elizabeth, ^''though I much doubt if flight would 
 have availed me any thing, had I even courage to 
 execute such an intention. But I thought not of the 
 expedient." 
 
 Of what didst thou think, love ? where did thy thoughts 
 dwell most, at that fearful moment ? " 
 
 ''The beast! the beast ! " cried Elizabeth, veiHng her 
 face with her hand : '' Oh ! I saw nothing, I thought 
 of nothing, but the beast. I tried to think of better 
 things, but the horror was too glaring, the danger too much 
 before my eyes." 
 
 '' Well, well, thou art safe, and we will converse no more 
 on the unpleasant subject. I did not think such an animal 
 yet remained in our forests ; but they will stray far from 
 their haunts when pressed by hunger, and " 
 
 A loud knocking at the door of the apartment interrupted 
 what he was about to utter, and he bid the applicant enter. 
 The door was opened by Benjamin, who came in with a 
 discontented air, as if he felt that he had a communication 
 to make that would be out of season. 
 
 '' Here is Squire Doolittle below, sir,*' commenced the 
 major-domo. '' He has been standing off and on in the 
 door-yard, for the matter of a glass ; and he has sum'mat 
 on his mind that he wants to heave up, d'ye see ; but I 
 tells him, says I, man, w^ould you be coming aboard with 
 your complaints, said I, when the Judge has gotten his 
 ov;n child, as it were, out of the jaws of a lion ? But damn 
 the bit of manners has the fellow, any more than if he was 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 325 
 
 one of them Guineas, down in the kitchen there ; and so as 
 he was sheering nearer_, every stretch he made towards the 
 house, I could do no better than to let your honour know 
 that the chap was in the offing." 
 
 He must have business of importance/' said Marma- 
 duke ; something in relation to his office, most probably, 
 as the court sits so shortly." 
 
 " Ay, ay, you have it, sir," cried Benjamin, it's 
 sum'mat about a complaint that he has to make of the old 
 Leather-stocking, who, to my judgment, is the better man 
 of the two. It's a very good sort of a man is this Master 
 Bumppo, and he has a way with a spear, all the same as if 
 he was brought up at the bow oar of the captain's barge, or 
 was born with a boat-hook in his hand." 
 
 Against the Leather-stocking ! " cried Elizabeth, rising 
 from her reclining posture. 
 
 Rest easy, my child ; some trifle, I pledge you ; I be- 
 lieve I am already acquainted with its import. Trust me, 
 Bess, your champion shall be safe in my care. Show Mr. 
 Doolittle in, Benjamin." 
 
 Miss Temple appeared satisfied with this assurance, 
 but fastened her dark eyes on the person of the architect, 
 who profited by the permission, and instantly made his ap- 
 pearance. 
 
 All the impatience of Hiram seemed to vanish the 
 instant he entered the apartment. After saluting the 
 Judge and his daughter, he took the chair to which 
 Marmaduke pointed, and sat for a minute, composing his 
 straight black hair, with a gravity of demeanour that 
 was intended to do honour to his official station. At length 
 he said — 
 
 It's likely, from what I hear, that Miss Temple had a 
 pretty narrow chance with the painters, on the mountain." 
 
 Marmaduke made a gentle incHnation of his head, by 
 way of assent, but continued silent. 
 
 I s*pose the law gives a bounty on the scalps," continued 
 Hiram, in which case the Leather-stocking will make a 
 good job on't." 
 
 It shall be my care to see that he is rewarded," re- 
 turned the Judge. 
 
326 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 " Yes, yes, I rather guess that nobody hereabouts doubts 
 the J udge's generosity. Doos he know whether the Sheriff 
 has fairly made up his mind to have a reading-desk or a 
 deacon's pew under the pulpit ? " 
 
 I have not heard my cousin speak on that subject, 
 lately/* replied Marmaduke. 
 
 *^ I think it's likely that we will have a pretty dull court 
 on% from what I can gather. I hear that Jotham Riddel 
 and the man who bought his betterments, have agreed to 
 leave their difference to men, and I don't think there'll be 
 more than two civil cases in the calendar," 
 
 ^'^ I am glad of it," said the Judge; nothing gives me 
 more pain than to see my settlers wasting their time and 
 substance in the unprofitable struggles of the law. I hope 
 it may prove true, sir." 
 
 I rather guess 'twill be left out to men," added Hiram, 
 with an air equally balanced between doubt and assurance, 
 but which Judge Temple understood to mean certainty ; 
 
 I some think that I am appointed a referee in the case 
 myself; Jotham as much as told me that he should take 
 me. The defendant, I guess, means to take Captain Hoi- 
 lister, and we two have partly agreed on Squire Jones for 
 the third man." 
 
 Are there any criminals to be tried ? " asked Marma- 
 duke. 
 
 There's the counterfeiters," returned the magistrate : 
 as they were caught in the fact, I think it likely that 
 they'll be indicted, 'a which case it's probable they'll be 
 tried." 
 
 Certainly, sir, I had forgotten those men. There are 
 no more, I hope." 
 
 Why, there is a threaten to come forrad with an as- 
 sault, that happened at the last independence day ; but I'm 
 not sartain that the law'll take hold on't. There was 
 plaguey hard words passed, but whether they struck or not 
 I haven't heard. There's some folks talk of a deer or two 
 being killed out of season, over on the west side of the Pa- 
 tent, by some of the squatters on the ' Fractions,' " 
 
 ^' Let a complaint be made, by all means," cried th-e 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 327 
 
 Judge ; I am determined to see the law executed to the 
 letter, on all such depredators/* 
 
 Why, yes, I thought the Judge was of that mind ; I 
 come partly on such a business myself." 
 
 You ! *' exclaimed Marmaduke, comprehending in an 
 instant, how completely he had been caught by the other's 
 cunning ; and what have you to say, sir ? " 
 
 I some think that Natty Bumppo has the carcass of a 
 deer in his hut at this moment, and a considerable part of 
 my business was to get a search-warrant to examine." 
 
 You think, sir ! do you know that the law exacts an 
 oath, before I can issue such a precept. The habitation of 
 a citizen is not to be idly invaded on light suspicion." 
 
 I rather think I can swear to it myself," returned 
 the immovable Hiram ; ^^and Jotham is in the street, and 
 as good as ready to come in and make oath to the same 
 thing/' 
 
 ^'^ Then issue the warrant thyself ; thou art a magistrate, 
 Mr. Doolittle ; why trouble me with the matter ? " 
 
 Why, seeing it's the first complaint under the law, 
 and knowing the Judge set his heart on the thing, I thought 
 it best that the authority to search should come from him- 
 self. Besides, as I'm much in the woods, among the timber, 
 I don't altogether like making an enemy of the Leather- 
 stocking. Now the Judge has a weight in the county that 
 puts him above fear." 
 
 Miss Temple turned her face to the callous architect, as 
 she said — 
 
 And what has any honest person to dread from so kind 
 a man as Bumppo ? " 
 
 Why, it's as easy. Miss, to pull a rifle-trigger on a 
 magistrate as on a painter. But if the Judge don't con- 
 clude to issue the warrant, I must go home and make it 
 out myself." 
 
 I have not refused your application, sir," said Marma- 
 duke, perceiving at once that his reputation for impartiality 
 was at stake ; go into my office, Mr. Doolittle, where I 
 will join you, and sign the warrant." 
 
 Judge Temple stopped the remonstrances which Elizabeth 
 Y 4 
 
39.8 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 was about to utter^ after Hiram had withdrawn, by laying 
 his hand on her mouth, and saying — 
 
 It is more terrific in sound than frightful in reality, 
 my child. I suppose that the Leather-stocking has shot a 
 deer, for the season is nearly over, and you say that he was 
 hunting with his dogs when he came so timely to your as- 
 sistance. But it will be only to examine his cabin, and find 
 the animal, when you can pay the penalty out of your own 
 pocket, Bess. Nothing short of the twelve dollars and a 
 half will satisfy this harpy, I perceive ; and surely my re- 
 putation as a Judge is worth that trifle." 
 
 Elizabeth was a good deal pacified with this assurance, 
 and suffered her father to leave her, to fulfil his promise to 
 Hiram. 
 
 T\^hen Marmaduke left his office, after executing his dis- 
 agreeable duty, he met Oliver Edwards, walking up the 
 gravelled walk in front of the Mansion-house, with great 
 strides, and with a face agitated by feeling. On seeing 
 Judge Temple, the youth turned aside, and with a warmth 
 in his manner that was not often exhibited to Marmaduke, 
 he cried — 
 
 I congratulate you, sir ; from the bottom of my soul I 
 congratulate you, Judge Temple. Oh ! it would have been 
 too horrid to have recollected for a moment ! I have just 
 left the hut, where, after showing me his scalps, old Natty 
 told me of the escape of the ladies, as a thing to be men- 
 tioned last. Indeed, indeed, sir, no words of mine can ex- 
 press half of v/hat I have felt " — the youth paused a 
 moment, as if suddenly recollecting that he was overstepping 
 prescribed limits, and concluded with a good deal of embar- 
 rassment — what I have felt at this danger to Miss — 
 Grants and — and your daughter, sir." 
 
 But the heart of Marmaduke was too much softened, to 
 admit of his cavilling at trifles, and without regarding the 
 confusion of the other, he replied — 
 
 I thank thee, thank thee, Oliver ; as thou say est, it is 
 almost too horrid to be remembered. But come, let us hasten 
 to Bess, for Louisa has already gone to the Rectory." 
 
 The young man sprang forward, and throwing open a 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 329 
 
 door, barely permitted the Judge to precede him, when he 
 was in the presence of Elizabeth in a moment. 
 
 The cold distance that often crossed the demeanour of 
 the heiress, in her intercourse with Edwards, was now en- 
 tirely banished, and two hours were passed by the party, in 
 the free, unembarrassed, and confiding manner of old and 
 esteemed friends. Judge Temple had forgotten the suspi- 
 cions engendered during his morning's ride, and the youth 
 and maiden conversed, laughed, and were sad by turns, as 
 impulse directed. At length Edwards, after repeating his 
 intention to do so for the third time, left the Mansion- 
 house^ to go to the Rectory, on a similar errand of friend- 
 ship. 
 
 During this short period, a scene was passing at the 
 hut, that completely frustrated the benevolent intentions of 
 Judge Temple in favour of the Leather- stocking, and at 
 once destroyed the short-lived harmony between the youth 
 and Marmaduke. 
 
 When Hiram Doolittle had obtained his search-warrant, 
 his first business was to procure a proper ofiicer to see it 
 executed. The Sheriff was absent, summoning, in person, 
 the grand inquest for the county ; the deputy, who resided 
 in the village, was riding on the same errand, in a different 
 part of the settlement ; and the regular constable of the 
 township had been selected for his station from motives of 
 charity, being lame of a leg. Hiram intended to accom- 
 pany the officer as a spectator, but he felt no very strong 
 desire to bear the brunt of the battle. It was, however, 
 Saturday, and the sun was already turning the shadows of 
 the pines towards the east ; on the morrow the conscien- 
 tious magistrate could not engage in such an expedition at 
 the peril of his soul ; and long before Monday, the venison, 
 and all vestiges of the death of the deer, might be secreted 
 or destroyed. Happily the lounging form of Billy Kirby 
 met his eye, and Hiram, at all times fruitful in similar 
 expedients, saw his way clear at once. Jotham, who was 
 associated in the whole business, and who had left the 
 mountain in consequence of a summons from his coadjutor, 
 but who failed, equally with Hiram, in the unfortunate 
 
330 
 
 THE PIOxVEERS. 
 
 particular of nerve^ was directed to summon the wood- 
 chopper to the dwelKng of the magistrate. 
 
 When Billy appeared^ he was very kindly invited to 
 take the chair in which he had already seated himself, and 
 was treated^ in all respects^ as if he were an equal. 
 
 Judge Temple has set his heart on putting the deer 
 law in force," said Hiram, after the preliminary civilities 
 were over, and a complaint has been laid before him that 
 a deer has been killed. He has issued a search-warrant, 
 and sent for me to get somebody to execute it." 
 
 Kirby, who had no idea of being excluded from the 
 deliberative part of any affair in which he was engaged, 
 drew up his bushy head in a reflecting attitude, and, after 
 musing a moment, replied by asking a few questions. 
 
 The Sheriff is gone out of the way ? " 
 
 Not to be found." 
 
 And his deputy too ? " 
 
 Both gone on the skirts of the Patent.*' 
 
 But I saw the constable hobbling about town an hour 
 
 ago." 
 
 Yes, yes," said Hiram, with a coaxing smile and 
 knowing nod, but this business wants a man — not a 
 cripple." 
 
 Why," said Billy, laughing, will the chap make 
 fight?" 
 
 He's a little quarrelsome at times, and thinks he's the 
 best man in the county at rough and tumble." 
 
 I heard him brag once," said Jotham, that there 
 wasn't a man 'twixt the Mohawk Flats and the Pennsyl- 
 vany line, that was his match at a close hug." 
 
 ''^ Did you ? " exclaimed Kirby, raising his huge frame 
 in his seat, like a lion stretching in his lair : I rather 
 guess he never felt a Varmounter's knuckles on his back- 
 bone. But who is the chap ? " 
 
 Why," said Jotham, " it's " 
 
 It's ag'in law to tell," interrupted Hiram, unless 
 you'll qualify to sarve. You'd be the very man to take 
 him. Bill; and I'll make out a special deputation in a 
 minute, when you will get the fees." 
 
 What's the fees } " said Kirby, laying his large hand 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 331 
 
 on the leaves of a statute-book, that Hiram had opened in 
 order to give dignity to his office, v^^hich he turned over, in 
 his rough manner, as if he were reflecting on a subject, 
 about which he had, in truth, already decided ; will they 
 pay a man for a broken head ? " 
 
 They'll be something handsome," said Hiram. 
 
 Damn the fees," said Billy, again laughing : — does 
 the fellow think he's the best wrestler in the county, 
 though ? what's his inches ? " 
 
 He's taller than you be," said Jotham, and one of 
 
 the biggest " 
 
 Talkers, he was about to add, but the impatience of 
 Kirby interrupted him. The wood-chopper had nothing 
 fierce, or even brutal in his appearance ; the character of 
 his expression was that of good-natured vanity. It was 
 evident he prided himself on the powers of the physical 
 man, Uke aU who have nothing better to boast of; and^ 
 stretching out his broad hand, with the palm downw^ard, 
 he said, keeping his eyes fastened on his own bones and 
 sinews — 
 
 Come, give us a touch of the book. I'll swear, and 
 you'll see that I'm a man to keep my oath." 
 
 Hiram did not give the wood-chopper time to change 
 his mind, but the oath was administered without unneces- 
 sary delay. So soon as this preliminary was completed, 
 the three worthies left the house, and proceeded by the 
 nearest road towards the hut. They had reached the bank 
 of the lake, and were diverging from the route of the high- 
 way, before Kirby recollected that he was now entitled to 
 the privileges of the initiated, and repeated his question, as 
 to the name of the offender. 
 
 Which way, which way. Squire ? " exclaimed the 
 hardy wood-chopper ; I thought it was to search a house 
 that you wanted me, not the woods. There is nobody 
 lives on this side of the lake, for six miles, unless you count 
 the Leather-stocking and old John, for settlers. Come, 
 tell me the chap's name, and I warrant me that I lead you 
 to his clearing by a straighter path than this, for I know 
 every sapling that grows within two miles of Templetown." 
 
 This is the way," said Hiram, pointing forward, and 
 
332 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 quickening bis step^ as if apprehensive that Kirby would 
 desert^ and Bumppo is the man/' 
 
 Kirby stopped short, and looked from one of his com- 
 panions to the other in astonishment. He then burst into 
 a loud laugh ^ and cried — 
 
 Who ? Leather- stocking ! he may brag of his aim and 
 his rifle, for he has the best of both, as I will own myself, 
 for sin' he shot the pigeon I knock under to him ; but for 
 a wrestle ! why, I would take the creatur between my 
 linger and thumb, and tie him in a bow-knot around my 
 neck for a Barcelony. The man is seventy, and was never 
 any thing particular for strength." 
 
 He's a deceiving man,*' said Hiram, like all the 
 hunters ; he is stronger than he seems ; — besides, he has 
 his rifle." 
 
 That for his rifle ! " cried Billy : he'd no more hurt me 
 with his rifle than he'd fly. He is a harmless creater, and 
 I must say that I think he has as good right to kiU deer as 
 any man on the Patent. It's his main support, and this is 
 a free country, where a man is privileged to follow any 
 calling he likes." 
 
 " According to that doctrine,'* said Jotham, any body 
 may shoot a deer." 
 
 This is the man's calling, I tell you," returned Kirby, 
 
 and the law was never made for such as he." 
 
 " The law was made for all," observed Hiram, who 
 began to think that the danger was likely to fall to his own 
 share, notwithstanding his management; and the law is 
 particular in noticing parjury." 
 
 '^^ See here. Squire Doolittle," said the reckless wood- 
 chopper; I don't care the vaHe of a beetlering for you 
 and your parjury too. But as I have come so far, I'll go 
 down and have a talk with the old man, and maybe we'll 
 fry a steak of the deer together." 
 
 W ell, if you can get in peaceably, so much the better," 
 said the magistrate. To my notion, strife is very un- 
 popular ; I prefar, at all times, clever conduct to an ugly 
 temper." 
 
 As the whole party moved at a great pace, they soon 
 reached the hut, where Hiram thought it prudent to halt 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 SSS 
 
 on the outside of the top of the fallen pine^ which formed 
 a chevaux-de-frise_, to defend the approach to the fortress, 
 on the side next to the village. The delay was but little 
 relished by Kirby, who clapped his hands to his mouth, 
 and gave a loud halloo, that brought the dogs out of their 
 kennel, and, almost at the same instant, the scantily covered 
 head of Natty from the door. 
 
 Lie down, old fool/' cried the hunter ; do you think 
 there's more painters about you ? " 
 
 Ha ! Leather-stocking, I've an arrand with you," cried 
 Kirby : ^' here's the good people of the state have been 
 writing you a small letter, and they've hired me to ride 
 post." 
 
 What would you have with me, Billy Kirby ? " said 
 Natty, stepping across his threshhold, and raising his hand 
 over his eyes to screen them from the rays of the setting 
 sun, while he took a survey of his visiter. I've no land 
 to clear ; and heaven knows I would set out six trees afore 
 I would cut down one. Down, Hector, I say ; into your 
 kennel with ye." 
 
 Would you, old boy ? " roared Billy ; then so much 
 the better for me. But I must do my arrand. Here's a 
 letter for you. Leather-stocking. If you can read it, it's 
 all well, and if you can't^ here's Squire Doolittle at hand, 
 to let yov. know what it means. It seems you mistook the 
 twentieth of July for the first of August, that's all." 
 
 By this time Natty had discovered the lank person of 
 Hiram, drawn up under the cover of a high stump ; and 
 all that was complacent in his manner instantly gave way 
 to marked distrust and dissatisfaction. He placed his head 
 within the door of his hut, and said a few words in an 
 under tone, when he again appeared, and continued — 
 
 I've nothing for ye ; so away^ afore the evil one tempts 
 me to do you harm. I owe you no spite, Billy Kirby, and 
 what for should you trouble an old man, who has done you 
 no harm ? " 
 
 Kirby advanced through the top of the pine, to within 
 a few feet of the hunter, where he seated himself on the 
 end of a log with great composure, and began to examine 
 the nose of Hector, wdth whom he was familiar, from their 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 frequently meeting in the woods^ where he sometimes fed 
 the dog from his own basket of provisions. 
 
 ^'^ You've putshot me_, and I'm not ashamed to say it/' 
 said the wood-chopper ; but I don't owe you a grudge 
 for that^ Natty ! though it seems that you've shot once too 
 often^ for the story goes that you've killed a buck." 
 
 I've fired but twice to-day^ and both times at the 
 painters^" returned the Leather-stocking : see^ here are 
 the scalps ! I was just going in with them to the Judge's 
 to ask the bounty." 
 
 While Natty was speaking, he tossed the ears to Kirby, 
 who continued playing with them^ with a careless air^ hold- 
 ing them to the dogs^ and laughing at their movements 
 when they scented the unusual game. 
 
 But Hiram^ emboldened by the advance of the deputed 
 constable^ now ventured to approach also, and took up the 
 discourse with the air of authority that became his com- 
 mission. His first measure was to read the warrant aloud, 
 taking care to give due emphasis to the most material parts, 
 and concluding with the name of the Judge in very audible 
 and distinct tones. 
 
 Did Marmaduke Temple put his name to that bit of 
 paper ? " said Natty, shaking his head ; — " well^ well, 
 that man loves the new ways, and his betterments, and his 
 lands^ afore his own flesh and blood. But I won't mistrust 
 the gal ; she has an eye like a full-grown buck ! poor thing, 
 she didn't choose her father, and can't help it. I know but 
 little of the law, Mr. Doolittle ; what is to be done, now 
 you have read your commission ? " 
 
 Oh ! it's nothing but form. Natty," said Hiram_, en- 
 deavouring to assume a friendly aspect. Let's go in^ and 
 talk the thing over in reason. I dare to say that the money 
 can be easily found, and I partly conclude, from what 
 passed_, that Judge Temple will pay it himself." 
 
 The old hunter had kept a keen eye on the movements 
 of his three visiters^ from the beginning, and had main- 
 tained his position, just without the threshold of his cabin, 
 with a determined manner, that showed he was not to be 
 easily driven from his post. When Hiram drew nigher, 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 3S5 
 
 as if expecting his proposition would be accepted. Natty 
 lifted his hand, and motioned for him to retreat. 
 
 Haven't I told you more than once, not to tempt me ? " 
 he said. I trouble no man ; why can't the law leave me 
 to myself? Go back — go back, and tell your Judge that 
 he may keep his bounty ; but I won't have his wasty ways 
 brought into my hut/' 
 
 This offer, however, instead of appeasing the curiosity 
 of Hiram, seemed to inflame it the more ; while Kirby 
 cried — 
 
 Well, that's fair, squire ; he forgives the county his 
 demand, and the county should forgive him the fine ; its 
 what I call an even trade, and should be concluded on the 
 spot. I like quick dealings, and what's fair 'twixt man 
 and man." 
 
 ^'^ I demand entrance into this house," said Hiram, sum- 
 moning all the dignity he could muster to his assistance, 
 " in the name of the people ; and by virtue of this war- 
 rant, and of my office, and with this peace-officer." 
 
 " Stand back, stand back, squire, and don't tempt me," 
 said the Leather-stocking, motioning for him to retire, with 
 great earnestness. 
 
 Stop us at your peril," continued Hiram. — Billy ! 
 Jotham ! close up — I want testimony." 
 
 Hiram had mistaken the mild but determined air of 
 Natty for submission, and had already put his foot on the 
 threshold to enter, when he was seized imexpectedly by 
 his shoulders, and hurled over the little bank towards the 
 lake, to the distance of twenty feet. The suddenness of 
 the movement, and the unexpected display of strength on 
 the part of Natty, created a momentary astonishment in 
 his invaders, that silenced all noises ; but at the next in- 
 stant Billy Kirby gave vent to his mirth in peals of laughter, 
 that he seemed to heave up from his very soul. 
 
 Well done, old stub ! " he shouted : the squire 
 know'd you better than I did. Come, come, here's a green 
 spot ; take it out like men, while Jotham and I see fair 
 
 play." 
 
 William Kirby, I order you to do your duty," cried 
 
335 
 
 THE PIONEERS, 
 
 Hiram^ from under the bank ; seize that man ; I order 
 you to seize him in the name of the people." 
 
 But the Leather-stocking now assumed a more threaten- 
 ing attitude ; his rifle was in his hand^ and its muzzle was 
 directed tow^ards the wood- chopper. 
 
 Stand ofF^ 1 bid ye/' said Natty ; you know my aim, 
 Billy Kirby ; I don't crave your blood, but mine and 
 yourn both shall turn this green grass red, afore you put 
 foot into the hut." 
 
 I'l^hile the affair appeared trifling, the wood- chopper 
 seemed disposed to take sides with the weaker party ; but 
 w^hen the fire-arms were introduced, his manner very sen- 
 sibly changed. He raised his large frame from the log, and, 
 facing the hunter with an open front, he replied — 
 
 I didn't come here as your enemy, Leather-stocking ; 
 but I don't value the hollow piece of iron in your hand so 
 much as a broken axe-helve ; — so, squire, say the word, 
 and keep within the law, and we'll soon see who's the best 
 man of the two." 
 
 But no magistrate was to be seen ! The instant the rifle 
 was produced Hiram and Jotham vanished; and when the 
 wood-chopper bent his eyes about him in surprise at re- 
 ceiving no answer, he discovered their retreating figures, 
 moving towards the village, at a rate that sufiiciently in- 
 dicated that they had not only calculated the velocity of a 
 rifle-bullet, but also its probable range. 
 
 You've scared the creaters off*," said Kirby, with 
 great contempt expressed on his broad features ; but you 
 are not going to scare me ; so, Mr. Bumppo, down with 
 your gun, or there'll be trouble 'twixt us." 
 Natty dropped his rifle, and replied — 
 
 I wish you no harm, Billy Kirby ; but I leave it to 
 yourself, whether an old man's hut is to be run down by 
 such varmint. I w^on't deny the buck to you, Billy, and 
 you may take the skin in, if you please, and show it as 
 testimony. The bounty will pay the fine, and that ought 
 to satisfy any man." 
 
 'Twill, old boy, 'twill," cried Kirby, every shade of 
 displeasure vanishing from his open brow at the peace- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 337 
 
 offering ; ''^ throw out the hide^ and that shall satisfy the 
 law." 
 
 Natty entered his hut^ and soon re-appeared^ bringing 
 with him the desired testimonial ; and the wood-chopper 
 departed^ as thoroughly reconciled to the hunter as if no- 
 thing had happened. As he paced along the margin of the 
 lake, he would burst into frequent fits of laughter, while he 
 recollected the summerset of Hiram ; and, on the whole, 
 he thought the affair a very capital joke. 
 
 Long before Billy reached the village, however, the news 
 of his danger, and of Natty's disrespect of the law, and of 
 Hiram's discomfiture, were in circulation. A good deal 
 was said about sending for the Sheriff ; some hints were 
 given about calling out the posse comitatus to avenge the 
 insulted laws ; and many of the citizens were collected, 
 deUberating how to proceed. The arrival of Billy with the 
 skin, by removing all grounds for a search, changed the 
 complexion of things materially. Nothing now remained 
 but to collect the fine, and assert the dignity of the people ; 
 all of which, it was unanimously agreed, could be done as 
 well on the succeeding Monday as on a Saturday night, — 
 a time kept sacred by a large portion of the settlers. Ac- 
 cordingly, all further proceedings were suspended for six- 
 and-thirty hours. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 And dar'st thou, then. 
 To beard the lion in his den. 
 The Douglas in his hall ? Marmion. 
 
 The commotion was just subsiding, and the inhabitants of 
 the village had begun to disperse from the little groups 
 they had formed, each retiring to his own home, and clos- 
 ing his door after him, with the grave air of a man who 
 consulted public feeling in his exterior deportment, when 
 Oliver Edwards, on his return from the dwelling of Mr, 
 Grant, encountered the young lawyer, who is known to 
 the reader as Mr. Lippet. There was very little similarity 
 z 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 m the manners or opinions of the two ; but as they both 
 belonged to the more intelHgent class of a very small com- 
 munity^ they were^ of course^ known to each other ; and as 
 their meeting was at a point where silence would have been 
 rudeness^ the following conversation was the result of their 
 interview : — 
 
 A fine evening, Mr. Edwards/' commenced the lawyer, 
 whose disinclination to the dialogue was, to say the least, 
 very doubtful ; we want rain sadly ; — that's the worst 
 of this climate of ours, it's either a drought or a deluge. 
 It's likely you've been used to a more equal temperature ? " 
 
 I am a native of this state," returned Edwards, coldly. 
 
 Well, I've often heard that point disputed ; but it's 
 so easy to get a man naturalised, that it's of little conse- 
 quence where he was born, I wonder what course the 
 Judge means to take in this business of Natty Bumppo !" 
 
 Of Natty Bumppo ! " echoed Edwards ; to what do 
 you allude, sir ? " 
 
 Haven't you heard !" exclaimed the other, with a 
 look of surprise, so naturally assumed, as completely to 
 deceive his auditor ; it may turn out an ugly business. 
 It seems that the old man has been out in the hills, and 
 has shot a buck this morning, and that, you know, is a 
 criminal matter in the eyes of Judge Temple." 
 
 O ! he has, has he ? " said Edwards, averting his face 
 to conceal the colour that collected in his sun-burnt cheek. 
 Well, if that be all, he must even pay the fine." 
 
 It's five pounds currency," said the lawyer ; could 
 Natty muster so much money at once ? " 
 
 Could he ! " cried the youth. I am not rich, Mr. Lip- 
 pet; far from it — I am poor, and I have been hoarding my 
 salary for a purpose that lies near my heart ; but before that 
 old man should lie one hour in a gaol, I would spend the last 
 cent to prevent it. Besides, he has killed two panthers, and 
 the bounty will discharge the fine many times over." 
 
 Yes, yes," said the lawyer, rubbing his hands together, 
 with an expression of pleasure that had no artifice about it ; 
 
 we shaU make it out ; I see plainly we shall make it 
 out." 
 
 Make what out, sir ? I must beg an explanation." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 33d 
 
 Why, killing the buck is but a small matter compared 
 to what took place this afternoon/' continued Mr. Lippet 
 with a confidential and friendly air^ that insensibly won 
 upon the youth, little as he liked the man. It seems, 
 that a complaint was made of the fact, and a suspicion that 
 there was venison in the hut was sworn to, all which is 
 provided for in the statute, when Judge Temple granted a 
 search-warrant " 
 
 A search-warrant ! " echoed Edwards, in a voice of 
 horror, and with a face that should have been again 
 averted to conceal its paleness ; and how much did they 
 discover ? What did they see ? " 
 
 They saw old Bumppo's rifle; and that is a sight 
 which will quiet most men's curiosity in the woods." 
 
 Did they! did they!" shouted Edwards, bursting 
 into a convulsive laugh ; so the old hero beat them 
 back ! — he beat them back ! did he ? " 
 
 The lawyer fastened his eyes in astonishment on the 
 youth ; but as his wonder gave way to the thoughts that 
 were commonly uppermost in his mind, he replied — 
 
 It's no laughing matter, let me tell you, sir; the 
 forty dollars of bounty, and your six months of salary 
 will be much reduced before you can get the matter fairly 
 settled. Assaulting a magistrate in the execution of his 
 duty, and menacing a constable with fire-arms at the same 
 time, is a pretty serious affair, and is punishable with both 
 fine and imprisonment." 
 
 Imprisonment ! " repeated Oliver ; imprison the Lea- 
 ther-stocking ! no, no, sir ; it would bring the old man to his 
 grave- They shall never imprison the Leather-stocking." 
 
 Well, Mr. Edwards," said Lippet, dropping all reserve 
 from his manner, you are called a curious man; but if you 
 can tell me how a jury is to be prevented from finding a 
 verdict of guilty, if this case comes fairly before them, and 
 the proof is clear, I shall acknowledge that you know more 
 law than I do, who have had a license in my pocket for 
 three years." 
 
 By this time the reason of Edwards was getting the 
 ascendency of his feelings ; and as he began to see the 
 real difficulties of the case, he listened more readily to the 
 z 2 
 
340 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 conversation of the lawyer. The ungovernable emotion 
 that escaped the youth^ in the first moment of his surprise, 
 entirely passed away ; and although it was still evident that 
 he continued to be much agitated by what he had heard^ 
 he succeeded in yielding a forced attention to the advice 
 which the other uttered. 
 
 Notwithstanding the confused state of his mind, Ohver 
 soon discovered that most of the expedients of the lawyer 
 were grounded in cunning, and plans that required a time 
 to execute them, that neither suited his disposition nor his 
 necessities. After, however, giving Mr. Lippet to under- 
 stand that he retained him in the event of a trial, an as- 
 surance that at once satisfied the lawyer, they parted, one 
 taking his course, with a deliberate tread, in the direction 
 of the little building that had a wooden sign over its door, 
 with Chester Lippet, Attorney at Law," painted on it ; 
 and the other pacing over the ground, with enormous 
 strides, towards the Mansion-house. We shall take leave 
 of the attorney for the present, and direct the attention of 
 the reader to his client. 
 
 When Edwards entered the hall, whose enormous doors 
 were opened to the passage of the air of a mild evening, he 
 found Benjamin engaged in some of his domestic avoca- 
 tions, and in a hurried voice enquired where Judge Temple 
 was to be found. 
 
 Why, the Judge has just stept into his office, with 
 that master carpenter. Mister Doolittle ; but Miss Lizzy is 
 in that there parlour. I say, Master Oliver, we'd like to 
 have had a bad job of that panther, or painter's work — 
 some calls it one, and some calls it t'other — but I know 
 little of the beast, seeing that it is not of British growth. 
 I said as much as that it was in the hills the last winter ; 
 for I heard it moaning on the lake shore one evening in 
 the fall, when I was pulling down from the fishing point 
 m the skiff. Had the animal come into open water, where 
 a man could see where and how to work his vessel, 1 
 would have engaged the thing myself ; but looking aloft 
 among the trees is all the same to me as standing on the 
 deck of one ship, and looking at another vessel's tops. I 
 never can tell one rope from another " 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 341 
 
 " Well, well/' interrupted Edwards ; I must see Miss 
 Temple." 
 
 And you shall see her^ sir/' said the steward ; she's 
 in this here room. Lord, Master Edwards, what a loss 
 she'd have been to the Judge ! Dam'me if I know where 
 he would have gotten such another daughter ; that is, full 
 grown, d'ye see. I say, sir, this Master Bumppo is a worthy 
 man, and seems to have a handy way with him, with fire- 
 arms and boat-hooks. I'm his friend. Master Oliver, and 
 he and you may both set me down as the same." 
 
 We may want your friendship, my worthy fellow," 
 cried Edwards_, squeezing his hand convulsively: — "we 
 may want your friendship, in which case you shall know it." 
 
 Without waiting to hear the earnest reply that Ben- 
 jamin meditated, the youth extricated himself from the 
 vigorous grasp of the steward, and entered the parlour. 
 
 Elizabeth was alone, and still reclining on the sofa, 
 where we last left her. A hand, which exceeded all that 
 the ingenuity of art could model, in shape and colour, 
 veiled her eyes ; and the maiden was sitting as if in deep 
 communion with herself. Struck by the attitude and 
 loveliness of the form that met his eye, the young man 
 checked his impatience, and approached her with respect 
 and caution. 
 
 Miss Temple — Miss Temple/' he said, I hope I 
 do not intrude ; but I am anxious for an interview, if it 
 be only for a moment." 
 
 Elizabeth raised her face, and exhibited her dark eyes 
 swimming in moisture. 
 
 " Is it you, Edwards ?" she said, with a sweetness in hei 
 voice, and a softness in her air, that she often used to her 
 father, but which, from its novelty to himself, thrilled on 
 every nerve of the youth ; how left you our poor Louisa ? " 
 
 " She is with her father, happy and grateful," said 
 Oliver. I never witnessed more feeling than she mani- 
 fested, when I ventured to express my pleasure at her 
 escape. Miss Temple, when I first heard of your horrid 
 situation, my feelings were too powerful for utterance ; 
 and I did not properly find my tongue, until the walk to 
 Mr. Grant's had given me time to collect myself. I be- 
 z 3 
 
342 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 lieve — I do believe^ I acquitted myself better there^ for 
 Miss Grant even wept at my silly speeches." 
 
 For a moment Elizabeth did not reply^ but again veiled 
 her eyes with her hand. The feeling that caused the action, 
 however, soon passed away, and, raising her face again to 
 his gaze, she continued, with a smile — 
 
 Your friend, the Leather-stocking, has now become 
 my friend, Edwards ; I have been thinking how I can best 
 serve him ; perhaps you, who know his habits and his 
 wants so well, can tell me " 
 
 I can," cried the youth, with an impetuosity that 
 startled his companion — I can, and may Heaven reward 
 you for the wish. Natty has been so imprudent as to 
 forget the law, and has this day killed a deer. Nay, I be- 
 lieve I must share in the crime and the penalty, for I was 
 an accomplice throughout. A complaint has been made to 
 your father, and he has granted a search — " 
 
 I know it all,'* interrupted Elizabeth ; " I know it 
 all. The forms of the law must be complied with, however ; 
 the search must be made, the deer found, and the penalty 
 paid. But I must retort your own question. Have you 
 lived so long in our family not to know us ? Look at me, 
 Oliver Edwards. Do I appear like one who would permit 
 the man that has just saved her life to linger in a gaol for 
 so small a sum as this fine ? No, no, sir ; my father is a 
 Judge, but he is a man and a Christian. It is all under- 
 stood, and no harm shall follow." 
 
 What a load of apprehension do your declarations re- 
 move ! " exclaimed Edwards. He shall not be disturbed 
 again ! your father will protect him ! I have your as- 
 surance. Miss Temple, that he will, and I must be- 
 lieve it/' 
 
 You may have his own, Mr. Edwards," returned Eli- 
 zabeth, " for here he comes to make it." 
 
 But the appearance of Marmaduke, who entered the 
 apartment, contradicted the flattering anticipations of his 
 daughter. His brow was contracted, and his manner dis- 
 turbed. Neither Elizabeth nor the youth spoke ; but the 
 Judge was allowed to pace once or twice across the room 
 without interruption, when he cried — 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 343 
 
 Our plans are defeated, girl ; the obstinacy of the 
 Leather-stocking has brought down the indignation of the 
 law on his head^ and it is now out of my power to avert it." 
 
 How ? in what manner ? " cried Elizabeth ; the fine 
 
 is nothing ; surely " 
 
 " I did not — I could not anticipate that an old^ a 
 friendless man like him, would dare to oppose the officers 
 of justice/' interrupted the Judge; I supposed that he 
 would submit to the search, when the fine could have been 
 paid, and the law would have been appeased ; but now he 
 will have to meet its rigour." 
 
 And what must the punishment be, sir ? '* asked 
 Edwards, struggling to speak with firmness. 
 
 Marmaduke turned quickly to the spot where the youth 
 had withdrawn, and exclaimed — 
 
 You here ! I did not observe you. I know not what 
 it will be, sir; it is not usual for a Judge to decide, until 
 he has heard the testimony, and the jury have convicted. 
 Of one thing, however, you may be assured, Mr, Edwards ; 
 it shall be whatever the law demands, notwithstanding any 
 momentary weakness I may have exhibited, because the 
 luckless man has been of such eminent service to my 
 daughter." 
 
 No one, I believe, doubts the sense of justice which 
 Judge Temple entertains!" returned Edwards bitterly. 
 
 But let us converse calmly, sir. Will not the years, the 
 habits, nay, the ignorance, of my old friend, avail him any 
 thing against this charge ? " 
 
 Ought they } They may extenuate, but can they ac- 
 quit } Would any society be tolerable, young man, where 
 the ministers of justice are to be opposed by men armed 
 with rifles ? Is it for this that I have tamed the wilderness ? " 
 
 Had you tamed the beasts that so lately threatened 
 the life of Miss Temple, sir, your arguments would apply 
 better." 
 
 Edwards ! '* exclaimed Elizabeth 
 
 Peace, my child," interrupted her father ; — the 
 youth is unjust ; but I have not given him cause. I over- 
 look thy remark^ Oliver, for I know thee to be the friend 
 z 4 
 
844 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 of Natty, and zeal in his behalf has overcome thy discre- 
 tion." 
 
 Yes, he is my friend," cried Edwards, and I glory 
 in the title. He is simple, unlettered, even ignorant ; 
 prejudiced, perhaps, though I feel that his opinion of the 
 world is too true ; but he has a heart. Judge Temple, that 
 would atone for a thousand faults ; he knows his friends, 
 and never deserts them, even if it be his dog." 
 
 This is a good character, Mr. Edwards," returned 
 Marmaduke, mildly ; but I have never been so fortunate 
 as to secure his esteem, for to me he has been uniformly 
 repulsive ; yet I have endured it, as an old man's whim. 
 However, when he appears before me, as his judge, he 
 shall find that his former conduct shall not aggravate, any 
 more than his recent services shall extenuate, his crime." 
 
 Crime!" echoed Edwards ; is it a crime to drive a 
 prying miscreant from his door ? Crime ! Oh, no, sir ; if 
 there be a criminal involved in this affair, it is not he." 
 
 And who may it be, sir?" asked Judge Temple, 
 facing the agitated youth, his features settled to their usual 
 composure. 
 
 This appeal was more than the young man could bear. 
 Hitherto he had been deeply agitated by his emotions ; but 
 now the volcano burst its boundaries. 
 
 Who ! and this to me ! " he cried ; ask your own 
 conscience. Judge Temple. Walk to that door, sir, and 
 look out upon the valley, that placid lake, and those dusky 
 mountains, and say to your own heart, if heart you have. 
 Whence came these riches, this vale, those hills, and why 
 am I their owner ? I should think, sir, that the appear- 
 ance of Mohegan and the Leather-stocking, stalking through 
 the country, impoverished and forlorn, would wither your 
 sight." 
 
 Marmaduke heard this burst of passion, at first, with 
 deep amazement : but when the youth had ended, he 
 beckoned to his impatient daughter for silence, and re- 
 plied — 
 
 Oliver Edwards, thou forgettest in whose presence 
 thou standest. I have heard, young man, that thou claim- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 345 
 
 est descent from the native owners of the soil ; but surely 
 thy education has been given thee to no effect^ if it has not 
 taught thee the validity of the claims that have transferred 
 the title to the whites. These lands are mine by the 
 very grants of thy ancestry, if thou art so descended ; and 
 I appeal to Heaven_, for a testimony of the uses I have put 
 them to. After this language, we must separate. I have 
 too long sheltered thee in my dwelling ; but the time has 
 arrived when thou must quit it. Come to my office, and I 
 will discharge the debt I owe thee. Neither shall thy pre- 
 sent intemperate language mar thy future fortunes, if thou 
 wilt hearken to the advice of one who is by many years 
 thy senior." 
 
 The ungovernable feeling that caused the violence of 
 the youth had passed away, and he stood gazing after the 
 retiring figure of Marmaduke, with a vacancy in his eye, 
 that denoted the absence of his mind. At length he re- 
 collected himself, and, turning his head slowly around the 
 apartment, he beheld Elizabeth, still seated on the sofa, 
 but with her head dropped on her bosom, and her face 
 again concealed by her hands. 
 
 Miss Temple," he said — all violence had left his 
 manner — Miss Temple — I have forgotten myself — 
 forgotten you. You have heard what your father has de- 
 creed, and this night I leave here. With you, at least, I 
 would part in amity.'* 
 
 Elizabeth slowly raised her face, across which a mo- 
 mentary expression of sadness stole ; but as she left her 
 seat, her dark eyes lighted with their usual fire, her cheek 
 flushed to burning, and her whole air seemed to belong to 
 another nature. 
 
 I forgive you, Edwards, and my father will forgive 
 you," she said, when she reached the door. You do 
 not know us, but the time may come^ when your opinions 
 shall change " 
 
 Of you ! never ! " interrupted the youth : I — 
 
 I would speak, sir, and not listen. There is some- 
 thing in this affair that I do not comprehend ; but tell the 
 Leather- stocking he has friends as well as judges in us. Do 
 not let the old man experience unnecessary uneasiness at 
 
346 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 this rupture. It is impossible that you could increase his 
 claims here ; neither shall they be diminished by any thing 
 you have said. Mr. Edwards^ I wish you happiness, and 
 warmer friends." 
 
 The youth would have spoken, but she vanished from 
 the door so rapidly, that when he reached the hall her form 
 was no where to be seen. He paused a moment, in stupor, 
 and then, rushing from the house, instead of following 
 Marmaduke to his office," he took his way directly for 
 the cabin of the hunters. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 Who measured earth, described the starry spheres. 
 
 And traced the long records of lunar years." Pope. 
 
 Richard did not return from the exercise of his official 
 duties, until late in the evening of the following day. It 
 had been one portion of his business to superintend the 
 arrest of part of a gang of counterfeiters, that had, even at 
 that early period, buried themselves in the woods, to ma- 
 nufacture their base coin, which they afterward circulated, 
 from one end of the Union to the other. The expedition 
 had been completely successful, and about midnight the 
 Sheriff entered the village, at the head of a posse of depu- 
 ties and constables, in the centre of whom rode, pinioned, 
 four of the malefactors. At the gate of the Mansion- 
 house they separated, Mr. Jones directing his assistants to 
 proceed with their charge to the county gaol, while he pur- 
 sued his own w^ay up the gravelled walk, with the kind of 
 self-satisfaction that a man of his organisation would feel, 
 who had, really, for once, done a very clever thing. 
 
 Holla ! Aggy !" shouted the Sheriff, when he reached 
 the door ; where are you, you black dog ? will you keep 
 me here in the dark all night ? Holla ! Aggy ! Brave ! 
 Brave ! hoy, hoy — where have you got to. Brave ? Off 
 his watch ! Every body is asleep but myself ! poor I must 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 347 
 
 keep my eyes open^ that others may sleep in safety. 
 Brave ! Brave ! WeYL, I will say this for the dog, lazy as 
 he's grown, that it is the first time I ever knew him let 
 any one come to the door after dark, without having a 
 smell to know whether it was an honest man or not. He 
 could tell by his nose, almost as well as I could myself by 
 looking at them. Holla ! you Agamemnon ! where are 
 you ? Oh ! here comes the dog at last." 
 
 By this time the Sheriff had dismounted, and observed 
 a form, which he supposed to be that of Brave, slowly 
 creeping out of the kennel ; when, to his astonishment, it 
 reared itself on two legs instead of four, and he was able 
 to distinguish, by the star-light, the curly head and dark 
 visage of the negro. 
 
 Ha ! what the devil are you doing there, you black 
 rascal ? " he cried ; is it not hot enough for your Guinea 
 blood in the house, this warm night, but you must drive 
 out the poor dog and sleep in his straw ? " 
 
 By this time the boy was quite awake, and, with a 
 blubbering whine, he attempted to reply to his master. 
 
 Oh ! masser Richard ! masser Richard ! such a ting ! 
 such a ting ! I neber tink a could 'appen ! neber tink he 
 die ! Oh, Lor-a-gor ! an't bury — keep 'em till masser 
 
 Richard get back — got a grabe dug " 
 
 Here the feelings of the negro completely got the mastery, 
 and instead of making any intelligible explanation of the 
 causes of his grief, he blubbered aloud. 
 
 Eh ! what ! buried ! grave ! dead ! *' exclaimed Rich- 
 ard, with a tremor in his voice ; nothing serious ? No- 
 thing has happened to Benjamin, I hope ? I know he has 
 been bilious ; but I gave him " 
 
 Oh ! worser 'an dat ! worser 'an dat ! " sobbed the 
 negro. Oh ! de Lor ! Miss 'Lizzy an Miss Grant — 
 walk — mountain — poor Bravy ! — kill a lady — painter — 
 Oh ! Lor, Lor ! — Natty Bumppo — tear he troat open — 
 come a see, masser Richard — here he be — here he be." 
 
 As all this was perfectly inexplicable to the Sheriflf, he 
 was very glad to wait patiently until the black brought a 
 lantern from the kitchen, when he followed Aggy to the 
 kennel, where he beheld poor Brave, indeed, lying in his 
 
348 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 bloody stiff and cold, but decently covered with the great- 
 coat of the negro. He was on the point of demanding an 
 explanation ; but the grief of the black, who had fallen 
 asleep on his voluntary watch, having burst out afresh on 
 his waking, utterly disqualified the lad from giving one. 
 Luckily, at this moment the principal door of the house 
 opened, and the coarse features of Benjamin were thrust 
 over the threshold, with a candle elevated above them, 
 shedding its dim rays around in such a manner as to ex- 
 hibit the lights and shadows of his countenance. Richard 
 threw his bridle to the black, and bidding him look to the 
 horse, he entered the hall. 
 
 What is the meaning of the dead dog?" he cried. 
 Where is Miss Temple ? " 
 
 Benjamin made one of his square gestures, with the 
 thumb of his left hand pointing over his right shoulder^ as 
 he answered — 
 Turned in." 
 " Judge Temple — where is he ? 
 In his berth." 
 
 But explain ; why is Brave dead ? and what is the 
 cause of Aggy's grief?" 
 
 Why, it's all down. Squire," said Benjamin, pointing 
 to a slate that lay on the table, by the side of a mug of 
 toddy, a short pipe, in which the tobacco was yet burning, 
 and a Prayer-book. 
 
 Among the other pursuits of Richard, he had a passion 
 to keep a register of all passing events ; and his diary, 
 which was written in the manner of a journal, or log-book, 
 embraced not only such circumstances as affected himself, 
 but observations on the weather, and all the occurrences of 
 the family, and frequently of the village. Since his ap- 
 pointment to the office of Sheriff, and his consequent ab- 
 sences from home, he had employed Benjamin to make 
 memoranda, on a slate, of whatever might be thought worth 
 remembering, which, on his return, were regularly trans- 
 ferred to the journal, with proper notations of the time, 
 manner, and other little particulars. There was, to be 
 ?ure, one material objection to the clerkship of Benjamin, 
 which the ingenuity of no one but Richard could have 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 349 
 
 overcome. The steward read nothing but his Prayer-book^ 
 and that only in particular parts^ and by the aid of a good 
 deal of spelling,, and some misnomers ; but he could not 
 form a single letter with a pen. This would have been an 
 insuperable bar to journahsing, with most men; but Richard 
 invented a kind of hieroglyphical character^ which was in- 
 tended to note all the ordinary occurrences of a day, such 
 as how the wind blew, whether the sun shone, or whether 
 it rained, the hours, &c. ; and for the extraordinary, after 
 giving certain elementary lectures on the subject, the Sheriff 
 was obliged to trust to the ingenuity of the major-domo. 
 The reader will at once perceive, that it was to this 
 chronicle that Benjamin pointed, instead of directly an- 
 swering the Sheriff's interrogatory. 
 
 When Mr. Jones had drunk a glass of todd)^, he 
 brought forth, from its secret place, his proper journal, 
 and, seating himself by the table, he prepared to transfer 
 the contents of the slate to the paper, at the same time that 
 he appeased his curiosity. Benjamin laid one hand on the 
 back of the Sheriff's chair, in a familiar manner, while he 
 kept the other at liberty, to make use of a fore-finger, that 
 was bent like some of his own characters, as an index to 
 point out his meaning. 
 
 The first thing referred to by the Sheriff was the diagram 
 of a compass, cut in one corner of the slate for permanent 
 use. The cardinal points were plainly marked on it, and 
 all the usual divisions were indicated in such a manner, 
 that no man who had ever steered a ship could mistake 
 them. 
 
 Oh ! " said the Sheriff, settling himself down comfort- 
 ably in his chair — ^'^ you'd the wind south-east, I see, all 
 last night ; I thought it would have blown up rain.'* 
 
 " Devil the drop, sir," said Benjamin ; I believe that 
 the scuttle-butt up aloft is emptied, for there hasn't so 
 much water fell in the country, for the last three weeks, as 
 would float Indian John's canoe, and that draws just one 
 inch nothing, light." 
 
 Well, but didn't the wind change here this morning ? 
 there was a change where I was." 
 
S50 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 To be sure it did. Squire ; and haven't I logged it as 
 a shift of wind." 
 
 I dont see where, Benjamin " 
 
 Don't see ! " interrupted the steward, a little crustily ; 
 an't there a mark ag'in east-and-by-nothe-half-nothe, 
 with sum'mat like a rising sun at the end of it, to show 
 'twas in the morning watch ? " 
 
 Yes, yes, that is very legible ; but where is the change 
 noted?" 
 
 Where ! why doesn't it see this here tea-kettle, with a 
 mark run from the spout straight, or mayhap a little 
 crooked or so, into west-and-by-southe-half-southe ? now I 
 calls this a shift of wind. Squire. Well, do you see this 
 here boar's head that you made for me, along-side of the 
 compass " 
 
 Ay, ay — Boreas — I see. Why you've drawn lines 
 from its mouth, extending from one of your marks to the 
 other." 
 
 It's no fault of mine. Squire Dickens ; 'tis your d — d 
 climate. The wind has been at all them there marks this 
 very day ; and that's all round the compass, except a little 
 matter of an Irishman's hurricane at meridium, which you'll 
 find marked right up and down. Now, I've known a 
 sow- wester blow for three weeks, in the Channel, with a 
 clean drizzle, in which you might wash your face and 
 hands, without the trouble of hauling in water from along- 
 side." 
 
 Very well, Benjamin," said the Sheriff, writing in his 
 journal ; I believe I have caught the idea. Oh ! here's 
 a cloud over the rising sun ; — so you had it hazy in the 
 morning ? " 
 
 Ay, ay, sir," said Benjamin. 
 
 Ah ! it's Sunday, and here are the marks for the length 
 of the sermon — one, two, three, four:— what! did Mr. 
 Grant preach forty minutes } " 
 
 Ay, sum'mat like it; it was a good half-hour by my 
 own glass, and then there was the time lost in turning it, 
 and some little allowance for leeway in not being over smart 
 about it." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 351 
 
 Benjamin^ this is as long as a Presbyterian ; you never 
 could have been ten minutes in turning the glass ! " 
 
 ^< Why_, do you see, Squire_, the parson was very solemn, 
 and I just closed my eyes in order to think the better with 
 myself, just the same as you'd put in the dead-lights to 
 make all snug, and when I opened them ag*in I found the 
 congregation were getting under weigh for home, so I 
 calculated the ten minutes would cover the lee-way after 
 the glass was out. It was only some such matter as a cat's 
 nap." 
 
 Oh, ho ! master Benjamin, you were asleep, were you ! 
 but I'll set down no such slander against an orthodox di- 
 vine." Richard wrote twenty-nine minutes in his journal, 
 and continued — V^hy, what's this youve got opposite 
 ten o'clock, a. m. ? A full moon ! had you a moon visible 
 by day ! I have heard of such portents before now, but — 
 eh ! what's this along-side of it } an hour-glass ?" 
 
 That !" said Benjamin, looking coolly over the She- 
 riff's shoulder, and rolhng the tobacco about in his mouth 
 with a jocular air ; why, that's a small matter of my 
 own. It's no moon. Squire, but only Betty Hollister's 
 face ; for, d'ye see, sir, hearing all the same as if she had 
 got up a new cargo of Jamaiky from the river, I called in 
 as I was going to the church this morning — ten a. m. was 
 it ? — just the time — and tried a glass ; and so I logged 
 it, to put me in mind of calling to pay her like an honest 
 man." 
 
 ^'^ That was it, was it ? " said the Sheriff, with some 
 displeasure at this innovation on his memoranda ; and 
 could you not make a better glass than this } it looks like 
 a death's head and an hour-glass." 
 
 Why, as I liked the stuff. Squire," returned the stew- 
 ard, I turned in, homeward bound, and took t'other 
 glass, which I set down at the bottom of the first, and that 
 gives the thing the shape it has. But as I was there ag'in 
 to-night, and paid for the three at once, your honour may 
 as well run the sponge over the whole business." 
 
 I will buy you a slate for your own affairs, Benjamin," 
 said the Sheriff; I don't like to have the journal marked 
 over in this manner." 
 
352 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 You needn't — you needn't. Squire ; for, seeing that 
 I was likely to trade often with the woman while this barrel 
 lasted, I've opened a fair account with Betty, and she keeps 
 her marks on the back of her bar door, and I keeps the 
 tally on this here bit of a stick." 
 
 As Benjamin concluded he produced a piece of wood, 
 on which five very large, honest notches were apparent. 
 The Sheriff cast his eyes on this new ledger, for a moment, 
 and continued — 
 
 What have we here! Saturday, two p.m., — why 
 here's a whole family piece ! two wine glasses up- side- 
 down ! " 
 
 That's two women ; the one this a- way is Miss 'Lizzy, 
 and t'other is the parson's young'un." 
 
 Cousin Bess and Miss Grant ! " exclaimed the Sheriff, 
 in amazement ; ^'^ what have they to do with my journal.'^ " 
 
 They'd enough to do to get out of the jaws of that 
 there painter, or panther," said the immovable steward. 
 
 This here thingum'y. Squire, that maybe looks sum'mat 
 like a rat, is the beast, d'ye see ; and this here t'other 
 thing, keel uppermost, is poor old Brave, who died nobly, 
 all the same as an admiral fighting for his king and coun- 
 try ; and that there " 
 
 Scarecrow," interrupted Richard. 
 
 Ay, mayhap it do look a little wild or so," continued 
 the steward ; but to my judgment. Squire, it's the best 
 image I've made, seeing it's most like the man himself; — 
 well, that's Natty Bumppo, who shot this here painter, that 
 killed that there dog, who would have eaten or done worse 
 to them here young ladies." 
 
 And what the devil does all this mean ? " cried Rich- 
 ard, impatiently. 
 
 Mean!" echoed Benjamin ; " it is as true as the 
 
 Boadishey's log-book " 
 
 He was interrupted by the Sheriff, who put a few di- 
 rect questions to him, that obtained more intelligible 
 answers, by which means be became possessed of a toler- 
 ably correct idea of the truth. When the wonder, and, we 
 must do Richard the justice to say, the feelings also, that 
 were created by this narrative^ had in some degree sub- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 353 
 
 sided^ the Sheriff turned his eyes again on his journal, 
 where more inexpKcable hieroglyphics met his view. 
 
 What have we here I" he cried ; two men boxing! 
 has there been a breach of the peace ? ah, that's the way^ 
 the moment my back is turned " 
 
 That's the Judge and young Master Edwards," in- 
 terrupted the steward, very cavalierly. 
 
 How ! 'duke fighting with Oliver ! what the devil has 
 got into you all ? more things have happened within the 
 last thirty-six hours than in the preceding six months." 
 
 Yes, it's so indeed. Squire,'' returned the steward ; 
 I've known a smart chase, and a fight at the tail of it, 
 where less has been logged than I've got on that there 
 slate. Howsomnever, they didn't come to facers, only 
 passed a little jaw fore and aft.'* 
 
 Explain ! explain !" cried Richard : — h was about 
 the mines, ha ! — ay, ay, I see it, I see it ; here is a man with 
 a pick on his shoulder. So you heard it all, Benjamin ?" 
 
 Why, yes, it was about their minds, I believe. Squire," 
 returned the steward ; and by what I can learn, they 
 spoke them pretty plainly to one another. Indeed I may 
 say that I overheard a small matter of it myself, seeing that 
 the windows was open, and I hard by. But this here is 
 no pick, but an anchor on a man's shoulder ; and here's 
 the other fluke down his back, maybe a little too close 
 which signifies that the lad has got under way and left his 
 moorings." 
 
 Has Edwards left the house 
 
 He has." 
 
 Richard pursued this advantage ; and, after a long and 
 close examination^, he succeeded in getting out of Benjamin 
 all that he knew, not only concerning the misunderstand- 
 ing, but of the attempt to search the hut, and Hiram's dis- 
 comfiture. The Sheriff was no sooner possessed of these 
 facts, which Benjamin related with all possible tenderness 
 to the Leather-stocking, than, snatching up his hat, and 
 bidding the astonished steward secure the doors and go to 
 his bed, he left the house. 
 
 For at least five minutes after Richard disappeared, Ben- 
 jamin stood with his arms a-kimbo, and his eyes fastened 
 
 A A 
 
354 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 on the door ; when, having collected his astonished faculties, 
 he prepared to execute the orders he had received. 
 
 It has heen already said that the court of common 
 pleas and general sessions of the peace/' or_, as it is com- 
 monly called, the county court/' over v^rhich Judge 
 Temple presided, held one of its stated sessions on the fol- 
 lowing morning. The attendants of Richard were officers 
 who had come to the village, as much to discharge their 
 usual duties at this court, as to escort the prisoners ; and the 
 Sheriff knew their habits too well, not to feel confident he 
 should find most, if not all of them, in the public room of 
 the gaol, discussing the qualities of the keeper's liquors. 
 Accordingly he held his way through the silent streets of 
 the village, directly to the small and insecure building, that 
 contained all the unfortunate debtors, and some of the cri- 
 minals of the county, and where justice was administered 
 to such unwary applicants as were so silly as to throw away 
 two dollars, in order to obtain one from their neighbours. 
 The arrival of four malefactors in the custody of a dozen 
 officers, was an event, at that day, in Templeton ; and 
 when the Sheriff reached the gaol, he found every indica- 
 tion that his subordinates intended to make a night of it. 
 
 The nod of the Sheriff brought two of his deputies to 
 the door, who in their turn drew off six or seven of the 
 constables. With this force Richard led the way through 
 the village, towards the bank of the lake, undisturbed by 
 any noise, except the barking of one or two curs, who were 
 alarmed by the measured tread of the party, and by the 
 low murmurs that ran through their own numbers, as a 
 few cautious questions and answers were exchanged, relative 
 to the object of their expedition. When they had crossed 
 the little bridge of hewn logs that was thrown over the 
 Susquehanna, they left the highway, and struck into that 
 field which had been the scene of the victory over the 
 pigeons. From this they followed their leader into the low 
 bushes of pines and chestnuts which had sprung up along 
 the shores of the lake, where the plough had not succeeded 
 the fall of the trees, and soon entered the forest itself. 
 Here Richard paused, and collected his troop around him. 
 I have required your assistance, my friends," he said. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 255 
 
 in a low voice^ " in order to arrest Nathaniel Bumppo, 
 commonly called the Leather- stocking. He has assaulted a 
 magistrate^ and resisted the execution of a search- warranty 
 by threatening the life of a constable with his rifle. In 
 short,, my friends^ he has set an example of rebellion to the 
 laws, and has become a kind of out-law. He is suspected 
 of other misdemeanors and offences against private rights ; 
 and I have this night taken on myself, by the virtue of my 
 office of Sheriff, to arrest the said Bumppo, and bring him 
 to the county gaol^ that he may be present and forthcoming 
 to answer to these heavy charges before the court to-morrow 
 morning. In executing this duty, friends and fellow- 
 citizens, you are to use courage and discretion. Courage, 
 that you may not be daunted by any lawless attempts that 
 this man may make with his rifle and his dogs, to oppose 
 you ; and discretion, which here means caution and prudence, 
 that he may not escape from this sudden attack — and, for 
 other good reasons that I need not mention. You will form 
 yourselves in a complete circle around his hut, and at the 
 word ^ advance,' called aloud by me, you will rush forward, 
 and, without giving the criminal time for deliberation, 
 enter his dwelling by force, and make him your prisoner. 
 Spread yourselves for this purpose, while I shall descend 
 to the shore with a deputy, to take charge of that point ; 
 and all communications must be made directly to me, under 
 the bank in front of the hut, where I shall station myself, 
 and remain in order to receive them.*' 
 
 This speech, which Richard had been studying during 
 his walk, had the effect that all similar performances pro- 
 duce, of bringing the dangers of the expedition immediately 
 before the eyes of his forces. The men divided, some 
 plunging deeper into the forest, in order to gain their 
 stations without giving an alarm, and others continuing to 
 advance, at a gait that would allow the whole party to get 
 in order ; but all devising the best plan to repulse the attack 
 of a dog, or to escape a rifle bullet. It was a moment of 
 dread expectation and interest. 
 
 When the Sheriff thought time enough had elapsed for 
 the different divisions of his force to arrive at their stations, 
 he raised his voice in the silence of the forest, and shouted 
 
 A A 2 
 
S56 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the watch-word. The sounds played among the arched 
 branches of the trees in hollow cadences; but when the 
 last sinking tone was lost on the ear^ in place of the expected 
 howls of the dogs^ no other noises were returned but the 
 crackling of torn branches and dried sticks,, as they yielded 
 before the advancing steps of the officers. Even this soon 
 ceased^ as if by a common consent^ when the curiosity and 
 impatience of the Sheriff getting the complete ascendency 
 over discretion^ he rushed up the bank^ and in a moment 
 stood on the little piece of cleared ground in front of the 
 spot where Natty had so long lived. To his amazement^ in 
 place of the hut^ he saw only its smouldering ruins. 
 
 The party gradually drew together about the heap of 
 ashes and the ends of smoking logs ; while a dim flame in 
 the centre of the ruin^ which still found fuel to feed its lin- 
 gering life, threw its pale light, flickering with the passing 
 currents of the air, around the circle^ — now showing a face 
 A^ith eyes fixed in astonishment, and then glancing to 
 another countenance, leaving the former shaded in the ob- 
 scurity of night. Not a voice was raised in enquiry, nor an 
 exclamation made in astonishment. The transition from ex- 
 citement to disappointment was too powerful for speech ; 
 and even Richard lost the use of an organ that was seldom 
 known to fail him. 
 
 The whole group were yet in the fulness of their sur- 
 prise, when a tall form stalked from the gloom into the 
 circle, treading down the hot ashes and dying embers, with 
 callous feet ; and, standing over the light, lifted his cap, 
 and exposed the bare head and weather-beaten features of 
 the Leather-stocking. For a moment he gazed at the dusky 
 figures who surrounded him^ more in sorrow than in anger, 
 before he spoke. 
 
 What would ye have with an old and helpless man " 
 he said. You've driven God's creaters from the wilder- 
 ness, where his providence had put them for his own plea- 
 sure ; and you've brought in the troubles and divilties of 
 the law, where no man was ever known to disturb another. 
 You have driven me, that have lived forty long years of my 
 appointed time in this very spot^ from my home and the 
 shelter of my head, lest you should put your wicked feet 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 357 
 
 and wasty ways in my cabin. YouVe driven me to burn 
 these logs^ under which I've eaten and drunk — the first of 
 Heaven's gifts^ and the other of the pure springs — for the 
 half of a hundred years ; and to mourn the aslies under my 
 feet, as a man would weep and mourn for the children of 
 his body. You've rankled the heart of an old man, that has 
 never harmed you or your'n, with bitter feelings towards 
 his kind, at a time when his thoughts should be on a better 
 world ; and you've driven him to wish that the beasts of the 
 forest, who never feast on the blood of their own families, 
 was his kindred and race ; and now, when he has come to 
 see the last brand of his hut, before it is melted into ashes, 
 you follow him up, at midnight, like hungry hounds on the 
 track of a worn-out and dying deer. What more would 
 ye have? for I am here — one to many. I come to mourn, 
 not to fight ; and, if it is God's pleasure, work your will 
 on me." 
 
 When the old man ended, he stood, with the light glim- 
 mering around his thinly-covered head, looking earnestly at 
 the group, which receded from the pile with an involuntary 
 movement, without the reach of the quivering rays, leaving 
 a free passage for his retreat into the bushes, where pursuit, 
 in the dark, would have been fruitless. Natty seemed not 
 to regard this advantage ; but stood facing each individual 
 in the circle in succession, as if to see who would be the 
 first to arrest him. After a pause of a few moments, 
 Richard began to rally his confused faculties; and, ad- 
 vancing, apologised for his duty, and made him his pri- 
 soner. The party now collected ; and, preceded by the 
 Sheriff, with Natty in their centre, they took their way 
 towards the village. 
 
 During the walk, divers questions were put to the pri- 
 soner concerning his reasons for burning the hut, and 
 whither Mohegan had retreated ; but to all of them he ob- 
 served a profound silence, until, fatigued with their previous 
 duties, and the lateness of the hour, the Sheriff and his fol- 
 lowers reached the village, and dispersed to their several 
 places of rest, after turning the key of a gaol on the aged 
 and apparently friendless Leather-stocking. 
 
 A A 3 
 
358 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 Fetch here the stocks, ho ! 
 
 You stubborn ancient knave, you reverend braggart. 
 We'll teach you. Lear. 
 
 The long days and early sun of July allowed time for a 
 gathering of the interested, before the little bell of the 
 academy announced that the appointed hour had arrived for 
 administering right to the wronged,, and punishment to the 
 guilty. Ever since the dawn of day, the highways and 
 woodpaths that, issuing from the forests, and winding along 
 the sides of the mountains, centred in Templeton, had been 
 thronged with equestrians and footmen, bound to the haven 
 of justice. There was to be seen a well-clad yeoman, 
 mounted on a sleek, switch-tailed steed, ambling along the 
 highway, with his red face elevated in a manner that said, 
 
 I have paid for my land, and fear no man while his 
 bosom was swelling with the pride of being one of the grand 
 inquest for the county. At his side rode a companion, his 
 equal in independence of feelings perhaps, but his inferior 
 in thrift, as in property and consideration. This was a 
 professed dealer in lawsuits, — a man whose name appeared 
 in every calendar, — whose substance, gained in tlie multi- 
 farious expedients of a settler's changeable habits, was 
 wasted in feeding the harpies of the courts. He was endea- 
 vouring to impress the mind of the grand juror with the 
 merits of a cause now at issue. Along with these was a pe- 
 destrian, who, having thrown a rifle frock over his shirt, 
 and placed his best wool hat above his sunburnt visage, had 
 issued from his retreat in the woods by a footpath, and was 
 striving to keep company with the others, on his way to 
 hear and to decide the disputes of his neighbours, as a petit 
 juror. Fifty similar little knots of countrymen might have 
 been seen, on that morning, journeying towards the shire- 
 town on the same errand. 
 
 By ten o'clock the streets of the village were filled with 
 busy faces ; some talking of their private concerns, some 
 listening to a popular expounder of political creeds ; and 
 others gaping in at the open stores, admiring the finery, or 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 359 
 
 examining scythes^ axes^ and such other manufactures as 
 attracted their curiosity or excited their admiration. A few 
 women were in the crowd, mostly carrying infants, and fol- 
 lowed^ at a lounging, listless gait, by their rustic lords and 
 masters. There was one young couple, in whom connubial 
 love was yet fresh, walking at a respectful distance from 
 each other ; while the swain directed the timid steps of his 
 bride, by a gallant offering of a thumb ! 
 
 At the first stroke of the bell, Richard issued from the 
 door of the Bold Dragoon," flourishing a sheathed sword, 
 that he was fond of saying his ancestors had carried in one 
 of Cromwell's victories, and crying, in an authoritative 
 tone, to clear the way for the court.*' The order was 
 obeyed promptly, though not servilely, the members of 
 the crowd nodding familiarly to the members of the 
 procession as it passed. A party of constables with their 
 staves followed the Sheriff, preceding Marmaduke, and 
 four plain, grave-looking yeomen, who were his associates 
 on the bench. There was nothing to distinguish these sub- 
 ordinate judges from the better part of the spectators, ex- 
 cept gravity^ which they affected a little more than common, 
 and that one of their number was attired in an old- 
 fashioned military coat, with skirts that reached no lower 
 than the middle of his thighs, and bearing two little silver 
 epaulettes, not half so big as a modern pair of shoulder 
 knots. This gentleman was a colonel of the militia, in at- 
 tendance on a court-martial, who found leisure to steal a 
 moment from his military to attend to his civil jurisdiction ; 
 but this incongruity excited neither notice nor comment. 
 Three or four clean-shaved lawyers followed, as meekly as 
 if they were lambs going to the slaughter. One or two of 
 their number had contrived to obtain an air of scholastic 
 gravity by wearing spectacles. The rear was brought up 
 by another posse of constables, and the mob followed the 
 whole into the room where the court held its sittings. 
 
 The edifice was composed of a basement of squared 
 logs, perforated here and there with small grated windows, 
 through which a few wistful faces were gazing at the crowd 
 without. Among the captives were the guilty, downcast 
 countenances of the counterfeiters, and the simple but 
 
 A A 4 
 
THi: PIONEERS^ 
 
 honest features of the Leather-stocking. The dungeons 
 were to be distinguished^ externally^ from the debtors' 
 apartments only by the size of the apertures, the thickness 
 of the grates, and by the heads of the spikes that were driven 
 into the logs as a protection against the illegal use of edge- 
 tools. The upper story was of frame-work^ regularly 
 covered with boards, and contained one room decently fitted 
 up for the purposes of justice. A bench^ raised on a narrow 
 platform to the height of a man above the floor, and pro- 
 tected in front by a light railing, ran along one of its sides. 
 In the centre was a seat, furnished with rude arms, that 
 was always filled by the presiding judge. In front, on a 
 level with the floor of the room, was a large table covered 
 with green baize, and surrounded by benches ; and at either 
 of its ends were rows of seats, rising one over the other, for 
 jury boxes. Each of these divisions was surrounded by a 
 railing. The remainder of the room was an open space, 
 appropriated to the spectators. 
 
 When the judges were seated, the lawyers had taken 
 possession of the table, and the noise of moving feet had 
 ceased in the area, the proclamations were made in the 
 usual form, the jurors were sworn, the charge was given, 
 and the court proceeded to hear the business before them. 
 
 We shall not detain the reader with a description of the 
 captious discussions that occupied the court for the first 
 two hours. Judge Temple had impressed on the jury, in 
 his charge, the necessity for despatch on their part, re- 
 commending to their notice, from motives of humanity, 
 the prisoners in the gaol, as the first objects of their atten- 
 tion. Accordingly, after the period we have mentioned 
 had elapsed, the cry of the officer to clear the way for 
 the grand jury/' announced the entrance of that body. 
 The usual forms were observed, when the foreman handed 
 up to the bench two bills, on both of which the Judge 
 observed, at the first glance of his eye, the name of Na- 
 thaniel Bumppo. It was a leisure moment with the court ; 
 some low whispering passed between the bench and the 
 Sheriff, who gave a signal to his officers, and in a very 
 few minutes the silence that prevailed was interrupted by 
 a general movement in the outer crowd ; when presently 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 S6I 
 
 the Leather- stocking made his appearance, ushered into 
 the criminal's bar under the custody of two constables. 
 The hum ceased, the people closed into the open space 
 again, and the silence soon became so deep, that the hard 
 breathing of the prisoner was audible. 
 
 Natty was dressed in his buck-skin garments, without 
 his coat, in place of which he wore only a shirt of coarse 
 linen- check, fastened at his throat by the sinew of a deer, 
 leaving his red neck and weather-beaten face exposed and 
 bare. It was the first time that he had ever crossed the 
 threshold of a court of justice, and curiosity seemed to be 
 strongly blended with his personal feelings. He raised 
 his eyes to the bench, thence to the jury-boxes, the bar, 
 and the crowd without, meeting every where looks fastened 
 on himself. After surveying his own person, as searching 
 the cause of this unusual attraction, he once more turned 
 his face around the assemblage, and opened his mouth in 
 one of his silent and remarkable laughs. 
 
 Prisoner, remove your cap," said Judge Temple. 
 
 The order was either unheard or unheeded. 
 Nathaniel Bumppo, be uncovered," repeated the Judge. 
 
 Natty started at the sound of his name, and raising 
 his face earnestly towards the bench, he said — 
 Anan!" 
 
 Mr. Lippet arose from his seat at the table, and whis- 
 pered in the ear of the prisoner ; when Natty gave hini 
 a nod of assent, and took the deer-skin covering from his 
 head. 
 
 Mr. District Attorney," said the Judge, the prisoner 
 is ready ; we wait for the indictment." 
 
 The duties of public prosecutor were discharged by 
 Dirck Van der School, who adjusted his spectacles, cast a 
 cautious look around him at his brethren of the bar, which 
 he ended by throwing his head aside so as to catch one 
 glance over the glasses, when he proceeded to read the bill 
 aloud. It was the usual charge for an assault and battery 
 on the person of Hiram Doohttle, and was couched in the 
 ancient language of such instruments, especial care having 
 been taken by the scribe not to omit the name of a single 
 offensive weapon known to the law. When he had done^ 
 
362 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Mr. Van der School removed his spectacles^ which he 
 closed and placed in his pocket, seemingly for the pleasure 
 of again opening and replacing them on his nose. After 
 this evolution was repeated once or twice^ he handed the 
 bill over to Mr. Lippet^ with a cavalier air^ that said as 
 much as Pick a hole in that if you can/' 
 
 Natty listened to the charge with great attention, lean- 
 ing forward towards the reader with an earnestness that 
 denoted his interest ; and when it was ended, he raised his 
 tall body to the utmost, and drew a long sigh. All eyes 
 w^ere turned to the prisoner, whose voice was vainly ex- 
 pected to break the stillness of the room. 
 
 You have heard the presentment that the grand jury 
 have made, Nathaniel Bumppo,'* said the Judge; " what 
 do you plead to the charge ? " 
 
 The old man dropped his head for a moment in a 
 reflecting attitude, and then raising it^ he laughed before 
 he answered — 
 
 ^'^ That I handled the man a little rough or so, is not to 
 be denied ; but that there was occasion to make use of 
 all the things that the gentleman has spoken of, is down- 
 right untrue. I am not much of a wrestler, seeing that 
 I'm getting old ; but I was out among the Scotch-Irishers 
 — lets me see — it must have been as long ago as the first 
 
 year of the old war " 
 
 Mr. Lippet, if you are retained for the prisoner,*' in- 
 terrupted Judge Temple, instruct your client how to 
 plead ; if not, the court will assign him counsel." 
 
 Aroused from studying the indictment by this appeal, 
 the attorney got up, and after a short dialogue with the 
 hunter in a low voice, he informed the court that they 
 were ready to proceed. 
 
 ''^ Do you plead guilty or not guilty .f*" said the Judge. 
 
 " I may say not guilty with a clean conscience," re- 
 turned Natty ; for there's no guilt in doing what's right ; 
 and I'd rather died on the spot, than had him put foot in 
 the hut at that moment." 
 
 Richard started at this declaration, and bent his eyes 
 significantly on Hiram, who returned the look with a slight 
 movement of his eyebrows. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 SbS 
 
 Proceed to open the cause^ Mr. District Attorney/* 
 continued the Judge. ^' Mr. Clerk, enter the plea of not 
 guilty." 
 
 After a short opening address from Mr. Van der School^ 
 Hiram was summoned to the bar to give his testimony. 
 It was delivered to the letter^ perhaps^ but with all that 
 moral colouring which can be conveyed under such ex- 
 pressions as, thinking no harm," feeling it my bounden 
 duty as a magistrate/' and ^'^ seeing that the constable was 
 backward in the business." When he had done, and the 
 District Attorney declined putting any further interroga- 
 tories, Mr. Lippet arose, with an air of keen investigation, 
 and asked the following questions : 
 
 Are you a constable of this county, sir ? 
 
 No, sir," said Hiram, I'm only a justice-peace." 
 
 I ask you, Mr. Doolittle, in the face of this court, 
 putting it to your conscience and your knowledge of the 
 law, whether you had any right to enter that man's 
 dwelling ? " 
 
 Hem ! " said Hiram, undergoing a violent struggle 
 between his desire for vengeance and his love of legal 
 fame; I do suppose — that in — that is — strict law — 
 that supposing — maybe I hadn't a real — lawful right; — 
 but as the case was — and Billy was so back'ard — I thought 
 I might come for'ard in the business." 
 
 I ask you again, sir," continued the lawyer, follow- 
 ing up his success, whether this old, this friendless old 
 man, did or did not repeatedly forbid yonr entrance ? " 
 
 Why, I must say," said Hiram, that he was con- 
 siderable cross-grained ; not what I call clever, seeing that 
 it was only one neighbour wanting to go into the house of 
 another." 
 
 " Oh ! then you own it was only meant for a neigh- 
 bourly visit on your part, and without the sanction of law. 
 Remember, gentlemen, the words of the witness, ^ one 
 neighbour wanting to enter the house of another.' Now, 
 sir, I ask you if Nathaniel Bumppo did not again and 
 again order you not to enter ? " 
 
 There was some words passed between us/* said 
 Hiram, but I read the warrant to him aloud/' 
 
364 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 I repeat my question ; did he tell you not to enter his 
 habitation ? " 
 
 There was a good deal passed betwixt us — but I've 
 the warrant in my pocket; maybe the court would wish 
 to see it ? " 
 
 Witness/* said Judge Temple^ " answer the question 
 directly ; did or did not the prisoner forbid your entmng 
 his hut ? " 
 
 " Why, 1 some think " 
 
 ^'^ Answer without equivocation," continued the Judge, 
 sternly. 
 
 He did." 
 
 ^'^ And did you attempt to enter after this order ? 
 I did ; but the warrant was in my hand." 
 Proceed, Mr. Lippet, with your examination." 
 But the attorney saw that the impression was in favour 
 of his client, and, waving his hand with a supercilious 
 manner, as if unwilling to insult the understanding of the 
 jury with any further defence, he replied — 
 
 No, sir ; I leave it for your honour to charge ; I rest 
 my case here." 
 
 Mr. District Attorney," said the Judge, have you 
 any thing to say ? " 
 
 Mr. Van der School removed his spectacles, folded them, 
 and replacing them once more on his nose, eyed the other 
 bill which he held in his hand, and then said, looking at 
 the bar over the top of his glasses — 
 
 I shall rest the prosecution here, if the court please." 
 Judge Temple arose and began the charge. 
 
 Gentlemen of the Jury," he said, ^'^ you have heard 
 the testimony, and I shall detain you but a moment. If 
 an officer meet with resistance in the execution of a pro- 
 cess, he has an undoubted right to call any citizen to his 
 assistance ; and the acts of such assistant come within the 
 protection of the law. 1 shall leave you to judge, gentle- 
 men, from the testimony, how far the witness in this 
 prosecution can be so considered, feeling less reluctance 
 to submit the case thus informally to your decision, be- 
 cause there is yet another indictment to be tried, which 
 involves heavier charges against the unfortunate prisoner." 
 
THE PIONEERS* 
 
 365 
 
 The tone of Marmaduke was mild and insinuating_, and 
 as his sentiments were given with such apparent impartiality, 
 they did not fail of carrying due weight with the jury. The 
 grave-looking yeomen, who composed this tribunal, laid 
 their heads together for a few minutes, without leaving the 
 box, when the foreman arose, and after the forms of the 
 court were duly observed, he pronounced the prisoner to 
 be— 
 
 Not guilty." 
 
 You are acquitted of this charge, Nathaniel Bumppo," 
 said the Judge. 
 
 Anan !" said Natty. 
 
 You are found not guilty of striking and assaulting 
 Mr. Doolittle." 
 
 No, no, I'll not deny but that I took him a little 
 roughly by the shoulders," said Natty, looking about him 
 with great simplicity, and that I " 
 
 You are acquitted," interrupted the Judge ; and 
 there is nothing further to be said or done in the matter." 
 
 A look of joy lighted up the features of the old man, 
 who now comprehended the case, and, placing his cap 
 eagerly on his head again, he threw up the bar of his little 
 prison, and said feelingly — 
 
 I must say this for you. Judge Temple, that the law 
 has not been so hard on me as I dreaded. I hope God 
 will bless you for the kind things you've done to me this 
 day." 
 
 But the staff of the constable was opposed to his egress, 
 and Mr. Lippet whispered a few words in his ear, when 
 the aged hunter sunk back into his place, and, removing his 
 cap, stroked down the remnants of his grey and sandy 
 locks, with an air of mortification mingled with submission. 
 
 Mr. District Attorney," said Judge Temple, affecting 
 to busy himself with his minutes, proceed with the 
 second indictment." 
 
 Mr. Van der School took great care that no part of the 
 presentment, which he now read, should be lost on his 
 auditors. It accused the prisoner of resisting the execution 
 of a search-warrant, by force of arms, and particularised, 
 in the vague language of the law, among a variety of other 
 
366 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 weapons^ the use of the rifle. This was indeed a more 
 serious charge than an ordinary assault and battery^ and a 
 corresponding degree of interest was manifested by the 
 spectators in its result. The prisoner was duly arraigned, 
 and his plea again demanded. Mr. Lippet had anticipated 
 the answers of Natty^ and in a whisper advised him how 
 to plead. But the feelings of the old hunter were awakened 
 by some of the expressions of the indictment^ and_, forgetful 
 of his caution^ he exclaimed — 
 
 'Tis a wicked untruth ; I crave no man's blood. Them 
 thieveS;, the Iroquois^ won't say it to my face^ that I ever 
 thirsted after man's blood. I have fou't as a soldier that 
 feared his Maker and his officer, but I never pulled trigger 
 on any but a warrior that was up and awake. No man can 
 say that I ever struck even a Mingo in his blanket. I 
 believe there's some who thinks there's no God in a wil- 
 derness ! " 
 
 Attend to your plea, Bumppo/' said the Judge; ^' you 
 near that you are accused of using your rifle against an 
 officer of justice ; are you guilty or not guilty ? " 
 
 By this time the irritated feelings of Natty had found 
 vent ; and he rested on the bar for a moment, in a musing 
 posture, when he lifted his face, with his silent laugh, and, 
 pointing to where the wood-chopper stood, he said — 
 
 Would Billy Kirby be standing there, d'ye think, if I 
 had used the rifle ? " 
 
 Then you deny it," said Mr. Lippet ; you plead not 
 guilty?" 
 
 Sartain," said Natty ; " Billy knows that I never fired 
 at all. Billy, do you remember the turkey last winter? 
 ah ! me ! that was better than common firing ; but I can't 
 shoot as I used to could." 
 
 Enter the plea of not guilty," said Judge Temple, 
 strongly affected by the simplicity of the prisoner. 
 
 Hiram was again sworn, and his testimony given on the 
 second charge. He had discovered his former error, and 
 proceeded more cautiously than before. He related very 
 distinctly, and, for the man, with amazing terseness, the 
 suspicion against the hunter, the complaint, the issuing of 
 the warrant, and the swearing in of Kirby ; all of which. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 367 
 
 he affirmed^ were done in due form of law. He then added 
 the manner in which the constable had been received ; and 
 stated distinctly, that Natty had pointed the rifle at Kirby, 
 and threatened his life, if he attempted to execute his duty. 
 All this was confirmed by Jotham, who was observed to 
 adhere closely to the story of the magistrate. Mr. Lippet 
 conducted an artful cross-examination of these two wit- 
 nesses^ but after consuming much time, was compelled to 
 relinquish the attempt to obtain any advantage, in despair. 
 
 At length the district attorney called the wood-chopper 
 to the bar. Billy gave an extremely confused account of 
 the whole affair, although he evidently aimed at the truth, 
 until Mr. Van der School aided him_, by asking some direct 
 questions : — 
 
 It appears, from examining the papers, that you de- 
 manded admission into the hut legally ; so you were put in 
 bodily fear by his rifle and threats } 
 
 I didn't mind them that, man," said Billy, snapping 
 his fingers ; I should be a poor stick to mind old Leather- 
 stocking." 
 
 But I understood you .to say, (referring to your pre- 
 vious words, (as delivered here in court,) in the commence- 
 ment of your testimony,) that you thought he meant to 
 shoot you ? " 
 
 To be sure I did ; and so would you too, squire, if 
 you had seen the chap dropping a muzzle that never misses, 
 and cocking an eye that has a nateral squint by long prac- 
 tice. I thought there would be a dust on't, and my back 
 was up at once ; but Leather- stocking gi'n up the skin, and 
 so the matter ended." 
 
 Ah ! Billy," said Natty, shaking his head, 'twas a 
 lucky thought in me to throw out the hide, or there might 
 have been blood spilt ; and I'm sure, if it had been your'n, 
 I should have mourn'd it sorely the little while I have to 
 stay. 
 
 Well, Leather-stocking," returned Billy, facing the 
 prisoner with a freedom and familiarity that utterly dis- 
 regarded the presence of the court, " as you are on the 
 
 subject, it may be that youVe no " 
 
 " Go on with your examination, Mr. District Attorney." 
 
SbS 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 That gentleman eyed the familiarity between his witness 
 and the prisoner with manifest disgust^ and indicated to the 
 court that he was done. 
 
 Then you didn't feel frightened^ Mr. Kirby ? " said 
 the counsel for the prisoner. 
 
 Me ! no,'* said Billy, casting his eyes over his own 
 huge frame with evident self-satisfaction ; I'm not to be 
 skeared so easy." 
 
 You look like a hardy man ; where were you born, 
 sir?" 
 
 Varmount state ; 'tis a mountaynious place, but there's 
 a stiff soil, and its pretty much wooded with beech and 
 maple." 
 
 I have always heard so," said Mr. Lippet, soothingly. 
 '^^ You have been used to the rifle yourself, in that country?" 
 
 I pull the second best trigger in this county. I knock 
 under to Natty Bumppo there, sin' he shot the pigeon." 
 
 Leather-stocking raised his head, and laughed again, 
 when he abruptly thrust out a wrinkled hand, and said — 
 
 You're young yet, Billy, and haven't seen the matches 
 that I have ; but here's my hand ; I bear no malice to you, 
 I don't." 
 
 Mr. Lippet allowed this conciliatory offering to be ac- 
 cepted, and judiciously paused, while the spirit of peace 
 was exercising its influence over the two ; but the Judge 
 interposed his authority. 
 
 This is an improper place for such dialogues," he said. 
 Proceed with your examination of this witness, Mr. 
 Lippet, or I shall order the next." 
 
 The attorney started, as if unconscious of any impro- 
 priety, and continued — 
 
 So you settled the matter with Natty amicably on the 
 spot, did you ? " 
 
 He gi'n me the skin, and I didn't want to quarrel 
 with an old man ; for my part, I see no such mighty 
 matter in shooting a buck !" 
 
 And you parted friends ? and you would never have 
 thought of bringing the business up before a court, hadn't 
 you been subpoenaed ?" 
 
 I don't think I should ; he gi'n the skin, and I didn't 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 36*9 
 
 feel a hard thought^ though Squire Doolittle got some 
 affronted." 
 
 I have done^ sir/* said Mr. Lippet, probably relying 
 on the charge of the Judge, as he again seated himself, 
 with the air of a man who felt that his success was cer- 
 tain. 
 
 When Mr. Van der School arose to address the jury, he 
 commenced by saying — 
 
 " Gentlemen of the jury, I should have interrupted the 
 leading questions put by the prisoner's counsel (by leading 
 questions I mean telling him what to say), did I not feel 
 confident that the law of the land was superior to any ad- 
 vantages (I mean legal advantages) which he might obtain 
 by his art. The counsel for the prisoner, gentlemen, has 
 endeavoured to persuade you, in opposition to your own 
 good sense, to believe that pointing a rifle at a constable 
 (elected or deputed) is a very innocent affair ; and that so- 
 ciety (I mean the commonwealth, gentlemen,) shall not be 
 endangered thereby. But let me claim your attention, 
 while we look over the particulars of this heinous offence.'* 
 Here Mr. Van der School favoured the jury with an abridg- 
 ment of the testimony, recounted in such a manner as ut- 
 terly to confuse the faculties of his worthy listeners. After 
 this exhibition he closed as follows: — '^'^And now, gentle- 
 men, having thus made plain to your senses the crime of 
 which this unfortunate man has been guilty (unfortunate 
 both on account of his ignorance and his guilt), 1 shall leave 
 you to your own consciences ; not in the least doubting, 
 that you will see the importance (notwithstanding the pri- 
 soner's counsel (doubtless relying on your former verdict) 
 wishes to appear so confident of success) of punishing the 
 offender, and asserting the dignity of the laws." 
 
 It was now the duty of the Judge to deliver his charge. 
 It consisted of a short, comprehensive summary of the tes-^ 
 timony, laying bare the artifice of the prisoner's counsel, 
 and placing the facts in so obvious a light, that they could 
 not well be misunderstood. Living as we do, gentlemen," 
 he concluded, " on the skirts of society, it becomes doubly 
 necessary to protect the ministers of the law. If you believe 
 the witnesses, in their construction of the acts of the pri- 
 
 B B 
 
370 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 soner, it is your duty to convict him ; but if you believe 
 that the old man, who this day appears before you, meant 
 not to harm the constable, but was acting more under the 
 influence of habit than by the instigations of malice, it will 
 be your duty to judge him, but to do it with lenity." 
 
 As before, the jury did not leave their box ; but, after a 
 consultation of some little time, their foreman arose, and 
 pronounced the prisoner — 
 Guilty/* 
 
 There was but little surprise manifested in the court- 
 room at this verdict, as the testimony, the greater part of 
 which we have omitted, was too clear and direct to be 
 passed over. The judges seemed to have anticipated this 
 sentiment, for a consultation was passing among them also, 
 during the deliberation of the jury, and the preparatory 
 movements of the bench" announced the coming sen- 
 tence. 
 
 Nathaniel Bumppo," commenced the Judge, making 
 the customary pause. 
 
 The old hunter, who had been musing again, with his 
 head on the bar, raised himself, and cried, with a prompt, 
 military tone — 
 
 Here." 
 
 The Judge waved his hand for silence, and proceeded — 
 In forming their sentence, the court have been 
 governed as much by the consideration of your ignorance 
 of the laws, as by a strict sense of the importance of 
 punishing such outrages as this of which you have been 
 found guilty. They have, therefore, passed over the 
 obvious punishment of whipping on the bare back, in 
 mercy to your years ; but as the dignity of the law requires 
 an open exhibition of the consequences of your crime, it is 
 ordered, that you be conveyed from this room to the public 
 stocks, where you are to be confined for one hour; that 
 you pay a fine to the state of one hundred dollars ; and that 
 you be imprisoned in the gaol of this county for one calen- 
 dar month ; and furthermore, that your imprisonment do 
 not cease until the said fine shall be paid. I feel it my 
 duty, Nathaniel Bumppo " 
 
 " And where should I get the money?" interrupted the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 371 
 
 Leather-Stockings eagerly ; " where should I get the money? 
 you'll take away the bounty on the painters, because I cut 
 the throat of a deer ; and how is an old man to find so 
 much gold or silver in the woods? No, no. Judge; think 
 better of it, and don't talk of shutting me up in a gaol for 
 the little time I have to stay." 
 
 If you have any thing to urge against the passing of 
 the sentence, the court will yet hear you," said the Judge, 
 mildly. 
 
 I have enough to say ag'in it," cried Natty, grasping 
 the bar on which his fingers were working with a convulsed 
 motion. " Where am I to get the money ? Let me out 
 into the woods and hills, where I've been used to breathe 
 the clear air, and though I'm threescore and ten, if you've 
 left game enough in the country, I'll travel night and day 
 but rU make you up the sum afore the season is over. 
 Yes, yes — you see the reason of the thing, and the wicked- 
 ness of shutting up an old man, that has spent his days, as 
 one may say, where he could always look into the windows 
 of heaven." 
 
 I must be governed by the law " 
 
 Talk not to me of law, Marmaduke Temple," inter- 
 rupted the hunter. Did the beast of the forest mind 
 your laws, when it was thirsty and hungering for the blood 
 of your own child ! She was kneeling to her God for a 
 greater favour than I ask, and he heard her ; and if you 
 now say no to my prayers, do you think he will be deaf?" 
 
 My private feelings must not enter into " 
 
 Hear me, Marmaduke Temple," interrupted the old 
 man, with melancholy earnestness, " and hear reason. I've 
 travelled these mountains when you was no judge, but an 
 infant in your mother's arms ; and I feel as if I had a 
 right and a privilege to travel them ag'in afore I die. Have 
 you forgot the time that you come on to the lake-shore, 
 when there wasn't even a gaol to lodge in ; and didn't I 
 give you my own bear-skin to sleep on, and the fat of a 
 noble buck to satisfy the cravings of your hunger ? Yes, 
 yes — you thought it no sin then to kill a deer I And this 
 I did, though I had no reason to love you, for you had 
 never done any thing but harm to them that loved and 
 B B 2 
 
372 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 sheltered me. And now, will you shut me up in your 
 dungeons to pay me for my kindness ? A hundred dollars ! 
 where should I get the money? No, no — there's them 
 that says hard things of you, Marmaduke Temple, but you 
 an't so bad as to wish to see an old man die in a prison, 
 because he stood up for the right. Come, friend, let me 
 pass ; it's long sin' I've been used to such crowds, and I 
 crave to be in the woods ag'in. Don't fear me. Judge — 
 I bid you not to fear me ; for if there's beaver enough left 
 on the streams, or the buckskins will sell for a shilling 
 a-piece, yoii shall have the last penny of the fine. Where 
 are ye, pups ! come away, dogs ! come away ! we have a 
 grievous toil to do for our years, but it shall be done — 
 yes, yes, I've promised it, and it shall be done ! " 
 
 It is unnecessary to say, that the movement of the 
 Leather-stocking was again intercepted by the constable ; 
 but before he had time to speak, a bustling in the crowd, 
 and a loud hem, drew all eyes to another part of the room. 
 
 Benjamin had succeeded in edging his way through the 
 people, and w^as now seen balancing his short body, with 
 one foot in a window and the other on the railing of the 
 jury-box. To the amazement of the whole court, the 
 stev/ard was evidently preparing to speak. After a good 
 deal of difficulty, he succeeded in drawing from his pocket 
 a small bag, and then found utterance. 
 
 If-so-be," he said, that your honour is agreeable to 
 trust the poor fellow out on another cruise among the 
 beasts, here's a small matter that will help to bring down 
 the risk, seeing that there's just thirty-five of your Spaniards 
 in it ; and I wish^ from the bottom of my heart, that they 
 was raal British guineas, for the sake of the old boy. But 
 'tis as it is ; and if Squire Dickens will just be so good as 
 to overhaul this small bit of an account, and take enough 
 from the bag to settle the same, he's welcome to hold on 
 upon the rest, till such time as the Leather-stocking can 
 grapple with them said beaver, or, for that matter, for ever, 
 and no thanks asked." 
 
 As Benjamin concluded, he thrust out the wooden 
 register of his arrears to the " Bold Dragoon" with one 
 hand, while he offered his bag of dollars with the other. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Astonishment at this singular interruption produced a pro- 
 found stillness in the room, which was only interrupted by 
 the Sheriff^ who struck his sword on the table, and cried — 
 Silence!'' 
 
 There must be an end to this," said the Judge, strug- 
 gling to overcome his feelings. Constable, lead the 
 prisoner to the stocks. Mr. Clerk, what stands next on the 
 calendar } " 
 
 Natty seemed to yield to his destiny, for he sunk his 
 head on his chest, and followed the officer from the court- 
 room in silence. The crowd moved back for the passage 
 of the prisoner, and when his tall form was seen descend- 
 ing from the outer door, a rush of the people to the scene 
 of his disgrace followed. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Ha ! ha ! look ! he wears cruel garters ! Lear. 
 
 The punishments of the common law were still known, at 
 the time of our tale, to the people of Nev/ York ; and the 
 whipping-post, with its companion, the stocks, were not 
 yet supplanted by the more merciful expedients of the 
 public prisons. Immediately in front of the gaol those 
 relics of the elder times were situated, as a lesson of pre- 
 cautionary justice to the evil-doers of the settlement. 
 
 Natty followed the constables to this spot, bowing his 
 head with submission to a power that he was unable to 
 oppose, and surrounded by the crowd that formed a circle 
 about his person, exhibiting in their countenances strong 
 curiosity. A constable raised the upper part of the stocks, 
 and pointed with his finger to the holes where the old man 
 was to place his feet. Without making the least objection 
 to the puniiihment, the Leather- stocking quietly seated 
 himself on the ground, and suffered his limbs to be laid in 
 the openings, without even a murmur ; though he cast one 
 
 B B 3 
 
S74 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 glance about him^ in quest of that sympathy that human 
 nature always seems to require under suffering. If he met 
 no direct manifestations of pity_, neither did he see any 
 unfeeling exultation, or hear a single reproachful epithet. 
 The character of the mob, if it could be called by such a 
 name, was that of attentive subordination. 
 
 The constable was in the act of lowering the upper plank, 
 when Benjamin, who had pressed close to the side of the 
 prisoner, said, in his hoarse tones, as if seeking for some 
 cause to create a quarrel — 
 
 Where away, master constable, is the use of clapping 
 a man in them here bilboes ? it neither stops his grog nor 
 hurts his back ; what for is it that you do the thing ? " 
 
 'Tis the sentence of the court, Mr. Penguillum, and 
 there's law for it, I s'pose." 
 
 Ay, ay, I know that there's law for the thing ; but 
 where away do you find the use, I say } it does no harm, 
 and it only keeps a man by the heels for the small matter 
 of two glasses." 
 
 Is it no harm, Benny Pump," said Natty, raising his 
 eyes with a piteous look to the face of the steward — is 
 it no harm to show off a man in his seventy-first year, like 
 a tame bear, for the settlers to look on ! Is it no harm to 
 put an old soldier, that has sarved through the war of 'fifty- 
 six, and seen the inimy in the 'seventy-six business, into a 
 place like this, where the boys can point at him and say, I 
 have known the time when he was a spectacle for the county ! 
 Is it no harm to bring down the pride of an honest man to 
 be the equal of the beasts of the forest ! " 
 
 Benjamin stared about him fiercely, and could he have 
 found a single face that expressed contumely, he would have 
 been prompt to quarrel with its owner ; but meeting every 
 where with looks of sobriety, and occasionally of commiser- 
 ation, he very deliberately seated himself by the side of the 
 hunter, and placing his legs in the two vacant holes of the 
 stocks, he said — 
 
 Now lower away, master constable, lower away, I tell 
 ye ! If-so-be there's such a thing hereabouts as a man that 
 wants to see a bear, let him look and be d— d, and he 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 375 
 
 shall find two of them, and mayhap one of the same that 
 can bite as well as growl." 
 
 But I have no orders to put you in the stocks^ Mr. 
 Pump/' cried the constable ; you must get up, and let me 
 do my duty." 
 
 You've my orders, and what do you need better to 
 meddle with my own feet ? so lower away, will ye, and let 
 me see the man that chooses to open his mouth with a grin 
 on it." 
 
 There can't be any harm in locking up a creater that 
 will enter the pound," said the constable, laughing, and 
 closing the stocks on them both. 
 
 It was fortunate that this act was executed with decision, 
 for the whole of the spectators, when they saw Benjamin 
 assume the position he took, felt an inclination for merri- 
 ment, which few thought it worth while to suppress. The 
 steward struggled violently for his liberty again, with an 
 evident intention of making battle on those who stood 
 nearest to him ; but the key was already turned, and all his 
 efforts were vain. 
 
 Hark ye, master constable," he cried, just clear away 
 your bilboes for the small matter of a log-glass, wiU ye, and 
 let me show some of them there chaps who it is that they 
 are so merry about." 
 
 No, no, you would go in, and you can*t come out," 
 returned the officer, until the time has expired that the 
 Judge directed for the keeping of the prisoner." 
 
 Benjamin, finding that his threats and his struggles were 
 useless, had good sense enough to learn patience from the 
 resigned manner of his companion, and soon settled himself 
 down by the side of Natty, with a contemptuousness ex- 
 pressed in his hard features, that showed he had substituted 
 disgust for rage. When the violence of the steward's feelings 
 had in some measure subsided, he turned to his fellow- 
 sufferer, and, with a motive that might have vindicated 
 a worse effusion, he attempted the charitable office of 
 consolation. 
 
 Taking it by and large. Master Bump-ho, 'tis but a 
 small matter after all," he said. Now, I've known very 
 good sort of men, aboard of the Boadishey, laid by the 
 
 B B 4 
 
376 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 heelsj for nothing, mayhap, but forgetting that they'd 
 drunk their allowance already, when a glass of grog has 
 come in their way. This is nothing more than riding with 
 two anchors a-head, waiting for a turn in the tide, or a 
 shift of wind, d'ye see, with a soft bottom and plenty of 
 room for the sweep of your hawse. Now I've seen many 
 a man, for over-shooting his reckoning, as 1 told ye, moored 
 head and starn, where he couldn't so much as heave his 
 broadside round, and mayhap a stopper clapt on his tongue 
 too, in the shape of a pump-bolt lashed athwartship his 
 jaws, all the same as an out-rigger along-side of a tafFrel- 
 rail.'' 
 
 The hunter appeared to appreciate the kind intentions of 
 the other, though he could not understand his eloquence ; 
 and raising his humbled countenance, he attempted a smile, 
 as he said — 
 Anan !" 
 
 'Tis nothing, I say, but a small matter of a squall 
 that will soon blow over," continued Benjamin. " To you 
 that has such a length of keel, it must be all the same as 
 nothing ; tho'f, seeing that I'm a little short in my lower 
 timbers, they've triced my heels up in such a way as to 
 give me a bit of a cant. But what cares I, Master Bump- 
 ho, if the ship strains a little at her anchor ; it's only for a 
 dog-watch, and dam'me but she'll sail with you then on 
 that cruise after them said beaver. I'm not much used to 
 small arms, seeing that I was stationed at the ammunition- 
 boxes, being sura'mat too low-rigged to see over the ham- 
 mock-cloths; but I can carry the game, d'ye see, and may- 
 hap make out to lend a hand with the traps ; and if-so-be 
 you're any way so handy with them as ye be with your 
 boat-hook, 'twill be but a short cruise after all. I've 
 squared the yards with Squire Dickens this morning, and 
 I shall send him word that he needn't bear my name on 
 the books again till such time as the cruise is over.'^ 
 
 " You're used to dwell with men, Benny," said Leather- 
 stocking, mournfully, and the ways of the woods would 
 
 be hard on you, if " 
 
 Not a bit — not a bit," cried the steward ; I'm none 
 of your fair-weather chaps, Master Bump-ho, as sails onl) 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 377 
 
 in smooth water. When I find a friend^ I sticks hy him, 
 d'ye see. Now^ there's no better man a-going than Squire 
 Dickens, and I love him about the same as 1 loves Mis- 
 tress HolHster's new keg of Jamaiky." The steward paused, 
 and turning his uncouth visage on the hunter, he surveyed 
 him with a roguish leer of his eye, and gradually suffered 
 the muscles of his hard features to relax, until his face was 
 illuminated by the display of his white teeth, when lie 
 dropped his voice, and added, — ^'^ I say. Master Leather- 
 stocking, 'tis fresher and livelier than any Hollands you'll 
 get in Garnsey. But we'll send a hand over and ask the 
 woman for a taste, for I'm so jamb'd in these here bilboes, 
 that I begin to want sum'mat to lighten my upper works." 
 
 Natty sighed, and gazed about him on the crowd, that 
 already began to disperse, and which had now diminished 
 greatly, as its mem.bers scattered in their various pursuits. 
 He looked wistfully at Benjamin, but did not reply ; a 
 deeply seated anxiety seeming to absorb every other sen- 
 sation, and to throw a melancholy gloom over his WTinkled 
 features, which were working with the movements of his 
 mind. 
 
 The steward was about to act on the old principle, that 
 silence gives consent, when Hiram Doolittle, attended by 
 Jotham, stalked out of the crowd, across the open space, 
 and approached the stocks. The magistrate passed by the 
 end where Benjamin was seated, and posted himself, at a 
 safe distance from the steward, in front of the Leather- 
 stocking. Hiram stood, for a moment, cowering before the 
 keen looks that Natty fastened on him, and suffering under 
 an embarrassment that was quite new ; when, having in 
 some degree recovered himself, he looked at the heavens, 
 and then at the smoky atmosphere, as if it were only an 
 ordinary meeting with a friend, and said, in his formal, 
 hesitating way — 
 
 Quite a scurcity of rain lately ; I some think we shall 
 have a long drought on't." 
 
 Benjamin was occupied in untying his bag of dollars, 
 and did not observe the approach of the magistrate, while 
 Natty turned his face, in which every muscle was working, 
 away from him in disgust, without answering. Rather 
 
378 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 encouraged than daunted by this exhibition of dislike, Hi- 
 ram, after a short pause, continued — 
 
 " The clouds look as if they'd no water in them, and 
 the earth is dreadfully parched. To my judgment, there'll 
 be short crops this season, if the rain doos'nt fall quite 
 speedily." 
 
 The air with which Mr. Doolittle delivered this prophet- 
 ical opinion was peculiar to his species. It was a Jesuitical, 
 cold, unfeeling, and selfish manner, that seemed to say, I 
 have kept within the law," to the man he had so cruelly 
 injured. It quite overcame the restraint that the old hun- 
 ter had been labouring to impose on himself, and he burst 
 out in a warm glow of indignation. 
 
 Why should the rain fall from the clouds,*' he cried, 
 
 when you force the tears from the eyes of the old, the 
 sick, and the poor ! Away with ye — away with ye ! you 
 may be formed in the image of the Maker, but Satan dwells 
 in your heart. Away with ye, I say ! I am mournful, and 
 the sight of ye brings bitter thoughts." 
 
 Benjamin ceased thumbing his money, and raised his 
 head, at the instant that Hiram, who was thrown off his 
 guard by the invectives of the hunter, unluckily trusted his 
 person within reach of the steward, who grasped one of his 
 legs, with a hand that had the grip of a vice, and whirled 
 the magistrate from his feet, before he had either time to 
 collect his senses, or to exercise the strength he did really 
 possess. Benjamin wanted neither proportions nor man- 
 hood in his head, shoulders, and arms, though all the rest 
 of his frame appeared to be originally intended for a very 
 different sort of a man. He exerted his physical powers 
 on the present occasion, with much discretion ; and as he 
 had taken his antagonist at a great disadvantage, the strug- 
 gle resulted, very soon, in Benjamin getting the magistrate 
 fixed in a posture somewhat similar to his own, and man- 
 fully placed face to face. 
 
 You're a ship's cousin, I tell ye, Master Doo-but- 
 little," roared the steward ; some such matter as a ship's 
 cousin, sir. I know you, I do, with your fair-weather 
 speeches to Squire Dickens, to his face, and then you go 
 and sarve out your grumbling to all the old women in the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 379 
 
 town^ do ye. An't it enough for any Christian^ let him 
 harbour never so much mahce^, to get an honest old fellow 
 laid by the heels in this fashion, without carrying sail so 
 hard on the poor dog, as if you would run him down as 
 he lay at his anchors ? But I've logged many a hard thing 
 against your name, master, and now the time's come to 
 foot up the day's work, d'ye see ; so square yourself, you 
 lubber, square yourself, and we'll soon know who's the 
 better man." 
 
 Jotham ! " cried the frightened magistrate — Jotham I 
 call in the constables. Mr. Penguillium, I command the 
 peace — I order you to keep the peace." 
 
 There's been more peace than love atwixt us, master," 
 cried the steward, making some very unequivocal demon- 
 strations towards hostility ; so mind yourself ! square your- 
 self, I say ! do you smell this here bit of a sledge-hammer ? " 
 
 Lay hands on me if you dare ! " exclaimed Hiram, as 
 well as he could under the grasp which the steward held on 
 his throttle — lay hands on me if you dare ! " 
 
 If ye call this laying, master, you are welcome to the 
 eggs," roared the steward. 
 
 It becomes our disagreeable duty to record here, that the 
 acts of Benjamin now became violent ; for he darted his 
 sledge-hammer violently on the anvil of Mr. Doolittle's 
 countenance, and the place became, in an instant, a scene 
 of tumult and confusion. The crowd rushed in a dense 
 circle around the spot, while some ran to the court-room to 
 give the alarm, and one or two of the more juvenile part of 
 the multitude had a desperate trial of speed, to see who 
 should be the happy man to communicate the critical situ- 
 ation of the magistrate to his wife. 
 
 Benjamin worked away with great industry and a good 
 deal of skill, at his occupation, using one hand to raise up 
 his antagonist, while he knocked him over with the other ; 
 for he would have been disgraced in his own estimation, 
 had he struck a blow on a fallen adversary. By this con- 
 siderate arrangement he had found means to hammer the 
 visage of Hiram out of all shape, by the time Richard suc- 
 ceeded in forcing his way through the throng to the point 
 of combat. The Sheriff afterward declared that, independ- 
 
380 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ently of his mortification^ as preserver of the peace of the 
 county^ at this interruption to its harmony, he was never 
 so grieved in his Hfe, as when he saw this breach of unity 
 between his favourites. Hiram had in some degree become 
 necessary to his vanity_, and Benjamin, strange as it may 
 appear, he really loved. This attachment was exhibited in 
 the first words that he uttered. 
 
 Squire Doolittle ! Squire Doolittle ! I am ashamed to 
 see a man of your character and office forget himself so 
 much as to disturb the peace, insult the court, and beat 
 poor Benjamin in this manner !" 
 
 At the sound of Mr. Jones's voice, the steward ceased 
 his employment, and Hiram had an opportunity of raising 
 his discomfited visage towards the mediator. Emboldened 
 by the sight of the Sheriff, Mr. Doolittle again had recourse 
 to his lungs. 
 
 ^'^ I'll have the law on you for this," he cried despe- 
 rately ; ^'^ I'll have the law on you for this. I call on you, 
 Mr. Sheriff, to seize this man, and I demand that you take 
 his body into custody.'' 
 
 By this time Richard was master of the true state of the 
 case, and, turning to the steward, he said, reproachfully — 
 Benjamin, how came you in the stocks } I always 
 thought you were mild and docile as a lamb. It was for 
 your docility that I most esteemed you. Benjamin ! Ben- 
 jamin ! you have not only disgraced yourself, but your 
 friends, by this shameless conduct. Bless me ! bless me ! 
 Mr. Doolittle, he seems to have knocked your face all of 
 one side." 
 
 Hiram by this time had got on his feet again, and with- 
 out the reach of the steward, when he broke forth in violent 
 appeals for vengeance. The offence was too apparent to 
 be passed over, and the Sheriff, mindful of the impartiality 
 exhibited by his cousin in the recent trial of the Leather- 
 stocking, came to the painful conclusion that it was neces- 
 sary to commit his major-domo to prison. As the time of 
 Natty 's punishment was expired, and Benjamin found that 
 they were to be confined, for that night at least, in the 
 same apartment, he made no very strong objections to the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 381 
 
 measure^ nor spoke of bail_, though^ as the Sheriff preceded 
 the party of constables that conducted them to the gaol_, he 
 uttered the following remonstrance : — 
 
 " As to being berthed with Master Bump-ho for a night 
 or so, it's but little I think of it. Squire Dickens^ seeing 
 that I calls him an honest man, and one as has a handy 
 way with boat-hooks and rifles ; but as for owning that a 
 man desarves any thing worse than a double allowance, for 
 knocking that carpenter's face a- one-side, as you call it, I'll 
 maintain it's ag'in reason and Christianity. If there's a 
 blood-sucker in this 'ere county, it's that very chap. Ay ! 
 I know him ! and if he hasn't got all the same as dead 
 wood in his head-works, he knows sum'mat of me. Where's 
 the mighty harm. Squire, that you take it so much to 
 heart } It's all the same as any other battle, d'ye see, sir, 
 being broadside to broadside, only that it was fout at anchor, 
 which was what we did in Port Praya roads, when Suffering 
 came in among us ; and a suffering time he had of it, be- 
 fore he got out again." 
 
 Richard thought it unworthy of him to make any reply 
 to this speech ; but when his prisoners were safely lodged 
 in an outer dungeon, ordering the bolts to be drawn and the 
 key turned, he withdrew. 
 
 Benjamin held frequent and friendly dialogues with dif- 
 ferent people, through the iron gratings, during the after- 
 noon ; but his companion paced their narrow limits, in his 
 mocassins, with quick, impatient treads, his face hanging 
 on his breast in dejection, or when lifted, at moments, to 
 the idlers at the window, lighted, perhaps, for an instant, 
 with the childish aspect of aged forgetfulness, which would 
 vanish directly in an expression of deep and obvious anxiety. 
 
 At the close of the day, Edwards was seen at the window, 
 in earnest dialogue with his friend ; and after he departed, 
 it was thought that he had communicated words of comfort 
 to the hunter, who threw himself on his pallet, and was 
 soon in a deep sleep. The curious spectators had exhausted 
 the conversation of the steward, who had drunk good fel- 
 lowship with half of his acquaintance, and as Natty was 
 Ro longer in motion, by eight o'clock, Billy Kirby, who was 
 
382 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the last lounger at the window^ retired into the " Temple- 
 town CofFee-house/' when Natty rose and hung a blanket 
 before the opening, and the prisoners apparently retired for 
 the night. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 And to avoid the foe's pursuit, 
 
 With spurring put their cattle to't ; 
 
 And till all four were out cf wind, 
 
 And danger too, ne'er look'd behind. Hudibras. 
 
 As the shades of evening approached, the jurors, wit- 
 nesses, and other attendants on the court, began to disperse, 
 and before nine o'clock the village was quiet, and its streets 
 nearly deserted. At that hour Judge Temple and his 
 daughter, followed at a short distance by Louisa Grant, 
 walked slowly down the avenue, under the sUght shadows 
 of the young poplars, holding the following discourse : — 
 
 You can best soothe his wounded spirit, my child,'* 
 said Marmaduke ; but it will be dangerous to touch on 
 the nature of his offence ; the sanctity of the laws must 
 be respected." 
 
 Surely, sir," cried the impatient Elizabeth, those 
 laws that condemn a man like the Leather-stocking to so 
 severe a punishment, for an offence that even I must think 
 very venial, cannot be perfect in themselves." 
 
 Thou talkest of what thou dost not understand, Eliza- 
 beth," returned her father. Society cannot exist without 
 wholesome restraints. Those restraints cannot be inflicted, 
 without security and respect to the persons of those who 
 administer them ; and it would sound ill indeed to report, 
 that a judge had extended favour to a convicted criminal, 
 because he had saved the life of his child." 
 
 I see — I see the difficulty of your situation, dear sir," 
 cried the daughter ; " but in a,ppreciating the offence of 
 poor Natty, I cannot separate the minister of the law from 
 the man." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 383 
 
 " There thou talkest as a woman^ child ; it is not for 
 an assault on Hiram Doolittle^ but for threatening the life 
 of a constable^ who was in the performance of " 
 
 " It is immaterial whether it be one or the other/' in- 
 terrupted Miss Temple^ with a logic that contained more 
 feeling than reason ; I know Natty to be innocent,, and, 
 thinking so, I must think all wrong who oppress him/* 
 His judge among the number I thy father, Elizabeth ? " 
 Nay, nay, nay ; do not put such questions to me ; 
 give me my commission, father, and let me proceed to 
 execute it." 
 
 The Judge paused a m.oment, smiling fondly on his 
 child, and then dropped his hand affectionately on her 
 shoulder, as he answered — 
 
 Thou hast reason, Bess, and much of it too, but thy 
 heart lies too near thy head. But listen : in this pocket- 
 book are two hundred dollars. Go to the prison — there 
 are none in this place to harm thee — give this note to 
 the gaoler, and when thou seest Bumppo, say what thou 
 wilt to the poor old man ; give scope to the feelings of 
 thy warm heart ; but try to remember, Elizabeth, that the 
 laws alone remove us from the condition of the savages ; 
 that he has been criminal, and that his judge was thy 
 father." 
 
 Miss Temple made no reply, but she pressed the hand 
 that held the pocket-book to her bosom, and taking her 
 friend by the arm, they issued together from the enclosure 
 into the principal street of the village. 
 
 As they pursued their walk in silence, under the row of 
 houses, where the deeper gloom of the evening effectually 
 concealed their persons, no sound reached them, excepting 
 the slow tread of a yoke of oxen, with the rattling of a 
 cart, that were moving along the street in the same direc- 
 tion with themselves. The figure of the teamster was just 
 discernible by the dim light, lounging by the side of his 
 cattle with a listless air, as if fatigued by the toil of the 
 day. At the corner, where the gaol stood, the progress of 
 the ladies was impeded, for a moment, by the oxen, who 
 were turned up to the side of the building, and given a 
 lock of hay, which they had carried on their necks, as a 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 reward for their patient labour. The whole of this was so 
 natural, and so common^ that Elizabeth saw nothing to 
 induce a second glance at the team, until she heard tlie 
 teamster speaking to his cattle in a low voice : — 
 
 Mind yourself, Brindle ; will you, sir ! will you ! " 
 The language itself was unusual to oxen, with which all 
 who dwell in a new country are familiar ; but there was 
 something in the voice also, that startled Miss Temple. 
 On turning the corner, she necessarily approached the man, 
 and her look was enabled to detect the person of Oliver 
 Edwards, concealed under the coarse garb of a teamster. 
 Their eyes met at the same instant, and, notwithstanding 
 the gloom, and the enveloping cloak of Elizabeth, the 
 recognition was mutual. 
 
 Miss Temple!" " Mr. Edwards!" were exclaimed 
 simultaneously, though a feeling that seemed common to 
 both, rendered the words nearly inaudible. 
 
 Is it possible !" exclaimed Edwards, after the moment 
 of doubt had passed ; do I see you so nigh the gaol ! but 
 you are going to the Rectory ; I beg pardon, Miss Grant, 
 1 believe ; I did not recognise you at first." 
 
 The sigh which Louisa uttered was so faint, that it was 
 only heard by Elizabeth, who replied quickly — 
 
 We are going not only to the gaol, Mr. Edwards, but 
 into it. We wish to show the Leather-stocking that we 
 do not forget his services, and that at the same time we 
 must be just, we are also grateful. I suppose you are on 
 a similar errand ; bat let me beg that you will give us 
 leave to precede you ten minutes. Good night, sir; I — 
 I — am quite sorry, Mr. Edwards, to see you reduced to 
 such labour ; I am sure my father would ** 
 
 I shall wait your pleasure, madam," interrupted the 
 youth, coldly. May I beg that you will not mention 
 my being h-2re ? " 
 
 Certainly," said Elizabeth, returning his bow by a 
 slight inclination of her head, and urging the tardy Louisa 
 forward. As they entered the gaoler s house, however. Miss 
 Grant found leisure to whisper — 
 
 Would it not be well to offer part of your money to 
 Ohver } half of it will pay the fine of Bumppo ; and l\e 
 
THE PIONEERS, 
 
 385 
 
 is so unused to hardships ! I am sure my father will sub- 
 scribe much of his little pittance, to place him in a station 
 that is more worthy of him." 
 
 The involuntary smile that passed over the features of 
 Elizabeth was blended with an expression of deep and 
 heart-felt pity. She did not reply, however, and the 
 appearance of the gaoler soon recalled the thoughts of both 
 to the object of their visit. 
 
 The rescue of the ladies, and their consequent interest in 
 his prisoner, together with the informal manners that pre- 
 vailed in the country, all united to prevent any surprise, 
 on the part of the gaoler, at their request for admission to 
 Bumppo. The note of Judge Temple, however, would 
 have silenced all objections, if he had felt them^ and he led 
 the way without hesitation to the apartment that held the 
 prisoners. The instant the key was put into the lock, the 
 hoarse voice of Benjamin was heard, demanding — 
 Yo ! hoy ! who comes there ? " 
 
 Some visiters that you'll be glad to see,** returned the 
 gaoler. What have you done to the lock, that it won't 
 turn ? " 
 
 Handsomely, handsomely, master,** cried the steward ; 
 
 I have just drove a nail into a berth along-side of this here 
 bolt, as a stopper, d*ye see, so that master Doo-but-little 
 can't be running in and breezing up another fight atwixt 
 us ; for, to my account, there'll be but a ban-yan with 
 me soon, seeing that they'll mulct me of my Spaniards, all 
 the same as if I*d overflogged the lubber. Throw your 
 ship into the wind, and lay by for a small matter, will ye ? 
 and I'll soon clear a passage." 
 
 The sounds of hammering gave an assurance that the 
 steward was in earnest, and in a short time the lock 
 yielded, when the door was opened. 
 
 Benjamin had evidently been anticipating the seizure of 
 his money, for he had made frequent demands on the 
 favourite cask at the " Bold Dragoon,** during the after- 
 noon and evening, and was now in that state which by 
 marine imagery is called half-eeas-over.** It was no 
 easy thing to destroy the balance of the old tar by the 
 CiFects of liquor, for, as he expressed it himself, he was 
 c c 
 
386 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 too low-rigged not to carry sail in all weathers but he 
 was precisely in that condition which is so expressively 
 termed muddy." When he perceived who the visiters 
 were^ he retreated to the side of the room where his pallet 
 lay, and^ regardless of the presence of his young mistress, 
 seated himself on it with an air of great sobriety, placing 
 his back firmly against the wall. 
 
 If you undertake to spoil my locks in this manner, 
 Mr. Pump/' said the gaoler, I shall put a stopper, as you 
 call it, on your legs, and tie you down to your bed." 
 
 What for should ye, master?" grumbled Benjamin ; 
 ^' I've rode out one squall to-day, anchored by the heels, 
 and I wants no more of them. Where's the harm of doing 
 all the same as yourself? Leave that there door free out- 
 board, and you'll find no locking inboard, I'll promise ye." 
 
 I must shut up for the night at nine," said the gaoler^ 
 *^ and it's now forty-two minutes past eight." He placed 
 the little candle on a rough pine-table, and withdrew. 
 
 Leather-stocking ! " said Elizabeth, when the key of 
 the door was turned on them again, my good friend 
 Leather-stocking ! I have come on a message of gratitude. 
 Had you submitted to the search, worthy old man, the 
 death of the deer would have been a trifle, and all would 
 
 have been well " 
 
 " Submit to the sarch ! " interrupted Natty, raising his 
 face from resting on his knees, without rising from the 
 corner where he had seated himself ; d'ye think, gal, I 
 would let such a varmint into my hut ? No, no — I 
 wouldn't have opened the door to your own sweet coun- 
 tenance then. But they are wilcome to sarch among the 
 coals and ashes now ; they'll find only some such heap as 
 is to be seen at every pot-ashery in the mountains." 
 
 The old man dropped his face again on one hand, and 
 seemed to be lost in melancholy. 
 
 The hut can be rebuilt, and made better than before," 
 returned Miss Temple ; " and it shall be my office to see it 
 done, when your imprisonment is ended." 
 
 Can ye raise the dead, child ? " said Natty, in a sor- 
 rowful voice : ^' can ye go into the place where you've laid 
 your fathers^ and mothers, and children, and gather to 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 387 
 
 gether their ashes,, and make the same men and women of 
 them as afore ? You do not know what 'tis to lay your 
 head for more than forty years under the cover of the same 
 iogSj and to look on the same things for the better part of 
 a man's life. You are young yet^ child^ but you are one of 
 the most precious of God's creaters. I had a hope for ye 
 that it might come to pass^ but it's all over now ; this put 
 to that^ will drive the thing quite out of his mind for ever." 
 
 Miss Temple must have understood the meaning of the 
 old man better than the other listeners ; for, while Louisa 
 stood innocently by her side^ commiserating the griefs of the 
 hunter, she bent her head aside, so as to conceal her features. 
 The action and the feehng that caused it lasted but a 
 moment. 
 
 Other logs, and better, though, can be had, and shall 
 be found for you, my old defender," she continued. " Your 
 confinement will soon be over, and, before that time arrives, 
 I shall have a house prepared for you, where you may 
 spend the close of your harmless life in ease and plenty." 
 
 Ease and plenty ! house ! " repeated Natty, slowly. 
 You mean well, you mean well, and I quite mourn that 
 it cannot be ; but he has seen me a sight and a laughing- 
 stock for " 
 
 Damn your stocks," said Benjamin, flourishing his 
 bottle with one hand, from which he had been taking hasty 
 and repeated draughts, while he made gestures of disdain 
 with the other ; who cares for his bilboes ? there's a leg 
 that's been stuck up an end like a gib-boom for an hour, 
 d'ye see, and what's it the worse for't, ha ! canst tell me, 
 what's it the worser, ha ! " 
 
 I believe you forget, Mr. Pump, in whose presence 
 you are," said Elizabeth. 
 
 Forget you, Miss 'Lizzy," returned the steward ; if 
 I do, dam'me ; you are not to be forgot, like Goody Pretty- 
 bones, up at the big house there. I say, old sharp-shooter, she 
 may have pretty bones, but I can't say so much for her flesh, 
 d'ye see, for she looks somewhat like an atomy with another 
 man's jacket on. Now, for the skin of her face, it's all the 
 same as a new top-sail with a taught bolt-rope, being snug 
 at the leaches, but all in a bight about the inner cloths." 
 c c 2 
 
388 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Peace — I command you to be silent, sir ! " said 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 Ay^ ay, ma'am/' returned the steward. " You didn't 
 say I shouldn't drink, though." 
 
 We will not speak of what is to become of others,'' 
 said Miss Temple, turning again to the hunter — but of 
 your own fortunes. Natty. It shall be my care to see that 
 you pass the rest of your days in ease and plenty." 
 
 ^'^Ease and plenty ! '* again repeated the Leather- stocking; 
 what ease can there be to an old man, who must walk 
 a mile across the open fields, before he can find a shade 
 to hide him from a scorching sun ! or what plenty is there 
 where you may hunt a day, and not start a buck, or see any 
 thing bigger than a mink, or maybe a stray fox ! Ah ! I 
 shall have a hard time after them very beavers, for this 
 fine. I must go low toward the Pennsylvany line in sarch 
 of the creaters, maybe a hundred mile ; for they are not to 
 be got here-away. No, no — your betterments and clearings 
 have druv the knowing things out of the country ; and 
 instead of beaver-dams, which is the nater of the animal, 
 and according to Providence, you turn back the waters over 
 the low grounds with your mill-dams, as if 'twas in man 
 to stay the drops from going where He wills them to 
 go. — Benny, unless you stop your hand from going so 
 often to your mouth, you won't be ready to start v/hen the 
 time comes." 
 
 Hark'ee, Master Bump-ho,''said the steward ; don't 
 you fear for Ben. When the watch is called, set me on 
 my legs, and give me the bearings and distance of where 
 you want to steer, and I'll carry sail with the best of you, 
 I will." 
 
 The time has come now," said the hunter^ listening ; 
 I hear the horns of the oxen rubbing ag'in the side of 
 the gaol." 
 
 Well, say the word, and then heave ahead, shipmate," 
 said Benjamin. 
 
 You won't betray us, gal ? " said Natty, looking up 
 simply into the face of Elizabeth — you won't betray an 
 old man, who craves to breathe the clear air of heaven ? 
 I mean no harm ; and if the law says that I must pay the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 389 
 
 hunaiea dollars, I'll take the season through, but it shall 
 be forthcoming ; ana tnis good man will heln me." 
 
 You catch them/' said Benjamin, with a sweeping 
 gesture of his arm, and if they get away again, call me 
 a slink, that's all." 
 
 But what mean you.^*" cried the wondering Elizabeth* 
 Here you must stay for thirty days ; but I have the 
 money for your fine in this purse. Take it ; pay it in the 
 morning, and summon patience for your month. I will 
 come often to see you, with my friend ; we will make up 
 your clothes with our own hands; indeed, indeed, you 
 shaU be comfortable." 
 
 Would ye, children ? " said Natty, advancing across 
 the floor with an air of kindness, and taking the hand of 
 Elizabeth ; would ye be so kearful of an old man, and 
 just for shooting the beast which cost him nothing ? Such 
 things doesn't run in the blood, I believe, for you seem not 
 to forget a favour. Your little fingers couldn't do much on 
 a buck-skin, nor be you used to such a thread as sinews. 
 But if he hasn't got past hearing, he shall hear it and 
 know it, that he may see, like me, there is some who 
 know how to remember a kindness." 
 
 TeU him nothing," cried Elizabeth, earnestly ; if 
 you love me, if you regard my feelings, tell him nothing. 
 It is of yourself only I would talk, and for yourself only I 
 act. I grieve. Leather-stocking, that the law requires that 
 you should be detained here so long ; but, after all, it will 
 be only a short month, and " 
 
 A month ! " exclaimed Natty, opening his mouth with 
 his usual laugh ; " not a day, nor a night, nor an hour, 
 gal. Judge Temple may sintence, but he can't keep, 
 without a better dungeon than this. I was taken once by 
 the French, and they put sixty-two of us in a block-house, 
 nigh hand to old Frontinac ; but 'twas easy to cut through 
 a pine log to them that was used to timber." The hunter 
 paused, and looked cautiously around the room, when, 
 laughing again, he shoved the steward gently from his 
 post, and removing the bed-clothes, discovered a hole re- 
 cently cut in the logs with a mallet and chisel. It's only 
 
 a kick, and the outside piece is off, and then " 
 
 o c 3 
 
390 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Off! ay^ off!" cried Benjamin^ rousing from his 
 stupor ; well^ here's off. Ay ! ay ! you catch 'em_, and 
 I'll hold on to them said heaver-hats.'* 
 
 I fear this lad will trouhle me much/* said Natty ; 
 'twill be a hard pull for the mountain^ should they take 
 the scent soon^ and he is not in a state of mind to run." 
 
 Run ! " echoed the steward ; " no^ sheer along-side, 
 and let's have a fight of it." 
 
 Peace ! " ordered Elizabeth. 
 
 Ay, ay, ma'am." 
 
 You will not leave us, surely. Leather-stocking," con- 
 tinued Miss Temple ; I beseech you, reflect that you 
 will be driven to the woods entirely, and that you are fast 
 getting old. Be patient for a little time, when you can go 
 abroad openly, and with honour." 
 
 Is there beaver to be catch ed here, gal ? " 
 
 If not, here is money to discharge the fine, and in a 
 month you are free. See, here it is in gold." 
 
 Gold ! " said Natty, with a kind of childish curiosity ; 
 it's long sin' I've seen a gold piece. We used to get the 
 broad joes, in the old war, as plenty as the bears be now. 
 I remember there was a man in Dieskau's army, that was 
 killed, who had a dozen of the shining things sewed up in 
 his shirt. I didn't handle them myself, but I seen them 
 cut out with my own eyes ; they was bigger and brighter 
 than them be." 
 
 These are English guineas, and are yours," said 
 Elizabeth ; an earnest of what shall be done for you." 
 
 Me ! why should you give me this treasure } " said 
 Natty, looking earnestly at the maiden. 
 
 '^^ Why ! have you not saved my life ! did you not res- 
 cue me from the jaws of the beast exclaimed Elizabeth, 
 veiling her eyes, as if to hide some hideous object from 
 her view. 
 
 The hunter took the money, and continued turning it in 
 his hand for some time, piece by piece, talking aloud 
 during the operation. 
 
 There's a rifle, they say, out on the Cherry Valley, 
 that will carry a hundred rods and kill. I've seen good 
 guns in my day, but none quite equal to that. A hundred 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 rods with any sartainty is great shooting ! Well, well — 
 I*m old, and the gun I have will answer my time. Here, 
 child, take back your gold. But the hour has come ; I 
 hear him talking to the cattle, and I must be going You 
 won't tell of us, gal — you won't tell of us, will ye?" 
 
 ''Tell of you!" echoed Elizabeth. — ''But take the 
 money, old man ; take the money, even if you go into the 
 mountains." 
 
 ^' No, no," said Natty, shaking his head kindly ; "1 
 would not rob you so for twenty rifles. But there's one 
 thing you can do for me, if ye will, that no other is at hand 
 to do." 
 
 " Name it — name it." 
 
 '^ Why, it's only to buy a canister of powder; — 'twill 
 cost two silver dollars. Benny Pump has the money 
 ready, but we daren't come into the town to get it. No., 
 body has it but the Frenchman. 'Tis of the best, and just 
 suits a rifle. Will you get it for me, gal? — say, will you 
 get it for me ? " 
 
 " Will I ! I will bring it to you. Leather- stocking, 
 though I toil a day in quest of you through the woods. 
 But where shall I find you, and how ? " 
 
 " Where ! " said Natty, musing a moment — "to-morrow, 
 on the Vision ; on the very top of the Vision, I'll meet you, 
 child, just as the sun gets over our heads. See that it's the 
 fine grain ; you'll know it by the gloss, and the price." 
 
 " I will do it," said Elizabeth, firmly. 
 
 Natty now seated himself, and, placing his feet in the 
 hole, with a slight eflbrt he opened a passage through into 
 the street. The ladies heard the rustling of hay, and well 
 understood the reason why Edwards was in the capacity of 
 a teamster. 
 
 " Come, Benny," said the hunter ; " 'twill be no darker 
 to-night, for the moon will rise in an hour." 
 
 " Stay ! " exclaimed Elizabeth ; it should not be said 
 that you escaped in the presence of the daughter of Judge 
 Temple. Return, Leather-stocking, and let us retire, be- 
 fore you execute your plan.'* 
 
 Natty was about to reply, when the approaching footsteps 
 of the gaoler announced the necessity of his immediate rc-^ 
 c c 4 
 
S92 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 turn. He had barely time to regain his feet, and to con- 
 ceal the hole with the bed-clothes, across which Benjamin 
 very opportunely fell, before the key was turned, and the 
 door of the apartment opened. 
 
 Isn't Miss Temple ready to go?" said the civil gaoler: 
 — it's the usual hour for locking up." 
 
 I follow you, sir," returned Elizabeth, " Good night. 
 Leather- stocking," 
 
 It's a fine grain, gal, and I think 'twill carry lead 
 further than common. I am getting old, and can't follow 
 up the game with the step that I used to could." 
 
 Miss Temple waved her hand for silence, and preceded 
 Louisa and the keeper from the apartment. The man 
 turned the key once, and observed that he would return 
 and secure his prisoners, when he had lighted the ladies to 
 the street. Accordingly, they parted at the door of the 
 building, when the gaoler retired to his dungeons, and the 
 ladies walked, with throbbing hearts, towards the corner. 
 
 Now the Leather-stocking refuses the money," whis- 
 pered Louisa, it can all be given to Mr. Edwards, and that 
 added to " 
 
 Listen !" said Elizabeth; I hear the rustling of the 
 hay ; they are escaping at this moment. Oh ! they will 
 be detected instantly ! " 
 
 By this time they were at the corner, where Edwards 
 and Natty were in the act of drawing the almost hftpless 
 body of Benjamin through the aperture. The oxen had 
 started back from their hay, and were standing with their 
 heads down the street, leaving room for the party to act in. 
 
 Throw the hay into the cart," said Edwards, or they 
 will suspect how it has been done. Quick, that they may 
 not see it." 
 
 Natty had just returned from executing this order, when 
 the light of the keeper's candle shone through the hole, and 
 instantly his voice was heard in the gaol, exclaiming for his 
 prisoners. 
 
 What is to be done now ? " said Edwards — this 
 drunken fellow will cause our detection, and we have not 
 a moment to spare." 
 
 Who's drunk, ye lubber ! " muttered the steward. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 A break-gaol ! a break-gaol ! " shouted five or six voices 
 from within. 
 
 We must leave him/' said Edwards. 
 
 'Twouldn't be kind^ lad/' returned Natty ; he took 
 half the disgrace of the stocks on himself to-day_, and the 
 Greater has feeling." 
 
 At this moment two oi^ three men were heard issuing 
 from the door of the Bold Dragoon," and among them 
 the voice of Billy Kirby. 
 
 There's no moon yet_," cried the wood-chopper; but 
 it's a clear night. Come^ who's for home ? Hark ! what a 
 rumpus they're kicking up in the gaol — here's go and see 
 what it's about." 
 
 We shall be lost/' said Edwards, if we don't drop 
 this man." 
 
 At that instant Elizabeth moved close to him, and said 
 rapidly_, in a low voice — 
 
 " Lay him in the cart, and start the oxen ; no one will 
 look there." 
 
 ^' There's a woman's quickness in the thought," said the 
 youth. 
 
 The proposition was no sooner made than executed. 
 The steward was seated on the hay, and enjoined to hold 
 his peace, and apply the goad that was placed in his hand, 
 while the oxen were urged on. So soon as this arrangement 
 was completed, Edwards and the hunter stole along the 
 houses for a short distance, when they disappeared through 
 an opening that led into the rear of the buildings. The 
 oxen were in brisk motion, and presently the cries of pursuit 
 were heard in the street. The ladies quickened their pace, 
 with a wish to escape the crowd of constables and idlers that 
 were approaching, some execrating, and some laughing at the 
 exploit of the prisoners. In the confusion, the voice of Kirby 
 was plainly distinguishable above all the others, shouting 
 and swearing that he would have the fugitives, threatening 
 to bring back Natty in one pocket and Benjamin in the 
 other. 
 
 Spread yourselves, men," he cried, as he passed the 
 ladies, his heavy feet sounding along the street like the 
 tread of a dozen ; spread yourselves ; to the mountains ; 
 
S94 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 they'll be in the mountain in a quarter of an hour^ and 
 then look out for a long rifle." 
 
 His cries were echoed from twenty mouths, for not only 
 the gaol^ but the taverns had sent forth their numbers^ some 
 earnest in the pursuit_, and others joining it as in sport. 
 
 As Elizabeth turned in at her father's gate^ she saw the 
 wood-chopper stop at the cart, when she gave Benjamin up 
 for lost. While they were hurrying up the walk, two figures, 
 stealing cautiously but quickly under the shades of the trees, 
 met the eyes of the ladies, and in a moment Edwards and 
 the hunter crossed their path. 
 
 Miss Temple, I may never see you again," exclaimed 
 the youth ; let me thank you for all your kindness ; you 
 do not, cannot know, my motives." 
 
 Fly ! fly 1 " cried Elizabeth : — the village is alarmed. 
 Do not be found conversing with me at such a moment, and 
 in these grounds." 
 
 Nay, I must speak, though detection were certain." 
 
 Your retreat to the bridge is already cut off ; before 
 you can gain the wood your pursuers will be there. — If — " 
 what ? " cried the youth. ^'^ Your advice has saved 
 me once already ; I will follow it to death." 
 
 The street is now silent and vacant," said Elizabeth, 
 after a pause ; cross it, and you will find my father's boat 
 in the lake. It would be easy to land from it where you 
 please in the hills." 
 
 But Judge Temple might complain of the trespass." 
 
 His daughter shall be accountable, sir." 
 The youth uttered something in a low voice, that was 
 heard only by EHzabeth, and turned to execute what she 
 had suggested. As they were separating, Natty approached 
 the females, and said — 
 
 You 11 remember the canister of powder, children. 
 Tliem beavers must be had, and I and the pups be getting 
 old ; we want the best of ammunition." 
 
 Come, Natty," said Edwards, impatiently. 
 
 Coming, lad, coming. God bless you, young ones, both 
 of ye, for ye mean well and kindly to the old man." 
 
 The ladies paused until they lost sight of the retreating 
 figures, when they immediately entered the Mansion-house. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 While this scene was passing in the walk^ Kirby had 
 overtaken the cart, which was his own, and had been driven 
 by Edwards without asking the owner, from the place where 
 the patient oxen usually stood at evening, waiting the plea- 
 sure of their master. 
 
 Woa — come hither. Golden," he cried ; why, how 
 come you off the end of the bridge, where I left you, 
 dummies ? " 
 
 Heave ahead," muttered Benjamin, giving a random 
 blow with his lash, that alighted on the shoulder of the 
 other. 
 
 Who the devil be you ? cried Billy, turning round in 
 surprise, but unable to distinguish, in the dark, the hard 
 visage that was just peering over the cart-rails. 
 
 Who be 1 ! why I'm helmsman aboard of this here 
 craft, d'ye see, and a straight wake I'm making of it. Ay, 
 ay ! I've got the bridge right ahead, and the bilboes dead- 
 aft ; I calls that good steerage, boy. Heave ahead." 
 
 Lay your lash in the right spot, Mr. Benny Pump," 
 said the wood- chopper, or I'll put you in the palm of 
 my hand, and box your ears. Where be you going with 
 my team ? " 
 
 Team!" 
 
 Ay, my cart and oxen." 
 
 Why, you must know. Master Kirby, that the Leather- 
 stocking and I — that's Benny Pump — you knows Ben? — 
 well, Benny and I — no, me and Benny; dam'me if I know 
 how 'tis ; but some of us are bound after a cargo of beaver- 
 skins, d'ye see, and so we've pressed the cart to ship them 
 'ome in. I say. Master Kirby, what a lubberly oar you 
 pull — you handle an oar, boy, pretty much as a cow would 
 a musket, or a lady would a marling-spike." 
 
 Billy had discovered the state of the steward's mind, and 
 he walked for some time alongside of the cart, musing with 
 himself, when he took the goad from Benjamin, (who fell 
 back on the hay, and was soon asleep,) and drove his cattle 
 down the street, over the bridge, and up the mountain, 
 towards a clearing, in which he was to work the next day, 
 without any other interruption than a few hasty questions 
 from parties of the constables. 
 
396 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Elizabeth stood for an hour at the window of her room, 
 and saw the torches of the pursuers gUding along the side 
 of the mountain^ and heard their shouts and alarms ; but, 
 at the end of that time_, the last party returned, wearied and 
 disappointed, and the village became as still as when she 
 issued from the gate on her mission to the gaol. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 ** And I could weep" — th' Oneida chief 
 His descant wildly thus begun — 
 " But that I may not stain with grief 
 The death songof my father's son." Gertrudeof Wyoming. 
 
 It was yet early on the following morning, when Elizabeth 
 and Louisa met by appointment, and proceeded to the store 
 of Monsieur Le Quoi, in order to redeem the pledge the 
 former had given to the Leather- stocking. The people were 
 again assembling for the business of the day, but the hour 
 was too soon for a crowd, and the ladies found the place in 
 possession of its polite owner, Billy Kirby, one female cus- 
 tomer, and the boy who did the duty of helper or clerk. 
 
 Monsieur Le Quoi was perusing a packet of letters with 
 manifest delight, while the wood-chopper, with one hand 
 thrust in his bosom, and the other in the folds of his jacket, 
 holding an axe under his right arm, stood sympathising in 
 the Frenchman's pleasure with good-natured interest. The 
 freedom of manners that prevailed in the new settlements 
 commonly levelled all difference in rank, and with it, fre- 
 quently, all considerations of education and intelligence. 
 At the time the ladies entered the store, they were unseen 
 by the owner,, who was saying to Kirby — 
 
 Ah ! ha ! Monsieur Beel, dis lettair mak me de most 
 happi of mans. Ah ! ma chere France ! I vill see you 
 aga'n." 
 
 " I rejoice. Monsieur, at any thing that contributes to 
 your happiness/' said Elizabeth, but hope we are not 
 going to lose you entirely." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 597 
 
 The complais^int shopkeeper changed the language to 
 French^ and recounted rapidly to Elizabeth his hopes of 
 being permitted to return to his own country. Habit had^ 
 however, so far altered the manners of this pHable personage, 
 that he continued to serve the wood-chopper, who was in 
 quest of some tobacco, while he related to his more gentle 
 visiter, the happy change that had taken place in the dispo- 
 sitions of his own countrymen. 
 
 The amount of it all was, that Mr. Le Quoi, who had 
 fled from his own country more through terror than because 
 he was offensive to the ruling powers in France, had suc- 
 ceeded at length in getting an assurance, that his return to 
 the West Indies would be unnoticed ; and the Frenchman, 
 who had sunk into the character of a country shopkeeper, 
 with so much grace, was about to emerge again from his 
 obscurity into his proper level in society. 
 
 We need not repeat the civil things that passed between 
 the parties on this occasion, nor recount the endless repe- 
 titions of sorrow that the delighted Frenchman expressed, 
 at being compelled to quit the society of Miss Temple. 
 Elizabeth took an opportunity, during this expenditure of 
 poHte expressions, to purchase the powder privately of the 
 boy, who bore the generic appellation of Jonathan. Before 
 they parted, however, Mr. Le Quoi, who seemed to think 
 that he had not said enough, solicited the honour of a pri- 
 vate interview v;ith the heiress, with a gravity in his air 
 that announced the importance of the subject. After coii- 
 ceding the favour, and appointing a more favourable time 
 for the meeting, Elizabeth suceeeded in getting out of the 
 store, into which the countrymen now began to enter, as 
 usual, where they met with the same attention and bien- 
 seance as formerly. 
 
 Elizabeth and Louisa pursued their walk as far as the 
 bridge in profound silence ; but when they reached that 
 place, the latter stopped, and appeared anxious to utter 
 something that her diffidence suppressed. 
 
 Are you ill, Louisa exclaimed Miss Temple; ^^had 
 we not better return, and seek another opportunity to meet 
 the old man ? 
 
 Not ill, but terrified. Oh ! I never, never can go on 
 
398 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 that hill again with you only. I am not equal to it^ indeed 
 I am not." 
 
 This was an unexpected declaration to Elizabeth^ who, 
 although she experienced no idle apprehension of a danger 
 that no longer existed, felt most sensitively all the delicacy 
 of maiden modesty. She stood for some time, deeply re- 
 flecting within herself ; but, sensible it was a time for action 
 instead of reflection, she struggled to shake ofl* her hesitation, 
 and replied firmly — 
 
 Well, then it must be done by me alone. There is no 
 other than yourself to be trusted, or poor old Leather- 
 stocking will be discovered. Wait for me in the edge of 
 these woods, that at least I may not be seen strolling in 
 the hills by myself just now. One would not wish to 
 create remarks, Louisa — if — if — You will wait for me, 
 dear girl ? " 
 
 A year, in sight of the village. Miss Temple," re- 
 turned the agitated Louisa, but do not, do not ask me to 
 go on that hill." 
 
 Elizabeth found that her companion was really unable 
 to proceed, and they completed their arrangement by post- 
 ing Louisa out of the observation of the people who occa- 
 sionally passed, but nigh the road, and in plain view of 
 the whole valley. Miss Temple then proceeded alone. — 
 She ascended the road which has been so often mentioned 
 in our narrative, with an elastic and firm step, fearful that 
 the delay in the store of Mr. Le Quoi, and the time neces- 
 sary for reaching the summit, would prevent her being 
 punctual to the appointment. Whenever she passed an 
 opening in the bushes, she would pause for breath, or, 
 perhaps, drawn from her pursuits by the picture at her 
 feet, would linger a moment to gaze at the beauties of the 
 valley. The long drought had, however^ changed its coat 
 of verdure to a hue of brown, and, though the same lo- 
 calities were there, the view wanted the lively and cheering 
 aspect of early summer. Even the heavens seemed to 
 share in the dried appearance of the earth, for the sun was 
 concealed by a haziness in the atmosphere, which looked 
 like a thin smoke without a particle of moisture, if such a 
 thing were possible. The blue sky was scarcely to be 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 399 
 
 seen, though now and then there was a faint lighting up in 
 spots^ through which masses of rolling vapour could be 
 discerned gathering around the horizon^ as if nature were 
 struggling to collect her floods for the relief of man. The 
 very atmosphere that Elizabeth inhaled was hot and dry, 
 and by the time she reached the point where the course led 
 her from the highway_, she experienced a sensation like suf- 
 focation. But^ disregarding her feelings^ she hastened to 
 execute her mission_, dwelling on nothing but ilhe disap- 
 pointment, and even the helplessness, the hunter would 
 experience, without her aid. 
 
 On the summit of the mountain which Judge Temple 
 had named the Vision," a little spot had been cleared, in 
 order that a better view might be obtained of the village 
 and the valley. At this point Elizabeth understood the 
 hunter she was to meet him : and thither she urged her 
 way, as expeditiously as the difficulty of the ascent, and 
 the impediments of a forest, in a state of nature, would 
 admit. Numberless were the fragments of rocks, trunks of 
 fallen trees, and branches, with which she had to contend } 
 but every difficulty vanished before her resolution, and, by 
 her own watch, she stood on the desired spot several mi- 
 nutes before the appointed hour. 
 
 After resting a moment on the end of a log. Miss Tem- 
 ple cast a glance about her in quest of her old friend, but 
 he was evidently not in the clearing ; she arose and walked 
 around its skirts, examining every place where she thought 
 it probable Natty might deem it prudent to conceal him- 
 self. Her search was fruitless ; and, after exhausting not 
 only herself, but her conjectures, in efforts to discover or 
 imagine his situation, she ventured to trust her voice in 
 that solitary place. 
 
 Natty ! Leather-stocking ! old man ! " she called 
 aloud, in every direction ; but no answer was given, ex- 
 cepting the reverberations of her own clear tones, as they 
 were echoed in the parched forest. 
 
 Elizabeth approached the brow of the mountain, where a 
 faint cry, like the noise produced by striking the hand 
 against the mouth, at the same time that the breath is 
 strongly exhaled, was heard, answering to her own voice. — 
 
400 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Not doubting in the leasts that it was the Leather-stocking 
 lying in wait for her^ and who gave that signal to indicate 
 the place where he was to be found, Elizabeth descended 
 for near a hundred feet, until she gained a little natural 
 tfirrace, thinlv scattered with trees, that grew in the fissures 
 ot tne rocKS, wnicn were covered uy a scanty soil. She had 
 advanced to the edge of this platform, and was gazing ovei 
 the perpendicular precipice that formed its face, when a 
 rustling among the dry leaves near her drew her eyes in 
 another direction. Our heroine certainly was startled by 
 the object that she then saw, but a moment restored her 
 self-possession, and she advanced firmly, and with some in- 
 terest in her manner, to the spot. 
 
 Mohegan was seated on the trunk of a fallen oak_, with 
 his tawny visage turned towards her, and his eyes fixed on 
 her face with an expression of wildness and fire, that would 
 have terrified a less resolute female. His blanket had 
 fallen from his shoulders, and was lying in folds around 
 him, leaving his breast, arms, and most of his body bare. 
 The medallion of Washington reposed on his chest, a badge 
 of distinction that Elizabeth well knew he only produced 
 on great and solemn occasions. But the whole appearance 
 of the aged chief was more studied than common, and in 
 some particulars it was terrific. The long black hair was 
 plaited on his head, falling away, so as to expose his high 
 forehead and piercing eyes. In the enormous incisions of his 
 ears were entwined ornaments of silver, beads, and porcu- 
 pine's quills, mingled in a rude taste, and after the Indian 
 fashions. A large drop, composed of similar materials, was 
 suspended from the cartilage of his nose, and, falling below 
 his lips, rested on his chin. Streaks of red paint crossed 
 his wrinkled brow, and were traced down his cheeks, with 
 such variations in the lines as caprice or custom suggested. 
 His body was also coloured in the same manner ; the whole 
 exhibiting an Indian warrior^ prepared for some event of 
 more than usual moment. 
 
 John ! how fare you, worthy John? said Elizabeth, 
 as she approached him ; you have long been a stranger in 
 the village. You promised me a willow basket, and I have 
 long bad a shirt of calico in readiness for you." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 401 
 
 The Indian looked steadily at her for some time without 
 answering, and then, shaking his head, he replied, in his 
 low, guttural tones — 
 
 John's hand can make baskets no more — he wants no 
 shirt/' 
 
 But if he should, he will know where to come for it," 
 returned Miss Temple. Indeed, old John, I feel as if 
 you had a natural right to order what you will from us." 
 
 Daughter," said the Indian, ^Misten : — Six times ten 
 hot summers have passed, since John v/as young ; tall like 
 a pine ; straight like the bullet of Hawk-eye ; strong as the 
 buffalo ; spry as the cat of the mountain. He was strong, 
 and a warrior like the Young Eagle. If his tribe wanted to 
 track the Maquas for many suns, the eye of Chingachgook 
 found the print of their mocassins. If the people feasted 
 and were glad, as they counted the scalps of their enemies, 
 it was on his pole they hung. If the squaws cried because 
 there was no meat for their children, he was the first in the 
 chase. His bullet was swifter than the deer.— Daughter, 
 then Chingachgook struck his tom.ahawk into the trees ; it 
 was to tell the lazy ones where to find him and the Mingoes 
 — but he made no baskets." 
 
 Those times have gone by, old warrior," returned Eli- 
 zabeth ; since then your people have disappeared, and, in 
 place of chasing your enemies, you have learned to fear 
 God and to live at peace." 
 
 Stand here, daughter, where you can see the great 
 spring, the wigwams of your father, and the land on the 
 crooked river. John was young when his tribe gave away 
 the country, in council, from where the blue mountain 
 stands above the water, to where the Susquehanna is hid 
 by the trees. All this, and all that grew in it, and all thart 
 walked over it, and all that fed there, they gave to the 
 Fire-eater — for they loved him. He was strong, and they 
 were women, and he helped them. No Delaware would 
 kill a deer that run in his woods, nor stop a bird that flew 
 over his land ; for it was his. Has John lived in peace? 
 Daughter, since John was young, he has seen the white 
 man from Frontinac come down on his white brothers at 
 Albany and fight. Did they fear God ? He has seen his 
 
 D D 
 
402 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 English and his American fathers burying their tomahawks 
 in each other's brains^ for this very land. Did they feai 
 God^ and live in peace ? He has seen the land pass away 
 from the Fire-eater, and his children, and the child of his 
 child, and a new chief set over the country. Did they live 
 in peace who did this? did they fear God? " 
 
 Such is the custom of the whites, John. Do not the 
 Delawares fight, and exchange their lands for powder, and 
 blankets, and merchandise ? 
 
 The Indian turned his dark eyes on his companion, and 
 kept them there, with a scrutiny that alarmed her a little. 
 
 Where are the blankets and merchandise that bought 
 the right of the Fire-eater ? he replied, in a more ani- 
 mated voice ; are they with him in his wigwam ? Did 
 they say to him. Brother, sell us your land, and take this 
 gold, this silver, these blankets, these rifles, or even this 
 rum ? No ; they tore it from him, as a scalp is torn from 
 an enemy ; and they that did it looked not behind them, to 
 see whether he lived or died. Do such men live in peace, 
 and fear the Great Spirit ? 
 
 But you hardly understand the circumstances," said 
 Elizabeth, more embarrassed than she would own, even to 
 herself. If you knew our laws and customs better, you 
 would judge differently of our acts. Do not believe evil of 
 my father, old Mohegan, for he is just and good."' 
 
 The brother of Miquon is good, and he will do right- 
 I have said it to Hawk-eye — I have said it to the Young 
 Eagle, that the brother of Miquon w^ould do justice." 
 
 Whom call you the Young Eagle ? said Ehzabeth, 
 averting her face from the gaze of the Indian, as she 
 asked the question ; whence comes he, and what are his 
 rights ? " 
 
 Has my daughter lived so long with him, to ask this 
 question ? " returned the Indian, warily. Old age freezes 
 up the blood, as the frosts cover the great spring in winter ; 
 but youth keeps the streams of the blood open like a sun 
 in the time of blossoms. The Young Eagle has eyes ; had 
 he no tongue ? " 
 
 The loveliness to which the old warrior alluded was in 
 no degree diminished by his allegorical speech ; for the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 403 
 
 blushes of the maiden who listened covered her burning 
 cheeks^ till her dark eyes seemed to glow with their re- 
 flection ; but^ after struggling a moment with shame^ she 
 iaughed;, as if unwilling to understand him seriously^ and 
 replied in pleasantry — 
 
 Not to make me the mistress of his secret. He is 
 too much of a Delaware, to tell his secret thoughts to a 
 woman." 
 
 Daughter, the Great Spirit made your father with a 
 white skin, and he made mine with a red ; but he coloured 
 both their hearts with blood. ^Yhen young, it is swift and 
 warm ; but when old, it is still and cold. Is there dif- 
 ference below the skin ? No. Once John had a woman. 
 She was the mother of so many sons " — he raised his 
 hand with three fingers elevated — *^ and she had daughters 
 that would have made the young Delawares happy. She 
 was kind, daughter, and what I said she did. You have 
 different fashions ; but do you think John did not love the 
 wife of his youth — the mother of his children ? " 
 
 And what has become of your family^ John, your wife 
 and your children ? " asked EUzabeth, touched by the In- 
 dian's manner. 
 
 Where is the ice that covered the great spring ? It is 
 melted, and gone with the waters. John has lived till all 
 his people have left him for the land of spirits ; his time 
 has come, and he is ready. " 
 
 Mohegan dropped his head in his blanket, and sat in si- 
 lence. Miss Temple knew not what to say. She wished 
 to draw the thoughts of the old warrior from his gloomy 
 recollections, but there was a dignity in his sorrow, and in 
 his fortitude, that repressed her efforts to speak. After a 
 long pause, however, she renewed the discourse, by asking — 
 
 Where is the Leather-stocking, John ? I have brought 
 this canister of powder at his request ; but he is nowhere 
 to be seen. Will you take charge of it, and see it de- 
 livered 
 
 The Indian raised his head slowly, and looked earnestly 
 at the gift, which she put in his hand. 
 
 ^'^ This is the great enemy of my nation. Without this^ 
 when could the white men drive the Delawares } Daugh- 
 
404 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ter^ the Great Spirit gave your fathers to know how to 
 make guns and powder, that they might sweep the Indians 
 from the land. There will soon be no redskin in the 
 country. When John has gone, the last will leave these 
 hills, and his family will be dead." The aged warrior 
 stretched his body forward, leaning an elbow on his knee, 
 and appeared to be taking a parting look at the objects of 
 the vale, which were still visible through the misty atmo- 
 sphere ; though the air seemed to thicken at each moment 
 around Miss Temple, who became conscious of an increased 
 difficulty of respiration. The eye of Mohegan changed 
 gradually from its sorrowful expression to a look of wild- 
 ness, that might be supposed to border on the inspiration 
 of a prophet, as he continued — But he will go to the 
 country where his fathers have met. The game shall be 
 plenty as the fish in the lakes. No woman shall cry for 
 meat, no Mingo can ever come. The chase shall be for 
 children, and all just red men shall live together as 
 brothers." 
 
 '^'^ John ! this is not the heaven of a Christian ! cried 
 Miss Temple ; you deal now in the superstition of your 
 forefathers." 
 
 Fathers ! sons ! " said Mohegan with firmness — ^'^all 
 gone — all gone ! — I have no son but the Young Eagle, 
 and he has the blood of a white man." 
 
 ^'^ Tell me, John," said Elizabeth, willing to draw his 
 thoughts to other subjects, and at the same tim;e yielding 
 to her own powerful interest in the youth ; who is this 
 Mr. Edwards } why are you so fond of him, and whence 
 does he come } " 
 
 The Indian started at the question, which evidently re- 
 called his recollection to earth. Taking her hand, he drew 
 Miss Temple to a seat beside him, and pointed to the coun- 
 try beneath them — 
 
 See, daughter," he said, directing her looks towards 
 the north ; as far as your young eyes can see, it was the 
 land of his 
 
 But immense volumes of smoke at that moment rolled 
 over their heads, and, whirling in the eddies formed by the 
 mountains, interposed a barrier to their sight, while he was 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 405 
 
 speaking. Startled by this circumstance, Miss Temple 
 sprang on her feet, and turning her eyes toward the summit 
 of the mountain, she beheld it covered by a similar canopy, 
 while a roaring sound was heard in the forest above her, 
 like the rushing of winds. 
 
 '^'^What means it, John?" she exclaimed; we are 
 enveloped in smoke, and I feel a heat like the glow of a 
 furnace." 
 
 Before the Indian could reply, a voice was heard, crying 
 in the woods — 
 
 John ! where are you, old Mohegan ! the woods are on 
 fire, and you have but a minute for escape." 
 
 The chief put his hand before his mouth, and making it 
 play on his lips, produced the kind of noise that had at- 
 tracted Elizabeth to the place, when a quick and hurried 
 step was heard dashing through the dried underbrush and 
 bushes, and presently Edwards rushed to his side, with 
 horror in every feature. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 Love rules the court, the camp, the grove. Lay of the Last Minstrel. 
 
 ^' It would have been sad indeed, to lose you in such a 
 manner, my old friend," said Oliver, catching his breath 
 for utterance. Up and away ! even now we may be too 
 late ; the flames are circling round the point of the rock 
 below, and, unless we can pass there, our only chance must 
 be over the precipice. Away ! away ! shake off your 
 apathy, John ; now is the time of need." 
 
 Mohegan pointed towards Elizabeth, who, forgetting her 
 danger, had shrunk back to a projection of the rock, soon 
 as she recognised the sounds of Edwards's voice, and said 
 with something like awakened animation — 
 Save ber — leave John to die." 
 
 Her ! whom mean you ? " cried the youth, turning 
 quickly to the place the other indicated; — but when he 
 
 D D 3 
 
406 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 saw the figure of Elizabeth^ bending toward him in an at- 
 titude that powerfully spoke terror^ blended with reluctance 
 to meet him in such a place, the shock deprived him of 
 speech. 
 
 Miss Temple ! " he cried_, when he found words ; 
 you here ! is such a death reserved for you ! " 
 
 No, no, no — no death, I hope, for any of us, Mr. 
 Edwards," she replied, endeavouring to speak calmly : 
 there is smoke, but no fire to harm us. Let us en- 
 deavour to retire." 
 
 Take my arm," said Edwards ; there must be an 
 opening in some direction for your retreat. Are you equal 
 to the efibrt ?" 
 
 Certainly. You surely magnify the danger, Mr. Ed- 
 wards. Lead me out the way you came." 
 
 I will — I will," cried the youth, with a kind of hys- 
 terical utterance. No, no — there is no danger — I have 
 alarmed you unnecessarily." 
 
 But shall we leave the Indian — can we leave him, as 
 he says, to die?" 
 
 An expression of painful emotion crossed the face of the 
 young man; he stopped, and cast a longing look at Mohegan ; 
 but, dragging his companion after him, even against her 
 will^ he pursued his way, with enormous strides, toward 
 the pass by which he had just entered the circle of flame. 
 
 " Do not regard him," he said, in those tones that de- 
 note a desperate calmness ; he is used to the woods, and 
 such scenes; and he will escape up the mountain — over 
 the rock — or he can remain where he is in safety." 
 
 You thought not so this moment, Edwards ! — Do not 
 leave him there to meet with such a death," cried Eliza- 
 beth, fixing a look on the countenance of her conductor 
 that seemed to distrust his sanity. 
 
 An Indian burn ! who ever heard of an Indian dying 
 by fire ? an Indian cannot burn ; the idea is ridiculous. 
 Hasten, hasten. Miss Temple, or the smoke may incom- 
 mode you." 
 
 ^'^ Edwards ! your look, your eye, terrifies me ! tell me 
 the danger ; is it greater than it seems ? I am equal to any 
 trial." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 407 
 
 If we reach the point of yon rock before that sheet of 
 fire^ we are safe^ Miss Temple ! exclaimed the young 
 man, in a voice that burst without the bounds of his forced 
 composure. ^'^ Fly ! the struggle is for life ! " 
 
 The place of the interview between Miss Temple and the 
 Indian has been already described as one of those platforms 
 of rock, which form a sort of terrace in the mountains of 
 that country, and the face of it, we have said, was both 
 high and perpendicular. Its shape was nearly a natural arc, 
 the ends of which blended with the mountain, at points 
 where its sides were less abrupt in their descent. It was 
 round one of these terminations of the sweep of the rock 
 that Edwards had ascended, and it was toward the same 
 place that he urged Elizabeth to a desperate exertion of 
 speed. 
 
 Immense clouds of white smoke had been pouring over 
 the summit of the mountain, and had concealed the approach 
 and ravages of the element ; but a crackling sound drew 
 the eyes of Miss Temple, as she flew over the ground, sup- 
 ported by the young man, towards the outline of smoke, 
 where she already perceived the waving flames shooting for- 
 ward from the vapour, now flaring high in the air, and 
 then bending to the earth, seeming to light into combustion 
 every stick and shrub on which they breathed. The sight 
 aroused them to redoubled efforts ; but, unfortunately, a 
 collection of the tops of trees, old and dried, lay directly 
 across their course ; and, at the very moment when both 
 had thought their safety ensured, the warm currents of the 
 air swept a forked tongue of flame across the pile_, which 
 lighted at the touch ; and when they reached the spot, the 
 flying pair were opposed by the surly roaring of a body of 
 fire, as if a furnace were glowing in their path. They re- 
 coiled from the heat, and stood on a point of the rock^ 
 gazing in a stupor at the flames, v^hich were spreading 
 rapidly down the mountain, whose side soon became a sheet 
 of living fire. It was dangerous for one clad in the light 
 and airy dress of Elizabeth to approach even the vicinity of 
 the raging element ; and those flowing robes, that gave 
 such softness and grace to her form, seemed now to be 
 formed for the instruments of her destruction, 
 D D 4 
 
408 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 The. villagers were accustomed to resort to that hiU in 
 quest of timber and fuel ; in procuring which_, it was their 
 usage to take only the bodies of the trees^ leaving the tops 
 and branches to decay under the operations of the weather. 
 Much of the hill was^ consequently^ covered with such light 
 fuel^ which,, having been scorching under the sun for the 
 last two months^ was ignited with a touch. Indeed^ in 
 some caseSj there did not appear to be any contact between 
 the fire and these piles^ but the flames seemed to dart from 
 heap to heap^ as the fabulous fire of thie temple is repre- 
 sented to relumine its neglected lamp. 
 
 There was beauty as well as terror in the sight^ and 
 Edwards and Elizabeth stood viewing the progress of the 
 desolation^ w^ith a strange mixture of horror and interest. 
 The former^ however^ shortly roused himself to new exer- 
 tions^ and drawing his companion after him^ they skirted 
 the edge of the smoke^ the young man penetrating frequently 
 into its dense volumes in search of a passage^ but in every 
 instance without success. In this manner they proceeded 
 in a semicircle around the upper part of the terrace, until, 
 arriving at the verge of the precipice, opposite to the point 
 where Edwards had ascended, the horrid conviction burst 
 on both at the same instant, that they were completely en- 
 circled by the fire. So long as a single pass up or down 
 the mountain was unexplored, there was hope ; but when 
 retreat seemed to be absolutely impracticable, the horror of 
 their situation broke upon Elizabeth as powerfully as if she 
 had hitherto considered the danger light. 
 
 This mountain is doomed to be fatal to me ! " she 
 whispered ; — we shall find our graves on it ! 
 
 Say not so. Miss Temple ; there is yet hope," returned 
 the youth, in the same tone, while the vacant expression of 
 his eye contradicted his words ; let us return to the point 
 of the rock ; there is, there must be, some place about it 
 where we can descend." 
 
 Lead me there," exclaimed Elizabeth ; let us leave 
 no effort untried." She did not wait for his compliance, 
 but, turning, retraced her steps to the brow of the precipice, 
 murmuring to herself, in suppressed, hysterical sobs, My 
 father ! my poor, my distracted father !" 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 409 
 
 Edwards was by her side in an instant^ and with aching 
 eyes he examined every fissure in the crags, in quest of 
 some opening that might offer the facilities of flight. But 
 the smooth, even surface of the rocks afforded hardly a rest- 
 ing place for a foot, much less those continued projections 
 which would have been necessary for a descent of nearly a 
 hundred feet. Edwards was not slow in feeling the con- 
 viction that this hope was also futile, and, with a kind of 
 feverish despair that still urged him to action, he turned to 
 some new expedient. 
 
 There is nothing left. Miss Temple,'* he said, but 
 to lower you from this place to the rock beneath. If Natty 
 were here, or even that Indian could be roused, their in- 
 genuity and long practice would easily devise methods to 
 do it ; but I am a child, at this moment, in every thing 
 but daring. Where shall I find means ? This dress of 
 mine is so light, and there is so little of it — then the 
 blanket of Mohegan — We must try — we must try — any 
 thing is better than to see you a victim to such a death ! " 
 And what will become of you?" said Elizabeth, 
 
 Indeed, indeed, neither you nor John must be sacrificed 
 to my safety/' 
 
 He heard her not, for he was already by the side of 
 Mohegan, who yielded his blanket without a question, re- 
 taining his seat with Indian dignity and composure, though^ 
 his own situation was even more critical than that of the 
 others. The blanket was cut into shreds, and the frag- 
 ments fastened together ; the loose linen jacket of the youth, 
 and the light muslin shawl of Elizabeth, were attached to 
 them, and the whole thrown over the rocks, with the 
 rapidity of lightning ; but the united pieces did not reach 
 half way to the bottom. 
 
 It will not do — it will not do ! " cried Elizabeth ; for 
 me there is no hope ! The fire comes slowly, but certainly. 
 See. it destroys the very earth before it ! " 
 
 Had the flames spread on that rock with half the quick- 
 ness with which they leaped from bush to tree, in other 
 parts of the mountain, our painful task would have soon 
 ended ; for they would have consumed already the captives 
 they enclosed. But the peculiarity of their situation afforded 
 
410 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Elizabeth and her companion the respite^ of which they had 
 availed themselves to make the efforts we have recorded. 
 
 The thin covering of earth on the rock supported but a 
 scanty and faded herbage^ and most of the trees that had 
 found root in the fissures had already died^ during the in- 
 tense heats of preceding summers. Those which still re- 
 tained the appearance of life bore a few dry and withered 
 leaves^ while the others were merely the wrecks of pines^ 
 oaks, and maples. No better materials to feed the fire 
 could be found, had there been a communication with the 
 flames ; but the ground was destitute of the brush that led 
 the destructive element, like a torrent, over the remainder 
 of the hill. As auxiliary to this scarcity of fuel, one of 
 the large springs which abound in that country gushed 
 out of the side of the ascent above, and, after creeping 
 sluggishly along the level land, saturating the mossy cover- 
 ing of the rock with moisture, it swept round the base of 
 the Httle cone that formed the pinnacle of the mountain, 
 and, entering the canopy of smoke near one of the termin- 
 ations of the terrace, found its way to the lake, not by 
 dashing from rock to rock, but by the secret channels of 
 the earth. It would rise to the surface, here and there, in 
 the wet seasons, but in the droughts of summer, it was to 
 be traced only by the bogs and moss that announced the 
 proximity of water. When the fire reached this barrier, it 
 was compelled to pause, until a concentration of its heat 
 could overcome the moisture, like an army waiting the 
 operations of a battering train^ to open its way to deso- 
 lation. 
 
 That fatal mom.ent seemed now to have arrived ; for the 
 hissing steams of the spring appeared to be nearly ex- 
 hausted, and the moss of the rocks was already curling 
 under the intense heat, while fragments of bark, that yet 
 clung to the dead trees, began to separate from their 
 trunks, and fall to the ground in crumbling masses. The 
 air seemed quivering with rays of heat, which might be 
 seen playing along the parched stems of the trees. There 
 were moments when dark clouds of smoke would sweep 
 along the little terrace ; and, as the eye lost its power, the 
 other senses contributed to give effect to the fearful horror 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 411 
 
 of the scene. At such moments^ the roaring of the flames,, 
 the crackling of the furious element^ with the tearing of 
 falling branches_, and^ occasionally, the thundering echoes 
 of some falling tree, united to alarm the victims. Of the 
 three, however, the youth appeared much the most agitated. 
 Elizabeth, having rehnquished entirely the idea of escape, 
 was fast obtaining that resigned composure, with which 
 the most delicate of her sex are sometimes known to meet 
 unavoidable evils ; while Mohegan, who was much nearer 
 to the danger, maintained his seat v/ith the invincible re- 
 signation of an Indian warrior. Once or twice the eye of 
 the aged chief, which was ordinarily fixed in the direction 
 of the distant hills, turned towards the young pair, who 
 seemed doomed to so early a death, with a slight indication 
 of pity crossing his composed features, but it would im- 
 mediately revert again to its former gaze, as if already 
 looking into the womb of futurity. Much of the time he 
 was chanting a kind of low dirge, in the Delaware tongue, 
 using the deep and remarkably guttural tones of his 
 people. 
 
 ^'^ At such a moment, Mr. Edwards, all earthly dis- 
 tinctions end," whispered Elizabeth ; persuade John to 
 move nearer to us — let us die together." 
 
 I cannot — he will not stir,'* returned the youth, in 
 the same horridly still tones. He considers this as the 
 happiest moment of his life. He is past seventy, and has 
 been decaying rapidly for some time ; he received some in- 
 jury in chasing that unlucky deer, too, on the lake. . Oh ! 
 Miss Temple, that was an unlucky chase indeed ! it has 
 led, I fear, to this awful scene." 
 
 The smile of Elizabeth was celestial : ^'^ Why name such 
 a trifle now — at this moment the heart is dead to all 
 earthly emotions 1 " 
 
 If any thing could reconcile a man to this death," 
 cried the youth, it would be to meet it in such com- 
 pany ! " 
 
 Talk not so, Edwards, talk not so," interrupted Miss 
 Temple, I am unworthy of it ; and it is unjust to your- 
 self. We must die ; yes — yes — we must die — it is the 
 
412 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 will of God, and let us endeavour to submit like his own 
 children." 
 
 Die ! " the youth rather shrieked than exclaimed^ 
 " No — no — there must yet be hope — you at least must 
 not^ shall not die." 
 
 In what way can we escape ? " asked Elizabeth, 
 pointing, with a look of heavenly composure, towards the 
 fire. Observe ! the flame is crossing the barrier of wet 
 ground — it comes slowly, Edwards, but surely. — Ah ! 
 see ! the tree ! the tree is already lighted ! " 
 
 Her v/ords were too true. The heat of the conflagration 
 had, at length, overcome the resistance of the spring, and 
 the fire was slowly stealing along the half-dried moss; 
 while a dead pine kindled with the touch of a forked flame, 
 that, for a moment, wreathed around the stem of the tree, 
 as it whirled, in one of its evolutions, under the influence 
 of the air. The effect was instantaneous. The flames 
 danced along the parched trunk of the pine, like lightning 
 quivering on a chain, and immediately a column of living 
 fire was raging on the terrace. It soon spread from tree 
 to tree ; and the scene was evidently drawing to a close. 
 The log on which Mohegan was seated lighted at its farther 
 end, and the Indian appeared to be surrounded by fire. 
 Still he was unmoved. As his body was unprotected, his 
 sufferings must have been great; but his fortitude was 
 superior to all. His voice could yet be heard, even in the 
 midst of these horrors. Elizabeth turned her head from 
 the sight, and faced the valley. Furious eddies of wind 
 were created by the heat, and just at the moment, the 
 canopy of fiery smoke that overhung the valley was cleared 
 away, leaving a distinct view of the peaceful village be- 
 neath them. 
 
 ^' My father ! — my father ! " shrieked Elizabeth, 
 Oh ! this — this surely might have been spared me — 
 but I submit." 
 
 The distance was not so great but the fig-ure of Judge 
 Temple could be seen, standing in his own grounds, and 
 apparently contemplating, in perfect unconsciousness of the 
 danger of his child, the mountain in flames. This sight 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 413 
 
 was still more painful than the approaching danger ; and 
 Elizabeth again faced the hill. 
 
 My intemperate warmth has done this ! " cried Ed- 
 wards^ in the accents of despair. If I had possessed but 
 a moiety of your heavenly resignation. Miss Temple, all 
 might yet have been well." 
 
 Name it not — name it not/* she said. It is now 
 of no avail. We must die, Edwards, we must die — let 
 us do so as Christians. But — no — you may yet escape, 
 perhaps. Your dress is not so fatal as mine. Fly ! leave 
 me. An opening may yet be found for you, possibly — 
 certainly it is worth the effort. Fly ! leave me — but 
 stay ! You wiU see my father ; my poor, my bereaved 
 father ! Say to him, then, Edwards, say to him, aU that 
 can appease his anguish. Tell him that I died happy and 
 collected ; that I have gone to my beloved mother ; that 
 the hours of this life are as nothing when balanced in the 
 scales of eternity. Say how we shall meet again. And 
 say," she continued, dropping her voice, that had risen 
 with her feelings, as if conscious of her worldly weak- 
 nesses, how dear, how very dear, was my love for him ; 
 that it was near, too near, to my love for God." 
 
 The youth listened to her touching accents, but moved 
 not. In a moment he found utterance, and replied : — 
 
 ''^ And is it me that you command to leave you ! to leave 
 you on the edge of the grave ! Oh ! Miss Temple, how 
 little have you known me ! he cried, dropping on his 
 knees at her feet, and gathering her flowing robe in his 
 arms, as if to shield her from the flames. I have been 
 driven to the woods in despair ; but your society has tamed 
 the lion within me. If I have wasted my time in degra- 
 dation, 'twas you that charmed me to it. If I have for- 
 gotten my name and family, your form supplied the place 
 of memory. If I have forgotten my wrongs, 'twas you 
 that taught me charity. No — no — dearest Elizabeth, I 
 may die with you, but I can never leave you ! " 
 
 Elizabeth moved not, nor answered. It was plain that 
 her thoughts had been raised from the earth. The recol- 
 lection of her father, and her regrets at their separation, 
 had been mellowed by a holy sentiment, that lifted her 
 
414 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 above the level of earthly things^ and she was fast losing 
 the weakness of her sex, in the near view of eternity. But 
 as she listened to these words, she became once more 
 woman. She struggled against these feelings, and smiled, 
 as she thought she was shaking off the last lingering feeHng 
 of nature, when the world, and all its seductions, rushed 
 again to her heart, with the sounds of a human voice, 
 crying in piercing tones — 
 
 Gal ! where be ye, gal ! gladden the heart of an old 
 man, if ye yet belong to 'arth !" 
 
 List ! " said Elizabeth, 'tis the Leather-stocking ; he 
 seeks me ! " 
 
 'Tis Natty V shouted Edwards, and we may yet be 
 saved ! " 
 
 A wide and circling flame glared on their eyes for a 
 moment, even above the fire of the woods, and a loud re- 
 port followed. 
 
 'Tis the canister ! 'tis the powder," cried the same 
 voice, evidently approaching them. 'Tis the canister, 
 and the precious child is lost ! '* 
 
 At the next instant Natty rushed through the steams of 
 the spring, and appeared on the terrace, without his deer- 
 skin cap, his hair burnt to his head, his shirt, of country 
 check, black and filled with holes, and his red features of 
 a deeper colour than ever, by the heat he had encountered. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIIL 
 
 Even from the land of shadows, now. 
 
 My father's awful ghost appears. ^ Gertrude of Wyoming 
 
 For an hour after Louisa Grant was left by Miss Temple, 
 in the situation already mentioned, she continued in feverish 
 anxiety, awaiting the return of her friend. But as the 
 time passed by without the re-appearance of Elizabeth, the 
 terror of Louisa gradually increased, until her alarmed 
 fancy had conjured every species of danger that appertained 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 415 
 
 to the woods, excepting the one that really existed. The 
 heavens had become obscured by degrees^, and vast volumes 
 of smoke were pouring over the valley ; but the thoughts 
 of Louisa were still recurring to beasts, without dreaming 
 of the real cause for apprehension. She was stationed in 
 the edge of the low pines and chestnuts that succeed the 
 first or large growth of the forest, and directly above 
 the angle where the highway turned from the straight 
 course to the village, and ascended the mountain, laterally. 
 Consequently, she commanded a view not only of the 
 valley, but of the road beneath her. The few travellers 
 that passed, she observed, were engaged in earnest con- 
 versation, and frequently raised their eyes to the hill, and 
 at length she saw the people leaving the court-house, and 
 gazing upward also. While under the influence of the alarm 
 excited by such unusual movements, reluctant to go, and yet 
 fearful to remain, Louisa was startled by the low, cracking, 
 but cautious treads of some one approaching through the 
 bushes. She was on the eve of flight, when Natty emerged 
 from the cover, and stood at her side. The old man 
 laughed as he shook her kindly by a hand that was passive 
 with fear. 
 
 I am glad to meet you here, child," he said ; for the 
 back of the mountain is a-fire, and it would be dangerous 
 to go up it now, till it has been burnt over once, and the 
 dead wood is gone. There's a foolish man, the comrade 
 of that varmint, who has given me all this trouble, dig- 
 ging for ore on the east side. I told him that the kearless 
 fellows, who thought to catch a practys'd hunter in the 
 woods after dark, had thrown the lighted pine knots in the 
 brush, and that 'twould kindle like tow, and warned him 
 to leave the hill. But he was set upon his business, and 
 nothing short of Providence could move him. If he isn't 
 burnt and buried in a grave of his own digging, he's made 
 of salamanders. Why, what ails the child! you look as 
 skeary as if you see'd more painters ! I wish there were 
 more to be found ; they'd count up faster than the beaver. 
 But Where's the good child of a bad father? did she forget 
 her promise to the old man ? " 
 
416 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 " The hill ! the hill ! shrieked Louisa ; she seeks you 
 on the hill with the powder!" 
 
 Natty recoiled several feet at this unexpected intel- 
 Hgence. 
 
 " The Lord of Heaven have mercy on her ! She's on 
 the Vision, and that's a sheet of fire ag'in this. Child, if 
 ye love the dear one, and hope to find a friend when you 
 need it most, to the village, and give the alarm. The men 
 are us'd to fighting fire, and there may be a chance left. 
 Fly ! I hid ye fly ! nor stop even for breath/' 
 
 The Leather-stocking had no sooner uttered this in- 
 junction, than he disappeared in the bushes, and when 
 last seen by Louisa, was rushing up the mountain, with a 
 speed that none but those who were accustomed to the toil 
 could attain. 
 
 Have I found ye!*' the old man exclaimed, when he 
 burst out of the smoke ; God be praised that I've found 
 ye ; but follow, — there is no time for talking." 
 
 My dress ! " said Elizabeth ; it would be fatal to 
 trust myself nearer to the flames in it." 
 
 I bethought me of your flimsy things," cried Natty, 
 throwing loose the folds of a covering of buckskin that he 
 carried on his arm, and wrapping her form in it, in such 
 a manner as to envelope her whole person ; now follow, 
 for it's a matter of life and death to us all." 
 
 But John! what will become of John?" cried Ed- 
 wards ; can we leave the old warrior here to perish ? " 
 
 The eyes of Natty followed the direction of Edwards's 
 finger, when he beheld the Indian, still seated as before- 
 with the very earth under his feet consuming with fire. 
 Without delay the hunter approached the spot, and spoke 
 in Delaware — 
 
 Up and away, Chingachgook ! will ye stay here to 
 burn, like a Mingo at the stake? The Moravians have 
 teached ye better, I hope ; the Lord preserve me if the 
 powder hasn't flashed atween his legs, and the skin of his 
 back is roasting. Will ye come, I say? will ye follow?" 
 
 Why should Mohegan go ? " returned the Indian, 
 gloomily. He has seen the days of an eagle, and his 
 eye grows dim. He looks on the valley; he looks on the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 417 
 
 water ; he loots in the hunting-grounds — but he sees no 
 Delawares. Every one has a white skin. My fathers say, 
 from the far-off land, come. My women, my young 
 warriors, my tribe, say, come. The Great Spirit says» 
 come. Let Mohegan die.*' 
 
 But you forget your friend," cried Edwards. 
 
 *Tis useless to talk to an Indian with the death-fit on 
 him, lad," interrupted Natty, who seized the strips of the 
 blanket, and with wonderful dexterity strapped the passive 
 chieftain to his own back; when he turned, and with a 
 strength that seemed to bid defiance, not only to his years, 
 but to his load, he led the way to the point whence he 
 had issued. As they crossed the little terrace of rock, one 
 of the dead trees, that had been tottering for several 
 minutes, fell on the spot where they had stood, and filled 
 the air with its cinders. 
 
 Such an event quickened the steps of the party, who 
 followed the Leather-stocking with the urgency required 
 by the occasion. 
 
 Tread on the soft ground," he cried, when they were 
 in a gloom where sight availed them but little, and keep 
 in the white smoke ; keep the skin close on her, lad ; she's 
 a precious one, another will be hard to be found." 
 
 Obedient to the hunter's directions, they followed his 
 steps and advice implicitly ; and although the narrow pas- 
 sage along the winding of the spring led amid burning 
 logs and falling branches, they happily achieved it in 
 safety. No one but a man long accustomed to the woods, 
 could have traced his route through a smoke, in which 
 respiration was difficult, and sight nearly useless ; but the 
 experience of Natty conducted them to an opening through 
 the rocks, where, with a little difficulty, they soon descended 
 to another terrace, and emerged at once into a tolerably 
 clear atmosphere. 
 
 The feelings of Edwards and Elizabeth at reaching this 
 spot may be imagined, though not easily described. No 
 one seemed to exult more than their guide, who turned, 
 with Mohegan still lashed to his back, and laughing in his 
 own manner, said — 
 
 I know'd 'twas the Frenchman's powder, gal ; it 
 
 E E 
 
418 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 went so altogether; your coarse grain will squib for a 
 minute. The Iroquois had none of the best powder when 
 I went ag'in the Canada tribes^ under Sir William. Did 
 I ever tell you the story^ lad^ consarning the scrimmage 
 with " 
 
 For God's sake tell me nothing now. Natty, until we 
 are entirely safe. Where shall we go next ? ** 
 
 Why, on the platform of rock over the cave, to be 
 sure ; you will be safe enough there, or well go into it, 
 if you be so minded/* 
 
 The young man started, and appeared agitated ; but 
 looking around him with an anxious eye, said quickly — 
 
 Shall w^e be safe on the rock ? cannot the fire reach 
 us there, too ? " 
 
 Can't the boy see ? " said Natty, with the coolness of 
 one accustomed to the kind of danger he had just encoun- 
 tered. Had ye stayed in the place above ten minutes 
 longer, you would both have been in ashes, but here you 
 may stay for ever, and no fire can touch you, until they 
 burn the rocks as well as the woods." 
 
 With this assurance, which was obviously true, they 
 proceeded to the spot, and Natty deposited his load, placing 
 the Indian on the ground with his back against a fragment 
 of the rocks. Elizabeth sunk on the ground, and buried 
 her face in her hands, while her heart was swelling with a 
 variety of conflicting emotions. 
 
 Let me urge you to take a restorative. Miss Temple/* 
 said Edwards respectfully ; your frame will sink else/* 
 
 Leave, leave me," she said, raising her beaming eyes 
 for a moment to his ; I feel too much for words ! I am 
 grateful, Oliver, for this miraculous escape ; and next to 
 my God to you." 
 
 Edwards withdrew to the edge of the rock, and shouted 
 — Benjamin ! where are you, Benjamin ?'* 
 
 A hoarse voice replied, as if from the bowels of the earth. 
 Hereaway, master ; stowed in this here bit of a hole, 
 which is all the same as hot as the cook's coppers. I m 
 tired of my birth, d'ye see, and if-so-be that Leather- 
 stocking has got much over-hauling to do before he sails 
 after them said beaver, I'll go into dock again, and ride 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 419 
 
 out lYiy quarantine till I can get prottick from the law^ and 
 so hold on upon the rest of my 'spaniolas." 
 
 Bring up a glass of water from the spring/* continued 
 Edwards, and throw a little wine in it ; hasten^ I en- 
 treat you." 
 
 I knows hut little of your small drink, master Oliver," 
 returned the steward, his voice issuing out of the cave into 
 the open air, " and the Jamaiky held out no longer than 
 to take a parting kiss with Billy Kirby, when he anchored 
 me alongside the highway last night, where you run me 
 down in the chase. But here's sum'mat of a red colour 
 that may suit a weak stomach, mayhap. That master 
 Kirby is no first rate in a boat ; but he'll tack a cart 
 among the stumps, all the same as a Lon'on pilot will back 
 and fill through the colliers in the Pool." 
 
 As the steward ascended while talking, by the time he 
 had ended his speech, he appeared on the rock, with 
 the desired restoratives, exhibiting the worn-out and 
 bloated features of a man, who had run deep in a debauch, 
 and that lately. 
 
 Elizabeth took from the hand of Edwards the liquor 
 which he offered, and then motioned to be left again to 
 herself. 
 
 The youth turned at her bidding, and observed Natty 
 kindly assiduous around the person of Mohegan. When 
 their eyes met, the hunter said sorrowfully — 
 
 His time has come, lad ; I see it in his eyes ; — when 
 an Indian fixes his eye, he means to go but to one place ; 
 and what the wilful creaters put their minds on, they're 
 sure to do." 
 
 A quick tread prevented the reply, and in a few mo- 
 ments, to the amazement of the whole party, Mr. Grant 
 was seen cUnging to the side of the mountain, and striving 
 to reach the place where they stood. Oliver sprang to his 
 assistance, and by their united efforts the worthy divine 
 was soon placed safely among them. 
 
 ■ How came you added to our number?" cried Ed- 
 wards. Is the hiU aUve with people at a time like 
 this}'' 
 
 The hasty, but pious thanksgivings of the clergyman 
 E E 2 
 
420 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 were soon ejaculated ; and when he succeeded in colleCving 
 his bewildered senses he replied — 
 
 I heard that my child was seen coming to the moun- 
 tain ; and when the fire broke over its summit^ my uneasi- 
 ness drew me up the road^ where I found Louisa^ in terror 
 for Miss Temple. It was to seek her that I came into 
 this dangerous place ; and I think but for God's mercy, 
 through the dogs of Natty, I should have perished in the 
 flames myself/* 
 
 Ay ! follow the hounds, and if there's an opening 
 they'll scent it out," said Natty ; their noses be given 
 them the same as man's reason." 
 
 I did so, and they led me to this place ; but, praise 
 be to God, that I see you all safe and well.'* 
 
 No, no," returned the hunter: safe we be, but as 
 for well, John can't be called in a good way, unless you'll 
 say that for a man that's taking his last look at 'arth." 
 
 He speaks the truth!'* said the divine, with the holy 
 awe with which he ever approached the dying ; — ^* I 
 have been by too many death-beds, not to see that the 
 hand of the tyrant is laid on this old warrior. Oh ! how 
 consoling it is, to know that he has not rejected the offered 
 mercy, in the hour of his strength and of worldly tempt- 
 ations ! The offspring of a race of heathens, he has in 
 truth been ^ as a brand plucked from the burning.' " 
 
 No, no," returned Natty, who alone stood with him 
 by the side of the dying warrior, it's no burning that 
 ails him, though his Indian feelings made him scorn to 
 move, unless it be the burning of man's wicked thoughts 
 for near fourscore years ; but it's nater giving out in a 
 chase that's run too long. Down with ye. Hector ! down, 
 I say ! — Flesh isn't iron, that a man can live for ever, 
 and see his kith and kin driven to a far country, and he 
 left to mourn, with none to keep him company." 
 
 '^'^John," said the divine, tenderly, do you hear me? 
 do you wish the prayers appointed by the church, at this 
 trying moment ? " 
 
 The Indian turned his ghastly face to the speaker, and 
 fastened his dark eyes on him, steadily, but vacantly. No 
 sign of recognition was made ; and in a moment he moved 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 421 
 
 his head again slowly towards the vale^ and hegan to sing, 
 lising his own language, in those low, guttural tones, that 
 have been so often mentioned, his notes rising with his 
 theme, till they swelled so loud as to be distinct. 
 
 I will come ! I will come ! to the land of the just I 
 will come ! The Maquas I have slain ! — I have slain the 
 M aquas ! and the Great Spirit calls to his son. I will 
 come ! I will come ! to the land of the just I will come ! ** 
 
 What says he. Leather-stocking ? " enquired the priest, 
 with tender interest ; sings he the Redeemer's praise ? " 
 
 No, no, — 'tis his own praise that he speaks now," 
 said Natty, turning in a melancholy manner from the sight 
 of his dying friend ; and a good right he has to say it 
 all, for I know every word to be true." 
 
 May Heaven avert such self-righteousness from his 
 heart ! Humility and penitence are the seals of Chris- 
 tianity; and without feeling them deeply seated in the 
 soul, all hope is delusive, and leads to vain expectations. 
 Praise himself! when his whole soul and body should 
 unite to praise his Maker ! John ! you have enjoyed the 
 blessings of a gospel ministry, and have been called from 
 out a multitude of sinners and pagans, and, I trust, for a 
 wise and gracious purpose. Do you now feel what it is 
 to be justified by our Saviour's death, and reject all weak 
 and idle dependence on good works, that spring from man's 
 pride and vainglory ? " 
 
 The Indian did not regard his interrogator, but he 
 raised his head again, and said, in a low, distinct voice — 
 
 Who can say, that the Maquas know the back of 
 Mohegan ! What enemy that trusted in him did not see 
 the morning ? What Mingo that he chased ever sung the 
 song of triumph ? Did Mohegan ever lie ? No ; the 
 truth lived in him, and none else could come out of him. 
 In his youth, he was a warrior, and his mocassins left the 
 stain of blood. In his age, he was wise ; his words at the 
 council fire did not blow away with the winds." 
 
 " Ah ! he has abandoned that vain relic of paganism, 
 his songs," cried the good divine ; — what says he now ? 
 is he sensible of his lost state } " 
 
 Lord ! man," said Natty, he knows his end is at 
 E E 3 
 
422 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 hand as well as you or I, but^ so far from thinking it a 
 loss, he believes it to be a great gain. He is old and stiff, 
 and you have made the game so scearce and shy, that 
 better shots than him find it hard to get a livelihood. 
 Now he thinks he shall travel where it will always be 
 good hunting ; where no wicked or unjust Indians can go ; 
 and where he shall meet all his tribe together ag'in. 
 There's not much loss in that, to a man whose hands are 
 hardly fit for basket-making. Loss ! if there be any loss, 
 'twill be to me. I'm sure, after he's gone, there will be 
 but little left for me but to follow." 
 
 His example and end, which, I humbly trust, shall 
 yet be made glorious," returned Mr. Grant, ^' should lead 
 your mind to dwell on the things of another life. But I 
 feel it to be my duty to smooth the way for the parting 
 spirit. This is the moment, John, when the reflection 
 that you did not reject the mediation of the Redeemer, 
 will bring balm to your soul. Trust not to any act of 
 former days, but lay the burden of your sins at his feet, 
 and you have his own blessed assurance that he will not 
 desert you." 
 
 Though all you say be true, and you have scripter 
 gospels for it, too," said Natty, you will make nothing 
 of the Indian. He hasn't seen a Moravian priest sin' the 
 war ; and it's hard to keep them from going back to their 
 native ways. I should think 'twould be as well to let the 
 old man pass in peace. He's happy now ; I know it by his 
 eye ; and that's more than I would say for the chief, sin' 
 the time the Delawares broke up from the head- waters of 
 their river, and went wesi. Ah's me ! 'tis a grievous long 
 time that, and many dark days have we seen together 
 sin' it." 
 
 Hawk-eye ! " said Mohegan, rousing with the last 
 glimmering of life. ^' Hawk-eye ! listen to the words of 
 your brother." 
 
 Yes, John," said the hunter, in English, strongly 
 affected by the appeal, and drawing to his side ; we 
 have been brothers ; and more so than it means in the 
 Indian tongue. What would ye have with me^ Chin- 
 gachgook } " 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 42?: 
 
 Hawk-eye ! my fathers call me to the happy hunting- 
 grounds. The path is clear^ and the eyes of Mohegan 
 grow young. I look — hut I see no white-skins ; there 
 are none to he seen hut just and hrave Indians. Farewell, 
 Hawk-eye — you shall go with the Fire-eater and the 
 Young Eagle_, to the white man's heaven ; but I go after 
 my fathers. Let the bow^ and tomahawk^ and pipe, and 
 the wampum of Mohegan, be laid in his grave ; for when 
 he starts 'twill be in the night, like a warrior on a war- 
 party, and he cannot stop to seek them." 
 
 What says he, Nathaniel ? " cried Mr. Grant, earnestly, 
 and with obvious anxiety ; does he recall the promises 
 of the mxcdiation ? and trust his salvation to the Rock of 
 Ages ? " 
 
 Although the faith of the hunter w^as by no means clear, 
 yet the fruits of early instruction had not entirely fallen in 
 the wilderness. He believed in one God, and one heaven ; 
 and when the strong feeling excited by the leave-taking of 
 his old companion, which was exhibited by the powerful 
 working of every muscle in his weather-beaten face, suf- 
 fered him to speak, he replied — 
 
 No — no — he trusts only to the Great Spirit of the 
 savages, and to his own good deeds. He thinks, like all 
 his people, that he is to be young ag'in, and to hunt, and 
 be happy to the end of etarnity. It's pretty much the 
 same with all colours, parson. I could never bring myself 
 to think, that I shall meet with these hounds, or my piece, 
 in another world ; though the thoughts of leaving them 
 for ever, sometimes brings hard feelings over me, and makes 
 me cling to life with a greater craving than beseems three- 
 score-and-ten." 
 
 The Lord in his mercy avert such a death from one 
 who has been sealed with the sign of the cross ! " cried the 
 minister, in holy fervour. John — " 
 
 He paused for the elements. During the period occu- 
 pied by the events which we have related, the dark clouds 
 in the horizon had continued to increase in numbers and 
 magnitude ; and the awful stillness that now pervaded the 
 air, announced a crisis in the state of the atmosphere. The 
 flames, which yet continued to rage along the sides of the 
 E E 4 
 
424 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 mountain, no longer whirled in the uncertain currents of 
 their own eddies, but blazed high and steadily towards the 
 heavens. There was even a quietude in the ravages of the 
 destructive element, as if it foresaw that a hand, greater 
 than even its own desolating power, was about to stay its 
 progress. The piles of smoke which lay above the valley 
 began to rise, and were dispelling rapidly ; and streaks of 
 vivid lightning were dancing through the masses of clouds 
 that impended over the western hills. While Mr. Grant 
 was speaking, a flash, which sent its quivering light through 
 the gloom, laying bare the whole opposite horizon, was fol- 
 lowed by a loud crash of thunder, that rolled away among 
 the hiUs, seeming to shake the foundations of the earth to 
 their centre. Mohegan raised himself, as if in obedience 
 to a signal for his departure, and stretched his wasted arm 
 towards the west. His dark face hghted with a look of 
 joy ; which, with all other expression, gradually disap- 
 peared ; the muscles stiffening as they retreated to a state 
 of rest ; a slight convulsion played, for a single instant, 
 about his lips ; and his arm slowly dropped by his side ; 
 leaving the frame of the dead warrior reposing against the 
 rock, with its glassy eyes open, and fixed on the distant 
 hills, as if the deserted shell were tracing the flight of the 
 spirit to its new abode. 
 
 All this Mr. Grant witnessed in silent awe ; but when 
 the last echoes of the thunder died away, he clasped his 
 hands together, with pious energy^ and repeated, in the 
 full, rich tones of assured faith — 
 
 O Lord ! how unsearchable are thy judgments : and 
 thy ways past finding out ! ' I know that my Redeemer 
 liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the 
 earth ; and though after my skin, worms destroy this body, 
 yet in my flesh shall I see God : whom I shall see for 
 myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.' 
 
 As the divine closed this burst of devotion, he bowed 
 his head meekly to his bosom, and looked all the depend- 
 ence and humility that the inspired language expressed. 
 
 When Mr. Grant retired from the body, the hunter ap- 
 proached, and taking the rigid hand of his friend, looked 
 him wistfully in the face for some time without speaking, 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 425 
 
 when he gave vent to his feehngs by sayings in the mourn- 
 ful voice of one who felt deeply — 
 
 Red skin or white^ it's all over now! He's to be 
 judged by a righteous Judge^ and by no laws that's made 
 to suit times_, and new ways. Well^ there's only one more 
 deaths and the world will be left to me and the hounds, 
 Ah's me! a man must wait the time of God's pleasure, 
 but I begin to weary of life. There is scarcely a tree 
 standing that I know, and it's hard to find a face that I 
 was acquainted with in my younger days." 
 
 Large drops of rain began now to fall, and diffuse them- 
 selves over the dry rock, while the approach of the thunder 
 shower was rapid and certain. The body of the Indian 
 was hastily removed into the cave beneath, followed by the 
 whining hounds, who missed, and moaned for, the look of 
 intelligence that had always met their salutations to the 
 chief. 
 
 Edwards made some hasty and confused excuse for not 
 taking Elizabeth into the same place, which was now com- 
 pletely closed in front with logs and bark, saying something 
 that she hardly understood about its darkness, and the 
 unpleasantness of being with the dead body. Miss Temple, 
 however, found a sufficient shelter against the torrent of 
 rain that fell, under the projection of a rock which over- 
 hung them. But long before the shower was over, the 
 sounds of voices were heard below them crying aloud for 
 EUzabeth, and men soon appeared, beating the dying 
 embers of the bushes, as they worked their way cautiously 
 among the unextinguished brands. 
 
 At the first short cessation in the rain, Oliver con- 
 ducted Elizabeth to the road, where he left her. Before 
 parting, however, he found time to say, in a fervent 
 manner, that his companion was now at no loss to interpret — 
 The moment of concealment is over. Miss Temple. 
 By this time to-morrow, I shall remove a veil that perhaps 
 it has been weakness to keep around me and my affairs so 
 long. But I have had romantic and foolish wishes and 
 weaknesses : and who has not, that is young and torn by 
 conflicting passions ? God bless you! I hear your father's 
 voice ; he is coming up the road, and I would not. 
 
426 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 just now^ subject myself to detention. Thank Heaven, 
 you are safe again ; that alone removes the weight of a 
 world from my spirit ! " 
 
 He waited for no answer, but sprang into the woods. 
 Elizabeth, notwithstanding she heard the cries of her 
 father as he called upon her name, paused until he was 
 concealed among the smoking trees, when she turned, and 
 in a moment rushed into the arms of her half-distracted 
 parent. 
 
 A carriage had been provided, into which Miss Temple 
 hastily entered ; when the cry was passed along the hill, 
 that the lost one was found, and the people returned to 
 the village, wet and dirty, but elated with the thought that 
 the daughter of their landlord had escaped from so horrid 
 and untimely an end.* 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 Selictar! unsheath then our chief's scimitar; 
 Tambourgi ! thy 'larum gives promise of war ; 
 Ye mountains ! that see us descend to the shore, 
 Shall view us as victors, or view us no more. Byron. 
 
 The heavy showers that prevailed during the remainder 
 of the day, completely stopped the progress of the flames ; 
 though glimmering fires were observed during the night, 
 on different parts of the hill, wherever there v/as a col- 
 lection of fuel to feed the element. The next day the 
 woods, for many miles, were black and smoking, and were 
 stripped of every vestige of brush and dead wood ; but the 
 pines and hemlocks still reared their heads proudly along 
 
 * The probability of a fire in the woods, similar to that here described, has 
 been questioned. The writer can only say that he once witnessed a fire in 
 another part of New York that compelled a man to desert his wagon and 
 horses in the highway, and in which the latter were destroyed. In order to 
 estimate the probability of such an event, it is necessary to remember the 
 effects of a long drought in that climate, and the abundance of dead wood 
 which is found in a forest like that described. The fires in the American 
 forests frequently rage to such an extent as to produce a sensible effect on the 
 atmosphere at the distance of fifty miles. Houses, barns and fences are quite 
 commonly swept away in their course. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 427 
 
 the hillSj and even the smaller trees of the forest retained 
 a feeble appearance of life and vegetation. 
 
 The many tongues of rumour were busy in exaggerating 
 the miraculous escape of Elizabeth^ and a report was ge- 
 nerally credited^ that Mohegan had actually perished in 
 the flames. This belief became confirmed^ and was indeed 
 rendered probable^ when the direful intelligence reached 
 the village^ that Jotham Riddel, the miner^ was found in 
 his hole^ nearly dead with suffocation^ and burnt to such 
 a degree that no hopes were entertained of his life. 
 
 The public attention became much alive to the events of 
 the last few days ; and just at this crisis_, the convicted 
 counterfeiters took the hint from Natty and, on the night 
 succeeding the fire, found means to cut through their log 
 prison also, and to escape unpunished. When this news 
 began to circulate through the village, blended with the 
 fate of Jotham, and the exaggerated and tortured reports 
 of the events on the hill, the popular opinion was freely 
 expressed, as to the propriety of seizing such of the fu- 
 gitives as remained within reach. Men talked of the cave, 
 as a secret receptacle of guilt ; and as the rumour of ores 
 and metals found its way into the confused medley of con- 
 jectures, counterfeiting, and every thing else that was 
 wicked and dangerous to the peace of society, suggested 
 themselves to the busy fancies of the populace. 
 
 While the pubKc mind was in this feverish state, it was 
 hinted that the wood had been set on fire by Edwards and 
 the Leather-stocking, and that, consequently, they alone 
 were responsible for the damages. This opinion soon gained 
 ground, being most circulated by those who, by their own 
 heedlessness, had caused the evil ; and there was one irre- 
 sistible burst of the common sentiment, that an attempt 
 should be made to punish the offenders. Richard was by 
 no means deaf to this appeal, and by noon he set about in 
 earnest, to see the laws executed. 
 
 Several stout young men were selected, and taken apart 
 with an appearance of secrecy, where they received some 
 important charge from the Sheriff, immediately under the 
 eyes, but far removed from the ears, of all in the village. 
 Possessed of a knowledge of their duty, these youths hur- 
 
428 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ried into the hills^ with a bustling manner^ as if the fate 
 of the world depended on their diligence^ and, at the same 
 time, with an air of mystery, as great as if they were en- 
 gaged on secret matters of the state. 
 
 At twelve precisely, a drum beat the long roll " before 
 the Bold Dragoon/' and Richard appeared, accompanied 
 by Captain Hollister, who was clad in his vestments as 
 commander of the Templeton Light- Infantry," when the 
 former demanded of the latter the aid of the posse comi- 
 tatus, in enforcing the laws of the country. We have not 
 room to record the speeches of the two gentlemen on this 
 occasion, but they are preserved in the columns of the little 
 blue newspaper, which is yet to be found on file, and are 
 said to be highly creditable to the legal formula of one of 
 the parties, and to the military precision of the other. 
 Every thing had been previously arranged, and as the red- 
 coated drummer continued to roll out his clattering notes, 
 some five-and-twenty privates appeared in the ranks, and 
 arranged themselves in order of battle. 
 
 As this corps was composed of volunteers, and was com- 
 manded by a man who had passed the first five-and- thirty 
 years of his life in camps and garrisons, it was the non- 
 pareil of military science in that country, and was confi- 
 dently pronounced, by the judicious part of the Templeton 
 community, to be equal in skill and appearance to any 
 troops in the known world ; in physical endowments they 
 were, certainly, much superior ! To this assertion there 
 were but three dissenting voices, and one dissenting opinion. 
 The opinion belonged to Marmaduke, who, however, saw 
 no necessity for its promulgation. Of the voices, one, and 
 that a pretty loud one, came from the spouse of the com- 
 mander himself, who frequently reproached her husband 
 for condescending to lead such an irregular band of war- 
 riors, after he had filled the honourable station of sergeant- 
 major to a dashing corps of Virginian cavalry through much 
 of the recent war. 
 
 Another of these sceptical sentiments was invariably 
 expressed by Mr. Pump, whenever the company paraded, 
 generally in some such terms as these, which were uttered 
 with that sort of meekness, that a native of the island of 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 429 
 
 our forefathers is apt to assume^ when he condescends to 
 praise the customs or characters of her truant progeny — 
 
 It's mayhap that they knows sum'mat about loading 
 and firing, d'ye see ; but as for working ship ! why a cor- 
 poral's guard of the Boadishey's marines would back and 
 fill on their quarters in such a manner as to surround and 
 captivate them ail in half a glass/' As there was no one 
 to deny this assertion, the m.arines of the Boadicea were 
 held in a corresponding degree of estimation. 
 
 The third unbeliever was Monsieur Le Quoi, who merely 
 whispered to the Sheriff, that the corps was one of the 
 finest he had ever seen, second only to the Mousquetaires 
 of Le Bon Louis ! However, as Mrs. Holhster thought 
 there was something like actual service in the present ap- 
 pearances, and was, in consequence, too busily engaged with 
 certain preparations of her own, to make her comments ; 
 as Benjamin was absent, and Monsieur Le Quoi too happy 
 to find fault with any thing, the corps escaped criticism 
 and comparison altogether on this momentous day, when 
 they certainly had greater need of self-confidence, than on 
 any other previous occasion. Marmaduke was said to be 
 again closeted with Mr. Van der School, and no interrup- 
 tion was offered to the movements of the troops. At two 
 o'clock precisely the corps shouldered arms, beginning on 
 the right wing, next to the veteran, and carrying the mo- 
 tion through to the left with great regularity. When each 
 musket was quietly fixed in its proper situation, the order 
 was given to wheel to the left, and march. As this was 
 bringing raw troops, at once, to face their enemy, it is not 
 to be supposed that the manoeuvre was executed with their 
 usual accuracy ; but as the music struck up the inspiring 
 air of Yankee-doodle, and Richard, accompanied by Mr. 
 Doolittle, preceded the troops boldly down the street. Cap- 
 tain Hollister led on, with his head elevated to forty-five 
 degrees, with a little, low cocked hat perched on its crown, 
 carrying a tremendous dragoon sabre at a poise, and trail- 
 ing at his heels a huge steel scabbard, that had war in it? 
 very clattering. There was a good deal of difficulty in 
 getting all the platoons (there were six) to look the same 
 way ; butj by the time they reached the defile of the bridge. 
 
430 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the troops were in sufficiently compact order. In this 
 manner they marched up the hill to the summit of the 
 mountain^ no other alteration taking place in the disposition 
 of the forces^ excepting that a mutual complaint was made 
 by the Sheriff and the magistrate, of a failure in wind, 
 which gradually brought these gentlemen to the rear. It 
 will be unnecessary to detail the minute movements that 
 succeeded. We shall briefly say, that the scouts came in 
 and reported, that, so far from retreating, as had been an- 
 ticipated, the fugitives had evidently gained a knowledge 
 of the attack, and were fortifying for a desperate resistance. 
 This intelligence certainly made a material change, not 
 only in the plans of the leaders, but in the countenances of 
 the soldiery also. The men looked at one another with 
 serious faces, and Hiram and Richard began to consult 
 together, apart. 
 
 At this juncture, they were joined by Billy Kirby, who 
 came along the highway, with his axe under his arm, as 
 much in advance of his team as Captain Hollister had been 
 of his troops in the ascent. The wood-chopper was amazed 
 at the military array, but the Sheriff eagerly availed him- 
 self of this powerful reinforcement, and commanded his 
 assistance in putting the laws in force. Billy held Mr. 
 Jones in too much deference to object; and it was finally 
 arranged, that he should be the bearer of a summons to 
 the garrison to surrender, before they proceeded to extre- 
 mities. The troops now divided, one party being led by 
 the captain, over the Vision, and were brought in on the 
 left of the cave, while the remainder advanced upon its 
 right, under the orders of the lieutenant. Mr. Jones and 
 Dr. Todd — for the surgeon was in attendance also — ap- 
 peared on the platform of rock, immediately over the heads 
 of the garrison, though out of their sight. Hiram thought 
 this approaching too near, and he therefore accompanied 
 Kirby along the side of the hill, to within a safe distance 
 of the fortifications, where he took shelter behind a tree. 
 Most of the men discovered great accuracy of eye in bring- 
 ing some object in range between them and their enemy, 
 and the onl) two of the besiegers, who were left in plain 
 sight of the besieged, were Captain Hollister on one side. 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 431 
 
 and the wood-chopper on the other. The veteran stood 
 up boldly to the front_, supporting his heavy sword^ in one 
 undeviating position^ with his eye fixed firmly on his 
 enemy^ while the huge form of Billy was placed in that 
 kind of quiet repose^ with either hand thrust into his bosom^ 
 bearing his axe under his right arm^ which permitted him^ 
 like his own oxen^ to rest standing. So far^ not a word 
 had been exchanged between the belligerents. The besieged 
 had drawn together a pile of black logs and branches of 
 trees, which they had formed into a chevaux-de-frise, 
 making a little circular abbatis in front of the entrance to 
 the cave. As the ground was steep and slippery in every 
 direction around the place, and Benjamin appeared behind 
 the works on one side, and Natty on the other, the arrange- 
 ment was by no means contemptible, especially as the front 
 was sufl[iciently guarded by the difficulty of the approach. 
 By this time, Kirby had received his orders, and he ad- 
 vanced coolly along the mountain, picking his way with the 
 same indifference as if he were pursuing his ordinary bu- 
 siness. When he was within a hundred feet of the works, 
 the long and much dreaded rifle of the Leather-stocking 
 was seen issuing from the parapet, and his voice cried 
 aloud — 
 
 Keep off! Billy Kirby, keep off! I wish ye no harm ; 
 but if a man of ye all comes a step nigher, there'll be blood 
 spilt a-twixt us. God forgive the one that draws it first 
 but so it must be.'* 
 
 Come, old chap," said Billy, good-naturedly, don't 
 be crabb'd, but hear what a man has got to say, I've no 
 consarn in the business, only to see right 'twixt man and 
 man ; and I don't kear the vahe of a beetle ring which 
 gets the better; but there's Squire Doolittle, yonder behind 
 the beech sapling, he has invited me to come in and ask 
 you to give up to the law — that's all." 
 
 I see the varmint ! I see his clothes ! " cried the in- 
 dignant Natty ; and if he'll only show so much flesh as 
 will bury a rifle bullet, thirty to the pound, I'll make him 
 feel me. Go away, Billy, I bid ye j you know my aim^ 
 and I bear you no malice," 
 
 You over-calculate your aim. Natty," said the other^ 
 
432 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 as he stepped behind a pine that stood near him^ if you 
 think to shoot a man through a tree with a three foot butt. 
 I can lay this tree right across you in ten minutes^ by any 
 man's watch^ and in less time_, too ; so be civil — I want 
 no more than what's right/' 
 
 There was a simple seriousness in the countenance of 
 Natty^ that showed he was much in earnest ; but it was 
 also evident^ that he was reluctant to shed human blood 
 He answered the vaunt of the wood-chopper, by saying — 
 I know you drop a tree where you will, Billy Kirby ; 
 but if you show a hand, or an arm, in doing it, there'll be 
 bones to be set, and blood to staunch. If it's only to get 
 into the cave that ye want, wait till a two hours' sun, and 
 you may enter it in welcome ; but come in now you shall 
 not. There's one dead body already, lying on the cold 
 rocks, and there's another in which the life can hardly be 
 said to stay. If you will come in^, there'll be dead without 
 as well as within." 
 
 The wood-chopper stepped out fearlessly from his cover, 
 and cried — 
 
 That's fair ; and what's fair is right. He wants you 
 to stop till it's two hours to sundown ; and I see reason 
 in the thing. A man can give up when he's wrong, if you 
 don't crowd him too hard ; but you crowd a man, and he 
 gets to be like a stubborn ox — the more you beat, the 
 worse he kicks." 
 
 The sturdy notions of independence maintained by Billy, 
 neither suited the emergency, nor the impatience of Mr. 
 Jones, who was burning with a desire to examine the, 
 hidden mysteries of the cave. He therefore interrupted^ 
 this amicable dialogue with his own voice. 
 
 I command you, Nathaniel Bumppo, by my authority, 
 to surrender your person to the law," he cried. And I 
 command you, gentlemen, to aid me in performing my 
 duty. Benjamin Penguillan, I arrest you, and order you 
 to follow me to the gaol of the county, by virtue of this 
 warrant." 
 
 " I'd follow ye. Squire Dickens," said Benjamin, re- 
 moving the pipe from his mouth (for during the whole 
 scene the ex major-domo had been very composedly smok- 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 433 
 
 ing) ; ay ! I'd sail in yoiir wake^ to the end of the world, 
 if-so-be that there was such a place^ which there isn't, 
 seeing that it's round. Now, mayhap, Master HoUister, 
 having lived all your life on shore, you isn't acquainted 
 
 that the world, d'ye see " 
 
 ^' Surrender ! " interrupted the veteran, in a voice that 
 startled his hearers, and which actually caused his own 
 forces to recoil several paces ; surrender, Benjamin Pen- 
 gullum, or expect no quarter." 
 
 Damn your quarter!" said Benjamin, rising from the 
 log on which he was seated, and, taking a squint along the 
 barrel of the swivel, which had been brought on the hill 
 during the night, and now formed the means of defence on 
 his side of the works. Look you. Master, or Captain, 
 thof I questions if ye know the name of a rope, except the 
 one that's to hang ye, there's no need of singing out, as if 
 ye was hailing a deaf man on a top-gallant yard. Mayhap 
 you think you've got my true name in your sheep-skin ; 
 but what British sailor finds it worth while to sail in these 
 seas, without a sham on his stern, in case of need, d'ye 
 see. If you call me Penguillan, you calls me by the name 
 of the man on whose land, d'ye see, I hove into daylight ; 
 and he was a gentleman ; and that's more than my worst 
 enemy wiU say of any of the family of Benjamin Stubbs.** 
 
 Send the warrant round to me, and I'll put in an 
 alias," cried Hiram, from behind his cover. 
 
 Put in a jackass, and you'll put in yourself. Mister 
 Doo-but-little," shouted Benjamin, who kept squinting 
 along his little iron tube, with great steadiness. 
 
 I give you but one moment to yield," cried Richard, 
 Benjamin ! Benjamin ! this is not the gratitute I ex- 
 pected from you." 
 
 ^' I tell you, Richard Jones," said Natty, who dreaded 
 the Sheriff's influence over his comrade ; though the 
 canister the gal brought be lost, there's powder enough in 
 the cave to lift the rock you stand on. I'll take off my 
 roof if you don't hold your peace." 
 
 I think it beneath the dignity of my .office to parley 
 further v/ith the prisoners," the Sheriff observed to his 
 
434 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 companion, while they both retired with a precipitancy that 
 Captain Hollister mistook for the signal to advance. 
 
 Charge baggonet ! " shouted the veteran ; march ! " 
 Although this signal was certainly expected, it took the 
 assailed a little by surprise, and the veteran approached 
 ihe works, crying, Courage, my brave lads ! give them 
 no quarter unless they surrender and struck a furious 
 blow upwards with his sabre, that would have divided the 
 steward in moieties, by subjecting him to the process of 
 decapitation, but for the fortunate interference of the muzzle 
 of the swivel. As it was, the gun was dismounted at the 
 critical moment that Benjamin was applying his pipe to 
 the priming, and, in consequence, some five or six dozen 
 of rifle bullets were projected into the air, in nearly a per- 
 pendicular line. Philosophy teaches us that the atmosphere 
 will not retain lead ; and two pounds of the metal, moulded 
 into bullets of thirty to the pound, after describing an el- 
 lipsis in their journey, returned to the earth, rattling among 
 the branches of the trees directly over the heads of the 
 troops stationed in the rear of their captain. Much of the 
 success of an attack, made by irregular soldiers, depends on 
 the direction in which they are first got in motion. In the 
 present instance, it was retrograde, and in less than a 
 minute after the bellowing report of the swivel among the 
 rocks and caverns, the whole weight of the attack, from 
 the left, rested on the prowess of the single arm of the 
 veteran. Benjamin received a severe contusion from the 
 recoil of his gun, which produced a short stupor, during 
 which period the ex-steward was prostrate on the ground. 
 Captain Hollister availed himself of this circumstance to 
 scramble over the breast- work, and obtain a footing in the 
 bastion — for such was the nature of the fortress, as con- 
 nected with the cave. The moment the veteran found 
 himself within the works of his enemy, he rushed to the 
 edge of the fortification, and waving his sabre over his 
 liead, shouted — 
 
 Victory ! come on, my brave boys, the work's our 
 own ! " 
 
 All this was perfectly military, and was such an example 
 as a gallant officer was in some measure bound to exhibit 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 435 
 
 to his men ; but the outcry was the unlucky cause of turn- 
 ing the tide of success. Natty^ who had been keeping a 
 vigilant eye on the wood-chopper, and the enemy imme- 
 diately before him^ wheeled at this alarm_, and was appalled 
 at beholding his comrade on the ground, and the veteran 
 standing on his own bulwark, giving forth the cry of vic- 
 tory ! The muzzle of the long rifle was turned instantly 
 towards the captain. There was a moment when the life 
 of the old soldier was in great jeopardy ; but the object to 
 shoot at was both too large and too near for the Leather- 
 stocking, who, instead of pulling his trigger, applied the 
 gun to the rear of his enemy, and by a powerful shove sent 
 him outside of the works with much greater rapidity than 
 he had entered them. The spot on which Captain Hol- 
 lister alighted was directly in front, where, as his feet 
 touched the ground, so steep and slippery was the side of 
 the mountain_, it seemed to recede from under them. His 
 motion was swift, and so irregular, as utterly to confuse 
 the faculties of the old soldier. During its continuance, he 
 supposed himself to be mounted, and charging through the 
 ranks of his enemy. At every tree he made a blow, of 
 course, as at a foot soldier ; and just as he was making 
 the cut St. George" at a half-burnt sapling, he landed in 
 the highway, and, to his utter amazement, at the feet of 
 his own spouse. When Mrs. Hollister, who was toiling 
 up the hill, followed by at least twenty curious boys, lean- 
 ing with one hand on the staff with which she ordinarily 
 walked^ and bearing in the other an empty bag, witnessed 
 this exploit of her husband, indignation immediately got 
 the better, not only of her religion, but of her philosophy. 
 Why, sargeant ! is it flying ye are } " she cried 
 That I should live to see a husband of mine turn his 
 back to the inimy ! and sich a one ! Here have I been 
 telling the b'ys, as we come along, all about the saige of 
 Yorrektown, and how ye was hurted ; and how ye'd be 
 acting the same ag'in the day ; and I mate ye retraiting 
 jist as the first gun is fired. Och ! I may trow away the 
 bag ! for if there's plunder, 'twill not be the wife of sich 
 as yeerself that will be privileged to be getting the same. 
 They do say, too, there is a power of goold and silvei in 
 
 F F 2 
 
436 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the place — the Lord forgive me for setting my heart on 
 worreldly things ; hut what falls in the battle, there's 
 Scripter for believing_, is the just property of the victor/' 
 
 Retreating ! " exclaimed the amazed veteran ; where's 
 my horse ? he has been shot under me — I " 
 
 Is the man mad?" interrupted his wife — divil the 
 horse do ye own, sargeant, and ye're nothing but a shabby 
 captain of malaishy. Oh ! If the ra'al captain was here, 'tis 
 the other way ye'd be riding, dear, or you would not follow 
 your laider ! " 
 
 While this worthy couple were thus discussing events, 
 the battle began to rage more violently than ever, above 
 them. When the Leather-stocking saw his enemy fairly 
 under head- way, as Benjamin would express it, he gave his 
 attention again to the right wing of the assailants. It 
 would have been easy for Kirby, with his powerful frame, 
 to have seized the moment to scale the bastion, and, with 
 his great strength, to have sent both its defenders in pursuit 
 of the veteran ; but hostility appeared to be the passion 
 that the wood-chopper indulged the least in, at that mo- 
 ment, for, in a voice that was heard even by the retreating 
 left wing, he shouted — 
 
 Hurrah ! well done, captain ! keep it up ! how he 
 handles his bush hook ! he makes nothing of a sapling ! " 
 and such other encouraging exclamations to the flying ve- 
 teran, until, overcome by mirth, the good-natured fellow 
 seated himself on the ground, kicking the earth with 
 delight, and giving vent to peal after peal of laughter. 
 
 Natty stood all this time in a menacing attitude, with 
 his rifle pointed over the breast-work, watching with a 
 quick and cautious eye the least movement of the assailants. 
 The outcry unfortunately tempted the ungovernable cu 
 riosity of Hiram to take a peep from behind his cover at. 
 the state of the battle. Though this evolution was per- 
 formed with great caution, in protecting his front, he left, 
 like many a better commander, his rear exposed to the 
 attacks of his enemy. Mr. Doolittle belonged physically 
 to a class of his countrymen, to whom nature has denied, 
 in their formation, the use of curved lines. Every thing 
 about him was either straight or angular. But his tailor 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 437 
 
 was a woman who worked, like a regimental contractor, by 
 a set of rules that gave the same configuration to the whole 
 human species. Consequently, when Mr. Doolittle leaned 
 forward in the manner described, a loose drapery appeared 
 behind the tree, at which the rifle of Natty was pointed 
 with the quickness of lightning. A less experienced man 
 would have aimed at the flowing robe, which hung like a 
 festoon half way to the earth ; but the Leather-stocking 
 knew both the man and his female tailor better, and when 
 the smart report of the rifle was heard, Kirby, who watched 
 the whole manoeuvre in breathless expectation, saw the bark 
 fly from the beech, and the cloth, at some distance above 
 the loose folds, wave at the same instant. No battery was 
 ever unmasked with more promptitude than Hiram ad- 
 vanced from behind the tree, at this summons. 
 
 He made two or three steps, with great precision, to the 
 front, and })]acing one hand on the afflicted part, stretched 
 forth the other, with a menacing air, towards Natty, and 
 cried aloud — 
 
 Gawl darn ye ! this shan't be settled so easy ; I'll 
 foUow it up from the ' common pleas' to the ' court of 
 errors.' " 
 
 Such a shocking imprecation, from the mouth of so or- 
 derly a man as Squire Doolittle, with the fearless manner 
 in which he exposed himself, together with, perhaps, the 
 knowledge that Natty's rifle was unloaded, encouraged the 
 troops in the rear, who gave a loud shout, and fired a volley 
 into the tree-tops, after the contents of the swivel. Ani- 
 mated by their own noise, the men now rushed on in 
 earnest, and Billy Kirby, who thought the joke, good as 
 it was, had gone far enough, was in the act of scaling the 
 works, when Judge Temple appeared on the opposite side, 
 exclaiming — 
 
 Silence and peace ! why do I see murder and bloodshed 
 attempted } is not the law sufficient to protect itself, that 
 armed bands must be gathered, as in rebellion and war, to 
 see justice performed ? " 
 
 'Tis the posse comitatus," shouted the SherifF, from a 
 distant rock^ ^' who — — " 
 
 F F 3 
 
438 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ^' Say rather a posse of demons. I command the 
 peace." — 
 
 Hold! shed not blood!" cried a voice from the top 
 of the Vision. " Hold ! for the sake of Heaven^ fire no 
 more ! all shall be yielded ! you shall enter the cave ! " 
 
 Amazement produced the desired effect. Natty^ who had 
 reloaded his piece^, quietly seated himself on the logs^ and 
 rested his head on his hand^ while the Light Infantry" 
 ceased their military movements^ and waited the issue in 
 suspense. 
 
 In less than a minute Edwards came rushing down the 
 hill, followed by Major Hartmann with a velocity that was 
 surprising for his years. They reached the terrace in an 
 instant;, from which the youth led the way^, by the hollow 
 in the rock, to the mouth of the cave, into which they both 
 entered ; leaving all without silent and gazing after them 
 with astonishment 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 I am dumb. 
 Were you the Doctor, and I knew you not ? 
 
 Shakspeare. 
 
 During the five or six minutes that elapsed before the 
 youth and Major re-appeared_, Judge Temple and the Sheriff, 
 together with most of the volunteers, ascended to the ter- 
 race, w^here the latter began to express their conjectures of 
 the result, and to recount their individual services in the 
 conflict. But the sight of the peace-makers, ascending the 
 ravine, shut every mouth. 
 
 On a rude chair, covered with undressed deer-skins, they 
 supported a human being, whom they seated carefully and 
 respectfully in the midst of the assembly. His head was 
 covered by long, smooth locks, of the colour of snow. His 
 dress, which was studiously neat and clean, was composed 
 of such fabrics as none but the wealthiest classes wear, but 
 was threadbare and patched ; and on his feet were placed 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 439 
 
 a pair of mocassins, ornamented in the best manner of 
 Indian ingenuity. The outhnes of his face were grave and 
 dignified, though his vacant eye, which opened and turned 
 slowly to the faces of those around him in unmeaning looks, 
 too surely announced that the period had arrived, when age 
 brings the mental imbecility of childhood. 
 
 Natty had followed the supporters of this unexpected 
 object to the top of the cave^ and took his station at a little 
 distance behind him, leaning on his rifle, in the midst of 
 his pursuers, with a fearlessness that showed that heavier 
 interests than those which affected himself were to be de- 
 cided. Major Hartmann placed himself beside the aged 
 man, uncovered, with his whole soul beaming through those 
 eyes which so commonly danced with frolic and humour. 
 Edwards rested with one hand familiarly, but affectionately, 
 on the chair, though his heart was swelling with emotions 
 that denied him utterance. 
 
 All eyes were gazing intently, but each tongue continued 
 mute. At length the decrepit stranger, turning his vacant 
 looks from face to face, made a feeble attempt to rise, while 
 a faint smile crossed his wasted face, like an habitual effort 
 at courtesy, as he said, in a hollow, tremulous voice — 
 
 Be pleased to be seated, gentlemen. The council will 
 open immediately. Each one who loves a good and vir- 
 tuous king, will wish to see these colonies continue loyal. 
 Be seated — I pray you, be seated, gentlemen. The troops 
 shall halt for the night.'* 
 
 This is the wandering of insanity ! " said Marmaduke ; 
 who will explain this scene ? " 
 
 No, sir," said Edwards, firmly, " 'tis only the decay 
 of nature ; who is answerable for its pitiful condition, 
 remains to be shown." 
 
 Will the gentlemen dine with us, my son ? said the 
 old stranger, turning to a voice that he both knew and loved. 
 " Order a repast suitable for his Majesty's officers. You 
 know we have the best of game always at command." 
 
 Who is this man ? " asked Marmaduke, in a hurried 
 voice, in which the dawnings of conjecture united with 
 interest to put the question. 
 
 This man ! " returned Edwards calmly, his voice, 
 
 F F 4 
 
440 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 however^ gradually rising as he proceeded ; this mail, 
 sir, whom you behold hid in caverns, and deprived of every 
 thing that can make life desirable, was once the companion 
 and counsellor of those who ruled your country. This man, 
 whom you see, helpless and feeble, was once a warrior, so 
 brave and fearless, that even the intrepid natives gave hira 
 the name of the Fire-eater. This man, whom you now see 
 destitute of even the ordinary comfort of a cabin, in which 
 to shelter his head, was once the owner of great riches ; 
 and. Judge Temple, he was the rightful proprietor of this 
 very soil on which we stand. This man was the father of — " 
 
 This then," cried Marmaduke, with powerful emotion, 
 this, then, is the lost Major Effingham !" 
 
 Lost indeed," said the youth, fixing a piercing eye on 
 the other. 
 
 And you ! and you ! " continued the Judge articulating 
 with difficulty. 
 
 I am his grandson," 
 A minute passed in profound silence. All eyes were 
 fixed on the speakers, and even the old German appeared 
 to wait the issue in deep anxiety. But the moment of 
 agitation soon passed. Marmaduke raised his head from 
 his bosom, where it had sunk, not in shame, but in devout 
 mental thanksgivings, and, as large tears fell over his fine 
 manly face, he grasped the hand of the youth warmly, and 
 said — 
 
 Oliver, I forgive all thy harshness — all thy suspicions. 
 I now see it all. I forgive thee every thing, but suffering 
 this aged man to dwell in such a place, when not only 
 my habitation, but my fortune, were at his and thy com- 
 mand.*' 
 
 *^^He*s true as ter steel!" shouted Major Hartmann ; 
 
 titn't I tell you, lat, dat Marmatuke Temple vast a frient 
 dat woult never fail in ter dime as of neet } " 
 
 It is true, Judge Temple, that my opinions of your 
 conduct have been staggered by what this worthy gentleman 
 has told me. When I found it impossible to convey my 
 grandfather back whence the enduring love of this old 
 man brought him, without detection and exposure, I went 
 to the Mohawk in quest of one of his former comrades, in 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 441 
 
 whose justice I had dependence. He is your friend^, Judge 
 Temple^ but if what he says be true, both my father and 
 myself may have judged you harshly." 
 
 " You name your father ! " said Marmaduke, tenderly — 
 
 was he, indeed, lost in the packet ? " 
 
 He was. He had left me, after several years of fruit- 
 less application and comparative poverty, in Nova Scotia, 
 to obtain the compensation for his losses, which the British 
 commissioners had at length awarded. After spending a 
 year in England, he was returning to Halifax, on his way 
 tx) a government to which he had been appointed, in the 
 West Indies, intending to go to the place where my grand- 
 father had sojourned during and since the war, and take 
 him with us." 
 
 But thou V* said Marmaduke, with powerful interest; 
 
 I had thought that thou hadst perished with him." 
 
 A flush passed over the cheeks of the young man, who 
 gazed about him at the wondering faces of the volunteers, 
 and continued silent. Marmaduke turned to the veteran 
 captain, who just then rejoined his command, and said — 
 March thy soldiers back again, and dismiss them ; the 
 zeal of the Sheriff has much mistaken his duty. Dr. 
 Todd, I will thank you to attend to the injury which 
 Hiram Doolittle has received in this untoward affair. 
 Richard, you will oblige me by sending up the carriage to 
 the top of the hill. Benjamin, return to your duty in my 
 family." 
 
 Unwelcome as these orders were to most of the auditors, 
 the suspicion that they had somewhat exceeded the whole- 
 some restraints of the law, and the habitual respect with 
 which all the commands of the Judge were received, in- 
 duced a prompt compliance. 
 
 When they were gone, and the rock was left to the par- 
 ties most interested in an explanation, Marmaduke, pointing 
 to the aged Major Effingham, said to his grandson — 
 
 " Had we not better remove thy parent from this open 
 place, until my carriage can arrive ? '* 
 
 Pardon me sir, the air does him good, and he has 
 taken it whenever there was no dread of a discovery. I 
 know not how to act. Judge Temple; ought I, can I, 
 
442 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 suffer Major Effingham to become an inmate of your 
 family ? '* 
 
 Thou shalt be thyself the judge/' said Marmaduke. 
 Thy father was my early friend. He intrusted his for- 
 tune to my care. When we separated, he had such con- 
 fidence in me, that he wished no security, no evidence of 
 the trust, even had there been time or convenience for ex- 
 acting it. — This thou hast heard.?*" 
 
 Most truly, sir,'' said Edwards, or rather Effingham, 
 as we must now call him. 
 
 We differed in politics. If the cause of this country 
 was successful, the trust was sacred with me, for none 
 knew of thy father's interest. If the crown still held its 
 sway, it would be easy to restore the property of so loyai 
 a subject as Colonel Effingham. — Is not this plain 
 
 The premises are good, sir," continued the youth, with 
 the same incredulous look as before. 
 
 Listen — listen, poy," said the German. Dere is not 
 a hair as of ter rogue in ter het of ter Tchooge." 
 
 We all know the issue of the struggle," continued 
 Marmaduke, disregarding both. ^'^ Thy grandfather was 
 left in Connecticut, regularly supplied by thy father with 
 the means of such a subsistence as suited his wants. This 
 I well knew, though I never had intercourse with him, 
 even in our happiest days. Thy father retired with the 
 troops to prosecute his claims on England. At all events, 
 his losses must be great, for his real estates were sold, and 
 1 became the lawful purchaser. It was not unnatural to 
 wish that he might have no bar to his just recovery 
 
 There was none, but the difficulty of providing for so 
 many claimants." 
 
 But there would have been one, and an insuperable 
 one, had I announced to the world that I held these es- 
 tates, multiplied, by the times and my industry, a hundred 
 fold in value, only as his trustee. Thou knowest that I 
 supplied him with considerable sums, immediately after 
 the war." 
 
 '^You did, until " 
 
 My letters were returned unopened. Thy father had 
 much of thy own spirit, Oliver ; he was sometimes hasty 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 443 
 
 and rash." The Judge continued^ in a self-condemning 
 manner — " Perhaps my fault lies the other way ; I may 
 possibly look too far ahead^ and calculate too deeply. It 
 certainly was a severe trial to allow the man_, whom 1 most 
 loved, to think ill of me for seven years_, in order that he 
 might honestly apply for his just remunerations. But had 
 he opened my last letters_, thou wouldst have learnt the 
 whole truth. Those I sent him to England, by what my 
 agent writes me_, he did read. He died, Oliver, knowing 
 all. He died, my friend, and I thought thou hadst died 
 with him." 
 
 Our poverty would not permit us to pay for two pass- 
 ages," said the youth, with the extraordinary emotion with 
 which he ever alluded to the degraded state of his family ; 
 
 1 was left in the Province to wait for his return, and 
 when the sad news of his loss reached me, I was nearly 
 pennyless." 
 
 And what didst thou, boy ? " asked Marmaduke, in a 
 faltering voice. 
 
 ^' I took my passage here in search of my grandfather; 
 for I well knew that his resources were gone, with the 
 half-pay of my father. On reaching his abode, I learnt 
 that he had left it in secret ; though the reluctant hireling, 
 who deserted him in his poverty, owned to my urgent 
 entreaties, that he believed he had been carried away by an 
 old man, who had formerly been his servant. I knew at 
 once it was Natty, for my father often" 
 
 Was Natty a servant of thy grandfather ? " exclaimed 
 the Judge. 
 
 ^'^ Of that, too, were you ignorant?" said the youth, in 
 evident surprise. 
 
 How should I know it ? I never met the Major, nor 
 was the name of Bumppo ever mentioned to me. I knew 
 him only as a man of the woods, and one who lived by 
 hunting. Such men are too common to excite surprise." 
 
 He was reared in the family of my grandfather ; 
 served him for many years during their campaigns at the 
 west, where he became attached to the woods ; and he was 
 left here as a kind of locum tenens on the lands that old 
 Mohegan (whose life my grandfather once saved) induced 
 
444 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 the Delawares to grant to him^ when they admitted him as 
 an honorary member of their tribe." 
 
 This, then, is thy Indian blood ? " 
 
 I have no other/' said Edwards, smihng; — Major 
 Effingham was adopted as the son of Mohegan, who at 
 that time was the greatest man in his nation ; and my 
 father, who visited those people when a boy, received the 
 name of the eagle from them, on account of the shape of 
 his face, as I understand. They have extended his title 
 to me. I have no other Indian blood or breeding ; though 
 I have seen the hour. Judge Temple, when I could wish 
 that such had been my lineage and education." 
 
 Proceed with thy tale," said Marmaduke. 
 
 I have but little more to say, sir. I followed to the 
 lake where I had so often been told that Natty dwelt, and 
 found him maintaining his old master in secret ; for even 
 he could not bear to exhibit to the world, in his poverty 
 and dotage, a man whom a whole people once looked up to 
 with respect." 
 
 And what did you ? " 
 ^' What did I ! I spent my last money in purchasing 
 a rifle, clad myself in a coarse garb, and learned to be a 
 hunter by the side of Leather- stocking. You know the 
 rest. Judge Temple." 
 
 Ant vere vast olt Fritz Hartmann said the German 
 reproachfully ; didst never hear a name as of olt Fritz 
 Hartmann from ter mout of ter fader, lat } '* 
 
 I may have been mistaken, gentlemen," returned the 
 youth ; ^'^ but I had pride, and could not submit to such 
 an exposure as this day even has reluctantly brought to 
 light. I had plans that might have been visionary ; but, 
 should my parent survive till autumn, I purposed taking 
 him with me to the city, where we have distant relatives, 
 who must have learnt to forget the Tory by this time. He 
 decays rapidly," he continued, mournfully, and must 
 soon lie by the side of old Mohegan." 
 
 The air being pure, and the day fine, the party continued 
 conversing on the rock, until the wheels of Judge Temple's 
 carriage were heard clattering up the side of the mountain, 
 during which time the conversation was maintained with 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 445 
 
 deep interest, each moment clearing up some doubtful 
 action, and lessening the antipathy of the youth to Mar- 
 maduke. He no longer objected to the removal of his 
 grandfather, who displayed a childish pleasure when he 
 found himself seated once more in a carriage. When 
 placed in the ample hall of the Mansion-house, the eyes of 
 the aged veteran turned slowly to the objects in the apart- 
 ment, and a look like the dawn of intellect would, for mo- 
 ments, flit across his features, when he invariably offered 
 some useless courtesies to those near him, wandering, pain- 
 fully, in his subjects. The exercise and the change soon 
 produced an exhaustion, that caused them to remove him 
 to his bed, where he lay for hours, evidently sensible of the 
 change in his comforts, and exhibiting that mortifying 
 picture of human nature, which too plainly shows, that the 
 propensities of the animal continue even after the nobler 
 part of the creature appears to have vanished. 
 
 Until his parent was placed comfortably in bed, with 
 Natty seated at his side, Effingham did not quit him. He 
 then obeyed a summons to the library of the Judge, 
 where he found the latter, with Major Hartmann, waiting 
 for him. 
 
 " Read this paper, Oliver," said Marmaduke to him, as 
 he entered, " and thou wilt find that, so far from intend- 
 ing thy family wrong during life, it has been my care to 
 see that justice should be done at even a later day." 
 
 The youth took the paper, which his first glance told 
 him was the will of the Judge. Hurried and agitated as 
 he was, he discovered that the date corresponded with the 
 time of the unusual depression of Marmaduke. As he 
 proceeded his eyes began to moisten, and the hand which 
 held the instrument shook violently. 
 
 The will commenced with the usual forms, spun out by 
 the ingenuity of Mr. Van der School ; but after this subject 
 was fairly exhausted, the pen of Marmaduke became plainly 
 visible. In clear, distinct, manly, and even eloquent lan- 
 guage, he recounted his obligations to Colonel Effingham, 
 the nature of their connection, and the circumstances in 
 which they separated. He then proceeded to relate the 
 motives of his long silence, mentioning, however, large 
 
416 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 sums that he had forwarded to his friend, which had heen 
 returned, with the letters unopened. After this, he spoke 
 of his search for the grandfather, who had unaccountably 
 disappeared, and his fears that the direct heir of the trust 
 was buried in the ocean with his father. 
 
 After, in short, recounting in a clear narrative, the events 
 which our readers must now be able to connect, he pro- 
 ceeded to make a fair and exact statement of the sums left 
 in his care by Colonel Effingham. A devise of his whole 
 estate to certain responsible trustees followed ; to hold the 
 same for the benefit, in equal moieties, of his daughter, on 
 one part, and of Oliver Effingham, formerly a major in the 
 army of Great Britain, and of his son Edward Effingham, 
 and of his son Edward Oliver Effingham, or to the survivor 
 of them, and the descendants of such survivor, for ever, 
 on the other part. The trust was to endure until 1810, 
 when, if no person appeared, or could be found, after suf- 
 ficient notice, to claim the moiety so devised, then a certain 
 sum, calculating the principal and interest of his debt to 
 Colonel Effingham, was to be paid to the heirs at law of 
 the Effingham family, and the bulk of his estate was to be 
 conveyed in fee to his daughter, or her heirs. 
 
 The tears fell from the eyes of the young man, as he 
 read this undeniable testimony of the good faith of Mar- 
 maduke, and his bewildered gaze was still fastened on the 
 paper, when a voice, that thrilled on every nerve, spoke, 
 near him, saying, — 
 
 " Do you yet doubt us, Oliver ? " 
 
 I have never doubted you ! " cried the youth, recover- 
 ing his recollection and his voice, as he sprung to seize the 
 hand of Elizabeth ; no, not one moment has my faith 
 in you wavered." 
 
 And my father 
 
 God bless him V 
 
 I thank thee, my son," said the Judge, exchanging a 
 warm pressure of the hand with the youth ; but we have 
 both erred ; thou hast been too hasty, and I have been too 
 slow. One half of my estates shall be thine as soon as 
 they can be conveyed to thee ; and if what my suspicions 
 tell me be true^ I suppose the other must follow speedily." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 447 
 
 He took the hand which he held, and united it with that 
 of his daughter_, and motioned towards the door to the 
 Major. 
 
 I telt you vat, gal!" said the old German, good-hu- 
 mouredly ; ^'^ if I vast, ast I vast ven I servit mit his 
 grantfader on ter lakes, ter lazy tog shouln't vin ter prize 
 as for nottin.'* 
 
 Come, come, old Fritz," said the Judge; you are 
 seventy, not seventeen ; Richard waits for you with a bowl 
 of egg-nog, in the hall." 
 
 Richart ! ter duyvel !" exclaimed the other, hastening 
 out of the room ; he makes ter nog ast for ter horse. I 
 vilt show ter Sheriff mit my own hants ! Ter duyvel ! I 
 pelieve he sweetens mit ter yankee melasses ! " 
 
 Marmaduke smiled and nodded affectionately at the 
 young couple, and closed the door after them. If any of 
 our readers expect that we are going to open it again, for 
 their gratification, they are mistaken. 
 
 The tete-a-tete continued for a very unreasonable time ; 
 how long we shall not say ; but it was ended by six o'clock 
 in the evening, for at that hour Monsieur Le Quoi made 
 his appearance, agreeably to the appointment of the pre- 
 ceding day, and claimed the ear of Miss Temple. He was 
 admitted ; when he made an offer of his hand, with much 
 suavity, together with his amis beeg and leet', his pere, 
 his mere, and his sucre-boosh." Elizabeth might, possibly, 
 have previously entered into some embarrassing and bind- 
 ing engagements with Oliver, for she declined the tender 
 of all, in terms as polite, though perhaps a little more de- 
 cided, than those in which they were made. 
 
 The Frenchman soon joined the German and the Sheriff 
 in the hall, who compelled him to take a seat with them at 
 the table, where, by the aid of punch, wine, and egg-nog, 
 they soon extracted from the complaisant Monsieur Le Quoi 
 the nature of his visit. It was evident that he had made 
 the offer, as a duty which a well-bred man owed to a lady in 
 such a retired place, before he left the country, and that 
 his feelings were but very little, if at all, interested in the 
 matter. After a few potations, the waggish pair persuaded 
 the exhilarated Frenchman that there was an inexcusable 
 
448 
 
 THE PIONEERS, 
 
 partiality in offering to one lady, and not extending a 
 similar courtesy to another. Consequently^ about nine. 
 Monsieur Le Quoi sallied forth to the rectory, on a similar 
 mission to Miss Grant, which proved as successful as his 
 first effort in love. 
 
 When he returned to the Mansion-house, at ten, Richard 
 and the Major were still seated at the table. They at- 
 tempted to persuade the Gaul, as the Sheriff called him, 
 that he should next try Remarkable Pettibone. But, though 
 stimulated by mental excitement and wine, two hours of 
 abstruse logic were thrown away on this subject ; for he 
 declined their advice, with a pertinacity truly astonishing 
 in so polite a man. 
 
 When Benjamin lighted Monsieur Le Quoi from the 
 door, he said, at parting — 
 
 If-so-be, Mounsheer, you'd run alongside Mistress 
 Pretty-bones, as the Squire Dickens was bidding ye, 'tis 
 my nction you'd have been grappled ; in which case, d'ye see, 
 you mought have been troubled in swinging clear again in a 
 handsome manner ; for thof Miss 'Lizzy and the parson's 
 young'un be tidy little vessels, that shoot by a body on a 
 wind. Mistress Remarkable is sum'mat of a galliot fashion ; 
 when you once takes 'em in tow^ they doesn't like to be 
 cast off again." 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 Yes, sweep ye on ! — "We will not leave. 
 For them who triumph, those who grieve. 
 
 With that armada gay 
 Be laughter loud, and jocund shout — 
 — But with that skiff 
 
 Abides the minstrel tale. 
 
 Lord of the Isles. 
 
 The events of our tale carry us through the summer ; and, 
 after making nearly the circle of the year, we must con- 
 clude our labours in the delightful month of October. 
 Many important incidents had, however, occurred in the 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 intervening period ; a few of which it may be necessary to 
 recount. 
 
 The two principal were, the marriage of OUver and 
 EHzabeth^ and the death of Major Effingham. They both 
 took place early in September ; and the former preceded 
 the latter only a few days. The old man passed away like 
 the last glimmering of a taper ; and though his death cast 
 a melancholy over the family^ grief could not follow such 
 an end. 
 
 One of the chief concerns of Marmaduke was to recon- 
 cile the even conduct of a magistrate with the course that 
 his feelings dictated to the criminals. The day succeeding 
 the discovery at the cave^ however, Natty and Benjamin 
 re-entered the gaol peaceably, wliere they continued^ well 
 fed and comfortable, until the return of an express to Al- 
 bany, who brought the Governor's pardon to the Leather- 
 stocking. In the mean time, proper means were employed 
 to satisfy Hiram for the assaults on his person; and on 
 the same day, the two comrades issued together into society 
 again, with their characters not at all affected by the im- 
 prisonment. 
 
 Mr. Doolittle began to discover, that neither his archi- 
 tecture, nor his law, was quite suitable to the growing 
 wealth and inteUigence of the settlement; and, after ex- 
 acting the last cent that was attainable in his compromises, 
 to use the language of the country, he pulled up stakes," 
 and proceeded further west, scattering his professional 
 science and legal learning through the land ; vestiges of 
 both of which are to be discovered there even to the pre- 
 sent hour. 
 
 Poor Jotham, whose life paid the forfeiture of his folly, 
 acknowledged before he died, that his reasons for believing 
 in a mine, were extracted from the lips of a sibyl, who_, by 
 looking in a magic glass, was enabled to discover the hidden 
 treasures of the earth. Such superstition was frequent in 
 the new settlements ; and after the first surprise was over, 
 the better part of the community forgot the subject. But^ 
 at the same time that it removed from the breast of Richard 
 a hngering suspicion of the acts of the three hunters^ it 
 conveyed a mortifying lesson to him^ which brought many 
 
 G G 
 
450 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 quiet hours^ in future^ to his cousin Marmaduke. It may 
 be remembered^ that the Sheriff confidently pronounced 
 this to be no visionary" scheme, and that word was 
 enough to shut his lips_, at any time within the next ten 
 years. 
 
 Monsieur Le Quoi, who has been introduced to our 
 readers, because no picture of that country would be faith- 
 ful without some such character, found the island of 
 Martinique, and his sucre-boosh," in possession of the 
 English ; but Marmaduke and his family were much gra- 
 tified in soon hearing that he had returned to his bureau, in 
 Paris ; where he afterwards issued yearly bulletins of his 
 happiness, and of his gratitude to his friends in America. 
 
 With this brief explanation, we must return to our nar- 
 rative. — Let the American reader imagine one of our 
 mildest October mornings, when the sun seems a ball of 
 silvery fire, and the elasticity of the air is felt while it is 
 inhaled ; imparting vigour and life to the whole system ; 
 — the weather, neither too warm, nor too cold, but of that 
 happy temperature which stirs the blood, without bringing 
 the lassitude of spring. 
 
 It was on such a morning, about the middle of the 
 month, that Oliver entered the hall, where Elizabeth was 
 issuing her usual orders for the day, and requested her to 
 join him in a short excursion to the lake side. The tender 
 melancholy in the manner of her husband caught the at- 
 tention of Elizabeth, who instantly abandoned her con- 
 cerns, threw a light shawl across her shoulders, and con- 
 cealing her raven hair under a gipsy, she took his arm, and 
 submitted herself, without a question, to his guidance. 
 They crossed the bridge, and had turned from the high- 
 way, along the margin of the lake, before a word was ex- 
 changed. Elizabeth well knew^ by the direction, the 
 object of the walk, and respected the feelings of her com- 
 panion too much to indulge in untimely conversation. But 
 when they gained the open fields^ and her eye roamed over 
 the placid lake, covered with wild fowl, already journeying 
 from the great northern waters, to seek a warmer sun, but 
 lingering to play in the limpid sheet of the Otsego, and to 
 the sides of the mountain, which were gay with the thou 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 451 
 
 sand dyes of autumn^ as if to grace their bridal^ tlie swelling 
 heart of the young wife burst out in speech. 
 
 This is not a time for silence_, Oliver ! " she said, 
 clinging more fondly to his arm ; every thing in nature 
 seems to speak the praises of the Creator ; why should we_, 
 who have so much to be grateful for, be silent ? " 
 
 Speak on ! said her husband, smiling ; I love the 
 sounds of your voice. You must anticipate our errand 
 hither : I have told you my plans : how do you like 
 them?" 
 
 I must first see them/* returned his wife. But I 
 have had my plans too ; it is time I should begin to di- 
 \^lge them." 
 
 You ! It is something for the comfort of my old 
 friend Natty, I know.'* 
 
 Certainly of Natty ; but we have other friends besides 
 the Leather-stocking to serve. Do you forget Louisa, and 
 her father } " 
 
 No, surely ; have I not given one of the best farms in 
 the county to the good divine. As for Louisa, I should 
 wish you to keep her always near us." 
 
 You do,'' said Elizabeth, slightly compressing her 
 lips ; but poor Louisa may have other views for herself; 
 she may wish to follow my example, and marry." 
 
 I don't think it," said Effingham, musing a moment ; 
 " I really don't know any one hereabouts good enough for 
 her." 
 
 Perhaps not here ; but there are other places besides 
 Templeton, and other churches besides ^ New St. Paul's.' " 
 " Churches, Elizabeth ! you would not wish to lose Mr. 
 Grant, surely ! Though simple, he is an excellent man. 
 I shall never find another who has half the veneration for 
 my orthodoxy. You would humble me from a saint to a 
 very common sinner." 
 
 It must be done, sir," returned the lady, with a half- 
 concealed smile, " though it degrades you from an angel to 
 a man." 
 
 But you forget the farm." 
 
 He can lease it, as others do. Besides, would yom 
 have a clergyman toil in the fields?*' 
 
 G G 2 
 
452 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Where can he go ? you forget Louisa." 
 
 No^ I do not forget Louisa^" said Elizaheth^ again 
 compressing her beautiful lips. You know^ Effingham, 
 that my father has told you that I ruled him, and that I 
 should rule you. I am now about to exert my power." 
 
 Any thing_, any thing, dear Elizabeth, but not at the 
 expense of us all ; not at the expense of your friend." 
 
 How do you know, sir, that it will be so much at the 
 expense of my friend ? " said the lady, fixing her eyes with 
 a searching look on his countenance, where they met only 
 the unsuspecting expression of manly regret. 
 
 How do I know it ? why, it is natural that she should 
 regret us." 
 
 It is our duty to struggle with our natural feelings," 
 returned the lady ; and there is but little cause to fear 
 that such a spirit as Louisa's will not effect it." 
 
 But what is your plan ? " 
 
 Listen, and you shall know. My father has pro- 
 cured a call for Mr. Grant, to one of the towns on the 
 Hudson, where he can live more at his ease than in jour- 
 neying through these woods ; where he can spend the 
 evening of his life in comfort and quiet ; and where his 
 daughter may meet with such society, and form such a 
 connection, as may be proper for one of her years and cha- 
 racter." 
 
 Bess ! you amaze me ! I did not think you had been 
 such a manager ! '* 
 
 Oh! I manage more deeply than you imagine, sir," 
 said the wife, archly smiling again ; but it is my wiU, and 
 it is your duty to submit, — for a time at least." 
 
 Effingham laughed ; but as they approached tne end of 
 their walk, the subject was changed by common consent. 
 
 The place at which they arrived was the little spot of 
 level ground, where the cabin of the Leather-stocking had 
 so long stood. Elizabeth found it entirely cleared of rub- 
 bish, and beautifully laid down in turf, by the removal of 
 sods, which, in common with the surrounding country, had 
 grown gay, under the influence of profuse showers, as if a 
 second spring had passed over the land. This little place 
 was surrounded by a circle of mason- work, and they en^ 
 
THE PIONEERS. 453 
 
 tered by a small gate, near which, to the surprise of both, 
 the rifle of Natty was leaning against the wall. Hector 
 and the slut reposed on the grass by its side, as if conscious 
 that, however altered, they were lying on ground, and were 
 surrounded by objects, with which they were familiar. 
 The hunter himself was stretched on the earth, before a 
 head-stone of white marble, pushing aside with his fingers 
 the long grass that had already sprung up from the luxu- 
 riant soil around its base, apparently to lay bare the in- 
 scription. By the side of this stone, which was a simple 
 slab at the head of a grave, stood a rich monument, deco- 
 rated with an urn, and ornamented with the chisel. 
 
 Oliver and Elizabeth approached the graves, with a light 
 tread, unheard by the old hunter, whose sun-burnt face 
 was working, and whose eyes twinkled as if something im- 
 peded their vision. After some little time. Natty raised 
 himself slowly from the ground, and said aloud — 
 
 Well, well — I m bold to say it's all right ! There's 
 something that I suppose is reading ; but I can't make any 
 thing of it ; though the pipe and the tomahawk, and the 
 mocassins, be pretty well — pretty well, for a man that, 1 
 dares to say, never seed 'ither of the things. Ah's me ! 
 there they lie, side by side, happy enough ! Who will 
 there be to put me in the 'arth, when my time comes ? " 
 
 When that unfortunate hour arrives. Natty, friends 
 shall not be wanting to perform the last offices for you," 
 said Oliver, a little touched at the hunter's soliloquy. 
 
 The old man turned, without manifesting surprise, for 
 he had got the Indian habits in this particular, and running 
 his hand under the bottom of his nose, seemed to wipe 
 away his sorrow with the action. 
 
 You've come out to see the graves, children, have 
 ye ? " he said ; " well, well, they're wholesome sights to 
 young as well as old.'* 
 
 I hope they are fitted to your liking," said Effingham ; 
 
 no one has a better right than yourself to be consulted in 
 the matter." 
 
 Why, seeing that I an't used to fine graves,'* returned 
 the old man, it is but little matter consarning my taste. 
 G G 3 
 
454 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 Ye laid the Major's head to the west, and Mohegan s to the 
 east, did ye, lad ? " 
 
 At your request it was done." 
 
 It's so hest," said the hunter ; they thought they 
 had to journey different ways, children ; though there is 
 One greater than all, who'll hring the just together, at his 
 o wn time, and who'll whiten the skin of a black-moor, and 
 place him on a footing with princes/' 
 
 There is but little reason to doubt that," said Eliza- 
 beth, whose decided tones were changed to a soft, melan- 
 choly voice ; 1 trust we shall all meet again, and be happy 
 together." 
 
 Shall we child ? shall we ? " exclaimed the hunter, 
 with unusual fervour ; there's comfort in that thought 
 too. But before I go, I should like to know what 'tis you 
 tell these people, that be flocking into the country like 
 pigeons in the spring, of the old Delaware, and of the 
 bravest white man that ever trod the hills." 
 
 Effingham and Elizabeth were surprised at the manner 
 of the Leather- stocking, which was unusually impressive 
 and solemn ; but, attributing it to the scene, the young man 
 turned to the monument, and read aloud — 
 
 ' Sacred to the memory of Oliver Effingham, Esquire, 
 formerly a Major in his B. Majesty's 60th Foot ; a soldier 
 of tried valour ; a subject of chivalrous loyalty ; and a man 
 of honesty. To these virtues, he added the graces of a 
 Christian. The morning of his life was spent in honour, 
 wealth, and power ; but its evening was obscured by po- 
 verty, neglect, and disease, which were alleviated only oy 
 the tender care of his old, faithful, and upright friend and 
 attendant, Nathaniel Bumppo. His descendants rear this 
 stone to the virtues of the master, and to the enduring 
 gratitude of the servant.' " 
 
 The Leather-stocking stared at the sound of his Own 
 name, and a smile of joy illumined his wrinkled features, 
 as he said — 
 
 And did ye say it, lad ? have you then got the old 
 man's name cut in the stone, by the side of his master's? 
 God bless ye, children ! 'twas a kind thought, and kindness 
 goes to the heart as life shortens." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 455 
 
 Elizabeth turned her back to the speakers. Effingham 
 made a fruitless effort before he succeeded in saying — 
 
 It is there cut in plain marble ; but it should have 
 been written in letters of gold ! 
 
 Show me the name^ boy/' said Natty_, with simple 
 eagerness ; let me see my own name placed in such ho- 
 nour. 'Tis a gin'rous gift to a man, who leaves none of 
 his name and family behind him_, in a country where he 
 has tarried so long." 
 
 Effingham guided his finger to the spot, and Natty 
 followed the windings of the letters to the end, with deep 
 interest, when he raised himself from the tomb, and said — 
 
 I suppose it's all right, and it's kindly thought, and 
 kindly done ! But what have ye put over the Red-skin ?'* 
 
 You shall hear — 
 
 This stone is raised to the memory of an Indian Chief, 
 of the Delaware tribe, who was known by the several 
 names of John Mohegan ; Mohican " 
 
 Mo-hee-can, lad, they call theirselves I 'he-can." 
 
 Mohican ; and Chingagook " 
 
 'Gach, boy ; — gach-gook ; Chingachgook, which, 
 intarpreted, means Big-sarpent. The name should be set 
 down right, for an Indian's name has always some meaning 
 in it." 
 
 I will see it altered. ' He was the last of his people who 
 continued to inhabit this country ; and it may be said of 
 him, that his faults were those of an Indian, and his vir- 
 tues those of a man.' " 
 
 You never said truer word, Mr. Oliver ; ah's me ! if 
 you had know'd him as I did, in his prime, in that very 
 battle, where the old gentleman, who sleeps by his side, 
 saved his life, when them thieves, the Iroquois, had him at 
 the stake, you'd have said all that, and more too. I cut 
 the thongs with this very hand, and gave him my own to- 
 mahawk and knife, seeing that the rifle was always my 
 fav'rite weapon. He did lay about him like a man ! 1 met 
 him as I was coming home from the trail, with eleven 
 Mingo scalps on his pole. You needn't shudder. Madam 
 Effingham, for they was aU from shaved heads and war- 
 riors. When I look about me, at these hills, where I used 
 
45b 
 
 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 to could count sometimes twenty smokes, curling over the 
 tree-tops, from the Delaware camps, it raises mournful 
 thoughts, to think, that not a Red- skin is left of them all ; 
 unless it may be a drunken vagabond from the Oneidas, or 
 them Yankee Indians, who, they say, be moving up from 
 the sea-shore ; and who belong to none of God's creaters, 
 to my seeming, being, as it were, neither fish nor flesh — 
 neither white man, nor savage. Well, well i the time has 
 come at last, and I must go — " 
 
 Go ! " echoed Edwards, whither do you go ? " 
 The Leather-stocking, who had imbibed, unconsciously, 
 many of the Indian qualities, though he always thought of 
 himself as of a civilised being, compared with even the 
 Delawares, averted his face to conceal the workings of his 
 muscles, as he stooped to lift a large pack from behind the 
 tomb, which he placed deliberately on his shoulders. 
 
 Go ! " exclaimed Elizabeth, approaching him, with a 
 hurried step ; you should not venture so far in the woods 
 alone, at your time of life, Natty ; indeed, it is imprudent. 
 He is bent, Effingham, on some distant hunting." 
 
 What Mrs. Effingham tells you is true. Leather- 
 stocking," said Edwards ; there can be no necessity for 
 your submitting to such hardships now ! So throw aside 
 your pack, and confine your hunt to the mountains near us, 
 if you will go." 
 
 Hardship ! 'tis a pleasure, children, and the greatest 
 that is left me on this side the grave." 
 
 No, no ; you shall not go to such a distance," cried 
 Elizabeth, laying her white hand on his deer-skin pack. — 
 I am right ! I feel his camp-kettle, and a canister of 
 powder ! he must not be suffered to wander so far from 
 us, Oliver; remember how suddenly Mohegan dropped 
 away." 
 
 I know'd the parting would come hard, children ; I 
 know*d it would I " said Natty, and so I got aside to 
 look at the graves by myself, and thought if I left ye the 
 keep-sake which the Major gave me, when we first parted 
 in the woods, ye wouldn't take it unkind, but would know, 
 that, let the old man's body go where it might, his feelings 
 staid behind him." 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 457 
 
 " This means something more than common ! " ex- 
 claimed the youth ; where is it, Natty_, that you purpose 
 going?'' 
 
 The hunter drew nigh him with a confident, reasoning 
 air, as if what he had to say would silence all objections, 
 and replied — 
 
 Why, lad, they tell me, that on the Big-lakes there's 
 the best of hunting, and a great range, without a white 
 man on it, unless it may be one like myself. I'm weary 
 of living in clearings, and where the hammer is sounding 
 in my ears from sunrise to sundown. And though I'm 
 much bound to ye both, children — T wouldn't say it if it 
 was not true — I crave to go into the woods, ag'in, I do." 
 
 Woods ! " echoed Elizabeth, trembling with her feel- 
 ings ; do you not call these endless forests woods ? " 
 
 Ah ! child, these be nothing to a man that's used to 
 the wilderness. I have took but little comfort sin' your 
 father come on with his settlers ; but I wouldn't go far, 
 while the life was in the body that lies under the sod 
 there. But now he's gone, and Chingachgook is gone ; 
 and you be both young and happy. Yes ! the big house 
 has rung with merriment this month past ! And now, I 
 thought, was the time to try to get a little comfort, in the 
 close of my days. Woods ! indeed ! I doesn't call these 
 woods, Madam Effingham, where I lose myself^ every day 
 of my life, in the clearings." 
 
 If there be any thing wanting to your comfort, name 
 it. Leather-stocking ; if it be attainable, it is yours." 
 
 You mean all for the best, lad ; I know it ; and so 
 does Madam, too : but your ways isn't my ways. 'Tis 
 like the dead there, who thought, when the breath was in 
 them, that one went east, and one went west, to find their 
 heavens ; but they'll meet at last ; and so shall we, chil- 
 dren. Yes, ind as you've begun, and we shall meet in the 
 land of the just at last." 
 
 This is so new ! so unexpected ! " said Elizabeth, in 
 almost breathless excitement ; I had thought you meant 
 to live with us, and die with us. Natty." 
 
 Words are of no avail ; " exclaimed her husband ; 
 " the habits of forty years are not to be dispossessed by the 
 
458 
 
 THE PIONEERS, 
 
 ties of a day. I know you too well to urge you further^ 
 Natty ; unless you will let me build you a hut_, on one of 
 the distant hills, where we can sometimes see you, and 
 know that you are comfortable." 
 
 Don't fear the Leather-stocking, children ; God will 
 see that his days be provided for, and his ind happy. I 
 know you mean all for the best, but our ways doesn't agree. 
 I love the woods, and ye relish the face of man ; I eat 
 when hungry, and drink when a-dry, and ye keep stated 
 hours and rules ; nay, nay, you even over-feed the dogs, 
 lad, from pure kindness ; and hounds should be gaunty to 
 run well. The meanest of God's creaters be made for 
 some use, and I'm formed for the wilderness ; if ye love 
 me, let me go where my soul craves to be ag'in ! " 
 
 The appeal was decisive ; and not another word of entreaty 
 for him to remain was then uttered ; but EHzabeth bent 
 her head to her bosom and wept, while her husband dashed 
 away the tears from his eyes, and, with hands that almost 
 refused to perform their office, he produced his pocket-book, 
 and extended a parcel of bank-notes to the hunter. 
 
 Take these," he said, at least, take these ; secure 
 them about your person, and in the hour of need, they will 
 do you good service." 
 
 The old man took the notes, and examined them with a 
 curious eye. 
 
 This, then, is some of the new-fashioned money that 
 they've been making at Albany, out of paper ! It can't be 
 worth much to they that hasn't larning ! No, no, lad — 
 take back the stuff ; it will do me no sarvice. I took kear 
 to get all the Frenchman's powder, afore he broke up, and 
 they say lead grows where I'm going. It isn't even fit for 
 wads, seeing that I use none but leather ! — Madam Effing- 
 ham, let an old man kiss your hand, and wish God's 
 choicest blessings on you and your'n." 
 
 Once more let me beseech you, stay !" cried Elizabeth. 
 Do not. Leather-stocking, leave me to grieve for the man, 
 who has twice rescued me from death, and who has served 
 those I love so faithfully. For my sake, if not for your 
 own, stay. I shall see you in those frightful dreams that 
 still haunt my nights, dying in poverty and age, by the side 
 
THE PIONEERS. 
 
 459 
 
 of those terrific beasts you slew. There will be no evii, 
 that sickness_, want^ and solitude can inflict, that my fancy 
 will not conjure as your fate. Stay with us, old man ; if 
 not for your own sake, at least for ours.'* 
 
 Such thoughts and bitter dreams. Madam Effingham,* 
 returned the hunter, solemnly, will never haunt an inno- 
 cent parson long. They'll pass away with God's pleasure. 
 And if the cat-a-mounts be yet brought to your eyes in 
 sleep, 'tis not for my sake, but to show you the power of 
 him that led me there to save you. Trust in God, Madam, 
 and your honourable husband, and the thoughts for an old 
 man like me can never be long nor bitter. I pray that the 
 Lord will keep you in mind — the Lord that lives in clear- 
 ings as well as in the wilderness — and bless you, and all 
 that belong to you, from this time till the great day when 
 the whites shall meet the red-skins in judgment, and jus- 
 tice shall be the law, and not power." 
 
 Elizabeth raised her head, and offered her colourless 
 cheek to his salute, when he lifted his cap, and touched it 
 respectfully. His hand was grasped with convulsive fer- 
 vour by the youth, wlio continued silent. The hunter pre- 
 pared himself for his journey, drawing his belt tighter, and 
 wasting his moments in the little reluctant movements of a 
 sorrowful departure. Once or twice he essayed to speak 
 but a rising in his throat prevented it. At length he 
 shouldered his rifle, and cried with a clear huntsman's call, 
 that echoed through the woods — 
 
 He-e-e-re, he-e-e-re, pups- — away, dogs, away; — 
 ye'll be foot-sore afore ye see the ind of the journey V 
 
 The hounds leaped from the earth at this cry, and, 
 scenting around the graves and the silent pair, as if con- 
 scious of their own destination, they followed humbly at 
 the heels of their master. A short pause succeeded, during 
 which even the youth concealed his face on his grandfather's 
 tomb. When the pride of manhood, however, had sup* 
 pressed the feelings of nature, he turned to renew his en- 
 treaties, but saw that the cemetery was occupied only by 
 himself and his wife. 
 
 "'^ He is gone !" cried Effingham. 
 
 Elizabeth raised her face, and saw the old hunter stand- 
 
460 THE PIONEERS. 
 
 ing, looking back for a moment^ on the verge of the wood. 
 As he caught their glances^ he drew his hard hand hastily 
 across his eyes again, waved it on high for an adieu, and, 
 uttering a forced cry to his dogs, who were crouching at his 
 feet, he entered the forest. 
 
 This was the last that they ever saw of the Leather- 
 stocking, whose rapid movements preceded the pursuit 
 which Judge Temple both ordered and conducted. He had 
 gone far towards the setting sun, — the foremost in that 
 band of Pioneers, who are opening the way for the march 
 of the nation across the continent. 
 
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