"So deem'st thou - so each mortal deems
Of that which is from that which seems;
But other harvest here
Than that which peasant's scythe demands,
Was gather'd in by sterner hands,
With bayonet, blade, and spear."
Scott, "The Field of Waterloo," V.i-6.
It exceeded Deerslayer's power to ascertain what had produced the sudden
pause in the movements of his enemies, until the fact was revealed in the due
course of events. He perceived that much agitation prevailed among the women
in particular, while the warriors rested on their arms, in a sort of
dignified expectation. It was plain no alarm was excited, though it was not
equally apparent that a friendly occurrence produced the delay. Rivenoak was
evidently apprised of all, and by a gesture of his arm he appeared to direct
the circle to remain unbroken, and for each person to await the issue in the
situation he, or she, then occupied. It required but a minute or two, to
bring an explanation of this singular and mysterious pause, which was soon
terminated by the appearance of Judith on the exterior of the line of bodies,
and her ready admission within its circle.
If Deerslayer was startled by this unexpected arrival, well knowing that the
quick witted girl could claim none of that exemption from the penalties of
captivity, that was so cheerfully accorded to her feebler minded sister, he
was equally astonished at the guise in which she came. All her ordinary
forest attire, neat and becoming as this usually was, had been laid aside for
the brocade that has been already mentioned, and which had once before
wrought so great and magical an effect in her appearance. Nor was this all.
Accustomed to see the ladies of the garrison, in the formal, gala attire of
the day, and familiar with the more critical niceties of these matters, the
girl had managed to complete her dress, in a way to leave nothing strikingly
defective in its details, or even to betray an in congruity that would have
been detected by one practised in the mysteries of the toilet. Head, feet,
arms, hands, bust, and drapery, were all ~n harmony, as female attire was
then deemed attractive and harmonious, and the end she aimed at, that of
imposing on the uninstructed senses of the savages, by causing them to
believe their guest was a woman of rank and importance, might well have
succeeded with those whose habits had taught them to discriminate between
persons. Judith, in addition to her rare native beauty, had a singular grace
of person, and her mother had imparted enough of her own deportment, to
prevent any striking or offensive vulgarity of manner; so that, sooth to say,
the gorgeous dress might have been worse bestowed in nearly every particular.
Had it been displayed in a capital, a thousand might have worn it, before one
could have been found to do more credit to its gay colours, glossy satins,
and rich laces, than the beautiful creature whose person it now aided to
adorn. The effect of such an apparition had not been miscalculated. The
instant Judith found herself within the circle, she was, in a degree,
compensated for the fearful personal risk she ran, by the unequivocal
sensation of surprise and admiration produced by her appearance. The grim old
warriors uttered their favorite exclamation "hugh!" The younger men were
still more sensibly overcome, and even the women were not backward in letting
open manifestations of pleasure escape them. It was seldom that these
untutored children of the forest had ever seen any white female above the
commonest sort, and, as to dress, never before had so much splendor shone
before their eyes. The gayest uniforms of both French and English seemed dull
compared with the lustre of the brocade, and while the rare personal beauty
of the wearer added to the effect produced by its hues, the attire did not
fail to adorn that beauty in a way which surpassed even the hopes of its
wearer. Deerslayer himself was astounded, and this quite as much by the
brilliant picture the girl presented, as at the indifference to consequences
with which she had braved the danger of the step she had taken. Under such
circumstances, all waited for the visiter to explain her object, which to
most of the spectators seemed as inexplicable as her appearance.
"Which of these warriors is the principal chief?" demanded Judith of
Deerslayer, as soon as she found it was expected that she should open the
communications; "my errand is too important to be delivered to any of
inferior rank. First explain to the Hurons, what I say; then give an answer
to the question I have put."
Deerslayer quietly complied, his auditors greedily listening to the
interpretation of the first words that fell from so extraordinary a vision.
The demand seemed perfectly in character for one who had every appearance of
an exalted rank, herself. Rivenoak gave an appropriate reply, by presenting
himself before his fair visiter in a way to leave no doubt that he was
entitled to all the consideration he claimed.
"I can believe this, Huron," resumed Judith, enacting her assumed part, with
a steadiness and dignity that did credit to her powers of imitation, for she
strove to impart to her manner the condescending courtesy she had once
observed in the wife of a general officer, at a similar though a more
amicable scene:
"I can believe you to be the principal person of this party; I see in your
countenance the marks of thought and reflection. To you, then, I must make my
communication."
"Let the Flower of the Woods speak," returned the old chief courteously, as
soon as her address had been translated so that all might understand it-"If
her words are as pleasant as her looks, they will never quit my ears; I shall
hear them long after the winter of Canada has killed all the flowers, and
frozen all the speeches of summer."
This admiration was grateful to one constituted like Judith, and contributed
to aid her self-possession, quite as much as it fed her vanity. Smiling
involuntarily, or in spite of her wish to seem reserved, she proceeded in her
plot.
"Now, Huron," she continued, "listen to my words. Your eyes tell you that I
am no common woman. I will not say I am queen of this country; she is afar
off, in a distant land; but under our gracious monarchs, there are many
degrees of rank; one of these I fill. What that rank is precisely, it is
unnecessary for me to say, since you would not understand it. For that
information you must trust your eyes. You see what I am; you must feel that
in listening to my words, you listen to one who can be your friend, or your
enemy, as you treat her."
This was well uttered, with a due attention to manner, and a steadiness of
tone, that was really surprising, considering all the circumstances of the
case. It was well, though simply rendered into the Indian dialect too, and it
was received with a respect and gravity that augured favourably for the
girl's success. But Indian thought is not easily traced to its sources.
Judith waited with anxiety to hear the answer, filled with hope even while
she doubted. Rivenoak was a ready speaker, and he answered as promptly as
comported with the notions of Indian decorum; that peculiar people seeming to
think a short delay respectful, inasmuch as it manifests that the words
already heard, have been duly weighed.
"My daughter is handsomer than the wild roses of Ontario; her voice is
pleasant to the ear as the song of the wren," answered the cautious and wily
chief, who of all the band, stood alone in not being fully imposed on by the
magnificent and unusual appearance of Judith; but who distrusted even while
he wondered: "the humming bird is not much larger than the bee; yet, its
feathers are as gay as the tail of the peacock. The Great Spirit sometimes
puts very bright clothes on very little animals. Still He covers the Moose
with coarse hair. These things are beyond the understanding of poor Indians,
who can only comprehend what they see and hear. No doubt my daughter has a
very large wigwam, somewhere about the lake; the Hurons have not found it, on
account of their ignorance?"
"I have told you, chief, that it would be useless to state my rank and
residence, in as much as you would not comprehend them. You must trust to
your eyes for this knowledge; what red man is there who cannot see? This
blanket that I wear, is not the blanket of a common squaw; these ornaments
are such as the wives and daughters of chiefs only appear in. Now, listen and
hear why I have come alone, among your people, and hearken to the errand that
has brought me here. The Yengeese have young men, as well as the Hurons; and
plenty of them, too; this you well know."
"The Yengeese are as plenty as the leaves on the trees! This every Huron
knows, and feels."
"I understand you, chief. Had I brought a party with me, it might have caused
trouble. My young men and your young men, would have looked angrily at each
other; especially had my young men seen that pale face bound for the torture.
He is a great hunter, and is much loved by all the garrisons, far and near.
There would have been blows about him, and the trail of the Iroquois back to
the Canadas would have been marked with blood."
"There is so much blood on it, now," returned the chief, gloomily, "that it
blinds our eyes. My young men see that it is all Huron."
"No doubt; and more Huron blood would be spilt had I come surrounded with
pale faces. I have heard of Rivenoak, and have thought it would be better to
send him back in peace to his village, that he might leave his women and
children behind him; if he then wished to come for our scalps, we would meet
him. He loves animals made of ivory, and little rifles. See; I have brought
some with me to show him. I am his friend. When he has packed up these things
among his goods, he will start for his village, before any of my young men
can overtake him, and then he will show his people in Canada what riches they
can come to seek, now that our great fathers, across the Salt Lake, have sent
each other the war hatchet. I will lead back with me, this great hunter, of
whom I have need to keep my house in venison."
Judith, who was sufficiently familiar with Indian phraseology, endeavored to
express her ideas in the sententious manner common to those people, and she
succeeded even beyond her own expectations. Deerslayer did her full justice
in the translation, and this so much the more readily, since the girl
carefully abstained from uttering any direct untruth; a homage she paid to
the young man's known aversion to falsehood, which he deemed a meanness
altogether unworthy of a white man's gifts. The offering of the two remaining
elephants, and of the pistols already mentioned, one of which was all the
worse for the recent accident, produced a lively sensation among the Hurons,
generally, though Rivenoak received it coldly, notwithstanding the delight
with which he had first discovered the probable existence of a creature with
two tails. In a word, this cool and sagacious savage was not so easily
imposed on, as his followers, and with a sentiment of honor, that half the
civilized world would have deemed supererogatory, he declined the acceptance
of a bribe that he felt no disposition to earn by a compliance with the
donor's wishes.
"Let my daughter keep her two-tailed hog, to eat, when venison is scarce," he
drily answered, "and the little gun, which has two muzzles. The Hurons will
kill deer when they are hungry, and they have long rifles to fight with. This
hunter cannot quit my young men now; they wish to know if he is as stout
hearted, as he boasts himself to be."
"That I deny, Huron-" interrupted Deerslayer, with warmth-"Yes, that I down
right deny, as ag'in truth and reason. No man has heard me boast, and no man
shall, though ye flay me alive, and then roast the quivering flesh, with your
own infarnal devices and cruelties! I may be humble, and misfortunate, and
your prisoner; but I'm no boaster, by my very gifts."
"My young pale-face boasts he is no boaster," returned the crafty chief: "he
must be right. I hear a strange bird singing. It has very rich feathers. No
Huron ever before saw such feathers! They will be ashamed to go back to their
village, and tell their people that they let their prisoner go on account of
the song of this strange bird and not be able to give the name of the bird.
They do not know how to say whether it is a wren, or a cat bird. This would
be a great disgrace; my young men would not be allowed to travel in the
woods, without taking their mothers with them, to tell them the names of the
birds!"
"You can ask my name of your prisoner," returned the girl. "It is Judith; and
there is a great deal of the history of Judith in the Pale face's best book,
the bible. If I am a bird of fine feathers, I have also my name."
"No," answered the wily Huron, betraying the artifice he had so long
practised, by speaking in English, with tolerable accuracy, "I not ask
prisoner. He tired; he want rest. I ask my daughter, with feeble mind. She
speak truth. Come here, daughter; you answer. Your name, Hetty?"
"Yes, that's what they call me," returned the girl, "though it's written
Esther in the bible."
"He write him in bible, too! All write in bible. No matter- what her name?"
"That's Judith, and it's so written in the bible, though father sometimes
called her Jude. That's my sister Judith. Thomas Hutter's daughter-Thomas
Hutter, whom you called the Muskrat; though he was no muskrat, but a man like
yourselves-he lived in a house on the water, and that was enough for you.
A smile of triumph gleamed on the hard wrinkled countenance of the chief,
when he found how completely his appeal to the truth-loving Hcttv had
succeeded. As for Judith, herself, the moment her sister was questioned, she
saw that all was lost; for no sign, or even intreaty could have induced the
right feeling girl to utter a falsehood. To attempt to impose a daughter of
the Muskrat on the savages, as a princess, or a great lady, she knew would be
idle, and she saw her bold and ingenious expedient for liberating the captive
fail, through one of the simplest and most natural causes that could be
imagined. She turned her eye on Deerslayer, therefore, as if imploring him to
interfere, to save them both.
"It will not do, Judith," said the young man, in answer to this appeal, which
he understood, though he saw its uselessness; "it will not do. Twas a bold
idea, and fit for a general's lady, but yonder Mingo " Rivenoak had withdrawn
to a little distance, and was out of ear-shot -"but yonder Mingo, is au
oncommon man, and not to he deceived by any unnat'ral sarcumvcntion. Things
must come afore him, in their right order, to draw a (loud afore his eves!
Twas too much to attempt making him fancy that a queen, or a great lady,
lived in these mountains, and no doubt lie thinks the line clothes you wear,
is some of the plunder of' your own father-or, at least, of him who once
passed for your father; as 1tiite likely it was, if all they say is true."
"At all events, Deerslayer , my presence here, will save you for a time. They
will hardly attempt torturing you before my face!"
"Why not, Judith? Do you think they will treat a woman of the pale faces,
more tenderly than they treat their own? It's true that your sex will most
likely save you from the torments, but it will not save your liberty, and may
not save your scalp. I wish you had not come, my good Judith; it can do no
good to me, while it may do great harm to yourself.
I can share your fate," the girl answered with generous enthusiasm. "They
shall not injure you, while I stand by, if in my power to prevent it-besides-
"
"Besides, what, Judith? What means have you to stop Injin cruelties, or to
avart Injin deviltries?"
"None, perhaps, Deerslayer," answered the girl, with firmness, "but I can
suffer with my friends-die with them if necessary."
"Ah! Judith-suffer you may; but die you will not, until the Lord's time shall
come. It's little likely that one of your sex and beauty will meet with a
harder fate than to become the wife of a chief, if, indeed your white
inclinations can stoop to match with an Injin. 'Twould have been better had
you said in the Ark, or the castle, but what has been done, is done. You was
about to say something, when you stopped at 'besides'?"
"It might not be safe to mention it here, Deerslayer," the girl hurriedly
answered, moving past him carelessly, that she might speak in a lower tone;
"half an hour, is all in all to us. None of your friends are idle."
The hunter replied merely by a grateful look. Then he turned towards his
enemies, as if ready again to face their torments. A short consultation had
passed among the elders of the band, and by this time they also were prepared
with their decision. The merciful purpose of Rivenoak had been much weakened
by the artifice of Judith, which, failing of its real object, was likely to
produce results the very opposite of those she had anticipated. This was
natural; the feeling being aided by the resentment of an Indian, who found
how near hr had been to becoming the dupe of an inexperienced girl. By this
time, Judith's real character was fully understood, the wide spread
reputation of her beauty contributing to the exposure. As for the unusual
attire, it was confounded with the profound mystery of the animals with two
tails, and, for the moment lost its influence.
When Rivenoak, therefore, faced the captive again, it was with an altered
countenance. He had abandoned the wish of saving him, and was no longer
disposed to retard the more serious part of the torture This change of
sentiment was, in effect, communicated to the young men, who were already
eagerly engaged in making their preparations for the contemplated scene.
Fragments of dried wood were rapidly collected, near the sapling, the
splinters which it was intended to thrust into the flesh of the victim,
previously to lighting, were all collected, and the thongs were already
produced that were again to bind him to the tree. All this was done in
profound silence, Judith watching every movement with breathless expectation,
while Deerslayer himself, stood seemingly as unmoved, as one of the pines of
the hills. When the warriors advanced to bind him, however, the young man
glanced at Judith, as if to enquire whether resistance or submission were
most advisable. By a significant gesture she counselled the last, and, in a
minute, he was once more fastened to the tree, a helpless object of any
insult, or wrong, that might be offered. So eagerly did every one now act,
that nothing was said. The fire was immediately lighted in the pile, and the
end of all was anxiously expected.
It was not the intention of the Hurons absolutely to destroy the life of
their victim by means of fire. They designed merely to put his physical
fortitude to the severest proofs it could endure, short of that extremity. In
the end, they fully intended to carry his scalp with them into their village,
but it was their wish first to break down his resolution, and to reduce him
to the level of a complaining sufferer. With this view, the pile of brush and
branches had been placed at a proper distance, or, one at which it was
thought the heat would soon become intolerable, though it might not be
immediately dangerous. As often happened, however, on these occasions, this
distance had been miscalculated, and the flames began to wave their forked
tongues in a proximity to the face of the victim, that would have proved
fatal, in another instant, had not Hetty rushed through the crowd, armed with
a stick, and scattered the blazing pile, in a dozen directions. More than one
hand was raised to strike this presumptuous intruder to the earth, but the
chiefs prevented the blows, by reminding their irritated followers of the
state of her mind. Hetty, herself, was insensible to the risk she ran, but,
as soon as she had performed this bold act, she stood looking about her, in
frowning resentment, as if to rebuke the crowd of attentive savages, for
their cruelty.-I
"God bless you, dearest sister, for that brave and ready act!" murmured
Judith, herself unnerved so much as to be incapable of exertion-"Heaven,
itself, has sent you on its holy errand."
"Twas well meant, Judith-" rejoined the victim-"twas excellently meant, and
'twas timely; though it may prove ontimely in the ind! What is to come to
pass, must come to pass soon, or 'twill quickly be too late. Had I drawn in
one mouthful of that flame in breathing, the power of man could not save my
life, and you see that, this time, they've so bound my forehead, as not to
leave my head the smallest chance. Twas well meant, but it might have been
more marciful to let the flames act their part."
"Cruel, heartless Hurons!" exclaimed the still indignant Hetty-"Would you
burn a man and a christian, as you would burn a log of wood! Do you never
read your bibles?-Or do you think God will forget such things?"
A gesture from Rivenoak caused the scattered brands to be collected. Fresh
wood., was brought, even the women and children busying themselves eagerly,
in the gathering of dried sticks. The flame was just kindling a second time,
when an Indian female pushed through the circle, advanced to the heap, and
with her foot dashed aside the lighted twigs, in time to prevent the
conflagration. A yell followed this second disappointment, but when the
offender turned, towards the circle, and presented the countenance of Hist,
it was succeeded by a common exclamation of pleasure and surprise. For a
minute, all thought of pursuing the business in hand was forgotten. Young and
old crowded around the girl, in haste to demand an explanation of her sudden
and unlooked-for return. It was at this critical instant that Hist spoke to
Judith in a low voice, placed some small object unseen in her hand, and then
turned to meet the salutations of the Huron girls, with whom she was
personally a great favorite. Judith recovered her selfpossession, and acted
promptly. The small, keen edged knife, that Hist had given to the other, was
passed by the latter into the hands of Hetty, as the safest and least
suspected medium of transferring it to Deerslayer. But the feeble intellect
of the last, defeated the well-grounded hopes of all three. Instead of first
cutting loose the hands of the victim, and then concealing the knife in his
clothes, in readiness for action, at the most available instant, she went to
work herself, with earnestness and simplicity, to cut the thongs that bound
his head, that he might not again be in danger of inhaling flames. Of course
this deliberate procedure was seen, and the hands of Hetty were arrested, ere
she had more than liberated the upper portion of the captive's body, not
including his arms, below the elbows. This discovery at once pointed distrust
towards Hist, and to Judith's surprise, when questioned on the subject, that
spirited girl was not disposed to deny her agency in what had passed.
"Why should I not help the Deerslayer?" the girl demanded, in the tones of a
firm minded woman. "He is the brother of a Delaware chief; my heart is all
Delaware. Come forth, miserable Briarthorn, and wash the Iroquois paint from
your face; stand be'fore the Hurons, the crow that you are. You would eat the
carrion of your own dead, rather than starve. Put him face to face with
Deerslayer, chiefs and warriors; I will show you how great a knave you have
been keeping in your tribe."
This bold language, uttered in their own dialect, and with a manner full of
confidence, produced a deep sensation among the Hurons. Treachery is always
liable to distrust, and though the recreant Briarthorn had endeavoured to
serve the enemy well, his exertions and assiduities had gained for him little
more than toleration. His wish to obtain Hist for a wife, had first induced
him to betray her, and his own people, but serious rivals to his first
project had risen up among his new friends, weakening still more their
sympathies with treason. In a word, Briarthorn had been barely permitted to
remain in the Huron encampment, where he was as closely and as jealously
watched as Hist, herself, seldom appearing before the chiefs, and sedulously
keeping out of view of Deerslayer, who, until this moment, was ignorant even
of hi~ presence. Thus summoned, however, it was impossible to remain in the
back ground. "Wash the Iroquois paint from his face," he did not, for when he
stood in the centre of the circle, he was so disguised in these new colours,
that at first, the hunter did not recognise him. He assumed an air of
defiance, notwithstanding, and haughtily demanded what any could say against
"Briarthorn."
"Ask yourself that," continued Hist with spirit, though her manner grew less
concentrated, and there was a slight air of abstraction that became
observable to Deerslayer and Judith, if to no others - "Ask that of your own
heart, sneaking woodchuck of the Delawares; come not here with the face of an
innocent man. Go look into the spring; see the colours of your enemies on
your lying skin; then come back and boast how you run from your tribe and
took the blanket of the French for your covering! Paint yourself as bright as
the humming bird, you will still be black as the crow!"
Hist had been so uniformly gentle, while living with the Hurons, that they
now listened to her language with surprise. As for the delinquent, his blood
boiled in his veins, and it was well for the pretty speaker that it was not
in his power to execute the revenge he burned to inflict on her, in spite of
his pretended love.
"Who wishes Briarthorn?" he sternly asked-"If this pale face is tired of
life, if afraid of Indian torments, speak, Rivenoak; I will send him after
the warriors we have lost."
"No, chiefs- no, Rivenoak-" eagerly interrupted Hist- "Deerslayer fears
nothing; least of all a crow! Unbind him -cut his withes, place him face to
face with this cawing bird; then let us see which is tired of life!"
Hist made a forward movement, as if to take a knife from a young man, and
perform the office she had mentioned in person, but an aged warrior
interposed, at a sign from Rivenoak. This chief watched all the girl did with
distrust, for, even while speaking in her most boastful language, and in the
steadiest manner, there was an air of uncertainty and expectation about her,
that could not escape so close an observer. She acted well; but two or three
of the old men were equally satisfied that it was merely acting. Her proposal
to release Deerslayer, therefore, was rejected, and the disappointed Hist
found herself driven back from the sapling, at the very moment she fancied
herself about to be successful. At the same time, the circle, which had got
to be crowded and confused, was enlarged, and brought once more into order.
Rivenoak now announced the intention of the old men again to proceed, the
delay having continued long enough, and leading to no result.
"Stop Huron - stay chiefs! -" exclaimed Judith, scarce knowing what she said,
or why she interposed, unless to obtain time. "For God's sake, a single
minute longer-"
The words were cut short, by another and a still more extraordinary
interruption. A young Indian came bounding through the Huron ranks, leaping
into the very centre of the circle, in a way to denote the utmost confidence,
or a temerity bordering on fool-hardiness. Five or six sentinels were still
watching the lake at different and distant points, and it was the first
impression of Rivenoak that one of these had come in, with tidings of import.
Still the movements of the stranger were so rapid, and his war dress, which
scarcely left him more drapery than an antique statue, had so little
distinguishing about it, that, at the first moment, it was impossible to
ascertain whether he were friend or foe. Three leaps carried this warrior to
the side of Deerslayer, whose withes were cut, in the twinkling of an eye,
with a quickness and precision that left the prisoner perfect master of his
limbs. Not till this was effected, did the stranger bestow a glance on any
other object; then he turned and showed the astonished Hurons, the noble
brow, fine person, and eagle-eye, of a young warrior, in the paint and
panoply of a Delaware. He held a rifle in each hand, the butts of both,
resting on the earth, while from one dangled its proper pouch and horn. This
was Killdeer which, even as he looked boldly and in defiance at the crowd
around him, he suffered to fall back into the hands of its proper owner. The
presence of two armed men, though it was in their midst, startled the Hurons.
Their rifles were scattered about against the different trees, and their only
weapons were their knives and tomahawks. Still they had too much self-
possession to betray fear. It was little likely that so small a force would
assail so strong a band, and each man expected some extraordinary proposition
to succeed so decisive a step. The stranger did not seem disposed to
disappoint them; he prepared to speak.
"Hurons," he said, "this earth is very big. The Great Lakes are big, too;
there is room beyond them for the Iroquois; there is room for the Delawares
on this side. I am Chingachgook the Son of Uncas; the kinsman of Tamenund.
This is my betrothed; that pale face is my friend. My heart was heavy, when I
missed him; I followed him to your camp, to see that no harm happened to him.
All the Delaware girls are waiting for Wah; they wonder that she stays away
so long. Come, let us say farewell, and go on our path."
"Hurons, this is your mortal enemy, the Great Serpent of
them you hate!" cried Briarthorn. "If he escape, blood will be
in your moccasin prints, from this spot to the Canadas. I am all Huron!"
As the last words were uttered, the traitor cast his knife at the naked
breast of the Delaware. A quick movement of the arm, on the part of Hist, who
stood near, turned aside the blow, the dangerous weapon burying its point in
a pine. At the next instant, a similar weapon glanced from the hand of the
Serpent, and quivered in the recreant's heart. A minute had scarcely elapsed
from the moment in which Chingachgook bounded into the circle, and that in
which Briarthorn fell, like a log, dead in his tracks. The rapidity of events
had prevented the Hurons from acting; but this catastrophe permitted no
farther delay. A common exclamation followed, and the whole party was in
motion. At this instant a sound unusual to the woods was heard, and every
Huron, male and female, paused to listen, with ears erect and faces filled
with expectation. The sound was regular and heavy, as if the earth were
struck with beetles. Objects became visible among the trees of the back
ground, and a body of troops, was seen advancing with measured tread. They
came upon the charge, the scarlet of the King's livery shining among the
bright green foliage of the forest.
The scene that followed is not easily described. It was one in which wild
confusion, despair, and frenzied efforts, were so blended, as to destroy the
unity and distinctness of the action. A general yell burst from the enclosed
Hurons; it was succeeded by the hearty cheers of England. Still not a musket
or rifle was fired, though that steady, measured, tramp continued, and the
bayonet was seen gleaming in advance of a line that counted nearly sixty men.
The Hurons were taken at a fearful disadvantage. On three sides was the
water, while their formidable and trained foes, cut them off from flight, on
the fourth. Each warrior rushed for his arms, and then all on the point, man,
woman and child, eagerly sought the covers. In this scene of confusion and
dismay, however, nothing could surpass the discretion and coolness of
Deerslayer. His first care was to place Judith and Hist, behind trees, and he
looked for Hetty; but she had been hurried away in the crowd of Huron women.
This effected, he threw himself on a flank of the retiring Hurons, who were
inclining off towards the southern margin of the point, in the hope of
escaping through the water. Deerslayer watched his opportunity, and finding
two of his recent tormentors in a range, his rifle first broke the silence of
the terrific scene. The bullet brought down both at one discharge. This drew
a general fire from the Hurons, and the rifle and war cry of the Serpent were
heard in the clamor. Still the trained men returned no answering volley, the
whoop and piece of Hurry alone being heard on their side, if we except, the
short, prompt word of authority, and that heavy, measured and menacing tread.
Presently, however, the shrieks, groans, and denunciations that usually
accompany the use of the bayonet followed. That terrible and deadly weapon
was glutted in vengeance. The scene that succeeded was one of those, of which
so many have occurred in our own times, in which neither age nor sex forms an
exemption to the lot of a savage warfare.
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