I likewise burned with impatience to know the condition of my family, to
dissipate at once their tormenting doubts and my own with regard to our
mutual safety. The evil that I feared had befallen them was too enormous
to allow me to repose in suspense, and my restlessness and ominous
forebodings would be more intolerable than any hardship or toils to
which I could possibly be subjected during this journey.
I was much refreshed and invigorated by the food that I had taken, and
by the rest of an hour. With this stock of recruited force I determined
to scale the hill. After receiving minute directions, and, returning
many thanks for my hospitable entertainment, I set out.
The path was indeed intricate, and deliberate attention was obliged to
be exerted in order to preserve it. Hence my progress was slower than I
wished. The first impulse was to fix my eye upon the summit, and to leap
from crag to crag till I reached it; but this my experience had taught
me was impracticable. It was only by winding through gullies, and
coasting precipices and bestriding chasms, that I could hope finally to
gain the top; and I was assured that by one way only was it possible to
accomplish even this.
An hour was spent in struggling with impediments, and I seemed to have
gained no way. Hence a doubt was suggested whether I had not missed the
true road. In this doubt I was confirmed by the difficulties which now
grew up before me. The brooks, the angles, and the hollows, which my
hostess had described, were not to be seen. Instead of these, deeper
dells, more headlong torrents, and wider-gaping rifts, were incessantly
encountered.
To return was as hopeless as to proceed. I consoled myself with thinking
that the survey which my informant had made of the hill-side might prove
inaccurate, and that, in spite of her predictions, the heights might be
reached by other means than by those pointed out by her. I will not
enumerate my toilsome expedients, my frequent disappointments, and my
desperate exertions. Suffice it to say that I gained the upper space not
till the sun had dipped beneath the horizon.
My satisfaction at accomplishing thus much was not small, and I hied,
with renovated spirits, to the opposite brow. This proved to be a steep
that could not be descended. The river flowed at its foot. The opposite
bank was five hundred yards distant, and was equally towering and steep
as that on which I stood. Appearances were adapted to persuade you that
these rocks had formerly joined, but by some mighty effort of nature had
been severed, that the stream might find way through the chasm. The
channel, however, was encumbered with asperities, over which the river
fretted and foamed with thundering impetuosity.
I pondered for a while on these stupendous scenes. They ravished my
attention from considerations that related to myself; but this interval
was snort, and I began to measure the descent, in order to ascertain the
practicability of treading it. My survey terminated in bitter
disappointment. I turned my eye successively eastward and westward.
Solesbury lay in the former direction, and thither I desired to go. I
kept along the verge in this direction till I reached an impassable
rift. Beyond this I saw that the steep grew lower; but it was impossible
to proceed farther. Higher up the descent might be practicable, and,
though more distant from Solesbury, it was better to reach the road even
at that distance than never to reach it.
Changing my course, therefore, I explored the spaces above. The night
was rapidly advancing; the gray clouds gathered in the southeast, and a
chilling blast, the usual attendant of a night in October, began to
whistle among the pigmy cedars that scantily grew upon these heights. My
progress would quickly be arrested by darkness, and it behooved me to
provide some place of shelter and repose. No recess better than a hollow
in the rock presented itself to my anxious scrutiny.
Meanwhile, I would not dismiss the hope of reaching the road, which I
saw some hundred feet below, winding along the edge of the river, before
daylight should utterly fail. Speedily these hopes derived new vigour
from meeting a ledge that irregularly declined from the brow of the
hill. It was wide enough to allow of cautious footing. On a similar
stratum, or ledge, projecting still farther from the body of the hill,
and close to the surface of the river, was the road. This stratum
ascended from the level of the stream, while that on which I trod
rapidly descended. I hoped that they would speedily be blended, or, at
least, approach so near as to allow me to leap from one to the other
without enormous hazard.
This fond expectation was frustrated. Presently I perceived that the
ledge below began to descend, while that above began to tend upward and
was quickly terminated by the uppermost surface of the cliff. Here it
was needful to pause. I looked over the brink, and considered whether I
might not leap from my present station without endangering my limbs. The
road into which I should fall was a rocky pavement far from being
smooth. The descent could not be less than forty or fifty feet. Such an
attempt was, to the last degree, hazardous; but was it not better to
risk my life by leaping from this eminence than to remain and perish on
the top of this inhospitable mountain? The toils which I had endured in
reaching this height appeared, to my panic-struck fancy, less easy to be
borne again than death.
I know not but that I should have finally resolved to leap, had not
different views been suggested by observing that the outer edge of the
road was, in like manner, the brow of a steep which terminated in the
river. The surface of the road was twelve or fifteen feet above the
level of the stream, which, in this spot, was still and smooth. Hence I
inferred that the water was not of inconsiderable depth. To fall upon
rocky points was, indeed, dangerous, but to plunge into water of
sufficient depth, even from a height greater than that at which I now
stood, especially to one to whom habit had rendered water almost as
congenial an element as air, was scarcely attended with inconvenience.
This expedient was easy and safe. Twenty yards from this spot, the
channel was shallow, and to gain the road from the stream was no
difficult exploit.
Some disadvantages, however, attended this scheme. The water was smooth;
but this might arise from some other cause than its depth. My gun,
likewise, must be left behind me; and that was a loss to which I felt
invincible repugnance. To let it fall upon the road would put it in my
power to retrieve the possession, but it was likely to be irreparably
injured by the fall.
While musing upon this expedient, and weighing injuries with benefits,
the night closed upon me. I now considered that, should I emerge in
safety from the stream, I should have many miles to travel before I
could reach a house. My clothes meanwhile would be loaded with wet. I
should be heart-pierced by the icy blast that now blew, and my wounds
and bruises would be chafed into insupportable pain.
I reasoned likewise on the folly of impatience and the necessity of
repose. By thus long continuance in one posture, my sinews began to
stiffen, and my reluctance to make new exertions to increase. My brows
were heavy, and I felt an irresistible propensity to sleep. I concluded
to seek some shelter, and resign myself, my painful recollections, and
my mournful presages, to sweet forgetfulness. For this end, I once more
ascended to the surface of the cliff. I dragged my weary feet forward,
till I found somewhat that promised me the shelter that I sought.
A cluster of cedars appeared, whose branches overarched a space that
might be called a bower. It was a slight cavity, whose flooring was
composed of loose stones and a few faded leaves blown from a distance
and finding a temporary lodgment here. On one side was a rock, forming a
wall rugged and projecting above. At the bottom of the rock was a rift,
somewhat resembling a coffin in shape, and not much larger in
dimensions. This rift terminated, on the opposite side of the rock, in
an opening that was too small for the body of a man to pass. The
distance between each entrance was twice the length of a man.
This bower was open to the southeast, whence the gale now blew. It
therefore imperfectly afforded the shelter of which I stood in need;
but it was the best that the place and the time afforded. To stop the
smaller entrance of the cavity with a stone, and to heap before the
other branches lopped from the trees with my hatchet, might somewhat
contribute to my comfort.
This was done, and, thrusting myself into this recess as far as I was
able, I prepared for repose. It might have been reasonably suspected to
be the den of rattlesnakes or panthers; but my late contention with
superior dangers and more formidable enemies made me reckless of these.
But another inconvenience remained. In spite of my precautions, my
motionless posture and slender covering exposed me so much to the cold
that I could not sleep.
The air appeared to have suddenly assumed the temperature of midwinter.
In a short time, my extremities were benumbed, and my limbs shivered and
ached as if I had been seized by an ague. My bed likewise was dank and
uneven, and the posture I was obliged to assume, unnatural and painful.
It was evident that my purpose could not be answered by remaining here.
I therefore crept forth, and began to reflect upon the possibility of
continuing my journey. Motion was the only thing that could keep me from
freezing, and my frame was in that state which allowed me to take no
repose in the absence of warmth, since warmth was indispensable. It now
occurred to me to ask whether it were not possible to kindle a fire.
Sticks and leaves were at hand. My hatchet and a pebble would enable me
to extract a spark. From this, by suitable care and perseverance, I
might finally procure sufficient fire to give me comfort and ease, and
even enable me to sleep. This boon was delicious, and I felt as if I
were unable to support a longer deprivation of it.
I proceeded to execute this scheme. I took the driest leaves, and
endeavoured to use them as tinder; but the driest leaves were moistened
by the dews. They were only to be found in the hollows, in some of which
were pools of water and others were dank. I was not speedily
discouraged; but my repeated attempts failed, and I was finally
compelled to relinquish this expedient.
All that now remained was to wander forth and keep myself in motion till
the morning. The night was likely to prove tempestuous and long. The
gale seemed freighted with ice, and acted upon my body like the points
of a thousand needles. There was no remedy, and I mustered my patience
to endure it.
I returned again to the brow of the hill. I ranged along it till I
reached a place where the descent was perpendicular, and, in consequence
of affording no sustenance to trees or bushes, was nearly smooth and
bare. There was no road to be seen; and this circumstance, added to the
sounds which the rippling current produced, afforded me some knowledge
of my situation.
The ledge along which the road was conducted disappeared near this spot.
The opposite sides of the chasm through which flowed the river
approached nearer to each other, in the form of jutting promontories. I
now stood upon the verge of that on the northern side. The water
flowed at the foot, but, for the space of ten or twelve feet from the
rock, was so shallow as to permit the traveller and his horse to wade
through it, and thus to regain the road which the receding precipice had
allowed to be continued on the farther side.
I knew the nature and dimensions of this ford. I knew that, at a few
yards from the rock, the channel was of great depth. To leap into it, in
this place, was a less dangerous exploit than at the spot where I had
formerly been tempted to leap. There I was unacquainted with the depth,
but here I knew it to be considerable. Still, there was some ground of
hesitation and fear. My present station was loftier, and how deeply I
might sink into this gulf, how far the fall and the concussion would
bereave me of my presence of mind, I could not determine. This
hesitation vanished, and, placing my tomahawk and fusil upon the ground,
I prepared to leap.
This purpose was suspended, in the moment of its execution, by a faint
sound, heard from the quarter whence I had come. It was the warning of
men, but had nothing in common with those which I had been accustomed to
hear. It was not the howling of a wolf or the yelling of a panther.
These had often been overheard by night during my last year's excursion
to the lakes. My fears whispered that this was the vociferation of a
savage.
I was unacquainted with the number of the enemies who had adventured
into this district. Whether those whom I had encountered at _Deb's
hut_ were of that band whom I had met with in the cavern, was merely
a topic of conjecture. There might be a half-score of troops, equally
numerous, spread over the wilderness, and the signal I had just heard
might betoken the approach of one of these. Yet by what means they
should gain this nook, and what prey they expected to discover, were not
easily conceived.
The sounds, somewhat diversified, nearer and rising from different
quarters, were again heard. My doubts and apprehensions were increased.
What expedient to adopt for my own safety was a subject of rapid
meditation:--whether to remain stretched upon the ground or to rise and
go forward. Was it likely the enemy would coast along the edge of the
steep? Would they ramble hither to look upon the ample scene which
spread on all sides around the base of this rocky pinnacle? In that
case, how should I conduct myself? My arms were ready for use. Could I
not elude the necessity of shedding more blood? Could I not anticipate
their assault by casting myself without delay into the stream?
The sense of danger demanded more attention to be paid to external
objects than to the motives by which my future conduct should be
influenced. My post was on a circular prefecture, in some degree
detached from the body of the hill, the brow of which continued in a
straight line, uninterrupted by this projecture, which was somewhat
higher than the continued summit of the ridge. This line ran at the
distance of a few paces from my post. Objects moving along this line
could merely be perceived to move, in the present obscurity.
My scrutiny was entirely directed to this quarter. Presently the
treading of many feet was heard, and several figures were discovered,
following each other in that straight and regular succession which is
peculiar to the Indians. They kept along the brow of the hill joining
the promontory. I distinctly marked seven figures in succession.
My resolution was formed. Should any one cast his eye hither, suspect or
discover an enemy, and rush towards me, I determined to start upon my
feet, fire on my foe as he advanced, throw my piece on the ground, and
then leap into the river.
Happily, they passed unobservant and in silence. I remained in the same
posture for several minutes. At length, just as my alarms began to
subside, the halloos, before heard, arose, and from the same quarter as
before. This convinced me that my perils were not at an end. This now
appeared to be merely the vanguard, and would speedily be followed by
others, against whom the same caution was necessary to be taken.
My eye, anxiously bent the only way by which any one could approach, now
discerned a figure, which was indubitably that of a man armed. None
other appeared in company; but doubtless others were near. He
approached, stood still, and appeared to gaze steadfastly at the spot
where I lay.
The optics of a _Lenni-lennapee_ I knew to be far keener than my
own. A log or a couched fawn would never be mistaken for a man, nor a
man for a couched fawn or a log. Not only a human being would be
instantly detected, but a decision be unerringly made whether it wrere
friend or foe. That my prostrate body was the object on which the
attention of this vigilant and steadfast gazer was fixed could not be
doubted. Yet, since he continued an inactive gazer, there was ground for
a possibility to stand upon that I was not recognised. My fate therefore
was still in suspense.
This interval was momentary. I marked a movement, which my fears
instantly interpreted to be that of levelling a gun at my head. This
action was sufficiently conformable to my prognostics. Supposing me to
be detected, there was no need for him to change his post. Aim might be
too fatally taken, and his prey be secured, from the distance at which
he now stood.
These images glanced upon my thought, and put an end to my suspense. A
single effort placed me on my feet. I fired with a precipitation that
precluded the certainty of hitting my mark, dropped my piece upon the
ground, and leaped from this tremendous height into the river. I reached
the surface, and sunk in a moment to the bottom.
Plunging endlong into the water, the impetus created by my fall from
such a height would be slowly resisted by this denser element. Had the
depth been less, its resistance would not perhaps have hindered me from
being mortally injured against the rocky bottom. Had the depth been
greater, time enough would not have been allowed me to regain the
surface. Had I fallen on my side, I should have been bereft of life or
sensibility by the shock which my frame would have received. As it was,
my fate was suspended on a thread. To have lost my presence of mind, to
have forborne to counteract my sinking, for an instant, after I had
reached the water, would have made all exertions to regain the air
fruitless. To so fortunate a concurrence of events was thy friend
indebted for his safety!
Yet I only emerged from the gulf to encounter new perils. Scarcely had I
raised my head above the surface, and inhaled the vital breath, when
twenty shots were aimed at me from the precipice above. A shower of
bullets fell upon the water. Some of them did not fall farther than two
inches from my head. I had not been aware of this new danger, and, now
that it assailed me, continued gasping the air and floundering at
random. The means of eluding it did not readily occur. My case seemed
desperate, and all caution was dismissed.
This state of discomfiting surprise quickly disappeared. I made myself
acquainted, at a glance, with the position of surrounding objects. I
conceived that the opposite bank of the river would afford me most
security, and thither I tended with all the expedition in my power.
Meanwhile, my safety depended on eluding the bullets that continued
incessantly to strike the water at an arm's-length from my body. For
this end I plunged beneath the surface, and only rose to inhale fresh
air. Presently the firing ceased, the flashes that lately illuminated
the bank disappeared, and a certain bustle and murmur of confused voices
gave place to solitude and silence.