_"Flue._--Kill the poys and the luggage! 'Tis expressly against the
law of arms; 'tis as arrant a piece of knavery, mark you now, as can be
offered in the world."
_King Henry V._
So long as their enemy and his victim continued in sight, the multitude
remained motionless as beings charmed to the place by some power that
was friendly to the Huron; but the instant he disappeared, it became
tossed and agitated by fierce and powerful passion. Uncas maintained his
elevated stand, keeping his eyes on the form of Cora, until the colors
of her dress were blended with the foliage of the forest; when he
descended, and moving silently through the throng, he disappeared in
that lodge from which he had so recently issued. A few of the graver and
more attentive warriors, who caught the gleams of anger that shot from
the eyes of the young chief in passing, followed him to the place he had
selected for his meditations. After which, Tamenund and Alice were
removed, and the women and children were ordered to disperse. During the
momentous hour that succeeded, the encampment resembled a hive of
troubled bees, who only awaited the appearance and example of their
leader to take some distant and momentous flight.
A young warrior at length issued from the lodge of Uncas; and moving
deliberately, with a sort of grave march, towards a dwarf pine that grew
in the crevices of the rocky terrace, he tore the bark from its body,
and then returned whence he came without speaking. He was soon followed
by another, who stripped the sapling of its branches, leaving it a naked
and blazed[28] trunk. A third colored the posts with stripes of a dark
red paint; all which indications of a hostile design in the leaders of
the nation were received by the men without in a gloomy and ominous
silence. Finally, the Mohican himself reappeared, divested of all his
attire except his girdle and leggings, and with one-half of his fine
features hid under a cloud of threatening black.
Uncas moved with a slow and dignified tread towards the post, which he
immediately commenced encircling with a measured step, not unlike an
ancient dance, raising his voice, at the same time, in the wild and
irregular chant of his war-song. The notes were in the extremes of human
sounds; being sometimes melancholy and exquisitely plaintive, even
rivalling the melody of birds--and then, by sudden and startling
transitions, causing the auditors to tremble by their depth and energy.
The words were few and often repeated, proceeding gradually from a sort
of invocation, or hymn to the Deity, to an intimation of the warrior's
object, and terminating as they commenced with an acknowledgment of his
own dependence on the Great Spirit. If it were possible to translate the
comprehensive and melodious language in which he spoke, the ode might
read something like the following:
"Manitou! Manitou! Manitou!
Thou art great, thou art good, thou art wise:
Manitou! Manitou!
Thou art just.
"In the heavens, in the clouds, O, I see
Many spots--many dark, many red:
In the heavens, O, I see
Many clouds.
"In the woods, in the air, O, I hear
The whoop, the long yell, and the cry:
In the woods, O, I hear
The loud whoop!
"Manitou! Manitou! Manitou!
Thou art weak--thou art strong; I am slow:
Manitou! Manitou!
Give me aid."
At the end of what might be called each verse he made a pause, by
raising a note louder and longer than common, that was peculiarly suited
to the sentiment just expressed. The first close was solemn, and
intended to convey the idea of veneration; the second descriptive,
bordering on the alarming; and the third was the well known and terrific
war-whoop, which burst from the lips of the young warrior, like a
combination of all the frightful sounds of battle. The last was like the
first, humble and imploring. Three times did he repeat this song, and as
often did he encircle the post in his dance.
At the close of the first turn, a grave and highly esteemed chief of
the Lenape followed his example, singing words of his own, however, to
music of a similar character. Warrior after warrior enlisted in the
dance, until all of any renown and authority were numbered in its mazes.
The spectacle now became wildly terrific; the fierce-looking and
menacing visages of the chiefs receiving additional power from the
appalling strains in which they mingled their guttural tones. Just then
Uncas struck his tomahawk deep into the post, and raised his voice in a
shout, which might be termed his own battle-cry. The act announced that
he had assumed the chief authority in the intended expedition.
It was a signal that awakened all the slumbering passions of a nation. A
hundred youths, who had hitherto been restrained by the diffidence of
their years, rushed in a frantic body on the fancied emblem of their
enemy, and severed it asunder, splinter by splinter, until nothing
remained of the trunk but its roots in the earth. During this moment of
tumult, the most ruthless deeds of war were performed on the fragments
of the tree, with as much apparent ferocity as if they were the living
victims of their cruelty. Some were scalped; some received the keen and
trembling axe; and others suffered by thrusts from the fatal knife. In
short, the manifestations of zeal and fierce delight were so great and
unequivocal, that the expedition was declared to be a war of the nation.
The instant Uncas had struck the blow, he moved out of the circle, and
cast his eyes up to the sun, which was just gaining the point, when the
truce with Magua was to end. The fact was soon announced by a
significant gesture, accompanied by a corresponding cry; and the whole
of the excited multitude abandoned their mimic warfare, with shrill
yells of pleasure, to prepare for the more hazardous experiment of the
reality.
The whole face of the encampment was instantly changed. The warriors,
who were already armed and painted, became as still as if they were
incapable of any uncommon burst of emotion. On the other hand, the women
broke out of the lodges, with the songs of joy and those of lamentation,
so strangely mingled, that it might have been difficult to have said
which passion preponderated. None, however, were idle. Some bore their
choicest articles, others their young, and some their aged and infirm,
into the forest, which spread itself like a verdant carpet of bright
green against the side of the mountain. Thither Tamenund also retired,
with calm composure, after a short and touching interview with Uncas;
from whom the sage separated with the reluctance that a parent would
quit a long lost and just recovered child. In the meantime, Duncan saw
Alice to a place of safety, and then sought the scout, with a
countenance that denoted how eagerly he also panted for the approaching
contest.
But Hawkeye was too much accustomed to the war-song and the enlistments
of the natives, to betray any interest in the passing scene. He merely
cast an occasional look at the number and quality of the warriors, who,
from time to time, signified their readiness to accompany Uncas to the
field. In this particular he was soon satisfied; for, as has been
already seen, the power of the young chief quickly embraced every
fighting man in the nation. After this material point was so
satisfactorily decided, he despatched an Indian boy in quest of
"Killdeer" and the rifle of Uncas, to the place where they had deposited
the weapons on approaching the camp of the Delawares; a measure of
double policy, inasmuch as it protected the arms from their own fate, if
detained as prisoners, and gave them the advantage of appearing among
the strangers rather as sufferers than as men provided with the means of
defence and subsistence. In selecting another to perform the office of
reclaiming his highly prized rifle, the scout had lost sight of none of
his habitual caution. He knew that Magua had not come unattended, and he
also knew that Huron spies watched the movements of their new enemies,
along the whole boundary of the woods. It would, therefore, have been
fatal to himself to have attempted the experiment; a warrior would have
fared no better; but the danger of a boy would not be likely to commence
until after his object was discovered. When Heyward joined him, the
scout was coolly awaiting the result of this experiment.
The boy, who had been well instructed, and was sufficiently crafty,
proceeded, with a bosom that was swelling with the pride of such a
confidence, and all the hopes of young ambition, carelessly across the
clearing to the wood, which he entered at a point at some little
distance from the place where the guns were secreted. The instant,
however, he was concealed by the foliage of the bushes, his dusky form
was to be seen gliding, like that of a serpent, towards the desired
treasure. He was successful; and in another moment he appeared flying
across the narrow opening that skirted the base of the terrace on which
the village stood, with the velocity of an arrow, and bearing a prize
in each hand. He had actually gained the crags, and was leaping up their
sides with incredible activity, when a shot from the woods showed how
accurate had been the judgment of the scout. The boy answered it with a
feeble but contemptuous shout; and immediately a second bullet was sent
after him from another part of the cover. At the next instant he
appeared on the level above, elevating his guns in triumph, while he
moved with the air of a conqueror towards the renowned hunter who had
honored him by so glorious a commission.
Notwithstanding the lively interest Hawkeye had taken in the fate of his
messenger, he received "Killdeer" with a satisfaction that, momentarily,
drove all other recollections from his mind. After examining the piece
with an intelligent eye, and opening and shutting the pan some ten or
fifteen times, and trying sundry other equally important experiments on
the lock, he turned to the boy, and demanded with great manifestations
of kindness, if he was hurt. The urchin looked proudly up in his face,
but made no reply.
"Ah! I see, lad, the knaves have barked your arm!" added the scout,
taking up the limb of the patient sufferer, across which a deep flesh
wound had been made by one of the bullets; "but a little bruised alder
will act like a charm. In the meantime I will wrap it in a badge of
wampum! You have commenced the business of a warrior early, my brave
boy, and are likely to bear a plenty of honorable scars to your grave. I
know many young men that have taken scalps who cannot show such a mark
as this. Go!" having bound up the arm; "you will be a chief!"
The lad departed, prouder of his flowing blood than the vainest courtier
could be of his blushing ribbon; and stalked among the fellows of his
age, an object of general admiration and envy.
But in a moment of so many serious and important duties, this single act
of juvenile fortitude did not attract the general notice and
commendation it would have received under milder auspices. It had,
however, served to apprise the Delawares of the position and the
intentions of their enemies. Accordingly a party of adventurers, better
suited to the task than the weak though spirited boy, was ordered to
dislodge the skulkers. The duty was soon performed; for most of the
Hurons retired of themselves when they found they had been discovered.
The Delawares followed to a sufficient distance from their own
encampment, and then halted for orders, apprehensive of being led into
an ambush. As both parties secreted themselves, the woods were again as
still and quiet as a mild summer morning and deep solitude could render
them.
The calm but still impatient Uncas now collected his chiefs, and divided
his power. He presented Hawkeye as a warrior, often tried, and always
found deserving of confidence. When he found his friend met with a
favorable reception, he bestowed on him the command of twenty men, like
himself, active, skilful, and resolute. He gave the Delawares to
understand the rank of Heyward among the troops of the Yengeese, and
then tendered to him a trust of equal authority. But Duncan declined the
charge, professing his readiness to serve as a volunteer by the side of
the scout. After this disposition, the young Mohican appointed various
native chiefs to fill the different situations of responsibility, and
the time pressing, he gave forth the word to march. He was cheerfully,
but silently, obeyed by more than two hundred men.
Their entrance into the forest was perfectly unmolested; nor did they
encounter any living objects, that could either give the alarm, or
furnish the intelligence they needed, until they came upon the lairs of
their own scouts. Here a halt was ordered, and the chiefs were assembled
to hold a "whispering council."
At this meeting divers plans of operation were suggested, though none of
a character to meet the wishes of their ardent leader. Had Uncas
followed the promptings of his own inclinations, he would have led his
followers to the charge without a moment's delay, and put the conflict
to the hazard of an instant issue; but such a course would have been in
opposition to all the received practices and opinions of his countrymen.
He was, therefore, fain to adopt a caution that in the present temper of
his mind he execrated, and to listen to advice at which his fiery spirit
chafed, under the vivid recollection of Cora's danger and Magua's
insolence.
After an unsatisfactory conference of many minutes, a solitary
individual was seen advancing from the side of the enemy, with such
apparent haste, as to induce the belief he might be a messenger charged
with pacific overtures. When within a hundred yards, however, of the
cover behind which the Delaware council had assembled, the stranger
hesitated, appeared uncertain what course to take, and finally halted.
All eyes were now turned on Uncas, as if seeking directions how to
proceed.
"Hawkeye," said the young chief, in a low voice, "he must never speak to
the Hurons again."
"His time has come," said the laconic scout, thrusting the long barrel
of his rifle through the leaves, and taking his deliberate and fatal
aim. But, instead of pulling the trigger he lowered the muzzle again,
and indulged himself in a fit of his peculiar mirth. "I took the imp for
a Mingo, as I'm a miserable sinner!" he said; "but when my eye ranged
along his ribs for a place to get the bullet in--would you think it,
Uncas--I saw the musicianer's blower; and so, after all, it is the man
they call Gamut, whose death can profit no one, and whose life, if his
tongue can do anything but sing, may be made serviceable to our own
ends. If sounds have not lost their virtue, I'll soon have a discourse
with the honest fellow, and that in a voice he'll find more agreeable
than the speech of 'Killdeer.'"
So saying, Hawkeye laid aside his rifle; and crawling through the bushes
until within hearing of David, he attempted to repeat the musical
effort, which had conducted himself, with so much safety and _eclat_,
through the Huron encampment. The exquisite organs of Gamut could not
readily be deceived (and, to say the truth, it would have been difficult
for any other than Hawkeye to produce a similar noise), and
consequently, having once before heard the sounds, he now knew whence
they proceeded. The poor fellow appeared relieved from a state of great
embarrassment; for pursuing the direction of the voice--a task that to
him was not much less arduous than it would have been to have gone up in
the face of a battery--he soon discovered the hidden songster.
"I wonder what the Hurons will think of that!" said the scout, laughing,
as he took his companion by the arm, and urged him towards the rear. "If
the knaves lie within ear-shot, they will say there are two
non-compossers instead of one! But here we are safe," he added, pointing
to Uncas and his associates. "Now give us the history of the Mingo
inventions in natural English, and without any ups and downs of voice."
David gazed about him, at the fierce and wild-looking chiefs, in mute
wonder; but assured by the presence of faces that he knew, he soon
rallied his faculties so far as to make an intelligent reply.
"The heathen are abroad in goodly numbers," said David, "and, I fear,
with evil intent. There has been much howling and ungodly revelry,
together with such sounds as it is profanity to utter, in their
habitations within the past hour; so much so, in truth, that I have fled
to the Delawares in search of peace."
"Your ears might not have profited much by the exchange, had you been
quicker of foot," returned the scout, a little dryly. "But let that be
as it may; where are the Hurons?"
"They lie hid in the forest, between this spot and their village, in
such force, that prudence would teach you instantly to return."
Uncas cast a glance along the range of trees which concealed his own
band and mentioned the name of--
"Magua?"
"Is among them. He brought in the maiden that had sojourned with the
Delawares, and leaving her in the cave, has put himself, like a raging
wolf, at the head of his savages. I know not what has troubled his
spirit so greatly!"
"He has left her, you say, in the cave!" interrupted Heyward; "'tis well
that we know its situation! May not something be done for her instant
relief?"
Uncas looked earnestly at the scout, before he asked,--
"What says Hawkeye?"
"Give me twenty rifles, and I will turn to the right, along the stream;
and passing by the huts of the beaver, will join the Sagamore and the
colonel. You shall then hear the whoop from that quarter; with this wind
one may easily send it a mile. Then, Uncas, do you drive in their front;
when they come within range of our pieces, we will give them a blow
that, I pledge the good name of an old frontiersman, shall make their
line bend like an ashen bow. After which, we will carry their village,
and take the woman from the cave; when the affair may be finished with
the tribe, according to a white man's battle, by a blow and a victory;
or, in the Indian fashion, with dodge and cover. There may be no great
learning, major, in this plan, but with courage and patience it can all
be done."
"I like it much," cried Duncan, who saw the release of Cora was the
primary object in the mind of the scout; "I like it much. Let it be
instantly attempted."
After a short conference, the plan was matured, and rendered more
intelligible to the several parties; the different signals were
appointed, and the chiefs separated, each to his allotted station.