The joy with which the news was received by our seamen and their friends
was somewhat marred by the death of the poor girl who had unconsciously
been the means of their deliverance. During several days there was
profound grief in the Indian village, for Rising Sun had been a
favourite with every one.
About this time one or two scattered bands of the party, which had gone
to attack the paleface settlement, returned to the village, and when
they found what had occurred in their absence, their enmity was turned
into friendship, and general goodwill prevailed among all.
From the men just arrived Paul and his friends heard of the fate of poor
Swinton and Jim Heron, but at the same time were relieved to find that
none of the other seamen had been slain.
A grand council and palaver was held in front of Bearpaw's tent not long
afterwards. It was a very grave and orderly council--one which would
contrast favourably with many of our nineteenth century councils, for
those savages had not at that time acquired the civilised capacity for
open offhand misrepresentation, calumny, and personal abuse which is so
conspicuous in these days, and which must be so gratifying to those who
maintain that civilisation is the grand panacea for all the moral ills
that flesh is heir to. Whether the Bethucks ever improved in this
matter is not known, for history is silent on the point; but it is,
perhaps, of little consequence, the Bethuck race having become extinct.
"It is now a matter for our consideration, my friends and warriors,"
said Bearpaw, in opening the palaver, "whether the palefaces are to
spend the winter here and hunt with us, or to return to the Crooked Lake
to stay with our kinsman, the white hunter, and his wife, the sweet
singer. Of course, my warriors know well that we could keep the
palefaces by force just as easily as we could take their scalps, if we
were so disposed; but Bearpaw is not a tyrant. He will not inflict
kindness on his friends. His heart is great. It swells within him.
Something inside of him whispers, `Let them do as they please.' That
must be right, for if circumstances were reversed, it would be right to
let Bearpaw do as he pleases."
The chief paused and looked sternly round, as if to say, "Contradict
that if you dare!" Possibly he felt that the "something inside of him"
might have stated the golden rule more simply. Returning to the point,
he continued--
"Bearpaw is glad that Rising Sun came home before he killed the
palefaces, for her words have saved their lives. He is also glad that
the friends of the palefaces came, for they have taught him wisdom.
They have shown him that he was going to act in haste; they have told
him that the Great Spirit orders all events here, and the Great Spirit
himself has proved the truth of what they said; for, when Bearpaw
refused to believe the palefaces, He sent Rising Sun to confirm their
words, and to convince Bearpaw that he was wrong."
Again the chief paused, and looked round upon his men, some of whom
appeared to dissent from what he said in condemnation of himself by
slightly shaking their heads.
"Bethuck warriors," continued the chief, "have often told Bearpaw that
he is wise. Bearpaw now tells his warriors that they are fools--fools
for telling their chief that he is wise! If he had been wise he would
not have come so near to shedding the blood of innocent men; but the
Great Spirit prevented him. If the Great Spirit had not prevented him,
still that would have been right, for the Great Spirit cannot do wrong,
and He is not bound to give explanations to his creatures; though,
doubtless, we will do it in the end. The heart of Bearpaw is grateful
to his paleface brothers, and he would be glad if they will stay to hunt
over his lands and palaver in his wigwam during the winter; but if they
prefer to go, they may do as they please. Waugh! Bearpaw has spoken."
The chief sat down with emphasis, as if he felt that he had done his
duty, and his men uttered a decided "Ho!" of approval.
Then Hendrick rose, and, looking round the circle with that grave
dignity of countenance and manner which was not less natural to himself
than characteristic of his Indian friends, delivered himself as
follows:--
"I and my friends are glad that Bearpaw recognises the hand of the Great
Spirit in all that has occurred, for we rejoice to believe that He is
the great First Cause of all things, and that men are only second
causes, gifted, however, with the mysterious power to do evil.
"In thanking my Bethuck brother and his warriors for their kind
invitation--I speak for all my party--we are all grateful, and we would
greatly like to spend the winter here, and enjoy the hospitality of our
red brothers. Especially would my friend Paul Burns rejoice to read
more to you from his wonderful writing, and explain it; but we cannot
stay. My paleface brothers wish to return with me to Crooked Lake,
where the sweet singer and her little ones await the return of the hands
that feed and protect them."
Hendrick, pausing, looked round and received some nods of approval at
this point.
"The winter is long, however," he continued, "and when the snow is deep
over all the land we can put on our snow-shoes and revisit Bearpaw; or,
better still, Bearpaw and his warriors may come to Crooked Lake, when
the sweet singer and her daughter will give them hearty welcome, supply
them with more food than they can consume, and cause their ears and
hearts to thrill with music."
Hendrick paused again, and decided marks of approval greeted his last
words.
"But, my friends and kinsmen," he resumed, "when winter draws to a
close, the palefaces will go to the coast to see how it fares with their
comrades, and to try whether it is not possible for them to make a big
canoe in which to cross the great Salt Lake, for some of them have wives
and mothers, sisters, fathers, and other relations whom they love, in
the mighty land that lies far away where the sun rises--the land of my
own fathers, about which I have often talked to you. If they cannot
make a big enough canoe, they will wait and hope till another great
canoe, like the one they lost, comes to this island--as come it surely
will, bringing many palefaces to settle in the land."
"When they come they shall be welcome," said Bearpaw, as Hendrick sat
down, "and we will hunt for them till they learn to hunt for themselves;
we will teach them how to capture the big fish with the red flesh, and
show them how to track the deer through the wilderness--waugh! But will
our guests not stay with us till the hard frosts set in?"
"No; we must leave before the deep snow falls," said Hendrick. "Much of
that which fell lately has melted away; so we will start for Crooked
Lake without further delay."
The Indian chief bowed his head in acquiescence with this decision, and
the very next day Paul and the captain and Oliver, with their rescued
comrades and Strongbow, set out for Hendrick's home, which they reached
not long after, to find that all was well, that the old Indian servant
had kept the family fully supplied with fish, flesh, and fowl; that no
one had visited the islet since they left, that the sweet singers were
in good voice; and that the family baby was as bright as ever, as great
an anxiety to its mother, and as terrible a torment to its idolising
nurse!
Among others who took up their abode at that time on the hunter's islet
was the large dog Blackboy. That faithful creature, having always had a
liking for Hendrick, and finding that the old master and mistress never
came back, had attached itself to the party of palefaces, and quietly
accepted the English name of Blackboy.
Now, it is impossible, with the space at our command, to recount all the
sayings and doings of this section of the _Water Wagtail's_ crew during
that winter: how they built a hut for themselves close to that of their
host; how they learned to walk on snowshoes when the deep snow came;
how, when the lake set fast and the thick ice formed a highway to the
shore, little Oscar taught Oliver Trench how to cut holes through to the
water and fish under the ice; how hunting, sledging, football, and
firewood-cutting became the order of the day; supping, story-telling,
singing, and reading the manuscript Gospel according to John, the order
of the evening, and sleeping like tops, with occasional snoring, the
order of the night, when the waters were thus arrested by the power of
frost, and the land was smothered in snow. All this and a great deal
more must be left untold, for, as we have said, or hinted, or implied
before, matters of greater moment claim our attention.
One night, towards the close of that winter, Paul Burns suggested that
it was about time to go down to the coast and visit their comrades
there.
"So say I," remarked Grummidge, who at the time was feeding the baby, to
the grave satisfaction of Blackboy.
"Sure, an' I'm agreeable," said Squills, who was too busy feeding
himself to say more.
As Little Stubbs, George Blazer, Fred Taylor, and David Garnet were of
the same opinion, and Hendrick had no objection, except that Trueheart,
Goodred, and Oscar would be very sorry to part with them, and the family
baby would be inconsolable, it was decided that a start should be made
without delay.
They set out accordingly, Hendrick and Strongbow alternately leading,
and, as it is styled, beating the track, while the rest followed in
single file. It was a long, hard journey, but our travellers were by
that time inured to roughing it in the cold. Every night they made
their camp by digging a hole in the snow under the canopy of a tree, and
kindling a huge fire at one end thereof. Every morning at dawn they
resumed the march over the snow-clad wilderness, and continued till
sun-down. Thus, day by day they advanced, living on the dried meat they
carried on their backs, and the fresh meat and ptarmigan they procured
with bolt and arrow. At last they reached the coast.
It was a clear, sharp, starry night when they arrived at Wagtail Bay,
with an unusually splendid aurora lighting them on their way. Anxious
forebodings filled the breasts of most of the party, lest they should
find that their comrades had perished; but on coming in sight of the
principal hut, Oliver exclaimed, "There's a light in the window, and
smoke coming from--hurr--!"
He would have cheered, but Grummidge checked him.
"Shut up your hatchway, lad! Let us see what they are about before
goin' in."
They all advanced noiselessly, Grummidge leading, Strongbow bringing up
the rear. The hut had two windows of parchment, which glowed with the
light inside, but through which they could not see, except by means of
one or two very small holes, to which eager eyes were instantly applied.
A most comfortable scene was presented, and jovial sounds smote the
ears of those who listened. As far as they could make out every man of
the crew was there, except, of course, Big Swinton and Jim Heron. Some
were playing draughts, some were mending nets or fashioning bows, and
others were telling stories or discussing the events of the past day.
But a great change for the better was perceptible both in words and
manners, for some of the seed which Paul Burns had let fall by the
wayside, had, all unexpectedly, found good ground in several hearts, and
was already bearing fruit. Dick Swan and Spitfire no longer quarrelled
as they played together, and Bob Crow no longer swore.
"Heigho!" exclaimed the latter at the end of a game, as he stretched his
arms above his head, "I wonder if we'll ever play draughts in Old
England or see our friends again!"
"You'll see some of 'em to-night, anyhow, God bless ye, Bob Crow," cried
Grummidge, as he flung open the door and sprang in, while his
snow-sprinkled comrades came tramp, tramp, in a line behind him!
Who can describe that meeting as they shook hands, gasped, exclaimed,
laughed--almost cried; while Blackboy leaped around wildly joyful at the
sight of so many old friends? We will not attempt it; but, leaving them
there, we will conduct the reader down to a small creek hard by, where a
curious sight may be seen--a small ship on the stocks nearly finished,
which will clearly be ready to launch on the first open water.
From the wreck of the old ship, tools, and timber, and cordage had been
recovered. The forests of Newfoundland had supplied what was lacking.
Ingenuity and perseverance did the rest. Need we add that the work went
on merrily now that the wanderers had returned?
Hendrick stayed with them till the little ship was launched. With a
pleased yet sorrowful expression he watched as the eager men tested her
stability and her sailing powers, and rejoiced with them on finding that
she worked well and answered to her helm smartly.
"Good-bye, friends, and God watch over you and me till that day after
which there shall be no more partings," he said, as they all shook hands
for the last time.
He was left standing beside his Indian friend on the rocks when the
_Morning Star_ finally set sail. The tall forms of the two men were
still visible when the little vessel rounded the neighbouring headland
and turned its prow towards England. They stood there sadly watching
the lessening sails till the ship became a mere speck on the horizon and
finally disappeared.
Then Hendrick slowly re-entered the forest, and, followed by Strongbow,
returned to his own home in the beautiful wilderness of Newfoundland.