‘The woods—oh! solemn are the boundless woods;
Of the great western world, when day declines,
And louder sounds the roll of distant floods,
More deep the rustling of the ancient pines;
When dimness gathers on the stilly air,
And mystery seems o'er every leaf to brood,
Awful is it for human heart to bear
The might and burden of the solitude!' HEMANS.
Many weeks elapsed after the Nausett party had joined the friendly
Pequodees, ere any preparations were made for journeying to the west;
and these days were chiefly employed by Henrich in improving his
knowledge of the Indian language, and especially of the Nausett
dialect, by conversing with Oriana and her young companions, both male
and female. He also endeavored to learn as much as possible of the
habit and the ideas of the simple people among whom his lot was now
cast; for he hoped, at some future time, when he had succeeded in
returning to his own countrymen, that such a knowledge might prove
useful both to himself and them.
He was treated with much kindness by Tisquantum; and his favor with the
Chief ensured the respect and attention of all his dependants and
followers. From the day that the white boy had been spared from a cruel
and violent death, and established as a regular inmate of Tisquantum's
dwelling, it seemed as if he had regarded him as a son, and had adopted
him to fill the place of him whose death he so deeply deplored; and
Oriana already looked on him as a brother, and took the greatest
delight in his society. No apprehensions were now felt of his escaping
to the settlement; for the distance which they had traveled through
woods, and over hills and plains, to reach the Pequodee encampment, was
so great, that it was utterly impossible for any one but an Indian,
well accustomed to the country, to traverse it alone. Henrich was,
therefore, allowed to enjoy perfect liberty, and to ramble unmolested
around the camp; and it was his greatest pleasure to climb to the
summit of a neighboring hill, which was crowned by a few ancient and
majestic pines, and there to look in wonder and admiration at the
scenery around him. To the west, a vast and trackless forest spread as
far as the eye could reach, unbroken save by some distant lakes, that
shone like clear mirrors in their dark green setting. Trees of gigantic
growth rose high above their brethren of the wood, but wild luxuriant
creepers, many of them bearing clusters of bright blossoms, had climbed
ambitiously to their summits, seeking the light of day, and the warmth
of the sunbeams, which could not penetrate the thick underwood that was
their birth-place. It was a sea of varied and undulating foliage,
beautiful and striking, but almost oppressive to the spirit; and
Henrich gazed sadly over the interminable forest, and thought of the
weeks, and months--and, possibly, the years that this wilderness was to
be his home. Escape, under present circumstances, he felt to be
impossible; and he endeavored to reconcile himself to his fate, and to
look forward with hope to a dim and uncertain future. Could his parents
and Edith but have been assured of his safety, he thought he could have
borne his captivity more cheerfully; but to feel that they were mourning
him as dead, and that, perhaps, they would never know that his blood had
not been cruelly shed by his captors, was hard for the affectionate boy
to endure.
To Oriana, alone, could he tell his feelings, and pour out his griefs
and anxieties; and Edith herself could not have listened to him with
more attention and sympathy than was shown by the young Indian girl.
When her domestic duties were accomplished, she would accompany her new
friend to his favorite retreat on the hill-top; and there, seated by
his side beneath the tall pines, she would hold his hand, and gaze into
his sorrowful countenance, and listen to his fond regrets for his
distant home, and all its dearly-loved inmates, till tears would gather
in her soft black eyes, and she almost wished that she could restore
him to his countrymen. But this she was powerless to do, even if she
could have made up her mind to the sacrifice of her 'white brother,' as
she called him. She had, indeed, wrought upon her father so far as to
save his life, and have him adopted into their tribe and family; but she
well knew that nothing would ever induce him to give up his possession
of Rodolph's son, or suffer his parents to know that he lived.
All this she told to Henrich; and his spirit, sanguine as it was,
sickened at the prospect of a lengthened captivity among uncivilized
and heathen beings. He gazed mournfully to the east; he looked over the
wide expanse of country that he had lately traversed, and his eye
seemed to pierce the rising hills, and lofty forests, that lay between
him and his cherished home; and in the words of the Psalmist he cried,
'Oh that I had wings as a dove, for then would I flee away and be at
rest!'
Would you leave me, my brother?' said Oriana, in reply to this
unconscious utterance of his feelings; 'would you leave me again alone,
to mourn the brother I have lost?' The Sachem loves you, and I love
you, too; and you may be happy in our lodge, and become a brave like
our young men.'
‘Yes, Oriana, you and your father are kind to me; and I had never known
any other mode of life, I might be happy in your lodge. But I cannot
forget my parents, and me dear Edith who loved me so fondly, and my
little brother also. And then I had a friend--a kind friend, and full
of wisdom and goodness--who used to teach me all kinds of knowledge;
and, above all, the knowledge of the way to heaven. How can I think
that I may, perhaps, never see all these again, and not be sad?' And
Henrich buried his face in his hands and wept without restraint.
Oriana gazed at him affectionately, and tears of sympathy filled her
large eyes also. But she drew away Henrich’s hand, and kissed it, and
tried to cheer him in the best way that her simple mind could suggest.
'My brother must not weep,' she said; 'for he is not a child, and our
Indian youths are ashamed of tears. Henrich will be a brave some day,
and he will delight in hunting, and in war, as our red warriors do; and
he will, I know, excel them all in strength and courage. What can he
desire more than to be a Nausett warrior?'
'Oh, Oriana,' replied the boy--as he wiped away his tears, and almost
smiled at her attempts to console him by such a future prospect--' I
desire to return to my home, and my friends, and the worship of my God.
Among your people none know anything of the true God, and none believe
in His Son. I have no one to speak to me as my parents, and my
venerable teacher, used to do; and no one to kneel with me in prayer to
the Almighty.'
'Do not you worship the Great Mahneto--the Mighty Spirit from whom
every good gift comes?' asked Oriana, with surprise. 'He is the one
true God, and all the red men know and worship him.'
'Yes, Oriana, I do worship the one Great Spirit; the God and Father of
all men of every color and of every clime. But the Christian's God is
far more wise, and good, and merciful than the Indian's Mahneto: and He
has told his servants what He is, and how they ought to serve Him.'
'Does your Mahneto speak to you?' asked the Indian girl. 'Could I hear
him speak?'
'He has spoken to our fathers long ages ago,’ replied Henrich; 'and we
have His words written in a book. Oh, that I had that blessed book with
me! How it would comfort me to read it now!'
'And you would read it to me, my brother? But tell me some of your
Mahneto's words; and tell me why you say He is greater and better than
the Good Spirit who protects the red men.'
'I will gladly tell you all I know of the God whom I have been taught
to love and worship ever since I was a little child. I wish I could
make you love Him too, Oriana, and teach you to pray to Him, and to
believe in His Son as your friend and Savior.'
'I will believe all you tell me, dear Henrich,' answered the ingenuous
girl; 'for I am sure you would never say the thing that is not.[*] But
what do you mean by a Savior? Is it some one who will save you from the
power of the evil spirit Hobbamock--the enemy of the red men?'
[Footnote: The Indian expression for speaking a falsehood.]
Then Henrich told her of Jesus the Merciful--Him who came to save a
world that was lost and ruined through sin; and to die for those who
deserve nothing but wrath and condemnation. Long the youthful teacher
and his attentive pupil conversed; and many and strange were the
questions that Oriana asked, and that Henrich was enabled, by the help
of the Spirit, to answer. The dark searching eyes of the intelligent
young Indian were fixed on his, and her glossy black hair was thrown
back over her shoulders, while she listened in wonder and admiration to
every word that fell from the lips of her' white brother.'
That evening, a new and awakening source of interest was opened to the
young captive, and the dreariness of his life seemed almost to have
passed away. The affection of Oriana had hitherto been his only solace
and comfort, and now the hope of repaying that affection by becoming
the humble means of leading her out of the darkness of heathenism, and
pointing out to her the way of eternal salvation, raised his spirits,
and almost reconciled him to his present banishment from home, and all
its cherished joys and comforts.
More deeply than ever did he now regret that he was deprived of all
access to the Word of Life, from which he might have read and
translated the story of mercy to his young disciple, and have taught
her the gracious promises of God. But Henrich had been well taught at
home; his truly pious parents had early stored his mind with numerous
passages of Scripture; and the effort he now made to recall to his
memory all the most interesting stories, and most striking texts, that
he had learnt from the Word of God, was the means of fixing them
indelibly on his own heart. He never in after life forgot what he now
taught to Oriana. The instruction was, as is generally the case, quite
as much blessed to the teacher as to the learner; and Henrich was
himself surprised to find how readily he could call to mind the very
passage he wanted; and how easily he could convey its import to Oriana
in her own melodious language.
Frequently were these interesting conversations renewed, and never
without Henrich's perceiving, with thankfulness, that Oriana was making
progress in spiritual knowledge, and also in quickness of understanding
and general intelligence; for it may truly be said, that no kind of
learning awakens the dormant powers of the intellect, or quickens the
growth of the mind so effectually, as the knowledge of the one true
God, who created the spirit, and of his Son who died to redeem it from
the ignominious and degrading bondage, of sin and Satan. Henrich had,
at first, imagined that it would be utterly impossible for him to find
an intelligent companion among the savage race into whose hands he bad
fallen and he had deeply felt that sense of loneliness which a
cultivated mind, however young, must experience in the society of those
whose ideas and feelings are altogether beneath its own, and who can in
no way sympathize with any of its hopes, and fears, and aspirations.
But now the well-informed English boy began to perceive that the
superiority of the white men over the dark aborigines of America might,
possibly, arise much more from difference of education, than from
difference of race and color. He remembered, also, how ardently he had
desired to share with the pious Brewster and Winslow, in their
projected plans for the conversion of the natives; and he hoped that,
young and comparatively ignorant as he knew himself to be, it might,
perhaps, please God to make him the instrument of bestowing spiritual
blessings on some, at least, of the heathen among whom he dwelt. He,
therefore, resolved to employ all 'his powers of argument and
persuasion to convince the mind, and touch the heart of the young
Squaw-Sachem; not only for the sake of her own immortal soul, but also
in the hope that her influence, if she became a sincere Christian,
might greatly tend to the conversion of her father and his tribe.
Since the night when Tisquantum had seen his young captive kneel in
prayer, and had questioned him as to the object of his worship, he had
never spoken to him on the subject of his religion; and, Henrich had
feared to address the stern old Chief, or to introduce a theme which,
though constantly present to his own mind, and the source of all his
consolation, would, probably, he rejected with scorn and contempt by
the Sachem.
The more the Christian boy became acquainted with the character of
Tisquantum, the stronger became this fear, and the more he despaired of
any influence proving sufficiently strong to break the chains of error
and superstition that bound him to heathenism. The Chief was a
distinguished Powow, or conjuror; and was regarded by his own people,
and even by many other tribes, as possessing great super natural
powers. His pretensions were great, and fully accredited by his
subjects, who believed that he could control the power of the
subordinate evil spirits, and even exercise a certain influence on
Hobbamock himself. He was called a Mahneto, or priest; as being the
servant or deputy of the Great Mahneto, and permitted by him to cure
diseases by a word or a charm, to bring down rain on the thirsty land,
and to foretell the issue of events, such as the results of wars or
negotiations. The influence which these acknowledged powers gave him
over other tribes besides his own was very gratifying to his pride and
ambition; and could Henrich hope that he, a young and inexperienced
boy, could have wisdom or eloquence sufficient to 'bring down the high
thoughts' that exalted him, and to persuade him to 'become a disciple
of the meek and lowly Jesus? No; he knew that such a hope was, humanly
speaking, vain: but he knew, also, that 'with God all things are
possible'; and he ceased not to pray that the Spirit of light and truth
might enter the soul of the heathen Chief, and banish the spirit of
evil that now reigned so triumphantly there.
Henrich's desire to see the Sachem become a Christian was increased in
the same measure that his hope of its accomplishment became less; for
the more intimately he became acquainted with him, the more he found in
his natural character that was interesting, and even estimable.
Tisquantum was brave; and he was also generous and sincere, far beyond
the generality of his race. We have said that the influence of his
wife, whom he had, loved to an unusual degree for an Indian, had tended
to soften his temper and disposition; and his regret for her loss, and
his anxiety that his only daughter should resemble her, had made him
more domestic in his habits than most of his brother chiefs. He was
kind, also, when not roused to harshness and cruelty by either revenge
or superstition; and he was capable of strong attachments where he had
once taken a prepossession in favor of any individual.
Such a prepossession he had formed for his English captive on the
evening when his child had pleaded for his life, and when his own
ingenuous and beautiful countenance had joined so eloquently in her
supplications. No insidious efforts of the wily Coubitant had availed
to change the Sachem's sentiments; and he continued to treat Henrich as
an adopted son, and to allow him all the privileges and indulgences
that had once been bestowed on his beloved Tekoa. The white boy was
permitted to enjoy full and unrestricted liberty, now that he was
beyond all possible reach of his countrymen. He was encouraged to hunt,
and sport, and practice all athletic games and exercises with the
Nausett and Pequodee youths; and he was presented with such of the arms
and ornaments of the lost Tekoa as were deemed suitable to his use, and
his unusually tall and muscular figure.
Often when adorned with these strange and curious specimens of Indian
art and ingenuity, did Haunch smile to think how Edith and Ludovico
would wonder and admire if they could see him thus attired: and then he
would sigh as he remembered that months and years must probably
elapse--and possibly even his life might come to an end--ere he could
hope to see their loved countenances, or to excite their surprise and
interest by a relation of all his perils and adventures. To Oriana,
alone, could he unburden his mind on such subjects; and from her he
always met with deep attention and heartfelt sympathy; but every day
she felt his presence to be more necessary to her happiness, and her
dread of his escaping to his own people to become greater. Not only did
she shrink from the idea of parting with her 'white brother '--her
newly-found and delightful friend and companion--but daily, as she grew
in the knowledge of Henrich's religion, and learnt to know and love the
Christian's God and Savior more sincerely, did she fear the possibility
of losing her zealous young teacher, and being deprived of all
intercourse with the only civilized and enlightened being whom she had
ever known.
She therefore rejoiced when the time arrived for leaving the Pequodee
village, and pursuing the intended route to the west; for in spite of
the distance and the many difficulties and obstacles that divided
Henrich from the British settlement, she had lived in continual fear
and expectation of either seeing a band of the mighty strangers come to
demand his restitution, or revenge his supposed death; or else of his
escaping from the camp, and braving every danger, in the attempt to
return to his happy Christian home. Henrich often assured her with
sincerity that he had no idea of venturing on so hopeless an attempt;
but whenever the Indian girl saw his eyes fixed sadly on the eastern
horizon, and dimmed, as they often were, by tears of sad remembrance,
she felt her fears again arise, and longed more earnestly to leave the
spot, and plunge into the trackless forest that lay between the
Pequodee encampment and she proposed hunting grounds.
The summer had passed away and autumn was beginning to tinge the varied
foliage of the forest with all its gaudy hues of yellow, and scarlet,
and purple, when the Nausetts, and such of their Pequodee friends as
desired to share in their hunting expedition, set forth from the
village. Many women and girls accompanied the caravan, the greater part
on foot, and bearing on their shoulders either the younger children, or
a large pack of baggage; while their husbands, and fathers, and
brothers, marched before them, encumbered only with their arms and
hunting accoutrements. Such was, and still is, the custom among the
uncivilized tribes of America, where women have ever been regarded as
being very little more exulted than the beasts that perish, and have
been accustomed to meet with scarcely more attention and respect. But
there are exceptions to this, as to every other rule; and where women
have possessed unusual strength of mind, or powers of influence, their
condition has been proportionately better. Such had been the ease with
Tisquantum's wife: and he had ever treated her with gentleness and
respect, and had never imposed on her any of those servile duties that
commonly fall to the lot of Indian squaws, even though they may be the
wives and daughters of the most exalted chiefs. To his daughter the
Sachem was equally considerate, and none but the lightest toils of
domestic Indian life were ever required from her; nor was any burden
more weighty than her own bow and quiver ever laid upon her slender and
graceful shoulders, when she followed her father in his frequent
wanderings.
On the present occasion, as the journey promised to be unusually long
and uninterrupted, Tisquantum obtained for her a small and active horse
of the wild breed, that abounds in the western woods and plains; and of
which valuable animals the Pequodees possessed a moderate number, which
they had procured by barter from the neighboring Cree Indians. The
purchase of this steed gave Henrich the first opportunity of remarking
the Indian mode of buying and selling, and the article that formed
their medium of commerce, and was employed as money. This consisted of
square and highly-polished pieces of a peculiar kind of a peculiar
muscle-shell, called quahock, in each of which a hole was bored, to
enable it to be strung on a slender cord. The general name for this
native money was wampum, or white, from the color of those shells most
esteemed; but a dark-colored species was called luki, or black; and
both were used, of various forms and sizes, as ornaments by the
warriors, and their copper-colored wives and children.
Several strings of wampum, both white and purple, were silently offered
by the Sachem for the horse which he selected as most suitable for his
daughter's use, and, after a pause, were as silently rejected by the
possessor. Another pause ensued; and Tisquantum added a fresh string of
the precious shell to the small heap that lay before him; and the same
scene was repeated, until the owner of the horse was satisfied, when he
placed the halter in the hands of the purchaser, gathered up his
treasure, and, with a look of mournful affection at the faithful
creature whom he was resigning to the power of another master, hurried
away to his wigwam.
The next day the march began; and proud and happy was Oriana as she
closely followed her father's steps, mounted on her new palfrey, and
led by her adopted brother; while by her side bounded a favorite young
dog, of the celebrated breed now called Newfoundland, which had been
given to her brother as a puppy just before his melancholy death, and
had been her only playfellow and loved companion, until Henrich had
arrived to rival the faithful creature in her affections. At his
request, the dog received the name of Rodolph, in memory of his father;
and Henrich was never tired of caressing him, and teaching him to fetch
and carry, and to plunge into his favorite element, and bring from the
foamy torrent, or the placid lake, any object which he directed him to
seize. He was a noble fellow, and returned the care and kindness of
his new friend with all the ardor and faithfulness of his nature. It
was his duty to accompany Henrich in all his expeditions in pursuit of
game, and to bring to his feet every bird, or small animal, that his
increasing skill in archery enabled him to pierce with his light and
bone-pointed arrows.
During his residence in the Pequodee village, he had generally gone on
such expeditions in company with several other men and boys; and Oriana
had, consequently, enjoyed little opportunity of perceiving how much he
had improved in dexterity since he had made his first trial before his
captors. But now, as they traversed the woods together, he frequently
aimed, at her desire, at some brilliant bird, or bounding squirrel; and
the young maiden exulted at his success, and at the sagacity and
obedience of Rodolph in bringing her the game.
The constant occupation, and the change of scene that Henrich enjoyed
during this journey, tended greatly to raise his spirits, and even to
reconcile him to his new mode of life. He did not forget his friends
and his home--he did not even cease to think of them with the same
regret and affection; but it was with softened feelings, and with a
settled hope of eventually returning to them after a certain period of
wandering and adventure. The kind of life which he had often longed to
try was now his lot, and he enjoyed it under, peculiarly favorable
circumstances; for he partook of its wildness and excitement, without
enduring any of its hardships. No wonder, then, that a high-spirited
and active-minded youth of Henrich's age, should often forget that his
wanderings were compulsory; and should feel cheerful, and even
exhilarated, as he roamed through the boundless primeval forests, or
crossed the summits of the ranges of lofty hills that occasionally
lifted their barren crags above the otherwise unbroken sea of foliage.
Pitching the camp for the night was always a season of excitement and
pleasure to the young traveler, and his lively companion, Oriana. The
selection of an open glade, and the procuring wood and water, and
erecting temporary huts, were all delightful from their novelty. And,
then, when all was done, and fires were kindled, and the frugal evening
meal was finished, it was pleasant to sit with Oriana beneath the lofty
trees, whose smooth straight trunks rose like stately columns, and to
watch the glancing beams of the setting sun as they shone on the varied
foliage now tinted with all the hues of autumn, and listen to the
sighing of the evening breeze, that made solemn music while it swept
through the forest. These were happy and tranquil hours; for then
Henrich would resume the interesting topics to which his dusky pupil
was never weary of listening. He would tell her--but no longer with
tears--of his home, and all its occupations and joys; he would repeat
the holy instructions that he had himself received; and, when far
removed from the observation of other eyes and ears, he would teach her
to kneel by his side, as Edith used to do, and to join him in
supplications to 'the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity'; but
who yet listens to the humblest prayers that are addressed to Him in
sincerity, and hears every petition that is offered up in the name of
His beloved Son.
The heart of Oriana was touched; and with a beautiful child-like
simplicity, she received all the blessed truths that her 'white
brother' taught her. Her affections were strongly drawn towards the
character of Jesus the Merciful, as she always called the Savior; and
she became sensitively alive to the guilt of every sin, as showing
ingratitude to the Benefactor who had laid down His life for His
creatures. Oriana was, in fact, a Christian--a young and a weak one, it
is true: but she possessed that faith which alone can constitute any one
'a branch in the true vine’; and Henrich now felt that lie had found a
sister indeed.
As the young Indian grew in grace, she grew also in sweetness of manner
and refinement of taste and behavior. She was no longer a savage,
either in mind or in conduct; and Henrich often looked at her in wonder
and admiration, when she had made her simple toilette by the side of a
clear stream, and had decked her glossy raven hair with one of the
magnificent water lilies that be had gathered for her on its brink: and
he wished that his mother and his fair young sister could behold his
little Indian beauty, for he knew that they would love her, and would
forget that she had a dusky skin, and was born of a savage and heathen
race.