‘Hither and thither; hither and thither!
Madly they fly!
Whither, O, whither! Whither, O, whither? -
'Tis but to die!
Fire is behind them: fire is, around them:
Black is the sky?
Horror pursues them; anguish has found them:
Destruction is nigh!
And where is refuge? where is safety now?
Father of mercy! None can Save but Thou?' ANON.
'What is that distant cloud, Henrich?' inquired Oriana, as they rode by
Tisquantum's side on the evening of the day of their journey towards the
Missouri. 'It seems like the smoke of an encampment, as I see it over
the tall waving grass: but it must be too near to be the camp of our
people; unless, indeed, they have tarried there, waiting the arrival of
Coubitant, who never will rejoin them more.'
'I see the cloud you speak of, Oriana; and I have been watching it with
some anxiety for several minutes. It cannot be what you suggest, for
you know your father received a message from the trusty Salon--next in
command to Coubitant--to tell him that their leader not having joined
the party as he promised, a search had been made, and his mangled body
found at the foot of the rock, where, it was supposed, he must have
fallen in attempting the sleep descent. Salon's messenger further
stated that, having buried the corpse where it lay, he had led the
people on, and should pursue the path pointed out by Coubitant, and
hasten to prepare the necessary huts for our reception. I dispatched
the messenger again with further directions to Salon; and ere this, no
doubt, the encampment is formed on the shores of the great river to
which we are journeying. 'Father,' he added, as he turned towards
Tisquantum, ‘your eye is dim, but your sagacity is as keen as ever.
Can you discern that rising smoke, and tell us its cause?'
The aged Sachem had been riding silently and abstractedly along. The
tall dry grass--now ripe, and shedding its seeds on every side--rose
frequently above his head; for he was mounted on a low strong horse,
and he had not observed the cloud that had attracted the attention of
the younger travelers. He now paused, and looked earnestly to the
south, in which direction the smoke appeared right before the advancing
party, and from whence a strong and sultry wind was blowing. As the
prairie grass rose and fell in undulating waves, the old man obtained a
distinct view of the smoke, which now seemed to have spread
considerably to the right and left, and also to be approaching towards
the travelers.
The narrow, zigzag track of the deer and the buffaloes was the only
beaten path through the prairie; and this could only be traveled by two
or three horsemen abreast. The old Sachem, and Henrich, and Oriana, led
the party; and Jyanough, and Mailah, and young Lincoya, all well
mounted, rode immediately in the rear. The attendants of the two
families, and a few experienced warriors, some on foot and some on
horseback, followed in the winding path.
On the halt of the foremost rank, the rest rode up, and were
immediately made aware of the ominous signs which hitherto they had not
noticed. Instantly terror was depicted in every countenance; and the
deep low voice of Tisquantum sank into every heart, as he exclaimed,
'The prairie is on fire!'
'Turn!' cried Henrich, 'and fly! Let each horseman take one of those on
foot behind, and fly for your lives. Cast the baggage on the ground--
stay for nothing, but our people's lives.'
He was obeyed: men and women were all mounted; and Henrich snatched his
boy from the arms of the woman who carried him, and, giving the child
to Oriana, took up the terrified attendant on his own powerful steed.
The wind rose higher: and now the roar of the pursuing flames came
fearfully on the fugitives, growing louder and louder, while volumes of
dense smoke were driven over their heads, and darkened the sky that had
so lately shone in all its summer brightness.
Headlong the party dashed along the winding path, and sometimes the
terrified horses leaped into the tall grass, seeking a straighter
course, or eager to pass by those who had fled before them. But this
was a vain attempt. The wild pea-vines, and other creeping plants that
stretched among the grass, offered such impediments to rapid flight, as
forced them again into the path.
And now the wild inhabitants of the broad savanna came rushing on, and
joined the furious flight, adding difficulty and confusion to the
horror of the scene. Buffaloes, elks, and antelopes, tore madly through
the grass, jostling the horses and their riders, and leaving them far
in the rear. The screaming eagle rode high above among the clouds of
smoke, and many smaller birds fell suffocated to the ground; while all
the insect tribe took wing, and everything that had life strove to
escape the dread pursuer.
It was a desperate race! The strength of the fugitives began to fail,
and no refuge, no hope, seemed near. Alas! to some the race was lost.
The blinding effect of the dense smoke that filled the atmosphere, the
suffocating smell of the burning mass of vegetable matter, and the
lurid glare of the red flames that came on so rapidly, overpowered
alike the horses and their riders: while the roaring of the fire--which
sounded like a mighty rushing cataract--and the oppressive heat, seemed
to confuse the senses, and destroy the vital powers of the more feeble
and ill-mounted of the fugitives. Several of the horses fell, and
their devoted riders sank to the ground, unable any longer to sustain
the effort for life; and Henrich had the agony of passing by the
wretched victims, and leaving them to their fate, for he knew that he
had no power to save them.
Many miles were traversed--and still the unbroken level of the prairie
spread out before them--and still the roaring and destructive flames
came borne on the mighty winds behind them. A few scattered trees were
the only objects that broke the monotony of the plains; and the hills,
at the foot of which they had traveled that morning, and where alone
they could lock for safety, were still at a great distance. At length,
the aged Tisquantum's powers of endurance began to give way. The reins
almost fell from his hands; and, in trembling accents, he declared his
total inability to proceed any further.
Leave me, my children!' he exclaimed, 'to perish here; for my strength
is gone; and what matters it where the old Tisquantum breathes his
last. Mahneto is here, even in this awful hour, to receive my spirit;
and I shall but lose a few short months or years of age and infirmity.'
'Never, my father!' cried H enrich, as he caught the reins of the
Sachem's horse; and while he still urged his own overloaded steed to
fresh exertions, endeavored also to support the failing form of his
father-in-law. 'Never will we leave you to die alone in this fiery
desert. Hold on, my father! hold on yet a little longer till we gain
the defile, where the flames cannot follow as, and all will yet be
well!'
'I cannot, my son!' replied the old man. 'Farewell, my dear, my noble
boy!--farewell, my Oriana!’ And his head sank down upon the neck of his
horse.
He would have fallen to the ground but for Henrich, who now checked the
panting steeds, and sprang down to his feet in time to receive him in
his arms.
Fly, Oriana!' he exclaimed, as his wife also drew the bridle of her
foaming horse by his side. 'Fly, Oriana, my beloved! save your own
life, and that of our child! If possible, I will preserve your father--
but if not, farewell! and God be with you!'
One moment Oriana urged her horse again to its swiftest pace, as if in
obedience to her husband's command--the next, she was at Mailah's side,
holding her infant in one arm, white with the other she guided and
controlled the terrified animal on which she rode.
'Here, Mailah!' she cried--and she clasped the child to her breast, and
imprinted one passionate kiss on its cheek--' Take my Ludovico, and
save his life, and I will return to my husband and father. If we follow
you, well. If not, be a mother to my child, and may the blessing of God
be on you!'
She almost flung the infant into the extended arms of Mailah; and then,
having with difficulty turned her horse, and forced him to retrace his
steps, she again rejoined those with whom she was resolved to live or
die.
One glance of affectionate reproach she met from her Henrich's eyes:
but he did not speak. With the assistance of Ludovico's nurse, who rode
behind him, he had just lifted Tisquantum to his own saddle, and was
preparing to mount himself, and endeavor to support the unconscious old
man, and again commence the race far life or death. But it seemed a
hopeless attempt--so utterly helpless was the Sachem, and so unable to
retain his seat. Quick as thought Oriana unbound her long twisted
girdle of many colors; and, flinging it to Henrich, desired him to bind
the failing form of her father to his own. He did so: and the nurse
having mounted behind Oriana, again the now furious steeds started
forward. All these actions had taken less time to perform than they
have to relate; but yet the pursuing flames had gained much way, and
the flight became more desperate, and more hazardous. Again the
prostrate forms of horses and their riders met the eyes of Henrich and
Oriana; but in the thickness of the air, and the wild speed at which
they were compelled to pass, it was impossible to distinguish who were
the unhappy victims.
'Heaven be praised!' at length Henrich exclaimed--and they were the
first words he had uttered since the flight had been resumed--' Heaven
be praised! I see the rocks dimly through the clouds of smoke. Yet a
few moments, and we shall be safe. Already the grass around us is
shorter and thinner: we are leaving the savanna, and shall soon reach
the barren defile, where the flames will find no fuel'
The horses seemed to know that safety was near at hand, for they
bounded forward with fresh vigor, and quickly joined the group of
breathless fugitives, who, having reached the extremity of the prairie,
had paused to rest from their desperate exertions, and to look out for
those of their companions who were missing, but who they hoped would
soon overtake them.
Oriana snatched her now smiling boy from Mailah's arms, and embraced
him with a fervency and emotion that showed how little she had hoped to
see his face again. But her own happy and grateful feelings were
painfully interrupted by her friend's exclamation of agony--
'Where is my Lincoya?' she cried. 'Did he not follow with you? I saw
him close to me when I paused to take your child: and he is not here!
O, my Lincoya! my brave, my beautiful boy! Have you perished in the
flames, with none to help you?' And she broke forth into cries and
lamentations that wrung the heart of Oriana.
She could give her no tidings of the lost youth, for she knew not whose
fainting forms she had passed in the narrow shrouded path; and it was
utterly impossible now to go and seek him, for the flames had followed
hard upon their flight, and were still raging over the mass of dry
herbage, and consuming even the scattered tufts that grew among the
stones at the entrance to the ravine. So intense was the heat of the
glowing surface, even after the blaze had died away, that it would not
be practicable to pass over it for many hours; and the party, who had
reached a place of safety, were compelled to make arrangements for
passing the night where they were, not only that they might be ready to
seek the remains of their lost friends the next morning, but also
because their own weary limbs, and those of their trembling horses,
refused to carry them any further. All the provisions and other
baggage, which they had carried for their journey, had been abandoned
in the flight, end had become a rapid prey to the devouring flames. But
several of the scorched and affrighted prairie fowls, and a few hares--
exhausted with their long race--were easily secured by the young
hunters, end afforded a supper to the weary company.
The horses were then turned loose to find fodder for themselves, and to
drink at the little brook that still trickled among the rocks; and
large fires having been lighted to scare the wild beasts that, like our
travelers, had been driven for refuge to the ravine, all lay down to
sleep, thankful to the deities in whom they respectively trusted, for
their preservation in such imminent peril.
Fervent were the prayers and praises that were offered up that night by
the little band of Christians, among whom Henrich always officiated as
minister: and even the distressed spirit of Mailah was comforted and
calmed as she joined in his words of thanksgiving, and in his heartfelt
petitions that the lost Lincoya might yet be restored to his parents;
or that, if his spirit had already passed away from earth, it might
have been purified by faith, and received into the presence of its God
and Savior.
Mailah was tranquilized; but her grief and anxiety were not removed:
and she passed that sad night in sleepless reflection on the dreadful
fate of her only child, and in sincere endeavors so to realize and
apply all the blessed truths she had learnt from Henrich, as to derive
from them that comfort to her own soul, and that perfect resignation to
the will of God, that she well knew they were designed to afford to the
Christian believer. And that night of watchfulness did not pass
unprofitably to Mailah's spirit.
But where was Lincoya? Where was the youth whose mother mourned him as
dead? He was safe amid the top most boughs of a lonely tree, that now
stood scorched and leafless in the midst of the smoldering plain,
several miles from the safe retreat that had been gained by his
friends.
The horse on which he rode that day, though fleet and active, was
young, and uninured to long continued and violent exertion; and, at
length, its foot getting entangled in some creeping plant that had
grown across the pathway, it had fallen violently to the ground, and
thrown its young rider among the prairie-grass, where he lay, stunned,
and unable to rise, until all his companions had passed by. Then he
regained the path, and attempted to raise the exhausted creature from
the earth: but all in vain. Its trembling limbs were unable to support
it; and Lincoya saw that he could no longer look to his favorite steed
for the safety of his own life, and must abandon it to perish in the
flames.
But the boy was an Indian, and accustomed to Indian difficulties and
Indian expedients. He glanced rapidly around for some means of
preservation; and, seeing a tree of some magnitude, and at no great
distance, he resolved to try to reach it ere the coming fire had seized
on the surrounding herbage, and seek for a refuge in its summit. With
much difficulty, he forced his way through the tall rank grass that
waved above his head, and the wild vines that were entangled with it in
every direction; and he reached the foot of the tree just as the flames
were beginning to scorch its outmost branches. He sprang upward; and,
climbing with the agility of a squirrel, he was soon in the highest
fork of the tree, and enabled to look down in security on the
devastating fire beneath him. All around was one wide sea of ruddy
flames, that shot up in forked and waving tongues high amid the heavy
clouds of smoke. Happily for Lincoya, the herbage beneath his tree of
refuge grew thin and scanty, and did not afford much food for the
devouring elements; otherwise it must have consumed his retreat, and
suffocated him even in its topmost boughs. As it was, the lower
branches only were destroyed, and the boy was able to endure the heat
and smoke until the roaring flames had passed beneath him, and he
watched them driving onward in the wake of his flying friends.
To follow his companions that night was hopeless, for how could he
traverse that red-hot plain? He, therefore, settled himself firmly
among the sheltering branches, to one of which he bound himself with
his belt of deer skin, and prepared to pass the night in that position,
as he had passed many similar ones when he had been out on hunting
expeditions with his father-in-law Jyanough.
Long he gazed on the strange aspect of the wide savanna, as it glowed
in the darkness of night, with a lurid and fearful glare, that only
made the gloom more visible. But weariness and exhaustion at length
overcame him, and he fell asleep, and did not awake until the sun was
high in the heavens. The prospect around him was changed, but the plain
looked even more dreary and desolate than it appeared while the fire
was at work on its clothing of grass. Now all was laid low, and smoking
ashes alone covered the nakedness of the savanna. Lincoya gazed
earnestly in every direction, that he might make sure of the route he
must follow in order to rejoin his friends; and his attention was
attracted by the figures of two men approaching towards the tree in
which he sat, and apparently engage d in earnest conversation. For a
moment his hopes led him to believe that they were Jyanough and
Henrich, who had returned, probably, in search of him; and he was about
to hail them with a loud and joyful cry. But the caution so early
instilled into the mind of an Indian restrained him: and well it was
for him that he had not thus given vent to his feelings. The men drew
nearer, and he saw, to his amazement, that they were Coubitant--he
whose death and burial had been so confidently reported, and Salon--the
trusty Salon--to whom the conduct of the tribe had been deputed after
the supposed death of the appointed leader.
They came beneath the tree; and, seating themselves at its foot,
proceeded to refresh themselves with food and water, that looked
tempting to the eyes of the fasting and parched Lincoya, as he gazed
noiselessly and attentively at their proceedings, and listened to their
discourse.
'At last I have been successful, Salon,' said Coubitant to his
companion. 'At last I may rejoice in the destruction of those I hate
with so bitter a hatred. Those burnt and broken weapons were Henrich's,
end this ornament belonged to Oriana.' As he said this he displayed in
his hand a girdle clasp, that Lincoya recognized as having been worn by
the Squaw-Sachem on the previous day. It had fallen to the ground when
she gave the girdle to Henrich: and many of his personal accoutrements
had also been cast there, unheeded, in his anxiety to save Tisquantum.
'I would I could have been more sure of all the bodies that lay just
beyond,' continued the savage; 'but I think I could not be mistaken in
those I most wished to find, burnt and disfigured as they were. And
the horses, too, were surely those they rode; for I knew the fragments
of Tisquantum's trappings, and recognized the form of Lincoya's pony.
Yes! they are all destroyed; I know it, and I exult in it! Now, who
shall prevent my being Sachem of the tribe, and leading my warriors to
the destruction of the detested white invaders of our land?
'Truly,' replied Salon, 'your last scheme has succeeded better than any
of the others you have tried; and I now gladly hail you as Sachem of
our tribe. I have made sure of the fidelity of many of our bravest
warriors; and when those who would have taken the white man's part, and
followed him in obedience to Tisquantum's wishes, find that he is dead,
they will readily take you for their leader, as the bravest of our
tribe, and the most determined foe of the pale-faces. But it is
possible that Henrich has even yet escaped us. The bodies that lie
scorched on the ashes are fewer than the number that were to follow us.
We must, therefore, take measures to seize and destroy those who yet
live, if they are likely to disturb our scheme. Of course, they will
again set out on the same track, as being that which will most quickly
bring them where food and water are to be found. We have only to lie in
wait at the other side of the savanna, where the narrow mountain pass
leads to the river, and our arrows and spears will be sufficient to
silence every tongue that could speak against your claims.’
'You are right, nay faithful Salon,' answered Coubitant, with a sign of
warns approbation of the forethought of his accomplice. 'Let us lose no
time in crossing the plain; for, doubtless, the survivors of this
glorious fire will be early on their march, and it would not do for
them to overtake us in the midst of the ruin we have wrought. We will
set all inquiries to rest, and then we will report to our tribe that
the dreadful conflagration has deprived them of both their Chiefs, and
that it rests with themselves to choose another. O, Salon! my soul
burns to lead them to Paomet, that stronghold of our country's foes!'
The murderers arose, and took their way directly across the prairie:
for all the rank herbage being now reduced to ashes, they were no
longer obliged to follow the winding course of the buffalo track. They
proceeded at a rapid pace; but it was some time ere Lincoya ventured to
descend from his hiding-place, as he feared being observed on the level
plain, if either of those ruthless villains should east a glance behind
them. At length their retreating forms appeared to him like specks in
the distance; and he came down from his watch-tower, and fled as fast
as his active young limbs could carry him, towards the spot where he
hoped to rejoin his friends. He had not very long continued his flight,
when he perceived several persons on horseback approaching towards him;
and soon he found himself in the arms of his joyful mother, and was
affectionately greeted by Jyanough and Henrich, who, with several
others, had come out to look if any of their missing companions were
still within reach of human aid.
All but Lincoya had perished! The fire and the smoke had not only
destroyed their lives, but had so blackened and disfigured them that it
was impossible to identify a single individual. A grave was dug in the
yet warm earth; and all the victims were buried sufficiently deep to
preserve their remains from the ravages of wild beasts; and then the
party returned in all haste to those who anxiously awaited them at
their place of refuge.
On the way, Lincoya related to his father-in-law and Henrich the whole
of the conversation which he had heard between Coubitant and Salon,
while he was in his safe retreat; and their surprise at finding that
the former had survived his desperate fall from the brow of the
precipice, and still lived to plan and work out schemes of cruelty and
malice, was only equaled by their indignation at thus discovering the
treachery and deceit of Salon. They had hitherto put the most entire
confidence in the fidelity of this man: and if they had still
entertained any doubts or suspicions as to the honesty of Coubitant's
intentions, they had relied on Salon to discover his plans, and prevent
any mischief being accomplished.
The whole story was told to Tisquantum; and his counsel was asked as to
the best mode of now counteracting the further schemes of the traitors,
and escaping the snare which they found was yet to be laid for their
destruction. It would be impossible for them to reach the camp on the
banks of the Missouri, by the path which Coubitant had pointed out,
without passing through the defile where the villain and his
confederate now proposed to lie in wait for them, and where, in spite
of their superior numbers, many of their party would probably be
wounded by the arrows and darts of their hidden foes, without having
any opportunity of defending themselves. That route was therefore
abandoned. But the old Sachem remembered having traversed this part of
the continent many years ago, and he knew of a track to the west, by
which the mountains that skirted the course of the Missouri might be
avoided, and the rivers reached at a considerable distance above the
place at which the encampment was appointed to be formed. This road
was, indeed, much longer than that across the prairie, and would occupy
several days to traverse; so that it was doubtful whether Coubitant
would wait so long in his lurking-place, or whether he would conclude
that the Chiefs were dead, and return to take the command of the tribe.
Nevertheless, no other course was open; and, with as little delay as
possible, the journey was commenced. A scanty supply of food was
obtained by the bows and arrows of the hunters, and water was
occasionally met with in the small rivulets that flowed from the hills,
and wandered on until they eventually lost themselves in the broad
Missouri.
Inured to privations and to toilsome journeys, the Indian party heeded
them not, but cheerfully proceeded on their way until, at length, they
beheld the wigwams of their tribe standing on a green meadow near the
river's side. They hastened on, and were received with joyful
acclamations by the inhabitants, who had almost despaired of ever seeing
them again. The conflagration of the prairie was known to them; but
almost all of them were ignorant of the true cause of the awful
calamity, and attributed it entirely to accident. Nor were any
suspicions aroused in their minds by the conduct of Coubitant and Salon,
who had pretended the greatest alarm and anxiety for the fate of the
Chiefs and their party, and had set out as soon as it was possible to
traverse the savanna, in the hope, as they declared, of rendering
assistance to any of the Sachem's company who might have survived the
catastrophe.
Much to the relief of all the party, they found that neither Coubitant
nor his accomplice had yet returned to the camp; and their prolonged
absence was becoming a source of uneasiness to the rest of the tribe,
who were preparing to send out a party of men to search for them, the
very day that Henrich led his detachment into the village.
It was agreed by the Sachems and Jyanough, that they would not
communicate to the rest of their people all they had discovered of the
treachery of Coubitant and Salon; as they knew not yet how many of the
warriors might have been induced to join in the conspiracy, and connive
at their crimes. They, therefore, accounted for having traveled by so
circuitous a route, on the plea of their inability to cross the prairie
without any supply of either provisions or water; and they commanded
the party who were about to search for Coubitant and. Salon, to set out
immediately, and to use every possible exertion to find them, and bring
them in safety to the camp. They could have told their messengers
exactly where the villains were to be found; but that would have
betrayed a greater knowledge of their movements than it would have been
prudent to disclose; and they only directed the men to shout aloud
every now and then, as they traversed the mountain passes, that the
lost travelers might know of their approach; and also to carry with
them a supply of food sufficient to last several days.
The messengers departed: and then Jyanough set himself to work, with
all an Indian's sagacity, to find out the extent to which the
conspiracy had been carried among the warriors of the tribe. He
succeeded in convicting four men of the design to elevate Coubitant to
the chieftainship, and of a knowledge and participation in his last
desperate scheme for the destruction of the Sachem and all his family.
Summary justice was, therefore, executed on the culprits, who scorned
to deny their crimes when once they were charged with them; and
submitted to the sentence of their Chief with a fortitude that almost
seemed to expiate their offence. The most daring of the four openly
exulted in his rebellious projects, and boasted of his long-concealed
hatred towards the pale-faced stranger, who presumed to exercise
authority over the free red men; and Tisquantum deemed it politic to
inflict on him a capital punishment. He was, therefore, directed to
kneel down before him, which he did with the greatest composure; and
the aged Chief then drew his long sharp knife, and, with a steady hand
and unflinching eye, plunged it into the heart of the criminal. He
expired without a groan or a struggle; and then the other three
wretches were led up together, and placed in the same humble posture
before the offended Sachem. At Henrich's request, the capital sentence
was remitted; but one of agony and shame was inflicted in its stead--
one that is commonly reserved for the punishment of repeated cases of
theft. The Sachem's knife again was lifted, and, with a dexterous
movement of his hand, he slit the noses of each of the culprits from
top to bottom, and dismissed them, to carry for life the marks of their
disgrace. No cry was uttered by any one of the victims, nor the
slightest resistance offered to their venerable judge and executioner;
for such cowardice would, in the estimation of the Indians, have been
far more contemptible than the crime of which they had been convicted.
Silently they withdrew; nor did they, even by the expression of their
countenances, seem to question the justice of their chastisement.
The next step to be pursued, was to prepare for securing Coubitant and
Salon the moment they should make their appearance in the camp, and
before they could be made aware of the discovery at their treason. For
this purpose, very effectual steps were taken; and Jyanough--the
faithful and energetic Jyanough--took the command of the band of trusty
warriors who were appointed to seize the leaders of the conspiracy, and
to bring them into the presence of the Chiefs.
That evening, soon after sunset, the searching party returned; and, no
sooner did Jyanough perceive, from the spot where he had posted his men
among the rocks and bushes that commanded the pathway, that Coubitant
and his fellow-criminal were with them, than he gave the concerted
signal, and rushed upon them. In an instant, they were seized by the
arms, and dragged forcibly forward to the village. They asked no
questions of their captors--for conscience told them that their sin had
found them out, and that they were about to expiate their crimes by a
death, probably both lingering and agonizing.
Doggedly they walked on, and were led to the spot where Tisquantum and
his son-in-law awaited their arrival. This was beneath a spreading tree
that grew near the banks of the river, which in that part were rather
high and precipitous. The shades of evening were deepening; and the
dark visage of Coubitant looked darker than ever, while the lurid light
of his deep-set eyes seemed to glow with even unwonted luster from
beneath his shaggy and overhanging brows.
The greatest part of the tribe were gathered together in that place,
and stood silently around to view the criminals, and to witness their
expected fate; for now all were acquainted with their guilt and all who
were assembled here were indignant at their treachery against their
venerable and beloved Sachem, and their scarcely less respected white
Chieftain.
The voice of Tisquantum broke the ominous silence.
‘Coubitant,’ he solemnly began, 'you have deceived your Chief. You have
spoken to him words of peace, when death was in your heart. Is it not
so?’
'I would be Chief myself,' replied the savage, in a deep, undaunted
voice. 'I was taught to believe that I should succeed you; and a pale-
faced stranger has taken my place. I have lived but to obtain
vengeance--vengeance that you, Tisquantum, who were bound to wreak it
on the slayer of your son, refused to take. A mighty vengeance was in
my soul; and to possess it, I would have sacrificed the whole tribe.
Now do to me as I would have done to Henrich.' And he glared on his
hated rival with the eye of a beast of prey. Tisquantum regarded him
calmly, and gravely continued his examination.
'And you have also drawn some of my people into rebel lion, and
persuaded them to consent to the murder of their Chief. One of them has
already shed his life-blood in punishment of his sin; and the rest will
bear the marks of shame to their graves. All this is your work.'
'If more of your people had the courage to join me in resisting the
pretensions of the proud stranger, you and Henrich would now have been
lying dead at my feet. You would never again have been obeyed as
Sachems by the Nausetts. But they loved their slavery--and let them
keep it. My soul is free. You may send it forth in agony, if you will:
for I am in your power, and I ask no mercy from those to whom I would
have shown none. Do your worst. Coubitant's heart is strong; and I
shall soon be with the spirits of my fathers, where no white men can
enter.
The wrath of Tisquantum was stirred by the taunts and the bold defiance
of his prisoner; and he resolved to execute on him a sentence that
should strike terror into any others of the tribe who might have
harbored thoughts of rebellion.
‘The death that you intended should be my portion, and that of all my
family, shall be your own!' he exclaimed. The torments of fire shall
put a stop to your boasting. My children,' he added--turning to the
warriors who stood around him--' I call on you to do justice on this
villain. Form a pile of wood here on the river's brink; end when his
body is consumed, his ashes shall he cast on the stream, and go to
tell, in other lands, how Tisquantum punishes treachery.'
A smile of scorn curled the lip of Coubitant, but he spoke not; and no
quivering feature betrayed any inward fear of the approaching agony.
‘Hear me yet, Coubitant,' resumed the old Chieftain; and, as he spoke,
the strokes of his warriors' hatchets among the neighboring trees fell
on the victim's ear, but did not seem to move him. 'Hear me yet, and
answer me. Was it by your arts that Salon's soul was turned away from
his lawful Chief, and filled with thoughts of murder? Was he true to me
and mine until you returned to put evil thoughts into his heart? or had
pride and jealousy already crept in there, which you have only
fostered?'
'Salon hugged his chains till I showed him that they were unworthy of a
true-born Indian. The smooth tongue of the pale-face had beguiled him,
till I told him that it would lead him to ruin and subjection. Yes: I
taught Salon to long for freedom for himself, and freedom for his race.
And now he will die for it, as a red man ought to die. Let the same
pile consume us both!'
'No!' interrupted Henrich, eagerly. 'His guilt is far less than yours,
and mercy may be extended to him. By every law of God and man your
life, Coubitant, is forfeited; and justice requires that you should
die. But I would desire your death to be speedy, and I would spare you
all needless agony. My father,' he continued, addressing Tisquantum,
'let my request be heard in favor of Salon, that he may live to become
our trusty friend again; and since Coubitant must die, let it be by the
quick stroke of the knife, and not in the lingering horrors of the
stake.'
'Cease to urge me, my son,' replied the Chief, in a tone of firm
determination, that forbad all hope of success. 'I have said that
Coubitant shall die the death he intended for us; and his funeral pile
shall light up this spot ere I retire to my lodge. Salon, also, shall
die: but, as he was deceived by the greater villain, he shall die a
warriors death.'
The Sachem rose from his seat, and took a spear that leaned against the
trunk of the tree beside him.
'Now meet the stroke like a man!' he cried; and gathering his somewhat
failing strength, he bore with all his force against the naked breast
of Salon. The life-blood gushed forth, and he fell a corpse upon the
earth.
'Now drive in the stake, and heap the pile!' exclaimed the aged
Chieftain in a clear, loud voice of command, as he withdrew the bloody
lance, and waved it high above his head. He was excited by the scene he
was enacting, and the feelings of his race were aroused within him with
a violence that had been long unknown to him. He felt the joy that
savage natures feel in revenging themselves on their foes; and he
forgot the influence that Henrich's example and precepts of forbearance
had so lung exerted over his conduct, though they had not yet succeeded
in changing his heart.
'Heap the pile high!' he cried; 'and let the flames bring back the
light of day, and show me the death struggles of him who would have
slain me, and all I love on earth. Drag the wretch forward, and bind
him strongly. The searching flames may yet have power to conquer his
calm indifference.'
The lighted brand was ready, and the victim was led to the foot of the
pile. A rope was passed around his arms, and the noose was about to be
drawn tight, when, quick as lightning, the devoted victim saw that
there was yet one chance for life. The river was rolling beneath his
feet. Could he but reach it! His arms were snatched from those who held
them with a sudden violence, for which they were unprepared; and, with
one desperate bound, the prisoner gained the steep bank of the broad
dark stream. Another moment, and a heavy plash was heard in the waters.
Darkness was gathering around the scene; and those who looked into the
river could distinguish no human form on its surface.
'Fire the pile!' cried Tisquantum; and the flames burst up from the dry
crackling wood, and threw a broad sheet of light on the dark stream
below.
'He is there!' again shouted the infuriated Chieftain. 'I see the white
foam that his rapid strokes leave behind him. Send your arrows after
him, my brave warriors, and suffer him not to escape. Ha! will Mahneto
let him thus avoid my vengeance?'
The bow-strings twanged, and the arrows flew over the water. Where did
they fall? Not on Coubitant's struggling form; for he had heard the
Sachem's command, and had dived deeply beneath the surface of the
water, and changed his course down the stream. When he rose again, it
was in a part of the river that the flames did not illuminate; and
those who sought his life saw him no more.
'Surely he was wounded, and has sunk, never to rise again!' exclaimed
Henrich. 'His doom has followed him!'
'Mahneto be praised!' cried Tisquantum; 'but I would I had seen him
writhing in those flames!' And he turned and left the spot.
Coubitant gained the western shore of the river; and he smiled a
strange and ominous smile, as he looked across the waters, and saw the
forms of his enemies by the light of that fire which had been intended
to consume his quivering flesh, and dismiss from earth his undaunted
and cruel spirit.
'I will have vengeance yet!' ha muttered: and then he turned his steps
towards the south, and paused not until he had traveled many miles down
the river, when he lay down on its margin, and slept as soundly as if
no guilt lay on his soul.