We were soon in the bottom of the valley, where we followed a plain
track that led along the banks of the rivulet. We knew that that would
direct us up to the lake, where we should get a view of the house. We
were astonished at the great variety of trees which we saw in the woods;
but there appeared to be almost as great a variety of beautiful birds,
that fluttered among the leaves as we rode forward.
We came at length within sight of the opening in which the house and
lake were situated. It was prudent to make another reconnoissance
before we advanced farther; and two of us, again dismounting, stole
cautiously forward through a thicket of leafy Shrubs. The house and all
its grounds lay before us.
It was a log-house--such as are met with in the western states of
America--and well constructed. There was a garden at one end, and
fields on all sides. These fields were, as we had supposed, some of
them under cultivation. We noticed one with a crop of Indian corn, and
another of wheat. But what most astonished us was the kind of animals
we saw in the enclosures. One would have thought at first sight that
they were the animals usually seen around an English or American
farm-house,--that is to say, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, hogs, and
poultry. You may fancy, then, our surprise, when, on looking narrowly
at them, we could not make out a single animal exactly resembling any
one of the above, with the exception of horses; and even these were
unlike the common kind, for they were smaller, and spotted all over like
hounds! We knew that they were _mustangs_--the wild horses of the
Desert.
We glanced at the animals we had taken for black cattle. What were they
but buffaloes! Buffaloes penned up in fields, and not heeding the human
beings that passed shouting among them! More than all, we now saw that
two animals yoked to the plough were of the same species,--a pair of
huge buffalo bulls; and they were working with all the quietness and
regularity of oxen!
Another kind of large animals drew our attention, still taller than the
buffaloes. We saw several of them standing quietly in the water of the
lake, in which their huge bodies and branching horns were shadowed as in
a mirror. These we knew to be elk--the great American elk. We saw
several kinds of deer, and antelopes with their short pronged horns, and
animals that resembled these last in size--but with immense curving
horns like those of the ram--and other animals like goats or sheep. We
saw some without tails, having the appearance of pigs, and others
resembling foxes and dogs. We could see fowls of different kinds moving
about the doors, and among others we distinguished the tall, upright
form of the wild turkey. The whole picture looked like the collection
of some zoological garden or menagerie.
Two men were seen,--one a tall, white man, with a somewhat florid
complexion. The other was a short and very thick-set negro. The latter
was by the plough. There were two younger men, or lads nearly grown. A
woman sat by the door engaged in some occupation, and near her were two
little girls, no doubt her daughters.
But the sight which was strangest of all, both to my companion and
myself, was what appeared in front of the house, and around the little
porch where the woman was sitting. It was a fearful sight to look upon.
First there were two large black bears, perfectly loose, and playing
with each other! Then there were several smaller animals, that we had
at first taken for dogs, but that we now recognised, by their bushy
tails, sharp snouts, and short erect ears, to have at least as much of
the wolf as dog in them. They were of that kind often met with among
the Indians, and might more properly be called dog-wolves than
wolf-dogs. There were at least half-a-dozen of them sauntering about.
But the most fearful-looking of all were two animals of a tawny red
colour, that lay in crouching attitudes within the porch, almost at the
feet of the woman. Their round, cat-like heads and ears, their short
black muzzles, their white throats, and pale reddish breasts, told us
what they were at a glance.
"Panthers!" ejaculated my companion, drawing a long breath, and looking
at me with a puzzled air. Yes; they were panthers--so called by the
hunters, but more properly cougars--the _felis concolor_ of the
naturalists--the lion of America.
In the midst of all these fierce creatures, the two young girls were
moving about, apparently unconcerned at their presence, while the
animals appeared equally unconcerned about them! The whole scene
reminded us of the fanciful pictures, we had seen, of that time promised
in the Sacred Book, when all the earth shall be at peace, and "the lion
shall lie down with the lamb."
We did not stop to see more. We were satisfied, and went back for our
companions. In five minutes after, the whole of us entered the
clearing, and rode up to the house. Our sudden appearance produced
consternation on all sides. The men shouted to each other--the horses
neighed--the dogs howled and barked hoarsely--and the fowls mingled
their voices in the clamour. We were taken, no doubt, for a party of
Indians; but we were not long in making it understood who and what we
were. As soon as our explanations were given, the white man invited us,
in the politest manner, to alight, and partake of his hospitality. At
the same time he gave orders for our dinner to be prepared; and,
desiring us to lead our horses into one of the enclosures, he commenced
throwing corn into a large wooden trough. In this he was assisted by
the negro, who was his servant, and the two young lads, who appeared to
be his sons.
As yet we had not ceased to wonder. Everything around us was strange
and inexplicable. The animals, which none of us had ever seen, except
in their wild state, were as tame and gentle as farm cattle; and we
noticed some new species at every turn. There were strange plants too,
growing in the fields and garden, and vines trained upon espaliers, and
corn-cribs filled with yellow corn, and dove-cotes, and martin-boxes,
with swallows twittering around them. All formed a curious but pleasing
picture.
We had sauntered about for an hour, when we were summoned to dinner.
"Follow me, gentlemen," said our host, as he led the way to the house.
We entered, and seated ourselves around a good-sized table, upon which
smoked several savoury and inviting dishes. Some of these we recognised
as old acquaintances, while others were new to us. We found
venison-steaks, with buffalo tongues and hump-ribs,--the daintiest
portions of that animal. There were fresh-cooked fowls, and eggs of the
wild turkey boiled and dressed in omelettes. There were bread and
butter, and milk and rich cheese, all set out to tempt our appetites,
that, to say the truth, just at that time did not require much coaxing
to do justice to the viands before us. We were all quite hungry, for we
had eaten nothing since morning. A large kettle simmered by the fire.
What could it contain? thought we; surely, not tea or coffee. In a
short time we were satisfied on this head. Bowls were placed before us;
and into these the hot liquid was poured, which we found to be a very
palatable as well as wholesome beverage--the tea of the sassafras root.
It was sweetened by maple-sugar; and each helped himself to cream to his
own liking. We had all tasted such tea before, and many of our party
liked it as well as the tea of China.
While we continued to eat, we could not help noticing the strangeness of
everything around us. All the articles of furniture were of unique and
rude description; and it was plain that most of them had been
manufactured upon the spot. The vessels were of several sorts and of
different materials. There were cups and dishes, and bowls cut out of
shells of the gourd or calabash; and there were spoons and ladles of the
same material. There were wooden platters and trays carved and scooped
out of the solid tree. And more numerous were the vessels of red
pottery, of different shapes and for different uses. Of these there
were large pots for cooking, and jars for holding water, and jugs of
various dimensions.
The chairs, too, were all of rude construction; but admirably adapted to
their purpose. Most of them were covered with raw-hide seats, which
stretched up the back in a slanting line, and thus rendered them firm
and commodious. A few lighter ones--evidently intended as the furniture
of the inner rooms--(there were but two in the house), had seats woven
out of the leaves of the palmetto.
There was very little attempt at ornament upon the walls--if we except
some curiosities that were placed there, all of which were evidently the
productions of the valley itself. There were stuffed birds of rare and
bright plumage, and huge horns of animals, with two or three shells of
the land tortoise carefully polished. There were no mirrors nor
pictures, and not a book to be seen, except _one_; that was a
medium-sized volume, placed on a small table by itself, and evidently
preserved with great care as it had been neatly and elaborately bound in
the skin of a young antelope. I had the curiosity to open this book,
shortly after entering. I read upon the title-page the words "Holy
Bible." This circumstance increased the interest I already felt in our
host and his family; and I sat down with feelings of confidence, for I
knew that even in this remote place we were enjoying the hospitality of
a Christian.
During the meal our host with his family were present. We had seen them
all on our arrival, for they had run forward to greet and welcome us;
but we became puzzled as we listened to the conversation of the
children. We heard with surprise that we were the first white men they
had seen for a period of nearly ten years! They were all beautiful
children--robust, and full of life and animation. There were two boys--
Frank and Harry,--so their mother called them--and two girls. Of the
girls one was of a very dark complexion--in fact, quite a brunette, and
with a Spanish expression of face. The other was as fair as her sister
was dark. The fair one was a beautiful little creature with flowing
yellow hair and deep blue eyes, with long, dark lashes. Her name was
Mary. That of the sister was Luisa. They were both very pretty, but
very unlike each other; and, what was odd to me, they appeared to be
about the same age and size. The boys were also of like size, though
both much older than their sisters. They appeared to be seventeen or
more, but I could not have guessed which was the elder. Harry, with his
fair curling hair, and red manly face, bore a strong resemblance to his
father; while the other was darker, and altogether more like the mother.
She herself did not appear to be much over thirty-five years of age,
and was still a beautiful and evidently a light-hearted woman.
Our host was a man of about forty--a tall, well formed man, with light
ruddy complexion, and hair that had been fair and curling, but was now
somewhat grey. He had neither beard nor whiskers; but, on the contrary,
his chin bore evidence that he had freshly shaved himself that very day;
and his whole appearance was that of a man who regularly attended to the
duties of the toilet. There was also about him a gentlemanlike bearing;
and his address and conversation soon convinced all of us that we were
in the company of an educated man.
The dress of the whole family was peculiar. The man himself wore a
hunting-shirt and leggings of tanned deerskin, and not unlike that of
our own hunters. The boys were similarly attired, but we could see that
they had a sort of homespun linen garment underneath. The female part
of the family were dressed in clothes, part of which were of the same
homespun, and part of a fine skin, that of the fawn, dressed to the
softness of a glove. Several hats were lying about; and we noticed that
they were curiously fabricated from the leaves of the palmetto.
While we were eating, the negro appeared at the door, and, looking in,
eyed us with glances of extreme curiosity. He was a short, stout man,
black as jet, and apparently about forty years old. His head was
covered with a thick crop of small curls, that appeared to form an even
surface, making the outline of the skull as round as a ball. His teeth
were very large and white, and anything but fierce--as he showed them
only when he smiled, and that he did almost continually. There was
something very pleasing in the expression of his rich black eyes, which
were never at rest, but kept always rolling on both sides of his flat
and expanded nose.
"Cudjo! drive out these animals," said the woman--or rather lady, we
should call her--for she was evidently entitled to be so styled. Her
command, or more properly request--for she had made it in that tone--was
obeyed with alacrity. Cudjo leaped into the floor, and, after a short
while, succeeded in turning out the wolf-dogs, and panthers, and other
strange animals, that up to this time had been snarling at each other,
among our feet, to the no small terror of several of our party.
All these things were so strange, that we watched them with interest and
curiosity. At length our meal was ended; and as we were most anxious to
have everything explained to us, we signified this desire to our host.
"Wait until night," said he. "Around the cheerful log-fire I will tell
you my story. Meanwhile you all need other refreshment than eating.
Come to the lake then, and take a bath. The sun is high and warm. A
bath will refresh you after your dusty travel."
So saying, he stepped out of the cottage, and proceeded towards the
lake, followed by all our party. A few minutes after, we were
refreshing ourselves in the crystal water.
During the remainder of the day, we occupied ourselves at different
employments. Some went back to the mountain-foot for the mules and
Mexicans; while the rest of us strolled about the house and grounds--
every now and then stumbling upon some new object of wonder.
We were impatient for the coming of night, for we were wound up to a
pitch of extreme curiosity, and longed for an explanation of what we saw
around us.
Night came at length; and after an excellent supper, we all sat around
the cheerful fire, to listen to the strange history of Robert Rolfe--for
that was the name of our host.