The Lost Hunter, Page 2

  CHAPTER I.

  At last the golden orientall gate Of greatest heaven gan to open fayre, And Phoebus fresh as brydegrome to his mate, Came dauncing forth, shaking his deawie hayre, And hurld his glistening beams through gloomy ayre.

  SPENSER'S FAERY QUEENE.

  It was a lovely morning in the autumn of the year of grace 18--. Thebeams of the sun had not yet fallen upon the light veil of mist thathovered over the tranquil bosom of the river Severn, and rose andgathered itself into folds, as if preparing for departure at theapproach of an enemy it were in vain to resist. With a murmur, so softit was almost imperceptible, glided the stream, blue as the heaven itmirrored, between banks now green and gently shelving away, crownedwith a growth of oak, hickory, pine, hemlock and savin, now risinginto irregular masses of grey rocks, overgrown with moss, with hereand there a stunted bush struggling out of a fissure, and seeming toderive a starved existence from the rock itself; and now, in strongcontrast, presenting almost perpendicular elevations of barren sand.Occasionally the sharp cry of a king-fisher, from a withered boughnear the margin, or the fluttering of the wings of a wild duck,skimming over the surface, might be heard, but besides these therewere no sounds, and _they_ served only to make the silence deeper.It is at this hour, and upon an island in the river that our storycommences.

  The island itself is of an irregular shape and very small, beinghardly an acre in extent, and its shore covered with pebbles andboulders of granite. Near the centre, and fronting the east, stands anunpainted wood cabin of the humblest appearance, the shape and sizeof which is an oblong of some thirty by fifteen feet. One rude doorfurnishes the only means of entrance, and light is admitted throughtwo small windows, one on the east and the other on the west side.Straggling patches of grass, a few neglected currant-bushes behindthe hut, and a tall holly-hock or two by the door are all the signs ofvegetation that meet the eye.

  At the door of this cabin, and at the time we are describing, stooda solitary figure. He was a gaunt, thin man, whose stature ratherexceeded than fell below six feet. The object about his person whichfirst arrested attention was a dark grizzled beard, that fell half-waydown his breast, in strong contrast with a high white forehead,beneath which glowed large dreamy eyes. The hair of his head, like hisbeard, was long, and fell loosely over his shoulders. His dress was ofthe coarsest description, consisting of a cloth of a dusky grey color,the upper garment being a loose sort of surtout, falling almost to theknees, and secured round the waist by a dark woollen sash. His ageit was difficult to determine. It might have been anywhere betweenforty-five and fifty-five years.

  The attitude and appearance of the man, were that of devotion andexpectancy. His body was bent forward, his hands clasped, and hiseyes intently fastened on the eastern sky, along the horizon of whichlayers of clouds, a moment before of a leaden hue were now assumingdeeper and deeper crimson tints. As the clouds flushed up intobrighter colors his countenance kindled with excitement. His formseemed to dilate, his eyes to flash, his hands unclasped themselves,and he stretched out his arms, as if to welcome a long expectedfriend. But presently the rays of the sun began to stream over theswelling upland and light up the surface of the river, and fainter andfainter shone the clouds, until they gradually melted into the bluedepth away. It was then a shade of disappointment, as it seemed,passed over the face of the man. Its rapt expression faded, he casta look almost of reproach to heaven, and his feelings found vent inwords.

  "Hast Thou not said, 'Behold, I come quickly?' Why then delay thewheels of Thy chariot? O, Lord, I have waited for Thy salvation. Inthe night-watches, at midnight, at cock-crowing, and in the morning,have I been mindful of Thee. But chiefly at the dawn hath my soul goneforth to meet Thee, for then shall appear the sign of the Son of Manin Heaven, and they shall see him coming in the clouds of Heaven, withpower and great glory. And he shall send His angels with a great soundof a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from one end ofHeaven to the other."

  His eyes glared wildly round, then fell and fastened on the ground,and for a few moments he remained immovable as a statue, after which,with an air of dejection, he turned as if about to enter the hut. Atthat moment the report of a gun from the shore close by was heard, andlooking, up he saw a man fall from the sloping bank upon the beach.

  If there had been any appearance of weakness or infirmity before inthe Recluse, it now vanished. Nothing could exceed the promptitude andenergy of his movements. To rush to the water, to throw himself intoa boat, to unfasten it from the stake to which it was tied, and with avigorous push to send it half-way across the channel, was the work ofbut an instant. A few dextrous and strong strokes of the paddle soonsent it grating on the pebbled shore, and with a bound he was by theside of the prostrate man. He lay with his face to the ground, withone arm stretched out, and the other cramped up beneath his body. Nearhim the leaves and grass were stained with drops of blood, and at ashort distance a gun was lying.

  The old man passed his arm around the stranger, to raise him from hisrecumbent position. The motion must have occasioned pain, for a lowgroan was heard. But it, at least, attested the presence of life,and there was consolation in even those sad sounds. With all thetenderness of a mother he raised the wounded man in his arms, andendeavored to discover the place and character of the wound, in orderto staunch, if possible, the bleeding. But it was soon apparent thatall such attempts would be useless, and only tend to aggravate thepain without leading to any desirable result, so long as the clothingwas allowed to remain on. The better course seemed to be to remove himimmediately to the hut. As gently, therefore, as possible, the old manbore him to the boat, and deposited him upon its bottom. A few strokesof the paddle sent it back again to the island, and soon the woundedstranger was lying on a rude, but welcome bed. Here the first thing tobe done was to divest him of his coat and such other clothing as hidthe wound. Having performed this duty, which was done by cutting offthe coat and tearing the under garments, the next care of the old manwas, in the best manner in his power, to apply bandages to stop theblood, which trickled from the right side and shoulder. This was donewith no little skill, as by one who did not then see a gun-shot woundfor the first time. The process was accompanied by an occasionalgroan, when the bandages pressed the wounded parts too closely, whichthe sufferer seemed to try to suppress, appearing, at the same time,to endeavor to express his thanks, by a smile and the soft glances ofhis eyes. Any attempt at exertion was instantly repressed by his kindnurse, who never failed, when it occurred, to enjoin quiet.

  "Thou art weak from loss of blood, young man," he said, "but I ammistaken if there is much danger. Yet, a narrow escape hast thou had.Be thankful to that Providence, by whom the hairs of thy head are allnumbered, and who permitteth not a sparrow to fall without notice tothe ground, for so directing the shot that they only tore the outerflesh, without reaching a vital part. And so, hereafter, when theevils of life shall assail thee, may they penetrate no deeper than thesurface, nor affect thy immortal soul."

  Here the young man made a motion, as if about to speak, but he wasinterrupted by the other.

  "Nay," said the Recluse, "thou must obey me for thy own good, and Ihave forbid all speech. It will start the blood, and weaken thee stillmore. Compose thyself, now, while I leave thee but for an instant, todiscover, if I can, a boat going to Hillsdale."

  We will avail ourselves of the absence of the Recluse to describe theinterior of the hut and its occupant. And to begin with the latter--hewas a dark-haired youth, of twenty-one or two years of age, thenatural paleness of whose complexion was enhanced as well by the ravencolor of his hair as by the loss of blood. His features were quiteregular, and surmounted by a brow rather high than broad. The eyeswere the most remarkable, and commanded instant attention. They werelarge, black and flashing, and, in spite of the injunctions of the oldman, wide open and roving round the apartment. By the manner in whichhe had been addressed, it was evident he was unknown.

  The chamber itself was a square o
f about fifteen feet, or one-halfof the hut, with a fire-place made of large stones and bricks, andlighted by one window, and was lathed and plastered. Its furnitureconsisted of the bed above mentioned, lying on a low pine frame,originally painted red, but now somewhat defaced and worn; of a coupleof basket-bottomed chairs; a stone jar, to contain water; a rifleand powder-horn, supported by two nails driven into the wall; a pinetable, and a set of shelves filled with books. This was the back-room,and opened into another of the same size, differing from the formerin having no fire-place and being not lathed. This latter room wasdestitute of furniture, unless a work-bench, on which were a fewtools; a chopping-block, made of the segment of the body of alarge tree; a cooper's horse; a couple of oyster rakes and somefishing-rods, could be called such. In two of the corners stoodbundles of hickory poles, and on the floor were scattered a quantityof withes, designed, apparently, for basket-making. These articleshad, probably, some connection with the pursuits of the tenant of thehut. On the walls, on pegs, hung a number of baskets, of differentsizes--some finished, and some in an unfinished condition.

  The Recluse, upon leaving his guest, proceeded to the west side ofthe little island, and cast a searching glance in every direction,to ascertain if any one were in sight. No boat was visible, and heimmediately retraced his steps.

  Noiselessly he stole back to the couch of his guest, whom he foundapparently asleep, though, in truth, the slumber was simulated outof deference to the anxieties of the old man. Several times he passedbackwards and forwards from the chamber to the door before he had thesatisfaction to find the object of his search. At length, a canoe wasdiscovered coming up the river, containing two persons, who, on nearerapproach, were seen to be Indians, a man and a woman, belonging tothe remnant of a tribe, lingering about their ancient hunting-groundsalong the banks of the river. The game, indeed, that once abounded inthe woods, had disappeared, and the blue stream and swelling hills,and green plains, and intrusive industry and increasing villages ofthe whites, but reminded them of present weakness and former power.But, the sensibility to degradation was blunted. They had, gradually,become assimilated to their condition; the river abounded in shell andother fish; they could maintain existence, scanty and mean thoughit was, and they preferred this certainty to the nobler, but moreprecarious life of the Western tribes. As the canoe approached, theRecluse beckoned with his hand, and the bow was turned towards theislet.

  "Welcome, Esther," he said, "goest thou to the town?"

  A silent nod of the head was the reply.

  "Wilt thou carry me a message?"

  A nod of acquiescence answered as before.

  "Go, then, quickly, and tell John Elmer, that a man, wounded by a gun,is lying in my hut, and I desire him to come instantly."

  The squaw again nodded, and, without making an inquiry, with thenatural apathy of her race, she said--

  "What Father Holden say, I do."

  The Indian, who, until now, had been silent, here addressed her in hisown tongue.

  "Can the Partridge," he said, "use her wings to no better purpose thanto fly upon the errands of her white master?"

  "Ohquamehud," said the squaw, "is a wise warrior, and his eyes aresharp, but they see not into the heart of a woman. If the sunshine andthe rain fall upon the ground, shall it bring forth no fruit?"

  "It is well," said the Indian, in a sarcastic tone; "Peena is wellnamed; and the Partridge, though the daughter of a Sachem, shallflutter through the air to do the bidding of the white man."

  The eyes of Peena, or the Partridge, flashed, and she was about toreturn an angry reply, when she was prevented by the man whom she hadcalled Father Holden.

  "Hasten!" he said, in the same language, forgetting himself, in theexcitement of the moment, and unconsciously using the same figurativediction, "or the fountain of the red stream may be dried up beforethe medicine-man comes. Hasten! It is noble to do good, and the GreatSpirit shall bless the deed."

  Great was the astonishment of the Indians at discovering they had beenunderstood, and hearing themselves addressed in their own tongue.But only an expressive hugh! and an involuntary stroke of the paddle,which sent the canoe dancing over the water, betrayed their surprise.Holden stood for a moment gazing after them, then turning, directedhis steps towards the hut. We will not follow him, but pursue thedeparting Indians.

  For five minutes, perhaps, they paddled on in silence, each apparentlyunwilling to betray any curiosity about a circumstance that engrossedthe thoughts of both. At last the woman spoke.

  "The Great Spirit has taught the words of the wigwam to the man withthe Long Beard."

  A shrug of the shoulders and another hugh! were the only notice takenby her companion of the observation. Again a silence followed, whichwas broken this time by the man. As if to express his dissent from theconjecture of the squaw, he said,

  "The Long Beard has drunk of the streams that run towards the settingsun, and there he learned the speech of warriors. Did he charmthe ears of Peena with their sounds when he taught her to run hiserrands?"

  The blood crimsoned deeper into the cheeks of the woman, but withan effort she subdued the rising feeling of resentment, while sheanswered,

  "Let Ohquamehud listen, and the darkness shall depart from his path.The sun has eaten the snows of fifteen winters, and fifteen times thesong of the summer birds have been silent since the Long Beard cameto the river of the Pequots. And the pale faces desired hiscompanionship, but he turned away his steps from theirs, and built hiswigwam on the Salmon Isle, for the heart of the Long Beard was lonely.There he speaks to the Great Spirit in the morning clouds. The youngcub that sprung from the loins of Huttamoiden had already put on hismoccasins for the Spirit land, and the tears of Peena were fallingfast when the Long Beard came to her wigwam. And he stretched his armsover the boy and asked of the Great Spirit that he might stay to leadhis mother by the hand when she should be old and blind, and to pluckthe thorns from her feet. And the Great Spirit listened, for he lovesthe Long Beard, and unloosed the moccasins from the feet of the boy,and the fire in his breath went out, and he slept, and was well.Therefore is Peena a bird to fly with the messages of the Long Beard.But this is the first time she has heard from white lips the languageof the red man."

  The Indian could now comprehend the conduct of the woman. It wasnatural she should be grateful to the savior of her child's life, andready to show the feeling by the little means in her power. Could hehave looked into her heart, he would have seen that there was morethan mere gratitude there. Holden's conduct, so different from thatof other white men; the disinterested nature of his character showingitself in acts of kindness to all; his seclusion; his gravity,which seldom admitted of a smile; his imposing appearance, and hismysterious communings with some unseen power--for she had often seenhim as he stood to watch for the rising sun, and heard his wild burstsof devotion--had made a deep impression on the squaw, and investedhim with the attributes of a superior being; a feeling which wasparticipated in by many of the Indians.

  But if Ohquamehud could have seen all this, it would have servedonly to aggravate the suspicions he begun to entertain about theLong Beard, as he and the woman called Holden. As an Indian, he wassuspicious of even the kindness of the white man, lest some evildesign might lurk beneath. What wonder, when we consider the relationof one to the other? How much of our history is that of the wolf, whocharged the lamb, who drank below him, with muddying the stream?

  Ohquamehud, a Pequot by birth, was a stranger who, but a few daysbefore, had come from a Western tribe, into which he had been adopted,either to visit the graves of his fathers, or for some of thosethousand causes of relationship, or friendship, or policy, which willinduce the North American Indian to journey hundreds of miles, and sawthe Recluse, for the first time, that morning. If the gratitude of thesquaw was explained, which, he doubted not, was undeserved, the LongBeard's knowledge of the Indian tongue was not. How it was that heshould be thus familiar with and speak it with a grace and fluencybeyond the power of the
few scattered members of the tribe in theneighborhood, the most of whom had almost lost all remembrance ofit, was to him an interesting mystery. He mused in silence over histhoughts, occasionally stopping the paddle and passing his hand overhis brow, as if to recall some circumstance or idea that constantlyeluded his grasp. In this manner they proceeded until, on turning ahigh point of land, the little village of Hillsdale appeared in sight.

  Those who see now that handsome town, for the first time, can have butlittle idea of its appearance then. But, though the large brickstores that line its wharves, and the costly mansions of moderntimes, clustering one above the other on the hill-sides, and its finechurches of granite and Portland stone, were not to be seen, yet, itwas even then a place that could not fail to attract attention.

  The situation is one of exceeding beauty. Two bright streams--theWootuppocut, whose name indicates its character, its meaning being"clear water," and the Yaupaae, or "margin of a river," which, why itshould be so called it is not as easy to explain, unite their watersto form the noble Severn. It is a pity that the good taste whichpreserved the original names of the two first, had not also retainedthe title of the last--the Sakimau, or Sachem, or chief, by which itwas known to the Indians. It is possible the first settlers in thecountry thought, that allowing two rivers to retain their aboriginalappellations was a sufficient tribute to good taste, while they madethe change of name of the third an offering to affection, many of themhaving drawn their first breath on the pleasant banks of the Englishriver Severn. It was on the tongue of land, or promontory, formed bythe confluence of the two rivers that composed the Severn, that theprincipal part of the town was situated.

  On the promontory facing the south, and rising boldly from the water,the white-painted village ascended half-way up its sides, its twoprincipal streets sweeping away, in curving lines, round the base,upward to a piece of level land, into which the north side of thehill gently declined. At the most northern part of this level, thetwo streets united, at a distance of a mile from the wharves, into onewhich thence winded a devious course two or three miles further alongthe Yaupaae. Above the highest roofs and steeples, towered the greensummit of the hill, whose thick-growing evergreens presented, at allseasons, a coronal of verdure. One who stood on the top could see comerushing in from the east, through a narrow throat, and betweenbanks that rose in height as they approached the town, the swiftWootuppocut, soon to lose both its hurry and its name in the deeperand more tranquil Severn, of which it is the principal tributary,while on the west he beheld, gliding like a silver snake through greenmeadows, the gentle Yaupaae, lingering, as if it loved the fieldsthrough which it wandered, until suddenly quickening its pace, with aroar as of angry vexation, it precipitated itself in eddies of boilingfoam, whose mist rose high into the air, down a deep gorge, betweenoverhanging rocks, through which it had forced a passage. Thencethe stream, subsiding into sudden tranquillity, expanded into a covedotted with two or three little islands, and flowing round the base ofthe hill which declined gradually towards the west, united itself withthe Wootuppocut. Far beneath his feet he saw the roofs of the houses,and steeples of churches, and masts of sloops, employed in thecoasting business, and of brigs engaged in the West India trade, andnoticed a communication, partly bridge and partly causey, thrown overthe mouth of the Yaupaae and uniting the opposite banks; for, on thewestern side, along the margin and up the hill, houses were thicklyscattered.

  The canoe soon glided alongside of one of the wharves, and the Indiansdisappeared in the streets.