The Prairie (Fiscle Part 3) Of 2, J Fenimore Cooper [best e reader for manga txt] 📗

Devils,  Who Are Down From Their Towns In Great Numbers To

Hunt The Buffaloe,  And Runners Have Gone To The Pawnee Villages For

Aid. It Would Seem That This Lad Is A Fearless Boy,  For He Has Been

Hanging On Their Skirts Alone,  Until,  Like Ourselves,  He Was Driven To

The Grass For A Cover. But He Tells Me More,  My Men,  And What I Am

Mainly Sorry To Hear,  Which Is,  That The Cunning Mahtoree Instead Of

Going To Blows With The Squatter,  Has Become His Friend,  And That Both

Broods,  Red And White,  Are On Our Heels,  And Outlying Around This Very

Burning Plain To Circumvent Us To Our Destruction."

 

"How Knows He All This To Be True?" Demanded Middleton.

 

"Anan?"

 

"In What Manner Does He Know,  That These Things Are So?"

 

Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 67

"In What Manner! Do You Think Newspapers And Town Criers Are Needed To

Tell A Scout What Is Doing On The Prairies,  As They Are In The Bosom

Of The States? No Gossiping Woman,  Who Hurries From House To House To

Spread Evil Of Her Neighbour,  Can Carry Tidings With Her Tongue,  So

Fast As These People Will Spread Their Meaning,  By Signs And Warnings,

That They Alone Understand. 'Tis Their L'arning,  And What Is Better,

It Is Got In The Open Air,  And Not Within The Walls Of A School. I

Tell You,  Captain,  That What He Says Is True."

 

"For That Matter," Said Paul,  "I'm Ready To Swear To It. It Is

Reasonable,  And Therefore It Must Be True."

 

"And Well You Might,  Lad; Well You Might. He Furthermore Declares,

That My Old Eyes For Once Were True To Me,  And That The River Lies,

Hereaway,  At About The Distance Of Half A League. You See The Fire Has

Done Most Of Its Work In That Quarter,  And Our Path Is Clouded In

Smoke. He Also Agrees That It Is Needful To Wash Our Trail In Water.

Yes,  We Must Put That River Atween Us And The Sioux Eyes,  And Then,  By

The Favour Of The Lord,  Not Forgetting Our Own Industry,  We May Gain

The Village Of The Loups."

 

"Words Will Not Forward Us A Foot," Said Middleton; "Let Us Move."

 

The Old Man Assented,  And The Party Once More Prepared To Renew Its

Route. The Pawnee Threw The Skin Of The Buffaloe Over His Shoulder And

Led The Advance,  Casting Many A Stolen Glance Behind Him As He

Proceeded,  In Order To Fix His Gaze On The Extraordinary And,  To Him,

Unaccountable Loveliness Of The Unconscious Inez.

 

An Hour Sufficed To Bring The Fugitives To The Bank Of The Stream,

Which Was One Of The Hundred Rivers That Serve To Conduct,  Through The

Mighty Arteries Of The Missouri And Mississippi,  The Waters Of That

Vast And Still Uninhabited Region To The Ocean. The River Was Not

Deep,  But Its Current Was Troubled And Rapid. The Flames Had Scorched

The Earth To Its Very Margin,  And As The Warm Streams Of The Fluid

Mingled,  In The Cooler Air Of The Morning,  With The Smoke Of The

Raging Conflagration,  Most Of Its Surface Was Wrapped In A Mantle Of

Moving Vapour. The Trapper Pointed Out The Circumstance With Pleasure,

Saying,  As He Assisted Inez To Dismount On The Margin Of The

Watercourse--

 

"The Knaves Have Outwitted Themselves! I Am Far From Certain That I

Should Not Have Fired The Prairie,  To Have Got The Benefit Of This

Very Smoke To Hide Our Movements,  Had Not The Heartless Imps Saved Us

The Trouble. I've Known Such Things Done In My Day,  And Done With

Success. Come,  Lady,  Put Your Tender Foot Upon The Ground--For A

Fearful Time Has It Been To One Of Your Breeding And Skeary Qualities.

Ah's Me! What Have I Not Known The Young,  And The Delicate,  And The

Virtuous,  And The Modest,  To Undergo,  In My Time,  Among The

Horrifications And Circumventions Of Indian Warfare! Come,  It Is A

Short Quarter Of A Mile To The Other Bank,  And Then Our Trail,  At

Least,  Will Be Broken."

 

Paul Had By This Time Assisted Ellen To Dismount,  And He Now Stood

Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 68

Looking,  With Rueful Eyes,  At The Naked Banks Of The River. Neither

Tree Nor Shrub Grew Along Its Borders,  With The Exception Of Here And

There A Solitary Thicket Of Low Bushes,  From Among Which It Would Not

Have Been An Easy Matter To Have Found A Dozen Stems Of A Size

Sufficient To Make An Ordinary Walking-Stick.

 

"Harkee,  Old Trapper," The Moody-Looking Bee-Hunter Exclaimed; "It Is

Very Well To Talk Of The Other Side Of This Ripple Of A River,  Or

Brook,  Or Whatever You May Call It,  But In My Judgment It Would Be A

Smart Rifle That Would Throw Its Lead Across It--That Is,  To Any

Detriment To Indian,  Or Deer."

 

"That It Would--That It Would; Though I Carry A Piece,  Here,  That Has

Done Its Work In Time Of Need,  At As Great A Distance."

 

"And Do You Mean To Shoot Ellen And The Captain's Lady Across; Or Do

You Intend Them To Go,  Trout Fashion,  With Their Mouths Under Water?"

 

"Is This River Too Deep To Be Forded?" Asked Middleton,  Who,  Like

Paul,  Began To Consider The Impossibility Of Transporting Her,  Whose

Safety He Valued More Than His Own,  To The Opposite Shore.

 

"When The Mountains Above Feed It With Their Torrents,  It Is,  As You

See,  A Swift And Powerful Stream. Yet Have I Crossed Its Sandy Bed,  In

My Time,  Without Wetting A Knee. But We Have The Sioux Horses; I

Warrant Me,  That The Kicking Imps Will Swim Like So Many Deer."

 

"Old Trapper," Said Paul,  Thrusting His Fingers Into His Mop Of A

Head,  As Was Usual With Him,  When Any Difficulty Confounded His

Philosophy,  "I Have Swam Like A Fish In My Day,  And I Can Do It Again,

When There Is Need; Nor Do I Much Regard The Weather; But I Question

If You Get Nelly To Sit A Horse,  With This Water Whirling Like A Mill-

Race Before Her Eyes; Besides,  It Is Manifest The Thing Is Not To Be

Done Dry Shod."

 

"Ah,  The Lad Is Right. We Must To Our Inventions,  Therefore,  Or The

River Cannot Be Crossed." Then,  Cutting The Discourse Short,  He Turned

To The Pawnee,  And Explained To Him The Difficulty Which Existed In

Relation To The Women. The Young Warrior Listened Gravely,  And

Throwing The Buffaloe-Skin From His Shoulder He Immediately Commenced,

Assisted By The Occasional Aid Of The Understanding Old Man,  The

Preparations Necessary To Effect This Desirable Object.

 

The Hide Was Soon Drawn Into The Shape Of An Umbrella Top,  Or An

Inverted Parachute,  By Thongs Of Deer-Skin,  With Which Both The

Labourers Were Well Provided. A Few Light Sticks Served To Keep The

Parts From Collapsing,  Or Falling In. When This Simple And Natural

Expedient Was Arranged,  It Was Placed On The Water,  The Indian Making

A Sign That It Was Ready To Receive Its Freight. Both Inez And Ellen

Hesitated To Trust Themselves In A Bark Of So Frail A Construction,

Nor Would Middleton Or Paul Consent That They Should Do So,  Until Each

Had Assured Himself,  By Actual Experiment,  That The Vessel Was Capable

Of Sustaining A Load Much Heavier Than It Was Destined To Receive.

Then,  Indeed,  Their Scruples Were Reluctantly Overcome,  And The Skin

Part 3 Chapter 24 Pg 69

Was Made To Receive Its Precious Burden.

 

"Now Leave The Pawnee To Be The Pilot," Said The Trapper; "My Hand Is

Not So Steady As It Used To Be; But He Has Limbs Like Toughened

Hickory. Leave All To The Wisdom Of The Pawnee."

 

The Husband And Lover Could Not Well Do Otherwise,  And They Were Fain

To Become Deeply Interested,  It Is True,  But Passive Spectators Of

This Primitive Species Of Ferrying. The Pawnee Selected The Beast Of

Mahtoree,  From Among The Three Horses,  With A Readiness That Proved He

Was Far From Being Ignorant Of The Properties Of That Noble Animal,

And Throwing Himself Upon Its Back,  He Rode Into The Margin Of The

River. Thrusting An End Of His Lance Into The Hide,  He Bore The Light

Vessel Up Against The Stream,  And Giving His Steed The Rein,  They

Pushed Boldly Into The Current. Middleton And Paul Followed,  Pressing

As Nigh The Bark As Prudence Would At All Warrant. In This Manner The

Young Warrior Bore His Precious Cargo To The Opposite Bank In Perfect

Safety,  Without The Slightest Inconvenience To The Passengers,  And

With A Steadiness And Celerity Which Proved That Both Horse And Rider

Were Not Unused To The Operation. When The Shore Was Gained,  The Young

Indian Undid His Work,  Threw The Skin Over His Shoulder,  Placed The

Sticks Under His Arm,  And Returned,  Without Speaking,  To Transfer The

Remainder Of The Party,  In A Similar Manner,  To What Was Very Justly

Considered The Safer Side Of The River.

 

"Now,  Friend Doctor," Said The Old Man,  When He Saw The Indian

Plunging Into The River A Second Time,  "Do I Know There Is Faith In

Yonder Red-Skin. He Is A Good-Looking,  Ay,  And An Honest-Looking

Youth,  But The Winds Of Heaven Are Not More Deceitful Than These

Savages,  When The Devil Has Fairly Beset Them. Had The Pawnee Been A

Teton,  Or One Of Them Heartless Mingoes,  That Used To Be Prowling

Through The Woods Of York,  A Time Back,  That Is,  Some Sixty Years

Agone,  We Should Have Seen His Back And Not His Face Turned Towards

Us. My Heart Had Its Misgivings When I Saw The Lad Choose The Better

Horse,  For It Would Be As Easy To Leave Us With That Beast,  As It

Would For A Nimble Pigeon To Part Company From A Flock Of Noisy And

Heavy Winged Crows. But You See That Truth Is In The Boy,  And Make A

Red-Skin Once Your Friend,  He Is Yours So Long As You Deal Honestly By

Him."

 

"What May Be The Distance To The Sources Of This Stream?" Demanded

Doctor Battius,  Whose Eyes Were Rolling Over The Whirling Eddies Of

The Current,  With A Very Portentous Expression Of Doubt. "At What

Distance May Its Secret Springs Be Found?"

 

"That May Be As The Weather Proves. I Warrant Me Your Legs Would Be

A-Weary Before You Had Followed Its Bed Into The Rocky Mountains; But

Then There Are Seasons When It Might Be Done Without Wetting A Foot."

 

"And In What Particular Divisions Of The Year Do These Periodical

Seasons Occur?"

 

"He That Passes This Spot A Few Months From This Time,  Will