The Knight Of The Golden Melice, John Turvill Adams [the reading list TXT] 📗

Be Sent, As A

Malcontent, Out Of The Country. It Was, Indeed, Far More Probable That

Such Would Be The Result Of Arundel's Persistency, Than That He Should

Succeed In Carrying Off His Mistress; And, Blinded As He Was By Love,

He Could Not Conceal From Himself The Danger. To This Was To Be Added

Another Peril, Which The Assistant, In One Of Their Conversations, Had

Hinted At, And Of Which We Have Also Made Mention, Viz: That He Might

Incur The Punishment Provided For Those Who Paid Court To Maidens

Without The Consent Of The Guardian Or Magistrate.

  

 

But The Young Couple Had, Besides Prudence, A Powerful Friend, Whose

Kind Heart Pitied Their Misfortunes, And By Whose Means, Assisted By

The Faithful Serving-Maid, They Had Many Stolen Meetings, Unknown To

Their Persecutor, And This Was No Other Than Dame Spikeman Herself.

Destitute Of Children, She Had Been Early Attracted By The Beautiful

Orphan, For Whom She Soon Learned To Feel The Affection Of A Mother.

Into Her Tender Bosom The Unprotected Girl Poured Her Griefs, And

Always Met With Sympathy And Good Counsel. At First, The Good Dame

Attempted To Alter The Determination Of Her Husband, But Finding Her

Efforts In Vain, She Finally Abandoned Them, And Contented Herself

With Favoring The Lovers By Every Means In Her Power, Without His

Knowledge, Trusting To The Chapter Of Accidents For The Result.

Perhaps A Few Pieces Of Coin, Distributed By Arundel Now And Then

Among The Servants, Contributed To Preserve The Knowledge Of Their

Meetings From The Assistant, Who, Whatever He Might Suspect, Found It

Difficult, Engaged In His Business, To Detect Them. 

 

 

While We Have Been Making This Tedious But Necessary Explanation, The

Young Man Has Had Time To Reach The Thickest Part Of The Forest, Lying

Midway Betwixt The Residence Of The Knight And His Place Of

Destination. He Followed A Narrow Path Made Originally By The Indians,

As They Traversed The Woods In The Manner Peculiar To Themselves,

Known By The Name Of Indian File, Now Skirting The Edge Of A Morass,

Now Penetrating Through A Thick Undergrowth, And Now Walking In More

Open Spaces And Under The Shade Of Enormous Trees.

  

 

Arundel, As He Walked Along With His Piece In His Hand, Had Kept

Watchfully Looking Round To Discern Any Game Within Range, When, As He

Reached One Of These Open Spaces, His Eyes Fell Upon A Dark Object

Crouched Upon A Lower Limb Of A Tree Immediately Over The Path Before

Him, And He Instantly Recognised The Animal As The Cougar Or American

Panther. It Is The Habit Of The Creature Thus To Conceal Itself In

Trees, Waiting Till Its Prey Passes Along, When, With One Bound, It

Springs Upon Its Back, And Quickly Succeeds, By Its Own Weight, And By

Tearing The Veins And Arteries Of The Neck, In Bringing It To The

Ground.

  

 

The Youth Stopped, And Gazed Upon The Motionless Beast, Whose

Half-Shut Eyes He Could See Winking At Him. He Lay Extended Upon The

Limb, His Forward Feet Spread Out At Full Length, On Which Rested His

Small Round Head, With Little Ears Falling Back Almost Flat, His Hind

Legs Drawn Up Under His Body, And His Flexible Tail Hanging A Short

Distance Beneath The Bough. The Dark Reddish Color Of The Hair Of His

Skin, Dashed With Blackish Tints, Harmonized And Blended Well With The

Hue Of The Bark, So That At A Distance, To An Unpracticed Eye, He

Appeared Like A Huge Excrescence On The Tree, Or A Large Butt Of A

Branch That Had Lodged In Its Fall.

  

 

The Young Man Did Not Hesitate What To Do. He Had Come Prepared For

Meeting With Wild Animals, And Felt Too Much Confidence In Himself To

Fear The Encounter. He Approached So As To Be Just Without Reach Of

The Spring Of The Creature, And Levelling His Piece, While He Could

See The Cougar Shut Its Eyes And Cling Closer To The Limb, Fired. The

Sound Of The Gun Rang Through The Ancient Forest, And In An Instant

The Beast, Jumping From The Limb, Fell At His Feet. So Sudden Was

This, That Arundel Had Hardly Time To Withdraw The Weapon From His

Shoulder, Before The Animal Had Made The Spring. The First Impulse Of

The Youth On Finding The Ferocious Brute Thus Near, Was To Club His

Gun And Strike It On The Head; And Now He Discovered That It Was

Wounded In One Of The Forward Legs, Which Hung Helplessly Down. But

The Wound, Instead Of Disabling Or Intimidating, Only Inflamed The

Ferocity Of The Creature. It Made Repeated Attempts To Jump Upon Its

Foe, Which, In Spite Of The Crippled Condition Of Its Leg And The Loss

Of Blood, Arundel Found It Difficult To Elude. Active As He Was, And

Though He Succeeded Occasionally In Inflicting With His Hunting-Knife

A Wound Upon The Beast, He Soon Began To Suspect That, Notwithstanding

He Had Thus Far Escaped With Some Inconsiderable Scratches, The Powers

Of Endurance Of The Formidable Forest Denizen Were Likely To Exceed

His Own. The Combat Had Lasted Some Time, When, As The Young Man

Endeavored To Avoid The Leap Of The Panther By Jumping To One Side,

His Feet Struck Against Some Obstacle And He Fell Upon His Back. In An

Instant The Enraged Beast, Bleeding From Its Many Wounds, Was Upon His

Prostrate Person, And His Destruction Appeared Inevitable. With A

Desperate Effort, He Struck With The Hunting-Knife At The Panther, Who

Caught It In Its Mouth, The Blade Passing Between Its Jaws And

Inflicting A Slight Wound At The Sides, So Slight As Not To Be Felt,

And Stood With Its Unhurt Paw Upon His Breast, Powerless To Do

Mischief With The Other, And Glaring With Eyes Of Flame Upon Its

Victim. At The Instant When The Panther, Shaking The Knife Out Of Its

Mouth, Was About To Gripe, With Open Jaws, The Throat Of The Young

Man, It Suddenly Bounded With A Cry Into The Air, Almost Crushing The

Breath Out Of The Body Of Its Antagonist, And Giving Him An

Opportunity To Rise. When Arundel Stood Upon His Feet, He Beheld The

Panther In The Agonies Of Death--An Arrow Sticking In One Eye And An

Indian Striking It With A Tomahawk Upon The Head, For Which Great

Agility And Quickness Were Necessary In Order To Avoid The Paw And

Teeth Of The Creature In Its Dying Struggles. These Soon Became Less

Violent, Until, With A Shudder, The Limbs Relaxed, And It Lay

Motionless And Harmless,

  

 

Arundel Now Advanced To Thank For His Timely Succor The Indian, Who

Stood Quite Still Looking At Him. He Was Apparently Less Than Thirty

Years Of Age, Tall And Well Formed, With A Countenance Expressive Of

Nobleness And Generosity. His Attire Consisted Only Of Breech-Cloth

And Leggins, With No Covering For The Upper Part Of His Person--A Garb

Offering Fewest Obstructions To His Movements Through The Forest. In

His Hand He Held A Bow; A Quiver Full Of Arrows Was Slung Across His

Back; The Tomahawk Was Returned To The Girdle Around His Loins, And A

Knife Hung By A Deer-Sinew From His Neck.

 

  

"The Arrow Was Well Aimed," Said Arundel, "That Saved My Life. How Can

I Thank My Brother?" "Waqua Is Satisfied," Replied The Indian, In Very

Imperfect English, Which We Shall Not Attempt To Imitate.

 

  

"You Are My Preserver," Said Arundel, "And Shall Not Find The White

Man Ungrateful."

 

  

"Enough," Answered The Indian. "Let Wild Beasts Find Some Other Food

Than Men."

  

 

"It Was A Strong Hand As Well As True Aim That Sent This Arrow," Said

The Young Man, Drawing The Shaft Out Of The Animal's Brain, In Which

The Barbed Point, Coming Off, Remained Behind, "And I Must Furnish You

At Least Another Arrow."

  

 

"Waqua Has Plenty Of Arrows In His Quiver, And Can Get More."

  

 

"Thou Art An Independent Fellow," Exclaimed Arundel; "But There Is One

Thing I Have To Offer Thee Which Thou Must Accept--That Is, My Hand,

And It Is A Sign That I Will Be Thy Brother." 

 

 

There Was Something In The Action And Expression Of Arundel's Face

That Was Irresistibly Attractive To The Indian. He Took The Offered

Hand Into Both Of His And Replied, "Waqua Gives His Two Hands To The

White Man. He Loves The White Man, And The Great Spirit Sent Waqua To

Protect His Brother."

  

 

"Thou Hast Established A Claim To, My Friendship Stronger Than Often

Exists. Be Sure We Will Be Friends. My Brother Is On A Hunting Path.

What Success Has He?"

 

  

"A Deer," Replied Waqua, Stepping Into A Bush, Returning With The

Carcass On His Shoulder, And Throwing It Upon The Ground.

  

 

"Is My Brother's Lodge Distant?" 

 

 

"It Would Not Tire A New Born Fawn To Run The Distance. My White

Brother Shall See The Wigwam Of Waqua, And Rest His Limbs, And Then

Waqua Will Go With Him To The Lodges Of The White Men At Shawmut."

  

 

It Was Yet Early In The Day. There Was No Need Of Hurry, And The Wish

Of The Indian Of Itself Was Enough. It Would Have Been Indeed

Ungracious To Deny Acquiescence To One Who Had Just Saved His Life,

And Arundel Therefore At Once Signified His Assent. But Before They

Started, The Indian With The Knife Which He Took From His Neck,

Despoiled The Panther Of Its Skin. Throwing It Then Across His

Shoulders On Top Of The Deer's Carcass, He Led The Way Out Of The Path

In A Direction Different From That In Which Arundel Had Been

Travelling.

  

 

It Was Truly As Waqua Had Said, And A Few Moments Sufficed To Reach

His Habitation. It Stood By Itself, Near The Margin Of The Charles

River, Which Empties Into Massachusetts Bay, And Was Merely A Rough

Hunting Lodge, Made Of Bark, Yet So Constructed As Effectually To

Answer The Purpose For Which It Was Designed During The Milder Months.

Doubtless In Winter It Was Deserted For The More Comfortable Wigwam In

The Village.

  

 

Arrived At His Dwelling, Waqua Took Down Some Skins Suspended On One

Side, And Spreading Them Upon The Ground, Courteously Invited His

Companion To A Seat. Arundel Was Glad To Rest After His Late Violent

Conflict, And Availed Himself Of The Opportunity To Brush Off The

Dirt, And Re-Arrange His Torn And Disordered Dress. Meanwhile, Waqua

Kindled A Fire, And Cutting Off Some Bear Steaks, Threw Them On The

Glowing Coals. The Exercise And Danger Of Arundel Had Given Him An

Appetite, And With No Little Interest He Watched The Process. The Meal

Was Soon Ready, And Justice Done To It By Both; And Upon Its

Conclusion, It Became Apparent That It Was Not On Its Account Only

That Waqua Had Desired To Return To His Wigwam. It Was Also To Make

Some Alteration In His Toilette, Therein Betraying That Fondness For

Ornament Which Is Equally Active In The Savage And In The Civilized

Exquisite. For The Garments He Had Worn, Others Were Substituted Of

Finer Quality, And More Showy Appearance. Over His Shoulders Was

Thrown A Robe Of Beaver Skins; In His Hair Were Stuck Some Red

Feathers, And From His Ears Hung Pendants Carved Out Of Bone, Into A

Rude Imitation Of Birds. Belts Of Wampompeag Encircled The Arms Above

The Elbow, And Fell Over The Robe, Hanging Down The Shoulders. The

Preparation Was Completed By Painting The Cheeks And Forehead

Vermillion. Thus Decorated, With Bow In Hand, An Ornamented Quiver On

His Back, And Tomahawk In Girdle, Waqua Considered Himself Fit To Be

Presented At Any Court In The World.

 

  

Nor When He Advanced, Conscious Of The Improvement In His Appearance,

And Stepping As Though He Were Lord Of The Unbounded Wilderness, Did

Arundel Attempt To Conceal His Admiration Of The Forest Apollo. Waqua

Remarked It In The Other's Eyes, And A Gleam Of Satisfaction Lighted

Up His Face. Throwing The Deer He Had Killed Over His Shoulder, And

Taking A Small Bundle Of Skins In His Hand, The Indian Preceded His

Companion On Their Way To The Settlement.

 

Chapter VIII ("Absit, Quoth The Doctor.")

Don Quixote.

 

  

Upon Arriving At The Little Town Of Boston, Arundel Made The Indian

Promise To Return To Him At The Ordinary Or Inn Where He Had His

Quarters, After The Furs And Venison Should