The Knight Of The Golden Melice, John Turvill Adams [the reading list TXT] 📗
- Author: John Turvill Adams
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Of This Godly Colony Against A Corrupt Church, Which Is No Church; And
Against All, Though Not Calling Themselves Of Her Communion, Who Drink
Of The Cup Of Her Abominations, Desired I To Remove From Before Our
Eyes That Which, Whenever Beheld, Only Reminded Us Of A Damning
Delusion And Daily Oppression. If This Were Sin, Then Have I Sinned;
But I Will Abide The Consequences Without Flinching, Whether In This
World Or In The World To Come."
A Deep, Stern Murmur Ran Round The Room, And It Was Evident, From The
Countenances Of The Company And From The Expressions That Could Now
And Then Be Caught, That By Far The Greater Part Of Them Entertained
The Sentiments Of The Audacious Sectary. Such, It Is Highly Probable,
Were The Sentiments Of A Majority Of The Government Of The Colony,
Notwithstanding Their Disavowal, Afterwards, Of All Sympathy, With The
Act, And Public Censure Of The Bold Puritan. Not That A Democratical
Feeling Lurked Therein, As Some May Fancy, But For The Very Reasons
Manfully Proclaimed By Endicott--Reasons, Not Of A Political, But
Entirely Of A Religious Character.
Endicott, A Sagacious And Daring Politician, As Well As Zealous
Religionist, Heard The Sounds And Beheld The Faces Of Those Around Him
With Satisfaction. It Pleased Him Publicly To Vindicate His Conduct,
And To Test The Feelings Of His Countrymen.
"Thou Hearest," He Resumed, "Those Sounds And Seest These Faces, And
Dost Thou Believe That All These Men Are Also Disloyal? Review Thy
Judgment, I Pray Thee, And Believe That Attachment To The Crown May
Not Be Inconsistent With Hatred Of Papistical Baubles."
"Capt. Endicott Will Find It Difficult, In My Judgment, To Satisfy The
Privy Council Of The Propriety Of The Outrage, As Easily As He Has
Satisfied Himself And These People," Replied Col. Mcmahon.
"Be Assured," Replied Endicott, "That Whether Here Or In
England--Before The Court Of Assistants Or The Privy Council, I Will
Avouch The Deed, Even Though It Should Build The Steps To A Scaffold."
So Saying, And Looking Deliberately Around, And With An Inclination Of
The Body, Which Hardly Amounted To A Bow, He Placed Upon His Head The
Slouched Hat He Had Taken Off On His Entrance, And Left The Apartment.
Upon His Departure, The Company Became Broken Up Again Into Various
Groups, And Began Once More To Busy Themselves With The Mugs And Cans;
And Arundel, Tired Of The Confusion, Left, With Waqua, For His Own
Chamber.
Chapter XII (Alas! For Them, Their Day Is O'er, Their Fires Are Out From Shore To Shore, No More For Them The Wild Deer Bounds-- The Plough Is On Their Hunting Grounds.)
Sprague.
When Arundel Awoke The Next Morning, He Found That The Indian, Who Had
Coiled Himself Upon The Floor And There Passed The Night, Was Nowhere
To Be Seen. It Was, Indeed, No Wonder, Since The Rays Of The Sun Had,
For More Than An Hour, Been Striving To Penetrate The Oiled Paper,
Which Served Instead Of Window Glass; And No Sooner Did The Young Man
Realize The Lateness Of The Hour Than He Sprang From His Couch,
Thinking All The While What Waqua Would Say To His Dilatoriness. After
Making A Hasty Toilette, He Descended The Stairs, And, Crossing The
Public Room To The Door, Looked Out Upon The Street. There Was Quite A
Number Of Persons Passing Backward And Forward, Many Of Whom Were
Dressed In The Accoutrements Of Soldiers, And At These He Stood Gazing
Awhile And Looking Round, If Perchance He Might Discover Anything Of
The Indian. But, As He Did Not Appear, The Young Man Turned Back To
Await His Coming.
Hour After Hour Passed Away, But Waqua Returned Not; And Arundel Began
To Fear That His Companion Had Taken Some Offence, Either At Himself,
Or At What Had Occurred The Evening Previous. He Ransacked His Memory,
For The Purpose Of Discovering If He Had Said Or Done Anything To
Which Exception Could Be Taken, Or Had Omitted Any Courtesy Or
Attention; But He Could Find Nothing To Reproach Himself With. He Was
Unable To Believe That Waqua Would Steal Away Without Formally Taking
Leave, On Account Of Any Slight Or Impertinence From Another, After
The Command Of Himself He Had Exhibited Following The Violence Of
Spikeman; And, Finally, Tried To Avoid Thinking Of The Subject,
Expecting That The Truant Would Turn Up At Some Time During The Day,
And Explain His Absence.
Meanwhile, It Was Understood That The Expected Deputation Of The
Taranteens Had Arrived, And Been Received At The House Of The
Governor. Armed Men Had Been Constantly Coming Into Town; Their Wives
And Children, In Some Instances, Accompanying Them; Until The
Settlement Had Become A Scene Of Gay And Animated Confusion. The Place
Fixed Upon For The Reception Of The Ambassadors (There Being No
Building Sufficiently Large To Contain The Number Present, And Who
Were Anxious To Witness The Ceremony) Was An Elevation Near The
Village, Commanding A View Of The Buildings, Of The Green Rolling Bay,
And Of The Ships Tossing On Its Waves. Here, Under The Shade Of A
Patriarchal Elm, Spreading Like An Umbrella Its Immense And Gracefully
Drooping Branches Over A Wide Extent Of Green Turf, Winthrop Was To
Give Public Audience To The Dusky Delegates.
The Hour For The Reception Had Nearly Arrived, When Arundel Strolled
To The Place Appointed. He Found It Covered With A Crowd Of Five Or
Six Hundred Persons, Including The Women And Children. The Number Of
Armed Men Might Have Been Two-Thirds Of The Whole. The Women Were
Gossipping Together, And The Children Amusing Themselves In Sports
Becoming Their Age, While The Soldiers Were Ranged In Double Files,
Extending From A Large Chair Or Kind Of Throne Placed Near The Body Of
The Tree, Thus Forming A Lane, Only By Passing Through Which Could
Access Be Had To It. The Spot Where The Chair Was Placed Was Covered
To Some Little Distance Around With Scarlet Cloth--The Chair Itself As
Representative Of Majesty, With Cloth Of Gold--And On Either Side
Stood Grimly A Culverin Or Small Cannon, Capable Of Carrying A Ball Of
Seventeen Or Eighteen Pounds In Weight--Silent, But Eloquent Orators,
To Convince Of The Ability Of Him Who Might Occupy The Seat To Enforce
His Words. Other Chairs, To The Number Of Perhaps Twenty, Were Ranged
In A Semi-Circle On Either Side Of The Seat Intended For Winthrop;
While Against The Body Of The Tree Were Leaned Partisans And Halberds;
And It Was Hung About On Nails Driven In For The Occasion, With
Shining Corslets, And Swords, And Daggers.
Arundel Had Barely Time To Run His Eyes Over The Preparations, When A
Salvo Of Cannon Announced That The Governor Was Starting From His
House, And Presently Appeared The Procession, Preceded By Martial
Music. First Came The Musicians, Whose Number It Must Be Confessed Was
Not Very Large; Next Followed Twenty Stout Men Bearing Halberds Or
Staves Of About Five Feet In Length, Finished Off At The End With A
Steel Head In The Shape Of An Axe; Immediately After These Marched The
Governor, Attended By His Council Of Assistants, All Wearing Swords At
Their Sides, And Several "Ministers;" After Whom Followed The
Taranteen Embassy, Consisting Of About A Dozen Noble Looking Indians
Of Various Ages, From Thirty To Seventy; And The Whole Was Closed By
Two Or Three Hundred Men, Completely Armed With Both The Offensive And
Defensive Arms Of The Period. The Steeple-Crowned Hats, The Slashed
Sleeves, The Red Stockings, Russet Boots, And Rosettes On The Shoes,
Made A Combination Which, If It Would Be Quaint And Grotesque In Our
Eyes, Was Striking To Those Who Witnessed It.
As The Procession Came Nearer, Arundel Could See Among Those In The
Immediate Neighborhood Of Winthrop, The Knight Of The Golden Melice,
Conspicuous For The Richness Of His Habiliments, Adopted Either To
Heighten The General Effect Of The Ceremonial, Or To Increase His
Authority With The Indians, Over Some Tribes Of Whom It Was Known That
He Possessed Considerable Influence. The Knight, Indeed, Well
Understood How Much Manner And External Adornment Affect Not Only The
Savage But The Civilized Man. A Perfect Master Of The Former, He Was
Uniformly Courteous. No Frown Ever Deformed His Face, Nor Even Wrinkle
Ruffled Its Placid Surface, On Which Was Stamped The Expression Of A
Sweet And Confiding Nature; And, When Circumstances Required, He Knew
How To Resort To The Latter With An Effect Which Seldom Failed Of
Achieving Its Purpose.
When The Procession Reached The Files Extending From The Throne, The
Soldiery Composing Them Presented Arms, And The Musicians Stepping On
One Side, The Governor, Preceded By His Halbadiers, And Accompanied By
The Knight, His Council, And The Indians, Walked Between, And Seated
Himself On The Chair Of State, While Those Who Were With Him Occupied
The Other Seats, And The Halbadiers Posted Themselves Around.
As Winthrop Took His Place, The Ranks In Front Were Further Opened,
And The Two Culverins Belched Out With Fire And Smoke A Loud And
Sudden Welcome. So Near Were The Indians To The Guns, And So
Unexpected To Them Was The Discharge, That Some Of The Younger Sprung
To Their Feet, As If To Repel An Attack, Dropping Again Into Their
Places With Abashed Looks, As Their Eyes Met The Reproving Glances Of
Their Elders.
Arundel, At This Moment, Felt A Hand Upon His Shoulder, And Turning
Round, Beheld Waqua. He Was Instantly Struck With The Changed
Appearance Of The Indian. Instead Of The Few Dashes Of Paint Of The
Day Before, Exactly One-Half Of Those Portions Of His Face And Person,
Which Were Visible, Beginning At The Top Of The Forehead, And
Descending Down The Middle Of The Nose, Was Painted With Bright
Vermillion, The Other Half Remaining Of Its Natural Color; His Hair
Was Gathered Carefully Up Into A Knot On The Top Of His Head, And Bore
A Single Eagle's Feather, And In Addition To The Light Tomahawk Which
He Had Worn Before, A Heavier One Was Hanging At His Girdle.
"Welcome, My Brother, Exclaimed Arundel, I Did Not Know But That I Had
Lost Thee. Where Hast Thou Been, And What Means The Change In Thy
Appearance?"
"The Great White Chief Invited Waqua To Listen To His Talk With The
Taranteens, (May The Wolf Crunch Their Bones,) And Waqua Is Here. He
Has Painted Himself According To The Custom Of His Tribe. This
(Touching The Paint) Is For My Enemies, And This (In Like Manner
Touching The Unpainted Portion) Is For My Friends.
Arundel Remembering The Strong Expressions Of Dislike Towards The
Taranteens Which Fell From The Indian The Day Before, And Connecting
Them With His Present Preparation, Felt Some Apprehension For What
Might Happen From His Boldly Uttered Aversion, And Determined To Keep
Close By Him, In Order To Restrain Him From Imprudences, And To
Protect Him, If Need Should Arise, From Danger. He Took Care,
Therefore, During The Rest Of The Day, To Carry Waqua With Him
Wherever He Moved, Or To Follow The Indian, When The Latter's
Curiosity Tempted Him Into Different Parts Of The Assemblage.
It Was Seldom, If Ever, That The Puritans Undertook Anything Of
Importance, Either Of A Private Or Public Character, Without Invoking
The Blessing And Guidance Of A Superior Power. There Was Good Policy
As Well As Piety In The Practice; For By Admitting The Ministers Into
Their Councils, And Giving Them Conspicuous Parts To Perform Therein,
The Magistrates Secured Their Good Will And Powerful Influence With
The People; And, Indeed, It May Well Be Imagined, That This Spiritual
Aid In A Theocratical Commonwealth Was A Part Of The System. On The
Present Occasion, The Whole Assembly Rose At A Signal From Winthrop,
And Mr. Eliot, Afterwards Known As The Indian Apostle, Asked For A
Blessing. The Prayer Was Like The Man Himself, Earnest And Simple, And
Listened To With A Fixed Attention, That Indicated The Religious
Reverence Of The Hardy Men Who Were Gathered Around. The Taranteens
Themselves, Following The Example Of The Others, Stood Up And Fastened
Their Dyes Intently On The Speaker, As If, Though Not Understanding A
Word He Uttered, They Expected To Gather Some Meaning From The Motion
Of
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