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

His Lips.

  

 

When The Prayer Was Ended, Gov. Winthrop Rose, And Requesting Mr.

Eliot (Who Was Sufficiently Familiar With The Algonquin Language To

Make Himself Understood In It) To Interpret, He Commenced An Oration

To The Ambassadors, Each Sentence, As It Was Spoken, Being Translated

By Mr. Eliot.

 

 

 Confining Himself To Such Ideas As He Thought Would Be Most

Appreciable By The Rude Intellects Of The Forest Children, He Began By

Expressing His Pleasure At The Visit, And At The Pacific Spirit Which

Was Manifested By His Red Brethren. He Spoke Of The Happiness Of

Himself And Of His People In Being Able To Succor The Storm-Tossed

Taranteens, And Of Their Readiness To Extend Kindness To The Whole

Nation. He Pointed Out The Reciprocal Advantages Which Would Result

From The Establishment Of Trade Between Them, Each Parting With What

He Valued Less For What He Desired More. He Dwelt Upon The Vast Power

Of His Own Nation, Living Beyond The Sea, Toward The Rising Sun, And

Riding In Safety At Pleasure Over The Mighty Waves, In Great Canoes

With Wings, Some Of Which Were In Sight. He Adverted To The Pestilence

Which Had Swept The Land Just Previous To The Coming Of The Whites,

Hinting That It Was The Breath Of The Great Spirit Which Destroyed The

Inhabitants, To Make Room For His More Favored People. He Concluded By

Saying, That They Were All Children Of The Same Parent, Who Was Most

Pleased At Seeing Them Living Together In Harmony.

  

 

It Was Impossible To Judge, From The Countenances Or Manner Of The

Indians, How They Were Affected By The Speech,--Only The Gutteral

"Ugh," Responding From Time To Time To The Translation Of Mr. Eliot.

This Was Designed As A Sign Of Attention, Or Of Approval, Or The

Contrary, But It Was Difficult To The English To Determine In Any Case

Which. In Fact, Like Skilful Diplomatists, The Ambassadors Preserved

Their Dignity, And Concealed Their Feelings.

 

  

When The Governor Had Resumed His Seat, One Of The Oldest Indians,

After A Considerable Pause, Rose, And Stepping Forward A Few Feet, So

As To Separate Himself From All Around, Turned His Face To Winthrop,

And Began A Speech In Return. It Was Pronounced With Great

Deliberation, And Rendered Into English By The Interpreter, As The

Orator Proceeded. 

 

 

"The Taranteens," He Said, "Are A Great Nation, Who Having Heard That

A People Of The Same Color, But Speaking A Different Language From

Their Friends The French, Had Taken Possession Of The Country Of The

Aberginians, Had Sent Him And His Companions, That With Their Own Eyes

They Might See, And With Their Own Ears Might Hear, If What Had Been

Told Them Was The Truth. Besides, They Desired To Return Thanks For

The Kindness Shown To Their Countrymen, Which They Would Not Forget.

Let This Belt," Said The Orator, Taking A Piece Of Wampompeag From

The Hands Of One Of His Companions, And Laying It On The Ground,

"Preserve My Words. It Is Very Pleasant," He Continued, "To Plant The

Tree Of Peace. May The Sapling Which We Shall Plant To-Day Become A

Bigger Tree Than The Great Elm Under Which We Are Assembled, And May

We, For Many Seasons, Dance Together In Its Shade. The Taranteens Are

A Great People; They Have Many Warriors, And Big Canoes, And Are So

Strong, That When They Talk Of Peace, It Is Not So Much For Themselves

As For The Sake Of Others; And As My White Brother Hath Said, Hath Not

The Great Spirit Made All Men, And Doth He Not Love To See Them

Playing Like Children In The Grass? 

  

"Now Let My White Brothers Open Wide Their Ears, For I Am Going To Say

A Thing Which Much Concerns Them And Us. We Have Heard That Our White

Brothers Are Very Fond Of Land, And That If We Make Friends With Them

They Will Try To Steal Away Our Land. We Care Not If They Take All The

Land Of The Aberginians, But They Must Not Think To Have Any Part Of

Our Hunting Grounds. We Want Them All For The Game To Run In. These

Two Black Belts Preserve My Words. 

 

 

"But The Taranteens Are A Great People, And Know How To Defend

Themselves, And If Owanux Attempt To Dispossess Them, There Will Be

Talk Of Taking Scalps. These Three Red Belts Preserve My Words. 

 

 

"My Brothers, Owanux Will Recollect That If The Great Spirit Was

Offended With The Aberginians, And Breathed A Hot Breath Upon Them And

So They Died, He Smiles Upon The Taranteens And Increases Their

Number, And Makes Sharp The Points Of Their Arrows, And Directs Their

Tomahawks, And Subdues All The Tribes Around Unto Them. These Two

Belts Preserve My Words.

  

 

"As For Trade, The Taranteens Enjoy Already A Good Trade With Their

Friends And Allies The French; But If They Have Anything Which Their

Brothers Owanux Want, They Will Not Refuse To Exchange With Them. This

One Belt Preserve My Words."

 

 

Having Thus Spoken, And Been Greeted From Time To Time With An

Ejaculation From His Companions, The Old Warrior Resumed His Seat,

Amid A Shower Of "Ughs." 

 

 

He Was Replied To, At The Request Of Winthrop, By Eliot Himself, Who

Gladly Seized The Opportunity To Disabuse The Indians Of Any

Prejudices That Might Have Tainted Their Minds, And To Open Them For

The Reception Of That Christianity Which He Had So Much At Heart 

 

 

"It Was On Account Of The Wickedness Of The Aberginians," He Said,

"That They Were Swept Off From The Face Of The Land, And It Was Not

Merely For The Purpose Of Trade That Owanux Or The English Had Been

Sent By The Great Spirit To Take Their Places. If The English Became

Wicked, They, Also, Would Be Destroyed In Like Manner, And So Would

All Who Should Imitate Them. But The English Were Sent To The Indians

With A Message Which Was Not Painted On Bark Or Handed Down With

Pieces Of Wam-Pom-Peag, But Put Into A Book Whence It Spoke Always The

Same Words, And They Were Those Which The Great Spirit Himself Had

Spoken With His Own Voice. The Message Was To Make Them Better And

Happier; And, He Hoped, That They Would Allow Him, At Another Time, To

Tell It To Them. He Heard With Great Pleasure, And So Did The

Governor, How Much They Loved Peace. The English Loved Peace Too, And

Would Water The Young Tree They Should Plant That Day, And Fence It

Round, So That No Bear Or Other Wild Animal Should Trample Upon It

While It Was Small. The Great Spirit Said In The Wise Book Which He

Had Given To The English, That He Loved Peace; And Contained Many

Things, Besides, Which It Would Be Useful And Pleasant For The Indians

To Know. The Book Was Called Good Tidings; And He Hoped That It Would

Rejoice The Hearts Of His Indian Friends."

 

 

 

When Eliot Had Ended, Another Indian Arose, And Said: "That Their

Friends, The Long Robes, Among The French, Had Also Books, And He Had

Seen Them; But He Had Never Seen A Book Which Could Speak The Indian

Language. He Thought If The Great Spirit Had A Message In A Book For

Them, It Would Be In The Indian Language, And That The Great Spirit

Would Teach The Indians How To Read It. He Hoped His White Brothers

Would Not Be Offended If He Said, That He Should Doubt Whether The

Great Spirit Had A Message For Them In A Book, Until He Saw The Book

Itself And Heard It Talk Indian. That Was All He Had To Say."

  

 

It Was Then That Eliot Formed The Resolution, By God's Grace, To

Translate The Bible Into The Language Of The Indians, A Work To Which

He Devoted So Many Years Of His Life, And Which, In Connection With

His Unwearied Labor Of Love Among The Natives, Conferred Upon Him The

Honorable And Well-Merited Title Of "The Apostle Of The Indians."

  

 

Various Speeches Were Made After This, On Both Sides, Of Which It Is

Necessary For Our Purpose To Record Only One. This Was Made By One Of

The Youngest And Finest Looking Of The Taranteens. His Roving Eyes, In

Wandering Over The Assemblage, Had Detected The Figure Of Waqua; And,

As They Fell On Him, They Lighted Up With An Ominous Gleam. He

Directed The Attention Of The Indian Next To Him, A Young Man Like

Himself, To The Discovery, Who Seemed In Like Manner Disturbed. The

Two Fastened Their Eyes Full On Waqua, But Their Gaze Was Returned By

Him With A Look As Bold And Stern As Theirs. At The First Opportunity,

The One Who Had First Observed Waqua Rose And Spoke.

  

 

"Pieskaret," He Said, "Is A Young Man, But This Is Not The First Time

His Nation Has Thought Him Worthy To Speak In Her Councils, And The

Winds Have Blown His Name Through The Forests Of Canada, And Many Days

Travel Along The Margin Of The Great Salt Lake. When The Deer And The

Aberginians Hear It, They Fly, Though They Are Afar Off."

  

 

While Uttering These Words, He Had Kept His Eyes Fastened On The Face

Of Waqua, As If To Watch Their Effect; And He Paused. But The Features

Of Waqua Remained Undisturbed, And He Steadily Returned The Fiery

Glances Of The Speaker.

 

  

"Pieskaret Asks," Resumed The Taranteen, "What Have The Aberginians To

Do With Our Treaties? Who Invited One Of Them, Or Did He Slink Without

Being Whistled For Between The Legs Of Men Into Our Midst?"

 

  

Again The Speaker Paused, But Yet The Calm Waqua Moved Not From His

Place, Nor Did He Betray Emotion.

 

 

"The Aberginians," Begun The Taranteen Again, With A Gesture Of

Contempt, "Are Cowards And Dumb Dogs: If Spoken To, They Dare Not

Reply, Even With A Whine: The Taranteens Have Put Petticoats On Them,

And There Is Nothing Baser Than Themselves Except Their Allies, The

Pequots."

 

 

The Hitherto Undisturbed Mien Of Waqua Changed At These Last Words, As

By Magic. With A Clear, Steady Voice, While His Stature Seemed To

Increase, He Suddenly Cried Out:

 

 

"Pieskaret, If That Be The Name Of The Scolding Squaw, Is A Liar. He

Knows That When The Taranteens Hear The Steps Of A Pequot They Run

Like Wood-Chucks To Their Holes. Sassacus Says That They Are Old

Women."

  

 

Of Course, The Whole Of These Speeches Was Unintelligible, Except To

The Interpreter, To Whom No Opportunity Was Given To Translate Them,

And To The Indians. Great Surprise, Therefore, Was Felt As The

Taranteens All Sprung To Their Feet At The Name Of Sassacus, And

Attempted To Push Through The Dense Circle That Surrounded Them. So

Solid, However, Was The Mass, That This Was A Work Of Some Difficulty;

Even Although The Politeness Of The Angry Warriors Had Restrained Them

Less Than It Did From Jostling Others Out Of The Way; And, By The Time

When The Foremost Indian Had Reached The Spot Where Waqua Or Sassacus

Had Stood, The Pequot Had Vanished. They Returned, Disappointed, To

Their Places, Snorting The Name Of The Redoubtable Warrior Who Had

Ventured From His Distant River To Intrude Upon A Council Of His

Enemies, And Shaking Their Heads With Resentment. When Mr. Eliot Had

Explained To The Governor And Assistants The Cause Of The Excitement,

Winthrop Endeavored To Appease Their Indignation By Expressions Of

Regret, And Protestations That He Was Ignorant That The Famous

Head-Sachem Of The Pequots Was Among Them; But His Words Were Not

Attended With Much Effect, And It Seemed That The Council Was About To

Be Broken Up, When Sir Christopher Asked Permission To Speak To The

Indians. It Was Granted; And To The Surprise Of All The Knight Began,

With Great Fluency, To Address Them In Their Own Language. The Tones

Of His Voice Were As Sweet As Those Of A Bubbling Spring, And They

Seemed To Fall With A Soothing Effect Upon The Irritated Spirits Of

The Sons Of The Forest. What He Said Eliot Himself Could Not

Understand, For The Knight Spoke In The Peculiar Dialect Of The

Taranteens, Which Varies Considerably From The Algonquin Tongue Before

Used. For, Besides The General Language Which Received From The French

The Name Of Algonquin, And Was Nearly Universally Spoken All Along The

Border Of The Atlantic And Far Into The Interior, The Various Tribes

Had Dialects Of Their Own, Intelligible Indeed To A Native Familiar

With The Parent Speech, But Strange To One Who, Like Eliot, Had Only

An Imperfect Knowledge Of It. As The Knight Proceeded, Those Whom He

Addressed Became More And More Quiet; And When He Ended, They

Signified Their Satisfaction At What He Had Said By The Usual, And Now

Unmistakable "Ugh."

  

 

By This Time, The Last Red Rays Of The Setting Sun Were Lighting Up

The Calm, Green Surface Of Boston Harbor, And The Council Shortly

Broke Up, To Resume Its Sitting On The Morrow. The Procession Was

Formed Again, And In The Order In Which They Came, Winthrop, Attended

By The Taranteens, Was Escorted To