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

A Dastardly

Breach Of Faith And Murder Unparalleled In Atrocity. The Conduct Of

Winthrop In Returning A Bold Defiance To Their Threats, Was Also

Approved, (For In Treating With Them, An Exhibition Of A Want Of

Confidence Would Be Considered A Confession Of Weakness, And Only

Serve To Precipitate The Calamity To Be Avoided,) But It Complicated

The Difficulty, If That Were Possible, And Embarrassed Any Attempt At

Reconciliation. The Taranteens Were Felt To Occupy A Position Of Great

Advantage, And Likely To Attract The Sympathy Of The Indians

Generally, And Even To Unite Tribes Before Hostile To One Another

Against The Perfidious Owanux. To The Taranteens No Blame Could Be

Attached. They Had Been Guilty Of No Breach Of Faith; They Had Acted

Like Brave And Honorable Men. Even After The Outrage Upon Them They

Had Respected Their Wild Code Of Honor, Nor Would Commence

Hostilities, Until Like The Snake, Whose Warning Rattles They Sent,

They Had Apprised The Enemy Of Their Intention. But The Challenge Had

Been Given And Accepted, And A State Of War Initiated. Soon Might

Their War-Parties Be Expected To Fill The Forests, Cutting Off

Stragglers And Attacking Any Bodies Of Men Which They Should Deem

Inferior In Strength To Their Own. Hence The Danger Of Traveling In

The Woods, And Especially Of Attempting To Penetrate Into That Remote

Region, The Habitation Of The Hostile Tribe, Was Greatly Increased.

Where Was The Man Daring Enough To Encounter The Peril Unless

Supported By A Military Force, Which Would Give The Embassy More The

Appearance Of A Foray Than Of A Tender Of Peace? Such An Armed Band

Would Only Invite Attack. Besides It Was Inconvenient, And Indeed Of

The Highest Detriment To The Colony, To Take Off So Many Able-Bodied

Men As Would Be Necessary For The Purpose, From The Cultivation Of The

Fields, And Those Other Industrial Pursuits Upon Which The Existence

Of The Colonists Depended, Even Though They Should All Return Safe To

Their Homes--A Result By No Means To Be Expected.

  

 

When, Therefore, Winthrop Suggested Sir Christopher Gardiner As A

Proper Person, From His Familiarity With The Habits Of The Natives,

And His Knowledge Of Their Language, To Undertake The Enterprise, It

Is No Wonder That The Proposition Was Favorably Received. All Felt It

To Be A Service Of Danger; It Was Highly Desirable That It Should Be

Attempted; No One Was So Well Fitted For It As The Knight; And Were

The Effort At Reconciliation To Terminate Fatally, The Loss Of No One

Would Be Less Regretted By Several Of The Assistants. For There Were

Among Them Some Who Were No Friends Of The Knight, And Would Gladly

Have Had Him Out Of The Colony; Either Not Liking His Intimacy With

The Natives, Or Suspicious Of The Circumstance, That, Although He Had

Offered To Unite Himself With The Congregation, He Had, Somehow Or

Other, Never Done So, Either In Consequence Of Doubts Entertained

Respecting The Soundness Of His Faith, Or Some Unknown Cause. This

Feeling Was Heightened By A Jealousy Of The Favor Enjoyed By The

Knight With Winthrop--A Favor Which, Some Declared, Warped The Better

Judgment Of The Governor. In Proof Of This, They Pointed To The

Remission (At The Intercession Of Sir Christopher) Of A Part Of The

Punishment Of One Ratcliffe, Who Had Incurred The Vengeance Of The

Law, And Also Of The Indulgence Shown To Philip Joy. At The Head Of

These Malcontents Was The Assistant Spikeman--One Who, By His Evil

Propensities And Incapacity To Appreciate The Noble Sentiments Of

Winthrop, Stood To Him In A Certain Relation Of Hostility. For There

Is No Law More Prevailing Than That Evil Hates Good, Compelled Thereto

By The Very Constitution Of Its Nature. Indeed, It Is Evil By Reason

Of That Hatred; When That Ceases, Evil Ceases Also.

 

  

By No One Was The Proposal To Entrust The Business To Sir Christopher,

If He Would Accept It--For The Cautious Winthrop Did Not Allude To The

Understanding Betwixt Himself And The Knight--Received With More Favor

Than By Spikeman. He Was Eloquent In Praise Of The Qualifications Of

The Proposed Envoy, And Derided The Danger, Expressing A Conviction

That It Would Be Easy For Him, If He Chose, To Restore Peaceable

Relations. The Qualification In The Speech Of The Assistant Was

Noticed By Winthrop, And He Intimated Astonishment At The Suspicion,

And Wonder At The Willingness Of One Who Felt It, To Entrust The

Commission In Such Hands. But The Artful Spikeman Easily Extricated

Himself From So Slight A Difficulty, Alleging, As The Cause Of The

Doubt, The Want Of That Christian Bond On The Part Of The Knight,

Without Which No One Could Be Entitled To The Entire Confidence Due To

One In Full Communion.

 

 

When The Assistant Left The Council, He Debated With Himself How, If

Sir Christopher Accepted The Service, He Might Join Arundel, And The

Soldier Joy With Him. Could He Succeed, He Considered That He Would Be

In A Fair Way To Rid Himself At Once Of Three Persons Who Interfered

With His Designs. The Heat Of His Animosity Was Directed Indeed

Principally Against Arundel And Joy, The Knight Coming In For A

Portion As Their Favorer And Abettor. But In The Pursuit Of An Object,

No Scruples Of Conscience Ever Interfered With The Plans Of Spikeman,

Willing To Involve Alike Friend And Foe In One Common Destruction, If

So Only His Purposes Could Be Accomplished. He Calculated Somewhat

Upon The Bold Temper Of Arundel, And Also Upon His Regard For The

Knight, By Whose Side He Doubted Not The Young Man Would Be Willing To

Defy Any Danger To Which The Other Would Expose Himself.

  

 

With This View He Took Care, By Means Of His Spy, Ephraim Pike, To

Acquaint Arundel With The Honor Intended For Sir Christopher. The

Expedition Was Represented By Pike As A Mere Party Of Pleasure, And As

Affording Fine Opportunities For Observing The Tribes In Their Native

Haunts. The Good Sense Of The Young Man, And The Experience He Already

Had, Taught Him Better Than To Regard It Exactly In The Light Wherein

The Spy Exhibited It; But, Though Conscious That There Must Be Danger,

In The Excited Condition Of The Taranteens, He Could Not Believe It To

Be Great, Else Neither Would Winthrop Ask Such Exposure Of Life, Nor

Would The Knight Accept Of The Enterprise. As For What Danger Was To

Be Encountered, It Rather Stimulated Than Deterred In The Desire To

Partake Of It, As The Lion Hunt Has Greater Attractions For The Hunter

Than The Chase Of The Deer. Some Words Dropped From Pike About The

Woodcraft Of Joy, And His Bravery; But He Dared Not Speak Plainer For

Fear Of Betraying Himself.

  

 

The Information Of Pike, It Seems, Was Not Without Effect, For Early

On The Morning Of The Following Day, Arundel Started For The

Habitation Of His Friend, Taking With Him What He Considered Necessary

For A Distant Journey In The Woods. The Distance Was Passed Over In A

Couple Of Hours; But, Early As It Was, He Found That A Messenger Had

Anticipated Him. This He Discovered, As Well From The Language Of The

Knight, Who Stood In The Porch Of His House With A Letter In His Hand,

As From The Appearance Of The Man With Whom He Was Conversing, Whom

Arundel Perceived Was One Of The Soldiers Who Ordinarily Mounted Guard

Before The Door Of The Governor. 

 

 

"This," Said The Knight, Handing The Letter To The Messenger, "To

Governor Winthrop, And A Fair Return To Thyself."

  

 

The Man Took The Letter, And, After Making The Military Salute Of The

Period, Turned On His Way To Boston. 

 

 

"Here Has Come," Said Sir Christopher, After The Usual Greetings, "A

Request From The Governor That I Would Undertake An Embassy To The

Taranteens, To Soothe Their Excited Minds And Prevent An Outbreak." 

 

 

"May I Inquire What Is Your Reply?" Asked Arundel.

  

 

"How Canst Thou Doubt? Surely, Where Honor And Good Deeds Invite, No

True Knight Can Turn Back."

  

 

"I Am To Understand, Then, That You Have Accepted The Office Of

Mediator?"

  

 

"I Have Accepted The Trust, Hoping That Good May Grow Out Thereof."

 

  

"And When Is It You Purpose To Depart?"

  

 

"Incontinently. The Matter Brooks No Delay."

 

  

"Then Have I A Petition To Prefer, Which, I Hope, Will Meet With The

Same Favor As The Governor's. Let Me Attend Thee On This Journey."

   

The Suddenness Of The Request Appeared To Embarrass The Knight For An

Instant; But It Was Only For An Instant. 

  

"Hast Thou Fully Considered," He Asked, "The Perils Whereunto Thou

Dost Expose Thy Young Life? What Would Be The Condition Of Eveline

Dunning Shouldst Thou Never Return?"

  

 

"My Life Is Not More Valuable Than Thine, And The Situation Of Eveline

Would Be No Worse Than That Of Thine Own Relative."

  

 

"Aye, But Consider The Difference In Our Positions. Glory, Duty,

Summon Me Irresistibly; Whereas, Thou Hast No Calling Other Than

Curiosity."

 

  

"Say Not So," Exclaimed The Young Man, With Feeling. "I Will Not Deny

The Motive Assigned; But Believe Me There Are Others, Whereof You

Would Not Disapprove."

  

 

"May I Know Them?"

 

  

"Needs It That I Should Say How Greatly I Admire Thee; How Gladly I

Would Follow In Thy Knightly Footsteps; How Any Peril Would Be

Welcome, If Partaken With Thee?"

 

  

Sir Christopher Turned Away. "I Did Not Think," He Said To Himself,

"His Affection Was So Great." 

 

 

"Master Arundel," He Replied, Walking Back, "I Do Prize Thy Friendship

More Than Precious Jewels; But I Were Untrue To That Love, Should I

Expose Thee To Danger. For Myself, I Were A Recreant, And No Knight,

Could I, Because Of Danger, Refuse To Obey A Call To Benefit My

Fellow-Men; But, For Thee, It Is A Reckless And Unneeded Temptation Of

Peril. Deem Me Not Unkind, But Think It Is My Love And Anxiety That

Speak In Your Behalf."

 

  

"It Is The First Request I Have Made To Thee," Said Arundel, "And, If

Refused, It Shall Be The Last. I Shall Be Compelled To Believe You

Consider Me Unworthy Of Your Friendship, Too Effeminate To Bear A Walk

Of A Few Days In The Forest, And Unreliable In The Hour Of Trial." 

 

 

The Voice Of The Young Man Trembled, And His Whole Manner Betrayed His

Wounded Feelings.

  

 

"Hear Me, My Young Friend," Urged The Knight; "Hast Thou Well Weighed

The Terrors Thou Wouldst Seek? It Is Not Merely Death Thou Dost Defy;

But, Holy Mary, Holy Angels, What A Death! Canst Thou Endure To Have

Thy Tender Flesh Pierced With Splintered Sticks; Thine Eyes Torn From

The Sockets; The Flames Greedily Dashing Over Thy Head, And Licking

Up, As With The Forked Tongues Of Serpents, Thy Blood, Hissing As It

Drops Upon The Glowing Brands? And This For The Poor Satisfaction Of

Being With Me; For Thou Canst Not Afford Protection, Should The

Indians Attempt Outrage. Alas! How Bitterly Would The Sorrow Of My Own

Fate Be Enhanced By The Consciousness Of Thine!"

 

  

"I Have Considered All These Things, And They Move Me Not. I Admit The

Possibilities Of The Painting, But No More. The Conduct Of The

Taranteens Proves How High Stands With Them The Point Of Honor And The

Sacred Estimate Wherein They Hold An Embassy; Else Never Would They

Have Ventured Upon One Like The Second, After The Unhappy Termination

Of The First. I Partake Not Of Thy Fears." 

 

 

"Then, If Not With The Unthinking Heat Of Youth, But With Thoughtful

Deliberation, Thou Hast Well Weighed The Matter, I Will Not Deny Thee,

And Thou Shalt Visit With Me These Savages, If Providence Spares Our

Lives To Reach Them. But I Start This Day, Within A Few Hours; The

Time Is Short; Thou Canst Not Be Ready."

  

 

"I Am Ready. I Came Prepared, Anticipating All Things Save Thine

Objections."

  

 

"Enter, Then, My Poor House, My Dear Young Friend, And Refresh

Thyself," Said Sir Christopher, Leading The Way.

 

  

The Persistency Of Arundel Having Thus Wrung A Consent From The

Knight, The Subject Was Not Again Referred To By Either Of Them; But

Both Considering The Matter Settled, Addressed Themselves To The

Preparations Remaining To Be Made. A Small Quantity Of Dried Deer's

Flesh, And Corn Parched And Pounded, Was Packed Up, Sufficient, As Was

Supposed, To Supply The Wants Of The Travellers, Should They Be At Any

Time Unfortunate In Procuring Game, Upon Which Their Chief Reliance

Rested. The Guns Were Carefully Cleaned, The Locks Seen To Be In

Order, And Store Of Bullets And Powder Was Provided. These

Preparations Being Completed, Refreshed With The Noonday Meal, Sir

Christopher Called On Arundel To Follow Him. An Indian Was To Go With

Them As Far As It Was Judged Safe For Him To Proceed Into An Enemy's

Country. The Journey It Was Calculated Would Require A Week To

Accomplish To The Principal Village Of The Taranteens; So That,

Allowing An Equal Length Of Time For Coming Back, And The Necessary

Delay Among The Indians, A Period Of At Least Three Weeks Might Be

Expected To Elapse Before Their Return. The Two White Men, Then,

Habited In Closely-Fitting Hunting Garments, Made Of Dressed

Deer-Skin,