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

Thee--He Knowing Thy Position, And

Thou Not His." 

 

 

"Nevertheless, It Were A Great Satisfaction Could I Discern The

Creature. Perhaps I May Bring Back A Buck For Breakfast. Thou Art

Acquainted With The Stupid Habit Of Deer To Gaze On Fire. It May Be

One Of Them." 

 

 

"For All That, I Counsel Thee To Remain. A Prudent Soldier Exposes Not

Himself To Danger Without Cause."

  

 

"By Heaven!" Exclaimed Arundel, "I See The Eyes Of The Animal Again,

In The Light Of The Fire. I Will Shoot, Come What Will Of It;" And

Before The Knight Could Interfere, He Had Discharged His Piece In The

Direction Of The Object. The Dark Woods Echoed To The Report, And Some

Birds Disturbed From Their Perches Began To Flutter Blindly Round, But

No Other Sounds Were Heard, And Presently Silence, As Profound As

Before, Brooded Over The Forest.

  

 

"Thou Hast Been Guilty Of A Sad Imprudence, Master Arundel," Said The

Knight, "And I Hope No Evil Consequences May Result Therefrom. What

Art Thou About Now?"

 

 

But The Young Man, Who, From The Instant He Had Discharged His Piece,

Had Been Busy Reloading It, And Whose Preparations Were Now Completed,

Paid No Attention To The Question; But, Excited By What He Had Seen,

Rushed Out Of The Cave Into The Open Air.

 

  

"_Santa Madre De Dios!_" Exclaimed The Knight. "I Hope Nothing Evil

Will Befall Him. Were It Better Now To Follow Or To Remain?"

 

  

While Sir Christopher Was Deliberating, Arundel, Holding His Piece In

Readiness, Cautiously Took His Way Toward The Thicket, Whence He

Fancied The Eyes Had Looked. As He Was Groping Along, Not Yet

Recovered From The Blinding Effect Of The Fire-Glare, He Suddenly Felt

His Gun Seized, And Several Strong Arms Thrown Round His Person. He

Cried Out For Assistance, And Struggled, But In Vain. The Gun Was Torn

Away, A Hand Placed Over His Mouth, And A Tomahawk Brandished At Him,

As If To Intimate His Doom, Should He Continue His Outcries. In This

State Of Things Nothing Was Left But To Yield Himself To His Captors,

And, Resigning Himself To His Fate, He Waited For What Should Follow;

Nor Was He Kept Long In Suspense, For Presently An Indian Came Gliding

Up To The Group In Whose Midst He Stood, And Spoke A Few Words,

Whereupon He Was Led To The Cave, And Directed By Signs To Enter It.

Here He Found Sir Christopher Lying Quietly On The Ground, Without

Apparently Having Received Any Injury, And His Piece In The Possession

Of Some Indians By Whom He Was Surrounded. Arundel Was Permitted To

Sit Down By His Side, Admiring, As He Did So, The Wonderful Composure

Of The Knight.

 

Chapter XX ("There Have Been Holy Men Who Hid Themselves Deep In The Woody Wilderness.")

 

 

 

 Bryant.

 

 

Arundel Had Now An Opportunity To Look Round And Observe The State Of

Things. Besides The Knight And Himself, There Were Seven Or Eight

Indians In The Little Cavern, Armed With Bows And Arrows; And He

Remarked With Pleasure That These Persons Were Not Stained With

War-Paint, Indicating That They Were On No Hostile Expedition, But

Engaged In Hunting. So Far From Offering Violence, Or Even Rudeness,

The Savages Treated Them With Marked Deference, Keeping At A

Respectful Distance, And Yielding To Them The Piles Of Hemlock

Branches Which They Had Arranged For Couches. Arundel Listened To The

Conversation Between The Knight And The Indians With That Strained

Attention With Which One Unacquainted With A Language Will Sometimes

Hang Upon Its Sounds, As If By A Concentration Of The Faculties To

Wring A Sense Out Of It; And If He Was Unable To Make Out The Meaning

Of The Words, He At Least Satisfied Himself, Both From The Intonation

Of The Voices And Expression Of The Faces, That No Immediate Injury

Was Designed. To The Appealing Looks Which Arundel From Time To Time

Directed To Him, The Knight At Length Replied:

 

  

"I Know Not, Master Arundel, Whether We Should Consider Ourselves More

Fortunate Or The Contrary, In Falling Into The Hands Of These

Copper-Colored Cavaliers. We Are Their Prisoners, And, As Such, Bound

To Obey Their Motions; But Their Presence Will Guard Us From Attack,

And In That Way Be A Shield; And Their Treatment In Other Respects

Will Shame, I Doubt Not, The Conduct Of More Civilized Men In Like

Circumstances."

 

  

"Know You," Inquired Arundel, "The Name Of Their Tribe, And Their

Intentions Towards Us?"

  

 

"They Are Taranteens, And, As Far As I Can Learn, Mean To Take Us To

One Of Their Villages. It Was Fortunate Your Shot Took Not Effect;

For, Otherwise, I Know Not What Would Have Been The Consequence." 

 

 

"I Confess Now Its Rashness; But It Is Manifest That We Were Tracked,

And, In Any Event, Would Have Been Prisoners." 

 

 

"Perhaps Not Prisoners. Perhaps, After Making Our Acquaintance, They

Would Have Offered Us Their Company As An Escort. As It Is, We Must

Submit To Close Watchfulness On Our Journey, And, Afterwards, Take

What Fate May Come. I Counsel Thee (And Speak As One Knowing The

Habits Of These People) To Betray No Distrust Or Apprehension. We Must

Show That We Rely With Perfect Assurance On Our Character As

Ambassadors, Not Only For Immunity From Danger, But For Courteous

Treatment. And Now," He Added, Disposing Himself To Rest, "We Had

Better Court That Sleep Which Will Be So Necessary To Prepare Us For

The Fatigues Of To-Morow." 

 

 

Arundel Followed His Example, And, As If It Had Been A Signal For The

Indians, They All Left The Cave, With The Exception Of Two, Who

Stretched Themselves Out By The Fire At The Mouth.

  

 

It Was Long After It Had Fallen Upon The Lids Of Sir Christopher, That

Sleep Visited The Eyes Of Arundel; But Tired Nature At Last Yielded To

The Solicitations Of The Drowsy Influence, And He Forgot Both His Joys

And His Sorrows.

  

 

When He Awoke, The Daylight Was Streaming Into His Retreat, And,

Sitting Up On The Hemlock Boughs, He Looked Around. The Couch Of Sir

Christopher Was Deserted, And No Indian Visible. Wondering What Had

Become Of Them, He Rose And Walked To The Entrance, And Beheld

Standing On The Margin Of The Brook, The Knight In Conversation With

The Savage, Who, The Night Before, Appeared To Be The Leader Of The

Party. They Were So Interested With Their Subject As Not To Notice His

Presence, And He Had An Opportunity To Observe Their Bearing To One

Another. To Judge From That, The Knight Looked To Arundel More Like A

Conqueror Than A Captive, And Rather Giving Than Receiving Orders. The

Attitude Of Sir Christopher Was Commanding, And He Engrossed The

Principal Part Of The Conversation. From The Frequency With Which It

Was Repeated, Arundel, As He Fancied, Could Make Out One Word, Which

Sounded Like "Mesandowit," But Its Meaning He Was Unable To Divine. He

Stood Looking At Them Until The Indian Discovered Him, Who,

Ejaculating The Word "Ahque," (Beware) The Knight Turned And Also Saw

Him. 

 

 

"Thy Appearance Dispenses With The Necessity Of Asking How Thou Hast

Passed The Night, Master Arundel," Cried Sir Christopher. "Well, There

Is Nothing Like A Trust In Providence, Whereto I Commend Thee, To

Inspire With Courage. Courage May, In A Certain Sense, Be Said To Be

Piety."

 

  

"Truly, Sir Christopher," Said Arundel, Catching Confidence From The

Cheerful Tone Of The Knight, "I Begin To Regard Thee As A Sort Of

Providence, For Wherever You Move, You Seem To Exercise A Command. Now

Would I Give Something To Know The Secret Whereby You Have Tamed Yon

Savage."

  

 

"It Is No Astonishing Mystery. I Did But Elucidate To Him Clearly Our

Sacred Character And Thy Mistake In Firing."

  

 

"Is He Content With The Explanation?"

 

  

"He Seems To Be. The Natives Are Not So Unreasonable As Is Sometimes

Represented. Difficulties Between Men Do Often Arise From An Ignorance

Of Each Others Intentions; And One Grand Cause Of Contention Is,

Doubtless, An Inability To Comprehend Their Diverse Languages. Now, I

Suffer Under No Such Disability. I Can Impart My Ideas, And Receive

Their Own In Return, And Thus Is Language A Bridge Of Reconciliation

Betwixt Us. Believe Me--A Common Cord Vibrates Through The Hearts And

Minds Of All Men, And Skilful Words Are The Fingers Wherewith To Touch

It."

  

 

"Thou Art A Skilful Musician In More Than One Sense," Said Arundel, As

He Turned To The Brook To Wash His Hands And Face.

  

 

No Very Strict, Certainly Not Obtrusive Surveillance, Was Exercised By

The Taranteens Over Their Captives. They Were Allowed To Move About

Where They Pleased, And Their Escort Began To Assume The Appearance Of

A Guard Of Honor, Rather Than A Band Of Suspicious Enemies; Nor Did

The Savages Seem At All Disposed To Hurry, Or Take Any Measures To

Prevent A Surprise, Feeling, Probably, A Consciousness Of Security In

Being On Their Own Hunting Grounds. Their Breakfast, Of Which The Two

White Men Partook With Them, Was Leisurely Prepared, And Eaten With

Equal Deliberation, And The Sun Was High When They Resumed Their

Journey. All These Circumstances Were Noticed By Arundel, And Tended

To Increase His Confidence. However, He Made No Remark Respecting

Them.

 

  

But When, Soon After The Commencement Of Their March, Their Guns Were

Returned, He Could Not Forbear From Uttering His Surprise. 

 

 

"They Know Not How To Use The Weapon," Replied Sir Christopher, "And

It Suits Them Not To Carry Loads Not Their Own. Besides, I Have

Pledged Our Honors That The Pieces Shall Not Be Used Against Them.

Methinks, Moreover, Were We Inclined To Play False, It Were Fruitless,

In View Of Their Superior Number." 

 

 

Nothing Of Importance Occurred During The Couple Of Days Longer Their

Journey Lasted, And Before It Was Completed, Both The Prisoners Lost

All Apprehension Of Violence. They Were Even Permitted To Shoot The

Game Which Was Started, And The Indians Manifested No Little Pleasure

When The Shots Proved Successful. They Watched Closely The Loading Of

The Pieces And Priming, And The Manner In Which The Lock Trigger Was

Raised, And Sometimes Took The Guns Into Their Own Hands, And Brought

Them Up To The Shoulder, As They Had Seen The White Men Do, As If

Desirous To Be Taught Their Use. Something Also, In Reference To The

Subject, They Said To The Knight, But He Shook His Head, And Showed No

Disposition To Instruct Them. An Unlucky Experiment Made With The

Piece Of Sir Christopher, By One Of The Taranteens, At Length Put An

End To Their Importunities.

 

 

The Indian Took The Gun, After He Had Seen It Loaded By Sir

Christopher, And Imitating His Actions, Discharged It At A Bird

Sitting On A Bough, At No Great Distance. 

 

 

He Had Failed To Remark That The Knight Placed The Piece Firmly

Against His Shoulder When It Was Fired, And Ignorant Of The Propriety

Of Doing So, Held It With A Natural Feeling Of Timidity At A Little

Distance From His Body. The Consequence Was, That The Recoil

Prostrated The Savage On His Back, And The Gun Dropped From His Hands,

While The Fortunate Bird Seemed To Deride The Unskilful Marksman, And

To Challenge Him To Another Trial, By Paying No Other Heed Than

Hopping On Another Bough. His Companions Gathered Round The Fallen

Savage, And Two Or Three Took Hold Of The White Men, As If To Prevent

Escape; But When They Saw No Wound Upon His Person, Nor Expression Of

Pain In His Face, (For The Pride Of The Unfortunate Warrior Forbade

The Betrayal Of What He Felt,) Their Words Of Sympathy And Intentions

Of Revenge Were Converted Into Jeers And Laughter. As For The Unlucky

Fellow Himself, On Rising From The Ground, He Retreated A Little Way

From The Gun, And Regarding It With A Look, Wherein Awe And Aversion

Were Combined, Took Care Not To Approach Nigh To It Again.

  

 

On The Evening Of The Seventh Day After Their Departure, They

Approached The Village Of The Taranteens. The Whole Company Halted At

A Little Distance From It, And The Returning Indians Shouted A

Peculiar Cry, After Which They Proceeded More Leisurely On Their Way.

The Yell Had Been Heard And Understood, For Soon Were Seen Advancing,

Groups Of Men, Women, And Children. These, Upon Joining Their Friends,

Manifested None Of That Stolid Indifference, Which It Has Been The

Pleasure Of Certain