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

Every Man Who Comes Into The

World Than To The Lessons Of The Teachers. Men Were Dismissed From The

Colony, Or Otherwise Punished, On Bare Suspicion Of Wrong-Doing Or

Wrong-Thinking. Nor Is It Unlikely That Hostility In High Places May

Have Availed Itself Of This Laxity Of Law To Gratify Private

Malignity. 

 

 

Hence, Let It Not Be Wondered At, That, In Consequence Of The Prison

Breach, Several Innocent Persons Were Arrested, Whose Modes Of Life Or

Principles Of Faith Came Not Up To The Orthodox Standard. If Their

Apprehension Answered No Other Purpose, It, At Least, Served To Weaken

The Desire Of The Suspected Persons To Remain Where They Were Not

Wanted.

  

 

Hitherto The Magistrates Had Been Foiled, But Failure Only Increased

Their Vigilance And Activity. Additional Men Were Despatched To Scour

The Woods; Word Was Sent To Salem And To Plymouth, And Co-Operation To

Capture The Fugitives Asked For; Rewards Were Offered For Their

Seizure; And, In Fine, No Means Omitted Which Indomitable Will And

Ingenuity Could Devise. So Hot, At Length, Became The Chase, That,

Familiar As They Were With The Woods, Sir Christopher And His

Companions Found It Difficult To Avoid Capture. They Had It, Indeed,

In Their Power To Place Themselves In Comparative Safety, Either By

Following The Steps Of The Pequot Chief, Or Seeking The

Taranteens--For To The West They Dared Not Go, For Fear Of The Tribes

In That Direction, Who Were At Feud With Those On The Atlantic

Border--But Various Considerations Interfered To Prevent. With Neither

Sir Christopher Nor The Indian Was Mere Personal Safety A Ruling

Motive. The Former Had Not Abandoned All Hope Of Changing The Strange

Resolution Of Sister Celestina, With Whom He Determined, On

Accomplishing Her Release, To Proceed With Neebin To The Country Of

The Pequots--In This Way Only Transferring Their Labors To Another

Place--And With The Latter, The Charge Wherewith He Was Entrusted Was

Too Sacred For Any Cause To Be Neglected. Flying From Their Posts,

Even Though Bands Of Enemies Were After Them, Was Therefore Not To Be

Thought Of. As For Philip, His Wild, Reckless Nature Took Pleasure In

Their Adventurous Mode Of Life; Satisfied, Besides, That Were He Even

Made Prisoner, No Serious Punishment Could Befall Him, Unless His

Participation In The Prison-Breach Became Known, Which, He Confided

Too Much In The Fidelity Of His Associates To Believe Was Possible.

Seldom Daring, Therefore, To Discharge Their Fire-Locks, But Depending

Principally On The Arrows Of The Indian, And Snares They Set For

Subsistence, Occasionally Aided By The Friendly Natives With Whom The

Knight Was A Favorite, And Constantly Changing Their Places, The Three

Continued To Elude The Search, And The Baffled Soldiers Were Obliged

To Return, Digesting Their Disappointment As They Might, And Asserting

That Those Whom They Sought Had Left The Neighborhood. To Make

Assurance Sure And To Stimulate The Indians To Exertions, Which The

Magistrates Were Certain Had Never Been Made, Higher Rewards Were

Offered For The Capture Of Sir Christopher In Particular, Which, It

Was Supposed, The Cupidity Of The Natives Would Be Unable To Resist.

 

  

Among The Indians Trusted By Sir Christopher, None Had Contrived To

Secure A Greater Share Of His Confidence Than Quecheco, The Frequent

And Favored Companion Of His Hunts. The Skill Of The Indian In Hunting

Had, At First, Recommended Him To The Knight, And Afterwards, The

Interest Of The Latter In His Protege Was Increased By The Attention

With Which Quecheco Listened To Instruction And By The Intelligence Of

His Questions. Hitherto He Had Always Been Found Faithful, In

Consequence Whereof The Haunts Of The Outlyers Were Not Concealed From

Him, And He Was Employed To Procure Information From The English

Settlements, And Depended On, Generally, As A Confederate. Quecheco

Was Not Without Affection; In Proof Whereof, He Had Withstood The

Bribe At First Offered For The Capture Of Sir Christopher, But His

Feeble Virtue Finally Succumbed. There Was One Temptation Which He Was

Unable To Withstand. He Had Frequently Been A Witness Of The

Effectiveness Of The Gun In The Hands Of The Knight, And, With A

Hunter's Love, Conceived A Longing To Possess One. This Was No Easy

Matter To Be Accomplished, Furnishing Guns To Indians Being Strictly

Prohibited, And Such Weapons Taken Away Whenever Found In Their

Possession. Quecheco Now Thought He Saw An Opportunity Of Gratifying A

Desire That Had Become A Mania, And Determined That A Gun Should Be

The Price Of His Friend's Liberty.

  

 

With This View, At One Of His Visits To Plymouth, Or Accomack, He

Sought Governor Bradford, With Whom He Was Acquainted, And Proposed To

Deliver The Knight Into His Hands, In Consideration Of The Coveted Gun

And A Certain Quantity Of Powder And Ball. Much As Was Desired The

Capture Of Sir Christopher, Bradford Hesitated, But Finally Promised

The Bribe, Stipulating For The Life Of The Knight, Considering That

The Rule Might Bear Infringement In A Single Instance, For The Sake Of

The Object To Be Attained; And From That Moment Quecheco Begun His

Work Of Treachery.

 

 

 

In Consequence Of The Activity Of The Search, The Fugitives Had Been

Obliged Not Only Often To Change Their Hiding-Place, But Sometimes To

Remove To A Considerable Distance From Boston. One Of Their Favorite

Resorts Was Near Plymouth, Both Because They Were Less Likely To Be

Suspected To Lurk In A Vicinity Where The Knight Had No Acquaintances,

And Also On Account Of A Greater Abundance Of Game. Here The Two White

Men Often Remained Without Towanquattick, Who, Less Liable To

Discovery, Hovered Around The Spot Where Was The Sister Of His

Sagamore.

 

 

Such Being The State Of Things, Quecheco Selected The Neighborhood Of

Plymouth (On Account Of The Absence Of Towanquattick, Betwixt Whom And

Himself A Feeling Of Mutual Dislike Existed, Caused In His Jealous

Mind By The Favor Which The Knight Had Lately Shown The Pequot, And

Which He Esteemed A Derogation Of His Rights) As The Theatre Of His

Plot, And Here We Find Sir Christopher At This Moment.

 

 

 Our Larder Is Exhausted, Philip," Said The Knight One Morning, "And

Must Be Replenished. Shall We Try Our Fortune Together?"

 

  

"I Am Always Ready," Answered Philip. "It Is Two Days Since I

Stretched My Legs, And, By My Halidome, I Shall Forget How To Use

Them, Without More Practice."

 

  

"Methinks," Replied The Knight, Smiling, "It Is Less Than A Week Since

I Saw Legs Much Resembling Thine Moving With Marvellous Celerity."

 

  

"When This Copper-Hide Here Showed Us Venn's Band, Within A Hundred

Yards Of The Old Wigwam, Right Under Winthrop's Nose, In The Swamp.

Aye, It Was High Time To Be Moving; But It Was Unkind Of Venn To Burn

Our Quarters, Seeing That I Had Been A Sergeant In His Company.

 

 

 

"Quecheco, My Line Fellow," Said Sir Christopher, "Thou Didst Us A

Service On That Day Not To Be Forgotten, And Now We Must Look To Thee

For Another. Where Shall We Hunt?"

 

 

"Let Soog-U-Gest And Quecheco Go A Little Towards Accomack, Where I

Saw Yesterday Some Deer, And The Sanop Toward The Setting Sun,"

Answered The Indian.

 

  

"Go Thou With Philip, And I Will Take My Chance Alone," Said The

Knight:

 

  

"The Chief Must Not Go Alone," Said The Indian. "Quecheco Will Go To

Carry The Deer Which Soog-U-Gest Will Shoot."

 

  

"A Sensible Indian," Said Philip. "Take Him With You, Sir Christopher.

For My Part, I Do Not Want His Copper Skin Gliding Like A Snake Among

The Bushes; And, Sir Christopher, Look Sharp, And See If I Bring Not

Back As Much Game As You And Your Friend."

 

 

 

"I Accept The Challenge," Said The Knight, Good-Humoredly, "And Will

Take Him, Since You Prefer To Go Alone."

 

 

 I Will None Of Him. He Is Thy Valley-Doo-Doo--A Murrain On Mounseer

For His Hard Words; And Why A Waiting-Man Should Be Called A Valley,

More Than A Mountain, Or A River, Doth Pass My Understanding."

  

 

"An Interesting Mystery. Yet Is Its Solution Unnecessary At The

Present. Get Thy Bow And Quiver, Quecheco, And We Will See By Evening

How Philip's Boastings Will Turn Out."

 

  

"And, Hark Ye, Red-Skin," Cried The Soldier, "Take Care That Thou

Bring Back Soog-U-Gest, As Thou Callest Sir Christopher, Safe, And

With A Good Appetite To Eat My Game."

 

 

 In Spite Of His Habitual Self-Possession, The Indian Started. A Guilty

Conscience Began Already To Affright Him, And For An Instant He

Fancied His Purpose Detected.

 

  

"What Ails Thee?" Asked The Knight, Regarding Him With A Quick, Keen

Glance.

 

 

 Quecheco Hurt His Foot," Answered The Indian, With A Limp, And

Bending Down To Hide His Face From The Sharp Eyes.

 

  

"Poor Fellow, Then, Remain Behind, And We Will Hunt For Thee, Who Hast

Done So Often For Us."

 

 

 Quah!" Exclaimed The Indian, With A Gesture Of Disdain, "It Is

Nothing. See, Quecheco Can Run Like A Deer," And With That He Sprung

Round With Great Agility, As If To Make Good His Words.

 

  

"Enough," Said The Knight; "Reserve Thy Breath Until It Is Wanted."

 

 

 he Course Taken By The Two Was Toward The South, As Recommended By

The Savage, In Order To Find The Herd Which He Said He Had Seen The

Day Before.

 

  

"Why, Then, Brought You Back No Venison!" Asked The Knight.

 

  

"The Deer Was Quicker Than The Arrow Of Quecheco," Returned The

Indian; "But He Will Not Escape," He Added, Looking With Admiring Eyes

At Sir Christopher's Gun, "The Round Stone Which Soog-U-Gest Will

Throw At Him."

 

 

"I Have Often Seen Thee," Said The Knight, "Gaze At My Piece With Such

Eyes As The Sight Of Thy Squaw, After Long Absence, Might Kindle Up.

Were It Not Sure To Be Thy Ruin, I Could Find It In My Heart To Give

It Thee."

 

  

The Eyes Of Quecheco Flashed. "Give Me The Stick," He Cried, "That

Makes A Loud Noise, And Quecheco Will Do A Great Thing."

 

 

 

"I Have Done Wrong," Thought The Knight, "In Raising His Expectations.

Nay, Quecheco," He Said, "It Would Be Taken Away From Thee By The

White Men, And Who Would Sell Thee Powder And Ball!"

 

 

 "Nin-E-Yi-U Wa-Wee," (It Is Well,) Said The Indian. "Soog-U-Gest Flies

So High That He Sees A Great Way, And Quecheco Spoke Like A Pappoose.

What Has He To Do With Guns?"

  

 

The Gift Of The Gun Would Have Diverted The Savage From His Purpose,

By Awakening The Affection Which Covetousness Had Put To Sleep, And

Probably Altered The Fate Of Sir Christopher And Himself; But The

Answer Of The Knight Dispelled The Hope That For A Single Instant

Warmed The Heart Of Quecheco With Better Feeling, And He Persisted In

His Original Design.

 

  

They Had Walked Several Miles Without Seeing Any Game Of Importance,

Or Such As Was Thought Worthy Of Other Attention Than The Arrows Of

The Indian, Before They Reached The Spot Indicated By Him As Where He

Had Marked The Deer The Day Previous. It Was A Falsehood Invented By

Quecheco, And Great Was His Astonishment, On Approaching, To Behold A

Herd Of A Dozen Of These Timid Creatures.

 

 

 It Was A Sort Of Lawn, Of Six Or Seven Acres In Extent, With A Few

Trees Scattered Over It, Where They Were Feeding. The Shape Of The

Ground Was An Irregular Oblong, In Some Places Not More Than A Hundred

Yards Across, And In Others Of Double The Distance, Being Like A

Basin, At A Depression Of Twenty Or Thirty Feet Below Where The Knight

Stood, Concealed By Trees And Bushes. At The Bottom Flowed A Small,

Rapid Stream, Perhaps Three Rods Wide, Interposing Itself Betwixt Him

And The Herd. Sir Christopher Had Visited The Locality Before, And Was

Familiar With Its Features; And Expecting Game, From The Story Of

Quecheco, Had Taken Care To Approach With The Wind In His Face, To

Avoid The Scent Of His Person Being Carried To The Delicate Nostrils

Of The Animals While He Stepped Noiselessly Along. The Indian, In

Order The Better To Carry Out His Meditated Deceit, Had Been Imitating

The Knight's Conduct, And On The Discovery Of The Deer, His Hunter's

Instinct Induced Him To Continue What His Hypocrisy Had Begun.

Selecting The Finest Buck From The Herd, Sir Christopher Levelled His

Piece And Fired. A Single Instant Stood, With Erected Heads, The

Beautiful Creatures, As If Stupefied With Astonishment, And Then All

But One Vanished In The Wood--All But The Stricken Buck, Who Made One

Bound, And Fell To The Earth. The Prodigious Leap Testified To The

Extremity Of His Terror And His Hurt; And Vain Struggles To Rise From

His Knees, To Its Fatal Character. With Eyes Fixed Upon The Struggling

Deer, The Knight Reloaded His Gun, And Then Bounded Down The Declivity

After Him.

 

 

Arrived At The Margin Of The Stream, He Discovered A Canoe Drawn Up A

Little Way On The Bank, Approaching Which, To Push It Into The Water,

He Suddenly Found Himself Surrounded By A Number Of Indians. They Were

The Confederates Of Quecheco, Who Had Been For Some Time Lying In Wait

In The Thick Bushes. Simultaneously Rushing Forward, They Attempted To

Seize Him; But This Was No Easy Matter. A Resolute, Athletic Man, With

Body And Sinews Hardened; By His Hunter's Life, And Accustomed To

Exercise Command