WILD WESTERN SC ENES:

A NA R R A T IV E
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P R EFAC E

WH EN a work o f ction has re ach e d i ts f orti e th e dition o n e

t h e au thor m i g ht co n g rat ul a t e hi m se l f u po n
w o u ld s u ppos e
havi n g co n trib u te d so m e thi n g o f an i m p e rishable characte r to
B u t no s u ch pre t e n s io n s ar e
th e lit e rat u r e o f t h e country
as s e r te d f o r this produ ctio n n o w i n its f orti e th thou sa n d
B e i n g t h e rs t e s say o f an i m p e tu ou s youth i n a e ld wh e re
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who co n f e r su ch hono rs a n y hi g h award o f m e rit It h as b e e n
b e f o e t h e p ublic som e f t e e n ye ars an d h as n e v e r b e e n r e vi e w e d
P e r l ap s t h e f orb e ara n c e o f thos e who wi e ld t h e c e r e bral scalp e ls
m ay n ot b e f u rth e r prolo n g e d a n d t h e boo k r e m ai n s am e nabl e to
t h e j u d g m e nt th e y m ay b e pl e as e d to pro n o un c e
T o that portion o f t h e p u blic who hav e r e ad with approb atio n
so m any thou sands o f his book t h e au thor m ay sp e ak with
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W ild W e s t e rn Sc e ne s witho ut t h e haz ard o f i n cu rr i n g th e ir

di spl e as ure
Lik e t h e h e ro o f his book t h e au thor had h i s vici ss it u d e s i n
boyhood an d com m itte d such i n di s cre tions as w e re i n cide n t to
o n e o f h i s ye ars a n d ci r c um s ta n c e s b u t n e v e rth e l e s s only such
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t h e d e s c r iptio n o f sc e n e ry i s a tru e pictu r e a n d s e v e ral ch a ract e r s
i n t h e s c e n e s w e r e r e al p e rs o n s
M a ny o f t h e occu rre n c e s act u ally
t ra n spi re d i n h is pre s e n c e or h ad b e e n e n acte d i n t h e v ici n i ty at
,

M8 1 7 3 2

RE FA C E

no re m ot e p e riod ; and t h e dre am o f t h e h e ro his v isit to t h e

h aun t e d i sland w as truly a d re am o f t h e au thor s
Bu t t h e wors t m is e ri e s o f t h e au thor w e r e f e lt wh e n h i s work
was com ple te d ; h e cou ld g e t n o publi sh e r to e x am i n e it H e
th e n p urchas e d an i n te re st i n a w e e kly n e ws pap e r i n t h e
colum n s o f which it app e are d i n con se cutiv e ch apte rs T h e
s ub s crib e rs w e r e pl e as e d with it a n d d e s i re d to po ss e s s it i n a
volu m e ; b u t still no p ublish e r would u nde rtak e i t t h e au thor
h a d n o r e p u tation i n t h e lit e rar y world
H e offe re d it f o r f t y
dollars b u t could n d no p ur ch as e r at a n y pric e B e li e vin g t h e
Britis h books e ll e rs m ore accom m odati n g a f ri e nd w as e m ploye d
to m ak e a f air copy i n m anus cript at a ce rtai n n u m b e r o f ce nts
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re m un e rat e d by t h e s al e o f t h e whol e e ditio n A f t e r t h e tardy
sal e o f s e v e r al s ub s e qu e n t e ditions by hous e s o f li m ite d i n u e nc e
t h e book h a d t h e g ood f ortu n e n ally to f all into t h e h a nds o f
t h e g i g a n tic e s tabli s h m e n t whos e i m pri nt is now upo n i t s titl e
pag e A n d n ow t h e au thor is i n f orm e d it i s re g ul arly an d
lib e rally ord e re d by t h e Londo n book se ll e rs and i s sold wi th an
i n cre asi n g rapidity i n al mos t e ve ry se ction o f t h e Unio n
Su ch ar e t h e hazards t h e m is e ri e s and som e ti m e s the re wards
o f authors hip

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B UR LI NG T ON

N J , Mar ch , 1 85 6
.

C O NT E NT S

C H AP T ER

PM ]

Jo e T h e ir

h or s e sA s t o rm A b l a ck s t um p A r ough
t u m bl e M o anin g St ar sLi g h F A l o g r e T e n t s a n d s o m e
t h in g t o e at Ano t h e r s t r a ng e r w h o t urn s o u t t o b e w e ll kno w n
Jo e h a s a s n a c k H e st udi e s r e v e n g e a g a in s t t h e b l a c k s t ump
B oon e pr o p o s e s a b e a r hunt

Gle nn

an d

C HAP T ER II

b e ar H oun d s an d t e rri e rs Sn e a k Pu nk t h e
h a t ch e t
f a c e An o t h e r s t u m p T h e h i gh p a s s e s T h e b e a r r ou s e d
T h e c h a s e A s i g h t A s h o t A w oun d No t ye t kill e d H i s
me d it a t i on s H i s f ri e n d t h e b e a r T h e b e a r r e t r e a t s J o e t a k e s
c our ag e Jo e r e s Im m e n s e e x e c ut i on Sn e a k T h e l a s t s t rug

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C H APTER III

19

Gl e nn s cas tl e M a ry B ooks A hunt Jo e an d P e t e A t u mb le

An o p o ss umA s h o t A o t he r t um b l e A d o e T h e r e t urn
T h e y s e t o u t a g ainA m oun d A b uff a l o An e n c oun t e r N i ght
T e rri c sp e c t a cle Es c ap e B oone Sn e a k In di an s

C H AP T ER IV
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82

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s t a rt ing r al ly T h e d e s p e r a t e a l t e r n a t i v e R e l i e f
e

48

C O N T EN T S

C H A P TER V

PM ]

cur s i onA f a iry s c e n e Jo e i s p uz z l e d a n d f r i gh t

e n e d A w on d e rf u l di s c o v e ry N a vi g a t i on o f t h e upp e r r e gi ons
A cr a s hNo b on e s b r oke n
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C H A PT ER VI
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Sne ak T h e e x humat i on

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77

C H APT ER VII

oon e T h e in te rm e nt St art ling int e lli g e n c e In di an s ab outA

87

C H AP T ER V III

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Jo e s di s a s t e r
si l e nt w a t ch

ound s R e e ct i o n T h e s n e a kin g s ava ge s

a ppr o a ch o f t h e f e e un d e r t h e s no w T h e

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99

C HA PTER IX

n e ak kills a s o w t h a t w s o t al l a s w in e T h e b r e a thl e s s su s
p e ns e T h e m at ch in r e a di n e s s Jo e s c ool d e m e a nour T h e m t c h
i g ni t e d E pl o s i on o f t h e m in e D e f e a t o f th e s av g e s T h e cap
t iv e H i s lib e r a t i on T h e r e p o s e T h e ki tt e n M o rni ng

C HA P TER X

1 11

d e a d re m ov e d T h e w olv e s on t h e riv e r Th e w o lf h u ntG u m

f e t i dJo e s in cr e duli t y H i s c onv i c t i onHi s s u rpri s e Hi s p r e
di ca m e n t H i s n a rr o w e s c a p e

Th e

C H AP T ER

XI

126

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18 9

C O N T EN T

C H A P TER XI I

PAM

in di sp o s i ti onH i s c ur e Sne a k s r e f o rm a t i on T h e p urs ui t

J oe s

p t ive In dia n A ppr o a ch t o t h e e n c a mpm e nt o f t h e s av a g e s

Jo e s illn e ss a ga inT h e s urpris e T h e t e rri c e n c ount e rR e s
o u e o f M a ryC a p t ur e o f t h e y o u n g chi e f T h e
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C HA P T ER X III

15 4

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1 69

C H A PT ER XIV

Willi am s il ln e s sSne a k s s t n ge h o us e J o e s c our a ge T h e b e e

hunt Jo e a d s n e ak cap t ur e d by t h e In di ns T h e ir s ad con di
t i on P r e p r a t i on s t o b urn t h e m live T h e i r mir a c l ous e s cap e

r a

C HAPT ER XV

1 85

203

C H A P TER XVI
B al my Spri n gJo e

cu ri ous dre am H e pr e p ar e s t o catch a sh

G l e nn W i lli am an d M ary Jo e s sudd e n an d s t r ange a pp e ar
an c e La u n a
th e
t r e m b l i ng f a w n T h e s hing s p o rt T h e
duckin g f r o li cSn e a k a n d t h e p a n th e r

C H APT ER X VII

b ri gh t m or ning Sn e a k s

224

vi s i t Gl e nn s h e a rt T h e

n ak e hunt
L ov e a d r a s pb e rr i e s J o e i s bi t t e nH i s t e rr o r a d s uff e r
ing sArriv l o f B oon Jo e s a b rup t r e c ov e ry Pr e p ar t i on s

Th e

242

WILD WEST ERN

A

NAR R A T IV E

OF

SC ENES:

A D V EN T UR ES

3 )

Gl e nn a d Jo e T h e ir h ors e s A s t orm A bl a c k s tumpA ough

L i gh t A l og e T e n t s a d s o m e t hi ng
t um bl e M o a ning St ar s
t o e a t Ano t h e r s t r a ng e r w h t urn s o t t o b e w e ll kno w nJ o e h s
a s n ck H e s t ud i e s r e v e ng e a g i n s t t h e b l a c k s t um p B oon e pr o
p o s e s a b e r hun t
n

D o you see any l i ght yet Joe

N ot the least speck that ever was created except the

l i ghtn i ng an d i t s gone before I can turn my head to look

at i t
The i nterrogator C harles Glenn re cl i ned mus i ngly i n a
two horse wagon the canvas cover i n g of wh i ch serve d i n
some measure to protect him from t h e wind an d ra i n H i s
servant Joe B eck was perched upon o n e o f the hors e s
h i s shoulders screwed under the scanty folds of an o i l cloth
cape and h i s knees drawn n early up to the pommel of t h e
s a ddle to avo i d the thump i ng b ushes an d briers that occa
s i o n a l l y assailed h i m as the team plunged along i n a stum
b l i ng pace
The i r p athway o r rather their direction for
there was n o b eaten road lay along the n orthern b ank o f

the Mad M i ssour i som e two hun dred miles ab ove the
S t Lou i s settlement It was at a t i me when there were
no wh i te men i n those regions save a few trappers traders
and em i grants and each n e w soj ourner found it conven i ent
t o carry w i th h i m a m eans o f shelter as house s of any
d escr i pt i on were b ut few an d far between
,

W I LD W E ST ERN

10

C ENE S :

Our trave llers had been told i n the m orn i ng wh e n set

ti n g out from a temporary village wh i ch consisted of a few
families o f emigrants w i th whom they had soj ourne d the
preced i ng n i ght that they could attain the des ired p oint
b y mak i ng the r i ver the i r gu i de should they be at a loss
to d i stingu i sh the fa i ntly marked pathway that led i n a
more d i rect course to the place of dest i nation The storm
coming up suddenly from the north and showers of hail
accompany i ng the gusts caused the poor dr i ver to i nclin e
hi s face to the left to avo i d the peltings that assa i led h i m
s o fr e que ntly ; a nd t h e dr e nched hors e s similarly inuenced
had u n cch sci o nsl yf: de pa rt e d far from the r i ght line of march ;
and
t h an t urn his front again to the pitil e ss
b l a s t g w h ig ch e e ul d b e t h e xon l y m e a n s o f regaining the road
until he should n d
himself on the m argin o f the r i ver by which time he hoped
the storm would abate A t all even ts he thought th e re
would b e more safety on the beach which extended o u t a
hundred paces from the water among the small switches
o f cotton wood that grew th e reon than in t h e midst o f the
tall trees of the for e st where a h e avy branch was e ver y
n o w an d th e n torn o ff by the w i nd and thrown to the earth
O ccasionally a d e afening explosion
w i th a terr i ble crash
prostrating
o f t hunder would burst overhead ; and Jo e
hi mself o n the neck o f his horse would with his eyes clos e d
and his teeth set bear it o u t in sil e nce He spoke not
save to give an occasional word o f command to his team or
a br i ef reply to a qu e stion from his master
It was an o dd spectacle to see such a vehicle trudging
along at such an hour where no carriage had ever pass e d
b efore
The two young men were o d d characters ; the
horses were oddly matched o n e b e ing a little dumpy black
pony and the oth e r a n oble white steed ; and it was an
o d d whim wh i ch induc e d Glenn to a b andon his comfort
able home in P hilad e lphia an d travers e such incl e m e nt

wilds But love can play the w i l d with any young man
Yet we will not spoil o u r narrative by i ntroducing an y o f i t
here N or could it have be e n love that induc e d Joe to
s hare his mast e r s f reaks ; but rather a rare penchant f o r
t h e miraculous adv e ntures to be enj oy e d i n the western wil
derness and the gold which his master often showered upon
him w i th a reckless hand Joe s forefathers were from t h e
,

A N A RR A T I VE

11

Isle of E r i n an d although he had lost the b rogue me st i ll

reta i ned some of th e i r superst i tions
The w i nd cont i nu e d t o blow the wolv e s howled the l i gh t
E re long the l i ttl e
n i ng ashed and the thunder rolled
b lack pony sn orted aloud an d p a used abruptly

W hat a i ls
n
said
Joe
from
h
i
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lofty
pos
i
t
i
o
o u P ete !
y

on t h e steed address i ng h i s favour i te l i ttle pet

Get

along he continued str i king the an i mal gently w i th his

whip B ut P e te was as i mmova b le and unconscious o f t h e
lash as would have b e en a ston e A n d the steed seeme d
likew i se to be i nfected w i th the pony s stu b bornness afte r
the wagon was brought to a pause

W hy have you stopped Joe ! i nqu i red Glen

I don t hardly know sir ; but the stup i d horses won t

b udge an i nch farther 1

Tak e
V ery well ; we can rema i n h e re t i ll morn i ng
the harn e ss o and give them the corn i n the b ox ; we ca n

sleep i n the wagon till daylight

But we have n o food f o r ourselves s i r ; an d I m vastly

hungry It can t b e much farther to the ferry cont i nued

Joe vexed at the con duct of the horses

V ery w el l ; do as you l i ke ; dr i ve on i f yo u des i re to

do so said Glenn

G e t along you stupid creatures I cr i ed Joe apply i ng

the lash w i th som e violenc e But the horses regarded h i m
n o mo r e than blocks would have done Immediat e ly i n
front b e perce i ve d a dark obj e ct that resem b led a stump an d
t urn i n g the horses slightly to o n e s i de e ndeavoured to urge
them past it S till they would n o t go b ut cont i nued to r e
gard the obj ect mentioned with dread wh i ch was man i fested
by sundry restless p a w i n g s a n d unaccustomed snorts Joe
resolved to ascerta i n the cause o f the i r alarm an d spr i ng i ng
to the ground moved cautiously i n the direction o f the dark
obstruction which st i ll seemed to be a blackened stump
ab out his o w n he i ght and a very tr i ing obstacle i n his
o p i n i on t o arrest the progress o f his redoubtable team
The darkness was i ntense yet he m anaged to keep h i s eye s
on the d i m outl i nes of the obj e ct as he ste althily approach
ed A n d he stepped as n oiselessly as possible n o t w i t h
standing he me d i tated an en counter w i th nothing more than
an inanim ate obj ect But his imagination was always on
t h e al e rt an d as he oft e n feared dangers that aros e und e
,

W I LD W E ST ERN SCENE S

12

and i ndescr i bable in h i s m i nd i t w a s not w i thout

some trepidation that he had separated h i msel f from the
horses and groped h i s wa y toward the obj ect that had so
much terried his pony He paus e d with i n a f e w fe et of the
obj ect an d wa i ted for the n e xt ash of lightning to scruti
nize the thing more closely b e f ore putting his hand upon i t
But n o ash came and h e grew tired of stan ding He
stooped down so as to bring the upper port i on of i t i n a line
with t h e sky beyond b ut still he could n ot make it out He
v entured still n earer and star e d at it long and steadily but
to no avail : the black mass only was b efore him seemingly
inani m ate and o f a deeper hue than the darkness around

I ve a n otion to try my whip on you said he th i nking

i f i t should be a human be i ng it would doubtless make a
movement H e starte d back w i th a momentary convict i on
that he heard a rush creak under i t Sfeet But as i t st i ll
maintained its position he soon concluded the no i se to hav e
been only imagin ary an d ventur i ng q u i te close gave i t a
smart blow with his wh i p Instantaneously p oor Joe was
rolling o n the e arth almost insensible and the dark obj e ct
disappeared rushing through the bush e s i nto the woods
T h e noise attracted Glenn who now approached the scene
n d with no little surpr i se foun d h i s servant ly i ng on h i s
pace

W hat s the matter Joe ! demande d he

Oh S t P eter ! O preserve me ! excla i med Joe

W hat has happened ! W hy do you l i e there !

Oh I m almost killed ! D idn t you see him !

S ee what ! I can see noth i ng th i s dark night but t h e

y i ng clouds and yonder yellow sheet of water

Oh I ve b e e n struck ! said Joe groan i ng piteously

S truck by what ! Has the lightning struck you !

o
N
no my head i s all smashed u p i t was a b ear
P shaw ! get up and e ither drive o n or feed the horses
sa i d Glenn with some impatienc e
I call all t h e saints to witn ess that i t was a w i ld b ea r
a great wild h e a r !
I thought i t was a stump b ut just as
I struck i t a ash of lightning revealed to my eyes a b ig
black bear standing on his hind feet gr i nn i ng at me and
he gave me a blo w o n the side o f the face which h a s e n
t i r e l y blinded my l e f t e ye and set m y ears t o r i nging l i ke

a thousan d bells
Just feel the blood o n my f ace
n ab l e

"

N A RR ATI VE

13

Glenn actuall y f e l t som e thing which m i ght be blood a n d

r e ally had thought h e could disting u ish the s tump himself
wh e n t h e wagon halt e d ; ye t h e did n ot believ e that Joe
had r e ceiv e d t h e hurt in an y oth e r manner than by str i k i ng
his fac e agai n st some hard substance wh i ch he could n ot
avoid i n t h e darkn e s s
Y o u only fan c y it was a b e ar Jo e ; so com e along b ack
to the horses and drive o n The rain has c e ased an d the

S aying this Gl e nn led the w ay to

s tars are appearing
the wagon
I d b e willing to sw e ar o n the altar that i t was a huge

r e plie d Jo e as he m ounte d an d
b e ar and nothing els e !
drov e o n the hors e s now e v i ncing no reluctan ce to proceed
One after another the stars cam e o u t a n d shone i n purest
brightn e ss as t h e m i sts sw e pt away and e r e long the whole
canopy of b lu e was g e mm e d with twinkl i ng b r i ll i ants
The winds soon lulled an d the d e nse forest o n the right
r e pos e d f rom the moaning gale which had disturbed it a
short tim e before ; and t h e wa v es that had been tosse d i nto
foam i ng r i dg e s now Spent th e ir fury o n the beach each
lashing the bank more g e ntly than the last until the p owe r
o f the gliding current swept them all down the tur b i d stream
S oon the space bet w e e n the wat e r and the forest gradually
diminished and seemed to j oin at a point n ot far ahead
Joe o b served this with som e concern be i ng aware that to
m e and e r among the trees at such a n hour was i mpossible
He therefore inclined toward the river resolved to defer
his r e e ntra n ce into the forest as long as p oss i ble A s he
drove on he kept up a cont i nual groaning w i th his head
hung to one side as i f su ff eri n g with the toothache and
occasionally reproaching P e te with some p e tulance as i f a
portion o f the blam e attached to his sagacious pony

W hy do you ke e p up such a howling Jo e ! D o yo u

r e ally s n e r much p ain ! inqu i red Glenn ann oye d b y h i s
man s lamentations
It don t hurt as b ad as i t d i d b ut then to th i nk that I
w a s such a fool as to go r i ght into the beast s clutches
,

w hen even P ete had m ore sense !

If i t was actually a bear Joe you can b oast of the

thrill ing encounter h e reaft e r sa i d Glenn i n a j ok i ng and

artl
y
consol
i
ng
mann
r
e
p
B u t i f I have m a n v more such I fear I Shall never g e t
,

'

W I LD W E ST ER N SCENE S :

My f ac e i s al l sw e ll e d Huzza !
yonder is a light at last ! It s o n this sid e o f t h e ri v e r
an d if we can t get ov e r t h e fe rr y t o night w e Shall hav e
H a ! ha ! ha !
s ometh i ng to eat on this sid e at all e vents
i see a living m an m oving before t h e re as i f he w e re

Joe forgot his wound in the j oy o f an

r oasting m e at
ant i cipated supper and whipping the horses into a brisk
pace th e y soon drew n e ar the e ncampm e nt wh e re th e y
discovered nume r ous p e rsons m ale an d f e mal e who had
b een prevente d from crossing the r i v e r that day i n con
sequen ce of the v i olence o f the storm an d had rais e d th e ir
t ents at the e dge o f t h e woods preferring to repose thus
until the following morning than to ventur e into the frail
ferry boat while t h e wav e s yet ran so high
There was n o habitation in t h e immediate vicinity save
a rude hovel occupi e d by Jasp e r R o u g h g r o v e and his ferry
men w h ich was on the opposite s h or e in a n arrow vall e y
that cle f t asund e r t h e oth e rwis e uniform cl i o f rocks
The creaki n g o f the wh e e l s wh e n the v e hicle approach e d
w i th i n a few hundred pac e s o f the en campm e nt attract e d
the watch dogs and th e ir e rce a n d continued barking
drew the att e ntion o f the emigr a nts in the direction indi
S ev e ral men with guns in their hands came out to
ca t e d
meet the young travellers
W e are white m e n f ri e nds strangers lost benight e d

and hungry ! e xclaimed Jo e stopping t h e horses an d

addressing the m e n b e f ore he was accosted

said they
C ome o n then an d e a t and rest with us
amused at Joe s exclamations and leading the way to t h e
encampment
W hen th e y arr i ved at the edge o f the camp Gl e nn dis
mounted from the wagon an d dire cting Joe to follow wh e n
he had taken care o f the horses dr e w n e ar the hug e l o g
r e in company with those who had gone o u t to me e t him
S everal tall and Spreading elms tow e r e d in maj e sty abov e
and th e ir clustering leav e s yet partially gr e e n n o t w i t h
s tanding the autumn was midway advanced w e re bea u tifully
tinged by the bright light thrown upward from t h e glaring
ames The view o n o n e side was lost i n the dark labyrint h
of the moss grown trunks of the for e s t On the other sw e p t
t h e turbid river b e aring downward in its rapid curr e n t
s evered branches and ev e n whole trees that had been swept

b a ck to relate them

N A RR ATI VE

15

awa y b y the continual falling in o f t h e r i v er bank for the

sandy soil was always subj e ct to t h e und e rmining of t h e
i mp e tuous stream A circle of tents was form e d round t h e
re constructe d o f thin pol e s b e nt i n the shap e o f an arch
and the ends planted rmly in the earth These were
covered w i th b u a l o Skins which w ould e ff e ctually sh i eld
the i nmates from the rain ; and quantit i es o f leaves after
b e ing carefully dr i ed before the r e w e re placed o n the
ground w i thin over wh i ch were spr e ad buff alo robes w i th the
ha i r uppermost an d thus i n a brief Space was Compl e t e d
temporary b ut not un comforta b le places of rep ose The ends
o f the tents n earest to the re were O p e n to adm i t t h e heat
and a p ortion of light that those who d e sired it might retire
dur i ng their repast or engage i n p i ous m e ditatio n und i s
t u r b e d b y the more clamorous p orti on of t h e compan y
Glen n p aused when w i th i n t h e c i rcle an d looked w i th
some degree o f interest on the admirabl e arrangement of
those i nd e pen dent an d hardy people A maj ority o f the
em i grants were seated o n logs brought thi t h e r f o r that pur
pose and feasting quietly fro m sev e ral large pans and well
l l e d camp kettl e s wh i ch w e re s e t o u t for all i n common
Th e y m otioned Glenn t o partake with them ; and although
many curious looks w e r e dir e cted toward him ye t he was
n o t annoy e d by questions whil e eating
Joe cam e in an d
following the exampl e o f t h e r e st played his part to per
f e ct i o n without complaining onc e o f his wound
The feas t was j ust nish e d when t h e dogs aga i n set up a
furious yelping an d ran into the forest B ut th e y returne d
v e ry quickly some o f them whining wi t h t h e hurts rec e ive d
from the strangers the y e n count e r e d s o ro u ghl y ; and pr e s e nt
l y they wer e f ollowed by several e normous b o u n d s and soo n
after an athletic woodsman was se e n approaching This
p ersonage was a tall muscular m an p ast t h e middl e age b u t
ag i le an d v i gorous i n all his m otions H e was habited i n a
buck Skin hunt i ng sh i rt and wore leggins o f the same ma
t e r i al
A lthough he was armed with a long knife and h e avy
ri e an d the expr e ssion of his brow and chin indicated an
u nus u al degr e e o f rmness and determination yet there was
a n op e nness an d blandness in the e xpr e ssion o f his fe atures
w hich w o n the condence o f the beholder and instantl
y
dispelled every apprehension O f v i olence A ll of the e mi
a nt s had e i ther seen o r hear d of him before for his nam e
r
g
,

W I LD W E ST ER N SC EN ES :

16

only repeated by every to n gue i n the terr i tory D L

was familiar i n every S tate in t h e Union an d not unkno w
i n many parts o f E urope He was instantly r e cognised b y
the emigrants and crowding round th e y gave him a hearty
welcome They led him to a conspicuous seat and formin g
a c i rcle about h i m were eag e r to catch every word that
m i ght escape h i s lips and rel i ed w i th i mplic i t condenc e
on every Species of i nformat i on he i mparted respecting t h e
dangers and advantag e s o f the locations they were about t o
v i s i t Boon e had settled som e three miles distant from
the ferry among the h i lls where his people were engag e d
i n the manufacture o f salt He had selected th i s place O f
abode long b e fore the gen e ral tide o f emigrat i on had reache d
so far up the Missouri It was said that he p i tched his tent
among the barren b ills as a security against the intrus i on
of other men who b e i ng swayed by a love of wealth would
naturally seek their hom e s in the rich level prair i es It is
true that B oone lov e d to d w ell in solitud e But he was n o
m i santhrope A n d n ow alt h ough qu e stions were aske d
without number he answered th e m with ch e erfulness ; a d
v i sed the f amilies what would b e n ecessary to b e done when
th e i r locations were s e lected and even pressingly invited
them to rema i n in his settlement a f e w days to re cover from
the fatigue of travel an d p r omised to accompany them after
ward ov e r the r i ver into t h e rich plains to which th e y were
j ourneying
D uring the brisk conversat i on that had been kept up for
a great length o f t i me Gl e nn unlike the rest o f the co m
pany sat at a d i stance and maintain e d a strict sil e n ce
O ccasionally as some of the extraordinary feats r e lat e d o f
the p erson be f ore him occurred to his memory he turned
his ey e s in the direction of the great pion eer an d at each
t i me observed the ga z e of the woodsman x e d upon him
N evertheless his habitual listlessness was not disturbed and
he pursued his peculiar train of reections Jo e lik e wise
treated the presence o f the r e n owned Indian ghter wit h
apparent un con cern and being alone in his glory dived
the d e ep er into the sauc e pan
B oon e at length advanc e d to wher e Glenn was sitting
an d after scanning his pale f eatures an d his costly
thus ad
t hough not ex q uisitely fashioned habiliments
dressed him
w as n o t

n.

NA RR ATI VE

17

Yo ung m an m ay I i n q u i re what b r i ngs thee to thes e

w i lds

I am a freeman replied Glenn somewhat haught i ly

an d may b e i nuen ced by that wh i ch br i ngs other men

h ither

N ay young man excuse the freedom which all expect

to exercise i n this comparat i ve wildern e ss ; but I am ve ry
sure there is n ot another emigrant on this side o f the Ohio
who has been actuated by the same mot i ves that brought
th e e h i ther Others come to fe ll t h e forest oak an d till
t h e soil o f the prair i e that th e y may pr e par e a her i tage for
th e ir C hildr e n ; but thy soft hands an d slend e r l i mbs are
u nequal to the task ; n or dost thou s e em to have felt the
want o f th i s world s goods ; and thou bringest no family to
provide for Thou hast committed that which banished
thee from soc i ety or foun d i n society that wh i ch disgusted
th e e speak which of th e se ! said Boone i n accents
though n ot positivel y com m anding yet th e y produced a s e nse
o f reverence that subdued the rising i ndignatio n of Glenn
an d looking upon the int e rrogator as the acknowledged
host o f the eternal wilds and hims e lf as a mere guest who
might b e required to produce his test i monials of worthiness
to associate with nat u re s m ost honest o f men he repl i ed
with calmness though with subdu e d emotion

Y o u are right sir i t was the latter

I had heard th at
o u w e re happy i n the solitude o f the m ounta i n Shaded
y
vall e y or on the i nterminable prair i es tha t greet the hor i z on
i n t h e d i stan ce where n e i th e r the der i sion o f t h e proud
t h e m al i c e o f the envious nor t h e d e cept i ons o f pretende d
lo v e and friendship could disturb your peaceful medita
t ions : and from amid the wreck o f certain hop e s wh i ch I
on ce thought n o c i rcumstances could d e stroy I rose with a
determined though saddene d hear t and solemnly vowed
to s e e k such a W i lderness where I could pass a certain
number o f my days engaging in t h e pursuits that might b e
most congenial to my disposition A lr e ady I i magine I
experien c e t h e happy e ff e cts of my resolution H ere the
whisp e rs o f vituperating fo e s cannot inj ur e nor the smile s

o f those fondly cherish e d deceive

Your hand young m an said B o o n e with an e arnest

ness which convinced Glenn that his tale was n ot i mpr u
d e n t l y divu l ged
,

2*

18

W I LD W E ST ER N SC EN E S :

HO !

what s the matter w i th yo u

B oone cont i nued
t urn i ng to Joe who had jus t ar i sen from h i s suppe r and
was stretch i ng b ack h i s Shoulders
I got a licking from a bear to night but I don t m i nd
i t much Si nce I ve had a snack But if ever I com e acros s
h i m i n the dayt i me I ll Sho w h i m a thing or two sa i d
Joe w i th h i s sts doubled up
P shaw ! do you still enterta i n the r i d i culous b el i ef that

i t was really a bear you encountered ! i n q u i red Glenn ,

w i th an i n credulous s mile

I ll swear to it ! repl i ed Joe

L e t me see your face

remarked Boone tur n i ng h im
to where there was more light

Hollo ! don t squeeze i t so hard ! cr i ed Joe as B oon e

removed some of the coagulated b lood that rema i ned on
the sur f ace

There i s n o doubt about i t i t was a b ear most cer

said Boone ; and exam i ning the wound more closely

t a in l y
continued : Here are the marks of h i s claws pla i n enough :
he m i ght easily b e captured to morrow W ho w i ll hunt
h i m with me

I w i ll burst from the l i ps o f nearly every one present

Hu zz a revenge ! I ll have revenge hu zz a cr i ed Joe

throw i ng round his hat

Y o u w i ll j oin us ! in q u i re d B oone turn i ng to Glenn

Yes replied Glenn ; I came hither prov i de d w i t h

the i mplements to hunt ; an d as such i s to be pr i nc i pally
my occupation dur i ng my soj ourn in th i s reg i on I co uld
not desire a more happy opportun i ty than the present to
make a beg i nn i ng A nd as i t i s my intention to settle
n ear the ferry on the O ppos i te shore I am pleased to n d
that I Shall not b e far f rom o n e whose ac q uaintance I hoped

to make abov e all oth e rs

A nd yo u may not n d me reluctant to cultivate a soc i al

i ntercourse notwithstanding m e n th i nk me a crabbed o l d

misanthrop e r e pli e d B oone pressing the extended han d

o f Glenn
Th e y then s e parated for the n i ght retir i ng t o
the tents that had b e en provid e d f o r them
It was not long b e for e a comparative Silence pervade d
the scene T h e e rce y e lpings o f the w atch dogs gradu
ally ceased and t h e howling wol f was b u t indistin ctly hear d
i n the distance The katydid and whippoorw i ll still sang at
,

"

W I LD W E ST ERN

2O

C ENE S :

ede the rest and cross the level woodland ab out two m i les
i n width to a range o f hills and perpendicular cl is that
appeare d to have once b ound e d the river and select such
ravi nes o r outlets as i n their O pinion t h e b e ar would b e mo s t
likely to pass through i f he were i ndeed still i n t h e at
b ottom land
A t these place s they were to stat i on them
selves w i th the i r guns well charged an d e i ther awa i t the
com i ng o f the an i mal o r the dr i vers ; the rst would b e
announced b y the yelp i ng o f the dogs and the last by the
hunters horns
Glenn an d one or two others rema i ned w i th Boone to
hunt Bru i n i n his la i r wh i le Joe and the remainder of the
company were despatche d to the passes among the hills
There was a n arrow featured V erm onter i n th i s party
termed b y his comrad e s the Hatch e t face and i n truth
the extreme th i nness of his chest and t h e slenderness o f his
limbs m i ght as aptly have been called the hatchet handle
But so far from being unt f o r the hardy pursuits o f a
hunter he was g i fted w i th the act i v i ty O f a greyhoun d
and the sw i ftness an d b ottom of a race horse His name
was S neak P unk wh i ch was always ab b rev i ated to m erely
S neak for h i s general success i n creep i ng up to the u n
suspecting game o f whatsoev e r kind he might be hun t ing
while others could not meet w i th such success He had
b een str i d i ng along some tim e in Silence a Short d i stance
i n advance of Joe who even b y dint o f sundry kicks and
the free use of his whip could hardly keep pace with him
The rest were a few yards in the rear and all had main
t a i n e d a str i ct Silence implicitly relying o n the gu i dance
o f S neak who though he had never traversed these woods
b efore was made perfectl y familiar with the course he was
to pursue by the i nstructions o f Boone
A lthough the light o f morning was now apparent ab ov e
yet the thick growth o f the tr e e s whose clustering bran ch e s
mingl e d i n one dense mass overh e ad mad e it still dark
and sombre b e low ; an d Joe to divert S neak from his u h
which in his endeavours to k e e p up
c onscionable gait
O ft e n subj ect e d him to the rude b lows o f elastic switche s
and m any twinges o f overhanging grape vines e ssayed t o
engage his comp anion i n conversation

I say Mr S neak observed Joe w i th an eag e r vo i c e

h i s p ony trotted along rather roughly through the Wi l d

A NA RR ATI V E

21

goose b erry b ushes and often stum b led over th e decayed

l ogs that lay about

W ha t do you want stranger ! repl i ed S neak slacken

i ng his ga i t until he fell back alongside of Joe

I only wanted to know i f yo u ever k i lled a b ear b efore

sa i d Joe draw i ng an easy b reath as P ete fell i nto a co m
f o r t a b l e walk

D od rot i t I ha i n t k illed th i s o n e y i t sa i d S neak

I d i dn t mean any o ff ence sa i d Joe

W hat makes you th i nk you have gi ven any !

Because you sa i d d ad r o t i t

I nearly always say s o I ve sa i d SO so often that I

can t help i t B ut n ow as we are o n the r i ght foot i ng I
can tell you that I wintere d O n ce i n A rkansa w an d that s
en ough to let you know I m n o greenhorn n o how yo u can
x i t A nd m oreover I tell you i f old Boon e wasn t here
hisself I d kill th i s bar as sure as a gun an d my gun i s as
sure as a streak of lightn i ng run i nto a barrel of g un p o w

der ; and as he sp oke he threw up h i s heavy gun an d

saluted the iron with h i s lips

Is your s a rie ! i n qu i red Joe to prolong the conver

sation his companion showing symptoms o f a disp os i t i o n
to fall i nto h i s ha b i t o f go i ng ahead aga i n
Sar t a i n l y ! D oes anybody I wonder expect to do

a n y th i ng with a Shot gun i n sich a place as th i s !

M i ne s a shot gun sa i d Joe

D od did you ever k i ll any th i ng b etter than a q ua i l

w i th i t ! i nquired S n eak contemptuously

I never k i lled any th i ng i n my l i fe w i th i t I never

sa i d Joe
s hot a gun i n all my life b efore to n i ght

D od you haven t r ed i t to n i ght t o my Sar t a i n kno w

l e d% e

I m ean I never went a Shoot i ng

D id you load her yourself ! inqui re d S neak tak ing

hold o f the musket and feel i ng th e cal ib r e

Yes but I m sure I d i d i t r i ght I p ut i n a han dful

of powder and paper o n top of i t and then p oured i n a

handful o f b alls said Joe

Ha ! ha ! ha ! I ll be busted i f you don t ra i se a fus s

i f you ever get a shot at t h e bar ! sa i d S neak , w i th em

phasis

That s what I am after

,

W I L D W E ST ERN

22

CE N E S :

Why don t you go ahead ! d e mand e d S neak as Joe s

ony
stopp
e d
sudd
nly
with
his
ears
thrust
forward
e
p

D od ! whip him up cont i nu e d he s e e i ng that his com

an i on was intently ga z ing at some O bj ect ah e ad and ex

pib i t i n g as many
marks o f alarm as P e te
It s n othing

b u t a stump ! sa i d S neak going forwards and kicking t h e

obj ect which was truly n othing more than he took it to be
Jo e then r e lated to him all the particulars o f his n o ct u r a l
a ff air with the supposed stump previous to his arrival at
t h e camp and S ne a k with a hearty laugh admitted that
b oth he an d the pony were excusable for inspecting all the
stumps they might chance to com e across in the dark in
future Th e y now emerg e d into the open spac e which was
the boundary o f the woods and a f ter clamb e ring up a
steep ascent f o r som e minut e s they r e ached the summit o f
a tall range o f bluff s F rom this position the sun could be
seen rising over t h e eastern ridges but t h e at woods tha t
had be e n trav e rs e d still lay in darkness belo w and Silent
as the tomb sav e the hooting o f owls as th e y a p p e d to
th e ir hollow habitations in t h e tr e es
The party then disp e rs e d to their coverts under the di r e c
tion o f S neak who with a practis e d eye instantly p e rc e iv e d
all the advan t ageous posts for the men and t h e places
wh e re the bear would most probably run Joe had insist e d
o n havi n g his revenge and b e gged to b e station e d wh e re
he would b e most lik e ly to g e t a shot H e was ther e for e
p e rmitte d to remain at the head o f the ravine th e y had
j ust ascended through which a deer path ran as the most
favourable pos i t i on A f ter tying P e te some p ac e s in the
r e ar he came forwards to the v e rge o f the valley and seat e d
himself o n a dry rock Wh e re he could s e e some distance
down the p ath under the tall sumach bushes He th e n
commenced cogitating how he would act sho ul d Bruin have
the hardihood to face him i n the da y t i me
Boone and his party drew near the sp ot where the b ear
T h e t w o large hounds
h a d b een seen the previous night
R ingwood and Jowl e r k e pt at their master s heels b e ing
t rained to under s tan d and per f orm all the duti e s r e quir e d
o f them whil e t h e curs and terriers wer e runn i ng h e l t e x
Skelter far ah e ad or striking out into the woods without
aim an d alwa y s returning without e ff ecting any thing A t
l e ngth the two hounds p a used and scent e d the e a rth g i v

N A RR ATI VE

23

i ng ce rta i n i n f ormat i on that th e y had arr i ved at the des i re d

p oint The curs an d terr i ers had already passed f a r b e
yond the spot being unable to d e cide any th i ng by the n ose
an d always relying o n their swiftn ess i n the chase when
the y should b e in sight of the obj ect pursued
N ow G l e nn perceived to what perfection dog s could b e
train e d an d learned what had been a matter of wonder to
him h o w Boon e could keep up w i th them i n the chase
T he hounds set o at a Si gnal from their master n ot like
an arrow f rom the b o w b ut at a m oderate p ac e e ver and
anon looking b ack and pausing until the m en cam e up ;
while the errat i c curs ew h i ther an d th i ther chasing ev e ry
b a r e and squirrel they could nd
A s they pursued the
tr a il they occasionally saw the foot print of the an i mal
which was broad and de e p ind i cat i ng o n e of enormous
siz e P resently they cam e to a spot thickl y overgrown
with Spice wood bushes an d pr i ckly vines wher e h e had
made his lair and from the erect ta i ls o f R ingwood and
J owler an d the intense interest they otherwise e v i nced i t
was evident they were fast approach i ng the pr e sen ce of
Bruin E re long as they ran along with their heads up
for t h e rst time that m orning th e y commen ced yelp i ng in
cl e ar an d distin ct tones which ran g mus i cally far and wide
through the woods The curs relinquished their u n p r o t
able racing round the thickets attracted b y the b o u n ds
an d soon learn ed to keep in the rear depending on the
un e rring trailing o f the o l d hunt e rs as the obj ect o f pursui t
was not yet i n sight The chase became m ore animat e d
and the men quickened the i r pace as the insp i ring notes
o f the hounds rang o u t at regular intervals
Glenn soon
foun d he p ossessed n o advantage over those o n foot who
wer e able to run under t h e branches o f the trees and glide
through t h e th i ckets w i th but little di fculty while the rush
o f his n obl e ste e d was O f ten arrested by the tenacious vi n es
clinging to t h e bu s hes abreast an d h e was sometimes under
t h e nec e ssit y o f d i smounting to recov e r his cap o r whip
It was n ot long b e f or e t h e not e s of R ingwood an d Jowl e r
sudd e nl y in creas e d i n sharpn e ss an d quickn e ss and the
o u r s an d terriers hitherto silent set up a confus e d m e dl e y
o f sounds wh i ch reverberated lik e o n e continuous screa m
The y had pounc e d upon t h e bear and f rom t h e st a tion a ry
po s i t ion o f the dogs for a f e w minutes indic a t e d b y thei r
.

'

W I LD WE ST ER N SC E N E S :

24

pecul i ar h ayi n g i t was ev i dent Bru i n had turned to Surv e y

t h e e n e my and perhaps to g i v e them battle ; but i t s eem e d
that the i r number o r noise soon int i m i dated him and that
h e preferred se e k i ng safe ty i n ight
How B oone could
p ossibly know beforehand which way the bear would run ,
was a mystery to Glenn ; but that he O ften abandon e d the
direct i on taken by the dogs turn i ng o at almost right
angl e s and still had a sight o f him was n o less true N I
on e had yet been near enough to re w i th e e ct The bear
notwithstandin g h i s En a n y f e ints an d novel demonstrations
to get rid o f his p e rsecutors had continued to make towards
the hills where the stan ders were stationed Boone falling
i n w i th Glenn
from whom h e had bee n frequently sepa
rated they continued together some t i me following the
course o f the sounds towards the east

Th i s sport i s really exc i ting and n oble ! excla i med

Gl e nn as t h e deep and melodious i ntonat i ons of R i ngwood
an d J owler fe ll upon his ear

E xcellent ! exc e llent ! replied B oone l i sten i ng i a

t e n t l y and pausing suddenly as the discharge of a gun i n
the direct i on of the hills sound e d through the woods

H e h as reached the standers remarke d Glenn re i n

i ng up his steed at B oone s Side

N o ; i t was one of o u r m e n who has n ot followed h i m

in all his de v ia t i ons repl i ed Boone still mark i ng the notes

o f the b o u n d s

I doubt not o ur company i s s u i ci e n t l y scattered i n

e very direction through the forest to force him i nto t h e

h ill s v e ry speedily i f indeed that shot was n ot fatal

re
marked Glenn

He is n ot hurt perhaps i t was not red at h i m but

\ t a bird nor will h e yet leave the woods

said Boone

He comes ! he exclaim e d
t ill listening to the hounds

moment a f ter with marks of j oy i n his face ; he will

A nd
make a gra n d circle before quitting the lowland
n o w the dogs could b e heard m ore dist i nctly as i f they
w ere gradually approaching the place fro m which they rs t
s tart e d

If you w i ll rema i n here cont i nued Boone i t i s qui te

l ik e ly you w i ll have a shot as he makes h i s nal push f o r

t h e hills

Then here w i ll I rema i n repl i ed Glenn ; and x i ng

,

A N A RR ATI VE

25

h i msel f rmly i n the saddl e resol v ed to awa i t the com i ng

of Bruin ha v ing e v e ry cond e n c e in t h e intimation o f his
fri e nd Boone s e l e ct e d a p osition a f e w hun dr e d p aces
d istant with a V i e w o f p e rmitting Gl e nn to ha v e the rst
re
The bear took a w i de c i rcu i t towards the r i ver paus i ng
which he
a t times until the for e most o f the dogs came up
could easily manag e to k e ep at bay ; b u t whe n all o f them
n ow )surround e d him he
n nd the c u rs did good s e rvic e
W hen h e h a d run
o u n d it nec e ssary to s e t f orward again
as far as the river and turn e d on ce more towards the hills
his cours e seemed to b e in a direct lin e w i th Glenn an d the
yo u ng m an s heart utt e r e d with anticipation as b e ex
an d turned his hors e ( which had b e en a o
a m i n e d his gun
customed to rearms )in a favourabl e p osition to giv e the
enemy a salute as h e passed N earer they came the dogs
pursuing with redoubled e r ce n e s s their blood heated by
t h e exercise and their mos t sanguine passions roused by
their frequ e nt severe sk i rmishes with their huge antagonist
A s they approached the strange an d s i multaneous yelp
i ngs o f the curs an d terriers resembled an embodied roar
amid which the u t e like n otes o f R ingwood and Jowler
could hardly be heard Glenn could n ow d istin ctly hear
t h e b e ar rush i ng like a torr e nt through the bush e s almost
dir e ctly towards the place where he was posted an d a mo
m e nt a f ter it emerged from a d e nse thick e t o f haz e l and
the n obl e ste e d inst e ad o f l e aping away w i th a r ig h t threw
back his ears and stoo d rm until Gl e nn red Bru i n
u t t e r e d a b o w l and halting with a e rc e growl raise d
hims e l f o n his haunches an d displaying his array o f white
t e eth pr e pared to assail our hero Gl e n n proc e e ded to r e
load his rie with as much expedit i on as was i n his p ower
though n o t w i thout s ome tremor n otwi t hstanding he w as
moun t e d o n h i s tall st e ed whose n ost rils dilated an d eye s
ashing re indicated that he was willing to take part i n
the conict The h e ar was pr e p aring f o r a dread f ul e n
counter and o n the very eve o f springing towards h i s as
s a i l a n t when the b o u n d s com i ng up admonishe d h i m to e e
his m ore num e rous f e e s and turning o ff h e continued h i s
rout e towards t h e hills Gl e nn perc e iv e d that h e had n ot
miss e d his aim by the bloo d sprinkl e d on the bushes and
b e ing r e a d v f o r an other r e galloped aft e r him Jus t when
,

'

'

26

W I LD W E ST ERN

CENE S

he came i n sight B oon e s gun was heard and Bruin fe ll

remaining motionl e ss for a mom e nt ; but e r e Gl e nn arrive d
within shoot i ng distance o r Boon e coul d r e load he had
r i sen and again continu e d his course as i f in d e anc e of
ever y thing that man coul d do to oppose him
I S it possibl e he still surv i v e s
exclai m ed Glenn j o i n
i ng his co m panion
There is nothing mor e p ossible r e pl i e d B oone ; but

I saw by his limping that your Shot had taken e ff ect

A nd I saw him f all wh e n yo u r e d s aid Glenn ; but

he still r u ns

A nd h e w i l l run f o r some tim e y et remark e d Boon e

f o r they are e xtr e m e ly hard to kill wh e n heat e d b y t h e

pursui t o f dogs B ut we have done o u r part and it now
remains f o r thos e at the passes to nish t h e work so w e ll

beg

un

Jo e s i magination h a d Se v e ral tim e s work e d him into a

fury which had as o f t e n s u bsid e d in disappoint m ent d u r
i ng t h e chas e b e low e very p a r ticl e o f which co uld b e dis
More tha n on c e wh e n a
t i n ct l y heard f rom his position
brisk breez e sw e pt up the vall e y h e was convinc e d that
his e nemy was approaching him and e v e ry n e r v e q u iv e r
i ng with t h e e xp e c t a tion o f t h e b e ar coming in V i e w the
n e xt in s tant h e stood a Spectacl e o f e ag e rn e ss with p e r
haps a s m a l l portion o f a ppr e h e nsion int e rmingled A t
length f ro m t h e f r e q u ent d e c e ptions t h e di s tanc e practic e d
upon him h e grew compos e d b y d e gr e e s a n d r e s u ming his
s e at o n the stone wit h h i s mu s k e t l y i n g acro s s his kn e e s
thus gav e v e n t to his tho u gh t s : Wh a t i f a n Indian w e r e
to po u nce u pon m e whil e I m sitting h e r e !
H e r e he
paus e d and looked car e f ull y roun d in e v e ry dir e ction

N o ! h e con t inu e d ; i f th e r e w e r e any at thi s ti m e in

t h e n eighbo u rhood wouldn t B oon e know i t ! T o b e s ur e h e

wo u ld and h e r e s my g u n I f orgot that L e t th e m com e

as soon as th e y pl e a s e ! I wond e r if t h e bear w i l l co m e
out h e r e ! S u ppos e h e do e s w hat s t h e dang e r ! D idn t I
grapple with h i m la s t night ! A n d couldn t I j ump o n
P e t e an d g e t away f rom him ! B u t p s haw ! I k e e p f o r

g e tting my gun I wi s h h e w o u l d com e I d s e rv e h i m

wors e t han h e serv e d m e la s t night ! M y fac e f e e ls v e ry
T h e r e ! h e e xclai m e d wh e n h e h e ard
s or e this mor n ing
t h e re o f Gl e nn s gun and the rep or t th a t succeeded fro m

W I LD W E ST ERN SC ENE S

28

I Shot o that outrag e ous musk e t an d i t s k i cked my

nose to pi e c e s I s hall fa i nt said Jo e dropp i ng h i s head
b etween his kne e s

F aint ! I ne v e r saw a m a n fa i nt ! said S neak listen

i ng to the chase b e low

Oh can t yo u help me to stop th i s blood !

D on t you hear t h a t down there ! replied S neak h i s

attention entirely directe d to that wh i ch was going on i n
t h e valley

My ears are deafe ned by that savage gun ! I can t hear

a bit hardly ! Oh what shall I do Mr S neak ! continued

Joe
D od rot i t exclaimed S n e ak l e aping like a w i ld buck
down the path and pay ing n o f urther attention to the
piteous lamentations o f his comrade
E re the bear r e ach e d t h e mouth o f the gl e n the hunters
generally had com e up and poor Bruin found himself
hemm e d in on all sid e s H e could n ot ascend o n eith e r
hand the loss o f blood having weak e ned h i m too much to
climb over the almost precipitous rocks and he made a
nal stand d e term ined to s e ll his li f e as dearly as possibl e
The dogs sprang upon him in a body and it was soon e v i
d e nt that his d e sperate struggl e s w e re n ot harmless H e
grasped o n e o f the curs in his deadl y hug an d w i th his
t e e th plant e d in its n e ck r e linquished not his hold until
it f e ll from his arms a disgur e d an d li f e l e ss obj e ct He
box e d thos e that w e re t e aring his hams with his ponderous
claws s e nding th e m screaming to t h e right an d l e ft He
then stood up o n his haunches with his back aga i nst a rock
and wit h a snarl o f dean c e r e solved n e ver to retr e at f rom

its rm bas e
N ev e r w e r e blows m ore rapidly d e alt
W h e n attack e d o n o n e sid e h e had no soon e r turn e d to beat
down his sanguin e f o e than h e was assailed o n t h e oth e r
Thus he f o u ght alt e rnat e ly f rom right to l e f t his mouth
gaping op e n his tongu e hanging o u t and his e y es gl e ami n g
furiously as if swimming in liquid re A t ti m e s he w a s
charg e d Sim u ltan e ously in front and ank wh e n f o r an
i n s tant the whol e gro u p se e med to be o n e dark writhing
mass utt e ri n g a m e d l y o f d is cordant a n d horrid s o u n d s
But d e t e r m in e d t o conq u e r o r d i e o n t h e Spot b e occ u pi e d
B uin n e v e r r e lax e d his blows u ntil the br u is e d a n d
exh a ust e d d ogs w e re f orc e d to wi t hdr a w a m o m e n t fr o m

N A RR ATI V E

29

combat an d rush i nto the n arrow rivul e t W h i le they

lay p anti n g in t h e wat e r t h e bear turn e d his h e ad back
an d lapp e d in t h e dripping moi s ture
a gain s t t h e rocks
without m o v ing f rom h i s position But he was f ast sinking
under his wo u nds : a str e am o f blood which constantly
i ssu e d from his body and ran down an d discolour e d the
water indicat e d that his car e er was n e arly nish e d Y e t
his s pirit was n ot daunt e d ; for while t h e canine assailant s
h e had withstood so oft e n w e re bathing preparat o r y for a
ren e wal o f the conict Boon e and G lenn wh o had a p
an
d
Br
u
in
echoing
r o a ch e d the immediate V i cinity red
p
the howl o f d e ath a s t h e b u ll e ts enter e d h i s body turned
his eyes reproachfu lly towards the m en f o r an instant an d
then w i th a growl o f convuls e d e xpiring rag e plunged
into the water an d sei z ing the larg e st cur crushed h i m to
death R ingwood and Jowler whose sagacity had h i therto
l e d them to ke e p in som e m e asure aloof knowing the i r e ff orts
would be unavailing ag a inst so p owerfu l an e n e my w i thou t
the fatal a i m o f th e ir m a ster n o w sprang forward to the
r e s cue both seizing the prostrate foe by the throat But he
could n o t be mad e to r e linquish h i s victim n or d i d he make
resistance B oone ad v an cing at the head of the hunters
o f whom w i th the exc e ption o f Jo e an d S neak be i ng
all
(
there ass e mbled )with some di fculty prevented his com
panions from discharging their guns at the dark mass b e
fore them He struck u p several o f their guns as th ey
were endeavouring to aim at t h e no w m otionl e ss bear fear
ing that his hounds might s u ff e r by th e ir r e an d stoop i ng
down when ce he could d i stin ctly see the pal e gums and
t ongue as his hounds grapple d t h e neck o f the animal a n
n o u n ce d the de ath o f Bruin
an d t h e termination of the
hunt The hounds soon aban doned their i n animate vict i m
and its Sine wy limbs relaxing the d evoted cur r olle d o u t a
l ife l e ss body

How like yo u th i s specimen o f our w i ld sports ! i n

qu i red B oon e turning to Gl e nn as the rest proceeded to
Skin an d dr ess the bear preparatory for i ts conv e yance to
t h e camp

I t is exc i t i ng i f n ot terric an d cruel

replied Glenn ,
th

mu s m g

N one could b e m ore eager than yo u rse l f i n the chase ,

a i d B oone

"

W I LD W E ST ERN

30

CENE S :

True repl i e d Glenn ; and notw i t hstand i ng the n u

i n i t i ated may f o r an instant r e volt at t h e Spilling of blood
yet the chas e has ev e r b e e n consid e r e d the n obl e st and the
most innocent o f sports T h e animals h u nt e d are often an
evil while running at larg e b e ing d e str u ctive o r d angerous ;
b ut even if th e y w e re harml e ss in the i r nature th e y ar e
st i ll nec e ssary o r desirabl e f o r the suppor t or comfort o f
man Blood o f a similar v alu e i s spilt e verywhere without
the l e ast compun ction The kni f e daily pierces the neck
an d the kitchen wench wrings o ff the head
o f t h e swin e
of the f owl while s h e hums a ditty This is f a r better than
hunting down o u r o w n sp e ci e s o n the battle e l d o r ruining
an d being ru i ned at the gaming table I th i nk I shall b e

content in this r e gion

A nd you will n o doubt be an expert hunter i f I have

any j udgment i n such matters replied Boone

I wond e r that Jo e has not y et made his appearan ce

remarked Glenn approaching the b e ar ; I e xpected ere

this to have seen h i m triumphin ov e r his fallen en emy

g
W hat kind of a gun had he
inquired B oone

A large musket sa i d Glenn recollecting the enormous

explosion that se e med to j ar the whol e woods like an earth

quake ; it must have be e n Joe who r e d h e had certainly

overcharg e d the gun and I fear it has burst i n his hands

which may account for his absence

B e not un e asy repli e d Boon e ; for I can ass u re you

from the peculiar soun d it made that i t d i d n othing more
than rebound violently ; besides those guns very rarely
b urst But here co m es S neak ( I think they call him S0 )
no doub t having some tidings of your man It seems he

has n ot bee n idl e He has a brace of racoons i n his hands

The tall Sl i m f orm o f S neak was seen coming down the
path E ver an d an on he cast his eyes from o n e han d to the
other r e gard i ng with no ordinary i nterest the dead animals
he bore

I did not hear him re rem a rked Glenn

H e may hav e kill e d them with ston e s sa i d Boone ;

and as S neak dr e w n e ar h e continu e d with a smile they

are nothing m or e than a brace o f his t e rriers that doubtl e s s
Bruin dispatch e d and which may well be spar e d n o t w i t h

standing S n e ak s s e eming sorrow

S n e ak approach e d t h e place wh e r e Boone and G l e nn
!

NA RR ATI V E

31

ere stan d i n g with t h e gra v e st f ac e t h at m an ev e r wore

H i s eyes se e m e d to b e s e t in his h e ad for n ot onc e did th e y
w i nk n o r did his lips m ove f o r som e l e n gth o f ti m e aft e r
he thr e w down t h e dogs at the f e e t o f Glenn although
sev e ral m e n addr e ss e d him He stood with his arms fold e d
and g a z ed m ourn f u ll y at his dead dogs

T h e little fe llows f ought brav e ly and covere d th e m

s e lv e s with glory said Glenn much amus e d at the solemn

demeanour o f S neak

If ther e ain t m or e blood spilt o n the str e ngth of i t I

said S n e ak compr e ssing his lips

w i sh I m ay b e smash e d !

W hat mean you ! what s the matt e r ! inquir e d B oone

who b e st understood w hat the m an was meditating

I v e got as good a gun as anybody h e re ! A nd I ll

have revenge or pay ! replied S neak , turn i ng his eyes o n

Gle n n

If your remarks ar e i nt e nd e d for m e sa i d Gl e nn

rel y upon i t you shall have justice

T e ll us all about it sa i d B oon e

W h e n I heard that fool up t h e valley Shoot o ff h i s forty
four pound e r I ran to see what h e had don e an d wh e n I
came n e ar to where he was his gun was l y ing up the hill
b e hin d h i m an d he s e tti n g down whining lik e a baby and
a great gore o f blood hanging to his n ose I wish it had
blowed his h e ad o ff I g o t tir e d of staying with t h e tarnation
fool who couldn t tell me a thing w hen I h e ard yo u shooting
and t h e horn blowing f o r the men ; an d kn owing the b ar
was dead I start e d o ff full tilt I hadn t gon e fty st e ps
before I began to s e e where his bull e ts had spatt e red the
trees and bush e s in ev e ry dir e ct i on P res e ntly I stumbled
over these dogs my o w n puppi e s and th e r e th e y lay
dead as door na i ls I Whistled and th e y didn t move ; I
then stoop e d down to see h o w t h e b e ar had killed e m an d
I foun d thes e bull e t holes i n em
said S neak turning
their l i mber bodi e s over with his foot until th e ir wounds

were uppermost
I ll be S hot if I don t have pay or

revenge ! h e cont i nu e d with t e ars in his e y e s

W hat w e re they worth ! d e mand e d G l e nn laughing

I was o ff e r e d t w o dollars a piec e f o r e m as we came

r e pli e d S n e a k
t hrough Indiana

Here s the money

said Gl e nn handing him t h e
A ft e r re c e iving the cash S neak turned aw a y
a mount
w

32

W I LD W E ST ER N

CENE S

e
n
o
erfectl
y
sat
i
sed
an
d
s
em
d
to
b
estow
another
thought
e
t
p
upon his puppi e s
This a ff air had hardl y b e e n settl e d b efore Joe made h i s
appearan c e o n P e t e
H e rode slowly along down the path
as dole f ully as e ver man approach e d the grave y ard A S
he dr e w n e ar all eyes were xed upon him N ever w e re
any one s featur e s so much di s gur e d H is n os e was as
larg e as a h e n s e g g an d as purpl e as a plum S till it was
not much di s proportioned t o the rest o f his swollen face ;
and the whole r e sembled the unearthly phi z of the m ost
b loate d gnome tha t wat ched over the Slumbers of R ip V a n
Winkle
,

H A P T E R III

Gl e nn s c a t l M ry B ook A hunt J e a d P e t e A t umbl e An

o p o sum A s h o p Ano t h e r t um bl A d T h e r e t urn T h e y s e t o t
g i A m oun d A buff l o A n c o n t e r Night T e i c s p c t a cle
Es c p e B oon e Sn e k I n di n s

oe

n e

a n

rr

S O M E we e ks had pass e d sin ce t h e b e ar hunt The em i

rants
had
cros
s e d the river and s e l e cted their future hom e s
g
in t h e grov e s that bord e r e d t h e prairi e some miles distan t
from the ferry Gl e nn when land e d on t h e south side o f
t h e Missouri took up his a bode for a Short tim e with Jasper
R o u g h g r o v e the fe rr y man While some half dozen men
who s e s e rvic e s h i s gold secur e d w e re building him a novel
habitation A n d t h e loc a tion was as Singular as t h e con
struction o f his hous e It was o n a peak that j utt e d ov e r
t h e ri v e r som e thr e e hundr e d f e e t high wh e nce he had a
V i e w eight or t e n mil e s down t h e str e am an d across the
O pp sit e botto m lan d to t h e hills m e n t l o n e d i h the pr e ced
chapt
T
h
e V i e w was O bstructed above by a sudd e n
er
n
g
b e nd o f t h e str e a m ; b u t o n t h e s outh the lev e l prairi e ran
e
o u t as f a r a s t h e e y e co u ld r e ach i n t e rrupt e d only by
h
"o
H 19
w y o u ng g r o v e s th a t wer e i n t e r s p e rs e d a t i ntervals
.

A N A RR ATI V E

33

house co n structed o f heavy ston e s was ab out fteen feet

square an d n ot more than ten in height T h e oor w a s
formed o f hewn ti m b e rs the Walls covered with a rough
coat o f lim e an d the roof m ade o f heavy boards H O W
ever uncouth this abode appeared t o the e ye o f Glenn ye t
he had follow e d the instruction s of B oon e ( to whom he
had f u lly disclos e d his plan and r e p eated his odd resol u
tion )and reared a tenem e nt n ot only capable of r e s i sting
the wintry win d s that were to howl aroun d i t b ut su fh
ci e n t l y rm to withstand the attacks o f any foe wh e ther
The
t h e wild b e ast o f the for e st or t h e prowling Indian
door was very narro w and low b e ing made o f a solid ro ck
full Si x in ch e s in thickness wh i ch required the strength o f
a man to turn o n its hinges even wh e n t h e pon derous bolt
There was a sm all s q uare
o n the inside was unfastened
window o n each side conta i ning a Single pan e o f glass an d
made to be secured at a m om e nt s warning by m e ans o f
thick ston e Shutters on the inside The r e place was
a m ple at the hearth but the ue thro u gh which the smoke
escap e d was small and ran i n a serp e ntine direction up
through the n orthern wall ; while the c e iling was overlaid
with smooth at stones fastened down with huge iron Spikes
and support e d by strong wooden j oists The f urniture con
sist e d o f a few trunks ( which answered for seats )two camp
b e ds four barrels o f hard biscuit a few dishes and cook i ng
utensils and a quantity o f hunt i n g i mplements Many
times did Joe shake his h e ad in wonderment as th i s house
was pr e paring for his reception It se e med to him t o o
much danger was appr e h e nd e d f rom without an d it t o o
much r e s e m bl e d a soli t ary an d s e cure prison should o n e b e
conn e d within N everthel e ss h e was permitted to a d e p t
h i s o w n plan in the construction o f a sh e lter for the horses
A nd the ret e n tion o f these animals was som e relief to his
oth e rwis e gloomy for e bodings when he b eheld the er e ction
o f his m aster s suspicious ten e ment
He superintended the
b u ilding o f a substantial an d com f ortable stable
H e had
stalls a s m all gr a n ary an d a r e gular rack made for the
accommodation o f the hors e s and procured with di fculty
a n d no littl e e xp e ns e
a supply o f prov e nd e r The spac e
Includi n g t h e buildi n gs which had b e e n cl e ared of t h e roots
an d stones f o r t h e purpo s e o f cultivating a garden was
about o n e hun dr e d fe e t in di a m e t e r an d enclose d by a
,

W I LD W E ST ER N SC ENE S :

34
of

p osts driven rmly i n t h e ground an d r i sing

some t e n f e et abov e t h e sur f ac e Th e s e w e r e plant e d s o
clos e ly tog e ther that e ven a squirr e l would have f o u nd i t
difcul t to enter without C limbing over th e m In d e e d Jo e
had an e special eye to this department having heard some
aw f ul tales o f t h e snak e s that somewhat abound e d in those
regions in the warm s e a sons
On e corner o f the stable where i n a quant i t y o f stra w
was placed was appropriated for t h e com f ort o f the dogs
R ingwood and Jowler which had been presented to Gl e nn
b y his obliging fr i end aft e r they had exhibited th e ir skill
in the bear hunt
W h e n every thing was complet e d pr e paratory for h i s
rem oval thither Gl e n n dismiss e d his faith f ul artisans b e
s towing upon them a liberal reward f o r th e ir labour and
t ook poss e ssion o f his castl e
B ut n otwithstanding the
s trang e manner in which h e propos e d to sp e nd his da y s
an d his habitual grave d e m e anour an d tacitur n ity ye t his
kin d tone wh e n h e u t t e r e d a r e qu e st o r v e ntur e d a r e mark
on the transactions passing aro u n d him and his contempt
fo r mon e y which he squand e r e d with a prodigal hand had
secur e d f o r him t h e good will o f t h e fe rrymen and the
fri e ndship o f the surrounding e migrants But th e re w a s
o n e whos e est e e m had n o v e nal mixtur e in it
This was
Mary the old f erryma n s da u ght e r a f air ch e ck e d girl of
n inete e n who nev e r neglect e d an opportuni t y o f per fo rm
ing a kind o i ce f o r her fath e r s temporary gu e st ; and
wh e n he and his man depart e d f o r th e ir own t e n e ment n o t
V e nturing directly to b e sto w th e m o n o u r h e ro s h e p r e
sent e d Joe with div e rs articl e s f o r th e ir amus e m e nt and
com f ort in th e ir secl u d e d abod e among which were sundry
liv e f owls a pet f awn and a kitt e n
T h e rst f e w days a f t e r b e ing installed in his solitary
home o u r hero pass e d with h i s books But he did n o t
r e ali z e all the satisfaction he anticipat e d from his f avourite
authors in his seclud e d c e ll The sc e n e around h i m con
t r a s t e d but ill with the cr e atio n s o f S h a k s p e a r e ; and if
s om e o f t h e h e ro e s o f S cott w e r e i d e nti e d with the wild e s t
fe at u r e s o f natur e he f ound it imp ossibl e to look around
h i m and e nj oy t h e magic o f t h e pag e at t h e same tim e
Jo e e mplo y e d hims e l f in att e nding to his hors e s f e e din g
t h e fowls an d dog s and playing with the fawn a n d kit t en
cu l a r

row

86

WE ST ERN

W I LD

CENE S :

clung to the d i m i nut i ve clust e rs o f bush e s scattered at long

i n te rvals over the prairie It was a d e light f ul sc e n e F ro m
the high position o f our h e r e h e co u ld di s tinguish obj ects
mil e s distant o n the plain ; an d if t h e landscap e was not
enliv e ned by hous e s and dom e stic h e rds h e could at all
e v ents her e and there b e hold parti e s o f d e e r browsing p e a ce
fully in the distan c e R in gwood an d Jowl e r also saw o r
scented them as their att e ntion was point e d in that dirc e
tion ; but so far from marring t h e Sport by prematurely
runn ing f orward they kn e w too well th e ir d u ty to leave
th e ir master even were t h e game within a few paces of
them w i thout the word o f command

I s e e a d e er ! cri e d Jo e at length hav i ng t ill then

b een employ e d gathering some ne wild grap e s from a
n e ighbouring vine

I s e e several replied Glenn

but how we are to get

within gun sh ot o f th e m is the question

I s e e them t o o said Joe his e y es glist e n i ng

I have thought o f a plan Joe ; wheth e r right o r wron g

i s n ot very m at e rial as resp e cts th e exercise we are seek
i ng ; but I am inclined to believe i t is the p r Op e r o n e
It will at all events giv e yo u a fair opportun i ty o f killing a
d e e r as you will have to re as they run and the great
numb e r o f bull e ts in your musket will make yo u more
c e rtain to do execution than i f you red a rie You will
proceed t o yo u thick e t about a thousand yards distant
k e eping the bush e s all the tim e b e tw e e n yo u and the deer
W hen you arrive at it dism ount and a f ter tying your pony
i n t h e bush e s where h e will b e w e ll hid s e lect a position
wh e nce you can see t h e d e er wh e n th e y run ; I think they
will go within r e ach o f your r e I will m ak e a detou r

b e y ond them and approach f rom the O pposite side

I d rath e r not t i e m y pony said Joe

W hy ! he would not leave you e ven were he to g e t

loose repli e d Gl e nn
I don t think h e would but I d rather n o t leave h i m

till
I
said
e t a little better used to hunting
e t awhil e
g
y
Jo e probably thinking ther e might be some dang e r to h i m
s e l f o n f oot in a country wh e r e b e ars wolves and panthers
wer e sometimes seen

!
in qu ired
C a n you re While s i tt i n g o n your pony
G len n
.

A N A RR ATI VE

37

I supp ose so sa i d Joe ; though I n ever thought to

t r y i t yet

S uppose yo u try it n o w while I w atch the deer and

see i f what I hav e b e en told is true that the mere repor t

o f a gun will n o t alarm th e m

W e ll I will said Jo e
I th i nk Pete kn ows as W01

a s t h e st e e d that shoo t ing on him won t hurt him

F ir e away th e n said Glenn looking steadfastly at

the de e r Jo e red an d none o f the de e r ran o ff S ome
continued th e ir play f ul Sports while others brows e d along
Without lifting their heads ; in all likelihood the r e port did
not r e ach th e m B ut Gl e nn h e ard a tr e mendous thump i ng
b ehind and o n turning round beheld his man qu i e tly lying
o n the ground an d the pon y stan ding about t e n p aces dis
tant with his h e ad turn e d towards Jo e h i s e ars thrust for
wards his nostrils d i stended and snorting and his little blue
ey e s ready to burst o u t o f h i s head

H o w is this Joe ! i nquired Glenn scarce able to r e

press a smile at t h e ridiculous p osture O f his man

I hardly kn o w m y sel f repli e d Jo e c a sting a s i lly

glan ce at his tr e achero u s pony ; and aft e r examin i ng his
limbs and nding n o inj ury had b e en susta i n e d continued
I r e d as yo u dir e ct e d and wh e n the smoke cleared
away I found mys e l f lying j ust as you see me here I
don t know how P e te contriv e d t o get from under me b ut

there he stands and h e re I l i e

L oad your gun and try i t aga i n

sa i d Glenn

I d rath e r n ot said Joe

Then I will r e pli e d Gl e nn whose horsemansh i p en abled

him to retain the saddl e in spite o f the struggles o f P ete
who after s e veral di s charges submitted and h e r e i t qu i etly
Joe then mount e d an d s e t o u t for the d e s i gnat e d thicket
whil e Gl e nn gallop e d o ff in an other direction followed by
the hounds
W h e n Jo e arr i ved at the ha z el thicket he cont i nued i n
the saddle and oth e rwise h e would n ot have be e n able to
s e e over the prairie for t h e tall grass which had gro w n v e ry
luxuriantly in that vicinity There was a path however
running roun d the e dg e o f the b u sh e s which had be e n
m ade by t h e d e e r an d oth e r wild ani m als and in this he
cautiou s ly grop e d his way looking o u t in ev e ry d ir e ction
for t h e d e e r W hen h e had progressed about halfway
,

W I LD W E ST ERN SCENE S :

88

roun d he esp i e d them fe e ding composedly about three

hundred pac e s distant o n a slight e min e nc e There w e r e
at least ft e en o f them and some very large ones F e ar
ful o f giving t h e alarm b e f or e Gl e nn Should re h e shielde d
hims e l f from V i e w b e h i nd a clust e r o f persimmon bush e s
and tasted t h e rip e and n o t unpalatabl e fruit A nd h e re
he was d e stined t o win his rst trophy as a hunt e r W hile
bending down some bran ches ov e r head without looking
up an opossu m fe ll upon his hat knocking it over his e y e s
and Springing o n the neck o f P e te thence l e ap e d to the
ground B u t b e fore i t di s app e ar e d Joe had dismounted
and giving it a blow with t h e butt o f his m usket it rolled
over o n its S ide with its e y e s clos e d and tongue hanging
indicating that t h e stroke had b e e n fatal
o ut

S o much for y ou ! said Jo e casting a proud look at

his victim ; an d then leaping o n his pon y h e ga z ed agai n
at the deer Th e y seemed to b e still e ntir e l y un conscious
o f danger and s e v e ral were now l y ing in the grass w i th
th e ir h e ads up an d chewing the cud lik e domestic animals
Joe dr e w back once more to awa i t the action o f Gl e nn and
turning to look at t h e O p ossum foun d to his surprise that
it had vani s hed !

W e ll I m the bigg e st fool that ever b reathed ! sa i d he

r e coll e c t ing the cra f tin e ss imputed to those animals and

searching i n vain f o r his gam e

If ever I com e across
another h e ll not come t h e possum ov e r m e I ll answer
f o r it ! h e continued som e what vexed
A t this j un cture
Glenn s gun w a s h e ard and Jo e obs e rved a m aj ority o f the
de e r leaping a ffright e d in t h e direction of his position The
foremost passed within tw e nty yards o f him and his limbs
trembling with excitem e nt he drew his g u n up to his
I t snapp e d p e rhaps for
Should e r an d pull e d t h e trigg e r
t u n a t e l y for his e y e s w e r e conv u lsively clos e d at t h e mo
ment ; and recov e ring measurably b y the tim e the n e xt
came up this tria l t h e gun w e nt o ff an d he f ound himself
onc e mor e prostrat e o n t h e groun d

W hat i n t h e world is t h e rea s on yo u won t stand still !

he e xclaim e d rising and s e izing t h e pony by t h e bit The
only answ e r P e t e mad e was a snort o f un e q u ivocal d i s s a t i s

fac t ion
P lagu e t a ke your li t tl e h i d e o f yo u !
I Sho u l d
have kill e d tha t f e llow t o a c e rtainty if yo u hadn t pl a ye d

the fo ol ! continued he still addressing his pony whi l e h e

,

'

A NA RR ATI VE

39

roceeded
to
load
his
gun
W
hen
ready
for
an
other
re
p
b e m ount e d again in q u ite an ill hum our conv i nce d that
all chanc e of killing a d e e r was e ff e ctuall y over for the
pr e s e nt wh e n to his utter astonishment h e beheld the deer
h e had r e d a t l y ing dead b e f ore him an d but a few pace s
distant W ith f e e lings o f unmixe d delight he galloped to
where 1 t lay and springing to the earth o n e m oment he
whirle d round his hat in exultation and the next caress e d
P e t e who e vinc e d som e r e pugnan ce to ap proac h the wel
tering victim and snu ff e d t h e scent o f blood with a n yother
s e nsation than that o f pleasure Jo e discovered that n o
less than a doz e n balls had pen e trate d the doe s s i de ( for
such it was )which su f ci e ntly accounted for its i mmediate
an d quiet d e ath that had so e ff e ctually d e ce i v e d h i m into
t h e b e lief that his discharg e h ad b e e n harmless
He now
b l e w his horn which w a s answer e d by a blas t from Glenn
who soon came up to announ ce his o w n succ e ss i n br i nging
down the largest buck i n th e p arty an d to congratulate
h i s m an on his truly r e markabl e achi e vem e nt
A n hour was con sumed in pr eparing the de e r to b e con
v e ye d to the hou s e and b y t h e tim e th e y w e re safely de
posit e d i n our hero s diminutive castle and the hunter s
ready to i ssue forth in q u e st of more sport the day was far
advan ced an d a Slight hazin e ss o f t h e atmosphere dimmed
i n a gr e at m e asure the lustr e o f the descending sun
A nimated w i th th e ir e xc e llent success they anticipated
much more sport inasmuch as n e ither themselv e s n or the
h ounds ( which hitherto w e re n ot re q uired to do farther
s e rvice than to watch o n e o f the deer while t h e men were
engage d with the oth e r)were in the slight e st d e gree fa
The hours e w past unn oticed while t h e young
t ig u e d
m e n proce e ded gayly outward from the r i ver i n q uest o f
new adv e ntures
Glenn an d his man rode far beyon d the s cen e of th e i r
l ate success without discov e ring any n e w obj ect to gratify
t h e i r undim i ni s h e d z e st f o r the chas e
It s e e m e d tha t t h e
rl e e r which had escap e d had act u ally g i v e n int e l l igen c e to
; h e rest of t h e arrival o f a d e adl y f o e in t h e vicinity f o r n ot
m e could n ow be se e n in riding s e v e ral mil e s
T h e sun
w a s s i nking low an d di m in t h e w e st
a n d Gl e nn was o n
t h e e e o f turning homeward when o n e m e rging f r om t h e
a t pr a ir i e to a slig ht e m i nen ce tha t he had mark e d as t h e
.

40

W I LD W E ST ER N SC ENE S :

b oun dary of h i s excurs i on he b e h e ld at n o great distan ce

,

an enormous mound o f p y ramidic a l Sh a p e which f rom its

i solated condition he could n o t beli e v e to b e the format i on
of n ature C urious to insp e ct what he supposed to be a
stup e ndous Specimen o f t h e r e mains o f f orm e r generations
of the abor i gines he resolv e d to protract his ride and ascend
to the summit The mound was som e v e hundred f e e t i n
diameter at t h e base and t e rm i nated at a peak abo u t one
hundred and fty feet in height A s o u r riders asc e nded
with some di fcul t y keeping i n the saddle th e y observed
the earth o n the sides to b e mixed with i n t ston e s an d
many o f them apparently having onc e b e e n cut i n t h e shape
o f arrow heads ; and i n several plac e s wh e re chasms had
be e n formed by heavy showers th e y r emark e d a gr e at
many pieces o f bones but so much brok e n and d e cay e d
they could n ot b e c e rtain that th e y w e r e particles o f human
Sk e letons
W hen they r e ach e d t h e summit which was not
m ore than twenty f e et in width and e ntirely barren a
m agnicent scen e burst in V iew
F or t e n o r f teen miles
roun d on every Si de the e ye could discern oval oblong
and circular groves o f various dimensions scatt e red over
the rich v i rgin soil T h e g e ntl e un dulations of t h e prairie
res e mbled the boundl e ss ocean entranced as if t h e long
swells had be e n suddenly abandoned b y the wind and ye t
remained stationary in th e ir rolling attitud e

W hat think you of the V i e w Jo e ! inqu i red Glenn

after regarding the scen e many minutes i n silen ce

I ve been watching a little Speck way out toward the

sun wh i ch k e e ps b obb i ng up and down and gets bigger

and bigger said Joe

I mean the prospect around said Glenn

I can t form an O p i nion because I can t see the end

r e pl i ed Joe still intently regarding the obj e ct r e

o f it
ferred to

That is an an i mal o f some kind observed Glenn

marking t h e obj ect that attracte d Joe

A n d a wapp e r too ; wh e n I rst saw it I thought i t was

a rabbit an d n o w it s bigg e r than a d e e r and still a mile

said Jo e
o r two o ff

W e ll wait a f e w min u tes and s e e w hat i t i s repli e d

G l e n n ch e cking his st e e d which had proce e d e d a f e w
t e ps downward The obj e ct o f th e ir att e ntion held i t s
,

42

W I LD W E ST ERN

CENE S :

The latter remark startl e d Gl e nn for he had lost all con

s ci o u s n e ss o f the lat e n e ss o f t h e hour in the e xcit e m e nt
an d to h i s dismay had al s o lost a l l r e coll e ction o f the dir ce
t ion of his dw e lling and darkn e s s had n ow ov e rtak e n th e m !
W hile pausing to r e e ct f rom which q u art e r th e y rst a p
r o a ch e d t h e mound t h e bu ff alo to his surpris e and n o little
p
chagrin ros e up an d stagg e r e d away t h e darkn e ss soon
ob s curing him f rom vi e w altogeth e r Glenn b y a blast of
his horn r e called the dogs an d j oining Jo e s e t o ff much
di s pirit e d in a course which he f e ar e d was n o t t h e corr e ct
on e
Night ca m e upon them suddenly and b e f or e th e y
had gon e a mil e t h e darkn e ss was intens e A n d t h e br e ath
l e ss calm that had pr e vail e d d u ring the day was now s u e
c e e d e d b y t f u l winds that h o wl e d mourn f ully ov e r the i h
terminable prairie Int e rminabl e the plain s eem e d to our
benighted rid e rs f o r th e re was still n o obj ec t to vary the
monotony o f t h e ch e erless scen e although they had pac e d
br i skl y an d as th e y suppos e d far enough to have r e ached
the cli ff s o f t h e riv e r No r was there ev e n a sound hear d
as they rod e along save t h e muffl e d strok e s o f their hor s es
hoo f s in the dry grass that covered the e arth t h e low winds
and an occasional cry o f the dogs as th e y were trodd e n
upon by the hors e s
E re long a change came over the sc e ne
A bout two
thirds o f t h e distanc e round the v e rge o f the horizon a fain t
light app e ared res e mbling the sc e n e wh e n a d e nse cur t ai n
o f clouds hangs ov e r head and the ra y s o f t h e morning
sun st e al und e r t h e e dg e o f the thick vapour B u t the stars
could be se e n an d t h e only appearanc e o f clouds was i m
mediat e l y abov e t h e circl e o f light In a v e r y f e w minut e s
the t e rribl e truth ash e d up on t h e mind O f Gl e nn T h e
d i m light along the horizon was chang e d to an approaching
a m e ! C ol u mns o f smok e could b e s e e n rolling up wards
The
w hil e t h e r e b e neath i m parted a lurid glar e to th e m
w i nd bl e w more e rc e l y an d t h e re approach e d f ro m a l
most ev e ry quart e r with the swi f tne s s o f a rac e hors e The
dark e n e d vaul t above b e came gradually ill u min a t e d with a
cr i mson r e e ction and t h e young man shudd e r e d wi t h t h e
It w a s madn e s s
h orrid appreh e nsion o f b e ing burnt aliv e
t o proc e e d in a dir e ction that must in e vitabl y h a st e n th e ir
fat e t h e re e xt e nding in o n e unbrok e n lin e f rom l e ft to
r i ght and i n front o f them ; and th e y turned in a co u rs e
,

'

N A RR A TI VE

43

wh i ch seemed to place the greates t distan ce b etween t h e m

and the furious el e ment E ver an d anon a f rightened deer
or elk leaped p ast The hounds n o longer n otic e d them
but r e mained close to the horses The l e aping ames came
i n awful rapid i ty The light i ncreas e d i n brillian c e an d
obj ects wer e d i stinguishable f a r over the prairie A r e d
glare could be seen o n the Si de s o f the d e er as they bounded
over the tall dry grass which was soon to be n o long e r a
refuge for them The young men heard a l o w , continued
roar that increased ev e ry m o ment i n loudness and look i ng
in the d i rection whence they supp os e d i t proceeded th e y
observ e d an immense dark mo v ing mass the nature o f
which th e y could not divin e but it thr e atened to annihilate
every thing that oppos e d i t W hil e gazing at this additional
source o f danger the horses bl i nded by the surrounding
light plung e d i nto a d e ep d i tch that the rain had washed
in the rich soil N e i ther m e n n or hors e s fortunat e ly w e re
i nj ured ; an d after s e veral in e ff e ctual e ff orts to extrica t e
th e ms e lves they her e resolved to await t h e coming o f the
re
R ingwood an d Jowler whin e d fe arfully o n t h e v e rge
o f the ditch for an instant an d th e n spr ang in an d crouch e d
trembling at t h e f e e t o f their master T h e n e xt i nstant the
dark thund e ring mass passed over head being n oth i ng
l e ss than an i m m e nse h e rd of bu ff alo dr i ven forwards by the
am e s ! T h e hors e s b owed the i r heads as if a thund e rbol t
was pass i ng
The re and the heav e ns were b i d fro m
vi e w an d the roar above resembled the rush o f mighty
wat e rs W h e n the last animal had S prung over the chasm
Gl e nn thank e d t h e prop i tious accident that thus p r o v i d e n
t i a l l y prev e nted him fro m b e ing crush e d to atoms an d u t
t o r e d a pra y e r to Heav e n that h e might by a like means b e
r e scu e d f rom t h e e ry ordeal tha t awa i te d h i m It n ow
occurr e d to him that the accumulation of we e ds an d grass
i n t h e cha s m which sav e d th e m from inj ury wh e n falling
i n would prov e fatal when the ames arriv e d ! A nd after
groping some distan ce along the tr e nch he f oun d the depth
diminis h ed but the re was n ot thre e hundre d p ac e s dl 8
t au t !
H is h e art sank within him ! B ut wh e n o n the eve
of r e turning to his for m er position with a r e sol u tion to r e
move as much of the combu s tibl e m att e r as possibl e a gl e am
of j oy spread ov e r his fe atures as casting a glanc e in a
c o n t a ry direction from that th e y had recently pursu e d h e
.

44

W I LD W E ST ERN

C ENE S :

b eheld t b e i d e n t i cal moun d he had a sc e n d e d before dark ,

an d f rom which his unsteady a n d e rratic riding in the nigh t
h a d fortunat e l y pre v e nted a di s tant s eparatio n
Th e y n ow
l e d th e ir hors e s f or t h , an d m ounting wi t hout d e la y , whipp e d
fo r ward f o r li f e o r d e ath C oul d the summit o f the m ound
b e a ttain e d th e y w e r e in sa f e ty f o r th e re the soil was n ot
.

e n cumbered with d e cay e d v e g e tation and th e y spurre d

their ani m als to t h e t o p o f th e ir sp e ed It was a n oble
sight t o s e e t h e m aj e stic whit e steed y i n g towards the
mo u nd with t h e v e locity o f t h e wind whil e t h e diminutive
pon y mirac u lo u s ly follow e d in the w ak e lik e an ins e parable
shadow T h e c a re e ring ames w e r e n o t far b e hind ; and
wh e n t h e hors e s gain e d t h e summit and Glenn looked back
the re had r e ach e d t h e b a se !

I thank all t h e sai n ts at on ce ! exclaimed Joe di s

mounting and falling o n his kn e e s

Thank your pony s l e gs also remarked Gl e nn smil

.

In

W as ther e ever such a bless e d deliveran ce ! sa i d Joe ,

panti n g

W as th e re ev e r such a l u cky tumble i nto a d i tch ! r e

pli e d Gl e nn with Spirits mor e buoyant than usual

W as th e r e e ver an o l d hunt e r so much d e c e ived ! sa i d

a voice a f e w paces down that sid e o f t h e con e l e ast e xpos e d
to t h e glar e o f t h e r e and so much in the shadow o f t h e p e ak
t hat the sp e ak e r was n o t p e rc e ived from t h e position o f the
young m e n But as soon as the words w e r e utt e red R ing
wood and Jowler Spra n g f rom t h e hors e s h e e l s wher e th e y
h a d lain panting and ru s h e d in t h e dir e ction o f the speaker ,
whom th e y accost e d with marks o f j oyful r e cognition

It is Boon e ! e x claim e d Gl e nn l e aping f rom his horse

who was now seen to
a n d running f orward to his f ri e n d
ris e up an d a mom e n t a f t e r his horse that had b e e n pros
trat e and still was lik e wis e o n his f e e t

H a ! ha ! ha ! Y o u hav e play e d m e a n e trick truly

l aughi n gly remark e d Boon e r e turning th e ir hearty sal u ta
tions
H o w ! inq u i r e d Gl e nn

In t h e rst pl a c e t o v e n tur e forth b e f or e my arrival ;

i n t h e n e xt t o in s pir e m e with t h e b e li e f that I w a s o n the
B u t I will b e gin
e v e o f e n co u nt e ring a brac e o f Indi a ns
W h e n I cro s s e d t h e ri v e r a n d r e ach e d
a t t h e b e gi n ni n g
.

A NA RR ATI VE

45

your b u t ( w h i ch i s i nd e ed i mpregnable )1 was aston i shed

to nd you had gone forth to hunt without a guide ; and n o t
so much fearing you would be lost Should night overtak e
you as apprehending serious danger from the re the a p
proach o f wh i ch I antic i pated long befor e night from t h e
p e culiar complexion of the atmosphere I s e t o u t o n your
trail in hopes o f overtaking yo u before the shades o f even
ing set in ; but darkness coming on I could trace yo u no
farther than to this m ound In va i n did I e ndeavour to
ascertain which direct i on you then trav e lled ; but resolv i ng
not to abandon the search I continued cruis i ng about the
prairie until the near approach of the re forced me to r e
tr e at hither I t was when urging my horse to h i s utmost
Sp e ed that I beheld you and your bear hunter charg i ng
from another direct i on and from the part i al V i ew as we
were all under whip ( an d kn owing the Osages were n o t
far o ff )I was i nstantly conv i n ced that you w e r e savages
A rr i ving rst I made my s a gacious horse lie down an d

then concealed myself b ehin d h i s body

I am n ot only r e j oiced that we were n ot the savage s

d
f
u su
s
r then Joe an d I m u s t h a v e perished i n t h e
o
e
o
o
y
pp
(
ames somewh e re )o n our own account but for the sake
o f the only m an who can possibly extricate us fro m t hi s

d ilemma
replied Glenn

Y o u are somewhat W i de o f the m ark a s respects my

j eopardy my lad sa i d Boon e ; for had you been host i le

Osages most assuredly ere this yo u had both b een k i lled

Good grac i ous ! exclaime d Joe whose pre dicament

sudde n ly ashed upon h i s mind ; for Heaven s sake let us
e t home as fast as p ossible !
He
says
the
Indians
are
g
about ! D o let us go Mr Gl e nn ; we can travel n ow o u t

yo n der where the grass has all be e n burnt

P shaw ! You s e em m ore alarmed n o w Joe than whe n

ther e really was danger A r e the Osages truly hostile !

c ontinued Gl e nn addressing B oone

They are n ot at war with the whites as a n at i on r e

pli e d Boon e ever an d anon looking towards the only point
from which the r e n o w approached ; but i n thi n s e ttle
m e nts wher e th e y m ay easily b e t h e strongest party as
roving br i g ands th e y m a y be consid e r e d extrem e ly dan

e r o us
Y
u r m an s advice i s n ot bad
o
g
,

WI LD W EST ER N

46

C EN ES

Th ere ! D on t you hear that ! No w d o let s go hom e

cont i nu e d Jo e with in creased alarm
F ortunately that portion o f the pla i n over wh i ch the
scathing el e ment had Spent i ts fury was the d i rect i on the
part y should pursue in retracing their way hom e ward
The light dry grass had b e en soon consumed and the
earth wore a blackened appearan ce an d was as smooth as
i f veg e tation had never cov e r e d the surface A s the party
rode briskly along ( an d t h e pony n ow k e pt in advance )
the hors e s hoo f s rattled as loudly on t h e baked ground as
The reection o f the r e in the
i f it were a plank oor
distan c e still threw a lurid glare over the extended heath
A s the smoke gradually ascend e d obj e cts could b e dis
cern ed at a great distance and occasionally a hal f roaste d
deer o r elk was se e n plunging about driven to madn e ss
by i ts tortures
A n d frequently they f ound the d e ad
bodies of smaller animals that could nd n o safety i n
i g ht

W hat s that ! cri e d Jo e r e m l n g up h i s pony an d ga z

i ng at a huge dark obj ect ahead

A pri z e to whi ch we are justl y enti t led ! excla i med

Glenn riding forward o n discovering it to be the bu ff alo
now
d
e ad that th e y had r e d upon e ar l y in the evening
)
(
and which circu m stan c e he was relating to B oone at the
moment o f t h e discov e r y by Jo e

You have not only been lucky as hunters said B oone

as th e y dismount e d to inspect the animal ( which was an

en ormous bull ) but what is extraordinary indee d when

you nd your f all e n game it i s alr e ady cook e d !

H uzza f o r us cri e d Joe mom e ntarily f org e tting the
Indians in his e xtrav a gant j o y o f havi n g aid e d in killing
t h e ani m al and at the sam e time leaping astride o f it

obs e rve d Boone

T h e wolves have b e en here befor e us
s e e i ng a larg e q uantity o f the bu ff alo s viscera o n the
ground which h e supposed had be e n torn out by those
rav e no u s a n imals

Oh ! o h ! o h ! o h
e x claim e d Jo e
l e aping up and
r u nning a f e w st e ps an d th e n tumbling down an d continu
i ng h i s cri e s

W hat has hurt t h e fe llow so badl y ! inquir e d Gl e nn

walking ro u nd f rom t h e back o f t h e animal to t h e f ront
T h e wo r ds w e r e sc a rc e l y ut t e r e d b e f or e he lik e wis e spran g

,
.

N A RR ATI VE

47

away hast i ly as he beheld a pronged i nstrument thrus t

fr om the orice in the body whenc e the bowels had bee n
extracted !
excla i med a
D o d ! I won der i f i t s wolves or Inj i n s
voic e within the cav i ty o f th e huge body

I ve h e ard that vo i ce be f ore i t must b e S neak s

sa i d B oon e laughing h e artily
N ow the bu ff alo was observ e d to qu i ver slightly and after
som e e xertion to extricate h i ms e lf the long snake like form

Hatchet face cam e forth an d stood

o f the redoubtable
e r e ct b e for e the gaping mouth an d staring eyes o f Joe
If I didn t hear a white man sp e ak I w i sh I m ay be
singed ! exclaim e d S neak wiping the mo i sture from h i s
fac e and r o l l i n g h i s eyes round

W hat did yo u stick that Sharp th i ng i n the calf o f my

leg for ! deman ded Jo e Shaking his head threaten i ngly

and coming f o rward

H e ! h e ! he ! That s revenge f o r shoot i ng my pups

r e plied S n e ak
But how came yo u here ! i nqu i red B oon e

I was taking a hunt h e r e Boon e i nterrupt e d h i m by

asking wh e re his gun w a s

I had n o gun said S neak ;
and th e n stooping down and running his arm i nto t h e b ody
of the b u ff alo he produced a pronged sp e ar ab out four feet

in length ; this he continued i s what I hunted with

and I was hunti n g after muskrats in the ponds o u t her e
wh e n t h e re came like b l azes and like to a v e k e t ch e d
me ! I dropped all the muskrats I had stuck and streaked
it for abo u t an hour towards the riv e r But it gain e d o n
m e like lightning and I d ave b e en i n a purty x if I
hadn t come across this dead bull I out wi t h my kn i fe
and was i n to h i m i n less than n o t i me but Split m e
!
if I did n t fe e l the h e at o f the re as I pulled in my fe et
I kn e w the Inj i n s was about by the bu ff alo ; an d the tar
n a tion wolves too are always e v e rywhere and that a c
counts f o r my j obbing that fe ll e r s leg whe n he s e t down on
t o p o f me
Gl e nn s laught e r at the above narration was arrested by
Boone who plac e d o n e hand o n his shoulder and with the
o t h e r point e d out towards the r e about a mil e distant b e
for e which and thrown in reli e f b y t h e am es could be dis
i n ct l y discerned the itting forms of a ban d of savages ! A
,

48

W I LD W E ST ERN SC ENE S :

um b e r were mounted and others could b e se e n on foot

and all moving about in various dir e ctions round a large
herd o f bu ff alo which occasionally m ad e a stand t o resist
the f o e that harass e d th e m on all sid e s but wer e soon driven
f orward again by the am e s
N ow a mount e d chi e f could
be se e n to ride boldly up within a f e w pac e s o f the dark
m ass o f animals and drawing his arrow to the h e ad dis
charge i t s haft an d all into the de f e nc e less Side o f his
victim The e n rag e d animal thus pursu e d eith e r f e ll o r
r ushed furiously o n its f o e ; but the Skilful savag e by a
d e xt e rous turn o r sudd e n leap seemed to avoid him with
eas e and ying round sent forth an other barbe d messenger
as he car e e r e d at full Sp e ed

A s I m a f oot I ll go ah e ad ! cried S neak starting o ff

at a gait that veried his words

exclaimed Joe leap i ng o n his pony

G ood gracious !
and whipping after S neak while Boone and Glenn followed
i n a brisk gallop
n

H AP TE R

IV

r e tr e a t Jo e m a ke s a m y s t e ri ou s di s c o v e ry M a ry A d i s cl o s ure

h
a
t
M
a
T h e bus h
pp
r
l
p
o

i
n
t
T
ch
ry
w
A
a
t
J
s
e
e
c
e
e
S e
Su

h
T h e s t a rt i ng r a lly
a
c
k
J
m
u
k
e
t
a
g
i
n
T
e
r
e
p
u
l
s
e
s
t
o
e
s
h
t
a
a
T e
T h e d e s p e r a t e a l t e rn a t iv e R e li e f

Th e

guidance o f S neak was i nfallible E re long the

party r e ach e d t h e v i cinity o f t h e riv e r which was indicat e d
b y t h e tall trees and the vall e ys an d all appr e hensions of
i mm e diat e danger subsiding the y slack e n e d their p ac e
S n e ak though n o t so much distr e ss e d as t h e panting
hor s e s f e ll back and e nt e r e d i nto c nv e rsation with Boon e
r e lati v e to t n e probable operations o f t h e Indians while
J 0 9 continu e d some littl e distance in ad v anc e apparen t ly
w rapp e d i n contempla t ion o f the r e cent sc e n e s that had
W hen he was within a b out a
s o much astonishe d him
T HE

50

W I LD W E ST ER N SC ENE S :

he was conv i n ced i t must b e something o f n o ord i n ary

n ature that would induce a maid e n of r e put e d timidity to
leave her f ather s hut at a lat e hour o f t h e night

N ow t e ll me Mar y what it was you wish e d to sa y

r emark e d Gl e nn addr e ssing h e r in a pla fu l tone whe n
y
th e y w e re seat e d in t h e hou s e and a lamp su s pen d e d agains t
the wall was light e d

I did n o t e xpect to nd Mr B oon e and S n e ak with yo u

and now

W hat ! inquir e d Gl e n n much moved by h e r p al e n ess

an d t h e throbbing o f h e r breas t which now s e emed to be
gradually subsiding

N othing o n ly yo u an d Jo e are both safe now she

repli e d with h e r e y e s cast down

W e r e we in danger ! H ow a r e w e safe ! inquired

Glenn r e garding h e r words as highly myst e rious

E v e rybod y i s sa f e wh e r e Mr B oone is r e plied Mary

!
But what was t h e d a ng e r m y pretty lass in quired
Boone pla y fu lly t a king her hand
W hy Posin o n e o f f ath e r s boatm e n
S peak o n lass I know Po s in to be an unfe eling wretch
an d a half blood Indian ; but h e is also known to b e a gr e at
coward and surely n o harm could hav e b e e n fear e d fro m

him said Boon e

But I h e ard him Sp e aking to himself wh e n I was lling
my pitcher at the Spring and h e was standing b e hind som e
rocks wh e re h e couldn t see me and didn t think any o n e

was within h e aring

W hat said he
inquired Glenn impat i e ntly and much
i nterest e d in the anticipat e d disclo s ur e f o r h e had o f t e n
remark e d the satanic e xpr e s s ion o f P o s i n s f e atur e s

Thes e wer e his w o rds

T h e O s a g e s will b e h e r e b e fore
to morro w morning If R av e n t h e chi e f will g o halv e s
with m e I ll t e ll him h o w m u ch mon e y t h e yo u ng m e n hav e
and h e lp to g e t it ! S uch w e r e h i s v e r y words ! continu e d
Mar y h e r dark e y e s a s su m ing a brightn e ss and h e r voic e
a boldn e ss unwonted o n ordinar y occ a sions as S h e pro
H e th e n started o ff towards t h e prairie wi t h h i s
ce e d e d :
rie and nobody has s e e n him Since I told f ath e r about i t
but he wouldn t b e lieve th e r e was any dang e r ; an d wh e n
night came he told me n ot to be un e asy but t o Sl e ep l ik e
I did lie down for I never like t o di s o b e y
a good girl

9,

NA RR ATI VE

my father ; b ut I couldn t Sle e p an d so I g o t up and cam e

here to wait till you r e turned to tell you all about it

Thanks Mary I shall n e ver forget your kindness

said Glenn as much a ff ected b y her simplic i ty an d gentl e
ness as at the threaten ed dang e r

You r e a swee t lass ; God bless you Mary ! sa i d

N ow run home an d
B oon e kiss i ng h e r sm ooth forehead
go to sl e e p child we will be on o u r guard A s for you
your father is resp e ct e d by all the Indians an d therefore

y our o w n safety will b e b e st secur e d un der his protection

I will acc ompany yo u to the b u t said Glenn as the

girl bid th e m good night an d was about dep arting

Oh no I m used to going alon e said Mary pro mp tly

declining the proposition

S he sp e aks truly and i t i s unnecessary sa i d B oone

as the ma i den bow e d an d disapp e ar e d
The p arty then fastened t h e gate an d secured themselve s
w i thin the stone hous e Jo e p e titioned Glenn to perm i t
him to bring in the dogs and S n e ak seconded the mot i on ,
proposing to lie with th e m b e fore the r e
A fter a hearty repast Boone an d Gl e nn retired to the i r
couches in quest o f r e pose so much n e e ded after the ex
No r was it long be f ore they were
e r ci s e s o f t h e day
ste e p e d in that de e p and sol e mn slumber which throws a
m y st e rious veil over the s e ns e s obscuring fro m the v i s i o n
all obj e cts o f an unpl e asant nature reli e ving the m i nd of
the car e s that may have pr e ssed h e avily upon i t dur i ng
the day an d at the same tim e by t h e g e ntl e st process r e
freshing and r e invigorating the weary f aculties f o r rene w e d
exertion
S ilence b rooded over the resid e scen e The lamp thre w
a dim ray aroun d i ts Small ame u n r u l e d by the conned
and motionless air The fawn was coiled in a sleeping
posture und e r its master s bed while the kitten purred
upon its velvet back O n o n e side of the hearth lay S neak
his head pillowed upon o n e o f the hounds while the oth e r
sl e pt against his back Joe was the only one pres e n t wh o
had n ot f allen under the m agic inuenc e of Slumber
H i therto he had yielded to a m ore p ow e r f u l impulse that
of the appetite and he n ow sat upon a low stool o n t h e
corn e r o f t h e hearth opposit e to S neak his back l e anin g
gainst the Si de of the replac e holding in his left hand a

'

W I LD W EST ER N SC E N ES

52

platter and i n h i s right a rib o f the deer he h a d

il l e d well cooked which he raised to his mouth occa s ion
between the
a lly and som e t i mes at very l o ng i ntervals
approaches o f the sleep which was gradually overpowering
him On ce when his e yelids sank heavil y and closed and
the platter rested o n his lap an d his right hand still clench
i ng the savoury bone fe ll powerless at his side R ingwood
in his hard br e athing chanced to snu ff up some ash e s that
caus e d h i m to sneez e Joe starte d at the sound and after
rolling his eyes roun d once or twic e and nding all right
raised the b one on ce more to his mouth and set his j aws
aga i n i n motion

D od man ! are yo u going t o chaw all night ! asked

S neak awakened by the motion of R ingwood an d look i ng
up at the face o f Jo e in astonishment

I had nothing to eat all day r e pli e d Joe sh i ng for

a cracker oating in t h e greasy platt e r

But ain t yo u a going to Sl e e p some ! asked S neak

half unconsc i ously the nal utterance smothere d in a gut
tural rumble as he again sank back o n his canine pillow

Yes when I ve g o t my supper r e plied Joe lazily and

i nd i stinctly w i th one end of the bone in his m o n t h But
i t was n ot long b e f ore he again nodded and his hand with
the bon e in it was on ce more lowered so f tly do w n at his
side He was soon palpably f ast asl e e p A nd n o w the
kitten having nish e d its nap cam e with a n ois e less tread
to the comfor t able r e hu m ming its low unvaried song ;
and rubb ing its soft sid e against the h e ad of Jowl e r nally
crouched down b e fore the emb e rs with its fe e t drawn u n
der it and its ey e s appar e ntly watching the brillian t sparks
that ever and anon e w up the chimn e y But e r e long i t
scented the well av o u r e d viand that dangled in the V i cinity
a n d after casting a glance at the face o f Jo e
an d being
satis e d that he was insensible to all external obj e cts st e al
t h i l y began to gnaw the en d of t h e bone that rest e d o n the
hearth A s long as it had in mind the fear of interruption
it was perm i tt e d to fe ast moderat e ly ; but when its rav e nous
prop e nsity urged it to more active and vigorous operation s
J o e onc e more opene d his e y e s and a f t e r looking Slowly
around but n ot down again a tt e mpted to raise t h e rib to
h i s mout h
Hello
augh ! scat he cried l e ap i ng up v i olent l y
ew

te r

NA :

a; 1 3

53

71 3

m p r e s s io n w a s t h a t h e In d ia n s ab o u t whom he
had b e e n dr e a m i n g wer e upon h i m ; h i s n e x t that a rattle
sn a k e clu n g to his n g e r ; an d n a lly n d in g it to b e t h e
kitt e n b e stowing som e scratch e s o n the hand that sough t
t o b e reave it o f its pr i z e h e utt e r e d t h e latter excla m at i on
rst in r a g e ; but pleased that his condition was n o worse
soon aft e r call e d the poor frightened pet to him an d with
o n e o r two caress e s ga v e it the bone an d then r e si ne d
g
hims e lf t o unrestrain e d slumb e r
Th e y were all aroused in t h e m orn i ng by the sn orting o f
t h e hors e s without an d the growling an d sharp yelping o f
the b o u n ds within

What s t h e matter with t h e horses an d dogs Joe !

i n quir e d Gl e nn rising from his couch
I don t know what ails the foolish th i ngs I kn ow that
I fed the horses ; and as f o r R ingwood and Jowler I ll

soon kick them o u t Le t go my ankle ! exclaimed he

turning to S neak who caught hold o f him as he rose to
approach t h e door

D on t op e n t h e door yet said Boon e w h o had b een

list e ning to t h e sounds outsid e and then continu e d i n an

under tone addr e ssing Gl e nn : Th e y are certainly here ;

but wh e ther or n o t with an evil i ntent I am un able to de

t e rmine
Oh goodness It s the Indians ! e xcla i m e d Jo e y i eld
i ng to s u dden alarm having momentar i ly forgotten the a n
t i ci p a t e d dang e r when he propos e d O p e ning t h e door

said S n e ak listening with h i s

K eep your mouth Shet
ear plac e d n e ar the oor b e hin d the door

i nqu i re d
H o w many d o yo u mak e th e m o u t to b e !
Boone when S neak had occupi e d his position a few m i
utes

It s all r i ght ! r e pl i ed S neak eagerly ; th e re i s only

two or three o f em and o l d R o u g h g r o v e s o u t there tal k
i ng to e m ! How do you O p e n t h e door ! L e t m e out
The door was opened with r e l u ctanc e and cautiously by
J0 0 and S neak going foremost all the party salli e d o u t int o
the fr e s h air A sn ow o f s e veral in ch e s in d e pth had fallen
and within the circle en clos e d by t h e palisade n o t a single
track was to b e se e n B ut when the gate w a s drawn back ,
s e veral Osag e Indians w e r e obs e rv e d standing a f e w ; aces
distant w i th their tomahawks hung in their bel t s and i n s te a d
Hi s

rs

WI LD WE S T E R N

S CENE S

e x l n b i tin g

any symptoms o f ho s tili t y they appro a che d

smiling and ext e nded the hand o f friend s hip to the whites

How d o I e x cl a i m ed the l e a de r in imperfect E n gli s h

grasping the hands he l d o u t in salutation while his actions
were imitated by the others in silence

I m very well I thank you said Joe b owing and

r etre ating b ackwards when they accoste d him unwilling to
v entur e his han d within their reach as Glenn an d the r est
did

Shake hand s w ith them you silly fellow said Boone

or they will think you are an enemy

Here Mr Osage ! said Joe his t ee t h chattering as he

extended his hand ; and the Indian p erceiving his alarm
squeezed it s o tightly fo r merriment that he was o n th e eve
of crying out ; and when liberated he S prang violently
b ack much inclined to run away to their great amusement

That is R aven the chief remarked R o u g h g r o v e to

Glenn p ointing to the o n e that rst addresse d them an d
who was n o w conver s ing with Boone wh om he seeme d to
know o r to h ave be e n familia r with his character from h is
animated gestures and the excited expression o f his features
Sneak stood in silence a convenient distance apart appa
gleaning
intelligence
from
the
confe
r
ence
The
chief
r e n tl
y
as
are
the
members
of
this
tribe
generally
was
extremely
)
(
dark tall athl e tic and wore a ferocious aspect while the
few followers with him manifested a cu r o s i t y to examine
the apparel and accoutrements of the whites but without
betraying any signs o f an e v il disposition

A r e there not more o f them in the v icinity ! inqui r e d

Glenn

Yes quite a large party said R o u g h g r o v e ; b u t

R aven said he did not wish to intimidate the whites by
showing them without rst extending the hand o f frien d
ship him s elf They profess to entertain the kinde s t feel
ing toward s us and propo s e through their chiefs to tra f c
their furs and moccasi n s f o r such goods as we may be dis
posed to give them in return

I do n o t see your oarsman Po s in r emarked Glenn

the d i s clo s ure of Mary occurring to him and then accoste d

Mary herself who now j oined them with her eyes cast down
in a op a r e n t bashfulne s s

H i s absence is a mystery to me
r eplied t h e ol d fe r ry

of

NA RR A T I V

53

m an though I do n ot attach the same imp o r tance t o it

that Mary d oes

Father uttered his da u ghte r and pau s ing in mingled

timidity an d dread as if some u n d e n a b l e foreb oding s of
harm oppresse d h er

I ll be shot if I understand all this to my liking sai d

Sneak staring at the great number o f moccasin tracks that
had been made round the enclosure which truly indicated
that more than the fou r chiefs present had been p r owling
th e re b e fore daylight

Hush Mr Sneak ! said Jo e ; they h ea r e v ery word

you s ay

Je s t let me al one a m inute replied Sneak getting

down on his knees an d examining the various foot prints
with great minuteness When he rose h e made some s ign s
to Boon e which the others did n o t comprehen d
A t this juncture several other Indians were seen to
a pproach from the valley above where the party had e n
camped The s e painted visitors likewise came forward with
sundry n ods an d gesticulations o f friend s hip at the sam e
time exhibiting several furred articles o f curious work
manship an d a few precious s tones as sampl e s o f what
they wished to barter A s hort confer e nce then en s ued
b etw e en them and t h e head chief which terminated in a
pre ss ing invitation for th e whites to accompa n y them to
their encampment

You may all do as you like I shall stay here sai d

Jo e st e ppi n g back towards the gate

Y o u are a coward Jo e I s aid Glenn ;

you m a y remain
however to prevent them from pilfering any thing while we

are away and h e tur n ed towards the Indians f o r the pur

pose o f accompanyi n g them

Stay 1 said Mary in a distinct an d sta r tling tone

Why should we not go ! We are armed and coul d

a s easily w ith s tand an
attack in th e ir encampment a s
elsewhere If it be their determination to do u s harm
their numbers will e n able them to accomplish their purpo s e

notwithstanding all the O pposition we can o ff er

s aid
Glenn

There is no danger said R o u g h g r o v e endeavouring t c

extricate his arm from the gra s p o f Mary who strenuou s l y
hel d him back
,

WI LD WE S T ER N S C E NE S :

66

I have a secret f o r thee child said Boone b e ckoning

t h e trembling girl to him
Oh what i s it ! You will not let him I mean my fat h er
go among them will you ! Y o u know that Posin is away
p e r hap s in some ambush

Hush child I said Boone in a low tone an d empl oying

ge s tures that led the savages to believe he was quieting her
fe a rs while he whispered a m essage in her ear that had a
sin g ular e e ct
Though very pale the girl n o w smiled
playfully and r eturning to her father said in tones s o l ow

tha t no o n e else could hear Father he says yo u must in

l
I
cross
the
ri
v
er
for
assi
s
tance
will
be
safe
unde
r
s t an t
y

h i s protection till y o u return

I ll do it I replied R o u g h g r o v e setting o ff towa r ds the

ferry But when he depa r ted the chief evinced much anger
and was only appeased by the ass urance that the o l d ferry
m an was gone for some article desire d by his c hild an d
would return ere lo n g
The footprint which had so muc h attracted Sneak was
r ecognized by som e peculiar marks to be that of Posin and
when the discovery was communicated to Boone he at
once surmi s ed that danger lurked in the vicinity ; and the
sub s equent impatience o n the part o f the Indians to urge
the whites to visit their camp convinced him that some foul
treachery had been concocted b e tween the half breed and
the savages He had also caught a gli mp s e o f seve r al
arme d Indians behind some bu s hes at no great distance
from where he stood notwithsta n ding R aven had asserted
that the re s t of his p arty were in th e ir encampment ; and
wh en the chief grew angry and almo s t menacing o n the
withdrawal of the old ferryman he r esolved to adopt the
sure s t means of safety without delay No sooner was the
ferry boat seen to shoot o u t from the lan d than Boone
motioned the white s to ent e r the inclosure A s they turne d
towards the gate the chief m ade a movement to intercept
them but Boone dr e w forth a brace of pi s tols that had been
concealed under his hunti n g shirt one o f which he point e d
at R aven and with the other intimidat e d the rest who had
until his friends were all within the
a dvanced likewise
pali s ade
Boone did not wi s h to be the rst to s hed blood an d i n
t h eir o w n language asserted as much t o the sa v a es ; b u t
g
,

NARR A T I V

57

the sa m e time he warned th em n ot to commi t any viol en ce

in the settlement at th e ir peril The chief had not though t
there would b e a n y nece ss ity for bl oodshed s o s oon an d
perhaps not at all if Gl e nn coul d be enticed from his house
while Po s in and his comrades m ight obtain his money
N or did he expect to meet with Boone
ed among
all the tribes for his wi s dom and prowess
less to be
an ticip ated o n the very threshold o f the enterprise His
rage grew int e n s e o n nding him s elf outwitted an d deed
H e drew forth hi s tomahawk an d though not ve n turing to
thro w it ( f o r b e perceived Glenn and S neak behind with
their guns in readiness to r e )he shook it threateningly
at Boo n e as he closed the gate and the n strode away sulkily
in the direc t ion of the bu s he s where some o f his followers
had been seen partially concealed
When the gate was secured the inmates o f the little fort
c r owded about Boone an d overwhelme d him with questions
!
D o yo u think they can get over the p osts
inquire d
at

Jo e

Will they com e b efore father returns ! aske d Ma r y

D o yo u think they will a t t ack us at all ! interrogate d

Glenn

There can b e n o doub t o f it replied Boon e ; but

if we do o u r duty I think we shall be able to resist them

We mu s t be ready to defend our s elves at all events an d

in the m ean time we must watch through th e loopholes o n

e very side to prevent a s urpri s e

Thi s was hardly s poken
b efore an arrow whizzed over their heads and striking
a g a ins t the stone wall of the hou s e fell at the fe et of Jo e

Ug h ! look at that !
cried he le a ping som e ten feet
away

Go in child and th e rest to their p osts I r emarke d

B oone rst to Mary and then a d dressing th e men

Yes d o go in Mi ss I cried Jo e forcing Mary i nto t h e

b use where he also seemed determined to r em ain h i m
s e lf

C ome o u t here I cried Sneak going to the door

Wait ti l l I s crew a int in my mu s ket said Joe

Y o u can s e e better out h e r e
r e plied Sneak

But I haven t foun d the int yet a n s wered Joe

He s a coward I said S n eak turning away and goin g

t o his p o s t whence he could watch the vall e y below
.

WILD W E S T ER N SC ENE S :

58

Boone s stati o n was on the O pposite side in the direction

o f the supp osed encampment o f the Indians
But n ot a
sav a ge could now be seen a n d the arrow that fe ll amo n g
t l e m had evidently been di s charged from a great distance
a ove
Shall we re if any o f them com e withi n the range o f

ou r guns ! inquire d Glenn from his p osition o n the ea s t

which overlooked the cl i

C ertainly r eplied Boone ; the arro w wa s th e ir de

cl a r a t i o n o f war and if they are again s een it will be i n a

hostile attitude Watch clo s e Sneak l he cried as another

shaft ew over the palisade from the valley below and
penetrated the wood but a few feet above his head
C ome out to your p ost Joe cried Glenn impatiently

I will presently as soon as I get my gun xed

re
plied Joe

If yo u do n ot come forth instantly I ll thrust you o u t

c ontinued Glenn somewhat ercely

o f the inclosu r e I

Here I am said Joe coming out and making an

e ff ort to assum e a b old bearing : I m ready n o w I o n ly

wanted to x my gun who s afraid ! sayi n g which he

strode in a stooping p osture to the loophole o n the west of
the inclo s ure
While the whole male force o f the garrison was required
t o act as sentinels Mary whose trepidation had been
succeeded by delibe r ate resolution was busily employed
m oulding bullets
A n hour passed and no Indians had yet b een seen
although an occasional arrow assured the besieged party
that the enemy still remained in the immediate vicinity
They cleared away the snow at their posts and placing
dry straw to stand upon prepared to continue the watch
t h roughout the day and night N or were they to s u ff e r fo r
food ; for Mary tho u gh s h e had not been requested s o to do
ere long to their j oyful surprise came forth with a dinner
handsomely provided which she placed before them with a
s mile of sati s faction playing o n her lip s an d entirely n u
mindful of the s hafts that continued to y overhead which
either p i erced the wood and r emained stationary or f e l l
e xpended a n d harmles s at her feet
Aa i r s thus remained till night when the arrows cease d
There was not a cloud in the hea v ens a n d t h e
t o y
,

'

NA RR A T I V

59

1*

moon rose up in purest bright n ess A b reathl ess s tillne s s

p ervaded the air and no sound for a great le n gth of tim e
could b e heard but the hooting o f owls o n the opp osite side
o f the ri v er and the b o w l i n g o f wol v es in the ats about a
m ile above

I m not a b it c ol d are you 2 said Jo e addressing

Sneak

D od ! keep an eye o u t ! r eplie d Sneak in a l o w

ton e
There s nothing out this way b ut a b ush But I de cla r e
it seems to be b igge r an d nighe r than it was i n the day

said Joe
t ime

D on t S peak s o loud r emarke d Boone crossing to

where Joe stood and looking through at the bush

It s nothing but a bush said Joe

D o you wish to kill an Indian ! inquire d B oon e

I wish they were all worms and I coul d get my h eel

said Joe
o n them !

That woul d be cruel but as any exe cution we m ay

n ow do is in our own defence you may re at that b ush if

you like continue d Boone

Well said Joe ; and taking d elibera t e aim discharge d

his musket as directed and was knocked down o n his back
in the snow by the rebound

Plague take the gun ! sai d he r ecovering his feet ;

but I remember it had two loads i n I forgot it was

charged and l oaded it again H a ! ha ! ha ! but what s
become o f the bush
he continued j ocularly not thinking
h e had re d at an Indi a n

L ook for yourself replie d B oone

Hang m e if it ain t gone exclaimed Joe

A y truly it is ; but had you hit the m a rk it woul d

h ave fallen It was r ather t o o far however e v en for you r

musket said B oone returning t o his former p osition

You are the poorest marksman that eve r I s a w or

you d ave killed that red rascal said Sneak coming up

to Jo e and nding where the bush had been

I didn t know it was any thing but a bush i f I d only

known it was an Indian

Y o u be hanged ! r eplied Sneak v exed that such a

capital opportunity should be lo s t and petulantly resumin g
his o w n station
.

WI LD

60

W E S T ERN S CENE S :

A n inten s e silence succeeded the discharge o f Joe s gun

after the tremendous report died away in successiv e rever
b e r a t i o n s up and down the river a n d over the low wood
land opposite The owls and wolves were hushed ; and as
t h e watchful sentinels ca s t their ey e s over the s n o w o n
which the calm rays o f the moon re s ted in rep o s e there
w a s not the least indication o f the presence o f a dangerous

fo e
Jo e
.

leant against the palisade hol ding with o n e hand

the breech of his gun while the barrel was thrust through
the loophole and seemed to be indulging in a peculiar trai n
of reections

N ow I d muc h rathe r be in Philadelphia said he in

a voice but little louder than a whi s per and unconscious
o f giving utteran ce to his thoughts
a great deal rather
be there i n some comfortable oy s te r cellar than s tanding
o u t here in th e lone wilderne ss up to my knees in snow
and expecti n g every minute to have a poi s oned a rrow s hot
through my head Hang it all ! I wonde r what pleasure
Mr Glenn can e nj oy h e re ! Supp o s e now while I m
standing here thinki n g an arrow should dart over the
other s ide and stick ve o r s i x inches into me ! I hope
they keep a care ful look out A nd that r eminds me that I
ought to keep an eye out my s elf for fe ar some one m ay be
pinked from my S ide
He appli e d his eye to the hole and
continued in the same strain : I don t s e e a single living
thing ; maybe they ve all gone o ff If they have I ll de
serve all the credit f o r I m the only person that shot at
th e m A nd I don t think th at long hatchet face Sneak will
think that I m a coward any mor e But these savage s are
strange beings ; I had no m ore idea that th e bu s h hid an
India n than that there s one not t e n feet o ff n ow under the
snow A nd if we hadn t found him o u t he might have
crawled up and shot me in the e ye through this hole I wo n t

hold my eye here all the time ! said he rising and to his
astonishment Sneak stood a t his elbow whither he had
glided softly hi s quick ear havi n g caught the hum of Joe s
s oliloquy and h i s curio s ity leadi n g him t o n d o u t the
meaning o f the my s teriou s j argo n of his compa n ion i n arm s
Of all the men I ever s a w you are t h e dod r o t t e d e s t
exclaime d Sneak after s taring at him a f e w mome n t s i n
to his p o s t
s ilen t wonderment and then striding h a cl
,

A N ARR ATI V E

61

I s h oul d like to h ea r tha t senten c e p arse d s ai d Jo e

looking afte r him
T he hours w e r e o n in peace until midnight wh en a l o w
chattering like that o f a squirrel was heard in the v alley
b elow ; while a s hrill whistling r esembling that of quails
w a s di s tinguishe d above
C ome hither exclaime d Boone in a whispe r to Glenn

D o yo u s e e any of them ! inquire d Glenn j oining his

friend

yet
but we will s e e enoug h o f them present l y
No t
T he sounds in the v alleys are signals and they will attack
us o n these S ides Y o u m ay ab andon you r watch o n the

east and assist me h ere

A nd you may come an d spell m e sai d Sneak to Joe

I must n ot desert my post said Joe

If yo u stay there you ll be dea d sure to b e sh ot ! r e

p lied Sneak

in
Y o u don t think th ey re coming b ack do you !
uired
Joe
gliding
swiftly
to
Sneak
s
side
q

They ll b e o n us in no time Is you r gun loa d e d !

I declare I have forgotten whethe r I loade d it again o r

not said Jo e

You re a purty feller to watch with an empty gun

now a in t yo u ! N eve r mind blowing in h er run down a
cartridge as quick as you kin ; it makes no odd s how muc h
you have in a big n oise will do as much good as any thing

else said Sneak hurriedly evidently expecting to see

the savage enemy every moment while Joe did his bidding
asserting all th e time that he b elieve d his musket was
already loaded and expressing a decided dislike to b eing
kicked over every day from overcharging
A s Boone p r edicted but a very S hort time elapse d before
a series o f startling and frightful yell s were heard below
which were answere d by similar horri d sounds above Jo e
rst r an towards Boone and Glenn and then spra n g back
t o his place at the side of Sneak f u l l y co n v i n ce d there were
and being e e ct u a l l y cornered at
n o means of retreat
length e v inced an ardent desire to re When the yell s
d ied away in th e distance a ight o f arrows from the n orth
a n d south p oured upon the be s ieged party
Many of them
pierced the o ute r side o f the palisade while others yi n g
e v e r penet r ated the oppo s ite timbers and quive r d abov e
,

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S :

62

the heads o f t h e men ; and some r attl e d against the top o f

the house ( the snow having melted from the r oof )and fell
harmless to the earth
There h aving been n o shot yet red in the direction
whence the arrows came ( for such was the order o f B oone )
the savages embol dened by the absence o f any d emon s tra
t ions o f resi s tance and thinking their f e e s w e re S hut up in
the house or killed by t h eir numberless shaft s charged
upon the premises simultaneou s ly from both s ides shooti n g
their arrows and yelling as they came When they had
approached within a hundred paces of the inclosure Boone
and Sneak red with deadly aim at the foremost of the
p arty and the next moment Glenn followed the example
while B oone relo a ded his gun
N ow re
exclaimed Sneak shaking Joe b y t h e
shoulder having seen the savages pause when o n e of thei r
party uttered the death howl and fell

Here goes said Joe pulling the trigge r and falling

over on his back in the snow from the r ebound fo r the
musket had been truly twice charged
Split me if yo u did n t accidentally throw a han d ful o f
bullets among their legs that crack said Sneak observing
the now di s co m t e d and retreating Indians as they e n
d e a v o u r e d to bear o ff their wounded and then ring o n
them again himself as they vanishe d down the V alley The
like re s ult was witnessed above and again in a very sho r t
time there was not a savage t o be seen

What s the matter ! Why don t yo u get up ! a ske d

Sneak turning to Joe who still remained prostrate o n the
ground

My m outh s bleedi n g I don t know but I m wounded

D idn t an arrow come through the hole w hen I was shoot
ing
asked Joe rising p artially up and spitting o u t a
quantity o f blood o n the s now
It was nothing but the gun kicking yo u like it did i n
the bear hunt If it was an arrow yo u must ha v e s w al
lered it for I don t s e e the shaft But maybe yo u did
you re sech a gormandizer said Sneak

Ha n g it a l l I don t believe I m much hurt ! exclaime d

Joe j umping up suddenly

Get from before the hole !
h e co n ti n ued ramming down a cartridge h a s tily a n d thru s t
in g out the muzzle of his gun
,

64

W I LD W E S T E R N

ScENEs :

in m y frien d w e a r e suf cient h e r e sai d B oon e ,

a dd ressing Glenn

C ome in come in ! come in ! crie d Joe

I s e e no Indians remarke d Boone

T he house is o n r e ! Fire re ! r e ! s cr ea m e d Joe ,

falling into his o l d habit when in the c ity
Glenn r an back in this eme r gency b ut wh en h e a rr ive d
within t h e inclosu r e he foun d th at this Se rvice had b ee n
anticipate d by Ma r y who had quietly th r ust h er hands into
the snow and with b alls thus m ade easily extinguishe d
the re o n t h e r oof
When Boone an d Sneak ha d e e ct e d thei r pu r pose they
r epair e d to their forme r p ositions assu r e d that the utmost
c aution must be obse rv ed to prevent a surprise from some
unexpecte d qua r te r while their attention was naturally
directe d to one parti c ular p oint But they had ha r dly r e
sume d the i r stations before their ears were saluted b y the
j oyful rep o r t o f ries in the v alley R elief was at hand
R o u g h g r o v e had recrossed t he ri v er with a party of r ec r uits
and fallen up on the r ea r of the savages at a moment when
success seeme d to smile o n thei r sa n guina r y pu r p ose Thei r
shouts o f exultation at the p r ospe c t of ring the p r emise s
were now changed to howls o f despair and they ed in a l l
directions But R o u g h g r o v e aware of the imp olicy o f pu r
suit led his men directly to the gallant little garrison ; an d
the victorious hu zz as of his band we r e answered in like
manner by the b esieged who came forth and gave them a
cordial welcome N ever perhaps when they met did hand
grasp hand more heartily But Mary who had hith e r to
cast aside all the weake r fears o f the woman no soone r b e
h el d her aged fathe r in safety t h an sh e r ushe d into h is
a r ms an d fainte d o n h i s br east

Go

'

N ARR A T I V E

65

C HAP TE R V

A fa ir y s ce n e Jo e i s p u z z l e d a n d fr i gh t e n e dA
u
w o n d e r ful d i s co v e r y Na v i g a t i o n o f t h e up p e r r e gi o n s A cr a s h No

A s t r an ge

e x c r s io n

b on e s b r oke n

S EVER A L weeks ha d ela p se d since t h e in cidents r ecor d

ed i n the last chapter The repulse o f th e Os a ges was
succeeded by the arrival of a war p arty of Pawnees and a
deadly feud existing b etween these tribes the latter readily
j oined the whites and speedily ch ased the enemy fa r b e
yond the settlements Boone had returned to his family o n
the other side o f the river ; and Sneak having made p eace
with Joe had likewise withdrawn to his o w n domicil to
pursue his a v ocations of hunting and trapping in solitude
Glenn s a t before a blazing re in his little castle his l e ft
hand clasping a closed book h e had been reading while his
dextral elbow was re s ting o r the rude arm o f a chair whic h
h e had con s tructed and cushioned with furs and his palm
supported his chin He thus s a t s ilently looking stead
fa s tly through o n e of the little square windows a t the snow
encru s ted branches of the trees beyond t h e i n cl o s u i e , an d
apparently indulging a pleasing train o f ree ctions
Joe o n the contrary was engaged in boisterous an d
mirthful exercise o n the deep and frozen snow without He
was playing with the kitten the fawn and the hounds an d
occa s ionally ran into the stable to care s s the horses
A t length with n o other obj ect than a dreamy impulse to
wander a mong the wild scene s in the vicinity Glenn s tarted
up and d o n n i n g a warm overcoat and seizing his r ie set
out along the cliff up the river ( a direction which he had
never yet traversed ) accompanied by Jo e who seemed to
look upon his master s pale comp o s ed face and determine d
t hough gentle motions with curio s ity if n ot my s tery

Why do you s tare at me s o oft e n ! i n q u l r e d Glenn

cau s i n g after th e y had walked s ome di s tance in silence

Because I don t know w hat you re aft er replie d Jo e

.

6 *

66

W I LD W ES T ERN

ScENEs :

You l l see what I m after said Glenn setting fo r wa r d ,

an d continuing his cour s e along the cli ff
A snow o f several feet in depth rested o n the earth an d
the s un that s hone forth at noon had melted the surface s o
frequently that the freezing nights Which had as often suc
c e e d e d had formed an icy inc r ustation quite strong enough
to bea r the weight of a man Thoug h it was a dreary
wa s te yet Glenn gleaned a satisfaction in casting his eyes
around where his glance beheld no o n e striving to oppress
h i s fellow being that he might acquire riches and p ower
to be a gain snatched from his gra s p by others but a peace
ful scene fresh from the hand o f G o d and unmarred by
the workmanship o f meane r creatures The broad rive r
far below was co v ere d with a mas sy plate of ice and t h e
snow that rested up on it gave it the appearance o f an i m
mense plain rather than an incrusted s urface o f the most
perturbed and erratic stream in the world The geese and
other fowl that wande r ed over the frozen surface in quest of
their native element from the great distance down seeme d
to be no large r than sp arrows
E re long Glenn and his man r eache d the valley above
and commenced a des cent through the timber i n a diagonal
direction that would c onduct them after numerous wind
ing s to the edge o f the frozen stream along which a narrow
pathway ran northward about a mil e
Glen n paused at
an abrupt angle in his descent aft er having proceeded a
few paces through the undergrowth and stood long in
wonderment and admiration gazing at the scene that s u d
His towering position overlooked the
d e n l y burst in V iew
whole valley The ten thousand trees beneath and thei r
ten million branches an d twigs all completely clothe d in
cry s tal w hile n ot the slighte s t breeze was stirri n g pre
s ented a V iew of fairyland s uch as i t s acro s s the V ision
in dreams that the memory fain would cling to but which is
lo s t in the real and conicting tran s action s of returni n g day
T he noonday s un was momentarily veiled by a li s tle s s cloud
which seemed to be stationary in the heave n s as if de s ign e d
t o enhance the e ff ect of the beauty belo w
that outvied i n
N o t a s quirr e l w a s
b right n e ss even t h e u s ual light abov e
see n to leap fro m bough to b ough n r a bird to it acro ss
the opening between the lofty tr e e s ; but all w a s s till n e s s
A s Glenn stood entranced Joe seem e d
silence and b eauty

A NARRA TI VE

67

mo r e struck wit h the operation o f t h e enchantmen t

on his companion s features and attitude than with a n y
e ff ect from the same source experien ced o n himself

A in t yo u going down to the bottom o f the valley !

a ske d Joe

It is a scene suc h as is b e h eld by infants i n thei r slum

b ers when they dream o f paradise ! sai d Glenn paying

n o attention to Joe his eyes immova b ly rivete d o n the i n
nume r able sprigs of alabaste r which p ointe d out in every
direction in profu s e clusters while his pale lips s eemed to
move mechanically an d his brow expressed a mournful
serenity as if entertaining a r egret that he should ever be
separate d from the p early labyrinths b efore him ami d which
he would delight to wander foreve r

I think yo umust be dreaming yourself said Joe sta r

ing at him

How compose d is e v ery obj e ct ! c ontinue d Glenn ;

such m ust be the abo d e of angels an d depa r ted spirits

who a r e not permitte d l onge r to behold th e strifes o f eart h
and its contaminations but rove continually wit h noi s eless
tread or o n self poised wing through devious and delight
ful paths surrounded by sedges of silver embroidery and
shielded above b y mazy fretwork spangle d with diamond s
o r gliding without e ff ort through the pure an d buoyant air
from bower to bower o f crystal

Ug h talking o f the icy trees makes m e chilly ! sai d

to b e

,
,

Jo e

With life everlasting an d unchangeable ! co n t In u e d

Glenn after a momentary p ause fr om the interruption of
his man which he only noticed b y a signicant motion o f
the hand for him to be s ilent

But I would n t like the eternal f r o s t w o r k said Joe

P s haw
replied Glenn pursuing his way downwards
When they reached t h e bottom o f the valley they were ye t
a hundred p aces di s tant fro m its j unction with the river
which was ob s cured b y the many interveni n g trees tha t
g r e w along the fro z en rivulet Here Glenn again paused
to contemplate the scene The hill s that ro s e abruptly o n
either hand an d the thick intertwining branches abov e
combined to produce a du s ky aspect scarce le ss di m than
twilight Glenn folde d hi s arms composedly and lo o ke d
thou g htful ly round as if indu l gi n g the delightful f a n cIe S
,

WI LD

68

W E S T ERN SC ENE S :

ngen d e r e d w hen wanderi n g forth on a summe r s pleasan t

evening
There seem s to be a supernatural inuen c e

pervading the air to d ay he said in a low tone for I

sometimes imagine that itti n g s pirits become p artially visi
ble On the p e ndent icicles and j ewelle d twigs methink s
I sometimes behold for an instant the prismati c rays o f
e l n s eyes

D on t believe it said Jo e ; or if it is s o t h e y a r e

weepi n g at the cold and will soon be frozen up

A n d at each sudden turn

continued Glenn they
seem to li n ger an instant in view and then vanish S porti v e

Iy a s i f amu s ed at the expen s e of imp oten t mortals

I c a n t h e ar em laugh said Joe

A nd then continued Glenn

alth oug h b eyond h u
man consciou s ness there may b e h e avenly sound s i n the
air the melody o f a e rial harps and fairy voices to which
o u r ears may be sealed when
perchance o u r vicinity to
their pre s ence m ay in s pire the peculiar sensation I n e w

exper i ence
I heard a heap of curious sounds o n e wa r m s unshiny

morni n g said Joe ;

but when I asked an old fellow
oggi
n g along the same r e a d what they meant he said the
j
day before had been so cold when the s tage driver went by
that his wind froze as it came o u t o f the bugle and was

j ust then thawing

If such bei n gs do exi s t continued Glenn paying n o

attention to Jo e
it would delight m e to commune with

them face to face

I s e e a buck s head ! cried Jo e l ooking down the dell

w here the obj e ct he mentioned was distinc t ly ob s ervable
amid a clu s ter o f spicewood bushes when ce a slight j i n gling
s ound p r o ce e d e d as the anim a l plucked the nutritious buds
bent down by the i n numerable icicle s

v
Why s hould n o t the s yl an gods
continued Glenn

Hush ! I m going to re ! s aid Jo e

Why should they n o t re s ort hither said Glenn u n

mindful o f Joe where no meaner b e ings abide !

Jo e red and Gl e nn start e d in a s to n i s hm e nt as if he
had had no intimatio n o f hi s compa n io n s i n te n tio n

Ha n g it all ! I s n t he going to die I wo n der ! sai d

Joe after the buck had m ade o n e o r two plunges i n t h e
hi s S h arp hoofs piercing t hrough the cru s t on th e
sno w

A NA RR A T I V E

69

u r face an d wit h m uc h struggling extricate d hi mself an d

s tood t r em b ling an d looked imploringly at his foe

Wh at in the wo r l d a r e yo u about ! exclaimed Glenn ,

c asting a listless glan ce at t h e d ee r an d t h en sta r ing h i s
c ompanion in t h e face

Whip me if the r e was any lea d in t h e gun ! sai d Joe

I drew the bullets o u t yester d ay an d forgot to put the m

in again But n o matte r h e can t run through the snow

I ll kill him with the butt o f my m usket

Move n o t at your p eril ! said Glenn autho ritatively ,

when Joe was about to r ush o n the defenceless buck

I d o believe you a r e o u t of you r head ! said J o e sta r

ing Glenn in the fa c e an d glancing at the tempting p r i z e
alternately

i
n
A t such an h our
suc h an elysian pla ce as t h is n o
b loo d shall b e spille d It were profanity to dis c olo r t h ese

pearly walks w i t h cl o t t e d gore

The deu c e take t h e pearls say I ! sai d Joe

Pe r haps continued Glenn a go d may ha v e pu t on

t h e sem b lance O f a stag to tempt us

A n d hang me if I wouldn t pretty soon S poil his phy

s a y the wo rd !
if
you
woul
d
only
sai
d
Joe
sio g n o m
y
shaking his head sullenly at the buck

C ome said Glenn sternly ; and lead ing the way h e

passed within a few feet o f the terried animal without
turning his hea d asi d e and d ire c te d his steps d own the
V alley towa rd s the ri v e r Joe sai d nothing when opp osite
the buck awe d b y th e impressive tone an d mysterious
b ea r ing o f his maste r ; but he grinned deance at him an d
r esolved to embrace the rst O pp ortunity to steal out alone
and fully gratify his r e v enge ; fo r such was the feeling he
now ha r boured against the ani m al
When they reache d the margin o f t h e river they wan
de r ed along the narrow p at h that turne d to the left an d
conti nued up the stream with the ice but a few feet distan t
on one hand an d t h e pre cipitous acclivity o f rocks o n the
othe r They maintained a brisk p ace for a bout thirty m i
n u t e s when the range o f cli ff s terminating abruptly the
y
entered a low at forest

No w what d o you say to my ring ! exclaimed Jo e

s ta r ing at an eno r mous wolf a sho r t d istan c e o n the left
,
s

W I LD WE S T E R N SC E NE S :

70
t h at

see m e d to b e tea r ing t h e es h from t h e carcas s

dee r

Of

Y ou

must not r e r eplie d Glenn , v iewing the scene

wit h no interest

Why n o t ! If the d eer s a sylvan god the wolf s sur e

to be a bla c k d e v il an d it s a d uty to take t h e go d s pa r t ,

said Joe

NO ! r eplie d Glenn still striding o n

Where are yo u going to I shoul d like to know ! I

hope yo u haven t any idea of going close r to t h e haunte d

island ! said Joe following reluctantly

What haunted island ! asked Glenn

Why that one r ig h t ahea d O f us ! r eplied Joe , point

ing to a small island a f e w hundred p aces distant

Who says it is haunted ! demanded Glenn

Why e v erybody in the country kn o w s it s h aunte d

D idn t you hear Miss Mary telling all about it !

What did s h e tell about it !

T hat several year s ago a man ew up the r iver riding

on a b lack cloud of smoke and aft er scaring all the Indian s
an d e v erybody else away took up his abode in yonder
isl and No t a soul from that day to thi s has ever bee n
neare r to it than we are now But strange S ights ha v e bee n
seen there Once a great big swan as large as o u r house ,
was seen to come out of the will ows an d l e ap into the wate r
A fter seeing it paddle about an hour o r two in every dir co
tion an O ld beave r trapper and deer hunter took it into h l s
h ead that it was nothing m ore than a water fowl o f some
large species ; an d re s olving to have a crack at it anyho w
he crept behind the rocks at the end O f the cli ff and blazed
away when it swam pa s t the next time M e r cy o n us !
when he red they s a y the thing turned his head towards
h im and came at him in a straight line and a s fast as
lig h tni n g blowing S p arks o f re o u t o f its nostrils while
the p oor man stood s tock still spell bound until it seized
upon him and he has never been hear d o f since

N othing more ! a s ked Glenn lightly and smiling

Good graciou s ! what more would you want ! But there

w a s more ; f o r the very next day when the pe ople were
l ooki n g a t t n e i s land from a di s tanc e an d wonderi n g what
had be e n the fate o f O ld O dell another large bird came o u t
B u t this w a s like an eagl e and i n s tead o f going into the
,

"

72

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S
R ap the r e , Joe ,

sai d Glenn Joe only t ur n e d h i s

h ead an d l ooked at him in S ilence

K nock
continued Glenn

Oh ! exclaimed Jo e fa lling o n his k n ees

If eve r
o
u were prevaile d o n not to do any thing you were d o i ng
y

let me thi s o n e time p ersuade you to leave this place

K nock ! repeated Glenn emphatically

Joe st r uck
the gate se v eral blows with his knuckles but s o gently that
he could n o t hear them himself Glen n seemed to grow
angry and seizin g his m an s musket was in the act o f
applying the end o f it V iolently when t h e gate ew O pe n
at o n e S pring and a hoary po r te r stood b owing and b eck
oning b efore him

D o not enter ! c r ie d Jo e throwing h is arms a r oun d

Glenn

It is too late now yo u ha v e kno c ked and it is opene d

unto you your mission mu s t be accomplished b efore you
turn back Mine is not yet e ffected I am t h e o n e w h o
dared to face the magic swan and like m e all who come
hither must r emain until it shall be the pleasure of the

r e wi z ard to r elease them

said the o l d attendant

L ead m e to this r e wi z ard said Glenn rmly step

p ing into the inclosure
When they ente r ed the gate
clo s ed after them without any appa r ent agency of the ol d
hunter and with suc h for c e that Joe sprang se v eral feet
fo rward

Oh goodness we are nothing but p oo r r ats in the trap

ne w !
exclaimed he

I pledged m yself fo r you r safety an d will keep my

wor d said Glenn

But what will the wi z a r d c a r e a b out yo u r v eracity !

asked Joe

Follow ! sai d the o l d p orter leading the way towards

the house A fte r p assi n g se v eral small buildings Glenn
found himself in a S pacious area over which were scattered
various and strange implements and divers n onde s cript
machines S ome half do z en men were also observed their
s leeves rolled up and intently plying the c h isel the le and
other tools These men cast a momentary and sullen glance
a t the V isitors like con v icts in the penitentiary and resumed
their lab ours in silence The party soon arrived at the door
o f t h e m ain building when t h e o l d p orte r entered alone a n d
.

NARRA TI VE

73

fter remaining a few moment s within came forth an d an

n o u n ce d hi s re adine ss t o conduct o u r hero i n to the presence
Gl e nn motioned h i m to lead o n and afte r
o f the r e wizard
following through a s hort hall and turning into a large
chamber t h e my s teriou s lord of the i s land was confronted
reclining b e fore them on a couch of fu rs He appeared to
be an e maciat e d and d e cr e pit Ol d man hi s long white bear d
e xte n ding down to hi s brea s t ; a n d when he m o tioned o u r
hero to a seat his hand seemed to trembl e with feebleness
Yet there was something i n his eye that indicated no ordi n ary
spirit and instantly impressed Glenn w ith the r e s p ect that he
conceived to be due to s uperior geniu s ; f o r notwithstan ding
all the miraculous things told of the r e wizard he r ightly
conj ectured the perso n age before h i m to be nothing more
than a human bei n g a recluse p erhap s and like himself
seeking i n solitude the enj oyments which ( for peculiar
r eason s )coul d not be foun d among mankind

What br i ng s t h ee hither ! demanded the aged man

after a few minutes S ilence during which his brilliant eyes
were closely xed upon the compose d features o f Glenn

That which induced thee to seek such a solitary abode

r eplied our hero

Have you no fear s ! continu e d the o l d man

N one ! replied Glenn rmly

Give me your hand ! exclaime d the o l d man ; you

are the only being that ever confronte d the r e wizard
without feeling terror and for those who kn ow n ot fea r
there is no danger In s tead of a menial or a V ictim I will

make yo u my companion

Thank him M r Glenn whispered Joe an d p erhaps

h e won t hurt u s

I am seeking amusement
sai d Glenn ;
an d a s
long as I am pleased it m atte r s not with whom or whe r e
b a l l be my abode
But the moment I desire it I will go
a

e n ce

The r e wizar d motione d the attendan t t o withdraw who

in s tantly obeyed leading Jo e o u t at the same time the
p o o r fellow e v i ne i n g great reluctance to be separated from
G l enn

Before exhibiting to you t h e m ys t e r i o u s o bjects which

have acquired for m e the name o f m a gician S aid the old

m an
I will briey give you my hi s tory I w a s in youth
-

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

74

dreamer

h at they termed an idle

ever o n the alert for

discoveries
a n d wa s more laugh e d at than encouraged
ne w
in my pursuit o f rare inve n tio n s More than ft y y e ars
a o I ascertained that steam might be made to propel ma
g
chinery
I attempted to explai n the principles o f this
discovery to my fellow m e n a n d to convi n ce them of the
v ast benets that might re s ult from it I was n o t hee ded
nay I was insulted by th e ir i n di ff erence and made a
solemn v o w that it s advantag e s s hould never be reaped
through my in s trumentality In s e cret I con s tructed a
small s teamboat and having placed o n board such materials
as might be required a n d secured the a s si s tance o f a requi
site number o f arti s ans I came hither re s olved to pro s e c u te
my experiments to my own satisfaction in solitud e where
the taunts of skeptic s coul d n o t reach me Follow a n d
you shall behold what h as been t h e result o f my u n r e
st r aine d researche s
The old man aro s e a nd conduct e d
o ur hero across the yard to a curtained shelter o n o n e s ide
o f the inclosure

L a ! if that ain t i t s foot ! exclaim e d Joe who j o m e d

o u r hero and O b s ervi n g a larg e foot re s embli n g in s hape
t hat o f the swan under the folds o f the curtai n while the
O ld wizard p a used a mome n t before unveili n g t h e curious
obj ect
It was as Jo e surmi s ed : when the canvas was
withdrawn a n articial swan o f mon s trous dimen s io n s
though p erfe ct in all it s prop ortions was r e vealed to t h e ir
wondering gaze A little beyo n d another curtain wa s drawn
a side and an e a gl e holdi n g in its beak a bloody crown and
in its talons a silke n banner o f s tripe s and star s stood b e
f ore the m i n the attitude o f s pringi n g up in the air

Which will yo u try r s t

d e manded the r e wizard
while a proud smile pl ayed o n his lip s

C an e i t h e r o f them be s et in motion by your art ! a s ked

Glenn

B oth
exclaimed the wizard
If you will tarry till
t h e ice is gone the swan shall rush through the strongest
c urrent as swiftly as the wild horse careers ov e r the prairie ;
o r th e eagle S hall even now dart beyon d the clouds and
tran s port you in a few brief hours to where you will s e e t h e

b riny waves rolling again s t the distant A tlantic coas t !

Glenn was incred ulous an d his unbelief was betrayed
b y a smile in spite of his e ff orts to the con t ra r y
w

A N ARR A T I V E

75

Bring h it he r a lamp ! sai d the wi z a rd to t h e atten d an t

a n d was quickly obeyed
Oh don t make him mad ! He s going to do something

whispered Joe to Glenn The wi z ard touched a

now !
spring ; the b reast o f the eagle ew O p e n an d withi n
could be seen p olished wheels and othe r p ortions o f a com
plicated m achinery T he o l d man next applied the blaze
o f the lamp to some S pirits within an d in a v ery few mi
n u t e s p artic l es o f steam could be seen to escap e from the
eagle s nostrils The wizard touched anot her S pring an d
the enormous b ird strode o u t an d p aused in the c entre of
the area

If you would b ehold the home o f your youth b e it

whithersoever it m ay s o that you name it follow m e an d

your eyes S hall gaze up on that spo t within a f e w hours

said the sage as the wing s o f the stupendous eagle slowly
unfolded a n d rising to a horizontal po s ition uncovered a
transparency in the side o f the chest through which c oul d
b e seen a gorgeous couch within su fciently ample to con
tain two men and sep arate from the re and machine r y b y
a partition o f isingla s s

C ome ! exclaimed the sage opening the tortoise shell

door u nder the wing and stepping into the couch

D on t do any such thing

said Jo e

Ha ! ha ! ha ! D o yo u think it can y Joe ! r emarke d

Glen n laughing

It w i l l y ! said the o l d man emphatically ; an d I

c harge yo u to be prepared to ascend beyon d the cl ouds if

o u have the cou r age to oc c upy a p ortion o f my couch

y

Though I cannot believe it will r ise at your bidding

r eplied Glenn yet should it do s o I must b e permitte d

to regard yo u as being only esh and blood and as suc h I
do not hesitate to venture as much as another mortal will
saying which ou r he r o seated himself beside the repute d
r e wizard
T he o l d man close d the door and drawing fort h a small
c ompa s s ( his companion intimating the course ) adj usted
several s crews within convenient reach accordingly ; he
then pres s ed a small lever with his foot and th e wings
after quiv e ring a moment a p p e d quickly and the grea t
e a l e darted almo s t p erpendicularly up in the air and w a s
g
b eyond the reach o f V ision in a ve r y few S e con d s !
,

76

W I LD W E S T ER N S CENE S :

Wh e n a c ertain height was attaine d the wi z a r d tur ne d

t h e bir d in t h e course indicated by his comp anion

What think you n ow o f the r e wizard ! deman d e d

t h e sage with an air o f triumph

Still that he is a man but a great o n e and this t h e

perfection o f his art the greatest extent the Supreme Bein g

has permitted the mind of a man to attain ! replied Glenn

gazing in admiration at the countries far below which h e
was p assing with the v elocity of a hurricane

A nd still you fear n ot ! demanded the wizard

A nd sh all n o t ! r eplied Glenn s o long as y o u r f e a

tures are c omposed

The o l d man p r essed his hand an d
smiled

Yonder is St L ouis ! cried Glenn r unning his e ye

along the valley of the Mi s souri down to its conuence wit h
the Mi ss i s sippi ; and a s hort distance beyond descried the
town in question though it did n ot see m t o be larg e r than
o n e ordi n ary mansion with its garden and customary a p
p endages

We are far a b ove the reach of V ision from the earth

said the wizard b ounding forward to endea v ou r to regulate
a p art o f the machinery that had f o r some time attracte d
his attention and which Glen n believed to be not altogethe r
r ight from the abrupt movement of his companion
How far ab o v e the e arth are we ! a s ked Gle n n

A bout tw e nty v e miles but should this screw gi v e

way it may be le s s very speedily ! exclaimed the ol d man

almost incoherently and applyi n g all his strength to the
loo s ened s crew to keep it in its place

L et me assist ! exclaime d Glenn S pring i ng forward

It s go ne ! cried the ol d man ; you have knocked it

out ! we a r e falling crushed
,

That s just what I expe cted said Jo e addressing t h e

f awn which had been playing with the d ogs and at length
r an against Gl e nn s chair s o viol e ntly a s to pu s h it over

Oh ! O h ! o h ! exclaimed G lenn

Goodne ss ! A re yo u hurt ! a s ked Joe

Is it po s sibl e ! A m I a l ive and h e r e
excl aimed
G lenn staring wild l y round a n d doubting hi s o w n identity

f
I
never
heard
a
dead
man
talk
a
s
I
l
o
Well

A NARRA TI VE

77

b efore ; an d as to o ur b eing h e r e if you r o w n eyes d o n t

convince you I ll swear to it said Joe

D id I not go up to the island this m orning ! inqui r e d

G lenn

NO said Joe

D id yo u n o t accompany me an d r e at t h e b u c k !
interrogated Glenn r esuming his seat

N o I ll b e hange d if I d i d ! said Joe somew h a t

warmly

What have I been d oing all day !

You ve been S itting there fast asleep an d I p r esum e

o u w ere dreaming
y

Thank Hea v en it was b ut a dr ea m ! excl aime d Glenn ,

laughing

A dream ! r esp on d e d Joe S itting d own o n h is stool

an d soliciting Glenn to r elate it to h im Glenn complied ,
and the na r ration was nothing more t h an what the i n cr e du
lous r eade r has b ee n sta r ing at all this time But we will
m ake a m en d s

C H AP TE R V I
A

hun t A d e e r

t ak e n T h e h o un d s J o e m a k e s
Sn e ak T h e e x hum a t i o n

h o r r i d dis co v e r y

IT

b eats all the dreams I eve r h ea rd sai d Joe , feeling

h is r ight shoulde r with his left hand

Why do yo u feel your S houlder Joe ! aske d Glenn

as he r ecollecte d the many times his man had s u f
s mil l i n g
f e r e d by the r eboun d o f his mus k et an d diverted at the
g r ave and th oughtful expres s ion o f his features

It w a s a dream wasn t it ! aske d Joe with S implicity ,

still examining his S houlde r

But you know there was n o lead in the gun an d i t

said Glenn
could n o t rebound with much V iolence

I ll soon s e e all about it exclaime d Jo e springing

up and running to his gun A fter a careful ex a mination h e
,

7*

78

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S :

r etu r ne d to his stool beside the re and sat some minute s,

with the musket lying across his knees and his chin in h i s
hand plunged in profound m editation o n th e imaginary
incidents which had j ust been related to him Had the
dream been an ordinary one and he not an actor in it
it might have passed swiftly from his memory ; b u t inas
much as the conduct imputed to him was SO natural an d
the expre s sions he was m ade to utter s o characteristic h e
could not but rega r d it as a vision far more signicant an d
important than a mere freak of the brain during a moment
o f S lumber

What are yo u studying about ! inter r ogate d Glenn

I can t understand it replied Jo e S haking his head

N either can the mo s t renowned philosopher sai d

Glenn ; but you can tell whethe r your musket h as b een

discharged

It h asn t b een r ed said Jo e

But what dist r esses
me is that there should be only a charge of p owder in it
just as you stated and when I d r ew out the shot you were
fast asleep You must ha v e h ear d m e s ay I intended to d o
,

It

No t that I r ememb er , said Glenn

T hen there mu s t be a wizar d about , su r e enough , sai d

Jo e ,

and he crossed himself

Suppose we take o ur guns and walk out in the di r c e

tion mentioned ! said Glenn ; I feel the want o f exercise

after my sleep and ha v e some curiosity to test the ac c uracy
of my dream by comp a r ing the things d es c ribe d wit h the

r eal O bj ects o n the island

No t for the world ! cried Joe lifting b ot h h an d s i m

l
r in l
but
I
will
gladly
go
anywhere
else
j
ust
to
o
s
e
e
;
p
g y
if the bushes a r e as beautiful as yo u thought they we r e
and if the deer can t r un o n the snow crust as well a s the

dogs

C ome o n then I care not whic h c ourse we go sai d

Glenn taking up his gun an d leading the way out of the
inclosure
They pursued a westerly course until they r eached nea r ly
t o the edge o f the prairie when they p aused in the mids t
o f a cluster o f hazel bushes to admire the beauty o f t h e
novel scene The description had been perfect E ven
Glenn surveyed th e emblazonry o f magic fro s t w ork
.

80

W I LD W E S T E RN SC ENE S :

it was u nabl e to escape It now lay quite still wit h i ts

large b l u e eyes turned imploringl y to its foe Joe sei z e d i t
b y the hind feet and exultingly exclaimed that the pri z e
The trembling and unre s isting animal
Wa s safely his o w n
app e ared to be as p erfectly submissive as a sheep in t h e
h and s o f the shearer

Y o u have it sure enough ! said Glenn c oming up

and viewing the scene with interest
L ash me if I haven t said Joe much excite d
Ha v e

you got any sort of a string about you !

N

Please cut down a hickory wit h e an d peel t h e b a r k o ff

f o r me while I hold its legs

Glenn drew o u t his hu n ting knife bu t p ause d when i n
the act of executing his man s request and turning wit h
a smile playing upon his lip said

Perhaps Jo e this is but another dream ; and if s o i t

is folly to give O urselves any unnecessary trouble

L ash me if it ain t r eality ! r eplie d Joe as the d ee r

at length began to struggle V iolently
E xtricating its feet from hi s gra s p the d oe bestow e d a
well directed kick o n its foe s head which tumbled h i m
over o n his back The animal then sprang up but awa r e
there was n o chan ce o f escap e by running faced about an d
plied its bony head s o furiou s ly again s t Joe s breas t a n d
sides that he was fo rc ed to scamp er away with all possibl e
expedition

Has it bruised you Joe ! If s o this is c e r tainly no

dream remarked Glenn

Oh goodne ss ! I m batte r e d almo s t to a j elly I ll t a kc
my oath there s n o dreaming about this L et me go afte r

R ingwood and Jowler

It woul d be too cruel to let the hounds tear the p oo r

thi n g said Glen n ; but after you have bound its feet to
geth e r you may bring o u t one o f the horses and a S led an d

convey it hom e u n hurt

The hor s es can t go i n this deep snow said Jo e

True I forgot tha t Take your musket and s hoot it

said Glenn turning away n o t wi s hing to witne s s the deat h
o f the deer

I d r ather take him prisoner sai d Jo e lo w e r ing h i s

,

'

A NARRA T I VE

8]

m u s ket after taking A l o n g aim

I can d rag it on t h e

sled myself

Then go for it s aid Glenn ; and yo u may bring the

hound s alo n g ; I will exercise them a little after that f o x
which keeps such a chattering i n the next g r ove B ut rs t

let us s e cure the deer

Joe charged upon the doe on ce more and when it aime d
another blow at him he threw himself under its body and
the animal falling over o n its S ide the combined e fforts o f
the men su f ce d to bin d its feet Jo e the n went to t h e
house for the hounds and the S led and Glenn leant against
the o a k awaiting his return It was not long b efore the
hounds arri v ed whic h was soon succeede d by the approach
R ingwood and Jowl e r evin c e d pal
o f Jo e with the sled
p ah le signs of delight o n beholding the b ound captive but
their training was so perfect that they S h owed n o di s p o s ition
to mol es t it without the o r de r s o f their master One wor d
from Glenn and the deer woul d have been instantly torn
in pieces ; but it was exemp t from dange r as long as that
word was withhel d
Joe soon came up and in a very few m inutes the d oe
was laid up on the sled When he was in the act of sta r t
ing homewards with his novel bu r den the houn ds contrary
to their usual practice refused to accompany Glenn to the
thicket north o f thei r p osition where the fox was still heard
and strangely seeme d inclined to run in a contrary direction
A nd what was equally remarkable whil e s n u i n g the ai r
towards the south they gave utterance to rep eate d e r ce
g r owls Jo e was utterly astonished and Glenn was fast
losing the e qu animity of his temp er

There s s omethi n g m ore than common down there ;

s e e how R ingwood b r istles up o n the back

sai d Joe

R un there with the hounds , and s e e what it is sai d

Glenn

A n d I ll take my musket too sai d Jo e stri d ing i n

the di r ection indicated with the hounds at his heels an d
h is musket on his shoul der
When he reached a narrow rivulet about o n e hun d re d
p aces distant that gradually Wi de n e d a n d deep e ned until
it fo r med the v alley in which the ferry hou s e was S ituate d
a half mile below he p ause d and su ff ered the ho un ds to
l ead the way They r an a short distan ce up the r a v ine
.

,
.

W I LD W E S T ER N S CENE S :

:52

and hal t e d at the edge of a small thicket and commenc e d

barking very ercely as they scented the air und e r the
b u s hes

Ll l b et it s another bear
said Jo e pu t ting a fresh
priming in the p an o f his musket and proceeding after the
hound s
If it is a bear oug h t I to fool with him by my
!
s elf said he pa u sing a t the edge o f the thicket
I might

get my other ear b oxed he continued

and it s n ot s uch
a pleasant thing to be knocked down by t h e h e avy s t o f a
big black bear If I don t trouble him he ll be sure to
l et me alone What if I call the dogs o ff and go back !
!
But what tale can I manufacture t o tell Mr Glenn P s haw !
What S hould I fear with such a musket as this in my hand !
I really believe I a m a little touch e d wi t h
I can t help it
cowardice ! I m sorry for it but I can t help it It wa s
born with me and it s not my fault C onfound it ! I w i l l

s c rew up courage enough to s e e what it i s anyhow

S aying this he strode forward desperate l y and urgi n g the
h ounds onward foll owed closely in the rear in a stooping
p osture under the hazel bushes
In a very few m oments Joe reached the head o f the ravine
b ut to his astoni s hment and no little satisfaction he beheld
n othi n g but a S helving r ock from under which a spring o f
clear smoking water owe d and a large b a nk o f sno w
which had drifted around it but through which the gurgling
st r eam had forced its way Yet the mystery wa s n ot s olved
R ingwood and Jowler continued to growl and y e l p s t il l more
furiously running round th e embankment o f snow repeat
e dl y and ever an d anon s n u f n g its icy surface

Whip m e if I can gure o u t thi s said Jo e ; what

in the world do the dogs keep s ticki n g their noses in that
snow for ! There can t be a bear in it surely I ve a

notion to shoot into it N o I won t I ll do thi s though

an d drawing out his long knife he thru s t it up to the h andle
i n the pla c e which seemed the mo s t to attract the hounds

Free z e me if it hasn t gone into so m ething besides the

e xclaimed h e conscious that the steel had pene

s now !
t r a t e d some rm substance bel ow the frozen snow cru s t

What the deuce is it ! he continued pulli n g o ut the knife

Ha ! blood by j i n go
he cried
a n d examini n g it

S pringing up ;
but it can t be a livi n g bear o r it woul d
h a e m o v ed ; and if it had mo v ed , the stab w o ul d h a v e
,

NARRA TI VE

83

it I w o n t be afraid ! said he again plunging h i s

knife into it
It don t move yet i t mu s t be dead why
it s frozen P s haw ! any thing woul d freeze here in l e s s

than an hour I ll soon s e e what it i s

S aying this he
knelt down o n the embankment an d commence d dig g i n g
the s now away with all his might The dogs crou ch e d
down be s ide him growling and whining alternately and
otherwise exhibiting symptoms o f restle ss ness an d distres s

B e still poor R ingwood I m coming to him ; I s e e some

thing dark but there s no hai r on it Ug h ! hallo ! Oh

goodness ! St Peter ! Ug h ! ugh ! ugh ! cried he spring

ing up his face as pal e as the snow his hair standi n g u p
r ight his chin fallen an d his eyes almost straini n g out o f
thei r sockets Without taking his gun or putting o n his
h at he r an thr ough the bushes like a frightened antelop e
leaping o v e r dit c hes like a fox cha s er tearing through o p
p osing grape v ines and not pausing until his cour s e was
suddenly arrested by Glenn who seize d him by the s kirt of
th e coat and hurle d him on his back beside the S le d on
which th e deer was bound

What is the matte r ! demande d Glenn

Jo e pante d p ainfully an d was unabl e to answer

What ails yo u I s ay ! repeated Glenn in a lou d v oi c e

Peter p anted Joe

D o you m ean the pony !

St Peter ! ej aculated Joe

Well what of St Peter !

Oh let m e be o if cried h e en d eavouring t o scrambl e
to his feet But he was most e ff ectually p r evented For
no sooner had he turne d over o n his hands an d knees than
Glenn leap ed astride o f him

N ow if you w i l l go you sh all carry m e o n you r back

and I will pelt the sec r et o u t o f yo u with my heels as we
travel

Just let me get in the h ouse an d fasten the d oo r an d

sai d Jo e imploringly
I will tell yo u every word
Tell m e now o r you shall r emain in the sn ow all day

l ong I said Glenn wit h a han d grasping each side o f Joe s

neck

Oh w h at shall I do ! I can t S peak ! yelled Joe

cr i n
I
r o m hi s nos e
out
r
ight
the
large
t
a
r
dr
ops
falling
e
y g
a n d chin
kill e d

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

84

You

have not lo s t your voice I should s ay a t all

events r eplie d Glenn s omewhat touched with pity at h i s

man s unequivocal distre ss though he coul d scarce restrain
h is laughter when he viewed hi s grote s que posture
What
!
has become o f your musket and hat
he added

I left them both ther e said Joe gradually b e c oming

composed under the weight of h is ma s ter

Where ! asked Glenn

A t the cave S pring

Well what made you leave them there !

Just get e l f my back and I ll tell you I m getting

over it now ; I m going to be mad instead of frightened
said Joe with real comp osure

Get up then ; but I won t trust you yet Y o u must

still su ff er m e to hold your collar said Glenn

If yo u go to the cave S pring you will see a sight !

What ki n d of a sight

Such a s ight as I never dreamed o f before !

Then it has been nothing b u t a dream t h i s t i m e afte r

all your foolery !

N 0 I ll be S hot if there was any dreaming about it

r eplied Joe ; and he related every thing up to the horri d
discovery which caused him to retreat s o precipitately and
then paused as if dreadi n g to revert to the subj ect

What did you nd there ! Was it any thing that could

inj ure you !

N
said Jo e S haking hi s head solemnly

Why did you run then ! demanded Glenn imp a

,

"

t ie n t l y

it

T he truth is , I don t kn o w my s elf, now I r eect about

But I d rather not tell what I s a w j ust yet I w a s

D r e t t y con s iderably alarmed wasn t I !

R idiculous ! I will n o t be t r ie d with in this manner

Tell me instantly what you saw ! said Glenn his vexation

and a n ger overcoming his u s ual ind ulge n t nature

I ll tell yo u now i t was a

D idn t yo u s e e t h e rr
b u s hes move ! asked Jo e s tari n g wildly at a clump of s u
mach b u s hes a few paces distant

What was it you s a w at the cave spring ! sh outed

Gle n n his face turning red

I I resp onded Jo e hi s eyes still xed o n the

h
!
Ug
It was a
cried he starti n g a s h e
b ushes

A N ARRA TI V E

85

b e h el d the little thicket open and a tall man r ise up ,

h ol ding in his hand a bun ch o f dead muskrats

D od speak o u I want to hear what it was I ve b e e n

laying here all this time waiting to know what great thing
I neve r laughed so in
i t was that skeer e d yo u s o much
all my l ife as I did when he g o t a straddle o f you I was
comi n g up to the sled when I s a w yo u streaking it t hr oug h
th e v ines and br iers and then I squatte d d own awhile to s e e

what woul d turn up next

Ha ! ha ! ha ! is it yo u Sneak ! I t h oug h t you was an

Indian ! C ome o n I l l tell now I t w as a ma n s m o cca s i n !

said Joe in a low , myste r ious tone

A nd yo u ran in that manne r fro m a n o l d m o cc asi n !

s aid Glenn r ep r oachfully

But there was a f o o t in it ! c ontinue d Jo e

A h e man s foot ! inqui r e d Sneak , qui ckly t ur ning t o

Joe
How coul d I tell whether it was a h e man s foot , o r a
femal e woman s as you call t h em
replie d Joe

A r e yo u su r e it was a h uman b eing s foot ! d eman d e d

Glenn

Well I n e v e r s a w an y o the r animal b ut a m a n w e a r a

b uckskin m occasin ! replie d Joe

A n Irishman can t tell any thing rig h t no h ow you can

x it said S neak

They c an t tell h ow yo u make woo d en nutmegs , r e

t o r t e d Joe

C ome , sai d Glenn , we will go an d examine fo r o ur

selves
T he p arty s e t O ff in a b risk walk an d soo n r ea ch e d t h e
Sure enough , t h e r e was the m o cc a
s c ene O f Joe s alarm
si n and a man s foot in it !

It s someb ody afte r all sai d Sneak , gi ving t h e fr o z en

f e e t a kick

A in t you ashame d to d o t h at ! sai d Jo e , knitt i ng h i s

br ows
He s n othing mo r e than a s t o nh n ow Why did n t h e

r eplie d
h olle r w h en you stuck you r knife into him !
S neak

D ig him up that we m ay see w h o h e is sai d Glenn

I d rather n o t touch him said Joe

You r e a fool l said Sneak

Stan d o ff , an d let me
,

h l ing about it,

"

86

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S
h i m I l l

soon see w h o h e is
Sneak threw down h i s
mu s k r ats and with hi s spear and knife soon extricated t h e
b ody which he handled as unceremoniously as he would

h ave done a log o f wood

D od r ot your skin ! he ex
claime d when he brushed the S now from the ma n s face
He the n threw down the body with great v iolence

Oh d on t ! c r ie d Joe while the c ol d chills r an up h is

b a ck

Who is it ! asked Gl enn

It s that C oppe r snake traito r skunk wate r dog li z a rd
h a wk ho r ned frog

Who do yo u mean ! inter r upte d Glenn

P o s i n the m al i v e r o u s r ascal who collogue d wit h the

Inj i n s to murde r us all ! I m gla d he got his dose and if

h e was al i v e n o w I d make h im s w al l e r at least two foot

of my S p ea r said Sneak

Twas me I killed h i m look at the b uck s h ot h oles

in h is b a c k ! exclaime d Joe now r eco v ering fro m his ex

ci t e m e n t an d a r i g h t

Yes an d you re a ni c e c h ap ain t you to r un like

ug i n s fr o m a dea d m an that you kille d you r self ! sai d

Sneak

How di d I know that I kille d him ! r etorted Joe

A ny fool might know he was dead r eplied Sneak

I ll pay you for this some of these times said Joe

How shall we bury h i m ! asked Glenn

T hat can b e done r eal easy said S neak taking hol d

o f the dead man s leg and dragging him along on the snow
like a sle d

What a r e yo u going to d o wit h h im ! d emande d

Glenn

I m a going to cut a h ol e in the i c e o n the r ive r an d

push h i m un d er said Sneak

Y o u shall do no such thing ! said Glenn rmly ;

he

m ust b e b uried in the earth

Just as yo u s ay said Sneak sub missively t hr owin g

d own the leg

R un h ome an d b ring the spades Jo e

sai d Glenn ,

and call f o r the ferrymen to assist us

A n d I ll take the sl ed along and lea v e it In the ya rd

sai d Joe starting in t h e direction of the d ee r an d cal l mg
t h e hounds after h i m
at

'

88

W I LD W E S T E R N SC EN E S

Is Glenn at th e S pring with Sneak ! aske d B oone In

a v e r y thoughtful and grave manne r

Yes sir I left him there and I n ow hea r h i m wit h t h e

h ounds chasing a fox replied Jo e in true native style

If h e is with the hounds he is ce r tainly not at t h e

S p r ing r emarked R o u g h g r o v e

I m eant that he was there o r t h e r e a b o u ts r eplie d Joe

Who found the dead man ! inquired Boone

I did that is when the dogs scented him and it al

m ost frightened me when I dug o u t his foot said Joe

N o doubt ! obse rv e d B oone

T he party n ow moved along in S ilence still pe r mitting
Joe to lead the way until they suddenly emerged from the
thicke t in the immediate V icinity o f the sp r ing when an
u nexpected sce n e attracted their notice
S neak was com
o
dl
s
e
n
f
o
seated
the
body
o
the
dea
d
m
an
an
d
v
ery
p
y
deliberately searching his p ockets

Well that beats all the mean actions I eve r be h el d b e

fore ! said Joe pausing and staring indignantly at Sneak

You r e a fool ! replie d Sneak

What f o r ! b ecause I wouldn t rob the dead ! reto r te d

Joe
D o yo u call this robbing the dead ! Hain t this traito r
stoled this lump of gold from the Inj i n s
sai d Sneak dis
playing a rough piece of the precious metal about the si z e
o f a crow s egg

Is it gold
asked Jo e with some anxiety

answered Sneak handing it to him t o

Sa r t a i n l y it is

b e examined ; and what good could com e o f burying it

agin ! I ll leave it to Mr Boone to s a y if I ain t right i n

taking it myself

Oh any thi n g worth this much ought to be taken

said Joe depositing the lump of gold in his p ocket

S ee here my chap said Sneak rising up and casting

a furious glance at him if yo u don t mean to hand that

o u t again o n e o r the t other of us must be put in the groun d
with the t r a i t o r i o u s Posin and if it is to be yo u it ll be a
D u r t y thi n g f o r it to be said that you brought a sp ade to

b ury yours e lf with

D idn t I nd the body ! s aid Jo e

But bur n m e if yo u found the gold said Sneak

!
Shall I decide the matter interposed R o u g h g r o v e
,

A NARRA TI VE

89

I m willi n g said Sneak

A n d s o am I replied Joe

Then give it to m e an d I ll cut it in two an d gi v e a

h a lf to each o f you said R o ug h g r o v e

The de cision was nal ; and seizing t h e S p ades Joe
Sneak and the oarsmen began to prepare a resting plac e
for the dead body Boone continue d silent wit h his eyes
steadfastly gazing at the e arth which the workmen b ega n
to throw up

said D an R ud d er o n e of
P o s i n s don e ferrying n ow
the defun ct s o l d comp anions in the ser v ice of R o ug h g r o v e

N o he ain t said Sneak throwing up a S padeful o f

int stones

I ll keep some o f these f o r my musket sai d Jo e

Why ain t he ! dem anded D an

Because he s g o t to cross the ri v e r the r i v e r w h a t

d o they call it the river Poles sai d Sneak

Styx yo u dunce s a i d Joe

Well twas only a slip o f th e tongue w h at s t h e d if

feren ce b etween p oles and sticks !

Y o u ne v er r ead any thing ab out it ; you only h ea rd

somebody say s o said Jo e pausing to listen to the h ound s

that ever and anon yelped in the V icinity

If I didn t I don t belie v e the man that w r ote tha t

b ook e v er c r ossed o r e v en had a squint at the r i v e r h i m

self replied Sneak

Whereabouts is th e river ! asked D an

In the lowe r regions sai d Jo e , st r iking h i s S p a d e

again s t a hard substan c e

What s that you r e s cr aping the d irt o ff of aske d

Sneak

Oh my goodness ! crie d Jo e leaping out of the g r a v e

L et it r emain ! said B oone in a commanding tone

I on ce buried a frien d
l ooking in and discove r ing a skull ;

h ere h e was shot down at my side b y the Indians

Fill up the hole agin ! Posin s han t lay o n top o f any

of your friends ! exclaimed Sneak like wise leaping o u t o f

t h e grave

It m atters not b ut do as you please said B oon e

t urni n g away and m arking th e di s tressed yelping o f t h e
h ounds which indicated fro m some unusual cause th a t
they di d not enj oy the chase as much as was thei r w e n t

8*

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

90

Split m e if h e shan t b e b uried so m ewhere el s e if I

h a v e to dig t h e hole m yself said Sneak lling up the

grave

I ll stick by you Sneak said D an

D an and me 11 nish the j ob ; all the rest of you m ay

go o ff said Sneak relea s ing t h e re s t o f the p arty from

any further p articipation in the depositing o f the remains
of Po s in in the earth

Glenn does not yet understand R ingwood and Jowler

said B oone still listening to the chase

I never heard the dogs bark that way b efore until

to day sai d Joe ; only that night when we kille d the

b uffalo

S omething besi d es t h e b u ff al o c ause d them to do it

then replied B oone

Yes inde e d they must ha v e known the r e was com

ing but the re can t come n o w

Sneak said Boone w h en you a r e done h ere c ome

to M r Glenn s house

I will as soon as I go to my muskrat t r ap o u t at the

lake and get my r ie

Be in a hurry said Boone ; an d turning towards the

chase he utte r ed a Y a h o and instantly the hounds we r e

hushed

D o d l exclaime d Sneak staring a moment at Boone

while his large eyes seemed to incr e ase in size and then
r olling up his slee v es he delved away with extraordinary
dispatch
In a v ery short S pace o f time R ingwood and Jowle r
r ushed from the thicket an d leaping up against the brea s t
o f their o l d master evinced a p ositive happines s in onc e
more beholding him They were soon followed by Glenn
w h o dashed bri s kly through the thicket t o s e e who it was
that caused his hound s to abandon him so unceremoniou s ly
N o sooner did he di s cover his aged friend than he ran for
ward and grasped his hand

I thought not o f yo u and yet I could think o f n o o n e

else who might thus entice my noble hounds away R e
t u rn with me and we will have the fox in a few minutes

said Glenn
h e is n o w nearly exhau s ted

Mole s t h i m not said Boone

D id y o u n ot Ob s e rv e

h ow r elu c tantly the hounds chased him !

,
.

92

W I LD W E S T E R N SC ENE S :

wish yo u woul d tell me c ontinued Jo e m anifesting

no little uneasiness

Have yo u got a plenty to eat at you r house ! aske d

Sneak

To be sure we have said Jo e ; now tell me what s

1n the wind
If I wa s to tell you I bet you d be frightened half to

death remarked Sneak driving down a headstone hav

ing ll ed up the grave

I
N o no
in deed but I wouldn t though said Jo e
trembli n g at ev e ry j oint the true cau s e for the r s t time

occurri n g to him
A in t it Indians Mr Sneak !
D on t call m e M i s t e r a gin if you please There are
more moccasins than the o n e yo u found in these p arts ,

that s all

I ll go home and tell M r Glenn sai d Joe whirling

round quickly
D od r o t your cowardly hide o f you said Sneak sta r

ing at him contemptuou s ly ;

n ow
don t you kn o w h e
knowe d it before yo u did !

Yes but I wa s going hom e to tell him that som e b ul

lets mu s t be run that s what I meant

D on t you think he knows that as well as you do

continued Sneak
But I I m u s t go
exclaimed Joe starting in a h alf
r un w ith the hounds ( which had been forgotten by thei r
ma s ter )foll owi n g at his heels
L et me have the hound s to go after my gun the re d
S kins might waylay m e if I go alone in spite o f all my

cunning woodcraft said S neak

cried Jo e to the hounds They instantly

G O back !
obeyed and the next m oment Jo e wa s s campering home
ward with all the s p e ed o f which his legs were capable
Wh e n he reached the hou s e hi s fears were by n o means
allayed on beholdi n g the mo s t val u able article s o f R ough
grove s dw e lling already removed thither and the fe rryman
him s elf hi s daughter Boone and Glenn a s sembled in co n
Joe clo s ed the gate hurriedly
s ul t a t i o n within t h e i n clo s ure
and bolted it o n the in s ide
a fter him

Why did yo u S hut the gate ! Open it again sai d

Glenn
A in t we besieged again ! ain t the Indians all a r o un d
,

NA RRA T I VE

93

r e a dy t o r us h in an d take ou r s c alps 2 s ai d Joe , o b ey

i n g t h e c o m man d relu c tantly

T hey will not t r ou b le u s b efo r e nig h t , sai d R oug h

r
o
v
e
g

N o, w e nee d not fea r t h e m b efo r e n ig h t r e m a r ke d

B oone whose continue d thoughtful aspe c t imp r essed Glen n
with the belief that h e ap prehen d e d m o r e than the usual
h orro r s o f Indian wa r fa r e d uring the impending attack

They will b u r n father s house but that is n ot h ing c o m

pare d to what I fea r will be h is o w n fate m u r mu r e d Ma r y ,
dej e ctedly

We can soon b uil d him anothe r sai d Glenn m o v e d

b y the evident dist r ess of the p ale girl ; and I am v e r y

S ure that my little stone castle will su f c e to prese rv e n o t
only your fathe r and yourself b ut all wh o take shelte r in it ,

fro m p ersonal i nj ury S o chee r up Mary

Oh I will n ot c omplain ; it p ained m e m ost w h en I

r st hea r d they were co m ing once m ore ; I will soon b e c al m
again , an d just as c ompose d when they are shooting at u s
as I was the othe r time B ut yo u will be in a g r eat d eal
mo r e dange r than you were that night Yet B oone is wit h

us again h e m u s t save us said Mary

Why d o yo u think the r e will b e mo r e d ange r, Ma r y !

a sked Glenn
Yes why do you think s o
inte r p ose d Jo e , m u ch i n
t e r e s t e d in the r eply

Because t h e snow is so d eep an d so rm t h ey will leap

ove r the p alisade if the r e b e a great many o f them r e

plie d Mary Glenn felt a c hill shoot throug h his br east ,
for this fact had n o t b efore occurre d to him

Oh goodness
let us all go to work an d s h o v el i t away

o n the outside
crie d Joe running about in quest of t h e

sp ades
Oh St Peter ! he continued the sp a d es ar e
o u t at the cave spring

R un and b r ing them , sai d Gl enn

N ever not for the world ! They d take my scalp to

a certainty before I c oul d get back again

r e n l i e d Jo e
t r embling all over

There is no danger yet sai d R o u g h g r o v e the deep

s now having occurre d to him at the rst announcem ent o f
the threatened attack an d produced many p ainful fears i n
ni s b r east which c au s ed a sadness to rest u pon his tim e

us,

94

W I LD W E S T E R N SC ENE S :

o rn featur e s ; b ut h e continue d it woul d not b e i n

ou r p owe r to remo v e the snow in two whole days an d a few

h ou r s only are left us to prep are for the worst

L et them come w ithin the in c losure said Glenn an d

The walls o f my hous e
e v e n then they cannot ha r m us
a r e made of stone and s o is the ceiling ; they can only

b urn the r oof I do not think they can harm o ur p ersons

We have food enoug h to last for months and there is n o

likelihood o f the siege la s ting a single week

I ll make su r e of the dee r muttere d Joe ; an d befo r e

any o n e coul d interp ose he struck o ff the head o f the doe
with an axe as it still lay b ound upon the S led A nd he
was brandi s hing the reeking steel over the neck o f the fawn
that stood by looking o n innocently when a c ry fr om Mary
arrested the blow

If yo u inj ure a hair of Mary s gift said Glenn in

anger yo u S hall suffer as severe a fate yourself

Pardon me said Joe to Mary ; I was excited I

d idn t hardly know wh at I was doing I thought as we
were going to be pent up by the Indians fo r goodne s s only
knows how long that we d better pro v ide enough food to
keep from starving I love the fawn as well as you do
and Mr Glenn loves it because yo u gave it to him ; but
its natural to prefe r ou r own li v es to the lives of dumb

animals

I forgi v e yo u said Mary playi n g with the silken ear s

o f the pet

Say no m ore about it said Glenn ; but as yo u a r e

s o anxious to be well provided with comforts if we are
b es i eged there is o n e thing I had forgotten that is a b s o

l u t e l y nece s sary f o r o d r e xistence which yo u can p rocure

What i s it ! Be quick for we h a v n t a moment to lose

s a i d Joe

Water replied G lenn

That s a fact but its way o ff at the spring by the

ferry said Jo e disliking the idea of exp osing himself

without the inclosure
True yet it mu s t be had If yo u can get i t nearer to

u s yo u are at lib e rty to do s o said Glenn

H e re come s S n eak s aid Mary ; he will assi s t yo u

S n eak readily agr e e d to the propo s ition and he and Joe
s e t out each with a l a rge bucket wh i le the re s t of t h e p a t t y
w

W I LD WE S T E R N SC E N E S :

96

W h y d on t yo u r u n
Sneak a s t h e ani m al co n
t i n u e d to ad v ance

I b elie v e you r e making fun o f me sai d Joe ; t h at

little thing can t hurt anybody It s a p r etty little p et an d

I v e a notion to catch it

What are you talking a b out ! You know you re afr ai d

of i t said Sneak tauntingly

I ll S how you said Jo e S pringing up on the animal

T he polecat ( for such it was) gave its assailant a taste o f
its quality in a twinkling Jo e grasped his n o s e with b oth
h ands and wheele d away with all possibl e expedition while
the animal pursued its course towards the river

My goodness I ve got it all o v er my c oat ! ex c laime d

Joe rolling o n the snow in agony

D idn t I say I d p ay you for S pilling the c ol d wate r on

m e ! cried Sneak in a convulsion o f laughte r

Why didn t yo u tell me y o u r a s ca l ! c r ied Joe ushe d

in the fa c e and forgetting the Indians in h is increasing
anger

Oh I l l laugh m yself sore h a ! ha ! h a ! c ontinue d

S neak sitting d own o n the sn ow an d laughing o b st r e
,

e r o u sl
p
y

You l ong lopsided scoundrel yo u My Iris h b loo d i s

up now said Jo e r ushing towar d s Sneak with a r esolutio n

t o ght

I ll be whipt if yo u tec h m e wit h them h an d s sai d

Sneak r unning away

Oh what shall I do ! c rie d Joe sinking down h is

r age suddenly sub dued by h is S ickening condition
If you ll say all s square b etwixt us I ll tell yo u what
to d o If you don t do something right quick they won t

let yo u sleep in the house for a month

Well No w tell me quick !

Pull o ff your coat before it soaks through

I didn t think of that said Joe obeying with alac r ity

a n d shivering in the cold ai r
N o w twist a stick into it so you can carry it up to the
h ouse without t o uching it with you r hands that is if none

of it got o n em continued S neak

There ain t a bit anywhere else but o n the shoulde r o f

m y coat said Jo e acting a ccording to Sneak s i n s t r u c
Filling thei r buckets they at lengt h sta r te d towa rds
t ions
,

NARRA TI VE

97

h ouse Joe h olding a bucket in o n e h an d an d a l ong

p ole o n which dangled his coat in th e other When t h ey
the company involuntarily starte d ; and Glenn
e nte r ed
l osing all control over his temper h urle d a b ook at h i s
man s head and commanded him n ot to venture in his p r e
sen ce aga in until he c ould by some m eans dispens e wit h
h is horrid O dor

Folle r m e said Sneak leading the way t o t h e sta b le ,

a n d taking with him o n e o f the spa d es h e had b r ought i n

from the burial ; n ow he continued when they we r e

d ig a hole at this end o f the stall an d

w ith the horses
bury your c oat If yo u h adn t took it in the house like a

dunce they d never ave known any thing ab out it

Oh my goodness ! I m sick ! sai d Joe urging t h e

sp ade in the earth with hi s foot and b et r aying unequivocal
signs o f indisp osition However the garment was soo n
c overe d up and the annoyance abated
But n o sooner was Jo e well o u t o f this di f culty , t h a n
t h e drea d o f the tomahawk and scalping knife r eturne d i n
greater force than eve r
B oon e remained taciturn h is clear e a gle eye s c anning
t h e p alisade an d the dire ction from which the savage s
woul d b e most likely to come
Joe approached the renowne d p ioneer fo r t h e purp ose o f
asking his opinion r e s p ecting the ch an ces of escaping wit h
life from the expecte d struggle but was deterred by his s e
r ions and comm anding glance But soon a singula r chang e
cam e o v er his ste r n features and as sudden as strange
His countenance assumed an air of triumph and a half
fo r med smile played up on his lip Hi s m editations h a d
doubtless r esulted in the resol ution to adopt some decisi v e
course whi c h in his opinion woul d insure the S afety o f
the little garrison Hi s brow had b een wat c hed b y t h e
i n mates of the house and hailing the change with j oy,
t hey came forth to asce r tain more certainly thei r fate

How muc h p owde r h a v e yo u m y young fr ien d ! aske d

B oone

Five kegs answered Gl en n p r omptly

T hen we are safe ! said B oon e in a pleasant an d a f

f abl e m anne r w h ich impa r te d c on d e nce to t h e whol e
pa r ty
th e

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S

98

t h ought I

almost kn e w that we were safe with y o u

a mong us
said Mary playing with B oone s hand

But yo u m ust n o t venture o u t o f the house as much a s

o n did befo r e m
lass
when
arrows
begin
to
y
r
eplied
y
Eoo n e ki s sing the maiden s foreh e ad

But I ll mould your bullet s and get supper fo r you

s aid Mary

T h at s a goo d ch ild said R o u g h g r o v e ; go in now

and s e t about your task

Mary bowed to her father and glided away The m e n
then clustered round Boone to hear the plan that was to
avail them in their pre s ent dii cu l t y

In times o f peril said B oone my knowle dge o f the

I ndian character ha s always served m e
I rst reect what
I would d o were I my s elf a s av a ge ; and in taking mea
sures to provid e again s t the thi n g s which I imagine woul d
b e done by my s elf I have n ever yet b e en di s appoi n ted
T he Indians will n o t rashly rush up on u s an d expo s e
themselves to o u r bullets a s they s torm the palisade Had
they the re s olution to do this not o n e o f us would escap e
ali v e for they would tear down the hou s e It is a very
l arge war party and they could begin at the top and b e
fore morning remove every stone But they S hall not touch
o n e of them

I m s o glad ! ej a cul ated Jo e

Hu s h your j aw ! said Sneak

They will be divided into two parties continued

B oone ; o n e party will attack us from the we s t with their

arrows keeping at a r espectful di s tance from o u r guns
w hile the oth e r will force a p a s s age to the p alisade from
the east without bei n g seen f o r they will com e u n der the
snow ! We mu s t in s tantly plant a keg of p owder o n the
o u tside o f the inclo s ure and blow them up wh e n they com e
Joe b r ing o u t a keg o f p owder and al s o the s hing rods I
The latt e r mu s t be j oined together an d
s a w in the house
a communication O pe n ed through them They mu s t be
lled wi t h p owder and o n e end plac e d in the keg whil e the
other r eaches the inclo s ure pa ss ing through an auger hol e
Y o u all unders t and n ow wh at i s to be done let us go to

work w e have n o t ime to spare

It was n o t lo n g before every t h ing was exe c ute d a cc o rd
,

1 00

W I LD W E S T ER N SC E NE S :

W e ll b ut he s come out again said Joe r eappea ring

an d walking reluctantly to his loophol e

What di d you go i n f o r ! demanded Glenn

I j ust wanted to tell Miss Mary that the two oa r sme n
th at helped us to bury Posi n were gone o v e r the r i v er an d

were safe
D id sh e a s k for this information
inquire d Glenn

N 0 not exactly r esp onded Joe

b ut I thought if I
was uneasy a b out the young men myself that Sh e b eing

m ore delicate than a man must be considerably dist r essed

A mere subterfuge ! S ee that you do n ot leave you r

p ost in futu r e un d er any c ircumstan ces without permission

to d o so

I won t r eplie d Joe p eering thr ough his loop h ole

Matters r emained quiet for a great length o f time an d
Glenn b egan to hope that even Boone h ad been m istaken
B ut Boon e himself had n o dou b ts up on the subj ect Yet
h e seeme d fa r m ore a h ab le an d cheerful t h an h e d i d before
O c casion
t h e plan o f resistance was fo r me d i n h is min d
a lly he woul d walk roun d fro m p ost to p ost an d after scan
n ing the aspe c t without
di r ect the sentinels to O bserve
c losely ce r tain p oints trees o r b ushes where he thought
the enemy might rst be seen He never hinted on ce that
there was a p ossi b ility o f escaping a n attack and the little
p arty felt that the only alternative was to watch with dili
gence and act with V igor and resolution when assailed
D o you think they are n o w in this immediate neigh b ou r
h ood
inquired Glenn

They are not far o ff I imagine r eplied Boone ; an d

c alling the h ounds from the stable h e conti n ued I can

S how you in which quarte r they are

The hounds well
understoo d their O ld master A t his bidding they snu ff ed
the air an d whining in a peculiar manner with their heads
turned towa r ds the west the v icinity o f the S avages was
not only made manifest but th eir location positively p oi n t
e d out
I was not aware b efore o f th e inestimable v alue o f

our
gift
said
Glenn
gazing
at
the
hounds
and
completely
y
convinced that their conduct was an unerring indication of
t h e pre s ence o f the f o e

E h ! R ingwood
exclaimed B oon e observi n g that h is
f a vo r ite hound now p ointed his nose in a north e rn di r ectio n

NARR AT I V E

1 01

an d uttered a l o w growl
t h ey
h a v e: b e e n
i
s
i
i
t
h
have g o t in motion
e
ph er fn
hounds I wa s not m i s t a k e p f l ke i n
One party is even now
i n g they divided their strength
moving r ound to the ea s t and at a giv e n signal the other
will attack us o n th e we s t precisely as I predicted See !

R ingwood tur n s gradually

A nd yo u think the greatest danger is to b e apprehen d e d
fro m t ho s e o n the east ! said Glenn

Yes said B oone

for th e others cannot appro ach
near e n ough to do much i nj ury without exposing them

selves t o great p eril

But h o w can you ascertain that they will c ut a p assage

under the s no w and the precise direction in which they
will come !

Because said B oone we are S i t uate d nea r the cli ff

on the e ast to th e summit of which they can climb without
being exp osed to o u r re and thence it is likewise the
s hort e st distan ce they can nd to cut a passage to u s un der
the s now
Mark R ingwood he continued as the houn d
having made a semicircle from the p oint rst n oticed h e
came at l e ngth stationary an d crouchi n g down o n the earth
where
the
snow
had
been
cleared
away
at
B
oone
s
p
ost
)
(
growled more angrily than before but s o l o w h e c ould n o t
have been heard twenty p aces distant

This is strange v ery strange said Glenn

A sound resembling the cry o f an owl was hear d in the
dire ctio n of th e cli ff It was answe r e d o n the west app a
r e n tl
by
the
s
hrill
howl
of
a
wolf
y

The S ignal sai d Boone

N ow let us b e on the ale r t

h e continued
and I think we will surprise t h e m b oth o n
and under the snow L et n o one re without r st con
s u l t i n g me even S houl d they venture within the r ange o f

your guns
T he p arty resume d thei r resp ective stations an d on ce
more n o t a sound o f any description was hea r d for a con
s i d e r a b l e length of time
R o u g h g r o v e was at t h e side o f
B oone an d the other th r ee men were p osted as b efore d e
s cribed
The h ounds had been sent back to their lair in
No t a motion animate o r inanimate sa v e t h e
t h e stable
o cca s ional shooting o f the stars in the be emme d r m a m e n t
g
coul d b e observed
.

'

"

9*

102

While G l e n n

WESI ER N SC E N ES :
'

w un

ns t e d h pe n

h is gun att r a c te d eve r and

an o n b y t l l e :t w in kl ing h os t; ab o ve a throng o f unwonted
n eq h i nf
thought
of
his
guileless
e
H
p
r
youth ; the uncontam ina te d days o f enj oyment ere he ha d
m ingl ed with t he designing and heartless associates who
strove to entice him from the path of virtue ; o f the hop es
o f budding manhood ; o f ambitious schemes to win a name
b y great an d honourable deeds ; of parents kindred home ;
who had been the angel o f all his dreams o f p ara
of her
dise bel ow : and then he contemplated his present con
dition and notwith s tanding his resolution wa s unabated ,
at i n S pite o f all his struggles a tear bedewed his cheek
Ee fel t that his fate was hard but he kn e w that his course
was proper and he r esolved to full his V o w B ut with
h is sadness gloomy foreb odings and d eep an d unusual
t h oughts obt r uded In the scene o f deat h and carnage
that was about to ensue it occu r red to him more than once
that it might be his lot to fall T his was a p ainful thought
He was brave i n conict an d woul d not have hesitated to
r ush re ckless into the m idst of danger ; but h e was c alm
n ow and the thought o f death was appalling He would
ha v e p r efer r e d to die o n a nobler eld if he were to fall in
battle He d id not wis h to die in his y o u t h to be cut o ff
without ac c omplishing the m any en d s he had s o often medi
t a t e d and without r eaping a few of the sweets of life as
the rewa r d o f his voluntary sa c rice He also desired to
appear once mo r e in the busy and detracting wo r l d to v in
d i ca t e the character that might have b een unj ustly asp ersed
t o r ewar d the t r ue friendship o f those whose condence had
neve r been shaken and to rebuke perhap s forgive the cu e
m ies who had r ecklessly pu r sued him But another and
yet a more stirring and imp ortant thought obtruded up o n
his r eections It was one he had n ever seriou s ly co n s i
d ered before and it now operated upon him with i r r e s i s t i
ble p ower It was a thought of things b e y o n d the grave
T he stillnes s of midnight the million stars abo v e him the
b lue eternal exp anse through which they were distribute d
the repose of the invisible winds that late had h o w l c l
around him the never ceasing ow o f the ice bound st r eam
before him an d the continual change o f hill and v alley
n o w desolate , an d clothed in frosty vestments an d anon
t eeming with v erdure and V a riegate d beauty c onst r aine d

<

'

WILD WE ST E R N S C E N E S :

1 04

he d etermined t o s ubmit without reserve to t h e guidance

o f hi s exp erienced friend

I sh o uld like to know h ow them ya l l e r r a scals got

up here so close without being eyed sooner said Sneak

to Jo e

That s what s been puzzling m e ever since I rst s a w

them s aid Jo e in scarce audible t o nes

Split m e if y o u h a v n t been a s leep said Sneak

N o indeed I h a v n t said Jo e
I ll declare h e

continued looking o u t
I n ever s houl d h ave thought o f
th at
I s e e n o w well enough h o w they got th ere without
my seeing them They ve got a great big ball o f snow
h alf as high as a man s head an d they ve b een rolling i t
all the time and creeping along behind it They re all
standing before it n ow and j ust as I looked o n e m oved his
leg an d then I s a w what it was This beats the o l d b o y
himself It s a mercy they didn t come all the way and
shoot m e in the eye 1

Hu s h ! s aid B oon e
They must have heard som e
thing o r supp o s ed they did o r el s e your n eglect would
have been fatal t o you ere this They are now waiting to
as certain whether they were mi s taken or not Move n o t
and s peak n o m o re u n t il I order yo u
I won t s aid Jo e stil l g a zing at the erect dark form s

See how m any there i s can t yo u count em 3 sai d

S neak in a whi s per leaning a g a in s t Jo e and s lyly taking
a cartridge from his bel t slipped it in the muzzle of the
musket which was standing against the palisade

What r e y o u doing w i th my gun

a s ked Jo e in a
very low tone as he h appe ned to t u rn hi s head and
s e e Sneak take his hand away from the muzzle o f the
musket

Nothing I wa s only feeling the size o f the bore

It s big enough to kick down a cow

What are yo u tittering ab out ! you think it s a going

to kick m e again but you re mi s taken i t ain t got two

loads in this time

D idn t Mr B oon e j est tell you to keep quiet ! sai d
Sneak

D on t you S peak then I won t responded Jo e

The m o o n had not yet reached the meridian an d the
d ark shadow of the house reaching to the palisade on t h e
.

'

"

1 05

NA R R A T I V E

est prevente d t h e In d ian s from observing the movement s

of the whites thro u gh the m any slight a pertures in t h e
incl osure but through whic h the besiege d p a rty coul d
e asily observe them
A fter a l ong pause d uring w h ic h neit h e r p arty h a d u t
t e r e d a wor d o r b etraye d animation b y t h e least m ov e
ment Glenn fel t the weight of a h an d lai d gently on his
shoulder an d turning behel d Mary a t h is side Withou t
a motion o f the lips s h e pl ace d in h is han d some b ullet s
s h e had m oul d ed and t h en p assing o n to the oth er men
gave eac h a like quantity

sai d Boon e ; an d when s h e r e

R e t ire n o w my l ass
turned to the house he continued addressing Glenn
If
they d o n ot m ove o n e way or th e oth er very soon we will

give them a b roadside where they are

A n d we coul d d o e x ecution at thi s d istance o b serve d

Glenn

I d b e d ea d sure to kill o n e I kn ow I woul d s a i d

Sneak

L et me see if I coul d take a im

s a i d Jo e d eli b er
a tely p oi n ting h is mu sk e t t h r o u g h th e l oophole T h e mu s
ket had inadvertently be en co o ke d an d left in t ha t condi
tion an d n o sooner di d Joe s nger gently press up on t h e
trigger than it went o ff m aking an astounding rep ort an d
veiling the whol e p arty in an immense cl oud o f smoke

Who did that 3 crie d Boone stamping wit h ve xa tion

Was that you Jo e ! dem a n d e d Glenn

Jo e made n o answer

O h d o d ! my m out h s sm ashe d all to pieces ! s a i d

Sneak crawling up from a prostrate p osition cause d by
the reboun d o f the musket for he w a s looking over Joe s
shoul der when the gun went o ff

Whe re s Joe inquire d Glenn pus h ing Sne a k aside

He s dea d I guess I believe th e gun s b uste d sai d

Sneak

N ow sir ! why di d yo u re ! crie d Glenn somew hat

p as s ionately stumbling against Jo e and seizing him by t h e
collar N0 answer was m ade f o r p oor Joe s neck w as
l imber enough an d he quite insensibl e

He s dead in ye a r n e s t j e s t as I told you said Sneak ;

for that gun kicked him on t h e s h o ulder hard enough t o

kill a cow a n d the hin d side o f h is h e a d struck my toot h

w

been rollin i
g
q
'
9It Theyre all
at one m
ovedhis
v

ai

mheardsome

lg

I c ne ect woul

l g
I L M
ore not,

at e I l i tin to

WIL D WE ST E R N

1 06

S CENE S :

h ar d e nough to ve kilt a hor s e H e s b roke o n e o f my

upper fore teeth smack in two

E very man to his p ost I exclaimed Boone as a shower

o f arrows rattled about the premises
Sneak now occupied Joe s station and the rst glance in
the direction o f the savages sufced to determine him h o w
to act Perhap s n o o n e ever discharged a rie mo r e
rapidly t h an he did A n d a bri s k and well directed re
w a s kept up for some lengt h o f time likewise by the rest
o f the besieged
It was perhaps a fortunate thing that Joe di d re with
o u t orders and without a n y intention of doing s o himself
It seem ed that the savages had been meditating a desp erate
rush up on th e fort notwithstanding Boone s prediction ; for
n o sooner did Jo e re than they hastily retreated a S hort
di s tance scattering in every direction and without a mo
m ent s consultation a gain appeared ad v an cing rapidly
from every quarter It was evident that this plan had b een
preconcerted among them ; and had all red instead o f Joe
only they might e asily have scaled the pali s ade before the
guns could have been reloaded N either had the besiegers
been aware o f the strength o f th e garri s on But they
were soon made to understand that they had m ore than
Glenn and hi s m a n to contend again s t The di s charges
fo llowed in such quick succe ss ion that they p aused when
b ut a m oment more woul d have placed them within the i n
cl o s ure But several o f them being wounded and Boone
a n d Glenn stil l doing execution wit h their pi s tol s the dis
co m t e d e n e m
m
a d e a pre cipitate retreat
A
n
occasional
y
ight o f arrows continued to a s sail the besieged but they
came from a great di s tance f o r the Indians were n o t long
in scamp ering beyond the range o f the loopholes
When Glenn could no longer see any o f the dark forms
o f the enemy he turned round to contemplate the s a d con
dition o f Jo e Joe was S itting up with his hands locked
r ound his knees

Well S plit me in two i crie d Sneak staring at h i s

compan i on

What s t h e matter Sneak ! asked Joe with muc h

s implicity

Tha t s a purty que s tion f o r y o u to a sk , aft e r l ayin g

t h ere f o r dead this half h o ur al m o st

WILD

1 08

W E S T ERN SC EN E S :

Ma ry w a s left al one to restore an d nurse p oor Joe B u t

h e could not have been in better hands

I S houl d like to know something about them curiou s

wor d s the fell e r was speaking when h e keeled over sai d

Sneak as he looked o u t at the n o w quiet S cene from t h e

loophole and mused over the events o f the night

I
b egin to believe that the feller s a going to die I d on t
believe any man could talk so if he wasn t dying

Have you seen any o f them lately ! inquired Boone

c oming to Sneak s post and running his eye a l ong t h e
h orizon through the loophol e

N ot a o n e replied Sneak , excep t t ha t feller laying

out yander by the sn owball

He s d ead said B oone and h e is t h e only o n e th a t

we are sure o f h aving kille d to nig h t B ut many a r e

wounded

A nd smash me if Joe di d n t kill t h at o n e w h en h i s

muske t went o ff before h e w a s ready said Sneak

Yes I s a w him fall when Joe re d ; an d that a cci d en t

w a s a fter all a fortunate thing f o r us continue d Bo on e

But I m sorry for poor Joe sai d Sneak

Pshaw i said B oone ;

h e ll b e well ag a in in a n

h our

N o h e s a gone chicken

Why do you think s o !

D idn t he say s o himself ! an d didn t h e ga bb le out a

w h ole parcel o f purgatory talk ! He s as sure gone a s a
continue d Sneak
s tuck pig I tell yo u

He will eat as hearty a breakfast to morrow morning

as ever he did in his life said B oone

But let us attend
to the business i n hand I hardly think we will be a n
noyed a ny more from this quarter unless yonder dead In
dian was a chief a n d t h e n it i s m ore than probable they will
However you may remain here
t r y to steal him away

I al one can m anage the others

Whic h others
inquired Sneak

Those un der the snow replied B oone ; they are

now within twenty paces of t h e palisade

You don t s a y s o 2 said Sneak cocking his gun

I h ave been listening to them cutting through the sno w
and it will b e a hal f hour yet befo re I S prin g
to long while

said Boone
t h e mine
.

"

A NARRA TI VE

1 09

I hop e it will k i ll em all i said Sneak

Watch close and perhaps y o u will kill o n e yet from

said B oone returning to his p ost where

t his l oophole
the slow mat ch was exp osed through the palisade near the
ground ; and R o u g h g r o v e s tood by holding a pistol charge d
with p owder only in readiness to re the train when Boon e
S hould gi v e t h e word of command
B oone app l ied his ear to a crevice between t h e timber s
near th e earth where the snow ha d b een cle a r e d away
A fter remaining in this p osition a few moments he b eck
o n e d Glenn to him

Place your ear against t h is crevice said B oone

It is n ot the Indians I hear certainly l remarked Glenn

The sounds resembled the ticking of a large clock diff ering
only in their greater rapidity than the strokes of seconds

Most certainly it is nothing else replie d Boone

But how do they produce such S ingul a r soun d s ! Is i t

t h e tr a mpling o f feet ! continue d Glenn

It is the s ound of many tomahawks cutting a pass a ge

replied B oone
B ut what disp osition d o they make o f the snow w h e n

it is cut loose

A p ortion of them dig while the rest convey t h e l oose

snow out and cast it down th e cli ff

While the above conversation was going o n a c olloquy
Joe
o f a d i ff erent nature transpire d within the house
after recovering from his second temporary in sensibility
had sunk into a gentle d oze which lasted m any minutes
Mary had bathed his face repeatedly with sun dry r e s t o r a
t i v e s and likewise admini s tere d a cordial that s h e ha d
b rought from her father s house w h ich seemed to have a
mo s t astonishing somniferous e e ct When the contents
o f the bottle were exhausted
s h e sat S ilently by watching
Joe s apparent slumber and fel t rej oiced that her p atient
promised a S peedy recovery O nce after S he had been
azing
at
the
fawn
that
had
been
su
ff
ered
to
occupy
a
pla
ce
g
(
near the wall where it was now coiled up an d sleeping )on
turning her eyes towards the face o f Joe S h e imagined f o r
a moment that S he s a w him close his eyelids quickly But
calling him softly an d recei v ing n o an s wer S he conclude d
and again resigned herself t o h e x
It was a m ere fancy
l onely watch
When S he had o e e n sitting thus som e

'

10

11 0

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

minutes watching h im patiently s h e observed h i s eye s

open S lowly and quickly s mack to again when he found
that S he was l ooking at him But a moment after co n
s cious that his wakefulne s s was di s covered he O pened them
b oldly an d found himself po s sessed o f a full recollection
o f all the inci d ents o f the night up to his disaster

Have they whipt all the Indians away that were stand
ing o u t on the snow Mis s Mary
Y e s long ago and n one have been seen but the one

you killed f o r some time S he replied en couragingly

D id I kill o n e sure enough ! asked Joe w hile his eyes

S parkle d exceedingly

Yes indeed replied s h e ; and I heard Mr Boone

s a y he was glad it happened an d that the accident was

after all a fortunate thing for u s

A cci de n t
Joe ; who s ays it was a n a cci

d ent !

Wasn t it a n accident ! aske d th e S imple girl

N o indeed ! replied Jo e
But
h e continue d ,

h ave they blown up the other Indians yet 3

N ot yet but I heard them s a y they would d o it very

soon They can be heard digging under the snow now

very plainly said Mary

Indeed ! said Jo e with n o little terror d epicte d in his

face
I wi s h you d go and ask Mr B oone if he thinks

you ll be entirely safe if yo u please Miss Mary sai d

Joe beseechingly

I will re s ponded Mary ri s ing to depart

A n d if they a s k how I am continue d Joe

please
but t o o weak yet to go
s a y I am a great deal better

out
M ary did his bidding ; an d when S he returned what w a s
h er astonishment to nd her p atient running bri s kly acro s s
the room from the cupboard with a whole roa s ted prairie
h en in one hand or a t least the b ody o f it while he tore
away the breast with hi s teeth and some half dozen crackers
In vain did he attempt to conceal them under
i n the other
the covering o f his bed into which he j umped as quickly
a s p o s sible Guilt was manifest in his averted look his
Mary gaze d i n
t rembling hand an d his grea s y mouth !
Joe cowered un d er her glance a f e w mo
s ilent won d er
,

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S :

11 2

an d at length m oved in the di r ection of h i s dead comrade

with th e m anifest intention o f beari n g the body away

I ll let yo u have it now ! s aid Sneak ring hi s rie

when the seeming sow began to drag the fallen chief from
the eld The di s charge to o k e ff ect ; the savage spran g
upright and endeavoured to retreat in the manner that
n a ture d esigne d him to run ; but he did not go more than
a dozen paces before he sank down and expired
That s tit for tat f o r killing my sow said Sneak gaz
ing at his p o s t r a t e foe

C ome here Sneak , sai d B oone from the O pposite side

o f the in closure

There was but o n e and I xe d him said Sneak

when they aske d him how many of the enemy were in view
when he red

They heard the gun sai d Glenn applying h is ear to

t h e chink an d remarking th a t the Indians had su d denly
ceased to work under the snow

B e quiet sai d B oone ; they will b egin again in a

minute or two

They re at it a ready said Sneak a moment after

a n d very soon they were heard again more di s tinctly than
ever cutting away with increased rapidity

Supp o s e the match does not burn ! observe d Glenn

in tones betraying a fearful apprehension

In such an event said Boone we must retreat into

the house and fasten the door without a m o ment s delay
But I do not much fear any su ch failure f o r the dampne s s
o f t h e s n ow cannot s o soon ha v e penetrated through the
dry reeds to the p owder Still we S hould be prepared
therefore as there is no neces s ity that m ore than o n e o f us
should be here now and as I am that man withdraw all
of you within the house an d rema m there until your ears

a nd eyes shall dictate what cour s e to pur s ue

Boone s
comman d was promptly obeyed and when they reached
the house and looked b a ck ( the door was kept O pen )they
b eheld the renowned pioneer standing erect holding a pistol
in his right hand ( which he pointed at the cotton that co n
n e ct e d with a train o f p owder running along a S h o rt plank
to the reed that reached the buried keg )whil e the moon

now midway in the heaven s and beautifu lly bright r e

v eale d the stern and determine d expression of his p a e
,

A NARRA TI VE
b row

113

xed lip Thus h e stood many minutes n d

they s eemed h o ur s to tho s e who gazed upon the breathl e s s
scene from the hou s e No t a s o und wa s heard s ave the
rapid ticking o f t o m ah awk s under the snow out s ide o f the
inclo s ure o r the occa s ional ha s ty remark o f tho s e who were
looking o n in painful and thrilling s u spense O nce B oone
b owed his head an d li s tened an instant t o the O perations
o f th e savages and when h e rose erect again the party
l ooking o n condently expecte d he woul d re th e train
But the fatal moment had n o t yet arrived Still he p ointed
the pistol at the combu s tibl e m atter and his eye glanced
along the barrel ; but he maintained a statue like stillness
a s if awaiting some preconcerted S ignal

Why don t h e re ! inquired Glenn in a whisper

It i s not quite time yet resp onded R o u g h g r o v e

D od ! they ll crawl up presently and j ump over the

fence s aid Sneak

Oh goodness ! I wi s h h e d S hoot ! said Joe in low

sepulchral ton e s his head thru s t between Sneak s legs
whither he had crawled unobserved and w a s now peering
o u t at the scen e

Who are yo u ! exclaimed Sneak leaping away from

Joe s bandaged head which he did not rec o gnize at the
r s t glance

It s nobody but m e said Jo e turning his face upward

that his friend might n ot supp o s e him an e n emy

Well what are you doi n g here ! I t h ought you was a

dying

I m a good deal b etter but I m t o o weak t o do any

thing yet said Joe i n piteous tones as he looked fearfully
a t Boone and li s tened to the strokes o f the Indians without
wh ich became louder and louder

Stand back a little said Boone to those in t h e d o or

way that I may enter when I r e the match may burn

more briskly than I anticipated

A passage was opened f o r him to enter He pulle d the

r
h e deliberately p oured in
rigger
the
pi
s
tol
issed
e
t
fre s h priming f rom his h orn and once more taking aim the
u
i
s
tol
was
di
s
charged
and
running
to
the
house
an
d
e
p
t ering a little beyond the thre s hold he paused and turned
The light combu e
t o be h ol d the realiza t ion o f his hopes
tibl e m a tter ashed u p brightly and the blaze ran a lon g
an

1 0*

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

114

the grou n d a m oment in the direction o f the end of the

ree d but a t th e in s tant when all exp e cted to see t h e p o w
d e r ignited the ames seemed to die aw a y and the d ark
nes s which succeeded impre ss ed them with the fear that
the damp snow had indeed defea t ed th eir purpo s e

Split me if it s h a n t go o ff ! cried Sneak running out

with a torch in his hand that he s nat ched from t h e r e
place When he reached the tren ch that had been d u g
al o n g the palisade and in which the S l ow match was placed
he l ooked down but once an d dashing h i s r e br a nd b e
hind him sprang back to the hou s e with all the celerity o f

D od
which he was capable
said he it s burning yet
It ll s e t the powder o ff
b u t we couldn t s e e it from here

in less than no time !

I trust it will said B oone with much anxiety A n d

truly the crisis had arrived beyond which if it were de
laye d a single minute it would be t o o late The v o i ce s o f
the Indians could now b e heard and the sounds o f the
tomahawks had ceased They were evidently o n the eve
o f breaking through the icy barrier and ru s hing upon their
victims Boone with a composed but livid brow placed
his h and upon the p onderous door for the purpo s e o f r e
treating wi t hin and barring out the ruthle s s a ss ailants
The rest in stinctively imitate d his motion s but at the same
time their eyes were yet riveted on the dimly burning mat ch
A small ash was observed to illumine the trench another
and a larger o n e succeeded ! The r s t train of p owder was
ignited the Indian s were bur s ting through the sn ow crust
with direful yells th e blaze ran quickly al o ng the plank
it reached the end o f the reed a shrill whizzing s o und
succeeded a S harp cra s h under the snow and then all
was involved in a tremendous chaotic explo s ion ! A n enor
m ous circular cloud of smoke enveloped the s cene for a
moment and then coul d be seen tomahawk s b o w s and
arrows and even s a v ag e s sailing thro u gh the air The
moon was darkened for the S pace of s everal minute s dur
i n g which time immense quantities o f s n o w p o ured down
from above The s tartling report s eemed to rend b o th the
earth and the heaven s and rumbled far u p and down the
valley of the Mi s souri like the deep bellowing o f a coru s
cant t h under cloud a nd died away in succ e s s ive v i b r t t i o ns
:

11 6

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S

If I

were sure of t h at replied Glenn 1 woul d not

regret the bloodless result o f the expl o sion

s a id Boone ; for
Y o u may rely upon it implicitly
it was a S urprise they can n ever understand and they
will attach to it s om e super s titious interpretation which
will most e e c t u a l l y p revent them from m editating another

attack

Goodness gracious alive ! exclaimed Joe nimbly

S pringing past B oo n e and Glenn and rushing into the
hou s e

What can be t h e m atter with the fellow n o w 3 e x

claimed Glen n

He wa s alarmed at something in the stable see what

it i s Sneak s aid B o one

I v e g o t yo u h ave I !
D o d ! come out here !
ex
claimed Sneak w hen he had been in the stable a few
moment s

Who are you talking to ! asked Glenn

A V e n i m i r o u s O s a ge smutty face ! said S neak step

ping o u t o f the stable door backwards and dragging a n
Indian after him by the ears

What is that ! de manded Glenn staring at the s i n

g ular o bj ect before him The que s tion w a s b y no means
an unnatural o n e f o r no being i n the human s hape ever
seemed le ss like a man The unresisting and bewildere d
sav a ge looked wildly round di s playing a face a s black a s if
he had j ust ri s en from the bott o m of some infernal lake His
tattered buck s kin garments had s hared the s ame fate in the
explo s i o n ; his eyebrows and the hair o f his head were
singed and cri s ped ; and altogether he might easily have
pa ss ed f o r o n e o f Plut o s s culli o ns He did not make r e
s i s t a n c e when Sneak led h i m forth seeming to anti cipate
nothi n g else than an in s tantaneous and cruel death and
wa s apparently re s ig ned to hi s fate He doubtless ima
n e d that e s cape and longer life were utterly impo ss ible
i
g
i na s much a s to hi s comprehension he w a s in the gra s p o f
evil spirit s If he had a s ked him s elf h o w he came thither
i t could n o t have occurred t o him that any other me a ns
the
agency
o f a supernatural p o wer threw him i n t o
than
t h e hand s o f the foe
I t h ought I s a w o n e of them plunging through the a i r
over the incl o sure s aid Boone s miling
,

'

A NA RR A T I V E

117

Hange d if I d i d n t think SO to o sai d Joe w h o h a d at

length returne d to gaze at the captive when he as certained
t h at he was entirely meek an d i n o e n s i v e

Have you g o t over your frig h t already ! asked Sneak

What fright ! deman d e d Joe with aff ected surprise

N ow ca n you s a y you weren t skeere d

Ha ! ha ha ! I believe yo u really t h oug h t I w a s fright
ene d Why you d un ce you ! I only ran in t o to tell Miss

Mary about it

No w go to b e d
D on t sp e a k to m e a gin to nig h t
s a i d Sneak indign a ntly

I ll go an d get somet h ing t o e a t S ai d Jo e retre a ting

i nto the house

Tell R o u g h g r o v e to come h ere s a i d B oone S pe a king

to oe

I will said Jo e v a nis h ing t h roug h t h e d oor

When t h e ol d ferryman came o u t Boone requeste d h im
h
h
e
b
eing
t
h
e
most
famili
a
r
wit
h
O
sage
langu
a
ge
to
t
e
(
)
a s k t h e savage by what means h e was enabled to get i n
side o f the inclosure R o u g h g r o v e di d his bid d ing ; an d
the Indian replied t h at the Great Spirit t h r e w h im over the
p alisa d e b ecause he once kille d a frien d o f B oone s at t h e
c a ve spring an d was now attempting to kill another

Why did you wish to kill us ! aske d R o u g h g r o v e

T h e Indian sai d it was because they thought Glenn h a d
a great deal o f money m a ny re weap ons and p owder an d
b ullets which they ( the savages )wanted

W a s it r ig h t to r o b the white man of these things an d

t h en to murder him ! continued R o u g h g r o v e

The savage replied th at the prophet ( R aven )h a d tol d t h e
war p arty it was right Besides they came a long an d
p ainful j ourney to get ( Glenn s ) goods an d ha d suff ere d
muc h with cold in digging under the snow ; several o f their
party had b een killed and wounded and he thought they
had a goo d rig h t to every thing they coul d get
D id t h e whites ever go to your village to rob a n d mur
d er
inquire d the o l d ferryman
The Indian assumed a prou d look a n d replie d that they
h ad
He sai d t h at th e b u a l o the bear the deer an d t h e

b e a ver the eternal prairies an d fore s ts the r i vers t h e

a ir and the S ky all belonged to the re d me n
That the
w h ites had n o t been i n v i t e d to come among t h em but t h ey

l ung i t the sin

m r tyne means
h m shape ever
tad bewildered
a blackas f

11 8

W I LD W E S T E R N SC E NE S :

had intr ud e d up on t h eir lands stolen their game a n d kille d

their warriors Yet he said the Indians di d n ot hate Boone
and woul d not have attacked the premises that night if
they had known he was there
Why do they n o t hate Boone ! He h a s kille d more of

t h em than any one else in this region continue d R oug h

grove
The Indian said that Boone w a s a great prophet a n d
was l oved by the Great Spirit

Will the war p arty return h ither t o nig h t 3 aske d

,

R o ug h g

r ov e

The Indian answered in the negative ; and a d de d that

they would n ever attack that place again because the
Great Spirit had fought against them
B oone requested R o u g h g r o v e to ask what woul d b e done
with the fals e prophet w h o had advise d them to make the
a ttack
The s av a ge frowned ercely an d replied th a t h e woul d
b e tie d to a tree and shot through the heart a hundre d
times

What do you t h ink we inten d to d o to y o u 3 a ske d

,

R oug h g

r ove

The savage sai d he woul d be S kinne d alive and put un d e r

the ice in the river o r burned to deat h by a S l ow re H e
said h e was ready to die

I ll be S hot if he isn t a S punky fello w

said Sneak

D o you desire such a fate 3 continue d t h e o l d ferry

man

The Indian looke d at h im with surprise and a nswere d

without he s itation that he d i d and t h en insiste d up on

being killed immediately
Would yo u attempt to i nj ure the white m an a gain if
we were n o t to kill you 3
The Indian smiled but made n o ans w er

I am in earne s t continued R o u g h g r o v e
and wish

t o kn ow what you would do i f we spared your life

The Indian s aid s uch talk wa s only triing and again
in s i s ted up o n being di s pat ched
A fter a S hort con s ultation with Boone and Glenn R ough
gr o ve repeated hi s que s tion
The savage replied that he d i d n ot b elieve it p o ssible

him
e
s
cape
immediate
death
but if h e w e re n o t
o
r
t
o
f
.

120

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S :

an d to h ail once more the b righ t smiles of h is timi d b ri d e

in the forest shadowe d glen

Go ! thou a rt free ! sai d R o u g h g r o v e

The Indian stared in doubt and looked reproachfully a t
t h e guns in the hands o f his captors as if he thought they
were only mocking him with hopes o f freedom when it
was their intention to S hoot him down the moment he shoul d
think his life was truly S pared

Go ! we will n ot harm thee ! repe a te d R o u g h g r o v e

A nd take this said Mary pl acing some food in h i s

ielding
h
and
y
The Indian gazed up on the maiden s face His features
b y a magical transition now beamed with condence and
Mary was in tears n e t tears o f pity for his i m
h op e
pending d eath but a gush o f generous emotion that h i s
life was S pared The savage read her heart h e knew tha t
the white woman never intercedes in vain an d that no v i c
tim falls when sanctied by her tears He claspe d her han d
and pressed it to his lips ; and then turning away in S ilence
s e t o in a stately and deliberate pace towards the west
He
looked n o t back to see if a treacherous gun was p ointed at
him He knew that the maiden had not t r i e d with him
He knew that S he would not mock a dying man wit h bread
He neither looked b a ck nor quickened his step A nd s o
h e vani s hed from V iew i n the valley
D od ! he s g e n e ! We ought to ve ha d his sculp
s aid Sneak betr a ying serious m o r t i ca t i o n

We must give it up though w e were i n the minority

said Joe sati s ed with the decision

In the what 3 asked Sneak

In the minority said Jo e

L et s go in the house and git something to eat sai d

Sneak

Ha n g m e if I ain t willing to be with you there said

-

Jo e

The whole party entered the house t o p artake of a collation

prepared by the dainty hands o f Mary Mary had frequently
in s i s ted upon serving the m with refreshments during the
nigh t but hitherto all her persua s ions had been unavailing
for the dangers that beset them o n every hand had banished
all other thoughts than those o f d etermined defensive
O perations
.

He

l p

c u

a he

h n d an d p e s ed
a

it

h is l p

s P

1 2

122

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S

l ik ewis e

sus t ai ne d a serious inj ury at the sam e tim e h l S

co nj ectures were ent i rely at faul t

Wh at a re yo u a thi nking a b out so h ar d ! aske d

S n e ak
I m trying t o think how I got that blow on the b ack of
my head said Joe t u rning half abstractedl y to Sneak
Y e s and I d like t o kn ow how you come to m a s h my
m outh s o dod r o t t e dl y said Sneak in well a ff ected ill
nature
Han g it Sneak you know well enough that I wouldn t
d o such a th i ng on purp ose when I w as obliged to almo s t

kn ock out my own brain s to do it sai d Jo e ap ologeti

c al l y

If I hadn t thought of that replied Sneak

I d on t

know but I s h o ul d v e S hot you through when I got up

A nd I should never have blamed you f o r it said Jo e

D oes it hurt you much

if it had been done o n purpose

now 3

D on t you s e e how its bl eeding 3

T hat s gravy running out o f your mouth ain t it 3

Yes but its bloody a littl e s aid Sneak licking hi s

,

I shall h ave t o sit up an d s leep said Joe ; for my

h e a d s s o sore I can t l i e down
I m a going t o lay my head o n this s t e e l an d sleep ;
a nd I m getting s o drowsy I can t s e t much longer said
Sneak
A n d all 11 be square b etween us a b out breaking yo u r

t oo th won t it !

Y e s I can t bear m ali ce

said Sneak shaking Joe s
e x te nded hand

Oh me ! s ai d Joe
I shan t b e abl e t o doze a b i t
ha r dly f o r tryin g t o s tu dy out how th e o l d musket came
t o ki ck m e so
I ve g o t a notion to t ell yo u j est to s e e if you ll S leep

a ny better then

D o you know 3 asked Jo e quickly ; if yo u do I ll

t ha nk you with a ll my heart to tell me 3

D od ! if I do n t ! said S neak ; but all s squ a re b e

tw i xt us 3

Yes if you re willing

Wel l don t you rememb er w h en I told you to count

'

A N ARRA TI V E

1 2s

th e In dians standing o u t there I leant a gin you to l ook over

your shoulder ! I s tol e a car t r i ch out o f your S hot b a g then
an d slipt it in the muzzl e o f your musket D on t you know

it was leani ng agin the p ost 3

Joe turned roun d and looke d Sneak ful l in the face f o r
s everal moments without utte r ing a word

it

When it went o ff continued Sneak

m ade t h e
t r e m e n d o u s e s t crack I ever h eard i n all my life e x cept
when the keg o f p owder bu s ted

excl aimed Jo e
Y o u confou n ded blasted rascal you
d oubling up his s ts an d preparing to as s ault his friend

No w don t g o to waking up th e folks ! s aid S neak

I ll be hanged if I hain t g o t a great n otion to wear o u t
t h e Iron p oker over your he a d ! continued Joe his ey e s
gleaming with r a ge

L ook at my tooth said Sneak g rinning in such man

n er that the remaining fragment o f th e m ember n ame d
could b e di s tinctly seen The ludicrou s expression o f h i s
features was such as constrained Joe t o smile an d hi s
enmity vanished instantaneou s ly

I believe yo u got the worst o f the bargain after all

sai d Joe falli ng back in h is chair an d laughing qui te
h e artily

You know continue d S neak

I d idn t m ean it to
turn o u t as bad as it did I j e s t thought it woul d kick yo u
over in the snow and n o t hurt yo u any hardly

Well let s s ay no more about it said Jo e ; but when

o u do a ny thing of that kind hereafter pause an d reect
y

o n the consequences and forbear

I ll keep my mouth o u t o f the way n ext time s ai d

S neak ; an d n o w as all s square betwixt us s p o s e we

agree ab out how we are t o d o wit h them dead In di ans
S p ose we go halves with all the thing s they ve g o t 3

N o I ll b e hanged if I do
said Jo e quickly
Th e
o n e I shot w as a chi ef a n d he s sure to h a ve some gol d

ab out him
Yes but you kn ow you d never 3 kille d hi m if it h a d n t

b een f o r m e

B ut if it h a dn t been for yo u I woul d n t h ave got h urt,

replied Jo e reproachfully

Well I don t car e much about the chief the on e I

kil led may b e took a ll h is silver and gold before I shot him
,

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S

1 24

Any h o w I k now I can nd something o u t there in t h e

said Sneak arranging

s now Where they were blowed up
a b u ffal o robe o n the hearth an d lying down

A nd we mu s t h ereafter let each other alon e Sneak

sai d Jo e
for the fact is we are both t o o much for o n e

a noth er in o u r tricks

I m willing replie d Sne ak lazily as h is eyes gr a du

al l y closed
Jo e place d h is dish o n t h e S helf over the replace an d
fol ding his arms a n d leaning b ack in his great chair like
wise closed his eyes
But a few m oments s u i ce d to pl ace them both in the
land of dreams A n d n ow the S ilence was intense E ven
the consuming logs o f wood seeme d to S ink by degrees i nto
huge livid coals without emitti n g the l east S p arkling sound
The emb ers threw a dim glare over the scene such as
Q ueen Mab delights in when S he leads h er fairy trai n
through th e chambers o f sleeping m ortals A S weet smile
A love d form i t t e d athwart
r este d upon the lips of Mary
h er visions R o u g h g r o v e s features w e r e a grave but placid
cast B oone s face was as p assionless and calm as if he
were a stranger to terric strife Perils coul d n ow make
n o impression o n him There was sadne s s on the damp
b row O f Glenn and a tear wa s stealing throug h the corner
A scene o f woe or the cru s h o f cheri s he d
o f his lids
hopes was passing before his entrance d vi s ion Sneak
ever and anon grasped the empty air an d m otioned h i s
arm as if in the mid s t of deadly conict A nd Joe though
h is bruised face betrayed n o t his cast of thought still
evin ced a p articipation in the ideal transaction s of the
night by the frequent involuntary motions o f hi s body an d
repeated endeavours to a v oid vi s ionary da n ger s
The kitten lay u p on the soft neck o f the fawn an d at
intervals resumed its low humming song which had more
than once been hu s hed in perfect repose A t a late hour
o r rather an early on e j u s t ere the r s t faint ray of morn
ing appeared in the di s tant east pu ss purred rather harshly
o n the s ilken ears o f its companion and it s S harp cl a ws
producing a s tinging sensati o n the fawn sho o k its head
violently and threw its li t tle bed fell ow rather rudely
The kitten instead of being angry
s everal feet away
fell into a m erry mood and began to fr i s k about in divers
,

W I LD W E S T E R N SC ENE S :

1 26

C H A PT E R X

d e a d r e m o v e d T h e w o l v e s o n t h e r i v e r T h e w o lf h un t G u m f e t i d
J o e s in cr e du l i t y H i s co n v i ct i o n H i s s ur p r i s e H i s p r e di ca m e n t
H i s n a r r o w e s ca p e

Ih e

W H EN Sneak O pene d the door , the s un h a d risen an d

was S hining brightly In a m oment the inmates of the
.

h ouse were stirring The horses neighed in the stable for

their accustomed food an d water a nd when Joe hastene d
to them he embraced the neck o f each in testimony of his
j oy that they were once more save d from the h a n ds o f the
Indians The hounds prance d round B oone an d Glenn ,
manifesting their delight in being relieved o f the presence
The gate was thrown open and the scene
o f the enemy
the explo s ion minutely examined
Fortunately the
of
channel o u t under the snow by the savages ran a few feet
a part from the p owder o r the whole o f the m must i n e v i t
a bly have p eri s he d A S it was n o t a single one lost his
life though many were blown u p in the air to a considerable
h eight Joe and Sneak found only a few spears knives
a nd tomahawks th a t ha d been abandoned by the savages ;
a n d then they rep aired to the west S ide of the inclosure
They had
w here the two dea d Indians were still lying
s carce commence d searching their victims for booty when
a solitary Indian was seen approaching from the u pper
v a lley

We hain t got our guns ! e x claimed Sneak p ulling out

h i s kn ife

I ll get mine ! cried Joe running a way wit h a l l hi s

might

What s the matter ! inquire d B oone smiling w h o h ad

a lso seen the approachi n g Indian an d was wal king to wher e
the dea d savages lay a ccomp anie d by Glenn a nd R ough
r
h
rove
when
he
met
Joe
running
swiftly
tow
a
ds
t
e
h
o
use
,
g
.

s
I
i
nd n

T h y h ad

ca r ce
a

co

mm

w as

e n e s e h i n g t h ei vi ti m s f t
s en p p h i n f o m h u e v l l e
e

arc

ro u r

or

pp r

w n

ty
y

Wh e

l 126
.

a
.

so l i a
t

ry

1 28

W I LD W E S T ERN S CEN E S :

h is face )an d h e was instantly recognized b y t h e wh ole

art
p
y

l m gla d its him

said Sneak

I think we will have p eace now sai d B oone for

R a ven h a s ever been the m ost b loo d thirsty chief of t h e

tribe

Where is the war party encamp e d ! When do they

return to their own country 3 asked R o u g h g r o v e

The Indian replied th a t they were encamped in a small
grove o n the border o f the prairie where they intended to
b ury their brothers and then it was their intention to s e t
o u t imm ediately for their villages
He added that o n e of
their tribe whom they had left at home arrived that morn
i n g with intelligence that a war p arty o f Pawnees ha d
invaded their territories and it was nece s sary f o r them to
hasten back with all possible dispatch to defen d their wives
a n d children
Glenn aske d B oone how the Indians m anaged to S leep in
the col d prairie and R o u g h g r o v e repeating the inquiry to
the sav a ge they were informed that the war party carried
with them a l ong b u t very light S l ed in the S hap e o f a
canoe to which was tie d a rop e made o f buckskins by
which they pulled it along o n the sno w with great swift
ness This kept them warm with exercise through the day
A quantity o f furs a n d b u a l o skins were p acked in the
can oe that served to keep them warm at night

Mr R o u g h g r o v e ! Mr R o u g h g r o v e
cried Jo e from
h is loophole

Wh at do yo u want with m e 3 re s ponded the o l d man

Why Miss Mary s gone down to your house to s e e if

the Indians have been there and they may b e there now,
perhaps

There s no danger n o w yo u blockhead replie d R oug h

g rove
said Sneak
K eep your mouth s het

Your m o n t h s mashed recollect who did it retorte d

on

"

Jo e

The sav a ge at length lifted up th e dead b ody an d s e t

The party then r e
off at a bri s k pace towards the prairie
t urned to the house and partook of a plenteous repas t that
h a d been prov i ded by Mary
When the breakfast was over they rep aire d to th e cl i
,

A N A RR A T I V E

1 29

to e x amine the place w h ere th e Indians ha d rst penetrate d

the snow They ha d commenced operations at the ver y
b row o f the cl i ff o n a S helving rock to a t t a i n w h i ch with
o u t being seen from the garrison th ey must have crawle d
B elow
o n their hands and kne es a considerable distan ce
could be seen an immense heap o f sno w which had been
thrown down from the place o f entrance j ust a s B oone h a d
described

Jest look yander crie d Sneak p ointing up the river

The scene was a rem arkable o n e
They behel d a very
small deer ( the lightn ess o f which en abled it to run o n th e
snow that covered the ice with great e e t n e s s without
b reaking through the crust )chased about on t h e river by
a pack of wolves ! These hungry animals had evidently
been racing after it a great length of time from the dis
tressed appearance o f the p oor victim a nd h aving driven
it up on the ice they seemed resolved to prevent it from
ever again entering the thickets The plan they a d opte d
was systematic and worthy the imitation o f b iped hunters
They disp ersed in various dire ctions a n d forme d them
selves i n a circle o f about a half mile in diameter hemming
the deer in o n all sides while only o n e o r two o f their n um
b er at a time chased it R ound and roun d it ran ; and
though its pursuers were left far in the rear yet it rem aine d
entirely surrounde d b y the enemy O ccasionally when a
chasing wolf became exhausted o n e o f the guards ( ab an
doning his post )would enter the ring and not being f a
t i g u e d was able t o carry o n the pursuit with redouble d
Thus the chase was kep t up with incre a sin g
v igour
e r ce n e s s by m eans o f a succession o f fre s h wolves until
the p oor deer nally sank down and surrendere d its life
The voracious p ack then rushed from their stations indis
an
d
coming
in
contact
immediately
over
their
cr i m i n a t e l
y
prey a most frightful contest ensue d among them H o r r i c
yells and screams could b e heard by the m en as they l ooked
A t times the wolves were so
o n fr o m their distant position
closely j umbled together that n othing co u l d b e distinguishe d
but o n e black heaving and echoing m a s s But the strug
gle was s e e n o ver In a very few moments they becam e
qui et and started o ff in a comparatively p eaceful manner
t owar d s the island , whence their prize had been driven , in
.

WI LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

1 30

qu est o f ot h ers When they abandoned the S pot where

their v ictim had fallen not SO much as a bone remained
That s making a cle a n b usiness of it said Sneak

Its n o such thing ! said Joe ; i t s a nasty trick to

s w a llow hide bones

and bowels in that manner

Its clean f o r wolves said Sneak

Oh may be you re part wolf said Joe

N o w n one o f your gab o r I ll play some other trick

o n you worse than that at the spring

Y o u be hanged
retorte d Joe ; I ll give yo u leave

to do it when yo u get a chance the next time

It is a great pity that the deer are subj ect to such

d e struction remarked Glenn

The wolves we s a w are all o n yonder i s l and sai d

Bo one and if yo u are disp osed to have a hunt I h a ve no

doubt we might kill some o f them

We are entirely dep endent up on the deer for animal

foo d sai d R o u g h g r o v e ; and if we could only surround

that party o f wolves as they did the deer we might do the

S ettlement much good s e rvice

I go in for it said Sneak

I d rather wait a d ay o r two till the Indians h ave gone

clean o ff said Jo e

There is n othing to fear from them n ow said B oone

unless something they might steal should fall in their

way But it will not require an hour to rout the wolves

o n the little island

Then let us hasten an d get o ur guns an d b e up on

t h em before they leave it said Glenn

They returned to the house an d were all soon equippe d
for the onslaught except Jo e who m ade no preparatio n
whatever

Get ready Jo e said Glenn ; your re d oubtable mus

ket will do good service

I d rather not said Jo e ; I m hardly well enoug h

to walk s o far I ll take car e o f Miss Mary I wonder
wh a t s become O f her ! Mr R ou g h g r o v e Miss Mary hasn t
com e back yet !

Ye s S he has replied th e o l d ferryman ; I s a w h e r

b ring t his frozen ower up while we were s tanding on the
cli ff and she has only ret urned f o r the other p ots I h e ar
.

W] LD

1 32

W E S T ERN S CENE S

Here it is said Joe unwrapping a paper containing

several ounces ; but hang me if that ain t rather too

strong a j oke o f Mr Bo o ne s about its collecting the

w olves
I can t believe that

D id you ever hear o f Mr B oone s telling a lie !

a sked Sneak

No I never did and t h at s a fact

said Joe ; but
I m afraid he s got into a scrape this time Jingo ! look
n de r
o
he
continued
throwing
his
mu
s
ket
up
to
his
face
y
and pointing it at a very large black wolf that stood in t h e
p ath before them

D on t shoot ! I put two l e a ds in your gun

crie d
Sneak hastily

C o nfound your long n ecked gour d head I s ay ! sai d

Jo e throwing down the muzzle o f his musket i n an instant
and the next moment the wolf di s appeared among the tall

bu s hes
Why hang m e if yo u didn t tell a lie ! con
tin n ed Jo e running down his ramrod

D on t I know it 3 replied Sneak

I j est said s o to
keep you from S hooting ; b e ca i s e if you had shot you d
a v e skeered all the other wolves away and we would n t

ave killed any

It s well you didn t put in another cartridge sai d

f o r I wish I may be sma s hed if I stan d this kicking
Jo e

b usine s s any longer

N ow I gue s s you ll believe there s something i n the
asafoetida after all an d the wol v es 11 come all round you
and won t go o ff f o r S ho o ting at em if you ll only rub it
o n the sole s o f your bo o ts

I ll try it ! said Jo e suiting t h e action to the word

and then striding onward and l ooking in every directio n
for the wolves

You ll have to tree if they come too thick

Psha w
replied Joe yo u can t scare m e i n that
I don t believe a hat full o f it would make them
w ay

stand an d be S h o t at
They were now o pposite the i s land Jo e selected a p o
s i t i o n even with the upper end o f it and Sneak remained
belo w B oone after s tationing R o u g h g r o v e and Glenn to
walked o u t to the main land a n d
t h e best adv a ntage
t a king some o f the gum fetid i n Joe s p ossessio n r e t ur n e d
,

A NARRA TI VE

1 33

to th e island ; and ere l o n g he R o u g h g r o v e a n d Glenn

were heard discharging their gun s with great rapidity and
th e cries o f th e wolves attested that they were labourin g
with e e ct But n one of the bel eaguered animals had yet
retreated from the scene o f destruction O n t h e contrary
several were seen to run across from the main land an d
j o in tho s e o n the island Presently Sneak commenced a
There seemed to b e a whole army o f wolves
b ri s k re
c o ngregated in the vicinity Jo e at r s t l au g h e d an d then
became confused and puzzled He anxiou s ly desired to
make the roar o f his mu s ke t j oin the mel e e ; but at times
h e thought the ravenous enemy rather too numerous for
The ring on the island c o n
h i m to be in perfect safety
S neak s g u n was likewise still
t i n u e d without abatement
heard at regular interval s and what seemed an extra e r
d i n ar y matter to Joe was that Sneak should yell o u t some

thing o r other about the

asafoetida and
m occasin

tracks after every discharge Joe was n ot l ong idle

He soon s a w a huge black wolf trotting al ong the little
deer path he had j u s t traversed with it s n ose down to the
ground A moment after another an d then a third were
seen pursuing the s am e cour s e s ome di s tan ce behind Joe
becam e uneasy His rst impul s e wa s to scamper over to
the i s land : but when he thought o f t h e j eers and j ests
that would ensue from Sneak he re s ol v ed to stand his
ground When the foremost wolf h ad approached within
thirty paces o f him he leveled his m uske t and red The
wolf uttered a erce b o w l and expired

H a ng m e if I h aven t oore d yo u any how sai d h e

exulting l y as he proceeded to reload his g u n with as mu ch
expedition as p ossible But the other wo l ves s o far from
b eing alarmed at the fate o f their comrade seemed to

quicken their p ace towards the p osition o f Jo e

Slash
me if there ain t t o o many of them ! ej aculate d Joe a s
he p erceive d several other s and all advancing up o n him
I ll settle your hash by j ing he continued ring a t the
foremo s t o n e which was n o t twenty paces distant
The
l eaden contents of the musket entered it s breast a n d i t
f ell dead without a growl
S till the others advanced Joe
had n o time to charge hi s gun again
I ll make track s s aid he s tarting toward the frozen
ch annel th at sep arate d him from the i s land
But he had
,

19

1 34

W I LD W E S T ER N SC ENE S

not gone ten p a ces before he discovere d two enormou s

wolves approaching from t h a t direction

I ll cut dirt

b ack again ! he continued whirling suddenly around an d

rushing back to his stand where he stood not a moment
but sprang up in a tree and after attaining a l arge limb
tha t put out from the trunk some fteen feet above the snow
paused and pantingly surveyed hi s a s sailants There were
now no less than twenty wolves in S ight and several were

at the root of the tree yelping at h i m

I ll be hanged

if I half like this said he

Snap me if I don t begin
to b elieve that the a s afoe tida does charm them after all
C onfound Sneak ! he s always getting me i nto s o m e h o b b l e
o r other !
N ow if it wa s n t for this tree I d be in a nice
x Ha n g it ! all the wol v es in the world are broke loose
to day surely where the mi s chief could they a l l have
come from ! Ju s t hear the men how they are s hooting !
A nd they are killing the Wild blac k dogs every crack but

s till they won t back o u t ! I ll blaze away a t em again !

S aying this he rel oaded his musket as quickly as his p e
cu l i a r position w o uld allow and for the purpose o f ridding
him s elf as soon as pos s ible o f his disagreeable visitors he

p oured in an additional charge o f buckshot

N ow he

c o ntinued what if the gun S houl d y out o f my hand s 3

I d be in a pretty conditi o n then ! I wouldn t mind the ki ck

at all if I was only o n dry land but if the gun S hould

kick m e over here I d tumble right down into their mouths !
I wish I d thought o f that before I rammed down the wad
ding I h a v n t got my screw along o r I might draw out
the load again I ll n o t shoot at all I ll j u s t watch till
somebody comes and scares them away Ugh ! you black
rascal ! what r e yo u s taring up here for 3 he continued
looking d own at the large s t w o lf which was standing u p
right against the tree and teari n g the bark away furi o u s ly
with his long teeth The number of Joe s en e mies co n
t i n u e d to increa s e
There were now perhaps twenty u n
der the tree A n d s till the ring o n the i s land was kept
up th o ugh n o t s o inces s antly a s at r s t which in s pired Jo e
with a hope that they would either kill all the wolves in
their vicinity very soon o r force them to j oin hi s ock und e r
the t ree when the men w o uld s urely c o m e to his relie f
Sneak s re abated somewhat likewise and Joe s r e lianc e

W I LD W E S T ERN S C ENE S :

1 86

his f eet
N ever was terr o r m ore strongly depicted i n t h e
h u m a n face than it was di s playe d in Joe s when h e s a w
the whole pack rushing towards him ! They sprang up
wi th fearful snarls and yells Jo e yelled likewise an d
doubled his knees up to his chin They mi s sed his feet by
S everal inches and were borne out fteen o r twenty feet
to one S ide by the impetus o f the leap It was by a mighty
e ff ort that he thus avoided them an d n o sooner had they
passed under him than his legs again dangled downward
In a m oment they whirled roun d and were again ru s hing
at their victim O n ce more Jo e screamed and drew up
his legs while they p as s ed under him
Help help for

God s sake ! cried b e when they whirled round a gain

His cry was heard Several sharp rep o rt s re s ounded from
the river bank a few p aces o n the east Three o r fo ur of
the wolves howle d and fell The rest hesitated their eyes
glistening and xed o n Joe s su s pended boots
C ome
quick ! for Heaven s sake ! I can t pull up my legs any
more cried Jo e Thi s was true for his strength was fa st
failing The guns were again d i s charged with deadly
e e ct and all but on e o f the large s t o f the w o lves p r e ci p i
t a t e l y ran o and di s appeared among the bushes
Jerk up your leg ! that feller s a going to take one of

your feet al o ng with him if he kin ! cried Sneak Jo e

s a w the wolf charging upon him but he was altogether n u
able t o avoid it in the manner he had done before It wa s
now only a few feet distant its mouth O pen di s playing a
frightful s e t o f teeth and S pringing toward s him Finding
it impossible to preven t a collision Joe re s ol ve d to s ell his
foot as dearly a s possible A S much a s he wa s able he
bent up hi s knee j oints and when his a ss ailant came he
bestowed his heels upon his head with all his might The
Wolf was stunned and fell under the blow

Take that ! cried Sneak running up and plunging

his knife into the animal s side
The wolf groan e d
and died

Ha ! ha ! ha ! yo u were born to b e hanged sai d

R o u g h g r o v e c o ming forward with Boone and Glenn an d
u h i n g heartily
g

He ha s been hung said Boone

A n d almost quartere d sai d Glenn

Th

e y s p n g up Wi t h fe fu l s n a l s an d y e l l s
h i k n e es u p t h i
hi
ra

ar

Jo e y

s c

e l l ed l i k e is e an d d o u b l

13a

ed

1 3%

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S

It w a s very wrong to do so Sneak s ai d Bo o ne an d

th e bo x ing you got for it wa s n o t ami ss

I bel i eve I think s o myself said Sneak

But it di d
m ake him kill m ore wolves after all j e s t look at em all
a roun d here
Jo e soon recovere d entirely from the e e ct s of h is swing
h is fright an d his anger and looked with something lik e
satisfaction o n his many t r Oph i e s lying roun d him ; an d
when he di s engaged his musket from the bough o f the tree
he regarded it with a ff ection
They moved homeward entirely content with the result
Boone explained the reason why so many
o f the excur s ion
He
o f the wolves were congregated about the i s land
stated that the vines and bushes o n which the deer feed in
the winter were abundant and nutr i t ious i n the l o w l and s
along the river and that great numbers o f them repaire d
thither at that season o f the year The wolves o f course
followed them and having now destroyed all the large deer
in the vicinity o f the island and the small ones being e n
able d to run o n the sno w crust they found it nece s sary to
mu s ter in the cha s e as great a number a s po ss ible an d thus
prevent their prey from e s caping to the prairies He said
that the wolves preferred the timber being enabled to make
more comfortable lairs and dens among the falle n trees
than o u t in the cold prairies But their guns had wrought
a fearful destruction among them Perhaps three fourths
o f them fell
The party soon reached Glenn s house A S they entered
the inclosure they were surprise d to s e e R ingw o od run
ning wildly about whining and snarling and tearing the
snow to pieces with his teeth Jowler was more c o mposed
but a low mournful whine i s sued continuously from his
mouth

D o d ! what s the dogs been after 3 ej aculated Sneak

Go in Joe and ask Mary what it mean s said R ough

g rove

I d rather n ot the house m ay b e full of Indians r e

plied Joe relap s ing into his natural cowardice

Mary s aid R o u g h g r o v e approaching the d o or a n d

calli n g a e ct i o n a t e l y R eceiving n o reply the o l d man
A silence succeeded
R o ug h
e ntere d and called again
,

A NARR ATI VE

1 39

rove
reappeare
d
a
m
oment
after
with
a
c
h
ange
d
coun
g
B oone gazed at his p al e features an d a ske d t h e
t e n a n ce
cause o f h is distress by a l ook n ot a word

She s gone ! gone ! gone

exclaime d R o u g h g r o v e,
c o vering his face with both hands
B oone m ade no a n s w e r b u t turning his face in the direction
o f the southern valley h e calle d up on th e n am e of Mary
three times in clear and l ou d tones He listene d for her
reply i n a m otionless attitude several minutes B ut n o
reply came No w a ch ange came over h i s features It
was a ferocity from which even the b l ood thirsty savag es
woul d have ed i n horror !

My eternal curse upon them ! They have seized h er !

I have been deceived ! I will have vengeance ! s a i d he

in a low determined tone

Will they kill her o r keep her for a ransom 3 inquire d

Glenn in extreme and painful excitement

A ransom said Boone ; but they S hall p ay t h e weig h t

o f the S ilver they deman d in bl ood

May Heaven gu a r d her ! said R o u g h g r o v e in piteou s

agony

C heer u p w e will get her aga i n said Boone ; a n d

then giving som e h asty directions prep arations were m ad e
for pursuit
,

C H AP TE R X I

M ar y H e r m e d i t a t i o n s H e r c a p t ur e H e r s a d co n d i t i o n H e r m e n t al
s uff e r i n g s H e r e s ca p e H e r r e ca p t u r e
.

W H EN the men departe d f o r the islan d in quest of t h e

wolves Mary was S inging over her neglected owers at
,

her father s hou s e in the valley and her cle ar ringing notes
were distinctly heard by the whole party A fter they were
gone s h e c o ntinued her song and lingered l ong over every
faded leaf and withere d blos s om with no thought of danger
w hatever an d n one o f p ain s a ve the regre t th a t h er lo n g

14 0

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S :

cherish e d pl a nts h a d been for g otten in th e con s ter n ation o f

the previous day and had fallen vi ctim s to th e fro s t king
B ut nothing had been t o u ch ed by the s av a ge s The do
m e s t i c fo wl s clu s tered about her an d received t heir food
from her hand s a s u s ual The fawn wa s with her and
evinced t h e delight a o r d e d by the cc a sional cares s b e
st o wed upon i t by fr equently s kipping S portively aroun d
her
Mary w a s h a ppy Her wants were few and she
knew n o t that there wa s such a thing a s a m al i ci o u s e n e my
in the world save the wild savage Her thoughts were as
pure as the m o rning dew and all her delights were the
re s ults o f innocence She had never harmed any o n e and
her guilele s s heart never conceived the pos s ibility of suff er
i n g ill at the hands o f others
She smiled when the beauti
ful fawn touched her hand with it s velvet tongue and a
tear dimmed her eye f o r an instant when s h e looke d upon
h er stricken ro s e
While looking at o n e o f the homely S helves in a corner
Mary accidentally espied a small
o f the deserted house
volum e o f p oem s th e gift o f G lenn that had been neglected
She s eized it eagerly and after turning over the p ages the
ftieth tim e and humming over many o f the songs s h e
paused suddenly and lifting her eye s to the bright s u n
beams that streamed through the windo w long remained
in a li s tle s s attitude Something unusual had s tartled her
simple m editations A t rst a s hade o f painful concern
seemed to p a s s across her brow and then glancing quickly
at the book S he still hel d in her hand a s weet smile ani
mated her lip s But again and a gain ever and an o n the
ab s tracted gaze was repeated and a s often s ucceeded by
the smile when her eye s fell upon the volume D id her
thoughts dwell up on the giver of that b o ok ! Undoubtedly
D id Sh e l ove Glenn ! This Sh e knew n o t her s elf but s h e
would have died for him ! She was ignorant o f the terms
court s hip love an d marri a ge But nature had given her
a heart ab oundi n g with noble and generous impul s e s
A t l o ng t u S h e drew her S hawl clo s ely round her s houl
d ers and clo s ing the door O f the hut was in the a ct o f
returning up the hill when Sh e was startled by the furious
and sudden barking O f the hound s whi ch Sh e h a d left con
ned in the inclosure o n the cliff She pau s ed and lo cked
s te ad il y in every d irection a n d was n ot able to d i s cove r , o r
-

'

14 2

W I LD W E S T ER N SC ENE S :

th at obscured her face an d l o oked o u t from her narrow

l
a ce o f connement
The
blue
heavens
alone
met
her
p
view above The incident o f the seizure was indi s tinct in
h er memory and sh e could n o t surmi s e the nature o f her
present condition She turned hastily o n her S ide and the
occ a sional bush Sh e espied in the vicinity indicated that S he
was ru s hing along by some m eans with an almost i n co n
She could scarce believe it was reality
ce i v a b l e rapidity
H o w Sh e cam e thither and how s h e was propelled over
the snow for several m oment s were matters o f i n co m pr e
h e n s i b l e mystery to the trembling girl
A t rst s h e e n
d e a v o u r e d to p ersuade herself that it was a dream ; but
having a consciousness that some t e rrible thing had actually
occurred all the painful fears o f which the mind is capa
b le were put in active O peration T h e suspense was soon dis
ell e d
a
He
ring
human
voices
ahead
and
not
readily
com
p
prehending the langu a ge S he hastily rose on her elbo w
The p arty o f Indians dragging her e e t l y over the sm ooth
prairie m et her chilled view But s h e was now compara
Instantly her true condition was
t i v e l y collected and calm
apparent She watched the sw a rthy forms s o me moments
in S ilence meditating the means of e s cap e Pre s ently o n e
o f the savages turned partly round and S he sank back to
escape hi s observation A gain s h e rose up a few inche s
and their face s were all turned away from her She gra
dually acquired res olution to encounter any hard s hip or
p eril that m ight be the means o f e ff ecting her escape B u t
what plan was s h e to adopt ! The almo s t interminable
plai n o f which s h e wa s in the mid s t a ff o rded n o hidi n g
place Then the S peed o f the yi n g s now canoe were
S he t o leap o u t would not only produce a hurtful colli s ion
w ith the hard s now crust but certainly cause her dete cti o n
T h e p oor girl s heart sank within her and for a time Sh e
reclined submi ss ively in the canoe and gave way to a ood
She th o u ght o f her gray haired father and a
o f tears
sh e
iercing
ago
n y thrilled
through
her
breast
A
n
d
p
thought t o o o f others o f B o one o f G l e n n and her pa n gs
were hopele ss ly p oignant Thus s h e lay f o r s everal long
hours a prey to grief and de s pair But s ome pitying a n gel
hovered over her , and kindly le ss ened her su ffe ring s By
degrees her mind becam e p osse ss ed o f the p ower o f de
t i b e r a t c and rati o nal reecti o n ; an d S he wa s in s pired w ith
,

Md

0;

sa v ge u s h e d up on h e n i n e d h i l t t h n d i n h m g h i
d
i
h
i
a v ng t o m ah a k a l o f t i t h t h o t h e
s t ee l
i
h
t o f s i n k i ng t h
th
f fo e h e a d b efo e h i m h e n t h b l o
a e s t ed b y m e e s t i pl i ng h
m up t t h h e d o f t h
e s t f t h I n d i ns l H Z
Th

a rr

tw

e r,

ca

w as

w as

e r

ac

rr

a r, an

I I)

144

WILD

W E S T ERN S C E N ES

h im a way T h e h uge savage was strangely submissive i n

a mom ent and obeyed without a murmur Mary was con
ducte d back to the snow canoe by the young chief who
led her by the hand while the re s t walked behind O nce
the young warrior turned and l o oked searchingly in the
face o f his fair prize and sh e returne d the gaze with an
instantaneous conviction that n o p ersonal harm was i n
tended her The chief was not half s o dark a s the rest of
his tribe an d his countenance was open generous an d
n oble ( It may seem improbable to the unthinking reader
that a timid an d alarmed maiden should be able to rea d
the character o f a foe by his features under such circum
stances But those very circumstances tende d to produce
suc h acuteness A n d this is not only the case with human

beings but even with dumb brutes for a t the moment

they are about to b e assailed they invariably a nd in s tin o
t i v e l y look the assailant in the eye mercy being the only
remaining h op e ) A gain the young warrior turned to b e
hold his captive s face and Mary was in tears He paused
abruptly and after gazing some m oments in S ilence and
deep thought resumed his pace When they reached the
snow canoe and while in the act o f lifting his cap tive into
her couch the young chief observed for the rst time a
mas s ive ring o f curious workmanship on her n g e r ( t h e
gl o ve s h e h a d hitherto worn being p artially torn from her
hand in the recent struggle )and seeme d to regard it wit h
much interest Mary s a w that his eyes were rivetted o n
the j ewel and n otwith s tanding it p o s ses s ed a hallowed value
in having been worn by h er mother yet s h e fel t that S he
coul d resign it to the one who had s ave d her life and wh o se
n oble h e a r i n g s o di ff erent fro m that of the rest promi s ed
to s hield her from future harm But he n either asked I t as
a gift n or tore it from her but turned away in sil ence an d
ordere d the p arty to proceed The command was instantly
obeye d
There w a s another Indian that had attracte d the not i ce
o f Mary one who studi o u s ly avoided her glance by con
s t a n t l y enveloping hi s face in hi s hairy robe whene v e r s h e
turned toward s him Thi s he continued to do unti l s h e was
a gain seated in the s now can oe an d the order wa s gi v en to
pro ceed on the j ourney H e then lingered beh i nd the re s t
a n d throwing a s ide his mask , S he saw before her the s a v a g e
.

A N A RR AT I V E

1 45

th at h ad been t h rown withi n t h e incl osure by t n e explosion

He pointed t o the n orth the dire ction o f her hom e and by
s undry s igns and grimace s m ade Mary under s tand that he
had n o t been a p arty to her capture and that he would
endeavour to e ff ect her e s cap e H e then j oined t h e others
and the p oor girl was o n ce more cour s ing over the prai rie
m o re rapidly than ever
There was n o w mingl ed with the captive m a i de n s
th oughts another s ubj ect o f contemplation It was the
young chief His im age seemed to be familiar to her
dreamy visions and s he often thought that they had re ally
met before But when o r where her m emory faile d to
de s ignate She was glad t o nd herself so unexp ectedly
under th e protection o f o n e s o bra v e and generous an d
s h e hoped when her father and his frien d s shoul d overtake
them he might n ot be hurt in the conict that must inev i
tably en s ue
The Indians long continued their ight in silen ce
S carce a word was uttered until th e sun was sinking l ow
in the west A nd then Mary hear d them speaking about
the place o f encampment ; for her frequent intercourse
with the s avages before th e a rrival of Glenn in the vicinity
had enabled her as we l l as her father to acquire a n i m
perfect knowledge o f their language But they still swep t
onward without any diminution of speed The chief had
probably obj ected to their making a halt by a s hake of the
head f o r Mary did n ot he a r him reply to those who desired
to s t o r
Wh dn the shades o f night fell around and the broa d red
face of the moon peeped over the eastern horizon th e p arty
still careered over the prairie More than thirty miles
had been traversed The Indian is more distinguished for
b ottom than speed and ha s been known to pur s ue a v i ct i m
o r y in the retreat m ore than twen ty fo ur hours without
resting But this ban d had su ff ered much from fatigue b e
fore they set o u t with their cap t i v e The attempt to surpri s e
the fort had cost them both blood and labour and when t h e
moon had ri s en midw a y u p in the heavens they again b e
came clamorous f o r food and rest The chief then told the m
to turn from their course and in a few minutes Mary saw
that they were approaching a grove of towering trees Er e
l ong they halted und e r an enormou s beech whose spreadin g
.

WILD WES T E R N

1 46

S CENE S

a n d clu s tering branches n ot only greatly o b scured the light

from above but had in a great measure prevented the sn ow
from covering t h e earth at its r o ots It was not l ong before
a re was s truck and th e savages having scattered in every
direction in quest o f dry wood and bark in a very short
Space o f time a large bright blaze ashed up in their mid s t
around which they S pread their bu ff alo robes and commence d
prep aring their veni s on E ach o n e cooked f o r himself
save th e chief wh o was provide d proportionably by all
He o ff ered Mary a part o f his food but sh e declined it
He then pro ff ered to lift her from the snow canoe and place
h er ne a rer the re This t o o S he declined stating that
She was likewise inuen ced in this
s h e was warm enough
determin ation by the ge s tures of the Indian whom she had
b efriended the preceding night wh o s a t by in ap parent n u
concern but at every opportunity by looks and s igns
endeavoured to cheer and en courage the captive m aiden
A fter a hearty rep ast the s avages with the exception o f
t h e chief rolled them selves in their warm hairy robes b e
fore the gl o wing re an d were soon s teeped in profoun d
slumber The chief long reclined in a half recumbe nt a t
t i t u d e o n the couch that had been prepared for him an d
x ing his eyes on th e glaring ame and sometimes on the
p ale s a d features o f Mary s eemed to b e under the i n u
ence o f dee p and painful m editations A t time s his fea
tures assumed a ferocity that caused Mary to start an d
trem b le ; but at others they wore a mournful expre s sion
an d ever and anon a tear rose up and gli s tened in his eye
Thus h e s a t for more than an hour after all the rest were
sunk in motionles s slumber Finally his bedecked head
adorned with a profusion o f rich and rare feathers sunk
by degree s o n the rude pill ow and h e too was soon wan
dering in the land o f dreams
But sleep brooded n o t up on the watchful lids o f Mary
Sh e gazed in S ilence at the wild savage scene before her
The uncouth being s who had s o recently hooted and yelled
like sanguinary demons with intent t o slay an d pillage
around her father her friends and her s elf n ow l ay m o tion
'
less though free and s t il l h o s t i l e within a few feet o f her
and s h e wa s their captive 1 She thought o f her humble but
peaceful h ome and sighed bitterly A n d s h e thought t o o
o f her di s tressed friend s
and s h e w a s the m o re di s tre ss ed
,

WI LD

148

W E S T ERN S CE NE S :

from t h e re to a large fallen tree that had yielded to som e

furious storm when her conduct o r paused H e pointed to
a spot where a cur v e caused th e huge trunk to rise about
a foot fro m the p resent surface under w hich was a
round h o le cut through t h e drifted S n o w down to the earth
and in which were dep osited several buff alo robes and so
arrange d that a p erson could repose within without comin g
in contact with the frozen element around Mary lo o ked
down an d then at her comp anion to ascertain his i n t e n
tions He s poke to her in a l ow tone enough o f which she
comprehended to understand that he de s ired her to descend
into the pit without delay She obeyed and when he had
carefully folde d the r o bes and divers furs about her b o dy
he stepped a few paces to one s ide and gently lifting u p a
round lid o f snow crust placed it over the ap ertur e It
had bee n so smoothly cut an d tte d with such pre i s ion
when replaced that no o n e would h ave been able t dis
cover that a n inci s ion had been made He then bade Mary

a D ud by in b ad E nglish an d s et o il! in a run in a

northern direction for the purpose o f j oining the whites
L ong and interminable seemed Mary s connement to
h er but she was entirely comfo rtable i n her hiding place
Yet many dreadful a pprehensions
a s respecte d her body
oppres s ed her still She feare d that the Indians would soon
ascertain that s h e had left the canoe and return a n d dis
cover her place o f concealment A t time s s h e thought of
th e wild bea s ts prowling around and feared they woul d
devour her before assi s tance came But the m o s t harr o w
i n g fear was that the friendly Indian would abandon her to
her fate or perhaps be k i l l e d without making known h e r
l ocality and helpless condition
Thus was s he a prey to
painful apprehensions and worrying reection s until fr om
exhaustion s h e sank into an unquiet and troubled s lumber
With the r s t light of morning the war party sprang t o
their feet and hastily di s patching a slight repa s t they s e t
o u t on their j ourney with renewed animation and in crea s ed
rapidity Before starting the chief called to Mary an d
again o ff ered some food ; but no reply being returned o r
motion di s covered under the robe whi c h he imagined e m
an d directed
v e l o p e d her h e supposed s he wa s sleeping
t h e p a rty to select the most even route when the y emerged
,

N A RR A T I VE

1 49

the pr a ir i e t h at Sh e might as much as possible enj o y her

repo s e
The Indian who had planned an d executed the escape o f
Mary with the well devised cunning f o r whic h the r ace is
proverbial had told his comp anions that he woul d ri s e b e
fo re d ay and p ursue the same directi o n they were g o i n g in
ad v ance o f them and endea v our to kill a dee r for their
next night s meal Thus his ab s ence created n o s u s picion
an d the party continued their p r e cipit a te retreat
But about n oon after ca s ting m any glances back at the
suppo s ed form o f the cap ti v e re clining p eacefully in the
snow canoe the chief with much excitement betrayed by
his l o oks which seeme d to be mingle d with an a pp r e h e n
s ion that s h e was dead abruptly ordered the p arty to halt
He sprang to the canoe and convulsively tearing away the
skins di s covered only the roll of snow ! He at rst co m
pres s ed his lips i n momentary r a ge and then burst into a
t o f irrepres s ibl e laughter But the re s t raved and stamp ed
and uttered direfu l impre cations and threats of vengean ce
Immediately they were aware o f the treachery o f the absent
Indian an d resolved with one voice that hi s blood should
be an atonement f o r the act Their thought s had dwelt t o o
fo ndly o n the shining gol d they were to g e t in excha n ge
f o r the maiden for them ever to forgive the recreant brother
who had snatched the prize from them The chief soon
recovered his usual grave expres s io n an d partook in som e
m easure the general disappointment and chagrin His
motive s were n ot o f th e s a me mercenary cast which actu
ated his tribe nor did he condemn the conduct o f the one
who had rescued the maid being aware o f the clemen cy
extended him when in the p ower o f the enemy ; but the
thought of being outwitted and thwarted roused his anger
and he determined to recover the lost captive if p ossible
The snow was q uickly thrown o u t and the war party
adjusted th eir weapons with the expectation o f encount e r
ing the whites ; and then whirling about they retraced their
Just
s teps e ven more swiftly than they had been advan cing
as the night was setting in they cam e in sight of the grov e
where they h ad encamped They slackene d their pace
an d l ooking eagerly forward seemed to think it not improba
b le that the whites h a d arrived in the vicinity and migh t
b e lying in am b ush awaiting their return in se a rch o f t h e
in

1 3*

15 0

maid

ILD

W E S T ERN S CENE S :

They then aband o ned the canoe aft e r having con

c e a l e d it under some l o w bu s hes and entered the grove in
a s t e e p in g and watchful posture E re long the chief a t
t a i n e d the imm ediate neighb ourhood of the S preading tree
and with an arrow drawn to its head crept within a f e w
paces o f the spot where he had lain the preceding nigh t
His party were mostly a few feet in the rear while a few
wer e approaching in the same manner from the opposite
direction
Hearing no sound whatever he rose up slowly

Ugh of di s appointment strode careles s ly

an d with an
a cross the silent and untenanted place of encampment
V exation and anger were expressed by the savages in
being thus di s app ointed They hoped to wreak their ven
e a n ce on the whites and had resolved to recapture the
g
mai d en Where they expected to nd them t h e scene was
silent and desolate A nd they n ow sauntered about under
the trees in the partial light o f the m oon that struggle d
through the matted branche s threatening in the most hor
rid manner the one who h a d thus ba fed them Some
struck their tomah awks into the trunks of trees while others
b randi s hed their knives and uttered direful yells The
young chief stood in S ilence wit h his arms folded on his
breast A small ray o f light that fell up on his face ex
h i b i t e d a meditative bro w and features expressing both
rmness and determination He had sai d that the captive
should be regained and his followers ever and anon r e
garded his thoughtful attitude with the condence that his
decision would accelerate the accomplishment of their de
sires L ong he remaine d thus motionless and dignied
a n d no o n e dared to addre s s him ! He had been elected
chief by acclamation after the deat h of R aven He was
not an Osage by birth but had been capture d from o n e of
the neighbouring tribes ( the Pawnee )when only s i x years
o d
His bravery as he gre w up had elicited the ad mira
tion of the whole tribe and it had long been settled tha t
h e s h ould succeed R aven His complexion was many de
grees lighter than that of the Osages or even that o f the
Pa w nees and had it not been f o r the paint and stains wit h
he might have
w hich the warriors decorate their fa ces
p assed if properly attired for an A merican When taken
i n battle he was saved from the torture by a young Indian
She procured h is rele a s e a nd he refu s e d to r etur n
mai d en
.

WI LD

15 2

Mary !

W E S T ERN SC ENE S :

O t h ers in p assing about frequently tro d o n t h e

v ery verge o f the conce a led pit
Mary was awakened by the yell but knew n ot that th e
s ound came from her enemies The Indian had told her
that he would soon return and her heart now uttered with
the hope that her father an d her frien d s were at hand Yet
s h e prudently determined not to rush from her concealment
until sh e was better assured o f the fact She did not thin k
the savages would suspect that s he was hid under the snow
but yet s h e thought it very s trange that her father did not
come to her at once Several minutes had elap s ed since
s h e had been startled by the sounds in t h e immediate V ici
n it
She
heard
the
tramp
o f men alm o st directly over
y
h er head and the strokes a gain s t the fallen trunk She
was several times on the eve o f ri s ing up but was as often
withheld by some mysterious impul se She endeavoured to
reect calmly but still s he could not by any m ode o f con
ct u r e realize th e probability o f her fo e s having returned
e
j
an d traced her thither Yet an u n d e n a b l e fear still pos
sessed her and she endeavoured with patience to await the
pleasure o f her friends But when the chief seated himself
in her vicinity and fell into o n e of his ts o f ab s traction and
the whole p arty became comparati v ely s till and hushed the
p oor girl s suspen s e wa s almo s t in s u ff erable She knew
tha t human being s were all around her and yet her situa
tion w a s truly pitiable and l o nely She felt a ss ured that if
the w a r party had returned in pur s uit of her the same
means which enabled them to trace their victim to the fallen
trunk would likewi s e have s u i e e d t o indicate her hiding
place Then why should s h e he s itate ! The yells that
awakened her had not been heard di s tinctly and under the
circumstances she could not believe that S he w a s surrounde d
by sa v ages O n the other h and if they were her friends
!
o
why did they n t relieve her
N ow a sudden but alas !
erroneous thought occurred to her She was per s uaded
that they were her friend s but that the friendly India n was

not with them h e had perhaps directed them where s h e

coul d be found and then returned to his home Mi g ht n o t
h e r friend s at that moment h e anxiously searching f o r her !
Wo uld not o n e word s uf ce to di s pel th e ir s o licitude an d
restore the lo s t one to their arms ! She resol v ed to s peak
B o w ing d own her head slightly s o that her precise locatio n
,

A N A RR A T I VE

153

m i gh t n o t i a st z n t l y b e ascertained Sh e uttered in a so f t

voice the word FA T H ER !

The chief S prang from h is
seat and the party wa s instantly in commotion Some o f
the savages looked abo v e among the twining bran ches a n d
some shot their arrows in the s no w but fortunately not i n
the direction o f Mary while others ran abou t in every d i
The
r ection examining all the l arge trees in the vicinity
ch ief was amazed an d utterly confounded He dre w n o t
forth an arrow nor brandishe d a tomahawk While h e
thus stood an d the rest o f th e party were m oving hur
r i e d l y ab out a few paces di s tant Mary again repeate d the

word FA T H ER ! A s su d d enly as if by enchantment every

savage was paralyze d E ach stood as devoid o f animation
as a statue For many moments an intense silence reigned
as if naught existed there but the cheerless forest tree s
Slowly at le n gth the tomah awk was returned to the belt
an d the arrow to the qui v er N0 longer was a desire to
S pill blood manifested
The dusky children of the forest
attributed to the mysterious sound a supernatural agency
They believe d it was a voice from the perennial hunting
ground s Humbly they bowed their heads and whispere d
devotions t o the Great Spirit The y oung chief al one
stood erect He gazed at the round moon above him an d
sigh s burst from his breast an d burning tears ran down his
stained cheek Impatiently by a m otion of the hand he
directed the s avages to le a ve him a nd when they withdrew
he resumed his seat o n the fallen trunk and reclined his
brow upo n his hand One o f the long feathers that decked
his head waved forward after h e had been seated thus a
few m inutes and when his eye rested upon it he started up
wildly and tearing it away trampled it under his feet

A t that in s tant the same FA T H E R ! was again heard

The young chief fell upon his knees an d while he p ante d

c o nvul s ively said in E N G LI S H F a t h e r ! M o t h e r ! I m y o u r

,

,
.

9
i
a n u o u l o v e d m e m u ch w h e r e a r e
l
l
i
u
o
y
y
p

I w i l l co m e t o yo u I w a n t t o s e e y o u 1
te l l me
oor

0h

He

then fell pro s trate and groaned piteously

Fa ther ! o h !

Where are yo u !
Who s e voice was that ! said Mary
breaking through t h e slight incrustation that obscured her
an d leaping from her c o vert
The young chief S prang from the earth gazed a momen t
a t the maid spoke rapidly an d l oudly in the language o f
.

WI LD

1 54

W E S T E R N S CENE S

h is tribe to h is party who were now at the place of e u

ca m p m e n t seated by the re they had kindled and then
seizing his tomahawk was i n the act o f hurling it at Mary
when the yells o f the war p arty an d the ringing discharges
o f rearms arre s te d his steel when bran dished in the air
The white men had arrived The yo ung chief seized Mary
b y her long owing hair a g ain prepared to level th e fatal
blow when s h e turned her face upwards and he again
hesitated D i s charges in quick succe ss ion and nearer
than befo re still rang in his ears Mary strove not to
escape N or did the Indian strike
The Whites were
h eard rushing through the bushes the chief s eized the
trembling girl in his arm s a bullet whizzed by his head
but unmindful o f danger he vanishe d among the dark
b ushes with his b urden
,

C H A PT E R X II

J o e s i n di s p o s i t i o n Hi s cur e S n e a k s r e f o r m a t i o n T h e p ur s ui t T h e

f
h
m
n
t
a
v
a
s
s
e
p
i
I
d
i
pp
h
h
m
p
e
t
o
e
Jo e s
r
A
a
o
t
n
a
o
t
c
e
e
c
n
a
n
ca t v e
g
i lln e s s a g a i n T h e s ur p r i s e T h e t e r r i c e n co un t e r R e s cu e o f M a r y
C a p t u r e o f t h e yo un g ch i e f T h e r e t ur n

WE return to the white men

The grief o f R o u g h g r o v e
and o f all the p arty when it was ascertained beyond a
d o ubt that Mary had been carried o ff by the savages was
deep and p oignant The aged ferryman s a t silent and
alone and would n ot be comforted while the re s t made
the neces s ary arrangement s to pur s ue the foe The sle d
was s o altered that blankets buff al o robes and a small
quantity o f food could be taken in it Bullets were moulded
and the guns put in order Joe was ordered to give the
h or s es water an d place a large quantity o f provender
The hounds were fed and then led
w ithin their reach
b a ck to th eir kennel and Glenn announced after R o ugh
gr o ve de clared hi s determinati o n to g o along that R ing
wood a n d Jowler al one woul d be left t o g u ard t h e premis e s
,

WI LD

1 56

Name it

W E S T ERN S CENE S :

crie d Sneak and if it s to j o b o u t o n e o f

my eye s dod r o t m e if I don t d o it

H e ar me
continued B o one ; s h e d esire d m e to ask

you n ot to use that ugly word d ad r o t any more

Hay ! exclaimed Sneak his eyes dilating a n d h i s

mouth falling wide O pen

I know it will be a hard matter said Boone ; b u t

Mary thinks you have a good and brave heart an d she

S ay s you a r e the only one among us that u s es bad wor ds

I d go my death for that gal or any other female w e ;
man in the settlement any day o f my life A nd as s h e
wants me to s w al l e r them words that was born with m e
dod I mean I wish I m ay b e i n d e e d I ll be starved to
death if I d o n t do it only when I m raven mad at some

thing an d then I can t help it

said B oone
N ow I have a request of my
V ery well
own to mak e
Sing it o u t ! do d no n othing ! I didn t s ay i t b ut

I ll d o what yo u want m e to said Sneak

I think yo u will n ot s uff er for the want o f sleep con

tinned Boone ; and I wish you to go o u t and get as many

o f the neighbours to j oin us as p os s ible
Y o u can go to
three or four hou s es by midnight sleep a little an d meet

us here o r in the prairie in the m orning

I s hall cut stick i f I don t I wi s h I m ay be d o I

and before he ceased S peaking he was
i n d e e d I will
ru s hing through the gate
The little party then took a hasty repast and throwing
themselves o n the couches endeavoured to sleep Boone
an d Joe were s o on wrapped i n slumber ; but neither
R o u g h g r o v e nor Glenn for a great length of time could
nd repose

Strive to be composed my friend ; all will be well

sai d Glenn w hen the di s consolate o l d ferryman gave ven t
to numerous h eart rending sighs

u
If yo only knew
commenced R o u g h g r o v e in
reply and the words he was about to utter die d up on his
,

l ip S

I can well imagine the extent o f your bereavement

said G lenn ; but at the same time I am sur e s h e will be
returned to you unharmed
It w a s not Mary al o ne I alluded t o s aid R o u g h g r o v e :
,

A N A RR A T I VE

1 57

l
chi dren

ha d

s e cruelly
b ut to l o se t w o
all that we
Oh m a y we all m eet in heaven

Then yo u had t w o ch il de n an d lost them b ot h !

never heard the other mentioned said Glenn n o w evin o

ing a m ost lively intere s t in the subj e ct

N o i t was my request that it should never b e m en

Mary
and
he
were
twins
only s i x years o l d w h en
tio n e d
he was lost I wished Mary to forget entirely that she ever
had a brother i t could do n o good for her to know it an d
would distress her But n ow He avenly Father ! bot h are

gone ! added the o l d m an in tears

Was he t o o taken by the Indians t h e Osages
in
quired Glenn

N o said R o u g h g r o v e
He h ad b ee n playing o n
the m argin o f the river an d we were comp elled to believe
that he fell in the stream an d was drowned a t a time when
n o eye was up on him Mary was n ear at hand but she
did not s e e h im fall nor could S he tell how he disappeare d
His p oor mother believed that an Indian stole him away
But the only Indians then in the neighbourhood were the
Pawnees and they were at that time friendly He w a s
surely drowned
If the Pawnees had taken him they
would soon have prop osed a ransom Yet his m other con
In her dreams she
t i n u a l l y charged them with the deed
ever saw him among the savages In all her thoughts it
was the same She pine d away S h e never knew a happy
moment afterwards an d when she died the same b elief was

uttered in her last words I am n ow alone !

The o l d
m an covered his face with his hands a n d sobbed audibly

Bear with p atience and resignation said Glenn the

dispensations o f an all wise Providen ce A ll m ay yet be
well The son whom you thought lost forever may b e
l iving and p ossibly reclaime d an d Mary sh a ll be restored
i f human e ff orts can accompli s h it
C heer up Many a

h appy day may still be reserved for you

Oh ! my dear young friend ! if you but knew a l l ! sai d

,

R o ug h g

r ove

D o I not now kn ow all ! asked Glenn

N o replied the o l d man ; but the rest must rema i n

a secret i t should perhaps be burie d in my brea s t forever !
I will now strive to sleep
They ce ased to S p eak , a n u
silence reigne d till morning
.

14

15 8

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

Joe was r o u s ed from his couch in th e m orning by a tre

mendo n s Y a h e y outside o f the inclosure

R un and O pen the gate said Glenn

I d rather n o t said Jo e rubbing his eyes

Why ! asked Glenn

Hang it it s the Indians again ! replied Joe seizing

h is musket

It is Sneak and his me n

o b serve d Boone when
another shou t was uttered

Hang me if I don t have a p eep at em rst anyhow

sai d Jo e approaching the gate cautiously and p eering
through a small cre v ice
Y a hoo
repeated those without

Who are you ! why don t yo u speak out ! said Joe

still unab l e to see their faces

I
D od
mean plague take it ! Joe is Mr Boone

ou !
aske
d
Sneak
s tanding there with
y

NO replied Jo e opening the gate

Then dod r o t your hide ! why didn t you let us in !

said Sneak , rushing throug h the gate an d followed by ve
of the neighbours

Why Sneak how coul d I tell that yo u weru t Indians !

sai d Jo e

You be do d never mind ! continue d Sneak S haking

his head an d passing to where Boon e stood near the
house

I am glad to s e e you all said B oone extending his

han d to each of the hardy pioneers
But let u s n o t waste
a m om ent s time I s e e yo u are all armed Seize hold o f the

sled rop e and let us be o ff

The comm and was in s tantly
obeye d and the p a r t y w e r e s o o n p a s si n g o u t o f the inclo s ure

The gate was scarce fa s tened before another Y a h o e !

came from the valley below and a moment after they wer e
j oined by C o l C o per and D an The other oarsman had
been sent up the river for reinforcemen ts and C o l C ooper
and D an having heard the great explosion nally resolved
t o cross over the river and n ot await th e arrival o f the
trapper s
The party now amounted to twelve and n o time was
lost in commencing the marc h or rather the cha s t for when
they reached the prairie and foun d the trail o f the snow
canoe their progress equalled that o f the s av a ges B u t
-

"

W I LD W E S T ER N S CENE S

160

Oh !

ai r

we re surrounded !

cried

leaping forwa r d

Jo e ,

C ome o n
sai d Boone ; we ll soon learn what h e

wants with us
When they were within a few hundre d yards o f the so
l i t a r y Indian they again halted and Jo e ran to the sled an d
seized his musket which h e cocked and threw up t o his
shoulder

Take down your gun ! said Boone ; that is the Indian

whose life we spared I was n ot deceived in his integrity
He was n o t the o n e that stol e away Mary I doubt not

he brings intelligence o f her

G o d grant s h e m ay still be unh armed ! said R ough

grove advanci n g to meet the Indian who being n e w w ith

in gunshot raised his small white ag

Tell m e ! tell
me all about her ! exclaimed R o u g h g r o v e in the O s age
language when he m e t the Indian
When the Indian
informed him of the condition of Mary the O ld man coul d

not repress hi s rapture s his gratitude o r his tears

She s

safe ! she s safe ! Heaven be prai s ed ! he exclaimed turn

ing to his companions who n o w came up and experience d
almost as much j oy at the announcement as himself

Hang me if yo u ain t a right clever fellow said Joe

shaking the Indian s hand quite h eartily

N ow he
continued when all the particulars o f Mary s e s cap e were

m ade known there won t be any use in ghting ; we can

j u s t get Miss Mary o u t of the snow and then go hom e
ag a m
You don t know keep your m outh S het dod
sai d
Snea k suppre ss ing the last wor d
We are not sure O f that said Boone ; o n the con
t r ar y I think it is very probable we s hall have ghting yet
When the war party di s cover the deception ( a s they must
have done ere this )they will retrace their steps If it was
e a rly in the day when they ascertained that the captive had
e s caped we m ay expect to s e e them very soon If it was
late we will nd them in the grove where they e n camped
In either event we must expect to g h t an d ght har d,

f o r they outnumber u s con s iderably

to o
Jo e sighed but said nothing
A re yo u getting ill again
inquired B oone

A N A RR A T I VE

1 6]

N o I was only blowi n g I g o t a little t i red s a d

Joe in scarce articulate tone s

A n d I feel weak very weak b ut it is with j o y ! sai d

R o ug h g r o ve

A n d I have
.

obser v ed it t o o said B oone

Get i n
we will pull yo u along till your strength r e

th e sled ;
tu r n s f

"

I will be able to use my gun when I mee t the foe

said the o l d m an getting into the s l ed
The party s et fo rward a gain guided by the Indian an d
in high s pirit s The con s ci o u s ne s s that Mary was in safety
removed a weight from the bre a s ts O f all ; and as they ran
a long many a light j e s t and pleasant rep artee lessened the
weariness o f the march E ven Jo e s miled on ce or twice
when Boone in a m ock heroic manner alluded to his expl oits
a m o ng the wolves

Bl a s t m e said Joe when Sneak mentioned a few cases

O f equivocal courage as an O ff s et to B oone s com pliments

bla s t me if I haven t killed m o re Indians than any O f yo u

since I ha v e been in this plagued country

True that i s your mu s ket has said B oone

said Glenn smiling

Jo e ca n ght s ometimes
I ll be ha n ged if I haven t a lways fo ught when there

said Joe reproachfully

w a s any ghting g o ing on

Ye s an d he ll ght again as m anfully as any o f us

said Boone

D o d! why what are yo u holding b ack for s o hard !

said Sneak remarking that Jo e at that in s tant seemed to
b e much excited and instead o f going forward actually
b rought the whole party to a moderate walk by his counter
exert i on

What do yo u mean ! a s ked Glenn

A re you going to be ill ! a s ke d Boone

NC goodne s s n o ! Only li s ten t o me a minute

An
I dea struck m e which I though t it w a s my duty to tell
I thought thi s Indian might be deceiving us Suppose he
l eads us right into an ambu s h when we re talking an d
la u ghi n g and thinking there s n o d a nger
D o d y o u re a c o wardly fo o l
said Sneak

I have likewi s e a reme d y f o r interruption s I advi s e

o u n o t to s t e p a gain
said
B
oone
when
o n ce m o r e
J
o
e
y
S t arted forw a rd
,

l 4*

W I LD W E S T ERN SCENE S :

16 2

Just

n i ght was setting in the p arty came in S ight o f

th e g r o v e where Mary wa s c o ncealed
They slackene d
their p ace and drew n ear the dark woods quite cautiou s ly
When they entere d t h e edge o f the grove they heard the
war party utter the yell which had awakened Mary It
was fully understood by B oone and the friendly Indian as
sure d them from the sound that the O s ages had j ust r e
turned an d were at that moment lea v ing th e encampm ent
on h i s trail But he stated that they c o uld n o t nd the
pale faced maiden A nd he s uggeste d to the whites a plan
O f attack whi ch was to s tation them s el ves n ear th e place
he had emerged fr o m the gr o ve after hidi n g
w here
Mary ; S O that when they fo llowed o n hi s trail they coul d
thus be surpri s ed without d i i cu l t y
Thi s advice was
adopted by B o one The Indian then asked permi s sion
t o depart saying he had p aid the white men for sp aring
his life

Oh n o ! cried Jo e when R o u g h g r o v e interpreted the

Indian s request
keep him as a hostage h e may be

cheating u s

I d o not s e e the impropriety o f Joe s remark this time

said Glenn

A s k him where he will go if we su ff er him to depart

said B oone T o R o u g h g r o v e s interr o gation the India n
made a pas s ionate reply He said the white men were
liars They were n o w quits Still the white men were
not s ati s ed He had ri s ked hi s life ( and w o ul d pr o bably
be tortured )t o p ay back the white men s kindne s s B u t
they would not believe his word s He was willing t o die
now
The white men might S h o o t him He would as
willingly die a s li v e If su ffered to d epart it wa s hi s i n
tention to s teal hi s s quaw away from the tribe and j o in
the Pawnees He would never be an O s age again

G o ! s aid B o one perceiving by a ray o f mo o nlight

that reache d the Indian s fa ce through the clu s tering
branche s o f the tree s ab o v e that he wa s in tears The
s avage without S peaking a nother wor d leaped o u t into the
prairie a n d from the ci r cuit o u s dire ction he pursued it wa s
manife s t that n o thing coul d be further fr o m hi s de s ire th a n
to fall in with the war party
B oone directed the sled to be ab andoned and obedient
t o h i s will the party entered a small covert in the imme
as

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S

1 64

stooping d own to Jo e w h o s till remained apparently frozen

to the s n ow crust

Oh ! I m s o si ck ! replie d Jo e

If you do n ot keep with u s you will lose your scalp to

a certainty s aid Boone Jo e w a s well in a s econd The

party were now about midw a y b etween the fallen trunk
where Mary was concealed and the great encampment
tree B oone rose erect f o r an i n stant and beheld the
fo rmer and the singl e Indian ( t h e chief )who wa s there
One o f the Indian s again started o u t from th e re in th e
direction o f the whites for m o re fuel B o o ne once more
pa ss ed the word for his little band t o lie down The tall
savage cam e within a few feet o f them Hi s t o m ahawk
accidentally fell from hi s hand an d in hi s endea v our to
catch it he knocked it Within a few feet o f Sne a k s head
He stepped careles s ly a s ide and s t ooped down for it A
strangling and gu s hing sound was heard and falling pros
trate he died without a groan Sneak had nearly s e v ered
his head fro m his b o dy at o n e blow with hi s hunting knife
A t thi s juncture Mary s prang fro m her hiding place
Her voice reached the ears o f her father but befo re he
could run to h er a ss i s tance the chief s loud tones rang
through the fo re s t Boon e and th e rest S prang for w ard
and red up on the savages under the s preading tre e A t
the second di s charge the Indian s gave way and whil e C ol
C o o per the oar s men and the neighbours that had j oined
the p arty in the morning pursued the ying f o e B o one
and the re m ainder ran toward s the fallen trunk where Mary
had been c oncealed but approaching in di ff erent direction s
Glenn was the r s t to rush up o n the chief and it was his
ball that whizzed s o near the Indian s head when he bore
away the s hrieking maiden The rest only red in the
directi o n o f the l o g n o t thinking that Mary had left her
covert They s o on met at the fallen tree under whi ch was
the pit all except Glenn w h o s prang forward in pur s uit of
the chief and Sneak who had made a wide circuit f o r the
purp o se of reaching the s cene of action fro m an opp o s ite
directi o n entirely regardle s s o f the danger of being s hot
by hi s friends
She s gone ! s he s go n e exclaimed R o ug h g r o v e look
m g a ghas t at the vacated pit under t h e fallen trunk

said Boone a s he h ar d
B u t w e Wi ll have her yet
,

I t is

y ou fat h e
r

r,

my

poo h il d ! sai d R g h g
P 1 65
h i h ea t
r c

ou

r av e

p essi ng t h gi l to
r

WILD

166

B ecause ,

W E S T E R N SC EN ES

said Mary he s a good h earted Indi

and never would have harmed me When he heard yo u
com i ng a n d rai s ed his t o mahawk to kill m e I lo o ked in
h is face a n d he could n ot strike f o r there were tears i n h i s
eyes ! I know he never woul d have thought o f killing me

w h en calm for h e treated m e very kindly before I escaped

Maybe he ain t dead I ll g o and s e e said Sneak

repairing to the late scene o f conict When he arrived
he found t h e young chief sitting upright having been only
stunned ; a gold ba n d that conned his head dre ss pre
vented the blow from fracturing his S kull He was n o w
unre s isting and sullen Sneak made h i m ri s e up an d
after binding his hands behind h i m with a strong cord led
h im forth

You di d n o t intend to kill me did yo u ! asked Mary

in soothing tones The chief regarded her n o t but l ooked
ste adfastly downwards

He don t understand you Mary said Boon e

Oh yes h e does
continued Mary ;
and he can
speak o u r language too f o r I heard him talking and
thought it was yo u and that was the reason why I came

o u t o f the pit
R o u g h g r o v e addre s sed him in his o w n
language but with n o better success The captured chief
resolved not to plead f o r his life He would make no reply
whatever to their question s but s till gazed downwards in
reckless sullenne s s

What shall we do with h i m ! asked Glenn when the

rest o f th e p arty ( with the exception o f Joe ) who h a d
chased the s avages far away came up and stared at the
priso n er
L et us s et him free said R o u g h g r o v e

K ill him ! cried s everal

N o exclaimed Mary what do y o u s a y Mr Boone

It would be use l es s to kill him said Boone

L et him go then said Glenn

NO ! said Boone
Why
asked Glenn

he is a chief and we m ay
B e cause replied B o on e
m ake h i m the mean s of securing the settlement against
future a ttacks We will conne h i m in y o ur garri s o n a s a
h ostage and send some friendly Indian t o the O s age s a h
hi
s
capture
and
informing
them
that
his
life
w ill
n o u n ci n
g

A NARR A T I VE

1 67

b e spare d provi d e d th ey keep away from th e settlement for

a certain l ength o f time at the expiration o f which h e

shall be restored to them

I am glad
for I d on t b elieve
s aid Mary
o f that
he is a bad Indian We will treat him kindly and then I

think he will always be o u r friend

Take him along and bind him fa s t in the S led Sneak

said Boon e ; but s e e that yo u do n o t inj ure h im in the

least

I will Oh m e an d him are purty good friends n o w

Gee whoa h aw continued he taking hol d o f the string

behind and endea v ouring to drive the s ilen t captive like
an e x
The young chief whirled round indignantly and
with s u ch force as to send Sneak sprawling s everal paces
to o n e S ide He rose amid the laughter that e nsued an d
remembering th e words o f B oone conducte d his prisoner
away in a m ore respectful m anner

Where s Joe ! at length inquired Glenn seeing t ha t

he alon e was missing

Oh ! I m afraid he s d ead said Mary

If he is I shall mourn his lo s s m any a d a y sai d

Glenn
for with all his defects I would not be without

him f o r the worl d

Give your s elf n o uneasiness said Boone

for he i s

a s well at thi s moment as

u or I
o
y

I hope s o s aid Glenn ; but I have n o t s e e n him since

we r s t red at the Indians

L et us repair to that s pot an d there we w i ll nd him
for I s aw him fall down when he discharged his musket I

venture to s a y he ha s not m oved an inc h S in ce

The party repaired to the place mentioned an d t h ere
they found him sure enough lying quite still on his fac e
b eside the Indian that Sne a k h ad killed
He i s dead ! said Glenn after calling to him a nd re
ce i v i n g n o an s wer

We ll soon see said B oone turning him over on h i s

b ack
I will open a vein in his arm

Bring a torch from the re said C ol C ooper to o n e

of the m e n

Oh ! sighed Joe lifting h is hand s to his head

I thought h e would soon come to life again sai d

Boone examining his fac e wit h the tor ch th a t was brou g ht
,

"

1 68

W I LD W E S T E RN S CENE S :

and then laug h ing outright The spectacle was ludicrou s

in the extrem e Joe was be s meared wit h blood and whe n
he O pened his eyes and stared at the aming light he r e
sembled some sanguinary demon

Where in the worl d did all this bl ood come from !

exclaimed Glenn

I m recovered now said Jo e rising up an d a ssumin g

a n air of importance

What have you been d oing ! asked Glenn

I v e been doing as much a s any o f you I ll be b ound

replied Joe very gravely

Well what have yo u d o n e ! repeate d Glenn

I ve been ghting the last half hour as hard as any

body ever fought in thi s world Only look at t h e stab s in
that Indian ! said he p ointing to the savage

Why yo u scoundrel
Sneak kille d this Indian sai d
Glenn

Sneak thought h e did rep l ied Joe

but h e only
wounded him A fter a while he got up an d clinched me
by the throat and we had it over and over on the snow
till we both g o t so exhausted we couldn t do any thing
When we rested we went at it again and it hasn t been
ve minute s S ince I stuck my knife in his breast When
he fell I stuck him four or ve times and then fainte d

myself

Here is a woun d in the savage s breast said Glenn

But here s another in the throat said B oone show

ing where the arteries h a d been severed by Sneak

Joe said Glenn you must abandon this habit of

lying if indee d it is n o t a p ortion of your nature

Hang it all I ain t lying I know Sneak did cut h is
t h r e a t but he didn t cut it deep I cut it deeper myself
after the Indian got u p again ! persisted he
The party hastily glanced at the four or ve dead savages
under the trees that had fallen victims to t heir re and
then returne d to the sled Mary was pl aced b e s ide the
captive chief and they s e t out on their return well satis
fi ed with the result of the expedition
.

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

1 70

How We ll be abl e to keep thi s Indian here when

we go o u t I should like to know said Jo e regarding

the manly and symmetrical form of the young chief
w h o was n o w unbound and s a t silent and thoughtful by
the re

I think h e ought to be killed said Sneak

Oh no ! said Mary ; he is not bad like the other In

dians
The Indian for the rst time since his capture
r a ised his head while s h e sp oke and looked searchingly in

her face
Oh ! continued Mary thinking o f the horrors
o f savage warfare and bur s ting into tears
you will never
a ttempt to kill any o f us again will yo u

NO ! said the chief in a l ow b u t di s tinct tone E very

o n e in the house but Mary started

You understan d our language do you ! Then why

d i d you n o t answer my que s tions ! a s ked R o u g h g r o v e

turning to the captive The young chief made no answer
b ut sat with his a rm s folded and still regarding the fea
t ures O f Mary
He s a perfect fool said S neak
He s a snake in the grass and 11 bite some o f us some

f these times before we know any thing about it

sai d
,

os

B e sil ent said Glenn

If the hop e that lls my
b re a st should be realized the young chief will cau s e more
rej oicing than sorr o wing amon g u s The wisdom o f Pr o
v i d e n ce surpasses all h uman understanding
E vents that
b ear a frightful import to the limited c o mpr ehension s O f
mortals may nevertheless be fraught wit h ine s timable
blessings E ven the circumstance o f your capture Mary
h owever distressing at the time to yourself and to all your
friends may s ome day be looked up on as a happy and f o r

t u n a t e occurrence

I h op e s o s aid Mary
G o d is great is present everywhere and governs
every thing let us always submit to his just decrees with

said the o l d ferryman his eyes brigh t

o u t murmuring
c uing with fervent devotion

They ve a notion to preach a little I believe w h is

o
ere
d
Sneak
to
e
J
p

L et em go ahead then replied Joe wh o was busily

e ngage d wit h a long s witch that he occ a sionally thrus t in
.

'

A N A RRA T I VE

1 71

the re an d w hen the end was burnt to a coal slyly a pplie d

it to the heel o f the young chief s m occasin

You d better n o t let him ketch yo u a t t h at s a i d

Sneak

He ll think its a tick biting him I w a n t t o s e e if t h e

Indians scratch like other people said Joe

Mary being so reque s ted by her fat h er began to relate
every thing that transpire d up to her rescue while she wa s
in the pos s ession of the savages The Indian rivete d his
eyes upon her during the recital and seemed to mark every
word
Wh ether he understood a ll she said o r was e u
ch a nted with her soft and musical tones coul d not be
ascertained ; but the listeners m ore than once Ob served wit h
astoni s hment h is gleaming eyes his attentive attitude and
the intense interest exhibited in his face It was during a
m oment when he was thus absorbed t ha t h e suddenly
S prang ere ct
Joe threw down his switch convulse d wit h
internal laughter Sneak lea n e d back against the wall
and while he grinned at t h e amusing scene seeme d curious
to know what woul d b e the re s ult Mary pause d a n d
Glenn inquire d the cause o f the interruption

Its n othing hardly said Sneak : only a S p a rk of

re g o t agin the Indian s foot He ain t as goo d pluck
a s the other one we had h e could stan d b urni n g a t the

stake without i n ch i n g

D id either of you p l a ce the re against his foot

de
m a n d e d Glenn in something like anger
But before he
could receive an answer the young chief who ha d whirle d
r o und furiously and cast a erce look at his tormentor r e
laxing his knit brows into an expression o f contempt very
deliberately took h old o f Joe s ear and turning o n his h eel
like a pivot forced him to make m any ci r cl e s r o u n d him o n
the oor

L et go my ear ! roared Joe pacing roun d in pain

Hold your b e lt my s n a r v i l e r o us yal l e r prairie d o g
cried Sneak inexpressibly amused

L et g o my ear I s ay ! cried Joe still trotting rou n d

rasping
the
Indian
s
wri
s
t
Mr
Glenn
w ith both hands
!
g

Mr Glenn ! continued Jo e he s pinching a hole through

my ear ! Shoot him down S hoot him down there s my

un
!
standing
against
the
wall
but
it
s
not
loaded
Take
g

my knife o h he s tearing my ear Off

When the In dia n
,

W I LD W E S T E RN S CE NE S

1 72

thoug h t he was s u i ci e n t l y puni s hed he led h im b ack to

hi s seat and relinqui s he d his hold He then resumed his
o w n seat and composedly turning his eyes to Mary seem
ed to desire her t o pr o ceed with the narration She did s o
but when s he spoke o f her attempt to e s cape in the prairie
o f the young chief s nobl e conduct and hi s admiration O f
her ring ( an d s h e pulled o ff her glove and exhibited it
as s h e spoke ) he again rose from hi s seat and walking
apparently unconsci o u s ly to where s he reclined upon her
father s knees xed hi s eyes upon the j ewel in a most
mysterious m anner H e n o longer dwel t up on t h e m a i d
H e did nothing but gaze at the ring
e n s S weet tones
He s got a notion to steal that ring said Joe wit h a
sneer
Shet your mouth
said Sneak O bserving t h at Mary
looked reproachfully at Jo e and pause d

D on t talk that way Jo e

said the o ff ended girl
I
h e wanted it why did he n ot take it when I was his pri

s e ner ! I w ill freely let him have it n ow s h e continued

slipping it Off from her nger

N 0 ! keep it chil d i t is a family ring said R oug h

grove

I will len d it to him I know he will gi v e it me again

s h e continued placing it in the extended hand of the young
chief who thanked her with his eyes and re s umed his seat
He now s eemed to disregard every th i ng that was s ai d o r
done and o nly gazed at the ring which he held rst in one
hand and then in the other with the s parkling diamond u p
Sometimes
he
would
pre
ss
his
forehead
with
his
e r mo st
p
hand and cover his eyes and then gaze at the ring again
Then s taring wildly around and S lightly star t ing he would
bite his ngers to ascertain whether the scene was real ity
o r a dream
Finally giving vent to a piteous S igh while
a tear ran down his stained cheek he placed hi s elbows
upon his knees and bending forward seemed to mu s e over
some even t o f the past which the j ewel before him h a d
called to remembrance
Glenn narrowly watched every look and m o ti o n O f t h e
y o ung chief a n d when Mary ni s hed the a ccount of her
capture he introduced the s ubj ect of the l o s t child Mary s
bro t her that R o u g h g r o v e had spoke n about b e fore s tar t i n g
in p u r s m t o f the war party
,

'

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S

1 74

O h Mr Glenn ! is he then alive ! is this he ! crie d

Mary

N o child ! s aid R o u g h g r o v e
do n ot thi n k o f
such a thing for you will be most bitterly d is a p
pointed Your brother wa s w h i t e look at thi s Indian s
dark face
Glenn approached the chief extending his hand in a
friendly manner It was frankly grasped He then gently
drew the furs aside and exp o s ed the young man s S houlder
It was as white a s his o w n
R o u g h g r o v e Mary and all
looke d o n in wonder The young chief regarded it wit h
singular emotions himself He seeme d to associate it in
some manner with the ring he held for he glanced from
one to the other alternately

D id Mary wear that ring before the c h il d was lost

a sked Glenn

N O replied R o ug h g r o v e but her m other did

I believe he is your son said Glenn

Mary h e
continued
have you any trinkets o r toys you use d to
play with

Yes Oh let me get them s h e replied and running

to a corner o f the room where her father s che s t s and
trunks had been placed s h e produced a s mall drum and a
brass toy cannon
He used to play with these from morn

ing till night s h e continued placing them o n the oor

She had not taken her h a nd away from them before the
young chief sprang to her side an d cried o u t
They re mine ! they re mine ! they re William s !
What was the child s name
aske d Glenn quickly
William Willia m crie d Mary
It i s my brother

it is my p oor brother William ! and without a m oment s

h esitation S he thre w her arms round h i s neck an d sobbed
up on his breast !

The p o o r poor C hil d said R o ug h g r o v e in tremulous

t ones embracing them b o th his eyes lled with tears
Sister S ister said the youth gazing in partial bewil
d e r m e n t at M ary

Brother brother ! I am your sister ! s aid Mary in

t ones o f thrilling tenderness

B ut m other where s m other ! a s ked the youth The

father and sister bowe d their he a ds in silence The youth
f e w minutes s t a rte d u p
a ft e r cli n ging fondly t o Mary a
.

A N ARRA T I VE

1 75:

abruptly an d l ooked a m aze d as if waking from a swee t

dream to the reality o f hi s recent dreadful c o nditi o n
Brother why do you lo o k s o c o ldly at u s
Why don t
said
Mary
still
clinging
to
u pre s s us to your heart !
o
y
him
The youth s features gradually a ss um ed a grave
and haughty cast and turning away he walked to the stool
h e h ad o ccupied and s at do w n in s ilen ce

I will win him from the Indians said Mary running

after him an d sitting d own at hi s s ide
Ugh exclaime d the youth in displeasure and move d
a short di s tan ce away

He s not true grit I m o s t wish I ha d kille d h im

said S neak

Yes and pin c h me if I don t burn h i m again if I ge t

a chance said Joe

Silence said Glenn s ternly Fo r many minutes n ot
a word was spoken A t le n gth Mary who had been s o b
bing raised her head and l ooke d tenderly in the face o f her
brother Still he regarded her with indi ff erence
She
th en seize d the toy drum which with th e other articles ha d
b een thrust o u t o f vie w an d placed them before him
When his eyes re s te d upon them ; the severe and wild ex
pression s of hi s features again relaxed T he young war
chief was a child again He aband o ned hi s s eat and s a t
down on the oor be s ide his sister Looki n g her guile
lessly i n the face a n innocent and boyi s h s mile playe d
up on his lips
Y o u won t go away again and leave your p oor sister ;

will you William ! s aid Mary

NO indeed
A nd when the Indian s come we ll run
away and go to mother won t we Mary ! said t h e youth
in a complete abandonment of time and conditi o n

He i s restored re s tored at last ! excl aimed R ough

gro v e w a lking across the room to where the brother and
sister sat The youth s prang to his feet an d darted a l o o k

o f deance at him
Oh ! wretched man th at I a m ! the
murderous savage s have converted the gentl e lamb into a

R o u g h g r o v e then repeate d his word s to the youth

wolf !
i n the Osage la n guage
The you t h replied in the s ame
langu a ge his eyes a s hing i ndignantly He said it was
not true ; that the red man wa s great an d nobl e an d the

a
s
w
ale
face
a
bea
s
t
and added that h e had a nothe r
p
,

"

fu el l dm lostl

I bp

on nedto

1 76

W I LD W E S T E R N SC E NE S

toma ha wk a n d b ows a n d a rrows in h is own country a n d

might see the day when this insult woul d b e terribly r e
The ol d man sank down on h is ru d e seat an d
s ented
gave way to excruciating grief

Brot h er William ! cried Mary tapping the d rum The

youth cast d own his eyes to where s h e s a t a nd their
e r ce n e s s vanished in a twinkling
She place d the toy in
h is p ossession an d rose to b ring some other plaything sh e
remembered
Sister d on t g o I ll tell mother crie d t h e youth in
infantile earnestness

I ll come b ack presently brother sai d M a ry tri pp i ng

a cross the room and searching a trunk
M ake haste b ut I m not afraid I ll frig h ten all t h e

In d ians a way
Saying this he rattle d the drum as
r a pidly as possible

See what I ve g o t b rot h er sai d Mar y returning with

a juvenile book a nd sitting do w n close at his side He
thrust the d rum away a nd laughing heartily place d his
arm round his sister an d said : Mother s got my b ook ;
b ut you ll let m e look at yours won t you sister !
Yes that I will brother se e this is the little ol d w e
m a n a n d there s her dog

Yes a n d there s the p eddler cried t h e youth , p ointin g

a t t h e picture

N ow c a n t you rea d it brother !

To b e sure I c a n let me read

,

"

Th e r e w a s a l i t t l e w o m an
As I h a v e h e ar d t e ll
Sh e w e n t t o m a r k e t

He r

g g

for t o

se

ll

See t h ere sh e goes wit h a b asket on h er a rm a n d a ca n s

in her han d

Yes a n d h ere s h e is again on t h is si d e fast asleep

a n d her b a sket o f eggs sit ting by h e r sai d Mary ; n o w

l e t me re ad the ne x t :
,

Sh e w e n t t o m ar k e t ,
Al l o n a m ar k e t d a y,
An d s h e f e a s e e p

O n t h e ki n g s

ll

WI LD

1 78

W E S T ER N S C EN ES :

h e conti nue d lifting h is eyes and b eholding R o u g h g r o v e

attire d in a suit of velvet an d wearing broad S ilver knee

buckles
Father father ! he cried , eagerly clasping
t h e o l d man in his a rms

My p oor b oy I will b e your fat h er still ! sai d R oug h

grove

I kn ow you will said the youth f o r you al w ays

loved me a great deal and now that my poor mother s dead,

I m sure you will love si s ter and me more than ever

Indee d I will p oor child ! But you must not go b ack

t o the naughty savages any more

The youth gazed round in silence an d made no reply
H e was evidently awakening to a consciousness o f his con
dition A frown o f horror darkened his brow as he con
t e m p l a t e d the scenes o f his wild abode among the Indians ;
a nd when he contraste d his re cent mode of life with the
E lysian days of his childhood n e w fre s h in his memory
mingled emotions o f regret fear and bliss seemed to be
contending in his bosom A cold dampness s ettle d upon
h is forehead his limbs trembled violently an d distressful
sighs is s ued from his heaving breast Gradually he sank
down o n a Couch at hi s side and closed his eyes
When some minutes had elapsed during w h ich a d eath
like silence was maintained Mary approache d lightly
to where her father stood and inquire d if her b rother
w a s ill

NO said R o u g h g r o v e in a whisper ; he only sleeps ;

b ut it is a very sound slumber

said Glenn
No w let us take O ff his Indian dress

and put o n him som e of my clothes

This was speedily
e e ct e d an d without a w aking the youth whose senses wer e
b enu mbed as if by some p owerful O piate

said R o u g h g r o v e
you must likewise
Ne w Mary
h ave repose Y o u are almo s t exhausted in b ody and mind

Sleep at your brother s side if you will p oor girl

Mary
laid her head on William s pillow a nd was soon in a deep
s lumber
Fo r several m oments R o u g h g r o v e stoo d lost in thought
gazing alternately at the reposing brother and si s ter and
Glenn He looked also at Sneak and Joe reclining by the
He then res u m ed his seat
r e ; both were fast asleep
He bowed h i s h e ad a
a n d motione d Glenn to do likewise
,

A N A RRA T I VE
b rief

length o f time in silen ce apparently recalling to

mind some occurrence of more than ordinary imp ort

My young friend said he at l ength whil e he place d

h is withered han d upon Glenn s knee do yo u rem embe r
that I said there was a n o t h e r se cret connecte d wit h my
family

D istin ctly replie d Glenn

an d I h ave since felt so
m uch anxiety t o b e acquainted with it that I have several
tim e s b een o n th e eve o f asking yo u to gratify my curiosi
t y ; but thinking it might b e impertinent I h ave forborne
It has m ore than once occurre d to me that your condition

in life must h ave b een di ff erent from wh at it n ow is

It has be en di ff erent far di ff erent I will tell you

all I am a native o f E ngland a younger brother o f
a n ancient an d honourabl e family but much decayed in f o r
tune I was educated for the ministry Our resi d en ce
was o n the Thames a few miles distant from L on d on an d
I was early entered in one O f the institutions o f the gre a t
city While attending college it was my practice twice a
m onth to vi s it my father s m a n sion o n foot I was fon d o f
solitary musings an d the exercis e was benecial to my
weak frame It w a s during o n e of those excursions that I
rescued a young l ady from the rude assaults of two r a th au s
A fter a brief s truggle they e d I turne d to the on e I ha d
s o O pp ortun ely served a n d was s truck with her unp arallele d
beauty Young ; a form o f symmetrical loveliness ; d a rk
languishing eye s a smooth forehead of lily purity an d
auburn hair owing in glossy ringlets i t was n o t strange
that an impre ss i o n should be made o n the heart o f a young
student She thanked me f o r my generous interp osition i n
such sweet and musical ton e s that every wor d thrille d
pleasantly through my brea s t She prevaile d upon m e to
accompany her to her mother s cottage but a few hun d re d
pace s di s tant ; and during o u r walk thither s h e hung con
di n g l y o n my arm
Her aged m other overwhelme d m e
with expre s sions o f gratitude She m ildly chi d her d a u g h
t o r for wan dering s o far away in quest o f owers a n d the n
withdrawing left us al one A gain my eyes met those of

the blushing maiden but it is usele s s to dwell up on t h e

particulars o f o u r mutual pas s ion S uf ce it to s ay that
s h e was the only child o f her widowed mother in moderate

u t indep e ndent circumstances and being hitherto seclude d

,

lh

v a he con

H in his memory,
Ilia seemedtobe
na e: settledupon
p

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

18 0

from t h e society o f the other sex soon conce i ved ( for my

vi s its were frequent )an a ff ection as a rdent as my own
A t length I apprized my father o f the attachment and a s ked
his co n s ent to o u r union He refu s ed t o s anction the alli
ance in the m o s t positi v e terms and comman ded m e n e t er
He s aid that I was p oor
t o mention the subj ect again
and that he woul d n ot consent to my marriage with any
other than an heiress I returned to Lo ndon resolved to
di s obey his inj unction for I fel t that my h a ppines s entirely
d epended up on my union with the l ove l y Juliet
B ut I
had never yet denitely expr e ssed my desire to her Yet
there coul d b e n o doubt from h e r smile s that m y wishes
would willingl y b e acceded to I determined to arrange
every thing at o u r next interview and a few weeks after
ward s I rep aire d to the cottage f o r that purpose Instead of
m eeting m e with her ever bli ss ful face I found my Juliet
in tears
She was alone but in the adj oining cham b er I
h eard a m an s voice and feared that it was my father I
was mi s taken Julie t soon br u s hed away her tear s and i n
fo rmed me that s h e had been ag a i n a ss ailed by the s ame
She
r u i a n s an d o n the lawn within s ight o f the cottage
said that the gentleman in the next ro o m was her deliverer
I s eized her hand and when about t o propose a plan to
secure her against s uch ann o yances f o r ever her mother
entered and introduced the stranger to me His name was
N i ch o l s on and he stated that he wa s a partner i n a large
b anking e s tablishment in L o mbard Street He w a s past the
bl o o m o f youth but s till hi s ne clothe s and hi s reputed
wealth were displea s ing to m e I wa s e s pecially ch a grined
at the m arked attenti o n s how n him by Juliet s m other
A nd my annoyance wa s increa s ed by the frequent la s ci v i o us
glance s he cast at the maide n The more I marked him
the m ore wa s my unea s ine s s It s oon occurred to me that
I h a d s een him befo re ! He resembl e d a
s een dri v ing rapidly al o ng the highway in a chariot o n the
But my recolle c t ion
morning that I r s t beheld my Juliet
T here was a condescendi n g
o f hi s features wa s indi s tinct
sua v ity in his manner s and someti m e s a p o s itive and com
mandin g tone in his conversation that almo s t roused my
e nmity in spite o f my peaceful calling and friendly di s p o
It was my intention to remain at the cottag e and
si t io n
os
m
opo
s
e
to
Juliet
after
he
had
departed
But
pur
p
y
p
,

W I LD W E S T E R N SC ENE S :

on my h ea r t I returned to my lonely an d d esolate l o dg

ings without a malicious feeling for the o n e who had rob
b ed me o f every hope o f earthly enj oyment I prayed that
he might make Juliet happy
But alas ! her happiness was O f short duration Scarce
s i x months had passed before Mr N icholson began to neg
le ct his youthful and co n di n g bride She had still remain
ed a t her mother s cottage while as s h e stated his estab
l i s h m e n t was being tted up in town for their reception
He at rst drove o u t to the cott a ge every evening ; but
soon a fterward s fell into the habit o f visiting his bride only
two o r three times a week He neither carried her into
society nor bro ught home any vi s itors Yet he seemed to
p ossess immense wealth an d be s t o wed it upon Juliet wit h
a liberal n ay profuse hand My y o ung friend wha t
kin d o f a ch a racter do you supp o s e this Mr N icholson to
h a ve been ! said the o l d man pausing an d turning to
Glenn who had been listening to the narrative wit h marke d
attention

H e w a s an impostor a gambler
replied Glenn
p romptly
H e w a s an impostor ! but no adventurous gambler a s
you suppose I will proceed A bout seven m onths after
h i s marriage he abandoned Juliet altogether ! Yet he di d
not forget her entirely He may have felt remorse for the
ruin he had wrough t o r perhap s a slight degree o f a ff ection
for his unborn
an d costly presents and many con
s i d e r a b l e sums of m oney were sent by h i m to the cottage
But neither the aged m other nor the deserted wife found
the consolation they desired in his prodigal gifts They
sent me a note informing me Of their distressful condition
and reques t ing me to ascertain the locality o f Mr N i ch o l
son s establi s hment and if p os s ible to nd o u t the cause
of his unnatural conduct I did all in my p ower to aeco m
I
repaired
to
the
cottage
unable
i
l
s h what they desired
p
to give the least intelligence o f Mr N icholson I had no t
been able to nd any o n e who h a d ever heard of h im
Juliet became almost frantic She determined to seek h i m
herself A t her urgent solicitation I accompanied her to
A pitying Providence soon
t h e city in an open curricle
While we were
t ermin a te d her insupportable susp ense
l r i vi n g t h rough Hyde Park , we were forcibly stoppe d t o
.

A NARRA T I VE

1 83

permit amo n g t h e throng the p assage of a S plen d i d equi

page The appr o aching carri a ge wa s likewise an op en o n e
Juliet glan ced at t h e inmate s an d utteri n g a wil d piercing
shriek fainted in my arms I lo o ked and saw her quo n
da m husband ! He w a s decked in the magnicent insignia

RO
A
L
T
N
obles
were
bowing
high
born ladies smiling
Y
Y
of
and the multitude s houted There comes his royal high
n e s s t h e Pri nce of

Man cannot punish him continued R o u g h g r o v e but

H E will deal justly both with the proud an d
G o d can
But to return He s a w Juliet A few
t h e O ppre ss ed
m inute s after the gorge o u s retinue swept past one o f the
prin ce s attendant s cam e with a n ote Juliet was i n s e n s i
ble I t o ok it fr om the mes s enger s h a nd and started when
I looked the V illain in t h e face He had been th e p arson !
He s miled at the recognition ! I hurled my can e at his
head and hastened back to the cottage with a p h ysician in
attendance Juliet soon re covered from her swoon But
a frenzied de s p eration was manifest in her pal e features
I left her in her mother s charge an d returne d in agony
to my lodgi n gs That night a raging fever seized up on
my brain and f o r m onth s I was the V ictim o f excruciating
di s e as e When convalescent but still conned to my
room I chanced t o r un my eye over o n e o f the daily
p ap ers an d was petried to s e e the n am e o f Mrs N ich ol
s o n in the rst article that attracted my attention in con
S he
n e ct i o n with an attempt up on the life of the king !
had b ee n seize d with a t o f temp orary insanity and dr i v
ing to town sought her betrayer with the intention o f
shedding his blood She waited at the gate of St James s
p alace until a carriage drove up in which s h e exp ected to
nd the prince It was the king yet sh e did not discover
her error until the bl ow was made The steel did n o t per
form its o fce as yo u are aware from the h istory o f E ng
l and i n which this event is recorded The king humanely
p ardoned her o n the sp ot A single word s h e utter e d a c
u a i n t e d him with her hi s tory and her piteous looks m ade
q
an extraordinary impression o n his mind He too had
perhaps sp orted with innocent beauty
A nd n o w th e
s pectre of the weeping m a niac haunted h is visi o ns
S oo n
The nam e o f Jul iet for t unately
h e became o n e himself
It was b y some me a n s
w a s n o t published in the j ournals
,

1 84
9

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

'

in correctly state d that the woman who att a cked the kin g
w a s named M a r g a r e t N ichol s on and so it remains o n t h e
page o f history

A s soon as I was able t o leave my chamber I repaire d

t o the cottage
Juliet was a m o t h e r R eason had retu rned
and S he strove to submit with C hristian humility to her piti
able lot She received me with the sam e sweet smile tha t
had fo rmerly beamed o n her guileless fa ce Her mother
the promoter o f the fancied advantageous alliance n o w
seeme d to suff er most They b o th clung to m e as t h eir
only remaini n g friend an d in truth I learn ed that all other
friends had fo rsaken them I looked upon the d eceived
outraged but still i n nocent Juliet with pity Her little
cherub twins

Twins ! echoed Glenn

Ay twins
replied R o u g h g r o v e and t h ey lie b e h in d

side
by
S
ide
n yonder bed
ou n e w
o
y
Glenn turne d and gazed a m oment in silence o n the
sleeping fo rms o f Willia m and Mary

H e r poor little ones excited my compa s sion

They
were n o t blamable f o r their father s crime n o r could they
e nj oy the advantages o f his exalted s tation They were
without a protector in the world J ul i e t s m other was fast
sinking under the calamity s h e had herself in a great mea
sure wrought My heart melted when I contemplated the
sad conditi o n o f the only female I had ever l o ved It was
not long before the res o f a ff ecti o n again gleamed brightly
in my breast Juliet had committed n o crime either in the
eye s o f man o r God She did n o t intend to err She had
acted in good faith She had never designed to tran s gress
either the laws o f earth o r heaven an d although the dis
gui s ed prince did n o t wholly po s sess her h eart yet sh e
deemed it a duty to be governed by the advice o f her p a
rent The s e things I explained t o her and when her con
s cience was appeased by the fact s which I demo n s trated
her peace i n s ome mea s ure returned but s h e was still s u b
sh e
Perhaps
e c t to occa s i o nal melancholy reections
j
thought o f me how my heart had su ff ered ( f o r youn g a s I
wa s the occurrence brought premature gray hair s ; and
e v e n n ow although my head i s white I have seen but littl e
more than forty years) and how happy we might have
tr av elle d life s j ourney together I seized suc h a m o ment
,

I8 O

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S :

rest to Him I was once an ardent student of m e d i cm e

an d the knowledge I acquired may be o f some a v ail

I will pray for his recovery said Mary bowing dow n

a t the foot o f the bed

said Sneak
D o d I mean Jo e it s most d aylight
rising up and rubbing his eyes

Well what if it is ! what are you waking me up for

replied Joe turning over o n his rude p allet

Why I m going home

Well clear o u t then

But you ll h ave to get up an d shut the g a te after me

Plague take it all I believe you re just trying to spoil

my nap ! said Joe much vexed

con
NO I ain t Joe ; I m in earnest indeed I am
tinned Sneak ; b e k a i s e I hain t been inside o f my house
now f o r three o r four day s and who knows but the dod
I mean the I n dians have been there and stole all my
muskrat S kins

If they have then there s n o use in looking for them

now

If they have d O d I mean bu r n m e if I don t foller

em to the other end O f creation but I ll have em back
agin But I ain t much afeard that they s aw my hou s e

they might rub agin it without knowing it was a hou s e

That s a pretty tale

said Jo e n o w t h o ro u ghly
aw akened and staring incredulously in h is co mpanion s
fa c e

It s a fact

Whereabouts is your house !

Why it s in the secon d valley we crossed when we

w ent after the wolves o n the island

Then your s kins are gone said Joe f o r the In dians

h ave been in that v alley

I know they wa s t h ere well enough said Sneak ;

but didn t I s a y they couldn t nd th e house even if

they was to s cratch their backs agin it !

What kind o f a h o u s e i s it !

Spose yo u come along an d Se e said Sneak g r O p i n g

about in the di m twilight for hi s cap and the gun Glenn
h a d g iven him

I s h o u l d l i ke to s e e it just o u t of curi o sity

re
i
l
O e d Joe
.

T hen
r o a ch e d
p

NAP R AT I V E

1 87

go alo n g w i h S neak sa i d Glenn who a p

the re to prepare some medicin e ; it I S n e ce s

sary that every thing should be quiet and still here

If you ll help me to feed an d water the horses S n eak

I ll go home with you said Jo e

S neak readily agreed
to the proposition an d by the time i t was quite light a n d
before
the
sun
rose
the
labour
was
accomplished
t
e
y
an d they set o u t together f o r the des i gnated valley The i r
course was somewhat di ff erent from that pursued when i n
quest of the wolves for S neak s habit a tion was ab out mid
way between the r i ver an d t he prairie and they diverged
i n a westerly direction But their progress w as slow
D uring the night there had been a change i n t h e atmo
Sphere an d a constant breeze from the south had i n a
great m e asure softened the sn ow crust s o that o u r p edes
t r i a n s frequently broke through

This i s n ot the most agreeable walking I ever saw

said Jo e break i ng through an d tumbling down o n h i s
face

That s j est as much like s w 1 m m i n g as walking sa i d

S neak smiling at the blunder o f his companion

S mash i t S neak continued Jo e rising up with some

dif culty
I don t half like this breaking through bus i

n ess

Y o u must walk lighter an d then yo u won t break

through said S neak ; tread soft like I do an d put you r

feet down at I hain t broke in on ce

But before
the sentence was uttered S neak had broken thr ough h i m
self an d stood half submerged in the sn ow
Ha ! ha ! ha I you m u s n t count your chickens before

t hey re hatched
said Jo e laughing
but yo u may s c o r e
on e
n ow yo u have broken the shell
I g o t in that time sa i d S neak n ow w i n ding through
the bu s hes with m uch caution as i f i t were truly i n h i s
p ower t o dim i nish the weight of his body b y a peculia r
mode o f walking

This thaw l l be good f o r o n e thing a n y how sa i d

Jo e aft er they had progressed so m e time in silen ce
W hat s t hat ! aske d S neak

W hy it 11 keep the Indians away ; they can t tra v el

t hrough the slush when the crust is melte d

T hat s as true as p rint

repl i ed S neak ; a n d i f non e
t

If l

'

dnt foller
I l l lme emback
mya! myhouse
I: m t house
q
m thoroug hly
anions
oup
l his c
l

II

"

WILD

1 88
of

W E S T ER N S C ENE S :

em f o l l e r e d us back to the settlement we needn t look

for em agin till spring

I won der if any of them di d follow us ! aske d Joe

p ausing abruptly
How can any b ody tell till they see em
repl i e d

S neak
W hat re yo u stoppi n g f o r !

I m go i ng back said Jo e
D od you re a fool that s j est what you are Hain t
We g o t o u r guns ! and if there i s any about a i n t they in
the bushes close to Mr Glenn s house ! and hain t we
passed through em long a g o ! But I don t keer any th i ng

about your cowardly company g o back if you want to

said S neak striding onward
S neak don t go so fast I haven t any n otion o f go i ng

b ack said Joe springing nimbly to his comp anion s side

I believe you re afeard to go back by yourself sai d

S neak laughing heartily
P shaw S neak I don t th i nk any o f em follo w ed us

d o yo u !
continued Joe peering a t the b ushes an d trees
i n the valley which they were enter i ng

N
said S neak
I only wanted to skeer yo u a bit

I ve killed t o o m any savages to be scared by them now

said Joe c arelessly striding onward

W hat was you a going back for i f you wasn t

skeered !

I won der what always makes yo u th i nk I m fr i ghtened

when I talk o f going into the house ! S neak you re a l

I only
mistaken
I
wasn
t
thinking
ab
out
myself
a
w ys

wanted to put Mr Glenn o n his guard

Then what made you tell that wapper for the othe r

nigh t about cutt i ng that Indian s throat !

H o w do you know it was a wapper
asked Joe some
w hat embarrassed by S neak s home thrust
B e k a i s e don t I kn ow that I cut his juggler vein my
D idn t the blood gush all o v er me and didn t he
s elf !

fall down dead before he had tim e t o holler ! continued

S neak with much warmth and earnestness

S n e ak said Joe
I ve n o doubt you thought he was
de a d but then you must know it s nearly as hard to kill
a m an as a cat You might have been mistaken ; every
bod y is liable to be deceived even a person s eyes deceive
I a o n t preten d to say that I hav e n t b een
h i m somet im es

1 90

W I LD W E S T ER N S CENE S :

S oon a cl i ck i ng soun d was h eard w i th i n an d t h e n e x t

momen t Jo e perceived the i ckering rays of a smal l lamp
that S neak held i n h i s hand i l luminating the sombr e r e
cesses o f the novel habitation
Wh y don t you come in as ked S ne ak
S neak how do you kn ow there ain t a bear u p in the
h ollow
asked Joe crawling in timidly and endeavour ing
to peer through the darkn ess far ab ove where even the rays
of the lamp could n ot penetra t e

I wonder if you t hink I d let a bear sleep in my hous e

c ontinue d S neak searching among a number of boxes and
rude Shelves to see if any t hing had been m olested d u ring
h i s absen ce
Finding every t hing safe he han ded Joe a
s tool an d began t o kindle a re in a small s t one fu rnace
Joe sat down in Silence and looked about in astonishment
A n d the scen e was enough to excite the w onder of an
Ir ishman The in terior o f the tree was full eight feet
diame t er while the eye was lost above in undeveloped r e
gions Below there was a surface o f smooth stones which
were comfortably carpe t ed over w ith b u a l o robes A t o n e
side w as a diminu t ive r eplace o r fu rnace construc t ed of
three at stones about t hree in ches in thickness The
largest was laid horiz ontally o n t h e ground and the othe r s
p laced upright o n it and a t tached to a clay ch i mney that
was by some means conned to the interior side o f the tree
and ran upwar d unt i l i t was lost i n the darkness Aft er
gazing in amazement several mi nutes at this strange con
t r i v an ce Joe exclaimed :
S neak I don t unders t a n d thi s 1 Wh ere does that
smoke go t o

Go o u t doors and see if you can t see repl i ed S neak

p l acing more fuel o n the bla z ing re

Go out o f the h o l e you mean t o sa y s a i d Joe cree p

,

in g

out

You may ca l l it j est what you l i ke said S neak ; but

I l l be s w itched if many folks lives i n h ig h e r houses than

I does

W ell I l l decl a re I cried Jo e

Wh at ail s you n ow
a sked S neak thr usti ng hi s he a d
o u t o f the apert ure and regardi ng the surpr i se of Joe wi t h
much sa tis fa c ti on
,

A NARRA T I VE

1 91

not m uch b igger than my thigh ! cried Joe Thi s was

true S neak had mounted up in the tree before building
his chimney and nd ing a hollow bough that communi
ca t e d d irec t ly w it h the main t r un k h a d cu t t hrough into t h e
cavi t y an d thu s made a vent for the escape o f the smoke

C ome in now and get somethi ng to eat said S neak

This was an invi t ation t hat Joe was ne v er known to decline
A ft er cas t ing another adm i ring glance at the blue vap ou r
that issued from the bough some ninety feet from the ground
he passe d t h r ough the cavity with alacrity
W here are you ! cried Joe upon enter i ng an d looking
r ound in vain for his hos t who had vanished in a m ost
inexplicable manner Joe stared i n astonishment The
ligh t ed lamp rema i n ed on a box that was designed for
the breakfas t table and on which there was i n truth an
abundance of dried venison an d smok i ng potatoes B ut
where w as S neak !

S neak what s become o f you

cont i nue d Joe eagerly
lis tening for a reply an d an x iously scanni ng the tempting
repast set before him
I know you re at som e of yo u r
tricks he added and s i tting down at the table com
m e n ce d i n n o in diff erent manner to d i scuss the savoury
venison and potatoes

I m only up s t airs cried S neak i n the darkn es s

above ; an d throwi ng down a r e pe m ade of hides th e upper
en d of which was fas t ened to the t ree within he soon fol
lowed slipping briskly down and w i thout delay sprang
to Joe s as sistance
W hen the meal w as nished or rather when every thi ng
set before them had vanished S neak rose up and t h r us t hi s
long ne ck out of the a pe rture
W hat are you looking a t ! asked Joe
I m look i ng at the war m sun shining ag i n yonder s i d e

of t he hil l said S neak ; how d you l i ke to go a bee

hunti n g
A bee hunting i t erated Joe
I w o n d e r i f yo u thi nk
we could nd a bee at this season of the year ! an d I
should like to kn ow what it d be worth when we found i t
Pl ag ue tak e the be e I mean the h on e y d on t you like
wil d honey ! con t inu e d S ne ak

Yes said Joe ; but how can yo u nd any wh e n

ther s such a snow as t h i s on t h e gr ound !
.

"

1 92

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

nd em sa i d
S neak ; p e t i cu l y when the sun shines warm Jest come

o u t here and look

he continued stepping along an d

ollo e d by Jo e ; don t yo u see yander big stoo p ing

imb w

Yes replied Joe gaz i n g at the bough pointed out

W ell continued S neak there s a bee s nest in that

L ook here he added picking from the sno w several

dead bees that had been thrown from the hive ; now
this is the way with all wild bees ( but these are tame
fo r they live in my house ) for when there comes a war m
d a y they re sartin as fate to throw out the dead ones an d
we can n d where they are as easy as any thing in the

w orld

S neak my mouth s water i ng suppose we take the

a x e and go and hunt for som e honey

Let s be o ff then said S neak, getting his a x e and

p reparing to place the ston e against the tree

St e p S neak
said Jo e ; let m e get my gun b efore

you shut the d o o r

I guess we d better leave our guns and then we won t

b e so apt to break through replied S neak closing up the

a perture

The bees won t sting us will they ! asked Jo e turn

i ng to his companion when they had attained the high
timbered ridge that ran parallel with the valley

If yo u chaw em in your mouth they will replied

S n eak striding along under the trees with his head bent
down and minutely examining every small dark obj ect he
foun d lying o n the surface o f t he snow

I kn ow that as well as you do continued Joe b e

cause t hat would t haw them

W ell if they re froze ho w ki n they sting yo u !

I j us t
replied Joe
Y o u needn t be so snappish
aske d for I nformation I know as well as anybody they re

frozen o r torpid
Or what ! asked S neak
Torpid said Joe

I ll try to member that word continued S neak peep

i ng under a spreading o a k that was surrounded by a dense
hazel thicket

D o continued Joe c ontem p tuously

and If you ll

W hen there s a snow , that s the t i me

to

191

W I LD W E S T ER N S CENE S

t i ll we re b oth dead But as long as they laugh at me

they ll be sure to let me live

Er e long the sav a ges with their captives entered the
d ense grove where Mary had been taken before they set
But it was evidently not
o u t w i th h e r over the prairie
th eir i ntention to conduct their present prison ers to t heir
N or were they
v i llages and demand a ransom for them
p repared to convey them away in the same dignied a n d
c omfortable manner over the snow clad plains
They
They h a d
a nticipated a gratica t ion o f a di ff erent nature
b een disappointed in all their attempts to obtain booty from
the whites The maid they had taken had been recaptured
and their chief was in the possession of the enemy These
to say n othing of the loss o f a score o f their brethren by
the r e weapons o f the white men stimulated them with
u nerring precision to compass the destruction of their
p risoners Blood only could satiate t heir vengeful feelings
A nd the grea t e r and longer the suff erings o f their v ictims
the more exquisite would be the luxury o f revenge A n d
th i s caused them to smile with positive delight when they
witnessed the painful t errors o f poor Joe
W hen they reached their place of en campment which
w a s i n the midst o f a clus t er of small Slim trees that e n
c i rcled an old Spreading o ak o f h u ge dimensions the s a
v ages made their prisoners stand wi t h their backs against
two saplings that grew some fteen paces a part They
were compelled to face each o t her tha t they might Wi t ness
every thing that transpired Their arms were bound round
the trees behind t hem and a cord was likewise passed
The s a
r oun d their legs to conne them more se curely
v ages then seemed to consult about the manner o f despatch
i ng them The oldest and most experien ced by his has ty
gestures and impa t ient replies appeared to insist o n their
instantaneous death A nd from his frequent glances n orth
ward through the trees he doubtless feared some interrup
tion o r dreaded the arrival of an enemy that might i n i cr
an ample retaliation D uring a long pause while the I n
di ans seemed to hesitate and the old crafty sa v age dre w
his steel tomahawk from his belt S neak sighed dee p ly
an d said i n rather mournful tones
The j ig s u p w i th us Joe If I was only loose seve n
s e c onds you wouldn t ketch me dying like a c oon her e
.

196

W I LD W E S T E R N SC E NE S

f un

for em A nd you m i ght as well say your p rayers fus t

a s last ; they re only playing with you n ow l i ke a cat wit h

a m i ce
T he old Ind i an m oved towards S neak , followed b y t h e
o t h ers

How much you g i ve ! asked the savage

No t a coon s tail replied S neak with rmness

N ow how much ! continued the Ind i an sla p p i ng t h e

t h i n lank cheek of his p risoner
N ot a d o d rotted cent
Now j est take your tomah awk
and split my skull open as quick as you kin said S neak ;
a n d he bowed down his head to receive the fatal blow

Y o u brave rascal
sa i d the Indian looki n g h i s ca p
t i v e in the eye an d hesitating whether to practice his petty
ann oyan c es any further A t length they turned again t o
Joe

That wasn t fair S neak cried Jo e when the sa v ages

a b andoned h i s fellow prisoner ;

you ought to have kept

t h em away from me as long as I did from you

I m gitting sick o f this t an t e r l i z i n g bus i ness sa i d

neak
I
wan
t
em
to
git
through
the
j
ob
without
any
S
more fool i ng about it If you wasn t sich a coward they d
let yo u alone and kill us at once
I don t want them to kill u s I d rather they d do any

th i ng in the world than to kill us replied Joe

Me won t hurt you said the o l d savage again plac

i ng h i s han d o n Joe s head ; but instead of gently patting
i t he wound a lock of hair round o n e of his ngers an d
w i th a sudden j erk tore it ou t by the roots
Oh my gracious ! Oh S t P eter ! Oh Lord ! Mr
Indian I beg an d pray o f you n ot to do tha t any more

If you ll only untie me I ll get down o n my kne es t o yo u

e x cla i med poor Joe

P oor fellow me won t hurt h i m any more poor head !

s a i d the Indian t earing o ff another lock
Oh ! o h ! goodness gracious D e a r Mr Indian don t
do that ! Y o u can have n o idea how bad it hurts I can t

stand it I ll faint p resently ! said Joe trembling at e v ery

o
i nt
J

You re a fool said S neak to mind em that way

If you wasn t to n otice em they wouldn t do it S ee h o w

h e y re la u ghing at you
.

NARRA TI V E

1 97

S neak I c an t h elp i t to save my l i fe indee d I

c an t
Oh my good Lord what would I g i ve to be away

from here ! said Joe his eyes t to burst from thei r

sockets

I ve k illed m any a deer i n a m i n i t i t don t h urt a

I w i s h t h e s n a r v il e r o u s
man to die m ore than a deer
copper sk i nned r ascals woul d g i t t h rough quick
sa i d
S neak

Me try you ag i n sa i d t h e sa v age aga i n go i ng to

S neak
W ell n ow what re you a go i ng to do ! I m n ot afra i d

of you ! said S neak grind i n g his teeth

Me rub your head said the sav a ge se i z i ng a tuft of

h a i r an d tearing i t o u t

Take some m ore

sa i d S neak b ow i ng down h i s
h ead

A little more i terated t h e savage grasp i ng a h an d

ful wh i ch w i th muc h exertion he severe d from t h e h ead ,
an d left the wh i te sk i n exposed to v i ew

W on t you have some m ore ! continue d S n eak , w i t h

out ev i ncing the least pa i n

Jest take as muc h a s yo u
lease ; if you tear it o ff t i ll my hea d s as b ald as an egg

pwon
t b eg you to let m e alone

You brave fellow won t p ull you r h a i r any mo r e ,

sa i d the chief

You b e dod rot sa i d S neak contem p tuously

You mighty b rave shak e hands
continue d t h e
laughing savage hold i ng h i s hand out i n mo ckery

If you ll unt i e my f e e t a minit I ll b et I kick some

W hy don t you kno c k o u r
o f the ribs o u t o f your b ody

b rains o u t and b e done at once you black wolves you !

said S neak

Oh S neak ! f o r my sake your poor fr i end s sake ,

don t put such an i dea as t hat i nt o their heads sa i d Joe ,
i mploringly

You re a p urty fr i end a i n t you ! You d g i ve so m u ch

to ransom me ! T hey a i n t a go i ng to qu i t us withou t
killin us an d I want it all o v er j est as soon a s i t kin b e
done !

Oh n o S neak ! Mayb e they ll take pity on us a n d

spare our lives said Jo e assuming a m ost entreat i n g

l ook as the sa v age once m ore ap p roached h i m

Oh ,

1 7*

1 98

W I LD W E S T ER N S C ENE S
You

make good big Osage ; you com e w i th u s i f we

l e t you l i ve ! demanded t he o l d Indian

I p ledge you m y most sacred word and h onou r I

'
w ill

You run away yo u rascal said the sa v age p luck i ng

a nother tuft o f hair from Joe s head
I ll b e hanged if I stan d this any lon ger
sa i d J 0 6
s tr i vi n g to break the cord that conned him

D on t notice the black cowards said S neak

Ho w can I help noticing them when they re p ull i ng

said Joe
o u t m y hair by the roots

Look where they pulled mine o u t sa id S neak turn

i ng that part o f his head in V iew wh i ch had been made
l i terally bald

D idn t it hurt you ! asked Joe

said S neak but I gr i nned a n d b ore

Sa r t i n l y i t did
i t A n d n ow I wish they d pull i t all e lf and then my

s c ulp wouldn t do em any good

That s a fact said Joe

Here Mr Osage h e

c ont i nued
pull as much ha i r o ff the top of my head a s

you want
The savages in stead of p aying any attent i o n
to him seemed to be attracted by some distant sound
T hey stooped down an d placed their ears near the earth
and listened intently f o r some t i me A t length they sprang
up an d then ensued an other dispute among them about
the mann er in which the prisoners should be disposed of
The o l d savage was yet in fa v our of tomahawking th e
captives and retreating w i thout delay But t he others
would not consent to it They were n ot satised with the
small amount o f su ff ering yet endured by the prison ers
They were resolved to glut their savage venge an ce A nd
the prisoners now observed that all traces o f mirth had
v anished from their faces
Their eyes gleamed with e n d
i sh fury and drawing forth their glitter i ng tom ahawks
they v a nished in th e thicket an d were soon heard ch Oppi n g
o ff th e small boughs o f t he trees

W hat are they doing S neak ! asked Joe

D on t you know what they re doing ! ain t they cut
ting wood as fast as t hey kin ! replied S neak

W ell I m not sorry f o r that said Joe because i t s

chilly If they d only g i v e
almost dark and I m g e t t i n g

me something t o eat I d feel heap more comfort a bl e

,

200

W I LD W E S T ER N SC ENE S :

the old I n d i an addressing Joe wh i le t he others looke d on

with unmixed satisfaction
Oh ! my dear Mr Osage i f y o u only knew h o w much

money you d lose by kil l i ng me I know you d let me go !

said Jo e i n tremulous but supplicating tones

You lie yo u got n o mon ey replied the sa v age and

s t e e p i n g down he began t o Split some dry wood into v er
y
small pieces to kindle wi t h Joe looked on in despa i r and
seemed to an t icipate a blister from every Splinter he saw
It was di ff erent with S neak A lmost hid by the wood
heape d around him b e embraced every O pportunity when
the eyes o f the savages were turned away to endeavou r
t o extricate himself from the cords that boun d him to the
tree Hope had n o t yet forsaken h i m and he resolved to
struggle to the last W hen the o l d savage had Split o ff a
large quantity o f splinters and chips he gathered them
up an d began to arrange them i n various parts of the pile
o f green timber preparatory for a simultan eous i gnition
W hile he was thus engaged S neak remained m o t ionless
and assumed a stoical expressio n of features But when
he turned to Jo e S neak again began to tug at the cord
Oh pray Mr Indian exclaimed Jo e When he saw the
savage carefully placing the combustible m atter i n all the
crevices o f the pile around h i m
j ust only let m e o ff this

time and I ll be your best friend all the rest of your life
Me warm yo u little don t cry poor fellow re p lie d
the Indian striking a light w i th int and steel
Oh S neak if you ve g o t a knife run here and cut me

loose before I m b urnt to death ! said Joe in the most

h eart moving manner

K eep your m ou t h shet

sa i d S neak ; j est wa i t till
they go to put some re here an d I ll show yo u a thing o r

he continued p ouring a handful o f p o w d e r among

tw o
the d r y splinters The e ff ect o f the explosion when the
Indians attempted to surprise Glenn s premises occurring
to S neak and recollecting t hat he had a quantity o f pow
d e r in his pockets he resolved in his extremity to try its
v i r t ue o n this occasion

But they re going to burn m e rst ! Oh Lord ! ex

claim d Joe as he beheld the savage applying the re to
the S plinters near his feet

D on t say n o r do noth i ng j est wa i t till they c o m e t c

,

A NARR A T I V E

201

D o you j e s a
sa i d S neak w i th great composure

keep your mouth Shet it ll b e a long while a k i ndling i t

won t begin to burn your l egs for an hour

Oh goodness gracious ! My knees b egin to feel warm

now Oh pray ha v e mercy on me good Mr Osage !

cried Joe before the ame was as large as his hand a n d
yet full three feet distant from him The greater p ortion of
the fagots being green the r e made very slow progres s
an d it was necessary for the savages t o procure a constan t
supply of dry Splinters to prevent it from going o u t
A t length after the combustible material had b urne d
the m ore s u b s t a n
o u t an d been repleni shed several times
tial billets o f Joe s pile began to i gnite slowly an d the o l d
Indian then took u p a aming b r and and mo v ed towards
S neak
C ome o n ! you s n a r v i l e r o u s rattlesnake you I ll Sh ow

you sights presently ! said S n eak

Y o u b rave fellow me burn you qu i ck

sa i d th e s a
vage applying the torch and stooping down placed h i s
face with i n a f e w inches of the crackling blaze an d b ega n
to blow it gently S neak twiste d his head round the tree
as far as p ossible an d t h e n ext moment the p owder e x
l
o d e d throwing down the pile of wood an d dashing the
p
savage several paces dist an t violently o n the ground a n d
blackening an d scorch i ng his face and hair in a terrible
manner The other Indians instantly prostrated t h emsel v es
o n their faces an d uttered the m ost doleful lamentations
Thus they remained a few minutes evidently i mpressed
with th e belief that the Great S pirit had interfered to pre
v ent the destruction o f the prisoners
Hastily gather i ng
up their arms they ed precipitately i n th e direction o f
their distan t home an d their yells o f disappointmen t an d
defeat rang in the ears o f their c aptives unt i l they di e d
away in the distance

S neak ! m ake haste ! they may come b ack aga i n

said Joe
They v e tied my feet so tight I m afra i d I can t un d o

i t i n a hurry replied S neak endeavouring to break the cord

b y thrusting a stick ( that he had slipped from the pile to
knock o u t the brai n s of o n e of the Indians should his gun
p owder plot not succeed )between it an d the tree a n d
fo rcing it o u t u n t il the pain produced became i n s u ffe r

me ,

'
a am

Bun ion
rt
un
u
t
h
ec
o
q
th vtet l e sawthe

w
I

in all the
e of this
n lylet m
'

202

W I LD W E S T ERN S C ENE S :

able B y th i s means t he cord was loosen ed gradually and

m oving i t a little higher up where the muscles had n o t yet
b een bruised he repeated the process
In this manner he
laboure d with certain but tardy success But while he was
thus e n gaged Joe s predicament b ecame each mom ent
more cri t ical The wood being by this time pretty well
seasoned began t o burn more freely
The blaze was
making formidable advances an d the heat was becoming
i ntolerable

For heaven s sake S neak ! cr i ed Joe m ake h aste

and come here or I ll b e roasted al i ve !

W a i t till I get away from my own tree

repl i e d
S neak

Oh Lord ! I can t wa i t a m i nute m ore ! My sh i ns are

gett i ng bl i stered
cr i ed Joe wr i thing under the heat o f
the blaze which now reached w i thin a few inches o f him
and i n crease d i n magn i tude with awful rapidi ty

W ell if you won t wait t i ll I git there j ust go ahead

yourself said S neak at last e x tr i cating his feet by a v i o

lent e ff or t and hopp i ng to Joe s ass i stance w i th some dif
for
h is
cu l t y
n ether lim b s wer e c onsiderably
b ru i sed

Hang it S neak pull thes e b urn i ng st i cks away from

my knees ! said Jo e his face ushed with pain

I ll b e bursted with powder if yo u didn t like to git

i nto a purty tight x said S neak dashing down the con

su m i n g billets o f wood

N ow S neak cut m e loose an d then let s run home as

s oo n as possible
I hain t g o t my kn i fe w i th me or I wouldn t ave b een

so long gitting loose myself sa i d S neak Slowly untying

Joe s hands

My goodness how my arms a c he ! sa i d Jo e when

N ow S ne ak undo my feet
h i s han ds were released

a n d then we ll b e o ff in a hurry

I ll be slit if your feet ain t t i ed l i ke min e was i n

s i c h a hard knot that n o mortal be i ng c an git it undone

I l l take a chunk and burn the tarnation string i n two

s a i d S neak app l ying the re

Take care yo u don t bur n m e sa i d Joe look i ng a t

the operat i on with much concern
S neak s p lan of se v e r ing his com p an i on s b on ds w as
.

204

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S

make some amends for their long connement i n the stable

a n d t o e ff ect it he galloped them several hours each day
o ver the grounds in the vicinity
The hounds t o o seeme d
delighted to place their feet on ce m ore o n the bare earth
an d they were permi t te d to accompany the horses i n al l
their excursions
One night when W illiam Mary an d Joe were all
quietly Sleeping R o u g h g r o v e took occasion to express his
gratitude to Glenn for the many an d i mportant serv i ces
rendered his family

W hatever good may have attended my e ff orts said

Glenn you m ay rest assured that I have been amply r e

p a i d in the satisfaction enj oyed myself

I am sure o f it ! exclaimed R o u g h g r o v e
an d i t was
a conviction that you h arboure d such sentiments that i n
du ce d m e to conde in you and to disclose things which I
i ntende d should remain for e v er l o oke d within my o w n

b reast

Your condence Shall n ot be abused said Glenn ;

an d to prove that I am n ot averse to an exchange o f

secrets if you will listen to my r ecital I will endea v our

b riey to give you a sketch of my history

I will listen attentively my young fri e n d even were it

as sad a tale as mine which can hardly be the case said

R o u g h g r o v e drawing his chair cl z s e to Glenn s side an d
p lacing more fuel on the re

W ould to Heaven it had not been

said Glenn after
r eclining his head o n his hands a few minutes and recall
i ng transactions which he could have wished to be blo t ted

from his memory for ever

I am a native o f N ew York

and
h e continued heaving a sigh and foldi n g his arms
My father was
Wa s left an orphan at a v ery early age
once reputed o n e of the wealthiest merchants in Broadway ;
b ut r ep eated and enormous losses necessarily inexplicable
to one o f my age suddenly reduced him to comparative
p over t y N either he n or my m other survived the blow
many months and before I was ten years old I was left
with
the
exception
of
an
un
cle
in
P
hiladelphia
alone
in
the
)
(
My uncle
w orld p ossessed o f only a few hundred dollars
n my
laced
me
with
an
eminent
physician
who
had
bee
p
He
f ather s friend after my education was completed
t old m e that h e was rich an d would see that I sh o uld
,

A NARRA TI VE

205

su ff er for means until I had acquired a profess i o n w h i ch

with en ergy an d diligence would enable me to procure an
honourable support But he i nformed me t hat he ha d a
family o f his o w n a n d that I must n o t depen d upon his
assistan ce further than to accomplish a profession

It was during my s t udies and when about seventee n

ye a rs o l d that m y misfortun es began My preceptor had
another student n a m e d H e n r yWo l d several years my senior
whose parents were wealthy W old and I entertain ed the
highest esteem for each other But o u r circumstan ces
b eing di ff erent I could n o t i ndulge i n all the excesses o f
extra v agan ce that he did but made better progress in my
studies He attended all the gay parties and fashionable
places o f amusement while I seldom Spen t an evening from
home He was tall manly and possessed o f regular an d
beautiful features t hese with his unl i mited wealth m ade
h i m a welcome guest i n every circle an d extremely popular
with the ladies
On e S abbath m orning w hile Sitting in c h urch ( whic h
I attended regularly )I was struck with the appearance O f
a stranger i n an O pposi t e p ew across the aisle that belonged
to a family with whom I was o n the m ost i ntimate terms
The stra n ger was the most beautiful young lady I ever b e
D ark languishing eyes glossy ringlets pale smoot h
h eld
forehead O h ! I will n o t describe her let it su fce that
she was an angel in my eyes ! It was impossible t o remove
my gaze from her and I fancied that she s o m e t i m e s r e
turned an approving glan ce Be f ore t he service was over
I was delighted to O bserve that she Whispered some t hing to
Mrs A rras ( the name o f the lady Whose pew she was i n )
for this assured m e that they were acquain t ed a n d that I
might obtain some information about the fair being who had
m ade such a sudden and deep i mpression o n my hear t an d
p erhaps procure an introduction to her When I retire d to
my c ouch that night it was n ot to sleep The image o f the
fair stranger haunted my res t less and imperfec t Slumbers
N or could I study by day f o r my though t s wandered con
t i n u a l l y from the page to t he sam e brigh t vision
S uch was
my condition throughout the week The next S un day I
f o und her seated i n the same p ew
Our eyes met an d a
slight blush that mantled her fair face encouraged me t o
t ap e that s h e might l i kewise have bestowed so m e though t s
.

sad Glenn;

n: to In exchang e of

l
l

ill endeavour

18

W I LD WE S T ERN S CENE S :

206

on me dur i ng t h e preced ing week It was i n va i n that I

u ttered the responses during the serv i ce
o r knelt down
when the clergyman o ff ered up his prayers I could think
o f n othing but the a n gelic stranger
I resolved that an other
week should n ot pass without my call i n g at Mrs A rras s
B ut my obj ect was obtained sooner than I expected W hen
the congregation was dismissed Mrs A rras beckoned me
cross the aisle to her
whispered she don t you want an i ntro
duction to my niece ! I saw your eyes riveted on her
several times

I i f yo u please I replied wit h feelings o f m i ngle d

delight and embarrassment
Laura she continued turn i ng to the young lady who
l i ngered behind but seeme d to be conscious of what was
passing let me introduce you to my young fr i end C harles
Glenn
The bland and accomplished Mrs A rras the n
moved onward while I attended at the side of Laura and
continued with her until I assisted her up the marble step s
o f her aunt s stately mansion

I then bowed and strode rapidly onward I knew n o t

whither ( completely bewildered with the enchanting Spell
that the fair L aura had thrown over me )until I reached the
extremity O f Broadway and found myself in C astle Garden
gazing like a very m aniac at the bright water below me
I wandered about alon e enj oying the exhilarating fancies
O f my teeming brain until the sun sunk benea t h the horizon
and t he bright stars twinkled in the blue vaul t above Oh !
the thoughts the hopes the bliss o f that hour ! The dark
curtain that veils the rankling corruptions o f mortality had
n ot yet been lifted before my staring eyes and I felt as o n e
gazing at a beautiful world and regarded the fair maid as
the a n gel destined to unfold all its brilliance to my vision
an d t o hold t he chalice t o my lips while I sipped the nectar
A las t hat such moments are brief !
o f perennial felici t y
They y like the dreams o f a s t ar t led slumberer and when
they vanish once they are gone forever !

W i t hou t calling a t my lodg ings for t he usual refresh

m e nts I hovered abou t the mansion of Mrs A rras till lights
were gleaming in the parlour and then en t ered Laura r e
c e i v e d m e wi t h a smile and t he complais a n t ma t ro n g a v e
me a n encour a ging welcome
.

'

208

W I LD W E S T ERN S C ENE S :

The two n ext succeeding S un d a ys I attended Laura

t o church
The evenings o f both days and nearly all the
i nterven i ng ones I was with her at t he m ansion of Mrs
A rras
But the evening o f the last S unday was to me a
mem orable o n e That evening I opened all my heart to
Laura and found that every pulsation met a responding
t h rob i n hers such at least I believed to b e the case
and so she asserted D uring the Short time she remained
i n N ew York I was her accredi t ed lover an d ever when
t ogether the attachment sh e m anifested was as ar d en t as
mine Indeed at times her passion seemed u nbounded
and I was more than on ce tempted to propose a clandestine
and i mmediate union I was the more incline d to t his
i nasmuch as her father ( who had n ow returned from a trip
to W ashington )began to regard my visits with displeasure
B u t he soon passed on to Boston to attend to the duties o f
h i s o f ce and again I had unrestra i ned access to Laura
B u t I am dwelling t o o long on this part of my story
One day Henry W old my fellow student i nquired the
cause of the palp able change in my h e a r i n g an d disposition
W ould that my lips had b een sealed to h i m forever ! I
knew that he was honest and generous by n ature but I
knew n ot to what extent his dissolute habits (gradually
acqu i red by having ample m eans and yielding by degrees
to the temptations O f vice )had perverted his good qualities
I told him o f my love and while describing t he charms o f
L aura I was pleased to attribute the interest he evinced
at the recital to his disinterested friendship for m e without
the thought t hat h e could be captivated himself wi t h t he
b are description
He begged me to i ntroduce him This
too gratied my pride for I knew he would admire her
T he perfect form rare beauty intelligence and wealth o f
W old did n ot startle an apprehension in my breast But I

knew not alas ! who can know

the impulses that govern
woman W old accompanied me tha t night to Mrs A rras s
H e seated h i mself at Laura s side and poured forth a ood
O f attery
They smiled in unison and return ed glance
for glance W old exhibited his ne person and exer t ed all
his cap t ivating p owers o f intellect
Laura scanned the
one an d listened attentively t o t he o t her S t ill I sat by i n
satisfaction and strove to repress every rising fear th a t my
That
s u p remacy in Laura s h eart might be en d angere d
.

,
.

A NARRA TI VE

209

e v en i ng a s w e return ed homeward in answer to my ques

t ions W old stated that m y inten ded was p r e t ty e n o ug h
for any young man an d would without doub t m ake a v e r y
o far from exhibi t ing the extravagan t admi
o o d w if e
S
g
ration I expected he seemed to speak o f the obj ect o f my
adoration with comparative indi ff eren ce B u t a few e ven
i ngs afterwards I foun d him with Laura when I arrived !
I started back o n beholding them seated o n the same sofa
Mrs A rras was present and wore
a s I entered the parlour
a tho u gh t ful expression o f fe a tures Laura smiled o n me
b u t I though t it w a s n o t a happy smile
It did n ot ren der
me happy W old bowed familiarly and made s om e witty
remark ab out taking time by t he forelock I sat down i n
silence with a compressed l i p an d an icy chillness in my
b reast
A n embarrassing pause ensued
A t length Mrs
A rras rose an d O pening a folding door b eckoned m e i nto
the adj oining room A fter we had b een seated a few m o
ments during which her bro w assumed a m ore gra v e an d
thoughtfu l cast she ob served
You seem to be excited to night C harles
I have cause t o be s o I replied
I cannot deny i t s a id Sh e when I cons i der e v ery
thing that has tr a nspired Y o u doubtless have an attach
ment f o r L aura I have s e e n i t an d I confess it was an d
w o u l d be wi t h my goodwill had I control o f the m atter
I was acquainted wi t h your family an d acted with the best
o f mo t ives when I permit t ed perhaps encouraged the i n
t i m a cy
But I thought n ot O f the aus t ere an d passion ate
n ature o f my brother i n law N ei t her did I t h ink that any
man could obj ect to your addresses to his daughter But
I was mistaken Judge
has written that your inter
v iews wi t h Laura must terminate
Has he given any reason why ! I asked i n tremulous
tones
she replied but such as mortify m e as muc h
a s they must pain you
H e says that your fortun e and
family connec t ions are n ot su fcient t o permit the alliance
O h I implore you n ot to suppose these t o be my senti
ments I know your family is devoid o f ignoble stain and
that your fortune w a s once se cond t o n one Had I t h e
di s posal o f Laura s hand it shoul d be yours
,

MI

w ere, but I

b a (g radually
I yiel ding bydeg rees

MIt g oodqualities

sof
cit ing the charm

ed
Inte rest he evinc

e, without
f
rm
o
p
u l hu ll wi th the

19

Z1 C

W I LD W E S T ERN SC ENE S :

I b el i eve i t Mrs A rras sa i d I

But do you not
think these obj ections o f Judge
may be overcome

A las never ! she replied ; h e is immo v able when

an
thing
o f moment is decided in his mind
y
I continued while the pulsations of my heart
were distin c t ly audible what says Laura !
W ould I had been spared th i s question ! You saw
h e r a few minutes since
H E w h o sees all things knows
h o w my heart ached while I sat by
I can only tell yo u
she had just nished reading her father s letter when Mr
W old was a nn ounced S pare me n ow I beseech you !
I folded my arms and gazed I kno w n ot h o w long a t the
ame ascending from t he he arth Oh ! the agony de
s cribed O f the dying were bliss to that m oment What
could I think o r do ! I sat like o n e whose heart has been
rudely torn from his breast an d who was yet debarred the
rel i ef o f death Exis t ence to m e at that moment was a
hell an d my su ff er i ngs were those of the damned ! I
thank G o d I have survived them
I was aroused from my le t hargy by hearing the street
door close aft er W old and I desired Mrs A rras to p ermit
m e to have an interview wi t h L aura alone It was grant
ed and I w a s soon in the presence of the lovely maid
S he was aware o f my perturba ti on and its cause S he sat
with her eyes cast down in silence I looked upon her
form and her features of perfect beauty and O h ! what
to n gue can describe the mingled an d con t ending emotions
that convulsed my breast ! I repressed every violen t o r
boisterous inclina t ion o f my spirits however and taking
h e r unresisting h a nd sat down in sorrow at her side
L aura said I wi t h di fcul t y nding utterance do
we thus par t an d for ever !
S he m ade no answer b ut
gazed steadfas tly a t t he rich carpet while her face though
somewhat paler than usual be t raye d n o change o f muscle
Laura I repeated in tones more distin ct are w e
n o w to part and f o r e v e r
Father says S O she replied Her hand fell from my
gr asp The unmoved {u d z e r e u t manner o f her reply
froze my blood in my veins
I again s t ared at her com
p osed fea t ures in a stonishment allied to con t empt
I asked with a bluntness that
B u t what do y ou say
s t artled her

W I LD W E S T ERN S CE NE S

A fever an d delir i um , such as possessed t h e poor yout h

l y i ng there , ensue d
Un der the kind care o f my preceptor ,
my malady ab ated i n a few weeks ; and , a s I recovered , a
.

cha n ge took place in my sentiments regarding the events

that produced my illness My pride rose up to my relief
an d I resolve d to overcome the e ff ects of my di sappoint
ment Yet my heart m elted in tenderness when I recalled
the blissful moments I had known wi t h Laura B ut I de
t e r m i n e d to prosecute my plans of life as if n o such occur
rence had tr a n spired

A few days a fter bidding L aura ad i eu she returned to

Boston accompanie d by W old W old obtained his diploma
w h ile I was writhing with disease Even the loss o f my
degree was n ow b orne with p atien ce and res i gnation I
forgave W old and implored him to make L aura happy
He promised faithfully to do so when o n the eve o f setting
I did n o t desire to see her myself but sent
o u t with her
my forgiveness and blessing
In a f e w months my diplom a w a s obtained and I com
m e n ce d the practice under the most favourable circum
s t a n ces My late pre ceptor w a s now my par t ner N early
a year elapsed before W old returned to N ew York But a
rum or pre c e ded h i m which again opened all the fountains
It was said ( and only two o r
o f bitterness in my heart
three were p os essed o f the se cret )that he had betraye d
I sought him to ascer t ain
a n d ruined t h e lovely Laura !
from his own l ips i f he had truly committed the act i m
p ut o d to h i m I resolved t o avenge her ! But W ol d
avoided me I could n o t O btain his ear an d all my n otes
to him rem a ined un answere d D espairing o f ge tt ing an
i mmedia t e answer from him I rep aired to Mrs A rras
Her h ouse w a s in gloom an d sorrow W hen she appeared
my heart sank wi t hin me to behold her sad and m ournful
b row
S he pressed my exten ded hand while a ood o f
tear s gushed from her eyes

I kn ew by t he disconsolate aspect o f the aunt th a t

the niece had been dragged down from her high estate
of virtue for t u ne and fam e I sat down an d bowed my
head in sorrow ma n y minutes before the rst word w as
I still loved L aura
W ha t could I say ! h o w
s poken
b egin
It i s true I at le n gth exclaimed risi n g up and p ac
.

'

A NA RR A T I V E

21 3

i ng t h e oor ra pi dly w h ile many a tear ran down my

ch eek
Al as ! i t i s t o o true i terated Mrs A rras
T he black h earted v illain ! I cont i nued
Ah Mr Glenn her fate would ha v e b een d i ff erent i f
yo ur addresses h a d not been so cruelly s p u r ne d ! G o d
knows I w a s n o t to blame sa i d she

NO Mrs A rras sa i d I ; had your w i ll b ee n done ,

I h a d not been made miserable by the bereavement n or
the beautiful t h e i nn ocent the L aura w i th all h e r
errors dishon oured ruined crushed ! But t h e b etrayer
the v i per that stung her still b reathes I loved her I
love her yet an d I will be her avenger ! S ay i ng this ,
I rus h ed away heedless of the matron s h alf uttere d e n
treat i es to r ema i n an d to des i st from my p lan o f v en
,

e a n ce

There was a young student of my a c qua i ntan c e a

b ra v e c hivalrous n oble V irginian to whom I i m p arte d
Laura s sad story He frankly agreed with me that t h e
v en omous reptile in the h uman shape that c ould b egu i le
an unsuspecting and lo v ely g i rl to minister to his unhal
lowed des i res and then without hesitation or remorse
abandon her to the dark d espairing shades of a frowning
world While he crawled on to ins i nuate his p oison i nto the
b reasts of n ew vict i ms should be p ursued hunted down
an d exterminated Yet there was but one way for me t o
unish
W
old
T
he
i
gnominy
f
the
act
and
the
i
ndign
o
a
p
tion o f a v i rtuous community were to him m atters of i n
diff erence The circle in which he moved would smile at
the misfortun e of his V i c t im an d applaud his address were
the aff air p ublished I resolved that he should answer i t
to me alone I had sworn in my heart to be Laura s
a venger
I penned a message which was delivere d b y my young
W old sa i d he had n o quarrel
V irginian friend in p erson
with me an d strove to evade the subj ect He sen t m e a
note demanding wherein he had ever w r o n g e d m e and
stating t hat he was ready and willing to e x p l a i n any t hing
that might h a ve o ff ended me I returned his n ote wi t h a
line o n t he same shee t informing him tha t I was the friend
o f Laura ; an d that he mus t ei t h er meet me in t he manner
indicated i n my message or I would publicly bran d h i m a s
,

d all the fountains

l and onlytwo or
a he had betra ed
y
hil l to ascertain
M ud the act im
old
her ! But W
notes
u andall m
y
f g etting an
:

214

W I LD W E S T E R N SC E N E S :

d astar dly s c oun drel

He h i t h i s l i p and referred my fr i end

t o o n e of his companion s i n i n i quity a Mr K nabb who
l i v ed b y the p r of e ss i o n of cards and dice It was arranged
that we should meet on o n e o f the islands near the c i ty
an d that it should b e t h e next morning Th i s was what I
des i red an d I had urged my friend to e ff ect as speedy a
consummat i o n o f the a ff a i r as possible A ll the tumult a n d
p erturbation that r a ged in my bosom o n parting with Laura
had returned and the throbbing o f my brain was almost
It was w i th dif culty that my young friend
i n s u e r a b l e
p revailed upon m e to embrace the few intermediate hours
b efore the meeting to practice with the pis t o l
I heeded
n ot his declaration that W old was an excellent shot because
I felt convinced that j ustice was o n my side I thought
However I con
t hat the criminal must inevitably fall
Truly
s ented to practice a lit t le to quiet h i s importunity
i t seemed that his urgen t solicitation was reasonable enough
for the rst re my ball was several feet wide o f the mark
But there was
I had n ever re d a pistol before in my life
n o qui v ering o f nerve n o misgiving as to my fate ; for not
w i thstanding I was aware of be ing a novice yet I enter
t a i n e d a conviction a presentiment that the destroyer o f
my Laura s inn ocence would fall beneat h my hand The
n ext re I did better an d soon learned to strike the centre

W e were all o n the ground at the hour app ointed

W hile the seconds were arranging the necessary p r e l i m i
n aries W old
nding t hat my eyes rested steadily upon
h i m en deavoured t o intimidate m e
There was a bu s h
some thirty paces distant from which a Slim solitary sprout
ran up several feet above the rest of the branches He
gazed an instant at it while I was marking him and t hen
raised his pistol and re d in the direction The Sprout
fell Turning his eyes met mine while a slight smile was
v isible o n his lip
The e ff ect did not realize his hopes I
looked upo n the act with such cold indi ff erence that he at
rst be t raye d surprise at my calmness and then exhibited
palpable signs o f trepidation himself He beckoned K nabb
to h im and aft er a brief conference in a low tone his se
cond returned to my friend and inquired if n o amends n o
reconciliation co uld avert the exchange o f Shots
My
friend repor t ed his words to m e an d my reply was that

i nstant
f
ot
i
g
but
t
he
resti
t
u
t
ion
the
maiden
s
honour
n
o
n h
a

,
.

21 6

W I LD W E S T ER N S CENE S

I sn a tched up the sheet convuls i vely an d glanced along the

columns W hen my eyes rested upon the paragraph I w a s
i n quest o f I sprang to my feet in ecstasy The wound
had not b e e n fatal ! W old still lived !

In a twinkli n g I was dressed and o n my way to my

u n cle s residen ce
No t h w i t h s t a n di n g there was a dreadful
epidemic in the city an d hearses and m ourners were pass
ing every few minutes I felt Within a buoyancy that deed
the terrors of disease an d death
But it seemed tha t disaster a n d desolation were fated
to a t tend me whithersoever I turn ed A gloom b rooded
upon my heart when I approached my un cle s mansio n
and found the b adge o f mourning at the door I pause d
a n d asked the servant Wh o was dead
He informed m e
t ha t my un cle alone rema i ned His wife and children all
h a d been consigned to the tomb the day before a n d he
himself n ow lay writhing with the fell d i sease I rushed i n
a n d entered the Sick chamber
It was the chamber of
dea t h My u n cle pressed my hand and died I followed
him t o the grave the chief and almost only mourner

I returned and shut myself up in the mansion bewil

dered and s t u p e e d I was n ow the possessor o f immense
wealth But I was unhappy I knew not what to do to
enj oy life Gradually the pestilence abated an d di s ap
e a r e d an d by degrees the gloom t hat O ppressed me sub
p
sided A t the end of a few months I was informed by my
young V irginian frien d that W old h ad entirely recovered
I likew i se receive d a letter from Mrs A rras stating that
had sought o u t L aura ( who had been enticed
Judge
t o an O bscure part o f t he city )and as her misfortune had
been kept a profound secret among the few he forgave t he
o ff ence and once more ext e nded t o her a father s love and
a father s protection I need not say that a blissful thrill
bounded through my v e m s W old was living and Laura
n ot irrecoverably los t Yet I di d not then deem it possible
that I could under such circumstances ever desire to pos
But I
s e e s the on ce adored but since truly fallen Laura
experienced a sweet gratica t ion to b e thus informed of
My love
t h e prospect of her being reins t ated in society
was no t yet wholly extinguished !

W hen it was generally kn own t hat I possessed gr e at

r iches a cro d o f a t t e r e r s and sycophants hovered ar o und
.

A NARRA TI V E

21 7

me I was a distingu i shed guest at the mans i ons of t h e

fashionable and grea t and had in turn m any brilliant p ar
ties a t my residen ce But among the t i nsel an d glitter of
the gay world I sought in vain for peace and happ i ness
Many beau t iful and bewitching belles lavished their sweet
est smiles up on m e but they could n ot r e ign i te the sm o
W ine could only exhilarate f o r
t hered ame in my bosom
a moment to be succeeded by a g n a w m g n ausea C ards
could only excite while I lost to h e succeeded by i rr i tabil i ty
and disgust

Thus my time was Spent f o r twel v e month s w h en I

suddenly conceive d the resolution to seek a union with the
ill fated Laura notwithstanding all the obloquy the worl d
might attach to the act I still loved her i n spite o f myself
I could not live i n peace without her an d I determine d
without delay to o ff er her my hand heart and fortune I
set out for B oston an d o n my arr i val instantly proceede d
to the residence o f Judge
A ga i n my evil star was
i n the ascenda n t D esolation and death presided i n Judge
The omin ous badge o f mourning greeted
8 family
me at the threshold ; Laura s mo t her had j ust been c on
signed b roken hearted to the cold grave The v enerable
Judge bowed his hoary head to the blows that P ro v i den c e
inicted He could not speak to me H i s reply to my
o ff er in relation to his child was only a ood of tears H e
t hen retreated i nto his library and locked the door
An
aged domestic told me all Laura had abandoned her p a
r ental roof and v oluntarily entered one o f those sinks of
pollut i on that so muc h degrade human n ature ! I stoo d
up on an awful abyss The Whirlpools of deceit i ngrat i
tude in diff erence and calumny howled around me a n d
the dark oods o f sensual corruption roared b elo w Tur n
whithersoever I might ( alas I thought not o f hea v en gloom ,
discord and misery seemed to b e my portion
I hurried back to P hiladelphia and strove to m i t i g a te
my grief in the v ortex o f unrestrained dissipat i on
I
lavished my gold o n undeserv i ng and unthankful obj e c ts I
c are d n ot for life much less for fortune
I was the vict i m
of a frenzy that rendered me reckless an d b ereft me of calm
medit a tion My frantic laughter was heard at the gam i ng
able
an
d
my
plaudits
were
boisterous
at
the
theatre
b
ut
t
There was n o p leas ur e
1 was a stra n ger to enj oyment
.

enso
of n m

htt to do to
n nh tedan
M oppnsed
! m ini rmedbymy
v

19

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S

21 8

for m e My brawling compan i ons swore I was the happiest

an d noblest being o n ear t h B u t I knew too well there
was n o t a more miserable en d in hell

A t length disease fortunately arrested my demon i ac

career before my wealth was expended It was my good
fortune to secure the services of a dis t inguished and skill
ful p hysician He was a benevolen t and universally esteem
e d Qu a ke r
His a tte n tion w a s not only constan t but
soothing and parental His earnest and tender tones often
made me weep W hen I recovered I resolve d to amend
my life
This f r i e n d had appli ed a healing balm to my
aching heart I determined to prosecute my profession
and before a year elaps ed my exertions began to be crowned
with success
I was a frequent attendant at the lectures and o n terms
Indeed I had
o f the closest intimacy with the professors
a prospe c t o f a professorship myself I devoted my atten
tion particularly to the anatomical department of my s t udies
which I preferred ; and it was in t his department of the
i nstitution t h a t I would probably be installed in a few months
T he gentleman who occupied that chair was about to resig n
and be i ng my friend used his inuence to procure my
election
My medical friend invited me o n e even i ng to b e presen t
at a dissection which promised to be o n e of extreme inte
He described the subj ect as o n e that had elicited the
r est
admiration o f t he class He said it was a female of perfect
proportions b ut who had recen tly been an inmate o f a
brothel o f t he lowest description S he had in a state o f
beastly inebriation fallen into the re Yet with t h e ex
c e t i o n o f a small but fatal orice in the side her form and
p
features rem ained unaltered I consented to meet him a t
the hour appointed and made my arrangements a c cord
.

mg l y

That e v en i ng there were many more persons i n t h e

I had now become much more
dissecting room t han usual
cheerful and enj oyed t he frank greetings of my m any
frien ds with a relish and an ardour tha t had hitherto been n u
known to me Many i p p a n t remarks and careless observa
tions were exchanged in relation to the business before us
W e had become accustom ed to such scenes and habit had
r endere d us callous to the reections an d impress i ons gen e
-

WILD W E S T ER N S C E NES :

220

Wh a t was h er n ame ! I inquire d

of

who

t h e frien d

had accosted m e o n my entrance

Haven t you heard ! said he smiling
I thoug h t yo u
a ll knew her N early every p erson in the city h as hear d
fo r s h e was the most celebrated an d notorious
o f her

fallen angel in the city celebrated f o r her unrivalle d

beauty and many triumphs and notorious for her heartless
deceit and re ckless disregard o f her o w n welfare She has
led captive many an unguarded swain by a p assing smile
in the street and then unceremoniously deserted him to
j oin some drunken and beastly party in an obscure an d de
graded alley
Her name wha t was her n ame ! I again asked once
more taking up the knife my nerves sufciently braced by
the ab ove recital

A nne R
h e replied ; I thought he continue d ,
no one coul d be ignorant o f her name after h earing a d e
scription of her h ab its

A l l o f us I continu ed rallying
are not famili a r

wit h the persons an d n a mes of the fallen angels about

t own But let us look at her face
Saying this I e n
d e a v o u r e d to lift the white cloth fro m her head but nding
that the resurrectionist had tied a cord tightly round the
muslin enclosing her neck and head I desi s te d
Her face is in keeping with her b ody and limbs said
my m erry friend ; s h e was a perfect beauty I h av e seen
h er in C hestnut Street e very fair day f o r the last si x months
until she got drunk and fel l in the re
I now proceede d to b u siness but my es h quivere d a s
my knife p enetrated the smooth fair breast of the subj ect
Soon the skin an d the e s h were removed and the s a w
grated harshly as it severed the ribs Whe n the heart w a s
exposed all bent fo rward instinctively sca n ning it minutely
a nd seemingly with a curio s ity to a s certain if it di ff ere d
from those o f other s whose lives were di ff erent

When the operation was over my anxiety to see h er

face returned A fter an ine ff ectual e ffo rt to untie the cord
I became impatient and s eizing the knife tha t lay on the
table ripped open the muslin that hid her feature s ! My
God ! The knife dr o pped from my b and and p enetratin g
t h e oor quivered upright at my feet while every m e mbe r
I raised m v b a n ds
o f my body trembled in unison with it I
.

0 0

'

It

w as

au a

th e

l o v ed ad o d
,

re

La

ra

P 221

WILD WE ST E R N S CENE S :

222
th e

c a sement and gazed o u t at the genial rays o f the moon

The dark green leaves o f the linden trees were motionles s
and the silvery rays struggling through them cast a check
ered and faint tint o f mingled light and shade on the
p a vement beneath The cool fre s h air s oothed my throb
bing temples I sank back in my seat an d gazed up at
I thought
t h e innumerable stars in the boundle s s sky
the stellar host glittered with unusual brilliance as if there
were a j oyous and holy revelry going o n in heaven My
h eart grew calm I felt a conviction that true happiness
and purity o f thought and purpose were inseparable I
knew that the contaminations o f t h e world had overthrown
many a righteous resolve and linked the noble s t minded
with infamy I thought o f L aura The se d uctions of the
world had literally prostrated an angel before my eyes I
determine d to l e a v e the world if not for ever at least as long
a s its temptations to err in the remotest degree were li a ble

to beset my p ath I came hither

When Glenn nishe d his narrative R o u g h g r o v e rose in
silence and producing a small Bible that he always carrie d
a bout his person read in a low but distinct and im pressive
tone several p assages which were pe culiarly applicable to
the state of their feelings Glenn then approached the couch
A healthful p e r s pi r a
w here William s lumbered peacefully
tion rested o n his forehead and a sweet smile played upon
h is lip s indicating that his dreams were not among the
M a ry
s av a ge scenes in which he had s o lately mingled
who had fallen asleep while seated at his side overcome
with silent watching yet rested wit h her head o n the same
pillow precisely in the same attitude sh e reclined when
Glenn began his recital R o u g h g r o v e took her in his arms
a nd placing her softly at her brother s feet bestowe d a kiss
u on h er b row , a n d retire d with Glenn to res t
p
.

A N A RR A T I V E

C H A PT E R

223

XV I

ur i o u s dr e a m H e p r e p ar e s t o ca t ch a s h G l e n n
n d M a r y J o e s s u dd e n a n d s t r a n g e a pp e a r a n c e La u n a
a
T h e t r e m b l i g f a w n T h e s h i n g s p o r t T h e d u cki n g f r o l i c S n e a k
a n d t h e p an t h e r
Jo e

lmy sp i g
Will i m a

Ba

r n

s c

I T was now the rst week in May E very vestige of

winter had long since disappeared an d the verdure o f a
rich soil and mil d temperature wa s fa s t enrobing the earth
with the freshest and most pleasing o f col ours In s tead o f
the dreary expanse o f ice that h a d covered the river its
waters now murmured mu s ically by in the early m orn
its curling eddies running along the sedgy s h ore while the
risi n g sun sl owly dissipated the oating mist s ; and the i n
S piring notes of all the wild variety of birds contributed
to invest the scene with such charms as the G o d o f nature
only can imp art and which may only be fully e nj oye d
an d justly appreciate d by guileless and unsophisticated
mortals
Glenn ramble d forth and partaking the harm ony th at
pervade d the earth air and waters his breast swelled
with a blissful exultation that can n ever be known ami d
the grating voices o f contending m en o r experienced in
crowded cities where many confused sound s vibrate harshly
and distracting on the ear He stood in his little gar d en
among the owers that Mary had planted and watche d
the humming birds poised among the trembling leave s
their tiny wings still u n r u fe d by the dew while their
s lender beaks inhale d the sweet m oisture of the vari e
gate d bl ossoms L ong he regarded the enchanting s cene
unconscious o f the ight of time and alik e regardless o f the
p a st an d the future in his all absorbing admiration o f the
r e s e n t wherein he deeme d he was not far remote from t ha t
g r e s e n ce to whic h time and eternity are obedient whe n
h is phantasm was abruptly and unceremoniously put to
ight by his man Jo e who ru s hed out o f the h ou s e with a
.

WILD

224

W E S T ERN S CENE S :

long r o d in his hand yawning and rubbing his e yes as i f

he had been startled from his m orning slumber but a mo
ment before

What s the m atter ! demande d G f e n n

It was a wapper said Joe

What was 3

The s h
Where ! asked Glenn
I ll tell you I dreamt I was sitting o n a rock d own
at the ferry with this r o d i n my hand s hin g for perch
when a thunderi n g big cats h as long as I am took hold
I dreamt he pulled and I pulled sometimes he had me i n
the water up t o my knees an d sometimes I g o t him o u t o n
d r y l and
But he alway s o u n ce d and kicked back again
Yet he couldn t escape be cau s e the b o o k was still in his
m outh and when he j ump ed into the river I j umped to the
rod and s o we had i t over and o v er

A nd n o w have don e with it said Glenn interrupting

him
What are you h o lding the r o d now for !

I m going to try to catch him said Jo e with u n a f

f e ct e d s implici t y
Merely because yo u had this dream continued Glenn
his feature s relaxing into a s mile

Ye s I believe in dreams s aid Jo e

Once when
we were living in Phi l adelphia I had one of these same
dream s It w a s ju s t about the s ame hour
How do yo u kno w what h o ur it was yo u dreamt about
the s h ! a gain interrupted Glenn

Why I
stamm ered Jo e
I m sure it was
about daybreak b e cau s e the s un rose a little while a f ter I
,

o t o ut

That might be the ca s e said Glenn if yo u were t o

dream ab o ut the s ame thing from sun down till s u n u p
A nd I belie v e the s h wa s running in your head last night
before I went t o b ed f o r yo u were then snori n g and j erki n g

o ut
our
arms
ab
y
Well I ll tell you my other dream anyhow
I dreamt
I was walking al o ng Spru ce Street wharf with my head
d o w n when all at o n c e my t o e s truck ag a in s t a red mo
ro cco p o cket wallet ; I s to o ped d o wn an d picked it up and
put it in my p o cket a n d went h o me before I lo o ked to s e e
What w a s in it
,

WILD

226

W E S T ERN S CENE S :

cat s h I ll g o straight to the bro ok and hunt u p a fr o g !

Saying this Joe s e t out to execute his purpo s e while
Glenn proceeded to R o u g h g r o v e s house to s e e how Wil
li a m progressed in hi s s tudies
The intelligent youth under the guidance o f R ough
grove Glenn and hi s un w earying and a e ct io n a t e S i s ter
wa s now rapidly making amends for the long neglect o f
his education while abiding with the unlettered Indian s
He had already gone through the E ngli s h grammar and
The great poets
w a s entering the higher branches of s tudy
o f his o w n country and the most approved novelist s were
his companions during th e h ours o f relaxation ; f o r when
the illimitable elds o f intellect were O pened to his vi s ion
h e woul d scarce for a m oment consent to withdraw his a d
miring gaze Thus when it was nece s sary f o r a s eason to
cease his toil in the path o f learning b e deligh t ed to r e
clin e in some cool shade with a plea s ing book in his hand
and regale his senses with the owers and refre s hing stream s
of imaginative authors A nd thus sweetly glided his
day s C ould such halcyon m ome nts last it were wor s e
than madness to seek the wealth and honour s o f this world !
In that secluded retreat though far from the land of hi s
n a tivity with n o community but the comp anion s hip o f hi s

three o r four friends and the j oyou s myriad s of b i rds no

p alace s but the eternal hills of nature and n o pageantry
but the ray s o f the rising and s etting s un streaming
prismatic dies upon them the smiling youth wa s far hap
pier than he would have been in the princely halls of hi s
fathers where the sycophant only bent the knee to receive
a load o f gold and the friend that might protect him o n
the throne would be the rst to stab him on the highway
A spreading elm stood near the door o f R o u g h g r o v c s
hou s e and beneath its clu s tering bough s William and Mar y
were s eated o n a rude ben ch entirely s creened from the
glaring light o f the s un A few paces di s tant the brook
glided in low murmurs between the gree n ags and water
violets over its p ebbly bed The morning d e w yet re s ted on
The soft sigh o f the fre s h breeze
t h e grass in the shade
as it passed through the motionles s branche s of the towering
elm could scarce be heard but yet s u f ced ever and anon
to lift aside the glo ss y ringlet s that hung pendent to the
The paroquet and the thrush the blue
maiden s shoulders

'

A NA RRA T I VE

227

b ir d an d g o l d n ch u ttere d am ong t h e t h ick foliage an d

trille d their melodies in sweetest caden ce B oth the broth er
an d sister wore a happy smile Happy because the inno
and th e
C en ce of angels dwelt in the b o s om o f the o n e
memory o f hi s guileless an d bli s sful days o f childhood p os
sesse d the other O ccasionally they read some passage s
in a book that lay open o n Mary s lap describing t h e la s t
days o f C harles I an d then the bright smil e woul d be
dimmed f o r a m om ent by a shade o f sadn e s s

Oh ! p oor m an ! exclaimed Mary when William r e ad

o f the axe o f the executioner descending on the neck o f
the prostr ate m onarch
It is far better to dwell in peace in suc h a quiet an d
lon ely place as this th a n to be where s o m any cruel men

abide said William p ondering

A h me ! I did not think that C hristian men coul d b e

said Mary a bright tear dropping from her long

s o cruel
eyela s h

But the book says he was a tyrant an d deserve d to die

continued the youth his lips compres sed with rmness

He s comi n g ! exclaim ed Mary suddenly an d t h e

pitying thought of the unfortunate C harles vanish ed from
her mind But as she steadily gazed up the p ath a crim son
ush su ffused her smooth brow and cheek an d s h e r ose
gracefully and with a smil e of delight welcome d Glenn to
the cool an d refre s hing shade o f the m aj estic el m

Y o u have come too late

William h a s already sai d

his lesso n and I m sure he kne w it perfe ctly said Mary

half reproachfully and halfpl ayfully

Mary don t know Mr Glenn ; because I am now fur

ther advan ced than s h e is said William

But what kept yo u away s o long this beautiful morn

in g ! continued the innocent girl

D on t you s e e t h e
dew is almost dried away in the s un and the morning
glories are nearly all closed !
I was lingering in the garden among th e delicate
owers yo u gave me Mary ; an d the green and golden
humming bir d s charmed me s o that I coul d not tear my

self away replied o u r hero as he sat down between t h e

brother and sister

I shall go with brother William o n the cli ff and g e t

s o me wild roses and hare bell s and then all your hummin g
,

n l nfmhin stream
s
g

ma]! g lided his

a i n, M en worse
mm of thisworld!

"

328

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

b irds will l eave you an d stay h ere with me sai d Mary

s m i ling archly

But you will be th e prettie s t bir d among t h em an d

ower t o o to m y eye s said Glenn g a z m g at the clear

and brilliant though laughing eyes o f the pleased girl

If that were the ca s e why did yo u linger so long i n

the garden ! asked the m aid with s ome seriousness

I should not have done so Mary but for Joe who you
know will always be heard when he has any thing to s ay ;

and this morni n g he had a ludicrous dream to tell me

I like Joe a great deal h e makes m e laugh every

tim e I s e e him A nd you mu s t tell me what he said an d
h ow he l o oked and acted that I m ay kno w whether you

did right to stay away so long s aid the thoughtless and

happy girl eager to listen to th e accents o f the o n e whose
approach had illumine d her features with the mystical res
o f the heart
Glenn faithfully rep eate d every wor d and gesture of h is
d ialogue with Joe and the unsophisticated girl s j oyous
l augh rang merrily up the echoing vale in sweet a cco m
a n i m e n t with the carol s o f the feathered song s ters
p
When the narration ended they both turned with s u r
prise to William w h o instead of par t aking their hilarity
as u s ual s a t p erfectly motionless in deep thought regard
ing with app arent intensity the s traggling spears o f grass
tha t grew at his feet The book he had taken up which
had dropped from Mary s lap when s h e hastily rose at the
a pproach o f Glenn n o w fel l unob s erved by h i m from his
relaxed hand
His face became unu s ually pale
His
limb s seemed to b e strangely a gitated and the pulsa t ions
of his heart were audible

Wh at s the matter dear brother ! crie d Mary in alarm

L a u na LA U NA he exclaimed and sinking softly
down o n his knees applied his ear close to the ground in a
listening attitude
D ear brother William ! d o tell Mary what ails you !
What is L a u na ! said the startled an d distressed girl
with a ff ection a te concern

cried William
L a u n a T H E T R E M B LI N G F A WN !
n gly
anti
p

L isten ! s a id Glenn checking Mary when Sh e was

A plaintive u t e like s o un d
ab out t o repe a t h er inquiry
,

230

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

t h ick et an d gli d e d m ore like a S pirit o f the air than a h u

man being t o wards the wondering grou p Her light s tep s
produced n o sound In each hand s he held a ri ch b ouquet o f
fresh wild owers and leave s and blo s s o ms were fantastical
l y though ta s tefully arranged in her hair and o n her brea s t
A broad S hining gold b a nd decked her temples but many
o f her raven ringlets h ad e s caped from their connement
a nd oated o u t on the wind a s S he S ped towards h e r beloved

cried William dartin g fo rwar d

La u na ! L a u n a
fr a ntically and catching the girl in his arm s He presse d
h er closely an d fondly to his heart and S he hid her fa ce o n
h is b reast Thus they clung together s everal minute s in
silence when they were interrupted by R o u g h g r o v e whose
attention had been attracted by the sudden a r ig h t of Jo e

William my dear boy said th e grieved old man you

must n ot have any thing to do with the Indians you pro
mi s e d us that yo u would not

L eave us ! said the youth sternly an d stam ping i m

p a tiently

D o father ! cried Mary who looke d on in tears a f e w

p a ces apart ; brother won t leave us again I m sure he

on
t
will you William !
w

N o I will not ! excl aim ed the youth The Indian girl

comprehended the meaning o f his words and tearing away
from his embrace stood with folded arms at his side wit h
h er penetrating and reproachful eyes xe d full up on him
while her lips quivered and her breast heaved in agitati o n
A ll now regarde d her in S ilence an d admiration Her form
was a p erfect model of beauty Her compl exion was but
a S hade darker than that of the maidens o f Spain Her
brows were most admirably arched and her l o ng silken
lashes would have been envied by an Italian beauty Her
forehead and ch e cks were smooth and all her features as
regul ar as those o f a V enus The mould o f her face w a s
strictly Grecian and o n her delicate lips rested a half
formed expression o f s a d regret and rm resolution Her
vestment s were rich and highly ornamente d with pearls
and diamonds She wore a light snowy mantle made of
swan S kins o n which a p ortion o f the e e cy down remained
Beneath the dress was composed o f skins of the nest
ni s h descending midway between her knees and ankles
w here it w a s m et by the top s o f the buckskin moccasins
,

,
.

'

,
.

NA RR A T IV E

231

that conned h er small an d delicately forme d feet Her

arms which were mostly concealed under her m antle we r e
bare from the elbows down and adorned at th e wrists wit h
silver ban d s

Why hang it all ! Was there nothing running a fter

m e but this squaw ! asked Joe wh o had ventured fort h

again unobser v ed and now stood besi d e Glenn a nd Ma ry

Silence ! said Glenn

Oh don t call h e r a squaw Joe s h e s more like an

angel than a squaw said Mary gazing tenderly a t the
lover s while tears were ye t stan ding in her eyes

I won t do so a gain said Joe

b ecause S h e s the
prettiest wild thing I ever saw ; a nd if Mr William d on t

marry her I will

K eep silent Joe or else leave us

a gain interp ose d
Glenn

I ll go catch my sh I h a d just foun d a frog an d

was in t h e act o f catching it when I saw the s q
the
h e r an d I thought then that I would just run home a n d let
you know s h e was coming before I took it B ut I remem
ber where it was and I ll have it now in less than n o

time
S aying this Jo e s e t o ff up the valley again thoug h
n ot very well pleased with him s elf for b etraying s o muc h
a larm whe n there was s o little danger

L a u na I am no Indian said William at lengt h In

t h e language o f her tri b e and much a ff ecte d by h er search
ing stare

But you were once the young c h ief th a t le d o u r w a r

riors to battle and caught L a u na s he a rt I heard you
were a p ale face after you were taken away from us ; an d
I thought if you would not y back to L a u na like the
pigeon that escapes from the talons o f the eagle and returns

u
to its mate then I woul d lose yo
forget you hate you
I tried but I could not d o it When the white m oon ran
up to the t o p o f the s ky and shone down through the tal l
t rees in my face I would ever meet you in the lan d of
dreams with the bright smile yo u used to have when you
were wont to put your arm around m e and draw m e s o
gently to your brea s t I was happy in tho s e dreams But
they w ould n o t s tay The night ha w k ew l o w and t o u ched
my eyes with his wings as he a pp e d by and I aw o ke
Then my b reast was cold a nd my cheeks w e re w e t T h e
-

onhim
5 i nt full up
,

WI LD

232

W E S T ER N S CENE S :

katydi d s gat h ered in th e sweet r o s e bu s hes about m e an d

sung mournfully L a u na was u nh a ppy L a u n a m u s t
s e e her Young E agle or go to the l an d o f S pirits
Sh e
call ed her wild steed to her S ide and plucking these o w
ers to test his e e t n e s s S pra n g up on him an d ew hither
He is now grazing in the prairie at the head o f the valley ;

and here are th e blo s soms still alive fre s h and sweet
The trembling an d tearfu l girl then gently and sadly
strewe d the owers over the grass at her feet

Sweet L a u na cried William snatching u p the blos

soms and pre s sing them to his lips forgive the young
chief ; he will still love yo u and n ever leave you again

N o no n o ! said the girl shaking her head i n

despair ; the pale face youth will not creep throu g h th e

He will
s ilent an d shady forest with L a u na any more
gather no more ripe grapes for the Trembling Fawn He
will n o t bathe again in the clear waters with L a u na
He will give her n o more rings o f roses to put on her
b reast
The Trembling Fawn is wounded
She must
nd a cool shade an d lie down The dove will perch over
her an d wail She will sing a low song She Will close

h er eyes and die

Oh no ! cried William placing his arms aroun d her

tenderly
L a u na mu s t not die o r if s h e doe s Sh e shall
not die alone Why will n o t L a u na dwell with me among

my friend s !
The girl started and exhibited S igns o f
mingled delight and doubt and then replied

The p ale maiden would hate L a u na an d the gray

h ead would drive her away

No L a u na said William ; they woul d all l o ve yo u

and we would be s o happy ! Say yo u will stay with me
here and you shall be my wife and I will have n o other
love My s ister is sweet and mild as L a u na and my

f a ther will always be kind

The dark eyes of the girl assume d an unwonted lustre
a nd S he turned imploringly to Mary Glenn and R ough
g rove

Oh l cried William in his n ative tongue addressing

h is white friend s ; let La u na dwell with u s ! She is as

innocent as the lily by the brook and as noble as a queen
Father he continued stepping forward an d taking R ough

rove
s
hand
you
won
t
refuse
my
request
!
A
nd
you
,
g
-

A N ARR ATIV E

233

ster M ary I know you will l o ve her as dearly as you do

me
A nd yo u my friend said he turning to Glenn

will soon hear her speak o ur o w n language and s he will

cull many beautiful o wers f o r yo u that the white man

n ever yet beheld Grant thi s added the youth after

pausing a few moments while hi s friends hung their heads

in silence and I will remain with yo u always ; but if yo u

refuse I mu s t y to the fo re s t ag a in

Stay ! Oh brother yo u s hall not go ! crie d Mary

and ru s hing fo rward she thre w her arms round his neck
The Indian girl ki ss ed her p ale brow and smiled j oyfully
when the youth told her that Mary was his dear sister
He loves her an d her a ff ection for him is imp erishable
S aid Glenn

A nd why m ay they n ot be happy together if t h ey

dwell with us ! asked R o u g h g r o v e pondering

There is no reason why they shoul d not be L et us

tell them to remain and be happy said Glenn

When fully informed that S h e might abide with them
and still l ove her Young E agle L a u n a was almost frantic
with ecstasy She looked gratefully and fondly o n her
new friends an d pres s ed their hands in turn She seeme d
to be m ore espe ci ally fond o f Mary and rep eatedly woun d
her smooth and soft a rm s a ff ectionately about her waist
and neck
William le d his Indi an bride to the seat un d er the
S preading green tree and signied a desire to C ommun e
with her alone When seated together on the rude bench
the maiden s h a nd cla s ped in William s Mary fondly kissed
them both and withdrew in company with R o u g h g r o v e and
Glenn R o u g h g r o v e prostrated himself in prayer when
within the hou s e Mary ran up t o the top of the beetling
cli ff to cull owers and Glenn directed his steps down the
valley toward s the river whither Joe had preceded him with
the frog he had succeeded in capturing
Glenn wa s met about midway by Joe who was return
ing slowly with peculiar mark s o f agitation o n his face
H e had neither frog rod n or s h in his han d
I thought yo u were shing remarked Glenn

S o I am replied Jo e
and I ve had t h e gr e atest luck

o u ever heard o f
y

Well tell me your success

Si

20 *

W I LD W E S T ERN S CE NE S

234

I had a bite continued he in l e s s than three minutes

after I threw in my hook It wa s a wapper ! When he took
hold I le t him play about awhil e with a s lack line to be
h
t
m
n
ertain
and
get
it
well
xed
in
his
o
But when I went
c
to draw up the monster m ade a s pla s h o r t w o and then
whizzed o u t into the middle o f the river !
Where was the ho o k
asked Glenn

In his m outh to be sure replied Joe

A nd the line !

Fa s t to the rod

A nd the rod !

Fa s t to the line ! said Joe an d following the sh at

the rate of ten knots while I stoo d o n the bank staring in

utter astonishment

Then where was your great success !

deman d e d
Glenn

It was a noble bi t e sai d Joe

But yo u were the bi t t e n one remarked Glenn scan

ning Joe s V isage which began to as s ume a disconsolate
cast

If I d only been thinking about such a wapper an d

ha d been o n my guard said Joe S pla s h me if he s hould

ever have got my rod away in that manner I d have taken

a ducking rst !

Have yo u no more lines ! asked Glenn

N o replied Joe n g ye but your s

o
i
Y u are welcome to t but be quick and I will l ook

o n while
o u have your revenge
y
Jo e S prang nimbly up the hill and in a few minutes r e
t urned with fre s h tackle and another fr og that he foun d on
his way They then repaired to the margin o f the river ;
but before Jo e ventured to cast o u t hi s line agai n he made
th e end of the rod fast to his wrist by mean s o f a s trong
cord he had provided f o r that purpo s e But n o w his pre
caution seemed to have been unnece s sary for many minutes
elapsed without any sym ptoms of success
Glenn grew impatient and retire d a few paces to t h e
base of the cli ff where h e reclined in an easy p osture on
some huge rocks that had tumbled down from a great
height and l ay half imbedded in the earth Here he lo n g
remained with his eyes xed ab s tractedly on the curlin g
water an d meditated o n the occurrence he had recentl y
,

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

236

Glen n long remained motionle s s after the sounds d ie d

a way a s if endeavouring to retain the s oothing e ff ect o f the
r ingi n
notes
that
had
s
o
s
weetly
reverberated
along
the
g
ff
utting
peak
s
f
the
towering
cli
o
j

I ve got a bite ! exclaimed Jo e bending over the

verge o f the bank and stretching his arms as far as possible
over the water while his line m o v ed about in various di
re ction s indicating truly that a sh had taken the hook

H o ld fast to the r o d this time Joe remarked Glen n

who became intere s ted in the s cene

Won t I ! Its tied fa s t to my wri s t

Is it not time to pull him up ! asked Glenn seeing

that the s h so far from being c o n s cious o f p eril inclined
towards the s hore with the line in quest of more food
Here g o e s said Jo e j erking the rod up vi o lently with
b o th hands N o sooner did the s h feel the piercing hook
in his m outh than he ro s e to the surface and S pla s hing
the water several fee t round in every direction darte d
quickly d o wnwards in S pite o f the strenuous e ff orts o f Joe
t o the contrary
N everthele s s Joe entertaine d no fear s about the result ;
and the s h as if apprized o f the impossibility o f capturing
the r o d ran al ong parallel with the shore gradually a p
r o a ch i n
the
brink
the
water
and
seemingly
with
the
o
f
p
g
in tention to surrender himself at the feet o f the pi s cator
B u t thi s was not his purpo s e
When Joe made another
str o ng pull in the endeavour to strand him in the shallo w
water the s h again threw up the S pray ( s ome o f which
reached his adver s ary s face )and turning his head o u t
wards ran directly away from the shore
Pull him back Jo e ! s aid G lenn

I am trying with all my might replied Jo e but h e s

s o plaguy str o ng he won t come hang him !

He ll get away if yo u d o n t min d ! continued Glenn

evincing muc h animation in hi s tones and gestures

I ll be drenched if he d o es ! said Joe with his arm

to which the r o d wa s lashed stretched out while he endea
v o u r e d to plant hi s feet rmly in the s and

He ll have yo u i n the water cut the rod loo s e from

your wri s t ! cried Glenn a s J o e s foothold gave way a n d
h e was truly drawn into the water
Oh good grac ious ! I ve g o t no knife ! Give me your
,

A N A R R A T IV E

237

h an d ! cried Jo e vainly striving to untie t h e cor d

Help

me ! Oh St Peter ! he continued imploringly a s t h e

sh drew him o n in the water in quick but reluctant strides

Oh ! I m gone ! h e cried when the water was mi d way

to his chin a n d the sh pulling him along wit h increas ing
rapidity

b e n o t alarmed a n d
m
are
a
good
swim
er
Joe
Y ou

you will n ot b e hurt said Glenn half incline d t o laugh

at his man s indescribabl e contortions an d grimaces an d
ap prehending n o serious result

Ugh ! cried Joe the water now up to his c h in a n d

the next m oment when in the act of making a h a sty a n d
piteous entreaty hi s head quickly dipped under the turbid
surface and di s appeared entirely
Glenn n ow b ecame
alarme d ; but when in the act o f divesting himself o f h i s
clothing for the purpose o f plun ging in to his rescue Joe
rose again some forty p aces o u t in the current an d by the
exertion o f the arm that was free he was enabled to keep
his head above the water The current was very strong
an d the sh in en deavourin g to run up t h e stre a m with
h is prize in tow made but littl e headway an d a very few
minutes sufced to prove that it was altogether unequal to
the attemp t A fter having pro g ressed about s i x rods Joe s
h ead becam e quite station a ry like a buoy or a cork a t e u
chor and then by degrees was carrie d downward b y the
strong o w as the s h at lengt h bec a me quite exhauste d

N ow for it Jo e swim towar d s the shore with him !

cried Glenn

He s almost got my S h oul d er out of place ! replie d

Joe blowing a large quantity o f water o u t o f his m outh

I see his n above the water said Glenn ; struggl e

m a nfully Jo e an d yo u will capture him ye t !

I ll die but I ll have him now after suc h a d ucking

as this ! said Jo e approaching the S hore with th e almost

inanimate sh that was n o longer able to contend against
his superior strength When he drew near enough t o
touch the bottom he turned his head and behel d his prize
oating close behind an d obedient to his will
It required the s trength o f both Glen n and Joe to d rag
the imm en se catsh ( f o r s uch it proved to be )from its na
tive element It wa s about the length and weight o f Jo e
a nd ha d a mouth o f su fcient dimension s to have s w al
.

W I LD WE S T ERN S CENE S :

238

l owed a man s h ead It w a s given to the ferryme n who

h a d witnes s ed the immersion and were attracte d thither to
ren d er assistance

I suppose you have now h a d enough of the s h ! r e

marked Glenn as they retraced th eir s teps homeward

I ll acknowledge that I m satised for the present ; but

I was resolved to have satisfaction ! r eplied Jo e

Yes b ut you have had it with a vengeance ; and I doubt

n ot that your apparent contentment is but col d comfort

continued Glenn

I m not a bit col d I sh a n t c h ange my clothes a n d

I m re a dy for any other S p ort you like said Joe

If you really suff er no inconvenien ce from th e wet

a n d this ne warm day inclines me to believe you w e will
take o u r guns an d walk o u t to t h e small lakes o n t h e b o r
d ers o f the prairie

Splash i t began Joe

N o d n ck it interrupte d Glenn

Well I S houl d like to know exactly w h at you mean

w h ether you a re in earnest about going to the p onds o r
Whether you are j oking m e for getting d u cke d as there s
n othing in them now to shoot but d u cks an d it may have

p opped into your head j ust because I ha d the d u cki n g

s a id Joe

I am in earnest said Glenn ; I do not wish to a n

n oy William o r to meet R o u g h g r o v e an d Mary until t h eir

domestic arrangements are a l l completed

That s strange said Joe

What s strange ! asked Glenn quickly

Why your n ot wanting to meet Mi s s Mary I say It

replied Joe
i s most mysteriously strange

Say nothing more about it and think less said Glenn

s triding in advance while a smile played upon his lip

But I can t help dreaming about i t an d my dreams

a ll come true said Joe

What have you been dreaming but never mind

said Glenn pausing at the gate of the

b ring o u t the guns
inclo s ure and n o t venturing to hear Joe recite the dream
about himself and Mary
When p os s e s sed o f the necessary implements they set
out towards the groves that bordered the prairi e among
w hic h w ere several lakes of clear w a ter not more than fty

W I LD W E S T ERN S CE NE S :

24 0

O h ! exclaimed Joe letting his gun fall an d falling

d own himself bereft alike of the p ower o f esc a pe and t h e
a bility to resi s t

B e quiet ! said Glenn endeavouring to raise his g u n

w hich had become entangled in the bushes ; but before he
could execute his purp o s e Sneak red and the ferociou s
animal came tumbling d o wn through the branches and fell
at his feet

Ugh ! Goodness ! exclaimed Joe his hat strike n

down o v er his eye s by the descending panther and lea p
ing over the frail b arrier of bushes into the wat e r he
l
u nge d fo rward and exe cu t ed a series o f diving evolutions
p
as if still endeavouring to elude the clutches of the carni
v o r o u s beast which he imagined was after him

D o d come out o f the p ond ! Its dead didn t you

h ear m e shoot ! said Sneak who had by t hi s time paddle d

a little canoe in which he had been seated to the S hore
B u t Joe continued his exerci s es his crushed hat not only
depriving him o f sight but rendering him deaf to the
l aughter that burst from Glenn and Sneak
Sneak ran
round to the O pp o s ite side o f the lake to a p oint that Joe
was approaching ( though all uncon s cious o f hi s de s tin ation )
and remained there till t h e p oor fellow pu s hed his half sub
merged head against the gra s s when he seized him furiously
and bore him a few p aces from the water in S pite o f his
cries and struggle s

I ain t the p ainter ! said Sneak at length we a ry of

the illusion and dragging Joe s hat from his head

Ha ! hang it ! ha ! cried Joe staring at Sneak an d

Glenn in bewilderment
Where is it ! he cried when
in some degree recovered from his great p erturbation

D idn t you hear m e S hoot ! Of course its dead ! r e

plied Sneak

Which do you prefer Joe d u cki n g or s h i n g ! asked

G lenn

I never s a w a feller d u ck hi s head s o sai d Sneak

Ha ! ha ! ha ! you th o ught I was frightened and tryin g
But yo u were m u ch mis
t o get away from the panther !
taken I was chasing a muskrat I got wet i n the river
a n d was determined to s e e

You could n t s e e yo u r o w n nose ! interrupte d Sneak

,

ll

pl un g

fo

r w ar

an

e e ut
x

ed a

e rie s

o f d i v i n g e v o l u t i ons

P 240
.

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S

242

omes , a dd e d Sneak again tearing asun d e r t h e panthe r s

s kin

I thought I h a d loa d ed sai d Joe forgetting he ha d

performe d that operation an d dep ositing another charge in
h is o l d musket
Presently Glenn s gun was hear d and in a few minute s
a n immense ock of geese an d ducks mingled together
ew over the bu s hes and co v ered the face o f the lake
Joe very deliberately red in the mid s t o f them and th e
rebound o f hi s gun throwing him a gain s t Sneak who was
still in a stooping posture they both fell to the ground
I did that o n purpo s e I ll take my oath I knew you
h ad put in two load s said Sneak rising up

Yes but I ain t hurt falling over you save d me o r

replied Joe
e lse I d a thrashed you or got a thra s hing
h is good humour reco v ered o n beholding som e fteen or
twenty dea d and wounded duck s and geese on the surface
By the time he had collected his bird s by
o f the water
means o f Sneak s canoe Glenn who h a d met with the
like success emerged from the bushes o n the opposite
v erge o f the lake bearing with him his game
Being well
s a tise d with the sp ort he a n d Jo e retrace d t h eir step s
h omew a r d
c

C H A PT E R XV II

S n e a k s v i s i t G l e n n s h e ar t T h e s n ak e h un t
T h e br i g h t m o r n in g
Lo v e a n d r a s pb e r r i e s Jo e i s b i t t e n H i s t e r r o r a n d s u ff e r i n g s
Ar r i v a l o f B o o n e J o e s a b r u p t r e co v e r y P r e p a r a t i o n s t o l e a v e t h e

w e st

C o n cl u s i o n

sun rose the next morning i n unusual glory No t

a bre a th of air stirred the entranced foliage o f the da rk
green trees in the alleys and the fre s h owers around ex
h aled a sweet per f ume t hat remained s tationary over them
T h e fawn stood perfectly still in the gra s sy yard and seemed
t o contemplate the grandeur o f the e n chanting s cene
The
T HE

'

A NARRA TI VE

24 3

tmosp h ere w a s as translucent as fan cy paints the realm s

o f the blest and quite minute obj ects could be di s tinctly
N or were
s een f a r over the ri v er many miles eastward
any sounds heard save the occasional chattering of the
p aroqu t in the dense forest acro s s the river a mil e d is
tant and yet they appeare d to be in t h e imme d iate vicinity
The hounds lay extende d o n t h e ground with their eyes
open m or e i n a listles s than a watchful a ttitude The
k itte n was couched o n the threshold ( the door having been
left open to admit the pure air )an d l ooke d thoughtfully at
th e rising sun The large blue chanticleer was bal anced
on o n e foot with an eye turned upward s as if scanning the
h eavens t o guard against the sudden attack o f the far seeing
eagle N ature seemed t o b e indulging in a last sweet
m or n ing S lumber if indee d n o t over sleeping herself while
the s un rose stealth ily up an d smile d at all her ch a rms
exp o s ed !
Hillo ain t you all up yit ! Git u p Joe and fee d you r

hos s es cried Sneak approaching th e gate on the outsi d e

and thus mo s t unceremoniously di s pelling the charm th a t
enwrapped the premises

Who s there ! crie d Jo e springing up and rubb ing

his eyes

It s me dod yo u know who I am C ome op en t h e

gate an d let m e in

What s the matter Sneak ! A re th e Indians after yo u !

said Jo e running o u t but pausing at the gate f o r an answer
b efore he drew back the bolt

No I thought yo u had sense enough by this time to

know n o In dians ain t going to come this time a year Le t

me in ! added he i mp atiently

What are yo u doing with them long sticks ! a ske d

Joe O pening the gate and O bserving two h ickory pole s

in Sneak s hand
A re yo u going to try your luck

!
shing

N o n o r d u cki n g not h er replie d he sarcastically

Plague it Sneak said Jo e depre catingly

never
mind th at a ff air ; you were mistaken ab out my being fright
ened T h e next chance I get I ll let you see th at I m n o t

a fraid o f any thing

Well I want you to g o with m e o n a spree this m o r n l n g

th at ll try you
a

W I LD W E S T E R N SC ENE S

244

W h at are you going to d o ! aske d Joe wit h som e

curio s ity in his looks

I m going a s n a ki n g
said Sneak
A t this juncture t h e dialogue was arre s ted by the a pp ear
a nce of Glenn whose brow was somewhat paler than usual
a n d wore an absent and thoughtful cast ; yet his a b
s tract meditations did not s eem altogether of a painful
nature

Joe said he I want you to exercise the horse s mor e

in the prairie They are getting too fat and lazy If they
cannot be got o n the boat when we leave here we will have

to send them by land to St L ouis

cried
S
neak
o
d
o u ain t a g o ing to leave us
D
y

Well I thought s omething was in the wind sai d

Joe pondering !
but it 11 break Mi ss Mary s
Ps h aw
replied Gl enn quickly interrupting him

you don t know what you are talking ab o ut

Well I can t s ay I do exactly said Joe ;

but I

know its a very my s terious m atter

Wh a t is such a mysterious matter ! aske d Glenn

smiling

Why you Mi s s Mary stammere d Jo e

Well what i s there my s teriou s about us !

Hang it y o u kn ow ! replied Joe

Pshaw repeated Glenn s triding out o f the incl osure
an d de s cending the p ath l eading to R o u g h g r o v e s h ou s e
rh i t h e r he directed Jo e to follow when he had galloped t h e
,

o r se s

Have you got any licker in the ho u se ! asked Sneak

s taring at the retreating form o f Glenn

N o its all gone Why do you ask ! returned Joe

B e ca i s e that feller s dru n k

said Sneak wit h a p e cu
h a r nod

N o he ain t h e hasn t drunk a drop for a mon th

Then he s going crazy an d you d b etter keep a S harp

look out

I know what s the matter with him he s in love !

Said Jo e

Then why don t h e take her ! a s ked Sneak

I don t know replied Joe ;

maybe he will s ome
day NOW f o r a ride how are you Pete ! h e continued
,

"

W I LD W E S T E RN S CENE S

246

I w a s a foot th en and from t h e styl e in w h ic h they

whizzed through the grass I was afraid too many migh t
But
now
I
m
i
t
o n me at a time and choke me to death
g

ready for em ; they can t git us if we m anage k o r e ct

I won t go said Jo e

D od they ain t pi s en ! said Sneak ; th ey re nearly

all b l a ck r a ce r s an d they don t bite C ome on don t be
such a tarnation coward ; the rattlesnake s and C opper
heads and wipers wont r u n after us ; an d if they was to
they couldn t reach u p t o o u r legs This is a glorious d ay
for s n a ki n g come on Jo e !
Joe fo llowed at a very slow and cautious p a ce a few
s teps farther and then halted again
What re you stopping for agin
aske d Sneak
Sneak the pony ain t tall enough !

That s all the better replied Sneak ; you can wh ack

em e asier as they run and then they can t see you a s fur

a s they kin me I ll swap hosses wit h yo u

NO you won t ! replied Joe whipping forward again

But he ha d not a d vanced many se conds before he drew up
once more This time he was attracted by the u n a cco u n t
ab le motions Of the fawn a s hort distan ce ahead That
an i mal was apparently s triking some obj e ct o n the groun d
with its feet and ever and anon s pringing violently to o n e
side or the other Its hair stood erect on its back and it
a ssumed a most ferocious aspe ct No w it woul d run back
toward the men a m oment and Wheeling suddenly again
leap upon the f o e when its feet could be heard to strike
a gainst the ground ; then it plunged forward and after
m aking a S pring beyond would return to the attack
Here R ingwood ! Jowler cried Joe and the b o u n ds
r a n forwar d to the spot p ointed out to them But n o sooner
ha d they gone far en ough to s e e the nature of the enemy
that the fawn was attacking than they turned away a f
frighted and wit h thei r tail s hanging d o w n retreated from
t h e scene o f action
They rode up and s urve yed more closely the strange
b attle
The fawn bec o ming more and more enraged did
not suspend hostilities at their approach They paused i h
v oluntarily when wi t hin a few feet o f the o bject
which
roved to b e a tremend o us rattle s nake s ome v e feet in
pe n g t h and a s thick as a man s arm It w a s n ea r ly dead
-

It g

O C

e an d e a k e an d n a ll y t u n ed o v e
r

r.

r on

i t s b ack

247

WILD

24 8

long

W E S T ERN S CE NE S

They were e v idently enj oying the warm ray s o f t h e

and at time s skipped about with unw o nte d animati o n
sun
No w o n e o f the large s t w o uld ele v ate hi s bl a ck head some
four feet from the groun d while the others wr a pped them
selves aroun d him and thu s fo rmed the dark a n d h o rrid
spectacle o f a pyramid o f snake s ! Then falling pro s trate
wi th their o w n weight in less than a twinkling they we r e
dispersed and ying over the smooth s hort gra s s in every
direction their innumerable scales all the time emitting a
low buzzing s ound as they ran along
E v ery moment
others glided into the area from the tall grass and th o s e a s
sembled thither rushe d towards them in a body to manifest
a welcome

N ow s t h e time ! cried Sneak rushing forward fol

lowed by Joe When Joe s eyes fell upon the black ma s s
O f serp ents he m ade a convulsive grasp at the reins with a n
involuntary resolution to retrea t without d elay from such a
frightful scene But the V iolence o f his gra s p severed the
reins from the bit and the pony sprang forward after the
steed being no longer subj ect to his control ! There was
no retreating now
Snea k levelled his rod at a cl u s t e r j u s t
forming in a mass two feet above the ground an d crushe d
the hydra at a blow ! Joe clo s ed hi s eye s and struck he
kn ew n o t what but Sneak knew for the blow de s cended
In an instant the
o n his head though with feeble fo rce
h orsemen had pas s ed to the oppo s ite s ide of the area and
h alted in the tall gra ss L ooking back they beheld a gre a t
commotion among the surviving snakes S o me glided into
the p ool and wit h bodie s submerged elevated their head s
ab ove the surface and darted out their tongue s ercely
O thers raced round the s cene o f s laughter with their hea d s
full four feet high o r gathered about the dead and dying
and lashe d the air with their sharp tails producing sound s
lik e the cracking o f Whips
The few copper head s an d
rattlesnakes pre s ent coiled themselves up with their heads
in the centre in readine s s to strike their poison into what
e ver obj ect came within their reach
Se sudden h a d been the onset of the horsemen that the
s urprised serp ents seemed t o be ignorant of the nature o f
the f o e and instead o f ying t o t h e long gra s s to avoid a
recurrence o f bloodshed they continue d to glide round t h e
o
o l whil e their num b er inc r ea s ed every mo ment
p
.

A NARRA TI VE

24 9

Wh a t d you hit m e on the hea d f o r ! ask e d Sneak

a ft er regardi n g the snak es a moment and then turning to
Jo e the pony ha v ing s till kept at the heels of the ste ed in
s l ite o f his rider s e ff orts t o the contrary

Oh Sneak cried Joe in tones somewhat tremul o us ,

d o for goodness sake let us go a way from here !

I sh a n t do a ny suc h thing w ha t d you hit m e o n

th e hea d f o r !

I tho u ght I w a s a killing a sn a ke replie d Jo e

continue d Sneak turning

D O I l ook like a snake !
round when f o r the rst time h e d iscovere d the c ondition
o f his comp an ion s bridl e

Sneak let s ri d e away ! sai d Joe

A nd leave all t h em black s a r p e n t s yan d er p oking out
their tongues at us ! I won t go till I we a r o u t this p ole
em Ha ha ! h a ! I thought you h adn t S punk enough
on

to gallup throug h e m on your o w n accord said Sneak

looki n g at the p ony and knowing that he woul d follow t h e
steed always if left to his own inclination

C om e Sne a k let s go h ome ! continue d Joe in a

supplicating tone
C om e ! let s charge o n th e snakes agin sai d Sne a k
rai s in the rod an d xi n g his feet in the stirrup s

IT
m
e
if
I
go
there
again
s
aid
t
h
rowing
an
!
J
o
e
g
d own his rod

You re a tarnation coward that s w h at you a re ! But

replied
Sne
a
k
o u can t help yourself
y

I l l j ump o ff an d run ! said Joe prep a ring to l eap to

the ground
You j est d o n ow an d you ll have forty s ar p e n t s wr a p

ped roun d yo u in l ess than no time

A t that moment two o r three r a cers swept b etween t h e m
with their heads elevated a s hig h a s Joe s knees , a n d e u
t e r e d the area
Oh goodness
crie d Joe drawing up h is leg s

Git down and git your p ole said Sneak

I wouldn t do it if it was made o f gold !

If yo u s a y you ll ght the snakes I ll git it for you

I m a going to stay here till they re all killed continue d

Sneak

Give it to m e then I ll sma s h their brains out t h e

n e xt tim e ! sai d Jo e with de s perate d e t e r mi n a t i cn

'

W I LD W E S T ERN

25 0

SC L N ES :

But you m u s n t h it m a n gin said Sneak dism ount

ing and handing up the weapon to Joe and then le a ping
o n t h e steed aga i n

Sneak you re no better than a snake to b ring me into

said Joe leaning forward an d
s uch a s cr a p e as thi s
s canning the black mass o f serp ents at the pool
In a few minutes they whipped forward Sneak in a d
van ce and again they were passing thr ough the army of
This time Joe did good service He massacre d
s nake s
one
o f the coiled rattlesnakes at a bl ow and his p ony
kicked a pu f ng V iper t o atom s Sneak p aused a moment
at the p ool and deal t his blows with such rapidity that
n early all the black racers that survived glided swiftly int o
the tall grass and o n e o f the largest was seen by Joe to
run up the trunk of a solitary blasted tree that stood near
the pool and enter a round hole about ten feet fro m the
ground
But if the serpents were mo s tly disp ersed from the area
around the pool they were by no means all destroyed ;
an d w hen the equestrians were agai n in the tall gras s they
fo un d them whizzing furiously about the hoofs of their
hor s es Once o r twice Sneak s horse sprang suddenly for
ward in pain being stung o n the ham o r shoulder by the
tails o f the racers a s they e w p a s t with almost i n co n ce i v
able r ap idity
Oh St Peter ! Sneak
cried Joe throwing back his
h ead and lifting up hi s knees nearly to hi s chin

Ha ! ha ! ha ! di d o n e o f em cut you Joe ! They

h urt like fury but their tails ain t pisen L ook what a

whelk they ve made o n the b o s s

Sneak why don t yo u get away from this nasty place !
One o f them S hot right over the pony s neck a while ago

a n d c a me very near hitting me on the chin

Y o u must hit e m a s they co me
Yander comes one
n o w watch me
Saying this Sneak turned the stee d
s o as t o face a tremendou s racer about forty pace s di s tant
that was appr o achi n g with the celerity o f the wind with it s
When it came withi n reach o f
h ead above the tall gra ss
h i s r o d he besto w ed up o n it a blow that entirely severed
t h e head and the impetus w i t h which it came cau s ed the
o ody to y over t h e steed and falling upon the ne ck o f the
p o ny with the life yet rem aining ( for t hey a r e con s trictor s )

25 2

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S

I d o n t want to see more than I have to d ay sai d

Joe whipping p ast the steed as they started homeward s
h aving mended his bridle But as he p aced along by the
decaye d tree mentioned above h e saw the gli s tening eye s
o f the large racer peering from the hole it had entered
an d he gave it a smart blow o n the head with hi s r o d an d
S purred forward
The next m om ent when Sneak came
up the enraged serpent S prang down upon him and in a
twinkling wound him s elf tightly round his ne ck
Sneak s
eyes s tarted o u t of his head an d being nearly strangle d
he soon fell to the earth Jo e looked o n in amazem ent
but was t o o much frightened to assi s t him A nd Sneak
u nable to ask his aid only turned his l arge eyes i m l o r
p
i n g l y to w ards him while in S ilence he vainly strove to tear
away the serpent with his ngers He thrust o n e h and in
his p ocket for his knife but it had been left behind
He
then held o u t his hand to Joe and in this dumb and piteous
manner begged him to lend him his knife Joe drew it
from his p ocket but coul d not br ac e his nerves su fcie ntly
to venture within the s u ff ocating man s reach A t length
he bethought h im o f hi s p ole and O pening the blade thrust
it in the end o f it and cautiou s ly handed it to Sneak
S neak immediately r a n the sharp s teel through the m any
fold s o f the snake and it fell to the ground in a dozen
pieces ! The p oor man s strength then completely faile d
him an d he rolle d over o n his back in breathless e x h au s
tion Jo e rendere d all the a s si s tan ce in his power an d
h is companio n soon revive d
D od r o t your S kin excl aime d Sneak getting up a n d
seizing Joe by the col l ar

Hang it it wasn t m e it was the sn a ke

sai d Joe
e x tricating hi s neck from hi s companion s grasp
What d you h i t the s a r p e n t fo r

Why I wanted to kill him

Then why didn t y ou help me to get it away from my

n e ck

didn t a s k me said Jo e with something like i h

e n u o u s n e s s th o ugh with a most provoking application
g
I c ouldn t speak ! The tarnation thing wa s squeezing
my neck s o tight I couldn t s ay a word But I l o o ke d at
t
ave
and
migh
under
s
tood
me
N
ever
mind
u
o
u
o
y
y
you ll git a snake hold o f you s o m e of these days
Y ou

A NA RR A T I V E

25 3

B ut
I ll keep a s h arp l ook out after t h is sai d Joe

Sneak I ll s w e a r n o w you were not born to b e h ung

You be d o d r o t ! replie d Sneak leaping on t h e stee d

and turning to w ards th e river

I would have c u t him o ff mysel f Sneak sai d Joe

musing o n the o dd a ff air as they rode briskly a long if I

h adn t b een afraid of cutting your thro a t I kne w you

w a s n t born to be hung
Ha ! ha ! ha ! that was t h e tig h test place t ha t ever I was

said Sneak regaining his goo d humour a n d d iverte d

in
at the strange occurren ce

D idn t he bite yo u ! a s ked Joe

N O a black s nake can t bite they h a v n t got any fa n gs

If it had been a rattl e s n a ke o r a viper I d b een a gone
chicken I don t think I ll ever leave my knife behin d
Dod
a gain even if I wasn t to go ten steps from home

my neck s very sore

The companions continue d the rest of the way in silen ce
When they reached home an d returned the horses to the
stabl e they proceeded down the p a th to R o ug h g r o v e s h ouse
t o rep o rt their adventure
Glenn and Mary William an d L a u na were seate d u n
der the S preading elm tree engaged in some felicitous con
ference that produce d a most pleasing animation in their
features
Mary immediately demanded o f Jo e a recital o f h is a d
ventures that morning He complied without reluctan ce
and his h earers were frequently convulse d with laughter
as he proceeded f o r h e added m any em b ellishments not
narrated by the author Sneak bore t h eir merriment with
stoical fortitu d e and then laughed as he a rtily as themselves
a t his own recent novel predicament
L a u na asked Sneak if h e ha d b een b itten b y a ny o f t h e
p oisonous snakes Sneak o f course replie d in th e nega
tive but at the same time desire d to know the name o f
th e plant that was used by the Indians with universal
succe s s when wounde d by the fang s o f the rattl esnake
The girl told him it was the w h i t e p l a n t a in that grew i n
the prairie s

I ll go and get some right straight said Joe beca u s e

I d o n t know what m o ment I m a y be bitten

N e v e r mind i t Joe s a id Glenn ri s i n g

W are ne w

25 4

W I LD W E S T ERN S CE NE S

oing
to
gather
wild
r aspberries o n th e cli ff sout h of u s
g

a nd we want yo u and Sneak t o assist us

V e l l I like raspberrie s an d they mu s t b e ripe b y thi s

time if the chickens h a v n t picked them all before us

D od i f the chickens have ett em can that make e m

r e e n agin
replied
Sneak
to
Joe
s
Irishism
g

You d better learn how to read before yo u turn critic

said Joe taking up the baskets that had been brought o u t
He then led the way quarrelling a l l t h e
o f the house
time with Sneak while Gl enn placing Mary s arm in his
and William imitating the example followed at a distance
b ehind
When the party reached the ra s pberry thicket th ey foun d
truly that the fowls we r e there before them thoug h quite an
abundance of the delicious berry still remained untouched
A few m oments su f ce d to drive the feathered gatherers
away and then without delay they began to ll their bas
kets
Many were the hearty p eals o f j oyous laughter that rang
from the innocent lovers while momentarily obscured b v
the green clustering bu s hes E re long they were disp ersed
in various p arts of the thicket and Glenn an d Mary being
separated from the rest 0 dr hero seized the O pportunity to
broach a te n d er subj e ct

Mary s a id he and then most unaccountably paused

Well said s h e turning her glorious dark blue eyes

full upon him

I have something o f moment to s ay to yo u if you will

li s ten attentively and I know not a more tting time an d
place than this to tell it Here is a natural bower sur
rounded by sweet berries and shielded from the s u n by the
f r a g a n t myrtle
L et us s i t o n this mossy rock Will you
listen ! he continued drawing her close to his si d e o n the
s eat in the cool retreat
H ave I ever refu s ed to li s ten to you ! do I not love to
said the c o n d i n g and happy girl
n e a r your voice !

u
o
Ble s s y Mary my whole heart is yours ! exclaimed
ou r hero s eizing a rapturous kiss from the coral lips o f the
Mary resisted not nor replied ; while tears but
maiden
not o f grief glistened o n her dark la s hes

Why do yo u
Y o u will not rej e ct my love Mary !
w eep
.

25 6

W I LD W E S T ER N SC ENE S :
A n d now I declare I will not go unless t h ou art

ill

But is it a d u ty 9 she aske d

Your f a M r R o u g h g r o v e says so

Then let us go
But why did you not say f at h e r 9

He is not your father

N o excl aimed the maid turning pale

I will tell thee all Mary

A nd Glenn rel a ted t h e

story o f the maiden s birth

N ow Mary he continued

thou kn o west thine o w n hi s tory Thou a r t o f a noble

race according to the rules o f men nay thy bl o od i s royal
i f t hou would s t retract thy plighted faith I s hould have
(
told thee this before )speak and thy will shall be done
Oh ! C harles ! I am thine T H I N E ON L Y were I born an

a n gel ! S he cried throwing herself into his arms A t this

juncture a violent rustling was heard in the bushes not far
di s tant and the next moment Joe s voice rang out

Oh me ! Oh St Peter ! Oh murder ! murder ! murder !

cried he Instantly all the p arty were collected round him
He lay in a small open s pace o n the grass with his baske t
bottom upward a t his side an d all the berries scattered on
the ground

What is the matter ! asked Glenn

Oh I m snake bitten ! I m a de a d man ! I m dying !

cried he piteously

That s a b said Sneak b e ka i s e a dead man can t

b e a dying

L et me s e e said William stooping down to examin e

t h e place o n which Joe s hands were convul s ively pressed
With some di fculty he pulled them away and tearing down
the stocking actually s a w a small bleeding puncture over
the ankle bone !

What kind of a snake was it ! asked Glenn i a alarm

A rattle s nake Oh

D id you s e e it ! continued Glenn knowing Joe s foi

ble though it was app are n t he su ffered from s ome kind of
a wound
I heard it rattle Oh my goodness ! I m going fast !

I m turning blind !
La u na told him to run to the hou s e and co v er the
Wo und with salt and remain quiet till Sneak could o btain
Joe S prang u p and
s ome plantain leaves from the prairie
.

A NARRA TI VE

25 7

rus h e d d own th e hill Sneak s et o u t in que s t o f the anti

d o te a n d the rest directed their s teps h o meward
When they r eached R o u g h g r o v e s house they fo und Joe
lying in the middle o f the o o r o n hi s back an d groaning
mo s t dolefully He had a pplied the s alt to the wound a s
directed an d covere d it and his whole l eg s o plentifully
with bandages that the latter seemed t o be as thick as h is
.

b o dy

How

d o you feel n ow Joe ! aske d Glenn

I m a dead man said he
L a u n a told him n o t to b e al armed an d assured h im
t h ere was n o dang e r

But I ll die before Sneak c a n get b ack !

Your voice is too strong to fear that sai d William ;

but do you su ff er much pain !

Oh I m in agony said he rolling back his eyes

Where does the pain lie ! aske d Glenn

Oh S t Peter ! all over m e In my toe s ankles legs
a rms he a rt throat m outh n ose an d eyes ! Oh I m i n

I can t s e e any o f yo u
ortures
I
m
blind
t
A t this moment R o u g h g r o v e wh o had been over the
river on a visit to Boone entered the a p artment with the
renowned hunter at hi s side Whe n fully informed o f the
circumstance s Boone stoope d d o wn and felt Joe s pul s e

The s trokes are irregular s aid B oone

Oh h eaven exclaimed Jo e

But that may b e caused by fright continued Boone

Oh goodne ss ! it ain t that I m a dying man !
Is the leg much swollen ! a s ked Bo o n e e n deavo u ring
t o a s certain without taking o ff the bandages
Oh ! O h ! d o n t do that ! it ll kill m e in a m inute for
it s swelled t to burst ! cried Joe s hrinking from B oone s
g ra s p
A ll the ca s es of snake bite that I have seen d ie r fr o m
this I have always found the swoll en limb nea r ly d evoi d

D id you kill the snake !

o f feeling

No Oh
Tell me precisely the pl a ce where you were S t andi n g
when it bit yo u there is a mystery about it th a t I must

sol v e
Oh i t was I can t spe ak ! my b r e a t h s g i n g f a st !
O h ! Paternoster
.

,
.

22 *

25 8

W I LD W E S T ERN

SC

ENE S

William then described the spot to B oone in suc h preci s e

term s that the O l d woodman declared he would immediately
re
a l r thither and en de avour to nd the s nake
ac
He
p
co r d i n l
se t
out
in
the
direction
indicated
w ith o u :
g y
further delay ; while R o u g h g r o v e believing that poor
Joe was really o n the verge of eternity strove to com
fort hi s dep a rting spirit with the consolation that religion
.

a o r

ds

Oh ! that ain t the right o n e

exclaime d Jo e pus h ing
a way the E pi s copal prayer book held by R o u g h g r o v e

Then here i s o n e you cannot obj ect to said R oug h

grove op ening the Bible

Oh that s not it either ! cried Joe in great di s tress

Is there no priest in thi s region ! I m a R oman C atholic
oh

C an you n o t confe s s your sins d i r e ct l y to God the

God who is everywhere and go v erns all things ! said the

a ge d man impres s ively an d with animation

I have prayed s aid Jo e ; but n o w I want t h e O int

ment

Your body which mu s t be placed in the damp col d

earth need s no O i l It i s far better t o purify the soul which
peri s he s not said R o u g h g r o v e in fervent and tremul ou s
tone s
Oh Oh ! Ugh ! cried Jo e in a deep guttural v o i ce
and turning over o n hi s face Hi s fears had evidently bee n
increa s ed by the s o lemn tone an d l ook o f R o u g h g r o v e
D on t be alarmed Joe s aid Glenn tur n in g him a gain

Sneak will s o on be here and La u na s ays

o n hi s back
the pl antain will be sure to cure y o u Willi a m tell s m e
that he has seen the Indians permit the s nakes to bite them
for a mere trie in money s o certain were they o f being
A n d indeed he n ever knew a bite
r estored by the plant
to terminate fatally

But I m afraid Sneak won t come in time replied

Joe s omewhat comforted
P s haw he w o n t loiter in a ca s e of thi s kind h e kn ows

continued Glenn
ft is no j o ke
But s uppose he ca n t n d any plantain then I m dead
Oh me !
t o a certainty

D oes the pai n increa s e much ! a s ked Mary

Oh yes ! its ten times worse than it was ten minute s

W I LD W E S T ERN

260

CENE S :

tting att i tude and seizing the hand o f t h e veteran f o

Heaven s sake tell me what it was !

It was an o l d S I T T I N G H EN ! said Boone

Up on your honour ! continued Joe leaping upon h i s

feet and s taring the aged hunter in the face While his eye s
gl eamed with i rrepre ss ible hop e and anxiety

It was nothing el s e up on my honour replied Boone

laughing in concert with the rest

Huzza ! huzza ! !
s houted Jo e casting the
bandages hither an d thither and d a ncing nimbly over the

oor
Fal de l al tider e i tider e O tider e um ! he
continued in frenzied delight and ob s erving Sneak at the
door with an armful of plantain ( who had returned in time
to witne ss his abrup t recovery and now continued to regar d
h im with wonder an d doubt a t time s thinking he was de
l i r o u s )skipped up a nd held o u t both hands as if inviting
h im to dance

D o d rot it your leg ain t swelle d a bit ! said Sne a k

D on t use that bad word Sneak said Mary

I won t but dod h e s had me running all over

Tider e i tider e u m ! continued Joe still dancing

while the p er s piration streamed over hi s face

Have d one with thi s n onsense Joe ! said Glenn o r

el se co ntinue your ridiculous exerci s es o n the gra ss in the
yard Y o u m ay rej oice n o w but this a ff air will be sp ort
for others all your life You will not reli s h it s o much

to morrow
I d rather all the world woul d laugh at me alive and
k i cking than that o n e of yo u S houl d mourn over my dead
body replied Jo e leaping over Sneak who was sitting in
the door an d striding to the grass plot under the elm
where he continued hi s rej oicings S neak followed and
s itting down o n the bench in the shade seemed to muse
with unu s ual gravity at the strange S pectacle presented
b y Joe
This was Joe s last wild we s tern adventure The inci
d ent was S o on fo rgotten by the p arty in the hou s e Seri o us
a n d sad thought s succeeded the mirthful s cene de s cribed
R o u g h g r o v e had br o ught B o o ne thither to receive
a b o ve
The ren o w ned w o o dman a n d warri o r
t heir la s t farewell !
The
w ore marks o f painful regret on his pale features
t s t were in tear s
Si

, 7

A N A RRA TI VE

26 1

William sai d R o u g h g r o v e
li s ten to a tale concern
i n g thy birth and parentage which I feel it to be my duty
Your sister has already learned the story from
t o unfold
your friend w h o sits beside her But I will repeat it t o
Y o u who are the most interested can the n
a l l present
determine whether it sh all ever be di s closed to other ears
The secret was l ong locke d in my bosom and it was once
my purpose to bury it with my b o d y in the grave I p on
dered long on the subj ect an d praye d to Heaven to be
instructed I have sati s factory evidence in my own heart

that I have acted correctly

He then related the history
When
o f the twin s as we h ave given it to the reader
he concluded L a u m a who h a d betraye d much painful
interest during the recital threw h er arms round William s
neck an d wept upon his breast
Why d o you weep L a u na
a s ke d t h e yout h

L a u n a must die ! said S he

her Willi a m will le a v e
h er and forget her The wild rose will b en d over h e r
grave the brook will murmur low at her cold feet t h e
rabbit will nip the tender grass b y her tombstone at night
fall the katy d id will chirp over her and the w h i p p o r
!
will will S ing in vain
William will forget her
Poor
La u na
N o L a u na ! n o ! T h ou s h alt go wit h me a n d b e my
b ride o r else I will remain with t h ee
D eath only shall

sep arate us ! sai d the youth drawing the slight form of

the Indian maiden closer to his heart an d imprinting a
rapturous kiss o n her smoot h forehea d

We w ill all go toget h er

continue d R o u g h g r o v e

save o u r beloved friend here w h o tells me t h at no earthly

con s ideration coul d induce him to dwell in cities a mong

civilized men

True said Boone

I woul d not exc ha n ge my resi
dence in the western wilds for the gorgeous p a laces of t h e
ea s t Yet I t h ink yo u do right in returning to the society
which yo u were destine d to adorn I S hall grieve w hen I
mi s s you but I will n o t persuade yo u to remain E very
o n e should act according to the dictates of his conscience
It is my belief that Providence guides our actions You
my friends were tted and designe d to move in rened
society and by your example and inuence to benet t h e
world aroun d yo u The benets bestowed by m e will n o t
,

W I LD W E S T ERN S CENE S :

26 2

be immediate nor al t o gether in my day I am a PI ONEER

formed by n ature Where I struggle with the savage and
the wild beast my great grandchildren w ill reside in cities

I must full my mi ss ion

A t t h is moment Joe and Sneak appeared at the door

There s a covered a t boat j ust landed down at t h e

ferry said Joe

It is from the isl an d ab ove sai d R o u g h g r o v e

an d
the one I have had constructed for o u r voyage down the

r i ver

A re we going sure enoug h ! aske d Joe

Ye s ; to morrow said Glenn

D od are you a l l going o ff
as ked Sneak rolling
round his large eyes and stretching out his neck to an u n
usual length

A ll but m e Sneak said Boone

A nd yo u won t be any co mpany for m e D od I ve

a n otion to go t o o ! If I could foller any thing to make a
living in Fi l l yd e l f a

If you go with us you shall never want I will s e e

th a t you are provided f o r said Glenn

It s a bargain ! said Sneak with the eager emp h asis
characteri s tic O f the trading Yankee

But p oor Pete th e horses ! said Joe

There are stalls in the b oat for them sai d R o u g h g r o v e

Huzza ! I m glad Huzza cried Joe
.

<
>1

a:

:
>1

The next m orning beamed upon them in beauty and in

sadness The s u n ro s e in maj e s ty and poured hi s brilliant
and inspiring rays on peak and valley and plain But the
heart s o f the p eaceful wanderers throbbed in s orrow as
they gazed for the last time o n the scene before them
Tho u gh it had been identied with the m any perilous and
painful encounter s with savage s yet the quivering green
leaves ab o ve the sparkling brook below an d the soft
melody O f happy birds around were intimately a ss ociate d
with some o f the m o s t bli ss ful moments o f their li v es
L a u n a retired to a lonely s pot and poured forth a fare
well song to the whi s pering s pirit s o f her father s Long
h er steadfast gaze was xe d o n the blue s ky as i f com
muning with the departed kings fro m whom s h e descended
At lengt h her tears vani s hed like a shower in the sunshine
,