The Pioneers........................................................................................................................................................1

James Fenimore Cooper ...........................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................2

CHAPTER I. ............................................................................................................................................4

CHAPTER II ..........................................................................................................................................12

CHAPTER III........................................................................................................................................16

CHAPTER IV........................................................................................................................................20

CHAPTER V.........................................................................................................................................26

CHAPTER VI........................................................................................................................................33

CHAPTER VII. ......................................................................................................................................39

CHAPTER VIII.....................................................................................................................................47

CHAPTER IX........................................................................................................................................51

CHAPTER X.........................................................................................................................................56

CHAPTER XI........................................................................................................................................60

CHAPTER XII. ......................................................................................................................................65

CHAPTER XIII.....................................................................................................................................72

CHAPTER XIV.....................................................................................................................................78

CHAPTER XV......................................................................................................................................85

CHAPTER XVI.....................................................................................................................................90

CHAPTER XVII ....................................................................................................................................96

CHAPTER XVIII. ................................................................................................................................102

CHAPTER XIX...................................................................................................................................107

CHAPTER XX....................................................................................................................................111

CHAPTER XXI...................................................................................................................................118

CHAPTER XXII ..................................................................................................................................124

CHAPTER XXIII. ................................................................................................................................129

CHAPTER XXIV................................................................................................................................135

CHAPTER XXV. .................................................................................................................................143

CHAPTER XXVI................................................................................................................................148

CHAPTER XXVII. ..............................................................................................................................155

CHAPTER XXVIII. .............................................................................................................................158

CHAPTER XXIX................................................................................................................................167

CHAPTER XXX. .................................................................................................................................173

CHAPTER XXXI................................................................................................................................181

CHAPTER XXXII. ..............................................................................................................................186

CHAPTER XXXIII. .............................................................................................................................192

CHAPTER XXXIV.............................................................................................................................201

CHAPTER XXXV. ..............................................................................................................................206

CHAPTER XXXVI.............................................................................................................................215

CHAPTER XXXVII............................................................................................................................220

CHAPTER XXXVIII. ..........................................................................................................................225

CHAPTER XXXIX.............................................................................................................................232

CHAPTER XL. ....................................................................................................................................238

CHAPTER XLI. ...................................................................................................................................243

As this work professes, in its titlepage, to be a descriptive tale, they who will take the trouble to read it may

be glad to know how much of its contents is literal fact, and how much is intended to represent a general

picture. The author is very sensible that, had he confined himself to the latter, always the most effective, as it

is the most valuable, mode of conveying knowledge of this nature, he would have made a far better book. But

in commencing to describe scenes, and perhaps he may add characters, that were so familiar to his own

youth, there was a constant temptation to delineate that which he had known, rather than that which he might

have imagined. This rigid adhesion to truth, an indispensable requisite in history and travels, destroys the

charm of fiction; for all that is necessary to be conveyed to the mind by the latter had better be done by

delineations of principles, and of characters in their classes, than by a too fastidious attention to originals.

New York having but one county of Otsego, and the Susquehanna but one proper source, there can be no

mistake as to the site of the tale. The history of this district of country, so far as it is connected with civilized

Otsego, in common with most of the interior of the province of New York, was included in the county of

Albany previously to the war of the separation. It then became, in a subsequent division of territory, a part of

Montgomery; and finally, having obtained a sufficient population of its own, it was set apart as a county by

itself shortly after the peace of 1783. It lies among those low spurs of the Alleghanies which cover the

midland counties of New York, and it is a little east of a meridional line drawn through the centre of the

State. As the waters of New York flow either southerly into the Atlantic or northerly into Ontario and its

outlet, Otsego Lake, being the source of the Susquehanna, is of necessity among its highest lands. The face of

the country, the climate as it was found by the whites, and the manners of the settlers, are described with a

minuteness for which the author has no other apology than the force of his own recollections.

Otsego is said to be a word compounded of Ot, a place of meeting, and Sego, or Sago, the ordinary term of

salutation used by the Indians of this region. There is a tradition which says that the neighboring tribes were

accustomed to meet on the banks of the lake to make their treaties, and otherwise to strengthen their alliances,

and which refers the name to this practice. As the Indian agent of New York had a log dwelling at the foot of

the lake, however, it is not impossible that the appellation grew out of the meetings that were held at his

council fires; the war drove off the agent, in common with the other officers of the crown; and his rude

dwelling was soon abandoned. The author remembers it, a few years later, reduced to the humble office of a

In 1779 an expedition was sent against the hostile Indians, who dwelt about a hundred miles west of Otsego,

on the banks of the Cayuga. The whole country was then a wilderness, and it was necessary to transport the

bag gage of the troops by means of the riversa devious but practicable route. One brigade ascended the

Mohawk until it reached the point nearest to the sources of the Susquehanna, whence it cut a lane through the

forest to the head of the Otsego. The boats and baggage were carried over this 'portage,' and the troops

proceeded to the other extremity of the lake, where they disembarked and encamped. The Susquehanna, a

narrow though rapid stream at its source, was much filled with 'flood wood,' or fallen trees; and the troops

adopted a novel expedient to facilitate their passage. The Otsego is about nine miles in length, varying in

breadth from half a mile to a mile and a half. The water is of great depth, limpid, and supplied from a

thousand springs. At its foot the banks are rather less than thirty feet high the remainder of its margin being in

mountains, intervals, and points. The outlet, or the Susquehanna, flows through a gorge in the low banks just

mentioned, which may have a width of two hundred feet. This gorge was dammed and the waters of the lake

When all was ready the troops embarked, the damn was knocked away, the Otsego poured out its torrent, and

General James Clinton, the brother of George Clinton, then governor of New York, and the father of De Witt

Clinton, who died governor of the same State in 1827, commanded the brigade employed on this duty.

During the stay of the troops at the foot of the Otsego a soldier was shot for desertion. The grave of this

unfortunate man was the first place of human interment that the author ever beheld, as the smoke house was

the first ruin! The swivel alluded to in this work was buried and abandoned by the troops on this occasion,

and it was subsequently found in digging the cellars of the authors paternal residence.

Soon after the close of the war, Washington, accompanied by many distinguished men, visited the scene of

this tale, it is said with a view to examine the facilities for opening a communication by water with other

In 1785 the author�s father, who had an interest in extensive tracts of land in this wilderness, arrived with a

party of surveyors. The manner in which the scene met his eye is described by Judge Temple. At the

commencement of the following year the settlement began; and from that time to this the country has

continued to flourish. It is a singular feature in American life that at the beginning of this century, when the

proprietor of the estate had occasion for settlers on a new settlement and in a remote county, he was enabled

Although the settlement of this part of Otsego a little preceded the birth of the author, it was not sufficiently

advanced to render it desirable that an event so important to himself should take place in the wilderness.

Perhaps his mother had a reasonable distrust of the practice of Dr Todd, who must then have been in the

novitiate of his experimental acquirements. Be that as it may, the author was brought an infant into this

valley, and all his first impressions were here obtained. He has inhabited it ever since, at intervals; and he

thinks he can answer for the faithfulness of the picture he has drawn. Otsego has now become one of the most

populous districts of New York. It sends forth its emigrants like any other old region, and it is pregnant with

industry and enterprise. Its manufacturers are prosperous, and it is worthy of remark that one of the most

ingenious machines known in European art is derived from the keen ingenuity which is exercised in this

In order to prevent mistake, it may be well to say that the incidents of this tale are purely a fiction. The literal

facts are chiefly connected with the natural and artificial objects and the customs of the inhabitants. Thus the

academy, and courthouse, and jail, and inn, and most similar things, are tolerably exact. They have all, long

since, given place to other buildings of a more pretending character. There is also some liberty taken with the

truth in the description of the principal dwelling; the real building had no 'firstly' and 'lastly.' It was of bricks,

and not of stone; and its roof exhibited none of the peculiar beauties of the 'composite order.' It was erected in

an age too primitive for that ambitious school of architecture. But the author indulged his recollections freely

when he had fairly entered the door. Here all is literal, even to the severed arm of Wolfe, and the urn which

* Though forests still crown the mountains of Otsego, the bear, the wolf, and the panther are nearly strangers

to them. Even the innocent deer is rarely seen bounding beneath their arches; for the rifle and the activity of

the settlers hare driven them to other haunts. To this change (which in some particulars is melancholy to one

who knew the country in its infancy), it may be added that the Otsego is beginning to be a niggard of its

The author has elsewhere said that the character of LeatherStocking is a creation, rendered probable by such

auxiliaries as were necessary to produce that effect. Had he drawn still more upon fancy, the lovers of fiction

would not have so much cause for their objections to his work. Still, the picture would not have been in the

least true without some substitutes for most of the other personages. The great proprietor resident on his

lands, and giving his name to instead of receiving it from his estates as in Europe, is common over the whole

of New York. The physician with his theory, rather obtained from than corrected by experiments on the

human constitution; the pious, self denying, laborious, and illpaid missionary; the halfeducated, litigious,

envious, and disreputable lawyer, with his counterpoise, a brother of the profession, of better origin and of

better character; the shiftless, bargaining, discontented seller of his 'betterments;' the plausible carpenter, and

most of the others, are more familiar to all who have ever dwelt in a new country.

It may be well to say here, a little more explicitly, that there was no real intention to describe with particular

accuracy any real characters in this book. It has been often said, and in published statements, that the heroine

of this book was drawn after the sister of the writer, who was killed by a fall from a horse now near half a

century since. So ingenious is conjecture that a personal resemblance has been discovered between the

fictitious character and the deceased relative! It is scarcely possible to describe two females of the same class

in life who would be less alike, personally, than Elizabeth Temple and the sister of the author who met with

the deplorable fate mentioned. In a word, they were as unlike in this respect as in history, character, and

Circumstances rendered this sister singularly dear to the author. After a lapse of half a century, he is writing

this paragraph with a pain that would induce him to cancel it, were it not still more painful to have it believed

that one whom he regarded with a reverence that surpassed the love of a brother was converted by him into

From circumstances which, after this Introduction, will be obvious to all, the author has had more pleasure in

writing 'The Pioneers' than the book will probably ever give any of its readers. He is quite aware of its

numerous faults, some of which he has endeavored to repair in this edition; but as he hasin intention, at

leastdone his full share in amusing the world, he trusts to its goodnature for overlooking this attempt to

Near the centre of the State of New York lies an extensive district of country whose surface is a succession of

hills and dales, or, to speak with greater deference to geographical definitions, of mountains and valleys. It is

among these hills that the Delaware takes its rise; and flowing from the limpid lakes and thousand springs of

this region the numerous sources of the Susquehanna meander through the valleys until, uniting their streams,

they form one of the proudest rivers of the United States. The mountains are generally arable to the tops,

although instances are not wanting where the sides are jutted with rocks that aid greatly in giving to the

country that romantic and picturesque character which it so eminently possesses. The vales are narrow, rich,

and cultivated, with a stream uniformly winding through each. Beautiful and thriving villages are found

interspersed along the margins of the small lakes, or situated at those points of the streams which are

favorable for manufacturing; and neat and comfortable farms, with every indication of wealth about them, are

scattered profusely through the vales, and even to the mountain tops. Roads diverge in every direction from

the even and graceful bottoms of the valleys to the most rugged and intricate passes of the hills. Academies

and minor edifices of learning meet the eye of the stranger at every few miles as be winds his way through

this uneven territory, and places for the worship of God abound with that frequency which characterize a

moral and reflecting people, and with that variety of exterior and canonical government which flows from

unfettered liberty of conscience. In short, the whole district is hourly exhibiting how much can be done, in

even a rugged country and with a severe climate, under the dominion of mild laws, and where every man

feels a direct interest in the prosperity of a commonwealth of which he knows himself to form a part. The

expedients of the pioneers who first broke ground in the settlement of this country are succeeded by the

permanent improvements of the yeoman who intends to leave his remains to moulder under the sod which he

tills, or perhaps of the son, who, born in the land, piously wishes to linger around the grave of his father. Only

* Our tale begins in 1793, about seven years after the commencement of one of the earliest of those

settlements which have conduced to effect that magical change in the power and condition of the State to

Very soon after the establishment of the independence of the States by the peace of 1783, the enterprise of

their citizens was directed to a development of the natural ad vantages of their widely extended dominions.

Before the war of the Revolution, the inhabited parts of the colony of New York were limited to less than a

tenth of its possessions, A narrow belt of country, extending for a short distance on either side of the Hudson,

with a similar occupation of fifty miles on the banks of the Mohawk, together with the islands of Nassau and

Staten, and a few insulated settlements on chosen land along the margins of streams, composed the country,

which was then inhabited by less than two hundred thousand souls. Within the short period we have

mentioned, the population has spread itself over five degrees of latitude and seven of longitude, and has

swelled to a million and a half of inhabitants, who are maintained in abundance, and can look forward to ages

before the evil day must arrive when their possessions shall become unequal to their wants.

It was near the setting of the sun, on a clear, cold day in December, when a sleigh was moving slowly up one

of the mountains in the district we have described. The day had been fine for the season, and but two or three

large clouds, whose color seemed brightened by the light reflected from the mass of snow that covered the

earth, floated in a sky of the purest blue. The road wound along the brow of a precipice, and on one side was

upheld by a foundation of logs piled one upon the other, while a narrow excavation in the mountain in the

opposite direction had made a passage of sufficient width for the ordinary travelling of that day. But logs,

excavation, and every thing that did not reach several feet above the earth lay alike buried beneath the snow.

A single track, barely wide enough to receive the sleigh, * denoted the route of the highway, and this was

* Sleigh is the word used in every part of the United States to denote a traineau. It is of local use in the west

of England, whence it is most probably derived by the Americans. The latter draw a distinction between a

sled, or sledge, and a sleigh, the sleigh being shod with metal. Sleighs are also subdivided into two horse

and onehorse sleighs. Of the latter, there are the cutter, with thills so arranged as to permit the horse to

travel in the side track; the 'pung,' or 'towpung' which is driven with a pole; and the 'gumper,' a rude

construction used for temporary purposes in the new countries. Many of the American sleighs are elegant

though the use of this mode of conveyance is much lessened with the melioration of the climate consequent

In the vale, which lay at a distance of several hundred feet lower, there was what, in the language of the

country, was called a clearing, and all the usual improvements of a new settlement; these even extended up

the hill to the point where the road turned short and ran across the level land, which lay on the summit of the

mountain; but the summit itself remained in the forest. There was glittering in the atmosphere, as if it was

filled with innumerable shining particles; and the noble bay horses that drew the sleigh were covered, in

many parts with a coat of hoarfrost. The vapor from their nostrils was seen to issue like smoke; and every

object in the view, as well as every arrangement of the travellers, denoted the depth of a winter in the

mountains. The harness, which was of a deep, dull black, differing from the glossy varnishing of the present

day, was ornamented with enormous plates and buckles of brass, that shone like gold in those transient beams

of the sun which found their way obliquely through the tops of the trees. Huge saddles, studded with nails

and fitted with cloth that served as blankets to the shoulders of the cattle, supported four high, squaretopped

turrets, through which the stout reins led from the mouths of the horses to the hands of the driver, who was a

negro, of apparently twenty years of age. His face, which nature had colored with a glistening black, was now

mottled with the cold, and his large shining eyes filled with tears; a tribute to its power that the keen frosts of

those regions always extracted from one of his African origin. Still, there was a smiling expression of

goodhumor in his happy countenance, that was created by the thoughts of home and a Christmas fireside,

with its Christmas frolics. The sleigh was one of those large, comfortable, old fashioned conveyances,

which would admit a whole family within its bosom, but which now contained only two passengers besides

the driver. The color of its outside was a modest green, and that of its inside a fiery red, The latter was

intended to convey the idea of heat in that cold climate. Large buffaloskins trimmed around the edges with

red cloth cut into festoons, covered the back of the sleigh, and were spread over its bottom and drawn up

around the feet of the travellers one of whom was a man of middle age and the other a female just entering

upon womanhood. The former was of a large stature; but the precautions he had taken to guard against the

cold left but little of his person exposed to view. A greatcoat, that was abundantly ornamented by a

profusion of furs, enveloped the whole of his figure excepting the head, which was covered with a cap of mar

tenskins lined with morocco, the sides of which were made to fall, if necessary, and were now drawn close

over the ears and fastened beneath his chin with a black rib bon. The top of the cap was surmounted with the

tail of the animal whose skin had furnished the rest of the materials, which fell back, not ungracefully, a few

inches be hind the head. From beneath this mask were to be seen part of a fine, manly face, and particularly a

pair of expressive large blue eyes, that promised extraordinary intellect, covert humor, and great benevolence.

The form of his companion was literally hid beneath the garments she wore. There were furs and silks

peeping from under a large camlet cloak with a thick flannel lining, that by its cut and size was evidently

intended for a masculine wearer. A huge hood of black silk, that was quilted with down, concealed the whole

of her head, except at a small opening in front for breath, through which occasionally sparkled a pair of

Both the father and daughter (for such was the connection between the two travellers) were too much

occupied with their reflections to break a stillness that derived little or no interruption from the easy gliding

of the sleigh by the sound of their voices. The former was thinking of the wife that had held this their only

child to her bosom, when, four years before, she had reluctantly consented to relinquish the society of her

daughter in order that the latter might enjoy the advantages of an education which the city of New York could

only offer at that period. A few months afterward death had deprived him of the remaining companion of his

solitude; but still he had enough real regard for his child not to bring her into the comparative wilderness in

which he dwelt, until the full period had expired to which he had limited her juvenile labors. The reflections

of the daughter were less melancholy, and mingled with a pleased astonishment at the novel scenery she met

The mountain on which they were journeying was covered with pines that rose without a branch some

seventy or eighty feet, and which frequently doubled that height by the addition of the tops. Through the

innumerable vistas that opened beneath the lofty trees, the eye could penetrate until it was met by a distant

inequality in the ground, or was stopped by a view of the summit of the mountain which lay on the opposite

side of the valley to which they were hastening. The dark trunks of the trees rose from the pure white of the

snow in regularly formed shafts, until, at a great height, their branches shot forth horizontal limbs, that were

covered with the meagre foliage of an evergreen, affording a melancholy contrast to the torpor of nature

below. To the travellers there seemed to be no wind; but these pines waved majestically at their topmost

boughs, sending forth a dull, plaintive sound that was quite in consonance with the rest of the melancholy

The sleigh had glided for some distance along the even surface, and the gaze of the female was bent in

inquisitive and, perhaps, timid glances into the recesses of the forest, when a loud and continued howling was

heard, pealing under the long arches of the woods like the cry of a numerous pack of hounds. The instant the

'Hol up, Aggy; there is old Hector; I should know his bay among ten thousand! The LeatherStocking has put

his hounds into the hills this clear day, and they have started their game. There is a deertrack a few rods

ahead; and now, Bess, if thou canst muster courage enough to stand fire, I will give thee a saddle for thy

The black drew up, with a cheerful grin upon his chilled features, and began thrashing his arms together in

order to restore the circulation of his fingers, while the speaker stood erect and, throwing aside his outer

covering, stepped from the sleigh upon a bank of snow which sustained his weight without yielding.

In a few moments the speaker succeeded in extricating a double barrelled fowlingpiece from among a

multitude of trunks and bandboxes. After throwing aside the thick mittens which had encased his hands, there

now appeared a pair of leather gloves tipped with fur; he examined his priming, and was about to move

forward, when the light bounding noise of an animal plunging through the woods was heard, and a fine buck

darted into the path a short distance ahead of him. The appearance of the animal was sudden, and his flight

inconceivably rapid; but the traveller appeared to be too keen a sportsman to be disconcerted by either. As it

came first into view he raised the fowlingpiece to his shoulder and, with a practised eye and steady hand,

drew a trigger. The deer dashed forward undaunted, and apparently unhurt. Without lowering his piece, the

traveller turned its muzzle toward his victim, and fired again. Neither discharge, however, seemed to have

The whole scene had passed with a rapidity that confused the female, who was unconsciously rejoicing in the

escape of the buck, as he rather darted like a meteor than ran across the road, when a sharp, quick sound

struck her ear, quite different from the full, round reports of her father�s gun, but still sufficiently distinct to

be known as the concussion produced by firearms. At the same instant that she heard this unexpected report,

the buck sprang from the snow to a great height in the air, and directly a second discharge, similar in sound to

the first, followed, when the animal came to the earth, failing head long and rolling over on the crust with its

own velocity. A loud shout was given by the unseen marksman, and a couple of men instantly appeared from

behind the trunks of two of the pines, where they had evidently placed them selves in expectation of the

'Ha! Natty, had I known you were in ambush, I should not have fired,' cried the traveller, moving toward the

spot where the deer laynear to which he was followed by the delighted black, with his sleigh; 'but the

sound of old Hector was too exhilarating to be quiet; though I hardly think I struck him, either.'

'NonoJudge,' returned the hunter, with an inward chuckle, and with that look of exultation that

indicates a consciousness of superior skill, 'you burnt your powder only to warm your nose this cold evening.

Did ye think to stop a fullgrown buck, with Hector and the slut open upon him within sound, with that

popgun in your hand! There�s plenty of pheasants among the swamps; and the snowbirds are flying round

your own door, where you may feed them with crumbs, and shoot them at pleasure, any day; but if you�re for

a buck, or a little bear's meat, Judge, you�ll have to take the long rifle, with a greased wadding, or you�ll

As the speaker concluded he drew his bare hand across the bottom of his nose, and again opened his

'The gun scatters well, Natty, And it has killed a deer before now,' said the traveller, smiling

goodhumoredly. 'One barrel was charged with buckshot, but the other was loaded for birds only. Here are

two hurts; one through the neck, and the other directly through the heart. It is by no means certain, Natty, but

'I suppose the creature is to be eaten.' So saying, he drew a large knife from a leathern sheath, which was

stuck through his girdle, or sash, and cut the throat of the animal, 'If there are two balls through the deer, I

would ask if there weren�t two rifles fired besides, who ever saw such a ragged hole from a smoothbore

as this through the neck? And you will own yourself, Judge, that the buck fell at the last shot, which was sent

from a truer and a younger hand than your�n or mine either; but, for my part, although I am a poor man I can

live without the venison, but I don�t love to give up my lawful dues in a free country. Though, for the matter

of that, might often makes right here, as well as in the old country, for what I can see.'

An air of sullen dissatisfaction pervaded the manner of the hunter during the whole of his speech; yet he

thought it prudent to utter the close of the sentence in such an undertone as to leave nothing audible but the

'Nay, Natty,' rejoined the traveller, with undisturbed goodhumor, 'it is for the honor that I contend. A few

dollars will pay for the venison; but what will requite me for the lost honor of a buck�s tail in my cap? Think,

Natty, how I should triumph over that quizzing dog, Dick Jones, who has failed seven times already this

'Ah! The game is becoming hard to find, indeed, Judge, with your clearings and betterments,' said the old

hunter, with a kind of compelled resignation. 'The time has been when I have shot thirteen deer without

counting the fa�ns standing in the door of my own hut; and for bear�s meat, if one wanted a ham or so, he had

only to watch anights, and he could shoot one by moonlight, through the cracks of the logs, no fear of his

oversleeping himself neither, for the howling of the wolves was sartin to keep his eyes open. There�s old

Hector' patting with affection a tall hound of black and yellow spots, with white belly and legs, that just

then came in on the scent, accompanied by the slut he had mentioned; 'see where the wolves bit his throat, the

night I druv them from the venison that was smoking on the chimney topthat dog is more to be trusted than

many a Christian man; for he never forgets a friend, and loves the hand that gives him bread,'

There was a peculiarity in the manner of the hunter that attracted the notice of the young female, who had

been a close and interested observer of his appearance and equipments, from the moment he came into view.

He was tall, and so meagre as to make him seem above even the six feet that he actually stood in his

stockings. On his head, which was thinly covered with lank, sandy hair, he wore a cap made of foxskin,

resembling in shape the one we have already described, although much inferior in finish and ornaments. His

face was skinny and thin al most to emaciation; but yet it bore no signs of disease on the contrary, it had

every indication of the most robust and enduring health. The cold and exposure had, together, given it a color

of uniform red. His gray eyes were glancing under a pair of shaggy brows, that over hung them in long hairs

of gray mingled with their natural hue; his scraggy neck was bare, and burnt to the same tint with his face;

though a small part of a shirtcollar, made of the country check, was to be seen above the overdress he wore.

A kind of coat, made of dressed deerskin, with the hair on, was belted close to his lank body by a girdle of

colored worsted. On his feet were deer skin moccasins, ornamented with porcupines� quills, after the

manner of the Indians, and his limbs were guarded with long leggings of the same material as the moccasins,

which, gartering over the knees of his tarnished buckskin breeches, had obtained for him among the settlers

the nickname of LeatherStocking. Over his left shoulder was slung a belt of deerskin, from which

depended an enormous oxhorn, so thinly scraped as to discover the powder it contained. The larger end was

fitted ingeniously and securely with a wooden bottom, and the other was stopped tight by a little plug. A

leathern pouch hung before him, from which, as he concluded his last speech, he took a small measure, and,

filling it accurately with powder, he commenced reloading the rifle, which as its butt rested on the snow

The traveller had been closely examining the wounds during these movements, and now, without heeding the

'I would fain establish a right, Natty, to the honor of this death; and surely if the hit in the neck be mine it is

enough; for the shot in the heart was unnecessarywhat we call an act of supererogation, LeatherStocking.'

'You may call it by what larned name you please, Judge,' said the hunter, throwing his rifle across his left

arm, and knocking up a brass lid in the breech, from which he took a small piece of greased leather and,

wrapping a bail in it, forced them down by main strength on the powder, where he continued to pound them

while speaking. 'It�s far easier to call names than to shoot a buck on the spring; but the creatur came by his

'What say you, my friend,' cried the traveller, turning pleasantly to Natty�s companion; 'shall we toss up this

dollar for the honor, and you keep the silver if you lose; what say you, friend?'

'That I killed the deer,' answered the young man, with a little haughtiness, as he leaned on another long rifle

'Here are two to one, indeed,' replied the Judge with a smile; 'I am outvotedoverruled, as we say on the

bench. There is Aggy, he can�t vote, being a slave; and Bess is a minorso I must even make the best of it.

But you�ll send me the venison; and the deuce is in it, but I make a good story about its death.'

'The meat is none of mine to sell,' said LeatherStocking, adopting a little of his companion�s hauteur; 'for

my part, I have known animals travel days with shots in the neck, and I�m none of them who�ll rob a man of

'You are tenacious of your rights, this cold evening, Natty,' returned the Judge with unconquerable

goodnature; 'but what say you, young man; will three dollars pay you for the buck?'

'First let us determine the question of right to the satisfaction of us both,' said the youth firmly but respect

fully, and with a pronunciation and language vastly superior to his appearance: 'with how many shot did you

'With five, sir,' said the Judge, a little struck with the other�s manner; 'are they not enough to slay a buck like

'One would do it; but,' moving to the tree from be hind which he had appeared, 'you know, sir, you fired in

The Judge examined the fresh marks in the bark of the pine, and, shaking his head, said with a laugh:

'You are making out the case against yourself, my young advocate; where is the fifth?'

'Here,' said the youth, throwing aside the rough over coat that he wore, and exhibiting a hole in his

'Good God!' exclaimed the Judge, with horror; 'have I been trifling here about an empty distinction, and a

fellowcreature suffering from my hands without a murmur? But hastenquickget into my sleighit is

but a mile to the village, where surgical aid can be obtainedall shall be done at my expense, and thou shalt

'I thank you for your good intention, but I must decline your offer. I have a friend who would be uneasy were

he to hear that I am hurt and away from him. The injury is but slight, and the bullet has missed the bones; but

'Admit it!' repeated the agitated Judge; 'I here give thee a right to shoot deer, or bears, or anything thou

pleasest in my woods, forever. LeatherStocking is the only other man that I have granted the same privilege

to; and the time is coming when it will be of value. But I buy your deerhere, this bill will pay thee, both for

The old hunter gathered his tall person up into an air of pride during this dialogue, but he waited until the

'There�s them living who say that Nathaniel Bumppo's right to shoot on these hills is of older date than

Marmaduke Temple�s right to forbid him,' he said. 'But if there�s a law about it at all, though who ever heard

of a law that a man shouldn�t kill deer where he pleased!but if there is a law at all, it should be to keep

people from the use of smoothbores. A body never knows where his lead will fly, when he pulls the trigger

Without attending to the soliloquy of Natty, the youth bowed his head silently to the offer of the banknote,

'But this will buy you many deer,' said the Judge; 'take it, I entreat you;' and, lowering his voice to a whisper,

For an instant only the youth seemed to hesitate, and then, blushing even through the high color that the cold

had given to his cheeks, as if with inward shame at his own weakness, he again declined the offer.

During this scene the female arose, and regardless of the cold air, she threw back the hood which concealed

'Surely, surelyyoung mansiryou would not pain my father so much as to have him think that he

leaves a fellowcreature in this wilderness whom his own hand has injured. I entreat you will go with us, and

Whether his wound became more painful, or there was something irresistible in the voice and manner of the

fair pleader for her father�s feelings, we know not; but the distance of the young mans manner was sensibly

softened by this appeal, and he stood in apparent doubt, as if reluctant to comply with and yet unwilling to

refuse her request. The Judge, for such being his office must in future be his title, watched with no little

interest the display of this singular contention in the feelings of the youth; and, advancing, kindly took his

'There is no human aid nearer than Templeton,' he said, 'and the hut of Natty is full three miles from this

come, come, my young friend, go with us, and let the new doctor look to this shoulder of thine. Here is Natty

will take the tidings of thy welfare to thy friend; and shouldst thou require it, thou shalt return home in the

morning.' The young man succeeded in extricating his hand from the warm grasp of the Judge, but he

continued to gaze on the face of the female, who, regardless of the cold, was still standing with her fine

features exposed, which expressed feeling that eloquently seconded the request of her father.

LeatherStocking stood, in the mean time, leaning upon his long rifle, with his head turned a little to one

side, as if engaged in sagacious musing; when, having apparently satisfied his doubts, by revolving the

subject in his mind, he broke silence. 'It may be best to go, lad, after all; for, if the shot hangs under the skin,

my hand is getting too old to be cutting into human flesh, as I once used to, Though some thirty years agone,

in the old war, when I was out under Sir William, I travelled seventy miles alone in the howling wilderness,

with a rifle bullet in my thigh, and then cut it out with my own jackknife. Old Indian John knows the time

well. I met him with a party of the Delawares, on the trail of the Iroquois, who had been down and taken five

scalps on the Schoharie. But I made a mark on the redskin that I�ll warrant he�ll carry to his grave! I took

him on the posteerum, saving the lady's presence, as he got up from the ambushment, and rattled three

buckshot into his naked hide, so close that you might have laid a broad joe upon them all'here Natty

stretched out his long neck, and straightened his body, as he opened his mouth, which exposed a single tusk

of yellow bone, while his eyes, his face, even his whole frame seemed to laugh, although no sound was

emitted except a kind of thick hissing, as he inhaled his breath in quavers. 'I had lost my bulletmould in

crossing the Oneida outlet, and had to make shift with the buckshot; but the rifle was true, and didn�t scatter

like your twolegged thing there, Judge, which don�t do, I find, to hunt in company with.'

Natty�s apology to the delicacy of the young lady was unnecessary, for, while he was speaking, she was too

much employed in helping her father to remove certain articles of baggage to hear him. Unable to resist the

kind urgency of the travellers any longer, the youth, though still with an unaccountable reluctance, suffered

himself to be persuaded to enter the sleigh. The black, with the aid of his master, threw the buck across the

baggage and entering the vehicle themselves, the Judge invited the hunter to do so likewise.

' No, no,' said the old roan, shaking his head; 'I have work to do at home this Christmas evedrive on with

the boy, and let your doctor look to the shoulder; though if he will only cut out the shot, I have yarbs that will

heal the wound quicker than all his foreign �intments.' He turned, and was about to move off, when, suddenly

recollecting himself, he again faced the party, and added: 'If you see anything of Indian John, about the foot

of the lake, you had better take him with you, and let him lend the doctor a hand; for, old as he is, he is

curious at cuts and bruises, and it�s likelier than not he�ll be in with brooms to sweep your Christmas

'Stop, stop,' cried the youth, catching the arm of the black as he prepared to urge his horses forward;

'Nattyyou need say nothing of the shot, nor of where I am goingremember, Natty, as you love me.'

'Trust old LeatherStocking,' returned the hunter significantly; 'he hasn�t lived fifty years in the wilderness,

and not larnt from the savages how to hold his tongue trust to me, lad; and remember old Indian John.'

'And, Natty,' said the youth eagerly, still holding the black by the arm. 'I will just get the shot extracted, and

He was interrupted by the hunter, who held up his finger with an expressive gesture for silence. He then

moved softly along the margin of the road, keeping his eyes steadfastly fixed on the branches of a pine. When

he had obtained such a position as he wished, he stopped, and, cocking his rifle, threw one leg far behind him,

and stretching his left arm to its utmost extent along the barrel of his piece, he began slowly to raise its

muzzle in a line with the straight trunk of the tree. The eyes of the group in the sleigh naturally preceded the

movement of the rifle, and they soon discovered the object of Natty�s aim. On a small dead branch of the

pine, which, at the distance of seventy feet from the ground, shot out horizontally, immediately beneath the

living members of the tree, sat a bird, that in the vulgar language of the country was indiscriminately called a

pheasant or a partridge. In size, it was but little smaller than a common barnyard fowl. The baying of the

dogs, and the conversation that had passed near the root of the tree on which it was perched, had alarmed the

bird, which was now drawn up near the body of the pine, with a head and neck so erect as to form nearly a

straight line with its legs. As soon as the rifle bore on the victim, Natty drew his trigger, and the partridge fell

'Lie down, you old villain,' exclaimed LeatherStocking, shaking his ramrod at Hector as he bounded toward

the foot of the tree, ' lie down, I say.' The dog obeyed, and Natty proceeded with great rapidity, though with

the nicest accuracy, to reload his piece. When this was ended, he took up his game, and, showing it to the

party without a head, he cried: ' Here is a tidbit for an old man�s Christmasnever mind the venison, boy,

and remember Indian John; his yarbs are better than all the foreign �intments. Here, Judge,' holding up the

bird again, 'do you think a smoothbore would pick game off their roost, and not ruffle a feather?' The old

man gave another of his remarkable laughs, which partook so largely of exultation, mirth, and irony, and,

shaking his head, he turned, with his rifle at a trail, and moved into the forest with steps that were between a

walk and a trot. At each movement he made his body lowered several inches, his knees yielding with an

inclination inward; but, as the sleigh turned at a bend in the road, the youth cast his eyes in quest of his old

companion, and he saw that he was already nearly concealed by the trunks of the tree; while his dogs were

following quietly in his footsteps, occasionally scenting the deer track, that they seemed to know instinctively

was now of no further use to them. Another jerk was given to the sleigh, and LeatherStocking was hid from

An ancestor of Marmaduke Temple had, about one hundred and twenty years before the commencement of

our tale, come to the colony of Pennsylvania, a friend and coreligionist of its great patron. Old Marmaduke,

for this formidable prenomen was a kind of appellative to the race, brought with him, to that asylum of the

persecuted an abundance of the good things of this life. He became the master of many thousands of acres of

uninhabited territory, and the supporter of many a score of dependents. He lived greatly respected for his

piety, and not a little distinguished as a sectary; was intrusted by his associates with many important political

stations; and died just in time to escape the knowledge of his own poverty. It was his lot to share the fortune

of most of those who brought wealth with them into the new settlements of the middle colonies.

The consequence of an emigrant into these provinces was generally to be ascertained by the number of his

white servants or dependents, and the nature of the public situations that he held. Taking this rule as a guide,

It is, however, a subject of curious inquiry at the present day, to look into the brief records of that early

period, and observe how regular, and with few exceptions how inevitable, were the gradations, on the one

hand, of the masters to poverty, and on the other, of their servants to wealth. Accustomed to ease, and

unequal to the struggles incident to an infant society, the affluent emigrant was barely enabled to maintain his

own rank by the weight of his personal superiority and acquirements; but, the moment that his head was laid

in the grave, his indolent and comparatively uneducated offspring were compelled to yield precedency to the

more active energies of a class whose exertions had been stimulated by necessity. This is a very common

course of things, even in the present state of the Union; but it was peculiarly the fortunes of the two extremes

of society, in the peaceful and unenterprising colonies of Pennsylvania and New Jersey,

The posterity of Marmaduke did not escape the common lot of those who depend rather on their hereditary

possessions than on their own powers; and in the third generation they had descended to a point below which,

in this happy country, it is barely possible for honesty, intellect and sobriety to fall. The same pride of family

that had, by its selfsatisfied indolence, conduced to aid their fail, now became a principle to stimulate them

to endeavor to rise again. The feeling, from being morbid, was changed to a healthful and active desire to

emulate the character, the condition, and, peradventure, the wealth of their ancestors also. It was the father of

our new acquaintance, the Judge, who first began to reascend in the scale of society; and in this undertaking

he was not a little assisted by a marriage, which aided in furnishing the means of educating his only son in a

rather better manner than the low state of the common schools of Pennsylvania could promise; or than had

At the school where the reviving prosperity of his father was enabled to maintain him, young Marmaduke

formed an intimacy with a youth whose years were about equal to his own. This was a fortunate connection

There was not only great wealth but high court interest among the connections of Edward Effingham. They

were one of the few families then resident in the colonies who thought it a degradation to its members to

descend to the pursuits of commerce; and who never emerged from the privacy of domestic life unless to

preside in the councils of the colony or to bear arms in her defense. The latter had from youth been the only

employment of Edward�s father. Military rank under the crown of Great Britain was attained with much

longer probation, and by much more toilsome services, sixty years ago than at the present time. Years were

passed without murmuring, in the sub ordinate grades of the service; and those soldiers who were stationed in

the colonies felt, when they obtained the command of a company, that they were entitled to receive the

greatest deference from the peaceful occupants of the soil. Any one of our readers who has occasion to cross

the Niagara may easily observe not only the self importance, but the real estimation enjoyed by the hum blest

representative of the crown, even in that polar region of royal sunshine. Such, and at no very distant period,

was the respect paid to the military in these States, where now, happily, no symbol of war is ever seen, unless

at the free and tearless voice of their people. When, therefore, the father of Marmaduke�s friend, after forty

years� service, retired with the rank of major, maintaining in his domestic establishment a comparative

splendor, he be came a man of the first consideration in his native colony which was that of New York. He

had served with fidelity and courage, and having been, according to the custom of the provinces, intrusted

with commands much superior to those to which he was entitled by rank, with reputation also. When Major

Effingham yielded to the claims of age, he retired with dignity, refusing his halfpay or any other

The ministry proffered various civil offices which yielded not only honor but profit; but he declined them all,

with the chivalrous independence and loyalty that had marked his character through life. The veteran soon

caused this set of patriotic disinterestedness to be followed by another of private munificence, that, however

little it accorded with prudence, was in perfect conformity with the simple integrity of his own views.

The friend of Marmaduke was his only child; and to this son, on his marriage with a lady to whom the father

was particularly partial, the Major gave a complete conveyance of his whole estate, consisting of money in

the funds, a town and country residence, sundry valuable farms in the old parts of the colony, and large tracts

of wild land in the newin this manner throwing himself upon the filial piety of his child for his own future

maintenance. Major Effingham, in declining the liberal offers of the British ministry, had subjected himself to

the suspicion of having attained his dotage, by all those who throng the avenues to court patronage, even in

the remotest corners of that vast empire; but, when he thus voluntarily stripped himself of his great personal

wealth, the remainder of the community seemed instinctively to adopt the conclusion also that he had reached

a second childhood. This may explain the fact of his importance rapidly declining; and, if privacy was his

object, the veteran had soon a free indulgence of his wishes. Whatever views the world might entertain of this

act of the Major, to himself and to his child it seemed no more than a natural gift by a father of those

immunities which he could no longer enjoy or improve, to a son, who was formed, both by nature and

education, to do both. The younger Effingham did not object to the amount of the donation; for he felt that

while his parent reserved a moral control over his actions, he was relieving himself of a fatiguing burden:

such, indeed, was the confidence existing between them, that to neither did it seem anything more than

One of the first acts of the young man, on corning into possession of his wealth, was to seek his early friend,

The death of Marmaduke�s father, and the consequent division of his small estate, rendered such an offer

extremely acceptable to the young Pennsylvanian; he felt his own powers, and saw, not only the excellences,

but the foibles in the character of his friend. Effingham was by nature indolent, confiding, and at times

impetuous and indiscreet; but Marmaduke was uniformly equable, penetrating, and full of activity and

enterprise. To the latter therefore, the assistance, or rather connection that was proffered to him, seemed to

produce a mutual advantage. It was cheerfully accepted, and the arrangement of its conditions was easily

completed. A mercantile house was established in the metropolis of Pennsylvania, with the avails of Mr.

Effingham's personal property; all, or nearly all, of which was put into the possession of Temple, who was

the only ostensible proprietor in the concern, while, in secret, the other was entitled to an equal participation

in the profits. This connection was thus kept private for two reasons, one of which, in the freedom of their

inter course, was frankly avowed to Marmaduke, while the other continued profoundly hid in the bosom of

his friend, The last was nothing more than pride. To the descend ant of a line of soldiers, commerce, even in

that indirect manner, seemed a degrading pursuit; but an insuperable obstacle to the disclosure existed in the

We have already said that Major Effingham had served as a soldier with reputation. On one occasion, while

in command on the western frontier of Pennsylvania against a league of the French and Indians, not only his

glory, but the safety of himself and his troops were jeoparded by the peaceful policy of that colony. To the

soldier, this was an unpardonable offence. He was fighting in their defensehe knew that the mild principles

of this little nation of practical Christians would be disregarded by their subtle and malignant enemies; and he

felt the in jury the more deeply because he saw that the avowed object of the colonists, in withholding their

succors, would only have a tendency to expose his command, without preserving the peace. The soldier

succeeded, after a desperate conflict, in extricating himself, with a handful of his men, from their murderous

enemy; but he never for gave the people who had exposed him to a danger which they left him to combat

alone. It was in vain to tell him that they had no agency in his being placed on their frontier at all; it was

evidently for their benefit that he had been so placed, and it was their 'religious duty,' so the Major always

At no time was the old soldier an admirer of the peaceful disciples of Fox. Their disciplined habits, both of

mind and body, had endowed them with great physical perfection; and the eye of the veteran was apt to scan

the fair proportions and athletic frames of the colonists with a look that seemed to utter volumes of contempt

for their moral imbecility, He was also a little addicted to the expression of a belief that, where there was so

great an observance of the externals of religion, there could not be much of the substance. It is not our task to

explain what is or what ought to be the substance of Christianity, but merely to record in this place the

Knowing the sentiments of the father in relation to this people, it was no wonder that the son hesitated to

avow his connection with, nay, even his dependence on the integrity of, a Quaker.

It has been said that Marmaduke deduced his origin from the contemporaries and friends of Penn. His father

had married without the pale of the church to which he belonged, and had, in this manner, forfeited some of

the privileges of his offspring. Still, as young Marmaduke was educated in a colony and society where even

the ordinary intercourse between friends was tinctured with the aspect of this mild religion, his habits and

language were some what marked by its peculiarities. His own marriage at a future day with a lady without

not only the pale, but the influence, of this sect of religionists, had a tendency, it is true, to weaken his early

impressions; still he retained them in some degree to the hour of his death, and was observed uniformly,

when much interested or agitated, to speak in the language of his youth. But this is anticipating our tale.

When Marmaduke first became the partner of young Effingham, he was quite the Quaker in externals; and it

was too dangerous an experiment for the son to think of encountering the prejudices of the father on this

subject. The connection, therefore, remained a profound secret to all but those who were interested in it,

For a few years Marmaduke directed the commercial operations of his house with a prudence and sagacity

that afforded rich returns. He married the lady we have mentioned, who was the mother of Elizabeth, and the

visits of his friend were becoming more frequent. There was a speedy prospect of removing the veil from

their intercourse, as its advantages became each hour more apparent to Mr. Effingham, when the troubles that

Educated in the most dependent loyalty, Mr. Effingham had, from the commencement of the disputes

between the colonists and the crown, warmly maintained what he believed to be the just prerogatives of his

prince; while, on the other hand, the clear head and independent mind of Temple had induced him to espouse

the cause of the people. Both might have been influenced by early impressions; for, if the son of the loyal and

gallant soldier bowed in implicit obedience to the will of his sovereign, the descendant of the persecuted

followers of Penn looked back with a little bitterness to the unmerited wrongs that had been heaped upon his

This difference in opinion had long been a subject of amicable dispute between them: but, Latterly, the

contest was getting to be too important to admit of trivial discussions on the part of Marmaduke, whose acute

discernment was already catching faint glimmerings of the important events that were in embryo. The sparks

of dissension soon kindled into a blaze; and the colonies, or rather, as they quickly declared themselves, THE

A short time before the battle of Lexington, Mr. Effingham, already a widower, transmitted to Marmaduke,

for safekeeping, all his valuable effects and papers; and left the colony without his father. The war had,

however, scarcely commenced in earnest, when he reappeared in New York, wearing the Livery of his king;

and, in a short time, he took the field at the head of a provincial corps. In the mean time Marmaduke had

completely committed himself in the cause, as it was then called, of the rebel lion. Of course, all intercourse

between the friends ceasedon the part of Colonel Effingham it was unsought, and on that of Marmaduke

there was a cautious reserve. It soon became necessary for the latter to abandon the capital of Philadelphia;

but he had taken the precaution to remove the whole of his effects beyond the reach of the royal forces,

including the papers of his friend also. There he continued serving his country during the struggle, in various

civil capacities, and always with dignity and usefulness. While, however, he discharged his functions with

credit and fidelity, Marmaduke never seemed to lose sight of his own interests; for, when the estates of the

adherents of the crown fell under the hammer, by the acts of confiscation, he appeared in New York, and

It is true that Marmaduke, by thus purchasing estates that had been wrested by violence from others, rendered

himself obnoxious to the censures of that Sect which, at the same time that it discards its children from a full

participation in the family union, seems ever unwilling to abandon them entirely to the world. But either his

success, or the frequency of the transgression in others, soon wiped off this slight stain from his character;

and, although there were a few who, dissatisfied with their own fortunes, or conscious of their own demerits,

would make dark hints concerning the sudden prosperity of the unportioned Quaker, yet his services, and

possibly his wealth, soon drove the recollection of these vague conjectures from men�s minds. When the war

ended, and the independence of the States was acknowledged, Mr. Temple turned his attention from the

pursuit of commerce, which was then fluctuating and uncertain, to the settlement of those tracts of land which

he had purchased. Aided by a good deal of money, and directed by the suggestions of a strong and practical

reason, his enterprise throve to a degree that the climate and rugged face of the country which he selected

would seem to forbid. His property increased in a tenfold ratio, and he was already ranked among the most

wealthy and important of his countrymen. To inherit this wealth he had but one childthe daughter whom

we have introduced to the reader, and whom he was now conveying from school to preside over a household

When the district in which his estates lay had become sufficiently populous to be set off as a county, Mr.

Temple had, according to the custom of the new settlements, been selected to fill its highest judicial station.

This might make a Templar smile; but in addition to the apology of necessity, there is ever a dignity in talents

and experience that is commonly sufficient, in any station, for the protection of its possessor; and

Marmaduke, more fortunate in his native clearness of mind than the judge of King Charles, not only decided

right, but was generally able to give a very good reason for it. At all events, such was the universal practice of

the country and the times; and Judge Temple, so far from ranking among the lowest of his judicial

contemporaries in the courts of the new counties, felt himself, and was unanimously acknowledged to be,

We shall here close this brief explanation of the history and character of some of our personages leaving them

Some little while elapsed ere Marmaduke Temple was sufficiently recovered from his agitation to scan the

person of his new companion. He now observed that he was a youth of some two or three and twenty years of

age, and rather above the middle height. Further observation was prevented by the rough overcoat which was

belted close to his form by a worsted sash, much like the one worn by the old hunter. The eyes of the Judge,

after resting a moment on the figure of the stranger, were raised to a scrutiny of his countenance. There had

been a look of care visible in the features of the youth, when he first entered the sleigh, that had not only

attracted the notice of Elizabeth, but which she had been much puzzled to interpret. His anxiety seemed the

strongest when he was en joining his old companion to secrecy; and even when he had decided, and was

rather passively suffering himself to be conveyed to the village, the expression of his eyes by no means

indicated any great degree of selfsatisfaction at the step. But the lines of an uncommonly prepossessing

countenance were gradually becoming composed; and he now sat silent, and apparently musing. The Judge

gazed at him for some time with earnestness, and then smiling, as if at his own forgetfulness, he said:

'I believe, my young friend, that terror has driven you from my recollection; your face is very familiar, and

yet, for the honor of a score of bucks� tails in my cap, I could not tell your name.'

'I came into the country but three weeks since,' returned the youth coldly, 'and I understand you have been

'It will be five tomorrow. Yet your face is one that I have seen; though it would not be strange, such has

been my affright, should I see thee in thy windingsheet walking by my bedside tonight. What say�st thou,

Bess? Am I compos mentis or not? Fit to charge a grand jury, or, what is just now of more pressing necessity,

'More able to do either, my dear father.' said a playful voice from under the ample inclosures of the hood, '

than to kill deer with a smoothbore.' A short pause followed, and the same voice, but in a different accent,

continued. 'We shall have good reasons for our thanksgiving to night, on more accounts than one,'

The horses soon reached a point where they seemed to know by instinct that the journey was nearly ended,

and, bearing on the bits as they tossed their heads, they rapidly drew the sleigh over the level land which lay

on the top of the mountain, and soon came to the point where the road descended suddenly, but circuitously,

The Judge was roused from his reflections, when he saw the four columns of smoke which floated above his

own chimneys. As house, village, and valley burst on his sight, he exclaimed cheerfully to his daughter:

'See, Bess, there is thy restingplace for life! And thine too, young man, if thou wilt consent to dwell with us.'

The eyes of his auditors involuntarily met; and, if the color that gathered over the face of Elizabeth was

contradicted by the cold expression of her eye, the ambiguous smile that again played about the lips of the

stranger seemed equally to deny the probability of his consenting to form one of this family group. The scene

was one, however, which might easily warm a heart less given to philanthropy than that of Marmaduke

The side of the mountain on which our travellers were journeying, though not absolutely perpendicular, was

so steep as to render great care necessary in descending the rude and narrow path which, in that early day,

wound along the precipices. The negro reined in his impatient steeds, and time was given Elizabeth to dwell

on a scene which was so rapidly altering under the hands of man, that it only resembled in its outlines the

picture she had so often studied with delight in childhood. Immediately beneath them lay a seeming plain,

glittering without in equality, and buried in mountains. The latter were precipitous, especially on the side of

the plain, and chiefly in forest. Here and there the hills fell away in long, low points, and broke the sameness

of the outline, or setting to the long and wide field of snow, which, without house, tree, fence, or any other

fixture, resembled so much spot less cloud settled to the earth. A few dark and moving spots were, however,

visible on the even surface, which the eye of Elizabeth knew to be so many sleighs going their several ways

to or from the village. On the western border of the plain, the mountains, though equally high, were less

precipitous, and as they receded opened into irregular valleys and glens, or were formed into terraces and

hollows that admitted of cultivation. Although the evergreens still held dominion over many of the hills that

rose on this side of the valley, yet the undulating outlines of the distant mountains, covered with forests of

beech and maple, gave a relief to the eye, and the promise of a kinder soil. Occasionally spots of white were

discoverable amidst the forests of the opposite hills, which announced, by the smoke that curled over the tops

of the trees, the habitations of man and the commencement of agriculture. These spots were sometimes, by

the aid of united labor, enlarged into what were called settlements, but more frequently were small and

insulated; though so rapid were the changes, and so persevering the labors of those who had cast their

fortunes on the success of the enterprise, that it was not difficult for the imagination of Elizabeth to conceive

they were enlarging under her eye while she was gazing, in mute wonder, at the alterations that a few short

years had made in the aspect of the country. The points on the western side of this remarkable plain, on which

no plant had taken root, were both larger and more numerous than those on its eastern, and one in particular

thrust itself forward in such a manner as to form beautifully curved bays of snow on either side. On its

extreme end an oak stretched forward, as if to overshadow with its branches a spot which its roots were

forbidden to enter. It had released itself from the thraldom that a growth of centuries had imposed on the

branches of the surrounding forest trees, and threw its gnarled and fantastic arms abroad, in the wildness of

liberty. A dark spot of a few acres in extent at the southern extremity of this beautiful flat, and immediately

under the feet of our travellers, alone showed by its rippling surface, and the vapors which exhaled from it,

that what at first might seem a plain was one of the mountain lakes, locked in the frosts of winter. A narrow

current rushed impetuously from its bosom at the open place we have mentioned, and was to be traced for

miles, as it wound its way toward the south through the real valley, by its borders of hemlock and pine, and

by the vapor which arose from its warmer surface into the chill atmosphere of the hills. The banks of this

lovely basin, at its outlet, or southern end, were steep, but not high; and in that direction the land continued,

far as the eye could reach, a narrow but graceful valley, along which the settlers had scattered their humble

habitations, with a profusion that bespoke the quality of the soil and the comparative facilities of intercourse,

Immediately on the bank of the lake and at its foot, stood the village of Templeton. It consisted of some fifty

buildings, including those of every description, chiefly built of wood, and which, in their architecture, bore no

great marks of taste, but which also, by the unfinished appearance of most of the dwellings, indicated the

hasty manner of their construction, To the eye, they presented a variety of colors. A few were white in both

front and rear, but more bore that expensive color on their fronts only, while their economical but ambitious

owners had covered the remaining sides of the edifices with a dingy red. One or two were slowly assuming

the russet of age; while the uncovered beams that were to be seen through the broken windows of their

second stories showed that either the taste or the vanity of their proprietors had led them to undertake a task

which they were unable to accomplish. The whole were grouped in a manner that aped the streets of a city,

and were evidently so arranged by the directions of one who looked to the wants of posterity rather than to

the convenience of the present incumbents. Some three or four of the better sort of buildings, in addition to

the uniformity of their color, were fitted with green blinds, which, at that season at least, were rather

strangely contrasted to the chill aspect of the lake, the mountains, the forests, and the wide fields of snow.

Before the doors of these pretending dwellings were placed a few saplings, either without branches or

possessing only the feeble shoots of one or two summers� growth, that looked not unlike tall grenadiers on

post near the threshold of princes. In truth, the occupants of these favored habitations were the nobles of

Templeton, as Marmaduke was its king. They were the dwellings of two young men who were cunning in the

law; an equal number of that class who chaffered to the wants of the community under the title of

storekeepers; and a disciple of Aesculapius, who, for a novelty, brought more subjects into the world than he

sent out of it. In the midst of this incongruous group of dwellings rose the mansion of the Judge, towering

above all its neighbors. It stood in the centre of an inclosure of several acres, which was covered with

fruittrees. Some of the latter had been left by the Indians, and began already to assume the moss and

inclination of age, therein forming a very marked contrast to the infant plantations that peered over most of

the picketed fences of the village. In addition to this show of cultivation were two rows of young Lombardy

poplars, a tree but lately introduced into America, formally lining either side of a pathway which led from a

gate that opened on the principal street to the front door of the building. The house itself had been built

entirely under the superintendence of a certain Mr. Richard Jones, whom we have already mentioned, and

who, from his cleverness in small matters, and an entire willingness to exert his talents, added to the

circumstance of their being sisters� children, ordinarily superintended all the minor concerns of Marmaduke

Temple. Richard was fond of saying that this child of invention consisted of nothing more nor less than what

should form the groundwork of every clergyman�s discourse, viz., a firstly and a lastly. He had commenced

his labors, in the first year of their residence, by erecting a tall, gaunt edifice of wood, with its gable toward

the highway. In this shelter for it was little more, the family resided three years. By the end of that period,

Richard had completed his design. He had availed himself, in this heavy undertaking, of the experience of a

certain wandering eastern mechanic, who, by exhibiting a few soiled plates of English architecture, and

talking learnedly of friezes, entablatures, and particularly of the composite order, had obtained a very undue

influence over Richard�s taste in everything that pertained to that branch of the fine arts. Not that Mr. Jones

did not affect to consider Hiram Doolittle a perfect empiric in his profession, being in the constant habit of

listening to his treatises on architecture with a kind of indulgent smile; yet, either from an inability to oppose

them by anything plausible from his own stores of learning or from secret admiration, Richard generally

submitted to the arguments of his coadjutor. Together, they had not only erected a dwelling for Marmaduke,

but they had given a fashion to the architecture of the whole county. The composite order, Mr. Doolittle

would contend, was an order composed of many others, and was intended to be the most useful of all, for it

admitted into its construction such alterations as convenience or circumstances might require. To this

proposition Richard usually assented; and when rival geniuses who monopolize not only all the reputation but

most of the money of a neighborhood, are of a mind, it is not uncommon to see them lead the fashion, even in

graver matters. In the present instance, as we have already hinted, the castle, as Judge Templeton�s dwelling

was termed in common parlance, came to be the model, in some one or other of its numerous excellences, for

The house itself, or the ' lastly,' was of stone: large, square, and far from uncomfortable. These were four

requisites, on which Marmaduke had insisted with a little more than his ordinary pertinacity. But everything

else was peaceably assigned to Richard and his associate. These worthies found the material a little too solid

for the tools of their workmen, which, in General, were employed on a substance no harder than the white

pine of the adjacent mountains, a wood so proverbially soft that it is commonly chosen by the hunters for

pillows. But for this awkward dilemma, it is probable that the ambitious tastes of our two architects would

have left us much more to do in the way of description. Driven from the faces of the house by the obduracy of

the material, they took refuge in the porch and on the roof. The former, it was decided, should be severely

A roof, Richard contended, was a part of the edifice that the ancients always endeavored to conceal, it being

an excrescence in architecture that was only to be tolerated on account of its usefulness. Besides, as he wittily

added, a chief merit in a dwelling was to present a front on whichever side it might happen to be seen; for, as

it was exposed to all eyes in all weathers, there should be no weak flank for envy or unneighborly criticism to

assail. It was therefore decided that the roof should be flat, and with four faces. To this arrangement,

Marmaduke objected the heavy snows that lay for months, frequently covering the earth to a depth of three or

four feet. Happily the facilities of the composite order presented themselves to effect a compromise, and the

rafters were lengthened, so as to give a descent that should carry off the frozen element. But, unluckily, some

mistake was made in the admeasurement of these material parts of the fabric; and, as one of the greatest

recommendations of Hiram was his ability to work by the 'square rule,' no opportunity was found of

discovering the effect until the massive timbers were raised on the four walls of the building. Then, indeed, it

was soon seen that, in defiance of all rule, the roof was by far the most conspicuous part of the whole edifice.

Richard and his associate consoled themselves with the relief that the covering would aid in concealing this

unnatural elevation; but every shingle that was laid only multiplied objects to look at. Richard essayed to

remedy the evil with paint, and four different colors were laid on by his own hands. The first was a sky blue,

in the vain expectation that the eye might be cheated into the belief it was the heavens themselves that hung

so imposingly over Marmaduke�s dwelling; the second was what he called a 'cloudcolor,' being nothing

more nor less than an imitation of smoke; the third was what Richard termed an invisible green, an

experiment that did not succeed against a background of sky. Abandoning the attempt to conceal, our

architects drew upon their invention for means to ornament the offensive shingles.

After much deliberation and two or three essays by moonlight, Richard ended the affair by boldly covering

the whole beneath a color that he christened 'sunshine,' a cheap way, as he assured his cousin the Judge, of

always keeping fair weather over his head. The platform, as well as the caves of the house, were surmounted

by gaudily painted railings, and the genius of Hiram was exerted in the fabrication of divers urns and

mouldings, that were scattered profusely around this part of their labors. Richard had originally a cunning

expedient, by which the chimneys were intended to be so low, and so situated, as to resemble ornaments on

the balustrades; but comfort required that the chimneys should rise with the roof, in order that the smoke

might bc carried off, and they thus became four extremely conspicuous objects in the view.

As this roof was much the most important architectural undertaking in which Mr. Jones was ever engaged, his

failure produced a correspondent degree of mortification At first, he whispered among his acquaintances that

it proceeded from ignorance of the square rule on the part of Hiram; but, as his eye became gradually

accustomed to the object, he grew better satisfied with his labors, and instead of apologizing for the defects,

he commenced praising thc beauties of the mansionhouse; he soon found hearers, and, as wealth and

comfort are at all times attractive, it was, as has been said, made a model for imitation on a small scale. In

less than two years from its erection, he had the pleasure of standing on the elevated platform, and of looking

down on three humble imitators of its beauty. Thus it is ever with fashion, which even renders the faults of

Marmaduke bore this deformity in his dwelling with great goodnature, and soon contrived, by his own

improvements, to give an air of respectability and comfort to his place of residence. Still, there was much of

in congruity, even immediately about the mansionhouse. Although poplars had been brought from Europe to

ornament the grounds, and willows and other trees were gradually springing up nigh the dwelling, yet many a

pile of snow betrayed the presence of the stump of a pine; and even, in one or two instances, unsightly

remnants of trees that had been partly destroyed by fire were seen rearing their black, glistening columns

twenty or thirty feet above the pure white of the snow, These, which in the language of the country are

termed stubs, abounded in the open fields adjacent to the village, and were accompanied, occasionally, by the

ruin of a pine or a hemlock that had been stripped of its bark, and which waved in melancholy grandeur its

naked limbs to the blast, a skeleton of its former glory. But these and many other unpleasant additions to the

view were unseen by the delighted Elizabeth, who, as the horses moved down the side of the mountain, saw

only in gross the cluster of houses that lay like a map at her feet; the fifty smokes that were curling from the

valley to the clouds; the frozen lake as it lay imbedded in mountains of evergreen, with the long shadows of

the pines on its white surface, lengthening in the setting sun; the dark ribbon of water that gushed from the

outlet and was winding its way toward the distant Chesapeakethe altered, though still remembered, scenes

Five years had wrought greater changes than a century would produce in countries where time and labor have

given permanency to the works of man. To our young hunter and the Judge the scene had less novelty;

though none ever emerge from the dark forests of that mountain, and witness the glorious scenery of that

beauteous valley, as it bursts unexpectedly upon them, without a feeling of delight. The former cast one

admiring glance from north to south, and sank his face again beneath the folds of his coat; while the latter

contemplated, with philanthropic pleasure, the prospect of affluence and comfort that was expanding around

him; the result of his own enterprise, and much of it the fruits of his own industry.

The cheerful sound of sleighbells, however, attracted the attention of the whole party, as they came jingling

up the sides of the mountain, at a rate that announced a powerful team and a hard driver. The bushes which

lined the highway interrupted the view, and the two sleighs were close upon each other before either was

A large lumber sleigh, drawn by four horses, was soon seen dashing through the leafless bushes which

fringed the road. The leaders were of gray, and the polehorses of a jetblack. Bells innumerable were

suspended from every part of the harness where one of the tinkling balls could be placed, while the rapid

movement of the equipage, in defiance of the steep ascent, announced the desire of the driver to ring them to

the utmost. The first glance at this singular arrangement acquainted the Judge with the character of those in

the sleigh. It contained four male figures. On one of those stools that are used at writing desks, lashed firmly

to the sides of the vehicle, was seated a little man, enveloped in a greatcoat fringed with fur, in such a

manner that no part of him was visible, except a face of an unvarying red color. There was an habitual

upward look about the head of this gentleman, as if dissatisfied with its natural proximity to the earth; and the

expression of his countenance was that of busy care, He was the charioteer, and he guided the mettled

animals along the precipice with a fearless eye and a steady hand, Immediately behind him, with his face

toward the other two, was a tall figure, to whose appearance not even the duplicate overcoats which he wore,

aided by the corner of a horseblanket, could give the appearance of strength. His face was protruding from

beneath a woollen night cap; and, when he turned to the vehicle of Marmaduke as the sleighs approached

each other, it seemed formed by nature to cut the atmosphere with the least possible resistance. The eyes

alone appeared to create any obstacle, for from either side of his forehead their lightblue, glassy balls

projected. The sallow of his countenance was too permanent to be affected even by the intense cold of the

evening. Opposite to this personage sat a solid, short, and square figure. No part of his form was to be

discovered through his overdress, but a face that was illuminated by a pair of black eyes that gave the lie to

every demure feature in his countenance. A fair, jolly wig furnished a neat and rounded outline to his visage,

and he, well as the other two, wore martenskin caps. The fourth was a meek looking, longvisaged man,

without any other protection from the cold than that which was furnished by a black surcoat, made with some

little formality, but which was rather threadbare and rusty. He wore a hat of extremely decent proportions,

though frequent brushing had quite destroyed its nap. His face was pale, and withal a little melancholy, or

what might be termed of a studious complexion. The air had given it, just now, a light and somewhat feverish

flush, The character of his whole appearance, especially contrasted to the air of humor in his next companion,

was that of habitual mental care. No sooner had the two sleighs approached within speaking distance, than the

'Draw up in the quarrydraw up, thou king of the Greeks; draw into the quarry, Agamemnon, or I shall

never be able to pass you. Welcome home, Cousin �Duke welcome, welcome, blackeyed Bess. Thou

seest, Marina duke that I have taken the field with an assorted cargo, to do thee honor. Monsieur Le Quoi has

come out with only one cap; Old Fritz would not stay to finish the bottle; and Mr. Grant has got to put the

�lastly� to his sermon, yet. Even all the horses would come by thebye, Judge, I must sell the blacks for

you immediately; they interfere, and the nigh one is a bad goer in double harness. I can get rid of them to'

'Sell what thou wilt, Dickon,' interrupted the cheerful voice of the Judge, 'so that thou leavest me my daughter

and my lands. And Fritz, my old friend, this is a kind compliment, indeed, for seventy to pay to

fiveandforty. Monsieur Le Quoi, I am your servant. Mr. Grant,' lifting his cap, 'I feel indebted to your

attention. Gentlemen, I make you acquainted with my child. Yours are names with which she is very

'Velcome, velcome Tchooge,' said the elder of the party, with a strong German accent. 'Miss Petsy vill owe

'And cheerfully will I pay It, my good sir,' cried the soft voice of Elizabeth; which sounded, in the clear air of

the hills. Like tones of silver, amid the loud cries of Richard. 'I have always a kiss for my old friend. Major

By this time the gentleman in the front seat, who had been addressed as Monsieur Le Quoi, had arisen with

some difficulty, owing to the impediment of his overcoats, and steadying himself by placing one hand on the

stool of the charioteer, with the other he removed his cap, and bowing politely to the Judge and profoundly to

'Cover thy poll, Gaul, cover thy poll,' cried the driver, who was Mr. Richard Jones; 'cover thy poll, or the

frost will pluck out the remnant of thy locks. Had the hairs on the head of Absalom been as scarce as thine, he

might have been living to this day.' The jokes of Richard never failed of exciting risibility, for he uniformly

did honor to his own wit; and he enjoyed a hearty laugh on the present occasion, while Mr. Le Quoi resumed

his seat with a polite reciprocation in his mirth. The clergyman, for such was the office of Mr. Grant,

modestly, though quite affectionately, exchanged his greetings with the travellers also, when Richard

It was in the quarry alone that he could effect this object, without ascending to the summit of the mountain. A

very considerable excavation had been made in the side of the hill, at the point where Richard had succeeded

in stopping the sleighs, from which the stones used for building in the village were ordinarily quarried, and in

which he now attempted to turn his team. Passing itself was a task of difficulty, and frequently of danger, in

that narrow road; but Richard had to meet the additional risk of turning his fourinhand. The black civilly

volunteered his services to take off the leaders, and the Judge very earnestly seconded the measure with his

'Why, and wherefore. Cousin �Duke?' he exclaimed, a little angrily; 'the horses are gentle as lambs. You

know that I broke the leaders myself, and the polehorses are too near my whip to be restive. Here is Mr. Le

Quoi, now, who must know something about driving, because he has rode out so often with me; I will leave it

It was not in the nature of the Frenchman to disappoint expectations so confidently formed; although he cat

looking down the precipice which fronted him, as Richard turned his leaders into the quarry, with a pair of

eyes that stood out like those of lobsters. The German�s muscles were unmoved, but his quick sight scanned

each movement. Mr. Grant placed his hands on the side of the sleigh, in preparation for a spring, but moral

timidity deterred him from taking the leap that bodily apprehension strongly urged him to attempt.

Richard, by a sudden application of the whip, succeeded in forcing the leaders into the snowbank that

covered the quarry; but the instant that the impatient animals suffered by the crust, through which they broke

at each step, they positively refused to move an inch farther in that direction. On the contrary, finding that the

cries and blows of their driver were redoubled at this juncture, the leaders backed upon the polehorses, who

in their turn backed the sleigh. Only a single log lay above the pile which upheld the road on the side toward

the valley, and this was now buried in the snow. The sleigh was easily breed across so slight an impediment,

and before Richard became conscious of his danger onehalf of the vehicle Was projected over a precipice,

which fell perpendicularly more than a hundred feet. The Frenchman, who by his position had a full view of

their threatened flight, instinctively threw his body as far forward as possible, and cried

'Donner und blitzen, Richart!' exclaimed the veteran German, looking over the side of the sleigh with unusual

'Get up, obstinate devils!' cried Richard, catching a bird�seye view of his situation, and in his eagerness to

move forward kicking the stool on which he sat' get up, I sayCousin �Duke, I shall have to sell the grays

too; they are the worst broken horsesMr. Le Quoi' Richard was too much agitated to regard his

pronunciation, of which he was commonly a little vain: 'Monsieur La Quoi, pray get off my leg; you hold my

'Merciful Providence!' exclaimed the Judge; 'they will be all killed!' Elizabeth gave a piercing shriek, and the

At this critical moment, the young hunter, who during the salutations of the parties had sat in rather sullen

silence, sprang from the sleigh of Marmaduke to the heads of the refractory leaders. The horses, which were

yet suffering under the injudicious and somewhat random blows of Richard, were dancing up and down with

that ominous movement that threatens a sudden and uncontrollable start, still pressing backward. The youth

gave the leaders a powerful jerk, and they plunged aside, and reentered the road in the position in which

they were first halted. The sleigh was whirled from its dangerous position, and upset, with the runners

outward. The German and the divine were thrown, rather unceremoniously, into the highway, but without

danger to their bones. Richard appeared in the air, describing the segment of a circle, of which the reins were

the radii, and landed, at the distance of some fifteen feet, in that snowbank which the horses had dreaded,

right end uppermost. Here, as he instinctively grasped the reins, as drowning men seize at straws, he

admirably served the purpose of an anchor. The Frenchman, who was on his legs, in the act of springing from

the sleigh, took an aerial flight also, much in the attitude which boys assume when they play leapfrog, and,

flying off in a tangent to the curvature of his course, came into the snowbank head foremost, where he

remained, exhibiting two lathy legs on high, like scarecrows waving in a corn field. Major Hartmann, whose

selfpossession had been admirably preserved during the whole evolution, was the first of the party that

'Ter deyvel, Richart!' he exclaimed in a voice half serious, half comical, 'put you unload your sleigh very

It may be doubtful whether the attitude in which Mr. Grant continued for an instant after his overthrow was

the one into which he had been thrown, or was assumed, in humbling himself before the Power that he

reverenced, in thanksgiving at his escape. When he rose from his knees, he began to gaze about him, with

anxious looks, after the welfare of his companions, while every joint in his body trembled with nervous

agitation. There was some confusion in the faculties of Mr. Jones also: but as the mist gradually cleared from

before his eyes, he saw that all was safe, and, with an air of great selfsatisfaction, he cried, 'Wellthat was

neatly saved, anyhow! it was a lucky thought in me to hold on to the reins, or the fiery devils would have

been over the mountain by this time. How well I recovered myself, �Duke! Another moment would have been

too late; but I knew just the spot where to touch the offleader; that blow under his right flank, and the

sudden jerk I gave the rein, brought them round quite in rule, I must own myself.' *

* The spectators, from immemorial usage, have a right to laugh at the casualties of a sleigh ride; and the

Judge was no sooner certain that no one was done than he made full use of the privilege.

'Thou jerk! thou recover thyself, Dickon!' he said; �but for that brave lad yonder, thou and thy horses, or

'Oh! mon cher Juge! mon ami!' cried a smothered voice,' praise be God, I live; vill you, Mister Agamemnon,

The divine and the negro seized the incarcerated Gaul by his legs and extricated him from a snowbank of

three feet in depth, whence his voice had sounded as from the tombs. The thoughts of Mr. Le Quoi,

immediately on Ms liberation, were not extremely collected; and, when he reached the light, he threw his

eyes upward, in order to examine the distance he had fallen. His goodhumor returned, however, with a

knowledge of his safety, though it was some little time before he clearly comprehended the case.

'What, monsieur,' said Richard, who was busily assisting the black in taking off the leaders; 'are you there? I

'Praise be God, I no fly down into the lake,' returned the Frenchman, with a visage that was divided between

pain, occasioned by a few large scratches that he had received in forcing his head through the crust, and the

'The next thing, I trust, will be to learn to drive,' said the Judge, who bad busied himself in throwing the buck,

together with several other articles of baggage, from his own sleigh into the snow; 'here are seats for you all,

gentlemen; the evening grows piercingly cold, and the hour approaches for the service of Mr. Grant; we will

leave friend Jones to repair the damages, with the assistance of Agamemnon, and hasten to a warm fire. Here,

Dickon, are a few articles of Bess� trumpery, that you can throw into your sleigh when ready; and there is

also a deer of my taking, that I will thank you to bring. Aggy! remember that there will be a visit from Santa

* The periodical visits of St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus, as he is termed, were never forgotten among the

inhabitants of New York, until the emigration from New England brought in the opinions and usages of the

The black grinned, conscious of the bribe that was offered him for silence on the subject of the deer, while

Richard, without in the least waiting for the termination of his cousin�s speech, began his reply:

'Learn to drive, sayest thou, Cousin �Duke? Is there a man in the county who knows more of horseflesh than

myself? Who broke in the filly, that no one else dare mount, though your coachman did pretend that he had

tamed her before I took her in hand; but anybody could see that he liedhe was a great liar, that

Johnwhat�s that, a buck?' Richard abandoned the horses, and ran to the spot where Marmaduke had thrown

the deer, 'It is a buck! I am amazed! Yes, here are two holes in him, he has fired both barrels, and hit him

each time, Egod! how Marmaduke will brag! he is a prodigious bragger about any small matter like this now;

well, to think that �Duke has killed a buck before Christmas! There will be no such thing as living with

himthey are both bad shots though, mere chancemere chancenow, I never fired twice at a cloven foot

in my lifeit is hit or miss with medead or run awayhad it been a bear, or a wildcat, a man might have

wanted both barrels. Here! you Aggy! how far off was the Judge when this buck was shot?'

'Oh! massa Richard, maybe a ten rod,' cried the black, bending under one of the horses, with the pretence of

fastening a buckle, but in reality to conceal the grin that opened a mouth from ear to ear.

'Ten rod!' echoed the other; 'way, Aggy, the deer I Killed last winter �was at twentyyes! if anything it was

nearer thirty than twenty. I wouldn�t shoot at a deer at ten rod: besides, you may remember, Aggy, I only

'Yes, massa Richard, I �member �em! Natty Bumppo fire t�oder gun. You know, sir, all �e folks say Natty kill

'The folks lie, you black devil!' exclaimed Richard in great heat. 'I have not shot even a gray squirrel these

four years, to which that old rascal has not laid claim, or some one else [or him. This is a damned envious

world that we live inpeople are always for dividing the credit at a thing, in order to bring down merit to

their own level. Now they have a story about the Patent,* that Hiram Doolittle helped to plan the steeple to

St. Paul�s; when Hiram knows that it is entirely mine; a little taken front a print of his namesake in London, I

* The grants of land, made either by the crown or the state, were but letters patent under the great seal, and

the term 'patent' is usually applied to any district of extent thus conceded; though under the crown�, manorial

rights being often granted with the soil, in the older counties the word 'manor' is frequently used. There are

'I don't know where he come from,' said the black, losing every mark of humor in an expression of

'And well they may say so, Aggy,' cried Richard, leaving the buck and walking up to the negro with the air of

a man who has new interest awakened within him, 'I think I may say, without bragging, that it is the

handsomest and the most scientific country church in America. I know that the Connecticut settlers talk about

their West Herfield meetinghouse; but I never believe more than half what they say, they are such

unconscionable braggers. Just as you have got a thing done, if they see it likely to be successful, they are

always for interfering; and then it�s tea to one but they lay claim to half, or even all of the credit. You may

remember, Aggy, when I painted the sign of the bold dragoon for Captain Hollister there was that fellow,

who was about town laying brickdust on the houses, came one day and offered to mix what I call the streaky

black, for the tail and mane; and then, because it looks like horsehair, he tells everybody that the sign was

painted by himself and Squire Jones. If Marmaduke don�t send that fellow off the Patent, he may ornament

his village with his own hands for me,' Here Richard paused a moment, and cleared his throat by a loud hem,

while the negro, who was all this time busily engaged in preparing the sleigh, proceeded with his work in

respectful silence. Owing to the religious scruples of the Judge, Aggy was the servant of Richard, who had

his services for a time,* and who, of course, commanded a legal claim to the respect of the young negro. But

when any dispute between his lawful and his real master occurred, the black felt too much deference for both

* The manumission of the slaves in New York has been gradual. When public opinion became strong in their

favor, then grew up a custom of buying the services of a slave, for six or eight years, with a condition to

liberate him at the end of the period. Then the law provided that all born after a certain day should be free, the

males at twenty eight and the females at twentyfive. After this the owner was obliged to cause his

servants to be taught to read and write before they reached the age of eighteen, and, finally, the few that

remained were all unconditionally liberated in 1826, or after the publication of this tale. It was quite usual for

men more or less connected with the Quakers, who never held slaves to adopt the first expedient.

In the mean while, Richard continued watching the negro as he fastened buckle after buckle, until, stealing a

look of consciousness toward the other, he continued: 'Now, if that young man who was in your sleigh is a

real Connecticut settler, he will be telling everybody how he saved my horses, when, if he had let them alone

for half a minute longer, I would have brought them in much better, without upsetting, with the whip amid

reinit spoils a horse to give him his heal, I should not wonder if I had to sell the whole team, just for that

one jerk he gave them,' Richard paused and hemmed; for his conscience smote him a little for censuring a

man who had just saved his life. 'Who is the lad, AggyI don�t remember to have seen him before?'

The black recollected the hint about Santa Claus; and, while he briefly explained how they had taken up the

person in question on the top of the mountain, he forbore to add anything concerning the accident or the

wound, only saying that he believed the youth was a stranger. It was so usual for men of the first rank to take

into their sleighs any one they found toiling through the snow, that Richard was perfectly satisfied with this

explanation. He heard Aggy with great attention, and then remarked: 'Well, if the lad has not been spoiled by

the people in Templeton he may be a modest young man, and, as he certainly meant well, I shall take some

'Eh! yes, massa Richard,' said the black, a little confused; for, as Richard did all the flogging, he stood in

'Rifle!' exclaimed Richard, observing the confusion of The negro, which now amounted to terror. 'By Jove, he

killed the deer! I knew that Marmaduke couldn�t kill a buck on the jumphow was it, Aggy? Tell me all

about it, and I�ll roast �Duke quicker than he can roast his saddlehow was it, Aggy? the lad shot the buck,

The pleasure of this discovery had put Richard in such a good humor, that the negro�s fears in some measure

vanished, and he remembered the stocking of Santa Claus. After a gulp or two, he made out to reply;

'Don�t lie, you black rascal!' cried Richard, stepping on the snow bank to measure the distance from his lash

to the negro�s back; 'speak truth, or I trounce you.' While speaking, the stock was slowly rising in Richard�s

right hand, and the lash drawing through his left, in the scientific manner with which drummers apply the cat;

and Agamemnon, after turning each side of himself toward his master, and finding both equally unwilling to

remain there, fairly gave in. In a very few words he made his master acquainted with the truth, at the same

time earnestly conjuring Richard to protect him from the displeasure of thc lodge I�ll do it, boy, I�ll do it,'

cried the other, rubbing his hands with delight; 'say nothing, but leave me to manage �Duke. I have a great

mind to leave the deer on the hill, and to make the fellow send for his own carcass; but no, I will let

Marmaduke tell a few bounces about it before I come out upon him. Come, hurry in, Aggy, I must help to

dress the lad�s wound; this Yankee* doctor knows nothing of surgeryI had to hold out Milligan�s leg for

* In America the term Yankee is of local meaning. It is thought to be derived from the manner in which the

Indians of New England pronounced the word 'English,' or 'Yengeese.' New York being originally a Dutch

province, the term of course was not known there, and Farther south different dialects among the natives

themselves probably produced a different pronunciation Marmaduke and his cousin, being Pennsylvanians by

Richard was now seated on the stool again, and, the black taking the hind seat, the steeds were put in motion

toward home, As they dashed down the hill on a fast trot, the driver occasionally turned his face to Aggy, and

continued speaking; for, notwithstanding their recent rupture, the most perfect cordiality was again existing

between them, 'This goes to prove that I turned the horses with the reins, for no man who is shot in the right

shoulder can have strength enough to bring round such obstinate devils. I knew I did it from the first; but I

did not want to multiply words with Marmaduke about it.Will you bite, you villain? hip, boys, hip! Old

Natty, too, that is the best of it!Well, well�Duke will say no more about my deerand the Judge fired

both barrels, and hit nothing but a poor lad who was behind a pinetree. I must help that quack to take out the

buckshot for the poor fellow.' In this manner Richard descended the mountain; the bells ringing, and his

tongue going, until they entered the village, when the whole attention of the driver was devoted to a display

of his horsemanship, to the admiration of all the gaping women and children who thronged the windows to

After winding along the side of the mountain, the road, on reaching the gentle declivity which lay at the base

of the hill, turned at a right angle to its former course, and shot down an inclined plane, directly into the

village of Templeton. The rapid little stream that we have already mentioned was crossed by a bridge of hewn

timber, which manifested, by its rude construction and the unnecessary size of its framework, both the value

of Labor and the abundance of materials. This little torrent, whose dark waters gushed over the limestones

that lined its bottom, was nothing less than one of the many sources of the Susquehanna; a river to which the

Atlantic herself has extended an arm in welcome. It was at this point that the powerful team of Mr. Jones

brought him up to the more sober steeds of our travellers. A small hill was risen, and Elizabeth found herself

at once amidst the incongruous dwellings of the village. The street was of the ordinary width,

notwithstanding the eye might embrace, in one view, thousands and tens of thousands of acres, that were yet

tenanted only by the beasts of the forest. But such had been the will of her father, and such had also met the

wishes of his followers. To them the road that made the most rapid approaches to the condition of the old, or,

as they expressed it, the down countries, was the most pleasant; and surely nothing could look more like

civilization than a city, even if it lay in a wilderness! The width of the street, for so it was called, might have

been one hundred feet; but the track for the sleighs was much more limited. On either side of the highway

were piled huge heaps of logs, that were daily increasing rather than diminishing in size, notwithstanding the

The last object at which Elizabeth gazed when they renewed their journey, after their encountre with Richard,

was the sun, as it expanded in the refraction of the horizon, and over whose disk the dark umbrage of a pine

was stealing, while it slowly sank behind the western hills. But his setting rays darted along the openings of

the mountain he was on, and lighted the shining covering of the birches, until their smooth and glossy coats

nearly rivalled the mountain sides in color. The outline of each dark pine was delineated far in the depths of

the forest, and the rocks, too smooth and too perpendicular to retain the snow that had fallen, brightened, as if

smiling at the leavetaking of the luminary. But at each step as they descended, Elizabeth observed that they

were leaving the day behind them. Even the heartless but bright rays of a December sun were missed as they

glided into the cold gloom of the valley. Along the summits of the mountains in the eastern range, it is true,

the light still lingered, receding step by step from the earth into the clouds that were gathering with the

evening mist, about the limited horizon, but the frozen lake lay without a shadow on its bosom; the dwellings

were becoming already gloomy and indistinct, and the woodcutters were shouldering their axes and

preparing to enjoy, throughout the long evening before them, the comforts of those exhilarating fires that

their labor had been supplying with fuel. They paused only to gaze at the passing sleighs, to lift their caps to

Marmaduke, to exchange familiar nods with Richard, and each disappeared in his dwelling. The paper

curtains dropped behind our travellers in every window, shutting from the air even the firelight of the

cheerful apartments, and when the horses of her father turned with a rapid whirl into the open gate of the

mansionhouse, and nothing stood before her but the cold dreary stone walls of the building, as she

approached them through an avenue of young and leafless poplars, Elizabeth felt as if all the loveliness of the

mountainview had vanished like the fancies of a dream. Marmaduke retained so much of his early habits as

to reject the use of bells, but the equipage of Mr. Jones came dashing through the gate after them, sending its

jingling sounds through every cranny of the building, and in a moment the dwelling was in an uproar.

On a stone platform, of rather small proportions, considering the size of the building, Richard and Hiram had,

conjointly, reared four little columns of wood, which in their turn supported the shingled roofs of the

portico this was the name that Mr. Jones had thought proper to give to a very plain, covered entrance. The

ascent to the platform was by five or six stone steps, somewhat hastily laid together, and which the frost had

already begun to move from their symmetrical positions, But the evils of a cold climate and a superficial

construction did not end here. As the steps lowered the platform necessarily fell also, and the foundations

actually left the super structure suspended in the air, leaving an open space of a foot between the base of the

pillars and the stones on which they had originally been placed. It was lucky for the whole fabric that the

carpenter, who did the manual part of the labor, had fastened the canopy of this classic entrance so firmly to

the side of the house that, when the base deserted the superstructure in the manner we have described, and the

pillars, for the want of a foundation, were no longer of service to support the roof, the roof was able to uphold

the pillars. Here was, indeed, an unfortunate gap left in the ornamental part of Richard�s column; but, like the

window in Aladdin�s palace, it seemed only left in order to prove the fertility of its master�s resources. The

composite order again offered its advantages, and a second edition of the base was given, as the booksellers

say, with additions and improvements. It was necessarily larger, and it was properly ornamented with

mouldings; still the steps continued to yield, and, at the moment when Elizabeth returned to her father�s door,

a few rough wedges were driven under the pillars to keep them steady, and to prevent their weight from

From the great door which opened into the porch emerged two or three female domestics, and one male. The

latter was bareheaded, but evidently more dressed than usual, and on the whole was of so singular a

formation and attire as to deserve a more minute description. He was about five feet in height, of a square and

athletic frame, with a pair of shoulders that would have fitted a grenadier. His low stature was rendered the

more striking by a bend forward that he was in the habit of assuming, for no apparent reason, unless it might

be to give greater freedom to his arms, in a particularly sweeping swing, that they constantly practised when

their master was in motion. His face was long, of a fair complexion, burnt to a fiery red; with a snub nose,

cocked into an inveterate pug; a mouth of enormous dimensions, filled with fine teeth; and a pair of blue

eyes, that seemed to look about them on surrounding objects with habitual contempt. His head composed full

onefourth of his whole length, and the cue that depended from its rear occupied another. He wore a coat of

very light drab cloth, with buttons as large as dollars, bearing the impression of a 'foul anchor.' The skirts

were extremely long, reaching quite to the calf, and were broad in proportion. Beneath, there were a vest and

breeches of red plush, somewhat worn and soiled. He had shoes with large buckles, and stockings of blue and

This oddlooking figure reported himself to be a native of the county of Cornwall, in the island of Great

Britain. His boyhood had passed in the neighborhood of the tin mines, and his youth as the cabinboy of a

smuggler, between Falmouth and Guernsey. From this trade he had been impressed into the service of his

king, and, for the want of a better, had been taken into the cabin, first as a servant, and finally as steward to

the captain. Here he acquired the art of making chowder, lobster, and one or two other seadishes, and, as he

was fond of saying, had an opportunity of seeing the world. With the exception of one or two outports in

France, and an occasional visit to Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Deal, he had in reality seen no more of

mankind, however, than if he had been riding a donkey in one of his native mines. But, being discharged

from the navy at the peace of �83, he declared that, as he had seen all the civilized parts of the earth, he was

inclined to make a trip to the wilds of America We will not trace him in his brief wanderings, under the

influence of that spirit of emigration that some times induces a dapper Cockney to quit his home, and lands

him, before the sound of Bowbells is out of his ears, within the roar of the cataract of Niagara; but shall only

add that at a very early day, even before Elizabeth had been sent to school, he had found his way into the

family of Marmaduke Temple, where, owing to a combination of qualities that will be developed in the

course of the tale, he held, under Mr. Jones, the office of major domo. The name of this worthy was

Benjamin Penguillan, according to his own pronunciation; but, owing to a marvellous tale that he was in the

habit of relating, concerning the length of time he had to labor to keep his ship from sinking after Rodney�s

By the side of Benjamin, and pressing forward as if a little jealous of her station, stood a middleaged

woman, dressed in calico, rather violently contrasted in color with a tall, meagre, shapeless figure, sharp

features, and a somewhat acute expression of her physiognomy. Her teeth were mostly gone, and what did

remain were of a tight yellow. The skin of her nose was drawn tightly over the member, to hang in large

wrinkles in her cheeks and about her mouth. She took snuff in such quantities as to create the impression that

she owed the saffron of her lips and the adjacent parts to this circumstance; but it was the unvarying color of

her whole face. She presided over the female part of the domestic arrangements, in the capacity of

housekeeper; was a spinster, and bore the name of Remarkable Pettibone. To Elizabeth she was an entire

In addition to these, were three or four subordinate menials, mostly black, some appearing at the principal

door, and some running from the end of the building, where stood the entrance to the cellarkitchen.

Besides these, there was a general rush from Richard�s kennel, accompanied with every canine tone from the

howl of the wolfdog to the petulant bark of the terrier. The master received their boisterous salutations with

a variety of imitations from his own throat, when the dogs, probably from shame of being outdone, ceased

their out cry. One stately, powerful mastiff, who wore round his neck a brass collar, with 'M. T.' engraved in

large letters on the rim, alone was silent. He walked majestically, amid the confusion, to the side of the Judge,

where, receiving a kind pat or two, he turned to Elizabeth, who even stooped to kiss him, as she called him

kindly by the name of 'Old Brave.' The animal seemed to know her, as she ascended the steps, supported by

Monsieur Le Quoi and her father, in order to protect her from falling on the ice with which they were

covered. He looked wistfully after her figure, and when the door closed on the whole party, he laid himself in

a kennel that was placed nigh by, as if conscious that the house contained some thing of additional value to

Elizabeth followed her father, who paused a moment to whisper a message to one of his domestics, into a

large hall, that was dimly lighted by two candies, placed in high, oldfashioned, brass candlesticks. The door

closed, and the party were at once removed from an atmosphere that was nearly at zero, to one of sixty

degrees above. In the centre of the hall stood an enormous stove, the sides of which appeared to be quivering

with heat; from which a large, straight pipe, leading through the ceiling above, carried off the smoke. An iron

basin, containing water, was placed on this furnace, for such only it could be called, in order to preserve a

proper humidity in the apartment. The room was carpeted, and furnished with convenient, substantial

furniture, some of which was brought from the city, the remainder having been manufactured by the

mechanics of Templeton. There was a sideboard of mahogany, inlaid with ivory, and bearing enormous

handles of glittering brass, and groaning under the piles of silver plate. Near it stood a set of prodigious

tables, made of the wild cherry, to imitate the imported wood of the sideboard, but plain and without

ornament of any kind. Opposite to these stood a smaller table, formed from a lightercolored wood, through

the grains of which the wavy lines of the curled maple of the mountains were beautifully undulating. Near to

this, in a corner, stood a heavy, oldfashioned, brassfaced clock, incased in a high box, of the dark hue of

the black walnut from the seashore. An enormous settee, or sofa, covered with light chintz, stretched along

the walls for nearly twenty feet on one side of the hail; and chairs of wood, painted a light yellow, with black

lines that were drawn by no very steady hand, were ranged opposite, and in the intervals between the other

pieces of furniture. A Fahrenheit's thermometer in a mahogany case, and with a barometer annexed, was hung

against the wall, at some little distance from the stove, which Benjamin consulted, every half hour, with

prodigious exactitude. Two small glass chandeliers were suspended at equal distances between the stove and

outer doors, one of which opened at each end of the hall, and gilt lustres were affixed to the frame work of

the numerous sidedoors that led from the apartment. Some little display in architecture had been made in

constructing these frames and casings, which were surmounted with pediments, that bore each a little pedestal

in its centre; on these pedestals were small busts in blacked plasterofParis. The style of the pedestals as

well as the selection of the busts were all due to the taste of Mr. Jones. On one stood Homer, a most striking

likeness, Richard affirmed, 'as any one might see, for it was blind,' Another bore the image of a

smoothvisaged gentleman with a pointed beard, whom he called Shakespeare. A third ornament was an urn,

which; from its shape, Richard was accustomed to say, intended to represent itself as holding the ashes of

Dido. A fourth was certainly old Franklin, in his cap and spectacles. A fifth as surely bore the dignified

composure of the face of Washington. A sixth was a nondescript, representing 'a man with a shirtcollar

open,' to use the language of Richard, 'with a laurel on his headit was Julius Caesar or Dr. Faustus; there

The walls were hung with a dark leadcolored English paper that represented Britannia weeping over the

tomb of Wolfe, The hero himself stood at a little distance from the mourning goddess, and at the edge of the

paper. Each width contained the figure, with the slight exception of one arm of the general, which ran over on

the next piece, so that when Richard essayed, with his own hands, to put together this delicate outline, some

difficulties occurred that prevented a nice conjunction; and Britannia had reason to lament, in addition to the

The luckless cause of these unnatural divisions now announced his presence in the halt by a loud crack of his

'Why, Benjamin! you Ben Pump! is this the manner in which you receive the heiress?' he cried. 'Excuse him,

Cousin Elizabeth. The arrangements were too intricate to be trusted to every one; but now I am here, things

will go on better. Come, light up, Mr. Penguillan, light up, light up, and let us see One another�s faces.

'By the Lord, squire,' commenced Benjamin, in reply, first giving his mouth a wipe with the back of his hand,

'if this here thing had been ordered sum�at earlier in the day, it might have been got up, d�ye see, to your

liking. I had mustered all hands and was exercising candles, when you hove in sight; but when the women

heard your bells they started an end, as if they were riding the boat swain�s colt; and ifsobe there is that

man in the house who can bring up a parcel of women when they have got headway on them, until they�ve

run out the end of their rope, his name is not Benjamin Pump. But Miss Betsey here must have altered more

than a privateer in disguise, since she has got on her woman�s duds, if she will take offence with an old

Elizabeth and her father continued silent, for both experienced the same sensation on entering the hall. The

former had resided one year in the building before she left home for school, and the figure of its lamented

But candles had been placed in the chandeliers and lustres, and the attendants were so far recovered from

surprise as to recollect their use; the oversight was immediately remedied, and in a minute the apartment was

The slight melancholy of our heroine and her father was banished by this brilliant interruption; and the whole

During this operation Richard kept up a desultory dialogue with the different domestics, occasionally

throwing out a remark to the Judge concerning the deer; but as his conversation at such moments was much

like an accompaniment on a piano, a thing that is heard without being attended to, we will not undertake the

The instant that Remarkable Pettibone had executed her portion of the labor in illuminating, she returned to a

position near Elizabeth, with the apparent motive of receiving the clothes that the other threw aside, but in

reality to examine, with an air of curiositynot unmixed with jealousythe appearance of the lady who was

to supplant her in the administration of their domestic economy. The housekeeper felt a little appalled, when,

after cloaks, coats, shawls, and socks had been taken off in succession, the large black hood was removed,

and the dark ringlets, shining like the raven�s wing, fell from her head, and left the sweet but commanding

features of the young lady exposed to view. Nothing could be fairer and more spotless than the forehead of

Elizabeth, and preserve the appearance of life and health. Her nose would have been called Grecian, but for a

softly rounded swell, that gave in character to the feature what it lost in beauty. Her mouth, at first sight,

seemed only made for love; but, the instant that its muscles moved, every expression that womanly dignity

could utter played around it with the flexibility of female grace. It spoke not only to the ear, but to the eye. So

much, added to a form of exquisite proportions, rather full and rounded for her years, and of the tallest

medium height, she inherited from her mother. Even the color of her eye, the arched brows, and the long

silken lashes, came from the same source; but its expression was her father�s. Inert and composed, it was soft,

benevolent, and attractive; but it could be roused, and that without much difficulty. At such moments it was

still beautiful, though it was a little severe. As the last shawl fell aside, and she stood dressed in a rich blue

ridinghabit, that fitted her form with the nicest exactness; her cheeks burning with roses, that bloomed the

richer for the heat of the hall, and her eyes lightly suffused with moisture that rendered their ordinary beauty

more dazzling, and with every feature of her speaking countenance illuminated by the lights that flared

The business of unrobing had been simultaneous. Marmaduke appeared in a suit of plain, neat black;

Monsieur Le Quoi in a coat of snuff color, covering a vest of embroidery, with breeches, and silk stockings,

and bucklesthat were commonly thought to be of paste. Major Hartmann wore a coat of skyblue, with

large brass buttons, a club wig, and boots; and Mr. Richard Jones had set off his dapper little form in a frock

of bottlegreen, with bulletbuttons, by one of which the sides were united over his wellrounded waist,

opening above, so as to show a jacket of red cloth, with an undervest of flannel, faced with green velvet, and

below, so as to exhibit a pair of buckskin breeches, with long, soiled, white topboots, and spurs; one of the

When the young lady had extricated herself from her garments, she was at liberty to gaze about her, and to

examine not only the household over which she was to preside, but also the air and manner in which the

domestic arrangements were conducted. Although there was much incongruity in the furniture and

appearance of the hall, there was nothing mean. The floor was carpeted, even in its remotest corners. The

brass candlesticks, the gilt lustres, and the glass chandeliers, whatever might be their keeping as to propriety

and taste, were admirably kept as to all the purposes of use and comfort. They were clean and glittering in the

Compared with the chill aspect of the December night without, the warmth and brilliancy of the apartment

produced an effect that was not unlike enchantment. Her eye had not time to detect, in detail, the little errors

which in truth existed, but was glancing around her in de light, when an object arrested her view that was in

strong contrast to the smiling faces and neatly attired person ages who had thus assembled to do honor to the

In a corner of the hall near the grand entrance stood the young hunter, unnoticed, and for the moment

apparently forgotten. But even the forgetfulness of the Judge, which, under the influence of strong emotion,

had banished the recollection of the wound of this stranger, seemed surpassed by the absence of mind in the

youth himself. On entering the apartment, be had mechanically lifted his cap, and exposed a head covered

with hair that rivalled, in color and gloss, the locks of Elizabeth. Nothing could have wrought a greater

transformation than the single act of removing the rough foxskin cap. If there was much that was

prepossessing in the countenance of the young hunter, there was something even noble in the rounded

outlines of his head and brow. The very air and manner with which the member haughtily maintained itself

over the coarse and even wild attire in which the rest of his frame was clad, bespoke not only familiarity with

a splendor that in those new settlements was thought to be unequalled, but something very like contempt also.

The hand that held the cap rested lightly on the little ivorymounted piano of Elizabeth, with neither rustic

restraint nor obtrusive vulgarity. A single finger touched the instrument, as if accustomed to dwell on such

places. His other arm was extended to its utmost length, and the hand grasped the barrel of his long rifle with

something like convulsive energy. The act and the attitude were both involuntary, and evidently proceeded

from a feeling much deeper than that of vulgar surprise. His appearance, connected as it was with the rough

exterior of his dress, rendered him entirely distinct from the busy group that were moving across the other

end of the long hall, occupied in receiving the travellers and exchanging their welcomes; and Elizabeth

continued to gaze at him in wonder. The contraction of the stranger�s brows in creased as his eyes moved

slowly from one object to another. For moments the expression of his countenance was fierce, and then again

it seemed to pass away in some painful emotion. The arm that was extended bent and brought the hand nigh

to his face, when his head dropped upon it, and concealed the wonderfully speaking lineaments.

'We forget, dear sir, the strange gentleman' (for her life Elizabeth could not call him otherwise) 'whom we

All eyes were instantly turned in the direction of those of the speaker, and the youth rather proudly elevated

'My wound is trifling, and I believe that Judge Temple sent for a physician the moment we arrived.'

'Certainly,' said Marmaduke: 'I have not forgotten the object of thy visit, young man, nor the nature of my

'Oh!' exclaimed Richard, with something of a waggish leer, 'thou owest the lad for the venison, I suppose that

thou killed, Cousin �Duke! Marmaduke! Marmaduke! That was a marvellous tale of thine about the buck!

Here, young man, are two dollars for the deer, and Judge Temple can do no less than pay the doctor. I shall

charge you nothing for my services, but you shall not fare the worst for that. Come, come, �Duke, don�t he

down hearted about it; if you missed the buck, you contrived to shoot this poor fellow through a pinetree.

'And I hope never will,' returned the Judge, 'if you are to experience the uneasiness that I have suffered; but

be of good cheer, my young friend, the injury must be small, as thou movest thy arm with apparent freedom.

'Don�t make the matter worse, �Duke, by pretending to talk about surgery,' interrupted Mr. Jones, with a

contemptuous wave of the hand: 'it is a science that can only be learned by practice. You know that my

grandfather was a doctor, but you haven�t got a drop of medical blood in your veins. These kind of things run

in families. All my family by my father�s side had a knack at physic. �There was my uncle that was killed at

Brandywinehe died as easy again as any other man the regiment, just from knowing how to hold his breath

'I doubt not, Dickon,' returned the Judge, meeting the bright smile which, in spite of himself, stole over the

stranger�s features, 'that thy family thoroughly under stand the art of letting life slip through their lingers.'

Richard heard him quite coolly, and putting a hand in either pocket of his surcoat, so as to press forward the

skirts, began to whistle a tune; but the desire to reply overcame his philosophy, and with great heat he

'You may affect to smile, Judge Temple, at hereditary virtues, if you please; but there is not a man on your

Patent who don�t know better. Here, even this young man, who has never seen anything but bears, and deer,

and woodchucks, knows better than to believe virtues are not transmitted in families. Don�t you, friend?'

'I believe that vice is not,' said the stranger abruptly; his eye glancing from the father to the daughter.

'The squire is right, Judge,' observed Benjamin, with a knowing nod of his head toward Richard, that bespoke

the cordiality between them, 'Now, in the old country, the king�s majesty touches for the evil, and that is a

disorder that the greatest doctor in the fleet, or for the matter of that admiral either: can�t cure; only the king�s

majesty or a man that�s been hanged. Yes, the squire is right; for ifsobe that he wasn�t, how is it that the

seventh son always is a doctor, whether he ships for the cockpit or not? Now when we fell in with the

'Very well, Benjamin,' interrupted Elizabeth, glancing her eyes from the hunter to Monsieur Le Quoi, who

was most politely attending to what fell from each individual in succession, 'you shall tell me of that, and all

your entertaining adventures together; just now, a room must be prepared, in which the arm of this gentleman

'I will attend to that myself, Cousin Elizabeth,' observed Richard, somewhat haughtily. 'The young man will

not suffer because Marmaduke chooses to be a little obstinate. Follow me, my friend, and I will examine the

'It will be well to wait for the physician,' said the hunter coldly; 'he cannot be distant,'

Richard paused and looked at the speaker, a little astonished at the language, and a good deal appalled at the

refusal. He construed the latter into an act of hostility, and, placing his hands in the pockets again, he walked

up to Mr. Grant, and, putting his face close to the countenance of the divine, said in an undertone:

'Now, mark my wordsthere will be a story among the settlers, that all our necks would have been broken

but for that fellowas if I did not know how to drive. Why, you might have turned the horses yourself, sir;

nothing was easier; it was only pulling hard on the nigh rein, and touching the off flank of the leader. I hope,

Doctor Elnathan Todd, for such was the name of the man of physic, was commonly thought to be, among the

settlers, a gentleman of great mental endowments, and he was assuredly of rare personal proportions. In

height he measured, without his shoes, exactly six feet and four inches. His hands, feet, and knees

corresponded in every respect with this formidable stature; but every other part of his frame appeared to have

been intended for a man several sizes smaller, if we except the length of the limbs. His shoulders were

square, in one sense at least, being in a right line from one side to the other; but they were so narrow, that the

long dangling arms they supported seemed to issue out of his back. His neck possessed, in an eminent degree,

the property of length to which we have alluded, and it was topped by a small bullethead that exhibited on

one side a bush of bristling brown hair and on the other a short, twinkling visage, that appeared to maintain a

constant struggle with itself in order to look wise. He was the youngest son of a farmer in the western part of

Massachusetts, who, being in some what easy circumstances, had allowed this boy to shoot up to the height

we have mentioned, without the ordinary interruptions of field labor, woodchopping, and such other toils as

were imposed on his brothers. Elnathan was indebted for this exemption from labor in some measure to his

extraordinary growth, which, leaving him pale, inanimate, and listless, induced his tender mother to

pronounce him 'a sickly boy, and one that was not equal to work, but who might earn a living comfortably

enough by taking to pleading law, or turning minister, or doctoring, or some such like easy calling.� Still,

there was great uncertainty which of these vocations the youth was best endowed to fill; but, having no other

employment, the stripling was constantly lounging about the homestead,' munching green apples and hunting

for sorrel; when the same sagacious eye that had brought to light his latent talents seized upon this

circumstance as a clew to his future path through the turmoils of the world. 'Elnathan was cut out for a doctor,

she knew, for he was forever digging for herbs, and tasting all kinds of things that grow�d about the lots.

Then again he had a natural love for doctorstuff, for when she had left the bilious pills out for her man, all

nicely covered with maple sugar just ready to take, Nathan had come in and swallowed them for all the world

as if they were nothing, while Ichabod (her husband) could never get one down without making such

This discovery decided the matter. Elnathan, then about fifteen, was, much like a wild colt, caught and

trimmed by clipping his bushy locks; dressed in a suit of homespun, dyed in the butternut bark; furnished

with a 'New Testament' and a 'Webster�s Spelling Book,' and sent to school. As the boy was by nature quite

shrewd enough, and had previously, at odd times, laid the foundations of reading, writing, and arithmetic, he

was soon conspicuous in the school for his learning. The delighted mother had the gratification of hearing,

from the lips of the master, that her son was a 'prodigious boy, and far above all his class.' He also thought

that 'the youth had a natural love for doctoring, as he had known him frequently advise the smaller children

against eating to much; and, once or twice, when the ignorant little things had persevered in opposition to

Elnathan�s advice, he had known her son empty the schoolbaskets with his own mouth, to prevent the

Soon after this comfortable declaration from his school master, the lad was removed to the house of the

village doctor, a gentleman whose early career had not been unlike that of our hero where he was to be seen

sometimes watering a horse, at others watering medicines, blue, yellow, and red: then again he might be

noticed lolling under an appletree, with Ruddiman�s Latin Grammar in his hand, and a corner of Denman�s

Midwifery sticking out of a pocket; for his instructor held it absurd to teach his pupil how to dispatch a

This kind of life continued for a twelvemonth, when he suddenly appeared at a meeting in a long coat (and

well did it deserve the name!) of black homespun, with little bootees, bound with an uncolored calfskin for

Soon after he was seen shaving with a dull razor. Three or four months had scarce elapsed before several

elderly ladies were observed hastening toward the house of a poor woman in the village, while others were

running to and fro in great apparent distress. One or two boys were mounted, bareback, on horses, and sent

off at speed in various directions. Several indirect questions were put concerning the place where the

physician was last seen; but all would not do; and at length Elnathan was seen issuing from his door with a

very grave air, preceded by a little whiteheaded boy, out of breath, trotting before him. The following day

the youth appeared in the street, as the highway was called, and the neighborhood was much edified by the

additional gravity of his air. The same week he bought a new razor; and the succeeding Sunday he entered the

meetinghouse with a red silk handkerchief in his hand, and with an extremely demure countenance. In the

evening he called upon a young woman of his own class in life, for there were no others to be found, and,

when he was left alone with the fair, he was called, for the first time in his life, Dr. Todd, by her prudent

mother. The ice once broken in this manner, Elnathan was greeted from every mouth with his official

Another year passed under the superintendence of the same master, during which the young physician had the

credit of ' riding with the old doctor,' although they were generally observed to travel different roads. At the

end of that period, Dr. Todd attained his legal majority. He then took a jaunt to Boston to purchase

medicines, and, as some intimated, to walk the hospital; we know not how the latter might have been, but, if

true, he soon walked through it, for he returned within a fortnight, bringing with him a suspiciouslooking

The next Sunday he was married, and the following morning he entered a onehorse sleigh with his bride,

having before him the box we have mentioned, with another filled with homemade household linen, a

papercovered trunk with a red umbrella lashed to it, a pair of quite new saddlebags, and a handbox. The

next intelligence that his friends received of the bride and bridegroom was, that the latter was 'settled in the

If a Templar would smile at the qualifications of Marmaduke to fill the judicial seat he occupied, we are

certain that a graduate of Leyden or Edinburgh would be extremely amused with this true narration of the

servitude of Elnathan in the temple of Aesculapius. But the same consolation was afforded to both the jurist

and the leech, for Dr. Todd was quite as much on a level with his own peers of the profession in that country,

Time and practice did wonders for the physician. He was naturally humane, but possessed of no small share

of moral courage; or, in other words, he was chary of the lives of his patients, and never tried uncertain

experiments on such members of society as were considered useful; but, once or twice, when a luckless

vagrant had come under his care, he was a little addicted to trying the effects of every phial in his

saddlebags on the strangers constitution. Happily their number was small, and in most cases their natures

innocent. By these means Elnathan had acquired a certain degree of knowledge in fevers and agues, and

could talk with judgment concerning intermittents, remittents, tertians, quotidians, etc. In certain cutaneous

disorders very prevalent in new settlements, he was considered to be infallible; and there was no woman on

the Patent but would as soon think of becoming a mother without a husband as without the assistance of Dr.

Todd. In short, he was rearing, on this foundation of sand a superstructure cemented by practice, though

composed of somewhat brittle materials. He however, occasionally renewed his elementary studies, and, with

the observation of a shrewd mind, was comfort ably applying his practice to his theory.

In surgery, having the least experience, and it being a business that spoke directly to the senses, he was most

apt to distrust his own powers; but he had applied oils to several burns, cut round the roots of sundry

defective teeth, and sewed up the wounds of numberless wood choppers, with considerable �clat, when an

unfortunate jobber suffered a fracture of his leg by the tree that he had been felling. It was on this occasion

that our hero encountered the greatest trial his nerves and moral feeling had ever sustained. In the hour of

need, however, he was not found wanting. Most of the amputations in the new settlements, and they were

quite frequent, were per formed by some one practitioner who, possessing originally a reputation, was

enabled by this circumstance to acquire an experience that rendered him deserving of it; and Elnathan had

been present at one or two of these operations. But on the present occasion the man of practice was not to be

obtained, and the duty fell, as a matter of course, to the share of Mr. Todd. He went to work with a kind of

blind desperation, observing, at the same time, all the externals of decent gravity and great skill, The

sufferer�s name was Milligan, and it was to this event that Richard alluded, when he spoke of assisting the

doctor at an amputation by holding the leg! The limb was certainly cut off, and the patient survived the

operation. It was, however, two years before poor Milligan ceased to complain that they had buried the leg in

so narrow a box that it was straitened for room; he could feel the pain shooting up from the inhumed

fragment into the living members. Marmaduke suggested that the fault might lie in the arteries and nerves;

but Richard, considering the amputation as part of his own handiwork, strongly repelled the insinuation, at

the same time declaring that he had often heard of men who could tell when it was about to rain, by the toes

of amputated limbs, After two or three years, notwithstanding, Milligan's complaints gradually diminished,

the leg was dug up, and a larger box furnished, and from that hour no one had heard the sufferer utter another

complaint on the subject. This gave the public great confidence in Dr. Todd, whose reputation was hourly

Notwithstanding Dr. Todd�s practice, and his success with the leg, he was not a little appalled on entering the

hall of the mansionhouse. It was glaring with the light of day; it looked so imposing, compared with the

hastily built and scantily furnished apartments which he frequented in his ordinary practice, and contained so

many well dressed persons and anxious faces, that his usually firm nerves were a good deal discomposed.

He had heard from the messenger who summoned him, that it was a gunshot wound, and had come from his

own home, wading through the snow, with his saddlebags thrown over his arm, while separated arteries,

penetrated lungs, and injured vitals were whirling through his brain, as if he were stalking over a field of

The first object that met his eye, as he moved into the room, was Elizabeth in her ridinghabit, richly laced

with gold cord, her fine form bending toward him, and her face expressing deep anxiety in every one of its

beautiful features. The enormous knees of the physician struck each other with a noise that was audible; for,

in the absent state of his mind, he mistook her for a general officer, perforated with bullets, hastening from

the field of battle to implore assistance. The delusion, however, was but momentary, and his eye glanced

rapidly from the daughter to the earnest dignity of the father�s countenance; thence to the busy strut of

Richard, who was cooling his impatience at the hunter�s indifference to his assistance, by pacing the hall and

cracking his whip; from him to the Frenchman, who had stood for several minutes unheeded with a chair for

the lady; thence to Major Hartmann, who was very coolly lighting a pipe three feet long by a candle in one of

the chandeliers; thence to Mr. Grant, who was turning over a manuscript with much earnestness at one of the

lustres; thence to Remarkable, who stood, with her arms demurely folded before her, surveying, with a look

of admiration and envy, the dress and beauty of the young lady; and from her to Benjamin, who, with his feet

standing wide apart, and his arms akimbo, was balancing his square little body with the indifference of one

who is accustomed to wounds and bloodshed. All of these seemed to be unhurt, and the operator began to

breathe more freely; but, before he had time to take a second look, the Judge, advancing, shook him kindly by

'Thou art welcome, my good sir, quite welcome, indeed; here is a youth whom I have unfortunately wounded

'Shooting at a deer, �Duke,' interrupted Richard 'shooting at a deer. Who do you think can prescribe, unless

he knows the truth of the case? It is always so with some people; they think a doctor can be deceived with the

'Shooting at a deer, truly,' returned the Judge, smiling, 'although it is by no means certain that I did not aid in

destroying the buck; but the youth is injured by my hand, be that as it may; and it is thy skill that must cure

'Two ver good tings to depend on,' observed Monsieur Le Quoi, bowing politely, with a sweep of his head to

'I thank you, monsieur,' returned the Judge; 'but we keep the young man in pain. Remarkable, thou wilt please

This remark caused a cessation of the compliments, and induced the physician to turn an inquiring eye in the

direction of his patient. During the dialogue the young hunter had thrown aside his overcoat, and now stood

clad in a plain suit of the common, lightcolored homespun of the country, that was evidently but recently

made. His hand was on the lapels of his coat, in the attitude of removing the garment, when he suddenly

suspended the movement, and looked toward the commiserating Elizabeth, who was standing in an

unchanged posture, too much absorbed with her anxious feelings to heed his actions. A slight color appeared

'Possibly the sight of blood may alarm the lady; I will retire to another room while the wound is dressing.'

'By no means.' said Dr. Todd, who, having discovered that his patient was far from being a man of

importance, felt much emboldened to perform the duty. 'The strong light of these candles is favorable to the

While speaking, Elnathan placed a pair of large ironrimmed spectacles on his face, where they dropped, as it

were by long practice, to the extremity of his slim pug nose; and, if they were of no service as assistants to his

eyes, neither were they any impediment to his vision; for his little gray organs were twinkling above them

like two stars emerging from the envious cover of a cloud. The action was unheeded by all but Remarkable,

'Dr. Todd is a comely man to look on, and despu�t pretty. How well he seems in spectacles! I declare, they

give a grand look to a body�s face. I have quite a great mind to try them myself.'

The speech of the stranger recalled the recollection of Miss Temple, who started as if from deep abstraction,

and, coloring excessively, she motioned to a young woman who served in the capacity of maid, and retired

The field was now left to the physician and his patient, while the different personages who remained gathered

around the latter, with faces expressing the various degrees of interest that each one felt in his condition.

Major Hartmann alone retained his seat, where he continued to throw out vast quantities of smoke, now

rolling his eyes up to the ceiling, as if musing on the uncertainty of life, and now bending them on the

wounded man, with an expression that bespoke some consciousness of his situation.

In the mean time Elnathan, to whom the sight of a gun shot wound was a perfect novelty, commenced his

preparations with a solemnity and care that were worthy of the occasion. An old shirt was procured by

Benjamin, and placed in the hand of the other, who tore divers bandages from it, with an exactitude that

When this preparatory measure was taken, Dr. Todd selected a piece of the shirt with great care, and handing

to Mr. Jones, without moving a muscle, said: 'Here, Squire Jones, you are well acquainted with these things;

will you please to scrape the lint? It should be fine and soft, you know, my dear sir; and be cautious that no

cotton gets in, or it may p�izen the wound. The shirt has been made with cotton thread, but you can easily

Richard assumed the office, with a nod at his cousin, that said quite plainly, 'You see this fellow can�t get

along without me;' and began to scrape the linen on his knee with great diligence.

A table was now spread with phials, boxes of salve, and divers surgical instruments. As the latter appeared in

succession, from a case of red morocco, their owner held up each implement to the strong light of the

chandelier, near to which he stood, and examined it with the nicest care. A red silk handkerchief was

frequently applied to the glittering steel, as if to remove from the polished surfaces the least impediment

which might exist to the most delicate operation. After the rather scantily furnished pocketcase which

contained these instruments was exhausted, the physician turned to his saddlebags, and produced various

phials, filled with liquids of the most radiant colors. These were arranged in due order by the side of the

murderous saws, knives, and scissors, when Elnathan stretched his long body to its utmost elevation, placing

his hand on the small of his back as if for sup port, and looked about him to discover what effect this display

'Upon my wort, toctor,' observed Major Hartmann, with a roguish roll of his little black eyes, but with every

other feature of his face in a state of perfect rest, 'put you have a very pretty pocketbook of tools tere, and

Elnathan gave a hemone that might have been equally taken for that kind of noise which cowards are said

to make in order to awaken their dormant courage, or for a natural effort to clear the throat; if for the latter it

'Very true, Major Hartmann, very true, sir; a prudent man will always strive to make his remedies agreeable

to the eyes, though they may not altogether suit the stomach. It is no small part of our art, sir,' and he now

spoke with the confidence of a man who understood his subject, 'to reconcile the patient to what is for his

'Sartain! Dr. Todd is right,' said Remarkable, 'and has Scripter for what he says. The Bible tells us how things

'True, true,' interrupted the Judge, a little impatiently; 'but here is a youth who needs no deception to lure him

The stranger had, without assistance, bared his own shoulder, when the slight perforation produced by the pas

sage of the buckshot was plainly visible. The intense cold of the evening had stopped the bleeding, and Dr.

Todd, casting a furtive glance at the wound, thought it by no means so formidable an affair as he had

anticipated. Thus encouraged, he approached his patient, and made some indication of an intention to trace

Remarkable often found occasions, in after days, to recount the minutiae of that celebrated operation; and

when she arrived at this point she commonly proceeded as follows:' And then the doctor tuck out of the

pocket book a long thing, like a knittingneedle, with a button fastened to the end on't; and then he pushed it

into the wound and then the young man looked awful; and then I thought I should have swaned awayI felt

in sitch a dispu�t taking; and then the doctor had run it right through his shoulder, and shoved the bullet out

on tother side; and so Dr. Todd cured the young manOf a ball that the Judge had shot into himfor all the

Such were the impressions of Remarkable on the subject; and such doubtless were the opinions of most of

those who felt it necessary to entertain a species of religious veneration for the skill of Elnathan; but such was

When the physician attempted to introduce the instrument described by Remarkable, he was repulsed by the

stranger, with a good deal of decision, and some little contempt, in his manner.

'I believe, sir,' he said, 'that a probe is not necessary; the shot has missed the bone, and has passed directly

through the arm to the opposite side, where it remains but skin deep, and whence, I should think, it might he

'The gentleman knows best,' said Dr. Todd, laying down the probe with the air of a man who had assumed it

merely in compliance with forms; and, turning to Richard, he fingered the lint with the appearance of great

care and foresight. 'Admirably well scraped, Squire Jones: it is about the best lint I have ever seen. I want

your assistance, my good sir, to hold the patient�s arm while I make an incision for the ball. Now, I rather

guess there is not another gentleman present who could scrape the lint so well as Squire Jones!'

'Such things run in families,' observed Richard, rising with alacrity to render the desired assistance. 'My

father, and my grandfather before him, were both celebrated for their knowledge of surgery; they were not,

like Marmaduke here, puffed up with an accidental thing, such as the time when he drew in the hipjoint of

the man who was thrown from his horse; that was the fall before you came into the settlement, doctor; but

they were men who were taught the thing regularly, spending half their lives in learning those little niceties;

though, for the matter of that, my grandfather was a collegebred physician, and the best in the colony,

'So it goes with the world, squire,' cried Benjamin; 'if so be that a man wants to walk the quarterdeck with

credit, d�ye see, and with regular built swabs on his shoulders, he mustn�t think to do it by getting in at the

cabin windows. There are two ways to get into a top, besides the lubberholes. The true way to walk aft is to

begin forrard; tho�f it he only in a humble way, like myself, d�ye see, which was from being only a hander of

topgallant sails, and a stower of the flyingjib, to keeping the key of the captain�s locker.'

Benjamin speaks quite to the purpose,� continued Richard, 'I dare say that he has often seen shot extracted in

the different ships in which he has served; suppose we get him to hold the basin; he must be used to the sight

'That he is, squire, that he is,' interrupted the cidevant steward; 'many�s the good shot, round, doubleheaded,

and grape, that I�ve seen the doctors at work on. For the matter of that, I was in a boat, alongside the ship,

when they cut out the twelvepound shot from the thigh of the captain of the Foodyrong, one of Mounsheer

* It is possible that the reader may start at this declaration of Benjamin, but those who have lived in the new

settlements of America are too much accustomed to hear of these European exploits to doubt it.

'A twelvepound ball from the thigh of a human being:' exclaimed Mr. Grant, with great simplicity, dropping

the sermon he was again reading, and raising his spectacles to the top of his forehead.

'A twelvepounder!' echoed Benjamin, staring around him with much confidence; 'a twelvepounder! ay! a

twentyfourpound shot can easily be taken from a man�s body, if so be a doctor only knows how, There�s

Squire Jones, now, ask him, sir; he reads all the books; ask him if he never fell in with a page that keeps the

'Certainly, more important operations than that have been performed,' observed Richard; 'the encyclopaedia

mentions much more incredible circumstances than that, as, I dare say, you know, Dr. Todd.'

'Certainly, there are incredible tales told in the encyclopaedias,' returned Elnathan, 'though I cannot say that I

During this discourse an incision had been made through the skin of the young hunter�s shoulder, and the lead

was laid bare. Elnathan took a pair of glittering forceps, and was in the act of applying them to the wound,

when a sudden motion of the patient caused the shot to fall out of itself, The long arm and broad hand of the

operator were now of singular service; for the latter expanded itself, and caught the lead, while at the same

time an extremely ambiguous motion was made by its brother, so as to leave it doubtful to the spectators how

great was its agency in releasing the shot, Richard, however, put the matter at rest by exclaiming:

'Very neatly done, doctor! I have never seen a shot more neatly extracted; and I dare say Benjamin will say

'Why, considering,' returned Benjamin, 'I must say that it was ship shape and Bristerfashion. Now all that

the doctor has to do, is to clap a couple of plugs in the holes, and the lad will float in any gale that blows in

'I thank you, sir, for what you have done,' said the youth, with a little distance; 'but here is a man who will

take me under his care, and spare you all, gentlemen, any further trouble on my account'

The whole group turned their heads in surprise, and beheld, standing at one of the distant doors of the hall,

Before the Europeans, or, to use a more significant term, the Christians, dispossessed the original owners of

the soil, all that section of country which contains the New England States, and those of the Middle which lie

east of the mountains, was occupied by two great nations of Indians, from whom had descended numberless

tribes. But, as the original distinctions between these nations were marked by a difference in language, as

well as by repeated and bloody wars, they were never known to amalgamate, until after the power and

inroads of the whites had reduced some of the tribes to a state of dependence that rendered not only their

political, but, considering the wants and habits of a savage, their animal existence also, extremely precarious.

These two great divisions consisted, on the one side, of the Five, or, as they were afterward called, the Six

Nations, and their allies; and, on the other, of the Lenni Lenape, or Delawares, with the numerous and

powerful tribes that owned that nation as their grandfather The former was generally called, by the

AngloAmericans Iroquois, or the Six Nations, and sometimes Mingoes. Their appellation among their

rivals, seems generally to have been the Mengwe, or Maqua. They consisted of the tribes or, as their allies

were fond of asserting, in order to raise their consequence, of the several nations of the Mohawks, the

Oneidas, the Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas; who ranked, in the confederation in the order in which they

are named. The Tuscaroras were admitted to this union near a century after its foundation, and thus

Of the Lenni Lenape, or as they were called by the whites, from the circumstances of their holding their great

councilfire on the banks of that river, the Delaware nation, the principal tribes, besides that which bore the

generic name, were the Mahicanni, Mohicans, or Mohegans, and the Nanticokes, or Nentigoes. Of these the

latter held the country along the waters of the Chesapeake and the seashore; while the Mohegans occupied the

district between the Hudson and the ocean, including much of New England. Of course these two tribes were

The wars of a portion of the latter are celebrated among us as the wars of King Philip; but the peaceful policy

of William Penn, or Miquon, as he was termed by the natives, effected its object with less difficulty, though

not with less certainty. As the natives gradually disappeared from the country of the Mohegans, some

scattering families sought a refuge around the councilfire of the mother tribe, or the Delawares.

This people had been induced to suffer themselves to be called women by their old enemies, the Mingoes, or

Iroquois. After the latter, having in vain tried the effects of hostility, had recourse in artifice in order to

prevail over their rivals. According to this declaration, the Delawares were to cultivate the arts of peace, and

to intrust their defence entirely to the men, or warlike tribes of the Six Nations.

This state of things continued until the war of the Revolution. When the Lenni Lenape formally asserted their

independence, and fearlessly declared that they were again men. But, in a government so peculiarly

republican as the Indian polity, it was not at all times an easy task to restrain its members within the rules of

the nation. Several fierce and renowned warriors of the Mohegans, finding the conflict with the whites to be

in vain, sought a refuge with their grandfather, and brought with them the feelings and principles that had so

long distinguished them in their own tribe. These chieftains kept alive, in some measure, the martial spirit of

the Delawares; and would, at times, lead small parties against their ancient enemies, or such other foes as

Among these warriors was one race particularly famous for their prowess, and for those qualities that render

an Indian hero celebrated. But war, time, disease, and want had conspired to thin their number; and the sole

representative of this once renowned family now stood in the hall of Marmaduke Temple. He had for a long

time been an associate of the white men, particularly in their wars, and having been, at the season when his

services were of importance, much noticed and flattered, he had turned Christian and was baptized by the

name of John. He had suffered severely in his family during the recent war, having had every soul to whom

he was allied cut off by an inroad of the enemy; and when the last lingering remnant of his nation

extinguished their fires, among the hills of the Delaware, he alone had remained, with a determination of

laying his hones in that country where his fathers had so long lived and governed.

It was only, however, within a few months, that he had appeared among the mountains that surrounded

Templeton. To the hut of the old hunter he seemed peculiarly welcome; and, as the habits of the Leather

Stocking were so nearly assimilated to those of the savages, the conjunction of their interests excited no

surprise. They resided in the same cabin, ate of the same food, and were chiefly occupied in the same

We have already mentioned the baptismal name of this ancient chief; but in his conversation with Natty, held

in the language of the Delawares, he was heard uniformly to call himself Chingachgook, which, interpreted,

means the 'Great Snake.' This name he had acquired in his youth, by his skill and prowess in war; but when

his brows began to wrinkle with time, and he stood alone, the last of his family, and his particular tribe, the

few Delawares, who yet continued about the head waters of their river, gave him the mournful appellation

of Mohegan. Perhaps there was something of deep feeling excited in the bosom of this inhabitant of the forest

by the sound of a name that recalled the idea of his nation in ruins, for he seldom used it himselfnever,

indeed, excepting on the most solemn occasions; but the settlers had united, according to the Christian

custom, his baptismal with his national name, and to them he was generally known as John Mohegan, or,

From his long association with the white men, the habits of Mohegan were a mixture of the civilized and

savage states, though there was certainly a strong preponderance in favor of the latter. In common with all his

people, who dwelt within the influence of the Anglo Americans, he had acquired new wants, and his dress

was a mixture of his native and European fashions. Notwithstanding the in tense cold without, his head was

uncovered; but a profusion of long, black, coarse hair concealed his forehead, his crown, and even hung about

his cheeks, so as to convey the idea, to one who knew his present amid former conditions, that he encouraged

its abundance, as a willing veil to hide the shame of a noble soul, mourning for glory once known. His

forehead, when it could be seen, appeared lofty, broad, and noble. His nose was high, and of the kind called

Roman, with nostrils that expanded, in his seventieth year, with the freedom that had distinguished them in

youth. His mouth was large, but compressed, and possessing a great share of expression and character, and,

when opened, it discovered a perfect set of short, strong, and regular teeth. His chin was full, though not

prominent; and his face bore the infallible mark of his people, in its square, high cheekbones. The eyes were

not large, but their black orbs glittered in the rays of the candles, as he gazed intently down the hall, like two

The instant that Mohegan observed himself to be noticed by the group around the young stranger, he dropped

the blanket which covered the upper part of his frame, from his shoulders, suffering it to fall over his leggins

of untanned deerskin, where it was retained by a belt of bark that confined it to his waist.

As he walked slowly down the long hail, the dignified and deliberate tread of the Indian surprised the

His shoulders, and body to his waist, were entirely bare, with the exception of a silver medallion of

Washington, that was suspended from his neck by a thong of buckskin, and rested on his high chest, amid

many scars. His shoulders were rather broad and full; but the arms, though straight and graceful, wanted the

muscular appearance that labor gives to a race of men. The medallion was the only ornament he wore,

although enormous slits in the rim of either ear, which suffered the cartilages to fall two inches below the

members, had evidently been used for the purposes of decoration in other days. in his hand he held a small

basket of the ashwood slips, colored in divers fantastical conceits, with red and black paints mingled with

As this child of the forest approached them, the whole party stood aside, and allowed him to confront the

object of his visit. He did not speak, however, but stood fixing his glowing eyes on the shoulder of the young

hunter, and then turning them intently on the countenance of the Judge. The latter was a good deal astonished

at this unusual departure from the ordinarily subdued and quiet manner of the Indian; but he extended his

'Thou art welcome, John. This youth entertains a high opinion of thy skill, it seems, for he prefers thee to

Mohegan now spoke in tolerable English, but in a low, monotonous, guttural tone;

'The children of Miquon do not love the sight of blood; and yet the Young Eagle has been struck by the hand

'Mohegan! old John!' exclaimed the Judge, 'thinkest thou that my hand has ever drawn human blood

willingly? For shame! for shame, old John! thy religion should have taught thee better.'

'The evil spirit sometimes lives in the best heart,' returned John, 'but my brother speaks the truth; his hand has

never taken life, when awake; no! not even when the children of the great English Father were making the

'Surely John,' said Mr. Grant, with much earnestness, 'you remember the divine command of our Saviour,

�Judge not, lest ye be judged.� What motive could Judge Temple have for injuring a youth like this; one to

John listened respectfully to the divine, and, when he had concluded, he stretched out his arm, and said with

Marmaduke received the offered hand of the other with a smile, that showed, however he might be astonished

at his suspicion, he had ceased to resent it; while the wounded youth stood, gazing from his red friend to his

No sooner was this act of pacification exchanged, than John proceeded to discharge the duty on which he had

come. Dr. Todd was far from manifesting any displeasure at this invasion of his rights, but made way for the

new leech with an air that expressed a willingness to gratify the humors of his patient, now that the

allimportant part of the business was so successfully performed, and nothing remained to be done but what

any child might effect, indeed, he whispered as much to Monsieur Le Quoi, when he said:

'It was fortunate that the ball was extracted before this Indian came in; but any old woman can dress the

wound. The young man, I hear, lives with John and Natty Bumppo, and it�s always best to humor a patient,

'Certainement,' returned the Frenchman; 'you seem ver happy, Mister Todd, in your pratice. I tink the elder

But Richard had, at the bottom, a great deal of veneration for the knowledge of Mohegan, especially in

external wounds; and, retaining all his desire for a participation in glory, he advanced nigh the Indian, and

said: 'Sago, sago, Mohegan! sago my good fellow I am glad you have come; give me a regular physician, like

Dr. Todd to cut into flesh, and a native to heal the wound. Do you remember, John, the time when I and you

set the bone of Natty Bumppo�s little finger, after he broke it by falling from the rock, when he was trying to

get the partridge that fell on the cliffs? I never could tell yet whether it was I or Natty who killed that bird: he

fired first, and the bird stooped, and then it was rising again as I pulled trigger. I should have claimed it for a

certainty, but Natty said the hole was too big for shot, and he fired a single ball from his rifle; but the piece I

carried then didn�t scatter, and I have known it to bore a hole through a board, when I�ve been shooting at a

mark, very much like rifle bullets. Shall I help you, John? You know I have a knack at these things.'

Mohegan heard this disquisition quite patiently, and, when Richard concluded, he held out the basket which

contained his specifics, indicating, by a gesture, that he might hold it. Mr. Jones was quite satisfied with this

commission; and ever after, in speaking of the event, was used to say that 'Dr. Todd and I cut out the bullet,

The patient was much more deserving of that epithet while under the hands of Mohegan, than while suffering

under the practice of the physician. Indeed, the Indian gave him but little opportunity for the exercise of a

forbearing temper, as he had come prepared for the occasion. His dressings were soon applied, and consisted

only of some pounded bark, moistened with a fluid that he had expressed from some of the simples of the

Among the native tribes of the forest there were always two kinds of leeches to be met with. The one placed

its whole dependence on the exercise of a supernatural power, and was held in greater veneration than their

practice could at all justify ; but the other was really endowed with great skill in the ordinary complaints of

the human body, and was more particularly, as Natty had intimated, 'curous' in cuts and bruises.'

While John and Richard were placing the dressings on the wound, Elnathan was acutely eyeing the contents

of Mohegan�s basket, which Mr. Jones, in his physical ardor had transferred to the doctor, in order to hold

himself one end of the bandages. Here he was soon enabled to detect sundry fragments of wood and bark, of

which he quite coolly took possession, very possibly without any intention of speaking at all upon the

subject; but, when he beheld the full blue eye of Marmaduke watching his movements, he whispered to the

'It is not to be denied, Judge Temple, but what the savages are knowing in small matters of physic. They hand

these things down in their traditions. Now in cancers and hydrophoby they are quite ingenious. I will just take

this bark home and analyze it; for, though it can�t be worth sixpence to the young man�s shoulder, it may be

good for the toothache, or rheumatism, or some of them complaints. A man should never be above learning,

It was fortunate for Dr. Todd that his principles were so liberal, as, coupled with his practice, they were the

means by which he acquired all his knowledge, and by which he was gradually qualifying himself for the

duties of his profession. The process to which he subjected the specific differed, however, greatly from the

ordinary rules of chemistry; for instead of separating he afterward united the component parts of Mohegan�s

Some ten years after this event, when civilization and its refinements had crept, or rather rushed, into the

settlements among these wild hills, an affair of honor occurred, and Elnathan was seen to apply a salve to the

wound received by one of the parties, which had the flavor that was peculiar to the tree, or root, that Mohegan

had used. Ten years later still, when England and the United States were again engaged in war, and the

hordes of the western parts of the State of New York were rushing to the field, Elnathan, presuming on the

reputation obtained by these two operations, followed in the rear of a brigade of militia as its surgeon!

When Mohegan had applied the bark, he freely relinquished to Richard the needle and thread that were used

in sewing the bandages, for these were implements of which the native but little understood the use: and, step

ping back with decent gravity, awaited the completion of the business by the other.

'Reach me the scissors,' said Mr. Jones, when he had finished, and finished for the second time, after tying the

linen in every shape and form that it could be placed; 'reach me the scissors, for here is a thread that must be

cut off, or it might get under the dressings, and inflame the wound. See, John, I have put the lint I scraped

between two layers of the linen; for though the bark is certainly best for the flesh, yet the lint will serve to

keep the cold air from the wound. If any lint will do it good, it is this lint; I scraped it myself, and I will not

turn my back at scraping lint to any man on the Patent. I ought to know how, if anybody ought, for my

'Here, squire, is the scissors,' said Remarkable, producing from beneath her petticoat of green moreen a pair

of dulllooking shears; 'well, upon my sayso, you have sewed on the rags as well as a woman.'

'As well as a woman!' echoed Richard with indignation; 'what do women know of such matters? and you are

proof of the truth of what I say. Who ever saw such a pair of shears used about a wound? Dr. Todd, I will

thank you for the scissors from the case, Now, young man, I think you�ll do. The shot has been neatly taken

out, although, perhaps, seeing I had a hand in it, I ought not to say so; and the wound is admirably dressed.

You will soon be well again; though the jerk you gave my leaders must have a tendency to inflame the

shoulder, yet you will do, you will do, You were rather flurried, I sup pose, and not used to horses; but I

forgive the accident for the motive; no doubt you had the best of motives; yes, now you will do.'

'Then, gentlemen,' said the wounded stranger, rising, and resuming his clothes, 'it will be unnecessary for me

to trespass longer on your time and patience. There remains but one thing more to be settled, and that is, our

'I acknowledge it to be thine,' said. Marmaduke; 'and much more deeply am I indebted to thee than for this

piece of venison. But in the morning thou wilt call here, and we can adjust this, as well as more important

matters Elizabeth'for the young lady, being apprised that the wound was dressed, had reentered the

hall' thou wilt order a repast for this youth before we proceed to the church; and Aggy will have a sleigh

'But, sir, I cannot go without a part of the deer,' returned the youth, seemingly struggling with his own

'Oh, we will not he particular,' exclaimed Richard; 'the Judge will pay you in the morning for the whole deer;

and, Remarkable, give the lad all the animal excepting the saddle; so, on the whole, I think you may consider

yourself as a very lucky young manyou have been shot without being disabled; have had the wound

dressed in the best possible manner here in the woods, as well as it would have been done in the Philadelphia

hospital, if not better; have sold your deer at a high price, and yet can keep most of the carcass, with the skin

in the bargain. �Marky, tell Tom to give him the skin too, and in the morning bring the skin to me and I will

give you half a dollar for it, or at least threeandsixpence. I want just such a skin to cover the pillion that I

'I thank you, sir, for your liberality, and, I trust, am also thankful for my escape,' returned the stranger; 'but

you reserve the very part of the animal that I wished for my own use. I must have the saddle myself.'

'Must!' echoed Richard; 'must is harder to be swallowed than the horns of the buck.'

'Yes, must,' repeated the youth; when, turning his head proudly around him, as if to see who would dare to

controvert his rights, he met the astonished gaze of Elizabeth, and proceeded more mildly: 'That is, if a man is

allowed the possession of that which his hand hath killed. and the law will protect him in the enjoyment of

'The law will do so,' said Judge Temple, with an air of mortification mingled with surprise. 'Benjamin, see

that the whole deer is placed in the sleigh; and have this youth conveyed to the hut of Leather Stocking. But,

young man thou hast a name, and I shall see you again, in order to compensate thee for the wrong I have done

'I am called Edwards,' returned the hunter; 'Oliver Edwards, I am easily to be seen, sir, for I live nigh by, and

'It is we who have injured you, sir,' said Elizabeth; 'and the knowledge that you decline our assistance would

The young hunter gazed at the fair speaker until his earnest look brought the blood to her temples; when,

recollecting himself, he bent his head, dropping his eyes to the carpet, and replied:

'In the morning, then, will I return, and see Judge Temple; and I will accept his offer of the sleigh in token of

'Amity!' repeated Marmaduke; 'there was no malice in the act that injured thee, young man; there should be

'Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,' observed Mr. Grant, 'is the language

used by our Divine Master himself, and it should be the golden rule with us, his humble followers.'

The stranger stood a moment lost in thought, and then, glancing his dark eyes rather wildly around the hall,

he bowed low to the divine, and moved from the apartment with an air that would not admit of detention.

'�Tis strange that one so young should harbor such feelings of resentment,' said Marmaduke, when the door

closed behind the stranger; 'but while the pain is recent, and the sense of the injury so fresh, he must feel

more strongly than in cooler moments. I doubt not we shall see him in the morning more tractable.'

Elizabeth, to whom this speech was addressed, did not reply, but moved slowly up the hall by herself, fixing

her eyes on the little figure of the English ingrain carpet that covered the floor; while, on the other hand,

Richard gave a loud crack with his whip, as the stranger disappeared, and cried:

'Well, �Duke, you are your own master, but I would have tried law for the saddle before I would have given it

to the fellow. Do you not own the mountains as well as the valleys? are not the woods your own? what right

has this chap, or the LeatherStocking, to shoot in your woods without your permission? Now, I have known

a farmer in Pennsylvania order a sportsman off his farm with as little ceremony as I would order Benjamin to

put a log in the stoveBythebye, Benjamin, see how the thermometer stands.Now, if a man has a right

to do this on a farm of a hundred acres, what power must a landlord have who owns sixty thousanday, for

the matter of that, including the late purchases, a hundred thousand? There is Mohegan, to be sure, he may

have some right, being a native; but it�s little the poor fellow can do now with his rifle. How is this managed

in France, Monsieur Le Quoi? Do you let everybody run over your land in that country helterskelter, as they

do here, shooting the game, so that a gentleman has but little or no chance with his gun?'

'Bah! diable, no, Meester Deeck,' replied the Frenchman; 'we give, in France, no liberty except to the ladi.'

'Yes, yes, to the women, I know,' said Richard, 'that is your Salic law. I read, sir, all kinds of books; of

France, as well as England; of Greece, as well as Rome. But if I were in �Duke�s place, I would stick up

advertisements tomorrow morning, forbidding all persons to shoot, or trespass in any manner, on my woods.

I could write such an advertisement myself, in an hour, as would put a stop to the thing at once.'

'Richart,' said Major Hartmann, very coolly knocking the ashes from his pipe into the spittingbox by his

side, 'now listen; I have livet seventyfive years on ter Mohawk, and in ter woots. You had better mettle as

mit ter deyvel, as mit ter hunters, Tey live mit ter gun, and a rifle is better as ter law.'

'Ain�t Marmaduke a judge?' said Richard indignantly. 'Where is the use of being a judge, or having a judge, if

there is no law? Damn the fellow! I have a great mind to sue him in the morning myself, before Squire

Doolittle, for meddling with my leaders. I am not afraid of his rifle. I can shoot, too. I have hit a dollar many

'Thou hast missed more dollars than ever thou hast hit, Dickon,' exclaimed the cheerful voice of the Judge.

'But we will now take our evening�s repast, which I perseive, by Remarkable's physiognomy, is ready.

Monsieur Le Quoi, Miss Temple has a hand at your service. Will you lead the way, my child?'

'Ah! ma chere mam�selle, comme je suis enchante!' said the Frenchman. 'Il ne manque que les dames de faire

Mr. Grant and Mohegan continued in the hall, while the remainder of the party withdrew to an eating parlor,

if we except Benjamin, who civilly remained to close the rear after the clergyman and to open the front door

'John,' said the divine, when the figure of Judge Temple disappeared, the last of the group, 'tomorrow is the

festival of the nativity of our blessed Redeemer, when the church has appointed prayers and thanksgivings to

be offered up by her children, and when all are invited to partake of the mystical elements. As you have taken

up the cross, and become a follower of good and an eschewer of evil, I trust I shall see you before the altar,

'John will come,' said the Indian, betraying no surprise; though he did not understand all the terms used by the

'Yes,' continued Mr. Grant, laying his hand gently on the tawny shoulder of the aged chief, 'but it is not

enough to be there in the body; you must come in the spirit and in truth. The Redeemer died for all, for the

poor Indian as well as for the white man. Heaven knows no difference in color; nor must earth witness a

separation of the church. It is good and profitable, John, to freshen the understanding, and support the

wavering, by the observance of our holy festivals; but all form is but stench in the nostrils of the Holy One,

The Indian stepped back a little, and, raising his body to its utmost powers of erection, he stretched his right

arm on high, and dropped his forefinger downward, as if pointing from the heavens; then, striking his other

'The eye of the Great Spirit can see from the clouds the bosom of Mohegan is bare!'

'It is well, John, and I hope you will receive profit and consolation from the performance of this duty. The

Great Spirit overlooks none of his children; and the man of the woods is as much an object of his care as he

The Indian bent his head, and they separatedthe one to seek his hut, and the other to join his party at the

suppertable. While Benjamin was opening the door for the passage of the chief, he cried, in a tone that was

The parson says the word that is true, John. If so be that they took count of the color of the skin in heaven,

why, they might refuse to muster on their books a Christianborn, like myself, just for the matter of a little

tan, from cruising in warm latitudes; though, for the matter of that, this damned norwester is enough to

whiten the skin of a blackamore. Let the reef out of your blanket, man, or your red hide will hardly weather

We have made our readers acquainted with some variety in character and nations, in introducing the most

important personages of this legend to their notice; but, in order to establish the fidelity of our narrative, we

shall briefly attempt to explain the reason why we have been obliged to present so motley a dramatis

Europe, at the period of our tale, was in the commencement of that commotion which afterward shook her

political institutions to the centre. Louis the Sixteenth had been beheaded, and a nation once esteemed the

most refined among the civilized people of the world was changing its character, and substituting cruelty for

mercy, and subtlety and ferocity for magnanimity and courage. Thou sands of Frenchmen were compelled to

seek protection in distant lands. Among the crowds who fled from France and her islands, to the United

States of America, was the gentleman whom we have already mentioned as Monsieur Le Quoi. He had been

recommended to the favor of Judge Temple by the head of an eminent mercantile house in New York, with

whom Marmaduke was in habits of intimacy, and accustomed to exchange good offices. At his first interview

with the Frenchman, our Judge had discovered him to be a man of breeding, and one who had seen much

more prosperous days in his own country. From certain hints that had escaped him, Monsieur Le Quoi was

suspected of having been a West India planter, great numbers of whom had fled from St. Domingo and the

other islands, and were now living in the Union, in a state of comparative poverty, and some in absolute want

The latter was not, however, the lot of Monsieur Le Quoi. He had but little, he acknowledged; but that little

was enough to furnish, in the language of the country, an assortment for a store.

The knowledge of Marmaduke was eminently practical, and there was no part of a settler's life with which he

was not familiar. Under his direction, Monsieur Le Quoi made some purchases, consisting of a few cloths;

some groceries, with a good deal of gunpowder and tobacco; a quantity of ironware, among which was a

large proportion of Barlow�s jackknives, potashkettles, and spiders; a very formidable collection of

crockery of the coarsest quality and most uncouth forms; together with every other common article that the

art of man has devised for his wants, not forgetting the luxuries of lookingglasses and Jew�s harps. With

this collection of valuables, Monsieur Le Quoi had stepped behind a counter, and, with a wonderful pliability

of temperament, had dropped into his assumed character as gracefully as he had ever moved in any other. The

gentleness and suavity of his manners rendered him extremely popular; besides this, the women soon

discovered that he had taste. His calicoes were the finest, or, in other words, the most showy, of any that were

brought into the country, and it was impossible to look at the prices asked for his goods by' so pretty a spoken

man,' Through these conjoint means, the affairs of Monsieur Le Quoi were again in a prosperous condition,

and he was looked up to by the settlers as the second best man on the 'Patent.'*

* The term 'Patent' which we have already used, and for which we may have further occasion, meant the

district of country that had been originally granted to old Major Effingham by the 'king�s letters patent,' and

which had now become, by purchase under the act of confiscation, the property of Marmaduke Temple. It

was a term in common use throughout the new parts of the State; and was usually annexed to the landlord�s

Major Hartmann was a descendant of a man who, in company with a number of his countrymen, had

emigrated with their families from the banks of the Rhine to those of the Mohawk. This migration had

occurred as far back as the reign of Queen Anne; and their descendants were now living, in great peace and

The Germans, or 'High Dutchers,' as they were called, to distinguish them from the original or Low Dutch

colonists, were a very peculiar people. They possessed all the gravity of the latter, without any of their

phlegm; and like them, the 'High Dutchers' were industrious, honest, and economical, Fritz, or Frederick

Hartmann, was an epitome of all the vices and virtues, foibles and excellences, of his race. He was passionate

though silent, obstinate, and a good deal suspicious of strangers; of immovable courage, in flexible honesty,

and undeviating in his friendships. In deed there was no change about him, unless it were from grave to gay.

He was serious by months, and jolly by weeks. He had, early in their acquaintance, formed an attachment for

Marmaduke Temple, who was the only man that could not speak High Dutch that ever gained his en tire

confidence Four times in each year, at periods equidistant, he left his low stone dwelling on the banks of the

Mohawk, and travelled thirty miles, through the hills, to the door of the mansionhouse in Templeton. Here

he generally stayed a week; and was reputed to spend much of that time in riotous living, greatly

countenanced by Mr. Richard Jones. But every one loved him, even to Remarkable Pettibone, to whom he

occasioned some additional trouble, he was so frank, so sincere, and, at times, so mirthful. He was now on his

regular Christmas visit, and had not been in the village an hour when Richard summoned him to fill a seat in

Before explaining the character and situation of Mr. Grant, it will be necessary to recur to times far back in

There seems to be a tendency in human nature to endeavor to provide for the wants of this world, before our

attention is turned to the business of the other. Religion was a quality but little cultivated amid the stumps of

Temple�s Patent for the first few years of its settlement; but, as most of its inhabitants were from the moral

States of Connecticut and Massachusetts, when the wants of nature were satisfied they began seriously to turn

their attention to the introduction of those customs and observances which had been the principal care of their

fore fathers. There was certainly a great variety of opinions on the subject of grace and freewill among the

tenantry of Marmaduke; and, when we take into consideration the variety of the religious instruction which

Soon after the village had been formally laid out into the streets and blocks that resembled a city, a meeting

of its inhabitants had been convened, to take into consideration the propriety of establishing an academy. This

measure originated with Richard, who, in truth, was much disposed to have the institution designated a

university, or at least a college. Meeting after meeting was held, for this purpose, year after year. The

resolutions of these as sembiages appeared in the most conspicuous columns of a little bluelooking

newspaper, that was already issued weekly from the garret of a dwellinghouse in the village, and which the

traveller might as often see stuck into the fissure of a stake, erected at the point where the footpath from the

logcabin of some settler entered the highway, as a postoffice for an individual. Sometimes the stake

supported a small box, and a whole neighborhood received a weekly supply for their literary wants at this

point, where the man who 'rides post� regularly deposited a bundle of the precious commodity. To these

flourishing resolutions, which briefly recounted the general utility of education, the political and geographical

rights of the village of Templeton to a participation in the favors of the regents of the university, the salubrity

of the air, and wholesomeness of the water, together with the cheapness of food and the superior state of

morals in the neighbor hood, were uniformly annexed, in large Roman capitals, the names of Marmaduke

Happily for the success of this undertaking, the regents were not accustomed to resist these appeals to their

generosity, whenever there was the smallest prospect of a donation to second the request. Eventually Judge

Temple concluded to bestow the necessary land, and to erect the required edifice at his own expense. The

skill of Mr., or, as he was now called, from the circumstance of having received the commission of a justice

of the peace, Squire Doolittle, was again put in requisition; and the science of Mr. Jones was once more

We shall not recount the different devices of the architects on the occasion; nor would it be decorous so to do,

seeing that there was a convocation of the society of the ancient and honorable fraternity ' of the Free and

Accepted Masons,� at the head of whom was Richard, in the capacity of master, doubtless to approve or reject

such of the plans as, in their wisdom, they deemed to he for the best. The knotty point was, however, soon

decided; and, on the appointed day, the brotherhood marched in great state, displaying sundry banners and

mysterious symbols, each man with a little mimic apron before him, from a most cunningly contrived

apartment in the garret of the 'Bold Dragoon,' an inn kept by one Captain Hollister, to the site of the intended

edifice. Here Richard laid the corner stone, with suitable gravity, amidst an assemblage of more than half the

In the course of the succeeding week there was another meeting of the people, not omitting swarms of the

gentler sex, when the abilities of Hiram at the 'square rule' were put to the test of experiment. The frame fitted

well; and the skeleton of the fabric was reared without a single accident, if we except a few falls from horses

while the laborers were returning home in the evening. From this time the work advanced with great rapidity,

and in the course of the season the Labor was completed; the edifice Manding, in all its heatity and

proportions, the boast of the village, the study of young aspirants for architectural fame, and the admiration of

It was a long, narrow house of wood, painted white, and more than half windows; and, when the observer

stood at the western side of the building, the edifice offered but a small obstacle to a full view of the rising

sun. It was, in truth, but a very comfortless open place, through which the daylight shone with natural facility.

On its front were divers ornaments in wood, designed by Richard and executed by Hiram; but a window in

the centre of the second story, immediately over the door or grand entrance, and the 'steeple' were the pride of

the building. The former was, we believe, of the composite order; for it included in its composition a

multitude of ornaments and a great variety of proportions. It consisted of an arched compartment in the

centres with a square and small division on either side, the whole incased in heavy frames, deeply and

laboriously moulded in pinewood, and lighted with a vast number of blurred and greenlooking glass of

those dimensions which are commonly called 'eight by ten.' Blinds, that were intended to be painted green,

kept the window in a state of preservation, and probably might have contributed to the effect of the whole,

had not the failure in the public funds, which seems always to be incidental to any undertaking of this kind,

left them in the sombre coat of leadcolor with which they had been originally clothed. The 'steeple' was a

little cupola, reared on the very centre of the roof, on four tall pillars of pine that were fluted with a gouge,

and loaded with mouldings. On the tops of the columns was reared a dome or cupola, resembling in shape an

inverted teacup without its bottom, from the centre of which projected a spire, or shaft of wood, transfixed

with two iron rods, that bore on their ends the letters N. S. E. and W, in the same metal. The whole was

surmounted by an imitation of one of the finny tribe, carved in wood by the hands of Richard, and painted

what he called a 'scalecolor.' This animal Mr. Jones affirmed to be an admirable resemblance of a great

favorite of the epicures in that country, which bore the title of 'lakefish,' and doubtless the assertion was

true; for, although intended to answer the purposes of a weathercock, the fish was observed invariably to look

with a longing eye in the direction of the beautiful sheet of water that lay imbedded in the mountains of

For a short time after the charter of the regents was received, the trustees of this institution employed a

graduate of one of the Eastern colleges to instruct such youth as aspired to knowledge within the walls of the

edifice which we have described. The upper part of the building was in one apartment, and was intended for

galadays and exhibitions; and the lower contained two rooms that were intended for the great divisions of

education, viz., the Latin and the English scholars. The former were never very numerous; though the sounds

of 'nominative, pennaagenitive, penny,' were soon heard to issue from the windows of the room, to the

Only one laborer in this temple of Minerva, however, was known to get so far as to attempt a translation of

Virgil. He, indeed, appeared at the annual exhibition, to the prodigious exultation of all his relatives, a

farmer�s family in the vicinity, and repeated the whole of the first eclogue from memory, observing the

intonations of the dialogue with much judgment and effect. The sounds, as they proceeded from his mouth, of

were the last that had been heard in that building, as probably they were the first that had ever been heard, in

the same language, there or anywhere else. By this time the trustees discovered that they had anticipated the

age and the instructor, or principal, was superseded by a master, who went on to teach the more humble

From this time until the date of our incidents, the academy was a common country school, and the great room

of the building was sometimes used as a courtroom, on extraordinary trials; sometimes for conferences of

the religious and the morally disposed, in the evening; at others for a ball in the afternoon, given under the

When an itinerant priest of the persuasion of the Methodists, Baptists, Universalists, or of the more numerous

sect of the Presbyterians, was accidentally in the neighborhood, he was ordinarily invited to officiate, and was

commonly rewarded for his services by a collection in a hat, before the congregation separated. When no

such regular minister offered, a kind of colloquial prayer or two was made by some of the more gifted

The consequence of this desultory kind of priesthood was, as we have already intimated, a great diversity of

opinion on the more abstruse points of faith. Each sect had its adherents, though neither was regularly

organized and disciplined. Of the religious education of Marmaduke we have already written, nor was the

doubtful character of his faith completely removed by his marriage. The mother of Elizabeth was an

Episcopalian, as indeed, was the mother of the Judge himself; and the good taste of Marmaduke revolted at

the familiar colloquies which the leaders of the conferences held with the Deity, in their nightly meetings. In

form, he was certainly an Episcopalian, though not a sectary of that denomination. On the other hand,

Richard was as rigid in the observance of the canons of his church as he was inflexible in his opinions.

Indeed, he had once or twice essayed to introduce the Episcopal form of service, on the Sundays that the

pulpit was vacant; but Richard was a good deal addicted to carrying things to an excess, and then there was

some thing so papal in his air that the greater part of his hearers deserted him on the second Sabbathon the

third his only auditor was Ben Pump, who had all the obstinate and enlightened orthodoxy of a high

Before the war of the Revolution, the English Church was supported in the colonies, with much interest, by

some of its adherents in the mother country, and a few of the congregations were very amply endowed. But,

for the season, after the independence of the States was established, this sect of Christians languished for the

want of the highest order of its priesthood. Pious and suitable divines were at length selected, and sent to the

mother country, to receive that authority which, it is understood, can only be transmitted directly from one to

the other, and thus obtain, in order to reserve, that unity in their churches which properly belonged to a

people of the same nation. But unexpected difficulties presented themselves, in the oaths with which the

policy of England had fettered their establishment; and much time was spent before a conscientious sense of

duty would permit the prelates of Britain to delegate the authority so earnestly sought. Time, patience, and

zeal, however, removed every impediment, and the venerable men who had been set apart by the American

churches at length returned to their expecting dioceses, endowed with the most elevated functions of their

earthly church. Priests and deacons were ordained, and missionaries provided, to keep alive the expiring

flame of devotion in such members as were deprived of the ordinary administrations by dwelling in new and

Of this number was Mr. Grant. He had been sent into the county of which Templeton was the capital, and had

been kindly invited by Marmaduke, and officiously pressed by Richard, to take up his abode in the village. A

small and humble dwelling was prepared for his family, and the divine had made his appearance in the place

but a few days previously to the time of his introduction to the reader, As his forms were entirely new to most

of the inhabitants, and a clergyman of another denomination had previously occupied the field, by engaging

the academy, the first Sunday after his arrival was allowed to pass in silence; but now that his rival had

passed on, like a meteor filling the air with the light of his wisdom, Richard was empowered to give notice

that 'Public worship, after the forms of the Protestant Episcopal Church, would be held on the night before

Christmas, in the long room of the academy in Templeton, by the Rev. Mr. Grant.'

This annunciation excited great commotion among the different sectaries. Some wondered as to the nature of

the exhibition; others sneered; but a far greater part, recollecting the essays of Richard in that way, and

mindful of the liberality, or rather laxity, of Marmaduke�s notions on the subject of sectarianism, thought it

The expected evening was, however, the wonder of the hour; nor was the curiosity at all diminished when

Richard and Benjamin, on the morning of the eventful day, were seen to issue from the woods in the

neighborhood of the village, each bearing on his shoulders a large bunch of evergreens. This worthy pair was

observed to enter the academy, and carefully to fasten the door, after which their proceedings remained a

profound secret to the rest of the village; Mr. Jones, before he commenced this mysterious business, having

informed the schoolmaster, to the great delight of the whiteheaded flock he governed, that there could be

no school that day. Marmaduke was apprised of all these preparations by letter, and it was especially arranged

that he and Elizabeth should arrive in season to participate in the solemnities of the evening.

The apartment to which Monsieur Le Quoi handed Elizabeth communicated with the hall, through the door

that led under the urn which was supposed to contain the ashes of Dido. The room was spacious, and of very

just proportions; but in its ornaments and furniture the same diversity of taste and imperfection of execution

were to be observed as existed in the hall. Of furniture, there were a dozen green, wooden armchairs, with

cushions of moreen, taken from the same piece as the petticoat of Remarkable. The tables were spread, and

their materials and workmanship could not be seen; but they were heavy and of great size, An enormous

mirror, in a gilt frame, hung against the wall, and a cheerful fire, of the hard or sugar maple, was burning on

the hearth. The latter was the first object that struck the attention of the Judge, who on beholding it

'How often have I forbidden the use of the sugar maple in my dwelling! The sight of that sap, as it exudes

with the heat, is painful to me, Richard, Really, it behooves the owner of woods so extensive as mine, to be

cautious what example he sets his people, who are already felling the forests as if no end could be found to

their treasures, nor any limits to their extent. If we go on in this way, twenty years hence we shall want fuel.'

'Fuel in these hills, Cousin �Duke!' exclaimed Richard, in derision' fuel! why, you might as well predict

that the fish will die for the want of water in the lake, because I intend, when the frost gets out of the ground,

to lead one or two of the spring; through logs, into the village. But you are always a little wild on such

'Is it wildness,' returned the Judge earnestly, 'to condemn a practice which devotes these jewels of the forest,

these precious gifts of nature, these mines of corn I fort and wealth, to the common uses of a fireplace? But

I must, and will, the instant the snow is off the earth, send out a party into the mountains to explore for coal.'

'Coal!' echoed Richard. 'Who the devil do you think will dig for coal when, in hunting for a bushel. he would

have to rip up more of trees than would keep him in fuel for a twelvemonth? Poh! poh! Marmaduke: you

should leave the management of these things to me, who have a natural turn that way. It was I that ordered

The motive, then, must be your apology, Dick on,' said the Judge.' But, gentlemen, we are waiting.

Elizabeth, my child, take the head of the table; Richard, I see, means to spare me the trouble of carving, by

'To be sure I do,' cried Richard. 'Here is a turkey to carve; and I flatter myself that I understand carving a

turkey, or, for that matter, a goose, as well as any man alive.Mr. Grant! Where�s Mr. Grant? Will you

please to say grace, sir? Everything in getting cold. Take a thing from the fire this cold weather, and it will

freeze in five minutes. Mr. Grant, we want you to say grace. �For what we are about to receive, the Lord

make, us thankful Come, sit down, sit down. Do you eat wing or breast, Cousin Bess?'

But Elizabeth had not taken her seat, nor Was she in readiness to receive either the wing or breast. Her

Laughing eyes were glancing at the arrangements of the table, and the quality and selection of the food. The

eyes of the father soon met the wondering looks of his daughter, and he said, with a smile:

'You perceive, my child, how much we are indebted to Remarkable for her skill in housewifery. She has

'Law!' said Remarkable, 'I�m glad if the Judge is pleased; but I�m notional that you�ll find the sa�ce over

done. I thought, as Elizabeth was coming home, that a body could do no less than make things agreeable.'

'My daughter has now grown to woman�s estate, and is from this moment mistress of my house,' said the

'Do tell!' exclaimed Remarkable, a little aghast; 'well, who ever heerd of a young woman�s being called Miss?

If the Judge had a wife now, I shouldn�t think of calling her anything but Miss Temple; but'

'Having nothing but a daughter you will observe that style to her, if you please, in future,' interrupted

As the Judge looked seriously displeased, and, at such moments, carried a particularly commanding air with

him, the wary housekeeper made no reply; and, Mr. Grant entering the room, the whole party were seated at

the table. As the arrangements of this repast were much in the prevailing taste of that period and country, we

The tablelinen was of the most beautiful damask, and the plates and dishes of real china, an article of great

luxury at this early period of American commerce. The knives and forks were of exquisitely polished steel,

and were set in unclouded ivory. So much, being furnished by the wealth of Marmaduke, was not only

comfortable but even elegant. The contents of the several dishes, and their positions, however, were the result

of the sole judgment of Remarkable. Before Elizabeth was placed an enormous roasted turkey, and before

Richard one boiled, in the centre of the table stood a pair of heavy silver casters, surrounded by four dishes:

one a fricassee that consisted of gray squirrels; another of fish fried; a third of fish boiled; the last was a

venison steak. Between these dishes and the turkeys stood, on the one side, a prodigious chine of roasted

bear�s meat, and on the other a boiled leg of delicious mutton. Interspersed among this load of meats was

every species of vegetables that the season and country afforded. The four corners were garnished with plates

of cake. On one was piled certain curiously twisted and complicated figures, called 'nutcakes,' On another

were heaps of a blacklooking sub stance, which, receiving its hue from molasses, was properly termed

'sweetcake ;' a wonderful favorite in the coterie of Remarkable, A third was filled, to use the language of the

housekeeper, with 'cards of gingerbread ;' and the last held a ' plum cake,' so called from the number of large

raisins that were showing their black heads in a substance of suspiciously similar color. At each corner of the

table stood saucers, filled with a thick fluid of some what equivocal color and consistence, variegated with

small dark lumps of a substance that resembled nothing but itself, which Remarkable termed her

'sweetmeats.' At the side of each plate, which was placed bottom upward, with its knife and fork most

accurately crossed above it, stood another, of smaller size, containing a motley looking pie, composed of

triangular slices of apple, mince, pump kin, cranberry, and custard so arranged as to form an entire whole,

Decanters of brandy, rum, gin, and wine, with sundry pitchers of cider, beer, and one hissing vessel of 'flip,'

were put wherever an opening would admit of their introduction. Notwithstanding the size of the tables, there

was scarcely a spot where the rich damask could be seen, so crowded were the dishes, with their associated

bottles, plates, and saucers. The object seemed to be profusion, and it was obtained entirely at the expense of

All the guests, as well as the Judge himself, seemed perfectly familiar with this description of fare, for each

one commenced eating, with an appetite that promised to do great honor to Remarkable�s taste and skill.

What rendered this attention to the repast a little surprising, was the fact that both the German and Richard

had been summoned from another table to meet the Judge; but Major Hartmann both ate and drank without

any rule, when on his excursions; and Mr. Jones invariably made it a point to participate in the business in

hand, let it be what it would. The host seemed to think some apology necessary for the warmth he had

betrayed on the subject of the firewood, and when the party were comfortably seated, and engaged with their

'The wastefulness of the settlers with the noble trees of this country is shocking, Monsieur Le Quoi, as doubt

less you have noticed. I have seen a man fell a pine, when he has been in want of fencing stuff, and roll his

first cuts into the gap, where he left it to rot, though its top would have made rails enough to answer his

purpose, and its butt would have sold in the Philadelphia market for twenty dollars.'

'And how the devilI beg your pardon, Mr. Grant,' interrupted Richard: 'but how is the poor devil to get his

logs to the Philadelphia market, pray? put them in his pocket, ha! as you would a handful of chestnuts, or a

bunch of chickerberries? I should like to see you walking up High Street, with a pine log in each pocket!

Poh! poh! Cousin �Duke, there are trees enough for us all, and some to spare. Why, I can hardly tell which

way the wind blows, when I�m out in the clearings, they are so thick and so tall; I couldn�t at all, if it wasn�t

for the clouds, and I happen to know all the points of the compass, as it were, by heart.'

'Ay! ay! squire,' cried Benjamin, who had now entered and taken his place behind the Judge�s chair, a little

aside withal, in order to be ready for any observation like the present; 'look aloft, sir, look aloft. The old

seamen say, �that the devil wouldn�t make a sailor, unless he looked aloft� As for the compass, why, there is

no such thing as steering without one. I�m sure I never lose sight of the maintop, as I call the squire�s

lookout on the roof, but I set my compass, d�ye see, and take the bearings and distance of things, in order to

work out my course, if so be that it should cloud up, or the tops of the trees should shut out the light of

heaven. The steeple of St. Paul�s, now that we nave got it on end, is a great help to the navigation of the

'It is well, Benjamin,' interrupted Marmaduke, observing that his daughter manifested displeasure at the

majordomo�s familiarity; 'but you forget there is a lady in company, and the women love to do most of the

'The Judge says the true word,' cried Benjamin, with one of his discordant laughs. 'Now here is Mistress

Remarkable Pettibones; just take the stopper off her tongue, and you�ll hear a gabbling worse like than if you

should happen to fall to leeward in crossing a French privateer, or some such thing, mayhap, as a dozen

It were impossible to say how perfect an illustration of the truth of Benjamin�s assertion the housekeeper

would have furnished, if she had dared; but the Judge looked sternly at her, and unwilling to incur his

resentment, yet unable to contain her anger, she threw herself out of the room with a toss of the body that

'Richard,' said Marmaduke, observing that his displeasure had produced the desired effect, 'can you inform

me of anything concerning the youth whom I so unfortunately wounded? I found him on the mountain

hunting in company with the LeatherStocking, as if they were of the same family; but there is a manifest

difference in their manners. The youth delivers himself in chosen language, such as is seldom heard in these

hills, and such as occasions great surprise to me, how one so meanly clad, and following so lowly a pursuit,

could attain. Mohegan also knew him. Doubtless he is a tenant of Natty�s hut. Did you remark the language

'Certainement, Monsieur Temple,' returned the French man, 'he deed convairse in de excellent Anglaise.'

'The boy is no miracle,' exclaimed Richard; 'I�ve known children that were sent to school early, talk much

better before they were twelve years old. There was Zared Coe, old Nehemiah�s son, who first settled on the

beaverdam meadow, he could write almost as good . hand as myself, when he was fourteen; though it�s true,

I helped to teach him a little in the evenings. But this shooting gentleman ought to be put in the stocks, if he

ever takes a rein in his hand again. He is the most awkward fellow about a horse I ever met with. I dare say

'There, I think, Dickon, you do the lad injustice,' said the Judge; 'he uses much discretion in critical moments.

There was nothing in this question particularly to excite blushes, but Elizabeth started from the revery into

'To me, dear sir, he appeared extremely skilful, and prompt, and courageous; but perhaps Cousin Richard will

'Gentleman!' echoed Richard; 'do you call such chaps gentlemen, at school, Elizabeth?'

'Every man is a gentleman that knows how to treat a woman with respect and consideration,' returned the

'So much for hesitating to appear before the heiress in his shirt sleeves,' cried Richard, winking at Monsieur

Le Quoi, who returned the wink with one eye, while he rolled the other, with an expression of sympathy,

toward the young lady. 'Well, well, to me he seemed anything but a gentleman. I must say, however, for the

lad, that he draws a good trigger, and has a true aim. He�s good at shooting a buck, ha! Marmaduke?'

'Richart,' said Major Hartmann, turning his grave countenance toward the gentleman he addressed, with much

earnestness, 'ter poy is goot. He savet your life, and my life, and ter life of i�ominie Grant, and ter life of ter

Frenchman; and, Richard, he shall never vant a pet to sleep in vile olt Fritz Hartmann has a shingle to cover

his het mit.' 'Well, well, as you please, old gentleman,' returned Mr. Jones, endeavoring to look indifferent;

'put him into your own stone house, if you will, Major. I dare say the lad never slept in anything better than a

bark shanty in his life, unless it was some such hut as the cabin of LeatherStocking. I prophesy you will

soon spoil him; any one could see how proud he grew, in a short time, just because he stood by my horses�

'No, no. my old friend,' cried Marmaduke, 'it shall be my task to provide in some manner for the youth; I owe

him a debt of my own, besides the service he has done me through my friends. And yet I anticipate some little

trouble in inducing him to accept of my services. He showed a marked dislike, I thought, Bess, to my offer of

'Really, dear sir,' said Elizabeth, projecting her beautiful under lip, 'I have not studied the gentleman so

closely as to read his feelings in his countenance. I thought he might very naturally feel pain from his wound,

and therefore pitied him; but'and as she spoke she glanced her eye, with suppressed curiosity, toward the

majordomo ' I dare say, sir, that Benjamin can tell you something about him, He cannot have been in the

'Ay! I have seen the boy before,' said Benjamin, who wanted little encouragement to speak; 'he has been

backing and filling in the wake of Natty Bumppo, through the mountains, after deer, like a Dutch long boat

in tow of an Albany sloop. He carries a good rifle, too, �the LeatherStocking said, in my hearing, before

Betty Hollister�s bar room fire, no later than the Tuesday night, that the younger was certain death to the

wild beasts. If so be he can kill the wildcat that has been heard moaning on the lakeside since the hard

frosts and deep snows have driven the deer to herd, he will be doing the thing that is good. Your wildcat is a

'Cheek by jowl; the Wednesday will be three weeks since he first hove in sight, in company with

LeatherStocking. They had captured a wolf between them, and had brought in his scalp for the bounty. That

Mister Bumpho has a handy turn with him in taking off a scalp; and there�s them, in this here village, who

say he l�arnt the trade by working on Christian men. If so be that there is truth in the saying, and I

commanded along shore here, as your honor does, why, d'ye see, I�d bring him to the gangway for it, yet.

There�s a very pretty post rigged alongside of the stocks; and for the matter of a cat, I can fit one with my

'You are not to credit the idle tales you hear of Natty; he has a kind of natural right to gain a livelihood in

these mountains; and if the idlers in the village take it into their heads to annoy him, as they sometimes do

'That for his rifle!' exclaimed Richard, snapping his fingers; 'Ben is right, and I' He was stopped by the

sound of a common shipbell, that had been elevated to the belfry of the academy, which now announced, by

its incessant ringing, that the hour for the appointed service had arrived. '�For this and every other instance of

his goodness� I beg pardon, Mr. Grant, will you please to return thanks, sir? It is time we should be

moving, as we are the only Episcopalians in the neighborhood; that is, I and Benjamin, and Elizabeth; for I

The divine arose and performed the office meekly and fervently, and the whole party instantly prepared them

While Richard and Monsieur Le Quoi, attended by Benjamin, proceeded to the academy by a footpath

through the snow, the judge, his daughter, the divine, and the Major took a more circuitous route to the same

The moon had risen, and its orb was shedding a flood of light over the dark outline of pines which crowned

the eastern mountain. In many climates the sky would have been thought clear and lucid for a noontide. The

stars twinkled in the heavens, like the last glimmerings of distant fire, so much were they obscured by the

overwhelming radiance of the atmosphere; the rays from the moon striking upon the smooth, white surfaces

of the lake and fields, reflecting upward a light that was brightened by the spotless color of the immense

Elizabeth employed herself with reading the signs, one of which appeared over almost every door; while the

sleigh moved steadily, and at an easy gait, along the principal street. Not only new occupations, but names

that were strangers to her ears, met her gaze at every step they proceeded. The very houses seemed changed.

This had been altered by an addition; that had been painted; another had been erected on the site of an old

acquaintance, which had been banished from the earth almost as soon as it made its appearance on it. All

were, however, pouring forth their inmates, who uniformly held their way toward the point where the

expected exhibition of the conjoint taste of Richard and Benjamin was to be made.

After viewing the buildings, which really appeared to some advantage under the bright but mellow light of

the moon, our heroine turned her eyes to a scrutiny of the different figures they passed, in search of any form

that she knew. But all seemed alike, as muffled in cloaks, hoods, coats, or tippets, they glided along the

narrow passages in the snow which led under the houses, half hid by the bank that had been thrown up in

excavating the deep path in which they trod. Once or twice she thought there was a stature or a gait that she

recollected; but thc person who owned it instantly disappeared behind one of those enormous piles of wood

that lay before most of the doors, It was only as they turned from the main street into another that intersected

it at right angles, and which led directly to the place of meeting, that she recognized a face and building that

The house stood at one of the principal corners in the village; and by its welltrodden doorway, as well as the

sign that was swinging with a kind of doleful sound in the blasts that occasionally swept down the lake, was

clearly one of the most frequented inns in the place. The building was only of one story; but the

dormerwindows in the roof, the paint, the windowshutters, and the cheerful fire that shone through the

open door, gave it an air of comfort that was not possessed by many of its neighbors. The sign was suspended

from a common alehouse post, and represented the figure of a horseman, armed with sabre and pistols, and

surmounted by a bearskin cap, with a fiery animal that he bestrode 'rampant.' All these particulars were

easily to be seen by the aid of the moon, together with a row of somewhat illegible writing in black paint, but

in which Elizabeth, to whom the whole was familiar, read with facility, 'The Bold Dragoon.'

A man and a woman were issuing from the door of this habitation as the sleigh was passing, The former

moved with a stiff, military step, that was a good deal heightened by a limp in one leg; but the woman

advanced with a measure and an air that seemed not particularly regardful of what she might encounter. The

light of the moon fell directly upon her full, broad, and red visage, exhibiting her masculine countenance,

under the mockery of a ruffled cap that was intended to soften the lineamints of features that were by no

means squeamish. A small bonnet of black silk, and of a slightly formal cut, was placed on the back of her

head, but so as not to shade her visage in the least. The face, as it encountered the rays of the moon from the

east, seemed not unlike sun rising in the west. She advanced with masculine strides to intercept the sleigh;

and the Judge, directing the namesake of the Grecian king, who held the lines, to check his horse, the par ties

'Good luck to ye, and a welcome home, Jooge,' cried the female, with a strong Irish accent; 'and I�m sure it�s

to me that ye�re always welcome. Sure! and there�s Miss Lizzy, and a fine young woman she is grown. What

a heartache would she be giving the young men now, if there was sich a thing as a rigiment in the town!

Och! but it�s idle to talk of sich vanities, while the bell is calling us to mateing jist as we shall he called away

unexpictedly some day, when we are the laist calkilating. Goodeven, Major; will I make the bowl of gin

toddy the night, or it�s likely ye�ll stay at the big house the Christmas eve, and the very night of yer getting

'I am glad to see you, Mrs. Hollister,' returned Elizabeth. 'I have been trying to find a face that I knew since

we left the door of the mansionhouse; but none have I seen except your own. Your house, too, is unaltered,

while all the others are so changed that, but for the places where they stand, they would be utter strangers. I

observe you also keep the dear sign that I saw Cousin Richard paint; and even the name at the bottom, about

'It is the bould dragoon, ye mane? And what name would he have, who niver was known by any other, as my

husband here, the captain, can testify? He was a pleasure to wait upon, and was ever the foremost in need.

Och! but he had a sudden end! but it�s to be hoped that he was justified by the cause, And it�s not Parson

Grant there who�ll gainsay that same. Yes, yes; the squire would paint, and so I thought that we might have

his face up there, who had so often shared good and evil wid us. The eyes is no so large nor so fiery as the

captain�s Own; but the whiskers and the cap is as two paes. Well, well, I'll not keep ye in the cowld, talking,

but will drop in the morrow after sarvice, and ask ye how ye do. It�s our bounden duty to make the most of

this present, and to go to the house which is open to all; so God bless ye, and keep ye from evil! Will I make

To this question the German replied, very sententiously, in the affirmative; and, after a few words had passed

between the husband of the fieryfaced hostess and the Judge, the sleigh moved on. It soon reached the door

In the mean time, Mr. Jones and his two companions, having a much shorter distance to journey, had arrived

before the appointed place some minutes sooner than the party in the sleigh. Instead of hastening into the

room in order to enjoy the astonishment of the settlers, Richard placed a hand in either pocket of his surcoat,

and affected to walk about, in front of the academy, like one to whom the ceremonies were familiar.

The villagers proceeded uniformly into the building, with a decorum and gravity that nothing could move, on

such occasions; but with a haste that was probably a little heightened by curiosity. Those who came in from

the adjacent country spent some little time in placing certain blue and white blankets over their horses before

they proceeded to indulge their desire to view the interior of the house. Most of these men Richard

approached, and inquired after the health and condition of their families. The readiness with which he

mentioned the names of even the children, showed how very familiarly acquainted he was with their

circumstances; and the nature of the answers he received proved that he was a general favorite.

At length one of the pedestrians from the village stopped also, and fixed an earnest gaze at a new brick

edifice that was throwing a long shadow across the fields of snow, as it rose, with a beautiful gradation of

light and shade, under the rays of a full moon. In front of the academy was a vacant piece of ground, that was

intended for a public square. On the side opposite to Mr. Jones, the new and as yet unfinished church of St.

Paul�s was erected, This edifice had been reared during the preceding summer, by the aid of what was called

a subscription; though all, or nearly all, of the money came from the pockets of the landlord. It had been built

under a strong conviction of the necessity of a more seemly place of worship than 'the long room of the

academy,' and under an implied agreement that, after its completion, the question should be fairly put to the

people, that they might decide to what denomination it should belong. Of course, this expectation kept alive a

strong excitement in some few of the sectaries who were interested in its decision; though but little was said

openly on the subject. Had Judge Temple espoused the cause of any particular sect, the question would have

been immediately put at rest, for his influence was too powerful to be opposed; but he declined interference

in the matter, positively refusing to lend even the weight of his name on the side of Richard, who had secretly

given an assurance to his diocesan that both the building and the congregation would cheerfully come within

the pale of the Protestant Episcopal Church. But, when the neutrality of the Judge was clearly ascertained,

Mr. Jones discovered that he had to contend with a stiff necked people. His first measure was to go among

them and commence a course of reasoning, in order to bring them round to his own way of thinking. They all

heard him patiently, and not a man uttered a word in reply in the way of argument, and Richard thought, by

the time that he had gone through the settlement, the point was conclusively decided in his favor. Willing to

strike while the iron was hot, he called a meeting, through the news paper, with a view to decide the question

by a vote at once. Not a soul attended; and one of the most anxious afternoons that he had ever known was

spent by Richard in a vain discussion with Mrs. Hollister, who strongly contended that the Methodist (her

own) church was the best entitled to and most deserving of, the possession of the new tabernacle. Richard

now perceived that he had been too sanguine, and had fallen into the error of all those who ignorantly deal

with that wary and sagacious people. He assumed a disguise himselfthat is, as well as he knew how, and

The task of erecting the building had been unanimously transferred to Mr. Jones and Hiram Doolittle.

Together they had built the mansion house, the academy, and the jail, and they alone knew how to plan and

rear such a structure as was now required. Early in the day, these architects had made an equitable division of

their duties. To the former was assigned the duty of making all the plans, and to the latter the labor of

Availing himself of this advantage, Richard silently determined that the windows should have the Roman

arch; the first positive step in effecting his wishes. As the building was made of bricks, he was enabled to

conceal his design until the moment arrived for placing the frames; then, indeed, it became necessary to act.

He communicated his wishes to Hiram with great caution; and, without in the least adverting to the spiritual

part of his project, he pressed the point a little warmly on the score of architectural beauty. Hiram heard him

patiently, and without contradiction, but still Richard was unable to discover the views of his coadjutor on

this interesting subject. As the right to plan was duly delegated to Mr. Jones, no direct objection was made in

words. but numberless unexpected difficulties arose in the execution. At first there was a scarcity in the right

kind of material necessary to form the frames; but this objection was instantly silenced by Richard running

his pencil through two feet of their length at one stroke. Then the expense was mentioned; but Richard

reminded Hiram that his cousin paid, and that he was treasurer. This last intimation had great weight, and

after a silent and protracted, but fruitless opposition, the work was suffered to proceed on the original plan.

The next difficulty occurred in the steeple, which Richard had modelled after one of the smaller of those

spires that adorn the great London cathedral. The imitation was somewhat lame, it was true, the proportions

being but in differently observed; but, after much difficulty, Mr. Jones had the satisfaction of seeing an object

reared that bore in its outlines, a striking resemblance to a vinegarcruet. There was less opposition to this

model than to the windows; for the settlers were fond of novelty, and their steeple was without a precedent.

Here the labor ceased for the season, and the difficult question of the interior remained for further

deliberation. Richard well knew that, when he came to propose a readingdesk and a chancel, he must

unmask; for these were arrangements known to no church in the country but his own. Presuming, however,

on the advantages he had already obtained, he boldly styled the building St. Paul�s, and Hiram prudently

acquiesced in this appellation, making, however, the slight addition of calling it 'New St. Paul�s,' feeling less

The pedestrian whom we have already mentioned, as pausing to contemplate this edifice, was no other than

the gentleman so frequently named as Mr. or Squire Doolittle. He was of a tall, gaunt formation, with rather

sharp features, and a face that expressed formal propriety mingled with low cunning. Richard approached

'Goodevening, squire,' said Richard, bobbing his head, but without moving his hands from his pockets.

'Goodevening, squire,' echoed Hiram, turning his body in order to turn his head also.

'What, looking at our church, ha! It looks well, by moonlight; how the tin of the cupola glistens! I warrant

'It is a pretty meeting house to look on,' returned Hiram, 'and I believe that Monshure Ler Quow and Mr.

'I thought the monshure would say so. The last molasses that we had was excellent good. It isn�t likely that

'Ah! oui; ees, sair,' returned Monsieur Le Quoi, with a slight shrug of his shoulder, and a trifling grimace,

'dere is more. I feel ver happi dat you love eet. I hope dat Madame Doleet� is in good �ealth.'

'Why, so as to be stirring,' said Hiram. 'The squire hasn�t finished the plans for the inside of the meeting

'Nonono,' returned Richard, speaking quickly, but making a significant pause between each

negative.. 'it requires reflection. There is a great deal of room to fill up, and I am afraid we shall not know

how to dispose of it to advantage. There will be a large vacant spot around the pulpit, which I do not mean to

'It is rulable to put the deacons� box under the pulpit,' said Hiram; and then, as if he had ventured too much,

'That there is,' cried Benjamin; 'now, in running down the coast of Spain and Portingall, you may see a

nunnery stuck out on every headland, with more steeples and outriggers. such as dogvanes and

weathercocks, than you�ll find aboard of a threemasted schooner. If so be that a wellbuilt church is

wanting, old England, after all, is the country to go to after your models and fashion pieces. As to Paul�s, thof

I�ve never seen it, being that it�s a long way up town from Radcliffe Highway and the docks, yet everybody

knows that it�s the grandest place in the world Now, I�ve no opinion but this here church over there is as like

one end of it as a grampus is to a whale; and that�s only a small difference in bulk. Mounsheer Ler Quaw,

here, has been in foreign parts; and thof that is not the same as having been at home, yet he must have seen

churches in France too, and can form a small idee of what a church should be; now I ask the mounsheer to his

'It ees ver apropos of saircumstance,' said the French. man' ver judgmentbut it is in the catholique

country dat dey build dcvat you callah a ahhala grande cath�dralede big church. St. Paul, Londre,

is ver fine; ver belle; ver grandvat you call beeg; but, Monsieur Ben, pardonnezmoi, it is no vort so much

'Ha! mounsheer, what is that you say?' cried Benjamin; 'St. Paul�s church is not worth so much as a damn!

Mayhap you may be thinking too that the Royal Billy isn�t so good a ship as the Billy de Paris; but she would

As Benjamin had assumed a very threatening kind of attitude, flourishing an arm with a bunch at the end of it

that was half as big as Monsieur Le Quoi�s head, Richard thought it time to interpose his authority.

'Hush, Benjamin, hush,' he said; 'you both misunderstand Monsieur Le Quoi and forget yourself. But here

The Frenchman, who received Benjamin�s reply with a wellbred good humor that would not admit of any

feeling but pity for the other�s ignorance, bowed in acquiescence and followed his companion.

Hiram and the major domo brought up the rear, the latter grumbling as he entered the building:

'If so be that the king of France had so much as a house to live in that would lay alongside of Paul�s, one

might put up with their jaw. It�s more than flesh and blood can bear to hear a Frenchman run down an

English church in this manner. Why, Squire Doolittle, I�ve been at the whipping of two of them in one

dayclean built, snug frigates with standing royals and them newfashioned cannonades on their quarters

such as, if they had only Englishmen aboard of them, would have fout the devil.'

Notwithstanding the united labors of Richard and Benjamin, the 'long room' was but an extremely inartificial

temple. Benches; made in the coarsest manner, and entirely with a view to usefulness, were arranged in rows

for the reception of the Congregation; while a rough, unpainted box was placed against the wall, in the centre

of the length of the apartment, as an apology for a pulpit. Something like a readingdesk was in front of this

rostrum; and a small mahogany table from the mansionhouse, covered with a spotless damask cloth, stood a

little on one side, by the way of an altar. Branches of pines and hemlocks were stuck in each of the fissures

that offered in the unseasoned and hastily completed woodwork of both the building and its furniture; while

festoons and hieroglyphics met the eye in vast profusion along the brown sides of the scratchcoated walls.

As the room was only lighted by some ten or fifteen miserable candles, and the windows were without

shutters, it would have been but a dreary, cheerless place for the solemnities of a Christmas eve, had not the

large fire that was crackling at each end of the apartment given an air of cheerfulness to the scene, by

The two sexes were separated by an area in the centre of the room immediately before the pulpit; amid a few

benches lined this space, that were occupied by the principal personages of the village and its vicinity. This

distinction was rather a gratuitous concession made by the poorer and less polished part of the population

than a right claimed by the favored few. One bench was occupied by the party of Judge Temple, including his

daughter, and, with the exception of Dr. Todd, no one else appeared willing to incur the imputation of pride,

Richard filled the chair that was placed behind another table, in the capacity of clerk; while Benjamin, after

heaping sundry logs on the fire, posted himself nigh by, in reserve for any movement that might require

It would greatly exceed our limits to attempt a description of the congregation, for the dresses were as various

as the individuals. Some one article of more than usual finery, and perhaps the relic of other days, was to be

seen about most of the females, in connection with the coarse attire of the woods. This wore a faded silk, that

had gone through at least three generations, over coarse, woollen black stockings; that, a shawl, whose dyes

were as numerous as those of the rainbow, over an awkwardly fitting gown of rough brown 'woman�s wear.'

In short, each one exhibited some favorite article, and all appeared in their best, both men and women; while

the groundworks in dress, in either sex, were the coarse fabrics manufactured within their own dwellings.

One man appeared in the dress of a volunteer company of artillery, of which he had been a member in the

'down countries,' precisely for no other reason than because it was the best suit he had. Several, particularly

of the younger men, displayed pantaloons of blue, edged with red cloth down the seams part of the

equipments of the 'Templeton Light Infantry,' from a little vanity to be seen in 'boughten clothes.' There was

also one man in a 'rifle frock,' with its fringes and folds of spotless white, striking a chill to the heart with the

idea of its coolness, although the thick coat of brown' home made' that was concealed beneath preserved a

There was a marked uniformity of expression in Countenance, especially in that half of the congregation who

did not enjoy the advantages of the polish of the village. A sallow skin, that indicated nothing but exposure,

was common to all, as was an air of great decency and attention, mingled, generally, with an expression of

shrewdness, and in the present instance of active curiosity. Now and then a face and dress were to be seen

among the congregation, that differed entirely from this description. If pockmarked and florid, with gartered

legs, and a coat that snugly fitted the person of the wearer, it was surely an English emigrant, who had bent

his steps to this retired quarter of the globe. If hardfeatured and without color, with high cheekbones, it

The short, blackeyed man, with a cast of the swarthy Spaniard in his face, who rose repeatedly to make

room for the belles of the village as they entered, was a son of Erin, who had lately left off his pack, and

become a stationary trader in Templeton. In short, half the nations in the north of Europe had their

representatives in this assembly, though all had closely assimilated themselves to the Americans in dress and

appearance, except the English man. He, indeed, not only adhered to his native customs in attire and living,

but usually drove his plough among the stumps in the same manner as he had before done on the plains of

Norfolk, until dearbought experience taught him the useful lesson that a sagacious people knew what was

suited to their circumstances better than a casual observer, or a sojourner who was, perhaps, too much

Elizabeth soon discovered that she divided the attention of the congregation with Mr. Grant. Timidity,

therefore, confined her observation of the appearances which we have described to stoles glances; but, as the

stamping of feet was now becoming less frequent, and even the coughing, and other little preliminaries of a

congregation settling themselves down into reverential attention, were ceasing, she felt emboldened to look

around her. Gradually all noises diminished, until the suppressed cough denoted that it was necessary to

avoid singularity, and the most pro found stillness pervaded the apartment. The snapping of the fires, as they

threw a powerful heat into the room, was alone heard, and each face and every eye were turned on the divine.

At this moment, a heavy stamping of feet was heard in the passage below, as if a newcorner was releasing

his limbs from the snow that was necessarily clinging to the legs of a pedestrian. It was succeeded by no

audible tread; but directly Mohegan, followed by the LeatherStocking and the young hunter, made his

Their footsteps would not have been heard, as they trod the apartment in their moccasins, but for the silence

The Indian moved with great gravity across the floor, and, observing a vacant seat next to the Judge, he took

it, in a manner that manifested his sense of his own dignity. Here, drawing his blanket closely around him so

as partly to conceal his countenance, he remained during the service immovable, but deeply attentive. Natty

passed the place that was so freely taken by his red companion, and seated himself on one end of a log that

was lying near the fire, where he continued, with his rifle standing between his legs, absorbed in reflections

seemingly of no very pleasing nature. The youth found a seat among the congregation, and another silence

Mr. Grant now arose and commenced his service with the sublime declaration of the Hebrew prophet: 'The

Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him.' The example of Mr. Jones was

unnecessary to teach the congregation to rise; the solemnity of the divine effected this as by magic. After a

short pause, Mr. Grant proceeded with the solemn and winning exhortation of his service. Nothing was heard

but the deep though affectionate tones of the reader, as he went slowly through this exordium; until,

something unfortunately striking the mind of Richard as incomplete, he left his place and walked on tiptoe

When the clergyman bent his knees in prayer and confession, the congregation so far imitated his example as

to resume their seats; whence no succeeding effort of the divine, during the evening, was able to remove them

in a body. Some rose at times; but by far the larger part continued unbending; observant, it is true, but it was

the kind of observation that regarded the ceremony as a spectacle rather than a worship in which they were to

participate. Thus deserted by his clerk Mr. Grant continued to read; but no response was audible. The short

and solemn pause that succeeded each petition was made; still no voice repeated the eloquent language of the

The lips of Elizabeth moved, but they moved in vain and accustomed as she was to the service of the

churches of the metropolis, she was beginning to feel the awkwardness of the circumstance most painfully

when a soft, low female voice repeated after the priest,' We have left undone those things which we ought to

have done.' Startled at finding one of her own sex in that place who could rise superior to natural timidity,

Miss Temple turned her eyes in the direction of the penitent. She observed a young female on her knees, but a

The appearance of this stranger, for such she was, entirely, to Elizabeth, was light and fragile. Her dress was

neat and becoming; and her countenance, though pale and slightly agitated, excited deep interest by its sweet

and melancholy expression. A second and third response was made by this juvenile assistant, when the manly

sounds of a male voice proceeded from the opposite part of the room, Miss Temple knew the tones of the

young hunter instantly, and struggling to overcome her own diffidence she added her low voice to the

All this time Benjamin stood thumbing the leaves of a prayerbook with great industry; but some unexpected

difficulties prevented his finding the place. Before the divine reached the close of the confession, however,

Richard reappeared at the door, and, as he moved lightly across the room, he took up the response, in a voice

that betrayed no other concern than that of not being heard. In his hand he carried a small open box, with the

figures '8 by 10' written in black paint on one of its sides; which, having placed in the pulpit, apparently as a

footstool for the divine, he returned to his station in time to say, sonorously, 'Amen.' The eyes of the

congregation, very naturally, were turned to the windows, as Mr. Jones entered with his singular load; and

then, as if accustomed to his 'general agency,' were again bent on the priest, in close and curious attention.

The long experience of Mr. Grant admirably qualified him to perform his present duty. He well understood

the character of his listeners, who were mostly a primitive people in their habits; and who, being a good deal

addicted to subtleties and nice distinctions in their religious opinions, viewed the introduction of any such

temporal assistance as form into their spiritual worship not only with jealousy, but frequently with disgust.

He had acquired much of his knowledge from studying the great book of human nature as it lay open in the

world; and, knowing how dangerous it was to contend with ignorance, uniformly endeavored to avoid

dictating where his better reason taught him it was the most prudent to attempt to lead, His orthodoxy had no

dependence on his cassock; he could pray with fervor and with faith, if circumstances required it, without the

assistance of his clerk; and he had even been known to preach a most evangelical sermon, in the winning

In the present instance he yielded, in many places, to the prejudices of his congregation; and when he had

ended, there was not one of his new hearers who did not think the ceremonies less papal and offensive, and

more conformant to his or her own notions of devout worship, than they had been led to expect from a service

of forms, Richard found in the divine, during the evening, a most powerful cooperator in his religious

schemes. In preaching, Mr. Grant endeavored to steer a middle course between the mystical doctrines of

those sublimated creeds which daily involve their professors in the most absurd contradictions, and those

fluent roles of moral government which would reduce the Saviour to a level with the teacher of a school of

ethics. Doctrine it was necessary to preach, for nothing less would have satisfied the disputatious people who

were his listeners, and who would have interpreted silence on his part into a tacit acknowledgment of the

superficial nature of his creed. We have already said that, among the endless variety of religious instructors,

the settlers were accustomed to hear every denomination urge its own distinctive precepts, and to have found

one indifferent to this Interesting subject would have been destructive to his influence. But Mr. Grant so

happily blended the universally received opinions of the Christian faith with the dogmas of his own church

that, although none were entirely exempt from the influence of his reasons, very few took any alarm at the

'When we consider the great diversity of the human character, influenced as it is by education, by

opportunity, and by the physical and moral conditions of the creature, my dear hearers,' he earnestly

concluded 'it can excite no surprise that creeds so very different in their tendencies should grow out of a

religion revealed, it is true, but whose revelations are obscured by the lapse of ages, and whose doctrines

were, after the fashion of the countries in which they were first promulgated, frequently delivered in parables,

and in a language abounding in metaphors and loaded with figures. On points where the learned have, in

purity of heart, been compelled to differ, the unlettered will necessarily be at variance. But, happily for us,

my brethren, the fountain of divine love flows from a source too pure to admit of pollution in its course; it

extends, to those who drink of its vivifying waters, the peace of the righteous, and life everlasting; it endures

through all time, and it pervades creation. If there be mystery in its workings, it is the mystery of a Divinity.

With a clear knowledge of the nature, the might, and the majesty of God, there might be conviction, but there

could be no faith. If we are required to believe in doctrines that seem not in conformity with the deductions of

human wisdom, let us never forget that such is the mandate of a wisdom that is infinite. It is sufficient for us

that enough is developed to point our path aright, and to direct our wandering steps to that portal which shall

open on the light of an eternal day. Then, indeed, it may be humbly hoped that the film which has been

spread by the subtleties of earthly arguments will be dissipated by the spiritual light of Heaven; and that our

hour of probation, by the aid of divine grace, being once passed in triumph, will be followed by an eternity of

intelligence and endless ages of fruition. All that is now obscure shall become plain to our expanded

faculties; and what to our present senses may seem irreconcilable to our limited notions of mercy, of justice,

and of love, shall stand irradiated by the light of truth, confessedly the suggestions of Omniscience, and the

'What a lesson of humility, my brethren, might not each of us obtain from a review of his infant hours, and

the recollection of his juvenile passions! How differently do the same acts of parental rigor appear in the eyes

of the suffering child and of the chastened man! When the sophist would supplant, with the wild theories of

his worldly wisdom, the positive mandates of inspiration, let him remember the expansion of his own feeble

intellects, and pauselet him feel the wisdom of God in what is partially concealed. as well as that which is

revealed; in short, let him substitute humility for pride of reasonlet him have faith, and live!'

'The consideration of this subject is full of consolation, my hearers, and does not fail to bring with it lessons

of humility and of profit, that, duly improved, would both chasten the heart and strengthen the feebleminded

man in his course. It is a blessed consolation to be able to lay the misdoubtings of our arrogant nature at the

thresh old of the dwellingplace of the Deity, from whence they shall be swept away, at the great opening of

the portal, like the mists of the morning before the rising sun. It teaches us a lesson of humility, by

impressing us with the imperfection of human powers, and by warning us of the many weak points where we

are open to the attack of the great enemy of our race; it proves to us that we are in danger of being weak,

when our vanity would fain soothe us into the belief that we arc most strong; it forcibly points out to us the

vainglory of intellect, and shows us the vast difference between a saving faith and the corollaries of a

philosophical theology; and it teaches us to reduce our selfexamination to the test of good works. By good

works must be understood the fruits of repentance, the chiefest of which is charity. Not that charity only

which causes us to help the needy and comfort the suffering, but that feeling of universal philanthropy which,

by teaching us to love, causes us to judge with lenity all men; striking at the root of selfrighteousness, and

warning us to be sparing of our condemnation of others, while our own salvation is not yet secure.'

'The lesson of expediency, my brethren, which I would gather from the consideration of this subject, is most

strongly inculcated by humility. On the heading and essential points of our faith, there is but little difference

among those classes of Christians who acknowledge the attributes of the Saviour, and depend on his

mediation. But heresies have polluted every church, and schisms are the fruit of disputation. In order to arrest

these dangers, and to insure the union of his followers, it would seem that Christ had established his visible

church. and delegated the ministry. Wise and holy men, the fathers of our religion, have expended their labors

in clearing what was revealed from the obscurities of language, and the results of their experience and

researches have been em bodied in the form of evangelical discipline That this discipline must be salutary, is

evident from the view of the weakness of human nature that we have already taken; and that it may be

profitable to us, and all who listen to its precepts and its liturgy, may God, in his infinite wisdom,

With this ingenious reference to his own forms and ministry, Mr. Grant concluded his discourse. The most

profound attention had been paid to the sermon during the whole of its delivery, although the prayers had not

been received with so perfect demonstration of respect. This was by no means an intended slight of that

liturgy to which the divine alluded, but was the habit of a people who owed their very existence, as a distinct

nation, to the doctrinal character of their ancestors. Sundry looks of private dissatisfaction were exchanged

between Hiram and one or two of the leading members of the conference, but the feeling went no further at

that time; and the congregation, after receiving the blessing of Mr. Grant., dispersed in Silence, and with

While the congregation was separating, Mr. Grant approached the place where Elizabeth and her father were

seated, leading the youthful female whom we have mentioned in the preceding chapter, and presented her as

his daughter. Her reception was as cordial and frank as the manners of the country and the value of good

society could render it; the two young women feeling, instantly, that they were necessary to the comfort of

each other, The Judge, to whom the clergyman�s daughter was also a stranger, was pleased to find one who,

from habits, sex, and years, could probably contribute largely to the pleasures of his own child, during her

first privations on her removal from the associations of a city to the solitude of Templeton; while Elizabeth,

who had been forcibly struck with the sweetness and devotion of the youthful suppliant, removed the slight

embarrassment of the timid stranger by the ease of her own manners. They were at once acquainted; and,

during the ten minutes that the 'academy' was clearing, engagements were made between the young people,

not only for the succeeding day, but they would probably have embraced in their arrangements half of the

'Gently, gently, my dear Miss Temple, or you will make my girl too dissipated. You forget that she is my

housekeeper, and that my domestic affairs must remain unattended to, should Louisa accept of half the kind

'And why should they not be neglected entirely, sir?' interrupted Elizabeth. 'There are but two of you; and

certain I am that my father�s house will not only contain you both, but will open its doors spontaneously to

receive such guests. Society is a good not to he rejected on account of cold forms, in this wilderness, sir; and

I have often heard my father say, that hospitality is not a virtue in a new country, the favor being conferred by

'The manner in which Judge Temple exercises its rites would confirm this opinion; but we must not trespass

too freely. Doubt not that you will see us often, my child, particularly during the frequent visits that I shall be

compelled to make to the distant parts of the country. But to obtain an influence with such a people,' he

continued, glancing his eyes toward the few who were still lingering, curious observers of the interview, 'a

clergyman most not awaken envy or distrust by dwelling under so splendid a roof as that of Judge Temple.'

'You like the roof, then, Mr. Grant,' cried Richard, who had been directing the extinguishment of the fires and

other little necessary duties, and who approached in time to hear the close of the divine�s speech. 'I am glad to

find one man of taste at last. Here�s �Duke. now, pretends to call it by every abusive name he can invent; but

though �Duke is a tolerable judge, he is a very poor carpenter, let me tell him. Well, sir, well, I think we may

say, without boasting, that the service was as well per formed this evening as you often see; I think, quite as

well as I ever knew it to be done in old Trinitythat is, if we except the organ. But there is the

schoolmaster leads the psalm with a very good air. I used to lead myself, but latterly I have sung nothing but

bass. There is a good deal of science to be shown in the bass, and it affords a fine opportunity to show off a

full, deep voice. Benjamin, too, sings a good bass, though he is often out in the words. Did you ever hear

'I believe he gave us part of it this evening,' said Marmaduke, laughing. 'There was, now and then, a fearful

quaver in his voice, and it seems that Mr. Penguillian is like most others who do one thing particularly well;

he knows nothing else. He has, certainly, a wonderful partiality to one tune, and he has a prodigious self

confidence in that one, for he delivers himself like a northwester sweeping across the lake. But come,

gentlemen, our way is clear, and the sleigh waits. Goodevening, Mr. Grant. Goodnight, young lady

The parties separated, Richard holding a close dissertation with Mr. Le Quoi, as they descended the stairs, on

the subject of psalmody, which he closed by a violent eulogium on the air of the 'Bay of Biscay, 0,' as

During the preceding dialogue, Mohegan retained his seat, with his head shrouded in his blanket, as

seemingly inattentive to surrounding objects as the departing congregation was itself to the presence of the

aged chief, Natty, also, continued on the log where he had first placed himself, with his head resting on one

of his hands, while the other held the rifle, which was thrown carelessly across his lap. His countenance

expressed uneasiness, and the occasional unquiet glances that he had thrown around him during the service

plainly indicated some unusual causes for unhappiness. His continuing seated was, how ever, out of respect to

the Indian chief. to whom he paid the utmost deference on all occasions, although it was mingled with the

The young companion of these two ancient inhabitants of the forest remained also standing before the

extinguished brands, probably from an unwillingness to depart without his comrades. The room was now

deserted by all but this group, the divine, and his daughter. As the party from the mansionhouse

disappeared, John arose, and, dropping the blanket from his head, he shook back the mass of black hair from

'Father, I thank you. The words that have been said, since the rising moon, have gone upward, and the Great

Spirit is glad. What you have told your children, they will remember, and be good.' He paused a moment, and

then, elevating himself with the grandeur of an Indian chief, he added: 'If Chingachgook lives to travel

toward the setting sun, after his tribe, and the Great Spirit carries him over the lakes and mountains with the

breath of his body, he will tell his people the good talk he has heard; and they will believe him; for who can

'Let him place his dependence on the goodness of Divine mercy,' said Mr. Grant, to whom the proud

consciousness of the Indian sounded a little heterodox, 'and it never will desert him. When the heart is filled

with love to God, there is no room for sin. But, young man, to you I owe not only an obligation, in common

with those you saved this evening on the mountain, but my thanks for your respectable and pious manner in

assisting in the service at a most embarrassing moment. I should be happy to see you sometimes at my

dwelling, when, perhaps, my conversation may strengthen you in the path which you appear to have chosen.

It is so unusual to find one of your age and appearance, in these woods, at all acquainted with our holy

liturgy, that it lessens at once the distance between us, and I feel that we are no longer strangers. You seem

quite at home in the service; I did not perceive that you had even a book, although good Mr. Jones. had laid

'It would be strange if I were ignorant of the service of our church, sir,' returned the youth modestly; 'for I

was baptized in its communion and I have never yet attended public worship elsewhere. For me to use the

forms of any other denomination would be as singular as our own have proved to the people here this

'You give me great pleasure, my dear sir,' cried the divine, seizing the other by the hand, and shaking it

cordially. 'You will go home with me nowindeed you mustmy child has yet to thank you for saving my

life. I willlisten to no apologies. This worthy Indian, and your friend, there, will accompany us. Bless me! to

think that� he has arrived at manhood in this country, without entering a dissenting * meetinghouse!'

* The divines of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States commonly call other denominations

'No, no,' interrupted the LeatherStocking, 'I must away to the wigwam; there�s work there that mustn�t be

forgotten for all your churchings and merrymakings. Let the lad go with you in welcome; he is used to

keeping company with ministers, and talking of such matters; so is old John, who was christianized by the

Moravians abouts the time of the old war. But I am a plain unlarned man, that has sarved both the king and

his country, in his day, agin� the French and savages, but never so much as looked into a book, or larnt a

letter of scholarship, in my born days. I�ve never seen the use of much indoor work, though I have lived to

be partly bald, and in my time have killed two hundred beaver in a season, and that without counting thc

other game. If you mistrust what I am telling you, you can ask Chingachgook there, for I did it in the heart of

the Delaware country, and the old man is knowing to the truth of every word I say.'

'I doubt not, my friend, that you have been both a valiant soldier and skilful hunter in your day,' said the

divine; 'but more is wanting to prepare you for that end which approaches. You may have heard the maxim,

'I�m sure I never was so great a fool as to expect to live forever,' said Natty, giving one of his silent laughs;

'no man need do that who trails the savages through the woods, as I have done, and lives, for the hot months,

on the lake streams. I�ve a strong constitution, I must say that for myself, as is plain to be seen; for I�ve drunk

the Onondaga water a hundred times, while I�ve been watching the deer licks, when the feveran�agy

seeds was to be seen in it as plain and as plenty as you can see the rattle snakes on old Crumhorn. But then I

never expected to hold out forever; though there�s them living who have seen the German flats a wilderness;

ay! and them that�s larned, and acquainted with religion, too; though you might look a week, now, and not

find even the stump of a pine on them; and that�s a wood that lasts in the ground the better part of a hundred

'This is but time, my good friend,' returned Mr. Grant, who began to take an interest in the welfare of his new

acquaintance, 'but I would have you prepare for eternity. It is incumbent on you to attend places of public

worship, as I am pleased to see that you have done this evening. Would it not he heedless in you to start on a

'It must be a young hand in the woods,' interrupted Natty, with another laugh, 'that didn�t know how to dress a

rod out of an ash sapling or find a firestone in the mountains. No, no, I never expected to live forever; but I

see, times be altering in these mountains from what they was thirty years ago, or, for that matter, ten years.

But might makes right, and the law is stronger than an old man, whether he is one that has much laming, or

only like me, that is better now at standing at the passes than in following the hounds, as I once used to could.

Heighho! I never know�d preaching come into a settlement but it made game scarce, and raised the price of

gunpowder; and that�s a thing that�s not as easily made as a ramrod or an Indian flint.'

The divine, perceiving that he had given his opponent an argument by his own unfortunate selection of a

comparison, very prudently relinquished the controversy; although he was fully determined to resume it at a

more happy moment, Repeating his request to the young hunter with great earnestness, the youth and Indian

consented to ac company him and his daughter to the dwelling that the care of Mr. Jones had provided for

their temporary residence. LeatherStocking persevered in his intention of returning to the hut, and at the

After following the course of one of the streets of the village a short distance. Mr. Grant, who led the way,

turned into a field, through a pair of open bars, and entered a footpath, of but sufficient width to admit one

person to walk in at a time. The moon had gained a height that enabled her to throw her rays perpendicularly

on the valley; and the distinct shadows of the party flitted along on the banks of the silver snow, like the

presence of aerial figures, gliding to their appointed place of meeting. The night still continued intensely cold,

although not a breath of wind was felt. The path was beaten so hard that the gentle female, who made one of

the party, moved with ease along its windings; though the frost emitted a low creaking at the impression of

The clergyman in his dark dress of broadcloth, with his mild, benevolent countenance occasionally turned

toward his companions, expressing that look of subdued care which was its characteristic, presented the first

object in this singular group. Next to him moved the Indian, his hair falling about his face, his head

uncovered, and the rest of his form concealed beneath his blanket. As his swarthy visage, with its muscles

fixed in rigid composure, was seen under the light of the moon, which struck his face obliquely, he seemed a

picture of resigned old age, on whom the storms of winter had beaten in vain for the greater part of a century;

but when, in turning his head, the rays fell directly on his dark, fiery eyes, they told a tale of passions

unrestrained, and of thoughts free as air. The slight person of Miss Grant, which followed next, and which

was but too thinly clad for the severity of the season, formed a marked contrast to thc wild attire and uneasy

glances of the Delaware chief; and more than once during their walk, the young hunter, himself no

insignificant figure in the group, was led to consider the difference in the human form, as the face of

Mohegan and the gentle countenance of Miss Grant, with eyes that rivalled the soft hue of the sky, met his

view at the instant that each turned to throw a glance at the splendid orb which lighted their path. Their way,

which led through fields that lay at some distance in the rear of the houses, was cheered by a conversation

that flagged or became animated with the subject. The first to speak was the divine.

'Really,' he said, 'it is so singular a circumstance to meet with one of your age, that has not been induced by

idle curiosity to visit any other church than the one in which he has been educated, that I feel a strong

curiosity to know the history of a life so fortunately regulated. Your education must have been excellent; as

indeed is evident from your manners and language. Of which of the States are you a native, Mr. Edwards? for

'Of this! I was at a loss to conjecture, from your dialect, which does not partake, particularly, of the

peculiarities of any country with which I am acquainted. You have, then, resided much in the cities, for no

other part of this country is so fortunate as to possess the constant enjoyment of our excellent liturgy.'

The young hunter smiled, as he listened to the divine while he so clearly betrayed from what part of the

country he had come himself; but, for reasons probably connected with his present situation, he made no

'I am delighted to meet with you, my young friend, for I think an ingenuous mind, such as I doubt not yours

must be, will exhibit all the advantages of a settled doctrine and devout liturgy. You perceive how I was

compelled to bend to the humors of my hearers this evening. Good Mr. Jones wished me to read the

communion, and, in fact, all the morning service; but, happily, the canons do not require this of an evening. It

would have wearied a new congregation; but tomorrow I purpose administering the sacrament, Do you

'I believe not, sir,' returned the youth, with a little embarrassment, that was not at all diminished by Miss

Grant�s pausing involuntarily, and turning her eyes on him in surprise; 'I fear that I am not qualified; I have

never yet approached the altar; neither would I wish to do it while I find so much of the world clinging to my

'Each must judge for himself,' said Mr. Grant; 'though I should think that a youth who had never been blown

about by the wind of false doctrines, and who has enjoyed the advantages of our liturgy for so many years in

its purity, might safely come. Yet, sir, it is a solemn festival, which none should celebrate until there is reason

to hope it is not mockery. I observed this evening, in your manner to Judge Temple, a resentment that

bordered on one of the worst of human passions, We will cross this brook on the ice; it must bear us all, I

think, in safety. Be careful not to slip, my child.' While speaking, he descended a little bank by the path, and

crossed one of the small streams that poured their waters into the lake; and, turning to see his daughter pass,

observed that the youth had advanced, and was kindly directing her footsteps. When all were safely over, he

moved up the opposite bank, and continued his discourse. 'It was wrong, my dear sir, very wrong, to suffer

such feelings to rise, under any circumstances, and especially in the present, where the evil was not intended.'

'There is good in the talk of my father,' said Mohegan, stopping short, and causing those who Were behind

him to pause also; 'it is the talk of Miquon. The white man may do as his fathers have told him; but the

�Young Eagle� has the blood of a Delaware chief in his veins; it is red, and the stain it makes can only be

Mr. Grant was surprised by the interruption of the Indian, and, stopping, faced the speaker. His mild features

were confronted to the fierce and determined looks of the chief, and expressed the horror he felt at hearing

such sentiments from one who professed the religion of his Saviour. Raising his hands to a level with his

'John, John! is this the religion that you have learned from the Moravians? But noI will not be so

uncharitable as to suppose it. They are a pious, a gentle, and a mild people, and could never tolerate these

passions. Listen to the language of the Redeemer: �But I say unto you, love your enemies; bless them that

curse you; do good to them that hate you; pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you.� This is

the command of God, John, and, without striving to cultivate such feelings, no man can see Him.'

The Indian heard the divine with attention; the unusual fire of his eye gradually softened, and his muscles

relaxed into their ordinary composure; but, slightly shaking his head, he motioned with dignity for Mr. Grant

to resume his walk, and followed himself in silence, The agitation of the divine caused him to move with

unusual rapidity along the deep path, and the Indian, without any apparent exertion, kept an equal pace; but

the young hunter observed the female to linger in her steps, until a trifling distance intervened between the

two former and the latter. Struck by the circumstance, and not perceiving any new impediment to retard her

'You are fatigued, Miss Grant,' he said; 'the snow yields to the foot, and you are unequal to the strides of us

men. Step on the crust, I entreat you, and take the help of my arm, Yonder light is, I believe, the house of

'I am quite equal to the walk,' returned a low, tremulous voice; 'but I am startled by the manner of that Indian,

Oh! his eye was horrid, as he turned to the moon, in speaking to my father. But I forgot, sir; he is your friend,

The young man stepped on the bank of snow, which firmly sustained his weight, and by a gentle effort

induced his companion to follow. Drawing her arm through his own, he lifted his cap from his head, allowing

the dark locks to flow in rich curls over his open brow, and walked by her side with an air of conscious pride,

as if inviting an examination of his utmost thoughts. Louisa took but a furtive glance at his person, and

moved quietly along, at a rate that was greatly quickened by the aid of his arm.

'You are but little acquainted with this peculiar people, Miss Grant,' he said, 'or you would know that revenge

is a virtue with an Indian. They are taught, from infancy upward, to believe it a duty never to allow an injury

to pass unrevenged; and nothing but the stronger claims of hospitality can guard one against their resentments

'Surely, sir,' said Miss Grant, involuntarily withdrawing her arm from his, 'you have not been educated with

'It might be a sufficient answer to your excellent father to say that I was educated in the church,' he returned;

'but to you I will add that I have been taught deep and practical lessons of forgiveness. I believe that, on this

subject, I have but little cause to reproach myself; it shall he my endeavor that there yet be less.'

While speaking, he stopped, and stood with his arm again proffered to her assistance. As he ended, she

Mr. Grant and Mohegan had reached the door of the former's residence, and stood waiting near its threshold

for the arrival of their young companions. The former was earnestly occupied in endeavoring to correct, by

his precepts, the evil propensities that he had discovered in the Indian during their conversation; to which the

latter listened in Profound but respectful attention. On the arrival of the young hunter and the lady, they

entered the building. The house stood at some distance from the village, in the centre of a field, surrounded

by stumps that were peering above the snow, bearing caps of pure white, nearly two feet in thickness. Not a

tree nor a shrub was nigh it; but the house, externally, exhibited that cheer less, unfurnished aspect which is

so common to the hastily erected dwellings of a new country. The uninviting character of its outside was,

however, happily relieved by the exquisite neatness and comfortable warmth within.

They entered an apartment that was fitted as a parlor, though the large fireplace, with its culinary

arrangements, betrayed the domestic uses to which it was occasionally applied. The bright blaze from the

hearth rendered the light that proceeded from the candle Louisa produced unnecessary; for the scanty

furniture of the room was easily seen and examined by the former. The floor was covered in the centre by a

carpet made of rags, a species of manufacture that was then, and yet continues to be, much in use in the

interior; while its edges, that were exposed to view, were of unspotted cleanliness. There was a trifling air of

better life in a teatable and workstand, as well as in an oldfashioned mahogany bookcase; but the chairs,

the dining table, and the rest of the furniture were of the plainest and cheapest construction, Against the

walls were hung a few specimens of needle work and drawing, the former executed with great neatness,

though of somewhat equivocal merit in their designs, while the latter were strikingly deficient in both,

One of the former represented a tomb, with a youthful female weeping over it, exhibiting a church with

arched windows in the background. On the tomb were the names, with the dates of the births and deaths, of

several individuals, all of whom bore the name of Grant. An extremely cursory glance at this record was

sufficient to discover to the young hunter the domestic state of the divine. He there read that he was a

widower; and that the innocent and timid maiden, who had been his companion, was the only survivor of six

children. The knowledge of the dependence which each of these meek Christians had on the other for

happiness threw an additional charm around the gentle but kind attentions which the daughter paid to the

These observations occurred while the party were seating themselves before the cheerful fire, during which

time there was a suspension of discourse. But, when each was comfortably arranged, and Louisa, after laying

aside a thin coat of faded silk, and a gypsy hat, that was more becoming to her modest, ingenuous

countenance than appropriate to the season, had taken a chair between her father and the youth, the former

'I trust, my young friend,' he said, 'that the education you have received has eradicated most of those

revengeful principles which you may have inherited by descent, for I understand from the expressions of John

that you have some of the blood of the Delaware tribe. Do not mistake me, I beg, for it is not color nor

lineage that constitutes merit; and I know not that he who claims affinity to the proper owners of this soil has

Mohegan turned solemnly to the speaker, and, with the peculiarly significant gestures of an Indian, he spoke:

'Father, you are not yet past the summer of life; your limbs are young. Go to the highest hill, and look around

you. All that you see, from the rising to the setting sun, from the headwaters of the great spring, to where

the �crooked river�* is hid by the hills, is his. He has Delaware blood, and his right is strong.

* The Susquehannah means crooked river; 'hannah,' or 'hannock,' meant river in many of the native dialects.

But the brother of Miquon is just; he will cut the country in two parts, as the river cuts the lowlands, and will

say to the �Young Eagle,� �Child of the Delawares! take itkeep it; and be a chief in the land of your

'Never!' exclaimed the young hunter, with a vehemence that destroyed the rapt attention with which the

divine and his daughter were listening to the Indian. 'The wolf of the forest is not more rapacious for his prey

than that man is greedy of gold; and yet his glidings into wealth are subtle as the movements of a serpent.'

'Forbear, forbear, my son, forbear,' interrupted Mr. Grant. 'These angry passions most be subdued. The

accidental injury you have received from Judge Temple has heightened the sense of your hereditary wrongs.

But remember that the one was unintentional, and that the other is the effect of political changes, which have,

in their course, greatly lowered the pride of kings, and swept mighty nations from the face of the earth.

Where now are the Philistines, who so often held the children of Israel in bondage? or that city of Babylon,

which rioted in luxury and vice, and who styled herself the Queen of Nations in the drunkenness of her pride?

Remember the prayer of our holy litany, where we implore the Divine Power�that it may please thee to

forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts. The sin of the wrongs which have

been done to the natives is shared by Judge Temple only in common with a whole people, and your arm will

'This arm!' repeated the youth, pacing the floor in violent agitation. 'Think you, sir, that I believe the man a

murderer? Oh, no! he is too wily, too cowardly, for such a crime. But let him and his daughter riot in their

wealtha day of retribution will come. No, no, no,' he continued, as he trod the floor more calmly' it is

for Mohegan to suspect him of an intent to injure me; but the trifle is not worth a second thought.' He seated

'It is the hereditary violence of a native�s passion, my child,' said Mr. Grant in a low tone to his affrighted

daughter, who was clinging in terror to his arm. 'He is mixed with the blood of the Indians, you have heard;

and neither the refinements of education nor the advantages of our excellent liturgy have been able entirely to

Although the divine spoke in a low tone, yet what he uttered was heard by the youth, who raised his head,

'Be not alarmed, Miss Grant, at either the wildness of my manner or that of my dress. I have been carried

away by passions that I should struggle to repress. I must attribute it, with your father, to the blood in my

veins, although I would not impeach my lineage willingly; for it is all that is left me to boast of. Yes! I am

proud of my descent from a Delaware chief, who was a warrior that ennobled human nature. Old Mohegan

Mr. Grant here took up the discourse, and, finding the young man more calm, and the aged chief attentive, he

entered into a full and theological discussion of the duty of forgiveness. The conversation lasted for more

than an hour, when the visitors arose, and, after exchanging good wishes with their entertainers, they

departed. At the door they separated, Mohegan taking the direct route to the village, while the youth moved

toward the lake. The divine stood at the entrance of his dwelling, regarding the figure of the aged chief as it

glided, at an astonishing gait for his years, along the deep path; his black, straight hair just visible over the

bundle formed by his blanket, which was sometimes blended with the snow, under the silvery light of the

moon. From the rear of the house was a window that overlooked the lake; and here Louisa was found by her

father, when he entered, gazing intently on some object in the direction of the eastern mountain. He

approached the spot, and saw the figure of the young hunter, at the distance of half a mile, walking with

prodigious steps across the wide fields of frozen snow that covered the ice, toward the point where he knew

the hut inhabited by the Leather Stocking was situated on the margin of the lake, under a rock that was

crowned by pines and hemlocks. At the next instant, the wild looking form entered the shadow cast from the

'It is marvellous how long the propensities of the savage continue in that remarkable race,' said the good

divine; 'but if he perseveres as he has commenced, his triumph shall yet be complete. Put me in mind, Louisa,

'Surety, father, you do not think him in danger of relapsing into the worship of his ancestors?'

'No, my child,' returned the clergyman, laying his hand affectionately on her flaxen locks, and smiling; 'his

white blood would prevent it; but there is such a thing as the idolatry of our passions.'

On one of the corners, where the two principal streets of Templeton intersected each other, stood, as we have

already mentioned, the inn called the 'Bold Dragoon'. In the original plan it was ordained that the village

should stretch along the little stream that rushed down the valley; and the street which led from the lake to the

academy was intended to be its western boundary. But convenience frequently frustrates the bestregulated

plans. The house of Mr., or as, in consequence of commanding the militia of that vicinity, he was called,

Captain Hollister, had, at an early day, been erected directly facing the main street, and ostensibly interposed

a barrier to its further progress. Horsemen, and subsequently teamsters, however, availed themselves of an

opening, at the end of the building, to shorten their passage westward, until in time the regular highway was

laid out along this course, and houses were gradually built on either side, so as effectually to prevent any

Two material consequences followed this change in the regular plans of Marmaduke. The main street, after

running about half its length, was suddenly reduced for precisely that difference in its width; and 'Bold

Dragoon' became, next to the mansionhouse, by far the most conspicuous edifice in the place.

This conspicuousness, aided by the characters of the host and hostess, gave the tavern an advantage over all

its future competitors that no circumstances could conquer. An effort was, however, made to do so; and at the

corner diagonally opposite, stood a new building that was in tended, by its occupants, to look down all

opposition. It was a house of wood, ornamented in the prevailing style of architecture, and about the roof and

balustrades was one of the three imitators of the mansionhouse. The upper windows were filled with rough

boards secured by nails, to keep out the cold airfor the edifice was far from finished, although glass was to

be seen in the lower apartments, and the light of the powerful fires within de noted that it was already

inhabited. The exterior was painted white on the front and on the end which was exposed to the street; but in

the rear, and on the side which was intended to join the neighboring house, it was coarsely smeared with

Spanish brown. Before the door stood two lofty posts, connected at the top by a beam, from which was

suspended an enormous sign, ornamented around its edges with certain curious carvings in pine boards, and

on its faces loaded with Masonic emblems. Over these mysterious figures was written, in large letters, 'The

Templeton Coffeehouse, and Traveller�s Hotel,' and beneath them, 'By Habakkuk Foote and Joshua Knapp.'

This was a fearful rival to the' Bold Dragoon,' as our readers will the more readily perceive when we add that

the same sonorous names were to be seen over a newly erected store in the village, a hatter�s shop, and the

gates of a tanyard. But, either because too much was attempted to be executed well, or that the 'Bold

Dragoon' had established a reputation which could not be easily shaken, not only Judge Temple and his

friends, but most of the villagers also, who were not in debt to the powerful firm we have named, frequented

On the present evening the limping veteran and his consort were hardly housed after their return from the

academy, when the sounds of stamping feet at their threshold announced the approach of visitors, who were

probably assembling with a view to compare opinions on the subject of the ceremonies they had witnessed.

The public, or as it was called, the 'barroom,' of the Bold Dragoon,' was a spacious apartment, lined on three

sides with benches and on the fourth by fireplaces. Of the latter there were two of such size as to occupy, with

their enormous jambs, the whole of that side of the apartment where they were placed, excepting room

enough for a door or two, and a little apartment in one corner, which was protected by miniature palisades,

and profusely garnished with bottles and glasses. In the entrance to this sanctuary Mrs. Hollister was seated,

with great gravity in her air, while her husband occupied himself with stirring the fires, moving the logs with

'There, sargeant, dear,' said the landlady, after she thought the veteran had got the logs arranged in the most

judicious manner, 'give over poking, for it�s no good ye�ll be doing, now that they burn so convaniently.

There�s the glasses on the table there, and the mug that the doctor was taking his cider and ginger in, before

the fire here just put them in the bar, will ye? for we�ll be having the jooge, and the Major, and Mr. Jones

down the night, without reckoning Benjamin Poomp, and the lawyers; so yell be fixing the room tidy; and put

both flip irons in the coals; and tell Jude, the lazy black baste, that if she�s no be cleaning up the kitchen I�ll

turn her out of the house, and she may live wid the jontlemen that kape the �Coffee house,� good luck to �em.

Och! sargeant, sure it�s a great privilege to go to a mateing where a body can sit asy, without joomping up

'It�s a privilege at all times, Mrs. Hollister, whether we stand or be seated; or, as good Mr. Whitefleld used to

do after he had made a wearisome day�s march, get on our knees and pray, like Moses of old, with a flanker

to the right and left to lift his hands to heaven,' returned her husband, who composedly performed what she

had directed to be done. 'It was a very pretty fight, Betty, that the Israelites had on that day with the

Amalekites, It seams that they fout on a plain, for Moses is mentioned as having gone on the heights to

overlook the battle, and wrestle in prayer; and if I should judge, with my little larning, the Israelites depended

mainly on their horse, for it was written �that Joshua cut up the enemy with the edge of the sword; from

which I infer, not only that they were horse, but well diseiplyned troops. Indeed, it says as much as that they

were chosen men; quite likely volunteers; for raw dragoons seldom strike with the edge of their swords,

particularly if the weapon be any way crooked.' 'Pshaw! why do ye bother yourself wid texts, man, about so

small a matter?' interrupted the landlady; 'sure, it was the Lord who was with �em; for he always sided with

the Jews, before they fell away; and it�s but little matter what kind of men Joshua commanded, so that he was

doing the right bidding. Aven them cursed millaishy, the Lord forgive me for swearing, that was the death of

him, wid their cowardice, would have carried the day in old times. There�s no rason to be thinking that the

'I must say, Mrs. Hollister, that I have not often seen raw troops fight better than the left flank of the militia,

at the time you mention. They rallied handsomely, and that without beat of drum, which is no easy thing to

do under fire, and were very steady till he fell. But the Scriptures contain no unnecessary words; and I will

maintain that horse, who know how to strike with the edge of the sword, must be well disoiplyned. Many a

good sarmon has been preached about smaller matters than that one word! If the text was not meant to be

particular, why wasn�t it written with the sword, and not with the edge? Now, a backhanded stroke, on the

edge, takes long practice. Goodness! what an argument would Mr. Whitefield make of that word edge! As to

the captain, if he had only called up the guard of dragoons when he rallied the foot, they would have shown

the inimy what the edge of a sword was; for, although there was no commissioned officer with them, yet I

think I must say,' the veteran continued, stiffening his cravat about his throat, and raising himself up with tile

air of a drillsergeant, 'they were led by a man who knowed how to bring them on. in spite of the ravine.'

'Is it lade on ye would,' cried the landlady, 'when ye know yourself, Mr. Hollister, that the baste he rode was

but little able to joomp from one rock to another, and the animal was as spry as a squirrel? Och! but it�s

useless to talk, for he�s gone this many a year. I would that he had lived to see the true light; but there�s

mercy for a brave sowl, that died in the saddle, fighting for the liberty. It is a poor tombstone they have given

him, anyway, and many a good one that died like himself; but the sign is very like, and I will be kapeing it

up, while the blacksmith can make a hook for it to swing on, for all the �coffeehouses� betwane this and

There is no saying where this desultory conversation would have led the worthy couple, had not the men,

who were stamping the snow off their feet on the little plat form before the door, suddenly ceased their

For ten or fifteen minutes the different individuals, who intended either to bestow or receive edification

before the fires of the 'Bold Dragoon' on that evening, were collecting, until the benches were nearly filled

with men of different occupations. Dr. Todd and a slovenlylooking, shabbygenteel young man, who took

tobacco profusely, wore a coat of imported cloth cut with something like a fashionable air, frequently

exhibited a large French silver watch, with a chain of woven hair and a silver key, and who, altogether,

seemed as much above the artisans around him as he was himself inferior to the real gentle man, occupied a

Sundry brown mugs, containing cider or beer, were placed between the heavy andirons, and little groups were

found among the guests as subjects arose or the liquor was passed from one to the other. No man was seen to

drink by himself, nor in any instance was more than one vessel considered necessary for the same beverage;

but the glass or the mug was passed from hand to hand until a chasm in the line or a regard to the rights of

ownership would regularly restore the dregs of the potation to him who de frayed the cost.

Toasts were uniformly drunk; and occasionally some one who conceived himself peculiarly endowed by

Nature to shine in the way of wit would attempt some such sentiment as ' hoping that he' who treated 'might

make a better man than his father;' or 'live till all his friends wished him dead;' while the more humble

potcompanion contented himself by saying, with a most composing gravity in his air, 'Come, here�s luck,' or

by expressing some other equally comprehensive desire. In every instance the veteran landlord was requested

to imitate the custom of the cupbearers to kings, and taste the liquor he presented, by the invitation of 'After

you is manners,' with which request he ordinarily complied by wetting his lips, first expressing the wish of

'Here�s hoping,' leaving it to the imagination of the hearers to fill the vacuum by whatever good each thought

most desirable. During these movements the landlady was busily occupied with mixing the various

compounds required by her customers, with her own hands, and occasionally exchanging greetings and

inquiries concerning the conditions of their respective families, with such of the villagers as approached the

At length the common thirst being in some measure assuaged, conversation of a more general nature became

the order of the hour. The physician and his companion, who was one of the two lawyers of the village, being

considered the best qualified to maintain a public discourse with credit, were the principal speakers, though a

remark was hazarded, now and then, by Mr. Doolittle, who was thought to be their inferior only in the

enviable point of education. A general silence was produced on all but the two speakers, by the following

'So, Dr. Todd, I understand that you have been per forming an important operation this evening by cutting a

'Yes, sir,' returned other, elevating his little head with an air of importance. 'I had a small job up at the

Judge�s in that way; it was, however, but a trifle to what it might have been, had it gone through the body.

The shoulder is not a very vital part; and I think the young man will soon be well. But I did not know that the

patient was a son of LeatherStocking; it is news to me to hear that Natty had a wife.'

'It is by no means a necessary consequence, returned the other, winking, with a shrewd look around the bar

'Spake it out, man,' exclaimed the landlady; 'spake it out in king�s English; what for should ye be talking

Indian in a room full of Christian folks, though it is about a poor hunter, who is but little better in his ways

than the wild savages themselves? Och! it�s to be hoped that the missionaries will, in his own time, make a

conversion of the poor devils; and then it will matter little of what color is the skin, or wedder there be wool

'Oh! it is Latin, not Indian, Miss Hollister!' returned the lawyer, repeating his winks and shrewd looks; 'and

Dr. Todd understands Latin, or how would he read the labels on his gailipots and drawers? No, no, Miss

'Hemwhy, I guess I am not far out of the way,' returned Elnathan, endeavoring to imitate the expression of

the other�s countenance, by looking jocular. 'Latin is a queer language, gentlemen; now I rather guess there is

no one in the room, except Squire Lippet, who can believe that �Far. Av.� means oatmeal, in English.'

The lawyer in his turn was a good deal embarrassed by this display of learning; for, although he actually had

taken his first degree at one of the eastern universities, he was somewhat puzzled with the terms used by his

companion. It was dangerous, however, to appear to he out done in learning in a public barroom, and before

so many of his clients; he therefore put the best face on the matter, and laughed knowingly as if there were a

good joke concealed under it, that was understood only by the physician and himself. All this was attentively

observed by the listeners, who exchanged looks of approbation; and the expressions of ' tonguey mati,' and 'I

guess Squire Lippet knows if anybody does,' were heard in different parts of the room, as vouchers for the

admiration of his auditors. Thus encouraged, the lawyer rose from his chair, and turning his back to the fire,

'The son of Natty, or the son of nobody, I hope the young man is not going to let the matter drop. This is a

country of law; and I should like to see it fairly tried, whether a man who owns, or says he owns, a hundred

thousand acres of land, has any more right to shoot a body than another. What do you think of it, Dr. Todd?'

Oh, sir, I am of opinion that the gentleman will soon be well, as I said before; the wound isn�t in a vital part;

and as the ball was extracted so soon, and the shoulder was what I call well attended to, I do not think there is

as much danger as there might have been.' 'I say, Squire Doolittle,' continued the attorney, raising his voice,

'you are a magistrate, and know what is law and what is not law. I ask you, sir, if shooting a man is a thing

that is to be settled so very easily? Suppose, sir, that the young man had a wife and family; and suppose that

he was a mechanic like yourself, sir; and sup pose that his family depended on him for bread; and suppose

that the ball, instead of merely going through the flesh, had broken the shoulder blade, and crippled him

forever; I ask you all, gentlemen, supposing this to be the case, whether a jury wouldn�t give what I call

As the close of this supposititious case was addressed to the company generally, Hiram did not at first

consider himself called on for a reply; but finding the eyes of the listeners bent on him in expectation, he

remembered his character for judicial discrimination, and spoke, observing a due degree of deliberation and

'Why, if a man should shoot another,' he said, ' and if he should do it on purpose and if the law took notice

on�t, and if a jury should find him guilty, it would be likely to turn out a stateprison matter.'

'It would so, sir,' returned the attorney. 'The law, gentlemen, is no respecter of persons in a free country. It is

one of the great blessings that has been handed down to us from our ancestors, that all men are equal in the

eye of the laws, as they are by nater. Though some may get property, no one knows how, yet they are not

privileged to transgress the laws any more than the poorest citizen in the State. This is my notion, gentlemen:

and I think that it a man had a mind to bring this matter up, something might be made out of it that would

'Why, sir,' returned the physician, who appeared a little uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking, 'I have

the promise of Judge Temple before mennot but what I would take his word as soon as his note of hand

but it was before men. Let me seethere was Mounshier Ler Quow, and Squire Jones, and Major Hartmann,

and Miss Pettibone, and one or two of the blacks by, when he said that his pocket would amply reward me for

'Was the promise made before or after the service was performed?' asked the attorney.

'It might have been both,' returned the discreet physician; 'though I�m certain he said so before I undertook

'But it seems that he said his pocket should reward you, doctor,' observed Hiram. 'Now I don�t know that the

law will hold a man to such a promise; he might give you his pocket with sixpence in�t, and tell you to take

'That would not be a reward in the eye of the law, interrupted the attorney' not what is called a �quid pro

quo;� nor is the pocket to be considered as an agent, but as part of a man�s own person, that is, in this

particular. I am of opinion that an action would lie on that promise, and I will undertake to bear him out, free

To this proposition the physician made no reply; but he was observed to cast his eyes around him, as if to

enumerate the witnesses, in order to substantiate this promise also, at a future day, should it prove necessary.

A subject so momentous as that of suing Judge Temple was not very palatable to the present company in so

public a place; and a short silence ensued, that was only interrupted by the opening of the door, and the

The old hunter carried in his hand his neverfailing companion, the rifle; and although all of the company

were uncovered excepting the lawyer, who wore his hat on one side, with a certain dam�me air, Natty moved

to the front of one of the fires without in the least altering any part of his dress or appearance. Several

questions were addressed to him, on the subject of the game he had killed, which he answered readily, and

with some little interest; and the landlord, between whom and Natty there existed much cordiality, on account

of their both having been soldiers in youth, offered him a glass of a liquid which, if we might judge from its

reception, was no unwelcome guest. When the forester had got his potation also, he quietly took his seat on

the end of one of the logs that lay nigh the fires, and the slight interruption produced by his entrance seemed

'The testimony of the blacks could not be taken, sir,' continued the lawyer, 'for they are all the property of Mr.

Jones, who owns their time. But there is a way by which Judge Temple, or any other man, might be made to

pay for shooting another, and for the cure in the bargain. There is a way, I say, and that without going into the

'And a mighty big error ye would make of it, Mister Todd,' cried the landlady, 'should ye be putting the mat

ter into the law at all, with Joodge Temple, who has a purse as long as one of them pines on the hill, and who

is an asy man to dale wid, if yees but mind the humor of him. He�s a good man is Joodge Temple, and a kind

one, and one who will be no the likelier to do the pratty thing, becase ye would wish to tarrify him wid the

law. I know of but one objaction to the same, which is an overcareless ness about his sowl. It�s neither a

Methodie, nor a Papish, nor Parsbetyrian, that he is, but just nothing at all; and it�s hard to think that he, �who

will not fight the good fight, under the banners of a rig�lar church, in this world, will be mustered among the

chosen in heaven,� as my husband, the captain there, as ye call him, saysthough there is but one captain

that I know, who desarves the name. I hopes, LatherStocking, ye�ll no be foolish, and putting the boy up to

try the law in the matter; for �twill be an evil day to ye both, when ye first turn the skin of so paceable an

animal as a sheep into a bone of contention, The lad is wilcome to his drink for nothing, until his shoulther

'Well, that�s gin�rous,' was heard from several mouths at once, for this was a company in which a liberal offer

was not thrown away; while the hunter, instead �of expressing any of that indignation which he might be sup

posed to feel, at hearing the hurt of his young companion alluded to, opened his mouth, with the silent laugh

for which he was so remarkable; and after he had indulged his humor, made this reply:

'I knowed the Judge would do nothing with his smooth bore when he got out of his sleigh. I never saw but

one smoothbore that would carry at all, and that was a French duckingpiece, upon the big lakes; it had a

barrel half as long agin as my rifle, and would throw fine shot into a goose at one hundred yards; but it made

dreadful work with the game, and you wanted a boat to carry it about in. When I went with Sir William agin�

the French, at Fort Niagara, all the rangers used the rifle; and a dreadful weapon it is, in the hands of one who

knows how to charge it, and keep a steady aim. The captain knows, for he says he was a soldier in Shirley�s;

and, though they were nothing but baggonetmen, he must know how we cut up the French and Iroquois in

the skrimmages in that war. Chingachgook, which means �Big Sarpent� in English, old John Mohegan, who

lives up at the hut with me, was a great warrior then, and was out with us; he can tell all about it, too; though

he was overhand for the tomahawk, never firing more than once or twice, before he was running in for the

scalps. Ah! times is dreadfully altered since then. Why, doctor, there was nothing but a foot path, or at the

most a track for packhorses, along the Mohawk, from the Jarman Flats up to the forts. Now, they say, they

talk of running one of them wide roads with gates on it along the river; first making a road, and then fencing

it up! I hunted one season back of the Kaatskills, nighhand to the settlements, and the dogs often lost the

scent, when they came to them highways, there was so much travel on them; though I can�t say that the brutes

was of a very good breed. Old Hector will wind a deer, in the fall of the year, across the broadest place in the

Otsego, and that is a mile and a half, for I paced it my self on the ice, when the tract was first surveyed, under

'It sames to me, Natty, but a sorry compliment to call your comrad after the evil one,' said the landlady; 'and

it�s no much like a snake that old John is looking now, Nimrod would be a more becomeing name for the lad,

and a more Christian, too, seeing that it conies from the Bible. The sargeant read me the chapter about him,

the night before my christening, and a mighty asement it was to listen to anything from the book.'

'Old John and Chingachgook were very different men to look on,' returned the hunter, shaking his head at his

melancholy recollections. 'In the �fiftyeighth war� he was in the middle of manhood, and taller than now by

three inches. If you had seen him, as I did, the morning we beat Dieskau, from behind our log walls, you

would have called him as comely a redskin as ye ever set eyes on. He was naked all to his breechcloth and

leggins; and you never seed a creatur� so handsomely painted. One side of his face was red and the other

black. His head was shaved clean, all to a few hairs on the crown, where he wore a tuft of eagle�s feathers, as

bright as if they had come from a peacock�s tail. He had colored his sides so that they looked like anatomy,

ribs and all, for Chingachgook had a great taste in such things, so that, what with his bold, fiery countenance,

his knife, and his tomahawk, I have never seen a fiercer warrior on the ground. He played his part, too, like a

man, for I saw him next day with thirteen scalps on his pole. And I will say this for the �Big Snake,� that he

always dealt fair, and never scalped any that he didn�t kill with his own hands.'

'Well, well!' cried the landlady, 'fighting is fighting anyway, and there is different fashions in the thing;

though I can�t say that I relish mangling a body after the breath is out of it; neither do I think it can be uphild

by doctrine. I hope, sargeant, ye niver was helping in sich evil worrek.' 'It was my duty to keep my ranks, and

to stand or fall by the baggonet or lead,' returned the veteran. 'I was then in the fort, and seldom leaving my

place, saw but little of the savages, who kept on the flanks or in front, skrimmaging. I remember,

howsomever, to have heard mention made of the �Great Snake,� as he was called, for he was a chief of

renown; but little did I ever expect to see him enlisted in the cause of Christianity, and civilized like old

'Oh! he was Christianized by the Moravians, who were always over intimate with the Delawares,' said

LeatherStocking. 'It�s my opinion that, had they been left to themselves, there would he no such doings now

about the headwaters of the two rivers, and that these hills mought have been kept as good huntingground

by their right owner, who is not too old to carry a rifle, and whose sight is as true as a fish hawk hovering'

He was interrupted by more stamping at the door, and presently the party from the mansionhouse entered,

Some little commotion was produced by the appearance of the new guests, during which the lawyer slunk

from the room. Most of the men approached Marmaduke, and shook his offered hand, hoping 'that the Judge

was well;' while Major Hartmann having laid aside his hat and wig, and substituted for the latter a warm,

peaked woollen nightcap, took his seat very quietly on one end of the settee, which was relinquished by its

former occupant. His tobaccobox was next produced, and a clean pipe was handed him by the landlord.

When he had succeeded in raising a smoke, the Major gave a long whiff, and, turning his head toward the

In the mean time the Judge had exchanged his salutations with most of the company, and taken a place by the

side of the Major, and Richard had bustled himself into the most comfortable seat in the room. Mr. Le Quoi

was the last seated, nor did he venture to place his chair finally, until by frequent removals he had ascertained

that he could not possibly intercept a ray of heat front any individual present. Mohegan found a place on an

When these movements had subsided, the Judge remarked pleasantly: Well, Betty, I find you retain your

popularity through all weathers, against all rivals, and among all religions. How liked you the sermon?'

'Is it the sarmon?' exclaimed the landlady. 'I can�t say but it was rasonable; but the prayers is mighty unasy.

It�s no small a matter for a body in their fiftynint� year to be moving so much in church. Mr. Grant sames a

godly man, any way, and his garrel a hommble on; and a devout. Here, John, is a mug of cider, laced with

whiskey. An Indian will drink cider, though he niver be athirst. 'I must say,' observed Hiram, with due

deliberation, 'that it was a tongney thing; and I rather guess that it gave considerable satisfaction, There was

one part, though, which might have been left out, or something else put in; but then I s�pose that, as it was a

written discourse, it is not so easily altered as where a minister preaches without notes.'

'�y! there�s the rub, Joodge,' cried the landlady. 'How can a man stand up and be preaching his word, when

all that he is saying is written down, and he is as much tied to it as iver a thaving dragoon was to the pickets?'

'Well, well,' cried Marmaduke, waving his hand for silence, 'there is enough said; as Mr. Grant told us, there

are different sentiments on such subjects, and in my opinion he spoke most sensibly. So, Jotham, I am told

you have sold your betterments to a new settler, and have moved into the village and opened a school. Was it

The man who was thus addressed occupied a seat immediately behind Marmaduke, and one who was

ignorant of the extent of the Judge�s observation might have thought he would have escaped notice. He was

of a thin, shapeless figure, with a discontented expression of countenance, and with something extremely

shiftless in his whole air, Thus spoken to, after turning and twisting a little, by way of preparation, he made a

'Why part cash and part dicker. I sold out to a Pumfietman who was so�thin� forehanded. He was to give me

ten dollar an acre for the clearin�, and one dollar an acre over the first cost on the woodland, and we agreed to

leave the buildin�s to men. So I tuck Asa Montagu, and he tuck Absalom Bement, and they two tuck old

Squire Napthali Green. And so they had a meetin�, and made out a vardict of eighty dollars for the buildin�s.

There was twelve acres of clearin� at ten dollars, and eightyeight at one, and the whole came to two hundred

'Why, besides what�s comin� to the Judge, I gi�n my brother Tim a hundred dollars for his bargain; but then

there�s a new house on�t, that cost me sixty more, and I paid Moses a hundred dollars for choppin�, and

loggin�, and sowin�, so that the whole stood to me in about two hundred and sixty dollars. But then I had a

great crop oft on�t, and as I got twentysix dollars and a half more than it cost, I conclude I made a pretty

'Yes, but you forgot that the crop was yours without the trade, and you have turned yourself out of doors for

'Oh! the Judge is clean out,' said the man with a look of sagacious calculation; 'he turned out a span of horses,

that is wuth a hundred and fifty dollars of any man�s money, with a brannew wagon; fifty dollars in cash,

and a good note for eighty more; and a sidesaddle that was valued at seven and a halfso there was jist

twelve shillings betwixt us. I wanted him to turn out a set of harness, and take the cow and the sap troughs.

He wouldn�tbut I saw through it; he thought I should have to buy the tacklin� afore I could use the wagon

and horses; but I knowed a thing or two myself; I should like to know of what use is the tacklin� to him! I

offered him to trade back agin for one hundred and fiftyfive. But my woman said she wanted to churn, so I

'And what do you mean to do with your time this winter? You must remember that time is money.'

'Why, as master has gone down country to see his mother, who, they say, is going to make a die on�t, I agreed

to take the school in hand till he comes back, It times doesn�t get worse in the spring, I�ve some notion of

going into trade, or maybe I may move off to the Genesee; they say they are carryin� on a great stroke of

business thataway. If the wust comes to the wust, I can but work at my trade, for I was brought up in a

It would seem that Marmaduke did not think his society of sufficient value to attempt inducing him to remain

where he was, for he addressed no further discourse to the man, but turned his attention to other subjects.

'What news does the Judge bring us from the Legislature? It�s not likely that Congress has done much this

'The French, since they have beheaded their king, have done nothing but fight,' returned the Judge. 'The

character of the nation seems changed. I knew many French gentlemen during our war, and they all appeared

to me to be men of great humanity and goodness of heart; but these Jacobins are as blood thirsty as

'There was one Roshambow wid us down at Yorrektown,' cried the landlady 'a mighty pratty man he was too;

and their horse was the very same. It was there that the sargeant got the hurt in the leg from the English

'The Legislature have been passing laws,' continued Marmaduke, 'that the country much required. Among

others, there is an act prohibiting the drawing of seines, at any other than proper seasons, in certain of our

streams and small lakes; and another, to prohibit the killing of deer in the teeming months. These are laws

that were loudly called for by judicious men; nor do I despair of getting an act to make the unlawful felling of

The hunter listened to this detail with breathless attention, and, when the Judge had ended, he laughed in open

'You may make your laws, Judge,' be cried, 'but who will you find to watch the mountains through the long

summer days, or the lakes at night? Game is game, and be who finds may kill; that has been the law in these

mountains for forty years to my sartain knowledge; and I think one old law is worth two new ones. None but

a green one would wish to kill a doe with a fa�n by its side, unless his moccasins were getting old, or his

leggins ragged, for the flesh is lean and coarse. But a rifle rings among the rocks along the lake shore,

sometimes, as if fifty pieces were fired at onceit would be hard to tell where the man stood who pulled the

'Armed with the dignity of the law, Mr. Bumppo,' returned the Judge, gravely, 'a vigilant magistrate can

prevent much of the evil that has hitherto prevailed, and which is already rendering the game scarce. I hope to

live to see the day when a man�s rights in his game shall be as much respected as his title to his farm,'

'Your titles and your farms are all new together,' cried Natty; 'but laws should be equal, and not more for one

than another. I shot a deer, last Wednesday was a fort night, and it floundered through the snowbanks till it

got over a brush fence; I catched the lock of my rifle in the twigs in following, and was kept back, until

finally the creature got off. Now I want to know who is to pay me for that deer; and a fine buck it was. If

there hadn�t been a fence I should have gotten another shot into it; and I never drawed upon anything that

hadn�t wings three times running, in my born days. No, no, Judge, it�s the farmers that makes the game

'Ter teer is not so plenty as in tee old war, Pumppo,' said the Major, who had been an attentive listener, amid

clouds of smoke; 'put ter lant is not mate as for ter teer to live on, put for Christians.'

'Why, Major, I believe you�re a friend to justice and the right, though you go so often to the grand house; but

it�s a hard case to a man to have his honest calling for a livelihood stopped by laws, and that, too, when, if

right was done, he mought hunt or fish on any day in the week, or on the best flat in the Patent, if he was so

'I unterstant you, LetterStockint,' returned the Major, fixing his black eyes, with a look of peculiar meaning,

on the hunter: 'put you didn�t use to be so prutent as to look ahet mit so much care.'

'Maybe there wasn�t so much occasion,' said the hunter, a little sulkily; when he sank into a silence from

'The Judge was saying so�thin� about the French,' Hiram observed when the pause in the conversation had

'Yes, sir,' returned Marmaduke, 'the Jacobins of France seem rushing from one act of licentiousness to an

other, They continue those murders which are dignified by the name of executions. You have heard that they

'Les monstres!' again murmured Monsieur Le Quoi, turning himself suddenly in his chair, with a convulsive

'The province of La Vend�e is laid waste by the troops of the republic, and hundreds of its inhabitants, who

are royalists in their sentiments, are shot at a time. La Vend�e is a district in the southwest of France, that

continues yet much attached to the family of the Bourbons; doubtless Monsieur Le Quoi is acquainted with it,

'Non, non, non, mon cher ami,' returned the Frenchman in a suppressed voice, but speaking rapidly, and

gesticulating with his right hand, as if for mercy, while with his left he concealed his eyes.

'There have been many battles fought lately,' continued Marmaduke, 'and the infuriated republicans are too

often victorious. I cannot say, however, that I am sorry that they have captured Toulon from the English, for

'Ahha!' exclaimed Monsieur Le Quoi, springing on his feet and flourishing both arms with great

The Frenchman continued to move about the room with great alacrity for a few minutes, repeating his

exclamations to himself; when overcome by the contrary nature of his emotions, he suddenly burst out of the

house, and was seen wading through the snow toward his little shop, waving his arms on high, as if to pluck

down honor from the moon. His departure excited but little surprise, for the villagers were used to his

manner; but Major Hartmann laughed outright, for the first during his visit, as he lifted the mug, and

'Ter Frenchman is matput he is goot as for noting to trink: he is trunk mit joy.'

'The French are good soldiers,' said Captain Hollis ter; 'they stood us in hand a good turn at Yorktown; nor do

I think, although I am an ignorant man about the great movements of the army, that his excellency would

'Ye spake the trot�, sargeant,' interrupted his wife, 'and I would iver have ye be doing the same. It�s varry

pratty men is the French; and jist when I stopt the cart, the time when ye was pushing on in front it was, to

kape the riglers in, a rigiment of the jontlemen marched by, and so I dealt them out to their liking. Was it pay

I got? Sure did I, and in good solid crowns; the divil a bit of continental could they muster among them all,

for love nor money. Och! the Lord forgive me for swearing and spakeing of such vanities; but this I will say

for the French, that they paid in good silver; and one glass would go a great way wid �em, for they gin�rally

handed it back wid a drop in the cup; and that�s a brisk trade, Joodge, where the pay is good, and the men not

'A thriving trade, Mrs. Hollister,' said Marmaduke. 'But what has become of Richard? he jumped up as soon

'No fear of that, Cousin �Duke,' cried the gentleman himself; 'business will sometimes keep a man warm the

coldest night that ever snapt in the mountains. Betty, your husband told me, as we came out of church, that

your hogs were getting mangy, and so I have been out to take a look at them, and found it true. I stepped

across, doctor, and got your boy to weigh me out a pound of salts, and have been mixing it with their swill.

I�ll bet a saddle of venison against a gray squirrel that they are better in a week. And now, Mrs. Hollister, I�m

'Sure I know�d ye�d be wanting that same,' said the landlady; 'it�s fixt and ready to the boiling. Sargeant, dear,

be handing up the iron, will ye?no, the one on the far fire, it�s black, ye will see. Ah! you�ve the thing

now; look if it�s not as red as a cherry.' The beverage was heated, and Richard took that kind of draught

which men are apt to indulge in who think that they have just executed a clever thing, especially when they

'Oh! you have a hand. Betty, that was formed to mix flip,' cried Richard, when he paused for breath. 'The very

iron has a flavor in it. Here, John, drink, man, drink! I and you and Dr. Todd have done a good thing with the

shoulder of that lad this very night. �Duke, I made a song while you were goneone day when I had nothing

to do; so I'll sing you a verse or two, though I haven�t really determined on the tune yet.

'What is life but a scene of care, Where each one must toil in his way? Then let us be jolly, and prove that we

are A set of good fellows, who seem very rare, And can laugh and sing all the day. Then let us be jolly And

'There, �Duke, what do you think of that? There is another verse of it, all but the last line. I haven�t got a

rhyme for the last line yet. Well, old John, what do you think of the music? as good as one of your

'Good!' said Mohegan, who had been sharing deeply in the potations of the landlady, besides paying a proper

'Bravo! pravo! Richart,' cried the Major, whose black eyes were beginning to swim in moisture; 'pravisimo

his a goot song; put Natty Pumppo has a petter. LetterStockint, vilt sing? say, olt poy, vilt sing ter song as

'No, no, Major,' returned the hunter, with a melancholy shake of the head, 'I have lived to see what I thought

eyes could never behold in these hills, and I have no heart left for singing. If he that has a right to be master

and ruler here is forced to squinch his thirst, when adry, with snowWater, it ill becomes them that have

lived by his bounty to be making merry, as if there was nothing in the world but sunshine and summer.'

When he had spoken, LeatherStocking again dropped his head on his knees, and concealed his hard and

wrinkled features with his hands. The change from the excessive cold without to the heat of the bar room,

coupled with the depth and frequency of Richard�s draughts, had already levelled whatever inequality there

might have existed between him and the other guests, on the score of spirits; and he now held out a pair of

'Merry! ay! merry Christmas to you, old boy! Sun shine and summer! no! you are blind, LeatherStocking,

�tis moonshine and wintertake these spectacles. and open your eyes So let us be jolly,

Hear how old John turns his quavers. What damned dull music an Indian song is, after all, Major! I wonder

While Richard was singing and talking, Mohegan was uttering dull, monotonous tones, keeping time by a

gentle motion of his head and body. He made use of but few words, and such as he did utter were in his

native language, and consequently only understood by himself and Natty. Without heeding Richard, he

continued to sing a kind of wild, melancholy air, that rose, at times, in sudden and quite elevated notes, and

then fell again into the low, quavering sounds that seemed to compose the character of his music.

The attention of the company was now much divided, the men in the rear having formed themselves into little

groups, where they were discussing various matters; among the principal of which were the treatment of

mangy hogs and Parson Grant�s preaching; while Dr. Todd was endeavoring to explain to Marmaduke the

nature of the hurt received by the young hunter. Mohegan continued to sing, while his countenance was

becoming vacant, though, coupled with his thick, bushy hair, it was assuming an expression very much like

brutal ferocity. His notes were gradually growing louder, and soon rose to a height that caused a general

cessation in the discourse. The hunter now raised his head again, and addressed the old warrior warmly in the

Delaware language, which, for the benefit of our readers, we shall render freely into English.

'Why do you sing of your battles, Chingachgook, and of the warriors you have slain, when the worst enemy

of all is near you, and keeps the Young Eagle from his rights? I have fought in as many battles as any warrior

'Hawkeye,' said the Indian, tottering with a doubtful step from his place, 'I am the Great Snake of the

Delawares; I can track the Mingoes like an adder that is stealing on the whippoorwill�s eggs, and strike

them like the rattlesnake dead at a blow. The white man made the tomahawk of Chingachgook bright as the

waters of Otsego, when the last sun is shining; but it is red with the blood of the Maquas.'

'And why have you slain the Mingo warriors? Was it not to keep these huntinggrounds and lakes to your

father�s children? and were they not given in solemn council to the Fireeater? and does not the blood of a

warrior run in the veins of a young chief, who should speak aloud where his voice is now too low to be

The appeal of the hunter seemed in some measure to recall the confused faculties of the Indian, who turned

his face toward the listeners and gazed intently on the Judge. He shook his head, throwing his hair back from

his countenance, and exposed eyes that were glaring with an expression of wild resentment. But the man was

not himself. His hand seemed to make a fruitless effort to release his tomahawk, which was confined by its

handle to his belt, while his eyes gradually became vacant. Richard at that instant thrusting a mug before him,

his features changed to the grin of idiocy, and seizing the vessel with both hands, he sank backward on the

bench and drank until satiated, when he made an effort to lay aside the mug with the helplessness of total

'Shed not blood!' exclaimed the hunter, as he watched the countenance of the Indian in its moment of

ferocity; 'but he is drunk and can do no harm. This is the way with all the savages; give them liquor, and they

make dogs of themselves. Well, wellthe day will come when right will be done; and we must have

Natty still spoke in the Delaware language, and of course was not understood. He had hardly concluded

'Well, old John is soon sewed up. Give him a berth, captain, in the barn, and I will pay for it. I am rich to

night, ten times richer than �Duke, with all his lands, amid military lots, and funded debts, and bonds, and

Drink, King Hiramdrink, Mr. Doonothingdrink, sir, I say. This is a Christmas eve, which comes, you

'He! he! he! the squire is quite moosical tonight,' said Hiram, whose visage began to give marvellous signs

'A church, Mr. Doolittle! we will make a cathedral of it! bishops, priests, deacons, wardens, vestry, and choir;

organ, organist, amid bellows! By the Lord Harry, as Benjamin says, we will clap a steeple on the other end

of it, and make two churches of it. What say you, �Duke, will you pay? ha! my cousin Judge, wilt pay?'

'Thou makest such a noise, Dickon,' returned Marmaduke, 'it is impossible that I can hear what Dr. Todd is

saying. I think thou observedst, it is probable the wound will fester, so as to occasion danger to the limb in

'Out of nater, sir, quite out of nater,' said Elnathan, attempting to expectorate, but succeeding only in throwing

a light, frothy substance, like a flake of snow, into the fire' quite out of nater that a wound so well dressed,

and with the ball in my pocket, should fester. I s�pose, as the Judge talks of taking the young man into his

'I should think one would do,' returned Marmaduke, with that arch smile that so often beamed on his face;

leaving the beholder in doubt whether he most enjoyed the character of his companion or his own covert

humor. The landlord had succeeded in placing the. Indian on some straw in one of his outbuildings, where,

In the mean time, Major Hartmann began to grow noisy and jocular; glass succeeded glass, and mug after

mug was introduced, until the carousal had run deep into the night, or rather morning; when the veteran

German ex I pressed an inclination to return to the mansion house. Most of the party had already retired,

but Marmaduke knew the habits of his friend too well to suggest an earlier adjournment. So soon, however,

as the proposal was made, the Judge eagerly availed himself of it, and the trio prepared to depart. Mrs.

Hollister attended them to the door in person, cautioning her guests as to the safest manner of leaving her

'Lane on Mister Jones, Major,' said she 'he�s young and will be a support to ye. Well, it�s a charming sight to

see ye, anyway, at the Bould Dragoon; and sure it�s no harm to be kaping a Christmas eve wid a light heart,

for it�s no telling when we may have sorrow come upon us. So goodnight, Joodge, and a merry Christmas to

The gentlemen made their adieus as well as they could, and taking the middle of the road, which was a fine,

wide, and wellbeaten path, they did tolerably well until they reached the gate of the mansionhouse: but on

entering the Judge�s domains they encountered some slight difficulties. We shall not stop to relate them, but

will just mention that in the morning sundry diverging paths were to be seen in the snow; and that once

during their progress to the door, Marmaduke, missing his companions, was enabled to trace them by one of

these paths to a spot where he discovered them with nothing visible but their heads, Richard singing in a most

'Come, let us be jolly, And cast away folly, For grief turns a black head to gray.'

Previously to the occurrence of the scene at the 'Bold Dragoon,' Elizabeth had been safely reconducted to the

mansionhouse, where she was left as its mistress, either to amuse or employ herself during the evening as

best suited her own inclinations. Most of the lights were extinguished; but as Benjamin adjusted with great

care and regularity four large candles, in as many massive candlesticks of brass, in a row on the sideboard,

the hall possessed a peculiar air of comfort and warmth, contrasted with the cheerless aspect of the room she

Remarkable had been one of the listeners to Mr. Grant, and returned with her resentment, which had been not

a little excited by the language of the Judge, somewhat softened by reflection and the worship. She

recollected the youth of Elizabeth, and thought it no difficult task, under present appearances, to exercise that

power indirectly which hitherto she had enjoyed undisputed. The idea of being governed, or of being

compelled to pay the deference of servitude, was absolutely intolerable; and she had already determined

within herself, some half dozen times, to make an effort that should at once bring to an issue the delicate

point of her domestic condition. But as often as she met the dark, proud eye of Elizabeth, who was walking

up and down the apartment, musing on the scenes of her youth and the change in her condition, and perhaps

the events of the day, the housekeeper experienced an awe that she would not own to herself could be excited

by anything mortal. It, however, checked her advances, and for some time held her tonguetied. At length she

determined to commence the discourse by entering on a subject that was apt to level all human distinctions,

'It was quite a wordy sarmon that Parson Grant gave us tonight,' said Remarkable. 'The church ministers be

commonly smart sarmonizers, but they write down their idees, which is a great privilege. I don�t think that,

by nater, they are as tonguey speakers, for an offhand discourse, as the standingorder ministers.'

'And what denomination do you distinguish as the standingorder?' inquired Miss Temple, with some

'Why, the Presbyter�ans and Congregationals, and Baptists, too, for til� now; and all sitch as don�t go on

'By that rule, then, you would call those who belong� to the persuasion of my father, the sittingorder,'

observed Elizabeth. 'I�m sure I�ve never heard �em spoken of by any other� name than Quakers, so called,'

returned Remarkable, betraying a slight uneasiness; 'I should be the last to call them otherwise, for I never in

my life used a disparaging� tarm of the Judge, or any of his family. I�ve always set store by the Quakers, they

are so pretty spoken, clever people, and it�s a wonderment to me how your father come to marry into a

church family; for they are as contrary in religion as can be. One sits still, and, for the most part; says

nothing, while the church folks practyse all kinds of ways, so that I sometimes think it quite moosical to see

'You have found an excellence in the church liturgy that has hitherto escaped me. I will thank you to inquire

whether the fire in my room burns; I feel fatigued with my journey, and will retire.'

Remarkable felt a wonderful inclination to tell the young mistress of the mansion that by opening a door she

might see for herself; but prudence got the better of resentment, and after pausing some little time, as a salve

to her dignity, she did as desired. The report was favorable, and the young lady, wishing Benjamin, who was

The instant the door closed on Miss Temple, Remark able commenced a sort of mysterious, ambiguous

discourse, that was neither abusive nor commendatory of the qualities of the absent personage, but which

seemed to be drawing nigh, by regular degrees, to a most dissatisfied description. The majordomo made no

reply. but continued his occupation with great industry, which being happily completed, he took a look at the

thermometer, and then opening a drawer of the sideboard, he produced a supply of stimulants that would have

served to keep the warmth in his system without the aid of the enormous fire he had been building. A small

stand was drawn up near the stove, and the bottles and the glasses necessary for convenience were quietly

arranged. Two chairs were placed by the side of this comfortable situation, when Benjamin, for the first time,

'Come,' he cried, 'come, Mistress Remarkable, bring yourself to an anchor on this chair. It�s a peeler without,

I can tell you, good woman; but what cares I? blow high or blow low, d�ye see, it�s all the same thing to Ben.

The niggers are snug stowed below before a fire that would roast an ox whole. The thermometer stands now

at fifty five, but if there�s any vartue in good maple wood, I�ll weather upon it, before one glass, as much as

ten points more, so that the squire, when he comes home from Betty Hollister�s warm room, will feel as hot

as a hand that has given the rigging a lick with bad tar. Come, mistress, bring up in this here chair, and tell

'Pump, Pump,' interrupted Benjamin; 'it�s Christmas eve, Mistress Remarkable, and so, dye see, you had

better call me Pump. It�s a shorter name, and as I mean to pump this here decanter till it sucks, why, you may

'Did you ever!' cried Remarkable, with a laugh that seemed to unhinge every joint in her body. 'You�re a

moosical creature, Benjamin, when the notion takes you. But, as I was saying, I rather guess that times will

'Altered!' exclaimed the majordomo, eyeing the bottle, that was assuming the clear aspect of cut glass with

astonishing rapidity; 'it don�t matter much, Mistress Remarkable, so long as I keep the keys of the lockers in

'I can�t say,' continued the housekeeper, 'but there�s good eatables and drinkables enough in the house for a

body�s contenta little more sugar, Benjamin, in the glass for Squire Jones is an excellent provider. But

new lords, new laws; and I shouldn�t wonder if you and I had an unsartain time on�t in footer.'

'Life is as unsartain as the wind that blows,' said Benjamin, with a moralizing air; 'and nothing is more varible

than the wind, Mistress Remarkable, unless you hap pen to fall in with the trades, d�ye see, and then you may

run for the matter of a month at a time, with studdingsails on both sides, alow and aloft, and with the

'I know that life is disp�ut unsartain,' said Remark able, compressing her features to the humor of her

companion; 'but I expect there will be great changes made in the house to rights; and that you will find a

young man put over your head, as there is one that wants to be over mine; and after having been settled as

'Promotion should go according to length of sarvice,' said the major domo; 'and ifsobe that they ship a

hand for my berth, or place a new steward aft, I shall throw up my commission in less time than you can put a

pilotboat in stays. Thof Squire Dickon 'this was a common misnomer with Benjamin' is a nice

gentleman, and as good a man to sail with as heart could wish, yet I shall tel the squire, d�ye see, in plain

English, and that�s my native tongue, that ifsobe he is thinking of putting any Johnny Raw over my head,

why, I shall resign. I began forrard, Mistress Prettybones, and worked my way aft, like a man. I was six

months aboard a Garnsey lugger, hauling in the slack of the leesheet and coiling up rigging. From that I

went a few trips in a foreandafter, in the same trade, which, after all, was but a blind kind of sailing in the

dark, where a man larns but little, excepting how to steer by the stars. Well, then, d�ye see, I larnt how a

topmast should be slushed, and how a topgallantsail was to be becketted; and then I did small jobs in the

cabin, such as mixing the skipper�s grog. �Twas there I got my taste, which, you must have often seen, is

excel lent. Well, here�s better acquaintance to us.' Remarkable nodded a return to the compliment, and took a

sip of the beverage before her; for, provided it was well sweetened, she had no objection to a small potation

now and then, After this observance of courtesy between the worthy couple, the dialogue proceeded.

'You have had great experiences in life, Benjamin; for, as the Scripter says, �They that go down to the sea in

'Ay! for that matter, they in brigs and schooners, too; and it mought say, the works of the devil. The sea,

Mistress Remarkable, is a great advantage to a man, in the way of knowledge, for he sees the fashions of

nations and the shape of a country. Now, I suppose, for myself here, who is but an unlarned man to some that

follows the seas, I suppose that, taking the coast from Cape Ler Hogue as low down as Cape Finishthere,

there isn�t so much as a headland, or an island, that I don�t know either the name of it or something more or

less about it. Take enough, woman, to color the water. Here�s sugar. It�s a sweet tooth, that fellow that you

hold on upon yet, Mistress Prettybones. But, as I was saying, take the whole coast along, I know it as well as

the way from here to the Bold Dragoon; and a devil of acquaintance is that Bay of Biscay. Whew! I wish you

could but hear the wind blow there. It sometimes takes two to hold one man�s hair on his head. Scudding

through the bay is pretty much the same thing as travelling the roads in this country, up one side of a

'Do tell!' exclaimed Remarkable; 'and does the sea run as high as mountains, Benjamin?'

'Well, I will tell; but first let�s taste the grog. Hem! it�s the right kind of stuff, I must say, that you keep in this

country; but then you�re so close aboard the West Indies, you make but a small run of it. By the Lord Harry,

woman, if Garnsey only lay somewhere between Cape Hatteras and the bite of Logann, but you�d see rum

cheap! As to the seas, they runs more in uppers in the Bay of Biscay, unless it may be in a sowwester, when

they tumble about quite handsomely; thof it�s not in the narrow sea that you are to look for a swell; just go off

the Western Islands, in a westerly blow, keeping the land on your larboard hand, with the ship�s head to the

south�ard, and bring to, under a closereefed topsail; or, mayhap, a reefed foresail, with a

foretopmaststaysail and mizzen staysail to keep her up to the sea, if she will bear it; and ay there for the

matter of two watches, if you want to see mountains. Why, good woman, I�ve been off there in the Boadishey

frigate, when you could see nothing but some such matter as a piece of sky, mayhap, as big as the main sail;

and then again, there was a hole under your leequarter big enough to hold the whole British navy.'

'Oh! for massy�s sake! and wa�n�t you afeard, Benjamin? and how did you get off?'

'Afeard! who the devil do you think was to be frightened at a little salt water tumbling about his head? As for

getting off, when we had enough of it, and had washed our decks down pretty well, we called all hands, for,

d�ye see, the watch below was in their hammocks, all the same as if they were in one of your best bedrooms;

and so we watched for a smooth time, clapt her helm hard a weather, let fall the foresail, and got the tack

aboard; and so, when we got her afore it, I ask you, Mistress Prettybones, if she didn�t walk? didn�t she? I�m

no liar, good woman, when I say that I saw that ship jump from the top of one sea to another, just like one of

'What! clean out of the water?' exclaimed Remark able, lifting her two lank arms, with their bony hands

'It was no such easy matte: to get out of the water, good woman; for the spray flew so that you couldn�t tell

which was sea or which was cloud. So there we kept her afore it for the matter of two glasses. The first

lieutenant he cun�d the ship himself, and there was four quarter masters at the wheel, besides the master with

six forecastle men in the gunroom at the relieving tackles. But then she behaved herself so well! Oh! she

was a sweet ship, mistress! That one frigate was well worth more, to live in, than the best house in the island.

If I was king of England I�d have her hauled up above Lon�on bridge, and fit her up for a palace; because

'Well! but, Benjamin,' cried the listener, who was in an ecstasy of astonishment at this relation of the

'Do! why, we did our duty like hearty fellows. Now if the countrymen of Monnsheer Ler Quaw had been

aboard of her, they would have just struck her ashore on some of them small islands; but we run along the

land until we found her dead to leeward off the mountains of Pico, and dam�me if I know to this day how we

got therewhether we jumped over the island or hauled round it; but there we was, and there we lay, under

easy sail, forereaching first upon one tack and then upon t�other, so as to poke her nose out now and then

'I wonder, now!' exclaimed Remarkable, to whom most of the terms used by Benjamin were perfectly

unintelligible, but who had got a confused idea of a raging tempest. 'It must be an awful life, that going to

sea! and I don�t feel astonishment that you are so affronted with the thoughts, of being forced to quit a

comfortable home like this. Not that a body cares much for�t, as there�s more houses than one to live in. Why,

when the Judge agreed with me to come and live with him, I�d no more notion of stopping any time than

anything. I happened in just to see how the family did, about a week after Mrs. Temple died, thinking to be

back home agin� night; but the family was in such a distressed way that I couldn�t but stop awhile and help

em on. I thought the situation a good one, seeing that I was an unmarried body, and they were so much in

'And a long time you�ve left your anchors down in the same place, mistress. I think yo� must find that the

'How you talk, Benjamin! there�s no believing a word you say. I must say that the Judge and Squire Jones

have both acted quite clever, so long; but I see that now we shall have a specimen to the contrary. I heern say

thats the Judge was gone a great �broad, and that he meant to bring his darter hum, but I didn�t calculate on

sich carrins on. To my notion, Benjamin, she�s likely to turn out a desp�ut ugly gal.'

'Ugly!' echoed the majordomo, opening eyes that were beginning to close in a very suspicious sleepiness, in

wide amazement. 'By the Lord Harry, woman, I should as soon think of calling the Boadishey a clumsy

frigate. What the devil would you have? Arn�t her eyes as bright as the morning and evening stars? and isn�t

her hair as black and glistening as rigging that has just had a lick of tar? doesn�t she move as stately as a

firstrate in smooth water, on a bowline? Why, woman, the figurehead of the Boadishey was a fool to her,

and that, as I�ve often heard the captain say, was an image of a great queen; and arn�t queens always comely,

woman? for who do you think would be a king, and not choose a handsome bedfellow?'

'Talk decent, Benjamin,' said the housekeeper, 'Or I won�t keep your company. I don�t gainsay her being

comely to look on, but I will maintain that she�s likely to show poor conduct. She seems to think herself too

good to talk to a body. From what Squire Jones had telled me, I some expected to be quite captivated by her

company. Now, to my reckoning, Lowizy Grant is much more pritty behaved than Betsey Temple. She

wouldn�t so much as hold discourse with me when I wanted to ask her how she felt on coming home and

'Perhaps she didn�t understand you, woman; you are none of the best linguister; and then Miss Lizzy has been

exercising the king�s English under a great Lon�on lady, and, for that matter, can talk the language almost as

well as myself, or any nativeborn British subject. You�ve forgot your schooling, and the young mistress is a

'Mistress!' cried Remarkable; 'don�t make one out to be a nigger, Benjamin. She�s no mistress of mine, and

never will be. And as to speech, I hold myself as second to nobody out of New England. I was born and

raised in Essex County; and I�ve always heern say that the Bay State was provarbal for pronounsation!'

'I�ve often heard of that Bay of State,' said Benjamin, 'but can�t say that I�ve ever been in it, nor do I know

exactly whereaway it is that it lays; but I suppose there is good anchorage in it, and that it�s no bad place for

the taking of ling; but for size it can�t be so much as a yawl to a sloop of war compared with the Bay of

Biscay, or, mayhap, Torbay. And as for language, if you want to hear the dictionary overhauled like a

logline in a blow, you must go to Wapping and listen to the Lon�oners as they deal out their lingo.

Howsomever, I see no such mighty matter that Miss Lizzy has been doing to you, good woman; so take

'No, indeed! and I shan�t do sitch a thing, Benjamin. This treatment is a newity to me, and what I won�t put

up with. I have a hundred and fifty dollars at use, besides a bed and twenty sheep, to good; and I don�t crave

to live in a house where a body mustn�t call a young woman by her given name to her face. I will call her

Betsey as much as I please; it�s a free country, and no one can stop me. I did intend to stop while summer, but

'For that matter, Mistress Remarkable,' said Benjamin, 'there�s none here who will contradict you; for I�m of

opinion that it would be as easy to stop a hurricane with a Barcelony handkerchy as to bring up your tongue

when the stopper is off. I say, good woman, do they grow many monkeys along the shores of that Bay of

'You�re a monkey yourself, Mr. Penguillum,' cried the enraged housekeeper, 'or a beara black, beastly

bear! and ain�t fit for a decent woman to stay with. I�ll never, keep your company agin, sir, if I should live

thirty years with the Judge. Sitch talk is more befitting the kitchen than the keepingroom of a house of one

'Look you, Mistress PittyPattyPrettybones, mayhap I�m some such matter as a bear, as they will

find who come to grapple with me; but dam�me if I�m a monkey a thing that chatters without knowing a

word of what it saysa parrot; that will hold a dialogue, for what an honest man knows, in a dozen

languages; mayhap in the Bay of State lingo; mayhap in Greek or High Dutch. But dost it know what it

means itself? canst answer me that, good woman? Your midshipman can sing out, and pass the word, when

the captain gives the order, but just send him adrift by himself, and let him work the ship of his own head,

'Stop your grog, indeed!' said Remarkable, rising with great indignation, and seizing a candle; 'you�re groggy

now, Benjamin and I�ll quit the room before I hear any misbecoming words from you.' The housekeeper

retired, with a manner but little less dignified, as she thought, than the air of the heiress, muttering as she

drew the door after her, with a noise like the report of a musket, the opprobrious terms of 'drunkard,' 'sot,' and

'Who�s that you say is drunk?' cried Benjamin fiercely, rising and making a movement toward Remarkable.

'You talk of mustering yourself with a lady you�re just fit to grumble and find fault. Where the devil should

Benjamin here fell back in his chair, and soon gave vent to certain ominous sounds, which resembled not a

little the growling of his favorite animal the bear itself. Be fore, however, he was quite lockedto use the

language that would suit the Dellacruscan humor of certain refined minds of the present day' in the arms

of Morpheus,' he spoke aloud, observing due pauses between his epithets, the impressive terms of 'monkey,'

We shall not attempt to explain his meaning nor connect his sentences; and our readers must be satisfied with

our informing them that they were expressed with all that coolness of contempt that a man might well be

Nearly two hours passed in this sleep before the major domo was awakened by the noisy entrance of Richard,

Major Hartmann, and the master of the mansion. Benjamin so far rallied his confused faculties as to shape the

course of the two former to their respective apartments, when he disappeared himself, leaving the task of

securing the house to him who was most interested in its safety. Locks and bars were but little attended to in

the early days of that settlement, and so soon as Marmaduke had given an eye to the enormous fires of his

dwelling he retired. With this act of prudence closes the first night of our tale.

It was fortunate for more than one of the bacchanalians who left the 'Bold Dragoon' late in the evening that

the severe cold of the season was becoming rapidly less dangerous as they threaded the different mazes

through the snowbanks that led to their respective dwellings. Then driving clouds began toward morning to

flit across the heavens, and the moon set behind a volume of vapor that was impelled furiously toward the

north, carrying with it the softer atmosphere from the distant ocean. The rising sun was obscured by denser

and increasing columns of clouds, while the southerly wind that rushed up the valley brought the

It was quite late in the morning before Elizabeth, observing the faint glow which appeared on the eastern

mountain long after the light of the sun had struck the opposite hills, ventured from the house, with a view to

gratify her curiosity with a glance by daylight at the surrounding objects before the tardy revellers of the

Christmas eve should make their appearance at the breakfast table. While she was drawing the folds of her

pelisse more closely around her form, to guard against a cold that was yet great though rapidly yielding, in

the small inclosure that opened in the rear of the house on a little thicket of low pines that were springing up

where trees of a mightier growth had lately stood, she was surprised at the voice of Mr. Jones.

'Merry Christmas, merry Christmas to you, Cousin Bess,' he shouted. 'Ah, ha! an early riser, I see; but I knew

I should steal a march on you. I never was in a house yet where I didn�t get the first Christmas greeting on

every soul in it, man, woman, and childgreat and smallblack, white, and yellow. But stop a minute till I

can just slip on my coat. You are about to look at the improvements, I see, which no one can explain so well

as I, who planned them all. It will be an hour before �Duke and the Major can sleep off Mrs. Hollister�s

Elizabeth turned and observed her cousin in his night cap, with his head out of his bedroom window, where

his zeal for preeminence, in defiance of the weather, had impelled him to thrust it. She laughed, and

promising to wait for his company reentered the house, making her appearance again, holding in her hand a

packet that was secured by several large and important seals, just in time to meet the gentleman.

'Come, Bessy, come,' he cried, drawing one of her arms through his own; ' the snow begins to give, but it will

bear us yet. Don�t you snuff old Pennsylvania in the very air? This is a vile climate, girl; now at sunset, last

evening, it was cold enough to freeze a man�s zeal, and that, I can tell you, takes a thermometer near zero for

me; then about nine or ten it began to moderate; at twelve it was quite mild, and here all the rest of the night I

have been so hot as not to bear a blanket on the bed. Holla! Aggymerry Christmas, AggyI say, do

you hear me, you black dog! there�s a dollar for you; and if the gentle men get up before I come back, do you

come out and let me know. I wouldn�t have 'Duke get the start of me for the worth of your head.'

The black caught the money from the snow, and promising a due degree of watchfulness, he gave the dollar a

whirl of twenty feet in the air, and catching it as it fell in the palm of his hand, he withdrew to the kitchen, to

exhibit his present, with a heart as light as his face was happy in its expression.

'Oh, rest easy, my dear coz,' said the young lady; 'I took a look in at my father, who is likely to sleep an hour;

'Why, Duke is your father, Elizabeth ; but �Duke is a man who likes to be foremost, even in trifles. Now, as

for myself, I care for no such things, except in the way of competition; for a thing which is of no moment in

itself may be made of importance in the way of competition. So it is with your fatherhe loves to he first;

'It�s all very clear, sir,' said Elizabeth; 'you would not care a fig for distinction if there were no one in the

world but yourself; but as there happens to be a great many others, why, you must struggle with them allin

'Exactly so; I see you are a clever girl, Bess, and one who does credit to her masters. It was my plan to send

you to that school; for when your father first mentioned the thing, I wrote a private letter for advice to a

judicious friend in the city, who recommended the very school you went to. �Duke was a little obstinate at

'Well, a truce to �Duke�s foibles, sir; he is my father, and if you knew what he has been doing for you while

'For me!' cried Richard, pausing a moment in his walk to reflect. 'Oh! he got the plans of the new Dutch

meetinghouse for me, I suppose; but I care very little about it, for a man of a certain kind of talent is seldom

'No! let me seeperhaps he had my name put in the bill for the new turnpike, as a director.'

'Such an appointment!' repeated Mr. Jones, who began to fidget with curiosity; 'then it is an appointment. If it

'No, no, it is not in the militia,' cried Elizabeth, showing the packet in her hand, and then drawing it back with

'Honor and emolument!' echoed Richard, in painful suspense; 'show me the paper, girl. Say, is it an office

'You have hit it, Cousin Dickon; it is the executive office of the county; at least so said my father when he

gave me this packet to offer you as a Christmasbox. Surely, if anything will please Dickon,� he said, �it will

'Executive chair! what nonsense!' cried the impatient gentleman, snatching the packet from her hand; 'there is

no such office in the county. Eh! what! it is, I declare, a commission, appointing Richard Jones, Esquire,

sheriff of the county. Well, this is kind in �Duke, positively. I must say �Duke has a warm heart, and never

forgets his friends. Sheriff! High Sheriff of ! it sounds well, Bess, but it shall execute better. �Duke is a

judicious man after all, and knows human nature thoroughly, I�m much obliged to him,' continued Richard,

using the skirt of his coat unconsciously to wipe his eyes; 'though I would do as much for him any day, as he

shall see, if I have an opportunity to perform any of the duties of my office on him. It shall be done, Cousin

Bessit shall be done, I say. How this cursed south wind makes one�s eyes water!'

'Now, Richard,' said the laughing maiden, 'now I think you will find something to do. I have often heard you

complain of old that there was nothing to do in this new country, while to my eyes it seemed as if everything

'Do!' echoed Richard, who blew his nose, raised his little form to its greatest elevation, and looked serious.

'Everything depends on system, girl. I shall sit down this afternoon and systematize the county. I must have

deputies, you know. I will divide the county into districts, over which I will place my deputies; and I will

have one for the village, which I will call my home department. Let me seeho! Benjamin! yes, Benjamin

will make a good deputy; he has been naturalized, and would answer admirably if he could only ride on

'Yes, Mr. Sheriff,' said his companion; 'and as he understands ropes so well, he would be very expert, should

'No,' interrupted the other; 'I flatter myself that no man could hang a man better thanthat isha!oh! yes,

Benjamin would do extremely well in such an unfortunate dilemma, if he could be persuaded to attempt it.

But I should despair of the thing. I never could induce him to hang, or teach him to ride on horseback. I must

seek another deputy.' 'Well, sir, as you have abundant leisure for all these important affairs, I beg that you

will forget that you are high sheriff, and devote some little of your time to gallantry. Where are the beauties

'Where? why, everywhere! Here I have laid out some new streets; and when they are opened, and the trees

felled, and they are all built up, will they not make a fine town? Well, �Duke is a liberalhearted fellow, with

all his stubbornness. Yes, yes; I must have at least four deputies, besides a jailer.'

'I see no streets in the direction of our walk,' said Elizabeth, 'unless you call the short avenues through these

pine bushes by that name. Surely you do not contemplate building houses, very soon, in that forest before us,

We must run our streets by the compass, coz, and disregard trees, hills, ponds, stumps, or, in fact, anything

'Had you made sheriff, Mr. Jones,' interrupted the lady, with a tone that said very plainly to the gentleman

'I know it, I know it,' cried Richard; 'and if it were in my power, I�d make �Duke a king. He is a noble hearted

fellow, and would make an excellent king; that is, if he had a good prime minister. But who have we here?

voices in the bushesa combination about mischief, I�ll wager my commission. Let us draw near and

During this dialogue, as the parties had kept in motion, Richard and his cousin advanced some distance from

the house into the open space in the rear of the village, where, as may be gathered from the conversation,

streets were planned and future dwellings contemplated; but where, in truth, the only mark of improvement

that was to be seen was a neglected clearing along the skirt of a dark forest of mighty pines, over which the

bushes or sprouts of the same tree had sprung up to a height that interspersed the fields of snow with little

thickets of evergreen. The rushing of the wind, as it whistled through the tops of these mimic trees, prevented

the footsteps of the pair from being heard, while the branches concealed their persons. Thus aided, the

listeners drew nigh to a spot where the young hunter, Leather Stocking, and the Indian chief were collected

in an earnest consultation. The former was urgent in his manner, and seemed to think the subject of deep

importance, while Natty appeared to listen with more than his usual attention to what the other was saying.

Mohegan stood a little on one side, with his head sunken on his chest, his hair falling forward so as to conceal

most of his features, and his whole attitude expressive of deep dejection, if not of shame. Let us withdraw,'

whispered Elizabeth; ' we are intruders, and can have no right to listen to the secrets of these men.'

'No right!' returned Richard a little impatiently, in the same tone, and drawing her arm so forcibly through his

own as to prevent her retreat; 'you forget, cousin, that it is my duty to preserve the peace of the county and

see the laws executed, these wanderers frequently commit depredations, though I do not think John would do

anything secretly. Poor fellow! he was quite boozy last night, and hardly seems to be over it yet. Let us draw

Notwithstanding the lady�s reluctance, Richard, stimulated doubtless by his sense of duty, prevailed; and they

'The bird must he had,' said Natty, 'by fair means or foul. Heigho! I�ve known the time, lad, when the wild

turkeys wasn�t overscarce in the country; though you must go into the Virginia gaps if you want them now.

�to be sure, there is a different taste to a partridge and a wellfatted turkey; though, to my eating, beaver�s tail

and bear�s ham make the best of food. But then every one has his own appetite. I gave the last farthing, all to

that shilling, to the French trader, this very morning, as I came through the town, for powder; so, as you have

nothing, we can have but one shot for it. I know that Billy Kirby is out, and means to have a pull of the

trigger at that very turkey. John has a true eye for a single fire, and, some how, my hand shakes so whenever I

have to do anything extrawnary, that I often lose my aim. Now, when I killed the shebear this fall, with her

cubs, though they were so mighty ravenous, I knocked them over one at a shot, and loaded while I dodged the

'This,' cried the young man, with an accent that sounded as if he took a bitter pleasure in his poverty, while he

held a shilling up before his eyes, 'this is all the treasure that I possessthis and my rifle! Now, indeed, I

have become a man of the woods, and must place my sole dependence on the chase. Come, Natty, let us stake

'I would rather it should be John, lad; my heart jumps into my mouth, because you set your mind so much

out; and I�m sartain that I shall miss the bird. Them Indians can shoot one time as well as another; nothing

ever troubles them. I say, John, here�s a shilling; take my rifle, and get a shot at the big turkey they�ve put up

at the stump. Mr. Oliver is overanxious for the creatur�, and I�m sure to do nothing when I have

The Indian turned his head gloomily, and after looking keenly for a moment, in profound silence, at his

'When John was young, eyesight was not straighter than his bullet. The Mingo squaws cried out at the sound

of his rifle. The Mingo warriors were made squaws. When did he ever shoot twice? The eagle went above the

clouds when he passed the wigwam of Chingachgook; his feathers were plenty with the women. But see,' he

said, raising his voice from the low, mournful tones in which he had spoken to a pitch of keen excitement,

and stretching forth both hands, 'they shake like a deer at the wolf�s howl. Is John old? When was a Mohican

a squaw with seventy winters? No! the white man brings old age with himrum is his tomahawk!'

'Why, then, do you use it, old man?' exclaimed the young hunter; 'why will one, so noble by nature, aid the

'Beast! is John a beast?' replied the Indian slowly; 'yes; you say no lie, child of the Fireeater! John is a beast.

The smokes were once few in these hills, The deer would lick the hand of a white man and the birds rest on

his head. They were strangers to him. My fathers came from the shores of the salt lake. They fled before rum.

They came to their grandfather, and they lived in peace; or, when they did raise the hatchet, it was to strike it

into the brain of a Mingo. They gathered around the council fire, and what they said was done. Then John

was a man. But warriors and traders with light eyes followed them. One brought the long knife and one

brought rum. They were more than the pines on the mountains; and they broke up the councils and took the

lands, The evil spirit was in their jugs, and they let him loose. Yes yesyou say no lie, Young Eagle; John is

'Forgive me, old warrior,' cried the youth, grasping his hand; 'I should be the last to reproach you. The curses

of Heaven light on the cupidity that has destroyed such a race. Remember, John, that I am of your family, and

'I thought that lad had Indian blood in him,' whispered Richard, 'by the awkward way he handled my horses

last night. You see, coz, they never use harness. But the poor fellow shall have two shots at the turkey, if he

wants it, for I�ll give him another shilling myself; though, per haps, I had better offer to shoot for him. They

have got up their Christmas sports, I find, in the bushes yonder, where you hear the laughterthough it is a

'Hold, Cousin Richard,' exclaimed Elizabeth, clinging to his arm; 'would it be delicate to offer a shilling to

'Gentleman, again! Do you think a halfbreed, like him, will refuse money? No, no, girl, he will take the

shilling; ay! and even rum too, notwithstanding he moralizes so much about it, But I�ll give the lad a chance

for his turkey; for that Billy Kirby is one of the best marksmen in the country; that is, if we except thethe

'Then,' said Elizabeth, who found her strength unequal to her will, ' then, sir, I will speak.' She advanced, with

an air of determination, in front of her cousin, and entered the little circle of bushes that surrounded the trio of

hunters. Her appearance startled the youth, who at first made an unequivocal motion toward retiring, but,

recollecting himself, bowed, by lifting his cap, and resumed his attitude of leaning on his rifle. Neither Natty

nor Mohegan betrayed any emotion, though the appearance of Elizabeth was so entirely unexpected.

'I find,' she said, 'that the old Christmas sport of shooting the turkey is yet in use among you. I feel inclined to

try my chance for a bird. Which of you will take this money, and, after paying my fee, give me the aid of his

'Is this a sport for a lady?' exclaimed the young hunter, with an emphasis that could not well be mistaken, and

with a rapidity that showed he spoke without consulting anything but feeling. 'Why not, sir? If it be inhuman

the sin is not confined to one sex only. But I have my humor as well as others. I ask not your assistance,

but'turning to Natty, and dropping a dollar in his hand' this old veteran of the forest will not be so

LeatherStocking dropped the money into his pouch, and throwing up the end of his rifle he freshened his

priming; and first laughing in his usual manner, he threw the piece over his shoulder, and said:

'If Billy Kirby don�t get the bird before me, and the Frenchman�s powder don�t hang fire this damp morning,

you�ll see as fine a turkey dead, in a few minutes, as ever was eaten in the Judge�s shanty. I have knowed the

Dutch women, on the Mohawk and Schoharie, count greatly on coming to the merrymakings; and so, lad,

you shouldn�t be short with the lady. Come, let us go forward, for if we wait the finest bird will be gone.'

'But I have a right before you, Natty, and shall try on my own luck first. You will excuse me, Miss Temple; I

have much reason to wish that bird, and may seem ungallant, but I must claim my privileges.'

'Claim anything that is justly your own, sir,' returned the lady; 'we are both adventurers; and this is my knight.

I trust my fortune to his hand and eye. Lead on, Sir LeatherStocking, and we will follow.'

Natty, who seemed pleased with the frank address of the young and beauteous Elizabeth, who had so

singularly intrusted him with such a commission, returned the bright smile with which she had addressed

him, by his own peculiar mark of mirth, and moved across the snow toward the spot whence the sounds of

boisterous mirth proceeded, with the long strides of a hunter. His companions followed in silence, the youth

casting frequent and uneasy glances toward Elizabeth, who was detained by a motion from Richard.

'I should think, Miss Temple,' he said, so soon as the others were out of hearing, 'that if you really wished a

turkey, you would not have taken a stranger for the office, and such a one as LeatherStocking. But I can

hardly believe that you are serious, for I have fifty, at this moment, shut up in the coops, in every stage of fat,

so that you might choose any quality you pleased. There are six that I am trying an experiment on, by giving

'Enough, Cousin Dickon,' interrupted the lady; 'I do wish the bird, and it is because I so wish that I

'Did you ever hear of the great shot that I made at the wolf, Cousin Elizabeth, who was carrying off your

father's sheep?' said Richard, drawing himself up with an air of displeasure. 'He had the sheep on his hack;

and, had the head of the wolf been on the other side, I should have killed him dead; as it was'

'You killed the sheepI know it all, dear coz. Hut would it have been decorous for the High Sheriff of to

mingle in such sports as these?' 'Surely you did not think that I intended actually to fire with my own hands?'

said Mr. Jones. 'But let us follow, and see the shooting. There is no fear of anything unpleasant occurring to a

female in this new country, especially to your father�s daughter, and in my presence.'

'My father�s daughter fears nothing, sir, more especially when escorted by the highest executive officer in the

She took his arm, and he led her through the mazes of the bushes to the spot where most of the young men of

the village were collected for the sports of shooting a Christmas match, and whither Natty and his

The ancient amusement of shooting the Christmas turkey is one of the few sports that the settlers of a new

country seldom or never neglect to observe. It was connected with the daily practices of a people who often

laid aside the axe or the scythe to seize the rifle, as the deer glided through the forests they were felling, or

the bear entered their rough meadows to scent the air of a clearing, and to scan, with a look of sagacity, the

On the present occasion, the usual amusement of the day had been a little hastned, in order to allow a fair

opportunity to Mr. Grant, whose exhibition was not less a treat to the young sportsmen than the one which

engaged their present attention. The owner of the birds was a free black, who had prepared for the occasion a

collection of game that was admirably qualified to inflame the appetite of an epicure, and was well adapted to

the means and skill of the different competitors, who were of all ages. He had offered to the younger and

more humble marks men divers birds of an inferior quality, and some shooting had already taken place, much

to the pecuniary advantage of the sable owner of the game. The order of the sports was extremely simple, and

well understood. The bird was fastened by a string to the stump of a large pine, the side of which, toward the

point where the marksmen were placed, had been flattened with an axe, in order that it might serve the

purpose of a target, by which the merit of each individual might be ascertained. The distance between the

stump and shootingstand was one hundred measured yards; a foot more or a foot less being thought an

invasion of the right of one of the parties. The negro affixed his own price to every bird, and the terms of the

chance; but, when these were once established, he was obliged, by the strict principles of public justice that

The throng consisted of some twenty or thirty young men, most of whom had rifles, and a collection of all the

boys in the village. The little urchins, clad in coarse but warm garments, stood gathered around the more

distinguished marksmen, with their hands stuck under their waistbands, listening eagerly to the boastful

stories of skill that had been exhibited on former occasions, and were already emulating in their hearts these

The chief speaker was the man who had been mentioned by Natty as Billy Kirby. This fellow, whose

occupation, when he did labor, was that of clearing lands, or chopping jobs, was of great stature, and carried

in his very air the index of his character. He was a noisy, boisterous, reckless lad, whose goodnatured eye

contradicted the bluntness and bullying tenor of his speech. For weeks he would lounge around the taverns of

the county, in a state of perfect idleness, or doing small jobs for his liquor and his meals, and cavilling with

applicants about the prices of his labor; frequently preferring idleness to an abatement of a little of his

independence, or a cent in his wages. But, when these embarrassing points were satisfactorily arranged, he

would shoulder his axe and his rifle, slip his arms through the straps of his pack, and enter the woods with the

tread of a Hercules. His first object was to learn his limits, round which he would pace, occasionally

freshening, with a blow of his axe, the marks on the boundary trees; and then he would proceed, with an air

of great deliberation, to the centre of his premises, and, throwing aside his superfluous garments, measure,

with a knowing eye, one or two of the nearest trees that were towering apparently into the very clouds as he

gazed upward. Commonly selecting one of the most noble for the first trial of his power, he would approach

it with a listless air, whistling a low tune; and wielding his axe with a certain flourish, not unlike the salutes

of a fencingmaster, he would strike a light blow into the bark, and measure his distance. The pause that

followed was ominous of the fall of the forest which had flourished there for centuries. The heavy and brisk

blows that he struck were soon succeeded by the thundering report of the tree, as it came, first cracking and

threatening with the separation of its own last ligaments, then threshing and tearing with its branches the tops

of its surrounding brethren, and finally meeting the ground with a shock but little inferior to an earthquake.

From that moment the sounds of the axe were ceaseless, while the failing of the trees was like a distant

cannonading; and the daylight broke into the depths of the woods with the suddenness of a winter morning.

For days, weeks, nay months, Billy Kirby would toil with an ardor that evinced his native spirit, and with an

effect that seemed magical, until, his chopping being ended, his stentorian lungs could be heard emitting

sounds, as he called to his patient oxen, which rang through the hills like the cries of an alarm. He had been

often heard, on a mild summer� evening, a long mile across the vale of Templeton; when the echoes from the

mountains would take up his cries, until they died away in the feeble sounds from the distant rocks that

overhung the lake. His piles, or, to use the language of the country, his logging ended, with a dispatch that

could only accompany his dexterity and herculean strength, the jobber would collect together his implements

of labor, light the heaps of timber, and march away under the blaze of the prostrate forest, like the conqueror

of some city who, having first prevailed over his adversary, applies the torch as the finishing blow to his

conquest. For a long time Billy Kirby would then be seen sauntering around the taverns, the rider of scrub

races, the bully of cockfights, and not infrequently the hero of such sports as the one in hand.

Between him and the LeatherStocking there had long existed a jealous rivalry on the point of skill with the

rifle. Notwithstanding the long practice of Natty, it was commonly supposed that the steady nerves and the

quick eye of the woodchopper rendered him his equal. The competition had, however, been confined

hitherto to boasting, and comparisons made from their success in various hunting excursions; but this was the

first time they had ever come in open collision. A good deal of higgling about the price of the choicest bird

had taken place between Billy Kirby and its owner before Natty and his companions rejoined the sportsmen It

had, however, been settled at one shilling * a shot, which was the highest sum ever exacted, the black taking

care to protect himself from losses, as much as possible, by the conditions of the sport.

* Before the Revolution, each province had its own money of account though neither coined any but copper

pieces. In New York the Spanish dollar was divided into eight shillings, each of the value of a fraction more

than sixpence sterling. At present the Union has provided a decimal system, with coins to represent it.

The turkey was already fastened at the 'mark,' hut its body was entirely hid by the surrounding snow, nothing

being visible but its red swelling head and its long neck. If the bird was injured by any bullet that struck

below the snow, it was to continue the property of its present owner; but if a feather was touched in a visible

These terms were loudly proclaimed by the negro, who was seated in the snow, in a somewhat hazardous

vicinity to his favorite bird, when Elizabeth and her cousin approached the noisy sportsmen. The sounds of

mirth and contention sensibly lowered at this unexpected visit; but, after a moment�s pause, the curious

interest exhibited in the face of the young lady, together with her smiling air, restored the freedom of the

morning; though it was somewhat chastened, both in language and vehemence, by the presence of such a

'Stand out of the way there, boys!' cried the woodchopper, who was placing himself at the shootingpoint

stand out of the way, you little rascals, or I will shoot through you. Now, Brom, take leave of your turkey.'

Stop!' cried the young hunter; 'I am a candidate for a chance. Here is my shilling, Brom; I wish a shot too.'

You may wish it in welcome,' cried Kirby, 'but if I ruffle the gobbler�s feathers, how are you to get it? Is

money so plenty in your deerskin pocket, that you pay for a chance that you may never have?'

'How know you, sir, how plenty money is in my pocket?' said the youth fiercely. 'Here is my shilling, Brom,

'Don't be crabbed, my boy,' said the other, who was very coolly fixing his flint. 'They say you have a hole in

your left shoulder yourself, so I think Brom may give you a fire for halfprice. It will take a keen one to hit

that bird, I can tell you, my lad, even if I give you a chance, which is what I have no mind to do.'

'Don�t be boasting, Billy Kirby,' said Natty, throwing the breech of his rifle into the snow, and leaning on its

barrel; 'you�ll get but one shot at the creatur�, for if the lad misses his aim, which wouldn�t be a wonder if he

did, with his arm so stiff and sore, you�ll find a good piece and an old eye coming a�ter you. Maybe it�s true

that I can�t shoot as I used to could, but a hundred yards is a short distance for a long rifle.'

'What, old LeatherStocking, are you out this morning?' cried his reckless opponent. 'Well, fair play�s a

jewel. I�ve the lead of you, old fellow; so here goes for a dry throat or a good dinner.'

The countenance of the negro evinced not only all the interest which his pecuniary adventure might occasion,

but also the keen excitement that the sport produced in the others, though with a very different wish as to the

result. While the woodchopper was slowly and steadily raising his rifle, he bawled;

'Fair play, Billy Kirbystand backmake �em stand back, boysgib a nigger fair playpossup,

These cries, which were intended as much to distract the attention of the marksman as for anything else, were

The nerves of the woodchopper were not so easily shaken, and he took his aim with the utmost deliberation.

Stillness prevailed for a moment, and he fired. The head of the turkey was seen to dash on one side, and its

wings were spread in momentary fluttering; but it settled itself down calmly into its bed of snow, and glanced

its eyes uneasily around. For a time long enough to draw a deep breath, not a sound was heard. The silence

was then broken by the noise of the negro, who laughed, and shook his body with all kinds of antics, rolling

'Well done, a gobbler,' be cried, jumping up and affecting to embrace his bird; 'I tell �em to possup, and you

'Nothe shot is mine,' said the young hunter; 'you have my money already. Leave the mark, and let me try

'Ah! it�s but money thrown away, lad,' said LeatherStocking. 'A turkey�s head and neck is but a small mark

for a new hand and a lame shoulder. You�d best let me take the fire, and maybe we can make some settlement

with the lady about the bird.' The chance is mine,' said the young hunter. 'Clear the ground, that I may take it.'

The discussions and disputes concerning the last shot were now abating, it having been determined that if the

turkey�s head had been anywhere but just where it was at that moment, the bird must certainly have been

killed. There was not much excitement produced by the preparations of the youth, who proceeded in a hurried

manner to take his aim, and was in the act of pulling the trigger, when he was stopped by Natty.

'Your hand shakes, lad,' he said, 'and you seem over eager. Bullet wounds are apt to weaken flesh, and to my

judgment you�ll not shoot so well as in common. If you will fire, you should shoot quick, before there is time

'Fair play,' again shouted the negro; 'fair playgib a nigger fair play. What right a Nat Bumppo advise a

The youth fired with great rapidity, but no motion was made by the turkey; and, when the examiners for the

Elizabeth observed the change in his countenance, and could not help feeling surprise that one so evidently

superior to his companions should feel a trifling loss so sensibly. But her own champion was now preparing

The mirth of Brom, which had been again excited, though in a much smaller degree than before, by the

failure of the second adventurer, vanished the instant Natty took his stand. His skin became mottled with

large brown spots, that fearfully sullied the lustre of his native ebony, while his enormous lips gradually

compressed around two rows of ivory that had hitherto been shining in his visage like pearls set in jet. His

nostrils, at all times the most conspicuous feature of his face, dilated until they covered the greater part of the

diameter of his countenance; while his brown and bony hands unconsciously grasped the snowcrust near

him, the excitement of the moment completely overcoming his native dread of cold.

While these indications of apprehension were exhibited in the sable owner of the turkey, the man who gave

rise to this extraordinary emotion was as calm and collected as if there was not to be a single spectator of his

'I was down in the Dutch settlements on the Schoharie,' said Natty, carefully removing the leather guard from

the lock of his rifle, 'just before the breaking out of the last war, and there was a shooting match among the

boys; so I took a hand. I think I opened a good many Dutch eyes that day; for I won the powderhorn, three

bars of lead, and a pound of as good powder as ever flashed in pan. Lord! how they did swear in Jarman!

They did tell me of one drunken Dutchman who said he�d have the life of me before I got back to the lake

agin. But if he had put his rifle to his shoulder with evil intent God would have punished him for it; and even

if the Lord didn�t, and he had missed his aim, I know one that would have given him as good as he sent, and

better too, if good shooting could come into the �count.' By this time the old hunter was ready for his

business, and throwing his right leg far behind him, and stretching his left arm along the barrel of his piece,

he raised it toward the bird, Every eye glanced rapidly from the marks man to the mark; but at the moment

when each ear was expecting the report of the rifle, they were disappointed by the ticking sound of the flint.

'A snap, a snap!' shouted the negro, springing from his crouching posture like a madman, before his bird. A

Natty Bumppo hit a nigger,' said the indignant old hunter, 'if you don�t get out of the way, Brom. It�s contrary

to the reason of the thing, boy, that a snap should count for a fire, when one is nothing more than a firestone

striking a steel pan, and the other is sudden death; so get out of my way, boy, and let me show Billy Kirby

'Gib a nigger fair play!' cried the black, who continued resolutely to maintain his post, and making that appeal

to the justice of his auditors which the degraded condition of his caste so naturally suggested. 'Eberybody

'Sartain,' said the woodchopper; 'it�s the law of the game in this part of the country, LeatherStocking. If

you fire agin you must pay up the other shilling. I b�lieve I�ll try luck once more myself; so, Brom, here�s my

'It�s likely you know the laws of the woods better than I do, Billy Kirby,' returned Natty. 'You come in with

the settlers, with an ox goad in your hand, and I come in with moccasins on my feet, and with a good rifle

on my shoulders, so long back as afore the old war. Which is likely to know the best? I say no man need tell

'Leab it to Massa Jone,' said the alarmed negro; 'he know eberyting.' This appeal to the knowledge of Richard

was too flattering to be unheeded. He therefore advanced a little from the spot whither the delicacy of

Elizabeth had induced her to withdraw, and gave the following opinion, with the gravity that the subject and

'There seems to be a difference in opinion,' he said, 'on the subject of Nathaniel Bumppo�s right to shoot at

Abraham Freeborn�s turkey without the said Nathaniel paying one shilling for the privilege.' The fact was too

evident to be denied, and after pausing a moment, that the audience might digest his premises, Richard

proceeded: 'It seems proper that I should decide this question, as I am bound to preserve the peace of the

county; and men with deadly weapons in their hands should not be heedlessly left to contention and their own

malignant passions. It appears that there was no agreement, either in writing or in words, on the disputed

point; therefore we must reason from analogy, which is, as it were, comparing one thing with another. Now,

in duels, where both parties shoot, it is generally the rule that a snap is a fire; and if such is the rule where the

party has a right to fire back again, it seems to me unreasonable to say that a man may stand snapping at a

defenceless turkey all day. I therefore am of the opinion that Nathaniel Bumppo has lost his chance, and must

As this opinion came from so high a quarter, and was delivered with effect, it silenced all murmursfor the

whole of the spectators had begun to take sides with great warmthexcept from the Leather Stocking

'I think Miss Elizabeth�s thoughts should be taken,' said Natty. 'I�ve known the squaws give very good

counsel when the Indians had been dumfounded. If she says that I ought to lose, I agree to give it up.'

'Then I adjudge you to be a loser for this time,' said Miss Temple; 'but pay your money and renew your

chance; unless Brom will sell me the bird for a dollar. I will give him the money, and save the life of the poor

This proposition was evidently but little relished by any of the listeners, even the negro feeling the evil

excitement of the chances. In the mean while, as Billy Kirby was preparing himself for another shot, Natty

'There hasn�t been such a thing as a good flint sold at the foot of the lake since the Indian traders used to

come into the country; and, if a body should go into the flats along the streams in the hills to hunt for such a

thing, it�s ten to one but they will be all covered up with the plough. Heigho! it seems to me that just as the

game grows scarce, and a body wants the best ammunition to get a livelihood, everything that�s bad falls on

him like a judgment. But I�ll change the stone, for Billy Kirby hasn�t the eye for such a mark, I know.'

The woodchopper seemed now entirely sensible that his reputation depended on his care; nor did he neglect

any means to insure success. He drew up his rifle, and renewed his aim again and again, still appearing

reluctant to fire, No sound was heard from even Brom, during these portentous movements, until Kirby

discharged his piece, with the same want of success as before. Then, indeed, the shouts of the negro rang

through the bushes and sounded among the trees of the neighboring forest like the outcries of a tribe of

Indians. He laughed, rolling his head first on one side, then on the other, until nature seemed exhausted with

mirth. He danced until his legs were wearied with motion in the snow; and, in short, he exhibited all that

The woodchopper had exerted all his art, and felt a proportionate degree of disappointment at the failure. He

first examined the bird with the utmost attention, and more than once suggested that he had touched its

feathers; but the voice of the multitude was against him, for it felt disposed to listen to the oftenrepeated

Finding it impossible to make out a title to the bird, Kirby turned fiercely to the black and said:

'Shut your oven, you crow! Where is the man that can hit a turkey�s head at a hundred yards? I was a fool for

trying. You needn�t make an uproar like a falling pinetree about it. Show me the man who can do it.'

'Look this away, Billy Kirby,' said LeatherStocking, and let them clear the mark, and I�ll show you a man

who�s made better shots afore now, and that when he�s been hard pressed by the savages and wild beasts,'

'Perhaps there is one whose rights come before ours, Leather Stocking,' said Miss Temple. 'If so, we will

'If it be me that you have reference to,' said the young hunter, 'I shall decline another chance. My shoulder is

Elizabeth regarded his manner, and thought that she could discern a tinge on his cheek that spoke the shame

of conscious poverty. She said no more, but suffered her own champion to make a trial. Although Natty

Bumppo had certainly made hundreds of more momentous shots at his enemies or his game, yet he never

exerted himself more to excel. He raised his piece three several times: once to get his range; once to calculate

his distance; and once because the bird, alarmed by the deathlike stillness, turned its head quickly to

examine its foes. But the fourth time he fired. The smoke, the report, and the momentary shock prevented

most of the spectators from instantly knowing the result; but Elizabeth, when she saw her champion drop the

end of his rifle in the snow and open his mouth in one of its silent laughs, and then proceed very coolly to

recharge his piece, knew that he had been successful. The boys rushed to the mark, and lifted the turkey on

high, lifeless, and with nothing but the remnant of a head. 'Bring in the creatur�,' said LeatherStocking, 'and

put it at the feet of the lady. I was her deputy in the matter, and the bird is her property.'

'And a good deputy you have proved yourself,' returned Elizabeth' so good, Cousin Richard, that I would

advise you to remember his qualities.' She paused, and the gayety that beamed on her face gave place to a

more serious earnestness. She even blushed a little as she turned to the young hunter, and with the charm of a

woman�s manner added: 'But it was only to see an exhibition of the farfamed skill of LeatherStocking, that

I tried my fortunes. Will you, sir, accept the bird as a small peace offering for the hurt that prevented your

The expression with which the youth received this present was indescribable, He appeared to yield to the

blandishment of her air, in opposition to a strong inward impulse to the contrary. He bowed, and raised the

Elizabeth handed the black a piece of silver as a remuneration for his loss, which had some effect in again

unbending his muscles, and then expressed to her companion her readiness to return homeward.

'Wait a minute, Cousin Bess,' cried Richard; 'there is an uncertainty about the rules of this sport that it is

proper I should remove. If you will appoint a committee, gentlemen, to wait on me this morning, I will draw

up in writing a set of regulations� He stopped, with some indignation, for at that instant a hand was laid

'A merry Christmas to you, Cousin Dickon,' said Judge Temple, who had approached the party unperceived:

'I must have a vigilant eye to my daughter, sir, if you are to be seized daily with these gallant fits. I admire the

'It is her own perversity, �Duke,' cried the disappointed sheriff, who felt the loss of the first salutation as

grievously as many a man would a much greater misfortune; 'and I must say that she comes honestly by it. I

led her out to show her the improvements, but away she scampered, through the snow, at the first sound of

firearms, the same as if she had been brought up in a camp, instead of a firstrate boardingschool. I do

think, Judge Temple, that such dangerous amusements should be suppressed, by statute; nay, I doubt whether

'Well, sir, as you are sheriff of the county, it becomes your duty to examine into the matter,' returned the

smiling Marmaduke, 'I perceive that Bess has executed her commission, and I hope it met with a favorable

reception.' Richard glanced his eye at the packet which he held in his hand, and the slight anger produced by

'Ah! �Duke, my dear cousin,' he said, 'step a little on one side; I have something I would say to you.'

Marmaduke complied, and the sheriff led him to a little distance in the bushes, and continued: 'First, �Duke,

let me thank you for your friendly interest with the Council and the Governor, without which I am confident

that the greatest merit would avail but little. But we are sisters� childrenwe are sisters� children, and you

may use me like one of your horses; ride me or drive me, �Duke, I am wholly yours. But in my humble

opinion, this young companion of Leather Stocking requires looking after. He has a very dangerous

'Leave him to my management, Dickon,' said the Judge, 'and I will cure his appetite by indulgence. It is with

It diminished, in no degree, the effect produced by the conversation which passed between Judge Temple and

the I young hunter, that the former took the arm of his daughter and drew it through his own, when he

advanced from the spot whither Richard had led him to that where the youth was standing, leaning on his

rifle, and contemplating the dead bird at his feet. The presence of Marmaduke did not interrupt the sports,

which were resumed by loud and clamorous disputes concerning the conditions of a chance that involved the

life of a bird of much inferior quality to the last. LeatherStocking and Mohegan had alone drawn aside to

their youthful companion; and, although in the immediate vicinity of such a throng, the following

'I have greatly injured you, Mr. Edwards,' said the Judge; but the sudden and inexplicable start with which the

person spoken to received this unexpected address, caused him to pause a moment. As no answer was given,

and the strong emotion exhibited in the countenance of the youth gradually passed away, he continued: 'But

fortunately it is in some measure in my power to compensate you for what I have done. My kinsman, Richard

Jones, has received an appointment that will, in future, deprive me of his assistance, and leave me, just now,

destitute of one who might greatly aid me with his pen. Your manner, notwithstanding appearances, is a

sufficient proof of your education, nor will thy shoulder suffer thee to labor, for some time to come.'

(Marmaduke insensibly relapsed into the language of the Friends as he grew warm.) 'My doors are open to

thee, my young friend, for in this infant country we harbor no suspicions; little offering to tempt the cupidity

of the evildisposed. Be come my assistant, for at least a season, and receive such compensation as thy

There was nothing in the manner of the offer of the Judge to justify the reluctance, amounting nearly to

loathing, with which the youth listened to his speech; but, after a powerful effort for selfcommand, he

'I would serve you, sir, or any other man, for an honest support, for I do not affect to conceal that my

necessities are very great, even beyond what appearances would indicate; but I am fearful that such new

duties would interfere too much with more important business; so that I must decline your offer, and depend

Richard here took occasion to whisper to the young lady, who had shrunk a little from the foreground of the

'This, you see, Cousin Bess, is the natural reluctance of a halfbreed to leave the savage state. Their

'It is a precarious life,' observed Marmaduke, without hearing the sheriff�s observation, 'and one that brings

more evils with it than present suffering. Trust me, young friend, my experience is greater than thine, when I

tell thee that the unsettled life of these hunters is of vast disadvantage for temporal purposes, and it totally

'No, no, Judge,' interrupted the LeatherStocking, who was hitherto unseen, or disregarded; 'take him into

your shanty in welcome, but tell him truth. I have lived in the woods for forty long years, and have spent five

at a time without seeing the light of a clearing bigger than a window in the trees; and I should like to know

where you�ll find a man, in his sixtyeighth year, who can get an easier living, for all your betterments and

your deer laws; and, as for honesty, or doing what�s right between man and man, I�ll not turn my back to the

'Thou art an exception, LeatherStocking,' returned the Judge, nodding goodnaturedly at the hunter; 'for

thou hast a temperance unusual in thy class, and a hardihood exceeding thy years. But this youth is made of I

materials too precious to be wasted in the forestI entreat thee to join my family, if it be but till thy arm is

healed. My daughter here, who is mistress of my dwelling, wilt tell thee that thou art welcome.'

'Certainly,' said Elizabeth, whose earnestness was a little checked by female reserve. 'The unfortunate would

be welcome at any time, but doubly so when we feel that we have occasioned the evil ourselves,' 'Yes,' said

Richard, 'and if you relish turkey, young man, there are plenty in the coops, and of the best kind, I can assure

Finding himself thus ably seconded, Marmaduke pushed his advantage to the utmost. He entered into a detail

of the duties that would attend the situation, and circumstantially mentioned the reward, and all those points

which are deemed of importance among men of business. The youth listened in extreme agitation. There was

an evident contest in his feelings; at times he appeared to wish eagerly for the change, and then again the

incomprehensible expression of disgust would cross his features, like a dark cloud obscuring a noonday sun.

The Indian, in whose manner the depression of selfabasement was most powerfully exhibited, listened to the

offers of the Judge with an interest that increased with each syllable. Gradually he drew nigher to the group

and when, with his keen glance, he detected the most marked evidence of yielding in the countenance of his

young companion, he changed at once from his attitude and look of shame to the front of an Indian warrior,

'Listen to your father,' he said; 'his words are old. Let the Young Eagle and the Great Land Chief eat together;

let them sleep, without fear, near each other. The children of Miquon love not blood: they are just, and will

do right. The sun must rise and set often, be fore men can make one family; it is not the work of a day, but of

many winters. The Mingoes and the Delawares are born enemies; their blood can never mix in the wigwam; it

never will run in the same stream in the battle. What makes the brother of Miquon and the Young Eagle foes?

They are of the same tribe; their fathers and mothers are one. Learn to wait, my son, you are a Delaware, and

This figurative address seemed to have great weight with the young man, who gradually yielded to the

representations of Marmaduke, and eventually consented to his proposal. It was, however, to be an

experiment only; and, if either of the parties thought fit to rescind the engagement, it was left at his option so

to do. The remarkable and illconcealed reluctance of the youth to accept of an offer, which most men in his

situation would consider as an unhopedfor elevation, occasioned no little surprise in those to whom he was a

stranger; and it left a slight impression to his disadvantage. When the parties separated, they very naturally

made the subject the topic of a conversation, which we shall relate; first commencing with the Judge, his

daughter, and Richard, who were slowly pursuing the way back to the mansionhouse.

'I have surely endeavored to remember the holy man dates of our Redeemer, when he bids us �love them who

despitefully use you,� in my intercourse with this incomprehensible boy,' said Marmaduke. 'I know not what

there is in my dwelling to frighten a lad of his years, unless it may he thy presence and visage, Bess,'

'No, no,' said Richard, with great simplicity, 'it is not Cousin Bess. But when did you ever know a halfbreed,

�Duke, who could bear civilization? For that mat ter, they are worse than the savages themselves! Did you

notice how knockkneed he stood, Elizabeth, and what a wild look he had in his eyes?'

'I heeded not his eyes, nor his knees, which would be all the better for a little humbling. Really, my dear sir, I

think you did exercise the Christian virtue of patience to the utmost. I was disgusted with his airs, long before

he consented to make one of our family. Truly we are much honored by the association! In what apartment is

he to be placed, sir; and at what table is he to receive his nectar and ambrosia?'

'With Benjamin and Remarkable,' interrupted Mr. Jones; 'you sorely would not make the youth eat with the

blacks! He is part Indian, it is true; but the natives hold the negroes in great contempt. No, no; he would

'I am but too happy, Dickon, to tempt him to eat with ourselves,' said Marmaduke, 'to think of offering even

'Then, sir,' said Elizabeth, with an air that was slightly affected, as if submitting to her father�s orders in

'Certainly; he is to fill the station of one. Let him receive the treatment that is due to his place, until we find

'Well, well, �Duke,' cried the sheriff, ' you will find it no easy matter to make a gentleman of him. The old

proverb says that �it takes three generations to make a gentleman.� There was my father whom everybody

knew my grandfather was an M.D., and his father a D.D.; and his father came from England, I never could

come at the truth of his origin; but he was either a great mer chant in London, or a great country lawyer, or

'Here is a true American genealogy for you,' said Marmaduke, laughing. 'It does very well till you get across

the water, where, as everything is obscure, it is certain to deal in the superlative. You are sure that your

'To be sure I am,' returned the other. 'I have heard my old aunt talk of him by the month. We are of a good

family, Judge Temple, and have never filled any but honorable stations in life.'

'I marvel that you should be satisfied with so scanty a provision of gentility in the olden time, Dickon. Most

of the American genealogists commence their traditions like the stories for children, with three brothers,

taking especial care that one of the triumvirate shall be the pro genitor of any of the same name who may

happen to be better furnished with worldly gear than themselves. But, here, all are equal who know how to

conduct themselves with propriety; and Oliver Edwards comes into my family on a footing with both the high

'Well, �Duke, I call this democracy, not republicanism; but I say nothing; only let him keep within the law, or

I shall show him that the freedom of even this country is under wholesome restraint.'

'Surely, Dickon, you will not execute till I condemn! But what says Bess to the new inmate? We must pay a

'Oh, sir!' returned Elizabeth, 'I believe I am much like a certain Judge Temple in this particularnot easily to

be turned from my opinion. But, to be serious, although I must think the introduction of a demisavage into

the family a somewhat startling event, whomsoever you think proper to countenance may be sure of my

The Judge drew her arm more closely in his own and smiled, while Richard led the way through the gate of

the little courtyard in the rear of the dwelling, dealing out his ambiguous warnings with his accustomed

On the other hand, the forestersfor the three hunters, notwithstanding their difference in character, well

deserved this common namepursued their course along the skirts of the village in silence. It was not until

they had reached the lake, and were moving over its frozen surface toward the foot of the mountain, where

'Who could have foreseen this a month since! I have consented to serve Marmaduke Templeto be an

inmate in the dwelling of the greatest enemy of my race; yet what better could I do? The servitude cannot be

long; and, when the motive for submitting to it ceases to exist, I will shake it off like the dust from my feet.'

'Is he a Mingo, that you will call him enemy?' said Mohegan. 'The Delaware warrior sits still, and waits the

'Well, I�m mistrustful, John,' said LeatherStocking, in whose air there had been, during the whole business,

a strong expression of doubt and uncertainty. 'They say that there�s new laws in the land, and I�m sartin that

there�s new ways in the mountains. One hardly knows the lakes and streams, they�ve altered the country so

much. I must say I�m mistrustful of such smooth speakers; for I've known the whites talk fair when they

wanted the Indian lands most. This I will say, though I�m a white myself, and was born nigh York, and of

'I will submit,' said the youth; 'I will forget who I am. Cease to remember, old Mohegan, that I am the

descendant of a Delaware chief, who once was master of these noble hills, these beautiful vales, and of this

water, over which we tread. Yes, yes; I will become his bonds manhis slave, Is it not an honorable

'Old man!' repeated the Indian solemnly, and pausing in his walk, as usual, when much excited; 'yes, John is

old. Son of my brother! if Mohegan was young, when would his rifle be still? Where would the deer hide, and

he not find him? But John is old; his hand is the hand of a squaw; his tomahawk is a hatchet; brooms and

baskets are his enemies he strikes no other. Hunger and old age come together. See Hawkeye! when

young, he would go days and eat nothing; but should he not put the brush on the fire now, the blaze would go

'I�m not the man I was, I�ll own, Chingachgook,' returned the Leather Stocking; 'but I can go without a meal

now, on occasion. When we tracked the Iroquois through the �Beechwoods,� they drove the game afore

them, for I hadn�t a morsel to eat from Monday morning come Wednesday sundown, and then I shot as fat a

buck, on the Pennsylvany line, as ever mortal laid eyes on. It would have done your heart good to have seen

the Delaware eat; for I was out scouting and skrimmaging with their tribe at the time. Lord! The Indians, lad,

lay still, and just waited till Providence should send them their game, but I foraged about, and put a deer up,

and put him down too, afore he had made a dozen jumps. I was too weak and too ravenous to stop for his

flesh, so I took a good drink of his blood, and the Indians ate of his meat raw. John was there, and John

knows. But then starvation would be apt to be too much for me now, I will own, though I�m no great eater at

'Enough is said, my friend,' cried the youth. 'I feel that everywhere the sacrifice is required at my hands, and

it shall be made; but say no more, I entreat you; I can not bear this subject now.'

His companions were silent; and they soon reached the hut, which they entered, after removing certain

complicated and ingenious fastenings, that were put there apparently to guard a property of but very little

value. Immense piles of snow lay against the log walls of this secluded habitation on one side; while

fragments of small trees, and branches of oak and chestnut, that had been torn from their parent stems by the

winds, were thrown into a pile on the other. A small column of smoke rose through a chimney of sticks,

cemented with clay, along the side of the rock, and had marked the snow above with its dark tinges, in a

wavy line, from the point of emission to an other, where the hill receded from the brow of a precipice, and

held a soil that nourished trees of a gigantic growth, that overhung the little bottom beneath.

The remainder of the day passed off as such days are commonly spent in a new country. The settlers thronged

to the academy again, to witness the second effort of Mr. Grant; and Mohegan was one of his hearers. But,

not withstanding the divine fixed his eyes intently on the Indian when he invited his congregation to advance

to the table, the shame of last night�s abasement was yet too keen in the old chief to suffer him to move.

When the people were dispersing, the clouds that had been gathering all the morning were dense and dirty,

and before half of the curious congregation had reached their different cabins, that were placed in every glen

and hollow of the mountains, or perched on the summits of the hills themselves, the rain was falling in

torrents. The dark edges of the stumps began to exhibit themselves, as the snow settled rapidly; the fences of

logs and brush, which before had been only traced by long lines of white mounds, that ran across the valley

and up the mountains, peeped out from their covering, and the black stubs were momentarily becoming more

distinct, as large masses of snow and ice fell from their sides, under the influence of the thaw.

Sheltered in the warm hall of her father�s comfortable mansion, Elizabeth, accompanied by Louisa Grant,

looked abroad with admiration at the evervarying face of things without. Even the village, which had just

before been glittering with the color of the frozen element, reluctantly dropped its mask, and the houses

exposed their dark roofs and smoked chimneys. The pines shook off the covering of snow, and everything

seemed to he assuming its proper hues with a transition that bordered on the supernatural.

The close of Christmas Day, A.D. 1793, was tempestuous, but comparatively warm. When darkness had

again hid the objects in the village from the gaze of Elizabeth, she turned from the window, where she had

remained while the least vestige of light lingered over the tops of the dark pines, with a curiosity that was

rather excited than appeased by the passing glimpses of woodland scenery that she had caught during the day.

With her arm locked in that of Miss Grant, the young mistress of the mansion walked slowly up and down the

hall, musing on scenes that were rapidly recurring to her memory, and possibly dwelling, at times, in the

sanctuary of her thoughts, on the strange occurrences that had led to the introduction to her father�s family of

one whose Manners so singularly contradicted the inferences to be drawn from his situation. The expiring

heat of the apartmentfor its great size required a day to reduce its temperaturehad given to her cheeks a

bloom that exceeded their natural color, while the mild and melancholy features of Louisa were brightened

with a faint tinge, that, like the hectic of disease, gave a painful interest to her beauty.

The eyes of the gentlemen, who were yet seated around the rich wines of Judge Temple, frequently wandered

from the table, that was placed at one end of the hall, to the forms that were silently moving over its length.

Much mirth, and that, at times, of a boisterous kind, proceeded from the mouth of Richard; but Major

Hartmann was not yet excited to his pitch of merriment, and Marmaduke respected the presence of his

clerical guest too much to indulge in even the innocent humor that formed no small ingredient in his

Such were, and such continued to be, the pursuits of the party, for half an hour after the shutters were closed,

and candles were placed in various parts of the hall, as substitutes for departing daylight. The appearance of

Benjamin, staggering under the burden of an armful of wood, was the first interruption to the scene.

'How now, Master Pump!' roared the newly appointed sheriff; 'is there not warmth enough in �Duke�s best

Madeira to keep up the animal heat through this thaw? Remember, old boy, that the Judge is particular with

his beech and maple, beginning to dread already a scarcity of the precious articles. Ha! ha! ha! �Duke, you are

a good, warmhearted relation, I will own, as in duty bound, but you have some queer notions about you,

The notes gradually sank into a hum, while the majordomo threw down his load, and, turning to his

'Why, look you, Squire Dickon, mayhap there�s a warm latitude round about the table there, thof it�s not the

stuff to raise the heat in my body, neither; the raal Jamaiky being the only thing to do that, besides good

wood, or some such matter as Newcastle coal. But, if I know anything of the weather, d�ye see, it�s time to be

getting all snog, and for putting the ports in and stirring the fires a bit. Mayhap I�ve not followed the seas

twentyseven years, and lived another seven in these here woods, for nothing, gemmen.'

'Why, does it bid fair for a change in the weather, Benjamin?' inquired the master of the house.

'There�s a shift of wind, your honor,' returned the steward; 'and when there�s a shift of wind, you may look

for a change in this here climate. I was aboard of one of Rodney�s fleet, dye see, about the time we licked De

Grasse, Mounsheer Lor Quaw�s countryman, there; and the wind was here at the south�ard and east'ard; and I

was below, mixing a toothful of hot stuff for the captain of marines, who dined, dye see, in the cabin, that

there very same day; and I suppose he wanted to put out the captain�s fire with a gunroom ingyne; and so,

just as I got it to my own liking, after tasting pretty often, for the soldier was difficult to please, slap came the

foresail agin� the mast, whiz went the ship round on her heel, like a whirligig. And a lucky thing was it that

our helm was down; for as she gathered starnway she paid off, which was more than every ship in the fleet

did, or could do. But she strained herself in the trough of the sea, and she shipped a deal of water over her

quarter. I never swallowed so much clear water at a time in my life as I did then, for I was looking up the

'I mought, Judge,' said the old tar, with a broad grin; 'but there was no need of the medicine chest for a cure;

for, as I thought the brew was spoilt for the marine�s taste, and there was no telling when another sea might

come and spoil it for mine. I finished the mug on the spot. So then all hands was called to the pumps, and

'Why here the wind has been all day at the south, and now there�s a lull, as if the last blast was out of the

bellows; and there�s a streak along the mountains, to the northard, that, just now, wasn�t wider than the

bigness of your hand; and then the clouds drive afore it as you�d brail a mainsail, and the stars are heaving in

sight, like so many lights and beacons, put there to warn us to pile on the wood; and, if so be that I�m a judge

of weather, it�s getting to be time to build on a fire, or you'll have half of them there porter bottles, and them

dimmyjohns of wine, in the locker here, breaking with the frost, afore the morning watch is called.'

'Thou art a prudent sentinel,' said the Judge. 'Act thy pleasure with the forests, for this night at feast.'

Benjamin did as he was ordered; nor had two hours elapsed, before the prudence of his precautions became

very visible. The south wind had, indeed, blown itself cut, and it was succeeded by the calmness that usually

gave warning of a serious change in the weather. Long before the family retired to rest, the cold had become

cuttingly severe; and when Monsieur Le Quoi sallied c forth under a bright moon, to seek his own abode, he

was compelled to beg a blanket, in which he might envelop c his form, in addition to the numerous garments

that his sagacity had provided for the occasion. The divine and s his daughter remained as inmates of the

mansionhouse during the night, and the excess of last night�s merriment c induced the gentlemen to make an

early retreat to their several apartments, Long before midnight, the whole s family were invisible.

Elizabeth and her friend had not yet lost their senses in sleep, and the howlings of the northwest wind were

heard around the buildings, and brought with them that exquisite sense of comfort that is ever excited under

such circumstances, in an apartment where the fire has not yet ceased to glimmer, and curtains, and shutters,

and feathers unite to preserve the desired temperature. Once, just as her eyes had opened, apparently in the

last stage of drowsiness, the roaring winds brought with them a long and plaintive howl, that seemed too wild

for a dog, and yet resembled the cries of that faithful animal, when night awakens his vigilance, and gives

sweetness and solemnity to its charms. The form of Louis Grant instinctively pressed nearer to that of the

young heiress, who, finding her companion was yet awake, said in a low tone, as if afraid to break a charm

'Those distant cries are plaintive, and even beautiful. Can they be the hounds from the hut of

'They are wolves, who have ventured from the mountain, on the lake,' whispered Louisa, 'and who are only

kept from the village by the lights. One night, since we have been here, hunger drove them to our very door.

Oh, what a dreadful night it was! But the riches of Judge Temple have given him too many safeguards, to

'The enterprise of Judge Temple is taming the very forests!' exclaimed Elizabeth, throwing off the covering,

and partly rising in the bed. 'How rapidly is civilization treading on the foot of Nature!' she continued, as her

eye glanced over not only the comforts, hut the luxuries of her apartment, and her ear again listened to the

distant. but often repeated howls from the lake. Finding, however, that the timidity of her companion

rendered the sounds painful to her, Elizabeth resumed her place, and soon forgot the changes in the country,

The following morning, the noise of the female servant, who entered the apartment to light the fire, awoke the

females. They arose, and finished the slight preparations I of their toilets in a clear, cold atmosphere, that

penetrated through all the defences of even Miss Temple�s warm room. When Elizabeth was attired, she

approached a window and drew its curtain, and throwing open its shutters she endeavored to look abroad on

the village and the lake. But a thick covering of frost on the glass, while it admitted the light, shut out the

view. She raised the sash, and then, indeed, a glorious scene met her delighted eye.

The lake had exchanged its covering of unspotted snow for a face of dark ice, that reflected the rays of the

rising sun like a polished mirror. The houses clothed in a dress of the same description, but which, owing to

its position, shone like bright steel; while the enormous icicles that were pendent from every roof caught the

brilliant light, apparently throwing it from one to the other, as each glittered, on the side next the luminary,

with a golden lustre that melted away, on its opposite, into the dusky shades of a background. But it was the

appearance of the boundless forests that covered the hills as they rose in the distance, one over the other, that

most attracted the gaze of Miss Temple. The huge branches of the pines and hemlocks bent with the weight

of the ice they supported, while their summits rose above the swelling tops of the oaks, beeches, and maples,

like spires of burnished silver issuing from domes of the same material. The limits of the view, in the west,

were marked by an undulating outline of bright light, as if, reversing the order of nature, numberless suns

might momentarily he expected to heave above the horizon. In the foreground of the picture, along the shores

of the lake, and near to the village, each tree seemed studded with diamonds. Even the sides of the mountains

where the rays of the sun could not yet fall, were decorated with a glassy coat, that presented every gradation

of brilliancy, from the first touch of the luminary to the dark foliage of the hemlock, glistening through its

coat of crystal. In short, the whole view was one scene of quivering radiancy, as lake, mountains, village, and

woods, each emitted a portion of light, tinged with its peculiar hue, and varied by its position and its

'See!' cried Elizabeth; 'see, Louisa; hasten to the window, and observe the miraculous change!'

Miss Grant complied; and, after bending for a moment in silence from the opening, she observed, in a low

'The change is indeed wonderful! I am surprised that he should be able to effect it so soon.'

Elizabeth turned in amazement, to hear so skeptical a sentiment from one educated like her companion; but

was surprised to find that, instead of looking at the view, the mild blue eyes of Miss Grant were dwelling on

the form of a welldressed young man, who was standing � before the door of the building, in earnest

conversation with her father. A second look was necessary before she was able to recognize the person of the

'Everything in this magical country seems to border on the marvellous,' said Elizabeth; 'and, among all the

changes, this is certainly not the least wonderful, The actors are as unique as the scenery.'

'I am a simple country girl, Miss Temple, and I am afraid you will find me but a poor companion,' she said.

'II am not sure that I understand all you say. But I really thought that you wished me to notice the

alteration in Mr. Edwards, Is it not more wonderful when we recollect his origin? They say he is part Indian.'

'He is a genteel savage; but let us go down, and give the sachem his tea; for I suppose he is a descendant of

The ladies were met in the hall by Judge Temple, who took his daughter aside to apprise her of that alteration

'He appears reluctant to converse on his former situation,' continued Marmaduke 'but I gathered from his

discourse, as is apparent from his manner, that he has seen better days; and I am really inclining to the

opinion of Richard, as to his origin; for it was no unusual thing for the Indian agents to rear their children in a

'Very well, my dear sir,' interrupted his daughter, laughing and averting her eyes; 'it is all well enough, I dare

say; but, as I do not understand a word of the Mohawk language he must be content to speak English; and as

'Ay! but, Bess,' cried the judge, detaining her gently by the hand, 'nothing must be said to him of his past life.

This he has begged particularly of me, as a favor, He is, perhaps, a little soured, just now, with his wounded

arm; the injury seems very light, and another time he may be more communicative,'

'Oh! I am not much troubled, sir, with that laudable thirst after knowledge that is called curiosity. I shall

believe him to he the child of Cornstalk, or Cornplanter, or some other renowned chieftain; possibly of the

Big Snake himself; and shall treat him as such until he sees fit to shave his goodlooking head, borrow some

halfdozen pair of my best earrings, shoulder his rifle again, and disappear as suddenly as he made his

entrance. So come, my dear sir, and let us not forget the rites of hospitality, for the short time he is to remain

Judge Temple smiled at the playfulness of his child, and taking her arm they entered the breakfast parlor,

where the young hunter was seated with an air that showed his determination to domesticate himself in the

Such were the incidents that led to this extraordinary increase in the family of Judge Temple, where, having

once established the youth, the subject of our tale requires us to leave him for a time, to pursue with diligence

Major Hartmann made his customary visit, and took his leave of the party for the next three months. Mr.

Grant was compelled to be absent most of his time, in remote parts of the country, and his daughter became

almost a constant visitor at the mansionhouse. Richard entered, with his constitutional eagerness, on the

duties of his new office; and, as Marmaduke was much employed with the constant applications of

adventures for farms, the winter passed swiftly away. The lake was the principal scene f or the amusements

of the young people; where the ladies, in their onehorse cutter, driven by Richard, and attended, when the

snow would admit of it, by young Ed wards on his skates, spent many hours taking the benefit of exercise in

the clear air of the hills. The reserve of the youth gradually gave way to time and his situation, though it was

still evident, to a close observer, that he had frequent moments of bitter and intense feeling.

Elizabeth saw many large openings appear in the sides of the mountains during the three succeeding months,

where different settlers had, in the language of the country 'made their pitch,' while the numberless sleighs

that passed through the village, loaded with wheat and barrels of potashes, afforded a clear demonstration that

all these labors were not undertaken in vain. In short, the whole country was exhibiting the bustle of a

thriving settlement, where the highways were thronged with sleighs, bearing piles of rough household

furniture, studded, here and there, with the smiling faces of women and children, happy in the excitement of

novelty; or with loads of produce, hastening to the common market at Albany, that served as so many snares

to induce the emigrants to enter into those wild mountains in search of competence and happiness.

The village was alive with business, the artisans in creasing in wealth with the prosperity of the country, and

each day witnessing some nearer approach to the manners and usages of an oldsettled town. The man who

carried the mail or 'the post,' as he was called, talked much of running a stage, and, once or twice during the

winter, he was seen taking a single passenger, in his cutter, through the snowbanks, toward the Mohawk,

along which a regular vehicle glided, semiweekly, with the velocity of lightning, and under the direction of

a knowing whip from the 'down countries,' Toward spring, divers families, who had been into the 'old States'

to see their relatives, returned in time to save the snow, frequently bringing with them whole neighborhoods,

who were tempted by their representations to leave the farms of Connecticut and Massachusetts, to make a

During all this time, Oliver Edwards, whose sudden elevation excited no surprise in that changeful country,

was earnestly engaged in the service of Marmaduke, during the days; but his nights were often spent in the

hut of LeatherStocking. The intercourse between the three hunters was maintained with a certain air of

mystery, it is true, but with much zeal and apparent interest to all the parties. Even Mohegan seldom came to

the mansionhouse, and Natty never; but Edwards sought every leisure moment to visit his former abode,

from which he would often return in the gloomy hours of night. through the snow, or, if detained beyond the

time at which the family retired to rest, with the morning sun. These visits certainly excited much speculation

in those to whom they were known, but no comments were made, excepting occasionally in whispers from

'It is not at all remarkable; a halfbreed can never be weaned from the savage waysand, for one of his

lineage, the boy is much nearer civilization than could, in reason, be expected.'

As the spring gradually approached, the immense piles of snow that, by alternate thaws and frosts, and

repeated storms, had obtained a firmness which threatened a tiresome durability, began to yield to the

influence of milder breezes and a warmer sun. The gates of heaven at times seemed to open, and a bland air

diffused itself over the earth, when animate and inanimate nature would awaken, and, for a few hours, the

gayety of spring shone in every eye and smiled on every field. But the shivering blasts from the north would

carry their chill influence over the scene again, and the dark and gloomy clouds that intercepted the rays of

the sun were not more cold and dreary than the reaction. These struggles between the seasons became daily

more frequent, while the earth, like a victim to contention, slowly lost the animated brilliancy of winter,

Several weeks were consumed in this cheerless manner, during which the inhabitants of the country gradually

changed their pursuits from the social and bustling movements of the time of snow to the laborious and

domestic engagements of the coming season, The village was no longer thronged with visitors; the trade that

had enlivened the shops for several months, began to disappear; the highways lost their shining coats of

beaten snow in impassable sloughs, and were deserted by the gay and noisy travellers who, in sleighs, had,

during the winter, glided along their windings; and, in short, everything seemed indicative of a mighty

change, not only in the earth, but in those who derived their sources of comfort and happiness from its

The younger members of the family in the mansion house, of which Louisa Grant was now habitually one,

were by no means indifferent observers of these fluctuating and tardy changes. While the snow rendered the

roads passable, they had partaken largely in the amusements of the winter, which included not only daily

rides over the mountains, and through every valley within twenty miles of them, but divers ingenious and

varied sources of pleasure on the bosom of their frozen lake. There had been excursions in the equipage of

Richard, when with his four horses he had outstripped the winds, as it flew over the glassy ice which

invariably succeeded a thaw. Then the exciting and dangerous 'whirligig' would be suffered to possess its

moment of notice. Cutters, drawn by a single horse, and handsleds, impelled by the gentlemen on skates,

would each in turn be used; and, in short, every source of relief against the tediousness of a winter in the

mountains was resorted to by the family, Elizabeth was compelled to acknowledge to her father, that the

season, with the aid of his library, was much less irksome than she had anticipated.

As exercise in the open air was in some degree necessary to the habits of the family, when the constant

recurrence of frosts and thaws rendered the roads, which were dangerous at the most favorable times, utterly

impassable for wheels, saddlehorses were used as substitutes for other conveyances. Mounted on small and

surefooted beasts, the ladies would again attempt the passages of the mountains and penetrate into every

retired glen where the enterprise of a settler had induced him to establish himself. In these excursions they

were attended by some one or all of the gentlemen of the family, as their different pursuits admitted. Young

Edwards was hourly becoming more familiarized to his situation, and not infrequently mingled in the parties

with an unconcern and gayety that for a short time would expel all unpleasant recollections from his mind.

Habit, and the buoyancy of youth, seemed to be getting the ascendency over the secret causes of his

uneasiness; though there were moments when the same remarkable expression of disgust would cross his

intercourse with Marmaduke, that had distinguished their conversations in the first days of their acquaintance.

It was at the close of the month of March, that the sheriff succeeded in persuading his cousin and her young

friend to accompany him in a ride to a hill that was said to overhang the lake in a manner peculiar to itself.

'Besides, Cousin Bess,' continued the indefatigable Richard, 'we will stop and see the �sugar bush� of Billy

Kirby; he is on the east end of the Ransom lot, making sugar for Jared Ransom. There is not a better hand

over a kettle in the county than that same Kirby. You remember, �Duke, that I had him his first season in our

'He�s a good chopper, is Billy,' observed Benjamin, who held the bridle of the horse while the sheriff

mounted; 'and he handles an axe much the same as a forecastleman does his marlingspike, or a tailor his

goose. They say he�ll lift a potashkettle off the arch alone, though I can�t say that I�ve ever seen him do it

with my own eyes; but that is the say. And I�ve seen sugar of his making, which, maybe, wasn�t as white as

an old topgallant sail, but which my friend, Mistress Pettibones, within there, said had the true molasses

smack to it; and you are not the one, Squire Dickens, to be told that Mistress Remarkable has a remarkable

The loud laugh that succeeded the wit of Benjamin, and in which he participated with no very harmonious

sounds himself, very fully illustrated the congenial temper which existed between the pair. Most of its point

was, however, lost on the rest of the party, who were either mounting their horses or assisting the ladies at the

moment. When all were safely in their saddles, they moved through the village in great order. They paused

for a moment before the door of Monsieur Le Quoi, until he could bestride his steed, and then, issuing from

the little cluster of houses, they took one of the principal of those highways that centred in the village.

As each night brought with it a severe frost, which the heat of the succeeding day served to dissipate, the

equestrians were compelled to proceed singly along the margin of the road, where the turf, and firmness of

the ground, gave the horses a secure footing. Very trifling indications of vegetation were to he seen, the

surface of the earth presenting a cold, wet, and cheerless aspect that chilled the blood. The snow yet lay

scattered over most of those distant clearings that were visible in different parts of the mountains; though here

and there an opening might be seen where, as the white covering yielded to the season, the bright and lively

green of the wheat served to enkindle the hopes of the husbandman. Nothing could be more marked than the

contrast between the earth and the heavens; for, while the former presented the dreary view that we have

described, a warm and invigorating sun was dispensing his heats from a sky that contained but a solitary

cloud, and through an atmosphere that softened the colors of the sensible horizon until it shone like a sea of

Richard led the way on this, as on all other occasions that did not require the exercise of unusual abilities; and

as he moved along, he essayed to enliven the party with the sounds of his experienced voice.

'This is your true sugar weather, �Duke,' he cried; 'a frosty night and a sunshiny day. I warrant me that the sap

runs like a milltail up the maples this warm morning. It is a pity, Judge, that you do not introduce a little

more science into the manufactory of sugar among your tenants. It might be done, sir, without knowing as

'The first object of my solicitude, friend Jones,' returned Marmaduke, 'is to protect the sources of this great

mine of comfort and wealth from the extravagance of the people themselves. When this important point shall

be achieved, it will be in season to turn our attention to an improvement in the manufacture of the article, But

thou knowest, Richard, that I have already subjected our sugar to the process of the refiner, and that the result

has produced loaves as white as the snow on yon fields, and possessing the saccharine quality in its utmost

'Saccharine, or turpentine, or any other 'ine, Judge Temple, you have never made a loaf larger than a

goodsized sugarplum,' returned the sheriff. 'Now, sir, I assert that no experiment is fairly tried, until it be

reduced to practical purposes. If, sir, I owned a hundred, or, for that matter, two hundred thousand acres of

land, as you do. I would build a sugar house in the village; I would invite learned men to an investigation of

the subjectand such are easily to be found, sir; yes, sir, they are not difficult to findmen who unite

theory with practice; and I would select a wood of young and thrifty trees; and, instead of making loaves of

the size of a lump of candy, dam�me, �Duke, but I�d have them as big as a haycock.'

'And purchase the cargo of one of those ships that they say are going to China,' cried Elizabeth; 'turn your pot

ashkettles into teacups, the scows on the lake into saucers, bake your cake in yonder lime kiln, and invite

the county to a teaparty. How wonderful are the projects of genius! Really, sir, the world is of opinion that

Judge Temple has tried the experiment fairly, though he did not cause his loaves to be cast in moulds of the

'You may laugh, Cousin Elizabethyou may laugh, madam,' retorted Richard, turning himself so much in

his saddle as to face the party, and making dignified gestures with his whip; 'but I appeal to common sense,

good sense, or, what is of more importance than either, to the sense of taste, which is one of the five natural

senses, whether a big loaf of sugar is not likely to contain a better illustration of a proposition than such a

lump as one of your Dutch women puts under her tongue when she drinks her tea. There are two ways of

doing everything, the right way and the wrong way. You make sugar now, I will admit, and you may,

possibly, make loafsugar; but I take the question to be, whether you make the best possible sugar, and in the

'Thou art very right, Richard,' observed Marmaduke, with a gravity in his air that proved how much he was

interested in the subject. 'It is very true that we manufacture sugar, and the inquiry is quite useful, how much?

and in what manner? I hope to live to see the day when farms and plantations shall be devoted to this branch

of business. Little is known concerning the properties of the tree itself, the source of all this wealth; how

'Hoe and plough!' roared the sheriff; 'would you set a man hoeing round the root of a maple like this?'

pointing to one of the noble trees that occur so frequently in that part of the country. 'Hoeing trees! are you

mad, �Duke? This is next to hunting for coal! Poh! poh! my dear cousin, hear reason, and leave the

management of the sugar bush to me. Here is Mr. Le Quoihe has been in the West Indies, and has seen

sugar made. Let him give an account of how it is made there, and you will hear the philosophy of the thing.

Well, monsieur, how is it that you make sugar in the West Indies; anything in Judge Temples fashion?'

The gentleman to whom this query was put was mounted on a small horse, of no very fiery temperament, and

was riding with his stirrups so short as to bring his knees, while the animal rose a small ascent in the

woodpath they were now travelling, into a somewhat hazardous vicinity to his chin. There was no room for

gesticulation or grace in the delivery of his reply, for the mountain was steep and slippery; and, although the

Frenchman had an eye of uncommon magnitude on either side of his face, they did not seem to be half

competent to forewarn him of the impediments of bushes, twigs, and fallen trees, that were momentarily

crossing his path. With one hand employed in averting these dangers, and the other grasping his bridle to

check an untoward speed that his horse was assuming, the native of France responded as follows:

'Sucre! dey do make sucre in Martinique; maismais ce n�est pas one treeahahvat you callje

voudrois que ces chemins fussent au diable vat you callsteeck pour la promenade?' 'Cane,' said

Elizabeth, smiling at the imprecation which the wary Frenchman supposed was understood only by himself.

'Oui, mam�selle, cane.' 'Yes, yes,' cried Richard, 'cane is the vulgar name for it, but the real term is saccharum

officinarum; and what we call the sugar, or hard maple, is acer saccharinum. These are the learned names,

'Is this Greek or Latin, Mr. Edwards?' whispered Elizabeth to the youth, who was opening a passage for

herself and her companions through the bushes, 'or per haps it is a still more learned language, for an

The dark eye of the young man glanced toward the speaker, but its resentful expression changed in a moment.

'I shall remember your doubts, Miss Temple, when next I visit my old friend Mohegan, and either his skill, or

'Not absolutely; but the deep learning of Mr. Jones is more familiar to me, or even the polite masquerade of

'It is a common language with the Iroquois, and through the Canadas,' he answered, smiling.

'It will be well for me if I have no worse,' said the youth, dashing ahead with his horse, and putting an end to

The discourse, however, was maintained with great vigor by Richard, until they reached an open wood on the

summit of the mountain, where the hemlocks and pines totally disappeared, and a grove of the very trees that

formed the subject of debate covered the earth with their tall, straight trunks and spreading branches, in

stately pride. The underwood had been entirely removed from this grove, or bush, as, in conjunction with the

simple arrangements for boiling, it was called, and a wide space of many acres was cleared, which might be

likened to the dome of a mighty temple, to which the maples formed the columns, their tops composing the

capitals and the heavens the arch. A deep and careless incision had been made into each tree, near its root,

into which little spouts, formed of the I bark of the alder, or of the sumach, were fastened; and a trough,

roughly dug out of the linden, or basswood, was I lying at the root of each tree, to catch the sap that flowed

The party paused a moment, on gaining the flat, to breathe their horses, and, as the scene was entirely new to

several of their number, to view the manner of collecting the fluid. A fine, powerful voice aroused them from

their momentary silence, as it rang under the branches of the trees, singing the following words of that

inimitable doggerel, whose verses, if extended, would reach from the Caters of the Connecticut to the shores

of Ontario. The tune was, of course, a familiar air which, although it is said to have been first applied to this

nation in derision, circumstances have since rendered so glorious that no American ever hears its jingling

'The Eastern States be full of men, The Western Full of woods, sir, The hill be like a cattlepen, The roads be

full of goods, sir! Then flow away, my sweety sap, And I will make you boily; Nor catch a wood man�s hasty

nap, For fear you should get roily. The mapletree's a precious one, �Tis fuel, food, and timber; And when

your stiff day�s work is done, Its juice will make you limber, Then flow away, etc.

'And what�s a man without his glass. His wife without her tea, sir? But neither cup nor mug will pass,

During the execution of this sonorous doggerel, Richard kept time with his whip on the mane of his charger,

accompanying the gestures with a corresponding movement of his head and body. Toward the close of the

song, he was overheard humming the chorus, and, at its last repetition, to strike in at 'sweety sap,� and carry a

second through, with a prodigious addition to the 'effect' of the noise, if not to that of the harmony.

'Well done us!' roared the sheriff, on the same key with the tune; 'a very good song, Billy Kirby, and very

well sung. Where got you the words, lad? Is there more of it, and can you furnish me with a copy?' The

sugarboiler, who was busy in his 'camp,' at a short distance from the equestrians, turned his head with great

indifference, and surveyed the party, as they approached, with admirable coolness. To each individual, as he

or she rode close by him, he gave a nod that was extremely goodnatured and affable, but which partook

largely of the virtue of equality, for not even to the ladies did he in the least vary his mode of salutation, by

touching the apology for a hat that he wore, or by any other motion than the one we have mentioned.

'How goes it, how goes it, sheriff?' said the woodchopper; 'what�s the good word in the village?'

'Why, much as usual, Billy,' returned Richard. 'But how is this? where are your four kettles, and your troughs,

and your iron coolers? Do you make sugar in this slovenly way? I thought you were one of the best

'I�m all that, Squire Jones,' said Kirby, who continued his occupation; 'I�ll turn my back to no man in the

Otsego hills for chopping and logging, for boiling down the maple sap, for tending brickkiln, splitting out

rails, making potash, and parling too, or hoeing corn; though I keep myself pretty much to the first business,

'How?' said Kirby, looking up with a simplicity which, coupled with his gigantic frame and manly face, was a

little ridiculous, 'if you be for trade, mounsher, here is some as good sugar as you�ll find the season through.

It�s as clear from dirt as the Jarman Flats is free from stumps, and it has the raal maple flavor. Such stuff

The Frenchman approached the place where Kirby had deposited his cake of sugar, under the cover of a bark

roof, and commenced the examination of the article with the eye of one who well understood its value.

Marmaduke had dismounted, and was viewing the works and the trees very closely, and not without frequent

expressions of dissatisfaction at the careless manner in which the manufacture was conducted.

'You have much experience in these things, Kirby,' he said; 'what course do you pursue in making your

'Two is as good as two thousand, Judge. I�m none of your polite sugarmakers, that boils for the great folks;

but if the raal sweet maple is wanted, I can answer your turn. First, I choose, and then I tap my trees; say

along about the last of February, or in these mountains maybe not afore the middle of March; but anyway,

'Well, in this choice,' interrupted Marmaduke, 'are you governed by any outward signs that prove the quality

'Why, there�s judgment in all things,' said Kirby, stirring the liquor in his kettles briskly. 'There�s some thing

in knowing when and how to stir the pot. It�s a thing that must be larnt. Rome wasn�t built in a day, nor for

that matter Templeton either, though it may be said to be a quickgrowing place. I never put my axe into a

stunty tree, or one that hasn�t a good, freshlooking bark: for trees have disorders, like creatur�s; and where�s

the policy of taking a tree that�s sickly, any more than you�d choose a foundered horse to ride post, or an over

'All that is true. But what are the signs of illness? how do you distinguish a tree that is well from one that is

'How does the doctor tell who has fever and who colds?' interrupted Richard. 'By examining the skin, and

'Sartain,' continued Billy; 'the squire ain�t far out of the way. It�s by the look of the thing, sure enough. Well,

when the sap begins to get a free run, I hang over the kettles, and set up the bush. My first boiling I push

pretty smartly, till I get the virtue of the sap; but when it begins to grow of a molasses nater, like this in the

kettle, one mustn�t drive the fires too hard, or you�ll burn the sugar; and burny sugar is bad to the taste, let it

be never so sweet. So you ladle out from one kettle into the other till it gets so, when you put the

stirringstick into it, that it will draw into a thread when it takes a kerful hand to manage it. There is a way

to drain it off, after it has grained, by putting clay into the pans; bitt it isn�t always practised; some doos and

'No, I expect cash for it; I never dicker my sugar, But, seeing that it�s you, mounsher,' said Billy, with a

Coaxing smile, 'I'll agree to receive a gallon of rum, and cloth enough for two shirts if you�ll take the

molasses in the bargain. It�s raal good. I wouldn�t deceive you or any man and to my drinking it�s about the

The manufacturer stared at the speaker with an air of great freedom, but made no reply.

'Oui,' said the Frenchman, 'ten penny. Jevausraner cie, monsieur: ah! mon Anglois! je l'oublie toujours.'

The woodchopper looked from one to the other with some displeasure; and evidently imbibed the opinion

that they were amusing themselves at his expense. He seized the enormous ladle, which was lying on one of

his kettles, and began to stir the boiling liquid with great diligence. After a moment passed in dipping the

ladle full, and then raising it on high, as the thick rich fluid fell back into the kettle, he suddenly gave it a

whirl, as if to cool what yet remained, and offered the bowl to Mr. Le Quoi, saying:

�Taste that, mounsher, and you will say it is worth more than you offer. The molasses itself would fetch the

The complaisant Frenchman, after several timid efforts to trust his lips in contact with the howl of the ladle,

got a good swallow of the scalding liquid. He clapped his hands on his breast, and looked most piteously at

the ladies, for a single instant; and then, to use the language oft Billy, when he afterward recounted the tale,

'no drumsticks ever went faster on the skin of a sheep than the Frenchman�s legs, for a round or two; and then

such swearing and spitting in French you never saw. But it�s a knowing one, from the old countries, that

The air of innocence with which Kirby resumed the occupation of stirring the contents of his kettles would

have completely deceived the spectators as to his agency in the temporary sufferings of Mr. Le Quoi, had not

the reckless fellow thrust his tongue into his cheek, and cast his eyes over the party, with a simplicity of

expression that was too exquisite to be natural. Mr. Le Quoi soon recovered his presence of mind and his

decorum; and he briefly apologized to the ladies for one or two very intemperate expressions that had escaped

him in a moment of extraordinary excitement, and, remounting his horse, he continued in the background

during the remainder of the visit, the wit of Kirby putting a violent termination, at once, to all negotiations on

the subject of trade. During all this time, Marmaduke had been wandering about the grove, making

observations on his favorite trees, and the wasteful manner in which the woodchopper conducted his

'It grieves me to witness the extravagance that pervades this country,' said the Judge, 'where the settlers trifle

with the blessings they might enjoy, with the prodigality of successful adventurers. You are not exempt from

the censure yourself, Kirby, for you make dreadful wounds in these trees where a small incision would effect

the same object. I earnestly beg you will remember that they are the growth of centuries, and when once gone

'Why, I don�t know, Judge,' returned the man he ad dressed; 'it seems to me, if there�s plenty of anything in

this mountaynious country, it�s the trees. If there�s any sin in chopping them, I�ve a pretty heavy account to

settle; for I�ve chopped over the best half of a thousand acres, with my own hands, counting both Varmount

and York States; and I hope to live to finish the whull, before I lay up my axe. Chopping comes quite natural

to me, and I wish no other employment; but Jared Ransom said that he thought the sugar was likely to be

source this season, seeing that so many folks was coming into the settlement, and so I concluded to take the

�bush� on sheares for this one spring. What�s the best news, Judge, consarning ashes? do pots hold so that a

man can live by them still? I s�pose they will, if they keep on fighting across the water.'

'Thou reasonest with judgment, William,' returned Marmaduke. 'So long as the Old Worm is to be convulsed

'Well, it�s an ill wind, Judge, that blows nobody any good. I�m sure the country is in a thriving way; and

though I know you calkilate greatly on the trees, setting as much store by them as some men would by their

children, yet to my eyes they are a sore sight any time, unless I'm privileged to work my will on them: in

which case I can�t say but they are more to my liking. I have heard the settlers from the old countries say that

their rich men keep great oaks and elms, that would make a barrel of pots to the tree, standing round their

doors and humsteds and scattered over their farms, just to look at. Now, I call no country much improved that

is pretty well covered with trees. Stumps are a different thing, for they don�t shade the land; and, besides, you

dig themthey make a fence that will turn anything bigger than a hog, being grand for breachy cattle.'

'Opinions on such subjects vary much in different countries,' said Marmaduke; 'but it is not as ornaments that

I value the noble trees of this country; it is for their usefulness We are stripping the forests, as if a single year

would replace what we destroy. But the hour approaches when the laws will take notice of not only the

With this consoling reflection, Marmaduke remounted, and the equestrians passed the sugarcamp, on their

way to the promised landscape of Richard. The woodchopper was left alone, in the bosom of the forest, to

pursue his labors. Elizabeth turned her head, when they reached the point where they were to descend the

mountain, and thought that the slow fires that were glimmering under his enormous kettles, his little brush

shelter, covered with pieces of hemlock bark, his gigantic size, as he wielded his ladle with a steady and

knowing air, aided by the background of stately trees, with their spouts and troughs, formed, altogether, no

unreal picture of human life in its first stages of civilization. Perhaps whatever the scene possessed of a

romantic character was not injured by the powerful tones of Kirby�s voice ringing through the woods as he

again awoke his strains to another tune, which was but little more scientific than the former. All that she

'And when the proud forest is falling, To my oxen cheerfully calling, From morn until night I am bawling,

Whoa, back there, and haw and gee; Till our labor is mutually ended, By my strength and cattle befriended,

And against the mosquitoes defended By the bark of the walnuttrees. Away! then, you lads who would buy

land; Choose the oak that grows on the high land, or the silvery pine on the dry land, it matters but little to

The roads of Otsego, if we except the principal high ways, were, at the early day of our tale, but little better

than woodpaths. The high trees that were growing on the very verge of the wheeltracks excluded the sun�s

rays, unless at meridian; and the slowness of the evaporation, united with the rich mould of vegetable

decomposition that covered the whole country to the depth of several inches, occasioned but an indifferent

foundation for the footing of travellers. Added to these were the inequalities of a natural surface, and the

constant recurrence of enormous and slippery roots that were laid bare by the removal of the light soil,

together with stumps of trees, to make a passage not only difficult but dangerous. Yet the riders among these

numerous obstructions, which were such as would terrify an unpracticed eye, gave no demonstrations of

uneasiness as their horses toiled through the sloughs or trotted with uncertain paces along the dark route. In

many places the marks on the trees were the only indications of a road, with perhaps an occasional remnant

of a pine that, by being cut close to the earth, so as to leave nothing visible but its base of roots, spreading for

twenty feet in every direction, was apparently placed there as a beacon to warn the traveller that it was the

Into one of these roads the active sheriff led the way, first striking out of the footpath, by which they had

descended from the sugarbush, across a little bridge, formed of round logs laid loosely on sleepers of pine,

in which large openings of a formidable width were frequent. The nag of Richard, when it reached one of

these gaps, laid its nose along the logs and stepped across the difficult passage with the sagacity of a man; but

the blooded filly which Miss Temple rode disdained so humble a movement. She made a step or two with an

unusual caution, and then, on reaching the broadest opening, obedient to the curt and whip of her fearless

mistress, she bounded across the dangerous pass with the activity of a squirrel.

'Gently, gently, my child,' said Marmaduke, who was following in the manner of Richard; 'this is not a

country for equestrian feats. Much prudence is requisite to journey through our rough paths with safety. Thou

mayst practise thy skill in horsemanship on the plains of New Jersey with safety; but in the hills of Otsego

'I may as well then relinquish my saddle at once, dear sir,' returned his daughter; 'for if it is to be laid aside

until this wild country be improved, old age will overtake me, and put an end to what you term my equestrian

feats.' 'Say not so, my child,' returned her father; 'but if thou venturest again as in crossing this bridge, old age

will never overtake thee, but I shall be left to mourn thee, cut off in thy pride, my Elizabeth. If thou hadst

seen this district of country, as I did, when it lay in the sleep of nature, and bad witnessed its rapid changes as

it awoke to supply the wants of man, thou wouldst curb thy impatience for a little time, though thou shouldst

'I recollect hearing you speak of your first visit to these woods, but the impression is faint, and blended with

the confused images of childhood. Wild and unsettled as it may yet seem, it must have been a thousand times

more dreary then. Will you repeat, dear sir, what you then thought of your enterprise, and what you felt?'

During this speech of Elizabeth, which was uttered with the fervor of affection, young Edwards rode more

closely to the side of the Judge, and bent his dark eyes on his countenance with an expression that seemed to

'Thou wast then young, my child, but must remember when I left thee and thy mother, to take my first survey

of these uninhabited mountains,' said Marmaduke. 'But thou dost not feel all the secret motives that can urge

a man to endure privations in order to accumulate wealth. In my case they have not been trifling, and God has

been pleased to smile on my efforts. If I have encountered pain, famine, and disease in accomplishing the

settlement of this rough territory, I have not the misery of failure to add to the grievances.'

'Famine!' echoed Elizabeth; 'I thought this was the land of abundance! Had you famine to contend with?'

'Even so, my child,' said her father. 'Those who look around them now, and see the loads of produce that

issue out of every wild path in these mountains during the season of travelling, will hardly credit that no more

than five years have elapsed since the tenants of these woods were compelled to eat the scanty fruits of the

forest to sustain life, and, with their unpracticed skill, to hunt the beasts as food for their starving families.'

'Ay!' cried Richard, who happened to overhear the last of this speech between the notes of the

woodchopper�s song, which he was endeavoring to breathe aloud; 'that was the starvingtime,* Cousin

Bess. I grew as lank as a weasel that fall, and my face was as pale as one of your feverandague visages.

Monsieur Le Quoi, there, fell away like a pumpkin in drying; nor do I think you have got fairly over it yet,

monsieur. Benjamin, I thought, bore it with a worse grace than any of the family; for he swore it was harder

to endure than a short allowance in the calm latitudes. Benjamin is a sad fellow to swear if you starve him

ever so little. I had half a mind to quit you then, �Duke, and to go into Pennsylvania to fatten; but, damn it,

thinks I, we are sisters� children, and I will live or die with him, after all.'

* The author has no better apology for interrupting the interest of a work of fiction by these desultory

dialogues than that they have ref erence to facts. In reviewing his work, after so many years, he is compelled

to confess it is injured by too many allusions to incidents that are not at all suited to satisfy the just

expectations of the general reader. One of these events is slightly touched on in the commencement of this

More than thirty years since a very near and dear relative of the writer, an elder sister and a second mother,

was killed by a fall from a horse in a ride among the very mountains mentioned in this tale. Few of her sex

and years were more extensively known or more universally beloved than the admirable woman who thus fell

a victim to the chances of the wilderness. 'I do not forget thy kindness,' said Marmaduke, 'nor that we are of

'But, my dear father,' cried the wondering Elizabeth, 'was there actual suffering? Where were the beautiful

'It was a season of scarcity; the necessities of life commanded a high price in Europe, and were greedily

sought after by the speculators. The emigrants from the East to the West invariably passed along the valley of

the Mohawk, and swept away the means of subsistence like a swarm of locusts, Nor were the people on the

Flats in a much better condition. They were in want themselves, but they spared the little excess of provisions

that nature did not absolutely require, with the justice of the German character. There was no grinding of the

poor. The word speculator was then unknown to them. I have seen many a stout man, bending under the load

of the bag of meal which he was carrying from the mills of the Mohawk, through the rugged passes of these

mountains, to feed his halffamished children, with a heart so light, as he approached his hut, that the thirty

miles he had passed seemed nothing. Remember, my child, it was in our very infancy; we had neither mills,

nor grain, nor roads, nor often clearings; we had nothing of increase but the mouths that were to be fed: for

even at that inauspicious moment the restless spirit of emigration was not idle; nay, the general scarcity

'And how, dearest father, didst thou encounter this dreadful evil?' said Elizabeth, unconsciously adopting the

dialect of her parent in the warmth of her sympathy. 'Upon thee must have fallen the responsibility, if not the

'It did, Elizabeth,' returned the Judge, pausing for a single moment, as if musing on his former feelings. ' I had

hundreds at that dreadful time daily looking up to me for bread. The sufferings of their families and the

gloomy prospect before them had paralyzed the enterprise and efforts of my settlers; hunger drove them to

the woods for food, but despair sent them at night, enfeebled and wan, to a sleepless pillow. It was not a

moment for in action. I purchased cargoes of wheat from the granaries of Pennsylvania; they were landed at

Albany and brought up the Mohawk in boats; from thence it was transported on packhorses into the

wilderness and distributed among my people. Seines were made, and the lakes and rivers were dragged for

fish. Something like a miracle was wrought in our favor, for enormous shoals of herrings were discovered to

have wandered five hundred miles through the windings of the impetuous Susquehanna, and the lake was

alive with their numbers. These were at length caught and dealt out to the people, with proper portions of salt,

'Yes,' cried Richard, 'and I was the man who served out the fish and salt. When the poor devils came to

receive their rations, Benjamin, who was my deputy, was obliged to keep them off by stretching ropes around

me, for they smelt so of garlic, from eating nothing but the wild onion, that the fumes put me out often in my

measurement. You were a child then, Bess, and knew nothing of the matter, for great care was observed to

keep both you and your mother from suffering. That year put me back dreadfully, both in the breed of my

'No, Bess,' cried the Judge, in a more cheerful tone, disregarding the interruption of his cousin, 'he who hears

of the settlement of a country knows but little of the toil and suffering by which it is accomplished.

Unimproved and wild as this district now seems to your eyes, what was it when I first entered the hills? I left

my party, the morning of my arrival, near the farms of the Cherry Valley, and, following a deerpath, rode to

the summit of the mountain that I have since called Mount Vision; for the sight that there met my eyes

seemed to me as the deceptions of a dream. The fire had run over the pinnacle, and in a great measure laid

open the view. The leaves were fallen, and I mounted a tree and sat for an hour looking on the silent

wilderness. Not an opening was to be seen in the boundless forest except where the lake lay, like a mirror of

glass. The water was covered by myriads of the wildfowl that migrate with the changes in the season; and

while in my situation on the branch of the beech, I saw a bear, with her cubs, descend to the shore to drink. I

had met many deer, gliding through the woods, in my journey ; but not the vestige of a man could I trace

during my progress, nor from my elevated observatory. No clearing, no hut, none of the winding roads that

are now to be seen, were there; nothing but mountains rising behind mountains ; and the valley, with its

surface of branches enlivened here and there with the faded foliage of some tree that parted from its leaves

with more than ordinary reluctance. Even the Susquehanna was then hid by the height and density of the

'And were you alone?' asked Elizabeth: 'passed you the night in that solitary state?'

'Not so, my child,' returned the father. 'After musing on the scene for an hour, with a mingled feeling of

pleasure and desolation, I left my perch and descended the mountain. My horse was left to browse on the

twigs that grew within his reach, while I explored the shores of the lake and the spot where Templeton stands.

A pine of more than ordinary growth stood where my dwelling is now placed! A windrow had been

opened through the trees from thence to the lake, and my view was but little impeded. Under the branches of

that tree I made my solitary dinner. I had just finished my repast as I saw smoke curling from under the

mountain, near the eastern bank of the lake. It was the only indication of the vicinity of man that I had then

seen. After much toil I made my way to the spot, and found a rough cabin of logs, built against the foot of a

'It was; though I at first supposed it to be a habitation of the Indians. But while I was lingering around the

spot Natty made his appearance, staggering under the carcass of a buck that he bad slain. Our acquaintance

commenced at that time; before, I had never heard that such a being tenanted the woods. He launched his

bark canoe and set me across the foot of the lake to the place where I had fastened my horse, and pointed out

a spot where he might get a scanty browsing until the morning; when I returned and passed the night in the

Miss Temple was so much struck by the deep attention of young Edwards during this speech that she forgot

to resume her interrogations; but the youth himself continued the discourse by asking:

'Why, simply but kindly, until late in the evening, when he discovered my name and object, and the cordiality

of his manner very sensibly diminished, or, I might better say, disappeared. He considered the introduction of

the settlers as an innovation on his rights, I believe for he expressed much dissatisfaction at the measure,

though it was in his confused and ambiguous manner. I hardly understood his objections myself, but

'Had you then purchased the estate, or were you examining it with an intent to buy?' asked Edwards, a little

'It had been mine for several years. It was with a view to People the land that I visited the lake. Natty treated

me hospitably, but coldly, I thought, after he learned the nature of my journey. I slept on his own bearskin,

'Said he nothing of the Indian rights, sir? The LeatherStocking is much given to impeach the justice of the

'I remember that he spoke of them, but I did not nearly comprehend him, and may have forgotten what he

said; for the Indian title was extinguished so far back as the close of the old war, and if it had not been at all, I

hold under the patents of the Royal Governors, confirmed by an act of our own State Legislature, and no

court in the country can affect my title.' 'Doubtless, sir, your title is both legal and equitable,' returned the

youth coldly, reining his horse back and remaining silent till the subject was changed.

It was seldom Mr. Jones suffered any conversation to continue for a great length of time without his

participation. It seems that he was of the party that Judge Temple had designated as his surveyors; and he

embraced the opportunity of the pause that succeeded the retreat of young Edwards to take up the discourse,

and with a narration of their further proceedings, after his own manner. As it wanted, however, the interest

that had accompanied the description of the Judge, we must decline the task of committing his sentences to

They soon reached the point where the promised view was to be seen. It was one of those picturesque and

peculiar scenes that belong to the Otsego, but which required the absence of the ice and the softness of a

summer�s landscape to be enjoyed in all its beauty. Marmaduke had early forewarned his daughter of the

season, and of its effect on the prospect; and after casting a cursory glance at its capabilities, the party

returned homeward, perfectly satisfied that its beauties would repay them for the toil of a second ride at a

'The spring is the gloomy time of the American year,' said the Judge, 'and it is more peculiarly the case in

these mountains. The winter seems to retreat to the fast nesses of the hills, as to the citadel of its dominion,

and is only expelled after a tedious siege, in which either party, at times, would seem to be gaining the

'A very just and apposite figure, Judge Temple,' observed the sheriff; 'and the garrison under the command of

Jack Frost make formidable sortiesyou understand what I mean by sorties, monsieur; sallies, in English

and sometimes drive General Spring and his troops back again into the low countries.'

'Yes sair,' returned the Frenchman, whose prominent eyes were watching the precarious footsteps of the beast

he rode, as it picked its dangerous way among the roots of trees, holes, log bridges, and sloughs that formed

the aggregate of the highway. 'Je vous entends; de low countrie is freeze up for half de year.'

The error of Mr. Le Quoi was not noticed by the sheriff; and the rest of the party were yielding to the

influence of the changeful season, which was already teaching the equestrians that a continuance of its

mildness was not to be expected for any length of time. Silence and thoughtfulness succeeded the gayety and

conversation that had prevailed during the commencement of the ride, as clouds began to gather about the

heavens, apparently collecting from every quarter, in quick motion, without the agency of a breath of air,

While riding over one of the cleared eminencies that occurred in their route, the watchful eye of Judge

Temple pointed out to his daughter the approach of a tempest. Flurries of snow already obscured the

mountain that formed the northern boundary of the lake, and the genial sensation which had quickened the

blood through their veins was already succeeded by the deadening influence of an approaching northwester.

All of the party were now busily engaged in making the best of their way to the village, though the badness of

the roads frequently compelled them to check the impatience of their animals, which often carried them over

Richard continued in advance, followed by Mr. Le Quoi; next to whom rode Elizabeth, who seemed to have

imbibed the distance which pervaded the manner of young Edwards since the termination of the discourse

between the latter and her father. Marmaduke followed his daughter, giving her frequent and tender warnings

as to the management of her horse. It was, possibly, the evident dependence that Louisa Grant placed on his

assistance which induced the youth to continue by her side, as they pursued their way through a dreary and

dark wood, where the rays of the sun could but rarely penetrate, and where even the daylight was obscured

and rendered gloomy by the deep forests that surrounded them. No wind had yet reached the spot where the

equestrians were in motion, but that dead silence that often precedes a storm contributed to render their

situation more irksome than if they were already subject to the fury of the tempest. Suddenly the voice of

young Edwards was heard shouting in those appalling tones that carry alarm to the very soul, and which

'A tree! a tree!' echoed Richard, giving his horse a blow that caused the alarmed beast to jump nearly a rod,

'Von tree! von tree!' shouted the Frenchman, bending his body on the neck of his charger, shutting his eyes,

and playing on the ribs of his beast with his heels at a rate that caused him to be conveyed on the crupper of

Elizabeth checked her filly and looked up, with an unconscious but alarmed air, at the very cause of their

danger, while she listened to the crackling sounds that awoke the stillness of the forest; but the next instant

her bridlet was seized by her father, who cried, 'God protect my child!' and she felt herself hurried onward,

Each one of the party bowed to his saddlebows as the tearing of branches was succeeded by a sound like the

rushing of the winds, which was followed by a thundering report, and a shock that caused the very earth to

tremble as one of the noblest ruins of the forest fell directly across their path.

One glance was enough to assure Judge Temple that his daughter and those in front of him were safe, and he

turned his eyes, in dreadful anxiety, to learn the fate of the others. Young Edwards was on the opposite side

of the tree, his form thrown back in his saddle to its utmost distance, his left hand drawing up his bridle with

its greatest force, while the right grasped that of Miss Grant so as to draw the head of her horse under its

body. Both the animals stood shaking in every joint with terror, and snorting fearfully. Louisa herself had

relinquished her reins, and, with her hands pressed on her face, sat bending forward in her saddle, in an

'Are you safe?' cried the Judge, first breaking the awful silence of the moment.

'By God�s blessing,' returned the youth; but if there had been branches to the tree we must have been lost'

He was interrupted by the figure of Louisa slowly yielding in her saddle, and but for his arm she would have

sunk to the earth. Terror, however, was the only injury that the clergyman�s daughter had sustained, and, with

the aid of Elizabeth, she was soon restored to her senses. After some little time was lost in recovering her

strength, the young lady was replaced in her saddle, and supported on either side by Judge Temple and Mr.

'The sudden fallings of the trees,' said Marmaduke, 'are the most dangerous accidents in the forest, for they

are not to be foreseen, being impelled by no winds, nor any extraneous or visible cause against which we can

'The reason of their falling, Judge Temple, is very obvious,' said the sheriff. 'The tree is old and decayed, and

it is gradually weakened by the frosts, until a line drawn from the centre of gravity falls without its base, and

then the tree comes of a certainty; and I should like to know what greater compulsion there can be for any

'Very true, Richard,' interrupted Marmaduke; 'thy reasoning is true, and, if my memory be not

overtreacherous, was furnished by myself on a former occasion, But how is one to guard against the danger?

Canst thou go through the forests measuring the bases and calculating the centres of the oaks? Answer me

'Answer thee that, friend Temple!' returned Richard; 'a welleducated man can answer thee anything, sir. Do

any trees fall in this manner but such as are decayed? Take care not to approach the roots of a rotten tree, and

'That would be excluding us entirely from the forests,� said Marmaduke. 'But, happily, the winds usually

force down most of these dangerous ruins, as their currents are admitted into the woods by the surrounding

Louisa by this time had recovered so much strength as to allow the party to proceed at a quicker pace, but

long before they were safely housed they were overtaken by the storm; and when they dismounted at the door

of the mansionhouse, the black plumes of Miss Temple�s hat were drooping with the weight of a load of

While Edwards was assisting Louisa from her horse, the warmhearted girl caught his hand with fervor and

A driving northwesterly storm succeeded, and before the sun was set every vestige of spring had vanished;

the lake, the mountains, the village, and the fields being again hidden under one dazzling coat of snow.

From this time to the close of April the weather continued to be a succession of neat and rapid changes. One

day the soft airs of spring seemed to be stealing along the valley, and, in unison with an invigorating sun,

attempting covertly to rouse the dormant powers of the vegetable world, while, on the next, the surly blasts

from the north would sweep across the lake and erase every impression left by their gentle adversaries. The

snow, however, finally disappeared, and the green wheat fields were seen in every direction, spotted with the

dark and charred stumps that had, the preceding season, supported some of the proudest trees of the forest.

Ploughs were in motion, wherever those useful implements could be used, and the smokes of the sugar

camps were no longer seen issuing from the woods of maple. The lake had lost the beauty of a field of ice,

but still a dark and gloomy covering concealed its waters, for the absence of currents left them yet hidden

under a porous crust, which, saturated with the fluid, barely retained enough strength to preserve the

continuity of its parts. Large flocks of wild geese were seen passing over the country, which hovered, for a

time, around the hidden sheet of water, apparently searching for a restingplace; and then, on finding them

selves excluded by the chill covering, would soar away to the north, filling the air with discordant screams, as

For a week, the dark covering of the Otsego was left to the undisturbed possession of two eagles, who

alighted on the centre of its field, and sat eyeing their undisputed territory. During the presence of these

monarchs of the air, the flocks of migrating birds avoided crossing the plain of ice by turning into the hills,

apparently seeking the protection of the forests, while the white and bald heads of the tenants of the lake were

turned upward, with a look of contempt. But the time had come when even these kings of birds were to be

dispossessed. An opening had been gradually increasing at the lower extremity of the lake, and around the

dark spot where the current of the river prevented the formation of ice during even the coldest weather; and

the fresh southerly winds, that now breathed freely upon the valley, made an impression on the waters. Mimic

waves began to curl over the margin of the frozen field, which exhibited an outline of crystallizations that

slowly receded toward the north. At each step the power of the winds and the waves increased, until, after a

struggle of a few hours, the turbulent little billows succeeded in setting the whole field in motion, when it

was driven beyond the reach of the eye, with a rapidity that was as magical as the change produced in the

scene by this expulsion of the lingering remnant of winter. Just as the last sheet of agitated ice was

disappearing in the distance, the eagles rose, and soared with a wide sweep above the clouds, while the waves

tossed their little caps of snow in the air, as if rioting in their release from a thraldom of five minutes�

The following morning Elizabeth was awakened by the exhilarating sounds of the martens, who were

quarrelling and chattering around the little boxes suspended above her windows, and the cries of Richard,

'Awake! awake! my fair lady! the gulls are hovering over the lake already, and the heavens are alive with

pigeons. You may look an hour before you can find a hole through which to get a peep at the sun. Awake!

awake! lazy ones� Benjamin is overhauling the ammunition, and we only wait for our breakfasts, and away

There was no resisting this animated appeal, and in a few minutes Miss Temple and her friend descended to

the parlor. The doors of the hall were thrown open, and the mild, balmy air of a clear spring morning was

ventilating the apartment, where the vigilance of the exsteward had been so long maintaining an artificial

heat with such unremitted diligence. The gentlemen were impatiently waiting for their morning�s repast, each

equipped in the garb of a sportsman. Mr. Jones made many visits to the southern door, and would cry:

'See, Cousin Bess! see, �Duke, the pigeonroosts of the south have broken up! They are growing more thick

every instant, Here is a flock that the eye cannot see the end of. There is food enough in it to keep the army of

Xerxes for a month, and feathers enough to make beds for the whole country. Xerxes, Mr. Edwards, was a

Grecian king, who no, he was a Turk, or a Persian, who wanted to conquer Greece, just the same as these

rascals will overrun our wheat fields, when they come back in the fall. Away! away! Bess; I long to pepper

In this wish both Marmaduke and young Edwards seemed equally to participate, for the sight was

exhilarating to a sportsman; and the ladies soon dismissed the party after a hasty breakfast.

If the heavens were alive with pigeons, the whole village seemed equally in motion with men, women, and

children. Every species of firearm, from the French ducking gun, with a barrel near six feet in length, to the

common horseman's pistol, was to be seen in the hands of the men and boys; while bows and arrows, some

made of the simple stick of walnut sapling and others in a rude imitation of the ancient crossbows, were

The houses and the signs of life apparent in the village drove the alarmed birds from the direct line of their

flight, toward the mountains, along the sides and near the bases of which they were glancing in dense masses,

We have already said that, across the inclined plane which fell from the steep ascent of the mountain to the

banks of the Susquehanna, ran the highway on either side of which a clearing of many acres had been made at

a very early day. Over those clearings, and up the eastern mountain, and along the dangerous path that was

cut into its side, the different individuals posted themselves, and in a few moments the attack commenced.

Among the sportsmen was the tall, gaunt form of LeatherStocking, walking over the field, with his rifle

hanging on his arm, his dogs at his heels; the latter now scenting the dead or wounded birds that were

beginning to tumble from the flocks, and then crouching under the legs of their master, as if they participated

The reports of the firearms became rapid, whole volleys rising from the plain, as flocks of more than ordinary

numbers darted over the opening, shadowing the field like a cloud; and then the light smoke of a single piece

would issue from among the leafless bushes on the mountain, as death was hurled on the retreat of the

affrighted birds, who were rising from a volley, in a vain effort to escape. Arrows and missiles of every kind

were in the midst of the flocks; and so numerous were the birds, and so low did they take their flight, that

even long poles in the hands of those on the sides of the mountain were used to strike them to the earth.

During all this time Mr. Jones, who disdained the humble and ordinary means of destruction used by his

companions, was busily occupied, aided by Benjamin, in making arrangements for an assault of more than

ordinarily fatal character. Among the relics of the old military excursions, that occasionally are discovered

throughout the different districts of the western part of New York, there had been found in Templeton, at its

settlement, a small swivel, which would carry a ball of a pound weight. It was thought to have been deserted

by a war party of the whites in one of their inroads into the Indian settlements, when, perhaps, convenience

or their necessity induced them to leave such an incumberance behind them in the woods. This miniature

cannon had been released from the rust, and being mounted on little wheels was now in a state for actual

service. For several years it was the sole organ for extraordinary rejoicings used in those mountains. On the

mornings of the Fourth of July it would be heard ringing among the hills; and even Captain Hollister, who

was the highest authority in that part of the country on all such occasions, affirmed that, considering its

dimensions, it was no despicable gun for a salute. It was somewhat the worse for the service it had

performed, it is true, there being but a trifling difference in size between the touchhole and the muzzle Still,

the grand conceptions of Richard had suggested the importance of such an instrument in hurling death at his

nimble enemies. The swivel was dragged by a horse into a part of the open space that the sheriff thought most

eligible for planning a battery of the kind, and Mr. Pump proceeded to load it. Several handfuls of duckshot

were placed on top of the powder, and the majordomo announced that his piece was ready for service.

The sight of such an implement collected all the idle spectators to the spot, who, being mostly boys, filled the

air with cries of exultation and delight The gun was pointed high, and Richard, holding a coal of fire in a pair

of tongs, patiently took his seat on a stump, awaiting the appearance of a flock worthy of his notice.

So prodigious was the number of the birds that the scattering fire of the guns, with the hurling of missiles and

the cries of the boys, had no other effect than to break off small flocks from the immense masses that

continued to dart along the valley, as if the whole of the feathered tribe were pouring through that one pass.

None pretended to collect the game, which lay scattered over the fields in such profusion as to cover the very

LeatherStocking was a silent but uneasy spectator of all these proceedings, but was able to keep his

sentiments to himself until he saw the introduction of the swivel into the sports.

'This comes of settling a country!' he said. 'Here have I known the pigeon to fly for forty long years, and, till

you made your clearings, there was nobody to skeart or to hurt them, I loved to see them come into the

woods, for they were company to a body, hurting nothing being, as it was, as harmless as a gartersnake.

But now it gives me sore thoughts when I hear the frighty things whizzing through the air, for I know it�s

only a motion to bring out all the brats of the village. Well, the Lord won�t see the waste of his creatures for

nothing, and right will be done to the pigeons, as well as others, by and by. There�s Mr. Oliver as bad as the

rest of them, firing into the flocks as if he was shooting down nothing but Mingo warriors.' Among the

sportsmen was Billy Kirby, who, armed with an old musket, was loading, and, without even looking into the

air, was firing and shouting as his victims fell even on his own person. He heard the speech of Natty, and

'What! old LeatherStocking,' he cried, 'grumbling at the loss of a few pigeons! If you had to sow your wheat

twice, and three times, as I have done, you wouldn�t be so massyfully feeling toward the divils. Hurrah, boys!

scatter the feathers! This is better than shooting at a turkey�s head and neck, old fellow.'

'It�s better for you, maybe, Billy Kirby,' replied the indignant old hunter, 'and all them that don�t know how to

put a ball down a rifle barrel, or how to bring it up again with a true aim; but it�s wicked to be shooting into

flocks in this wasty manner, and none to do it who know how to knock over a single bird. If a body has a

craving for pigeon�s flesh, why, it�s made the same as all other creatures, for man�s eating; but not to kill

twenty and eat one. When I want such a thing I go into the woods till I find one to my liking, and then I shoot

him off the branches, without touching the feather of another, though there might be a hundred on the same

tree. You couldn�t do such a thing, Billy Kirbyyou couldn�t do it if you tried.'

'What�s that, old cornstalk! you sapless stub!' cried the wood chopper. 'You have grown wordy, since the

affair of the turkey; but if you are for a single shot, here goes at that bird which comes on by himself.'

The fire from the distant part of the field had driven a single pigeon below the flock to which it belonged,

and, frightened with the constant reports of the muskets, it was approaching the spot where the disputants

stood, darting first from One side and then to the other, cutting the air with the swiftness of lightning, and

making a noise with its wings not unlike the rushing of a bullet. Unfortunately for the woodchopper,

notwithstanding his vaunt, he did not see this bird until it was too late to fire as it approached, and he pulled

the trigger at the unlucky moment when it was darting immediately over his head. The bird continued its

Natty lowered his rifle from his arm when the challenge was made, and waiting a moment, until the terrified

victim had got in a line with his eye, and had dropped near the bank of the lake, he raised it again with

uncommon rapidity, and fired. It might have been chance, or it might have been skill, that produced the

result; it was probably a union of both; but the pigeon whirled over in the air, and fell into the lake with a

broken wing At the sound of his rifle, both his dogs started from his feet, and in a few minutes the 'slut'

The wonderful exploit of LeatherStocking was noised through the field with great rapidity, and the

'What' said young Edwards,' have you really killed a pigeon on the wing, Natty, with a single ball?'

'Haven�t I killed loons before now, lad, that dive at the flash?' returned the hunter. 'It�s much better to kill

only such as you want, without wasting your powder and lead, than to be firing into God�s creatures in this

wicked manner. But I came out for a bird, and you know the reason why I like small game, Mr. Oliver, and

now I have got one Twill go home, for I don�t relish to see these wasty ways that you are all practysing, as if

'Thou sayest well, LeatherStocking,' cried Marmaduke, 'and I begin to think it time to put an end to this

'Put an ind, Judge, to your clearings. Ain�t the woods His work as well as the pigeons? Use, but don�t waste.

Wasn�t the woods made for the beasts and birds to harbor in? and when man wanted their flesh, their skins, or

their feathers, there�s the place to seek them. But I�ll go to the hut with my own game, for I wouldn�t touch

one of the harmless things that cover the ground here, looking up with their eyes on me, as if they only

wanted tongues to say their thoughts.' With this sentiment in his month, LeatherStocking threw his rifle over

his arm, and, followed by his dogs, stepped across the clearing with great caution, taking care not to tread on

one of the wounded birds in his path. He soon entered the bushes on the margin of the lake and was hid from

Whatever impression the morality of Natty made on the Judge, it was utterly lost on Richard. He availed

himself of the gathering of the sportsmen, to lay a plan for one 'fell swoop' of destruction. The musketmen

were drawn up in battle array, in a line extending on each side of his artillery, with orders to await the signal

'Stand by, my lads,' said Benjamin, who acted as an aid decamp on this occasion, 'stand by, my hearties, and

when Squire Dickens heaves out the signal to begin firing, d�ye see, you may open upon them in a broadside.

'Fire low!' shouted Kirby; 'hear the old fool! If we fire low, we may hit the stumps, but not ruffle a pigeon.'

'How should you know, you lubber?' cried Benjamin, with a very unbecoming heat for an officer on the eve

of battle' how should you know, you grampus? Haven�t I sailed aboard of the Boadishy for five years? and

wasn�t it a standing order to fire low, and to hull your enemy! Keep silence at your guns, boys and mind the

The loud laughs of the musketmen were silenced by the more authoritative voice of Richard, who called for

Some millions of pigeons were supposed to have already passed, that morning, over the valley of Templeton;

but nothing like the flock that was now approaching had been seen before. It extended from mountain to

mountain in one solid blue mass, and the eye looked in vain, over the southern hills, to find its termination.

The front of this living column was distinctly marked by a line but very slightly indented, so regular and even

was the flight. Even Marmaduke forgot the morality of LeatherStocking as it approached, and, in common

'Fire!' cried the sheriff, clapping a coal to the priming of the cannon. As half of Benjamin�s charge escaped

through the touchhole, the whole volley of the musketry preceded the report of the swivel. On receiving this

united discharge of smallarms, the front of the flock darted upward, while, at the same instant, myriads of

those in the rear rushed with amazing rapidity into their places, so that, when the column of white smoke

gushed from the mouth of the little cannon, an accumulated mass of objects was gliding over its point of

direction. The roar of the gun echoed along the mountains, and died away to the north, like distant thunder,

while the whole flock of alarmed birds seemed, for a moment, thrown into one disorderly and agitated mass.

The air was filled with their irregular flight, layer rising above layer, far above the tops of the highest pines,

none daring to advance beyond the dangerous pass; when, suddenly, some of the headers of the feathered

tribes shot across the valley, taking their flight directly over the village, and hundreds of thousands in their

rear followed the example, deserting the eastern side of the plain to their persecutors and the slain.

'Not so, Dickon,' said Marmaduke; 'the field is covered with them; and, like the LeatherStocking, I see

nothing but eyes, in every direction, as the innocent sufferers turn their heads in terror. Full onehalf of those

that have fallen are yet alive; and I think it is time to end the sport, if sport it be.'

'Sport!' cried the sheriff; 'it is princely sport! There are some thousands of the bluecoated boys on the

ground, so that every old woman in the village may have a potpie for the asking.'

'Well, we have happily frightened the birds from this side of the valley,' said Marmaduke, 'and the carnage

must of necessity end for the present. Boys, I will give you sixpence a hundred for the pigeons� heads only;

This expedient produced the desired effect, for every urchin on the ground went industriously to work to

wring the necks of the wounded birds. Judge Temple retired toward his dwelling with that kind of feeling that

many a man has experienced before him, who discovers, after the excitement of the moment has passed, that

he has purchased pleasure at the price of misery to others. Horses were loaded with the dead; and, after this

first burst of sporting, the shooting of pigeons became a business, with a few idlers, for the remainder of the

season, Richard, however, boasted for many a year of his shot with the 'cricket;' and Benjamin gravely

asserted that he thought they had killed nearly as many pigeons on that day as there were Frenchmen

The advance of the season now became as rapid as its first approach had been tedious and lingering. The days

were uniformly mild, while the nights, though cool, were no longer chilled by frosts. The whip poorwill

was heard whistling his melancholy notes along the margin of the lake, and the ponds and meadows were

sending forth the music of their thousand tenants. The leaf of the native poplar was seen quivering in the

woods; the sides of the mountains began to lose their hue of brown, as the lively green of the different

members of the forest blended their shades with the permanent colors of the pine and hemlock; and even the

buds of the tardy oak were swelling with the promise of the coming summer. The gay and fluttering

bluebird, the social robin, and the industrious little wren were all to be seen enlivening the fields with their

presence and their songs; while the soaring fishhawk was already hovering over the waters of the Otsego,

The tenants of the lake were farfamed for both their quantities and their quality, and the ice had hardly

disappeared before numberless little boats were launched from the shores, and the lines of the fishermen were

dropped into the inmost recesses of its deepest caverns, tempting the unwary animals with every variety of

bait that the ingenuity or the art of man had invented. But the slow though certain adventures with hook and

line were ill suited to the profusion and impatience of the settlers. More destructive means were resorted to;

and, as the season had now arrived when the bass fisheries were allowed by the provisions of the law that

Judge Temple had procured, the sheriff declared his intention, by availing himself of the first dark night, to

'And you shall be present, Cousin Bess,' he added, when he announced this design, 'and Miss Grant, and Mr.

Edwards; and I will show you what I call fishing not nibble, nibble, nibble, as �Duke does when he goes after

the salmontrout. There he will sit for hours, in a broiling sun or, perhaps, over a hole in the lee, in the

coldest days in winter, under the lee of a few bushes, and not a fish will he catch, after all this mortification of

the flesh. No, nogive me a good seine that�s fifty or sixty fathoms in length, with a jolly parcel of boatmen

to crack their jokes the while, with Benjamin to steer, and let us haul them in by thousands; I call that fishing.'

'Ah! Dickon,' cried Marmaduke, 'thou knowest but little of the pleasure there is in playing with the hook and

line, or thou wouldst be more saving of the game. I have known thee to leave fragments enough behind thee,

when thou hast headed a night party on the lake, to feed a dozen famishing families.'

'I shall not dispute the matter, Judge Temple; this night will I go; and I invite the company to attend, and then

Richard was busy during most of the afternoon, making his preparations for the important occasion. Just as

the light of the settling sun had disappeared, and a new moon had begun to throw its shadows on the earth,

the fishermen took their departure, in a boat, for a point that was situated on the western shore of the lake, at

the distance of rather more than half a mile from the village. The ground had become settled, and the walking

was good and dry. Marmaduke, with his daughter, her friend, and young Edwards, continued on the high

grassy banks at the outlet of the placid sheet of water, watching the dark object that was moving across the

lake, until it entered the shade of the western hills, and was lost to the eye. The distance round by land to the

'It is time for us to be moving; the moon will be down ere we reach the point, and then the miraculous hauls

The evening was warm, and, after the long and dreary winter from which they had just escaped, delightfully

invigorating. Inspirited by the scene and their anticipated amusement, the youthful companions of the Judge

followed his steps, as he led them along the shores of the Otsego, and through the skirts of the village.

'See!' said young Edwards, 'they are building their fire already; it glimmers for a moment, and dies again like

'Now it blazes,' cried Elizabeth; 'you can perceive figures moving around the light. Oh! I would bet my jewels

against the gold beads of Remarkable, that my impatient Cousin Dickon had an agency in raising that bright

Thou hast guessed the truth, Bess,' said her father; 'he has thrown an armful of brush on the pile, which has

burnt out as soon as lighted. But it has enabled them to find a better fuel, for their fire begins to blaze with a

more steady flame. It is the true fisherman�s beacon now; observe how beautifully it throw s its little circle of

The appearance of the fire urged the pedestrians on, for even the ladies had become eager to witness the

miraculous draught. By the time they reached the bank, which rose above the low point where the fishermen

had landed, the moon had sunk behind the top of the western pines, and, as most of the stars were obscured

by clouds, there was but little other light than that which proceeded from the fire. At the suggestion of

Marmaduke, his companions paused to listen to the conversation of those below them, and examine the party

The whole group were seated around the fire, with the exception of Richard and Benjamin; the former of

whom occupied the root of a decayed stump, that had been drawn to the spot as part of their fuel, and the

latter was standing. with his arms akimbo, so near to the flame that the smoke occasionally obscured his

solemn visage, as it waved around the pile in obedience to the night airs that swept gently over the water.

'Why, look you, squire, said the majordomo. You may call a lakefish that will weigh twenty or thirty

pounds a serious matter, but to a man who has hauled in a shovelnosed shirk, d�ye see, it�s but a poor kind

'I don�t know, Benjamin,' returned the sheriff; 'a haul of one thousand Otsego bass, without counting pike,

pickerel, perch, bull pouts, salmontrouts, and suckers, is no bad fishing, let me tell you. There may he

sport in sticking a shark, but what is he good for after you have got him? Now, any one of the fish that I have

'Well, squire,' returned Benjamin, 'just listen to the philosophy of the thing. Would it stand to reason, that

such a fish should live and be catched in this here little pond of water, where it�s hardly deep enough to

drown a man, as you�ll find in the wide ocean, where, as every body knows that is, everybody that has

followed the seas, whales and grampuses are to be seen, that are as long as one of the pine trees on yonder

'Softly, softly, Benjamin,' said the sheriff, as if he wished to save the credit of his favorite; 'why, some of the

'Two hundred or two thousand, it�s all the same thing,' cried Benjamin, with an air which manifested that he

was not easily to be bullied out of his opinion, on a subject like the present. ' Haven�t I been there, and

haven�t I seen? I have said that you fall in with whales as long as one of them there pines: and what I have

During this dialogue, which was evidently but the close of much longer discussion, the huge frame of Billy

Kirby was seen extended on one side of the fire, where he was picking his teeth with splinters of the chips

near him, and occasionally shaking his head with distrust of Benjamin�s assertions.

'I�ve a notion,' said the woodchopper, ' that there�s water in this lake to swim the biggest whale that ever

was invented; and, as to the pines, I think I ought to know so�thing consarning them; I have chopped many a

one that was sixty times the length of my helve, without counting the eye; and I believe, Benny, that if the old

pine that stands in the hollow of the Vision Mountain just over the villageyou may see the tree itself by

looking up, for the moon is on its top yetwell, now I believe, if that same tree was planted out in the

deepest part of the lake, there would be water enough for the biggest ship that ever was built to float over it,

'Did�ee ever see a ship, Master Kirby?' roared the steward, 'did�ee ever see a ship, man? or any craft bigger

'Yes, I have,' said the woodchopper stoutly; 'I can say that I have, and tell no lie.'

'Did�ee ever see a British ship, Master Kirby? an English lineof battle ship, boy? Where did�ee ever fall in

with a regular built vessel, with starnpost and cutwater, gar boardstreak and plank shear, gangways, and

hatchways, and waterways, quarterdeck, and forecastle, ay, and flushdeck?tell me that, man, if you can;

where away did�ee ever fall in with a fullrigged, regularbuilt, necked vessel?'

The whole company were a good deal astounded with this overwhelming question, and even Richard

afterward remarked that it 'was a thousand pities that Benjamin could not read, or he must have made a

valuable officer to the British marine. It is no wonder that they overcame the French so easily on the water,

when even the lowest sailor so well understood the different parts of a vessel.' But Billy Kirby was a fearless

wight, and had great jealousy of foreign dictation; he had risen on his feet, and turned his back to the fire,

during the voluble delivery of this interrogatory; and when the steward ended, contrary to all expectation, he

'Where! why, on the North River, and maybe on Champlain. There�s sloops on the river, boy, that would give

a hard time on�t to the stoutest vessel King George owns. They carry masts of ninety feet in the clear of good

solid pine, for I�ve been at the chopping of many a one in Varmount State. I wish I was captain in one of

them, and you was in that Boarddish that you talk so much about, and we�d soon see what good Yankee

stuff is made on, and whether a Varmounter�s hide ain�t as thick as an Englishman�s.' The echoes from the

opposite hills, which were more than half a mile from the fishing point, sent back the discordant laugh that

Benjamin gave forth at this challenge; and the woods that covered their sides seemed, by the noise that issued

'Let us descend to the shore,' whispered Marmaduke, 'or there will soon be illblood between them. Benjamin

is a fearless boaster; and Kirby, though goodnatured, is a careless son of the forest, who thinks one

American more than a match for six Englishmen. I marvel that Dickon is silent, where there is such a trial of

The appearance of Judge Temple and the ladies produced, if not a pacification, at least a cessation of

hostilities. Obedient to the directions of Mr. Jones the fishermen prepared to launch their boat, which had

been seen in the background of the view, with the net carefully disposed on a little platform in its stern, ready

for service. Richard gave vent to his reproaches at the tardiness of the pedestrians, when all the turbulent

passions of the party were succeeded by a calm, as mild and as placid as that which prevailed over the

The night had now become so dark as to render objects, without the reach of the light of the fire, not only

indistinct, but in most cases invisible. For a little distance the water was discernible, glistening, as the glare

from the fire danced over its surface, touching it here and there with red quivering streaks; but, at a hundred

feet from the shore, there lay a boundary of impenetrable gloom. One or two stars were shining through the

openings of the clouds, and the lights were seen in the village, glimmering faintly, as if at an immeasurable

distance. At times, as the fire lowered, or as the horizon cleared, the outline of the mountain, on the other side

of the lake, might be traced by its undulations; but its shadow was cast, wide and dense, on the bosom of the

Benjamin Pump was invariably the coxswain and net caster of Richard�s boat, unless the sheriff saw fit to

preside in person: and, on the present occasion, Billy Kirby, and a youth of about half his strength, were

assigned to the oars. The remainder of the assistants were stationed at the dragropes. The arrangements were

Elizabeth watched the motion of the batteau as it pulled from the shore, letting loose its rope as it went, but it

soon disappeared in the darkness, when the ear was her only guide to its evolutions. There was great

affectation of stillness during all these manoeuvers, in order, as Richard assured them, 'not to frighten the

bass, who were running into the shoal waters, and who would approach the light if not disturbed by the

The hoarse voice of Benjamin was alone heard issuing out of the gloom, as he uttered, in authoritative tones,

'Pull larboard oar,' 'Pull starboard,' ' Give way together, boys,' and such other indicative mandates as were

necessary for the right disposition of his seine. A long time was passed in this necessary part of the process,

for Benjamin prided himself greatly on his skill in throwing the net, and, in fact, most of the success of the

sport depended on its being done with judgment. At length a loud splash in the water, as he threw away the

'staff,' or 'stretcher,' with a hoarse call from the steward of 'Clear,' announced that the boat was returning;

when Richard seized a brand from the fire, and ran to a point as far above the centre of the fishingground, as

'Stick her in dead for the squire, boys,' said the steward, 'and we�ll have a look at what grows in this here

In place of the falling net were now to be heard the quick strokes of the oars, and the noise of the rope

running out of the boat. Presently the batteau shot into the circle of light, and in an instant she was pulled to

the shore. Several eager hands were extended to receive the line, and, both ropes being equally well manned,

the fishermen commenced hauling in with slow, and steady drags, Richard standing to the centre, giving

orders, first to one party, and then to the other, to increase or slacken their efforts, as occasion required. The

visitors were posted near him, and enjoyed a fair view of the whole operation. which was slowly advancing to

Opinions as to the result of their adventure were now freely hazarded by all the men, some declaring that the

net came in as light as a feather, and others affirming that it seemed to be full of logs. As the ropes were

many hundred feet in length, these opposing sentiments were thought to be of little moment by the sheriff,

who would go first to one line, and then to the other, giving each small pull, in order to enable him to form an

'Why, Benjamin,' he cried, as he made his first effort in this way, 'you did not throw the net clear. I can move

'Did you ever see a whale, squire?' responded the steward: ' I say that, if that there net is foul, the devil is in

the lake in the shape of a fish, for I cast it as far as ever rigging was rove over the quarterdeck of a

But Richard discovered his mistake, when he saw Billy Kirby before him, standing with his feet in the water,

at an angle of fortyfive degrees, inclining southward, and expending his gigantic strength in sustaining

himself in that posture. He ceased his remonstrances, and proceeded to the party at the other line.

'I see the �staffs,�' shouted Mr. Jones' gather in,, boys, and away with it; to shore with her!to shore with

At this cheerful sound, Elizabeth strained her eyes and saw the ends of the two sticks on the seine emerging

from the darkness, while the men closed near to each other, and formed a deep bag of their net. The exertions

of the fishermen sensibly increased, and the voice of Richard was heard encouraging them to make their

'Now�s the time, my lads,' he cried; 'let us get the ends to land, and all we have will be our ownaway with

'In with her,' shouted Kirby, exerting himself in a manner that left nothing for those in his rear to do, but to

'Staff, ho!' echoed Kirby, from the other rope. The men rushed to the water�s edge, some seizing the upper

rope, and some the lower or lead rope, and began to haul with great activity and zeal, A deep semicircular

sweep of the little balls that supported the seine in its perpendicular position was plainly visible to the

spectators, and, as it rapidly lessened in size, the bag of the net appeared, while an occasional flutter on the

'Haul in, my lads,' shouted Richard' I can see the dogs kicking to get free. Haul in, and here�s a cast that

will pay for the labor.' Fishes of various sorts were now to be seen, entangled in the meshes of the net, as it

was passed through the hands of the laborers; and the water, at a little distance from the shore, was alive with

the movements of the alarmed victims. Hundreds of white sides were glancing up to the surface of the water,

and glistening in the fire light, when, frightened at the uproar and the change, the fish would again dart to the

bottom, in fruitless efforts for freedom. Hurrah!' shouted Richard: 'one or two more heavy drags, boys, and

'Cheerily, boys, cheerily!' cried Benjamin; 'I see a salmontrout that is big enough for a chowder.'

'Away with you, you varmint!' said Billy Kirby, plucking a bullpout from the meshes, and casting the animal

back into the lake with contempt. 'Pull, boys, pull; here�s all kinds, and the Lord condemn me for a liar, if

Inflamed beyond the bounds of discretion at the sight, and forgetful of the season, the woodchopper rushed

to his middle into the water, and began to drive the reluctant animals before him from their native element.

'Pull heartily, boys,' cried Marmaduke, yielding to the excitement of the moment, and laying his hands to the

net, with no trifling addition to the force. Edwards had preceded him; for the sight of the immense piles of

fish, that were slowly rolling over on the gravelly beach, had impelled him also to leave the ladies and join

Great care was observed in bringing the net to land, and, after much toil, the whole shoal of victims was

safely deposited in a hollow of the bank, where they were left to flutter away their brief existence in the new

Even Elizabeth and Louisa were greatly excited and highly gratified by seeing two thousand captives thus

drawn from the bosom of the lake, and laid prisoners at their feet. But when the feelings of the moment were

passing away, Marmaduke took in his hands a bass, that might have weighed two pounds, and after viewing it

'This is a fearful expenditure of the choicest gifts of Providence. These fish, Bess, which thou seest lying in

such piles before thee, and which by tomorrow evening will be rejected food on the meanest table in

Templeton, are of a quality and flavor that, in other countries, would make them esteemed a luxury on the

tables of princes or epicures. The world has no better fish than the bass of Otsego; it unites the richness of the

* Of all the fish the writer has ever tasted, be thinks the one in question the best.

'But surely, dear sir,' cried Elizabeth, 'they must prove a great blessing to the country, and a powerful friend

'The poor are always prodigal, my child, where there is plenty, and seldom think of a provision against the

morrow. But, if there can be any excuse for destroying animals in this manner, it is in taking the bass. During

the winter, you know, they are entirely protected from our assaults by the ice, for they refuse the hook; and

during the hot months they are not seen. It is supposed they retreat to the deep and cool waters of the lake, at

that season; and it is only in the spring and autumn that, for a few days, they are to be found around the points

where they are within the reach of a seine. But, like all the other treasures of the wilderness, they already

'Disappear, Duke! disappear!' exclaimed the sheriff 'if you don�t call this appearing, I know not what you

will. Here are a good thousand of the shiners, some hundreds of suckers, and a powerful quantity of other fry.

But this is always the way with you, Marmaduke: first it�s the trees, then it�s the deer; after that it�s the maple

sugar, and so on to the end of the chapter. One day you talk of canals through a country where there's a river

or a lake every halfmile, just because the water won�t run the way you wish it to go; and, the next, you say

some thing about mines of coal, though any man who has good eyes like myselfI say, with good

eyescan see more wood than would keep the city of London in fuel for fifty years; wouldn�t it, Benjamin?'

'Why, for that, squire,' said the steward, 'Lon�on is no small place. If it was stretched an end, all the same as a

town on one side of the river, it would cover some such matter as this here lake. Thof I dar�st to say, that the

wood in sight might sarve them a good turn, seeing that the Lon�oners mainly burn coal.'

'Now we are on the subject of coal, Judge Temple,' interrupted the sheriff, 'I have a thing of much importance

to communicate to you; but I will defer it until tomorrow. I know that you intend riding into the eastern part

of the Patent, and I will accompany you, and conduct you to a spot where some of your projects may be

realized. We will say no more now, for there are listeners; but a secret has this evening been revealed to me,

�Duke, that is of more consequence to your welfare than all your estate united,'

Marmaduke laughed at the important intelligence, to which in a variety of shapes he was accustomed, and the

sheriff, with an air of great dignity, as if pitying his want of faith, proceeded in the business more

immediately be fore them. As the labor of drawing the net had been very great, he directed one party of his

men to commence throwing the fish into piles, preparatory to the usual division, while another, under the

While the fishermen were employed in making the preparations for an equitable division of the spoil,

Elizabeth and her friend strolled a short distance from the group, along the shore of the lake. After reaching a

point to which even the brightest of the occasional gleams of the fire did not extend, they turned, and paused

a moment, in contemplation of the busy and lively party they had left, and of the obscurity which, like the

'This is indeed a subject for the pencil!' exclaimed Elizabeth. 'Observe the countenance of that woodchopper,

while he exults in presenting a larger fish than common to my cousin sheriff; and see, Louisa, how hand some

and considerate my dear father looks, by the light of that fire, where he stands viewing the havoc of the game.

He seems melancholy, as if he actually thought that a day of retribution was to follow this hour of abundance

'Call me by my Christian name,' interrupted Elizabeth; 'this is not a place, neither is this a scene, for forms.'

'Well, then, if I may venture an opinion,� said Louisa timidly, 'I should think it might indeed make a picture.

The selfish earnestness of that Kirby over his fish would contrast finely with thethe expression of Mr.

Edwards� face. I hardly know what to call it; but it isais you know what I would say, dear Elizabeth.'

'You do me too much credit, Miss Grant,' said the heiress; 'I am no diviner of thoughts, or interpreter of

There was certainly nothing harsh or even cold in the manner of the speaker, but still it repressed the

conversation, and they continued to stroll still farther from the party, retaining each other�s arm, but

observing a pro found silence. Elizabeth, perhaps conscious of the improper phraseology of her last speech,

or perhaps excited by the new object that met her gaze, was the first to break the awkward cessation in the

'Look, Louisa! we are not alone; there are fishermen lighting a fire on the other side of the lake, immediately

Through the obscurity, which prevailed most immediately under the eastern mountain, a small and uncertain

light was plainly to be seen, though, as it was occasionally lost to the eye, it seemed struggling for existence.

They observed it to move, and sensibly to lower, as it carried down the descent of the bank to the shore. Here,

in a very short time, its flame gradually expanded, and grew brighter, until it became of the size of a man�s

head, when it continued to shine a steady ball of fire. Such an object, lighted as it were by magic, under the

brow of the mountain, and in that retired and unfrequented place, gave double interest to the beauty and

singularity of its appearance. It did not at all resemble the large and unsteady light of their own fire, being

much more clear and bright, and retaining its size and shape with perfect uniformity.

There are moments when the bestregulated minds are more or less subjected to the injurious impressions

which few have escaped in infancy; and Elizabeth smiled at her own weakness, while she remembered the

idle tales which were circulated through the village, at the expense of the LeatherStocking. The same ideas

seized her companion, and at the same instant, for Louisa pressed nearer to her friend, as she said in a low

voice, stealing a timid glance toward the bushes and trees that overhung the bank near them:

'Did you ever hear the singular ways of this Natty spoken of, Miss Temple? They say that, in his youth, he

was an Indian warrior; or, what is the same thing, a white man leagued with the savages; and it is thought he

'The thing is not at all improbable,' returned Elizabeth; 'he is not alone in that particular.'

'No, surely; but is it not strange that he is so cautious with his hut? He never leaves it, without fastening it in a

remarkable manner; and in several instances, when the children, or even the men of the village, have wished

to seek a shelter there from the storms, he has been known to drive them from his door with rudeness and

'It is certainly not very hospitable; but we must remember his aversion to the customs of civilized life. You

heard my father say, a few days since, how kindly he was treated by him on his first visit to his place.'

Elizabeth paused, and smiled, with an expression of peculiar arch ness, though the darkness hid its meaning

from her companion, as she continued: 'Besides, he certainly admits the visits of Mr. Edwards, whom we

To this speech Louisa made no reply, but continued gazing on the object which had elicited her remarks. In

addition to the bright and circular flame, was now to be seen a fainter, though a vivid light, of an equal

diameter to the other at the upper end, but which, after extending downward for many feet, gradually tapered

to a point at its lower extremity. A dark space was plainly visible between the two, and the new illumination

was placed beneath the other, the whole forming an appearance not unlike an inverted note of admiration. It

was soon evident that the latter was nothing but the reflection, from the water, of the former, and that the

object, whatever it might be, was advancing across, or rather over the lake, for it seemed to be several feet

above its surface, in a direct line with themselves. Its motion was amazingly rapid, the ladies having hardly

discovered that it was moving at all, before the waving light of a flame was discerned, losing its regular

'It appears to be supernatural!' whispered Louisa, beginning to retrace her steps toward the party.

A brilliant though waving flame was now plainly visible, gracefully gliding over the lake, and throwing its

light on the water in such a manner as to tinge it slightly though in the air, so strong was the contrast, the

darkness seemed to have the distinctness of material substances, as if the fire were imbedded in a setting of

ebony. This appearance, however, gradually wore off, and the rays from the torch struck out, and enlightened

the atmosphere in front of it, leaving the background in a darkness that was more impenetrable than ever.

'Ho! Natty, is that you?' shouted the sheriff. 'Paddle in, old boy, and I�ll give you a mess of fish that is fit to

The light suddenly changed its direction, and a long and slightly built boat hove up out of the gloom, while

the red glare fell on the weatherbeaten features of the LeatherStocking, whose tall person was seen erect in

the frail vessel, wielding, with the grace of an experienced boatman, a long fishingspear, which he held by

its centre, first dropping one end and then the other into the water, to aid in propelling the little canoe of bark,

we will not say through, but over, the water. At the farther end of the vessel a form was faintly seen, guiding

its motions, and using a paddle with the ease of one who felt there was no necessity for exertion. The

Leather Stocking struck his spear lightly against the short staff which up held, on a rude grating framed of

old hoops of iron, the knots of pine that composed the fuel, and the light, which glared high, for an instant fell

The boat glided along the shore until it arrived opposite the fishing ground, when it again changed its

direction and moved on to the land, with a motion so graceful, and yet so rapid, that it seemed to possess the

power of regulating its own progress. The water in front of the canoe was hardly ruffled by its passage and no

sound betrayed the collision, when the light fabric shot on the gravelly beach for nearly half its length, Natty

'Approach, Mohegan,' said Marmaduke; 'approach, LeatherStocking, and load your canoe with bass. It

would be a shame to assail the animals with the spear, when such multitudes of victims lie here, that will be

No, no, Judge,' returned Natty, his tall figure stalking over the narrow beach, and ascending to the little

grassy bottom where the fish were laid in piles; 'I eat of no man�s wasty ways. I strike my spear into the eels

or the trout, when I crave the creatur�; but I wouldn�t be helping to such a sinful kind of fishing for the best

rifle that was ever brought out from the old countries. If they had fur, like the beaver, or you could tan their

hides, like a buck, something might be said in favor of taking them by the thousand with your nets; but as

God made them for man�s food, and for no other disarnable reason, I call it sinful and wasty to catch more

'Your reasoning is mine; for once, old hunter, we agree in opinion; and I heartily wish we could make a

convert of the sheriff. A net of half the size of this would supply the whole village with fish for a week at one

The LeatherStocking did not relish this alliance in sentiment; and he shook his head doubtingly as he

'No, no; we are not much of one mind, Judge, or you�d never turn good huntinggrounds into stumpy

pastures. And you fish and hunt out of rule; but, to me, the flesh is sweeter where the creatur� has some

chance for its life; for that reason, I always use a single ball, even if it be at a bird or a squirrel. Besides, it

saves lead; for, when a body knows how to shoot, one piece of lead is enough for all, except hardlived

The sheriff heard these opinions with great indignation; and when he completed the last arrangement for the

division, by carrying with his own hands a trout of a large size, and placing it on four different piles in

succession, as his vacillating ideas of justice required, gave vent to his spleen.

'A very pretty confederacy, indeed! Judge Temple, the landlord and owner of a township, with Nathaniel

Bumppo a lawless squatter, and professed deerkiller, in order to preserve the game of the county! But,

�Duke, when I fish I fish; so, away, boys, for another haul, and we�ll send out wagons and carts in the

Marmaduke appeared to understand that all opposition to the will of the sheriff would he useless, and he

strolled from the fire to the place where the canoe of the hunters lay, whither the ladies and Oliver Edwards

Curiosity induced the females to approach this spot; but it was a different motive that led the youth thither.

Elizabeth examined the light ashen timbers and thin bark covering of the canoe, in admiration of its neat but

simple execution, and with wonder that any human being could he so daring as to trust his life in so frail a

vessel. But the youth explained to her the buoyant properties of the boat, and its perfect safety when under

proper management; adding, in such glowing terms, a description of the manner in which the fish were struck

with the spear, that she changed suddenly, from an apprehension of the danger of the excursion, to a desire to

participate in its pleasures. She even ventured a proposition to that effect to her father, laughing at the same

'Say not so, Bess,' returned the Judge; 'I would have you above the idle fears of a silly girl. These canoes are

the safest kind of boats to those who have skill and steady nerves. I have crossed the broadest part of the

'And I the Ontary,' interrupted the LeatherStocking; ' and that with squaws in the canoe, too. But the

Delaware women are used to the paddle, and are good hands in a boat of this natur�, If the young lady would

like to see an old man strike a trout for his breakfast, she is welcome to a seat. John will say the same, seeing

that he built the canoe, which was only launched yesterday; for I�m not overcurious at such small work as

Natty gave Elizabeth one of his significant laughs, with a kind nod of the head, when he concluded his

invitation but Mohegan, with the native grace of an Indian, approached, and taking her soft white hand into

'Come, granddaughter of Miquon, and John will be glad. Trust the Indian; his head is old, though his hand is

'Mr. Edwards,' said Elizabeth, blushing slightly, 'your friend Mohegan has given a promise for you. Do you

'With my life, if necessary, Miss Temple,' cried the youth, with fervor. ' The sight is worth some little

apprehension; for of real danger there is none, I will go with you and Miss Grand, however, to save

'With me!' exclaimed Louisa. 'No, not with me, Mr. Edwards; nor, surely, do you mean to trust yourself in

'But I shall; for I have no apprehensions any longer,' said Elizabeth, stepping into the boat, and taking a seat

where the Indian directed. 'Mr. Edwards, you may remain, as three do seem to be enough for such an egg

'It shall hold a fourth,' cried the young man, springing to her side, with a violence that nearly shook the weak

fabric of the vessel asunder. 'Pardon me, Miss Temple, that I do not permit these venerable Charons to take

'And mine,' added the maiden, with an air that strangely blended pique with satisfaction. But the motion of

the canoe gave rise to new ideas, and fortunately afforded a good excuse to the young man to change the

It appeared to Elizabeth that they glided over the water by magic, so easy and graceful was the manner in

which Mohegan guided his little bark. A slight gesture with his spear indicated the way in which

LeatherStocking wished to go, and a profound silence was preserved by the whole party, as the precaution

necessary to the success of their fishery. At that point of the lake the water shoaled regularly. differing in this

particular altogether from those parts where the mountains rose nearly in perpendicular precipices from the

beach. There the largest vessels could have lain, with their yards interlocked with the pines; while here a

scanty growth of rushes lifted their tops above the lake, gently curling the waters, as their bending heads

waved with the passing breath of the night air. It was at the shallow points only that the bass could he found,

Elizabeth saw thousands of these fish swimming in shoals along the shallow and warm waters of the shore;

for the flaring light of their torch laid bare the mysteries of the lake, as plainly as if the limpid sheet of the

Otsego was but another atmosphere. Every instant she expected to see the impending spear of

LeatherStocking darting into the thronging hosts that were rushing beneath her, where it would seem that a

blow could not go amiss; and where, as her father had already said, the prize that would be obtained was

worthy any epicure. But Natty had his peculiar habits, and, it would seem, his peculiar tastes also.

His tall stature, and his erect posture, enabled him to see much farther than those who were seated in the

bottom of the canoe; and he turned his head warily in every direction, frequently bending his body forward,

and straining his vision, as if desirous of penetrating the water that surrounded their boundary of light. At

length his anxious scrutiny was rewarded with success, and, waving his spear from the shore, he said in a

'Send her outside the bass, John; I see a laker there, that has run out of the school. It�s seldom one finds such

Mohegan gave a wave of assent with his hand, and in the next instant the canoe was without the ' run of the

bass,' and in water nearly twenty feet in depth. A few additional knots were laid on the grating, and the light

penetrated to the bottom, Elizabeth then saw a fish of unusual size floating above small pieces of logs and

sticks. The animal was only distinguishable, at that distance, by a slight but almost imperceptible motion of

its fins and tail. The curiosity excited by this unusual exposure of the secrets of the lake seemed to be mutual

between the heiress of the land and the lord of these waters, for the ' 'salmontrout' soon announced his

interest by raising his head and body for a few degrees above a horizontal line, and then dropping them again

'Whist! whist!' said Natty, in a low voice, on hearing a slight sound made by Elizabeth in bending over the

side of the canoe in curiosity; '�tis a skeary animal, and it�s a far stroke for a spear. My handle is hut fourteen

foot, and the creator� lies a good eighteen from the top of the water: but I�ll try him, for he's a tenpounder.'

While speaking, the LeatherStocking was poising and directing his weapon. Elizabeth saw the bright,

polished tines, as they slowly and silently entered the water, where the refraction pointed them many degrees

from the true direction of the fish; and she thought that the intended victim saw them also, as he seemed to

increase the play of his tail and fins, though without moving his station. At the next instant the tall body of

Natty bent to the water�s edge, and the handle of his spear disappeared in the lake. The long, dark streak of

the gliding weapon, and the little bubbling vortex which followed its rapid flight, were easily to be seen: but

it was not until the handle snot again into the air by its own reaction, and its master catching it in his hand,

threw its tines uppermost, that Elizabeth was acquainted with the success of the blow. A fish of great size was

transfixed by the barbed steel, and was very soon shaken from its impaled situation into the bottom of the

That will do, John,' said Natty, raising his prize by one of his fingers, and exhibiting it before the torch; ' I

The Indian again waved his hand, and replied with the simple and energetic monosyllable of:

Elizabeth was awakened from the trance created by this scene, and by gazing in that unusual manner at the

bot tom of the lake, be the hoarse sounds of Benjamin�s voice, and the dashing of oars, as the heavier boat of

the seinedrawers approached the spot where the canoe lay, dragging after it the folds of the net.

'Haul off, haul off, Master Bumppo,' cried Benjamin, 'your toplight frightens the fish, who see the net and

sheer off soundings. A fish knows as much as a horse, or, for that matter, more, seeing that it�s brought up on

the water. Haul oil, Master Bumppo, haul off, I say, and give a wide berth to the seine.'

Mohegan guided their little canoe to a point where the movements of the fishermen could be observed,

without interruption to the business, and then suffered it to lie quietly on the water, looking like an imaginary

vessel floating in air. There appeared to be much illhumor among the party in the batteau, for the directions

of Benjamin were not only frequent, but issued in a voice that partook largely of dissatisfaction.

'Pull larboard oar, will ye, Master Kirby?' cried the old seaman; 'pull larboard best. It would puzzle the oldest

admiral in their British fleet to cast this here net fair, with a wake like a corkscrew. Full starboard, boy, pull

'Harkee, Mister Pump,' said Kirby, ceasing to row, and speaking with sonic spirit; 'I'm a man that likes civil

language and decent treatment, such as is right �twixt man and man. If you want us to go hoy, say so, and hoy

I'll go, for the benefit of the company; but I m not used to being ordered about like dumb cattle.'

'Who�s dumb cattle?'' echoed Benjamin, fiercely, turning his forbidding face to the glare of light from the

canoe, and exhibiting every feature teeming with the expression of disgust. 'If you want to come aft and cun

the boat round, come and be damned, and pretty steerage you�ll make of it. There�s but another heave of the

net in the sternsheets, and we�re clear of the thing. Give way, will ye? and shoot her ahead for a fathom or

two, and if you catch me afloat again with such a horsemarine as your self, why, rate me a ship's jackass,

Probably encouraged by the prospect of a speedy termination to his labor, the woodchopper resumed his

oar, and, under strong excitement, gave a stroke that not only cleared the boat of the net but of the steward at

the same instant. Benjamin had stood on the little platform that held the seine, in the stern of the boat, and the

violent whirl occasioned by the vigor of the woodchopper�s arm completely destroyed his balance. The

position of the lights rendered objects in the batteau distinguishable, both from the canoe and the shore; and

the heavy fall on the water drew all eyes to the steward, as he lay struggling, for a moment, in sight.

A loud burst of merriment, to which the lungs of Kirby contributed no small part, broke out like a chorus of

laughter, and ran along the eastern mountain, in echoes, until it died away in distant, mocking mirth, among

the rocks and woods. The body of the steward was seen slowly to disappear, as was expected; but when the

light waves, which had been raised by his fall, began to sink in calmness, and the water finally closed over his

'The dumb devil can�t swim a stroke!' exclaimed Kirby, rising, and beginning to throw aside his clothes.

'Paddle up, Mohegan,' cried young Edwards, 'the light will show us where he lies, and I will dive for the

'Oh! save him! for God�s sake, save him!' exclaimed Elizabeth, bowing her head on the side of the canoe in

A powerful and dexterous sweep of Mohegan's paddle sent the canoe directly over the spot where the steward

had fallen, and a loud shout from the LeatherStocking announced that he saw the body.

'Gently, lad, gently,' said Natty; ' I�ll spear the creatur� up in half the time, and no risk to anybody.'

The form of Benjamin was lying about halfway to the bottom, grasping with both hands some broken

rushes. The blood of Elizabeth curdled to her heart, as she saw the figure of a fellowcreature thus extended

under an immense sheet of water, apparently in motion by the undulations of the dying waves, with its face

and hands, viewed by that light, and through the medium of the fluid, already colored with hues like death.

At the same instant, she saw the shining tines of Natty�s spear approaching the head of the sufferer, and

entwinning themselves, rapidly and dexterously, in the hairs of his cue and the cape of his coat. The body was

now raised slowly, looking ghastly and grim as its features turned upward to the light and approached the

surface. The arrival of the nostrils of Benjamin into their own atmosphere was announced by a breathing that

would have done credit to a porpoise. For a moment, Natty held the steward suspended, with his head just

above the water, while his eyes slowly opened and stared about him, as if he thought that he had reached a

As all the parties acted and spoke together, much less time was consumed in the occurrence of these events

than in their narration. To bring the batteau to the end of the spear, and to raise the form of Benjamin into the

boat, and for the whole party to regain the shore, required but a minute. Kirby, aided by Richard, whose

anxiety induced him to run into the water to meet his favorite assistant, carried the motionless steward up the

bank, and seated him before the fire, while the sheriff proceeded to order the most approved measures then in

'Run, Billy,' he cried, 'to the village, and bring up the rumhogshead that lies before the door, in which I am

making vinegar, and be quick, boy, don�t stay to empty the vinegar, and stop at Mr. Le Quoi�s, and buy a

paper of tobacco and half a dozen pipes; and ask Remarkable for some salt, and one of her flannel petticoats;

and ask Dr. Todd to send his lancet, and to come himself; and ha! �Duke, what are you about? would you

strangle a man who is full of water, by giving him rum? Help me to open his hand, that I may pat it.'

All this time Benjamin sat, with his muscles fixed, his mouth shut, and his hands clinching the rushes which

he had seized in the confusion of the moment and which, as he held fast, like a true seaman, had been the

means of preventing his body from rising again to the surface. His eyes, however, were open, and stared

wildly on the group about the fire, while his lungs were playing like a blacksmith�s bellows, as if to

compensate themselves for the minute of inaction to which they had been subjected. As he kept his lips

compressed, with a most inveterate determination, the air was compelled to pass through his nostrils, and he

rather snorted than breathed, and in such a manner that nothing but the excessive agitation of the sheriff could

The bottle, applied to the steward�s lips by Marmaduke, acted like a charm. His mouth opened instinctively;

his hands dropped the rushes, and seized the glass; his eyes raised from their horizontal stare to the heavens;

and the whole man was lost, for a moment, in a new sensation. Unhappily for the propensity of the steward,

breath was as necessary after one of these draughts as after his submersion, and the time at length arrived

'Why, Benjamin!' roared the sheriff; 'you amaze me! for a man of your experience in drownings to act so

'Full of grog,' interrupted the steward, his features settling down, with amazing flexibility, into their natural

economy. 'But, d�yesee, squire, I kept my hatches chose, and it�s but little water that ever gets into my

scuttlebutt. Harkee, Master Kirby! I�ve followed the saltwater for the better part of a man�s life, and have

seen some navigation on the fresh; but this here matter I will say in your favor, and that is, that you�re the

awk�ardest green 'un that ever straddled a boat�s thwart. Them that likes you for a shipmate, may sail with

you and no thanks; but dam'me if I even walk on the lake shore in your company. For why? you�d as lief

drown a man as one of them there fish; not to throw a Christian creature so much as a rope�s end when he

was adrift, and no lifebuoy in sight! Natty Bumppo, give us your fist. There�s them that says you�re an

Indian, and a scalper, but you�ve served me a good turn, and you may set me down for a friend; thof it would

have been more ship shape like to lower the bight of a rope or running bowline below me, than to seize an old

seaman by his headlanyard; but I suppose you are used to taking men by the hair, and seeing you did me

Marmaduke prevented any reply, and assuming the action of matters with a dignity and discretion that at once

silenced all opposition from his cousin, Benjamin was dispatched to the village by land, and the net was

hauled to shore in such a manner that the fish for once escaped its meshes with impunity.

The division of the spoils was made in the ordinary manner, by placing one of the party with his hack to the

game, who named the owner of each pile. Bill Kirby stretched his large frame on the grass by the side of the

fire, as sentinel until morning, over net and fish ; and the remainder of the party embarked in the batteau, to

The woodchopper was seen broiling his supper on the coals as they lost sight of the fire, and when the boat

approached the shore, the torch of Mohegan�s canoe was shining again under the gloom of the eastern

mountain. Its motion ceased suddenly; a scattering of brands was in the air, and then all remained dark as the

The thoughts of Elizabeth wandered from the youth, who was holding a canopy of shawls over herself and

Louisa, to the hunter and the Indian warrior; and she felt an awakening curiosity to visit a hut where men of

Mr. Jones arose on the following morning with the sun, and, ordering his own and Marmaduke�s steeds to be

saddled, he proceeded, with a countenance big with some business of unusual moment to the apartment of the

Judge. The door was unfastened, and Richard entered, with the freedom that characterized not only the

'Well, �Duke, to horse,' he cried, 'and I will explain to you my meaning in the allusions I made last night.

David says, in the Psalmsno, it was Solomon, but it was all in the familySolomon said there was a time

for all things; and, in my humble opinion, a fishing party is not the moment for discussing important

subjects. Ha! why, what the devil ails you, Marmaduke? Ain't you well? Let me feel your pulse; my

'Quite well in the body, Richard,' interrupted the Judge, repulsing his cousin, who was about to assume the

functions that rightly belonged to Dr. Todd; ' but ill at heart. I received letters by the post last night, after we

The sheriff took the letter, but without turning his eyes on the writing, for he was examining the appearance

of the other with astonishment. From the face of his cousin the gaze of Richard wandered to the table, which

was covered with letters, packets, and newspapers; then to the apartment and all it contained. On the bed

there was the impression that had been made by a human form, but the coverings were unmoved, and

everything indicated that the occupant of the room had passed a sleepless night. The candles had burned to

the sockets, and had evidently extinguished themselves in their own fragments Marmaduke had drawn his

curtains, and opened both the shutters and the sashes, to admit the balmy air ' of a spring morning; but his

pale cheek, his quivering lip, and his sunken eye presented altogether so very different an appearance from

the usual calm, manly, and cheerful aspect of the Judge, that the sheriff grew each moment more and more

bewildered with astonishment. At length Richard found time to cast his eyes on the direction of the letter,

'What! a shipletter!' he exclaimed; 'and from England, ha! �Duke, there must be news of importance!

Richard, who commonly thought aloud, was unable to read a letter without suffering part of its contents to

escape him in audible sounds. So much of the epistle as was divulged in that manner, we shall lay before the

'�London, February 12, 1793.� What a devil of a pas sage she had! but the wind has been northwest for six

weeks, until within the last fortnight. Sir, your favors of August 10th, September 23d, and of December 1st,

were received in due season, and the first answered by return of packet. Since the receipt of the last, I�

'here a long passage was rendered indistinct by a kind of humming noise by the sheriff' �I grieve to say

that �hum, hum, bad enough to be sure� but trusts that a merciful Providence has seen fit�hum, hum,

hum seems to be a good, pious sort of a man, �Duke; belongs to the Established Church, I dare say; hum,

hum� vessel sailed from Falmouth on or about the 1st September of last year, and�hum, hum, hum, �If

anything should transpire on this afflicting subject shall not fail� hum, hum; really a goodhearted man, for

a lawyer�but Can communicate nothing further at present�hum, hum. ' The national convention �

hum, hum� unfortunate Louis�hum, hum�example of your Washington�a very sensible man, I

declare, and none of your crazy democrats. Hum, hum�our gallant navy�hum, hum�under our most

excellent monarch�ay, a good man enough, that King George, but bad advisers: hum, hum�I beg to

conclude with assurances of my perfect respect.�hum, hum�Andrew Holt. �Andrew Holt, a very

sensible, feeling man, this Mr. Andrew Holtbut the writer of evil tidings. What will you do next, Cousin

'What can I do, Richard, but trust to time, and the will of Heaven? Here is another letter from Connecticut,

but it only repeats the substance of the last. There is but one consoling reflection to be gathered from the

English news, which is, that my last letter was received by him before the ship sailed,'

'This is bad enough, indeed! �Duke, bad enough, indeed! and away go all my plans, of putting wings to the

house, to the devil. I had made arrangements for a ride to introduce you to something of a very important

'Talk not of mines,' interrupted the Judge: 'there is a sacred duty to be performed, and that without delay, I

must devote this day to writing; and thou must be my assistant, Richard; it will not do to employ Oliver in a

'No, no, �Duke,' cried the sheriff, squeezing his hand, ' I am your man, just now; we are sister�s children, and

blood, after all, is the best cement to make friendship stick together. Well, well, there is no hurry about the

silver mine, just now; another time will do as well. We shall want Dirky Van, I suppose?'

Marmaduke assented to this indirect question, and the sheriff relinquished all his intentions on the subject of

the ride, and, repairing to the breakfast parlor, he dispatched a messenger to require the immediate presence

The village of Templeton at that time supported but two lawyers, one of whom was introduced to our readers

in the barroom of the 'Bold Dragoon.' and the other was the gentleman of whom Richard spoke by the

friendly yet familiar appellation of Dirck, or Dirky Van. Great good nature, a very tolerable share of skill in

his profession, and, considering the circumstances, no contemptible degree of honesty, were the principal

ingredients in the character of this man, who was known to the settlers as Squire Van der School, and

sometimes by the flattering though anomalous title of the 'Dutch' or 'honest lawyer.'

We would not wish to mislead our readers in their conceptions of any of our characters, and we therefore feel

it necessary to add that the adjective, in the preceding agnomen of Mr. Van der School, was used in direct

reference to its substantive. Our orthodox friends need not be told that all the merit in this world is

comparative; and, once for all, we desire to say that, where anything which involves qualities or characters is

During the remainder of the day, the Judge was closeted with his cousin and his lawyer; and no one else was

admitted to his apartment, excepting his daughter. The deep distress that so evidently affected Marmaduke

was in some measure communicated to Elizabeth also; for a look of dejection shaded her intelligent features,

and the buoyancy of her animated spirits was sensibly softened. Once on that day, young Edwards, who was a

wondering and observant spectator of the sudden alteration produced in the heads of the family, detected a

tear stealing over the cheek of Elizabeth, and suffusing her bright eyes with a softness that did not always

'Have any evil tidings been received, Miss Temple?' he inquired, with an interest and voice that caused

Louisa Grant to raise her head from her needlework, with a quick ness at which she instantly blushed herself.

'I would offer my services to your father, if, as I suspect, he needs an agent in some distant place, and I

'We have certainly heard bad news,' returned Elizabeth, ' and it may be necessary that my father should leave

home for a short period; unless I can persuade him to trust my cousin Richard with the business, whose

The youth paused a moment, and the blood gathered slowly to his temples as he continued:

'Surely, you know me, Miss Temple!' he added, with a warmth that he seldom exhibited, but which did some

times escape him in the moments of their frank communications. 'Have I lived five months under your roof to

Elizabeth was engaged with her needle also, and she bent her head to one side, affecting to arrange her

muslin; but her hand shook, her color heightened, and her eyes lost their moisture in an expression of

'How much!' echoed the youth, gazing from the speaker to the mild countenance of Louisa, that was also

illuminated with curiosity; ' how much Have I been so long an inmate with you and not known?'

The head of Elizabeth turned slowly from its affected position, and the look of confusion that had blended so

'We know you, sir, indeed; you are called Mr. Oliver Edwards. I understand that you have informed my

'Elizabeth!' exclaimed Louisa, blushing to thc eyes, and trembling like an aspen ; ' you misunderstood me,

dear Miss Temple; IIit was only a conjecture. Besides, if Mr. Edwards is related to the natives why

should we reproach him? In what are we better? at least I, who am the child of a poor and unsettled

Elizabeth shook her head doubtingly, and even laughed, but made no reply, until, observing the melancholy

which pervaded the countenance of her companion, who was thinking of the poverty and labors of her father,

'Nay, Louisa, humility carries you too far. The daughter of a minister of the church can have no superiors.

Neither I nor Mr. Edwards is quite your equal, unless,' she added, again smiling, 'he is in secret a king '

'A faithful servant of the King of kings, Miss Temple, is inferior to none on earth,' said Louisa; 'but his

honors are his own; I am only the child of a poor and friendless man, and can claim no other distinction.

Why, then, should I feel myself elevated above Mr. Edwards, becausebecauseperhaps he is only very,

Glances of a very comprehensive meaning were exchanged between the heiress and the young man, as Louisa

betrayed, while vindicating his lineage, the reluctance with which she admitted his alliance with the old

warrior; but not even a smile at the simplicity of their companion was indulged in by either.

'On reflection, I must acknowledge that my situation here is somewhat equivocal,' said Edwards, 'though I

'The blood, too, of one of the native lords of the soil!' cried Elizabeth, who evidently put little faith in his

'Do I bear the marks of my lineage so very plainly impressed on my appearance? I am dark, but not very

'I am sure, Miss Temple,' cried Louisa, 'you cannot have taken much notice of Mr. Edwards. His eyes are not

'Very possibly, then, I can lay claim to the same de scent It would be a great relief to my mind to think so, for

I own that I grieve when I see old Mohegan walking about these lands like the ghost of one of their ancient

'I do, indeed,' returned Elizabeth, after suffering a moment to pass in surprise; 'but what can I dowhat can

my father do? Should we offer the old man a home� and a maintenance, his habits would compel him to

refuse us. Neither were we so silly as to wish such a thing, could we convert these clearings and farms again

'You speak the truth, Miss Temple,' said Edwards. 'What can you do indeed? But there is one thing that I am

certain you can and will do, when you become the mistress of these beautiful valleysuse your wealth with

'And That will be doing a good deal,' said Louisa, smiling in her turn. 'But there will, doubtless, be one to

am not about to disclaim matrimony, like a silly girl, who dreams of nothing else from morn till night; but I

am a nun here, without the vow of celibacy. Where shall I find a husband in these forests?'

'There is none, Miss Temple,' said Edwards quickly; 'there is none who has a right to aspire to you, and I

know that you will wait to be sought by your equal; or die, as you live, loved, respected, and admired by all

The young man seemed to think that he had said all that was required by gallantry, for he arose, and, taking

his hat, hurried from the apartment. Perhaps Louisa thought that he had said more than was necessary, for she

sighed, with an aspiration so low that it was scarcely audible to herself, and bent her head over her work

again. And it is possible that Miss Temple wished to hear more, for her eyes continued fixed for a minute on

the door through which the young man had passed, then glanced quickly toward her companion, when the

long silence that succeeded manifested how much zest may be given to the conversation of two maidens

The first person encountered by Mr. Edwards, as he rather rushed than walked from the house, was the little

squarebuilt lawyer, with a large bundle of papers under his arm, a pair of green spectacles on his nose, with

glasses at the sides, as if to multiply his power of detecting frauds by additional organs of vision.

Mr. Van der School was a welleducated man, but of slow comprehension, who had imbibed a wariness in

his speeches and actions, from having suffered by his collisions with his more mercurial and apt brethren who

had laid the foundations of their practice in the Eastern courts, and who had sucked in shrewdness with their

mother�s milk. The caution of this gentleman was exhibited in his actions, by the utmost method and

punctuality, tinctured with a good deal of timidity; and in his speeches, by a parenthetical style, that

'A goodmorning to you, Mr. Van der School,' said Edwards; 'it seems to be a busy day with us at the

'Goodmorning, Mr. Edwards (if that is your name [for, being a stranger, we have no other evidence of the

fact than your own testimony], as I understand you have given it to Judge Temple), good morning, sir. It is,

apparently a busy day (but a man of your discretion need not be told [having, doubtless, discovered it of your

'Have you papers of consequence that will require copying? Can I be of assistance in any way?'

'There are papers (as doubtless you see [for your eyes are young] by the outsides) that require copying.'

'Well, then, I will accompany you to your office, and receive such as are most needed, and by night I shall

'I shall always be glad to see you, sir, at my office (as in duty bound [not that it is obligatory to receive any

man within your dwelling (unless so inclined), which is a castle], according to the forms of politeness), or at

any other place; but the papers are most strictly confidential (and, as such, cannot be read by any one), unless

so directed (by Judge Temple�s solemn injunctions), and are invisible to all eyes; excepting those whose

'Well, sir, as I perceive that I can be of no service, I wish you another goodmorning; but beg you will

remember that I am quite idle just now, and I wish you would intimate as much to Judge Temple, and make

him a ten der of my services in any part of the world, unless unlessit be far from Templeton.'

'I will make the communication, sir, in your name (with your own qualifications), as your agent. Good

morning, sir. But stay proceedings, Mr. Edwards (so called), for a moment. Do you wish me to state the offer

of travelling as a final contract (for which consideration has been received at former dates [by sums

advanced], which would be binding), or as a tender of services for which compensation is to be paid

(according to future agreement between the parties), on performance of the conditions?'

'Any way, any way,' said Edwards; 'he seems in distress, and I would assist him.'

'The motive is good, sir (according to appearances which are often deceitful] on first impressions), and does

you honor. I will mention your wish, young gentleman (as you now seem), and will not fail to communicate

the answer by five o�clock P.M. of this present day (God willing), if you give me an opportunity so to do.'

The ambiguous nature of the situation and character of Mr. Edwards had rendered him an object of peculiar

suspicion to the lawyer, and the youth was consequently too much accustomed to similar equivocal and

guarded speeches to feel any unusual disgust at the present dialogue. He saw at once that it was the intention

of the practitioner to conceal the nature of his business, even from the private secretary of Judge Temple; and

he knew too well the difficulty of comprehending the meaning of Mr. Van der School, when the gentleman

most wished to be luminous in his discourse, not to abandon all thoughts of a discovery, when he perceived

that the attorney was endeavoring to avoid anything like an approach to a crossexamination. They parted at

the gate, the lawyer walking with an important and hurried air toward his office, keeping his right hand firmly

It must have been obvious to all our readers, that the youth entertained an unusual and deeply seated

prejudice against the character of the Judge; but owing to some counteracting cause, his sensations were now

those of powerful interest in the state of his patron�s present feelings, and in the cause of his secret

uneasiness. He remained gazing after the lawyer until the door closed on both the bearer and the mysterious

packet, when he returned slowly to the dwelling, and endeavored to forget his curiosity in the usual

When the Judge made his reappearance in the circles of his family, his cheerfulness was tempered by a shade

of melancholy that lingered for many days around his manly brow; but the magical progression of the season

The heats of the days, and the frequent occurrence of balmy showers, had completed in an incredibly short

period the growth of plants which the lingering spring had so long retarded in the germ; and the woods

presented every shade of green that the American forests know. The stumps in the cleared fields were already

hidden beneath the wheat that was waving with every breath of the sum mer air, shining and changing its

During the continuance of his cousin�s dejection, Mr. Jones forebore, with much consideration, to press on

his attention a business that each hour was drawing nearer to the heart of the sheriff, and which, if any

opinion could he formed by his frequent private conferences with the man who was introduced in these pages

by the name of Jotham, at the barroom of the Bold Dragoon, was becoming also of great importance.

At length the sheriff ventured to allude again to the subject; and one evening, in the beginning of July,

Marmaduke made him a promise of devoting the following day to the desired excursion.

It was a mild and soft morning, when Marmaduke and Richard mounted their horses and proceeded on the

expedition that had so long been uppermost in the thoughts of the latter; and Elizabeth and Louisa appeared at

The head of Miss Grant was covered by a neat little hat of green silk, and her modest eyes peered from under

its shade, with the soft languor that characterized her whole appearance; but Miss Temple trod her father�s

wide apartments with the step of their mistress, holding in her hands, dangling by one of its ribbons, the

gypsy that was to conceal the glossy locks that curled around her polished fore head in rich profusion.

'What? are you for a walk, Bess?' cried the Judge, suspending his movements for a moment to smile, with a

father�s fondness, at the display of womanly grace and beauty that his child presented. 'Remember the heats

of July, my daughter; nor venture further than thou canst retrace before the meridian. Where is thy parasol,

girl? thou wilt lose tine polish of that brow, under this sun and southern breeze, unless thou guard it with

'I shall then do more honor to my connections,' returned the smiling daughter. 'Cousin Richard has a bloom

that any lady might envy. At present the resemblance between us is so trifling that no stranger would know us

'Grandchildren, you mean, Cousin Bess,' said the sheriff. 'But on, Judge Temple; time and tide wait for no

man; and if you take my counsel, sir, in twelve months from this day you may make an umbrella for your

daughter of her camel�shair shawl, and have its frame of solid silver. I ask nothing for myself, �Duke; you

have been a good friend to me already; besides, all that I have will go to Bess there, one of these melancholy

days, so it�s as long as it�s short, whether I or you leave it. But we have a day�s ride before us, sir; so move

'Patience, patience, Dickon, 'returned the Judge, checking his horse and turning again to his daughter. 'If thou

art for the mountains, love, stray not too deep into the forest. I entreat thee; for, though it is done often with

'Not at this season, I believe, sir,' said Elizabeth; 'for, I will confess, it is the intention of Louisa and myself to

'Less at this season than in the winter, dear; but still there may be danger in venturing too far. But though

thou art resolute, Elizabeth, thou art too much like thy mother not to be prudent.'

The eyes of the parent turned reluctantly from his child, and the Judge and sheriff rode slowly through the

During this short dialogue, young Edwards stood, an attentive listener, holding in his hand a fishingrod, the

day and the season having tempted him also to desert the house for the pleasure of exercise in the air. As the

equestrians turned through the gate, he approached the young females, who were already moving toward the

The other stopped also, and turned to the youth, politely but with a slight coldness in her air, that sensibly

'Your father is not pleased that you should walk unattended in the hills, Miss Temple. If I might offer my self

as a protector' 'Does my father select Mr. Oliver Edwards as the organ of his displeasure?' interrupted the

'Good Heaven! you misunderstood my meaning; I should have said uneasy or not pleased. I am his servant,

madam, and in consequence yours. I repeat that, with your consent, I will change my rod for a fowling

'I thank you, Mr. Edwards; but where there is no danger, no protection is required. We are not yet reduced to

wandering among these free hills accompanied by a body guard. If such a one is necessary there he is,

however. Here, BraveBravemy noble Brave!' The huge mastif that has been already mentioned,

appeared from his kennel, gaping and stretching himself with pampered laziness; but as his mistress again

'Come, dear Brave; once you have served your master well; let us see how you can do your duty by his

daughter'the dog wagged his tail, as if he understood her language, walked with a stately gait to her side,

where he seated himself, and looked up at her face, with an intelligence but little inferior to that which

She resumed her walk, but again paused, after a few steps, and added, in tones of conciliation:

'You can be serving us equally, and, I presume, more agreeably to yourself, Mr. Edwards, by bringing us a

When they again began to walk Miss Temple did not look back to see how the youth bore this repulse; but

the head of Louisa was turned several times before they reached the gate on that considerate errand.

'I am afraid, Elizabeth,' she said, ' that we have mortified Oliver. He is still standing where we left him,

'He thinks justly,' exclaimed Miss Temple, as if awaking from a deep musing; 'he thinks justly, then. We are

too proud to admit of such particular attentions from a young man in an equivocal situation. What! make him

the companion of our most private walks! It is pride, Louisa, but it is the pride of a woman.'

It was several minutes before Oliver aroused himself from the abstracted position in which he was standing

when Louisa last saw him; but when he did, he muttered something rapidly and incoherently, and, throwing

his rod over his shoulder, he strode down the walk through the gate and along one of the streets of the village,

until he reached the lakeshore, with the air of an emperor. At this spot boats were kept for the use of Judge

Temple and his family. The young man threw himself into a light skiff, and, seizing the oars, he sent it across

the lake toward the hut of LeatherStocking, with a pair of vigorous arms. By the time he had rowed a

quarter of a mile, his reflections were less bitter; and when he saw the bushes that lined the shore in front of

Natty�s habitation gliding by him, as if they possessed the motion which proceeded from his own efforts, he

was quite cooled in mind, though somewhat heated in body. It is quite possible that the very same reason

which guided the conduct of Miss Temple suggested itself to a man of the breeding and education of the

youth; and it is very certain that, if such were the case, Elizabeth rose instead of falling in the estimation of

The oars were now raised from the water, and the boat shot close in to the land, where it lay gently agitated

by waves of its own creating, while the young man, first casting a cautious and searching glance around him

in every direction, put a small whistle to his mouth, and blew a long, shrill note that rang among the echoing

rocks behind the hut. At this alarm, the hounds of Natty rushed out of their bark kennel, and commenced their

long, piteous howls, leaping about as if half frantic, though restrained by the leashes of buckskin by which

'Quiet, Hector, quiet,' said Oliver, again applying his whistle to his mouth, and drawing out notes still more

shrill than before. No reply was made, the dogs having returned to their kennel at the sound of his voice.

Edwards pulled the bows of the boat on the shore, and landing, ascended the beach and approached the door

of the cabin. The fastenings were soon undone, and he entered, closing the door after him, when all was as

silent, in that retired spot, as if the foot of man had never trod the wilderness. The sounds of the hammers,

that were in incessant motion in the village, were faintly heard across the water; but the dogs had crouched

into their lairs, satisfied that none but the privileged had approached the forbidden ground.

A quarter of an hour elapsed before the youth reappeared, when he fastened the door again, and spoke kindly

to the hounds. The dogs came out at the wellknown tones, and the slut jumped upon his person, whining and

barking as if entreating Oliver to release her from prison. But old Hector raised his nose to the light current of

air, and opened a long howl, that might have been heard for a mile. 'Ha! what do you scent, old veteran of the

woods?' cried Edwards. 'If a beast, it is a bold one; and if a man, an impudent.'

He sprang through the top of a pine that had fallen near the side of the hut, and ascended a small hillock that

sheltered the cabin to the south, where he caught a glimpse of the formal figure of Hiram Doolittle, as it

'What can that fellow be wanting here?' muttered Oliver. 'He has no business in this quarter, unless it be

curiosity, which is an endemic in these woods. But against that I will effectually guard, though the dogs

should take a liking to his ugly visage, and let him pass.' The youth returned to the door, while giving vent to

this soliloquy, and completed the fastenings by placing a small chain through a staple, and securing it there

by a padlock. 'He is a pettifogger, and surely must know that there is such a thing as feloniously breaking into

Apparently well satisfied with this arrangement, the youth again spoke to the hounds; and, descending to the

There were several places in the Otsego that were celebrated fishing ground for perch. One was nearly

opposite to the cabin, and another, still more famous, was near a point, at the distance of a mile and a half

above it, under the brow of the mountain, and on the same side of the lake with the hut. Oliver Edwards

pulled his little skiff to the first, and sat, for a minute, undecided whether to continue there, with his eyes on

the door of the cabin, or to change his ground, with a view to get superior game. While gazing about him, he

saw the lightcolored bark canoe of his old companions riding on the water, at the point we have mentioned,

and containing two figures, that he at once knew to be Mohegan and the LeatherStocking. This decided the

matter, and the youth pulled, in a very few minutes, to the place where his friends were fishing, and fastened

The old men received Oliver with welcoming nods, but neither drew his line from the water nor in the least

varied his occupation. When Edwards had secured his own boat, he baited his hook and threw it into the lake,

'Yes, and I found all safe; but that carpenter and justice of the peace, Mr., or as they call him, Squire,

Doolittle, was prowling through the woods. I made sure of the door before I left the hut, and I think he is too

'There's little to be said in favor of that man,' said Natty, while he drew in a perch and baited his hook. 'He

craves dreadfully to come into the cabin, and has as good as asked me as much to my face; but I put him off

with unsartain answers, so that he is no wiser than Solo mon. This comes of having so many laws that such a

'I fear he is more knave than fool,' cried Edwards; 'he makes a tool of, that simple man, the sheriff; and I

'If he harbors too much about the cabin, lad, I�ll shoot the creatur�,' said the LeatherStocking, quite simply.

'No, no, Natty, you must remember the law,' said Edwards, 'or we shall have you in trouble; and that, old

'Would it, boy?� exclaimed the hunter, raising his eyes, with a look of friendly interest, toward the youth.

'You have the true blood in your veins, Mr. Oliver; and I�ll support it to the face of Judge Temple or in any

court in the country. How is it, John? Do I speak the true word? Is the lad stanch, and of the right blood?'

'He is a Delaware,' said Mohegan, 'and my brother. The Young Eagle is brave, and he will be a chief. No

'Well, well,' cried the youth impatiently, 'say no more about it, my good friends; if I am not all that your

partiality would make me, I am yours through life, in prosperity as in poverty. We will talk of other matters.'

The old hunters yielded to his wish, which seemed to be their law. For a short time a profound silence

prevailed, during which each man was very busy with his hook and line, but Edwards, probably feeling that it

remained with him to renew the discourse, soon observed, with the air of one who knew not what he said:

'How beautifully tranquil and glassy the lake is! Saw you it ever more calm and even than at this moment,

'I have known the Otsego water for fiveandforty years,' said LeatherStocking, ' and I will say that for it,

which is, that a cleaner spring or better fishing is not to be found in the land. Yes, yes; I had the place to

myself once, and a cheerful time I had of it. The game was plenty as heart could wish; and there was none to

meddle with the ground unless there might have been a hunting party of the Delawares crossing the hills, or,

maybe, a rifling scout of them thieves, the Iroquois. There was one or two Frenchmen that squatted in the

flats further west, and married squaws; and some of the Scotch Irishers, from the Cherry Valley, would

come on to the lake, and borrow my canoe to take a mess of parch, or drop a line for salmon trout; but, in

the main, it was a cheerful place, and I had but little to disturb me in it. John would come, and John knows.'

Mohegan turned his dark face at this appeal; and, moving his hand forward with graceful motion of assent, he

'The land was owned by my people; we gave it to my brother in council to the Fireeater; and what the

Delawares give lasts as long as the waters run. Hawkeye smoked at that council, for we loved him.'

'No, no, John,' said Natty I was no chief, seeing that I knowed nothing of scholarship, and had a white skin.

But it was a comfortable huntingground then, lad, and would have been so this day, but for the money of

'It must have been a sight of melancholy pleasure in deed,' said Edwards, while his eye roved along the shores

and over the hills, where the clearings, groaning with the golden corn, were cheering the forest with the signs

of life, 'to have roamed over these mountains and along this sheet of beautiful water, without a living soul to

'Haven�t I said it was cheerful?' said LeatherStocking. 'Yes, yes, when the trees begain to be covered with

leaves, and the ice was out of the hake, it was a second paradise. I have travelled the woods for fiftythree

years, and have made them my home for more than forty, and I can say that I have met but one place that was

more to my liking; and that was only to eyesight, and not for hunting or fishing.'

'Where! why, up on the Catskills. I used often to go up into the mountains after wolves� skins and bears; once

they paid me to get them a stuffed painter, and so I often went. �there�s a place in them hills that I used to

climb to when I wanted to see the carryings on of the world, that would well pay any man for a barked shin or

a torn moccasin. You know the Catskills, lad; for you must have seen them on your left, as you followed the

river up from York, looking as blue as a piece of clear sky, and holding the clouds on their tops, as the smoke

curls over the head of an Indian chief at the council fire. Well, there�s the Highpeak and the Roundtop,

which lay back like a father and mother among their children, seeing they are far above all the other hills. But

the place I mean is next to the river, where one of the ridges juts out a little from the rest, and where the rocks

fall, for the best part of a thousand feet, so much up and down, that a man standing on their edges is fool

'Creation,' said Natty, dropping the end of his rod into the water, and sweeping one hand around him in a

circle, 'all creation, lad. I was on that hill when Vaughan burned �Sopus in the last war; and I saw the vessels

come out of the Highlands as plain as I can see that lime scow rowing into the Susquehanna, though one

was twenty times farther from me than the other. The river was in sight for seventy miles, looking like a

curled shaving under my feet, though it was eight long miles to its banks. I saw the hills in the Hampshire

grants, the highlands of the river, and all that God had done, or man could do, far as eye could reachyou

know that the Indians named me for my sight, lad ; and from the flat on the top of that mountain, I have often

found the place where Albany stands. And as for �Sopus, the day the royal troops burnt the town, the smoke

If being the best part of a mile in the air and having men�s farms and houses your feet, with rivers looking

like ribbons, and mountains bigger than the �Vision seeming to be haystacks of green grass under you, gives

any satisfaction to a man, I can recommend the spot. When I first came into the woods to live, I used to have

weak spells when I felt lonesome: and then I would go into the Catskills, and spend a few days on that hill to

look at the ways of man; but it�s now many a year since I felt any such longings, and I am getting too old for

rugged rocks. But there�s a place, a short two miles back of that very hill, that in late times I relished better

'And where was that?' inquired Edwards, whose curiosity was strongly excited by the simple description of

'Why, there�s a fall in the hills where the water of two little ponds. that lie near each other, breaks out of their

bounds and runs over the rocks into the valley. The stream is, maybe, such a one as would turn a mill, if so

useless thing was wanted in the wilderness. But the hand that made that �Leap� never made a mill. There the

water comes crooking and winding among the rocks, first so slow that a trout could swim in it, and then

starting and running like a creatur� that wanted to make a far spring, till it gets to where the mountain divides,

like the cleft hoof of a deer, leaving a deep hollow for the brook to tumble into. The first pitch is nigh two

hundred feet, and the water looks like flakes of driven snow afore it touches the bottom; and there the stream

gathers itself together again for a new start, and maybe flutters over fifty feet of flat rock before it falls for

another hundred, when it jumps about from shelf to shelf, first turning thisaway and then turning thataway,

'I never read a book in my life,' said LeatherStocking; 'and how should a man who has lived in towns and

schools know anything about the wonders of the woods? No, no, lad; there has that little stream of water been

playing among the hills since He made the world, and not a dozen white men have ever laid eyes on it. The

rock sweeps like masonwork, in a halfround, on both sides of the fall, and shelves over the bottom for fifty

feet; so that when I�ve been sitting at the foot of the first pitch, and my hounds have run into the caverns

behind the sheet of water, they�ve looked no bigger than so many rabbits. To my judgment, lad, it�s the best

piece of work that I�ve met with in the woods; and none know how often the hand of God is seen in the

'What becomes of the water? In which direction does it run? Is it a tributary of the Delaware?'

'No, no; it�s a drop for the old Hudson, and a merry time it has till it gets down off the mountain. I�ve sat on

the shelving rock many a long hour, boy, and watched the bubbles as they shot by me, and thought how long

it would be before that very water, which seemed made for the wilderness, would be under the bottom of a

vessel, and tossing in the salt sea. It is a spot to make a man solemnize. You go right down into the valley that

lies to the east of the High Peak, where, in the fall of the year, thousands of acres of woods are before your

eyes, in the deep hollow, and along the side of the mountain, painted like ten thousand rainbows, by no hand

'The recollection of the sight has warmed your blood, old man. How many years is it since you saw the

The hunter made no reply; but, bending his ear near the water, he sat holding his breath, and listening

attentively as if to some distant sound. At length he raised his head, and said:

'If I hadn�t fastened the hounds with my own hands, with a fresh leash of green buckskin, I�d take a Bible

'It is impossible,' said Edwards; 'it is not an hour since I saw him in his kennel.'

By this time the attention of Mohegan was attracted to the sounds; but, notwithstanding the youth was both

silent and attentive, he could hear nothing but the lowing of some cattle from the western hills. He looked at

the old men, Natty sitting with his hand to his ear, like a trumpet, and Mohegan bending forward, with an arm

raised to a level with his face, holding the forefinger elevated as a signal for attention, and laughed aloud at

'Laugh if you will, boy,' said LeatherStocking, ' the hounds be out, and are hunting a deer, No man can

deceive me in such a matter. I wouldn�t have had the thing happen for a beaver�s skin. Not that I care for the

law; but the venison is lean now, and the dumb things run the flesh off their own bones for no good. Now do

Edwards started, as a full cry broke on his ear, changing from the distant sounds that were caused by some

intervening hill, to confused echoes that rang among the rocks that the dogs were passing, and then directly to

a deep and hollow baying that pealed under the forest under the Lake shore. These variations in the tones of

the hounds passed with amazing rapidity; and, while his eyes were glancing along the margin of the water, a

tearing of the branches of the alder and dogwood caught his attention, at a spot near them and at the next

moment a noble buck sprang on the shore, and buried himself in the lake. A fullmouthed cry followed,

when Hector and the slut shot through the opening in the bushes, and darted into the lake also, bearing their

'I knowed itI knowed it!' cried Natty, when both deer and hounds were in full view; ' the buck has gone by

them with the wind, and it has been too much for the poor rogues; but I must break them of these tricks, or

they�ll give me a deal of trouble. Heere, heereshore. with you, rascalsshore with youwill ye? Oh!

off with you, old Hector, or I'll hackle your hide with my ramrod when I get ye.'

The dogs knew their master�s voice, and after swimming in a circle, as if reluctant to give over the chase, and

yet afraid to persevere, they finally obeyed, and returned to the land, where they filled the air with their cries.

In the mean time the deer, urged by his fears, had swum over half the distance between the shore and the

boats, before his terror permitted him to see the new danger. But at the sounds of Natty�s voice, he turned

short in his course and for a few moments seemed about to rush back again, and brave the dogs. His retreat in

this direction was, however, effectually cut off, and, turning a second time, he urged his course obliquely for

the centre of the lake, with an intention of landing on the western shore. As the buck swam by the fishermen,

raising his nose high into the air, curling the water before his slim neck like the beak of a galley, the

'�Tis a noble creatur�!' he exclaimed; 'what a pair of horns! a man might hang up all his garments on the

branches. Let me seeJuly is the last month, and the flesh must be getting good.' While he was talking,

Natty had instinctively employed himself in fastening the inner end of the bark rope, that served him for a

cable, to a paddle, and, rising suddenly on his legs, he cast this buoy away. and cried; 'Strike out, John! let her

Mohegan threw the fastening of the youth�s boat from the canoe, and with one stroke of his paddle sent the

'Hold!' exclaimed Edwards. ' Remember the law, my old friends. You are in plain sight of the village, and I

know that Judge Temple is determined to prosecute all, indiscriminately, who kill deer out of season.'

The remonstrance came too late; the canoe was already far from the skiff, and the two hunters were too much

The buck was now within fifty yards of his pursuers, cutting the water gallantly, and snorting at each breath

with terror and his exertions, while the canoe seemed to dance over the waves as it rose and fell with the

undulations made by its own motion. LeatherStocking raised his rifle and freshened the priming, but stood

'Shall I, John or no?' he said. 'It seems but a poor advantage to take of the dumb thing, too. I won�t; it has

taken to the water on its own natur�, which is the reason that God has given to a deer, and I�ll give it the lake

play; so, John, lay out your arm, and mind the turn of the buck; it�s easy to catch them, but they�ll turn like a

The Indian laughed at the conceit of his friend, but continued to send the canoe forward with a velocity� that

proceeded much more from skill than his strength. Both of the old men now used the language of the

Natty never moved abroad without taking with him every implement that might, by possibility, be of service

in his pursuits. From his rifle he never parted; and although intending to fish with the line, the canoe was

invariably furnished with all of its utensils, even to its grate This precaution grew out of the habits of the

hunter, who was often led, by his necessities or his sports, far beyond the limits of his original destination. A

few years earlier than the date of our tale, the LeatherStocking had left his hut on the shores of the Otsego,

with his rifle and his hounds, for a few days� hunting in the hills; but before he returned he had seen the

waters of Ontario. One, two, or even three hundred miles had once been nothing to his sinews, which were

now a little stiffened by age. The hunter did as Mohegan advised, and prepared to strike a blow with the

'Lay her more to the left, John,' he cried, 'lay her more to the left; another stroke of the paddle and I have

While speaking he raised the spear, and darted it front him like an arrow. At that instant the buck turned, the

long pole glanced by him, the iron striking against his horn, and buried itself harmlessly in the lake.

'Back water,' cried Natty, as the canoe glided over the place where the spear had fallen; 'hold water, John.'

The pole soon reappeared, shooting up from the lake, and, as the hunter seized it in his hand, the Indian

whirled the light canoe round, and renewed the chase. But this evolution gave the buck a great advantage; and

'Hold your hand, Natty!' cried the youth, 'hold your hand; remember it is out of season.'

This remonstrance was made as the batteau arrived close to the place where the deer was struggling with the

water, his back now rising to the surface, now sinking beneath it, as the waves curled from his neck, the

'Hurrah!' shouted Edwards, inflamed beyond prudence at the sight; 'mind him as he doublesmind him as he

doubles; sheer more to the right, Mohegan, more to the right, and I�ll have him by the horns; I'll throw the

The dark eye of the old warrior was dancing in his head with a wild animation, and the sluggish repose in

which his aged frame had been resting in the canoe was now changed to all the rapid inflections of practiced

agility. The canoe whirled with each cunning evolution of the chase, like a bubble floating in a whirlpool; and

when the direction of the pursuit admitted of a straight course the little bark skimmed the lake with a velocity

It was the frequency of these circuitous movements that, by confining the action to so small a compass,

enabled the youth to keep near his companions. More than twenty times both the pursued and the pursuer

glided by him, just without the reach of his oars, until he thought the best way to view the sport was to remain

stationary, and, by watching a favorable opportunity, assist as much as he could in taking the victim.

He was not required to wait long, for no sooner had he adopted this resolution, and risen in the boat, than he

saw the deer coming bravely toward him, with an apparent intention of pushing for a point of land at some

distance from the hounds, who were still barking and howling on the shore. Edwards caught the painter of his

skiff, and, making a noose, cast it from him with all his force, and luckily succeeded in drawing its knot close

For one instant the skiff was drawn through the water, but in the next the canoe glided before it, and Natty,

bending low, passed his knife across the throat of the animal, whose blood followed the wound, dyeing the

waters. The short time that was passed in the last struggles of the animal was spent by the hunters in bringing

their boats together and securing them in that position, when Leather Stocking drew the deer from the water

and laid its lifeless form in the bottom of the canoe. He placed his hands on the ribs, and on different parts of

the body of his prize, and then, raising his head, he laughed in his peculiar manner.

'So much for Marmaduke Temple's law!' he said, 'This warms a body�s blood, old John: I haven�t killed a

buck in the lake afore this, sin� many a year. I call that good venison, lad: and I know them that will relish the

The Indian had long been drooping with his years, and perhaps under the calamities of his race, but this

invigorating and exciting sport caused a gleam of sunshine to cross his swarthy face that had long been absent

from his features. it was evident the old man enjoyed the chase more as a memorial of his youthful sports and

deeds than with any expectation of profiting by the success. He felt the deer, however, lightly, his hand

already trembling with the reaction of his unusual exertions, and smiled with a nod of approbation, as he said,

'I am afraid, Natty,' said Edwards, when the heat of the moment had passed, and his blood began to cool, 'that

we have all been equally transgressors of the law. But keep your own counsel, and there are none here to

betray us. Yet how came those dogs at large? I left them securely fastened, I know, for I felt the thongs and

'It has been too much for the poor things,' said Natty, 'to have such a buck take the wind of them. See, lad, the

pieces of the buckskin are hanging from their necks yet. Let us paddle up, John, and I will call them in and

When the old hunter landed and examined the thongs that were yet fast to the hounds, his countenance

'Here has been a knife at work,' he said; 'this skin was never torn, nor is this the mark of a hound�s tooth. No,

'No, noI didn�t say it had been cut, lad; but this is a mark that was never made by a jump or a bite.'

'Ay! he durst do anything when there is no danger,' said Natty; 'he is a curious body, and loves to be helping

other people on with their consarns. But he had best not harbor so much near the wigwam!'

In the mean time, Mohegan had been examining, with an Indian�s sagacity, the place where the leather thong

'It was cut with a knifea sharp blade and a long handlethe man was afraid of the dogs.'

'How is this, Mohegan?' exclaimed Edwards; 'you saw it not! how can you know these facts?'

'Listen, son,' said the warrior. 'The knife was sharp, for the cut was smooth; the handle was long, for a man�s

arm would not reach from this gash to the cut that did not go through the skin; he was a coward, or he would

have cut the thongs around the necks of the hounds.' On my life,' cried Natty, 'John is on the scent! It was the

carpenter; and he has got on the rock back of the kennel and let the dogs loose by fastening his knife to a

'And why should he do so?' asked Edwards; 'who has done him wrong, that he should trouble two old men

'It�s a hard matter, lad, to know men�s ways, I find, since the settlers have brought in their new fashions, But

is there nothing to be found out in the place? and maybe he is troubled with his longings after other people�s

'Your suspicions are just. Give me the canoe; I am young and strong. and will get down there yet, perhaps, in

time to interrupt his plans. Heaven forbid that we should be at the mercy of such a man!'

His proposal was accepted, the deer being placed in the skiff in order to lighten the canoe, and in less than

five minutes the little vessel of bark was gilding over the glassy lake, and was soon hid by the points of land

Mohegan followed slowly with the skiff, while Natty called his hounds to him, bade them keep close, and,

shouldering his rifle, he ascended the mountain, with an intention of going to the hut by land.

While the chase was occurring on the lake, Miss Temple and her companion pursued their walk on the

mountain. Male attendants on such excursions were thought to be altogether unnecessary, for none were even

known to offer insult to a female who respected herself. After the embarrassment created by the parting

discourse with Edwards had dissipated, the girls maintained a conversation that was as innocent and cheerful

The path they took led them but a short distance above the hut of LeatherStocking, and there was a point in

From a feeling that might have been, natural, and must have been powerful, neither of the friends, in their

frequent and confidential dialogues, had ever trusted herself to utter one syllable concerning the equivocal

situation in which the young man who was now so intimately associated with them had been found. If judge

Temple had deemed it prudent to make any inquiries on the subject, he had also thought it proper to keep the

answers to him self; though it was so common an occurrence to find the welleducated youth of the Eastern

States in every stage of their career to wealth, that the simple circumstance of his intelligence, connected with

his poverty, would not, at that day and in that country, have excited any very powerful curiosity. With his

breeding, it might have been different; but the youth himself had so effectually guarded against surprise on

this subject, by his cold and even, in some cases, rude deportment, that when his manners seemed to soften by

time, the Judge, if he thought about it at all, would have been most likely to imagine that the improvement

was the result of his late association. But women are always more alive to such subjects than men; and what

the abstraction of the father had overlooked, the observation of the daughter had easily detected. In the

thousand little courtesies of polished life she had early discovered that Edwards was not wanting, though his

gentleness was so often crossed by marks of what she conceived to be fierce and uncontrollable passions. It

may, perhaps, be unnecessary to tell the reader that Louisa Grant never reasoned so much after the fashions

of the world. The gentle girl, however, had her own thoughts on the subject, and, like others, she drew her

'I would give all my other secrets, Louisa,' exclaimed Miss Temple, laughing, and shaking back her dark

locks, with a look of childish simplicity that her intelligent face seldom expressed, 'to be mistress of all that

They were both looking at the secluded hut at the instant, and Miss Grant raised her mild eyes as she

'Why, dear Miss Temple, we know all that already. I have heard it all very rationally explained by your

'The executive chief! he can explain anything. His ingenuity will one day discover the philosopher�s stone.

'Say!' echoed Louisa, with a look of surprise; 'why, everything that seemed to me to be satisfactory, and I

now believed it to be true. He said that Natty Bumppo had lived most of his life in the woods and among the

Indians, by which means he had formed an acquaintance with old John, the Delaware chief.'

'I believe he accounted for their close intimacy by some story about the LeatherStocking saving the life of

'Nothing more likely,' said Elizabeth, a little impatiently; 'but what is all this to the purpose?'

'Nay, Elizabeth, you must bear with my ignorance, and I will repeat all that I remember to have overheard for

the dialogue was between my father and the sheriff, so lately as the last time they met, He then added that the

kings of England used to keep gentlemen as agents among the different tribes of Indians, and sometimes

officers in the army, who frequently passed half their lives on the edge of the wilderness.'

'Oh! nothen he said that these agents seldom married; andandthey must have been wicked men,

'Never mind,' said Miss Temple, blushing and smiling, though so slightly that both were unheeded by her

'Well, then, he said that they often took great pride in the education of their children, whom they frequently

sent to England, and even to the colleges; and this is the way that he accounts for the liberal manner in which

Mr. Edwards has been taught; for he acknowledges that he knows almost as much as your fatheror

'Quite a climax in learning�. And so he made Mohegan the granduncle or grandfather of Oliver Edwards.'

'Often; but not on this subject. Mr. Richard Jones, you know, dear, has a theory for everything; but has he one

which will explain the reason why that hut is the only habitation within fifty miles of us whose door is not

'I have never heard him say anything on this subject,' returned the clergyman�s daughter; 'but I suppose that,

as they are poor, they very naturally are anxious to keep the little that they honestly own. It is sometimes

dangerous to be rich, Miss Temple; but you cannot know how hard it is to be very, very poor.'

'Nor you, I trust, Louisa; at least I should hope that, in this land of abundance, no minister of the church could

'There cannot be actual misery,' returned the other, in a low and humble tone, 'where there is a dependence on

'But not younot you,' said the impetuous Elizabeth 'not you, dear girl, you have never known the misery

'Ah! Miss Temple, you little understand the troubles of this life, I believe. My father has spent many years as

a missionary in the new countries, where his people were poor, and frequently we have been without bread;

unable to buy, and ashamed to beg, because we would not disgrace his sacred calling. But how often have I

seen him leave his home, where the sick and the hungry felt, when he left them, that they had lost their only

earthly friend, to ride on a duty which could not be neglected for domes tic evils! Oh! how hard it must be to

'But it is all over now! your father�s income must now be equal to his wantsit must beit shall be'

'It is,' replied Louisa, dropping her head on her bosom to conceal the tears which flowed in spite of her gentle

The turn the conversation had taken drove from the minds of the young maidens all other thoughts but those

of holy charity; and Elizabeth folded her friend in her arms, when the latter gave vent to her momentary grief

in audible sobs. When this burst of emotion had subsided, Louisa raised her mild countenance, and they

By this time they had gained the summit of the mountain, where they left the highway, and pursued their

course under the shade of the stately trees that crowned the eminence. The day was becoming warm, and the

girls plunged more deeply into the forest, as they found its invigorating coolness agreeably contrasted to the

excessive heat they had experienced in the ascent. The conversation, as if by mutual consent, was entirely

changed to the little incidents and scenes of their walk, and every tall pine, and every shrub or flower, called

In this manner they proceeded along the margin of the precipice, catching occasional glimpses of the placid

Otsego, or pausing to listen to the rattling of wheels and the sounds of hammers that rose from the valley, to

mingle the signs of men with the scenes of nature, when Elizabeth suddenly started, and exclaimed:

'Listen! there are the cries of a child on this mountain! Is there a clearing near us, or can some little one have

'Such things frequently happen,' returned Louisa. Let us follow the sounds; it may be a wanderer starving on

Urged by this consideration, the females pursued the low, mournful sounds, that proceeded from the forest,

with quick and impatient steps. More than once, the ardent Elizabeth was on the point of announcing that she

saw the sufferer, when Louisa caught her by the arm, and pointing behind them, cried:

Brave had been their companion, from the time the voice of his young mistress lured him from his kennel, to

the present moment. His advanced age had long before deprived him of his activity; and when his

companions stopped to view the scenery, or to add to their bouquets, the mastiff would lay his huge frame on

the ground and await their movements, with his eyes closed, and a listlessness in his air that ill accorded with

the character of a protector. But when, aroused by this cry from Louisa, Miss Temple turned, she saw the dog

with his eyes keenly set on some distant object, his head bent near the ground, and his hair actually rising on

his body, through fright or anger. It was most probably the latter, for he was growling in a low key, and

occasionally showing his teeth, in a manner that would have terrified his mistress, had she not so well known

At the sounds of her voice, the rage of the mastiff, instead of being at all diminished, was very sensibly

increased. He stalked in front of the ladies, and seated himself at the feet of his mistress, growling louder than

Hearing no answer from her companion, Miss Temple turned her head and beheld Louisa, standing with her

face whitened to the color of death, and her finger pointing upward with a sort of flickering, convulsed

motion. The quick eye of Elizabeth glanced in the direction indicated by her friend, where she saw the fierce

front and glaring eyes of a female panther, fixed on them in horrid malignity, and threatening to leap.

'Let us fly,' exclaimed Elizabeth, grasping the arm of Louisa, whose form yielded like melting snow.

There was not a single feeling in the temperament of Elizabeth Temple that could prompt her to desert a

companion in such an extremity. She fell on her knees by the side of the inanimate Louisa, tearing from the

person of her friend, with instinctive readiness, such parts of her dress as might obstruct her respiration, and

encouraging their only safeguard, the dog, at the same time, by the sounds of her voice.

'Courage, Brave!' she cried, her own tones beginning to tremble, 'courage, courage, good Brave!'

A quartergrown cub, that had hitherto been unseen, now appeared, dropping from the branches of a sapling

that grew under the shade of the beech which held its dam. This ignorant but vicious creature approached the

dog, imitating the actions and sounds of its parent, but exhibiting a strange mixture of the playfulness of a

kitten with the ferocity of its race. Standing on its hindlegs, it would rend the bark of a tree with its

forepaws, and play the antics of a cat; and then, by lashing itself with its tail, growling, and scratching the

earth, it would at tempt the manifestations of anger that rendered its parent so terrific.

All this time Brave stood firm and undaunted, his short tail erect, his body drawn backward on its haunches,

and his eyes following the movements of both dam and cub. At every gambol played by the latter, it

approached nigher to the dog, the growling of the three becoming more horrid at each moment, until the

younger beast, overleaping its intended bound, fell directly before the mastiff. There was a moment of

fearful cries and struggles, but they ended almost as soon as commenced, by the cub appearing in the air,

hurled from the jaws of Brave, with a violence that sent it against a tree so forcibly as to render it completely

senseless. Elizabeth witnessed the short struggle, and her blood was warming with the triumph of the dog,

when she saw the form of the old panther in the air, springing twenty feet from the branch of the beech to the

back of the mastiff. No words of ours can describe the fury of the conflict that followed. It was a confused

struggle on the dry leaves, accompanied by loud and terrific cries. Miss Temple continued on her knees,

bending over the form of Louisa, her eyes fixed on the animals with an interest so horrid, and yet so intense,

that she almost forgot her own stake in the result. So rapid and vigorous were the bounds of the inhabitant of

the forest, that its active frame seemed constantly in the air, while the dog nobly faced his foe at each

successive leap. When the panther lighted on the shoulders of the mastiff, which was its constant aim, old

Brave, though torn with her talons, and stained with his own blood, that already flowed from a dozen

wounds, would shake off his furious foe like a feather, and, rearing on his hindlegs, rush to the fray again,

with jaws distended, and a dauntless eye. But age, and his pampered life, greatly disqualified the noble

mastiff for such a struggle. In everything but courage. he was only the vestige of what he had once been. A

higher bound than ever raised the wary and furious beast far beyond the reach of the dog, who was making a

desperate but fruitless dash at her, from which she alighted in a favorable position, on the back of her aged

foe. For a single moment only could the panther remain there, the great strength of the dog returning with a

convulsive effort. But Elizabeth saw, as Brave fastened his teeth in the side of his enemy, that the collar of

brass around his neck, which had been glittering throughout the fray, was of the color of blood, and directly

that his frame was sinking to the earth, where it soon lay prostrate and helpless. Several mighty efforts of the

wildcat to extricate herself from the jaws of the dog followed, but they were fruitless, until the mastiff

turned on his back, his lips collapsed, and his teeth loosened, when the short convulsions and stillness that

Elizabeth now lay wholly at the mercy of the beast. There is said to be something in the front of the image of

the Maker that daunts the hearts of the inferior beings of his creation; and it would seem that some such

power, in the present instance, suspended the threatened blow. The eyes of the monster and the kneeling

maiden met for an instant, when the former stooped to examine her fallen foe; next, to scent her luckless cub.

From the latter examination it turned, however, with its eyes apparently emitting flashes of fire, its tail

lashing its sides furiously, and its claws projecting inches from her broad feet.

Miss Temple did not or could not move. Her hands were clasped in the attitude of prayer, but her eyes were

still drawn to her terrible enemyher cheeks were blanched to the whiteness of marble, and her lips were

The moment seemed now to have arrived for the fatal termination, and the beautiful figure of Elizabeth was

bowing meekly to the stroke, when a rustling of leaves behind seemed rather to mock the organs than to meet

'Hist! hist!' said a low voice, 'stoop lower, gal; your bonnet hides the creatur�s head.'

It was rather the yielding of nature than a compliance with this unexpected order, that caused the head of our

heroine to sink on her bosom; when she heard the report of the rifle, the whizzing of the bullet, and the

enraged cries of the beast, who was rolling over on the earth, biting its own flesh, and tearing the twigs and

branches within its reach. At the next instant the form of the Leather Stocking rushed by her, and he called

'Come in, Hector! come in, old fool; �tis a hardlived animal, and may jump agin.'

Natty fearlessly maintained his position in front of the females, notwithstanding the violent bounds and

threatening aspect of the wounded panther, which gave several indications of returning strength and ferocity,

until his rifle was again loaded, when he stepped up to the enraged animal, and, placing the muzzle close to

The death of her terrible enemy appeared to Elizabeth like a resurrection from her own grave. There was an

elasticity in the mind of our heroine that rose to meet the pressure of instant danger, and the more direct it had

been, the more her nature had struggled to overcome them. But still she was a woman. Had she been left to

herself in her late extremity, she would probably have used her faculties to the utmost, and with discretion, in

protecting her person; but, encumbered with her inanimate friend, retreat was a thing not to be attempted.

Notwithstanding the fearful aspect of her foe, the eye of Elizabeth had never shrunk from its gaze, and long

after the event her thoughts would recur to her passing sensations, and the sweetness of her midnight sleep

would be disturbed, as her active fancy conjured, in dreams, the most trifling movements of savage fury that

We shall leave the reader to imagine the restoration of Louisa�s senses, and the expressions of gratitude

which fell from the young women. The former was effected by a little water, that was brought from one of

the thousand springs of those mountains, in the cap of the LeatherStocking; and the latter were uttered with

the warmth that might be expected from the character of Elizabeth. Natty received her vehement protestations

of gratitude with a simple expression of good will, and with indulgence for her present excitement, but with

a carelessness that showed how little he thought of the service he had rendered.

'Well, well,' he said, 'be it so, gal; let it be so, if you wish it we'll talk the thing over another time. Come,

comelet us get into the road, for you�ve had terror enough to make you wish yourself in your father�s

This was uttered as they were proceeding, at a pace that was adapted to the weakness of Louisa, toward the

highway; on reaching which the ladies separated from their guide, declaring themselves equal to the

remainder of the walk without his assistance, and feeling encouraged by the sight of the village which lay

beneath their feet like a picture, with its limpid lake in front, the winding stream along its margin, and its

The reader need not be told the nature of the emotions which two youthful, ingenuous, and welleducated

girls would experience at their escape from a death so horrid as the one which had impended over them,

while they pursued their way in silence along the track on the side of the mountain; nor how deep were their

mental thanks to that Power which had given them their existence, and which had not deserted them in their

extremity; neither how often they pressed each other�s arms as the assurance of their present safety came, like

a healing balm, athwart their troubled spirits, when their thoughts were recurring to the recent moments of

LeatherStocking remained on the hill, gazing after their retiring figures, until they were hidden by a bend in

the road, when he whistled in his dogs, and shouldering his rifle, he returned into the forest.

'Well, it was a skeary thing to the young creatur�s,' said Natty, while he retrod the path toward the plain. 'It

might frighten an older woman, to see a shepainter so near her, with a dead cub by its side. I wonder if I had

aimed at the varmint�s eye, if I shouldn�t have touched the life sooner than in the forehead; but they are hard

lived animals, and it was a good shot, consid�ring that I could see nothing but the head and the peak of its tail.

'How goes it, Natty?' said Mr. Doolittle, stepping out of the bushes, with a motion that was a good deal

accelerated by the sight of the rifle, that was already lowered in his direction. 'What! shooting this warm day!

'The law, squire! I have shook hands with the law these forty year,' returned Natty; 'for what has a man who

'Not much, maybe,' said Hiram; 'but you sometimes trade in venison. I s�pose you know, LeatherStocking,

that there is an act passed to lay a fine of five pounds currency, or twelve dollars and fifty cents, by decimals,

on every man who kills a deer betwixt January and August. The Judge had a great hand in getting the law

'I can believe it,' returned the old hunter; ' I can believe that or anything of a man who carries on as he does in

'Yes, the law is quite positive, and the Judge is bent on putting it in forcefive pounds penalty. I thought I

heard your hounds out on the scent of so�thing this morning; I didn�t know but they might get you in

'They know their manners too well,' said Natty carelessly. 'And how much goes to the State�s evidence,

'How much?' repeated Hiram, quailing under the honest but sharp look of the hunter; 'the informer gets half,

II believeyes, I guess it�s half. But there�s blood on your sleeve, manyou haven�t been shooting

'I have, though,' said the hunter, nodding his head significantly to the other, 'and a good shot I made of it.'

'Hem!' ejacuated the magistrate; 'and where is the game? I s�pose it�s of a good natur�, for your dogs won�t

'They�ll hunt anything I tell them to, squire,' cried Natty, favoring the other with his laugh. 'They�ll hunt you,

'Oh! I have always heard a good character of the dogs,' returned Mr. Doolittle, quickening his pace by raising

each leg in rapid succession, as the hounds scented around his person. 'And where is the game,

During this dialogue, the speakers had been walking at a very fast gait, and Natty swung the end of his rifle

round, pointing through the bushes, and replied: 'There lies one. How do you like such meat?'

'This!' exclaimed Hiram; 'why, this is Judge Temple�s dog Brave. Take care, LeatherStocking, and don�t

'Look for yourself, Mr. Doolittle,' said Natty, drawing his knife from his girdle, and wiping it in a knowing

manner, once or twice across his garment of buckskin; 'does his throat look as if I had cut it with this knife?'

'It is dreadfully torn! it�s an awful woundno knife ever did this deed. Who could have done it?'

'Painters!' echoed Hiram, whirling on his heel with an agility that would have done credit to a dancing�

'Be easy, man,' said Natty; 'there�s two of the venomous things; but the dog finished one, and I have fastened

the other�s jaws for her; so don�t be frightened, squire; they won�t hurt you.'

'Anan? deer!' repeated Natty. 'Sartain; an�t there venison here, or didn�t you kill a buck?'

'What! when the law forbids the thing, squire!' said the old hunter, 'I hope there�s no law agin� killing the

'Yes, yes, I remember. Well, they are strange dogs, I must sayI am quite in a wonderment.'

Natty had seated himself on the ground, and having laid the grim head of his late ferocious enemy in his lap,

was drawing his knife with a practiced hand around the ears, which he tore from the head of the beast in such

'What at, squire? did you never see a painter�s scalp afore? Come, you are a magistrate, I wish you�d make

'The bounty!' repeated Hiram, holding the ears on the end of his finger for a moment, as if uncertain how to

proceed. 'Well, let us go down to your hut, where you can take the oath, and I will write out the order, I sup

pose you have a Bible? All the law wants is the four evangelists and the Lord�s prayer.'

'I keep no books,' said Natty, a little coldly; 'not such a Bible as the law needs.'

'Oh! there�s but one sort of Bible that�s good in law,' returned the magistrate, 'and your�n will do as well as

another�s. Come, the carcasses are worth nothing, man; let us go down and take the oath.'

'Softly, softly, squire,' said the hunter, lifting his trophies very deliberately from the ground, and shouldering

his rifle; 'why do you want an oath at all, for a thing that your own eyes has seen? Won�t you believe

yourself, that another man must swear to a fact that you know to be true? You have seen me scalp the

creatur�s, and if I must swear to it, it shall be before Judge Temple, who needs an oath.'

'But we have no pen or paper here, LeatherStocking; we must go to the hut for them, or how can I write the

Natty turned his simple features on the cunning magistrate with another of his laughs, as he said:

'And what should I be doing with scholars� tools? I want no pens or paper, not knowing the use of either; and

I keep none. No, no, I�ll bring the scalps into the village, squire, and you can make out the order on one of

your lawbooks, and it will he all the better for it. The deuce take this leather on the neck of the dog, it will

Hiram, who seemed particularly anxious to be on good terms with his companion, unhesitatingly complied.

Natty cut the thong from the neck of the hound, and, as he returned the knife to its owner, carelessly

'Tis a good bit of steel, and has cut such leather as this very same, before now, I dare say.'

'Do you mean to charge me with letting your hounds loose?' exclaimed Hiram, with a consciousness that

'Loose!' repeated the hunter' I let them loose my self. I always let them loose before I leave the hut.'

The ungovernable amazement with which Mr. Doolittle listened to this falsehood would have betrayed his

agency in the liberation of the dogs, had Natty wanted any further confirmation; and the coolness and

'Look you here, Mr. Doolittle,' he said, striking the breech of his rifle violently on the ground; ' what there is

in the wigwam of a poor man like me, that one like you can crave, I don�t know; but this I tell you to your

face, that you never shall put foot under the roof of my cabin with my consent, and that, if you harbor round

the spot as you have done lately, you may meet with treatment that you will little relish.'

'And let me tell you, Mr. Bumppo,' said Hiram, retreating, however, with a quick step, 'that I know you�ve

broke the law, and that I�m a magistrate, and will make you feel it too, before you are a day older.'

'That for you and your law, too,' cried Natty, snap ping his fingers at the justice of the peace; 'away with you,

you varmint, before the devil tempts me to give you your desarts. Take care, if I ever catch your prowling

There is something at all times commanding in honest indignation, and Hiram did not stay to provoke the

wrath of the old hunter to extremities. When the intruder was out of sight, Natty proceeded to the hut, where

he found all quiet as the grave. He fastened his dogs, and tapping at the door, which was opened by Edwards,

'Everything,' returned the youth. 'Some one attempted the lock, but it was too strong for him.'

'I know the creatur�,' said Natty, 'but he�ll not trust himself within the reach of my rifle very soon' What

more was uttered by the LeatherStocking, in his vexation, was rendered inaudible by the closing of the door

When Marmaduke Temple and his cousin rode through the gate of the former, the heart of the father had been

too recently touched with the best feelings of our nature, to leave inclination for immediate discourse. There

was an importance in the air of Richard, which would not have admitted of the ordinary informal

conversation of the sheriff, without violating all the rules of consistency; and the equestrians pursued their

way with great diligence, for more than a mile, in profound silence. At length the soft expression of parental

affection was slowly chased from the handsome features of the Judge, and was gradually supplanted by the

'Well, Dickon,' he said, since I have yielded myself so far implicitly to your guidance, I think the moment has

arrived when I am entitled to further confidence. Why and wherefore are we journeying together in this

The sheriff gave a loud hem, that rang far in the forest, and keeping his eyes fixed on objects before him like

'There has always been one point of difference between us, Judge Temple, I may say, since our nativity,' he

replied; not that I would insinuate that you are at all answerable for the acts of Nature; for a man is no more

to be condemned for the misfortunes of his birth, than he is to be commended for the natural advantages he

may possess; but on one point we may be said to have differed from our births, and they, you know, occurred

'I really marvel, Richard, what this one point can be, for, to my eyes, we seem to differ so materially, and so

'Mere consequences, sir,' interrupted the sheriff; 'all our minor differences proceed from one cause, and that

'I speak plain English, I believe, Judge Temple: at least I ought; for my father, who taught me, could

'Greek and Latin,' interrupted Marmaduke. 'I well know the qualifications of your family in tongues, Dickon.

'To do justice to any subject, sir, the narrator must he suffered to proceed in his own way,' continued the

sheriff. 'You are of opinion, Judge Temple, that a man is to be qualified by nature and education to do only

one thing well, whereas I know that genius will supply the place of learning, and that a certain sort of man

'I scorn personalities, sir, I say nothing of myself; but there are three men on your Patent, of the kind that I

should term talented by nature for her general purposes though acting under the influence of different

'Why, sir, one is Hiram Doolittle; a carpenter by trade, as you know and I need only point to the village to

exhibit his merits. Then he is a magistrate, and might shame many a man, in his distribution of justice, who

'Well, he is one,' said Marmaduke, with the air of a man that was determined not to dispute the point.

'What, that dissatisfied, shiftless, lazy, speculating fellow! he who changes his county every three years, his

farm every six months, and his occupation every season! an agriculturist yesterday, a shoemaker today, and

a school master tomorrow! that epitome of all the unsteady and profitless propensities of the settlers without

one of their good qualities to counterbalance the evil! Nay, Richard. this is too bad for evenbut the third.'

'As the third is not used to hearing such comments on his character, Judge Temple, I shall not name him.'

'The amount of all this, then, Dickon, is that the trio, of which you are one, and the principal, have made

'I have not said that I am one, Judge Temple. As I told you before, say nothing egotistical. But a discovery

'No, no, �Duke, you are bad enough, I own, but not so bad as that, either; your ears are not quite full grown.'

The sheriff laughed heartily at his own wit, and put himself in good humor thereby, when he gratified his

'You know, �Duke, there is a man living on your estate that goes by the name of Natty Bumppo. Here has this

man lived, by what I can learn, for more than forty yearsby himself, until lately; and now with strange

'All true, sir; all true. Well, within these last few months have appeared as his companions an old Indian

chief, the last, or one of the last of his tribe that is to be found in this part of the country, and a young man,

'Who says that?' cried Marmaduke, with an interest; that he had not manifested before.

'Who? why, common sensecommon reportthe hue and cry. But listen till you know all. This youth has

very pretty talentsyes, what I call very pretty talents and has been well educated, has seen very tolerable

company, and knows how to behave himself when he has a mind to. Now, Judge Temple, can you tell me

what has brought three such men as Indian John, Natty Bumppo, and Oliver Edwards together?' Marmaduke

turned his countenance, in evident surprise, to his cousin, and replied quickly:

'Thou hast unexpectedly hit on a subject, Richard, that has often occupied my mind. But knowest thou

'Crude nothing, �Duke, crude nothing : but facts, stubborn facts. You know there arc mines in these

'You have heard them mentioned, and have seen specimens of the ore, sir; you will not deny that! and,

reasoning from analogy, as you say, if there be mines in South America, ought there not to be mines in North

'Nay, nay, I deny nothing, my cousin. I certainly have heard many rumors of the existence of mines in these

hills: and I do believe that I have seen specimens of the precious metals that have been found here. It would

occasion me no surprise to learn that tin and silver, or what I consider of more consequence, good coal'

'Damn your coal,' cried the sheriff; ' who wants to find coal in these forests? No, nosilver, �Duke; silver is

the one thing needful, and silver is to be found. But listen: you are not to be told that the natives have long

known the use of gold and silver; now who so likely to be acquainted where they are to be found as the

ancient inhabitants of a country? I have the best reasons for believing that both Mohegan and the

LeatherStocking have been privy to the existence of a mine in this very mountain for many years.'

The sheriff had now touched his cousin in a sensitive spot; and Marmaduke lent a more attentive ear to the

speaker, who, after waiting a moment to see the effect of this extraordinary development, proceeded:

'Well, well, be attentive,' continued Richard, looking cautiously about him, to make certain that no

eavesdropper was hid in the forest, though they were in constant motion. 'I have seen Mohegan and the

LeatherStocking, with my own eyesand my eyes are as good as anybody�s eyesI have seen them, I say,

both going up the mountain and coming down it, with spades and picks; and others have seen them carrying

things into their hut, in a secret and mysterious manner, after dark. Do you call this a fact of importance?'

The Judge did not reply, but his brow had contracted, with a thoughtfulness that he always wore when much

interested, and his eyes rested on his cousin in expectation of hearing more. Richard continued:

'It was ore. Now, sir, I ask if you can tell me who this Mr. Oliver Edwards is, that has made a part of your

Marmaduke again raised his eyes, but continued silent, shaking his head in the negative.

'That he is a halfbreed we know, for Mohegan does not scruple to call him openly his kinsman; that he is

well educated we know. But as to his business heredo you remember that about a month before this young

man made his appearance among us, Natty was absent from home several days? You do; for you inquired for

him, as you wanted some venison to take to your friends, when you went for Bess. Well, he was not to be

found. Old John was left in the hut alone, and when Natty did appear, although he came on in the night, he

was seen drawing one of those jumpers that they carry their grain to mill in, and to take out something with

great care, that he had covered up under his bear skins. Now let me ask you, Judge Temple, what motive

could induce a man like the LeatherStocking to make a sled, and toil with a load over these mountains, if he

'They frequently make these jumpers to convey their game home, and you say he had been absent many days.'

'How did he kill it? His rifle was in the village, to be mended. No, nothat he was gone to some unusual

place is certain; that he brought back some secret utensils is more certain; and that he has not allowed a soul

'I know it,' interrupted Richard; 'but did he drive them from his cabin morosely? Within a fortnight of his

return, this Mr. Edwards appears. They spend whole days in the mountains, pretending to be shooting, but in

reality exploring; the frosts prevent their digging at that time, and he avails himself of a lucky accident to get

into good quarters. But even now, he is quite half of his time in that hutmany hours every night. They are

'How much of this is thine own, Richard, and how much comes from others? I would sift the wheat from the

'Part is my own, for I saw the jumper, though it was broken up and burnt in a day or two. I have told you that

I saw the old man with his spades and picks. Hiram met Natty, as he was crossing the mountain, the night of

his arrival with the sled, and very good naturedly offered Hiram is goodnaturedto carry up part of his

load, for the old man had a heavy pull up the back of the mountain, but he wouldn't listen to the thing, and

repulsed the offer in such a manner that the squire said he had half a mind to swear the peace against him.

Since the snow has been off, more especially after the frosts got out of the ground, we have kept a watchful

eye on the gentle man, in which we have found Jotham useful.' Marmaduke did not much like the associates

of Richard in this business; still he knew them to be cunning and ready expedients; and as there was certainly

something mysterious, not only in the connection between the old hunters and Edwards, but in what his

cousin had just related, he began to revolve the subject in his own mind with more care. On reflection, he

remembered various circumstances that tended to corroborate these suspicions, and, as the whole business

favored one of his infirmities, he yielded the more readily to their impression. The mind of Judge Temple, at

all times comprehensive, had received from his peculiar occupations a bias to look far into futurity, in his

speculations on the improvements that posterity were to make in his lands. To his eye, where others saw

nothing but a wilderness, towns, manufactories, bridges, canals, mines, and all the other resources of an old

country were constantly presenting themselves, though his good sense suppressed, in some degree, the

As the sheriff allowed his cousin full time to reflect on what he had heard, the probability of some pecuniary

adventure being the connecting link in the chain that brought Oliver Edwards into the cabin of

LeatherStocking appeared to him each moment to be stronger. But Marmaduke was too much in the habit of

examining both sides of a subject not to perceive the objections, and he reasoned with himself aloud:

'It cannot be so, or the youth would not be driven so near the verge of poverty.'

'Besides, there is an elevation of character about Oliver that proceeds from education, which would forbid so

'Bess hints that he was reduced even to his last shilling when we took him into our dwelling.'

'He had been buying tools. And would he spend his last sixpence for a shot at a turkey had he not known

'Can I have possibly been so long a dupe? His manner has been rude to me at times, but I attributed it to his

'Haven�t you been a dupe all your life, �Duke, and an�t what you call ignorance of forms deep cunning, to

'If he were bent on deception, he would have concealed his knowledge, and passed with us for an inferior

'He cannot. I could no more pass for a fool, myself, than I could fly. Knowledge is not to be concealed, like a

'Richard,' said the Judge, turning to his cousin, 'there are many reasons against the truth of thy conjectures,

but thou hast awakened suspicions which must be satisfied. But why are we travelling here?'

'Jotham, who has been much in the mountain latterly, being kept there by me and Hiram, has made a

discovery, which he will not explain, he says, for he is bound by an oath; but the amount is, that he knows

where the ore lies, and he has this day begun to dig. I would not consent to the thing, �Duke, without your

knowledge, for the land is yours; and now you know the reason of our ride. I call this a countermine, ha!'

'And where is the desirable spot?' asked the Judge with an air half comical, half serious.

'At hand; and when we have visited that, I will show you one of the places that we have found within a week,

The gentlemen continued to discuss the matter, while their horses picked their way under the branches of the

trees and over the uneven ground of the mountain. They soon arrived at the end of their journey, where, in

truth, they found Jotham already buried to his neck in a hole that he had been digging.

Marmaduke questioned the miner very closely as to his reasons for believing in the existence of the precious

metals near that particular spot; but the fellow maintained an obstinate mystery in his answers. He asserted

that he had the best of reasons for what he did, and inquired of the judge what portion of the profits would fall

to his own share, in the event of success, with an earnestness that proved his faith. After spending an hour

near the place, examining the stones, and searching for the usual indications of the proximity of ore, the

Judge remounted and suffered his cousin to lead the way to the place where the mysterious trio had been

The spot chosen by Jotham was on the back of the mountain that overhung the hut of LeatherStocking, and

the place selected by Natty and his companions was on the other side of the same hill, but above the road,

and, of course, in an opposite direction to the route taken by the ladies in their walk.

'We shall be safe in approaching the place now,' said Richard, while they dismounted and fastened their

horses; 'for I took a look with the glass, and saw John and LeatherStocking in their canoe fishing before we

left home, and Oliver is in the same pursuit; but these may be nothing but shams to blind our eye; so we will

'Not on my own land?' said Marmaduke sternly. 'If it be as you suspect, I will know their reasons for making

'Mum,' said Richard, laying a finger on his lip, and leading the way down a very difficult descent to a sort of

natural cavern, which was found in the face of the rock, and was not unlike a fireplace in shape. In front of

this place lay a pile of earth, which had evidently been taken from the recess, and part of which was yet fresh.

An examination of the exterior of the cavern left the Judge in doubt whether it was one of Nature�s frolics

that had thrown it into that shape, or whether it had been wrought by the hands of man, at some earlier period.

But there could be no doubt that the whole of the interior was of recent formation, and the marks of the pick

were still visible where the soft, leadcolored rock had opposed itself to the progress of the miners. The

whole formed an excavation of about twenty feet in width, and nearly twice that distance in depth. The height

was much greater than was required for the ordinary purposes of experiment, but this was evidently the effect

of chance, as the roof of the cavern was a natural stratum of rock that projected many feet beyond the base of

the pile. Immediately in front of the recess, or cave, was a little terrace, partly formed by nature, and partly by

the earth that had been carelessly thrown aside by the laborers. The mountain fell off precipitously in front of

the terrace, and the approach by its sides, under the ridge of the rocks, was difficult and a little dangerous.

The whole was wild, rude, and apparently incomplete; for, while looking among the bushes, the sheriff found

When the sheriff thought that his cousin had examined the spot sufficiently, he asked solemnly:

'Perfectly, that there is something mysterious and perplexing in this business. It is a secret spot, and cunningly

'Do you expect, sir, to find gold and silver lying like pebbles on the surface of the earth?dollars and dimes

ready coined to your hands? No, nothe treasure must be sought after to be won. But let them mine; I shall

The Judge took an accurate survey of the place, and noted in his memorandumbook such marks as were

necessary to find it again in the event of Richard�s absence; when the cousins returned to their horses.

On reaching the highway they separated, the sheriff to summon twenty four 'good men and true,' to attend as

thc inquest of the county, on the succeeding Monday, when Marmaduke held his stated court of 'common

pleas and general sessions of the peace,' and the Judge to return, musing deeply on what he had seen and

When the horse of the latter reached the spot where the highway fell toward the valley, the eye of

Marmaduke rested, it is true, on the same scene that had, ten minutes before, been so soothing to the feelings

of his daughter and her friend, as they emerged from the forest; but it rested in vacancy. He threw the reins to

his sure footed beast, and suffered the animal to travel at his own gait, while he soliloquized as follows:

'There may be more in this than I at first supposed. I have suffered my feelings to blind my reason, in

admitting an unknown youth in this manner to my dwelling; yet this is not the land of suspicion. I will have

LeatherStocking before me, and, by a few direct questions, extract the truth from the simple old man.'

At that instant the Judge caught a glimpse of the figures of Elizabeth and Louisa, who were slowly

descending the mountain, short distance before him. He put spurs to his horse, and riding up to them,

dismounted, and drove his steed along the narrow path. While the agitated parent was listening to the vivid

description that his daughter gave of her recent danger, and her unexpected escape, all thoughts of mines,

vested rights, and examinations were absorbed in emotion; and when the image of Natty again crossed his

recollection, it was not as a law Less and depredating squatter, but as the preserver of his child.

Remarkable Pettibone, who had forgotten the wound received by her pride, in contemplation of the ease and

comforts of her situation, and who still retained her station in the family of judge Temple, was dispatched to

the humble dwelling which Richard already styled 'The Rectory,' in attendance on Louisa, who was soon

In the mean time, Marmaduke and his daughter were closeted for more than an hour, nor shall we invade the

sanctuary of parental love, by relating the conversation. When the curtain rises on the reader, the Judge is

seen walking up and down the apartment, with a tender melancholy in his air, and his child reclining on a

'It was a timely rescue! it was, indeed, a timely rescue, my child!' cried the Judge. 'Then thou didst not desert

'I believe I may as well take the credit of fortitude,' said Elizabeth, 'though I much doubt if flight would have

availed me anything, had I even courage to execute such an intention. But I thought not of the expedient.'

'Of what didst thou think, love? where did thy thoughts dwell most, at that fearful moment?'

'The beast! the beast!' cried Elizabeth, veiling her face with her hand. 'Oh! I saw nothing, I thought of nothing

but the beast. I tried to think of better things, but the horror was too glaring, the danger too much before my

'Well, well, thou art safe, and we will converse no more on the unpleasant subject. I did not think such an

animal yet remained in our forests; but they will stray far from their haunts when pressed by hunger, and'

A loud knocking at the door of the apartment interrupted what he was about to utter, and he bid the applicant

enter. The door was opened by Benjamin, who came in with a discontented air, as if he felt that he had a

'Here is Squire Doolittle below, sir,' commenced the majordomo. 'He has been standing off and on in the

dooryard for the matter of a glass; and he has summat on his mind that he wants to heave up, d�ye see; but I

tells him, says I, man, would you be coming aboard with your complaints, said I, when the judge has gotten

his own child, as it were, out of the jaws of a lion? But damn the bit of manners has the fellow, any more than

if he was one of them Guineas down in the kitchen there; and so as he was sheering nearer, every stretch he

made toward the house, I could do no better than to let your honor know that the chap was in the offing.'

'He must have business of importance,' said Marmaduke: 'something in relation to his office, most probably,

'Ay, ay, you have it, sir,' cried Benjamin; 'it�s summat about a complaint that he has to make of the old

LeatherStocking, who, to my judgment, is the better man of the two. It�s a very good sort of a man is this

Master Bumppo, and he has a way with a spear, all the same as if he was brought up at the bowoar of the

'Against the LeatherStocking!' cried Elizabeth, rising from her reclining posture.

'Rest easy, my child; some trifle, I pledge you; I believe I am already acquainted with its import Trust me,

Miss Temple appeared satisfied with this assurance, but fastened her dark eyes on the person of the architect,

All the impatience of Hiram seemed to vanish the instant he entered the apartment. After saluting the Judge

and his daughter, he took the chair to which Marmaduke pointed, and sat for a minute, composing his straight

black hair, with a gravity of demeanor that was in tended to do honor to his official station. At length he said:

'It�s likely, from what I hear, that Miss Temple had a narrow chance with the painters, on the mountain.'

Marmaduke made a gentle inclination of his head, by way of assent, but continued silent.

'I s�pose the law gives a bounty on the scalps,' continued Hiram, 'in which case the LeatherStocking will

'Yes, yes, I rather guess that nobody hereabouts doubts the Judge�s generosity. Does he know whether the

sheriff has fairly made up his mind to have a reading desk or a deacon�s pew under the pulpit?' 'I have not

heard my cousin speak on that subject, lately,' replied Marmaduke. 'I think it�s likely that we will have a

pretty dull court on't, from what I can gather. I hear that Jotham Riddel and the man who bought his

betterments have agreed to leave their difference to men, and I don�t think there�ll be more than two civil

'I am glad of it,' said the judge; 'nothing gives me more pain than to see my settlers wasting their time and

substance in the unprofitable struggles of the law. I hope it may prove true, sir.'

'I rather guess �twill be left out to men,' added Hiram, with an air equally balanced between doubt and

assurance, but which judge Temple understood to mean certainty; 'I some think that I am appointed a referee

in the case myself; Jotham as much as told me that he should take me. The defendant, I guess, means to take

Captain Hollister, and we two have partly agreed on Squire Jones for the third man.'

'There's the counterfeiters,' returned the magistrate, 'as they were caught in the act, I think it likely that they�ll

'Certainly, sir; I had forgotten those men. There are no more, I hope.' 'Why, there is a threaten to come

forward with an assault that happened at the last independence day; but I�m not sartain that the law'll take

hold on�t. There was plaguey hard words passed, but whether they struck or not I haven�t heard. There�s

some folks talk of a deer or two being killed out of season, over on the west side of the Patent, by some of the

'Let a complaint be made, by all means,' said the Judge; 'I am determined to see the law executed to the letter,

'Why, yes, I thought the judge was of that mind; I came partly on such a business myself.'

'You!' exclaimed Marmaduke, comprehending in an instant how completely he had been caught by the

'I some think that Natty Bumppo has the carcass of a deer in his hut at this moment, and a considerable part

'You think, sir! do you know that the law exacts an oath, before I can issue such a precept? The habitation of

'I rather think I can swear to it myself,' returned the immovable Hiram; 'and Jotham is in the street, and as

'Then issue the warrant thyself; thou art a magistrate, Mr. Doolittle; why trouble me with the matter?'

'Why, seeing it�s the first complaint under the law, and knowing the judge set his heart on the thing, I thought

it best that the authority to search should come from himself. Besides, as I�m much in the woods, among the

timber, I don�t altogether like making an enemy of the Leather Stocking. Now, the Judge has a weight in the

Miss Temple turned her face to the callous Architect as she said� 'And what has any honest person to dread

'Why, it�s as easy, miss, to pull a rifle trigger on a magistrate as on a painter. But if the Judge don�t conclude

'I have not refused your application, sir,' said Marmaduke, perceiving at once that his reputation for

impartiality was at stake; 'go into my office, Mr. Doolittle, where I will join you, and sign the warrant.' Judge

Temple stopped the remonstrances which Elizabeth was about to utter, after Hiram had withdrawn, by laying

'It is more terrible in sound than frightful in reality, my child. I suppose that the LeatherStocking has shot a

deer, for the season is nearly over, and you say that he was hunting with his dogs when he came so timely to

your assistance. But it will be only to examine his cabin, and find the animal, when you can pay the penalty

out of your own pocket, Bess. Nothing short of the twelve dollars and a half will satisfy this harpy, I perceive;

Elizabeth was a good deal pacified with this assurance, and suffered her father to leave her, to fulfil his

When Marmaduke left his office after executing his disagreeable duty, he met Oliver Edwards, walking up

the gravelled walk in front of the mansionhouse with great strides, and with a face agitated by feeling. On

seeing judge Temple, the youth turned aside, and with a warmth in his manner that was not often exhibited to

'I congratulate you, sir; from the bottom of my soul, I congratulate you, Judge Temple. Oh! it would have

been too horrid to have recollected for a moment! I have just left the hut, where, after showing me his scalps,

old Natty told me of the escape of the ladies, as the thing to be mentioned last. Indeed, indeed, sir, no words

of mine can express half of what I have felt 'the youth paused a moment, as if suddenly recollecting that he

was overstepping prescribed limits, and concluded with a good deal of embarrassment' what I have felt at

But the heart of Marmaduke was too much softened to admit his cavilling at trifles, and, without regarding

'I thank thee, thank thee, Oliver; as thou sayest, it is almost too horrid to be remembered. But come, let us

The young man sprang forward, and, throwing open a door, barely permitted the Judge to precede him, when

The cold distance that often crossed the demeanor of the heiress, in her intercourse with Edwards, was now

entirely banished, and two hours were passed by the party, in the free, unembarrassed, and confiding manner

of old and esteemed friends. Judge Temple had forgotten the suspicions engendered during his morning�s

ride, and the youth and maiden conversed, laughed, and were sad by turns, as impulse directed.

At length, Edwards, after repeating his intention to do so for the third time, left the mansionhouse to go to

During this short period, a scene was passing at the hut that completely frustrated the benevolent intentions of

Judge Temple in favor of the LeatherStocking, and at once destroyed the shortlived harmony between the

When Hiram Doolittle had obtained his searchwarrant, his first business was to procure a proper officer to

see it executed. The sheriff was absent, summoning in person the grand inquest for the county; the deputy

who resided in the village was riding on the same errand, in a different part of the settlement; and the regular

constable of the township had been selected for his station from motives of charity, being lame of a leg.

Hiram intended to accompany the officer as a spectator, but he felt no very strong desire to bear the brunt of

the battle. It was, however, Saturday, and the sun was already turning the shadows of the pines toward the

east; on the morrow the conscientious magistrate could not engage in such an expedition at the peril of his

soul and long before Monday, the venison, and all vestiges of the death of the deer, might be secreted or

destroyed. Happily, the lounging form of Billy Kirby met his eye, and Hiram, at all time fruitful in similar

expedients, saw his way clear at once. Jotham, who was associated in the whole business, and who had left

the mountain in consequence of a summons from his coadjutor, but who failed, equally with Hiram, in the

unfortunate particular of nerve, was directed to summon the woodchopper to the dwelling of the magistrate.

When Billy appeared, he was very kindly invited to take the chair in which he had already seated himself, and

'Judge Temple has set his heart on putting the deer law in force,' said Hiram, after the preliminary civilities

were over, 'and a complaint has been laid before him that a deer has been killed. He has issued a

Kirby, who had no idea of being excluded from the deliberative part of any affair in which he was engaged,

drew up his bushy head in a reflecting attitude, and after musing a moment, replied by asking a few

'Yes, yes,' said Hiram, with a coaxing smile and knowing nod, 'but this business wants a mannot a cripple.'

'Why,' said Billy, laughing, ' will the chap make fight?' 'He�s a little quarrelsome at times, and thinks he�s the

'I heard him brag once,' said Jotham, 'that there wasn�t a man �twixt the Mohawk Flats and the Pennsylvany

'Did you?' exclaimed Kirby, raising his huge frame in his seat, like a lion stretching in his lair; 'I rather guess

'It�s agin� law to tell,' interrupted Hiram unless you�ll qualify to sarve. You�d be the very man to take him,

Bill, and I'll make out a special deputation in a minute, when you will get the fees.'

'What�s the fees?' said Kirby, laying his large hand on the leaves of a statutebook that Hiram had opened in

order to give dignity to his office, which he turned over in his rough manner, as if he were reflecting on a

subject about which he had, in truth, already decided; 'will they pay a man for a broken head?'

'Damn the fees,' said Billy, again laughing' does the fellow think he�s the best wrestler in the county,

Talkers, he was about to add, but the impatience of Kirby interrupted him. The woodchopper had nothing

fierce or even brutal in his appearance; the character of his expression was that of goodnatured vanity. It

was evident he prided himself on the powers of the physical man, like all who have nothing better to boast of;

and, stretching out his broad hand, with the palm downward, he said, keeping his eyes fastened on his own

'Come, give us a touch of the book. I�ll swear, and you�ll see that I�m a man to keep my oath.'

Hiram did not give the woodchopper time to change his mind, but the oath was administered without

unnecessary delay. So soon as this preliminary was completed, the three worthies left the house, and

proceeded by the nearest road toward the hut. They had reached the bank of the lake, and were diverging

from the route of the highway, before Kirby recollected that he was now entitled to the privilege of the

'Which way, which way, squire?' exclaimed the hardy woodchopper; 'I thought it was to search a house that

you wanted me, not the woods. There is nobody lives on this side of the lake, for six miles, unless you count

the LeatherStocking and old John for settlers. Come, tell me the chap�s name, and I warrant me that I lead

you to his clearing by a straighter path than this, for I know every sapling that grows within two miles of

'This is the way,' said Hiram, pointing forward and quickening his step, as if apprehensive that Kirby would

Kirby stopped short, and looked from one of his companions to the other in astonishment. He then burst into

'Who? LeatherStocking! He may brag of his aim and his rifle, for he has the best of both, as I will own

myself, for sin� he shot the pigeon I knock under to him; but for a wrestle! why, I would take the creatur�

between my finger and thumb, and tie him in a bowknot around my neck for a Barcelony. The man is

'He�s a deceiving man,' said Hiram, 'like all the hunters; he is stronger than he seems; besides, he has his

'That for his rifle!' cried Billy; 'he�d no more hurt me with his rifle than he�d fly. He�s a harmless creatur�,

and I must say that I think he has as good right to kill deer as any man on the Patent. It�s his main support,

and this is a free country, where a man is privileged to follow any calling he likes.'

This is the man�s calling, I tell you,' returned Kirby, 'and the law was never made for such as he.'

'The law was made for all,' observed Hiram, who began to think that the danger was likely to fall to his own

share, notwithstanding his management; 'and the law is particular in noticing parjury.'

'See here, Squire Doolittle,' said the reckless woodchopper; 'I don�t care the valie of a beetlering for you and

your parjury too. But as I have come so far, I�ll go down and have a talk with the old man, and maybe we�ll

'Well, if you can get in peaceably, so much the better,' said the magistrate. 'To my notion, strife is very

As the whole party moved at a great pace, they soon reached the hut, where Hiram thought it prudent to halt

on the outside of the top of the fallen pine, which formed a chevauxdefrise, to defend the approach to the

fortress, on the side next the village. The delay was little relished by Kirby, who clapped his hands to his

mouth, and gave a loud halloo that brought the dogs out of their kennel, and, almost at the same instant, the

'Lie down, old fool,' cried the hunter; 'do you think there�s more painters about you?'

'Ha! LeatherStocking, I�ve an arrand with you,' cried Kirby; 'here�s the good people of the State have been

'What would you have with me, Billy Kirby?' said Natty, stepping across his threshold, and raising his hand

over his eyes, to screen them from the rays of the setting sun, while he took a survey of his visitor. �I�ve no

land to clear, and Heaven knows I would set out six trees afore I would cut down one.Down, Hector, I say;

'Would you, old boy?' roared Billy; 'then so much the better for me. But I must do my arrand. Here�s a letter

for you, LeatherStocking. If you can read it, it�s all well, and if you can�t, here�s Squire Doolittle at hand, to

let you know what it means. It seems you mistook the twentieth of July for the first of August. that�s all.'

By this time Natty had discovered the lank person of Hiram, drawn up under the cover of a high stump; and

all that was complacent in his manner instantly gave way to marked distrust and dissatisfaction. He placed his

head within the door of his hut, and said a few words in an undertone, when he again appeared, and

'I�ve nothing for ye; so away, afore the Evil One tempts me to do you harm. I owe you no spite, Billy Kirby,

Kirby advanced through the top of the pine, to within a few feet of the hunter, where he seated himself on the

end of a log, with great composure, and began to examine the nose of Hector, with whom he was familiar,

from their frequently meeting in the woods, where he sometimes fed the dog from his own basket of

'You�ve outshot me, and I�m not ashamed to say it,' said the wood chopper; 'but I don�t owe you a grudge

for that, Natty! though it seems that you�ve shot once too often, for the story goes that you�ve killed a buck.'

'I�ve fired but twice today, and both times at the painters,' returned the LeatherStocking; 'see, here are the

While Natty was speaking, he tossed the ears to Kirby, who continued playing with them with a careless air,

holding them to the dogs, and laughing at their movements when they scented the unusual game.

But Hiram, emboldened by the advance of the deputed constable, now ventured to approach also, and took up

the discourse with the air of authority that became his commission. His first measure was to read the warrant

aloud, taking care to give due emphasis to the most material parts, and concluding with the name of the Judge

'Did Marmaduke Temple put his name to that bit of paper?' said Natty, shaking his head; 'well, well, that man

loves the new ways, and his betterments, and his lands, afore his own flesh and blood. But I won�t mistrust

the gal; she has an eye like a fullgrown buck! poor thing, she didn�t choose her father, and can�t help it. I

know but little of the law, Mr. Doolittle; what is to be done, now you�ve read your commission?'

'Oh! it�s nothing but form, Natty,' said Hiram, endeavoring to assume a friendly aspect. 'Let�s go in, and talk

the thing over in reason; I dare to say that the money can be easily found, and I partly conclude, from what

The old hunter had kept a keen eye on the movements of his three visitors, from the beginning, and had

maintained his position, just without the threshold of the cabin, with a determined manner, that showed he

was not to be easily driven from his post. When Hiram drew nigher, as if expecting his proposition would be

'Haven�t I told you more than once, not to tempt me?' he said. 'I trouble no man; why can�t the law leave me

to myself? Go backgo back, and tell your Judge that he may keep his bounty; but I won�t have his wasty

This offer, however, instead of appeasing the curiosity of Hiram, seemed to inflame it the more; while Kirby

'Well, that�s fair, squire; he forgives the county his demand, and the county should forgive him the fine; it�s

what I call an even trade, and should be concluded on the spot. I like quick dealings, and what�s fair �twixt

'I demand entrance into this house,' said Hiram, summoning all the dignity he could muster to his assistance,

'in the name of the people; and by virtue of this war rant, and of my office, and with this peace officer.'

'Stand back, stand back, squire, and don�t tempt me,' said the LeatherStocking, motioning him to retire, with

'Stop us at your peril,' continued Hiram. 'Billy! Jotham! close upI want testimony.'

Hiram had mistaken the mild but determined air of Natty for submission, and had already put his foot on the

threshold to enter, when he was seized unexpectedly by his shoulders, and hurled over the little bank toward

the lake, to the distance of twenty feet. The suddenness of the movement, and the unexpected display of

strength on the part of Natty, created a momentary astonishment in his invaders, that silenced all noises; but

at the next instant Billy Kirby gave vent to his mirth in peals of laughter, that he seemed to heave up from his

'Well done, old stub!' he shouted; 'the squire knowed you better than I did. Come, come, here�s a green spot;

'William Kirby, I order you to do your duty,' cried Hiram, from under the bank; 'seize that man; I order you to

But the LeatherStocking now assumed a more threatening attitude; his rifle was in his hand, and its muzzle

'Stand off, I bid ye,' said Natty; 'you know my aim, Billy Kirby; I don�t crave your blood, but mine and

your�n both shall turn this green grass red, afore you put foot into the hut.'

While the affair appeared trifling, the woodchopper seemed disposed to take sides with the weaker party;

but, when the firearms were introduced, his manner very sensibly changed. He raised his large frame from the

'I didn�t come here as your enemy, LeatherStocking; but I don�t value the hollow piece of iron in your hand

so much as a broken axehelve; so, squire, say the word, and keep within the law, and we�ll soon see who�s

But no magistrate was to be seen! The instant the rifle was produced Hiram and Jotham vanished; and when

the woodchopper bent his eyes about him in surprise at receiving no answer, he discovered their retreating

figures moving toward the village at a rate that sufficiently indicated that they had not only calculated the

'You�ve scared the creatur�s off,' said Kirby, with great contempt expressed on his broad features; 'but you are

not going to scare me; so, Mr. Bumppo, down with your gun, or there�ll be trouble �twixt us.' Natty dropped

'I wish you no harm, Billy Kirby; but I leave it to yourself, whether an old man�s hut is to be run down by

such varmint. I won�t deny the buck to you, Billy, and you may take the skin in, if you please, and show it as

'Twill, old boy, �twill,' cried Kirby, every shade of displeasure vanishing from his open brow at the

Natty entered the hut, and soon reappeared, bringing with him the desired testimonial; and the woodchopper

departed, as thoroughly reconciled to the hunter as if nothing had happened. As he paced along the margin of

the lake he would burst into frequent fits of laughter, while he recollected the summerset of Hiram: and, on

Long before Billy� reached the village, however, the news of his danger, and of Natty�s disrespect of the law,

and of Hiram�s discomfiture, were in circulation. A good deal was said about sending for the sheriff; some

hints were given about calling out the posse comitatus to avenge the insulted laws; and many of the citizens

were collected, deliberating how to proceed. The arrival of Billy with the skin, by removing all grounds for a

search, changed the complexion of things materially. Nothing now remained but to collect the fine and assert

the dignity of the people; all of which, it was unanimously agreed, could be done as well on the succeeding

Monday as on Saturday nighta time kept sacred by large portion of the settlers. Accordingly, all further

The commotion was just subsiding, and the inhabitants of the village had begun to disperse from the little

groups that had formed, each retiring to his own home, and closing his door after him, with the grave air of a

man who consulted public feeling in his exterior deportment, when Oliver Edwards, on his return from the

dwelling of Mr. Grant, encountered the young lawyer, who is known to the reader as Mr. Lippet. There was

very little similarity in the manners or opinions of the two; but as they both belonged to the more intelligent

class of a very small community, they were, of course, known to each other, and as their meeting was at a

point where silence would have been rudeness, the following conversation was the result of their interview:

'A fine evening, Mr. Edwards,' commenced the lawyer, whose disinclination to the dialogue was, to say the

least, very doubtful; 'we want rain sadly; that�s the worst of this climate of ours, it�s either a drought or a

'Well. I�ve often heard that point disputed; but it�s so easy to get a man naturalized, that it�s of little

consequence where he was born. I wonder what course the Judge means to take in this business of Natty

Bumppo!' 'Of Natty Bumppo!' echoed Edwards; 'to what do you allude, sir?' 'Haven�t you heard!' exclaimed

the other, with a look of surprise, so naturally assumed as completely to deceive his auditor; 'it may turn out

an ugly business. It seems that the old man has been out in the hills, and has shot a buck this morning, and

'Oh! he has, has he?' said Edwards, averting his face to conceal the color that collected in his sunburnt cheek.

'It�s five pound currency,' said the lawyer; 'could Natty muster so much money at once?'

'Could he!' cried the youth. 'I am not rich, Mr. Lippet; far from it I am poor, and I have been hoarding my

salary for a purpose that lies near my heart; but, be fore that old man should lie one hour in a jail, I would

spend the last cent to prevent it. Besides, he has killed two panthers, and the bounty will discharge the fine

'Yes, yes,' said the lawyer, rubbing his hands together, with an expression of pleasure that had no artifice

'Why, killing the buck is but a small matter compared to what took place this afternoon,' continued Mr.

Lippet, with a confidential and friendly air that won upon the youth, little as he liked the man. 'It seems that a

complaint was made of the fact, and a suspicion that there was venison in the hut was sworn to, all which is

'A searchwarrant!' echoed Edwards, in a voice of horror, and with a face that should have been again averted

'They saw old Bumppo�s rifle; and that is a sight which will quiet most men�s curiosity in the woods.'

'Did they! did they!' shouted Edwards, bursting into a convulsive laugh; 'so the old hero beat them back beat

them back! did he?' The lawyer fastened his eyes in astonishment on the youth, but, as his wonder gave way

'It is no laughing matter, let me tell you, sir; the forty dollars of bounty and your six months of salary will be

much reduced before you can get the matter fairly settled. Assaulting a magistrate in the execution of his

duty, and menacing a constable with firearms at the same time, is a pretty serious affair, and is punishable

'Imprisonment!' repeated Oliver; 'imprison the LeatherStocking! no, no, sir; it would bring the old man to

'Well, Mr. Edwards,' said Lippet, dropping all reserve from his manner, 'you are called a curious man; but if

you can tell me how a jury is to be prevented from finding a verdict of guilty, if this case comes fairly before

them, and the proof is clear, I shall acknowledge that you know more law than I do, who have had a license in

By this time the reason of Edwards was getting the ascendency of his feelings, and, as he began to see the real

difficulties of the case, he listened more readily to the conversation of the lawyer. The ungovernable emotion

that escaped the youth, in the first moments of his surprise, entirely passed away; and, although it was still

evident that he continued to be much agitated by what he had heard, he succeeded in yielding forced attention

Notwithstanding the confused state of his mind, Oliver soon discovered that most of the expedients of the

lawyer were grounded in cunning, and plans that required a time to execute them that neither suited his

disposition nor his necessities. After, however, giving Mr. Lippet to under stand that he retained him in the

event of a trial, an assurance that at once satisfied the lawyer, they parted, one taking his course with a

deliberate tread in the direction of the little building that had a wooden sign over its door, with 'Chester

Lippet, Attorneyat law,' painted on it; and the other pacing over the ground with enormous strides toward

the mansionhouse. We shall take leave of the attorney for the present, and direct the attention of the reader

When Edwards entered the hall, whose enormous doors were opened to the passage of the air of a mild

evening, he found Benjamin engaged in some of his domestic avocations, and in a hurried voice inquired

Why, the Judge has stepped into his office, with that master carpenter, Mister Doolittle; but Miss Lizzy is in

that there parlor. I say, Master Oliver, we�d like to have had a bad job of that panther, or painter�s work

some calls it one, and some calls it t�otherbut I know little of the beast, seeing that it is not of British

growth. I said as much as that it was in the hills the last winter for I heard it moaning on the lake shore one

evening in the fall, when I was pulling down from the fishingpoint in the skiff. Had the animal come into

open water, where a man could see where and how to work his vessel, I would have engaged the thing

myself; but looking aloft among the trees is all the same to me as standing on the deck of one ship, and

'And you shall see her, sir,' said the steward; 'she�s in this here room. Lord, Master Edwards, what a loss

she�d have been to the Judge! Dam�me if I know where he would have gotten such another daughter; that is,

full grown, d�ye see. I say, sir, this Master Bumppo is a worthy man, and seems to have a handy way with

him, with firearms and boathooks. I�m his friend, Master Oliver, and he and you may both set me down as

'We may want your friendship, my worthy fellow,' cried Edwards, squeezing his hand convulsively; 'we may

Without waiting to hear the earnest reply that Benjamin meditated, the youth extricated himself from the

Elizabeth was alone, and still reclining on the sofa, where we last left her. A hand, which exceeded all that

the ingenuity of art could model, in shape and color, veiled her eyes; and the maiden was sitting as if in deep

communion with herself. Struck by the attitude and loveliness of the form that met his eye, the young man

'Miss TempleMiss Temple,' he said, 'I hope I do not intrude; but I am anxious for an interview, if it be only

Is it you, Edwards?' she said, with a sweetness in her voice, and a softness in her air, that she often used to

her father, but which, from its novelty to himself, thrilled on every nerve of the youth; 'how left you our poor

'She is with her father, happy and grateful,' said Oliver, ' I never witnessed more feeling than she manifested,

when I ventured to express my pleasure at her escape. Miss Temple, when I first heard of your horrid

situation, my feelings were too powerful for utterance; and I did not properly find my tongue, until the walk

to Mr. Grant�s had given me time to collect myself. I believeI do believe, I acquitted myself better there,

for Miss Grant even wept at my silly speeches.' For a moment Elizabeth did not reply, but again veiled her

eyes with her hand. The feeling that caused the action, however, soon passed away, and, raising her face

'Your friend, the LeatherStocking, has now become my friend, Edwards; I have been thinking how I can

best serve him; perhaps you, who know his habits and his wants so well, can tell me'

'I can,' cried the youth, with an impetuosity that startled his companion. 'I can, and may Heaven reward you

for the wish, Natty has been so imprudent as to for get the law, and has this day killed a deer. Nay, I believe I

must share in the crime and the penalty, for I was an accomplice throughout. A complaint has been made to

'I know it all,' interrupted Elizabeth; 'I know it all. The forms of the law must be complied with, however; the

search must be made, the deer found, and the penalty paid. But I must retort your own question. Have you

lived so long in our family not to know us? Look at me, Oliver Edwards. Do I appear like one who would

permit the man that has just saved her life to linger in a jail for so small a sum as this fine? No, no, sir; my

father is a judge, but he is a man and a Christian. It is all under stood, and no harm shall follow.'

'What a load of apprehension do your declarations remove!' exclaimed Edwards: ' He shall not be disturbed

again! your father will protect him! I have assurance, Miss Temple, that he will, and I must believe it.'

'You may have his own, Mr. Edwards,' returned Elizabeth, 'for here he comes to make it.'

But the appearance of Marmaduke, who entered the apartment, contradicted the flattering anticipations of his

daughter. His brow was contracted, and his manner disturbed. Neither Elizabeth nor the youth spoke; but the

Judge was allowed to pace once or twice across the room without interruption, when he cried:

'Our plans are defeated, girl; the obstinacy of the LeatherStocking has brought down the indignation of the

'I did notI could not anticipate that an old, a friendless man like him, would dare to oppose the officers of

justice,' interrupted the Judge, 'I supposed that he would submit to the search, when the fine could have been

paid, and the law would have been appeased; but now he will have to meet its rigor.'

'And what must the punishment be, sir?' asked Ed wards, struggling to speak with firmness.

Marmaduke turned quickly to the spot where the youth had withdrawn, and exclaimed:

'You here! I did not observe you. I know not what it will be, sir; it is not usual for a judge to decide until he

has heard the testimony, and the jury have convicted. Of one thing, however, you may be assured, Mr.

Edwards; it shall be whatever the law demands, notwithstanding any momentary weakness I may have

exhibited, because the luckless man has been of such eminent service to my daughter.'

'No one, I believe, doubts the sense of justice which Judge Temple entertains!' returned Edwards bitterly.

'But let us converse calmly, sir. Will not the years, the habits, nay, the ignorance of my old friend, avail him

'Ought they? They may extenuate, but can they ac quit? Would any society be tolerable, young man, where

the ministers of justice are to be opposed by men armed with rifles? Is it for this that I have tamed the wilder

'Had you tamed the beasts that so lately threatened the life of Miss Temple, sir, your arguments would apply

'Peace, my child,' interrupted the father; ' the youth is unjust; but I have not given him cause. I overlook thy

remark, Oliver, for I know thee to be the friend of Natty, and zeal in his behalf has overcome thy discretion,'

'Yes, he is my friend,' cried Edwards, 'and I glory in the title. He is simple, unlettered, even ignorant;

prejudiced, perhaps, though I feel that his opinion of the world is too true; but he has a heart, Judge Temple,

that would atone for a thousand faults; he knows his friends, and never deserts them, even if it be his dog.'

'This is a good character, Mr. Edwards,' returned Marmaduke, mildly; 'but I have never been so fortunate as

to secure his esteem, for to me he has been uniformly repulsive; yet I have endured it, as an old man�s whim,

However, when he appears before me, as his judge, he shall find that his former conduct shall not aggravate,

'Crime!' echoed Edwards: 'is it a crime to drive a prying miscreant from his door? Crime! Oh, no, sir; if there

'And who may it be, sir?' asked Judge Temple, facing the agitated youth, his features settled to their usual

This appeal was more than the young man could bear. Hitherto he had been deeply agitated by his emotions;

'Who! and this to me!' he cried; 'ask your own conscience, Judge Temple. Walk to that door, sir, and look out

upon the valley, that placid lake, and those dusky mountains, and say to your own heart, if heart you have,

whence came these riches, this vale, those hills, and why am I their owner? I should think, sir, that the

appearance of Mohegan and the LeatherStocking, stalking through the country, impoverished and forlorn,

Marmaduke heard this burst of passion, at first, with deep amazement; but when the youth had ended, he

'Oliver Edwards, thou forgettest in whose presence thou standest. I have heard, young man, that thou claimest

descent from the native owners of the soil; but surely thy education has been given thee to no effect, if it has

not taught thee the validity of the claims that have transferred the title to the whites. These lands are mine by

the very grants of thy ancestry, if thou art so descended; and I appeal to Heaven for a testimony of the uses I

have put them to. After this language, we must separate. I have too long sheltered thee in my dwelling; but

the time has arrived when thou must quit it. Come to my office, and I will discharge the debt I owe thee.

Neither shall thy present intemperate language mar thy future fortunes, if thou wilt hearken to the advice of

The ungovernable feeling that caused the violence of the youth had passed away, and he stood gazing after

the retiring figure of Marmaduke, with a vacancy in his eye that denoted the absence of his mind. At length

he recollected himself, and, turning his head slowly around the apartment, he beheld Elizabeth, still seated on

the sofa, but with her head dropped on her bosom, and her face again concealed by her hands.

'Miss Temple,' he saidall violence had left his manner' Miss Temple I have forgotten

myselfforgotten you. You have heard what your father has decreed, and this night I leave here. With you,

Elizabeth slowly raised her face, across which a momentary expression of sadness stole; but as she left her

seat, her dark eyes lighted with their usual fire, her cheek flushed to burning, and her whole air seemed to

'I forgive you, Edwards, and my father will forgive you,' she said, when she reached the door. 'You do not

'I would speak, sir, and not listen. There is something in this affair that I do not comprehend; but tell the

LeatherStocking he has friends as well as judges in us. Do not let the old man experience unnecessary

uneasiness at this rupture. It is impossible that you could increase his claims here; neither shall they be

diminished by any thing you have said. Mr. Edwards, I wish you happiness, and warmer friends,'

The youth would have spoken, but she vanished from the door so rapidly, that when he reached the hall her

form was nowhere to be seen. He paused a moment, in stupor, and then, rushing from the house, instead of

following Marmaduke in his 'office,' he took his way directly for the cabin of the hunters.

Richard did not return from the exercise of his official duties until late in the evening of the following day. It

had been one portion of his business to superintend the arrest of part of a gang of counterfeiters, that had,

even at that early period, buried themselves in the woods, to manufacture their base coin, which they

afterward circulated from one end of the Union to the other. The expedition had been completely successful,

and about midnight the sheriff entered the village, at the head of a posse of deputies and constables, in the

centre of whom rode, pinioned, four of the malefactors. At the gate of the mansionhouse they separated, Mr.

Jones directing his assist ants to proceed with their charge to the county jail, while he pursued his own way

up the gravel walk, with the kind of selfsatisfaction that a man of his organization would feel, who had

'Holla! Aggy!' shouted the sheriff, when he reached the door; 'where are you, you black dog? will you keep

me here in the dark all night? Holla! Aggy! Brave! Brave! hoy, hoywhere have you got to, Brave? Off his

watch! Everybody is asleep but myself! Poor I must keep my eyes open, that others may sleep in safety.

Brave! Brave! Well, I will say this for the dog, lazy as he�s grown, that it is the first time I ever knew him to

let any one come to the door after dark, without having a smell to know whether it was an honest man or not.

He could tell by his nose, almost as well as I could myself by looking at them. Holla! you Agamemnon!

By this time the sheriff had dismounted, and observed a form, which he supposed to be that of Brave, slowly

creeping out of the kennel; when, to his astonishment, it reared itself on two legs instead of four, and he was

able to distinguish, by the starlight, the curly head and dark visage of the negro.

'Ha! what the devil are you doing there, you black rascal?' he cried. 'Is it not hot enough for your Guinea

blood in the house this warm night, but you must drive out the poor dog, and sleep in his straw?'

By this time the boy was quite awake, and, with a blubbering whine, he attempted to reply to his master.

'Oh! masser Richard! masser Richard! such a ting! such a ting! I nebber tink a could �appen! neber tink he

die! Oh, Loragor! ain�t burykeep �em till masser Richard get backgot a grabe dug' Here the

feelings of the negro completely got the mastery, and, instead of making any intelligible explanation of the

'Eh! what! buried! grave! dead!' exclaimed Richard, with a tremor in his voice; 'nothing serious? Nothing has

'Oh, worser �an dat! worser �an dat!' sobbed the negro. ' Oh! de Lor! Miss 'Lizzy an� Miss

Grantwalkmountainpoor Bravy �kill a lady painterOh, Lor, Lor!Natty Bumppotare he

As all this was perfectly inexplicable to the sheriff, he was very glad to wait patiently until the black brought

a lantern from the kitchen, when he followed Aggy to the kennel, where he beheld poor Brave, indeed, lying

in his blood, stiff and cold, but decently covered with the great coat of the negro. He was on the point of

demanding an explanation; but the grief of the black, who had fallen asleep on his voluntary watch, having

burst out afresh on his waking, utterly disqualified the lad from giving one. Luckily, at this moment the

principal door of the house opened, and the coarse features of Benjamin were thrust over the threshold, with a

candle elevated above them, shedding its dim rays around in such a manner as to exhibit the lights and

shadows of his countenance. Richard threw his bridle to the black, and, bidding him look to the horse, he

Benjamin made one of his square gestures, with the thumb of his left hand pointing over his right shoulder, as

'Why, it�s all down, squire,' said Benjamin, pointing to a slate that lay on the table, by the side of a mug of

Among the other pursuits of Richard, he had a passion to keep a register of all passing events; and his diary,

which was written in the manner of a journal, or log. book, embraced not only such circumstances as affected

himself, but observations on the weather, and all the occurrences of the family, and frequently of the village.

Since his appointment to the office of sheriff and his consequent absences from home, he had employed

Benjamin to make memoranda on a slate, of whatever might be thought worth remembering, which, on his

return, were regularly transferred to the journal with proper notations of the time, manner, and other little

particulars. There was, to be sure, one material objection to the clerkship of Benjamin, which the ingenuity of

no one but Richard could have overcome. The steward read nothing but his prayerbook, and that only in

particular parts, and by the aid of a good deal of spelling, and some misnomers; but he could not form a

single letter with a pen. This would have been an insuperable bar to journalizing with most men; but Richard

invented a kind of hieroglyphical character, which was intended to note all the ordinary occurrences of a day,

such as how the wind blew, whether the sun shone, or whether it rained, the hours, etc. ; and for the

extraordinary, after giving certain elementary lectures on the subject, the sheriff was obliged to trust to the

ingenuity of the majordomo. The reader will at once perceive, that it was to this chronicle that Benjamin

When Mr. Jones had drunk a glass of toddy, he brought forth from its secret place his proper journal, and,

seating himself by the table, he prepared to transfer the contents of the slate to the paper, at the same time that

he appeased his curiosity. Benjamin laid one hand on the back of the sheriff's chair, in a familiar manner,

while he kept the other at liberty to make use of a forefinger, that was bent like some of his own characters,

The first thing referred to by the sheriff was the diagram of a compass, cut in one corner of the slate for

permanent use. The cardinal points were plainly marked on it, and all the usual divisions were indicated in

'Oh!' said the sheriff, seating himself down comfort ably in his chair, 'you�d the wind southeast, I see, all last

'Devil the drop, sir,' said Benjamin; 'I believe that the scuttlebutt up aloft is emptied, for there hasn�t so

much water fell in the country for the last three weeks as would float Indian John�s canoe, and that draws just

'Well but didn�t the wind change here this morning? there was a change where I was.'

'Don�t see!' interrupted the steward, a little crustily; 'ain�t there a mark agin� eastandbynothehalfnothe,

with summat like a rising sun at the end of it, to show �twas in the morning watch?'

'Where! why doesn�t it see this here teakettle, with a mark run from the spout straight, or mayhap a little

crooked or so, into westand bysouthehalfsouthe? now I call this a shift of wind, squire. Well, do you

'Ay, ayBoreasI see. Why, you�ve drawn lines from its mouth, extending from one of your marks to

'It�s no fault of mine, Squire Dickens; �tis your dd climate. The wind has been at all them there marks this

very day, and that�s all round the compass, except a little matter of an Irishman�s hurricane at meridium,

which you�ll find marked right up and down. Now, I�ve known a sowwester blow for three weeks, in the

channel, with a clean drizzle, in which you might wash your face and hands without the trouble of hauling in

'Very well, Benjamin,' said the sheriff, writing in his journal; 'I believe I have caught the idea. Oh! here�s a

'Ah it�s Sunday. and here are the marks for the length of the sermon one, two, three, fourwhat! did Mr.

'Ay, summat like it; it was a good halfhour by my own glass, and then there was the time lost in turning it,

'Benjamin, this is as long as a Presbyterian; you never could have been ten minutes in turning the glass!'

'Why, do you see, Squire, the parson was very solemn, and I just closed my eyes in order to think the better

with myself, just the same as you�d put in the deadlights to make all snug, and when I opened them agin I

found the congregation were getting under way for home, so I calculated the ten minutes would cover the

'Oh, ho! Master Benjamin, you were asleep, were you? but I�ll set down no such slander against an orthodox

divine.' Richard wrote twentynine minutes in his journal, and continued: 'Why, what�s this you�ve got

opposite ten o�clock A.M.? A full moon! had you a moon visible by day? I have heard of such portents before

'That!' said Benjamin, looking coolly over the sheriff�s shoulder, and rolling the tobacco about in his mouth

with a jocular air; 'why, that�s a small matter of my own. It�s no moon, squire, but only Betty Hollister�s face;

for, dye see, sir, hearing all the same as if she had got up a new cargo of Jamaiky from the river, I called in as

I was going to the church this morningten A.M. was it?just the timeand tried a glass; and so I logged

'That was it, was it?' said the sheriff, with some displeasure at this innovation on his memoranda; 'and could

you not make a better glass than this? it looks like a death�shead and an hourglass.'

'Why, as I liked the stuff, squire,' returned the steward, 'I turned in, homeward bound, and took t�other glass,

which I set down at the bottom of the first, and that gives the thing the shape it has. But as I was there again

tonight, and paid for the three at once, your honor may as well run the sponge over the whole business.'

'I will buy you a slate for your own affairs, Benjamin,' said the sheriff; 'I don�t like to have the journal marked

'You needn�tyou needn�t, squire; for, seeing that I was likely to trade often with the woman while this

barrel lasted. I�ve opened a fair account with Betty, and she keeps her marks on the back of her bardoor, and

I keeps the tally on this here bit of a stick.' As Benjamin concluded he produced a piece of wood, on which

five very large, honest notches were apparent. The sheriff cast his eyes on this new ledger for a moment, and

'What have we here! Saturday, two P.M.Why here�s a whole family piece! two wineglasses

'That�s two women; the one this away is Miss �Lizzy, and t�other is the parson�s young�un.'

'Cousin Bess and Miss Grant!' exclaimed the sheriff, in amazement; 'what have they to do with my journal?'

'They�d enough to do to get out of the jaws of that there painter or panther,' said the immovable steward. 'This

here thingumy, squire, that maybe looks summat like a rat, is the beast, d�ye see; and this here t�other thing,

keel uppermost, is poor old Brave, who died nobly, all the same as an admiral fighting for his king and

'Ay, mayhap it do look a little wild or so,' continued the steward; 'but to my judgment, squire, it�s the best

image I�ve made, seeing it�s most like the man himself; well, that�s Natty Bumppo, who shot this here

painter, that killed that there dog, who would have eaten or done worse to them here young ladies.'

'Mean!' echoed Benjamin; 'it is as true as the Boadishey�s log book' He was interrupted by the sheriff, who

put a few direct questions to him, that obtained more intelligible answers, by which means he became

possessed of a tolerably correct idea of the truth, When the wonder, and we must do Richard the justice to

say, the feelings also, that were created by this narrative, had in some degree subsided, the sheriff turned his

'What have we here?' he cried; 'two men boxing! Has there been a breach of the peace? Ah, that�s the way,

'That�s the Judge and young Master Edwards,' interrupted the steward, very cavalierly.

'How! �Duke fighting with Oliver! what the devil has got into you all? More things have happened within the

last thirtysix hours than in the preceding six months.' 'Yes, it�s so indeed, squire,' returned the steward 'I�ve

known a smart chase, and a fight at the tail of it', where less has been logged than I�ve got on that there slate.

Howsomnever, they didn�t come to facers, only passed a little jaw fore and aft.'

'Explain! explain!' cried Richard; 'it was about the mines, ha! Ay, ay, I see it, I see it; here is a man with a

'Why, yes, it was about their minds, I believe, squire, returned the steward; 'and, by what I can learn, they

spoke them pretty plainly to one another. Indeed, I may say that I overheard a small matter of it myself,

seeing that the windows was open, and I hard by. But this here is no pick. but an anchor on a man�s shoulder;

and here�s the other fluke down his back, maybe a little too close, which signifies that the lad has got under

Richard pursued this advantage; and, after a long and close examination, he succeeded in getting out of

Benjamin all that he knew, not only concerning the misunderstanding, but of the attempt to search the hut,

and Hiram�s discomfiture. The sheriff was no sooner possessed of these facts, which Benjamin related with

all possible tenderness to the LeatherStocking, than, snatching up his hat, and bidding the astonished

For at least five minutes, after Richard disappeared, Benjamin stood with his arms akimbo, and his eyes

fastened on the door; when, having collected his astonished faculties, he prepared to execute the orders he

It has been already said that the 'court of common pleas and general sessions of the peace,' or, as it is

commonly called, the 'county court,' over which Judge Temple presided, held one of its stated sessions on the

following morning. The attendants of Richard were officers who had come to the village, as much to

discharge their usual duties at this court, as to escort the prisoners and the sheriff knew their habits too well,

not to feel confident that he should find most, if not all of them, in the public room of the jail, discussing the

qualities of the keeper�s liquors. Accordingly he held his way through the silent streets of the village, directly

to the small and insecure building that contained all the unfortunate debt ors and some of the criminals of the

county, and where justice was administered to such unwary applicants as were so silly as to throw away two

dollars in order to obtain one from their neighbors. The arrival of four malefactors in the custody of a dozen

officers was an event, at that day, in Templeton; and, when the sheriff reached the jail, he found every

The nod of the sheriff brought two of his deputies to the door, who in their turn drew off six or seven of the

constables. With this force Richard led the way through the village, toward the bank of the lake, undisturbed

by any noise, except the barking of one or two curs, who were alarmed by the measured tread of the party,

and by the low murmurs that ran through their own numbers, as a few cautious questions and answers were

exchanged, relative to the object of their expedition. When they had crossed the little bridge of hewn logs that

was thrown over the Susquehanna, they left the highway, and struck into that field which had been the scene

of the victory over the pigeons. From this they followed their leader into the low bushes of pines and

chestnuts which had sprung up along the shores of the lake, where the plough had not succeeded the fall of

the trees, and soon entered the forest itself. Here Richard paused and collected his troop around him.

'I have required your assistance, my friends,' he cried, in a low voice, 'in order to arrest Nathaniel Bumppo,

commonly called the LeatherStocking He has assaulted a magistrate, and resisted the execution of a

searchwar rant, by threatening the life of a constable with his rifle. In short, my friends, he has set an

example of rebellion to the laws, and has become a kind of outlaw. He is suspected of other misdemeanors

and offences against private rights; and I have this night taken on myself. by the virtue of my office as sheriff,

to arrest the said Bumppo, and bring him to the county jail, that he may be present and forthcoming to answer

to these heavy charges before the court tomorrow morning. In executing this duty, friends and

fellowcitizens, you are to use courage and discretion; courage, that you may not be daunted by any lawless

attempt that this man may make with his rifle and his dogs to oppose you; and discretion, which here means

caution and prudence, that he may not escape from this sudden attackand for other good reasons that I

need not mention. You will form yourselves in a complete circle around his hut, and at the word �advance,�

called aloud by me, you will rush forward and, without giving the criminal time for deliberation, enter his

dwelling by force, and make him your prisoner. Spread yourselves for this purpose, while I shall descend to

the shore with a deputy, to take charge of that point; and all communications must be made directly to me,

under the bank in front of the hut, where I shall station myself and remain, in order to receive them.'

This speech, which Richard had been studying during his walk, had the effect that all similar performances

produce, of bringing the dangers of the expedition immediately before the eyes of his forces. The men

divided, some plunging deeper into the forest, in order to gain their stations without giving an alarm, and

others Continuing to advance, at a gait that would allow the whole party to go in order; but all devising the

best plan to repulse the attack of a dog, or to escape a riflebullet. It was a moment of dread expectation and

When the sheriff thought time enough had elapsed for the different divisions of his force to arrive at their

stations, he raised his voice in the silence of the forest, and shouted the watchword. The sounds played among

the arched branches of the trees in hollow cadences; but when the last sinking tone was lost on the ear, in

place of the expected howls of the dogs, no other noises were returned but the crackling of torn branches and

dried sticks, as they yielded before the advancing steps of the officers. Even this soon ceased, as if by a

common consent, when the curiosity and impatience of the sheriff getting the complete ascendency over

discretion, he rushed up the bank, and in a moment stood on the little piece of cleared ground in front of the

spot where Natty had so long lived, To his amazement, in place of the hut he saw only its smouldering ruins.

The party gradually drew together about the heap of ashes and the ends of smoking logs; while a dim flame in

the centre of the ruin, which still found fuel to feed its lingering life, threw its pale light, flickering with the

passing currents of the air, around the circlenow showing a face with eyes fixed in astonishment, and then

glancing to another countenance, leaving the former shaded in the obscurity of night. Not a voice was raised

in inquiry, nor an exclamation made in astonishment. The transition from excitement to disappointment was

too powerful for Speech; and even Richard lost the use of an organ that was seldom known to fail him.

The whole group were yet in the fullness of their surprise, when a tall form stalked from the gloom into the

circle, treading down the hot ashes and dying embers with callous feet; and, standing over the light, lifted his

cap, and exposed the bare head and weatherbeaten features of the LeatherStocking. For a moment he gazed

at the dusky figures who surrounded him, more in sorrow than in anger before he spoke.

'What would ye with an old and helpless man?' he said, 'You�ve driven God�s creatur�s from the wilder ness,

where His providence had put them for His own pleasure; and you�ve brought in the troubles and diviltries of

the law, where no man was ever known to disturb another. You have driven me, that have lived forty long

years of my appointed time in this very spot, from my home and the shelter of my head, lest you should put

your wicked feet and wasty ways in my cabin. You�ve driven me to burn these logs, under which I�ve eaten

and drunkthe first of Heaven�s gifts, and the other of the pure springsfor the half of a hundred years;

and to mourn the ashes under my feet, as a man would weep and mourn for the children of his body. You�ve

rankled the heart of an old man, that has never harmed you or your�n, with bitter feelings toward his kind, at a

time when his thoughts should be on a better world; and you�ve driven him to wish that the beasts of the

forest, who never feast on the blood of their own families, was his kindred and race; and now, when he has

come to see the last brand of his hut, before it is incited into ashes, you follow him up, at midnight, like

hungry hounds on the track of a wornout and dying deer. What more would ye have? for I am hereone

too many. I come to mourn, not to fight; and, if it is God�s pleasure, work your will on me.'

When the old man ended he stood, with the light glimmering around his thinly covered head, looking

earnestly at the group, which receded from the pile with an involuntary movement, without the reach of the

quivering rays, leaving a free passage for his retreat into the bushes, where pursuit in the dark would have

been fruit less. Natty seemed not to regard this advantage, but stood facing each individual in the circle in

succession, as if to see who would he the first to arrest him. After a pause of a few moments Richard began to

rally his confused faculties, and, advancing, apologized for his duty, and made him his prisoner. The party

flow collected, and, preceded by the sheriff, with Natty in their centre, they took their way toward the village.

During the walk, divers questions were put to the prisoner concerning his reasons for burning the hut, and

whither Mohegan had retreated; but to all of them he observed a profound silence, until, fatigued with their

previous duties, and the lateness of the hour, the sheriff and his followers reached the village, and dispersed

to their several places of rest, after turning the key of a jail on the aged and apparently friendless

The long days and early sun of July allowed time for a gathering of the interested, before the little bell of the

academy announced that the appointed hour had arrived for administering right to the wronged, and

punishment to the guilty. Ever since the dawn of day, the highways and woodpaths that, issuing from the

forests, and winding among the sides of the mountains, centred in Templeton, had been thronged with

equestrians and footmen, bound to the haven of justice. There was to be seen a wellclad yeoman, mounted

on a sleek, switch tailed steed, rambling along the highway, with his red face elevated in a manner that said,

'I have paid for my land, and fear no man;' while his bosom was swelling with the pride of being one of the

grand inquest for the county. At his side rode a companion, his equal in independence of feeling, perhaps, but

his inferior in thrift, as in property and consideration. This was a professed dealer in lawsuitsa man whose

name appeared in every calendarwhose substance, gained in the multifarious expedients of a settler�s

change able habits, was wasted in feeding the harpies of the courts. He was endeavoring to impress the mind

of the grand juror with the merits of a cause now at issue, Along with these was a pedestrian, who, having

thrown a rifle frock over his shirt, and placed his best wool hat above his sunburnt visage, had issued from his

retreat in the woods by a footpath, and was striving to keep company with the others, on his way to hear and

to decide the disputes of his neighbors, as a petit juror. Fifty similar little knots of countrymen might have

By ten o�clock the streets of the village were filled with busy faces; some talking of their private concerns,

some listening to a popular expounder of political creeds; and others gaping in at the open stores, admiring

the finery, or examining scythes, axes, and such other manufactures as attracted their curiosity or excited their

admiration. A few women were in the crowd, most carrying infants, and followed, at a lounging, listless gait,

by their rustic lords and masters. There was one young couple, in whom connubial love was yet fresh,

walking at a respectful distance from each other; while the swain directed the timid steps of his bride, by a

At the first stroke of the bell, Richard issued from the door of the 'Bold Dragoon,' flourishing a sheathed

sword, that he was fond of saying his ancestors had carried in one of Cromwell�s victories, and crying, in an

authoritative tone, to 'clear the way for the court.' The order was obeyed promptly, though not servilely, the

members of the crowd nodding familiarly to the members of the procession as it passed. A party of constables

with their staves followed the sheriff, preceding Marmaduke and four plain, gravelooking yeomen, who

were his associates on the bench. There was nothing to distinguish these Subordinate judges from the better

part of the spectators, except gravity, which they affected a little more than common, and that one of their

number was attired in an oldfashioned military coat, with skirts that reached no lower than the middle of his

thighs, and bearing two little silver epaulets, not half so big as a modern pair of shoulderknots. This

gentleman was a colonel of the militia, in attendance on a courtmartial, who found leisure to steal a moment

from his military to attend to his civil jurisdiction; but this incongruity excited neither notice nor comment.

Three or four clean shaved lawyers followed, as meek as if they were lambs going to the slaughter. One or

two of their number had contrived to obtain an air of scholastic gravity by wearing spectacles. The rear was

brought up by another posse of constables, and the mob followed the whole into the room where the court

The edifice was composed of a basement of squared logs, perforated here and there with small grated

windows, through which a few wistful faces were gazing at the crowd without. Among the captives were the

guilty, downcast countenances of the counterfeiters, and the simple but honest features of the

LeatherStocking. The dungeons were to be distinguished, externally, from the debtors� apartments only by

the size of the apertures, the thickness of the grates, and by the heads of the spikes that were driven into the

logs as a protection against the illegal use of edgetools. The upper story was of frame work, regularly

covered with boards, and contained one room decently fitted up for the purpose of justice. A bench, raised on

a narrow platform to the height of a man above the floor, and protected in front by a light railing. ran along

one of its sides. In the centre was a seat, furnished with rude arms, that was always filled by the presiding

judge. In front, on a level with the floor of the room, was a large table covered with green baize, and

surrounded by benches; and at either of its ends were rows of seats, rising one over the other, for juryboxes.

Each of these divisions was surrounded by a railing. The remainder of the room was an open square,

When the judges were seated, the lawyers had taken possession of the table, and the noise of moving feet had

ceased in the area, the proclamations were made in the usual form, the jurors were sworn, the charge was

We shall not detain the reader with a description of the captious discussions that occupied the court for the

first two hours, Judge Temple had impressed on the jury, in his charge, the necessity for dispatch on their

part, recommending to their notice, from motives of humanity, the prisoners in the jail as the first objects of

their attention. Accordingly, after the period we have mentioned had elapsed, the cry of the officer to 'clear

the way for the grand jury,' announced the entrance of that body. The usual forms were observed, when the

foreman handed up to the bench two bills, on both of which the Judge observed, at the first glance of his eye,

the name of Nathaniel Bumppo. It was a leisure moment with the court; some low whispering passed between

the bench and the sheriff, who gave a signal to his officers, and in a very few minutes the silence that

prevailed was interrupted by a general movement in the outer crowd, when presently the LeatherStocking

made his appearance, ushered into the criminal�s bar under the custody of two constables, The hum ceased,

the people closed into the open space again, and the silence soon became so deep that the hard breathing of

Natty was dressed in his buckskin garments, without his coat, in place of which he wore only a shirt of coarse

linencheek, fastened at his throat by the sinew of a deer, leaving his red neck and weatherbeaten face

exposed and bare. It was the first time that he had ever crossed the threshold of a court of justice, and

curiosity seemed to be strongly blended with his personal feelings. He raised his eyes to the bench, thence to

the juryboxes, the bar, and the crowd without, meeting everywhere looks fastened on himself. After

surveying his own person, as searching the cause of this unusual attraction, he once more turned his face

around the assemblage, and opened his mouth in one of his silent and remarkable laughs.

Natty started at the sound of his name, and, raising his face earnestly toward the bench, he said:

Mr. Lippet arose from his seat at the table, and whispered in the ear of the prisoner; when Natty gave him a

'Mr. District Attorney,' said the Judge, 'the prisoner is ready; we wait for the indictment.'

The duties of public prosecutor were discharged by Dirck Van der School, who adjusted his spectacles, cast a

cautious look around him at his brethren of the bar, which he ended by throwing his head aside so as to catch

one glance over the glasses, when he proceeded to read the bill aloud. It was the usual charge for an assault

and battery on the person of Hiram Doolittle, and was couched in the ancient language of such instruments,

especial care having been taken by the scribe not to omit the name of a single offensive weapon known to the

law. When he had done, Mr. Van der School removed his spectacles, which he closed and placed in his

pocket, seemingly for the pleasure of again opening and replacing them on his nose, After this evolution was

repeated once or twice, he handed the bill over to Mr. Lippet, with a cavalier air, that said as much as 'Pick a

Natty listened to the charge with great attention, leaning forward toward the reader with an earnestness that

denoted his interest; and, when it was ended, he raised his tall body to the utmost, and drew a long sigh. All

eyes were turned to the prisoner, whose voice was vainly expected to break the stillness of the room.

'You have heard the presentment that the grand jury have made, Nathaniel Bumppo,' said the Judge; 'what do

The old man drooped his head for a moment in a reflecting attitude, and then, raising it, he laughed before he

'That I handled the man a little rough or so, is not to be denied; but that there was occasion to make use of all

the things that the gentleman has spoken of is downright untrue. I am not much of a wrestler, seeing that I'm

getting old; but I was out among the Scotch Irisherslet me seeit must have been as long ago as the first

'Mr. Lippet, if you are retained for the prisoner,' interrupted Judge Temple, 'instruct your client how to plead;

Aroused from studying the indictment by this appeal, the attorney got up, and after a short dialogue with the

'I may say not guilty, with a clean conscience,' returned Natty; 'for there�s no guilt in doing what�s right; and

I�d rather died on the spot, than had him put foot in the hut at that moment.'

Richard started at this declaration and bent his eyes significantly on Hiram, who returned the look with a

'Proceed to open the cause, Mr. District Attorney,' continued the Judge. 'Mr. Clerk, enter the plea of not

After a short opening address from Mr. Van der School, Hiram was summoned to the bar to give his

testimony. It was delivered to the letter, perhaps, but with all that moral coloring which can be conveyed

under such expressions as, 'thinking no harm,' 'feeling it my bounden duty as a magistrate,' and 'seeing that

the constable was back�ard in the business.' When he had done, and the district attorney declined putting any

further interrogatories, Mr. Lippet arose, with an air of keen investigation, and asked the following questions:

'I ask you, Mr. Doolittle, in the face of this court, put ting it to your conscience and your knowledge of the

'Hem!' said Hiram, undergoing a violent struggle between his desire for vengeance, and his love of legal

fame: 'I do supposethat inthat isstrict lawthat supposingmaybe I hadn�t a reallawful right; but

as the case wasand Billy was so back�ardI thought I might come for�ard in the business.'

'I ask you again, sir,' continued the lawyer, following up his success, 'whether this old, this friendless old

'Why, I must say,' said Hiram, 'that he was considerable cross grained; not what I call clever, seeing that it

'Oh! then you own it was only meant for a neighborly visit on your part, and without the sanction of law.

Remember, gentlemen, the words of the witness, �one neighbor wanting to enter the house of another.� Now,

sir, I ask you if Nathaniel Bumppo did not again and again order you not to enter?'

'There was some words passed between us,' said Hiram, 'but I read the warrant to him aloud.'

'There was a good deal passed betwixt usbut I�ve the warrant in my pocket; maybe the court would wish to

'Witness,' said Judge Temple, 'answer the question directly; did or did not the prisoner forbid your entering

But the attorney saw that the impression was in favor of his client, and waving his hand with a supercilious

manner, as if unwilling to insult the understanding of the jury with any further defence, he replied:

'Mr. District Attorney,' said the Judge, 'have you anything to say?' Mr. Van der School removed his

spectacles, folded them and, replacing them once more on his nose, eyed the other bill which he held in his

hand, and then said, looking at the bar over the top of his glasses; I shall rest the prosecution here, if the court

'Gentlemen of the jury,' he said, 'you have heard the testimony, and I shall detain you but a moment. If an

officer meet with resistance in the execution of a process, he has an undoubted right to call any citizen to his

assistance; and the acts of such assistant come within the protection of the law. I shall leave you to judge,

gentlemen, from the testimony, how far the witness in this prosecution can be so considered, feeling less

reluctance to submit the case thus informally to your decision, because there is yet another indictment to be

The tone of Marmaduke was mild and insinuating, and, as his sentiments were given with such apparent

impartiality, they did not fail of carrying due weight with the jury. The gravelooking yeomen who

composed this tribunal laid their heads together for a few minutes, without leaving the box, when the foreman

arose, and, after the forms of the court were duly observed, he pronounced the prisoner to be 'Not guilty.'

'No, no, I�ll not deny but that I took him a little roughly by the shoulders,' said Natty, looking about him with

'You are acquitted,' interrupted the Judge, 'and there is nothing further to be said or done in the matter.'

A look of joy lighted up the features of the old man, who now comprehended the case, and, placing his cap

eagerly on his head again, he threw up the bar of his little prison, and said, feelingly:

'I must say this for you, Judge Temple, that the law has not been so hard on me as I dreaded. I hope God will

But the staff of the constable was opposed to his egress, and Mr. Lippet whispered a few words in his ear,

when the aged hunter sank back into his place, and, removing his cap, stroked down the remnants of his gray

'Mr. District Attorney,' said Judge Temple, affecting to busy himself with his minutes, 'proceed with the

Mr. Van der School took great care that no part of the presentment, which he now read, should be lost on his

auditors. It accused the prisoner of resisting the execution of a searchwarrant, by force of arms, and

particularized in the vague language of the law, among a variety of other weapons, the use of the rifle. This

was indeed a more serious charge than an ordinary assault and battery, and a corresponding degree of interest

was manifested by the spectators in its result. The prisoner was duly arraigned, and his plea again demanded.

Mr. Lippet had anticipated the answers of Natty, and in a whisper advised him how to plead. But the feelings

of the old hunter were awakened by some of the expressions in the indictment, and, forgetful of his caution,

'�Tis a wicked untruth; I crave no man�s blood. Them thieves, the Iroquois, won�t say it to any face that I ever

thirsted after man�s blood, I have fou�t as soldier that feared his Maker and his officer, but I never pulled

trigger on any but a warrior that was up and awake. No man can say that I ever struck even a Mingo in his

blanket. I believe there�s some who thinks there�s no God in a wilder ness!'

'Attend to your plea, Bumppo,' said the Judge; 'you hear that you are accused of using your rifle against an

By this time the irritated feelings of Natty had found vent: and he rested on the bar for a moment, in a musing

posture, when he lifted his face, with his silent laugh, and, pointing to where the wood chopper stood, he

'Sartain,' said Natty; 'Billy knows that I never fired at all. Billy, do you remember the turkey last winter? Ah

me! that was better than common firing; but I can�t shoot as I used to could.'

'Enter the plea of not guilty,' said Judge Temple, strongly affected by the simplicity of the prisoner.

Hiram was again sworn, and his testimony given on the second charge. He had discovered his former error,

and proceeded more cautiously than before. He related very distinctly and, for the man, with amazing

terseness, the suspicion against the hunter, the complaint, the issuing of the warrant, and the swearing in of

Kirby; all of which, he affirmed, were done in due form of law. He then added the manner in which the

constable had been received; and stated, distinctly, that Natty had pointed the rifle at Kirby, and threatened

his life if he attempted to execute his duty. All this was confirmed by Jotham, who was observed to adhere

closely to the story of the magistrate. Mr. Lippet conducted an artful crossexamination of these two

witnesses, but, after consuming much time, was compelled to relinquish the attempt to obtain any advantage,

At length the District Attorney called the woodchopper to the bar, Billy gave an extremely confused account

of the whole affair, although he evidently aimed at the truth, until Mr. Van der School aided him, by asking

'It appears from examining the papers, that you demanded admission into the hut legally; so you were put in

'I didn�t mind them that, man,' said Billy, snapping his fingers; 'I should be a poor stick to mind old

'But I understood you to say (referring to your previous words [as delivered here in court] in the

'To be sure I did; and so would you, too, squire, if you had seen a chap dropping a muzzle that never misses,

and cocking an eye that has a natural squint by long practice I thought there would be a dust on�t, and my

back was up at once; but LeatherStocking gi�n up the skin, and so the matter ended.'

'Ah! Billy,' said Natty, shaking his head, '�twas a lucky thought in me to throw out the hide, or there might

have been blood spilt; and I�m sure, if it had been your�n, I should have mourned it sorely the little while I

'Well, LeatherStocking,' returned Billy, facing the prisoner with a freedom and familiarity that utterly

disregarded the presence of the court, 'as you are on the subject it may be that you�ve no'

That gentleman eyed the familiarity between his witness and the prisoner with manifest disgust, and indicated

'Then you didn�t feel frightened, Mr. Kirby?' said the counsel for the prisoner.

'Me! no,' said Billy, casting his eyes oven his own huge frame with evident selfsatisfaction; 'I�m not to be

'Varmount State; �tis a mountaynious place, but there�s a stiff soil, and it�s pretty much wooded with beech

'I have always heard so,' said Mr. Lippet soothingly. 'You have been used to the rifle yourself in that country.'

'I pull the second best trigger in this county. I knock under to Natty Bumppo, there, sin� he shot the pigeon.'

LeatherStocking raised his head, and laughed again, when he abruptly thrust out a wrinkled hand, and said:

'You�re young yet, Billy, and haven�t seen the matches that I have; but here�s my hand; I bear no malice to

Mr. Lippet allowed this conciliatory offering to be accepted, and judiciously paused, while the spirit of peace

was exercising its influence over the two; but the Judge interposed his authority.

'This is an improper place for such dialogues,' he said; 'proceed with your examination of this witness, Mr.

'He gi�n me the skin, and I didn�t want to quarrel with an old man; for my part, I see no such mighty matter in

'And you parted friends? and you would never have thought of bringing the business up before a court, hadn�t

'I don�t think I should; he gi�n the skin, and I didn�t feel a hard thought, though Squire Doolittle got some

'I have done, sir,' said Mr. Lippet, probably relying on the charge of the Judge, as he again seated himself,

'Gentlemen of the jury, I should have interrupted the leading questions put by the prisoner�s counsel (by

leading questions I mean telling him what to say), did I not feel confident that the law of the land was

superior to any ad vantages (I mean legal advantages) which he might obtain by his art. The counsel for the

prisoner, gentlemen, has endeavored to persuade you, in opposition to your own good sense, to believe that

pointing a rifle at a constable (elected or deputed) is a very innocent affair; and that society (I mean the

commonwealth, gentlemen) shall not be endangered thereby. But let me claim your attention, while we look

over the particulars of this heinous offence.' Here Mr. Vain der School favored the jury with an abridgment of

the testimony, recounted in such a manner as utterly to confuse the faculties of his worthy listeners. After this

exhibition he closed as follows: 'And now, gentlemen, having thus made plain to your senses the crime of

which this unfortunate man has been guilty (unfortunate both on account of his ignorance and his guilt), I

shall leave you to your own consciences; not in the least doubting that you will see the importance

(notwithstanding the prisoner�s counsel [doubtless relying on your former verdict] wishes to appear so

confident of success) of punishing the offender, and asserting the dignity of the laws.'

It was now the duty of the Judge to deliver his charge. It consisted of a short, comprehensive summary of the

testimony, laying bare the artifice of the prisoner�s counsel, and placing the facts in so obvious a light that

they could not well be misunderstood. 'Living as we do, gentlemen,' he concluded, 'on the skirts of society, it

becomes doubly necessary to protect the ministers of the law. If you believe the witnesses, in their

construction of the acts of the prisoner, it is your duty to convict him; but if you believe that the old man, who

this day appears before you, meant not to harm the constable, but was acting more under the influence of

habit than by the instigations of malice, it will be your duty to judge him, but to do it with lenity'

As before, the jury did not leave their box; but, after a consultation of some little time, their foreman arose,

There was but little surprise manifested in the courtroom at this verdict, as the testimony, the greater part of

which we have omitted, was too clear and direct to be passed over. The judges seemed to have anticipated

this sentiment, for a consultation was passing among them also, during the deliberation of the jury, and the

The old hunter, who had been musing again, with his head on the bar, raised himself, and cried, with a

'In forming their sentence, the court have been governed as much by the consideration of your ignorance of

the laws as by a strict sense of the importance of punishing such outrages as this of which you have been

found guilty. They have therefore passed over the obvious punishment of whipping on the bare back, in

mercy to your years; but, as the dignity of the law requires an open exhibition of the consequences of your

crime, it is ordered that you be conveyed from this room to the public stocks, where you are to be confined

for one hour; that you pay a fine to the State of one hundred dollars; and that you be imprisoned in the jail of

this county for one calendar month, and, furthermore, that your imprisonment do not cease until the said fine

'And where should I get the money?' interrupted the LeatherStocking eagerly; ' where should I get the

money? you�ll take away the bounty on the painters, because I cut the throat of a deer; and how is an old man

to find so much gold or silver in the woods? No, no, Judge; think better of it, and don�t talk of shutting me up

'If you have anything to urge against the passing of the sentence, the court will yet hear you,' said the Judge,

'I have enough to say agin� it,' cried Natty, grasping the bar on which his fingers were working with a

convulsed motion. 'Where am I to get the money? Let me out into the woods and hills, where I�ve been used

to breathe the clear air, and though I�m threescore and ten, if you�ve left game enough in the country, I�ll

travel night and day but I�ll make you up the sum afore the season is over. Yes, yesyou see the reason of

the thing, and the wicked ness of shutting up an old man that has spent his days, as one may say, where he

'Talk not to me of law, Marmaduke Temple,' interrupted the hunter. 'Did the beast of the forest mind your

laws, when it was thirsty and hungering for the blood of your own child? She was kneeling to her God for a

greater favor than I ask, and he heard her; and if you now say no to my prayers, do you think he will be deaf?'

'Hear me, Marmaduke Temple,' interrupted the old man, with melancholy earnestness, 'and hear reason. I�ve

travelled these mountains when you was no judge, but an infant in your mother�s arms; and I feel as if I had a

right and a privilege to travel them agin afore I die. Have you forgot the time that you come on to the lake

shore, when there wasn�t even a jail to lodge in: and didn�t I give you my own bearskin to sleep on, and the

fat of a noble buck to satisfy the cravings of your hunger? Yes, yesyou thought it no sin then to kill a deer!

And this I did, though I had no reason to love you, for you had never done anything but harm to them that

loved and sheltered me. And now, will you shut me up in your dungeons to pay me for my kindness? A

hundred dollars! Where should I get the money? No, nothere�s them that says hard things of you,

Marmaduke Temple, but you ain�t so bad as to wish to see an old man die in a prison, because he stood up for

the right. Come, friend, let me pass; it�s long sin� I�ve been used to such crowds, and I crave to be in the

woods agin. Don�t fear me, Judge I bid you not to fear me; for if there�s beaver enough left on the streams,

or the buckskins will sell for a shilling apiece, you shall have the last penny of the fine. Where are ye, pups?

come away, dogs, come away! we have a grievous toil to do for our years, but it shall be doneyes, yes, I�ve

It is unnecessary to say that the movement of the LeatherStocking was again intercepted by the constable;

but, before he had time to speak, a bustling in the crowd, and a loud hem, drew all eyes to another part of the

Benjamin had succeeded in edging his way through the people, and was now seen balancing his short body,

with one foot in a window and the other on a railing of the jurybox. To the amazement of the whole court,

the steward was evidently preparing to speak. After a good deal of difficulty, he succeeded in drawing from

'Ifsobe,' he said, 'that your honor is agreeable to trust the poor fellow out on another cruise among the

beasts, here�s a small matter that will help to bring down the risk, seeing that there�s just thirtyfive of your

Spaniards in it; and I wish, from the bottom of my heart, that they was raal British guineas, for the sake of the

old boy. But �tis as it is; and if Squire Dickens will just be so good as to overhaul this small bit of an account,

and take enough from the bag to settle the same, he�s welcome to hold on upon the rest, till such time as the

LeatherStocking can grapple with them said beaver, or, for that matter, forever, and no thanks asked,'

As Benjamin concluded, he thrust out the wooden register of his arrears to the ' Bold Dragoon' with one hand,

while he offered his bag of dollars with the other. Astonishment at this singular interruption produced a

profound stillness in the room, which was only interrupted by the sheriff, who struck his sword on the table,

'There must be an end to this,' said the Judge, struggling to overcome his feelings. 'Constable, lead the

Natty seemed to yield to his destiny, for he sank his head on his chest, and followed the officer from the court

room in silence. The crowd moved back for the passage of the prisoner, and when his tall form was seen

descending from the outer door, a rush of the people to the scene of his disgrace followed.

The punishments of the common law were still known, at the time of our tale, to the people of New York; and

the whippingpost, and its companion, the stocks, were not yet supplanted by the more merciful expedients

of the public prison. Immediately in front of the jail those relics of the older times were situated, as a lesson

Natty followed the constables to this spot, bowing his head in submission to a power that he was unable to op

pose, and surrounded by the crowd that formed a circle about his person, exhibiting in their countenances

strong curiosity. A constable raised the upper part of the stocks, and pointed with his finger to the holes

where the old man was to place his feet. Without making the least objection to the punishment, the

LeatherStocking quietly seated himself on the ground, and suffered his limbs to be laid in the openings,

without even a murmur; though he cast one glance about him, in quest of that sympathy that human nature

always seems to require under suffering ' but he met no direct manifestations of pity, neither did he see any

unfeeling exultation, or hear a single reproachful epithet. The character of the mob, if it could be called by

The constable was in the act of lowering the upper plank, when Benjamin, who had pressed close to the side

of the prisoner, said, in his hoarse tone, as if seeking for some cause to create a quarrel:

'Where away, master constable, is the use of clapping a man in them here bilboes? It neither stops his grog

'�Tis the sentence of the court, Mr. Penguillium, and there�s law for it, I s�pose.'

'Ay, ay, I know that there�s law for the thing; but where away do you find the use, I say? it does no harm, and

'Is it no harm, Benny Pump,' said Natty, raising his eyes with a piteous look in the face of the steward' is it

no harm to show off a man in his seventyfirst year, like a tame bear, for the settlers to look on? Is it no harm

to put an old soldier, that has served through the war of �fiftysix, and seen the enemy in the �seventysix

business, into a place like this, where the boys can point at him and say, I have known the time when he was

a spectacle for the county? Is it no harm to bring down the pride of an honest man to be the equal of the

Benjamin stared about him fiercely, and could he have found a single face that expressed contumely, he

would have been prompt to quarrel with its owner; but meeting everywhere with looks of sobriety, and

occasionally of commiseration, he very deliberately seated himself by the side of the hunter, and, placing his

'Now lower away, master constable, lower away, I tell ye! Ifsobe there�s such a thing hereabouts, as a man

that wants to see a bear, let him look and be dd, and he shall find two of them, and mayhap one of the

'But I have no orders to put you in the stocks, Mr. Pump,' cried the constable; 'you must get up and let me do

'You�ve my orders, and what do you need better to meddle with my own feet? so lower away, will ye, and let

'There can�t be any harm in locking up a creatur� that will enter the pound,' said the constable, laughing, and

It was fortunate that this act was executed with decision, for the whole of the spectators, when they saw

Benjamin assume the position he took, felt an inclination for merriment, which few thought it worth while to

suppress. The steward struggled violently for his liberty again, with an evident intention of making battle on

those who stood nearest to him; but the key was already turned, and all his efforts were vain.

'Hark ye, master constable,' he cried, 'just clear away your bilboes for the small matter of a logglass, will ye,

'No, no, you would go in, and you can�t come out,' returned the officer, 'until the time has expired that the

Benjamin, finding that his threats and his struggles were useless, had good sense enough to learn patience

from the resigned manner of his companion, and soon settled himself down by the side of Natty, with a

contemptuousness expressed in his hard features, that showed he had substituted disgust for rage. When the

violence of the steward�s feelings had in some measure subsided, he turned to his fellow sufferer, and, with

a motive that might have vindicated a worse effusion, he attempted the charitable office of consolation,

'Taking it by and large, Master Bumpho, it�s but a small matter after all,' he said. 'Now, I�ve known very

good sort of men, aboard of the Boadishey, laid by the heels, for nothing, mayhap, but forgetting that they�d

drunk their allowance already, when a glass of grog has come in their way. This is nothing more than riding

with two anchors ahead, waiting for a turn in the tide, or a shift of wind, d�ye see, with a soft bottom and

plenty of room for the sweep of your hawse. Now I�ve seen many a man, for overshooting his reckoning, as

I told ye moored head and starn, where he couldn�t so much as heave his broadside round, and mayhap a

stopper clapped on his tongue too, in the shape of a pumpbolt lashed athwartship his jaws, all the same as an

The hunter appeared to appreciate the kind intentions of the other, though he could not understand his

eloquence, and, raising his humbled countenance, he attempted a smile, as he said:

'�Tis nothing, I say, but a small matter of a squall that will soon blow over,' continued Benjamin. ' To you that

has such a length of keel, it must be all the same as nothing; thof, seeing that I am little short in my lower

timbers, they�ve triced my heels up in such a way as to give me a bit of a cant. But what cares I, Master

Bumpho, if the ship strains a little at her anchor? it�s only for a dogwatch, and dam�me but she�ll sail with

you then on that cruise after them said beaver. I'm not much used to small arms, seeing that I was stationed at

the ammunition boxes, being summat too lowrigged to see over the ham mockcloths; but I can carry the

game, dye see, and mayhap make out to lend a hand with the traps; and if sobe you�re any way so handy

with them as ye be with your boathook, �twill be but a short cruise after all, I've squared the yards with

Squire Dickens this morning, and I shall send him word that he needn�t bear my name on the books again till

'You�re used to dwell with men, Benny,' said LeatherStocking, mournfully, ' and the ways of the woods

'Not a bitnot a bit,' cried the steward; 'I�m none of your fair weather chaps, Master Bumpho, as sails

only in smooth water. When I find a friend, I sticks by him, dye see. Now, there�s no better man agoing than

Squire Dickens, and I love him about the same as I loves Mistress Hollister�s new keg of Jamaiky.' The

steward paused, and turning his uncouth visage on the hunter, he surveyed him with a roguish leer of his eye,

and gradually suffered the muscles of his hard features to relax, until his face was illuminated by the display

of his white teeth, when he ' dropped his voice, and added; 'I say, Master Leather

Stocking, �tis fresher and livelier than any Hollands you�ll get in Garnsey. But we�ll send a hand over and ask

the woman for a taste, for I�m so jammed in these here bilboes that I begin to want summat to lighten my

Natty sighed, and gazed about him on the crowd, that already began to disperse, and which had now

diminished greatly, as its members scattered in their various pursuits. He looked wistfully at Benjamin, but

did not reply; a deeplyseated anxiety seeming to absorb every other sensation, and to throw a melancholy

gloom over his wrinkled features, which were working with the movements of his mind.

The steward was about to act on the old principle, that silence gives consent, when Hiram Doolittle, attended

by Jotham, stalked out of the crowd, across the open space, and approached the stocks. The magistrate passed

by the end where Benjamin was seated, and posted himself, at a safe distance from the steward, in front of the

Leather Stocking. Hiram stood, for a moment, cowering before the keen looks that Natty fastened on him,

and suffering under an embarrassment that was quite new; when having in some degree recovered himself, he

looked at the heavens, and then at the smoky atmosphere, as if it were only an ordinary meeting with a friend,

'Quite a scurcity of rain, lately; I some think we shall have a long drought on�t.'

Benjamin was occupied in untying his bag of dollars, and did not observe the approach of the magistrate,

while Natty turned his face, in which every muscle was working, away from him in disgust, without

answering. Rather encouraged than daunted by this exhibition of dislike, Hiram, after a short pause,

'The clouds look as if they�d no water in them, and the earth is dreadfully parched. To my judgment, there�ll

The air with which Mr. Doolittle delivered this prophetical opinion was peculiar to his species. It was a

jesuitical, cold, unfeeling, and selfish manner, that seemed to say, 'I have kept within the law,' to the man he

had so cruelly injured. It quite overcame the restraint that the old hunter had been laboring to impose on

'Why should the rain fall from the clouds,' he cried, 'when you force the tears from the eyes of the old, the

sick, and the poor! Away with yeaway with ye! you may be formed in the image of the Maker, but Satan

dwells in your heart. Away with ye, I say! I am mournful, and the sight of ye brings bitter thoughts.'

Benjamin ceased thumbing his money, and raised his head at the instant that Hiram, who was thrown off his

guard by the invectives of the hunter, unluckily trusted his person within reach of the steward, who grasped

one of his legs with a hand that had the grip of a vise, and whirled the magistrate from his feet, before he had

either time to collect his senses or to exercise the strength he did really possess. Benjamin wanted neither

proportions nor manhood in his head, shoulders, and arms, though all the rest of his frame appeared to be

originally intended for a very different sort of a man. He exerted his physical powers on the present occasion,

with much discretion; and, as he had taken his antagonist at a great disadvantage, the struggle resulted very

soon in Benjamin getting the magistrate fixed in a posture somewhat similar to his own, and manfully placed

'You�re a ship�s cousin, I tell ye, Master Doobutlittle,' roared the steward; 'some such matter as a ship�s

cousin, sir. I know you, I do, with your fairweather speeches to Squire Dickens, to his face, and then you go

and sarve out your grumbling to all the old women in the town, do ye? Ain�t it enough for any Christian, let

him harbor never so much malice, to get an honest old fellow laid by the heels in this fashion, without

carrying sail so hard on the poor dog, as if you would run him down as he lay at his anchors? But I�ve logged

many a hard thing against your name, master, and now the time�s come to foot up the day�s work, d�ye see;

so square yourself, you lubber, square yourself, and we�ll soon know who�s the better man.'

'Jotham!' cried the frightened magistrate' Jotham! call in the constables. Mr. Penguillium, I command the

'There's been more peace than love atwixt us, master,' cried the steward, making some very unequivocal

demonstrations toward hostility; 'so mind yourself! square your self, I say! do you smell this here bit of a

'Lay hands on me if you dare!' exclaimed Hiram, as well as he could, under the grasp which the steward held

'If you call this laying, master, you are welcome to the eggs,' roared the steward.

It becomes our disagreeable duty to record here, that the acts of Benjamin now became violent; for he darted

his sledgehammer violently on the anvil of Mr. Doolittle�s countenance, and the place became in an instant

a scene of tumult and confusion. The crowd rushed in a dense circle around the spot, while some ran to the

court room to give the alarm, and one or two of the more juvenile part of the multitude had a desperate trial of

speed to see who should be the happy man to communicate the critical situation of the magistrate to his wife.

Benjamin worked away, with great industry and a good deal of skill, at his occupation, using one hand to

raise up his antagonist, while he knocked him over with the other; for he would have been disgraced in his

own estimation, had he struck a blow on a fallen adversary. By this considerate arrangement he had found

means to hammer the visage of Hiram out of all shape, by the time Richard succeeded in forcing his way

through the throng to the point of combat. The sheriff afterward declared that, independently of his

mortification as preserver of the peace of the county, at this interruption to its harmony, he was never so

grieved in his life as when he saw this breach of unity between his favorites. Hiram had in some degree

become necessary to his vanity, and Benjamin, strange as it may appear, he really loved. This attachment was

'Squire Doolittle! Squire Doolittle! I am ashamed to see a man of your character and office forget himself so

much as to disturb the peace, insult the court, and beat poor Benjamin in this manner!'

At the sound of Mr. Jones� voice, the steward ceased his employment, and Hiram had an opportunity of

raising his discomfited visage toward the mediator. Emboldened by the sight of the sheriff, Mr. Doolittle

'I�ll have law on you for this,' he cried desperately; 'I�ll have the law on you for this. I call on you, Mr.

By this time Richard was master of the true state of the case, and, turning to the steward, he said reproach

'Benjamin, how came you in the stocks? I always thought you were mild and docile as a lamb. It was for your

docility that I most esteemed you. Benjamin! Benjamin! you have not only disgraced yourself, but your

friends, by this shameless conduct, Bless me! bless me! Mr. Doolittle, he seems to have knocked your face all

Hiram by this time had got on his feet again, and with out the reach of the steward, when he broke forth in

violent appeals for vengeance. The offence was too apparent to be passed over, and the sheriff, mindful of the

impartiality exhibited by his cousin in the recent trial of the LeatherStocking, came to the painful conclusion

that it was necessary to commit his majordomo to prison. As the time of Natty�s punishment was expired,

and Benjamin found that they were to be confined, for that night at least, in the same apartment, he made no

very strong objection to the measure, nor spoke of bail, though, as the sheriff preceded the party of constables

'As to being berthed with Master Bumpho for a night or so, it�s but little I think of it, Squire Dickens, seeing

that I calls him an honest man, and one as has a handy way with boathooks and rifles; but as for owning that

a man desarves anything worse than a double allowance, for knocking that carpenters face aoneside, as

you call it, I�ll maintain it�s agin� reason and Christianity. If there�s a bloodsucker in this 'ere county, it�s that

very chap. Ay! I know him! and if he hasn�t got all the same as dead wood in his headworks, he knows

summat of me. Where�s the mighty harm, squire, that you take it so much to heart? It�s all the same as any

other battle, d�ye see sir, being broadside to broadside, only that it was foot at anchor, which was what we did

in Port Pray a roads, when Suff�ring came in among us; and a suff�ring time he had of it before he got out

Richard thought it unworthy of him to make any reply to this speech, but when his prisoners were safely

lodged in an outer dungeon, ordering the bolts to be drawn and the key turned, he withdrew.

Benjamin held frequent and friendly dialogues with different people, through the iron gratings, during the

afternoon; but his companion paced their narrow� limits, in his moccasins, with quick, impatient treads, his

face hanging on his breast in dejection, or when lifted, at moments, to the idlers at the window, lighted,

perhaps, for an instant, with the childish aspect of aged forgetfulness, which would vanish directly in an

At the close of the day, Edwards was seen at the window, in earnest dialogue with his friend; and after he de

parted it was thought that he had communicated words of comfort to the hunter, who threw himself on his

pallet and was soon in a deep sleep. The curious spectators had exhausted the conversation of the steward,

who had drunk good fellowship with half of his acquaintance, and, as Natty was no longer in motion, by eight

o�clock, Billy Kirby, who was the last lounger at the window, retired into the 'Templeton Coffeehouse,'

when Natty rose and hung a blanket before the opening, and the prisoners apparently retired for the night.

As the shades of evening approached, the jurors, wit nesses, and other attendants on the court began to

disperse, and before nine o�clock the village was quiet, and its streets nearly deserted. At that hour Judge

Temple and his daughter, followed at a short distance by Louisa Grant, walked slowly down the avenue,

'You can best soothe his wounded spirit, my child,' said Marmaduke; 'but it will be dangerous to touch on the

'Surely, sir,' cried the impatient Elizabeth, 'those laws that condemn a man like the LeatherStocking to so

severe a punishment, for an offence that even I must think very venial, cannot be perfect in themselves.'

'Thou talkest of what thou dost not understand, Elizabeth,' returned her father. 'Society cannot exist without

wholesome restraints. Those restraints cannot be inflicted without security and respect to the persons of those

who administer them; and it would sound ill indeed to report that a judge had extended favor to a convicted

'I seeI see the difficulty of your situation, dear sir,' cried the daughter; 'but, in appreciating the offence of

'There thou talkest as a woman, child; it is not for an assault on Hiram Doolittle, but for threatening the life of

'It is immaterial whether it be one or the other,' interrupted Miss Temple, with a logic that contained more

feeling than reason; 'I know Natty to be innocent, and thinking so I must think all wrong who oppress him.'

'Nay, nay, nay; do not put such questions to me; give me my commission, father, and let me proceed to

The Judge paused a moment, smiling fondly on his child, and then dropped his hand affectionately on her

'Thou hast reason, Bess, and much of it, too, but thy heart lies too near thy head, But listen; in this

pocketbook are two hundred dollars. Go to the prisonthere are none in this pace to harm theegive this

note to the jailer, and, when thou seest Bumppo, say what thou wilt to the poor old man; give scope to the

feeling of thy warm heart; but try to remember, Elizabeth, that the laws alone remove us from the condition

Miss Temple made no reply, but she pressed the hand that held the pocketbook to her bosom, and, taking

her friend by the arm, they issued together from the inclosure into the principal street of the village.

As they pursued their walk in silence, under the row of houses, where the deeper gloom of the evening

effectually concealed their persons, no sound reached them, excepting the slow tread of a yoke of oxen, with

the rattling of j a cart, that were moving along the street in the same direction with themselves, The figure of

the teamster was just discernible by the dim light, lounging by the side of his cattle with a listless air, as if

fatigued by the toil of the day. At the corner, where the jail stood, the progress of the ladies was impeded, for

a moment, by the oxen, who were turned up to the side of the building, and given a lock of hay, which they

had carried on their necks, as a reward for their patient labor, The whole of this was so natural, and so

common, that Elizabeth saw nothing to induce a second glance at the team, until she heard the teamster

'Mind yourself, Brindle; will you, sir! will you!' The language itself was so unusual to oxen, with which all

who dwell in a new country are familiar; but there was something in the voice, also, that startled Miss Temple

On turning the corner, she necessarily approached the man, and her look was enabled to detect the person of

Oliver Edwards, concealed under the coarse garb of a teamster. Their eyes met at the same instant, and, not t

withstanding the gloom, and the enveloping cloak of Elizabeth, the recognition was mutual.

'Miss Temple!' 'Mr. Edwards!' were exclaimed simultaneously, though a feeling that seemed common to both

'Is it possible!' exclaimed Edwards, after the moment of doubt had passed; 'do I see you so nigh the jail! but

you are going to the rectory: I beg pardon, Miss Grant, I believe; I did not recognize you at first.'

The sigh which Louisa tittered was so faint, that it was only heard by Elizabeth, who replied quickly, 'We are

going not only to the jail, Mr. Edwards' but into it. We wish to show the LeatherStocking that we do not

forget his services, and that at the same time we must be just, we are also grateful. I suppose you are on a

similar errand; but let me beg that you will give us leave to precede you ten minutes. Goodnight, sir; I

Iam quite sorry, Mr. Edwards, to see you reduced to such labor; I am sure my father would'

'I shall wait your pleasure, madam,' interrupted the youth coldly. 'May I beg that you will not mention my

'Certainly,' said Elizabeth, returning his bow by a slight inclination of her head, and urging the tardy Louisa

forward. As they entered the jailer�s house, however, Miss Grant found leisure to whisper:

'Would it not be well to offer part of your money to Oliver? half of it will pay the fine of Bumppo; and he is

so unused to hardships! I am sure my father will subscribe much of his little pittance, to place him in a station

The involuntary smile that passed over the features of Elizabeth was blended with an expression of deep and

heartfelt pity. She did not reply, however, and the appearance of the jailer soon recalled the thoughts of both

The rescue of the ladies, and their consequent interest in his prisoner, together with the informal manners that

prevailed in the country, all united to prevent any surprise on the part of the jailer, at their request for

admission to Bumppo. The note of Judge Temple, however, would have silenced all objections, if he had felt

them and he led the way without hesitation to the apartment that held the prisoners. The instant the key was

'Some visitors that you�ll be glad to see,' returned the jailer. 'What have you done to the lock, that it won�t

'Handsomely, handsomely, master,' cried the steward: 'I have just drove a nail into a berth alongside of this

here bolt, as a stopper, d�ye see, so that Master Doobut little can�t be running in and breezing up another

fight atwixt us: for, to my account, there�ll be but a hanyan with me soon, seeing that they�ll mulct me of

my Spaniards, all the same as if I�d overflogged the lubber. Throw your ship into the wind, and lay by for a

The sounds of hammering gave an assurance that the steward was in earnest, and in a short time the lock

Benjamin had evidently been anticipating the seizure of his money, for he had made frequent demands on the

favorite cask at the 'Bold Dragoon,' during the afternoon and evening, and was now in that state which by

marine imagery is called 'halfseasover.' It was no easy thing to destroy the balance of the old tar by the

effects of liquor, for, as he expressed it himself, 'he was too lowrigged not to carry sail in all weathers;' but

he was precisely in that condition which is so expressively termed 'muddy.' When he perceived who the

visitors were, he retreated to the side of the room where his pallet lay, and, regardless of the presence of his

young mistress, seated himself on it with an air of great sobriety, placing his back firmly against the wall.

'If you undertake to spoil my locks in this manner, Mr. Pump,' said the jailer, 'I shall put a stopper, as you call

'What for should ye, master?' grumbled Benjamin; 'I�ve rode out one squall today anchored by the heels, and

I wants no more of them. Where�s the harm o� doing all the same as yourself? Leave that there door free out

'I must shut up for the night at nine,' said the jailer, 'and it�s now fortytwo minutes past eight.' He placed the

'LeatherStocking!' said Elizabeth, when the key of the door was turned on them again, 'my good friend,

LeatherStocking! I have come on a message of gratitude. Had you submitted to the search, worthy old man,

'Submit to the sarch!' interrupted Natty, raising his face from resting on his knees, without rising from the

corner where he had seated himself; 'd�ye think gal, I would let such a varmint into my hut? No, noI

wouldn�t have opened the door to your own sweet countenance then. But they are welcome to search among

the coals and ashes now; they�ll find only some such heap as is to be seen at every potashery in the

The old man dropped his face again on one hand, and seemed to be lost in melancholy.

'The hut can be rebuilt, and made better than before,' returned Miss Temple;' and it shall be my office to see it

Can ye raise the dead, child?' said Natty, in a sorrowful voice: 'can ye go into the place where you�ve laid

your fathers, and mothers, and children, and gather together their ashes, and make the same men and women

of them as afore? You do not know what �tis to lay your head for more than forty years under the cover of the

same logs, and to look at the same things for the better part of I a man�s life. You are young yet, child, but

you are one of the most precious of God�s creatures. I had hoped for ye that it might come to pass, but it�s all

over now; this, put to that, will drive the thing quite out of his mind for ever.'

Miss Temple must have understood the meaning of the old man better than the other listeners; for while

Louisa stood innocently by her side, commiserating the griefs of the hunter, she bent her head aside, so as to

conceal her features. The action and the feeling that caused it lasted but a moment.

'Other logs, and better, though, can be had, and shall be found for you, my old defender,' she continued. 'Your

confinement will soon be over, and, before that time arrives, I shall have a house prepared for you, where I

'Ease and plenty! house!' repeated Natty, slowly. 'You mean well, you mean well, and I quite mourn that it

'Damn your stocks,' said Benjamin, flourishing his bottle with one hand, from which he had been taking hasty

and repeated draughts, while he made gestures of disdain with the other: 'who cares for his bilboes? There�s a

leg that been stuck up on end like a jibboom for an hour. d�ye see, and what�s it the worse for�t, ha? canst tell

'Forget you, Miss Lizzy?' returned the steward; 'if I do, dam�me; you are not to be forgot, like Goody

Prettybones, up at the big house there. I say, old sharpshooter, she may have pretty bones, but I can�t say so

much for her flesh, d�ye see, for she looks somewhat like anatomy with another man�s jacket on. Now for the

skin of her face, it�s all the same as a new topsail with a taut boltrope, being snug at the leeches, but all in a

'Ay, ay, ma�am,' returned the steward. 'You didn�t say I shouldn�t drink, though.'

'We will not speak of what is to become of others,' said Miss Temple, turning again to the hunter' but of

your own fortunes, Natty. It shall be my care to see that you pass the rest of your days in ease and plenty.'

'Ease and plenty!' again repeated the LeatherStocking; 'what ease can there be to an old man, who must walk

a mile across the open fields, before he can find a shade to hide him from a scorching sun! or what plenty is

there where you hunt a day, and not start a buck, or see anything bigger than a mink, or maybe a stray fox!

Ah! I shall have a hard time after them very beavers, for this fine. I must go low toward the Pennsylvania line

in search of the creatures, maybe a hundred mile; for they are not to be got hereaway. No, noyour

betterments and clearings have druv the knowing things out of the country, and instead of beaverdams,

which is the nater of the animal, and according to Providence, you turn back the waters over the low grounds

with your milldams, as if �twas in man to stay the drops from going where He wills them to goBenny,

unless you stop your hand from going so often to your mouth, you won�t be ready to start when the time

'Hark�ee, Master Bumpho,' said the steward; 'don�t you fear for Ben, When the watch is called, set me of my

legs and give me the bearings and the distance of where you want me to steer, and I�ll carry sail with the best

'The time has come now,' said the hunter, listening; 'I hear the horns of the oxen rubbing agin� the side of the

'You won�t betray us, gal?' said Natty, looking simply into the face of Elizabeth' you won�t betray an old

man, who craves to breathe the clear air of heaven? I mean no harm; and if the law says that I must pay the

hundred dollars, I�ll take the season through, but it shall be forthcoming; and this good man will help me.'

'You catch them,' said Benjamin, with a sweeping gesture of his arm, 'and if they get away again, call me a

'But what mean you?' cried thc wondering Elizabeth. ' Here you must stay for thirty days; but I have the

money for your fine in this purse. Take it; pay it in the morning, and summon patience for your mouth. I will

come often to see you, with my friend; we will make up your clothes with our own hands; indeed, indeed,

'Would ye, children?' said Natty, advancing across the floor with an air of kindness, and taking the hand of

Elizabeth, 'would ye be so kearful of an old man, and just for shooting a beast which cost him nothing? Such

things doesn�t run in the blood, I believe, for you seem not to forget a favor. Your little fingers couldn�t do

much on a buckskin, nor be you used to push such a thread as sinews. But if he hasn�t got past hearing, he

shalt hear it and know it, that he may see, like me, there is some who know how to remember a kindness,'

'Tell him nothing,' cried Elizabeth, earnestly; 'if you love me, if you regard my feelings, tell him nothing. It is

of yourself only I would talk, and for yourself only I act. I grieve, LeatherStocking, that the law requires

that you should be detained here so long; but, after all, it will be only a short month, and'

'A month?' exclaimed Natty, opening his mouth with his usual laugh, 'not a day, nor a night, nor an hour, gal.

Judge Temple may sintence, but he can�t keep without a better dungeon than this. I was taken once by the

French, and they put sixtytwo of us in a blockhouse, nigh hand to old Frontinac; but �twas easy to cut

through a pine log to them that was used to timber.' The hunter paused, and looked cautiously around the

room, when, laughing again, he shoved the steward gently from his post, and removing the bedclothes,

discovered a hole recently cut in the logs with a mallet and chisel. 'It�s only a kick, and the outside piece is

'Off! ay, off!' cried Benjamin, rising from his stupor; 'well, here�s off. Ay! ay! you catch �em, and I'll hold on

'I fear this lad will trouble me much,' said Natty; '�twill be a hard pull for the mountain, should they take the

'Run!' echoed the steward; 'no, sheer alongside, and let�s have a fight of it.'

'You will not leave us, surely, LeatherStocking,' continued Miss Temple; 'I beseech you, reflect that you

will be driven to the woods entirely, and that you are fast getting old. Be patient for a little time, when you

'If not, here is money to discharge the fine, and in a month you are free. See, here it is in gold.'

'Gold!' said Natty, with a kind of childish curiosity; 'it�s long sin� I�ve seen a goldpiece. We used to get the

broad joes, in the old war, as plenty as the bears be now. I remember there was a man in Dieskau�s army, that

was killed, who had a dozen of the shining things sewed up in his shirt. I didn�t handle them myself, but I

'These are English guineas, and are yours,' said Elizabeth; 'an earnest of what shall be done for you.'

'Me! why should you give me this treasure!' said Natty, looking earnestly at the maiden.

'Why! have you not saved my life? Did you not rescue me from the jaws of the beast?' exclaimed Elizabeth,

The hunter took the money, and continued turning it in his hand for some time, piece by piece, talking aloud

'There�s a rifle, they say, out on the Cherry Valley, that will carry a hundred rods and kill. I�ve seen good

guns in my day, but none quite equal to that. A hundred rods with any sartainty is great shooting! Well,

well I�m old, and the gun I have will answer my time. Here, child, take back your gold. But the hour has

come; I hear him talking to the cattle, and I must be going. You won�t tell of us, galyou won�t tell of us,

'Tell of you!' echoed Elizabeth. 'But take the money, old man; take the money, even if you go into the

'No, no,' said Natty, shaking his head kindly; 'I would not rob you so for twenty rifles. But there�s one thing

'Why, it�s only to buy a canister of powder�twill cost two silver dollars. Benny Pump has the money ready,

but we daren�t come into the town to get it. Nobody has it but the Frenchman. 'Tis of the best, and just suits a

'Will I? I will bring it to you, LeatherStocking, though I toil a day in quest of you through the woods. But

'Where?' said Natty, musing a moment' tomorrow on the Vision; on the very top of the Vision, I�ll meet

you, child, just as the sun gets over our heads. See that it�s the fine grain; you�ll know it by the gloss and the

Natty now seated himself, and placing his feet in the hole, with a slight effort he opened a passage through

into the street. The ladies heard the rustling of hay, and well understood the reason why Edwards was in the

'Come, Benny,' said the hunter: '�twill be no darker tonight, for the moon will rise in an hour.'

'Stay!' exclaimed Elizabeth; 'it should not be said that you escaped in the presence of the daughter of Judge

Temple. Return, Leather Stocking, and let us retire be fore you execute your plan.'

Natty was about to reply, when the approaching footsteps of the jailer announced the necessity of his

immediate return. He had barely time to regain his feet, and to conceal the hole with the bedclothes, across

which Benjamin very opportunely fell, before the key was turned, and the door of the apartment opened.

'Isn�t Miss Temple ready to go?' said the civil jailer; ' it�s the usual hour for locking up.'

'It�s a fine grain, gal, and I think twill carry lead further than common. I am getting old, and can�t follow up

Miss Temple waved her hand for silence, and preceded Louisa and the keeper from the apartment. The man

turned the key once, and observed that he would return and secure his prisoners, when he had lighted the

ladies to the street. Accordingly they parted at the door of the building, when the jailer retired to his

'Now the LeatherStocking refuses the money,' whispered Louisa, 'it can all be given to Mr. Edwards, and

'Listen!' said Elizabeth; ' I hear the rustling of the hay; they are escaping at this moment. Oh! they will be

By this time they were at the corner, where Edwards and Natty were in the act of drawing the almost helpless

body of Benjamin through the aperture. The oxen had started back from their hay, and were standing with

'Throw the hay into the cart,' said Edwards, 'or they will suspect how it has been done. Quick, that they may

Natty had just returned from executing this order, when the light of the keeper�s candle shone through the

hole, and instantly his voice was heard in the jail exclaiming for his prisoners.

'What is to be done now?' said Edwards; 'this drunken fellow will cause our detection, and we have not a

'�Twouldn�t be kind, lad,' returned Natty; 'he took half the disgrace of the stocks on himself today, and the

At this moment two or three men were heard issuing from the door of the 'Bold Dragoon,' and among them

'There�s no moon yet,' cried the woodchopper; 'but it�s a clear night. Come, who�s for home? Hark! what a

The proposition was no sooner made than executed. The steward was seated on the hay, and enjoined to hold

his peace and apply the goad that was placed in his hand, while the oxen were urged on. So soon as this

arrangement was completed, Edwards and the hunter stole along the houses for a short distance, when they

The oxen were in brisk motion, and presently the cries of pursuit were heard in the street. The ladies

quickened their pace, with a wish to escape the crowd of constables and idlers that were approaching, some

execrating, and some laughing at the exploit of the prisoners. In the confusion, the voice of Kirby was plainly

distinguishable above all the others, shouting and swearing that he would have the fugitives, threatening to

'Spread yourselves, men,' he cried, as he passed the ladies, his heavy feet sounding along the street like the

tread of a dozen; 'spread yourselves; to the mountains; they�ll be in the mountains in a quarter of an hour, and

His cries were echoed from twenty mouths, for not only the jail but the taverns had sent forth their numbers,

As Elizabeth turned in at her father�s gate she saw the woodchopper stop at the cart, when she gave

Benjamin up for lost. While they were hurrying up the walk, two figures, stealing cautiously but quickly

under the shades of the trees, met the eyes of the ladies, and in a moment Edwards and the hunter crossed

'Miss Temple, I may never see you again,' exclaimed the youth; 'let me thank you for all your kindness; you

'Fly! fly!' cried Elizabeth; 'the village is alarmed. Do not be found conversing with me at such a moment, and

'Your retreat to the bridge is already cut off; before you can gain the wood your pursuers will be there. If'

'If what?' cried the youth. 'Your advice has saved me once already; I will follow it to death.'

'The street is now silent and vacant,' said Elizabeth, after a pause; 'cross it, and you will find my father�s boat

The youth uttered something in a low voice, that was heard only by Elizabeth, and turned to execute what she

'You�ll remember the canister of powder, children. Them beavers must be had, and I and the pups be getting

'Coming, lad, coming. God bless you, young ones, both of ye, for ye mean well and kindly to the old man.'

The ladies paused until they had lost sight of the retreating figures, when they immediately entered the

While this scene was passing in the walk, Kirby had overtaken the cart, which was his own, and had been

driven by Edwards, without asking the owner, from the place where the patient oxen usually stood at evening,

'Woacome hither, Golden,' he cried; 'why, how come you off the end of the bridge, where I left you,

'Heave ahead,' muttered Benjamin, giving a random blow with his lash, that alighted on the shoulder of the

'Who the devil be you?' cried Billy, turning round in surprise, but unable to distinguish, in the dark, the hard

'Who be I? why, I�m helmsman aboard of this here craft d�ye see, and a straight wake I�m making of it. Ay,

ay! I�ve got the bridge right ahead, and the bilboes dead aft: I calls that good steerage, boy. Heave ahead.'

'Lay your lash in the right spot, Mr. Benny Pump,' said the wood chopper, 'or I�ll put you in the palm of my

'Why, you must know, Master Kirby, that the LeatherStocking and I that�s Benny Pumpyou knows

Ben? well, Benny and Ino, me and Benny; dam�me if I know how �tis; but some of us are bound after a

cargo of beaverskins, d�ye see, so we�ve pressed the cart to ship them �ome in. I say, Master Kirby, what a

lubberly oar you pullyou handle an oar, boy, pretty much as a cow would a musket, or a lady would a

Billy had discovered the state of the steward�s mind, and he walked for some time alongside of the cart,

musing with himself, when he took the goad from Benjamin (who fell back on the hay and was soon asleep)

and drove his cattle down the street, over the bridge, and up the mountain, toward a clearing in which he was

to work the next day, without any other interruption than a few hasty questions from parties of the constables.

Elizabeth stood for an hour at the window of her room, and saw the torches of the pursuers gliding along the

side of the mountain, and heard their shouts and alarms; but, at the end of that time, the last party returned,

wearied and disappointed, and the village became as still as when she issued from the gate on her mission to

It was yet early on the following morning, when Elizabeth and Louisa met by appointment, and proceeded to

the store of Monsieur Le Quoi, in order to redeem the pledge the former had given to the Leather Stocking.

The people were again assembling for the business of the day, but the hour was too soon for a crowd, and the

ladies found the place in possession of its polite owner, Billy Kirby, one female customer, and the boy who

Monsieur Le Quoi was perusing a packet of letters with manifest delight, while the woodchopper, with one

hand thrust in his bosom, and the other in the folds of his jacket, holding an axe under his right arm, stood

sympathizing in the Frenchman�s pleasure with good natured interest. The freedom of manners that

prevailed in the new settlements commonly levelled all difference in rank, and with it, frequently, all

considerations of education and intelligence. At the time the ladies entered the store, they were unseen by the

'Ah! ha! Monsieur Beel, dis lettair mak me de most happi of mans. Ah! ma ch�re France! I vill see you again.'

'I rejoice, monsieur, at anything that contributes to your happiness,' said Elizabeth, ' but hope we are not

The complaisant shopkeeper changed the language to French and recounted rapidly to Elizabeth his hopes of

being permitted to return to his own country. Habit had, however, so far altered the manners of this pliable

person age, that he continued to serve the woodchopper, who was in quest of some tobacco, while he related

to his more gentle visitor the happy change that had taken place in the dispositions of his own countrymen.

The amount of it all was, that Mr. Le Quoi, who had fled from his own country more through terror than

because he was offensive to the ruling powers in France, had succeeded at length in getting an assurance that

his return to the West Indies would be unnoticed; and the Frenchman, who had sunk into the character of a

country shopkeeper with so much grace, was about to emerge again from his obscurity into his proper level in

We need not repeat the civil things that passed between the parties on this occasion, nor recount the endless

repetitions of sorrow that the delighted Frenchman expressed at being compelled to quit the society of Miss

Temple. Elizabeth took an opportunity, during this expenditure of polite expressions, to purchase the powder

privately of the boy, who bore the generic appellation of Jonathan. Be fore they parted, however, Mr. Le

Quoi, who seemed to think that he had not said enough, solicited the honor of a private interview with the

heiress, with a gravity in his air that announced the importance of the subject. After conceding the favor, and

appointing a more favorable time for the meeting, Elizabeth succeeded in getting out of the store, into which

the countrymen now began to enter, as usual, where they met with the same attention and bien seance as

Elizabeth and Louisa pursued their walk as far as the bridge in profound silence; but when they reached that

place the latter stopped, and appeared anxious to utter something that her diffidence suppressed.

'Are you ill, Louisa?' exclaimed Miss Temple; 'had we not better return, and seek another opportunity to meet

'Not ill, but terrified. Oh! I never, never can go on that hill again with you only. I am not equal to it, in deed I

This was an unexpected declaration to Elizabeth, who, although she experienced no idle apprehension of a

danger that no longer existed, felt most sensitively all the delicacy of maiden modesty. She stood for some

time, deeply reflecting within herself; but, sensible it was a time for action instead of reflection, she struggled

'Well, then it must be done by me alone. There is no other than yourself to be trusted, or poor old

LeatherStocking will be discovered. Wait for me in the edge of these woods, that at least I may not be seen

strolling in the hills by myself just now, One would not wish to create remarks, Louisaifif You will

'A year, in sight of the village, Miss Temple,� returned the agitated Louisa, 'but do not, do not ask me to go on

Elizabeth found that her companion was really unable to proceed, and they completed their arrangement by

posting Louisa out of the observation of the people who occasionally passed, but nigh the road, and in plain

view of the whole valley. Miss Temple then proceeded alone. She ascended the road which has been so often

mentioned in our narrative, with an elastic and firm step, fearful that the delay in the store of Mr. Le Quoi,

and the time necessary for reaching the summit, would prevent her being punctual to the appointment

Whenever she pressed an opening in the bushes, she would pause for breath, or, per haps, drawn from her

pursuit by the picture at her feet, would linger a moment to gaze at the beauties of the valley. The long

drought had, however, changed its coat of verdure to a hue of brown, and, though the same localities were

there, the view wanted the lively and cheering aspect of early summer. Even the heavens seemed to share in

the dried appearance of the earth, for the sun was concealed by a haziness in the atmosphere, which looked

like a thin smoke without a particle of moisture, if such a thing were possible. The blue sky was scarcely to

be seen, though now, and then there was a faint lighting up in spots through which masses of rolling vapor

could be discerned gathering around the horizon, as if nature were struggling to collect her floods for the

relief of man. The very atmosphere that Elizabeth inhaled was hot and dry, and by the time she reached the

point where the course led her from the highway she experienced a sensation like suffocation. But,

disregarding her feelings, she hastened to execute her mission, dwelling on nothing but the disappointment,

On the summit of the mountain which Judge Temple had named the 'Vision,' a little spot had been cleared, in

order that a better view might he obtained of the village and the valley. At this point Elizabeth understood the

hunter she was to meet him; and thither she urged her way, as expeditiously as the difficulty of the ascent,

and the impediment of a forest, in a state of nature, would admit. Numberless were the fragments of rocks,

trunks of fallen trees, and branches, with which she had to contend; but every difficulty vanished before her

resolution, and, by her own watch, she stood on the desired spot several minutes before the appointed hour.

After resting a moment on the end of a log, Miss Temple cast a glance about her in quest of her old friend,

but he was evidently not in the clearing; she arose and walked around its skirts, examining every place where

she thought it probable Natty might deem it prudent to conceal him self. Her search was fruitless; and, after

exhausting not only herself, but her conjectures, in efforts to discover or imagine his situation, she ventured

'Natty! LeatherStocking! old man!' she called aloud, in every direction; but no answer was given, excepting

the reverberations of her own clear tones, as they were echoed in the parched forest.

Elizabeth approached the brow of the mountain, where a faint cry, like the noise produced by striking the

hand against the mouth, at the same time that the breath is strongly exhaled, was heard answering to her own

voice. Not doubting in the least that it was the LeatherStocking lying in wait for her, and who gave that

signal to indicate the place where he was to be found, Elizabeth descended for near a hundred feet, until she

gained a little natural terrace, thinly scattered with trees, that grew in the fissures of the rocks, which were

covered by a scanty soil. She had advanced to the edge of this platform, and was gazing over the

perpendicular precipice that formed its face, when a rustling among the dry leaves near her drew her eyes in

another direction. Our heroine certainly was startled by the object that she then saw, but a moment restored

her selfpossession, and she advanced firmly, and with some interest in her manner, to the spot.

Mohegan was seated on the trunk of a fallen oak, with his tawny visage turned toward her, and his eyes fixed

on her face with an expression of wildness and fire, that would have terrified a less resolute female. His

blanket had fallen from his shoulders, and was lying in folds around him, leaving his breast, arms, and most

of his body bare. �The medallion of Washington reposed on his chest, a badge of distinction that Elizabeth

well knew he only produced on great and solemn occasions. But the whole appearance of the aged chief was

more studied than common, and in some particulars it was terrific. The long black hair was plaited on his

head, failing away, so as to expose his high forehead and piercing eyes. In the enormous incisions of his ears

were entwined ornaments of silver, beads, and porcupine�s quills, mingled in a rude taste, and after the Indian

fashions. A large drop, composed of similar materials, was suspended from the cartilage of his nose, and,

falling below his lips, rested on his chin. Streaks of red paint crossed his wrinkled brow, and were traced

down his cheeks, with such variations in the lines as caprice or custom suggested. His body was also colored

in the same manner; the whole exhibiting an Indian warrior prepared for some event of more than usual

'John! how fare you, worthy John?' said Elizabeth, as she approached him; 'you have long been a stranger in

the village. You promised me a willow basket, and I have long had a shirt of calico in readiness for you.'

The Indian looked steadily at her for some time without answering, and then, shaking his head, he replied, in

But if he should, he will know where to come for it,' returned Miss Temple. 'Indeed old John. I feel as if you

'Daughter,' said the Indian, 'listen : Six times ten hot summers have passed since John was young tall like a

pine; straight like the bullet of Hawkeye, strong as all buffalo; spry as the cat of the mountain. He was

strong, and a warrior like the Young Eagle. If his tribe wanted to track the Maquas for many suns, the eye of

Chingachgook found the print of their moccasins. If the people feasted and were glad, as they counted the

scalps of their enemies, it was on his pole they hung. If the squaws cried because there was no meat for their

children, he was the first in the chase. His bullet was swifter than the deer. Daughter, then Chingachgook

struck his tomahawk into the trees; it was to tell the lazy ones where to find him and the Mingoes but he

'Those times have gone by, old warrior,' returned Elizabeth ; ' since then your people have disappeared, and,

in place of chasing your enemies, you have learned to fear God and to live at peace.'

'Stand here, daughter, where you can see the great spring, the wigwams of your father, and the land on the

crooked river. John was young when his tribe gave away the country, in council, from where the blue

mountain stands above the water, to where the Susquehanna is hid by the trees. All this, and all that grew in

it, and all that walked over it, and all that fed there, they gave to the Fireeaterfor they loved him. He

was strong, and they were women, and he helped them. No Delaware would kill a deer that ran in his woods,

nor stop a bird that flew over his land; for it was his. Has John lived in peace? Daughter, since John was

young, he has seen the white man from Frontinac come down on his white brothers at Albany and fight. Did

they fear God? He has seen his English and his American fathers burying their tomahawks in each other�s

brains, for this very land. Did they fear God, and live in peace? He has seen the land pass away from the

Fireeater, and his children, and the child of his child, and a new chief set over the country. Did they live in

'Such is the custom of the whites, John. Do not the Delawares fight, and exchange their lands for powder, and

The Indian turned his dark eyes on his companion, and kept them there with a scrutiny that alarmed her a

'Where are the blankets and merchandise that bought the right of the Fireeater?' he replied in a more

animated voice; 'are they with him in his wigwam? Did they say to him, Brother, sell us your land, and take

this gold, this silver, these blankets, these rifles, or even this rum? No; they tore it front him, as a scalp is torn

from an enemy; and they that did it looked not behind them, to see whether he lived or died. Do such men

'But you hardly understand the circumstances,' said Elizabeth, more embarrassed than she would own, even to

herself. 'If you knew our laws and customs better, you would Judge differently of our acts. Do not believe

'The brother of Miquon is good, and he will do right. I have said it to HawkeyeI have said it to the

'Whom call you the Young Eagle?' said Elizabeth, averting her face from the gaze of the Indian, as she asked

'Has my daughter lived so long with him to ask this question?' returned the Indian warily. 'Old age freezes up

the blood, as the frosts cover the great spring in winter; but youth keeps the streams of the blood open like a

The loveliness to which the old warrior alluded was in no degree diminished by his allegorical speech; for the

blushes of the maiden who listened covered her burning cheeks till her dark eyes seemed to glow with their

reflection; but, after struggling a moment with shame, she laughed, as if unwilling to understand him

'Not to make me the mistress of his secret. He is too much of a Delaware to tell his secret thoughts to a

'Daughter, the Great Spirit made your father with a white skin, and he made mine with a red; but he colored

both their hearts with blood. When young, it is swift and warm; but when old, it is still and cold. Is there

difference below the skin? No. Once John had a woman. She was the mother of so many sons'he raised his

hand with three fingers elevated' and she had daughters that would have made the young Delawares happy.

She was kind, daughter, and what I said she did. You have different fashions; but do you think John did not

'And what has become of your family, Johnyour wife and your children?' asked Elizabeth, touched by the

'Where is the ice that covered the great spring? It is melted, and gone with the waters. John has lived till all

his people have left him for the land of spirits; his time has come, and he is ready.'

Mohegan dropped his head in his blanket, and sat in silence. Miss Temple knew not what to say. She wished

to draw the thoughts of the old warrior from his gloomy recollections, but there was a dignity in his sorrow,

and in his fortitude, that repressed her efforts to speak. After a long pause, however, she renewed the

'Where is the LeatherStocking, John? I have brought this canister of powder at his request; but he is

The Indian raised his head slowly and looked earnestly at the gift, which she put into his hand.

'This is the great enemy of my nation. Without this, when could the white man drive the Delawares?

Daughter, the Great Spirit gave your fathers to know how to make guns and powder, that they might sweep

the Indians from the land. There will soon be no redskin in the country. When John has gone, the last will

leave these hills, and his family will be dead.' The aged warrior stretched his body forward, leaning an elbow

on his knee, and appeared to be taking a parting look at the objects of the vale, which were still visible

through the misty atmosphere, though the air seemed to thicken at each moment around Miss Temple, who

became conscious of an increased difficulty of respiration. The eye of Mohegan changed gradually from its

sorrowful expression to a look of wildness that might be supposed to border on the inspiration of a prophet,

as he continued: 'But he will go on to the country where his fathers have met. The game shall be plenty as the

Ash in the lakes. No woman shall cry for meat: no Mingo can ever come The chase shall be for children; and

'John! this is not the heaven of a Christian,' cried Miss Temple; 'you deal now in the superstition of your

'Fathers! sons!' said Mohegan, with firmness.' all goneall gone!! have no son but the Young Eagle,

'Tell me, John,' said Elizabeth, willing to draw his thoughts to other subjects, and at the same time yielding to

her own powerful interest in the youth; 'who is this Mr. Edwards? why are you so fond of him, and whence

The Indian started at the question, which evidently recalled his recollection to earth. Taking her hand, he

'See, daughter,' he said, directing her looks toward the north; 'as far as your young eyes can see, it was the

land of his. But immense volumes of smoke at that moment rolled over their heath, and, whirling in the

eddies formed by the mountains, interposed a barrier to their sight, while he was speaking. Startled by this

circumstance, Miss Temple sprang to her feet, and, turning her eyes toward the summit of the mountain, she

beheld It covered by a similar canopy, while a roaring sound was heard in the forest above her like the

'What means it, John?' she exclaimed: 'we are enveloped in smoke, and I feel a heat like the glow of a

Before the Indian could reply, a voice was heard crying In the woods: 'John! where are you, old Mohegan!

The chief put his hand before his mouth, and, making it lay on his lips, produced the kind of noise that had

attracted Elizabeth to the place, when a quick and hurried step was heard dashing through the dried

underbrush and bushes, and presently Edwards rushed to his side, with horror an every feature.

'IT would have been sad, indeed, to lose you in such manner, my old friend,' said Oliver, catching his breath

for utterance. 'Up and away! even now we may be too late; the flames are circling round the point of the rock

below, and, unless we can pass there, our only chance must be over the precipice. Away! away! shake off

Mohegan pointed toward Elizabeth, who, forgetting her danger, had sunk back to a projection of the rock as

soon as she recognized the sounds of Edwards� voice, and said with something like awakened animation:

'Her! whom mean you?' cried the youth, turning quickly to the place the other indicated; but when he saw the

figure of Elizabeth bending toward him in an attitude that powerfully spoke terror, blended with reluctance to

'Miss Temple!' he cried, when he found words; ' you here! is such a death reserved for you!'

'No, no, nono death, I hope, for any of us, Mr. Edwards,' she replied, endeavoring to speak calmly; there is

'Take my arm,' said Edwards; 'there must he an opening in some direction for your retreat. Are you equal to

'Certainly. You surely magnify the danger, Mr. Ed wards. Lead me out the way you came.'

'I willI will,' cried the youth, with a kind of hysterical utterance. 'No, nothere is no dangerI have

An expression of painful emotion crossed the face of the young man; he stopped and cast a longing look at

Mohegan but, dragging his companion after him, even against her will, he pursued his way with enormous

'Do not regard him, ' he said, in those tones that de note a desperate calmness; 'he is used to the woods, and

such scenes; and he will escape up the mountainover the rockor he can remain where he is in safety.'

'You thought not so this moment, Edwards! Do not leave him there to meet with such a death,' cried

Elizabeth, fixing a look on the countenance of her conductor that seemed to distrust his sanity.

'An Indian born! who ever heard of an Indian dying by fire? An Indian cannot burn; the idea is ridiculous.

'Edwards! your look, your eye, terrifies me! Tell me the danger; is it greater than it seems? I am equal to any

'If we reach the point of yon rock before that sheet of fire, we are safe, Miss Temple,' exclaimed the young

man in a voice that burst without the bounds of his forced composure. ' Fly! the struggle is for life!'

The place of the interview between Miss Temple and the Indian has already been described as one of those

plat forms of rock, which form a sort of terrace in the mountains of that country, and the face of it, we have

said, was both high and perpendicular. Its shape was nearly a natural arc, the ends of which blended with the

mountain, at points where its sides were less abrupt in their descent. It was round one of these terminations of

the sweep of the rock that Edwards had ascended, and it was toward the same place that he urged Elizabeth to

Immense clouds of white smoke had been pouring over the summit of the mountain, and had concealed the

approach and ravages of the element; but a crackling sound drew the eyes of Miss Temple, as she flew over

the ground supported by the young man, toward the outline of smoke where she already perceived the waving

flames shooting forward from the vapor, now flaring high in the air, and then bending to the earth, seeming to

light into combustion every stick and shrub on which they breathed. The sight aroused them to redoubled

efforts; but, unfortunately, a collection of the tops of trees, old and dried, lay directly across their course; and

at the very moment when both had thought their safety insured, the warm current of the air swept a forked

tongue of flame across the pile, which lighted at the touch; and when they reached the spot, the flying pair

were opposed by the surly roaring of a body of fire, as if a furnace were glowing in their path. They recoiled

from the heat, and stood on a point of the rock, gazing in a stupor at the flames which were spreading rap idly

down the mountain, whose side, too, became a sheet of living fire. It was dangerous for one clad in the light

and airy dress of Elizabeth to approach even the vicinity of the raging element; and those flowing robes, that

gave such softness and grace to her form, seemed now to be formed for the instruments of her destruction.

The villagers were accustomed to resort to that hill, in quest of timber and fuel; in procuring which, it was

their usage to take only the bodies of the trees, leaving the tops and branches to decay under the operations of

the weather. Much of the hill was, consequently, covered with such light fuel, which, having been scorched

under the sun for the last two months, was ignited with a touch. Indeed, in some cases, there did not appear to

be any contact between the fire and these piles, but the flames seemed to dart from heap to heap, as the

There was beauty as well as terror in the sight, and Edwards and Elizabeth stood viewing the progress of the

desolation, with a strange mixture of horror and interest. The former, however, shortly roused himself to new

exertions, and, drawing his companion after him, they skirted the edge of the smoke, the young man

penetrating frequently into its dense volumes in search of a passage, but in every instance without success. In

this manner they proceeded in a semicircle around the upper part of the terrace, until arriving at the verge of

the precipice opposite to the point where Edwards had ascended, the horrid conviction burst on both, at the

same instant, that they were completely encircled by fire. So long as a single pass up or down the mountain

was unexplored, there was hope: but when retreat seemed to be absolutely impracticable, the horror of their

situation broke upon Elizabeth as powerfully as if she had hitherto considered the danger light.

'This mountain is doomed to be fatal to me!' she whispered;' we shall find our graves on it!'

'Say not so, Miss Temple; there is yet hope,' returned the youth, in the same tone, while the vacant expression

of his eye contradicted his words; 'let us return to the point of the rockthere isthere must be some

'Lead me there,' exclaimed Elizabeth; 'let us leave no effort untried.' She did not wait for his compliance, but

turning, retraced her steps to the brow of the precipice, murmuring to herself, in suppressed, hysterical sobs,

Edwards was by her side in an instant, and with aching eyes he examined every fissure in the crags in quest

of some opening that might offer facilities for flight. But the smooth, even surface of the rocks afforded

hardly a restingplace for a foot, much less those continued projections which would have been necessary for

a descent of nearly a hundred feet. Edwards was not slow in feeling the conviction that this hope was also

futile, and, with a kind of feverish despair that still urged him to action, he turned to some new expedient.

'There is nothing left, Miss Temple,' he said, 'but to lower you from this place to the rock beneath. If Natty

were here, or even that Indian could be roused, their ingenuity and long practice would easily devise methods

to do it; but I am a child at this moment in everything but daring. Where shall I find means? This dress of

mine is so light, and there is so little of itthen the blanket of Mohegan; we must try we must

'And what will become of you?' said Elizabeth. 'In deed, indeed, neither you nor John must be sacrificed to

He heard her not, for he was already by the side of Mohegan, who yielded his blanket without a question,

retaining his seat with Indian dignity and composure, though his own situation was even more critical than

that of the others. The blanket was cut into shreds, and the fragments fastened together: the loose linen jacket

of the youth and the light muslin shawl of Elizabeth were attached to them, and the whole thrown over the

rocks with the rapidity of lightning; but the united Pieces did not reach halfway to the bottom.

'It will not doit will not do!' cried Elizabeth; ' for me there is no hope! The fire comes slowly, but certainly.

Had the flames spread on that rock with half the quick ness with which they leaped from bush to tree in other

parts of the mountain, our painful task would have soon ended; for they would have consumed already the

captives they inclosed. But the peculiarity of their situation afforded Elizabeth and her companion the respite

The thin covering of earth on the rock supported but a scanty and faded herbage, and most of the trees that

had found root in the fissures had already died, during the in tense heats of preceding summers. Those which

still retained the appearance of life bore a few dry and withered leaves, while the others were merely the

wrecks of pines, oaks, and maples. No better materials to feed the fire could be found, had there been a

communication with the flames; but the ground was destitute of the brush that led the destructive element,

like a torrent, over the remainder of the hill. As auxiliary to this scarcity of fuel, one of the large springs

which abound in that country gushed out of the side of the ascent above, and, after creeping sluggishly along

the level land, saturating the mossy covering of the rock with moisture, it swept around the base of the little

cone that formed the pinnacle of the mountain, and, entering the canopy of smoke near one of the

terminations of the terrace, found its way to the lake, not by dashing from rock to rock, but by the secret

channels of the earth. It would rise to the surface, here and there, in the wet seasons, but in the droughts of

summer it was to be traced only by the bogs and moss that announced the proximity of water. When the fire

reached this barrier, it was compelled to pause, until a concentration of its heat could overcome the moisture,

like an army awaiting the operations of a battering train, to open its way to desolation.

That fatal moment seemed now to have arrived, for the hissing steams of the spring appeared to be nearly

exhausted, and the moss of the rocks was already curling under the intense heat, while fragments of bark, that

yet clung to the dead trees, began to separate from their trunks, and fall to the ground in crumbling masses.

The air seemed quivering with rays of heat, which might be seen playing along the parched stems of the trees.

There were moments when dark clouds of smoke would sweep along the little terrace; and, as the eye lost its

power, the other senses contributed to give effect to the fearful horror of the scene. At such moments, the

roaring of the flames, the crackling of the furious element, with the tearing of falling branches, and

occasionally the thundering echoes of some falling tree, united to alarm the victims. Of the three, however,

the youth appeared much the most agitated. Elizabeth, having relinquished entirely the idea of escape, was

fast obtaining that resigned composure with which the most delicate of her sex are sometimes known to meet

unavoidable evils; while Mohegan, who was much nearer to the danger, maintained his seat with the

invincible resignation of an Indian warrior. Once or twice the eye of the aged chief, which was ordinarily

fixed in the direction of the distant hills, turned toward the young pair, who seemed doomed to so early a

death, with a slight indication of pity crossing his composed features, but it would immediately revert again

to its former gaze, as if already looking into the womb of futurity. Much of the time he was chanting a kind of

low dirge in the Delaware tongue, using the deep and remarkable guttural tones of his people.

'At such a moment, Mr. Edwards, all earthly distinctions end,' whispered Elizabeth; 'persuade John to move

'I cannothe will not stir,' returned the youth, in the same horridly still tones. ' He considers this as the

happiest moment of his life, he is past seventy, and has been decaying rapidly for some time; he received

some injury in chasing that unlucky deer, too, on the lake, Oh! Miss Temple, that was an unlucky chase,

The smile of Elizabeth was celestial. 'Why name such a trifle now?at this moment the heart is dead to all

'If anything could reconcile a man to this death,' cried the youth, 'it would be to meet it in such company!'

'Talk not so, Edwards; talk not so,' interrupted Miss Temple. 'I am unworthy of it, and it is unjust to your self.

We must die; yesyes we must dieit is the will of God, and let us endeavor to submit like his own

'Die!' the youth rather shrieked than exclaimed, 'no nonothere must yet be hopeyou, at least,

'In what way can we escape?' asked Elizabeth, pointing with a look of heavenly composure toward the fire

'Observe! the flame is crossing the barrier of wet groundit comes slowly, Edwards, but surely. Ah! see! the

Her words were too true. The heat of the conflagration had at length overcome the resistance of the spring,

and the fire was slowly stealing along the halfdried moss; while a dead pine kindled with the touch of a

forked flame, that, for a moment, wreathed around the stem of the tree, as it whined, in one of its evolutions,

under the influence of the air. The effect was instantaneous, The flames danced along the parched trunk of the

pine like lightning quivering on a chain, and immediately a column of living fire was raging on the terrace. It

soon spread from tree to tree, and the scene was evidently drawing to a close. The log on which Mohegan

was seated lighted at its further end, and the Indian appeared to be surrounded by fire. Still he was unmoved.

As his body was unprotected, his sufferings must have been great; but his fortitude was superior to all. His

voice could yet be heard even in the midst of these horrors. Elizabeth turned her head from the sight, and

faced the valley Furious eddies of wind were created by the heat, and, just at the moment, the canopy of fiery

smoke that overhung the valley was cleared away, leaving a distinct view of the peaceful village beneath

them, My father!my lather!' shrieked Elizabeth 'Oh! thissurely might have been spared mebut I

The distance was not so great but the figure of Judge Temple could be seen, standing in his own grounds, and

apparently contemplating, in perfect unconsciousness of the danger of his child, the mountain in flames. This

sight was still more painful than the approaching danger; and Elizabeth again faced the hill.

'My intemperate warmth has done this!' cried Edwards, in the accents of despair. 'If I had possessed but a

moiety of your heavenly resignation, Miss Temple, all might yet have been well.'

'Name it notname it not,' she said. 'It is now of no avail. We must die, Edwards, we must dielet us do so

as Christians. Butnoyou may yet escape, perhaps. Your dress is not so fatal as mine. Fly! Leave me, An

opening may yet be found for you, possiblycertainly it is worth the effort. Fly! leave mebut stay! You

will see my father! my poor, my bereaved father! Say to him, then, Edwards, say to him, all that can appease

his anguish. Tell him that I died happy and collected; that I have gone to my beloved mother; that the hours

of this life are nothing when balanced in the scales of eternity. Say how we shall meet again. And say,' she

continued, dropping her voice, that had risen with her feelings, as if conscious of her worldly weakness, 'how

clear, how very dear, was my love for him; that it was near, too near, to my love for God.'

The youth listened to her touching accents, but moved not. In a moment he found utterance, and replied:

'And is it me that you command to leave you! to leave you on the edge of the grave? Oh! Miss Temple, how

little have you known me!' he cried, dropping on his knees at her feet, and gathering her flowing robe in his

arms as if to shield her from the flames. 'I have been driven to the woods in despair, but your society has

tamed the lion within me. If I have wasted my time in degradation, �twas you that charmed me to it. If I have

forgotten my name and family, your form supplied the place of memory. If I have forgotten my wrongs, �twas

you that taught me charity. Nonodearest Elizabeth, I may die with you, but I can never leave you!'

Elizabeth moved not, nor answered. It was plain that her thoughts had been raised from the earth, The

recollection of her father, and her regrets at their separation, had been mellowed by a holy sentiment, that

lifted her above the level of earthly things, and she was fast losing the weakness of her sex in the near view of

eternity. But as she listened to these words she became once more woman. She struggled against these

feelings, and smiled, as she thought she was shaking off the last lingering feeling of nature, when the world,

and all its seductions, rushed again to her heart, with the sounds of a human, voice, crying in piercing tones:

'Gal! where he ye, gal! gladden the heart of an old man, if ye yet belong to �arth!'

A wide and circling flame glared on their eyes for a moment, even above the fire of the woods, and a loud

''Tis the canister, �tis the powder,' cried the same voice, evidently approaching them. ' �Tis the canister, and

At the next instant Natty rushed through the steams of the spring, and appeared on the terrace, without his

deerskin cap, his hair burnt to his head, his shirt, of country check, black and filled with holes, and his red

For an hour after Louisa Grant was left by Miss Temple, in the situation already mentioned, she continued in

feverish anxiety, awaiting the return of her friend. But as the time passed by without the reappearance of

Elizabeth, the terror of Louisa gradually increased, until her alarmed fancy had conjured every species of

danger that appertained to the woods, excepting the one that really existed. The heavens had become

obscured by degrees, and vast volumes of smoke were pouring over the valley; but the thoughts of Louisa

were still recurring to beasts, without dreaming of the real cause for apprehension. She was stationed in the

edge of the low pines and chestnuts that succeed the first or large growth of the forest, and directly above the

angle where the highway turned from the straight course to the village, and ascended the mountain laterally.

Consequently, she commanded a view, not only of the valley, but of the road beneath her. The few travellers

that passed, she observed, were engaged in earnest conversation, and frequently raised their eyes to the hill,

and at length she saw the people leaving the court house, and gazing upward also. While under the influence

of the alarm excited by such unusual movements, reluctant to go, and yet fearful to remain, Louisa was

startled by the low, cracking, but cautious treads of some one approaching through the bushes. She was on the

eve of flight, when Natty emerged from the cover, and stood at her side. The old man laughed as he shook her

'I am glad to meet you here, child,' he said; 'for the back of the mountain is afire, and it would be dangerous

to go up it now, till it has been burnt over once, and the dead wood is gone. There�s a foolish man, the

comrade of that varmint who has given me all this trouble, digging for ore on the east side. I told him that the

kearless fellows, who thought to catch a practysed hunter in the woods after dark, had thrown the lighted

pineknots in the brush, and that �twould kindle like tow, and warned him to leave the hill. But he was set

upon his business, and nothing short of Providence could move him. if he isn�t burnt and buried in a grave of

his own digging, he�s made of salamanders. Why, what ails the child? You look as skeary as if you�d seed

more painters. I wish there were more to be found! they�d count up faster than the beaver. But where�s the

'The hill! the hill!' shrieked Louisa; 'she seeks you on the hill with the powder!'

'The Lord of Heaven have mercy on her! She�s on the Vision, and that�s a sheet of fire agin� this. Child, if ye

love the dear one, and hope to find a friend when ye need it most, to the village, and give the alarm. The men

are used to fighting fire, and there may be a chance left, Fly! I bid ye fly! nor stop even for breath.'

The LeatherStocking had no sooner uttered this injunction, than he disappeared in the bushes, and, when

last seen by Louisa, was rushing up the mountain, with a speed that none but those who were accustomed to

'Have I found ye!' the old man exclaimed, when he burst out of the smoke; 'God be praised that I have found

'My dress!' said Elizabeth; ' it would be fatal to trust myself nearer to the flames in it.'

'I bethought me of your flimsy things,' cried Natty, throwing loose the folds of a covering buckskin that he

carried on his arm, and wrapping her form in it, in such a manner as to envelop her whole person; ' now

'But John! what will become of John?' cried Edwards; 'can we leave the old warrior here to perish?'

The eyes of Natty followed the direction of Edwards� finger, where he beheld the Indian still seated as before,

with the very earth under his feet consuming with fire. Without delay the hunter approached the spot, and

'Up and away, Chingachgook! will ye stay here to burn, like a Mingo at the stake? The Moravians have

teached ye better, I hope; the Lord preserve me if the powder hasn�t flashed atween his legs, and the skin of

'Why should Mohegan go?' returned the Indian, gloomily. 'He has seen the days of an eagle, and his eye

grows dim He looks on the valley; he looks on the water; he looks in the huntinggroundsbut he sees no

Delawares. Every one has a white skin. My fathers say, from the far off land, Come. My women, my young

'�Tis useless to talk to an Indian with the deathfit on him, lad,' interrupted Natty, who seized the strips of the

blanket, and with wonderful dexterity strapped the passive chieftain to his own back; when he turned, and

with a strength that seemed to bid defiance, not only to his years, but to his load, he led the way to the point

whence he had issued. As they crossed the little terrace of rock, one of the dead trees, that had been tottering

for several minutes, fell on the spot where they had stood, and filled the air with its cinders.

Such an event quickened the steps of the party, who followed the LeatherStocking with the urgency

'Tread on the soft ground,' he cried, when they were in a gloom where sight availed them but little, 'and keep

in the white smoke; keep the skin close on her, lad; she�s a precious oneanother will be hard to be found.'

Obedient to the hunter�s directions, they followed his steps and advice implicitly; and, although the narrow

pas sage along the winding of the spring led amid burning logs and falling branches, they happily achieved it

in safety. No one but a man long accustomed to the woods could have traced his route through the smoke, in

which respiration was difficult, and sight nearly useless; but the experience of Natty conducted them to an

opening through the rocks, where, with a little difficulty, they soon descended to another terrace, and

The feelings of Edwards and Elizabeth at reaching this spot may be imagined, though not easily described.

No one seemed to exult more than their guide, who turned, with Mohegan still lashed to his back, and,

'I knowed �twa the Frenchman�s powder, gal; it went so all together; your coarse grain will squib for a

minute. The Iroquois had none of the best powder when I went agin� the Canada tribes, under Sir William.

'For God�s sake, tell me nothing now, Natty, until we are entirely safe. Where shall we go next?'

'Why, on the platform of rock over the cave, to be sure; you will be safe enough there, or we�ll go Into It, if

you be so minded.' The young man started, and appeared agitated; but, Looking around him with an anxious

'Can�t the boy see?' said Natty, with the coolness of one accustomed to the kind of danger he had just

encountered. 'Had ye stayed in the place above ten minutes longer, you would both have been in ashes, but

here you may stay forever, and no fire can touch you, until they burn the rocks as well as the woods.'

With this assurance, which was obviously true, they proceeded to the spot, and Natty deposited his load,

placing the Indian on the ground with his back against a fragment of the rocks. Elizabeth sank on the ground,

and buried her face in her hands, while her heart was swelling with a variety of conflicting emotions.

'Let me urge you to take a restorative, Miss Temple,' said Edwards respectfully; 'your frame will sink else.'

'Leave me, leave me,' she said, raising her beaming eyes for a moment to his; 'I feel too much for words! I am

'Hereaway, master; stowed in this here bit of a hole, which is all the time as hot as the cook�s coppers. I�m

tired of my berth, d�ye see, and ifsobe that Leather Stocking has got much overhauling to do before he

sails after them said beaver I�ll go into dock again, and ride out my quarantine, till I can get prottick from the

'Bring up a glass of water from the spring,' continued Edwards, 'and throw a little wine in it; hasten, I entreat

'I knows but little of your small drink, Master Oliver,' returned the steward, his voice issuing out of the cave

into the open air, 'and the Jamaikey held out no longer than to take a parting kiss with Billy Kirby, when he

anchored me alongside the highway last night, where you run me down in the chase. But here�s summat of a

red color that may suit a weak stomach, mayhap. That Master Kirby is no firstrate in a boat; but he�ll tack a

cart among the stumps, all the same as a Lon�on pilot will back and fill, through the colliers in the Pool.'

As the steward ascended while talking, by the time he had ended his speech he appeared on the rock with the

desired restoratives, exhibiting the wornout and bloated features of a man who had run deep in a debauch,

Elizabeth took from the hands of Edwards the liquor which he offered and then motioned to be left again to

The youth turned at her bidding, and observed Natty kindly assiduous around the person of Mohegan. When

'His time has come, lad; see it in his eyeswhen an Indian fixes his eye, he means to go but to one place;

A quick tread prevented the reply, and in a few moments, to the amazement of the whole party, Mr. Grant

was seen clinging to the side of the mountain, and striving to reach the place where they stood. Oliver sprang

to his assistance, and by their united efforts the worthy divine was soon placed safely among them.

'How came you added to our number?' cried Edwards. 'Is the hill alive with people at a time like this?'

The hasty but pious thanksgivings of the clergyman were soon ejaculated, and, when he succeeded in

'I heard that my child was seen coming to the mountain; and, when the fire broke over its summit, my

uneasiness drew me up the road, where I found Louisa, in terror for Miss Temple. It was to seek her that I

came into this dangerous place; and I think, but for God�s mercy, through the dogs of Natty, I should have

'Ay! follow the hounds, and if there�s an opening they�ll scent it out,' said Natty; 'their noses be given them

'I did so, and they led me to this place; but, praise be to God that I see you all safe and well.'

'No, no,' returned the hunter; 'safe we be, but as for well, John can�t be called in a good way, unless you�ll say

'He speaks the truth!' said the divine, with the holy awe with which he ever approached the dying; 'I have

been by too many deathbeds, not to see that the hand of the tyrant is laid on this old warrior. Oh! how

consoling it is to know that he has not rejected the offered mercy in the hour of his strength and of worldly

temptations! The offspring of a race of heathens, he has in truth been �as a brand plucked from the burning.�'

'No, no,' returned Natty, who alone stood with him by the side of the dying warrior; 'it is no burning that ails

him, though his Indian feelings made him scorn to move, unless it be the burning of man�s wicked thoughts

for near fourscore years; but it�s natur� giving out in a chasm that�s run too long.Down with ye, Hector!

down, I say! Flesh Isn�t iron, that a man can live forever, and see his kith and kin driven to a far country, and

'John,' said the divine, tenderly, 'do you hear me? do you wish the prayers appointed by the church, at this

The Indian turned his ghastly face toward the speaker, and fastened his dark eyes on him, steadily, but

No sign of recognition was made: and in a moment he moved his head again slowly toward the vale, and

began to sing, using his own language, in those low, guttural tones, that have been so often mentioned, his

'I will come! I will come! to the land of the just I will come! The Maquas I have slain! I have slain the

Maquas! and the Great Spirit calls to his son. I will come! I will come to the land of the just! I will come!'

'What says he, LeatherStocking?' Inquired the priest, with tender interest; 'sings he the Redeemer�s praise?'

'No, no�tis his own praise that he speaks now,' said Natty, turning in a melancholy manner from the sight

of his dying friend; 'and a good right he has to say it all, for I know every word to be true.'

'May heaven avert such selfrighteousness from his heart! Humility and penitence are the seals of

Christianity; and, without feeling them deeply seated in the soul, all hope is delusive, and leads to vain

expectations. Praise himself when his whole soul and body should unite to praise his Maker! John! you have

enjoyed the blessings of a gospel ministry, and have been called from out a multitude of sinners and pagans,

and, I trust. for a wise and gracious purpose. Do you now feel what it is to be justified by our Saviour�s death,

and reject all weak and idle dependence on good works, that spring from man�s pride and vainglory?'

The Indian did not regard his interrogator, but he raised his head again, and said in a low, distinct voice:

'Who can say that the Maqous know the back of the Mohegan? What enemy that trusted in him did not see

the morning? What Mingo that he chased ever sang the song of triumph? Did Mohegan ever he? No; the truth

lived in him, and none else could come out of him. In his youth he was a warrior, and his moccasins left the

stain of blood. In his age he was wise; his words at the council fire did not blow away with the winds. '

'Ah! he has abandoned that vain relic of paganism, his songs,' cried the divine; ' what says he now? is he

'Lord!! man,' said Natty, 'he knows his end is at hand as well as you or I; but, so far from thinking it a loss, he

believes it to be a great gain. He is old and stiff, and you have made the game so scarce and shy, that better

shots than him find it hard to get a livelihood. Now he thinks he shall travel where it will always be good

hunting ; Where no wicked or unjust Indians can go; and where he shall meet all his tribe together agin.

There�s not much loss in that, to a man whose hands are hardly fit for basketmaking Loss! if there be any

loss, �twill be to me. I�m sure after he�s gone, there will be but little left for me but to follow.'

'His example and end, which, I humbly trust, shall yet be made glorious,' returned Mr. Grant, 'should lead

your mind to dwell on the things of another life. But I feel it to be my duty to smooth the way for the parting

spirit. This is the moment, John, when the reflection that you did not reject the mediation of the Redeemer,

will bring balm to your soul. Trust not to any act of former days, but lay the burden of your sins at his feet,

'Though all you say be true, and you have scriptur' gospels for it, too,' said Natty, 'you will make nothing of

the Indian. He hasn�t seen a Moravian p sin� the war; and it�s hard to keep them from going hack to their

native ways. I should think �twould be as well to let the old man pass in peace. He's happy now; I know it by

his eye; and that�s more than I would say for the chief, sin� the time the Delawares broke up from the head

waters of their river and went west. Ah�s me! �tis a grevous long time that, and many dark days have we seen

'Hawkeye!' said Mohegan, rousing with the last glimmering of life. ' Hawkeye! listen to the words of your

'Yes, John,' said the hunter, in English, strongly affected by the appeal, and drawing to his side, we have been

brothers; and more so than it means in the Indian tongue. What would ye have with me, Chingachgook?'

'Hawkeye! my fathers call me to the happy hunting grounds. The path is clear, and the eyes of Mohegan

grow young. I lookbut I see no whiteskins ; there are none to be seen but just and brave Indians.

Farewell, Hawkeyeyou shall go with the Fireeater and the Young Eagle to the white man�s heaven; but

I go after my fathers. Let the bow, and tomahawk, and pipe, and the wampum of Mohegan he laid in his

grave; for when he starts 'twil be in the night, like a warrior on a warparty, and he can not stop to seek

'What says he, Nathaniel?' cried Mr. Grant, earnestly, and with obvious anxiety; 'does he recall the promises

Although the faith of the hunter was by no means clear, yet the fruits of early instruction had not entirely

fallen in the wilderness. He believed in one Cod, and one heaven; and when the strong feeling excited by the

leavetaking of his old companion, which was exhibited by the powerful working of every muscle in his

'Nonohe trusts only to the Great Spirit of the savages, and to his own good deeds. He thinks, like all his

people, that he is to be young agin, and to hunt, and be happy to the end of etarnity. its pretty much the same

with all colors, parson. I could never bring myself to think that I shall meet with these hounds, or my piece, in

another world; though the thought of leaving them forever sometimes brings hard feelings over me, and

'The Lord in his mercy avert such a death from one who has been sealed with the sign of the cross!' cried the

He paused for the elements. During the period occupied by the events which we have related, the dark clouds

in the horizon had continued to increase in numbers and multitude; and the awful stillness that now pervaded

the air, announced a crisis in the state of the atmosphere. The flames, which yet continued to rage along the

sides of the mountain, no longer whirled in uncertain currents of their own eddies, but blazed high and

steadily toward the heavens. There was even a quietude in the ravages of the destructive element, as if it

foresaw that a hand greater titan even its own desolating power, was about to stay its progress. The piles of

smoke which lay above the valley began to rise, and were dispelling rapidly; and streaks of livid lightning

were dancing through the masses of clouds that impended over the western hills. While Mr. Grant was

speaking, a flash, which sent its quivering light through the gloom, laying bare the whole opposite horizon,

was followed by a loud crash of thunder, that rolled away among the hills, seeming to shake the foundations

of the earth to their centre. Mohegan raised him self, as if in obedience to a signal for his departure, and

stretched his wasted arm toward the west. His dark face lighted with a look of joy; which, with all other

expressions, gradually disappeared; the muscles stiffening as they retreated to a state of rest; a slight

convulsion played, for a single instant, about his lips; and his arm slowly dropped by his side, leaving the

frame of the dead warrior reposing against the rock with its glassy eyes open, and fixed on the distant hills, as

All this Mr. Grant witnessed in silent awe; but when the last echoes of the thunder died away he clasped his

bands together, with pious energy, and repeated, in the full, rich tones of assured faith;

'Lord! how unsearchable are Thy judgments; and Thy ways past finding out! �I know that my Redeemer

liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin, worms destroy this

body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for my self, and mine eyes shall behold, and not

As the divine closed this burst of devotion, he bowed his head meekly to his bosom, and looked all the

When Mr. Grant retired from the body, the hunter approached, and taking the rigid hand of his friend, looked

him wistfully in the face for some time without speaking, when he gave vent to his feelings by saying, in the

'Red skin or white, it�s all over now! he's to be judged by a righteous Judge, and by no laws that�s made to

suit times, and new ways. Well, there�s only one more death, and the world will be left to me and the hounds,

Ah�s me! a man must wait the time of God's pleasure, but I begin to weary of life. There is scarcely a tree

standing that I know, and it�s hard to find a face that I was ac quainted with in my younger days.'

Large drops of rain now began to fall, and diffuse them selves over the dry rock, while the approach of the

thunder shower was rapid and certain. �the body of the Indian was hastily removed into the cave beneath,

followed by the whining hounds, who missed and moaned for the look of intelligence that had always met

Edwards made some hasty and confused excuse for not taking Elizabeth into the same place, which was now

completely closed in front with logs and bark, saying something that she hardly understood about its

darkness, and the unpleasantness of being with the dead body. Miss Temple, however, found a sufficient

shelter against the torrent of rain that fell, under the projection of a rock which overhung them, But long

before the shower was over, the sounds of voices were heard below them crying aloud for Elizabeth, and men

soon appeared beating the dying embers of the bushes, as they worked their way cautiously among the

At the first short cessation in the rain, Oliver conducted Elizabeth to the road, where he left her. Before

parting, however, he found time to say, in a fervent manner that his companion was now at no loss to

'The moment of concealment is over, Miss Temple. By this time to morrow, I shall remove a veil that

perhaps it has been weakness to keep around me and my allaus so long. But I have had romantic and foolish

wishes and weakness; and who has not, that is young and torn by conflicting passions? God bless you! I hear

your father's voice; he is coming up the road, and I would not, just now, subject myself to detention. Thank

Heaven, you are safe again; that alone removes the weight of a world from my spirit!'

He waited for no answer, but sprang into the woods. Elizabeth, notwithstanding she heard the cries of her

father as he called upon her name, paused until he was concealed among the smoking trees, when she turned,

A carriage had been provided, into which Miss Temple hastily entered; when the cry was passed along the

hill, that the lost one was found, and the people returned to the village wet and dirty, but elated with the

thought that the daughter of their landlord had escaped from so horrid and untimely an end.*

* The probability of a fire in the woods similar to that here described has been questioned. The writer can

only say that he once witnessed a fire in another part of New York that compelled a man to desert his wagon

and horses in the highway, and in which the latter were destroyed. In order to estimate the probability of such

an event, it is necessary to remember the effects of a long drought in that climate and the abundance of dead

wood which is found in a forest like that described, The fires in the American forests frequently rage to such

an extent as to produce a sensible effect on the atmosphere at a distance of fifty miles. Houses, barns, and

The heavy showers that prevailed during the remainder of the day completely stopped the progress of the

flames; though glimmering fires were observed during the night, on different parts of the hill, wherever there

was a collection of fuel to feed the element. The next day the woods for �many miles were black and

smoking, and were stripped of every vestige of brush and dead wood; but the pines and hemlocks still reared

their heads proudly among the hills, and even the smaller trees of the forest retained a feeble appearance of

The many tongues of rumor were busy in exaggerating the miraculous escape of Elizabeth; and a report was

generally credited, that Mohegan had actually perished in the flames. This belief became confirmed, and was

indeed rendered probable, when the direful intelligence reached the village that Jotham Riddel, the miner,

was found in his hole, nearly dead with suffocation, and burnt to such a degree that no hopes were entertained

The public attention became much alive to the events of the last few days ; and, just at this crisis, the

convicted counterfeiters took the hint from Natty, and, on the night succeeding the fire, found means to cut

through their log prison also, and to escape unpunished. When this news began to circulate through the

village, blended with the fate of Jotham, and the exaggerated and tortured reports of the events on the hill, the

popular opinion was freely expressed, as to the propriety of seizing such of the fugitives as remained within

reach. Men talked of the cave as a secret receptacle of guilt; and, as the rumor of ores and metals found its

way into the confused medley of conjectures, counterfeiting, and everything else that was wicked and

dangerous to the peace of society, suggested themselves to the busy fancies of the populace.

While the public mind was in this feverish state, it was hinted that the wood had been set on fire by Edwards

and the LeatherStocking, and that, consequently, they alone were responsible for the damages. This

opinion soon gained ground, being most circulated by those who, by their own heedlessness, had caused the

evil; and there was one irresistible burst of the common sentiment that an attempt should he made to punish

the offenders. Richard was by no means deaf to this appeal, and by noon he set about in earnest to see the

Several stout young men were selected, and taken apart with an appearance of secrecy, where they received

some important charge from the sheriff, immediately under the eyes, but far removed from the ears, of all in

the village. Possessed of a knowledge of their duty, these youths hurried into the hills, with a bustling

manner, as if the fate of the world depended on their diligence, and, at the same time, with an air of mystery

At twelve precisely a drum beat the 'long roll ' before the' Bold Dragoon,' and Richard appeared,

accompanied by Captain Hollister, who was clad in Investments as commander of the 'Templeton Light

Infantry,' when the former demanded of the latter the aid of the posse comitatus in enforcing the laws of the

country. We have not room to record the speeches of the two gentlemen on this occasion, but they are

preserved in the columns of the little blue newspaper, which is yet to be found on the file, and are said to be

highly creditable to the legal formula of one of the parties, and to the military precision of the other.

Everything had been previously arranged, and, as the redcoated drummer continued to roll out his clattering

notes, some fiveandtwenty privates appeared in the ranks, and arranged themselves in the order of battle.

As this corps was composed of volunteers, and was commanded by a man who had passed the first

fiveandthirty years of his life in camps and garrisons, it was the nonparallel of military science in that

country, and was confidently pronounced by the judicious part of the Templeton community, to be equal in

skill and appearance to any troops in the known world; in physical endowments they were, certainly, much

superior! To this assertion there were but three dissenting voices, and one dissenting opinion. The opinion

belonged to Marmaduke, who, however, saw no necessity for its promulgation. Of the voices, one, and that a

pretty loud one�, came from the spouse of the commander himself, who frequently reproached her husband

for condescending to lead such an irregular band of warriors, after he had filled the honorable station of

sergeantmajor to a dashing corps of Virginia cavalry through much of the recent war.

Another of these skeptical sentiments was invariably expressed by Mr. Pump, whenever the company

paraded generally in some such terms as these, which were uttered with that sort of meekness that a native of

the island of our forefathers is apt to assume when he condescends to praise the customs or character of her

'It�s mayhap that they knows summat about loading and firing, d'ye see, but as for working ship? why, a

corporal�s guard of the Boadishey's marines would back and fill on their quarters in such a manner as to

surround and captivate them all in half a glass.' As there was no one to deny this assertion, the marines of the

The third unbeliever was Monsieur Le Quoi, who merely whispered to the sheriff, that the corps was one of

the finest he had ever seen second only to the Mousquetaires of Le Boa Louis! However, as Mrs. Hollister

thought there was something like actual service in the present appearances, and was, in consequence, too

busily engaged with certain preparations of her own, to make her comments; as Benjamin was absent, and

Monsieur Le Quoi too happy to find fault with anything, the corps escaped criticism and comparison

altogether on this momentous day, when they certainly had greater need of selfconfidence than on any other

previous occasion. Marmaduke was said to be again closeted with Mr. Van der School and no interruption

was offered to the movements of the troops. At two o�clock precisely the corps shouldered arms, beginning

on the right wing, next to the veteran, and carrying the motion through to the left with great regularity. When

each musket was quietly fixed in its proper situation, the order was given to wheel to the left, and march. As

this was bringing raw troops, at once, to face their enemy, it is not to be supposed that the manoeuver was

executed with their usual accuracy; but as the music struck up the inspiring air of Yankeedoodle, and

Richard, accompanied by Mr. Doolittle preceded the troops boldly down the street, Captain Hollister led on,

with his head elevated to fortyfive degrees, with a little, low cocked hat perched on his crown, carrying a

tremendous dragoon sabre at a poise, and trailing at his heels a huge steel scabbard, that had war in its very

clattering. There was a good deal of difficulty in getting all the platoons (there were six) to look the same

way; but, by the time they reached the defile of the bridge, the troops were in sufficiently compact order. In

this manner they marched up the hill to the summit of the mountain, no other alteration taking place in the

disposition of the forces, excepting that a mutual complaint was made, by the sheriff and the magistrate, of a

failure in wind, which gradually� brought these gentlemen to the rear. It will be unnecessary to detail the

minute movements that succeeded. We shall briefly say, that the scouts came in and reported, that, so far

from retreating, as had been anticipated, the fugitives had evidently gained a knowledge of the attack, and

were fortifying for a desperate resistance. This intelligence certainly made a material change, not only in the

plans of the leaders, but in the countenances of the soldiery also. The men looked at one another with serious

At this conjuncture, they were joined by Billy Kirby, who came along the highway, with his axe under his

arm, as much in advance of his team as Captain Hollister had been of his troops in the ascent. The

woodchopper was amazed at the military array, but the sheriff eagerly availed himself of this powerful

reinforcement, and commanded his assistance in putting the laws in force. Billy held Mr. Jones in too much

deference to object; and it was finally arranged that he should be the bearer of a summons to the garrison to

surrender before they proceeded to extremities. The troops now divided, one party being led by the captain,

over the Vision, and were brought in on the left of the cave, while the remainder advanced upon its right,

under the orders of the lieutenant. Mr. Jones and Dr. Toddfor the surgeon was in attendance

alsoappeared on the platform of rock, immediately over the heads of the garrison, though out of their sight.

Hiram thought this approaching too near, and he therefore accompanied Kirby along the side of the hill to

within a safe distance of the fortifications, where he took shelter behind a tree. Most of the men discovered

great accuracy of eye in bringing some object in range between them and their enemy, and the only two of the

besiegers, who were left in plain sight of the besieged, were Captain Hollister on one side, and the

woodchopper on the other. The veteran stood up boldly to the front, supporting his heavy sword in one

undeviating position, with his eye fixed firmly on his enemy, while the huge form of Billy was placed in that

kind of quiet repose, with either hand thrust into his bosom, bearing his axe under his right arm, which

permitted him, like his own oxen, to rest standing. So far, not a word had been exchanged between the

belligerents. The besieged had drawn together a pile of black logs and branches of trees, which they had

formed into a chevauxde frise, making a little circular abatis in front of the entrance to the cave. As the

ground was steep and slippery in every direction around the place, and Benjamin appeared behind the works

on one side, and Natty on the other, the arrangement was by no means contemptible, especially as the front

was sufficiently guarded by the difficulty of the approach. By this time, Kirby had received his orders, and he

advanced coolly along the mountain, picking his way with the same indifference as if he were pursuing his

ordinary business. When he was within a hundred feet of the works, the long and muchdreaded rifle of the

'Keep off! Billy Kirby, keep off! I wish ye no harm; but if a man of ye all comes a step nigher, there�ll be

blood spilt atwixt us. God forgive the one that draws it first, but so it must be.'

'Come, old chap,' said Billy, goodnaturedly, 'don�t be crabb�d, but hear what a man has got to say I�ve no

consarn in the business, only to see right �twixt man and man; and I don�t kear the valie of a beetlering

which gets the better; but there�s Squire Doolittle, yonder be hind the beech sapling, he has invited me to

'I see the varmint! I see his clothes!' cried the indignant Natty: 'and if he�ll only show so much flesh as will

bury a rifle bullet, thirty to the pound, I�ll make him feel me. Go away, Billy, I bid ye; you know my aim, and

'You overcalculate your aim, Natty,' said the other, as he stepped behind a pine that stood near him, 'if you

think to shoot a man through a tree with a threefoot butt. I can lay this tree right across you in ten minutes

by any man's watch, and in less time, too; so be civilI want no more than what�s right.'

There was a simple seriousness in the countenance of Natty, that showed he was much in earnest; but it was

also evident that he was reluctant to shed human blood. He answered the taunt of the wood chopper, by

'I know you drop a tree where you will, Billy Kirby; but if you show a hand, or an arm, in doing it, there�ll be

bones to be set, and blood to staunch. If it�s only to get into the cave that ye want, wait till a two hours� sun,

and you may enter it in welcome; but come in now you shall not. There�s one dead body already, lying on the

cold rocks, and there�s another in which the life can hardly be said to stay. If you will come in, there�ll be

'That�s fair; and what�s fair is right. He wants you to stop till it�s two hours to sundown; and I see reason in

the thing. A man can give up when he�s wrong, if you don�t crowd him too hard; but you crowd a man, and

The sturdy notions of independence maintained by Billy neither suited the emergency nor the impatience of

Mr. Jones, who was burning with a desire to examine the hid den mysteries of the cave. He therefore

'I command you Nathaniel Bumppo, by my authority, to surrender your person to the law,' he cried. 'And I

command you, gentlemen, to aid me in performing my duty. Benjamin Penguillan I arrest you, and order you

'I�d follow ye, Squire Dickens,' said Benjamin, removing the pipe from his month (for during the whole scene

the exmajordomo had been very composedly smoking); ay! I�d sail in your wake, to the end of the world,

ifso be that there was such a place, where there isn�t, seeing that it�s round. Now mayhap, Master

Hollister, having lived all your life on shore, you isn�t acquainted that the world, d�ye see'

'Surrender!' interrupted the veteran, in a voice that startled his hearers, and which actually caused his own

forces to recoil several paces; surrender, Benjamin Pengullan, or expect no quarter.�'

'Damn your quarter!' said Benjamin, rising from the log on which he was seated, and taking a squint along the

barrel of the swivel, which had been brought on the hill during the night, and now formed the means of

defence on his side of the works. ' Look you, master or captain, thof I questions if ye know the name of a

rope, except the one that�s to hang ye, there�s no need of singing out, as if ye was hailing a deaf man on a

topgallant yard. Mayhap you think you�ve got my true name in your sheep skin; but what British sailor finds

it worth while to sail in these seas, without a sham on his stern, in case of need, d�ye see. If you call me

Penguillan, you calls me by the name of the man on whose hand, dye see, I hove into daylight; and he was a

gentleman ; and that�s more than my worst enemy will say of any of the family of Benjamin Stubbs.'

'Send the warrant round to me, and I�ll put in an alias,' cried Hiram, from behind his cover.

'Put in a jackass, and you�ll put in yourself, Mister Doobutlittle,' shouted Benjamin, who kept squinting

'I give you but one moment to yield,' cried Richard. 'Benjamin! Benjamin! this is not the gratitude I expected

'I tell you, Richard Jones,' said Natty, who dreaded the sheriff�s influence over his comrade; ' though the

canister the gal brought be lost, there�s powder enough in the cave to lift the rock you stand on. I�ll take off

'I think it beneath the dignity of my office to parley further with the prisoners,' the sheriff observer to his

companion, while they both retired with a precipitancy that Captain Hollister mistook for the signal to

Although this signal was certainly expected, it took the assailed a little by surprise, and the veteran

approached the works, crying, ' Courage, my brave lads! give them no quarter unless they surrender;' and

struck a furious blow upward with his sabre, that would have divided the steward into moieties by subjecting

him to the process of decapitation, but for the fortunate interference of the muzzle of the swivel. As it was,

the gun was dismounted at the critical moment that Benjamin was applying his pipe to the priming, and in

consequence some five or six dozen of rifle bullets were projected into the air, in nearly a perpendicular line.

Philosophy teaches us that the atmos phere will not retain lead; and two pounds of the metal, moulded into

bullets of thirty to the pound, after describing an ellipsis in their journey, returned to the earth rattling among

the branches of the trees directly over the heads of the troops stationed in the rear of their captain. Much of

the success of an attack, made by irregular soldiers, depends on the direction in which they are first got in

motion. In the present instance it was retrograde, and in less than a minute after the bellowing report of the

swivel among the rocks and caverns, the whole weight of the attack from the left rested on the prowess of the

single arm of the veteran. Benjamin received a severe contusion from the recoil of his gun, which produced a

short stupor, during which period the exsteward was prostrate on the ground. Captain Hollister availed

himself of this circumstance to scramble ever the breastwork and obtain a footing in the bastionfor such

was the nature of the fortress, as connected with the cave. The moment the veteran found himself within the

works of his enemy, he rushed to the edge of the fortification, and, waving his sabre over his head, shouted:

All this was perfectly military, and was such an example as a gallant officer was in some measure bound to

exhibit to his men but the outcry was the unlucky cause of turning the tide of success. Natty, who had been

keeping a vigalent eye on the woodchopper, and the enemy immediately before him, wheeled at this alarm,

and was appalled at beholding his comrade on the ground, and the veteran standing on his own bulwark,

giving forth the cry of victory! The muzzle of the long rifle was turned instantly toward the captain. There

was a moment when the life of the old soldier was in great jeopardy but the object to shoot at was both too

large and too near for the LeatherStocking, who, instead of pulling his trigger, applied the gun to the rear of

his enemy, and by a powerful shove sent him outside of the works with much greater rapidity than he had

entered them. The spot on which Captain Hollister alighted was directly in front, where, as his feet touched

the ground, so steep and slippery was the side of the mountain, it seemed to recede from under them. His

motion was swift, and so irregular as utterly to confuse the faculties of the old soldier. During its continuance,

he supposed himself to be mounted, and charging through the ranks of his enemy. At every tree he made a

blow, of course, as at a footsoldier; and just as he was making the cut 'St. George' at a half burnt sapling he

landed in the highway, and, to his utter amazement, at the feet of his own spouse. When Mrs. Hollister, who

was toiling up the hill, followed by at least twenty curious boys, leaning with one hand on the staff with

which she ordinarily walked, and bearing in the other an empty bag, witnessed this exploit of her husband,

indignation immediately got the better, not only of her religion, but of her philosophy.

'Why, sargeant! is it flying ye are?' she cried' that I should live to see a husband of mine turn his hack to an

inimy! and such a one! Here I have been telling the b�ys, as we come along, all about the saige of

Yorrektown, and how ye was hurted; and how ye�d be acting the same agin the day; and I mate ye retraiting

jist as the first gun is fired. Och! I may trow away the bag! for if there�s plunder, �twill not be the wife of sich

as yerself that will be privileged to be getting the same. They do say, too, there is a power of goold and silver

in the placethe Lord forgive me for setting my heart on woorldly things; but what falls in the battle, there�s

'Retreating!' exclaimed the amazed veteran; 'where�s my horse? he has been shot under meI'

'Is the man mad?' interrupted his wife' devil the horse do ye own, sargeant, and ye�re nothing but a shabby

captain of malaishy. Oh! if the ra�al captain was here, tis the other way ye�d be riding, dear, or you would not

While this worthy couple were thus discussing events, the battle began to rage more violently than ever above

them. When LeatherStocking saw his enemy fairly under headway, as Benjamin would express it, he gave

his attention to the right wing of the assailants. It would have been easy for Kirby, with his powerful frame, to

have seized the moment to scale the bastion, and, with his great strength, to have sent both of its defenders in

pursuit of the veteran; but hostility appeared to he the passion that the woodchopper indulged the least in at

that moment, for, in a voice that was heard by the retreating left wing, he shouted:

'Hurrah well done, captain! keep it up! how he handles his bushhook! he makes nothing of a sapling!' and

such other encouraging exclamations to the flying veteran, until, overcome by mirth, the goodnatured fellow

seated himself on the ground, kicking the earth with delight, and giving vent to peal after peal of laughter.

Natty stood all this time in a menacing attitude, with his rifle pointed over the breastwork, watching with a

quick and cautions eye the least movement of the assail ants. The outcry unfortunately tempted the

ungovernable curiosity of Hiram to take a peep from behind his cover at the state of the battle. Though this

evolution was performed with great caution, in protecting his front, he left, like many a better commander, his

rear exposed to the attacks of his enemy. Mr. Doolittle belonged physically to a class of his countrymen, to

whom Nature has denied, in their formation, the use of curved lines. Every thing about him was either

straight or angular. But his tailor was a woman who worked, like a regimental contractor, by a set of rules

that gave the same configuration to the whole human species. Consequently, when Mr. Doolittle leaned

forward in the manner described, a loose drapery appeared behind the tree, at which the rifle of Natty was

pointed with the quickness of lightning. A less experienced man would have aimed at the flowing robe, which

hung like a festoon halfway to the earth ; but the LeatherStocking knew both the man and his female tailor

better; and when the smart report of the rifle was heard, Kirby, who watched the whole manoeuvre in breath

less expectation. saw the bark fly from the beech and the cloth, at some distance above the loose folds, wave

at the same instant. No battery was ever unmasked with more promptitiude than Hiram advanced from behind

He made two or three steps, with great precision, to the front and, placing one hand on the afflicted part,

'Gawl darn ye: this shan�t he settled so easy; I�ll follow it up from the �common pleas� to the �court of

Such a shocking imprecation, from the mouth of so orderly a man as Squire Doolittle, with the fearless

manner in which he exposed himself, together with, perhaps, the knowledge that Natty�s rifle was unloaded,

encouraged the troops in the rear, who gave a loud shout, and fired a volley into the treetops, after the

contents of the swivel. Animated by their own noise, the men now rushed on in earnest; and Billy Kirby, who

thought the joke, good as it was, had gone far enough, was in the act of scaling the works, when Judge

'Silence and peace! why do I see murder and blood shed attempted? Is not the law sufficient to protect itself,

that armed bands must be gathered, as in rebellion and war, to see justice performed?'

'Say rather a posse of demons. I command the peace.' 'Hold shied not blood!' cried a voice from the top of the

Vision. ' Hold, for the sake of Heaven, fire no more! all shall be yielded! you shall enter the cave!'

Amazement produced the desired effect. Natty, who had reloaded his piece, quietly seated himself on the

logs, and rested his head on his hands, while the ' Light Infantry' ceased their military movements, and waited

In less than a minute Edwards came rushing down the hill, followed by Major Hartman, with a velocity that

was surprising for his years. They reached the terrace in an instant, from which the youth led the way, by the

hollow in the rock, to the mouth of the cave, into which they both entered, leaving all without silent, and

During the five or six minutes that elapsed before the youth and Major reappeared. Judge Temple and the

sheriff together with most of the volunteers, ascended to the terrace, where the latter began to express their

conjectures of the result, and to recount their individual services in the conflict. But the sight of the

On a rude chair, covered with undressed deerskins, they supported a human being, whom they seated

carefully and respectfully in the midst of the assembly. His head was covered by long, smooth locks of the

color of snow. His dress, which was studiously neat and clean, was composed of such fabrics as none but the

wealthiest classes wear, but was threadbare and patched ; and on his feet were placed a pair of moccasins,

ornamented in the best manner of Indian ingenuity. The outlines of his face were grave and dignified, though

his vacant eye, which opened and turned slowly to the faces of those around him in unmeaning looks, too

surely� announced that the period had arrived when age brings the mental imbecility of childhood.

Natty had followed the supporters of this unexpected object to the top of the cave, and took his station at a

little distance behind him, leaning no his rifle, in the midst of his pursuers, with a fearlessness that showed

that heavier interests than those which affected himself were to be decided. Major Hartmann placed himself

beside the aged man, uncovered, with his whole soul beaming through those eyes which so commonly danced

with frolic and humor. Edwards rested with one hand familiarly but affectionately on the chair, though his

All eyes were gazing intently, but each tongue continued mute. At length the decrepit stranger, turning his

vacant looks from face to face, made a feeble attempt to rise, while a faint smile crossed his wasted face, like

'Be pleased to be seated, gentlemen. The council will open immediately. Each one who loves a good and

virtuous king will wish to see these colonies continue loyal. Be seatedI pray you, be seated, gentlemen.

'This is the wandering of insanity!' said Marmaduke: 'who will explain this scene.'

'No, sir,' said Edwards firmly, '�tis only the decay of nature; who is answerable for its pitiful condition,

'Will the gentlemen dine with us, my son?' said the old stranger, turning to a voice that he both knew and

loved. 'Order a repast suitable for his Majesty�s officers. You know we have the best of game always at

'Who is this man?' asked Marmaduke, in a hurried voice, in which the dawnings of conjecture united with

'This man,' returned Edwards calmly, his voice, how ever, gradually rising as he proceeded; 'this man, sir,

whom you behold hid in caverns, and deprived of everything that can make life desirable, was once the

companion and counsellor of those who ruled your country. This man, whom you see helpless and feeble,

was once a warrior, so brave and fearless, that even the intrepid natives gave him the name of the Fireeater.

This man, whom you now see destitute of even the ordinary comfort of a cabin, in which to shelter his head,

was once the owner of great richesand, Judge Temple, he was the rightful proprietor of this very soil on

'This, then,' cried Marmaduke, with a powerful emotion, 'this, then, is the lost Major Effingham!'

A minute passed in profound silence. All eyes were fixed on the speakers, and even the old German appeared

to wait the issue in deep anxiety. But the moment of agitation soon passed. Marmaduke raised his head from

his bosom, where it had sunk, not in shame, but in devout mental thanksgivings, and, as large tears fell over

'Oliver, I forgive all thy harshnessall thy suspicions. I now see it all. I forgive thee everything, but

suffering this aged man to dwell in such a place, when not only my habitation, but my fortune, were at his

'He�s true as ter steel!' shouted Major Hartmann; ' titn�t I tell you, lat, dat Marmatuke Temple vas a friend dat

'It is true, Judge Temple, that my opinions of your conduct have been staggered by what this worthy gentle

man has told me. When I found it impossible to convey my grandfather back whence the enduring love of

this old man brought him, without detection and exposure, I went to the Mohawk in quest of one of his

former comrades, in whose justice I had dependence. He is your friend, Judge Temple, but, if what he says be

'You name your father!' said Marmaduke tenderly 'was he, indeed, lost in the packet?'

'He was. He had left me, after several years of fruit less application and comparative poverty, in Nova Scotia,

to obtain the compensation for his losses which the British commissioners had at length awarded. After

spending a year in England, he was returning to Halifax, on his way to a government to which he had been

appointed, in the West Indies, intending to go to the place where my grand father had sojourned during and

'But thou!' said Marmaduke, with powerful interest; 'I had thought that thou hadst perished with him.'

A flush passed over the cheeks of the young man, who gazed about him at the wondering faces of the

volunteers, and continued silent. Marmaduke turned to the veteran captain, who just then rejoined his

'March thy soldiers back again, and dismiss them, the zeal of the sheriff has much mistaken his duty.Dr.

Todd, I will thank you to attend to the injury which Hiram Doolittle has received in this untoward

affair,Richard, you will oblige me by sending up the carriage to the top of the hill.Benjamin, return to

Unwelcome as these orders were to most of the auditors, the suspicion that they had somewhat exceeded the

whole some restraints of the law, and the habitual respect with which all the commands of the Judge were

When they were gone, and the rock was left to the parties most interested in an explanation, Marmaduke,

'Had we not better remove thy parent from this open place until my carriage can arrive?'

'Pardon me, sir, the air does him good, and he has taken it whenever there was no dread of a discovery. I

know not how to act, Judge Temple; ought I, can I suffer Major Effingham to become an inmate of your

'Thou shalt he thyself the judge,' said Marmaduke. Thy father was my early friend, He intrusted his fortune to

my care. When we separated he had such confidence in me that he wished on security, no evidence of the

trust, even had there been time or convenience for exacting it. This thou hast heard?'

'We differed in politics. If the cause of this country was successful, the trust was sacred with me, for none

knew of thy father�s interest, if the crown still held its sway, it would he easy to restore the property of so

'The premises are good, sir,' continued the youth, with the same incredulous look as before.

'Listenlisten, poy,' said the German, 'Dere is not a hair as of ter rogue in ter het of Herr Tchooge.'

'We all know the issue of the struggle,' continued Marmaduke, disregarding both. 'Thy grandfather was left in

Connecticut, regularly supplied by thy father with the means of such a subsistence as suited his wants. This I

well knew, though I never had intercourse with him, even in our happiest days. Thy father retired with the

troops to prosecute his claims on England. At all events, his losses must be great, for his real estates were

sold, and I became the lawful purchaser. It was not unnatural to wish that he might have no bar to its just

'But there would have been one, and an insuperable one, and I announced to the world that I held these

estates, multiplied by the times and my industry, a hundredfold in value, only as his trustee. Thou knowest

'My letters were returned unopened. Thy father had much of thy own spirit, Oliver; he was sometimes hasty

and rash.' The Judge continued, in a selfcondemning manner; ' Perhaps my fault lies the other way: I may

possibly look too far ahead, and calculate too deeply. It certainly was a severe trial to allow the man whom I

most loved, to think ill of me for seven years, in order that he might honestly apply for his just remunerations.

But, had he opened my last letters, thou wouldst have learned the whole truth. Those I sent him to England,

by what my agent writes me, he did read. He died, Oliver, knowing all, he died my friend, and I thought thou

'Our poverty would not permit us to pay for two passages,' said the youth, with the extraordinary emotion

with which he ever alluded to the degraded state of his family ; ' I was left in the Province to wait for his

'I took my passage here in search of my grandfather; for I well knew that his resources were gone, with the

half pay of my father. On reaching his abode, I learned that he had left it in secret; though the reluctant

hireling, who had deserted him in his poverty, owned to my urgent en treaties, that he believed he had been

carried away by an old man who had formerly been his servant. I knew at once it was Natty, for my father

'How should I know it? I never met the Major, nor was the name of Bumppo ever mentioned to me. I knew

him only as a man of the woods, and one who lived by hunting. Such men are too common to excite surprise.'

'He was reared in the family of my grandfather; served him for many years during their campaigns at the

West, where he became attached to the woods; and he was left here as a kind of locum tenens on the lands

that old Mohegan (whose life my grandfather once saved) induced the Delawares to grant to him when they

'I have no other,' said Edwards, smiling' Major Effingham was adopted as the son of Mohegan, who at that

time was the greatest man in his nation; and my father, who visited those people when a boy, received the

name of the Eagle from them, on account of the shape of his face, as I understand. They have extended his

title to me, I have no other Indian blood or breeding; though I have seen the hour, Judge Temple, when I

'I have but little more to say, sir, I followed to the lake where I had so often been told that Natty dwelt, and

found him maintaining his old master in secret; for even he could not bear to exhibit to the world, in his

'What did I? I spent my last money in purchasing a rifle, clad myself in a coarse garb, and learned to be a

'Ant vere vas olt Fritz Hartmann?' said the German, reproachfully; 'didst never hear a name as of olt Fritz

'I may have been mistaken, gentlemen,' returned the youth, �but I had pride, and could not submit to such an

exposure as this day even has reluctantly brought to light. I had plans that might have been visionary; but,

should my parent survive till autumn, I purposed taking him with me to the city, where we have distant

relatives, who must have learned to forget the Tory by this time. He decays rapidly,' he continued mournfully,

The air being pure, and the day fine, the party continued conversing on the rock, until the wheels of Judge

Temple�s carriage were heard clattering up the side of the mountain, during which time the conversation was

maintained with deep interest, each moment clearing up some doubtful action, and lessening the antipathy of

the youth to Marmaduke. He no longer objected to the removal of his grand father, who displayed a childish

pleasure when he found himself seated once more in a carriage. When placed in the ample hall of the

mansion house, the eyes of the aged veteran turned slowly to the objects in the apartment, and a look like

the dawn of intellect would, for moments flit across his features, when he invariably offered some use less

courtesies to those near him, wandering painfully in his subjects. The exercise and the change soon produced

an exhaustion that caused them to remove him to his bed, where he lay for hours, evidently sensible of the

change in his comforts, and exhibiting that mortifying picture of human nature, which too plainly shows that

the propensities of the animal continue even after the nobler part of the creature appears to have vanished.

Until his parent was placed comfortably in bed, with Natty seated at his side, Effingham did not quit him. He

then obeyed a summons to the library of the Judge, where he found the latter, with Major Hartmann, waiting

'Read this paper, Oliver,' said Marmaduke to him, as he entered, 'and thou wilt find that, so far from intending

thy family wrong during life, it has been my care to see that justice should be done at even a later day.'

The youth took the paper, which his first glance told him was the will of the Judge. Hurried and agitated as he

was, he discovered that the date corresponded with the time of the unusual depression of Marmaduke. As he

proceeded, his eyes began to moisten, and the hand which held the instrument shook violently.

The will commenced with the usual forms, spun out by the ingenuity of Mr. Van der School: but, after this

subject was fairly exhausted, the pen of Marmaduke became plainly visible. In clear, distinct, manly, and

even eloquent language, he recounted his obligations to Colonel Effingham, the nature of their connection,

and the circumstances in which they separated. He then proceeded to relate the motives of his silence,

mentioning, however, large sums that he had forwarded to his friend, which had been returned with the letters

unopened. After this, he spoke of his search for the grandfather who unaccountably disappeared, and his fears

After, in short, recounting in a clear narrative, the events which our readers must now he able to connect, he

proceeded to make a fair and exact statement of the sums left in his care by Colonel Effingham. A devise of

his whole estate to certain responsible trustees followed; to hold the same for the benefit, in equal moieties, of

his daughter, on one part, and of Oliver Effingham, formerly a major in the army of Great Britain, and of his

son Ed ward Effingham, and of his son Edward Oliver Effingham, or to the survivor of them, and the

descendants of such survivor, forever, on the other part. The trust was to endure until 1810, when, if no

person appeared, or could be found, after sufficient notice, to claim the moiety so devised, then a certain sum,

calculating the principal and interest of his debt to Colonel Effingham, was to be paid to the heirsatlaw of

the Effingham family, and the bulk of his estate was to be conveyed in fee to his daughter, or her heirs.

The tears fell from the eyes of the young man, as he read this undeniable testimony of the good faith of

Marmaduke, and his bewildered gaze was still fastened on the paper, when a voice, that thrilled on every

'I have never doubted you!' cried the youth, recovering his recollection and his voice, as he sprang to seize the

'I thank thee, my son,' said the Judge, exchanging a warm pressure of the hand with the youth ; 'but we have

both erred: thou hast been too hasty, and I have been too slow. Onehalf of my estates shall be thine as soon

as they can be conveyed to thee; and, if what my suspicions tell me be true, I suppose the other must follow

speedily.' He took the hand which he held, and united it with that of his daughter, and motioned toward the

'I telt yon vat, gal!' said the old German, goodhumoredly ; 'if I vas as I vas ven I servit mit his grandfader

'Come, come, old Fritz,' said the Judge; 'you are seventy, not seventeen; Richard waits for you with a bowl of

'Richart! ter duyvel!' exclaimed the other, hastening out of the room; 'he makes ter nog as for ter horse. vilt

show ter sheriff mit my own hants! Ter duyvel! I pelieve he sweetens mit ter Yankee melasses!'

Marmaduke smiled and nodded affectionately at the young couple, and closed the door after them. If any of

our readers expect that we are going to open it again, for their gratification, they are mistaken.

The teteatete continued for a very unreasonable timehow long we shall not say; but it was ended by six

o�clock in the evening, for at that hour Monsieur Le Quoi made his appearance agreeably to the appointment

of the preceding day, and claimed the ear of Miss Temple. He was admitted ; when he made an offer of his

hand, with much suavity, together with his 'amis beeg and leet�, his p�re, his mere and his sucreboosh.'

Elizabeth might, possibly, have previously entered into some embarrassing and binding engagements with

Oliver, for she declined the tender of all, in terms as polite, though perhaps a little more decided, than those

The Frenchman soon joined the German and the sheriff in the hall, who compelled him to take a seat with

them at the table, where, by the aid of punch, wine, and egg nog, they soon extracted from the complaisant

Monsieur Le Quoi the nature of his visit, it was evident that he had made the offer, as a duty which a well

bred man owed to a lady in such a retired place, before he had left the country, and that his feelings were but

very little, if at all, interested in the matter. After a few potations, the waggish pair persuaded the exhilarated

Frenchman that there was an inexcusable partiality in offering to one lady, and not extending a similar

courtesy to another. Consequently, about nine, Monsieur Le Quoi sallied forth to the rectory, on a similar

When he returned to the mansionhouse, at ten, Richard and the Major were still seated at the table. They at

tempted to persuade the Gaul, as the sheriff called him, that he should next try Remarkable Pettibone. But,

though stimulated by mental excitement and wine, two hours of abstruse logic were thrown away on this

subject; for he declined their advice, with a pertinacity truly astonishing in so polite a man.

'Ifsobe, Mounsheer, you�d run alongside Mistress Pettybones, as the Squire Dickens was bidding ye, �tis

my notion you�d have been grappled; in which case, d�ye see, you mought have been troubled in swinging

clear agin in a handsome manner; for thof Miss Lizzy and the parson�s young �un be tidy little vessels, that

shoot by a body on a wind, Mistress Remarkable is summat of a galliot fashion: when you once takes �em in

The events of our tale carry us through the summer; and after making nearly the circle of the year, we must

conclude our labors in the delightful month of October. Many important incidents had, however, occurred in

The two principal were the marriage of Oliver and Elizabeth, and the death of Major Effingham. They both

took place early in September; and the former preceded the latter only a few days. The old man passed away

like the last glimmering of a taper; and, though his death cast a melancholy over the family, grief could not

follow such an end. One of the chief concerns of Marmaduke was to reconcile the even conduct of a

magistrate with the course that his feelings dictated to the criminals. The day succeeding the discovery at the

cave, however, Natty and Benjamin reentered the jail peaceably, where they continued, well fed and

comfortable, until the return of an express to Albany, who brought the governor�s pardon to the

LeatherStocking. In the mean time, proper means were employed to satisfy Hiram for the assaults on his

person ; and on the same day the two comrades issued together into society again, with their characters not at

Mr. Doolittle began to discover that neither architecture nor his law was quite suitable to the growing wealth

and intelligence of the settlement; and after exacting the last cent that was attainable in his compromise, to

use the language of the country he 'pulled up stakes,' and proceeded farther west, scattering his professional

science and legal learning through the land; vestiges of both of which are to be discovered there even to the

Poor Jotham, whose life paid the forfeiture of his folly, acknowledged, before he died, that his reasons for

believing in a mine were extracted from the lips of a sibyl, who, by looking in a magic glass, was enabled to

discover the hidden treasures of the earth. Such superstition was frequent in the new settlements; and, after

the first surprise was over, the better part of the community forgot the subject. But, at the same time that it

removed from the breast of Richard a lingering suspicion of the acts of the three hunter, it conveyed a

mortifying lesson to him, which brought many quiet hours, in future, to his cousin Marmaduke. It may be

remembered that the sheriff confidently pronounced this to be no ' visionary 'scheme, and that word was

Monsieur Le Quoi, who has been introduced to our readers because no picture of that country would be

faithful without some such character, found the island of Martinique, and his 'sucreboosh,' in possession of

the English but Marmaduke and his family were much gratified in soon hearing that he had returned to his

bureau, in Paris; where he afterward issued yearly bulletins of his happiness, and of his gratitude to his

With this brief explanation, we must return to our narrative. Let the American reader imagine one of our

mildest October mornings, when the sun seems a ball of silvery fire, and the elasticity of the air is felt while it

is inhaled, imparting vigor and life to the whole system ; the weather, neither too warm nor too cold, but of

that happy temperature which stirs the blood, without bringing the lassitude of spring. It was on such a

morning, about the middle of the month, that Oliver entered the hall where Elizabeth was issuing her usual

orders for the day, and requesting her to join him in a short excursion to the lakeside. The tender melancholy

in the manner of her husband caught the attention of Elizabeth, who instantly abandoned her concerns, threw

a light shawl across her shoulders, and, concealing her raven hair under a gypsy hat, and took his arm, and

submitted herself, without a question, to his guidance. They crossed the bridge, and had turned from the

highway, along the margin of the lake, before a word was exchanged. Elizabeth well knew, by the direction,

the object of the walk, and respected the feelings of her companion too much to indulge in untimely

conversation. But when they gained the open fields, and her eye roamed over the placid lake, covered with

wild fowl already journeying from the great northern waters to seek a warmer sun, but lingering to play in the

limpid sheet of the Otsego, and to the sides of the mountain, which were gay with the thou sand dyes of

autumn, as if to grace their bridal, the swelling heart of the young wife burst out in speech.

'This is not a time for silence, Oliver!' she said, clinging more fondly to his arm; 'everything in Nature seems

to speak the praises of the Creator; why should we, who have so much to be grateful for, be silent?'

'Speak on!' said her husband, smiling; 'I love the sounds of your voice. You must anticipate our errand hither:

'I must first see them,' returned his wife. 'But I have had my plans, too; it is time I should begin to divulge

'Certainly of Natty; but we have other friends besides the Leather Stocking to serve. Do you forget Louisa

'No, surely; have I not given one of the best farms in the county to the good divine? As for Louisa, I should

'You do!' said Elizabeth, slightly compressing her lips; 'but poor Louisa may have other views for herself; she

'I don�t think it,' said Effingham, musing a moment, really don�t know any one hereabouts good enough for

'Perhaps not her; but there are other places besides Templeton, and other churches besides �New St. Paul�s.�'

'Churches, Elizabeth! you would not wish to lose Mr. Grant, surely! Though simple, he is an excellent man I

shall never find another who has half the veneration for my orthodoxy. You would humble me from a saint to

'It must be done, sir,' returned the lady, with a halfconcealed smile, 'though it degrades you from an angel to

'He can lease it, as others do. Besides, would you have a clergyman toil in the fields?'

'No, I do not forget Louisa,' said Elizabeth, again compressing her beautiful lips. 'You know, Effingham, that

my father has told you that I ruled him, and that I should rule you. I am now about to exert my power.'

'Anything, anything, dear Elizabeth, but not at the expense of us all: not at the expense of your friend.'

'How do you know, sir, that it will be so much at the expense of my friend?' said the lady, fixing her eyes

with a searching look on his countenance, where they met only the unsuspecting expression of manly regret.

'How do I know it? Why, it is natural that she should regret us.' It is our duty to struggle with our natural

feelings,' returned the lady; 'and there is but little cause to fear that such a spirit as Louisa�s will not effect it.'

'Listen, and you shall know. My father has procured a call for Mr. Grant, to one of the towns on the Hudson

where he can live more at his ease than in journeying through these woods; where he can spend the evening

of his life in comfort and quiet; and where his daughter may meet with such society, and form such a

'Oh! I manage more deeply than you imagine, sir,' said the wife, archly smiling again; ' but it is thy will and it

Effingham laughed; but, as they approached the end of their walk, the subject was changed by common

The place at which they arrived was the little spot of level ground where the cabin of the LeatherStocking

had so long stood. Elizabeth found it entirely cleared of rubbish, and beautifully laid down in turf, by the

removal of sods, which, in common with the surrounding country, had grown gay, under the influence of

profuse showers, as if a second spring had passed over the land. This little place was surrounded by a circle

of masonwork, and they entered by a small gate, near which, to the surprise of both, the rifle of Natty was

leaning against the wall. Hector and the slut reposed on the grass by its side, as if conscious that, however

altered, they were lying on the ground and were surrounded by objects with which they were familiar. The

hunter himself was stretched on the earth, before a headstone of white marble, pushing aside with his

fingers the long grass that had already sprung up from the luxuriant soil around its base, apparently to lay

bare the inscription. By the side of this stone, which was a simple slab at the head of a grave, stood a rich

Oliver and Elizabeth approached the graves with a light tread, unheard by the old hunter, whose sunburnt face

was working, and whose eyes twinkled as if something impeded their vision. After some little time Natty

'Well, wellI�m bold to say it�s all right! There�s something that I suppose is reading; but I can�t make

anything of it; though the pipe and the tomahawk, and the moccasins, be pretty wellpretty well, for a man

that, I dares to say, never seed �ither of the things. Ah�s me! there they lie, side by side, happy enough! Who

'When that unfortunate hour arrives, Natty, friends shall not be wanting to perform the last offices for you,'

The old man turned, without manifesting surprise, for he had got the Indian habits in this particular, and,

running his hand under the bottom of his nose, seemed to wipe away his sorrow with the action.

'You�ve come out to see the graves, children, have ye?' he said; ' well, well, they�re wholesome sights to

'I hope they are fitted to your liking,' said Effingham, 'no one has a better right than yourself to be consulted

'Why, seeing that I ain�t used to fine graves,' returned the old man, 'it is but little matter consarning my taste.

Ye laid the Major�s head to the west, and Mohegan�s to the east, did ye, lad?'

'It�s so best,' said the hunter; 'they thought they had to journey different ways, children: though there is One

greater than all, who�ll bring the just together, at His own time, and who�ll whiten the skin of a blackamoor,

'There is but little reason to doubt that,' said Elizabeth, whose decided tones were changed to a soft,

'Shall we, child, shall we?' exclaimed the hunter, with unusual fervor, 'there�s comfort in that thought too. But

before I go, I should like to know what 'tis you tell these people, that be flocking into the country like pigeons

in the spring, of the old Delaware, and of the bravest white man that ever trod the hills?'

Effingham and Elizabeth were surprised at the manner of the Leather Stocking, which was unusually

impressive and solemn; but, attributing it to the scene, the young man turned to the monument, and read

'Sacred to the memory of Oliver Effingham Esquire, formally a Major in his B. Majesty�s 60th Foot; a soldier

of tried valor; a subject of chivalrous loyalty; and a man of honesty. To these virtues he added the graces of a

Christian. The morning of his life was spent in honor, wealth, and power; but its evening was obscured by

poverty, neglect, and disease, which were alleviated only by the tender care of his old, faithful, and upright

friend and attendant Nathaniel Bumppo. His descendants rest this stone to the virtues of the master, and to the

The LeatherStocking started at the sound of his own name, and a smile of joy illuminated his wrinkled

'And did ye say It, lad? have you then got the old man�s name cut in the stone, by the side of his master�s!

God bless ye, children! �twas a kind thought, and kindness goes to the heart as Life shortens.'

Elizabeth turned her back to the speakers. Effingham made a fruitless effort before he succeeded in saying:

'It is there cut in plain marble; but it should have been written in letters of gold!'

'Show me the name, boy,' said Natty, with simple eagerness; 'let me see my own name placed in such honor.

�Tis a gin�rous gift to a man who leaves none of his name and family behind him in a country where he has

Effingham guided his finger to the spot, and Natty followed the windings of the letters to the end with deep

'I suppose it�s all right; and it�s kindly thought, and kindly done! But what have ye put over the redskin'

'You shall hear: This stone is raised to the memory of an Indian Chief of the Delaware tribe, who was known

'�Gach, boy; �gachgook; Chingachgook, which interpreted, means Big sarpent. The name should he set

'I will see it altered. �He was the last of his people who continued to inhabit this country; and it may he said

of him that his faults were those of an Indian, and his virtues those of a man.�'

'You never said truer word, Mr. Oliver; ah�s me! if you had knowed him as I did, in his prime, in that very

battle where the old gentleman, who sleeps by his side saved his life, when them thieves, the Iroquois, had

him at the stake, you�d have said all that, and more too. I cut the thongs with this very hand, and gave him my

own tomahawk and knife, seeing that the rifle was always my fav'rite weapon. He did lay about him like a

man! I met him as I was coming home from the trail, with eleven Mingo scalps on his pole. You needn�t

shudder, Madam Effingham, for they was all from shaved heads and warriors. When I look about me, at these

hills, where I used to could count sometimes twenty smokes, curling over the treetops, from the Delaware

camps, it raises mournful thoughts, to think that not a redskin is left of them all; unless it be a drunken

vagabond from the Oneidas, or them Yankee Indians, who, they say, be moving up from the seashore; and

who belong to none of Gods creatures, to my seeming, being, as it were, neither fish nor fleshneither white

The LeatherStocking; who had imbibed unconsciously, many of the Indian qualities, though he always

thought of himself as of a civilized being, compared with even the Delawares, averted his face to conceal the

workings of his muscles, as he stooped to lift a large pack from behind the tomb, which he placed deliberately

'Go!' exclaimed Elizabeth, approaching him with a hurried step; 'you should not venture so far in the woods

alone, at your time of life, Natty; indeed, it Is Imprudent, He is bent, Effingham, on some distant hunting.'

'What Mrs. Effingham tells you is true, LeatherStocking� said Edwards; 'there can be no necessity for your

submitting to such hardships now. So throw aside your pack, and confine your hunt to the mountains near us,

'Hardship! �tis a pleasure, children, and the greatest that is left me on this side the grave.'

'No, no; you shall not go to such a distance,' cried Elizabeth, laying her white hand on his deerskin pack' I

am right! I feel his camp kettle, and a canister of powder! He must not be suffered to wander so far from us,

'I knowed the parting would come hard, childrenI knowed it would!' said Natty, 'and so I got aside to look

at the graves by myself, and thought if I left ye the keep sake which the Major gave me, when we first parted

in the woods, ye wouldn�t take it unkind, but would know that, let the old man�s body go where it might, his

'This means something more than common,' exclaimed the youth. 'Where is it, Natty, that you purpose

The hunter drew nigh him with a confident, reasoning air, as If what he had to say would silence all

'Why, lad, they tell me that on the big lakes there�s the best of hunting, and a great range without a white man

on it unless it may be one like myself. I�m weary of living in clearings, and where the hammer is sounding in

my ears from sunrise to sundown. And though I�m much bound to ye both, childrenI wouldn�t say it if It

'Woods!' echoed Elizabeth, trembling with her feelings; 'do you not call these endless forests woods?'

'Ah! child, these be nothing to a man that�s used to the wilderness. I have took but little comfort sin� your

father come on with his settlers; but I wouldn�t go far, while the life was in the body that lies under the sod

there. But now he�s gone, and Chingachgook Is gone; and you be both young and happy. Yes! the big house

has rung with merriment this month past! And now I thought was the time to get a little comfort in the close

of my days. Woods! indeed! I doesn�t call these woods, Madam Effingham, where I lose myself every day of

'If there be anything wanting to your comfort, name it, Leather Stocking; if it be attainable it is yours.'

'You mean all for the best, lad, I know; and so does madam, too; but your ways isn�t my ways. �Tis like the

dead there, who thought, when the breath was in them, that one went east, and one went west, to find their

heavens; but they�ll meet at last, and so shall we, children. Yes, and as you�ve begun, and we shall meet in

'This is so new! so unexpected!' said Elizabeth, in almost breathless excitement; 'I had thought you meant to

'Words are of no avail,' exclaimed her husband: 'the habits of forty years are not to he dispossessed by the ties

of a day. I know you too well to urge you further, Natty; unless you will let me build you a hut on one of the

distant hills, where we can sometimes see you, and know that you are comfortable.'

'Don�t fear for the LeatherStocking, children; God will see that his days be provided for, and his ind happy.

I know you mean all for the best, but our ways doesn't agree. I love the woods, and ye relish the face of man;

I eat when hungry, and drink when adry; and ye keep stated hours and rules; nay, nay, you even overfeed

the dogs, lad, from pure kindness; and hounds should be gaunty to run well. The meanest of God�s creatures

be made for some use, and I�m formed for the wilderness, If ye love me, let me go where my soul craves to

The appeal was decisive; and not another word of en treaty for him to remain was then uttered; but Elizabeth

bent her head to her bosom and wept, while her husband dashed away the tears from his eyes; and, with

hands that almost refused to perform their office, he procured his pocketbook, and extended a parcel of

'Take these,' he said, 'at least take these; secure them about your person, and in the hour of need they will do

'This, then, is some of the newfashioned money that they�ve been making at Albany, out of paper! It can't be

worth much to they that hasn�t larning! No, no, ladtake back the stuff; it will do me no sarvice, I took

kear to get all the Frenchman�s powder afore he broke up, and they say lead grows where I�m going. it isn�t

even fit for wads, seeing that I use none but leather!Madam Effingham, let an old man kiss your hand, and

'Once more let me beseech you, stay!' cried Elizabeth. Do not, LeatherStocking, leave me to grieve for the

man who has twice rescued me from death, and who has served those I love so faithfully. For my sake, if not

for your own, stay. I shall see you in those frightful dreams that still haunt my nights, dying in poverty and

age, by the side of those terrific beasts you slew. There will be no evil, that sickness, want, and solitude can

inflict, that my fancy will not conjure as your fate. Stay with us, old man, if not for your own sake, at least for

'Such thoughts and bitter dreams, Madam Effingham,' returned the hunter, solemnly, ' will never haunt an

innocent parson long. They�ll pass away with God�s pleasure. And if the catamounts be yet brought to

your eyes in sleep, tis not for my sake, but to show you the power of Him that led me there to save you. Trust

in God, madam, and your honorable husband, and the thoughts for an old man like me can never be long nor

bitter. I pray that the Lord will keep you in mindthe Lord that lives in clearings as well as in the

wildernessand bless you, and all that belong to you, from this time till the great day when the whites shall

Elizabeth raised her head, and offered her colorless cheek to his salute, when he lifted his cap and touched it

respectfully. His hand was grasped with convulsive fervor by the youth, who continued silent. The hunter

prepared himself for his journey, drawing his belt tighter, and wasting his moments in the little reluctant

movements of a sorrowful departure. Once or twice he essayed to speak, but a rising in his throat prevented

it. At length he shouldered his rifle, and cried with a clear huntsman�s call that echoed through the woods:

Heeere, heeere, pupsaway, dogs, away!ye'll be footsore afore ye see the end of the journey!'

The hounds leaped from the earth at this cry, and scenting around the grave and silent pair, as if conscious of

their own destination, they followed humbly at the heels of their master. A short pause succeeded, during

which even the youth concealed his face on his grandfather�s tomb. When the pride of manhood, however,

had sup pressed the feelings of nature, he turned to renew his en treaties, but saw that the cemetery was

Elizabeth raised her face, and saw the old hunter standing looking back for a moment, on the verge of the

wood. As he caught their glances, he drew his hard hand hastily across his eyes again, waved it on high for an

adieu, and, uttering a forced cry to his dogs, who were crouching at his feet, he entered the forest.

This was the last they ever saw of the LeatherStocking, whose rapid movements preceded the pursuit which

Judge Temple both ordered and conducted. He had gone far toward the setting sunthe foremost in that

band of pioneers who are opening the way for the march of the nation across the continent.