Chapter XVI.

by James Fenimore Cooper

　　The raptures of a conqueror's mood Rushed burning through his frame; The depths of that green solitude Its torrents could not tame, Though stillness lay, with eve's last smile, Round those far fountains of the Nile --MRS HEMANS.When the bee-hunter and Corporal Flint thus went forth in midnight,from the "garrison" of Castle Meal (Chateau au Miel), as the latterwould have expressed it, it was with no great apprehension ofmeeting any other than a four-footed enemy, notwithstanding theblast of the horn the worthy corporal supposed he had heard. Themovements of the dog seemed to announce such a result rather thanany other, for Hive was taken along as a sort of guide. Le Bourdon,however, did not permit his mastiff to run off wide, but, having theanimal at perfect command, it was kept close to his own person.

　　The two men first moved toward the grove of the Kitchen, much toHive's discontent. The dog several times halted, and he whined, andgrowled, and otherwise manifested his great dislike to proceed inthat direction. At length so decided did his resistance become, thathis master said to his companion:

　　"It seems to me best, corporal, to let the mastiff lead us. I havenever yet seen him so set on not going in one way, and on going inanother. Hive has a capital nose, and we may trust him."

　　"Forward," returned the corporal, wheeling short in the direction ofthe dog; "one thing should be understood, however, Bourdon, which isthis--you must act as light troops in this sortie, and I as the mainbody. If we come on the inimy, it will be your duty to skrimmage infront as long as you can, and then fall back on your resarves. Ishall depend chiefly on the baggonet, which is the best tool to putan Injin up with; and as he falls back, before my charge, we mustkeep him under as warm a fire as possible. Having no cavalry, thedog might be made useful in movements to the front and on ourflanks."

　　"Pooh, pooh, corporal, you're almost as much set in the notions ofyour trade as Parson Amen is set in his idees about the lost tribes.In my opinion there'll be more tribes found in these openings beforethe summer is over than we shall wish to meet. Let us follow thedog, and see what will turn up." Hive was followed, and he took adirection that led to a distant point in the openings, where notonly the trees were much thicker than common, but where a smalltributary of the Kalamazoo ran through a ravine, from the higherlands adjacent into the main artery of all the neighboringwatercourses. The bee-hunter knew the spot well, having often drankat the rivulet, and cooled his brow in the close shades of theravine, when heated by exertions in the more open grounds. In short,the spot was one of the most eligible for concealment, coolness, andpure water, within several miles of Castle Meal. The trees formed aspacious grove around it, and, by means of the banks, their summitsand leaves answered the purpose of a perfect screen to those whomight descend into the ravine, or, it would be better to say, to thebottom. Le Bourdon was no sooner satisfied that his mastiff wasproceeding toward the great spring which formed the rivulet at thehead of the ravine mentioned, than he suspected Indians might bethere. He had seen signs about the spot, which wore an appearance ofits having been used as a place of encampment--or for "camping out,"as it is termed in the language of the west--and, coupling the soundof the horn with the dog's movements, his quick apprehension seizedon the facts as affording reasonable grounds of distrust.Consequently he resorted to great caution, as he and the corporalentered the wood which surrounded the spring, and the small oval bitof bottom that lay spread before it, like a little lawn. Hive waskept close at his master's side, though he manifested a markedimpatience to advance. "Now, corporal," said the bee-hunter in a lowtone, "I think we have lined some savages to their holes. We will goround the basin and descend to the bottom, in a close wood whichgrows there. Did you see that?"

　　"I suppose I did," answered the corporal, who was as firm as a rock."You meant to ask me if I saw fire?"

　　"I did. The red men have lighted their council fire in this spot,and have met to talk around it. Well, let 'em hearken to eachother's thoughts, if they will; we shall be neither the better northe worse for it."

　　"I don't know that. When the commander-in-chief calls together hisprincipal officers, something usually comes of it. Who knows butthis very council is called in order to take opinions on the subjectof besieging or of storming our new garrison? Prudent soldiersshould always be ready for the worst."

　　"I have no fear, so long as Peter is with us. That chief is listenedto by every red-skin; and while we have him among us there will belittle to care for. But we are getting near to the bottom and mustwork our way through these bushes with as little noise as possible.I will keep the dog quiet."

　　The manner in which that sagacious animal now behaved was trulywonderful. Hive appeared to be quite as much aware of the necessityof extreme caution as either of the men, and did not once attempt toprecede his master his own length. On one or two occasions heactually discovered the best passages, and led his companionsthrough them with something like the intelligence of a human being.Neither growl nor bark escaped him; on the contrary, even thehacking breathing of an impatient dog was suppressed, precisely asif the animal knew how near he was getting to the most watchful earsin the world.

　　After using the greatest care, the bee-hunter and the corporal gotjust such a station as they desired. It was within a very few feetof the edge of the cover, but perfectly concealed, while smallopenings enabled them to see all that was passing in their front. Afallen tree, a relic of somewhat rare occurrence in the openings ofMichigan, even furnished them with a seat, while it rendered theirposition less exposed. Hive placed himself at his master's side,apparently trusting to other senses than that of sight for hisinformation, since he could see nothing of what was going on infront.

　　As soon as the two men had taken their stations, and began to lookabout them, a feeling of awe mingled with their curiosity. Truly,the scene was one so very remarkable and imposing that it might havefilled more intellectual and better fortified minds with some suchsensation. The fire was by no means large, nor was it particularlybright; but sufficient to cast a dim light on the objects withinreach of its rays. It was in the precise centre of a bit of bottomland of about half an acre in extent, which was so formed andsurrounded, as to have something of the appearance of the arena of alarge amphitheatre. There was one break in the encircling rise ofground, it is true, and that was at a spot directly opposite thestation of le Bourdon and his companion, where the rill which flowedfrom the spring found a passage out toward the more open ground.Branches shaded most of the mound, but the arena itself was totallyfree from all vegetation but that which covered the dense andbeautiful sward with which it was carpeted. Such is a briefdescription of the natural accessories of this remarkable scene.

　　But it was from the human actors, and their aspects, occupations,movements, dress, and appearance generally, that the awe which cameover both the bee-hunter and the corporal had its origin. Of these,near fifty were present, offering a startling force by their numbersalone. Each man was a warrior, and each warrior was in his paint.These were facts that the familiarity of the two white men withIndian customs rendered only too certain. What was still morestriking was the fact that all present appeared to be chiefs; acircumstance which went to show that an imposing body of red men wasmost likely somewhere in the openings, and that too at no greatdistance. It was while observing and reflecting on all these things,a suspicion first crossed the mind of le Bourdon that this greatcouncil was about to be held, at that midnight hour, and so near hisown abode, for the purpose of accommodating Peter, whose appearancein the dark crowd, from that instant, he began to expect.

　　The Indians already present were not seated. They stood in groupsconversing, or stalked across the arena, resembling so many dark andstately spectres. No sound was heard among them, a circumstance thatadded largely to the wild and supernatural aspect of the scene. Ifany spoke, it was in a tone so low and gentle, as to carry the soundno farther than to the ears that were listening; two never spoke atthe same time and in the same group, while the moccasin permitted nofootfall to be audible. Nothing could have been more unearthly thanthe picture presented in that little, wood-circled arena, of velvet-like grass and rural beauty. The erect, stalking forms, half naked,if not even more; the swarthy skins; the faces fierce in the savageconceits which were intended to strike terror into the bosoms ofenemies, and the glittering eyes that fairly sparkled in theirmidst, all contributed to the character of the scene, which leBourdon rightly enough imagined was altogether much the mostremarkable of any he had ever been in the way of witnessing.

　　Our two spectators might have been seated on the fallen tree half anhour, all of which time they had been gazing at what was passingbefore their eyes; with positively not a human sound to relieve theunearthly nature of the picture. No one spoke, coughed, laughed, orexclaimed, in all that period. Suddenly, every chief stood still,and all the faces turned in the same direction. It was toward thelittle gateway of the rill, which being the side of the arena mostremote from the bee-hunter and the corporal, lay nearly in darknessas respected them. With the red men it must have been different, forthey all appeared to be in intent expectation of some one from thatquarter. Nor did they have to wait long; for, in half a minute, twoforms came out of the obscurity, advancing with a dignified anddeliberate tread to the centre of the arena. As these newcomers gotmore within the influence of the flickering light, le Bourdon sawthat they were Peter and Parson Amen. The first led, with a slow,imposing manner, while the other followed, not a little bewilderedwith what he saw. It may be as well to explain here, that the Indianwas coming alone to this place of meeting, when he encountered themissionary wandering among the oaks, looking for le Bourdon and thecorporal, and, instead of endeavoring to throw off this unexpectedcompanion, he quietly invited him to be of his own party.

　　It was evident to le Bourdon, at a glance, that Peter was expected,though it was not quite so clear that such was the fact as regardedhis companion. Still, respect for the great chief prevented anymanifestations of surprise or discontent, and the medicine-man ofthe pale-faces was received with as grave a courtesy as if he hadbeen an invited guest. Just as the two had entered the dark circlethat formed around them, a young chief threw some dry sticks on thefire, which blazing upward, cast a stronger light on a row of asterrifically looking countenances as ever gleamed on human forms.This sudden illumination, with its accompanying accessories, had theeffect to startle all the white spectators, though Peter looked onthe whole with a calm like that of the leafless tree, when the coldis at its height, and the currents of the wintry air are death-likestill Nothing appeared to move him, whether expected or not; thoughuse had probably accustomed his eye to all the aspects in whichsavage ingenuity could offer savage forms. He even smiled, as hemade a gesture of recognition, which seemed to salute the wholegroup. It was just then, when the fire burned brightest, and whenthe chiefs pressed most within its influence, that le Bourdonperceived that his old acquaintances, the head-men of thePottawattamies, were present, among the other chiefs so strangelyand portentously assembled in these grounds, which he had so longpossessed almost entirely to himself.

　　A few of the oldest of the chiefs now approached Peter, and a lowconversation took place between them. What was said did not reach leBourdon, of course; for it was not even heard in the dark circle ofsavages who surrounded the fire. The effect of this secret dialogue,however, was to cause all the chiefs to be seated, each taking hisplace on the grass; the whole preserving the original circle aroundthe fire. Fortunately, for the wishes of le Bourdon, Peter and hiscompanions took their stations directly opposite to his own seat,thus enabling him to watch every lineament of that remarkablechief's still more remarkable countenance. Unlike each and all ofthe red men around him, the face of Peter was not painted, except bythe tints imparted by nature; which, in his case, was that of coppera little tarnished, or rendered dull by the action of theatmosphere. The bee-hunter could distinctly trace every lineament;nor was the dark roving eye beyond the reach of his own vision. Someattention was given to the fire, too, one of the younger chiefsoccasionally throwing on it a few dried sticks, more to keep alivethe flame, and to renew the light, than from any need of warmth. Oneother purpose, however, this fire did answer; that of enabling theyoung chiefs to light the pipes that were now prepared; it seldomoccurring that the chiefs thus assembled without smoking aroundtheir council-fire.

　　As this smoking was just then more a matter of ceremony than for anyother purpose, a whiff or two suffices for each chief; the smokerpassing the pipe to his neighbor as soon as he had inhaled a fewpuffs. The Indians are models of propriety, in their happiest moods,and every one in that dark and menacing circle was permitted to havehis turn with the pipe, before any other step was taken. There werebut two pipes lighted, and mouths being numerous, some time wasnecessary in order to complete this ceremony. Still, no sign ofimpatience was seen, the lowest chief having as much respect paid tohis feelings, as related to his attention, as the highest. At lengththe pipes completed their circuit, even Parson Amen getting, andusing, his turn, when a dead pause succeeded. The silence resembledthat of a Quaker meeting, and was broken only by the rising of oneof the principal chiefs, evidently about to speak. The language ofthe great Ojebway nation was used on this occasion, most of thechiefs present belonging to some one of the tribes of that stock,though several spoke other tongues, English and French included. Ofthe three whites present, Parson Amen alone fully comprehended allthat was said, he having qualified himself in this respect, topreach to the tribes of that people; though le Bourdon understoodnearly all, and even the corporal comprehended a good deal. The nameof the chief who first spoke at this secret meeting, which wasafterward known among the Ojebways by the name of the "Council ofthe Bottom Land, near to the spring of gushing water," was Bear'sMeat, an appellation that might denote a distinguished hunter,rather than an orator of much renown.

　　"Brothers of the many tribes of the Ojebways," commenced thispersonage, "the Great Spirit has permitted us to meet in council.The Manitou of our fathers is now among these oaks, listening to ourwords, and looking in at our hearts. Wise Indians will be carefulwhat they say in such a presence, and careful of what they think.All should be said and thought for the best. We are a scatterednation, and the time is come when we must stop in our tracks, ortravel beyond the sound of each other's cries. If we travel beyondthe hearing of our people, soon will our children learn tongues thatOjebway ears cannot understand. The mother talks to her child, andthe child learns her words. But no child can hear across a greatlake. Once we lived near the rising sun. Where are we now? Some ofour young men say they have seen the sun go down in the lakes ofsweet water. There can be no hunting-grounds beyond that spot; andif we would live, we must stand still in our tracks. How to do this,we have met to consider.

　　"Brothers, many wise chiefs and braves are seated at this council-fire. It is pleasant to my eyes to look upon them. Ottawas,Chippeways, Pottawattamies, Menominees, Hurons, and all. Our fatherat Quebec has dug up the hatchet against the Yankees. The war-pathis open between Detroit and all the villages of the red men. Theprophets are speaking to our people, and we listen. One is here; heis about to speak. The council will have but a single sense, whichwill be that of hearing."

　　Thus concluding, Bear's Meat took his seat, in the same composed anddignified manner as that in which he had risen, and deep silencesucceeded. So profound was the stillness, that, taken in connectionwith the dark lineaments, the lustrous eyeballs that threw back thelight of the fire, the terrific paint and the armed hands of everywarrior present, the picture might be described as imposing to adegree that is seldom seen in the assemblies of the civilized. Inthe midst of this general but portentous calm, Peter arose. Thebreathing of the circle grew deeper, so much so as to be audible,the only manner in which the intensity of the common expectationbetrayed itself. Peter was an experienced orator, and knew how toturn every minutiae of his art to good account. His every movementwas deliberate, his attitude highly dignified--even his eye seemedeloquent.

　　Oratory! what a power art thou, wielded, as is so often the case, asmuch for evil as for good. The very reasoning that might appear tobe obtuse, or which would be over looked entirely when written andpublished, issuing from the mouth, aided by the feelings of sympathyand the impulses of the masses, seems to partake of the wisdom ofdivinity. Thus is it, also, with the passions, the sense of wrong,the appeals to vengeance, and all the other avenues of humanemotion. Let them be addressed to the cold eye of reason andjudgment, in the form of written statements, and the mind pauses toweigh the force of arguments, the justice of the appeals, the truthof facts: but let them come upon the ear aided by thy art, with apower concentrated by sympathy, and the torrent is often lessdestructive in its course, than that of the whirlwind that thoucanst awaken!

　　"Chiefs of the great Ojebway nation, I wish you well," said Peter,stretching out his arms toward the circle, as if desirous ofembracing all present. "The Manitou has been good to me. He hascleared a path to this spring, and to this council-fire. I seearound it the faces of many friends. Why should we not all befriendly? Why should a red man ever strike a blow against a red man?The Great Spirit made us of the same color, and placed us on thesame hunting-grounds. He meant that we should hunt in company; nottake each other's scalps. How many warriors have fallen in ourfamily wars? Who has counted them? Who can say? Perhaps enough, hadthey not been killed, to drive the pale-faces into the sea!"

　　Here Peter, who as yet had spoken only in a low and barely audiblevoice, suddenly paused, in order to allow the idea he had justthrown out to work on the minds of his listeners. That it wasproducing its effect was apparent by the manner in which one sternface turned toward another, and eye seemed to search in eye someresponse to a query that the mind suggested, though no utterance wasgiven to it with the tongue. As soon, however, as the orator thoughttime sufficient to impress that thought on the memories of thelisteners had elapsed, he resumed, suffering his voice gradually toincrease in volume, as he warmed with his subject.

　　"Yes," he continued, "the Manitou has been very kind. Who is theManitou? Has any Indian ever seen him? Every Indian has seen him. Noone can look on the hunting-grounds, on the lakes, on the prairies,on the trees, on the game, without seeing his hand. His face is tobe seen in the sun at noonday; his eyes in the stars at night. Hasany Indian ever heard the Manitou? When it thunders, he speaks. Whenthe crash is loudest, then he scolds. Some Indian has done wrong.Perhaps one red man has taken another red man's scalp!"

　　Another pause succeeded, briefer, and less imposing than the first,but one that sufficed to impress on the listeners anew, the greatevil of an Indian's raising his hand against an Indian.

　　"Yes, there is no one so deaf as not to hear the voice of the GreatSpirit when he is angry," resumed Peter. "Ten thousands of buffalobulls, roaring together, do not make as much noise as his whisper.Spread the prairies, and the openings, and the lakes, before him,and he can be heard in all, and on all, at the same time.

　　"Here is a medicine-priest of the pale-faces; he tells me that thevoice of the Manitou reaches into the largest villages of hispeople, beneath the rising sun, when it is heard by the red manacross the great lakes, and near the rocks of the setting sun. It isa loud voice; woe to him who does not remember it. It speaks to allcolors, and to every people, and tribe, and nation.

　　"Brothers, that is a lying tradition which says, there is oneManitou for a Sac, and another for the Ojebway--one Manitou for thered man, and another for the pale-face. In this, we are alike. OneGreat Spirit made all; governs all; rewards all; punishes all. Hemay keep the happy hunting-grounds of an Indian separate from thewhite man's heaven, for he knows that their customs are different,and what would please a warrior would displease a trader; and whatwould please a trader would displease a warrior. He has thought ofthese things, and has made several places for the spirits of thegood, let their colors be what they may. Is it the same with theplaces of the spirits of the bad? I think not. To me it would seembest to let them go together, that they may torment one another. Awicked Indian and a wicked pale-face would make a bad neighborhood.I think the Manitou will let them go together.

　　"Brothers, if the Manitou keeps the good Indian and the good pale-face apart in another world, what has brought them together in this?If he brings the bad spirits of all colors together in anotherworld, why should they come together here, before their time? Aplace for wicked spirits should not be found on earth. This iswrong; it must be looked into.

　　"Brothers, I have now done; this pale-face wishes to speak, and Ihave said that you would hear his words. When he has spoken hismind, I may have more to tell you. Now, listen to the stranger. Heis a medicine-priest of the white men, and says he has a greatsecret to tell our people--when he has told it, I have another fortheir ears too. Mine must be spoken when there is no one near butthe children of red clay."

　　Having thus opened the way for the missionary, Peter courteouslytook his seat, producing a little disappointment among his ownadmirers, though he awakened a lively curiosity to know what thismedicine-priest might have to say on an occasion so portentous. TheIndians in the regions of the great lakes had long been accustomedto missionaries, and it is probable that even some of their owntraditions, so far as they related to religious topics, had beeninsensibly colored by, if not absolutely derived from, men of thischaracter; for the first whites who are known to have penetratedinto that portion of the continent were Jesuits, who carried thecross as their standard and emblem of peace. Blessed emblem! thatany should so confound their own names and denunciatory practiceswith the revealed truth, as to imagine that a standard soappropriate should ever be out of season and place, when it isproper for man to use aught, at all, that is addressed to hissenses, in the way of symbols, rites, and ceremonies! To the Jesuitssucceeded the less ceremonious and less imposing priesthood ofAmerica, as America peculiarly was in the first years that followedthe Revolution. There is reason to believe that the spirit of God,in a greater or less degree, accompanied all; for all were self-denying and zealous, though the fruits of near two centuries oflabor have, as yet, amounted to little more than the promise of theharvest at some distant day. Enough, however, was known of themissionaries, and their views in general, to prepare the council, insome small degree, for the forthcoming exhibition.

　　Parson Amen had caught some of the habits of the Indians, in thecourse of years of communication and intercourse. Like them he hadlearned to be deliberate, calm, and dignified in his exterior; and,like them, he had acquired a sententious mode of speaking.

　　"My children," he said, for he deemed it best to assume the parentalcharacter, in a scene of so great moment, "as Peter has told you,the spirit of God is among you! Christians know that such has hepromised to be always with his people, and I see faces in thiscircle that I am ready to claim as belonging to those who haveprayed with me, in days that are long past. If your souls are nottouched by divine love, it does not kill the hope I entertain ofyour yet taking up the cross, and calling upon the Redeemer's name.But, not for this have I come with Peter, this night. I am now hereto lay before you an all-important fact, that Providence hasrevealed to me, as the fruit of long labor in the vineyard of studyand biblical inquiry. It is a tradition--and red men lovetraditions--it is a tradition that touches your own history, andwhich it will gladden your hearts to hear, for it will teach you howmuch your nation and tribes have been the subject of the especialcare and love of the Great Spirit. When my children say, speak, Ishall be ready to speak."

　　Here the missionary took his seat, wisely awaiting a demonstrationon the part of the council, ere he ventured to proceed any further.This was the first occasion on which he had ever attempted tobroach, in a direct form, his favorite theory of the "lost tribes."Let a man get once fairly possessed of any peculiar notion, whetherit be on religion, political economy, morals, politics, arts, oranything else, and he sees little beside his beloved principle,which he is at all times ready to advance, defend, demonstrate, orexpatiate on. Nothing can be simpler than the two great dogmas ofChristianity, which are so plain that all can both comprehend themand feel their truth. They teach us to love God, the surest way toobey him, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Any one canunderstand this; all can see how just it is, and how much of moralsublimity it contains. It is Godlike, and brings us near the veryessence of the Divinity, which is love, mercy, and truth. Yet howfew are content to accept the teachings of the Saviour in thisrespect, without embarrassing them with theories that have so muchof their origin in human fancies. We do not mean by this, however,that Parson Amen was so very wrong in bestowing a part of hisattention on that wonderful people, who, so early set apart by theCreator as the creatures of his own especial ends, have alreadyplayed so great a part in the history of nations, and who aredesigned, so far as we can penetrate revelation, yet to enact theirshare in the sublime drama of human events.

　　As for the council, its members were moved by more than ordinarycuriosity to hear what further the missionary might have to say,though all present succeeded admirably in suppressing theexhibition of any interest that might seem weak and womanly. After adecent delay, therefore, Bear's Meat intimated to the parson that itwould be agreeable to the chiefs present to listen to him further.

　　"My children, I have a great tradition to tell you," the missionaryresumed, as soon as on his feet again; "a very great and divinetradition; not a tradition of man's, but one that came direct fromthe Manitou himself. Peter has spoken truth; there is but one GreatSpirit; he is the Great Spirit of all colors, and tribes, andnations. He made all men of the same clay." Here a slight sensationwas perceptible among the audience, most of whom were very decidedlyof a different opinion, on this point of natural history. But themissionary was now so far warmed with his subject as to disregardany slight interruption, and proceeded as if his listeners hadbetrayed no feeling. "And he divided them afterward into nations andtribes. It was then he caused the color of his creatures to change.Some he kept white, as he had made them. Some he put behind a darkcloud, and they became altogether black. Our wise men think thatthis was done in punishment for their sins. Some he painted red,like the nations on this continent." Here Peter raised a finger, insign that he would ask a question; for, without permission granted,no Indian would interrupt the speaker. Indeed, no one of less claimsthan Peter would hardly have presumed to take the step he now did,and that because he saw a burning curiosity gleaming in the brighteyes of so many in the dark circle.

　　"Say on, Peter," answered the missionary to this sign; "I willreply."

　　"Let my brother say why the Great Spirit turned the Indian to a redcolor. Was he angry with him? or did he paint him so out of love?"

　　"This is more than I can tell you, friends. There are many colorsamong men, in different parts of the world, and many shades amongpeople of the same color. There are pale-faces fair as the lily, andthere are pale-faces so dark, as scarcely to be distinguished fromblacks. The sun does much of this; but no sun, nor want of sun, willever make a pale-face a red-skin, or a red skin a pale-face."

　　"Good--that is what we Indians say. The Manitou has made usdifferent; he did not mean that we should live on the same hunting-grounds," rejoined Peter, who rarely failed to improve everyopportunity in order to impress on the minds of his followers thenecessity of now crushing the serpent in its shell.

　　"No man can say that," answered Parson Amen. "Unless my people hadcome to this continent, the word of God could not have been preachedby me, along the shores of these lakes. But I will now speak of ourgreat tradition. The Great Spirit divided mankind into nations andtribes. When this was done, he picked out one for his chosen people.The pale-faces call that favorite, and for a long time much-favoredpeople, Jews. The Manitou led them through a wilderness, and eventhrough a salt lake, until they reached a promised land, where hepermitted them to live for many hundred winters. A great triumph wasto come out of that people--the triumphs of truth and of the law,over sin and death. In the course of time--"

　　Here a young chief rose, made a sign of caution, and crossing thecircle rapidly, disappeared by the passage through which the rillflowed. In about a minute he returned, showing the way into thecentre of the council to one whom all present immediately recognizedas a runner, by his dress and equipments. Important news was athand; yet not a man of all that crowd either rose or spoke, inimpatience to learn what it was!