Chapter VII.

by James Fenimore Cooper

　　"From Sesquehannas utmost springs,Where savage tribes pursue their game,His blanket tied with yellow strings,The shepherd of the forest came. --Freneau.

　　Before the Europeans, or, to use a more significant term, theChristians, dispossessed the original owners of the soil, all thatsection of country which contains the New England States, and those ofthe Middle which lie east of the mountains, was occupied by two greatnations of Indians, from whom had descended numberless tribes. But,as the original distinctions between these nations were marked by adifference in language, as well as by repeated and bloody wars, theywere never known to amalgamate, until after the power and inroads ofthe whites had reduced some of the tribes to a state of dependencethat rendered not only their political, but, considering the wants andhabits 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 andpowerful tribes that owned that nation as their grandfather The formerwas generally called, by the Anglo-Americans Iroquois, or the SixNations, and sometimes Mingoes. Their appellation among their rivals,seems generally to have been the Mengwe, or Maqua. They consisted ofthe tribes or, as their allies were fond of asserting, in order toraise their consequence, of the several nations of the Mohawks, theOneidas, the Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas; who ranked, in theconfederation in the order in which they are named. The Tuscaroraswere admitted to this union near a century after its foundation, andthus completed the number of six.

　　Of the Lenni Lenape, or as they were called by the whites, from thecircumstances of their holding their great council-fire on the banksof that river, the Delaware nation, the principal tribes, besides thatwhich bore the generic name, were the Mahicanni, Mohicans, orMohegans, and the Nanticokes, or Nentigoes. Of these the latter heldthe country along the waters of the Chesapeake and the seashore; whilethe Mohegans occupied the district between the Hudson and the ocean,including much of New England. Of course these two tribes were thefirst who were dispossessed of their lands by the Europeans.

　　The wars of a portion of the latter are celebrated among us as thewars of King Philip; but the peaceful policy of William Penn, orMiquon, as he was termed by the natives, effected its object with lessdifficulty, though not with less certainty. As the natives graduallydisappeared from the country of the Mohegans, some scattering familiessought a refuge around the council-fire of the mother tribe, or theDelawares.

　　This people had been induced to suffer themselves to be called womenby their old enemies, the Mingoes, or Iroquois. After the latter,having in vain tried the effects of hostility, had recourse inartifice in order to prevail over their rivals. According to thisdeclaration, the Delawares were to cultivate the arts of peace, and tointrust their defence entirely to the men, or warlike tribes of theSix Nations.

　　This state of things continued until the war of the Revolution. Whenthe Lenni Lenape formally asserted their independence, and fearlesslydeclared that they were again men. But, in a government so peculiarlyrepublican as the Indian polity, it was not at all times an easy taskto restrain its members within the rules of the nation. Severalfierce and renowned warriors of the Mohegans, finding the conflictwith the whites to be in vain, sought a refuge with their grandfather,and brought with them the feelings and principles that had so longdistinguished them in their own tribe. These chieftains kept alive,in some measure, the martial spirit of the Delawares; and would, attimes, lead small parties against their ancient enemies, or such otherfoes as incurred their resentment.

　　Among these warriors was one race particularly famous for theirprowess, and for those qualities that render an Indian herocelebrated. But war, time, disease, and want had conspired to thintheir number; and the sole representative of this once renowned familynow stood in the hall of Marmaduke Temple. He had for a long timebeen an associate of the white men, particularly in their wars, andhaving been, at the season when his services were of importance, muchnoticed and flattered, he had turned Christian and was baptized by thename of John. He had suffered severely in his family during therecent war, having had every soul to whom he was allied cut off by aninroad of the enemy; and when the last lingering remnant of his nationextinguished their fires, among the hills of the Delaware, he alonehad remained, with a determination of laying his hones in that countrywhere his fathers had so long lived and governed.

　　It was only, however, within a few months, that he had appeared amongthe mountains that surrounded Templeton. To the hut of the old hunterhe seemed peculiarly welcome; and, as the habits of the Leather-Stocking were so nearly assimilated to those of the savages, theconjunction of their interests excited no surprise. They resided inthe same cabin, ate of the same food, and were chiefly occupied in thesame pursuits.

　　We have already mentioned the baptismal name of this ancient chief;but in his conversation with Natty, held in the language of theDelawares, he was heard uniformly to call himself Chingachgook, which,interpreted, means the "Great Snake." This name he had acquired in hisyouth, by his skill and prowess in war; but when his brows began towrinkle with time, and he stood alone, the last of his family, and hisparticular 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 ofthis inhabitant of the forest by the sound of a name that recalled theidea of his nation in ruins, for he seldom used it himself--never,indeed, excepting on the most solemn occasions; but the settlers hadunited, according to the Christian custom, his baptismal with hisnational name, and to them he was generally known as John Mohegan, or,more familiarly, as Indian John.

　　From his long association with the white men, the habits of Moheganwere a mixture of the civilized and savage states, though there wascertainly a strong preponderance in favor of the latter. In commonwith all his people, who dwelt within the influence of the Anglo-Americans, he had acquired new wants, and his dress was a mixture ofhis native and European fashions. Notwithstanding the in tense coldwithout, his head was uncovered; but a profusion of long, black,coarse hair concealed his forehead, his crown, and even hung about hischeeks, so as to convey the idea, to one who knew his present amidformer conditions, that he encouraged its abundance, as a willing veilto hide the shame of a noble soul, mourning for glory once known. Hisforehead, when it could be seen, appeared lofty, broad, and noble.His nose was high, and of the kind called Roman, with nostrils thatexpanded, in his seventieth year, with the freedom that haddistinguished them in youth. His mouth was large, but compressed, andpossessing a great share of expression and character, and, whenopened, it discovered a perfect set of short, strong, and regularteeth. His chin was full, though not prominent; and his face bore theinfallible mark of his people, in its square, high cheek-bones. Theeyes were not large, but their black orbs glittered in the rays of thecandles, as he gazed intently down the hall, like two balls of fire.

　　The instant that Mohegan observed himself to be noticed by the grouparound the young stranger, he dropped the blanket which covered theupper part of his frame, from his shoulders, suffering it to fall overhis leggins of untanned deer-skin, where it was retained by a belt ofbark that confined it to his waist.

　　As he walked slowly down the long hail, the dignified and deliberatetread of the Indian surprised the spectators.

　　His shoulders, and body to his waist, were entirely bare, with theexception of a silver medallion of Washington, that was suspended fromhis neck by a thong of buckskin, and rested on his high chest, amidmany scars. His shoulders were rather broad and full; but the arms,though straight and graceful, wanted the muscular appearance thatlabor gives to a race of men. The medallion was the only ornament hewore, although enormous slits in the rim of either ear, which sufferedthe cartilages to fall two inches below the members, had evidentlybeen used for the purposes of decoration in other days. in his handhe held a small basket of the ash-wood slips, colored in diversfantastical conceits, with red and black paints mingled with the whiteof the wood.

　　As this child of the forest approached them, the whole party stoodaside, and allowed him to confront the object of his visit. He didnot speak, however, but stood fixing his glowing eyes on the shoulderof the young hunter, and then turning them intently on the countenanceof the Judge. The latter was a good deal astonished at this unusualdeparture from the ordinarily subdued and quiet manner of the Indian;but he extended his hand, and said:

　　"Thou art welcome, John. This youth entertains a high opinion of thyskill, it seems, for he prefers thee to dress his wound even to ourgood friend, Dr. Todd."

　　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 theYoung Eagle has been struck by the hand that should do no evil!"

　　"Mohegan! old John!" exclaimed the Judge, "thinkest thou that my handhas 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, whenawake; no! not even when the children of the great English Father weremaking the waters red with the blood of his people."

　　"Surely John," said Mr. Grant, with much earnestness, "you rememberthe 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 whom he is unknown, and from whom he can receive neither injury nor favor?"

　　John listened respectfully to the divine, and, when he had concluded,he stretched out his arm, and said with energy:

　　"He is innocent. My brother has not done this."

　　Marmaduke received the offered hand of the other with a smile, thatshowed, however he might be astonished at his suspicion, he had ceasedto resent it; while the wounded youth stood, gazing from his redfriend to his host, with interest powerfully delineated in hiscountenance.

　　No sooner was this act of pacification exchanged, than John proceededto discharge the duty on which he had come. Dr. Todd was far frommanifesting any displeasure at this invasion of his rights, but madeway for the new leech with an air that expressed a willingness togratify the humors of his patient, now that the all-important part ofthe business was so successfully performed, and nothing remained to bedone but what any child might effect, indeed, he whispered as much toMonsieur Le Quoi, when he said:

　　"It was fortunate that the ball was extracted before this Indian camein; but any old woman can dress the wound. The young man, I hear,lives with John and Natty Bumppo, and its always best to humor apatient, when it can be done discreetly--I say, discreetly, monsieur."

　　"Certainement," returned the Frenchman; "you seem ver happy, MisterTodd, in your pratice. I tink the elder lady might ver well finishvat you so skeelfully begin."

　　But Richard had, at the bottom, a great deal of veneration for theknowledge of Mohegan, especially in external wounds; and, retainingall his desire for a participation in glory, he advanced nigh theIndian, and said: "Sago, sago, Mohegan! sago my good fellow I am gladyou have come; give me a regular physician, like Dr. Todd to cut intoflesh, and a native to heal the wound. Do you remember, John, thetime when I and you set the bone of Natty Bumppos little finger,after he broke it by falling from the rock, when he was trying to getthe partridge that fell on the cliffs? I never could tell yet whetherit was I or Natty who killed that bird: he fired first, and the birdstooped, and then it was rising again as I pulled trigger. I shouldhave claimed it for a certainty, but Natty said the hole was too bigfor shot, and he fired a single ball from his rifle; but the piece Icarried then didnt scatter, and I have known it to bore a holethrough a board, when Ive been shooting at a mark, very much likerifle bullets. Shall I help you, John? You know I have a knack atthese things."

　　Mohegan heard this disquisition quite patiently, and, when Richardconcluded, he held out the basket which contained his specifics,indicating, by a gesture, that he might hold it. Mr. Jones was quitesatisfied with this commission; and ever after, in speaking of theevent, was used to say that "Dr. Todd and I cut out the bullet, and Iand Indian John dressed the wound."

　　The patient was much more deserving of that epithet while under thehands of Mohegan, than while suffering under the practice of thephysician. Indeed, the Indian gave him but little opportunity for theexercise of a forbearing temper, as he had come prepared for theoccasion. His dressings were soon applied, and consisted only of somepounded bark, moistened with a fluid that he had expressed from someof the simples of the woods.

　　Among the native tribes of the forest there were always two kinds ofleeches to be met with. The one placed its whole dependence on theexercise of a supernatural power, and was held in greater venerationthan their practice could at all justify ; but the other was reallyendowed with great skill in the ordinary complaints of the human body,and was more particularly, as Natty had intimated, "curous" in cutsand bruises."

　　While John and Richard were placing the dressings on the wound,Elnathan was acutely eyeing the contents of Mohegans basket, whichMr. Jones, in his physical ardor had transferred to the doctor, inorder to hold himself one end of the bandages. Here he was soonenabled to detect sundry fragments of wood and bark, of which he quitecoolly took possession, very possibly without any intention ofspeaking at all upon the subject; but, when he beheld the full blueeye of Marmaduke watching his movements, he whispered to the Judge:

　　"It is not to be denied, Judge Temple, but what the savages areknowing in small matters of physic. They hand these things down intheir traditions. Now in cancers and hydrophoby they are quiteingenious. I will just take this bark home and analyze it; for,though it cant be worth sixpence to the young mans shoulder, it maybe good for the toothache, or rheumatism, or some of them complaints.A man should never be above learning, even if it be from an Indian,"

　　It was fortunate for Dr. Todd that his principles were so liberal, as,coupled with his practice, they were the means by which he acquiredall his knowledge, and by which he was gradually qualifying himselffor the duties of his profession. The process to which he subjectedthe specific differed, however, greatly from the ordinary rules ofchemistry; for instead of separating he afterward united the componentparts of Mohegans remedy, and was thus able to discover the treewhence the Indian had taken it.

　　Some ten years after this event, when civilization and its refinementshad crept, or rather rushed, into the settlements among these wildhills, an affair of honor occurred, and Elnathan was seen to apply asalve to the wound received by one of the parties, which had theflavor that was peculiar to the tree, or root, that Mohegan had used.Ten years later still, when England and the United States were againengaged in war, and the hordes of the western parts of the State ofNew York were rushing to the field, Elnathan, presuming on thereputation obtained by these two operations, followed in the rear of abrigade of militia as its surgeon!

　　When Mohegan had applied the bark, he freely relinquished to Richardthe needle and thread that were used in sewing the bandages, for thesewere implements of which the native but little understood the use:and, step ping back with decent gravity, awaited the completion of thebusiness by the other.

　　"Reach me the scissors," said Mr. Jones, when he had finished, andfinished for the second time, after tying the linen in every shape andform that it could be placed; "reach me the scissors, for here is athread that must be cut off, or it might get under the dressings, andinflame the wound. See, John, I have put the lint I scraped betweentwo layers of the linen; for though the bark is certainly best for theflesh, 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, andI will not turn my back at scraping lint to any man on the Patent. Iought to know how, if anybody ought, for my grandfather was a doctor,and my father had a natural turn that way."

　　"Here, squire, is the scissors," said Remarkable, producing frombeneath her petticoat of green moreen a pair of dull-looking shears;"well, upon my say-so, you have sewed on the rags as well as a woman."

　　"As well as a woman!" echoed Richard with indignation; "what do womenknow 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, Iwill thank you for the scissors from the case, Now, young man, I thinkyoull 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 isadmirably dressed. You will soon be well again; though the jerk yougave my leaders must have a tendency to inflame the shoulder, yet youwill do, you will do, You were rather flurried, I sup pose, and notused to horses; but I forgive the accident for the motive; no doubtyou had the best of motives; yes, now you will do."

　　"Then, gentlemen," said the wounded stranger, rising, and resuming hisclothes, "it will be unnecessary for me to trespass longer on yourtime and patience. There remains but one thing more to be settled,and that is, our respective rights to the deer, Judge Temple."

　　"I acknowledge it to be thine," said. Marmaduke; "and much moredeeply am I indebted to thee than for this piece of venison. But inthe morning thou wilt call here, and we can adjust this, as well asmore important matters Elizabeth"--for the young lady, being apprisedthat the wound was dressed, had re-entered the hall--" thou wilt ordera repast for this youth before we proceed to the church; and Aggy willhave a sleigh prepared to convey him to his friend."

　　"But, sir, I cannot go without a part of the deer," returned theyouth, seemingly struggling with his own feelings; "I have alreadytold you that I needed the venison for myself."

　　"Oh, we will not he particular," exclaimed Richard; "the Judge willpay you in the morning for the whole deer; and, Remarkable, give thelad all the animal excepting the saddle; so, on the whole, I think youmay consider yourself as a very lucky young man--you have been shotwithout being disabled; have had the wound dressed in the bestpossible manner here in the woods, as well as it would have been donein the Philadelphia hospital, if not better; have sold your deer at ahigh price, and yet can keep most of the carcass, with the skin in thebargain. Marky, tell Tom to give him the skin too, and in themorning bring the skin to me and I will give you half a dollar for it,or at least three-and-sixpence. I want just such a skin to cover thepillion that I am making for Cousin Bess."

　　"I thank you, sir, for your liberality, and, I trust, am also thankfulfor my escape," returned the stranger; "but you reserve the very partof the animal that I wished for my own use. I must have the saddlemyself."

　　"Must!" echoed Richard; "must is harder to be swallowed than the hornsof the buck."

　　"Yes, must," repeated the youth; when, turning his head proudly aroundhim, as if to see who would dare to controvert his rights, he met theastonished gaze of Elizabeth, and proceeded more mildly: "That is, ifa man is allowed the possession of that which his hand hath killed.and the law will protect him in the enjoyment of his own."

　　"The law will do so," said Judge Temple, with an air of mortificationmingled with surprise. "Benjamin, see that the whole deer is placedin the sleigh; and have this youth conveyed to the hut of LeatherStocking. But, young man thou hast a name, and I shall see you again,in order to compensate thee for the wrong I have done thee?"

　　"I am called Edwards," returned the hunter; "Oliver Edwards, I ameasily to be seen, sir, for I live nigh by, and am not afraid to showmy face, having never injured any man."

　　"It is we who have injured you, sir," said Elizabeth; "and theknowledge that you decline our assistance would give my father greatpain. He would gladly see you in the morning."

　　The young hunter gazed at the fair speaker until his earnest lookbrought the blood to her temples; when, recollecting himself, he benthis head, dropping his eyes to the carpet, and replied:

　　"In the morning, then, will I return, and see Judge Temple; and I willaccept his offer of the sleigh in token of amity."

　　"Amity!" repeated Marmaduke; "there was no malice in the act thatinjured thee, young man; there should be none in the feelings which itmay engender."

　　"Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,"observed Mr. Grant, "is the language used by our Divine Masterhimself, and it should be the golden rule with us, his humblefollowers."

　　The stranger stood a moment lost in thought, and then, glancing hisdark eyes rather wildly around the hall, he bowed low to the divine,and moved from the apartment with an air that would not admit ofdetention.

　　"Tis strange that one so young should harbor such feelings ofresentment," 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 weshall see him in the morning more tractable."

　　Elizabeth, to whom this speech was addressed, did not reply, but movedslowly up the hall by herself, fixing her eyes on the little figure ofthe English ingrain carpet that covered the floor; while, on the otherhand, Richard gave a loud crack with his whip, as the strangerdisappeared, and cried:

　　"Well, Duke, you are your own master, but I would have tried law forthe saddle before I would have given it to the fellow. Do you not ownthe mountains as well as the valleys? are not the woods your own? whatright has this chap, or the Leather-Stocking, to shoot in your woodswithout your permission? Now, I have known a farmer in Pennsylvaniaorder a sportsman off his farm with as little ceremony as I wouldorder Benjamin to put a log in the stove--By-the-bye, Benjamin, see howthe thermometer stands.--Now, if a man has a right to do this on a farmof a hundred acres, what power must a landlord have who owns sixtythousand--ay, for the matter of that, including the late purchases, ahundred thousand? There is Mohegan, to be sure, he may have someright, being a native; but its little the poor fellow can do now withhis rifle. How is this managed in France, Monsieur Le Quoi? Do youlet everybody run over your land in that country helter-skelter, asthey do here, shooting the game, so that a gentleman has but little orno chance with his gun?"

　　"Bah! diable, no, Meester Deeck," replied the Frenchman; "we give, inFrance, no liberty except to the ladi."

　　"Yes, yes, to the women, I know," said Richard, "that is your Saliclaw. I read, sir, all kinds of books; of France, as well as England;of Greece, as well as Rome. But if I were in Dukes place, I wouldstick up advertisements to-morrow morning, forbidding all persons toshoot, or trespass in any manner, on my woods. I could write such anadvertisement myself, in an hour, as would put a stop to the thing atonce."

　　"Richart," said Major Hartmann, very coolly knocking the ashes fromhis pipe into the spitting-box by his side, "now listen; I have livetseventy-five years on ter Mohawk, and in ter woots. You had bettermettle as mit ter deyvel, as mit ter hunters, Tey live mit ter gun,and a rifle is better as ter law."

　　"Aint Marmaduke a judge?" said Richard indignantly. "Where is theuse of being a judge, or having a judge, if there is no law? Damn thefellow! I have a great mind to sue him in the morning myself, beforeSquire Doolittle, for meddling with my leaders. I am not afraid ofhis rifle. I can shoot, too. I have hit a dollar many a time atfifty rods

　　"Thou hast missed more dollars than ever thou hast hit, Dickon,"exclaimed the cheerful voice of the Judge. "But we will now take ourevenings repast, which I perseive, by Remarkable's physiognomy, isready. Monsieur Le Quoi, Miss Temple has a hand at your service.Will you lead the way, my child?"

　　"Ah! ma chere mamselle, comme je suis enchante!" said the Frenchman."Il ne manque que les dames de faire un paradis de Templeton."

　　Mr. Grant and Mohegan continued in the hall, while the remainder ofthe party withdrew to an eating parlor, if we except Benjamin, whocivilly remained to close the rear after the clergyman and to open thefront door for the exit of the Indian.

　　"John," said the divine, when the figure of Judge Temple disappeared,the last of the group, "to-morrow is the festival of the nativity ofour blessed Redeemer, when the church has appointed prayers andthanksgivings to be offered up by her children, and when all areinvited to partake of the mystical elements. As you have taken up thecross, and become a follower of good and an eschewer of evil, I trustI shall see you before the altar, with a contrite heart and a meekspirit."

　　"John will come," said the Indian, betraying no surprise; though hedid not understand all the terms used by the other.

　　"Yes," continued Mr. Grant, laying his hand gently on the tawnyshoulder of the aged chief, "but it is not enough to be there in thebody; you must come in the spirit and in truth. The Redeemer died forall, for the poor Indian as well as for the white man. Heaven knowsno difference in color; nor must earth witness a separation of thechurch. It is good and profitable, John, to freshen theunderstanding, and support the wavering, by the observance of our holyfestivals; but all form is but stench in the nostrils of the Holy One,unless it be accompanied by a devout and humble spirit."

　　The Indian stepped back a little, and, raising his body to its utmostpowers of erection, he stretched his right arm on high, and droppedhis forefinger downward, as if pointing from the heavens; then,striking his other band on his naked breast, he said, with energy:

　　"The eye of the Great Spirit can see from the clouds-- the bosom ofMohegan is bare!"

　　"It is well, John, and I hope you will receive profit and consolationfrom the performance of this duty. The Great Spirit overlooks none ofhis children; and the man of the woods is as much an object of hiscare as he who dwells in a palace. I wish you a good-night, and prayGod to bless you.

　　The Indian bent his head, and they separated--the one to seek his hut,and the other to join his party at the supper-table. While Benjaminwas opening the door for the passage of the chief, he cried, in a tonethat was meant to be encouraging:

　　The parson says the word that is true, John. If so be that they tookcount of the color of the skin in heaven, why, they might refuse tomuster on their books a Christian-born, like myself, just for thematter of a little tan, from cruising in warm latitudes; though, forthe matter of that, this damned norwester is enough to whiten the skinof a blackamore. Let the reef out of your blanket, man, or your redhide will hardly weather the night with out a touch from the frost."