Chapter XIII.

by James Fenimore Cooper

　　"And Ill drink out of the quart pot--Heres a health to the barley mow. "--Drinking Song.

　　On one of the corners, where the two principal streets of Templetonintersected each other, stood, as we have already mentioned, the inncalled the "Bold Dragoon". In the original plan it was ordained thatthe village should stretch along the little stream that rushed downthe valley; and the street which led from the lake to the academy wasintended to be its western boundary. But convenience frequentlyfrustrates the best-regulated plans. The house of Mr., or as, inconsequence of commanding the militia of that vicinity, he was called,Captain Hollister, had, at an early day, been erected directly facingthe main street, and ostensibly interposed a barrier to its furtherprogress. Horsemen, and subsequently teamsters, however, availedthemselves of an opening, at the end of the building, to shorten theirpassage westward, until in time the regular highway was laid out alongthis course, and houses were gradually built on either side, so aseffectually to prevent any subsequent correction of the evil.

　　Two material consequences followed this change in the regular plans ofMarmaduke. The main street, after running about half its length, wassuddenly reduced for precisely that difference in its width; and "BoldDragoon" became, next to the mansion-house, by far the mostconspicuous 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 nocircumstances could conquer. An effort was, however, made to do so;and at the corner diagonally opposite, stood a new building that wasin tended, by its occupants, to look down all opposition. It was ahouse of wood, ornamented in the prevailing style of architecture, andabout the roof and balustrades was one of the three imitators of themansion-house. The upper windows were filled with rough boardssecured by nails, to keep out the cold air--for the edifice was farfrom finished, although glass was to be seen in the lower apartments,and the light of the powerful fires within de noted that it wasalready inhabited. The exterior was painted white on the front and onthe end which was exposed to the street; but in the rear, and on theside which was intended to join the neighboring house, it was coarselysmeared with Spanish brown. Before the door stood two lofty posts,connected at the top by a beam, from which was suspended an enormoussign, ornamented around its edges with certain curious carvings inpine boards, and on its faces loaded with Masonic emblems. Over thesemysterious figures was written, in large letters, "The TempletonCoffee-house, and Travellers Hotel," and beneath them, "By HabakkukFoote and Joshua Knapp." This was a fearful rival to the" BoldDragoon," as our readers will the more readily perceive when we addthat the same sonorous names were to be seen over a newly erectedstore in the village, a hatters shop, and the gates of a tan-yard.But, either because too much was attempted to be executed well, orthat the "Bold Dragoon" had established a reputation which could notbe easily shaken, not only Judge Temple and his friends, but most ofthe villagers also, who were not in debt to the powerful firm we havenamed, frequented the inn of Captain Hollister on all occasions wheresuch a house was necessary

　　On the present evening the limping veteran and his consort were hardlyhoused after their return from the academy, when the sounds ofstamping feet at their threshold announced the approach of visitors,who were probably assembling with a view to compare opinions on thesubject of the ceremonies they had witnessed.

　　The public, or as it was called, the "bar-room," of the Bold Dragoon,"was a spacious apartment, lined on three sides with benches and on thefourth by fireplaces. Of the latter there were two of such size as tooccupy, with their enormous jambs, the whole of that side of theapartment where they were placed, excepting room enough for a door ortwo, and a little apartment in one corner, which was protected byminiature palisades, and profusely garnished with bottles and glasses.In the entrance to this sanctuary Mrs. Hollister was seated, withgreat gravity in her air, while her husband occupied himself withstirring the fires, moving the logs with a large stake burnt to apoint at one end.

　　"There, sargeant, dear," said the landlady, after she thought theveteran had got the logs arranged in the most judicious manner, "giveover poking, for its no good yell be doing, now that they burn soconvaniently. Theres the glasses on the table there, and the mugthat the doctor was taking his cider and ginger in, before the firehere-- just put them in the bar, will ye? for well be having thejooge, and the Major, and Mr. Jones down the night, without reckoningBenjamin Poomp, and the lawyers; so yell be fixing the room tidy; andput both flip irons in the coals; and tell Jude, the lazy black baste,that if shes no be cleaning up the kitchen Ill turn her out of thehouse, and she may live wid the jontlemen that kape the Coffeehouse, good luck to em. Och! sargeant, sure its a great privilegeto go to a mateing where a body can sit asy, without joomping up anddown so often, as this Mr. Grant is doing that same."

　　"Its a privilege at all times, Mrs. Hollister, whether we stand or beseated; or, as good Mr. Whitefleld used to do after he had made awearisome days 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 directedto be done. "It was a very pretty fight, Betty, that the Israeliteshad on that day with the Amalekites, It seams that they fout on aplain, for Moses is mentioned as having gone on the heights tooverlook 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 thesword; from which I infer, not only that they were horse, but welldiseiplyned troops. Indeed, it says as much as that they were chosenmen; quite likely volunteers; for raw dragoons seldom strike with theedge of their swords, particularly if the weapon be any way crooked.""Pshaw! why do ye bother yourself wid texts, man, about so small amatter?" interrupted the landlady; "sure, it was the Lord who was withem; for he always sided with the Jews, before they fell away; andits but little matter what kind of men Joshua commanded, so that hewas doing the right bidding. Aven them cursed millaishy, the Lordforgive me for swearing, that was the death of him, wid theircowardice, would have carried the day in old times. Theres no rasonto be thinking that the soldiers were used to the drill."

　　"I must say, Mrs. Hollister, that I have not often seen raw troopsfight better than the left flank of the militia, at the time youmention. They rallied handsomely, and that without beat of drum,which is no easy thing to do under fire, and were very steady till hefell. But the Scriptures contain no unnecessary words; and I willmaintain that horse, who know how to strike with the edge of thesword, must be well disoiplyned. Many a good sarmon has been preachedabout smaller matters than that one word! If the text was not meant tobe particular, why wasnt it written with the sword, and not with theedge? Now, a back-handed stroke, on the edge, takes long practice.Goodness! what an argument would Mr. Whitefield make of that wordedge! As to the captain, if he had only called up the guard ofdragoons when he rallied the foot, they would have shown the inimywhat the edge of a sword was; for, although there was no commissionedofficer with them, yet I think I must say," the veteran continued,stiffening his cravat about his throat, and raising himself up withtile air of a drill-sergeant, "they were led by a man who knowed howto 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 joompfrom one rock to another, and the animal was as spry as a squirrel?Och! but its useless to talk, for hes gone this many a year. Iwould that he had lived to see the true light; but theres mercy for abrave sowl, that died in the saddle, fighting for the liberty. It isa poor tombstone they have given him, anyway, and many a good one thatdied like himself; but the sign is very like, and I will be kapeing itup, while the blacksmith can make a hook for it to swing on, for allthe coffee-houses betwane this and Albany."

　　There is no saying where this desultory conversation would have ledthe worthy couple, had not the men, who were stamping the snow offtheir feet on the little plat form before the door, suddenly ceasedtheir occupation, and entered the bar-room.

　　For ten or fifteen minutes the different individuals, who intendedeither to bestow or receive edification before the fires of the "BoldDragoon" on that evening, were collecting, until the benches werenearly filled with men of different occupations. Dr. Todd and aslovenly-looking, shabby-genteel young man, who took tobaccoprofusely, wore a coat of imported cloth cut with something like afashionable 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 himselfinferior to the real gentle man, occupied a high-back wooden settee,in the most comfortable corner in the apartment.

　　Sundry brown mugs, containing cider or beer, were placed between theheavy andirons, and little groups were found among the guests assubjects arose or the liquor was passed from one to the other. No manwas seen to drink by himself, nor in any instance was more than onevessel considered necessary for the same beverage; but the glass orthe mug was passed from hand to hand until a chasm in the line or aregard to the rights of ownership would regularly restore the dregs ofthe potation to him who de frayed the cost.

　　Toasts were uniformly drunk; and occasionally some one who conceivedhimself peculiarly endowed by Nature to shine in the way of wit wouldattempt some such sentiment as " hoping that he" who treated "mightmake a better man than his father;" or "live till all his friendswished him dead;" while the more humble pot-companion contentedhimself by saying, with a most composing gravity in his air, "Come,heres luck," or by expressing some other equally comprehensivedesire. In every instance the veteran landlord was requested toimitate the custom of the cupbearers to kings, and taste the liquor hepresented, by the invitation of "After you is manners," with whichrequest he ordinarily complied by wetting his lips, first expressingthe wish of "Heres hoping," leaving it to the imagination of thehearers to fill the vacuum by whatever good each thought mostdesirable. During these movements the landlady was busily occupiedwith mixing the various compounds required by her customers, with herown hands, and occasionally exchanging greetings and inquiriesconcerning the conditions of their respective families, with such ofthe villagers as approached the bar.

　　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 thevillage, being considered the best qualified to maintain a publicdiscourse with credit, were the principal speakers, though a remarkwas hazarded, now and then, by Mr. Doolittle, who was thought to betheir inferior only in the enviable point of education. A generalsilence was produced on all but the two speakers, by the followingobservation from the practitioner of the law:

　　"So, Dr. Todd, I understand that you have been per forming animportant operation this evening by cutting a charge of buckshot fromthe shoulder of the son of Leather-Stocking?"

　　"Yes, sir," returned other, elevating his little head with an air ofimportance. "I had a small job up at the Judges in that way; it was,however, but a trifle to what it might have been, had it gone throughthe body. The shoulder is not a very vital part; and I think theyoung man will soon be well. But I did not know that the patient wasa son of Leather-Stocking; it is news to me to hear that Natty had awife."

　　"It is by no means a necessary consequence, returned the other,winking, with a shrewd look around the bar room; "there is such athing, I suppose you know, in law as a filius nullius."

　　"Spake it out, man," exclaimed the landlady; "spake it out in kingsEnglish; what for should ye be talking Indian in a room full ofChristian folks, though it is about a poor hunter, who is but littlebetter in his ways than the wild savages themselves? Och! its to behoped that the missionaries will, in his own time, make a conversionof the poor devils; and then it will matter little of what color isthe skin, or wedder there be wool or hair on the head."

　　"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 Hollis ter, the doctor understands me; dont you, doctor?"

　　"Hem--why, I guess I am not far out of the way," returned Elnathan,endeavoring to imitate the expression of the others countenance, bylooking jocular. "Latin is a queer language, gentlemen; now I ratherguess there is no one in the room, except Squire Lippet, who canbelieve that Far. Av. means oatmeal, in English."

　　The lawyer in his turn was a good deal embarrassed by this display oflearning; for, although he actually had taken his first degree at oneof the eastern universities, he was somewhat puzzled with the termsused by his companion. It was dangerous, however, to appear to he outdone in learning in a public bar-room, and before so many of hisclients; he therefore put the best face on the matter, and laughedknowingly as if there were a good joke concealed under it, that wasunderstood only by the physician and himself. All this was attentivelyobserved by the listeners, who exchanged looks of approbation; and theexpressions of " tonguey mati," and "I guess Squire Lippet knows ifanybody does," were heard in different parts of the room, as vouchersfor the admiration of his auditors. Thus encouraged, the lawyer rosefrom his chair, and turning his back to the fire, and facing thecompany, he continued:

　　"The son of Natty, or the son of nobody, I hope the young man is notgoing to let the matter drop. This is a country of law; and I shouldlike 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 bodythan another. What do you think of it, Dr. Todd?"

　　Oh, sir, I am of opinion that the gentleman will soon be well, as Isaid before; the wound isnt in a vital part; and as the ball wasextracted 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. Iask you, sir, if shooting a man is a thing that is to be settled sovery easily? Suppose, sir, that the young man had a wife and family;and suppose that he was a mechanic like yourself, sir; and sup posethat 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, supposingthis to be the case, whether a jury wouldnt give what I call handsomedamages?"

　　As the close of this supposititious case was addressed to the companygenerally, Hiram did not at first consider himself called on for areply; but finding the eyes of the listeners bent on him inexpectation, he remembered his character for judicial discrimination,and spoke, observing a due degree of deliberation and dignity.

　　"Why, if a man should shoot another," he said, " and if he should doit on purpose and if the law took notice ont, and if a jury shouldfind him guilty, it would be likely to turn out a state-prisonmatter."

　　"It would so, sir," returned the attorney. "The law, gentlemen, is norespecter of persons in a free country. It is one of the greatblessings that has been handed down to us from our ancestors, that allmen are equal in the eye of the laws, as they are by nater. Thoughsome may get property, no one knows how, yet they are not privilegedto 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 tobring this matter up, something might be made out of it that wouldhelp pay for the salve--ha! doctor!"

　　"Why, sir," returned the physician, who appeared a little uneasy atthe turn the conversation was taking, "I have the promise of JudgeTemple before men--not but what I would take his word as soon as hisnote of hand-- but it was before men. Let me see--there was MounshierLer Quow, and Squire Jones, and Major Hartmann, and Miss Pettibone,and one or two of the blacks by, when he said that his pocket wouldamply reward me for what I did."

　　"Was the promise made before or after the service was performed?"asked the attorney.

　　"It might have been both," returned the discreet physician; "thoughIm certain he said so before I undertook the dressing."

　　"But it seems that he said his pocket should reward you, doctor,"observed Hiram. "Now I dont know that the law will hold a man tosuch a promise; he might give you his pocket with sixpence int, andtell you to take your pay out ont,"

　　"That would not be a reward in the eye of the law, interrupted theattorney--" not what is called a quid pro quo; nor is the pocket tobe considered as an agent, but as part of a mans own person, that is,in this particular. I am of opinion that an action would lie on thatpromise, and I will undertake to bear him out, free of costs, if hedont recover."

　　To this proposition the physician made no reply; but he was observedto cast his eyes around him, as if to enumerate the witnesses, inorder to substantiate this promise also, at a future day, should itprove necessary. A subject so momentous as that of suing Judge Templewas not very palatable to the present company in so public a place;and a short silence ensued, that was only interrupted by the openingof the door, and the entrance of Natty himself.

　　The old hunter carried in his hand his never-failing companion, therifle; and although all of the company were uncovered excepting thelawyer, who wore his hat on one side, with a certain damme air, Nattymoved to the front of one of the fires without in the least alteringany part of his dress or appearance. Several questions were addressedto him, on the subject of the game he had killed, which he answeredreadily, and with some little interest; and the landlord, between whomand Natty there existed much cordiality, on account of their bothhaving been soldiers in youth, offered him a glass of a liquid which,if we might judge from its reception, was no unwelcome guest. Whenthe forester had got his potation also, he quietly took his seat onthe end of one of the logs that lay nigh the fires, and the slightinterruption produced by his entrance seemed to he forgotten.

　　"The testimony of the blacks could not be taken, sir," continued thelawyer, "for they are all the property of Mr. Jones, who owns theirtime. 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 thebargain. There is a way, I say, and that without going into thecourt of errors, too,"

　　"And a mighty big error ye would make of it, Mister Todd," cried thelandlady, "should ye be putting the mat ter into the law at all, withJoodge Temple, who has a purse as long as one of them pines on thehill, and who is an asy man to dale wid, if yees but mind the humor ofhim. Hes a good man is Joodge Temple, and a kind one, and one whowill be no the likelier to do the pratty thing, becase ye would wishto tarrify him wid the law. I know of but one objaction to the same,which is an over-careless ness about his sowl. Its neither aMethodie, nor a Papish, nor Parsbetyrian, that he is, but just nothingat all; and its hard to think that he, who will not fight the goodfight, under the banners of a riglar church, in this world, will bemustered among the chosen in heaven, as my husband, the captainthere, as ye call him, says--though there is but one captain that Iknow, who desarves the name. I hopes, Lather-Stocking, yell no befoolish, and putting the boy up to try the law in the matter; fortwill be an evil day to ye both, when ye first turn the skin of sopaceable an animal as a sheep into a bone of contention, The lad iswilcome to his drink for nothing, until his shoulther will bear therifle agin."

　　"Well, thats ginrous," was heard from several mouths at once, forthis was a company in which a liberal offer was not thrown away; whilethe hunter, instead of expressing any of that indignation which hemight be sup posed to feel, at hearing the hurt of his young companionalluded to, opened his mouth, with the silent laugh for which he wasso remarkable; and after he had indulged his humor, made this reply:

　　"I knowed the Judge would do nothing with his smooth bore when he gotout of his sleigh. I never saw but one smooth-bore that would carryat all, and that was a French ducking-piece, upon the big lakes; ithad a barrel half as long agin as my rifle, and would throw fine shotinto a goose at one hundred yards; but it made dreadful work with thegame, and you wanted a boat to carry it about in. When I went withSir William agin the French, at Fort Niagara, all the rangers usedthe rifle; and a dreadful weapon it is, in the hands of one who knowshow to charge it, and keep a steady aim. The captain knows, for hesays he was a soldier in Shirleys; and, though they were nothing butbaggonet-men, he must know how we cut up the French and Iroquois inthe skrimmages in that war. Chingachgook, which means Big Sarpentin English, old John Mohegan, who lives up at the hut with me, was agreat warrior then, and was out with us; he can tell all about it,too; though he was overhand for the tomahawk, never firing more thanonce or twice, before he was running in for the scalps. Ah! times isdreadfully altered since then. Why, doctor, there was nothing but afoot path, or at the most a track for pack-horses, along the Mohawk,from the Jarman Flats up to the forts. Now, they say, they talk ofrunning one of them wide roads with gates on it along the river; firstmaking a road, and then fencing it up! I hunted one season back of theKaatskills, nigh-hand to the settlements, and the dogs often lost thescent, when they came to them highways, there was so much travel onthem; though I cant say that the brutes was of a very good breed.Old Hector will wind a deer, in the fall of the year, across thebroadest place in the Otsego, and that is a mile and a half, for Ipaced it my self on the ice, when the tract was first surveyed, underthe Indian grant."

　　"It sames to me, Natty, but a sorry compliment to call your comradafter the evil one," said the landlady; "and its no much like a snakethat old John is looking now, Nimrod would be a more becomeing namefor the lad, and a more Christian, too, seeing that it conies from theBible. The sargeant read me the chapter about him, the night beforemy christening, and a mighty asement it was to listen to anything fromthe book."

　　"Old John and Chingachgook were very different men to look on,"returned the hunter, shaking his head at his melancholy recollections."In the fifty-eighth war he was in the middle of manhood, and tallerthan now by three inches. If you had seen him, as I did, the morningwe beat Dieskau, from behind our log walls, you would have called himas comely a redskin as ye ever set eyes on. He was naked all to hisbreech-cloth and leggins; and you never seed a creatur so handsomelypainted. One side of his face was red and the other black. His headwas shaved clean, all to a few hairs on the crown, where he wore atuft of eagles feathers, as bright as if they had come from apeacocks tail. He had colored his sides so that they looked likeanatomy, ribs and all, for Chingachgook had a great taste in suchthings, so that, what with his bold, fiery countenance, his knife, andhis tomahawk, I have never seen a fiercer warrior on the ground. Heplayed his part, too, like a man, for I saw him next day with thirteenscalps on his pole. And I will say this for the Big Snake, that healways dealt fair, and never scalped any that he didnt kill with hisown hands."

　　"Well, well!" cried the landlady, "fighting is fightinganyway, and there is different fashions in the thing; thoughI cant say that I relish mangling a body after the breathis 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 baggonetor lead," returned the veteran. "I was then in the fort, and seldomleaving my place, saw but little of the savages, who kept on theflanks or in front, skrimmaging. I remember, howsomever, to haveheard mention made of the Great Snake, as he was called, for he wasa chief of renown; but little did I ever expect to see him enlisted inthe cause of Christianity, and civilized like old John."

　　"Oh! he was Christianized by the Moravians, who were always over-intimate with the Delawares," said Leather-Stocking. "Its my opinionthat, had they been left to themselves, there would he no such doingsnow about the head-waters of the two rivers, and that these hillsmought have been kept as good hunting-ground by their right owner, whois 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 theparty from the mansion-house entered, followed by the Indian himself.