Chapter XIV.

by James Fenimore Cooper

　　"Theres quart-pot, pint-pot. Mit-pint,Gill-pot, half-gill. nipperkin.And the brown bowl-- Heres a health to the barley mow,My brave boys, Heres a health to the barley mow."--Drinking Song.

　　Some little commotion was produced by the appearance of the newguests, during which the lawyer slunk from the room. Most of the menapproached Marmaduke, and shook his offered hand, hoping "that theJudge was well;" while Major Hartmann having laid aside his hat andwig, and substituted for the latter a warm, peaked woollen nightcap,took his seat very quietly on one end of the settee, which wasrelinquished by its former occupant. His tobacco-box was nextproduced, and a clean pipe was handed him by the landlord. When hehad succeeded in raising a smoke, the Major gave a long whiff, and,turning his head toward the bar, he said:

　　"Petty, pring in ter toddy."

　　In the mean time the Judge had exchanged his salutations with most ofthe company, and taken a place by the side of the Major, and Richardhad bustled himself into the most comfortable seat in the room. Mr.Le Quoi was the last seated, nor did he venture to place his chairfinally, until by frequent removals he had ascertained that he couldnot possibly intercept a ray of heat front any individual present.Mohegan found a place on an end of one of the benches, and somewhatapproximated to the bar.

　　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 thesermon?"

　　"Is it the sarmon?" exclaimed the landlady. "I cant say but it wasrasonable; but the prayers is mighty unasy. Its no small a matterfor a body in their fifty-nint year to be moving so much in church.Mr. Grant sames a godly man, any way, and his garrel a hommble on; anda devout. Here, John, is a mug of cider, laced with whiskey. AnIndian will drink cider, though he niver be athirst."I must say," observed Hiram, with due deliberation, "that it was atongney thing; and I rather guess that it gave considerablesatisfaction, There was one part, though, which might have been leftout, or something else put in; but then I spose that, as it was awritten discourse, it is not so easily altered as where a ministerpreaches without notes."

　　"y! theres the rub, Joodge," cried the landlady. "How can a manstand up and be preaching his word, when all that he is saying iswritten down, and he is as much tied to it as iver a thaving dragoonwas to the pickets?"

　　"Well, well," cried Marmaduke, waving his hand for silence, "there isenough said; as Mr. Grant told us, there are different sentiments onsuch subjects, and in my opinion he spoke most sensibly. So, Jotham,I am told you have sold your betterments to a new settler, and havemoved into the village and opened a school. Was it cash or dicker?"

　　The man who was thus addressed occupied a seat immediately behindMarmaduke, and one who was ignorant of the extent of the Judgesobservation might have thought he would have escaped notice. He wasof a thin, shapeless figure, with a discontented expression ofcountenance, and with something extremely shiftless in his whole air,Thus spoken to, after turning and twisting a little, by way ofpreparation, he made a reply:

　　"Why part cash and part dicker. I sold out to a Pumfietman who wassothin forehanded. He was to give me ten dollar an acre for theclearin, and one dollar an acre over the first cost on the woodland,and we agreed to leave the buildins to men. So I tuck Asa Montagu,and he tuck Absalom Bement, and they two tuck old Squire NapthaliGreen. And so they had a meetin, and made out a vardict of eightydollars for the buildins. There was twelve acres of clearin at tendollars, and eighty-eight at one, and the whole came to two hundredand eighty-six dollars and a half, after paying the men."

　　"Hum," said Marmaduke, "what did you give for the place?"

　　"Why, besides whats comin to the Judge, I gin my brother Tim ahundred dollars for his bargain; but then theres a new house ont,that cost me sixty more, and I paid Moses a hundred dollars forchoppin, and loggin, and sowin, so that the whole stood to me inabout two hundred and sixty dollars. But then I had a great crop oftont, and as I got twenty-six dollars and a half more than it cost, Iconclude I made a pretty good trade ont."

　　"Yes, but you forgot that the crop was yours without the trade, andyou have turned yourself out of doors for twenty-six dollars."

　　"Oh! the Judge is clean out," said the man with a look of sagaciouscalculation; "he turned out a span of horses, that is wuth a hundredand fifty dollars of any mans money, with a bran-new wagon; fiftydollars in cash, and a good note for eighty more; and a side-saddlethat was valued at seven and a half--so there was jist twelve shillingsbetwixt us. I wanted him to turn out a set of harness, and take thecow and the sap troughs. He wouldnt--but I saw through it; he thoughtI should have to buy the tacklin afore I could use the wagon andhorses; but I knowed a thing or two myself; I should like to know ofwhat use is the tacklin to him! I offered him to trade back agin forone hundred and fifty-five. But my woman said she wanted to churn, soI tuck a churn for the change."

　　"And what do you mean to do with your time this winter? You mustremember that time is money."

　　"Why, as master has gone down country to see his mother, who, theysay, is going to make a die ont, I agreed to take the school in handtill he comes back, It times doesnt get worse in the spring, Ivesome notion of going into trade, or maybe I may move off to theGenesee; they say they are carryin on a great stroke of businessthat-a-way. If the wust comes to the wust, I can but work at mytrade, for I was brought up in a shoe manufactory."

　　It would seem that Marmaduke did not think his society of sufficientvalue to attempt inducing him to remain where he was, for he addressedno further discourse to the man, but turned his attention to othersubjects. After a short pause, Hiram ventured a question:

　　"What news does the Judge bring us from the Legislature? Its notlikely that Congress has done much this session; or maybe the Frenchhavent fit any more battles lately?"

　　"The French, since they have beheaded their king, have done nothingbut fight," returned the Judge. "The character of the nation seemschanged. I knew many French gentlemen during our war, and they allappeared to me to be men of great humanity and goodness of heart; butthese Jacobins are as blood thirsty as bull-dogs."

　　"There was one Roshambow wid us down at Yorrektown," cried thelandlady "a mighty pratty man he was too; and their horse was the verysame. It was there that the sargeant got the hurt in the leg from theEnglish batteries, bad luck to em."

　　"Oh! mon pauvre roil" muttered Monsieur Le Quoi.

　　"The Legislature have been passing laws," continued Marmaduke, "thatthe country much required. Among others, there is an act prohibitingthe drawing of seines, at any other than proper seasons, in certain ofour streams and small lakes; and another, to prohibit the killing ofdeer in the teeming months. These are laws that were loudly calledfor by judicious men; nor do I despair of getting an act to make theunlawful felling of timber a criminal offence."

　　The hunter listened to this detail with breathless attention, and,when the Judge had ended, he laughed in open derision.

　　"You may make your laws, Judge," be cried, "but who will you find towatch the mountains through the long summer days, or the lakes atnight? Game is game, and be who finds may kill; that has been the lawin these mountains for forty years to my sartain knowledge; and Ithink one old law is worth two new ones. None but a green one wouldwish to kill a doe with a fan by its side, unless his moccasins weregetting old, or his leggins ragged, for the flesh is lean and coarse.But a rifle rings among the rocks along the lake shore, sometimes, asif fifty pieces were fired at once--it would be hard to tell where theman stood who pulled the trigger."

　　"Armed with the dignity of the law, Mr. Bumppo," returned the Judge,gravely, "a vigilant magistrate can prevent much of the evil that hashitherto prevailed, and which is already rendering the game scarce. Ihope to live to see the day when a mans rights in his game shall beas much respected as his title to his farm,"

　　"Your titles and your farms are all new together," cried Natty; "butlaws should be equal, and not more for one than another. I shot adeer, last Wednesday was a fort night, and it floundered through thesnow-banks till it got over a brush fence; I catched the lock of myrifle in the twigs in following, and was kept back, until finally thecreature got off. Now I want to know who is to pay me for that deer;and a fine buck it was. If there hadnt been a fence I should havegotten another shot into it; and I never drawed upon anything thathadnt wings three times running, in my born days. No, no, Judge,its the farmers that makes the game scarce, and not the hunters."

　　"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 terlant is not mate as for ter teer to live on, put for Christians."

　　"Why, Major, I believe youre a friend to justice and the right,though you go so often to the grand house; but its a hard case to aman to have his honest calling for a livelihood stopped by laws, andthat, too, when, if right was done, he mought hunt or fish on any dayin the week, or on the best flat in the Patent, if he was so minded."

　　"I unterstant you, Letter-Stockint," returned the Major, fixing hisblack eyes, with a look of peculiar meaning, on the hunter: "put youdidnt use to be so prutent as to look ahet mit so much care."

　　"Maybe there wasnt so much occasion," said the hunter, a littlesulkily; when he sank into a silence from which be was not roused forsome time.

　　"The Judge was saying sothin about the French," Hiram observed whenthe pause in the conversation had continued a decent time.

　　"Yes, sir," returned Marmaduke, "the Jacobins of France seem rushingfrom one act of licentiousness to an other, They continue thosemurders which are dignified by the name of executions. You have heardthat they have added the death of their queen to the long list oftheir crimes."

　　"Les monstres!" again murmured Monsieur Le Quoi, turning himselfsuddenly in his chair, with a convulsive start.

　　"The province of La Vende is laid waste by the troops of therepublic, and hundreds of its inhabitants, who are royalists in theirsentiments, are shot at a time. La Vende is a district in thesouthwest of France, that continues yet much attached to the family ofthe Bourbons; doubtless Monsieur Le Quoi is acquainted with it, andcan describe it more faithfully."

　　"Non, non, non, mon cher ami," returned the Frenchman in a suppressedvoice, but speaking rapidly, and gesticulating with his right hand, asif 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 cannotsay, however, that I am sorry that they have captured Toulon from theEnglish, for it is a place to which they have a just right."

　　"Ah--ha!" exclaimed Monsieur Le Quoi, springing on his feet andflourishing both arms with great animation; "ces Anglais!"

　　The Frenchman continued to move about the room with great alacrity fora few minutes, repeating his exclamations to himself; when overcome bythe contrary nature of his emotions, he suddenly burst out of thehouse, 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. Hisdeparture excited but little surprise, for the villagers were used tohis manner; but Major Hartmann laughed outright, for the first duringhis visit, as he lifted the mug, and observed:

　　"Ter Frenchman is mat--put he is goot as for noting to trink: he istrunk mit joy."

　　"The French are good soldiers," said Captain Hollis ter; "they stoodus in hand a good turn at Yorktown; nor do I think, although I am anignorant man about the great movements of the army, that hisexcellency would have been able to march against Cornwallis withouttheir reinforcements."

　　"Ye spake the trot, sargeant," interrupted his wife, "and I wouldiver have ye be doing the same. Its varry pratty men is the French;and jist when I stopt the cart, the time when ye was pushing on infront it was, to kape the riglers in, a rigiment of the jontlemenmarched by, and so I dealt them out to their liking. Was it pay Igot? Sure did I, and in good solid crowns; the divil a bit ofcontinental 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; andone glass would go a great way wid em, for they ginrally handed itback wid a drop in the cup; and thats a brisk trade, Joodge, wherethe pay is good, and the men not over-particlar."

　　"A thriving trade, Mrs. Hollister," said Marmaduke. "But what hasbecome of Richard? he jumped up as soon as seated, and has been absentso long that I am really fearful he has frozen."

　　"No fear of that, Cousin Duke," cried the gentleman himself;"business will sometimes keep a man warm the coldest night that eversnapt in the mountains. Betty, your husband told me, as we came outof church, that your hogs were getting mangy, and so I have been outto 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 beenmixing it with their swill. Ill bet a saddle of venison against agray squirrel that they are better in a week. And now, Mrs.Hollister, Im ready for a hissing mug of flip."

　　"Sure I knowd yed be wanting that same," said the landlady; "itsfixt and ready to the boiling. Sargeant, dear, be handing up theiron, will ye?--no, the one on the far fire, its black, ye will see.Ah! youve the thing now; look if its not as red as a cherry."The beverage was heated, and Richard took that kind of draught whichmen are apt to indulge in who think that they have just executed aclever thing, especially when they like the liquor.

　　"Oh! you have a hand. Betty, that was formed to mix flip," criedRichard, when he paused for breath. "The very iron has a flavor init. Here, John, drink, man, drink! I and you and Dr. Todd have done agood thing with the shoulder of that lad this very night. Duke, Imade a song while you were gone--one day when I had nothing to do; soI'll sing you a verse or two, though I havent really determined onthe 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 areA set of good fellows, who seem very rare,And can laugh and sing all the day.Then let us be jollyAnd cast away folly,For grief turns a black head to gray."

　　"There, Duke, what do you think of that? There is another verse ofit, all but the last line. I havent got a rhyme for the last lineyet. Well, old John, what do you think of the music? as good as oneof your war-songs, ha?"

　　"Good!" said Mohegan, who had been sharing deeply in the potations ofthe landlady, besides paying a proper respect to the passing mugs ofthe Major and Marmaduke.

　　"Bravo! pravo! Richart," cried the Major, whose black eyes werebeginning to swim in moisture; "pravisimo his a goot song; put NattyPumppo has a petter. Letter-Stockint, vilt sing? say, olt poy, viltsing ter song as apout ter wools?"

　　"No, no, Major," returned the hunter, with a melancholy shake of thehead, "I have lived to see what I thought eyes could never behold inthese hills, and I have no heart left for singing. If he that has aright to be master and ruler here is forced to squinch his thirst,when a-dry, with snow-Water, it ill becomes them that have lived byhis bounty to be making merry, as if there was nothing in the worldbut sunshine and summer."

　　When he had spoken, Leather-Stocking again dropped his head on hisknees, 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 Richards draughts, hadalready levelled whatever inequality there might have existed betweenhim and the other guests, on the score of spirits; and he now held outa pair of swimming mugs of foaming flip toward the hunter, as hecried:

　　"Merry! ay! merry Christmas to you, old boy! Sun shine and summer! no!you are blind, Leather-Stocking, tis moonshine and winter--take thesespectacles. and open your eyes-- So let us be jolly,

　　And cast away folly,

　　For grief turns a black head to gray.

　　--Hear how old John turns his quavers. What damned dull music anIndian song is, after all, Major! I wonder if they ever sing by note."

　　While Richard was singing and talking, Mohegan was uttering dull,monotonous tones, keeping time by a gentle motion of his head andbody. He made use of but few words, and such as he did utter were inhis native language, and consequently only understood by himself andNatty. Without heeding Richard, he continued to sing a kind of wild,melancholy air, that rose, at times, in sudden and quite elevatednotes, and then fell again into the low, quavering sounds that seemedto compose the character of his music.

　　The attention of the company was now much divided, the men in the rearhaving formed themselves into little groups, where they werediscussing various matters; among the principal of which were thetreatment of mangy hogs and Parson Grants preaching; while Dr. Toddwas endeavoring to explain to Marmaduke the nature of the hurtreceived by the young hunter. Mohegan continued to sing, while hiscountenance was becoming vacant, though, coupled with his thick, bushyhair, it was assuming an expression very much like brutal ferocity.His notes were gradually growing louder, and soon rose to a heightthat caused a general cessation in the discourse. The hunter nowraised his head again, and addressed the old warrior warmly in theDelaware language, which, for the benefit of our readers, we shallrender freely into English.

　　"Why do you sing of your battles, Chingachgook, and of the warriorsyou have slain, when the worst enemy of all is near you, and keeps theYoung Eagle from his rights? I have fought in as many battles as anywarrior in your tribe, but cannot boast of my deeds at such a time asthis."

　　"Hawk-eye," said the Indian, tottering with a doubtful step from hisplace, "I am the Great Snake of the Delawares; I can track the Mingoeslike an adder that is stealing on the whip-poor-wills eggs, andstrike them like the rattlesnake dead at a blow. The white man madethe tomahawk of Chingachgook bright as the waters of Otsego, when thelast 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 thesehunting-grounds and lakes to your fathers children? and were they notgiven in solemn council to the Fire-eater? and does not the blood of awarrior run in the veins of a young chief, who should speak aloudwhere his voice is now too low to be heard?"

　　The appeal of the hunter seemed in some measure to recall the confusedfaculties of the Indian, who turned his face toward the listeners andgazed intently on the Judge. He shook his head, throwing his hairback from his countenance, and exposed eyes that were glaring with anexpression of wild resentment. But the man was not himself. His handseemed to make a fruitless effort to release his tomahawk, which wasconfined by its handle to his belt, while his eyes gradually becamevacant. Richard at that instant thrusting a mug before him, hisfeatures changed to the grin of idiocy, and seizing the vessel withboth hands, he sank backward on the bench and drank until satiated,when he made an effort to lay aside the mug with the helplessness oftotal inebriety.

　　"Shed not blood!" exclaimed the hunter, as he watched the countenanceof the Indian in its moment of ferocity; "but he is drunk and can dono harm. This is the way with all the savages; give them liquor, andthey make dogs of themselves. Well, well--the- day will come whenright will be done; and we must have patience."

　　Natty still spoke in the Delaware language, and of course was notunderstood. He had hardly concluded before Richard cried:

　　"Well, old John is soon sewed up. Give him a berth, captain, in thebarn, and I will pay for it. I am rich to night, ten times richerthan Duke, with all his lands, amid military lots, and funded debts,and bonds, and mortgages

　　' Come, let us be jolly,And cast awsy folly,For grief---

　　Drink, King Hiram--drink, Mr. Doo-nothing---drink, sir, I say. This isa Christmas eve, which comes, you know, but once a year."

　　"He! he! he! the squire is quite moosical to-night," said Hiram, whosevisage began to give marvellous signs of relaxation. "I rather guesswe shall make a church ont yet, squire?"

　　"A church, Mr. Doolittle! we will make a cathedral of it! bishops,priests, deacons, wardens, vestry, and choir; organ, organist, amidbellows! By the Lord Harry, as Benjamin says, we will clap a steepleon 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 isimpossible that I can hear what Dr. Todd is saying. I think thouobservedst, it is probable the wound will fester, so as to occasiondanger to the limb in this cold weather?"

　　"Out of nater, sir, quite out of nater," said Elnathan, attempting toexpectorate, but succeeding only in throwing a light, frothysubstance, like a flake of snow, into the fire--" quite out of naterthat a wound so well dressed, and with the ball in my pocket, shouldfester. I spose, as the Judge talks of taking the young man into hishouse, it will be most convenient if I make but one charge ont."

　　"I should think one would do," returned Marmaduke, with that archsmile that so often beamed on his face; leaving the beholder in doubtwhether he most enjoyed the character of his companion or his owncovert humor. The landlord had succeeded in placing the. Indian onsome straw in one of his outbuildings, where, covered with his ownblanket, John continued for the remainder of the night.

　　In the mean time, Major Hartmann began to grow noisy and jocular;glass succeeded glass, and mug after mug was introduced, until thecarousal had run deep into the night, or rather morning; when theveteran German ex- I pressed an inclination to return to the mansion-house. Most of the party had already retired, but Marmaduke knew thehabits of his friend too well to suggest an earlier adjournment. Sosoon, however, as the proposal was made, the Judge eagerly availedhimself of it, and the trio prepared to depart. Mrs. Hollisterattended them to the door in person, cautioning her guests as to thesafest manner of leaving her premises

　　"Lane on Mister Jones, Major," said she "hes young and will be asupport to ye. Well, its a charming sight to see ye, anyway, at theBould Dragoon; and sure its no harm to be kaping a Christmas eve wida light heart, for its no telling when we may have sorrow come uponus. So good-night, Joodge, and a merry Christmas to ye all tomorrowmorning."

　　The gentlemen made their adieus as well as they could, and taking themiddle of the road, which was a fine, wide, and well-beaten path, theydid tolerably well until they reached the gate of the mansion-house:but on entering the Judges domains they encountered some slightdifficulties. We shall not stop to relate them, but will just mentionthat in the morning sundry diverging paths were to be seen in thesnow; and that once during their progress to the door, Marmaduke,missing his companions, was enabled to trace them by one of thesepaths to a spot where he discovered them with nothing visible buttheir heads, Richard singing in a most vivacious strain:

　　"Come, let us be jolly,And cast away folly,For grief turns a black head to gray."