Chapter XXI.

by James Fenimore Cooper

　　"Speed! Malise, speed! such cause of hasteThine active sinews never braced. "--Scott.

　　The roads of Otsego, if we except the principal high ways, were, atthe early day of our tale, but little better than wood-paths. Thehigh trees that were growing on the very verge of the wheel-tracksexcluded the suns rays, unless at meridian; and the slowness of theevaporation, united with the rich mould of vegetable decompositionthat covered the whole country to the depth of several inches,occasioned but an indifferent foundation for the footing oftravellers. Added to these were the inequalities of a naturalsurface, and the constant recurrence of enormous and slippery rootsthat were laid bare by the removal of the light soil, together withstumps of trees, to make a passage not only difficult but dangerous.Yet the riders among these numerous obstructions, which were such aswould terrify an unpracticed eye, gave no demonstrations of uneasinessas their horses toiled through the sloughs or trotted with uncertainpaces along the dark route. In many places the marks on the treeswere the only indications of a road, with perhaps an occasionalremnant of a pine that, by being cut close to the earth, so as toleave nothing visible but its base of roots, spreading for twenty feetin every direction, was apparently placed there as a beacon to warnthe traveller that it was the centre of a highway.

　　Into one of these roads the active sheriff led the way, first strikingout of the foot-path, by which they had descended from the sugar-bush,across a little bridge, formed of round logs laid loosely on sleepersof pine, in which large openings of a formidable width were frequent.The nag of Richard, when it reached one of these gaps, laid its nosealong the logs and stepped across the difficult passage with thesagacity of a man; but the blooded filly which Miss Temple rodedisdained so humble a movement. She made a step or two with anunusual caution, and then, on reaching the broadest opening, obedientto the curt and whip of her fearless mistress, she bounded across thedangerous pass with the activity of a squirrel.

　　"Gently, gently, my child," said Marmaduke, who was following in themanner of Richard; "this is not a country for equestrian feats. Muchprudence is requisite to journey through our rough paths with safety.Thou mayst practise thy skill in horsemanship on the plains of NewJersey with safety; but in the hills of Otsego they may be suspendedfor a time."

　　"I may as well then relinquish my saddle at once, dear sir," returnedhis daughter; "for if it is to be laid aside until this wild countrybe improved, old age will overtake me, and put an end to what you termmy equestrian feats.""Say not so, my child," returned her father; "but if thou venturestagain as in crossing this bridge, old age will never overtake thee,but I shall be left to mourn thee, cut off in thy pride, my Elizabeth.If thou hadst seen this district of country, as I did, when it lay inthe sleep of nature, and bad witnessed its rapid changes as it awoketo supply the wants of man, thou wouldst curb thy impatience for alittle time, though thou shouldst not check thy steed."

　　"I recollect hearing you speak of your first visit to these woods, butthe impression is faint, and blended with the confused images ofchildhood. Wild and unsettled as it may yet seem, it must have been athousand times more dreary then. Will you repeat, dear sir, what youthen thought of your enterprise, and what you felt?"

　　During this speech of Elizabeth, which was uttered with the fervor ofaffection, young Edwards rode more closely to the side of the Judge,and bent his dark eyes on his countenance with an expression thatseemed to read his thoughts.

　　"Thou wast then young, my child, but must remember when I left theeand thy mother, to take my first survey of these uninhabitedmountains," said Marmaduke. "But thou dost not feel all the secretmotives that can urge a man to endure privations in order toaccumulate wealth. In my case they have not been trifling, and Godhas been pleased to smile on my efforts. If I have encountered pain,famine, and disease in accomplishing the settlement of this roughterritory, I have not the misery of failure to add to the grievances."

　　"Famine!" echoed Elizabeth; "I thought this was the land of abundance!Had you famine to contend with?"

　　"Even so, my child," said her father. "Those who look around themnow, and see the loads of produce that issue out of every wild path inthese mountains during the season of travelling, will hardly creditthat no more than five years have elapsed since the tenants of thesewoods were compelled to eat the scanty fruits of the forest to sustainlife, and, with their unpracticed skill, to hunt the beasts as foodfor their starving families."

　　"Ay!" cried Richard, who happened to overhear the last of this speechbetween the notes of the wood-choppers song, which he was endeavoringto breathe aloud; "that was the starving-time,* Cousin Bess. I grewas lank as a weasel that fall, and my face was as pale as one of yourfever-and-ague visages. Monsieur Le Quoi, there, fell away like apumpkin in drying; nor do I think you have got fairly over it yet,monsieur. Benjamin, I thought, bore it with a worse grace than any ofthe family; for he swore it was harder to endure than a shortallowance in the calm latitudes. Benjamin is a sad fellow to swear ifyou starve him ever so little. I had half a mind to quit you then,Duke, and to go into Pennsylvania to fatten; but, damn it, thinks I,we are sisters children, and I will live or die with him, after all."

　　* The author has no better apology for interrupting the interest of awork of fiction by these desultory dialogues than that they have ref-erence to facts. In reviewing his work, after so many years, he iscompelled to confess it is injured by too many allusions to incidentsthat are not at all suited to satisfy the just expectations of thegeneral reader. One of these events is slightly touched on in thecommencement of this chapter.

　　More than thirty years since a very near and dear relative of thewriter, an elder sister and a second mother, was killed by a fall froma horse in a ride among the very mountains mentioned in this tale.Few of her sex and years were more extensively known or moreuniversally beloved than the admirable woman who thus fell a victim tothe chances of the wilderness."I do not forget thy kindness," said Marmaduke, "nor that we are ofone blood."

　　"But, my dear father," cried the wondering Elizabeth, "was thereactual suffering? Where were the beautiful and fertile vales of theMohawk? Could they not furnish food for your wants?"

　　"It was a season of scarcity; the necessities of life commanded a highprice in Europe, and were greedily sought after by the speculators.The emigrants from the East to the West invariably passed along thevalley of the Mohawk, and swept away the means of subsistence like aswarm of locusts, Nor were the people on the Flats in a much bettercondition. They were in want themselves, but they spared the littleexcess of provisions that nature did not absolutely require, with thejustice of the German character. There was no grinding of the poor.The word speculator was then unknown to them. I have seen many astout man, bending under the load of the bag of meal which he wascarrying from the mills of the Mohawk, through the rugged passes ofthese mountains, to feed his half-famished children, with a heart solight, as he approached his hut, that the thirty miles he had passedseemed nothing. Remember, my child, it was in our very infancy; wehad neither mills, nor grain, nor roads, nor often clearings; we hadnothing of increase but the mouths that were to be fed: for even atthat inauspicious moment the restless spirit of emigration was notidle; nay, the general scarcity which extended to the East tended toincrease the number of adventurers."

　　"And how, dearest father, didst thou encounter this dreadful evil?"said Elizabeth, unconsciously adopting the dialect of her parent inthe warmth of her sympathy. "Upon thee must have fallen theresponsibility, if not the suffering."

　　"It did, Elizabeth," returned the Judge, pausing for a single moment,as if musing on his former feelings. " I had hundreds at thatdreadful time daily looking up to me for bread. The sufferings oftheir families and the gloomy prospect before them had paralyzed theenterprise and efforts of my settlers; hunger drove them to the woodsfor food, but despair sent them at night, enfeebled and wan, to asleepless pillow. It was not a moment for in action. I purchasedcargoes of wheat from the granaries of Pennsylvania; they were landedat Albany and brought up the Mohawk in boats; from thence it wastransported on pack-horses into the wilderness and distributed amongmy people. Seines were made, and the lakes and rivers were draggedfor fish. Something like a miracle was wrought in our favor, forenormous shoals of herrings were discovered to have wandered fivehundred miles through the windings of the impetuous Susquehanna, andthe lake was alive with their numbers. These were at length caughtand dealt out to the people, with proper portions of salt, and fromthat moment we again began to prosper." *

　　* All this was literally true.

　　"Yes," cried Richard, "and I was the man who served out the fish andsalt. When the poor devils came to receive their rations, Benjamin,who was my deputy, was obliged to keep them off by stretching ropesaround me, for they smelt so of garlic, from eating nothing but thewild onion, that the fumes put me out often in my measurement. Youwere a child then, Bess, and knew nothing of the matter, for greatcare was observed to keep both you and your mother from suffering.That year put me back dreadfully, both in the breed of my hogs and ofmy turkeys."

　　"No, Bess," cried the Judge, in a more cheerful tone, disregarding theinterruption of his cousin, "he who hears of the settlement of acountry knows but little of the toil and suffering by which it isaccomplished. Unimproved and wild as this district now seems to youreyes, what was it when I first entered the hills? I left my party, themorning of my arrival, near the farms of the Cherry Valley, and,following a deer-path, rode to the summit of the mountain that I havesince called Mount Vision; for the sight that there met my eyes seemedto me as the deceptions of a dream. The fire had run over thepinnacle, and in a great measure laid open the view. The leaves werefallen, and I mounted a tree and sat for an hour looking on the silentwilderness. Not an opening was to be seen in the boundless forestexcept where the lake lay, like a mirror of glass. The water wascovered by myriads of the wild-fowl that migrate with the changes inthe season; and while in my situation on the branch of the beech, Isaw a bear, with her cubs, descend to the shore to drink. I had metmany deer, gliding through the woods, in my journey ; but not thevestige of a man could I trace during my progress, nor from myelevated observatory. No clearing, no hut, none of the winding roadsthat are now to be seen, were there; nothing but mountains risingbehind mountains ; and the valley, with its surface of branchesenlivened here and there with the faded foliage of some tree thatparted from its leaves with more than ordinary reluctance. Even theSusquehanna was then hid by the height and density of the forest."

　　"And were you alone?" asked Elizabeth: "passed you the night in thatsolitary state?"

　　"Not so, my child," returned the father. "After musing on the scenefor an hour, with a mingled feeling of pleasure and desolation, I leftmy perch and descended the mountain. My horse was left to browse onthe twigs that grew within his reach, while I explored the shores ofthe lake and the spot where Templeton stands. A pine of more thanordinary growth stood where my dwelling is now placed! A wind--row hadbeen opened through the trees from thence to the lake, and my view wasbut little impeded. Under the branches of that tree I made mysolitary dinner. I had just finished my repast as I saw smoke curlingfrom under the mountain, near the eastern bank of the lake. It wasthe only indication of the vicinity of man that I had then seen.After much toil I made my way to the spot, and found a rough cabin oflogs, built against the foot of a rock, and bearing the marks of atenant, though I found no one within it--"

　　"It was the hut of Leather-Stocking," said Edwards quickly.

　　"It was; though I at first supposed it to be a habitation of theIndians. But while I was lingering around the spot Natty made hisappearance, staggering under the carcass of a buck that he bad slain.Our acquaintance commenced at that time; before, I had never heardthat such a being tenanted the woods. He launched his bark canoe andset me across the foot of the lake to the place where I had fastenedmy horse, and pointed out a spot where he might get a scanty browsinguntil the morning; when I returned and passed the night in the cabinof the hunter."

　　Miss Temple was so much struck by the deep attention of young Edwardsduring this speech that she forgot to resume her interrogations; butthe youth himself continued the discourse by asking:

　　"And how did the Leather-Stocking discharge the duties of a host sir?"

　　"Why, simply but kindly, until late in the evening, when he discoveredmy name and object, and the cordiality of his manner very sensiblydiminished, or, I might better say, disappeared. He considered theintroduction of the settlers as an innovation on his rights, I believefor he expressed much dissatisfaction at the measure, though it was inhis confused and ambiguous manner. I hardly understood his objectionsmyself, but supposed they referred chiefly to an interruption of thehunting."

　　"Had you then purchased the estate, or were you examining it with anintent to buy?" asked Edwards, a little abruptly.

　　"It had been mine for several years. It was with a view to People theland that I visited the lake. Natty treated me hospitably, butcoldly, I thought, after he learned the nature of my journey. I slepton his own bear--skin, however, and in the morning joined my surveyorsagain."

　　"Said he nothing of the Indian rights, sir? The Leather-Stocking ismuch given to impeach the justice of the tenure by which the whiteshold the country."

　　"I remember that he spoke of them, but I did not nearly comprehendhim, and may have forgotten what he said; for the Indian title wasextinguished so far back as the close of the old war, and if it hadnot been at all, I hold under the patents of the Royal Governors,confirmed by an act of our own State Legislature, and no court in thecountry can affect my title.""Doubtless, sir, your title is both legal and equitable," returned theyouth coldly, reining his horse back and remaining silent till thesubject was changed.

　　It was seldom Mr. Jones suffered any conversation to continue for agreat length of time without his participation. It seems that he wasof the party that Judge Temple had designated as his surveyors; and heembraced the opportunity of the pause that succeeded the retreat ofyoung Edwards to take up the discourse, and with a narration of theirfurther proceedings, after his own manner. As it wanted, however, theinterest that had accompanied the description of the Judge, we mustdecline the task of committing his sentences to paper.

　　They soon reached the point where the promised view was to be seen.It was one of those picturesque and peculiar scenes that belong to theOtsego, but which required the absence of the ice and the softness ofa summers landscape to be enjoyed in all its beauty. Marmaduke hadearly forewarned his daughter of the season, and of its effect on theprospect; and after casting a cursory glance at its capabilities, theparty returned homeward, perfectly satisfied that its beauties wouldrepay them for the toil of a second ride at a more propitious season.

　　"The spring is the gloomy time of the American year," said the Judge,"and it is more peculiarly the case in these mountains. The winterseems to retreat to the fast nesses of the hills, as to the citadel ofits dominion, and is only expelled after a tedious siege, in whicheither party, at times, would seem to be gaining the victory."

　　"A very just and apposite figure, Judge Temple," observed the sheriff;"and the garrison under the command of Jack Frost make formidablesorties--you understand what I mean by sorties, monsieur; sallies, inEnglish-- and sometimes drive General Spring and his troops back againinto the low countries."

　　"Yes sair," returned the Frenchman, whose prominent eyes were watchingthe precarious footsteps of the beast he rode, as it picked itsdangerous way among the roots of trees, holes, log bridges, andsloughs that formed the aggregate of the highway. "Je vous entends;de low countrie is freeze up for half de year."

　　The error of Mr. Le Quoi was not noticed by the sheriff; and the restof the party were yielding to the influence of the changeful season,which was already teaching the equestrians that a continuance of itsmildness was not to be expected for any length of time. Silence andthoughtfulness succeeded the gayety and conversation that hadprevailed during the commencement of the ride, as clouds began togather about the heavens, apparently collecting from every quarter, inquick motion, without the agency of a breath of air,

　　While riding over one of the cleared eminencies that occurred in theirroute, the watchful eye of Judge Temple pointed out to his daughterthe approach of a tempest. Flurries of snow already obscured themountain that formed the northern boundary of the lake, and the genialsensation which had quickened the blood through their veins wasalready succeeded by the deadening influence of an approachingnorthwester.

　　All of the party were now busily engaged in making the best of theirway to the village, though the badness of the roads frequentlycompelled them to check the impatience of their animals, which oftencarried them over places that would not admit of any gait faster thana walk.

　　Richard continued in advance, followed by Mr. Le Quoi; next to whomrode Elizabeth, who seemed to have imbibed the distance which pervadedthe manner of young Edwards since the termination of the discoursebetween the latter and her father. Marmaduke followed his daughter,giving her frequent and tender warnings as to the management of herhorse. It was, possibly, the evident dependence that Louisa Grantplaced on his assistance which induced the youth to continue by herside, as they pursued their way through a dreary and dark wood, wherethe rays of the sun could but rarely penetrate, and where even thedaylight was obscured and rendered gloomy by the deep forests thatsurrounded them. No wind had yet reached the spot where theequestrians were in motion, but that dead silence that often precedesa storm contributed to render their situation more irksome than ifthey were already subject to the fury of the tempest. Suddenly thevoice of young Edwards was heard shouting in those appalling tonesthat carry alarm to the very soul, and which curdle the blood of thosethat hear them.

　　"A tree! a tree! Whip--spur for your lives! a tree! a tree. "

　　"A tree! a tree!" echoed Richard, giving his horse a blow that causedthe alarmed beast to jump nearly a rod, throwing the mud and waterinto the air like a hurricane.

　　"Von tree! von tree!" shouted the Frenchman, bending his body on theneck of his charger, shutting his eyes, and playing on the ribs of hisbeast with his heels at a ratethat caused him to be conveyed on the crupper of the sheriff with amarvellous speed.

　　Elizabeth checked her filly and looked up, with an unconscious butalarmed air, at the very cause of their danger, while she listened tothe crackling sounds that awoke the stillness of the forest; but thenext instant her bridlet was seized by her father, who cried, "Godprotect my child!" and she felt herself hurried onward, impelled bythe vigor of his nervous arm.

　　Each one of the party bowed to his saddle-bows as the tearing ofbranches was succeeded by a sound like the rushing of the winds, whichwas followed by a thundering report, and a shock that caused the veryearth to tremble as one of the noblest ruins of the forest felldirectly across their path.

　　One glance was enough to assure Judge Temple that his daughter andthose in front of him were safe, and he turned his eyes, in dreadfulanxiety, to learn the fate of the others. Young Edwards was on theopposite side of the tree, his form thrown back in his saddle to itsutmost distance, his left hand drawing up his bridle withits greatest force, while the right grasped that of Miss Grant so asto draw the head of her horse under its body. Both the animals stoodshaking in every joint with terror, and snorting fearfully. Louisaherself had relinquished her reins, and, with her hands pressed on herface, sat bending forward in her saddle, in an attitude of despair,mingled strangely with resignation.

　　"Are you safe?" cried the Judge, first breaking the awful silence ofthe moment.

　　"By Gods blessing," returned the youth; but if there had beenbranches to the tree we must have been lost--"

　　He was interrupted by the figure of Louisa slowly yielding in hersaddle, and but for his arm she would have sunk to the earth. Terror,however, was the only injury that the clergymans daughter hadsustained, and, with the aid of Elizabeth, she was soon restored toher senses. After some little time was lost in recovering herstrength, the young lady was replaced in her saddle, and supported oneither side by Judge Temple and Mr. Edwards she was enabled to followthe party in their slow progress.

　　"The sudden fallings of the trees," said Marmaduke, "are the mostdangerous accidents in the forest, for they are not to be foreseen,being impelled by no winds, nor any extraneous or visible causeagainst which we can guard."

　　"The reason of their falling, Judge Temple, is very obvious," said thesheriff. "The tree is old and decayed, and it is gradually weakenedby the frosts, until a line drawn from the centre of gravity fallswithout its base, and then the tree comes of a certainty; and I shouldlike to know what greater compulsion there can be for any thing than amathematical certainty. I studied math--"

　　"Very true, Richard," interrupted Marmaduke; "thy reasoning is true,and, if my memory be not over-treacherous, was furnished by myself ona former occasion, But how is one to guard against the danger? Canstthou go through the forests measuring the bases and calculating thecentres of the oaks? Answer me that, friend Jones, and I will say thouwilt do the country a service."

　　"Answer thee that, friend Temple!" returned Richard; "a well-educatedman can answer thee anything, sir. Do any trees fall in this mannerbut such as are decayed? Take care not to approach the roots of arotten tree, and you will be safe enough."

　　"That would be excluding us entirely from the forests, saidMarmaduke. "But, happily, the winds usually force down most of thesedangerous ruins, as their currents are admitted into the woods by thesurrounding clearings, and such a fall as this has been is very rare."

　　Louisa by this time had recovered so much strength as to allow theparty to proceed at a quicker pace, but long before they were safelyhoused they were overtaken by the storm; and when they dismounted atthe door of the mansion-house, the black plumes of Miss Temples hatwere drooping with the weight of a load of damp snow, and the coats ofthe gentlemen were powdered with the same material.

　　While Edwards was assisting Louisa from her horse, the warm-heartedgirl caught his hand with fervor and whispered:

　　"Now, Mr. Edwards, both father and daughter owe their lives to you."

　　A driving northwesterly storm succeeded, and before the sun was setevery vestige of spring had vanished; the lake, the mountains, thevillage, and the fields being again hidden under one dazzling coat ofsnow.