The Lost Hunter Page 36

  CHAPTER XXXV.

  And with him thousand phantoms joined Who prompt to deeds accursed the mind, And those the fiends who, near allied, O'er Nature's wounds and wrecks preside; While Vengeance, in the lurid air, Lifts his right arm, exposed and bare.

  COLLINS.

  Ohquamehud, with all his burning passion for revenge, dared notundertake anything against his enemy, in opposition to the commands ofthe Manito. After the signal interposition, as he conceived it tobe, in favor of Holden at the cabin of the latter, he thought it notprudent to renew the attempt at the same place. The terror of thatmoment was too deeply impressed to allow him to hazard its repetition.But the power of that Manito might not extend elsewhere, and therewere other Manitos who, perhaps, were more powerful, and might be morepropitious. He would endeavor to conciliate one of them, and so arriveat the accomplishment of his wishes.

  It has been observed that the falls of the Yaupaae were a favoriteplace of resort for the Solitary. Especially at this season of theyear (for it was now the delicious month of June, the loveliest of thetwelve) did he love to haunt its neighborhood. There was somethingin the wild scenery, in the dash and tumult of the water, and inits ceaseless shout, that harmonized well with his feelings in theirvarious moods. His was a grand soul, and felt itself allied to thegrandeur of nature. As the air, driven through the pipes of a mightyorgan, issues out in solemn concords and divine harmonies, of power tolift the spirit on wings of cherubim and seraphim above "the mists ofthis dim spot which men call earth" and recall its contemplations toits heavenly origin, so these sights and sounds, playing throughthe soul of the Solitary, chased away whatever would clog its upwardflight, soothing while they elevated, and bridging over the chasm thatseparates the lower from the upper spheres. This habit of Holden waswell known to the Indian, for he had often seen the Solitary musing ona rock that overhung the falls. The retirement of the place, likewise,was favorable to the purpose of an assassin. It was seldom in thosedays, except tempted by its romance, that a person visited thespot. There were other reasons, also, that had an influence over thesuperstitious mind of the Indian, in determining his choice.

  A child of nature, cradled in her wild bosom and reared in her arms,he, too, felt her awful charms. He could not listen to the voice ofthe majestic torrent, or gaze upon the grey rocks without a reverentadmiration. And in proportion to this feeling was his awe of theManito who presided over the scene. How prodigious must be His power!The irresistible sweep of the cataract resembled his strength; itsroar, his voice; and the hoary rocks were indicative of his age. Couldhe obtain the favor of so mighty a Being--could he induce him to aidhis design, it could be easy of execution. He would make the trial. Hewould approach him with offerings, and acquaint him with his wishes.The Genius of the Fall ought not to love the white man. The pale facesnever offered him gifts, while the red men, long before the arrival ofthe fatal stranger and since, had covered the shores with presents.He would not be disregardful or turn a deaf ear to one of his childrenwho sought a just revenge.

  Animated by these considerations and such hopes, Ohquamehud left thehut of Esther on the afternoon of the following day, to propitiate theManito of the Falls. His way led through the wood, along the marginof the Severn for a few miles and then crossed the high-road and someopen fields and another belt of woods, before he reached the Yaupaae.Arrived at his destination, he looked with a solemn air around as ifhalf expecting to see the Genius of the place. But he beheld nothing,save the wild features of nature, and the moss-grown roof of the oldmill, almost hid by the intervening trees: he heard no sound exceptthe uninterrupted roaring of the torrent. In the hot rays of thatJune sun, not even the birds emitted a note, waiting under their leafyshelters in the darkest recesses of the woods, until the pleasantcoolness of approaching evening should tempt them out and reawakentheir songs. The Indian, seeing that no one was in sight, commencedcollecting brush and sticks of dry wood that lay about, which heheaped up into a pile upon a rock close to the water's edge. After hehad gathered together a quantity that appeared to him sufficient, heselected from the stones lying around, a couple of flints which seemedfittest for his purpose, and by striking them violently together,soon succeeded in producing a shower of sparks, which falling on thethoroughly dried and combustible matter, instantly set it on fire,and shot a tongue of flame into the air. Reverently then inclininghis body towards the cataract, as in an attitude of supplication,Ohquamehud addressed the Manito, and explained his wishes. He spokewith dignity, as one who, though standing in the presence of asuperior, was not unmindful of his own worth. The sounds at first werethose of lamentation, so low as scarcely to be audible, and plaintiveand sweet as the sighs of the wind through the curled conch shell."Oh Manito," he said, "where are thy children, once as plenty as theforest leaves? Ask of the month of flowers for the snows that 'Hpoonscatters from his hand, or of the Yaupaae for the streams he poursinto the great Salt Lake. The sick-skinned stranger, with hair likethe curls of the vine, came from the rising sun. He was weak as alittle child: he shivered with the cold: he was perishing with hunger.The red man was strong: he wrapped himself in bear skins and was warm;he built his wigwam of bark, and defied the storm, and meat was plentyin his pot. He pitied the dying stranger; he brought him on his backout of the snow, and laid him by the fire; he chafed his limbs andclothed him in furs; he presented venison with his own hands, and thedaughters of the tribes offered honey and cakes of maize, and wept forcompassion. And the pale face saw that our land was better than hisown, and he envied us, and sent messengers to his people to come andstrip us of our heritage. Then they came as the flights of pigeons inthe spring, innumerable: in multitudes as the shad and salmon, whenthey ascend the thawed rivers. They poisoned the air with theirbreaths, and the Indians died helpless in the pestilence. They madewar upon us, and drove us from our cornfields; they killed our oldmen, and sent away our young men and maidens into slavery. O, Manito,thus hath the accursed pale faces requited our kindness.

  "Wast thou displeased with the red men O, Manito? Had the children ofthe Forest offended thee, that thou didst deliver them into the handof their enemies? See, what thine inconsiderate anger hath done. Thouhast destroyed us, and injured thyself. Where are the offerings thatonce covered these rocks, the bears' meat and the venison, thewampum, the feathers of the eagle, and sweet-smelling tobacco? Who nowhonoreth the Manito of the loud voiced Yaupaae? I listen, but I hearno answer."

  Thus far the voice of Ohquamehud was low and melancholy, as the wailof a broken heart, and his face sad, as of one lamenting for a friend,but now it changed to a loftier expression, and the words were hissedout with a guttural roughness, without being spoken much louder.

  "O, Manito!" he continued, "I alone am left to offer thee thesacrifice of the fragrant tobacco. Behold! I will fill thy pipe manytimes if thou wilt assist me. Onontio hath done me much mischief. Hehath burned the villages of my people, and slain our warriors. Whyshouldst thou favor him? Is he not a dog which thou wilt kick awayfrom the door of thy lodge? He cometh, sometimes, and sitteth upon thehighest rock, to look down upon thy dwelling-place. It is to nourishthe pride of his heart. It is to exult that, as far as his eye cansee, it beholds no wigwam, nor one bringing thee gifts. Help Manito!Think upon thine own wrongs,--remember the sufferings of the red man,and give me the scalp of Onontio. Accept my offering."

  Having thus spoken, and conciliated by every means that occurred tohis untutored mind, the good-will of the tutelary Spirit of the Falls,recounting the generosity of the Indians, and the ingratitude of thewhites, remonstrating with the Manito for his supposed anger, andpointing out its folly, trying to stimulate his indignation on accountof the neglect of himself, and, to tempt his love of presents bypromises, Ohquamehud threw a quantity of tobacco in the leaf, whichthe Indians were accustomed to raise themselves around their cabins,into the flames. But an incident took place, which, for a time,dashed his hopes to the ground, and covered him with mortification andconfusion.

  The day, as w
e have already intimated, was unusually hot, even for themonth of June. As the hours advanced, a sultry and slumbrous silencefilled the air, which quivered with the heat. Clouds began to collectin the northwest, and to roll up higher and higher towards the zenith,in immense waves, which darkened momently, until half the heavensseemed covered with a pall. The lightning began to play morefrequently over the surging blackness, and the mutterings of thethunder became every instant louder. Ohquamehud was not altogetherunaware of the approaching storm, but, engaged in the solemn rite, theappearances of the clouds had not attracted as much of his attentionas otherwise they would have done. At the instant he threw the tobaccointo the fire, the blackness of the clouds was intensest, and a grimsilence, as if nature were waiting in anxious expectation of somegrand event, brooded over the earth interrupted only by the shout ofthe cataract; then, a thunderbolt blazed almost in the eyes of theIndian, followed, instantly, by a crash, as if the solid rocks weresplintered into fragments, and by a torrent of rain, pouring, notin drops, but, in one continuous flood. For a few moments, the raincontinued falling violently, then gradually slackened and ceased. Thelightning glittered less frequently; the threatenings of the thunderbecame less distinct, and the clouds rolled up their dark standardsand dispersed, disappearing in the depths of the unfathomable sky.

  The Indian, meanwhile, remained immovable, staring at the fire inwhich the rain hissed as it fell. Thus, like a statue, he stood, untilthe storm had rolled away; then, recovering from his stupefaction, heturned, despondingly, from the heap of ashes. His offering, then, hadbeen rejected. The Manito either could not or would not assist him.Onontio bore a charmed life. He was a great medicine, beyond the powerof his vengeance. Ohquamehud, with a frown upon his brow, dark as thefolds of the departing clouds, strode several steps from the rock,when, turning, as if struck by a sudden thought, he commencedsearching in the ashes. The surface, of course, was soaked; but, ashe penetrated deeper, they were drier, and at the bottom he foundunextinguished coals. He carefully searched round, to discover ifany portion of the tobacco was unconsumed, but could find none. Theoffering had not, then, been rejected. The Manito had accepted it.It was not he who sent the storm. Perhaps, some other Manito, who,however, was unable to defeat the sacrifice. The countenance ofOhquamehud brightened, and he began again to collect the brushand scattered sticks. From hollows, in the butts of old trees, andrecesses under projecting cliffs, he succeeded in finding enough dryfuel to start the fire anew, and soon it shot up a bright bold flameas before. "O, Manito!" he softly said, "thou art not angry--receivemy gift." Again, he threw tobacco into the fire, and, this time, noportent interposed. The greedy flame seized upon the dry leaves, whichcrackled in the heat, and bore them on its shining billows high intothe air. The fire continued burning till all was consumed, and theheap sent up only a spiral of indistinct smoke.

  The importunity of Ohquamehud had wrung from the Genius the consentwhich he solicited. The gratified Indian stretched out his hand, andagain spoke--

  "O, Manito, thanks! The heart of Ohquamehud is strong. When hejourneys towards the setting sun, his feet shall bound like those of adeer, for the scalp of Onontio will hang at his girdle."

  He glided into the woods and disappeared, ignorant that any one hadbeen a witness of his actions. But, Quadaquina, from an evergreenthicket, had watched all his motions. As the form of Ohquamehud becamedimmer in the distance, the boy could not repress his exultation atthe success of his ambush, but gave it vent in a whistle, imitatingthe notes of the whipperwill. It caught the ear of the Indian, and heturned, and as he did so, the boy threw himself on the ground. The sunhad hardly set. It was too early for the bird to be heard, which nevercommences his melancholy chant until the shades of evening are spreadover the dewy earth. The eyes of Ohquamehud sent sharp glances in thedirection whence the whistle came, but he could discern nothing. Helistened for awhile, but the sounds were not repeated, and wonderingwhat they could mean--for he relied too implicitly on his sensesto suppose his imagination had deceived him--he resumed his coursehomeward. Presently, Quadaquina slowly rose, and, perceiving no one insight, followed in the same direction.

  The boy, at first, walked deliberately along; but, after, as hesupposed, a considerable interval was interposed between him and theIndian, he quickened his steps, in order to more at about the samerate as the other. He had cleared the clumps of trees next to theFalls, and crossed the open fields, and advanced some little distanceinto the belt of continuous woods along the river, when, suddenly,Ohquamehud, starting from behind the trunk of a large tree, stoodbefore him. Quadaquina's heart beat quicker, but no outward signbetrayed emotion.

  "What does a child like Quadaquina, mean by wandering so far in thedark away from its mother?" demanded Ohquamehud.

  "Quadaquina is no longer a child," answered the boy, "to need hismother. He runs about, like a squirrel, in the woods, whenever heplease."

  "Quah! He is more like a bird, and it is to take lessons from thewhipperwill, that he comes into the woods."

  "Ohquamehud talks like a crow that knows not what he says."

  "When next," said the Indian, with a laugh, "Quadaquina tries to be abird, let him remember that the bashful whipperwill likes not the sunto hear his song."

  The boy fancying that he had been discovered, and that any furtherattempt at concealment was vain, answered boldly,

  "It is no concern of Ohquamehud, whether Quadaquina is a bird, or asquirel, or a fish. He will fly in the air, or swim in the water, orrun in the woods without asking permission from any one."

  "And Ohquamehud is not a rabbit to be tracked by a little dog whereverhe goes. _Ahque_! (beware). He will strike the little dog if hepresses too close upon his heels." So saying, and as if to giveemphasis to his words, the Indian lightly touched the shoulders of theboy, with a small stick which he held in his hand.

  It was like lightning falling in a powder-magazine, so suddenly blazedup the anger of Quadaquina, when he felt the touch of the rod. Hejumped back as though bitten by a snake, and snatching up a stone,hurled it with all his strength at Ohquamehud. It was well that theIndian leaped behind a tree near which he stood, else the missile,with such true aim and vindictive force was it sent, might have provedfatal. As soon as the stone was thrown, the Indian stepped up to theboy, who stood trembling with passion, but observing no intention onthe part of the latter to renew his violence, he passed close by him,with a contemptuous laugh, and pursued his way, Quadaquina following,though at some distance, in his steps. The boy came into the hut ofPeena within a short time after the entrance of the Indian, nor couldthe most jealous eye have detected in either a trace of what hadhappened. Ohquamehud moved with a grave dignity to the seat he usuallyoccupied, and his pipe presently sent grateful volumes of smokethrough the cabin. He noticed, however, that when Quadaquina camein, his mother made no inquiry into the cause which had detained himbeyond the hour of the evening meal, and this confirmed the suspicionsthat were floating in his mind. They were indeed vague, and he fanciedthat if for any reason he had been watched by Quadaquina, the lessonhe had just given would intimidate the boy, and satisfy him therewould be danger in dogging the steps of one so vigilant as himself,and who had avowed his intention to punish the offender, if he werecaught again.

  Quadaquina, when they were by themselves, related to his mother whathe had witnessed at the Falls, but made no allusion to the quarrelbetwixt Ohquamehud and himself, nor of the threats of the former.He could give no account of the address to the Manito, the distancehaving been too great to allow him to hear the words. His story causedno alarm to Peena, inasmuch as acquainted with the superstitions ofthe Indians, she ascribed the sacrifice to a desire to propitiate theManito, in order to secure a fortunate journey to the western tribe.