THE COMPLETE WORKS 
 
 OF 
 
 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER 
 
 MOHAWK EDITION 
 
 VOLUMES SOLD SEPARATELY 
 32 VOLUMES, OCTAVO, EACH . . . $1.25 
 
 Uniform in general style with the Hudson Edition of living's Works. 
 
 Section I. Comprises: Section II. Comprises: 
 
 f THB DBERSLAYBR f THE PILOT 
 LAST CP THB MOHICANS RED ROVER 
 
 I THE PATHFINDER J WING AND WING 
 
 1 THE PIONEERS 1 THE WATER-WITCH 
 THEPRAIRIB THB Two ADMIRALS 
 
 (. THE SPY I THE SEA-LIONS 
 
 Section III. Comprises: 
 
 (HOMEWARD BOUND 
 HOME AS FOUND 
 THE CRATER 
 AFLOAT AND ASHORE 
 MILES WALLINGFORD 
 JACK TIER 
 
 Section IV. Comprises : Section V. Comprises t 
 
 PRECAUTION f MERCEDES OF CASTILB 
 LIONEL LINCOLN THE CHAINBEARER 
 
 WYANDOTTB I SATANSTOB 
 
 WEPT OF WISH-TON-WISH 4 THE HEIDENMAUBR 
 
 THE BRAVO ! THE HEADSMAN 
 
 THE WAYS OF THE HOUR I THE MONIKINS 
 
 THB REDSKINS (. OAK OPENINGS 
 MED MYERS ' 
 
 G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 
 
 NEW YORK AND LONDON 
 
/IDobawfe jMtion 
 
 THE WORKS 
 
 OF 
 
 JAMES FENIMORE COOPER 
 
 ; 
 
 THE 
 WEPT OF WISH-TON-WISH 
 
 G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 
 
 NEW YORK AND LONDON 
 Iknicfcerbocfcer 
 
THE REV. J. R. C., 
 
 OF 
 
 PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 THE kind and disinterested manner in which you have furnished 
 the materials of the following tale merits a public acknowledgment. 
 As your reluctance to appear before the world, however, imposes a 
 restraint, you must receive such evidence of gratitude as your own 
 prohibition will allow. 
 
 Notwithstanding there are so many striking and deeply interesting 
 events in the early history of those from whom you derive your being, 
 yet are there hundreds of other families in this country whose tradi- 
 tions, though less accurately and minutely preserved than the little 
 narrative you have submitted to my inspection, would supply the 
 materials of many moving tales. You have every reason to exult in 
 your descent, for, surely, if any man may claim to be a citizen and a 
 proprietor in the Union, it is one that, like yourself, can point to a line 
 of ancestors whose origin is lost in the obscurity of time. You are 
 truly an American. In your eyes, we of a brief century or two must 
 appear as little more than denizens quite recently admitted to the 
 privilege of a residence. That you may continue to enjoy peace and 
 happiness, in that land where your fathers so long flourished, is the 
 sincere wish of your obliged friend. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 AT this distant period, when Indian traditions are 
 listened to with the interest that we lend to the 
 events of a dark age, it is not easy to convey a 
 vivid image of the dangers and privations that our 
 ancestors encountered, in preparing the land we enjoy for its 
 present state of security and abundance. It is the humble 
 object of the tale that will be found in the succeeding pages, 
 to perpetuate the recollection of some of the practices and 
 events peculiar to the early days of our history. 
 
 The general character of the warfare pursued by the na- 
 tives is too well known to require any preliminary observa- 
 tions ; but it may be advisable to direct the attention of the 
 reader, for a few moments, to those leading circumstances in 
 the history of the times, that may have some connection with 
 the principal business of the legend. 
 
 The territory which now composes the three States of 
 Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island is said by 
 the best-informed of our annalists, to have been formerly oc- 
 cupied by four great nations of Indians, who were, as usual, 
 subdivided into numberless dependent tribes. Of these 
 people, the Massachusetts possessed a large portion of the 
 land which now composes the State of that name ; the Wam- 
 panoags dwelt in what was once the Colony of Plymouth, 
 and in the northern districts of the Providence Plantations ; 
 the Narragansetts held the well-known islands of the beau- 
 tiful bay which receives its name from their nation, and the 
 more southern counties of the Plantations ; while the Pe- 
 quots, or as it is ordinarily written and pronounced, the 
 
vi preface 
 
 Pequods, were masters of a broad region that lay along the 
 western boundaries of the three other districts. 
 
 There is great obscurity thrown around the polity of the 
 Indians who usually occupied the country lying near the sea. 
 
 The Europeans, accustomed to despotic governments, very 
 naturally supposed that the chiefs, found in possession of 
 power, were monarchs to whom authority had been transmit- 
 ted in virtue of their birthrights. They consequently gave 
 them the name of kings. 
 
 How far this opinion of the governments of the aborig- 
 ines was true remains a question, though there is certainly 
 reason to think it less erroneous in respect to the tribes of 
 the Atlantic States, than to those who have since been found 
 farther west, where it is sufficiently known that institutions 
 exist which approach much nearer to republics than to mon- 
 archies. It may, however, have readily happened that the 
 son, profiting by the advantages of his situation, often suc- 
 ceeded to the authority of the father, by the aid of influence, 
 when the established regulations of the tribe acknowledged 
 no hereditary claim. L,et the principle of the descent of 
 power be what it would, it is certain the experience of our 
 ancestors proves that, in very many instances, the child was 
 seen to occupy the station formerly filled by the father ; and 
 that in most of those situations of emergency, in which a 
 people so violent were often placed, the authority he exercised 
 was as summary as it was general. The appellation of 
 Uncas came, like those of the Caesars and Pharaohs, to be a 
 sort of synonym for chief with the Mohegans, a tribe of the 
 Pequots, among whom several warriors of this name were 
 known to govern in due succession. The renowned Meta- 
 com, or, as he is better known to the whites, King Philip, 
 was certainly the son of Massasoit, the Sachem of the Wam- 
 panoags that the emigrants found in authority when they 
 landed on the rock of Plymouth. Miantonimoh, the daring 
 but hapless rival of that Uncas, who ruled the whole of the 
 Pequot nation, was succeeded in authority among the Nar- 
 ragansetts by his not less heroic and enterprising son, Co- 
 nanchet ; and even at a much later day, we find instances 
 of this transmission of power, which furnish strong reasons 
 
preface vii 
 
 for believing that the order of succession was in the direct 
 line of blood. 
 
 The early annals of our history are not wanting in touch- 
 ing and noble examples of savage heroism. Virginia has 
 its legend of the powerful Powhattan and his magnanimous 
 daughter, the ill-requited Pocahontas ; and the chronicles 
 of New England are filled with the bold designs and daring 
 enterprises of Miantonimoh, of Metacom, and of Conanchet. 
 All the last-named warriors proved themselves worthy of 
 better fates, dying in a cause and in a manner that, had it 
 been their fortune to have lived in a more advanced state 
 of society, would have enrolled their names among the 
 worthies of the age. 
 
 The first serious war to which the settlers of New Eng- 
 land were exposed was the struggle with the Pequots. 
 These people were subdued after a fierce conflict ; and from 
 being enemies, all who were not either slain or sent into 
 distant slavery were glad to become the auxiliaries of their 
 conquerors. This contest occurred within less than twenty 
 years after the Puritans had sought refuge in America. 
 
 There is reason to believe that Metacom foresaw the fate 
 of his own people, in the humbled fortunes of the Pequots. 
 Though his father had been the earliest and constant friend 
 of the whites, it is probable that the Puritans owed some 
 portion of this amity to a dire necessity. We are told that 
 a terrible malady had raged among the Wampanoags but 
 a short time before the arrival of the emigrants, and that 
 their numbers had been fearfully reduced by its ravages. 
 Some authors have hinted at the probability of this disease 
 having been the yellow fever, whose visitations are known 
 to be at uncertain, and, apparently, at very distant intervals. 
 Whatever might have been the cause of this destruction of 
 his people, Massasoit is believed to have been induced, by 
 the consequences, to cultivate the alliance of a nation who 
 could protect him against the attacks of his ancient and less 
 afflicted foes. But the son appears to have viewed the in- 
 creasing influence of the whites with eyes more jealous than 
 those of the father. He passed the morning of his life in 
 maturing his great plan for the destruction of the strange 
 
preface 
 
 Pequods, were masters of a broad region that lay along the 
 western boundaries of the three other districts. 
 
 There is great obscurity thrown around the polity of the 
 Indians who usually occupied the country lying near the sea. 
 
 The Europeans, accustomed to despotic governments, very 
 naturally supposed that the chiefs, found in possession of 
 power, were monarchs to whom authority had been transmit- 
 ted in virtue of their birthrights. They consequently gave 
 them the name of kings. 
 
 How far this opinion of the governments of the aborig- 
 ines was true remains a question, though there is certainly 
 reason to think it less erroneous in respect to the tribes of 
 the Atlantic States, than to those who have since been found 
 farther west, where it is sufficiently known that institutions 
 exist which approach much nearer to republics than to mon- 
 archies. It may, however, have readily happened that the 
 son, profiting by the advantages of his situation, often suc- 
 ceeded to the authority of the father, by the aid of influence, 
 when the established regulations of the tribe acknowledged 
 no hereditary claim. Let the principle of the descent of 
 power be what it would, it is certain the experience of our 
 ancestors proves that, in very many instances, the child was 
 seen to occupy the station formerly filled by the father ; and 
 that in most of those situations of emergency, in which a 
 people so violent were often placed, the authority he exercised 
 was as summary as it was general. The appellation of 
 Uncas came, like those of the Caesars and Pharaohs, to be a 
 sort of synonym for chief with the Mohegans, a tribe of the 
 Pequots, among whom several warriors of this name were 
 known to govern in due succession. The renowned Meta- 
 com, or, as he is better known to the whites, King Philip, 
 was certainly the son of Massasoit, the Sachem of the Wam- 
 panoags that the emigrants found in authority when they 
 landed on the rock of Plymouth. Miantonimoh, the daring 
 but hapless rival of that Uncas, who ruled the whole of the 
 Pequot nation, was succeeded in authority among the Nar- 
 ragansetts by his not less heroic and enterprising son, Co- 
 nanchet ; and even at a much later day, we find instances 
 of this transmission of power, which furnish strong reasons 
 
preface vii 
 
 for believing that the order of succession was in the direct 
 line of blood. 
 
 The early annals of our history are not wanting in touch- 
 ing and noble examples of savage heroism. Virginia has 
 its legend of the powerful Powhattan and his magnanimous 
 daughter, the ill-requited Pocahontas ; and the chronicles 
 of New England are filled with the bold designs and daring 
 enterprises of Miantonimoh, of Metacom, and of Conanchet. 
 All the last-named warriors proved themselves worthy of 
 better fates, dying in a cause and in a manner that, had it 
 been their fortune to have lived in a more advanced state 
 of society, would have enrolled their names among the 
 worthies of the age. 
 
 The first serious war to which the settlers of New Kng- 
 land were exposed was the struggle with the Pequots. 
 These people were subdued after a fierce conflict ; and from 
 being enemies, all who were not either slain or sent into 
 distant slavery were glad to become the auxiliaries of their 
 conquerors. This contest occurred within less than twenty 
 years after the Puritans had sought refuge in America. 
 
 There is reason to believe that Metacom foresaw the fate 
 of his own people, in the humbled fortunes of the Pequots. 
 Though his father had been the earliest and constant friend 
 of the whites, it is probable that the Puritans owed some 
 portion of this amity to a dire necessity. We are told that 
 a terrible malady had raged among the Wampanoags but 
 a short time before the arrival of the emigrants, and that 
 their numbers had been fearfully reduced by its ravages. 
 Some authors have hinted at the probability of this disease 
 having been the yellow fever, whose visitations are known 
 to be at uncertain, and, apparently, at very distant intervals. 
 Whatever might have been the cause of this destruction of 
 his people, Massasoit is believed to have been induced, by 
 the consequences, to cultivate the alliance of a nation who 
 could protect him against the attacks of his ancient and less 
 afflicted foes. But the son appears to have viewed the in- 
 creasing influence of the whites with eyes more jealous than 
 those of the father. He passed the morning of his life in 
 maturing his great plan for the destruction of the strange 
 
viii preface 
 
 race, and his later years were spent in abortive attempts to 
 put this bold design in execution. His restless activity in 
 plotting the confederation against the Knglish, his fierce 
 and ruthless manner of waging the war, his defeat, and his 
 death, are too well known to require repetition. 
 
 There is also a wild and romantic interest thrown about 
 the obscure history of a Frenchman of that period. This 
 man is said to have been an officer of rank in the service of 
 his king, and to have belonged to the privileged class which 
 then monopolized all the dignities and emoluments of the 
 kingdom of France. The traditions, and even the written 
 annals of the first century of our possession of America, 
 connect the Baron de la Castine with the Jesuits, who were 
 thought to entertain views of converting the savages to 
 Christianity, not unmingled with the desire of establishing 
 a more temporal dominion over their minds. It is, how- 
 ever, difficult to say whether taste, or religion, or policy, or 
 necessity, induced this nobleman to quit the saloons of Paris 
 for the wilds of the Penobscot. It is merely known that 
 he passed the greater part of his life on that river, in a rude 
 fortress that was then called a palace ; that he had many 
 wives, a numerous progeny, and that he possessed a great 
 influence over most of the tribes that dwelt in his vicinity. 
 He is also believed to have been the instrument of furnish- 
 ing the savages who were hostile to the Knglish, with 
 ammunition, and with weapons of a more deadly character 
 than those used in their earlier wars. In whatever degree 
 he may have participated in the plan to exterminate the 
 Puritans, death prevented him from assisting in the final 
 effort of Metacom. 
 
 The Narragansetts are often mentioned in these pages. 
 A few years before the period at which the tale commences, 
 Miantonimoh had waged a ruthless war against Uncas, the 
 Pequot or Mohegan chief. Fortune favored the latter, 
 who, probably assisted by his civilized allies, not only over- 
 threw the bands of the other, but succeeded in capturing the 
 person of his enemy. The chief of the Narragansetts lost 
 his life, through the agency of the whites, on the place that 
 is now known by the appellation of " The Sachem's Plain." 
 
preface 
 
 It remains only to throw a little light on the leading 
 incidents of the war of King Philip. The first blow was 
 struck in June, 1675, rather more than half a century after 
 the English first landed in New England, and just a century 
 before blood was drawn in the contest which separated the 
 colonies from the mother country. The scene was a settle- 
 ment near the celebrated Mount Hope, in Rhode Island, 
 where Metacom and his father had both long held their 
 councils. From this point, bloodshed and massacre ex- 
 tended along the whole frontier of New England. Bodies 
 of horse and foot were enrolled to meet the foe, and towns 
 were burnt, and lives were taken by both parties, with little 
 and often with no respect for age, condition, or sex. 
 
 In no struggle with the native owners of the soil was the 
 growing power of the whites placed in so great jeopardy, as 
 in this celebrated contest with King Philip. The venerable 
 historian of Connecticut estimates the loss of lives at nearly 
 one tenth of the whole number of the fighting men, and the 
 destruction of houses and other edifices to have been in an 
 equal proportion. One family in every eleven, throughout 
 all New England, was burnt out. As the colonists nearest 
 the sea were exempt from the danger, an idea may be 
 formed, from this calculation, of the risk and sufferings of 
 those who dwelt in more exposed situations. The Indians 
 did not escape without retaliation. The principal nations, 
 already mentioned, were so much reduced as never after- 
 wards to offer any serious resistance to the whites, who 
 have since converted the whole of their ancient hunting- 
 grounds into the abodes of civilized man. Metacom, Mian- 
 tonimoh, and Conanchet, with their warriors, have become 
 the heroes of song and legend, while the descendants of 
 those who laid waste their dominions, and destroyed their 
 race, are yielding a tardy tribute to the high daring and 
 savage grandeur of their characters. 
 
THE WEPT OF WISH-TON-WISH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " I may disjoin my hand, but not my faith." 
 
 SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 THK incidents of this tale must be sought in a remote 
 period of the annals of America. A colony of 
 self-devoted and pious refugees from religious 
 persecution had landed on the rock of Plymouth, 
 less than half a century before the time at which the narra- 
 tive commences ; and they and their descendants had already 
 transformed many a broad waste of wilderness into smiling 
 fields and cheerful villages. The labors of the emigrants 
 had been chiefly limited to the country on the coast, which, 
 by its proximity to the waters that rolled between them and 
 Europe, afforded the semblance of a connection with the land 
 of their forefathers and the distant abodes of civilization. 
 But enterprise, and a desire to search for still more fertile 
 domains, together with the temptation offered by the vast 
 and unknown regions that lay along their western and north- 
 ern borders, had induced many bold adventurers to penetrate 
 more deeply into the forests. The precise spot to which we 
 desire to transport the' imagination of the reader was one of 
 these establishments of what may, not inaptly, be called the 
 forlorn-hope in the march of civilization through the country. 
 So little was then known of the great outlines of the 
 American continent, that, when the L,ords Say and Seal, 
 and Brooke, connected with a few associates, obtained a 
 
 i 
 
ZTbe Wept of 
 
 grant of the territory which now composes the State of 
 Connecticut, the King of England affixed his name to a 
 patent which constituted them proprietors of a country that 
 should extend from the shores of the Atlantic to those of 
 the South Sea. Notwithstanding the apparent hopelessness 
 of ever subduing, or of even occupying a territory like this, 
 emigrants from the mother colony of Massachusetts were 
 found ready to commence the Herculean labor within fif- 
 teen years from the day when they had first put foot upon 
 the well-known rock itself. The fort of Say-Brooke, the 
 towns of Windsor, Hartford, and New Haven, soon sprang 
 into existence, and from that period to this, the little com- 
 munity which then had birth has been steadily, calmly, and 
 prosperously advancing in its career, a model of order and 
 reason, and the hive from which swarms of industrious, 
 hardy, and enlightened yeomen have since spread them- 
 selves over a surface so vast as to create an impression that 
 they still aspire to the possession of the immense regions 
 included in their original grant. 
 
 Among the religionists whom disgust of persecution had 
 early driven into the voluntary exile of the colonies, was 
 more than an usual proportion of men of character and 
 education. The reckless and the gay, younger sons, sol- 
 diers unemployed, and students from the Inns of Court, 
 early sought advancement and adventure in the more south- 
 ern provinces, where slaves offered immunity from labor, 
 and where war, with a bolder and more stirring policy, 
 oftener gave rise to scenes of excitement, and, of course, to 
 the exercise of the faculties best suited to their habits and 
 dispositions. The more grave, and the religiously disposed, 
 found refuge in the colonies of New England. Thither a 
 multitude of private gentlemen transferred their fortunes 
 and their families, imparting a character of intelligence and 
 a moral elevation to the country, which it has nobly sus- 
 tained to the present hour. 
 
 The nature of the civil wars in England had enlisted 
 many men of deep and sincere piety into the profession of 
 arms. Some of them had retired to the colonies before the 
 troubles of the mother country reached their crisis, and 
 
TKDlept of 
 
 others continued to arrive, throughout the whole period of 
 their existence, until the Restoration ; when crowds of 
 those who had been disaffected to the house of Stuart sought 
 the security of these distant possessions. 
 
 A stern, fanatical soldier, of the name of Heathcote, had 
 been among the first of his class to throw aside the sword 
 for the implements of industry peculiar to the advancement 
 of a newly established country. How far the influence of a 
 young wife may have affected his decision, it is not germane 
 to our present object to consider ; though the records, from 
 which the matter we are about to relate is gleaned, give 
 reason to suspect that he thought his domestic harmony 
 would not be less secure in the wilds of the New World, 
 than among the companions with whom his earlier associa- 
 tions would naturally have brought him in communion. 
 
 L,ike himself, his consort was born of one of those fam- 
 ilies which, taking their rise in the franklins of the times of 
 the Edwards and the Henries, had become possessors of 
 hereditary landed estates, that, by their gradually increasing 
 value, had elevated them to the station of small country 
 gentlemen. In most other nations of Europe, they would 
 have been rated in the class of the petite noblesse. But the 
 domestic happiness of Captain Heathcote was doomed to 
 receive a fatal blow from a quarter where circumstances had 
 given him but little reason to apprehend danger. The 
 very day he landed in the long-wished-for asylum, his wife 
 made him the father of a noble boy, a gift that she bestowed 
 at the melancholy price of her own existence. Twenty 
 years the senior of the woman who had followed his for- 
 tunes to these distant regions, the retired warrior had 
 always considered it to be perfectly and absolutely within 
 the order of things, that he himself was to be the first to 
 pay the debt of nature. While the visions which Captain 
 Heathcote entertained of a future world were sufficiently 
 vivid and distinct, there is reason to think they were seen 
 through a tolerably long vista of quiet and comfortable en- 
 joyment in this. Though the calamity cast an additional 
 aspect of seriousness over a character that was already 
 more than chastened by the subtleties of sectarian doctrines, 
 
Ube Mept of 
 
 he was not of a nature to be unmanned by any vicissitude 
 of human fortune. He lived on, useful and unbending in 
 his habits, a pillar of strength in the way of wisdom and 
 courage to the immediate neighborhood among whom he 
 resided, but reluctant from temper, and from a disposition 
 which had been shadowed by withered happiness, to enact 
 that part in the public affairs of the little state, to which 
 his comparative wealth and previous habits might well have 
 entitled him to aspire. He gave his son such an education 
 as his own resources and those of the infant colony of Mas- 
 sachusetts afforded, and, by a sort of delusive piety, into 
 whose merits we have no desire to look, he thought he had 
 also furnished a commendable evidence of his own desperate 
 resignation to the will of Providence, in causing him to be 
 publicly christened by the name of Content. His own bap- 
 tismal appellation was Mark ; as indeed had been that of 
 most of his ancestors, for two or three centuries. When 
 the world was a little uppermost in his thoughts, as some*, 
 times happens with the most humbled spirits, he had even 
 been heard to speak of a Sir Mark of his family, who had 
 ridden, a knight, in the train of one of the more warlike 
 kings of his native land. 
 
 There is some ground for believing that the great parent 
 of evil early looked with malignant eye on the example of 
 peacefulness, and unbending morality, that the colonists 
 of New England were setting to the rest of Christendom. 
 At any rate, come from what quarter they might, schisms 
 and doctrinal contentions arose among the emigrants them- 
 selves ; and men who together had deserted the firesides of 
 their forefathers, in quest of religious peace, were erelong 
 seen separating their fortunes, in order that each might 
 enjoy, unmolested, those peculiar shades of faith which all 
 had the presumption, no less than the folly, to believe were 
 necessary to propitiate the omnipotent and merciful Father 
 of the universe. If our task were one of theology, a whole- 
 some moral on the vanity, no less than on the absurdity of 
 the race, might be here introduced to some advantage. 
 
 When Mark Heathcote announced to the community in 
 which he had now sojourned more than twenty years, that 
 
Wept of Wfsb*aon*Wteb 5 
 
 he intended for a second time to establish his altars 
 in the wilderness, in the hope that he and his household 
 might worship God as to them seemed most right, the intel- 
 ligence was received with a feeling allied to awe. Doctrine 
 and zeal were momentarily forgotten, in the respect and 
 attachment which had been unconsciously created by the 
 united influence of the stern severity of his air, and of the 
 undeniable virtues of his practice. The elders of the settle- 
 ment communed with him freely and in charity ; but the 
 voice of conciliation and alliance came too late. He listened 
 to the reasonings of the ministers, who were assembled from 
 all the adjoining parishes, in sullen respect; and he joined 
 in the petitions for light and instruction that were offered up 
 on the occasion, with the deep reverence with which he ever 
 drew near to the footstool of the Almighty ; but he did both 
 in a temper into which too much positiveness of spiritual 
 pride had entered, to open his heart to that sympathy and 
 charity which, as they are the characteristics of our mild 
 and forebearing doctrines, should be the study of those who 
 profess to follow their precepts. All that was seemly, and 
 all that was usual, was done ; but the purpose of the stub- 
 born sectarian remained unchanged. His final decision is 
 worthy of being recorded. 
 
 "My youth was wasted in ungodliness and ignorance," 
 he said, "but in my manhood have I known the Lord. 
 Near two-score years have I toiled for the truth, and all 
 that weary time have I passed in trimming my lamps, lest, 
 like the foolish virgins, I should be caught unprepared ; and 
 now, when my loins are girded and my race is nearly run, 
 shall I become a backslider and falsifier of the word ? 
 Much have I endured, as you know, in quitting the earthly 
 mansion of my fathers, and in encountering the dangers of 
 sea and land for the faith ; and, rather than let go its hold, 
 will I once more cheerfully devote to the howling wilder- 
 ness, ease, offspring, and, should it be the will of Provi- 
 dence, life itself ! " 
 
 The day of parting was one of unfeigned and general 
 sorrow. Notwithstanding the austerity of the old man' s char- 
 acter, and the nearly unbending severity of his brow, the 
 
Ube TPQlept of 
 
 milk of human kindness had often been seen distilling from 
 his stern nature in acts that did not admit of misinterpreta- 
 tion. There was scarcely a young beginner in the laborious 
 and ill-requited husbandry of the township he inhabited, a 
 district at no time considered either profitable or fertile, who 
 could not recall some secret and kind aid which had flowed 
 from a hand that, to the world, seemed clenched in cautious 
 and reserved frugality ; nor did any of the faithful of his 
 vicinity cast their fortunes together in wedlock, without 
 receiving from him evidence of an interest in their worldly 
 happiness, that was far more substantial than words. 
 
 On the morning when the vehicles, groaning with the 
 household goods of Mark Heathcote, were seen quitting his 
 door, and taking the road which led to the sea-side, not a 
 human being of sufficient age, within many miles of his 
 residence, was absent from the interesting spectacle. The 
 leave-taking, as usual on all serious occasions, was preceded 
 by a hymn and prayer, and then the sternly -minded adven- 
 turer embraced his neighbors, with a mien in which a sub- 
 dued exterior struggled fearfully and strangely with 
 emotions that more than once threatened to break though 
 even the formidable barriers of his acquired manner. The 
 inhabitants of every building on the road were in the open 
 air, to receive and to return the parting benediction. More 
 than once they who guided his teams were commanded to 
 halt, and all near, possessing human aspirations and human 
 responsibility, were collected to offer petitions in favor of him 
 who departed and of those who remained. The requests for 
 mortal privileges were somewhat light and hasty, but the 
 askings in behalf of intellectual and spiritual light were 
 long, fervent, and oft-repeated. In this characteristic man- 
 ner did one of the first of the emigrants to the New World 
 make his second removal into scenes of renewed bodily 
 suffering, privation, and danger. 
 
 Neither person nor property was transferred from place to 
 place, in this country, at the middle of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury, with the despatch and with the facilities of the present 
 time. The roads were necessarily few and short, and com- 
 munication by water was irregular, tardy, and far from 
 
Wept of Misb*Tron=TKHtsb 7 
 
 commodious. A wide barrier of forest lying between that 
 portion of Massachusetts Bay from which Mark Heathcote 
 emigrated, and the spot near the Connecticut River to which 
 it was his intention to proceed, he was induced to adopt the 
 latter mode of conveyance. But a long delay intervened 
 between the time when he commenced his short journey to 
 the coast, and the hour when he was finally enabled to 
 embark. During this detention he and his household 
 sojourned among the godly-minded of the narrow peninsula, 
 where there already existed the germ of a flourishing town, 
 and where the spires of a noble and picturesque city now 
 elevate themselves above so many thousand roofs. 
 
 The son did not leave the colony of his birth and the 
 haunts of his youth with the same unwavering obedience to 
 the call of duty as the father. There was a fair, a youthful, 
 and a gentle being in the recently established town of Boston, 
 of an age, station, opinions, fortunes, and, what was of still 
 greater importance, of sympathies suited to his own. Her 
 form had long mingled with those holy images which his 
 stern instruction taught him to keep most familiarly before 
 the mirror of his thoughts. It is not surprising, then, that 
 the youth hailed the delay as propitious to his wishes, or 
 that he turned it to the account which the promptings of a 
 pure affection so naturally suggested. He was united to the 
 gentle Ruth Harding only the week before the father sailed 
 on his second pilgrimage. 
 
 It is not our intention to dwell on the incidents of the 
 voyage. Though the genius of an extraordinary man had 
 discovered the world which was now beginning to fill with 
 civilized men, navigation at that day was not brilliant in ac- 
 complishments. A passage among the shoals of Nantucket 
 must have been one of actual danger, no less than of terror ; 
 and the ascent of the Connecticut itself was an exploit worthy 
 of being mentioned. In due time the adventurers landed at 
 the English fort of Hartford, where they tarried for the 
 season, in order to obtain rest and spiritual comfort. But 
 the peculiarity of doctrine on which Mark Heathcote laid so 
 much stress was one that rendered it advisable for him to 
 retire still farther from the haunts of men. Accompanied by 
 
8 TTbe TKHept ot 
 
 a few followers, he proceeded on an exploring expedition, 
 and the end of the summer found him once more established 
 on an estate that he had acquired by the usual simple forms 
 practised in the colonies, and at the trifling cost for which 
 extensive districts were then set apart as the property of 
 individuals. 
 
 The love of the things of this life, while it certainly ex- 
 isted, was far from being predominant in the affections of 
 the Puritan. He was frugal from habit and principle, more 
 than from an undue longing after worldly wealth. He con T 
 tented himself, therefore, with acquiring an estate that 
 should be valuable, rather from its quality and beauty, than 
 from its extent. Many such places offered themselves, be- 
 tween the settlements of Wethersfield and Hartford, and that 
 imaginary line which separated the possessions of the colony 
 he had quitted from those of the one he joined. He made 
 his location, as it is termed in the language of the country, 
 near the northern boundary of the latter. This spot, by the 
 aid of an expenditure that might have been considered lavish 
 for the country and the age ; of some lingering of taste, 
 which even the self-denying and subdued habits of his later 
 life had not entirely extinguished ; and of great natural 
 beauty in the distribution of land, water, and wood, the emi- 
 grant contrived to convert into an abode that was not more 
 desirable for its retirement from the temptations of the world, 
 than for its rural loveliness. 
 
 After this memorable act of conscientious self-devotion, 
 years passed away in quiet, amid a species of negative pros- 
 perity. Rumors from the Old World reached the ears of the 
 tenants of this secluded settlement, months after the events 
 to which they referred were elsewhere forgotten, and tumults 
 and wars in the sister colonies came to their knowledge only 
 at distant and tardy intervals. In the meantime, the limits 
 of the colonial establishments were gradually extending 
 themselves, and valleys were beginning to be cleared nearer 
 and nearer to their own. Old age had now begun to make 
 some visible impression on the iron frame of the captain ; 
 and the fresh color of youth and health, with which his 
 son had entered the forest, was giving way to the brown 
 
Ube Wept of Wteb*Uon=*Wteb 9 
 
 covering produced by exposure and toil. We say of toil, for, 
 independently of the habits and opinions of the country, 
 which strongly reprobated idleness, even in those most gifted 
 by fortune, the daily difficulties of their situation, the chase, 
 and the long and intricate passages that the veteran himself 
 was compelled to adventure in the surrounding forest, par- 
 took largely of the nature of the term we have used. Ruth 
 continued blooming and youthful, though maternal anxiety 
 was soon added to her other causes of care. Still, for a long 
 season, naught occurred to excite extraordinary regrets for 
 the step they had taken, or to create particular uneasiness in 
 behalf of the future. The borderers, for such b)^ their fron- 
 tier position they had in truth become, heard the strange 
 and awful tidings of the dethronement of one king, of the 
 interregnum^ as a reign of more than usual vigor and pros- 
 perity is called, and of the restoration of the son of him who 
 is strangely enough termed a martyr. To all these event- 
 ful and unwonted chances in the fortunes of kings, Mark 
 Heathcote listened with deep and reverential submission to 
 the will of Him in whose eyes crowns and sceptres are merely 
 the more costly baubles of the world. Like most of his con- 
 temporaries, who had sought shelter in the western continent, 
 his political opinions, if not absolutely republican, had a 
 leaning to liberty that was strongly in opposition to the 
 doctrine of the divine rights of the monarch, while he had 
 been too far removed from the stirring passions which had 
 gradually excited those nearer to the throne to lose their 
 respect for its sanctity, and to sully its brightness with 
 blood. When the transient and straggling visitors, that at 
 long intervals visited his settlement, spoke of the Protector, 
 who for so many years ruled England with an iron hand, 
 the eyes of the old man would gleam with sudden and sin- 
 gular interest; and once when commenting after evening 
 prayer on the vanity and the vicissitudes of this life, he ac- 
 knowledged that the extraordinary individual who was, in 
 substance if not in name, seated on the throne of the Planta- 
 genets, had been the boon companion and ungodly associate 
 of many of his youthful hours. Then would follow a long, 
 wholesome, extemporaneous homily on the idleness of setting 
 
io ttbe Wept of 
 
 the affections on the things of life, and a half-suppressed, 
 but still intelligible commendation of the wiser course which 
 had led him to raise his own tabernacle in the wilderness, in- 
 stead of weakening the chances of eternal glory by striving 
 too much for the possession of the treacherous vanities of 
 the world. 
 
 But even the gentle and ordinarily little observant Ruth 
 might trace the kindling of the eye, the knitting of the 
 brow, and the flushings of his pale and furrowed cheek, as 
 the murderous conflicts of the civil wars became the themes 
 of the ancient soldier's discourse. There were moments 
 when religious submission, and we had almost said, re- 
 ligious precepts, were partially forgotten, as he explained to 
 his attentive son and listening grandchild, the nature of the 
 onset, or the quality and dignity of the retreat. At such 
 times, his still nervous hand would even wield the blade, in 
 order to instruct the latter in its uses, and many a long win- 
 ter evening was passed in thus indirectly teaching an art that 
 was so much at variance with the mandates of his divine 
 Master. The chastened soldier, however, never forgot to 
 close his instruction with a petition extraordinary, in the 
 customary prayer, that no descendant of his should ever 
 take life from a being unprepared to die, except in justifiable 
 defence of his faith, his person, or his lawful rights. It 
 must be admitted, that a liberal construction of the reserved 
 privileges would leave sufficient matter to exercise the sub- 
 tlety of one subject to any extraordinary propensity to arms. 
 
 Few opportunities were however offered, in their remote 
 situation and with their peaceful habits, for the practice of a 
 theory that had been taught in so many lessons. Indian 
 alarms, as they were termed, were not unfrequent, but, as 
 yet, they had never produced more than terror in the bosoms 
 of gentle Ruth and her young offspring. It is true, they 
 had heard of travellers massacred, and of families separated 
 by captivity, but either by a happy fortune, or by more than 
 ordinary prudence in the settlers who were established along 
 that immediate frontier, the knife and the tomahawk had 
 as yet been sparingly used in the colony of Connecticut. 
 A threatening and dangerous struggle with the Dutch, 
 
TTbe Wept of WisMTon^Wisb n 
 
 in the adjoining province of New Netherlands, had been 
 averted by the foresight and moderation of the rulers of the 
 new plantations ; and though a warlike and powerful native 
 chief kept the neighboring colonies of Massachusetts and 
 Rhode Island in a state of constant watchfulness, from the 
 cause just mentioned the apprehension of danger was 
 greatly weakened in the breasts of those so remote as the 
 individuals who composed the family of our emigrant. 
 
 In this quiet manner did years glide by, the surrounding 
 wilderness slowly retreating from the habitations of the 
 Heathcotes, until they found themselves in possession of as 
 many of the comforts of life as their utter seclusion from the 
 rest of the world could give them reason to expect. 
 
 With this preliminary explanation we shall refer the 
 reader to the succeeding narrative for a more minute, and we 
 hope for a more interesting account of the incidents of a 
 legend that may prove too homely for the tastes of those 
 whose imaginations seek the excitement of scenes more 
 stirring, or of a condition of life less natural. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 " Sir, I do know you ; 
 And dare, upon the warrant of my art, 
 Commend a dear thing to you." 
 
 King Lear. 
 
 AT the precise time when the action of our piece 
 commences, a fine and fruitful season was draw- 
 ing to a close. The harvests of hay and of the 
 smaller corns had long been over, and the younger 
 Heathcote, with his laborers, had passed a day in depriving 
 the luxuriant maize of its tops, in order to secure the nutri- 
 tious blades for fodder, and to admit the sun and air to 
 harden a grain that is almost considered the staple production 
 of the region he inhabited. The veteran Mark had ridden 
 among the workmen during their light toil, as well to enjoy 
 a sight which promised abundance to his flocks and herds, 
 as to throw in, on occasion, some wholesome spiritual pre- 
 cept, in which doctrinal subtlety was far more prominent 
 than the rules of practice. The hirelings of his son, for he 
 had long since yielded the management of the estate to 
 Content, were, without an exception, young men born in the 
 country, and long use and much training had accustomed 
 them to a blending of religious exercises with most of the 
 employments of life. They listened, therefore, with respect, 
 nor did an impious smile or an impatient glance escape the 
 lightest-minded of their number during his exhortations, 
 though the homilies of the old man were neither very brief 
 nor particularly original. But devotion to the one great 
 cause of their existence, austere habits, and unrelaxed 
 industry in keeping alive a flame of zeal that had been 
 
ZTbe "adept of Mfsb*Uon*Mf5b u 
 
 kindled in the other hemisphere, to burn longest and 
 brightest in this, had interwoven the practice mentioned with 
 most of the opinions and pleasures of these metaphysical 
 though simple-minded people. The toil went on none the 
 less cheerily for the extraordinary accompaniment, and 
 Content himself, by a certain glimmering of superstition, 
 which appears to be the concomitant of excessive religious 
 zeal, was fain to think that the sun shone more brightly on 
 their labors, and that the earth gave forth more of its fruits 
 while these holy sentiments were flowing from the lips of a 
 father whom he piously loved and deeply reverenced. 
 
 But when the sun, usually at that season, in the climate 
 of Connecticut, a bright, unshrouded orb, fell towards the 
 tree- tops which bounded the western horizon, the old man 
 began to grow weary with his own well-doing. He there- 
 fore finished his discourse with a wholesome admonition to 
 the youths to complete their tasks before they quitted the 
 field ; and, turning the head of his horse, he rode slowly, 
 and with a musing air, towards the dwellings. It is proba- 
 ble that for some time the thoughts of Mark were occupied 
 with the intellectual matter he had just been handling with 
 so much power ; but when his little nag stopped of itself 
 on a small eminence, which the crooked cow-path he was 
 following crossed, his mind yielded to the impression of 
 more worldly and more sensible objects. As the scene that 
 drew his contemplations from so many abstract theories to 
 the realities of life was peculiar to the country, and is more 
 or less connected with the subject of our tale, we shall 
 endeavor briefly to describe it. 
 
 A small tributary of the Connecticut divided the view 
 into two nearly equal parts. The fertile flats that extended 
 on each of its banks for more than a mile had been early 
 stripped of their burden of forest, and they now lay in 
 placid meadows, or in fields from which the grain of the 
 season had lately disappeared, and over which the plough 
 had already left the marks of recent tillage. The whole 
 of the plain, which ascended gently from the rivulet tow- 
 ards the forest, was subdivided into inclosures by number- 
 less fences, constructed in the rude but substantial manner 
 
14 ftbe TKHept of 
 
 of the country. Rails, in which lightness and economy of 
 wood had been but little consulted, lying in zig-zag lines, 
 like the approaches which the besieger makes in his cau- 
 tious advance to the hostile fortress, were piled on each 
 other, until barriers seven or eight feet in height were in- 
 terposed to the inroads of vicious cattle. In one spot, 
 a large square vacancy had been cut into the forest, and 
 though numberless stumps of trees darkened its surface, as 
 indeed they did many of the fields on the flats themselves, 
 bright green grain was sprouting forth luxuriantly from 
 the rich and virgin soil. High against the side of an 
 adjacent hill, that might aspire to be called a low rocky 
 mountain, a similar invasion had been made on the domain of 
 the trees ; but caprice or convenience had induced an aban- 
 donment of the clearing, after it had ill requited the toil of 
 felling the timber by a single crop. In this spot, strag- 
 gling, girdled, and consequently dead trees, piles of logs, and 
 black and charred stumps were seen, deforming the beauty 
 of a field that would otherwise have been striking from its 
 deep setting in the woods. Much of the surface of this 
 opening, too, was now concealed by bushes, of what is 
 termed the second growth, though here and there places 
 appeared, in which the luxuriant white clover, natural to 
 the country, had followed the close grazing of the flocks. 
 The eyes of Mark were bent inquiringly on this clearing, 
 which by an air line might have been half a mile from the 
 place where his horse had stopped, for the sounds of a 
 dozen differently toned cow-bells were brought on the still 
 air of the evening to his ears, from among its bushes. 
 
 The evidences of civilization were the least equivocal, 
 however, on and around a natural elevation in the land, 
 which rose so suddenly on the very bank of the stream as 
 to give to it the appearance of a work of art. Whether 
 these mounds once existed everywhere on the face of the 
 earth, and have disappeared before long tillage and labor, 
 we shall not presume to conjecture ; but we have reason to 
 think that they occur much more frequently in certain parts 
 of our own country than in any other familiarly known to 
 ordinary travellers, unless, perhaps, it may be in some of the 
 
ttbe Mept of Mteb*tton*Mteb 15 
 
 valleys of Switzerland. The practised veteran had chosen 
 the summit of this flattened cone for the establishment of 
 that species of military defence which the situation of the 
 country, and the character of the enemy he had to guard 
 against, rendered advisable, as well as customary. 
 
 The dwelling was of wood, and constructed of the ordi- 
 nary frame- work, with its thin covering of boards. It was 
 long, low, and irregular, bearing marks of having been 
 reared at different periods, as the wants of an increasing 
 family had required additional accommodation. It stood 
 near the verge of the natural declivity, and on that side of 
 the hill where its base was washed by the rivulet, a rude 
 piazza stretching along the whole of its front, and over- 
 hanging the stream. Several large, irregular and clumsy 
 chimneys rose out of different parts of the roofs, another 
 proof that comfort rather than taste had been consulted in 
 the disposition of the buildings. There were also two or 
 three detached offices on the summit of the hill, placed near 
 the dwellings, and at points most convenient for their sev- 
 eral uses. A stranger might have remarked that they were 
 so disposed as to form, as far as they went, the different 
 sides of a hollow square. Notwithstanding the great length 
 of the principal building, and the disposition of the more 
 minute and detached parts, this desirable formation would 
 not, however, have been obtained, if it were not that two 
 rows of rude constructions in logs, from which the bark had 
 not even been stripped, served to eke out the parts that 
 had been deficient. These primeval edifices were used to 
 contain various domestic articles, no less than provisions ; 
 and they also furnished numerous lodging-rooms for the 
 laborers and the inferior dependants of the farm. By the 
 aid of a few strong and high gates of hewn timber, those 
 parts of the building which had not been made to unite in 
 the original construction were sufficiently connected to op- 
 pose so many barriers against admission into the inner court. 
 
 But the building which was most conspicuous by its 
 position, no less than by the singularity of its construction, 
 stood on a low, artificial mound, in the centre of the quad- 
 rangle. It was high, hexagonal in shape, and crowned 
 
16 Ube Mept of 
 
 with a roof that came to a point, and from whose peak 
 rose a towering flagstaff. The foundation was of stone ; 
 but, at the height of a man above the earth, the sides were 
 made of massive, squared logs firmly united by an ingen- 
 ious combination of their ends, as well as by perpendicular 
 supporters pinned closely into their sides. In this citadel, 
 or block-house, as from its materials it was technically called, 
 there were two different tiers of long, narrow loop-holes, but 
 no regular windows. The rays of the setting sun, however, 
 glittering on one or two small openings in the roof, in 
 which glass had been set, furnished evidence that the sum- 
 mit of the building was sometimes used for other purposes 
 than those of defence. 
 
 About half-way up the sides of the eminence on which 
 the building stood, was an unbroken line of high palisadoes, 
 made of the bodies of young trees, firmly knitted together 
 by braces and horizontal pieces of timber, and evidently 
 kept in a state of jealous and complete repair. The air of 
 the whole of this frontier fortress was neat and comfortable, 
 and, considering that the use of artillery was unknown to 
 those forests, not unmilitary. 
 
 At no great distance from the base of the hill, stood the 
 barns and the stables. They were surrounded by a vast 
 range of rude but warm sheds, beneath which sheep and 
 horned cattle were usually sheltered from the storms of the 
 rigorous winters of the climate. The surfaces of the mead- 
 ows immediately around the outbuildings, were of a 
 smoother and richer sward than those in the distance, and 
 the fences were on a far more artificial, and perhaps dura- 
 ble, though scarcely on a more serviceable plan. A large 
 orchard of some ten or fifteen years' growth, too, added 
 greatly to the air of improvement which put this smiling 
 valley in such strong and pleasing contrast to the endless 
 and nearly untenanted woods by which it was environed. 
 
 Of the interminable forest, it is not necessary to speak. 
 With the solitary exception on the mountain-side, and of 
 here and there a wind-row, along which the trees had been 
 uprooted by the furious blasts which sometimes sweep off 
 acres of our trees in a minute, the eye could find no other 
 
Ube Timept of Mfsb^orWEXliteb 17 
 
 object to study in the vast setting of this quiet rural picture, 
 but the seemingly endless maze of wilderness. The broken 
 surface of the land, however, limited the view to an horizon 
 of no great extent, though the art of man could scarcely de- 
 vise colors so vivid or so gay as those which were afforded 
 by the brilliant hues of the foliage. The keen, biting frosts, 
 known at the close of a New England autumn, had already 
 touched the broad and fringed leaves of the maples, and the 
 sudden and secret process had been wrought upon all the 
 other varieties of the forest, producing that magical effect 
 which can be nowhere seen except in regions in which na- 
 ture is so bountiful and luxuriant in summer, and so sudden 
 and so stern in the change of the seasons. 
 
 Over this picture of prosperity and peace, the eye of old 
 Mark Heathcote wandered with a keen degree of worldly 
 prudence. The melancholy sounds of the various toned 
 bells, ringing hollow and plaintively among the arches of 
 the woods, gave him reason to believe that the herds of the 
 family were returning voluntarily from their unlimited forest 
 pasturage. His grandson, a fine, spirited boy of some four- 
 teen years, was approaching through the fields. The young- 
 ster drove before him a small flock, which domestic necessity 
 compelled the family to keep at great occasional loss, and a 
 heavy expense of time and trouble ; both of which could 
 alone protect them from the ravages of the beasts of prey. 
 A species of half-witted serving-lad, whom charity had 
 induced the old man to harbor among his dependants, was 
 seen issuing from the woods, nearly in a line with the 
 neglected clearing on the mountain-side. The latter 
 advanced, shouting and urging before him a drove of 
 colts, as shaggy, as wayward, and nearly as untamed as 
 himself. 
 
 "How now, weak-one," said the Puritan, with a severe 
 eye, as the two lads approached him with their several 
 charges from different directions, and nearly at the same 
 instant ; ' ( how now, sirrah ! dost worry the cattle in this 
 gait when the eyes of the prudent are turned from thee ? 
 Do as thou wouldst be done by, is a just and healthful 
 admonition, that the learned and the simple, the weak and 
 
is ttbe Mept of 
 
 the strong of niind, should alike recall to their thoughts and 
 their practice. I do not know that an over-driven colt will 
 be at all more apt to make a gentle and useful beast in its 
 prime, than one treated with kindness and care. ' ' 
 
 1 ' I believe the evil one has got into all the kine, no less 
 than into the foals, ' ' sullenly returned the lad ; ' ' I ' ve called 
 to them in anger, and I 've spoken to them as if they had 
 been my natural kin, and yet neither fair word nor foul 
 tongue will bring them to hearken to advice. There is 
 something frightful in the woods this very sun-down, mas- 
 ter ; or colts that I have driven the summer through would 
 not be apt to give this unfair treatment to one they ought to 
 know to be their friend. ' ' 
 
 "Thy sheep are counted, Mark?" resumed the grand- 
 father, turning towards his descendant with a less austere, 
 but always an authoritative brow ; ' ' thy mother hath need 
 of every fleece to provide covering for thee and others like 
 thee ; thou knowest, child, that the creatures are few, and 
 our winters weary and cold. ' ' 
 
 " My mother's loom shall never be idle from carelessness 
 of mine," returned the confident boy ; "but counting and 
 wishing cannot make seven-and-thirty fleeces where there 
 are only six-and-thirty backs to carry them. I have been 
 an hour among the briers and bushes of the hill logging, 
 looking for the lost wether, and yet neither lock, hoof, hide, 
 nor horn, is there to say what hath befallen the animal." 
 
 ' * Thou hast lost a sheep ! this carelessness will cause thy 
 mother to grieve. ' ' 
 
 " Grandfather, I have been no idler. Since the last hunt, 
 the flock hath been allowed to browse the woods ; for no 
 man, in all that week, saw wolf, panther, or bear, though 
 the country was up, from the great river to the outer settle- 
 ments of the colony. The biggest four-footed animal that 
 lost its hide in the muster was a thin-ribbed deer ; and the 
 stoutest battle given was between wild Whittal Ring, here, 
 and a woodchuck that kept him at arm's-length for the 
 better part of an afternoon." 
 
 ' ' Thy tale may be true, but it neither finds that which is 
 lost, nor completeth the number of thy mother's flock. 
 
TTbe Wept of Misfo^Uon^KHteb 19 
 
 Hast thou ridden carefully throughout the clearing ? It is 
 not long since I saw the animals grazing in that quarter. 
 What hast thou twisting in thy fingers, in that wasteful and 
 unthankful manner, Whittal ? ' ' 
 
 * ' What would make a winter blanket, if there was enough 
 of it wool ; and wool, too, that came from the thigh of old 
 Straight-Horns ; else have I forgotten a leg that gives the 
 longest and coarsest hair at the shearing." 
 
 ' * That truly seemeth a lock from the animal that is want- 
 ing, ' ' exclaimed the other boy. ' ' There is no other creature 
 in the flock with fleece so coarse and shaggy. Where found 
 you the handful, Whittal Ring ? ' ' 
 
 " Growing an the branch of a thorn. Queer fruit this, 
 masters, to be seen where young plums ought to ripen ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' Go, go, ' ' interrupted the old man ; ' ' thou idlest, and 
 misspendest the time in vain talk. Go, fold thy flock, Mark ; 
 and do thou, weak-one, house thy charge with less uproar 
 than is wont. We should remember that the voice is given 
 to man, firstly, that he may improve the blessing in thanks- 
 givings and petitions ; secondly, to communicate such gifts 
 as may be imparted to himself, and which it is his bounden 
 duty to attempt to impart to others ; and then, thirdly, to 
 declare his natural wants and inclinations." 
 
 With this admonition, which probably proceeded from a 
 secret consciousness in the Puritan that he had permitted a 
 momentary cloud of selfishness to obscure the brightness of 
 his faith, the party separated. The grandson and the hireling 
 took their several ways to the folds, while old Mark himself 
 slowly continued his course towards the dwellings. It was 
 near enough to the hours of darkness, to render the prepara- 
 tions we have mentioned prudent ; still, no urgency called 
 for particular haste in the return of the veteran to the shelter 
 and protection of his own comfortable and secure abode. 
 He therefore loitered along the path, occasionally stopping 
 to look into the prospects of the young crops that were be- 
 ginning to spring up in readiness for the coming year, and 
 at times bending his gaze around the whole of his limited 
 horizon, like one who had the habit of exceeding and unre- 
 mitted care. 
 
20 ITbe IKHept of 
 
 One of these numerous pauses promised to be much longer 
 than usual. Instead of keeping his understanding eye on 
 the grain, the look of the old man appeared fastened, as by 
 a charm, on some distant and obscure object. Doubt and 
 uncertainty, for many minutes, seemed to mingle in his gaze. 
 But all hesitation had apparently disappeared, as his lips 
 severed, and he spoke, perhaps unconsciously to himself, 
 aloud. 
 
 " It is no deception," were the low words, " but a living 
 and an accountable creature of the L,ord's. Many a day has 
 passed since such a sight hath been witnessed in this vale ; 
 but my eye greatly deceives me, or yonder cometh one ready 
 to ask for hospitality, and, peradventure, for Christian and 
 brotherly communion." 
 
 The sight of the aged emigrant had not deceived him. 
 One who appeared a wayworn and weary traveller had 
 indeed ridden out of the forest, at a point where a path, that 
 was easier to be traced by the blazed trees that lay along its 
 route, than by any marks on the earth itself, issued into the 
 cleared land. The progress of the stranger had at first been 
 so wary and slow as to bear the manner of exceeding and 
 mysterious caution. The blind road along which he must 
 have ridden not only far but hard, or night had certainly 
 overtaken him in the woods, led to one of the distant settle- 
 ments that lay near to the fertile banks of the Connecticut. 
 Few ever followed its windings but they who had especial 
 affairs, or extraordinary communion, in the way of religious 
 friendships, with the proprietors of the Wish-Ton-Wish, as, 
 in commemoration of the first bird that had been seen by the 
 emigrants, the valley of the Heathcotes was called. 
 
 Once fairly in view, any doubt or apprehension that the 
 stranger might at first have entertained, disappeared. He 
 rode boldly and steadily forward, until he drew a rein that 
 his impoverished and weary beast gladly obeyed, within a 
 few feet of the proprietor of the valley, whose gaze had never 
 ceased to watch his movements, from the instant when the 
 other first came within view. Before speaking, the stranger, 
 a man whose head was getting gray, apparently as much 
 with hardship as with time, and one whose great weight 
 
Ube Mept of Misb^on^Wisb 21 
 
 would have proved a grievous burden, in a long ride, to even 
 a better-conditioned beast than the ill-favored provincial 
 hack he had ridden, dismounted, and threw the bridle loose 
 upon the drooping neck of the animal. The latter, without 
 a moment's delay, and with a greediness that denoted long 
 abstinence, profited by its liberty, to crop the herbage where 
 it stood. 
 
 "I cannot be mistaken, when I suppose that I have at 
 length reached the valley of the Wish-Ton-Wish," the 
 visitor said, touching a soiled and slouched beaver that more 
 than half concealed his features. The question was put in 
 an English that bespoke a descent from those who dwell in 
 the midland counties of the mother country, rather than in 
 that intonation which is still to be traced, equally in the 
 western portions of England and in the eastern States of the 
 Union. Notwithstanding the purity of his accent, there was 
 enough in the form of his speech to denote a severe compli- 
 ance with the fashion of the religionists of the times. He 
 used that measured and methodical tone which was, singu- 
 larly enough, believed to distinguish an entire absence of 
 affectation in language. 
 
 " Thou hast reached the dwelling of him thou seekest ; one 
 who is a submissive sojourner in the wilderness of the world, 
 and an humble servitor in the outer temple." 
 
 ' ' This then is Mark Heathcote ! ' ' repeated the stranger 
 in tones of interest, regarding the other with a look of long, 
 and, possibly, of suspicious investigation. 
 
 ' ' Such is the name I bear. A fitting confidence in Him 
 who knows so well how to change the wilds into the haunts 
 of men, and much suffering, have made me the master of 
 what thou seest. Whether thou comest to tarry a night, a 
 week, a month, or even for a still longer season, as a brother 
 in care, and I doubt not one who striveth for the right, I bid 
 thee welcome." 
 
 The stranger thanked his host by a slow inclination of 
 the head ; but the gaze, which began to partake a little of 
 the look of recognition, was still too earnest and engrossing 
 to admit of verbal reply. On the other hand, though the old 
 man had scanned the broad and rusty beaver, the coarse and 
 
22 Ube Mept of 
 
 well-worn doublet, the heavy boots, and, in short, the whole 
 attire of his visitor, in which he saw no vain conformity to 
 idle fashions to condemn, it was evident that personal recol- 
 lection had not the smallest influence in quickening his hos- 
 pitality. 
 
 " Thou hast arrived happily," continued the Puritan ; 
 ' ' had night overtaken thee in the forest, unless much prac- 
 tised in the shifts of our young woodsmen, hunger, frost, and 
 a supperless bed of brush would have given thee motive to 
 think more of the body than is either profitable or seemly. ' ' 
 
 The stranger might possibly have known the embarrass- 
 ment of these several hardships ; for the quick and uncon- 
 scious glance he threw over his soiled dress should have 
 betrayed some familiarity, already, with the privations to 
 which his host alluded. As neither of them, however, 
 seemed disposed to waste further time on matters of such 
 light moment, the traveller put an arm through the bridle 
 of his horse, and, in obedience to an invitation from th? 
 owner of the dwelling, they took their way towards the for* 
 tified edifice on the natural mound. 
 
 The task of furnishing litter and provender to the jaded 
 beast was performed by Whittal Ring, under the inspection, 
 and at times under the instructions, of its owner and his 
 host, both of whom appeared to take a kind and commend- 
 able interest in the comfort of a faithful hack, that had evi- 
 dently suffered long and much in the service of its master. 
 When this duty was discharged, the old man and his 
 unknown guest entered the house together ; the frank and 
 unpretending hospitality of a country like that they were in, 
 rendering suspicion or hesitation qualities that were unknown 
 to the reception of a man of white blood ; more especially if 
 he spoke the language of the island which was then first 
 sending out its swarms to subdue and possess so large a por- 
 tion of a continent that nearly divides the earth in moieties. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 " This is most strange ; your father 's in some passion 
 That works him strongly." 
 
 Tempest. 
 
 A FEW hours made a great change in the occupa- 
 tions of the different members of our simple and 
 secluded family. The kine had yielded their 
 nightly tribute ; the oxen had been released from 
 the yoke, and were now secure beneath their sheds ; the 
 sheep were in their folds, safe from the assaults of the prowl- 
 ing wolf ; and care had been taken to see that everything 
 possessing life was gathered within the particular defences 
 that were provided for its security and comfort. But while 
 all this caution was used in behalf of living things, the 
 utmost indifference prevailed on the subject of that species 
 of movable property which elsewhere would have been 
 guarded with at least an equal j ealousy . The homely fabrics 
 of the looms of Ruth lay on their bleaching- ground, to drink 
 in the night-dew ; and ploughs, harrows, carts, saddles, and 
 other similar articles were left in situations so exposed as to 
 prove that the hand of man had occupations so numerous 
 and so urgent as to render it inconvenient to bestow labor 
 where it was not considered absolutely necessary. 
 
 Content himself was the last to quit the fields and the out- 
 buildings. When he reached the postern in the palisadoes, 
 he stopped to call to those above him, in order to learn if 
 any yet lingered without the wooden barriers. The answer 
 being in the negative, he entered, and drawing-to the small 
 but heavy gate, he secured it with bar, bolt, and lock, 
 carefully and jealously, with his own hand. As this was no 
 
24 Ube Wept of 
 
 more than a nightly and necessary precaution, the affairs of 
 the family received no interruption. The meal of the hour 
 was soon ended ; and conversation, with those light toils 
 which are peculiar to the long evenings of the fall and 
 winter, in families on the frontier, succeeded as fitting em- 
 ployments to close the business of a laborious and well- 
 spent day. 
 
 Notwithtanding the entire simplicity which marked the 
 opinions and usages of the colonists at that period, and the 
 great equality of condition which even to this hour distin- 
 guishes the particular community of which we write, choice 
 and inclination drew some natural distinctions in the ordi- 
 nary intercourse of the inmates of the Heathcote family. A 
 fire so bright and cheerful blazed on an enormous hearth in 
 a sort of upper kitchen, as to render candles or torches un- 
 necessary. Around it were seated six or seven hardy and 
 athletic young men, some drawing coarse tools carefully 
 through the curvatures of ox-bows, others scraping dowi? 
 the helves of axes, or perhaps fashioning sticks of birch 
 into homely but convenient brooms. A demure, side-look- 
 ing young woman kept her great wheel in motion, while 
 one or two others were passing from room to room with the 
 notable and stirring industry of handmaidens busied in the 
 more familiar cares of the household. A door communicated 
 with an inner and superior apartment. Here was a smaller 
 but an equally cheerful fire ; a floor which had recently been 
 swept, while that without had been freshly sprinkled with 
 river sand ; candles of tallow, on a table of cherry-wood 
 from the neighboring forest ; walls that were wainscoted in 
 the black oak of the country, and a few other articles of 
 a fashion so unique, and of ornaments so ingenious and rich, 
 as to announce that they had been transported from beyond 
 sea. Above the mantel were suspended the armorial bear- 
 ings of the Heathcotes and the Hardings, elaborately em- 
 blazoned in tent-stitch. 
 
 The principal personages of the family were seated around 
 the latter hearth, while a straggler from the other room, of 
 more than usual curiosity, had placed himself among them, 
 marking the distinction in ranks, or rather in situation, 
 
TKftept of Mteb*aon*TOi0b 25 
 
 merely by the extraordinary care which he took that none of 
 the scrapings should litter the spotless oaken floor. 
 
 Until this period of the evening, the duties of hospitality 
 and the observances of religion had prevented familiar dis- 
 course. But the offices of the housewife were now ended 
 for the night, the handmaidens had all retired to their 
 wheels, and, as the bustle of a busy and more stirring 
 domestic industry ceased, the cold and self-restrained silence 
 which had hitherto only been broken by distant and brief 
 observations of courtesy, or by some wholesome allusion to 
 the lost and probationary condition of man, seemed to invite 
 an intercourse of a more general quality. 
 
 " You entered my clearing by the southern path," com- 
 menced Mark Heathcote, addressing himself to his guest 
 with sufficient courtesy, ' ' and needs must bring tidings from 
 the towns on the river side. Has aught been done by our 
 councillors at home, in the matter that pertaineth so closely 
 to the well-being of this colony ? ' ' 
 
 " You would have me say whether he that now sitteth on 
 the throne of England hath listened to the petitions of his 
 people in this province, and hath granted them protection 
 against the abuses which might so readily flow out of his 
 own ill-advised will, or out of the violence and injustice of 
 his successors ? ' ' 
 
 " We will render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, 
 and speak reverently of men having authority. I would 
 fain know whether the agent sent by our people hath gained 
 the ears of those who counsel the prince, and obtained that 
 which he sought ? ' ' 
 
 "He hath done more," returned the stranger, with singu- 
 lar asperity ; "he hath even gained the ear of the Lord's 
 anointed." 
 
 " Then is Charles of better mind and of stronger justice 
 than report hath spoken. We were told that light manners 
 and unprofitable companions had led him to think more of 
 the vanities of the world and less of the wants of those 
 over whom he hath been called by Providence to rule, than 
 is meet for one that sitteth on a high place. I rejoice that 
 the arguments of the man we sent have prevailed over 
 
26 Ube Wept of 
 
 more evil promptings, and that peace and freedom of con- 
 science are likely to be the fruits of the undertaking. In 
 what manner hath he seen fit to order the future government 
 of this people ?" 
 
 ' * Much as it hath ever stood by their own ordinances. 
 Winthrop hath returned, and is the bearer of a royal 
 charter which granteth all the rights long claimed and prac- 
 tised. None now dwell under the crown of Britain with 
 fewer offensive demands on their consciences, or with lighter 
 calls on their political duties, than the men of Connecticut. ' ' 
 
 "It is fitting that thanks should be rendered therefor 
 where thanks are most due," said the Puritan, folding his 
 hands on his bosom, and sitting for a moment with closed 
 eyes, like one who communed with an unseen being. ' ' Is 
 it known by what manner of argument the Lord moved 
 the heart of the prince to hearken to our wants ; or was it 
 an open and manifest token of his power ? ' ' 
 
 "I think it must needs have been the latter," rejoined 
 the visitor, with a manner that grew still more caustic and 
 emphatic. ' ' The bauble, that was the visible agent, could 
 not have weighed greatly with one so proudly seated before 
 the eyes of men." 
 
 Until this point in the discourse, Content and Ruth, with 
 their offspring, and the two or three other individuals who 
 composed the audience, had listened with the demure grav- 
 ity which characterized the manners of the country. The 
 language, united with the ill-concealed sarcasm conveyed by 
 the countenance, no less than the emphasis of the speaker, 
 caused them now to raise their eyes, as by a common im- 
 pulse. The word ' ' bauble ' ' was audibly and curiously 
 repeated. But the look of cold irony had already passed 
 from the features of the stranger, and it had given place 
 to a stern and fixed austerity that imparted a character of 
 grimness to his hard and sunburnt visage. Still he be- 
 trayed no disposition to shrink from the subject ; but after 
 regarding his auditors with a glance in which pride and 
 suspicion were strongly blended, he resumed the discourse. 
 
 11 It is known," he added, "that the grandfather of him 
 the good people of these settlements have commissioned to 
 
Udept of Misb*Uon*Mteb 27 
 
 bear their wants over sea, lived in the favor of the man 
 who last sat upon the throne of England ; and a rumor 
 goeth forth, that the Stuart, in a moment of princely con- 
 descension, once decked the finger of his subject with a 
 ring wrought in a curious fashion. It was a token of the 
 love which a monarch may bear a man/' 
 
 " Such gifts are beacons of friendship, but may not be 
 used as gay and sinful ornaments," observed Mark, while 
 the other paused like one who wished none of the bitter- 
 ness of his allusions to be lost. 
 
 " It matters not whether the bauble lay in the coffers of 
 the Winthrops, or has long been glittering before the eyes 
 of the faithful, in the Bay, since in hath finally proved to 
 be a jewel of price," continued the stranger. "It is said 
 in secret that this ring hath returned to the finger of a 
 Stuart, and it is openly proclaimed that Connecticut hath a 
 charter!" 
 
 Content and his wife regarded each other in melancholy 
 amazement. Such an evidence of wanton levity and of 
 unworthiness of motive, in one who was intrusted with the 
 gift of earthly government, pained their simple and up- 
 right minds, while old Mark, of still more decided and 
 exaggerated ideas of spiritual perfection, distinctly groaned 
 aloud. The stranger took a sensible pleasure in this testi- 
 mony of their abhorrence of so gross and so unworthy a 
 venality, though he saw no occasion to heighten its effect 
 by further speech. When his host stood erect, and in a 
 voice that was accustomed to obedience called on his family 
 to join, in behalf of the reckless ruler of the land of their 
 fathers, in a petition to Him who alone could soften the 
 hearts of princes, he also arose from his seat. But even 
 in this act of devotion, the stranger bore the air of one 
 who wished to do pleasure to his entertainers, rather than 
 to obtain that which was asked. 
 
 The prayer, though short, was pointed, fervent, and 
 sufficiently personal. The wheels in the outer room 
 ceased their hum, and a general movement denoted that 
 all there had arisen to join in the office ; while one or two 
 of their number, impelled by deeper piety or stronger in- 
 
28 Ube Mept of 
 
 terest, drew near to the open door between the rooms, in 
 order to listen. With this singular but characteristic in- 
 terruption, that particular branch of the discourse which 
 had given rise to it altogether ceased. 
 
 ' ' And have we reason to dread a rising of the savages 
 on the borders ? ' ' asked Content, when he found that the 
 moved spirit of his father was not yet sufficiently calmed 
 to return to the examination of temporal things ; ' ' one 
 who brought wares from the towns below, a few months 
 since, recited reasons to fear a movement among the red- 
 men." 
 
 The subject had not sufficient interest to open the ears 
 of the stranger. He was deaf, or he chose to affect deaf- 
 ness, to the interrogatory. Laying his two large and 
 weather-worn, though still muscular hands, on a visage 
 that was much darkened by exposure, he appeared to shut 
 out the objects of the world, while he communed deeply, 
 and, as would seem by a slight tremor, that shook even his 
 powerful frame, terribly, with his own thoughts. 
 
 " We have many to whom our hearts strongly cling, to 
 heighten the smallest symptom of alarm from that quar- 
 ter, ' ' added the tender and anxious mother, her eye glanc- 
 ing at the uplifted countenances of two little girls, who, 
 busied with their light needle- work, sat on stools at her 
 feet. "But I rejoice to see that one who hath journeyed 
 from parts where the minds of the savages must be better 
 understood hath not feared to do it unarmed." 
 
 The traveller slowly uncovered his features, and the 
 glance that his eye shot over the face of the last speaker 
 was not without a gentle and interested expression. In- 
 stantly recovering his composure, he arose, and turning to 
 the double leathern sack, which had been borne on the 
 crupper of his nag, and which now lay' at no great distance 
 from his seat, he drew a pair of horseman's pistols from 
 two well-contrived pockets in its sides, and laid them 
 deliberately on the table. 
 
 " Though little disposed to seek an encounter with any 
 bearing the image of man," he said, " I have not neglected 
 the usual precautions of those who enter the wilderness. 
 
Wept of Mteb^otWTCliteb 29 
 
 Here are weapons that, in steady hands, might easily take 
 life, or, at need, preserve it." 
 
 The young Mark drew near with boyish curiosity, and 
 while one finger ventured to touch a lock, as he stole a 
 conscious glance of wrong-doing towards his mother, he 
 said, with as much of contempt in his air as the schooling 
 of his manners would allow, 
 
 1 ' An Indian arrow would make a surer aim than a bore 
 as short as this ! When the trainer from the Hartford 
 town struck the wild-cat on the hill clearing, he sent the 
 bullet from a five-foot barrel ; besides, this short-sighted 
 gun would be a dull weapon in a hug against the keen- 
 edged knife that the wicked Wampanoag is known to 
 carry. ' ' 
 
 " Boy, thy years are few, and thy boldness of speech 
 marvellous," sternly interrupted his parent in the second 
 degree. 
 
 The stranger manifested no displeasure at the confident 
 language of the lad. Encouraging him with a look, which 
 plainly proclaimed that martial qualities in no degree les- 
 sened the stripling in his favor, he observed that 
 
 ' ' The youth who is not afraid to think of the fight, or to 
 reason on its chances, will lead to a manhood of spirit and 
 independence. A hundred thousand striplings like this 
 might have spared Winthrop his jewel, and the Stuart the 
 shame of yielding to so vain and so trivial a bribe. But thou 
 mayst also see, child, that had we come to the death-hug, the 
 wicked Wampanoag might have found a blade as keen as 
 his own." 
 
 The stranger, while speaking, loosened a few strings of 
 his doublet, and thrust a hand into his bosom. The action 
 enabled more than one eye to catch a momentary glimpse 
 of a weapon of the same description, but of a size much 
 smaller than those he had already so freely exhibited. As 
 he immediately withdrew the member, and again closed the 
 garment with studied care, no one presumed to advert 
 to the circumstance, but all turned their attention to the 
 long, sharp hunting-knife that he deposited by the side of 
 the pistols, as he concluded. Mark ventured to open its 
 
30 Ube Wept of 
 
 blade, but he turned away with sudden consciousness, when 
 he found that a few fibres of coarse, shaggy wool, that were 
 drawn from the loosened joint, adhered to his fingers. 
 
 * ' Straight-Horns has been against a bush sharper than 
 the thorn!" exclaimed Whittal Ring, who had been at 
 hand, and who watched with childish admiration the small- 
 est proceedings of the different individuals. "A steel for 
 the back of the blade, a few dried leaves and broken sticks, 
 with such a carver, would soon make roast and broiled of 
 the old bell-wether himself. I know that the hair of all my 
 colts is sorrel, and I counted five at sundown, which is just 
 as many as went loping through the underbrush when I 
 loosened them from the hopples in the morning ; but six- 
 and-thirty backs can never carry seven-and-thirty growing 
 fleeces of unsheared wool. Master knows that, for he is a 
 scholar and can count a hundred ! ' ' 
 
 The allusion to the fate of the lost sheep was so plain 
 as to admit of no misinterpretation of the meaning of the 
 witless speaker. Animals of that class were of the last im- 
 portance to the comfort of the settlers, and there was not 
 probably one within hearing of Whittal Ring that was at 
 all ignorant of the. import of his words. Indeed, the loud 
 chuckle, and the open and deriding manner with which the 
 lad himself held above his head the hairy fibres that he 
 had snatched from young Mark, allowed of no concealment, 
 had it been desirable. 
 
 " This feeble-gifted youth would hint that thy knife hath 
 proved its edge on a wether that is missing from our flock, 
 since the animals went on their mountain range in the 
 morning," said the host, calmly ; though even he bent his 
 eye to the floor, as he waited for an answer to a remark 
 direct as the one his sense of justice, and his indomitable 
 love of right, had prompted. 
 
 The stranger demanded, in a voice that lost none of its 
 depth or firmness, ' ' Is hunger a crime, that they who dwell 
 so far from the haunts of selfishness visit it with their 
 anger ? ' ' 
 
 "The foot of Christian man never approached the gates 
 of Wish-Ton-Wish to be turned away in uncharitableness, 
 
Ube Mept ot Misb^UotWlKIiteb 31 
 
 but that which is freely given should not be taken in licen- 
 tiousness. From off the hill where my flock is wont to 
 graze, it is easy, through many an opening of the forest, 
 to see these roofs, and it would have been better that the 
 body should languish, than that a grievous sin should be 
 placed on that immortal spirit which is already too deeply 
 laden, unless thou art far more happy than others of the 
 fallen race of Adam. ' ' 
 
 "Mark Heathcote," said the accused, and ever with an 
 unwavering tone, ' ' look further at those weapons, which, 
 if a guilty man, I have weakly placed within thy power. 
 Thou wilt find more there to wonder at, than a few strag- 
 gling hairs that the spinner would cast from her as too 
 coarse for service." 
 
 " It is long since I found pleasure in handling the weap- 
 ons of strife ; may it be longer to the time when they shall 
 be needed in this abode of peace. These are instruments of 
 death, resembling those used in my youth by cavaliers that 
 rode in the levies of the first Charles and of his pusillani- 
 mous father. There was worldly pride and great vanity, 
 with much and damning ungodliness, in the wars that I 
 have seen, my children ; and yet the carnal man found 
 pleasure in the stirrings of those graceless days ! Come 
 hither, younker ; thou hast often sought to know the man- 
 ner in which the horsemen are wont to lead into the combat, 
 when the broad-mouthed artillery and pattering leaden hail 
 have cleared a passage for the struggle of horse to horse, 
 and man to man. Much of the justification of these com- 
 bats must depend on the inward spirit, and on the temper 
 of him that striketh at the life of a fellow-sinner ; but right- 
 eous Joshua, it is known, contended with the heathen 
 throughout a supernatural day ; and, therefore, always 
 humbly confiding that our cause is just, I will open to thy 
 young mind the uses of a weapon that hath never before 
 been seen in these forests." 
 
 "I have hefted many a heavier piece than this," said 
 young Mark, frowning equally with the exertion and with 
 the instigations of his aspiring spirit, as he held out the 
 ponderous weapon in a single hand ; " we have guns that 
 
32 Ube Mept ot 
 
 might tame a wolf with greater certainty than any barrel of 
 a bore less than my own height. Tell me, grand' ther, at 
 what distance do the mounted warriors you so often name 
 take their sight?" 
 
 But the power of speech appeared suddenly to have de- 
 serted the aged veteran. He had interrupted his own dis- 
 course, and now, instead of answering the interrogatory of 
 the boy, his eye wandered slowly and with a look of painful 
 doubt from the weapon that he still held before him, to the 
 countenance of the stranger. The latter continued erect, 
 like one courting a strict and meaning examination of his 
 person. This d,umb-show could not fail to attract the obser- 
 vation of Content. Rising from his seat, with that quiet 
 but authoritative manner which is still seen in the domestic 
 government of the people of the region where he dwelt, he 
 beckoned to all present to quit the apartment. Ruth and 
 her daughters, the hirelings, the ill-gifted Whittal, and even 
 the reluctant Mark, preceded him to the door, which he 
 closed with respectful care, and then the whole of the won- 
 dering party mingled with those of the outer room, leaving 
 the one they had quitted to the sole possession of the aged 
 chief of the settlement, and to this still unknown and mys- 
 terious guest. 
 
 Many anxious, and to those who were excluded, seem- 
 ingly interminable minutes passed, and the secret interview 
 appeared to draw no nearer its close. That deep reverence 
 which the years, paternity, and character of the grandfather 
 had inspired, prevented all from approaching the quarter 
 of the apartment nearest the room they had left ; but a 
 silence, still as the grave, did all that silence could do to 
 enlighten their minds in a matter of so much general inter- 
 est. The deep, smothered sentences of the speakers were 
 often heard, each dwelling with steadiness and propriety on 
 his particular theme, but no sound that conveyed meaning 
 to the minds of those without passed the envious walls. At 
 length, the voice of old Mark became more than usually 
 audible ; and then Content arose, with a gesture to those 
 around him to imitate his example. The young men threw 
 aside the subjects of their light employments, the maidens 
 
Wept of WU&b*TLon*'mish 33 
 
 left the wheels which had not been turned for many minutes, 
 and the whole party disposed themselves in the decent and 
 simple attitude of prayer. For the third time that evening 
 was the voice of the Puritan heard, pouring out his spirit in 
 a communion with that Being on whom it was his practice 
 to repose all his worldly cares. But though long accustomed 
 to all the peculiar forms of utterance by which their father 
 ordinarily expressed his pious emotions, neither Content nor 
 his attentive partner was enabled to decide on the nature of 
 the feeling that was now uppermost. At times it appeared 
 to be the language of thanksgiving, and at others it assumed 
 more of the imploring sounds of deprecation and petition ; 
 in short, it was so varied, and, though tranquil, so equivo- 
 cal, if such a term may be applied to so serious a subject, as 
 completely to baffle every conjecture. 
 
 Long and weary minutes passed after the voice had en- 
 tirely ceased, and yet no summons was given to the expect- 
 ing family, nor did any sound proceed from the inner room 
 which the respectful son was emboldened to construe into 
 evidence that he might presume to enter. At length appre- 
 hensions began to mingle with conjectures, and then the 
 husband and wife communed apart, in whispers. The mis- 
 givings and doubt of the former soon manifested themselves 
 in still more apparent forms. He arose, and was seen pac- 
 ing the wide apartment, gradually approaching nearer to 
 the partition which separated the two rooms, evidently pre- 
 pared to retire beyond the limits of hearing, the moment he 
 should detect any proofs that his uneasiness was without a 
 sufficient cause. Still no sound proceeded from the inner 
 room. The breathless silence which had so shortly before 
 reigned where he was, appeared to be suddenly transferred 
 to the spot in which he was vainly endeavoring to detect 
 the smallest proof of human existence. Again he returned 
 to Ruth, and again they consulted in low voices, as to the 
 step that filial duty seemed to require at their hands. 
 
 " We were not bidden to withdraw," said his gentle com- 
 panion ; "why not rejoin our parent, now that time has 
 been given to understand the subject which so evidently 
 disturbed his mind? " 
 3 
 
34 tTbe TKHept of 
 
 Content at length yielded to this opinion. With that 
 cautious discretion which distinguishes his people, he mo- 
 tioned to the family to follow, in order that no unnecessary 
 exclusion should give rise to conjectures or excite suspi- 
 cions, of which, after all, the circumstances might prove no 
 justification. Notwithstanding the subdued manners of 
 the age and country, curiosity, and perhaps a better feel- 
 ing, had become so intense as to cause all present to 
 obey this silent mandate, by moving as swiftly towards the 
 open door as a never-yielding decency of demeanor would 
 permit. 
 
 Old Mark Heathcote occupied the chair in which he had 
 been left, with that calm and unbending gravity of eye and 
 features which were then thought indispensable to a fitting 
 sobriety of spirit. But the stranger had disappeared. There 
 were two or three outlets by which the room, and even the 
 house, might be quitted, without the knowledge of those 
 who had so long waited for admission ; and the first impres- 
 sion led the family to expect the reappearance of the absent 
 man through one of these exterior passages. Content, how- 
 ever, read in the expression of his father's eye that the 
 moment of confidence, if it were ever to arrive, had not yet 
 come ; and so admirable and perfect was the domestic disci- 
 pline of this family, that the questions which the son did 
 not see fit to propound, no one of inferior condition, or 
 lesser age, might presume to agitate. With the person of the 
 stranger, every evidence of his recent visit had also vanished. 
 
 Mark missed the weapon that had excited his admiration ; 
 Whittal looked in vain for the hunting-knife which had 
 betrayed the fate of the wether ; Mrs. Heathcote saw by a 
 hasty glance of the eye that the leathern sacks, which she 
 had borne in mind ought to be transferred to the sleeping 
 apartment of their guest, were gone ; and a mild and play- 
 ful image of herself, who bore her name no less than most 
 of those features which had rendered her own youth more 
 than usually attractive, sought, without success, a massive 
 silver spur, of curious and antique workmanship, which she 
 had been permitted to handle until the moment whe& the 
 family had been commanded to withdraw. 
 
ZTbe Mept of Mteb*fton*Tlfllteb 35 
 
 The night had now worn later than the hour at which it 
 was usual for people of habits so simple to be out of their 
 beds. The grandfather lighted a taper, and, after bestowing 
 the usual blessing on those around him, with an air as calm 
 as if nothing had occurred, he prepared to retire into hi& 
 own room. And yet, matter of interest seemed to linger on 
 his mind. Even on the threshold of the door, he turned, 
 and, for an instant, all expected some explanation of a cir- 
 cumstance which began to wear no little of the aspect of an 
 exciting and painful mystery. But their hopes were raised 
 only to be disappointed. 
 
 " My thoughts have not kept the passage of the time," 
 he said. " In what hour of the night are we, my son? " 
 
 He was told that it was already past the usual moment 
 of sleep. 
 
 "No matter; that which Providence hath bestowed for 
 our comfort and support should not be lightly and unthank- 
 fully disregarded. Take thou the beast I am wont to ride, 
 thyself, Content, and follow the path which leadeth to the 
 mountain clearing ; bring away that which shall meet thine 
 eye, near the first turning of the route towards the river 
 towns. We have got into the last quarter of the year, and 
 in order that our industry may not flag, and that all may be 
 stirring with the sun, let the remainder of the household 
 seek their rest." 
 
 Content saw, by the manner of his father, that no depart- 
 ure from the strict letter of these instructions was admissible. 
 He closed the door after his retiring form, and then, by a 
 quiet gesture of authority, indicated to his dependants that 
 they were expected to withdraw. The maidens of Ruth led 
 the children to their chambers, and in a few more minutes 
 none remained in the outer apartment, already so often 
 named, but the obedient son, with his anxious and affec- 
 tionate consort. 
 
 " I will be thy companion, husband," Ruth half whisper- 
 ingly commenced, as soon as the little domestic preparations 
 for leaving the fires and securing the doors were ended. ' * I 
 like not that thou shouldst go into the forest alone, at so 
 late an hour of the nigkt." 
 
36 Ube Mept of 
 
 "One will be with me there, who never deserteth those 
 who rely on His protection. Besides, my Ruth, what is 
 there to apprehend in a wilderness like this ? The beasts 
 have been lately hunted from the hills, and excepting those 
 who dwell under our own roof, there is not one within a 
 long day's ride." 
 
 4 ' We know not ! Where is the stranger that came within 
 our doors as the sun was setting ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' As thou sayest, we know not. My father is not minded 
 to open his lips on the subject of this traveller, and surely 
 we are not now to learn the lessons of obedience and self- 
 denial." 
 
 " It would, notwithstanding, be a great easing to the 
 spirit to hear at least the name of him who hath eaten of 
 our bread, and joined in our family worship, though he 
 were immediately to pass away forever from before the 
 sight." 
 
 "That may he have done, already!" returned the less 
 curious and more self-restrained hushand. " My father 
 wills not that we inquire." 
 
 ' ' And yet there can be little sin in knowing the condition 
 of one whose fortunes and movements can excite neither 
 our envy nor our strife. I would that we had tarried for a 
 closer mingling in the prayers ; it was not seemly to desert 
 a guest who, it would appear, had need of an especial up- 
 offering in his behalf." 
 
 "Our spirits joined in the asking, though our ears were 
 shut to the matter of his wants. But it will be needful that 
 I should be afoot with the young men, in the morning, 
 and a mile of measurement would not reach to the turning 
 in the path to the river towns. Go with me to the postern, 
 and look to the fastenings ; I will not keep thee long on 
 thy watch." 
 
 Content and his wife now quitted the dwelling, by the 
 only door that was left unbarred. Lighted by a rnoon that 
 was full though clouded, they passed a gateway between 
 two of the outer buildings, and descended to the palisadoes. 
 The bars and bolts of the little postern were removed, and 
 in a few minutes the former, mounted on the back of his 
 
Ube Wept of 
 
 37 
 
 father's own horse, was galloping briskly along the path 
 which led into the part of the forest he was directed to 
 seek. 
 
 While the husband was thus proceeding, in obedience to 
 orders that he never hesitated to obey, his faithful wife 
 withdrew within the shelter of the wooden defences. More 
 in compliance with a precaution that was become habitual, 
 than from any present causes of suspicion, she drew a single 
 bolt and remained at the postern, anxiously awaiting the 
 result of a movement that was as unaccountable as it was 
 extraordinary. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 " I* the name of something holy, sir, why stand you 
 In this strange stare? " 
 
 Tempest. 
 
 AS a girl, Ruth Harding had been one of the mildest 
 and gentlest of the human race. Though new 
 impulses had been given to her naturally kind 
 affections by the attachments of a wife and mother, 
 her disposition suffered no change by marriage. Obedient, 
 disinterested, and devoted to those she loved, as her parents 
 had known her, so, by the experience of many years, had 
 she proved to Content. In the midst of the utmost equanimity 
 of temper and of deportment, her watchful solicitude in be- 
 half of the few who formed the limited circle of her existence 
 never slumbered. It dwelt unpretendingly but active in her 
 gentle bosom, like a great and moving principle of life. 
 Though circumstances had placed her on a remote and ex- 
 posed frontier, where time had not been given for the several 
 customary divisions of employments, she was unchanged in 
 habits, in feelings, and in character. The affluence of her 
 husband had elevated her above the necessity of burdensome 
 toil ; and, while she had encountered the dangers of the wil- 
 derness, and neglected none of the duties of her active station, 
 she had escaped most of those injurious consequences which 
 are a little apt to impair the peculiar loveliness of women. 
 Notwithstanding the exposure of a border life, she remained 
 feminine, attractive, and singularly youthful. 
 
 The reader will readily imagine the state of mind with 
 which such a being watched the distant form of a husband 
 engaged in a duty like that we have described. Not with- 
 
Ube Mept of Mteb^on^CJOltsb 39 
 
 standing the influence of long habit, the forest was rarely 
 approached after night-fall by the boldest woodsman, with- 
 out some secret consciousness that he encountered a positive 
 danger. It was the hour when its roaming and hungry ten- 
 ants were known to be most in motion : and the rustling 
 of a leaf or the snapping of a dried twig beneath the light tread 
 of the smallest animal, was apt to conjure up images of the 
 voracious and fire-eyed panther, or perhaps of a lurking 
 biped, which, though more artful, was known to be scarcely 
 less savage. It is true that hundreds experienced the un- 
 easiness of such sensations, who were never fated to undergo 
 the realities of the fearful pictures. Still, facts were not 
 wanting to supply sufficient motive for a grave and reason- 
 able apprehension. 
 
 Histories of combats with beasts of prey, and of massa- 
 cres by roving and lawless Indians, were the moving legends 
 of the border. Thrones might be subverted and kingdoms 
 lost and won in distant Europe, and less would be said of 
 the events by those who dwelt in these woods, than of one 
 scene of peculiar and striking forest incident that called for 
 the exercise of the stout courage and the keen intelligence 
 of a settler. Such a tale passed from mouth to mouth, with 
 the eagerness of powerful personal interest, and many were 
 already transmitted from parent to child, in the form of 
 tradition, until, as in more artificial communities graver 
 improbabilities creep into the doubtful pages of history, 
 exaggeration became too closely blended with truth ever 
 again to be separated. 
 
 Under the influence of these feelings, and perhaps promp- 
 ted by his never-failing discretion, Content had thrown a 
 well-tried piece over his shoulder ; and when he rose the 
 ascent on which his father had met the stranger, Ruth 
 caught a glimpse of his form, bending on the neck of his 
 horse, and gliding through the misty light of the hour, resem- 
 bling one of those fancied images of wayward and hard-riding 
 sprites, of which the tales of the eastern continent are so fond 
 of speaking. 
 
 Then followed anxious moments, during which neither 
 sight nor hearing could in the least aid the conjectures of the 
 
40 Ube Wept of 
 
 attentive wife. She listened without breathing, and once 
 or twice she thought the blows of hoofs falling on the earth 
 harder and quicker than common might be distinguished ; 
 but it was only as Content mounted the sudden ascent of the 
 hill-side that he was again seen, for a brief instant, while 
 dashing swiftly into the cover of the woods. 
 
 Though Ruth had been familiar with the cares of the 
 frontier, perhaps she had never known a moment more in- 
 tensely painful than that when the form of her husband be- 
 came blended with the dark trunks of the trees. The time was, 
 to her impatience, longer than usual, and under the excite- 
 ment of a feverish inquietude that had no definite object, 
 she removed the single bolt that held the postern closed, and 
 passed entirely without the stockade. To her oppressed 
 senses the palisadoes appeared to place limits to her vision. 
 Still weary minute passed after minute, without bringing 
 relief. During these anxious moments she became more than 
 usually conscious of the insulated situation in which he and 
 all who were dearest to her heart were placed. The feelings 
 of a wife prevailed. Quitting the side of the acclivity, she 
 began to walk slowly along the path her husband had 
 taken, until apprehension insensibly urged her into a quicker 
 movement. She had paused only when she stood nearly in 
 the centre of the clearing, on the eminence where her father 
 had halted that evening to contemplate the growing improve- 
 ment of his estate. 
 
 Here her steps were suddenly arrested, for she thought 
 a form was issuing from the forest at that interesting spot 
 which her eyes had never ceased to watch. It proved to be 
 no more than the passing shadow of a cloud, denser than 
 common, which threw the body of its darkness on the trees, 
 and a portion of its outline on the ground near the margin 
 of the wood. Just at this instant the recollection that she 
 had incautiously left the postern open flashed upon her 
 mind, and, with feelings divided between husband and chil- 
 dren, she commenced her return, in order to repair a neglect 
 to which habit, no less than prudence, imparted a high 
 degree of culpability. The eyes of the mother, for the feel- 
 ings of that sacred character were now powerfully upper- 
 
ftllept of mfs&*aotWQmteb 41 
 
 most, were fastened on the ground, as she eagerly picked 
 her way along the uneven surface ; and so engrossed was 
 her mind by the omission of duty with which she was severely 
 reproaching herself, that they drank in objects without 
 conveying distinct or intelligible images to her brain. 
 
 Notwithstanding the one engrossing thought of the mo- 
 ment, something met her eye that caused even the vacant 
 organ to recoil, and every fibre in her frame to tremble 
 with terror. There was a moment in which delirium nearly 
 heightened terror to madness. Reflection came only when 
 Ruth had reached the distance of many feet from the spot 
 where this startling object had half unconsciously crossed 
 her vision. Then for a single and a fearful instant she 
 paused, like one who debated on the course she ought to 
 follow. Maternal love prevailed, and the deer of her own 
 woods scarcely bounds with greater agility than the mother 
 of the sleeping and defenceless family now fled towards the 
 dwellings. Panting and breathless she gained the postern, 
 which was closed with hands that performed their office 
 more by instinct than in obedience to thought, and doubly 
 and trebly barred. 
 
 For the first time in some minutes Ruth now breathed 
 distinctly and without pain. She strove to rally her 
 thoughts, in order to deliberate on the course that pru- 
 dence and her duty to Content, who was still exposed to 
 the danger she had herself escaped, prescribed. Her first 
 impulse was to give the established signal that was to recall 
 the laborers from the field, or to awake the sleepers, in the 
 event of an alarm ; but better reflection told her that such 
 a step might prove fatal to him who balanced in her affec- 
 tions against the rest of the world. The struggle in her 
 mind only ended as she clearly and unequivocally caught a 
 view of her husband, issuing from the forest at the very 
 point where he had entered. The return path unfortu- 
 nately led directly past the spot where such sudden terror 
 had seized her mind. She would have given worlds to 
 have known how to apprise him of a danger with which 
 her own imagination was full, without communicating the 
 warning to other and terrible ears. The night was still, 
 
42 ftbe Mept of 
 
 and though the distance was considerable, it was not so 
 great as to render the chances of success desperate. 
 Scarcely knowing what she did, and yet preserving, by a 
 sort of instinctive prudence, the caution which constant 
 exposure weaves into all our habits, the trembling woman 
 made the effort. 
 
 "Husband! husband!'' she cried, commencing plaint- 
 ively, but her voice rising with the energy of excitement. 
 " Husband, ride swiftly ; our little Ruth lieth in the agony. 
 For her life and thine, ride at thy horse's speed. Seek not 
 the stables, but come with all haste to the postern ; it shall 
 be open to thee." 
 
 This was certainly a fearful summons for a father's ear, 
 and there is little doubt that, had the feeble powers of Ruth 
 succeeded in conveying the words as far as she had wished, 
 they would have produced the desired effect. But in vain 
 did she call ; her weak tones, though raised on the notes 
 of keenest apprehension, could not force their way across so 
 wide a space. And yet had she reason to think they were 
 not entirely lost, for once her husband paused and seemed 
 to listen, and once he quickened the pace of his horse ; 
 though neither of these proofs of intelligence was followed 
 by any further signs of his having understood the alarm. 
 
 Content was now upon the hillock itself. If Ruth 
 breathed at all during its passage, it was more imperceptible 
 than the gentlest respiration of the sleeping infant. But 
 when she saw him trotting with unconscious security along 
 the path on the side next the dwellings, her impatience 
 broke through all restraint, and throwing open the postern, 
 she renewed her cries, in a voice that was no longer useless. 
 The clattering of the unshodden hoof was again rapid, 
 and in another minute her husband galloped unharmed to 
 her side. 
 
 ' ' Enter ! ' ' said the nearly dizzy wife, seizing the bridle 
 and leading the horse within the palisadoes. ' ' Enter, hus- 
 band, for the love of all that is thine ; enter, and be thank- 
 ful !" 
 
 * ' What meaneth this terror, Ruth ? ' ' demanded Content, 
 in as much displeasure, perhaps, as he could manifest to one 
 
TTbe Mept of Mteb^Uon^Wfsb 43 
 
 so gentle, for a weakness betrayed in his own behalf ; ' * is 
 thy confidence in Him whose eye never closeth, and who 
 equally watcheth the life of man and that of the falling 
 sparrow, lost ? ' ' 
 
 Ruth was deaf. With hurried hands she drew the fasten- 
 ings, let fall the bars, and turned a key which forced a 
 triple-bolted lock to perform its office. Not till then did 
 she feel either safe herself, or at liberty to render thanks 
 for the safety of him over whose danger she had so lately 
 watched in agony. 
 
 ' 'Why this care? Hast forgotten that the horse will 
 suffer hunger, at this distance from the rack and manger ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' Better that he starve, than hair of thine should come to 
 harm." 
 
 * ' Nay, nay, Ruth ; dost not remember that the beast is 
 the favorite of my father, who will ill brook his passing a 
 night within the palisadoes ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' Husband, you err ; there is one in the fields. ' ' 
 
 * ' Is there place where One is not ? ' ' 
 
 1 ' But I have seen creature of mortal birth, and creature 
 too that hath no claim on thee or thine, and who trespass- 
 eth on our peace, no less than on our natural rights, to be 
 where he lurketh. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Go to ; thou art not used to be so late from thy pillow, 
 my poor Ruth ; sleep hath come over thee, whilst standing 
 on thy watch. Some cloud hath left its shadow on the 
 fields, or, truly, it may be that the hunt did not drive the 
 beasts as far from the clearing as we had thought. Come ; 
 since thou wilt cling to my side, lay hand on the bridle of 
 the horse, while I ease him of his burden." 
 
 As Content coolly proceeded to the task he had men- 
 tioned, the thoughts of his wife were momentarily diverted 
 from their other sources of uneasiness, by the object which 
 lay on the crupper of the nag, and which, until now, had 
 entirely escaped her observation. 
 
 "Here is, indeed, the animal this day missing from our 
 flock ! ' ' she exclaimed, as the carcass of a sheep fell heavily 
 on the ground. 
 
 " Ay ; and killed with exceeding judgment, if not aptly 
 
44 ftbe Mept ot 
 
 dressed to our hands. Mutton will not be wanting for the 
 husking-feast, and the stalled creature whose days were 
 counted may live another season.'* 
 
 * ' And where didst find the slaughtered beast ? ' ' 
 
 " On the limb of a growing hickory. Kben Dudley, with 
 all his sleight in butchering, and in setting forth the excel- 
 lence of his meats, could not have left an animal hanging 
 from the branch of a sapling with greater knowledge of his 
 craft. Thou seest, but a single meal is missing from the 
 carcass, and that thy fleece is unharmed. ' ' 
 
 "This is not the work of a Pequot ! " exclaimed Ruth, 
 surprised at her own discovery ; ' ' the redmen do their mis- 
 chief with less care. ' ' 
 
 "Nor has the tooth of wolf opened the veins of poor 
 Straight- Horns. Here has been judgment in the slaugh- 
 tering, as well as prudence in consumption of the food. 
 The hand that cut so lightly had intention of a second 
 visit." 
 
 ' * And our father bid thee seek the creature where it was 
 found ! Husband, I fear some heavy judgment for the sins 
 of the parents is likely to befall the children." 
 
 ' ' The babes are quietly in their slumbers, and, thus far, 
 little wrong hath been done us. I '11 cast the halter from 
 the stalled animal ere I sleep, and Straight-Horns shall con- 
 tent us for the husking. We may have mutton less savory 
 for this evil chance, but the number of thy flock will be 
 unaltered." 
 
 ' c And where is he who hath mingled in our prayers, and 
 hath eaten of our bread ; he who counselled so long in secret 
 with our father, and who hath now vanished from among 
 us like a vision ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' That indeed is a question not readily to be answered, ' ' 
 returned Content, who had hitherto maintained a cheerful 
 air, in order to appease what he was fain to believe a cause- 
 less terror in the bosom of his partner, but who was induced 
 by this question to drop his head like one that sought 
 reasons within the repository of his own thought. " It 
 mattereth not, Ruth Heathcote ; the ordering of the affair is 
 in the hands of a man of many years and great experience ; 
 
ZTbe Mept of Wfsb^UotWIKIUsb 45 
 
 should his aged wisdom fail, do we not know that One even 
 wiser than he hath us in his keeping ? I will return the 
 beast to his rack, and when we shall have jointly asked favor 
 of eyes that never sleep, we will go in confidence to our rest." 
 
 " Husband, thou quittest not the palisadoes again this 
 night," said Ruth, arresting the hand that had already drawn 
 a bolt, ere she spoke. * ' I have a warning of evil." 
 
 ''I would the stranger had found some other shelter in 
 which to pass his short resting season. That he hath 
 made free with my flock, and that he hath administered to 
 his hunger at some cost, when a single asking would have 
 made him welcome to the best that the owner of the Wish- 
 Ton-Wish can command, are truths that may not be denied. 
 Still is he mortal man, as a goodly appetite hath proven, 
 even should our belief in Providence so far waver as to 
 harbor doubts of its unwillingness to suffer beings of in- 
 justice to wander in our forms and substance. I tell thee, 
 Ruth, that the nag will be needed for to-morrow's service, 
 and that our father will give but ill thanks should we leave 
 it to make a bed on this cold hill-side. Go to thy rest and 
 to thy prayers, trembler ; I will close the postern with all 
 care. Fear not ; the stranger is of human wants, and his 
 agency to do evil must needs be limited by human power. ' ' 
 
 " I fear none of white blood, nor of Christian parentage ; 
 the murderous heathen is in our fields." 
 
 ' ' Thou dreamiest, Ruth ! " 
 
 " 'Tis not a dream. I have seen the glowing eyeballs of 
 a savage. Sleep was little like to come over me when set 
 upon a watch like this. I thought me that the errand was 
 of unknown character, and that our father was exceedingly 
 aged, and that perchance his senses might be duped, and 
 how an obedient son ought not to be exposed. Thou know- 
 est, Heathcote, that I could not look upon the danger of 
 my children's father with indifference, and I followed to 
 the nut-tree hillock." 
 
 ' ' To the nut-tree ! It was not prudent in thee but the 
 postern ? J ' 
 
 * ' It was open ; for were the key turned, who was there 
 to admit us quickly, had haste been needed?" returned 
 
46 Ube Wept of 
 
 Ruth, momentarily averting her face to conceal the flush 
 excited by conscious delinquency. "Though I failed in 
 caution, 't was for thy safety, Heathcote. But on that hil- 
 lock, and in the hollow left by a fallen tree, lies concealed a 
 heathen ! " 
 
 ' ' I passed the nut-wood in going to the shambles of our 
 strange butcher, and I drew the rein to give breath to the 
 nag near it, as we returned with the burden. It cannot be ; 
 some creature of the forest hath alarmed thee." 
 
 ' ' Ay ! creature formed, fashioned, gifted like ourselves, in 
 all but color of the skin and blessing of the faith." 
 
 * ' This is strange delusion ! If there were enemy at hand 
 would men subtle as those you fear suffer the master of the 
 dwelling, and truly I may say it without vainglory, one as 
 likely as another to struggle stoutly for his own, to escape, 
 when an ill-timed visit to the woods had delivered him un- 
 resisting into their hands ? Go, go, good Ruth ; thou mayst 
 have seen a blackened log ; perchance the frosts have left a 
 fire-fly untouched, or it may be that some prowling bear 
 has scented out the sweets of thy lately gathered hives." 
 
 Ruth again laid her hand firmly on the arm of her hus- 
 band, who had withdrawn another bolt, and, looking him 
 steadily in the face, she answered by saying solemnly, and 
 with touching pathos, 
 
 "Thinkest thou, husband, that a mother's eye could be 
 deceived?" 
 
 It might have been that the allusion to the tender beings 
 whose fate depended on his care, or that the deeply serious, 
 though mild and gentle manner of his consort, produced 
 some fresher impression on the mind of Content. Instead 
 of undoing the fastenings of the postern as he had intended, 
 he deliberately drew his bolts again and paused to think. 
 
 ' ' If it produce no other benefit than to quiet thy fears, 
 good Ruth," he said, after a moment of reflection, " a little 
 caution will be well repaid. Stay you, then, here, where 
 the hillock may be watched, while I go wake a couple of the 
 people. With stout Eben Dudley and experienced Reuben 
 Ring to back me, my father's horse may surely be stabled." 
 
 Ruth contentedly assumed a task that she was quite equal 
 
Wept of Mteb*Uon*TlflUsb 47 
 
 to perform with intelligence and zeal. <( Hie thee to the 
 laborers' chambers, for I see a light still burning in the room 
 of those you seek," was the answer she gave to a proposal 
 that at least quieted the intenseness of her fears for him in 
 whose behalf they had so lately been excited nearly to agony. 
 
 ' ' It shall be quickly done ; nay, stand not thus openly 
 between the beams, wife. Thou mayst place thyself here 
 at the doublings of the wood, beneath the loop, where harm 
 would scarcely reach thee, though shot from artillery were 
 to crush the timber. ' ' 
 
 With this admonition to be wary of a danger that he had 
 so recently afiected to despise, Content departed on his 
 errand. The two laborers he had mentioned by name were 
 youths of mould and strength, and they were well inured to 
 toil, no less than to the particular privations and dangers of 
 a border life. Like most men of their years and condition, 
 they were practised, too, in the wiles of Indian cunning ; and 
 though the Province of Connecticut, compared to other set- 
 tlements, had suffered but little in this species of murderous 
 warfare, they both had martial feats and perilous experiences 
 of their own to recount during the light labors of the long 
 winter evenings. 
 
 Content crossed the court with a quick step ; for, not- 
 withstanding his steady unbelief, the image of his gentle 
 wife posted on her outer watch hurried his movements. 
 The rap he gave at the door, on reaching the apartment of 
 those he sought, was loud as it was sudden. 
 
 ' ' Who calls ? ' ' demanded a deep-toned and firm voice 
 from within, at the first blow of the knuckles on the plank. 
 
 ' ' Quit thy beds quickly, and come forth with the arms 
 appointed for a sally." 
 
 " That is soon done," answered a stout woodsman, throw- 
 ing open the door and standing before Content in the gar- 
 ments he had worn throughout the day. "We were just 
 dreaming that the night was not to pass without a summons 
 to the loops." 
 
 " Hast seen aught?" 
 
 * ' Our eyes were not shut more than those of others ; we 
 saw him enter that no man hath seen depart. ' ' 
 
48 tlbe Wept of 
 
 " Come, fellow Whittal Ring would scarce give wiser 
 speech than this cunning reply of thine. My wife is at the 
 postern, and it is fit we go to relieve her watch. Thou wilt 
 not forget the horns of powder, since it would not tell to our 
 credit, were there service for the pieces, and we lacking in 
 wherewithal to give them a second discharge. ' ' 
 
 The hirelings obeyed, and as little time was necessary to 
 arm those who never slept without weapons and ammunition 
 within reach of their hands, Content was speedily followed 
 by his dependants. Ruth was found at her post ; but when 
 urged by her husband to declare what had passed in his 
 absence, she was compelled to admit that, though the moon 
 had come forth brighter and clearer from behind the clouds, 
 she had seen nothing to add to her alarm. 
 
 " We will then lead the beast to his stall, and close our 
 duty by setting a single watch for the rest of the night," 
 said the husband. " Reuben shall keep the postern, while 
 Bben and I will have a care for my father's nag, not forget- 
 ting the carcass for the husking-feast. Dost hear, deaf 
 Dudley ? Cast the mutton upon the crupper of the beast 
 and follow to the stables." 
 
 ' * Here has been no common workman at my office, ' ' said 
 the blunt Eben, who, though an ordinary farm-laborer, 
 according to an usage still very generally prevalent in the 
 country, was also skilful in the craft of the butcher. ' ' I 
 have brought many a wether to his end, but this is the first 
 sheep, within all my experience, that hath kept the fleece 
 while a portion of the body has been in the pot ! Lie there, 
 poor Straight-Horns, if quiet thou canst be after such strange 
 butchery. Reuben, I paid thee, as the sun rose, a Spanish 
 piece of silver for the trifle of debt that lay between us, in 
 behalf of the good turn thou didst the shoes which were 
 none the better for the last hunt in the hills. Hast ever that 
 pistareen about thee ? ' ' 
 
 This question, which was put in a lowered tone, and only 
 to the ear of the party concerned, was answered in the 
 affirmative. 
 
 * ' Give it me, lad ; in the morning thou shalt be paid with 
 usurer' s interest. ' ' 
 
tTbe Mept of TOteb=*tron*Wteb 49 
 
 Another summons from Content, who had now led the 
 nag loaded with the carcass of the sheep without the postern, 
 cut short the secret conference. Kben Dudley, having 
 received the coin, hastened to follow. But the distance to 
 the out-buildings was sufficient to enable him to effect his 
 mysterious purpose without discovery. Whilst Content 
 endeavored to calm the apprehensions of his wife, who still 
 persisted in sharing his danger, by such reasons as he could 
 on the instant command, the credulous Dudley placed the 
 thin piece of silver between his teeth, and with a pressure 
 that denoted the prodigious force of his jaws, caused it to 
 assume a beaten and rounded shape. He then slily dropped 
 the battered coin into the muzzle of his gun, taking care to 
 secure its presence until he himself should send it on its dis- 
 enchanting message, by a wad torn from the lining of part 
 of his vestments. Supported by this redoubtable auxiliary, 
 the superstitious but still courageous borderer followed his 
 companion, whistling a low air that equally denoted his 
 indifference to danger of an ordinary nature, and his sensi- 
 bility to impressions of a less earthly character. 
 
 They who dwell in the older districts of America, where 
 art and labor have united for generations to clear the earth 
 of its inequalities, and to remove the vestiges of a state of 
 nature, can form but little idea of the thousand objects that 
 may exist in a clearing, to startle the imagination of one 
 who has admitted alarm, when seen in the doubtful light of 
 even a cloudless moon. Still less can they who have never 
 quitted the Old World, and who, having only seen, can only 
 imagine fields smooth as the surface of tranquil water, picture 
 the effect produced by those lingering remnants which may 
 be likened to so many mouldering monuments of the fallen 
 forest, scattered at such an hour over a broad surface of 
 open land. Accustomed as they were to the sight, Content 
 and his partner, excited by their fears, fancied each dark 
 and distant stump a savage, and they passed no angle in the 
 high and heavy fences without throwing a jealous glance 
 to see that some enemy did not lie stretched within its 
 shadows. 
 
 Still no new motive for apprehension arose during the 
 
50 Ube miept of 
 
 brief period that the two adventurers were employed in 
 administering to the comfort of the Puritan's steed. The 
 task was ended, the carcass of the slaughtered Straight- 
 Horns had been secured, and Ruth was already urging her 
 husband to return, when their attention was drawn to the 
 attitude and mien of their companion. 
 
 ' c The man hath departed as he came, ' ' said Kben Dudley, 
 who stood shaking his head in open doubt before an empty 
 stall ; ' * here is no beast, though with these eyes did I see 
 the half-wit bring hither a well-filled measure of speckled 
 oats to feed the nag. He who favored us with his presence 
 at the supper and the thanksgiving hath tired of his com- 
 pany before the hour of rest had come." 
 
 " The horse is truly wanting," said Content ; " the man 
 must needs be in exceeding haste, to have ridden into the 
 forest as the night grew deepest, and when the longest 
 summer day would scarce bring a better hack than that the 
 rode to another Christian dwelling. There is reason for this 
 industry, but it is enough that it concerns us not. We will 
 now seek our rest, in the certainty that One watcheth our 
 slumbers whose vigilance can never fail. ' ' 
 
 Though man could not trust himself to sleep in that 
 country without the security of bars and bolts, we have 
 already had occasion to say that property was guarded with 
 but little care. The stable-door was merely closed by a 
 wooden latch, and the party returned from this short sortie, 
 with steps that were a little quickened by a sense of an 
 uneasiness that beset them in forms suited to their several 
 characters. But shelter was at hand, and it was speedily 
 regained. 
 
 ' ' Thou hast seen nothing ? ' ' said Content to Reuben 
 Ring, who had been chosen for his quick eye, and a sagacity 
 that was as remarkable as was his brother's impotency ; 
 " thou hast seen nothing at thy watch ? " 
 
 ' ' Naught unusual ; and yet I like not yonder billet of 
 wood, near to the fence against the knoll. If it were not so 
 plainly a half-burnt log, one might fancy there is life in it. 
 But when fancy is at work, the sight is keen. Once or 
 twice I have thought it seemed to be rolling towards the 
 
Mept of Wisb^XotWlKIUsb 51 
 
 brook ; I am not, even now, certain that when first seen it 
 did not lie eight or ten feet higher against the bank." 
 
 " It may be a living thing !" 
 
 "On the faith of a woodman's eye, it well may be," said 
 Bben Dudley ; ' ' but should it be haunted by a legion of 
 wicked spirits, one may bring it to quiet from the loop at 
 the nearest corner. Stand aside, Madame Heathcote, ' ' for 
 the character and wealth of the proprietors of the valley 
 gave Ruth a claim to this term of respect among the labor- 
 ers ; ' ' let me thrust the piece through the stop, there is 
 an especial charm in the gun, which it might be sinful to 
 waste on such a creature. It may be no more than some 
 sweet-toothed bear. I will answer for the charge at 
 my own cost, if thou wilt lend me thy musket, Reuben 
 Ring." 
 
 ' * It shall not be, ' ' said his master ; ' ' one known to my 
 father hath this night entered our dwelling and fed at 
 our board ; if he hath departed in a way but little wont 
 among those of this colony, yet hath he done no great 
 wrong. I will go nigh, and examine with less risk of 
 error." 
 
 There was, in this proposal, too much of that spirit of 
 right-doing which governed all of those simple regions, to 
 meet serious opposition. Content, supported by Bben Dud- 
 ley, again quitted the postern, and proceeded directly, 
 though still not without sufficient caution, towards the point 
 where the suspicious object lay. A bend in the fence had 
 first brought it into view, for previously to reaching that 
 point, its apparent direction might for some distance have 
 been taken under shelter of the shadows of the rails, which, 
 at the immediate spot where it was seen, were turned sud- 
 denly in a line with the eyes of the spectators. It seemed 
 as if the movements of those who approached were watched ; 
 for the instant they left the defences, the dark object was 
 assuredly motionless, even the keen eye of Reuben Ring 
 beginning to doubt whether some deception of vision had 
 not led him, after all, to mistake a billet of wood for a 
 creature of life. 
 
 But Content and his companion were not induced to 
 
52 Ube Mept of 
 
 change their determination. Even when within fifty feet of 
 the object, though the moon fell full and brightly upon the 
 surface, its character baffled conjecture. One affirmed it 
 was the end of a charred log, many of which still lay scat- 
 tered about the fields, and the other believed it to be some 
 cringing animal of the woods. Twice Content raised his 
 piece to fire, and as often did he let it fall, in reluctance to 
 do injury to even a quadruped of whose character he was 
 ignorant. It is more than probable that his less considerate 
 and but half obedient companion would have decided the 
 question soon after leaving the postern, had not the peculiar 
 contents of his musket rendered him delicate of its uses. 
 
 ' ' Look to thy weapons, ' ' said the former, loosing his own 
 hunting-knife in its sheath. * ' We will draw near and make 
 certainty of what is doubtful." 
 
 They did so, and the gun of Dudley was thrust rudely 
 into the side of the object of their distrust, before it again 
 betrayed life or motion. Then, indeed, as if further dis- 
 guise was useless, an Indian lad of some fifteen years rose 
 deliberately to his feet, and stood before them in the sullen 
 dignity of a captured warrior. Content hastily seized the 
 stripling by an arm, and followed by Bben, who occasionally 
 quickened the footsteps of the prisoner by an impetus 
 obtained from the breech of his own musket, they hurriedly 
 returned within the defences. 
 
 11 My life against that of Straight-Horns, which is now of 
 no great value, ' ' said Dudley, as he pushed the last bolt of 
 the fastenings into its socket, "we hear no more of this 
 redskin's companions to-night. I never knew an Indian 
 raise his whoop when a scout had fallen into the hands of 
 the enemy." 
 
 " This may be true," returned the other, " and yet must 
 a sleeping household be guarded. We may be brought to 
 rely on the overlooking favor of Providence, working with 
 the means of our own manhood, ere the sun shall arise." 
 
 Content was a man of few words, but one of exceeding 
 steadiness and resolution in moments of need. He was per- 
 fectly aware that an Indian youth, like him he had cap- 
 tured, would not have been found in that place, and under 
 
tlbe Mept of Mi0b*tron*Misb 53 
 
 the circumstances in which he was actually taken, without 
 a design of sufficient magnitude to justify the hazard. The 
 tender age of the stripling, too, forbade the belief that he 
 was unaccompanied. But he silently agreed with his labor- 
 ing-man, that the capture would probably cause the attack, 
 if any such were meditated, to be deferred. He therefore 
 instructed his wife to withdraw into her chamber, while he 
 took measures to defend the dwelling in the last emergency. 
 Without giving any unnecessary alarm, a measure that 
 would have produced less effect on an enemy without, than 
 the imposing stillness which now reigned within the de- 
 fences, he ordered two or three more of the stoutest of his 
 dependants to be summoned to the palisadoes. A keen 
 scrutiny was made into the state of all the different outlets 
 of the place ; muskets were carefully examined ; charges 
 were given to be watchful, and regular sentinels were sta- 
 tioned within the shadows of the buildings, at points where, 
 unseen themselves, they could look out in safety upon the 
 fields. 
 
 Content then took his captive, with whom he had made 
 no attempt to exchange a syllable, and led him to the block- 
 house. The door which communicated with the basement 
 of this building was always open, in readiness for refuge 
 in the event of any sudden alarm. He entered, caused the 
 lad to mount by a ladder to the floor above, and then with- 
 drawing the means of retreat, he turned the key without, in 
 perfect confidence that his prisoner was secure. 
 
 Notwithstanding all this care, morning had nearly dawned 
 before the prudent father and husband sought his pillow. 
 His steadiness, however, had prevented the apprehensions, 
 which kept his own eyes and those of his gentle partner so 
 long open, from extending beyond the few whose services 
 were, in such an emergency, deemed indispensable to safety. 
 Towards the last watches of the night, only, did the images 
 of the scenes through which they had just passed become 
 dim and confused, and then both husband and wife slept 
 soundly and happily without disturbance. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 " Are you so brave ? I'll have you talked with anon." 
 
 Coriolanus. 
 
 THK axe and the brand had been early and effectually 
 used, immediately around the dwelling of the 
 Heathcotes. A double object had been gained by 
 removing most of the vestiges of the forest from 
 the vicinity of the buildings ; the necessary improvements 
 were executed with greater facility, and, a consideration 
 of no small importance, the cover which the American 
 savage is known to seek in his attacks was thrown to a 
 distance that greatly diminished the danger of a surprise. 
 
 Favored by the advantage which had been obtained by 
 this foresight, and by the brilliancy of a night that soon 
 emulated the brightness of day, the duty of Kben Dudley 
 and of his associate on the watch was rendered easy of ac- 
 complishment. Indeed, so secure did they become towards 
 morning, chiefly on account of the capture of the Indian 
 lad, that more than once, eyes that should have deen dif- 
 ferently employed, yielded to the drowsiness of the hour 
 and to habit, or were only opened at intervals that left their 
 owners in some doubt as to the passage of the intermediate 
 time. But no sooner did the signs of day approach, than, 
 agreeably to their instructions, the watchers sought their 
 beds, and for an hour or two they slept soundly, and with- 
 out fear. 
 
 When his father had closed the prayers of the morning, 
 Content, in the midst of the assembled family, communi- 
 cated as many of the incidents of the past night as in his 
 judgment seemed necessary. His discretion limited the 
 
ZTbe Wept of Misb^on^Misb 55 
 
 narrative to the capture of the native youth, and to the 
 manner in which he had ordered the watch for the security 
 of the family. On the subject of his own excursion to 
 the forest, and all connected therewith, he was guardedly 
 silent. 
 
 It is unnecessary to relate the manner in which this 
 startling information was received. The cold and reserved 
 brow of the Puritan became still more thoughtful ; the 
 young men looked grave, but resolute ; the maidens of the 
 household grew pale, shuddered, and whispered hurriedly 
 together; while the little Ruth and a female child of 
 nearly her own age, named Martha, clung close to the side 
 of the mistress of the family, who, having nothing new 
 to learn, had taught herself to assume the appearance of 
 a resolution she was far from feeling. 
 
 The first visitation which befell the listeners, after their 
 eager ears had drunk in the intelligence Content so 
 briefly imparted, was a renewal of the spiritual strivings of 
 his father in the form of prayer. A particular petition 
 was put up in quest of light on their future proceedings, 
 for mercy on all men, for a better mind to those who wan- 
 dered through the wilderness seeking victims of their wrath, 
 for the gifts of grace on the heathen, and finally for victory 
 over all their carnal enemies, let them come whence or in 
 what aspect they might. 
 
 Fortified by these additional exercises, old Mark next 
 made himself the master of all the signs and evidences of 
 the approach of danger, by a more rigid and minute in- 
 quiry into the visible circumstances of the arrest of the 
 young savage. Content received a merited and grateful 
 reward for his prudence, in the approbation of one whom 
 he still continued to revere with a mental dependence little 
 less than that with which he had leaned on his father's 
 wisdom in the days of his childhood. 
 
 ' ' Thou hast done well and wisely, ' ' said his father ; * * but 
 more remains to be performed by thy wisdom and fortitude. 
 We have had tidings that the heathen near the Provi- 
 dence Plantations are unquiet, and that they are lending 
 their minds to wicked counsellors. We are not to sleep in 
 
56 Ube Wept of 
 
 too much security, because a forest journey of a few days 
 lies between their villages and our own clearing. Bring 
 forth the captive ; I will question him on the matter of this 
 visit." 
 
 Until now, so much did the fears of all turn towards 
 the enemies who were believed to be lurking near, that lit- 
 tle thought had been bestowed on the prisoner in the block- 
 house. Content, who well knew the invincible resolution 
 no less than the art, of an Indian, had forborne to question 
 him when taken ; for he believed the time to be better 
 suited to vigilant action, than to interrogatories that the 
 character of the boy was likely to render perfectly useless. 
 He now proceeded, however, with an interest that began 
 to quicken as circumstances rendered its indulgence less 
 unsuitable, to seek his captive, in order to bring him before 
 the searching ordeal of his father's authority. 
 
 The key of the lower door of the block-house hung 
 where it had been deposited ; the ladder was replaced, and 
 Content mounted quietly to the apartment where he had 
 placed his captive. The room was the lowest of three 
 that the building contained, all being above that which 
 might be termed its basement. The latter, having no ap- 
 erture but its door, was a dark, hexagonal space, partly 
 filled with such articles as might be needed in the event of 
 an alarm, and which, at the same time, were frequently re- 
 quired for the purposes of domestic use. In the centre of 
 the area was a deep well, so fitted and protected by a wall 
 of stone, as to admit of water being drawn into the rooms 
 above. The door itself was of massive hewn timber. The 
 squared logs of the upper stories projected a little beyond 
 the stone-work of the basement, the second tier of the tim- 
 bers containing a few loops, out of which missiles might be 
 discharged downwards, on any assailants that approached 
 nearer than should be deemed safe for the .security of the 
 basement. As has been stated, the two principal stories 
 were perforated with long, narrow slits through the timber, 
 which answered the double purposes of windows and loop- 
 holes. Though the apartments were so evidently arranged 
 for defence, the plain domestic furniture they contained was 
 
mept of Wisb*Uon*misb 57 
 
 suited to the wants of the family, should they be driven to 
 the building for refuge. There was also an apartment in 
 the roof, or attic, as already mentioned ; but it scarcely en- 
 tered into the more important uses of the block-house. 
 Still, the advantage which it received from its elevation was 
 not overlooked. A small cannon, of a kind once known 
 and much used under the name of grasshoppers, had been 
 raised to the place, and time had been when it was rightly 
 considered as of the last importance to the safety of the 
 inmates of the dwelling. For some years its muzzle had 
 been seen by all the straggling aborigines who visited the 
 valley, frowning through one of these openings which were 
 now converted into glazed windows ; and there is reason to 
 think, that the reputation which the little piece of ordnance 
 thus silently obtained had a powerful agency in so long 
 preserving unmolested the peace of the valley. 
 
 The word unmolested is perhaps too strong. More than 
 one alarm had in fact occurred, though no positive acts of 
 violence had even been committed within the limits which 
 the Puritan claimed as his own. On only one occasion, 
 however, did matters proceed so far that the veteran had 
 been induced to take his post in this warlike attic ; where, 
 there is little doubt, had occasion further offered for his ser- 
 vices, he would have made a suitable display of his knowl- 
 edge in the science of gunnery. But the simple history of 
 the Wish-Ton-Wish had furnished another evidence of a 
 political truth which cannot be too often presented to the 
 attention of our countrymen ; we mean, that the best pre- 
 servative of peace is preparation for war. In the case be- 
 fore us, the hostile attitude assumed by old Mark and his 
 dependants had effected all that was desirable, without pro- 
 ceeding to the extremity of shedding blood. Such peaceful 
 triumphs were far more in accordance with the present 
 principles of the Puritan, than they would have been with 
 the reckless temper which had governed his youth. In the 
 quaint and fanatical humor of the times, he had held a fam- 
 ily thanksgiving around the instrument of their security, 
 and from that moment the room itself became a favorite 
 resorting-place for the old soldier. Thither he often 
 
58 ZTbe IKHept of 
 
 mounted, even in the hours of deep night, to indulge in 
 those secret spiritual exercises which formed the chiefest 
 solace, and seemingly, indeed, the great employment of 
 his life. In consequence of this habit, the attic of the 
 block-house came in time to be considered sacred to the 
 uses of the master of the valley. The care and thought of 
 Content had gradually supplied it with many conveniences 
 that might contribute to the personal comfort of his father, 
 while the spirit was engaged in these mental conflicts. At 
 length the old man was known to use the mattress, that 
 among other things it now contained, and to pass the time 
 between the setting and the rising of the sun in its solitude. 
 The aperture originally cut for the exhibition of the grass- 
 hopper had been glazed ; and no article of comfort, which 
 was once caused to mount the difficult ladder that led to the 
 chamber, was ever seen to descend. 
 
 There was something in the austere sanctity of old Mark 
 Heathcote that was favorable to the practices of an ancho- 
 rite. The youths of the dwelling regarded his unbending 
 brow, and the undisturbed gravity of the eye it shadowed, 
 with a respect akin to awe. Had the genuine benevolence 
 of his character been less tried, or had he mingled in active 
 life at a later period, it might readily have been his fate to 
 have shared in the persecution which his countrymen heaped 
 on those who were believed to deal with influences it is 
 thought impious to exercise. Under actual circumstances, 
 however, the sentiment went no further than a deep and 
 universal reverence, that left its object, and the neglected 
 little piece of artillery, to the quiet possession of an apart- 
 ment, to invade which would have been deemed an act 
 bordering on sacrilege. 
 
 The business of Content, on the occasion which caused 
 his present visit to the edifice whose history and description 
 we have thought it expedient thus to give at some length, 
 led him no further than to the lowest of its more military 
 apartments. On raising the trap for the first time a feeling 
 of doubt came over him, as to the propriety of having left 
 the boy so long unsolaced by words of kindness, or by deed 
 of charity. It was appeased by observing that his concern 
 
Ube Mept of Mi0b*UotWTOsb 59 
 
 was awakened in behalf of one whose spirit was quite equal 
 to sustain greater trials. 
 
 The young Indian stood before one of the loops, looking 
 out upon that distant forest in which he had so lately 
 roamed at liberty , with a gaze too riveted to turn aside 
 even at the interruption occasioned by the presence of his 
 captor. 
 
 " Come from thy prison, child," said Content, in the tones 
 of mildness ; ' ' whatever may have been thy motive in lurk- 
 ing around this dwelling, thou art human, and must know 
 human wants ; come forth and receive food ; none here will 
 harm thee. ' ' 
 
 The language of commiseration is universal. Though 
 the words of the speaker were evidently unintelligible to 
 him for whose ears they were intended, their import was 
 conveyed in the kindness of the accents. The eyes of the 
 boy turned slowly from the view of the woods, and he 
 looked his captor long and steadily in the face. Content 
 now indeed discovered that he had spoken in a language 
 that was unknown to his captive, and he endeavored by ges- 
 tures of kindness to invite the lad to follow him. He was 
 silently and quietly obeyed. On reaching the court, how- 
 ever, the prudence of a border proprietor in some degree 
 overcame his feelings of compassion. 
 
 ' ' Bring hither yon tether, ' ' he said to Whittal Ring, who 
 at the moment was passing towards the stables ; ' ' here is 
 one wild as the most untamed of thy colts. Man is of our 
 nature and of our spirit, let him be of what color it may 
 have pleased Providence to stamp his features ; but he who 
 would have a young savage in his keeping on the morrow 
 must look sharply to his limbs to-day." 
 
 The lad submitted quietly until a turn of the rope was 
 passed around one of his arms ; but when Content was fain to 
 complete the work by bringing the other limb into the same 
 state of subjection, the boy glided from his grasp, and cast 
 the fetters from him in disdain. This act of decided resist- 
 ance was, however, followed by no effort to escape. The 
 moment his person was released from a confinement which 
 he probably considered as implying distrust of his ability 
 
60 ttbe Mept of 
 
 to endure pain with the fortitude of a warrior, the lad 
 turned quietly and proudly to his captor, and, with an eye 
 in which scorn and haughtiness were alike glowing, seemed 
 to defy the fulness of his anger. 
 
 ' ' Be it so, ' ' resumed the equal-minded Content, ' ' if thou 
 likest not the bonds which, notwithstanding the pride of 
 man, are often healthful to the body, keep then the use of 
 thy limbs, and see that they do no mischief. Whittal, look 
 thou to the postern, and remember it is forbidden to go 
 afield until my father hath had this heathen under exam- 
 ination. The cub is seldom found far from the cunning of 
 the aged bear. ' ' 
 
 He then made a sign to the boy to follow, and proceeded 
 to the apartment where his father, surrounded by most of 
 the family, awaited their coming. Uncompromising do- 
 mestic discipline was one of the striking characteristics of 
 the sway of the Puritans. The austerity of manner which 
 was thought to mark a sense of a fallen and probationary 
 state was early taught ; for, among a people who deemed 
 all mirth a sinful levity, the practice of self-command would 
 readily come to be esteemed the basis of virtue. But 
 whatever might have been the peculiar merit of Mark 
 Heathcote and his household in this particular, it was likely 
 to be exceeded by the exhibition of the same quality in 
 the youth who had so strangely become their captive. 
 
 We have already said that this child of the woods might 
 have seen some fifteen years. Though he had shot upwards 
 like a vigorous and thrifty plant, and with the freedom of a 
 thriving sapling in his native forests, rearing its branches 
 towards the light, his stature had not yet reached that of 
 man. In height, form, and attitudes, he was a model of 
 active, natural, and graceful boyhood. But while his limbs 
 were so fair in their proportions, they were scarcely muscu- 
 lar ; still every movement exhibited a freedom and ease 
 which announced the grace of childhood, without the small- 
 est evidence of that restraint which creeps into our air as 
 the factitious feelings of later life begin to assert their in- 
 fluence. The smooth, rounded trunk of the mountain ash is 
 not more upright and free from blemish than was the figure 
 
TKHept of Misb*Uon*Wisb 61 
 
 of the boy, who moved into the curious circle that opened 
 for his entrance, and closed against his retreat, with the 
 steadiness of one who came to bestow instead of appearing 
 to receive judgment. 
 
 ' ' I will question him, ' ' said old Mark Heathcote, atten- 
 tively regarding the keen and settled eye that met his long, 
 stern gaze, as steadily as a less intelligent creature of the 
 woods would return the look of man. "I will question 
 him ; and perchance fear will wring from his lips a confes- 
 sion of the evil that he and his have meditated against me 
 and mine." 
 
 " I think he is ignorant of our forms of speech," returned 
 Content ; ' ' for the words of neither kindness nor anger will 
 force him to a change of feature." 
 
 " It is then meet that we commence by asking Him who 
 hath the secret to open all hearts to be our assistant." The 
 Puritan then raised his voice in a short and exceedingly 
 particular petition, in which he implored the Ruler of the 
 Universe to interpret his meaning in the forthcoming ex- 
 amination, in a manner that, had his request been granted, 
 would -have savored not a little of the miraculous. With 
 this preparation he proceeded directly to his task. But 
 neither questions, signs, nor prayer produced the slightest 
 visible effect. The boy gazed at the rigid and austere 
 countenance of his interrogator, while the words were 
 issuing from his lips ; but the instant they ceased, his 
 searching and quick eye rolled over the different curious 
 faces by which he was hemmed in, as if he trusted more 
 to the sense of sight than that of hearing, for the informa- 
 tion he naturally sought concerning his future lot. It was 
 found impossible to obtain from him gesture or sound that 
 should betray either the purport of his questionable visit, 
 his own personal appellation, or that of his tribe. 
 
 "I have been among the redskins of the Providence 
 Plantations," Kben Dudley at length ventured to observe; 
 "and their language, though but a crooked and irrational 
 jargon, is not unknown to me. With the leave of all pres- 
 ent," he continued, regarding the Puritan in a manner to 
 betray that this general term meant him alone, * ' with the 
 
62 irbe Wept of 
 
 leave of all present, I will put it to the younker in such a 
 fashion that he will be glad to answer. ' ' 
 
 Receiving a look of assent the borderer uttered certain un- 
 couth and guttural sounds, which, notwithstanding they en- 
 tirely failed of their effect, he stoutly maintained were the 
 ordinary terms of salutation among the people to whom the 
 prisoner was supposed to belong. 
 
 "I know him to be a Narragansett, " continued Eben, 
 reddening with vexation at his defeat, and throwing a glance 
 of no peculiar amity at the youth who had so palpably re- 
 futed his claim to skill in the Indian tongues ; ' ' you see he 
 hath the shells of the sea-side worked into the bordering of 
 his moccasins ; and besides this sign, which is certain as 
 that night hath its stars, he beareth the look of a chief that 
 was slain by the Pequots, at the wish of us Christians, after 
 an affair in which, whether it was well done or ill done, I 
 did some part of the work myself." 
 
 " And how call you that chief? " demanded Mark. 
 
 ' ' Why, he had various names, according to the busi- 
 ness he was on. To some he was known as the Leaping 
 Panther, for he was a man of an extraordinary jump ; and 
 others again used to style him Pepperage, since there was 
 a saying that neither bullet nor sword could enter his body ; 
 though that was a mistake, as his death hath fully proven. 
 But his real name, according to the uses and sounds of his 
 own people, was My Anthony Mow." 
 
 " My Anthony Mow ! " 
 
 " Yes ; My, meaning that he was their chief; Anthony, 
 being the given name ; and Mow, that of the breed of 
 which he came; " rejoined Eben with confidence, satisfied 
 that he had finally produced a sufficiently sonorous appel- 
 lative and a perfectly lucid etymology. But criticism was 
 diverted from its aim by the action of the prisoner, as 
 these equivocal sounds struck his ear. Ruth recoiled, and 
 clasped her little namesake closer to her side, when she 
 saw the dazzling brightness of his glowing eyes, and the 
 sudden and expressive dilation of his nostrils. For a mo- 
 ment his lips were compressed with more than the usual 
 force of Indian gravity, and then they slightly severed. 
 
Wept of OTisb=aon=*TKIiisb 6 3 
 
 A low, soft, and, as even the startled matron was obliged 
 to confess, a plaintive sound issued from between them, 
 repeating mournfully, 
 
 ' * Miantonimoh ! ' ' 
 
 The word was uttered with a distinct but deepty guttural 
 enunciation. 
 
 ' * The child mourneth for its parent, ' ' exclaimed the sensi- 
 tive mother. * ' The hand that slew the warrior may have 
 done an evil deed." 
 
 c ' I see the evident and foreordering will of a wise 
 Providence in this," said Mark Heathcote with solemnity. 
 ' ' The youth hath been deprived of one who might have 
 enticed him still deeper into the bonds of the heathen, and 
 hither hath he been led in order to be placed upon the 
 straight and narrow path. He shall become a dweller 
 among mine, and we will strive against the evil of his mind 
 until instruction shall prevail. L,et him be fed and nurtured 
 equally with the things of life and the things of the world ; 
 for who knoweth that which is designed in his behalf ? ' ' 
 
 If there were more of faith than of rational conclusion 
 in this opinion of the old Puritan, there was no external 
 evidence to contradict it. While the examination of the 
 boy was going on in the dwelling, a keen scrutiny had 
 taken place in the out-buildings, and in the adjacent fields. 
 Those engaged in this duty soon returned, to say that not 
 the smallest trace of an ambush was visible about the 
 place ; and as the captive himself had no weapons of 
 hostility, even Ruth began to hope that the mysterious 
 conceptions of her father on the subject were not entirely 
 delusive. The captive was now fed, and old Mark was 
 on the point of making a proper beginning in the task he 
 had so gladly assumed, by an up-offering of thanks, when 
 Whittal Ring broke rudely into the room, and disturbed 
 the solemnity of his preparation by a sudden and boisterous 
 outcry. 
 
 "Away with scythe and sickle," shouted the witling; 
 "it's many a day since the fields of Wish-Ton-Wish have 
 been trodden down by horsemen in buff jerkins, or am- 
 bushed by creeping Wampanoags." 
 
64 ZTbe Wept ot 
 
 1 ' There is danger at hand ! ' ' exclaimed the sensitive 
 Ruth. " Husband, the warning was timely." 
 
 ' ' Here are truly some riding from the forest, and draw- 
 ing nigh to the dwelling ; but as they are seemingly men 
 of our kind and faith, we have need rather of rejoicing 
 than terror. They bear the air of messengers from the 
 river. ' ' 
 
 Mark Heathcote listened with surprise, and perhaps with 
 a momentary uneasiness ; but all emotion passed away on 
 the instant, for one so disciplined in mind rarely permitted 
 any outward exposure of his secret thoughts. The Puritan 
 calmly issued an order to replace the prisoner in the block- 
 house, assigning the upper of the two principal floors for 
 his keeping ; and then he prepared himself to receive 
 guests that were little wont to disturb the quiet of his 
 secluded valley. He was still in the act of giving forth 
 the necessary mandates, when the tramp of horses was 
 heard in the court, and he was summoned to the door to 
 greet his unknown visitors. 
 
 "We have reached Wish-Ton-Wish, and the dwelling 
 of Captain Mark Heathcote," said one, who appeared, by 
 his air and better attire, to be the principal of four that 
 composed the party. 
 
 1 ' By the favor of Providence, I call myself the unworthy 
 owner of this place of refuge." 
 
 " Then a subject so loyal, and a man who hath so long 
 proved himself faithful in the wilderness, will not turn from 
 his door the agents of his anointed Master. ' ' 
 
 ' ' There is One greater than any of earth who hath taught 
 us to leave the latch free. I pray you to alight, and to 
 partake of that we can offer." 
 
 With this courteous but quaint explanation the horsemen 
 dismounted ; and, giving their steeds into the keeping of 
 the laborers of the farm, they entered the dwelling. 
 
 While the maidens of Ruth were preparing a repast suited 
 to the hour and to the quality of the guests, Mark and his 
 son had abundant opportunity to examine the appearance of 
 the strangers. They were men who seemed to wear visages 
 peculiarly adapted to the characters of their entertainers, 
 
mept of TOtsb*acm*Wisb 65 
 
 being in truth so singularly demure and grave in aspect, as 
 to excite some suspicion of their being newly converted 
 zealots to the mortifying customs of the colony. Notwith- 
 standing their extraordinary gravity, and contrary to the 
 usages of those regions, too, they bore about their persons 
 certain evidence of being used to the fashions of the other 
 hemisphere. The pistols attached to their saddle-bows, and 
 other accoutrements of a warlike aspect, would perhaps have 
 attracted no observation, had they not been accompanied by 
 a fashion in the doublet, the hat, and the boot, that denoted 
 a greater intercourse with the mother country than was 
 usual among the less sophisticated natives of those regions. 
 None traversed the forests without the means of defence ; 
 but, on the other hand, few wore the hostile implements with 
 so much of a worldly air, or with so many minor particu- 
 larities of some recent caprice in fashion. As they had, 
 however, announced themselves to be officers of the king, 
 they who of necessity must be chiefly concerned in the object 
 of their visit patiently awaited the pleasure of the strangers, 
 to learn why duty had called them so far from all the more 
 ordinary haunts of men ; for, like the native owners of the 
 soil, the self-restrained religionists appeared to reckon an 
 indiscreet haste in anything among the more unmanly weak- 
 nesses. Nothing for the first half-hour of their visit escaped 
 the guarded lips of men evidently well skilled in their 
 present duty, which might lead to a clue of its purport. 
 The morning meal passed almost without discourse, and one 
 of the party had arisen with the professed object of looking 
 to their steeds, before he who seemed the chief led the con- 
 versation to a subject that by its political bearing might, in 
 some degree, be supposed to have a remote connection with 
 the principal object of his journey to that sequestered valley. 
 
 " Have the tidings of the gracious boon that hath lately 
 flowed from the favor of the king reached this distant set- 
 tlement?" asked the principal personage, one that wore a 
 far less military air than a younger companion, who, by his 
 confident mien, appeared to be the second in authority. 
 
 " To what boon hath thy words import ? " demanded the 
 Puritan, turning a glance of the eye at his son and daughter, 
 
66 Ube Wept of 
 
 together with the others in hearing, as if to admonish them 
 to be prudent. 
 
 ' ' I speak of the royal charter by which the people on the 
 banks of the Connecticut, and they of the Colony of New 
 Haven, are henceforth permitted to unite in government ; 
 granting them liberty of conscience, and great freedom of 
 self-control." 
 
 * ' Such a gift were worthy of a king ! Hath Charles 
 done this?" 
 
 * ' That hath he, and much more that is fitting in a kind 
 and royal mind. The realm is finally freed from the abuses 
 of usurpers, and power now resteth in the hands of a race 
 long set apart for its privileges." 
 
 " It is to be wished that practice shall render them ex- 
 pert and sage in its uses," rejoined Mark, somewhat dryly. 
 
 11 It is a merry prince! and one but little given to the 
 study and exercises of his martyred father ; but he hath 
 great cunning in discourse, and few around his dread person 
 have keener wit or more ready tongue." 
 
 Mark bowed his head in silence, seemingly little disposed 
 to push the discussion of his earthly master's qualities to a 
 conclusion that might prove offensive to so loyal an admirer. 
 One inclining to suspicion would have seen, or thought he 
 saw, certain equivocal glances from the stranger, while he 
 was thus lauding the vivacious qualities of the restored 
 monarch, which should denote a desire to detect how far 
 the eulogiums might be grateful to his host. He acquiesced, 
 however, in the wishes of the Puritan, though whether 
 understandingly, or without design, it would have been 
 difficult to say, and submitted to change the discourse. 
 
 " It is likely, by thy presence, that tidings have reached 
 the colonies from home," said Content, who understood, by 
 the severe and reserved expression of his father's features, 
 that it was a fitting time for him to interpose. 
 
 " There is one arrived in the Bay, within the month, by 
 means of a king's frigate ; but no trader hath yet passed 
 between the countries, except the ship which maketh the 
 annual voyage from Bristol to Boston." 
 
 ''And he who hath arrived doth he come in authority ? " 
 
Ube TMept of 
 
 demanded Mark ; "or is he merely another servant of the 
 I,ord, seeking to rear his tabernacle in the wilderness? " 
 
 * ' Thou shalt know the nature of his errand, ' ' returned 
 the stranger, casting a glance of malicious intelligence 
 obliquely towards his companions, at the same time that he 
 arose and placed in the hand of his host a commission which 
 evidently bore the seal of state. * ' It is expected that all aid 
 will be given to one bearing this warranty, by a subject 
 of a loyalty so approved as that of Captain Mark Heath- 
 cote." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 "But, by your leave, 
 I am an officer of state, and come 
 To speak with " 
 
 Coriolanus. 
 
 N" OTWITHSTANDING the sharp look which the 
 messenger of the crown deliberately and now 
 openly fastened on the master of Wish-Ton-Wish, 
 while the latter was reading the instrument that 
 was placed before his eyes, there was no evidence of un- 
 easiness to be detected in the unmoved features of the 
 latter. Mark Heathcote had too long schooled his passions 
 to suffer an unseemly manifestation of surprise to escape 
 him ; and he was by nature a man of far too much nerve to 
 betray alarm at any trifling exhibition of danger. Return- 
 ing the parchment to the other, he said with unmoved calm- 
 ness to his son, 
 
 4 'We must open wide the doors of Wish-Ton-Wish. 
 Here is one charged with authority to look into the secrets 
 of all the dwellings of the colony." Then, turning with 
 dignity to the agent of the crown, he added, ' ' Thou hadst 
 better commence thy duty in season, for we are many and 
 occupy much space. ' ' 
 
 The face of the stranger flushed a little, it might have 
 been with shame for the vocation in which he had come so 
 far, or it might have been in resentment at so direct a hint 
 that the sooner his disagreeable office should be ended, the 
 better it would please his host. Still, he betrayed no in- 
 tention of shrinking from its performance. On the con- 
 trary, discarding somewhat of that subdued manner which 
 
 68 
 
IKHept of Wisb*Uon*Misb 69 
 
 he had probably thought it politic to assume, while sound- 
 ing the opinions of one so rigid, he broke out rather suddenly 
 in the exhibition of a humor somewhat better suited to the 
 tastes of whom he served. 
 
 "Come, then," he cried, winking at his companions, 
 4 * since doors are opened, it would speak ill of our breeding 
 should we refuse to enter. Captain Heathcote has been a 
 soldier, and he knows how to excuse a traveller's freedom. 
 Surely one who has tasted of the pleasures of the camp 
 must weary at times of this sylvan life ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' The steadfast in faith weary not, though the road be 
 long and the wayfaring grievous." 
 
 "Hum 'tis pity that the journeying between merry 
 England and these colonies is not more brisk. I do not 
 presume to instruct a gentleman who is my senior, and 
 peradventure my better ; but opportunity is everything in 
 a man's fortunes. It were charity to let you know, worthy 
 sir, that opinions have changed at home ; it is full a twelve- 
 month since I have heard a line of the Psalms, or a verse 
 of St. Paul quoted, in discourse ; at least by men who are 
 at all esteemed for their discretion." 
 
 "This change in the fashion of speech may better suit 
 thy earthly than thy heavenly master, ' ' said Mark Heath- 
 cote, sternly. 
 
 "Well, well, that peace may exist between us, we will 
 not bandy words about a text more or less, if we may es- 
 cape the sermon," rejoined the stranger, no longer affecting 
 restraint, but laughing with sufficient freedom at his own 
 conceit ; a species of enjoyment in which his companions 
 mingled with great good-will, and without much deference 
 to the humor of those under whose roof they found them- 
 selves. 
 
 A small glowing spot appeared on the pale cheek of the 
 Puritan, and disappeared again, like some transient decep- 
 tion produced by the play of light. Even the meek eye of 
 Content kindled at the insult ; but, like his father, the 
 practise of self-denial, and a never-slumbering consciousness 
 of his own imperfections, smothered the momentary exhibi- 
 tion of displeasure. 
 
Ube Mept of 
 
 4 ' If thou hast authority to look into the secret places of 
 our habitations, do thy office," he said, with a peculiarity 
 of tone which served to remind the other, that though he 
 bore the commission of the Stuart, he was in an extremity 
 of his empire, where even the authority of a king lost some 
 of its value. 
 
 Affecting to be, and possibly in reality conscious of his 
 indiscretion, the stranger hastily disposed himself to the 
 execution of his duty. 
 
 * * It would be a great and a pain-saving movement, ' ' he 
 said, "were we to assemble the household in one apart- 
 ment. The government at home would be glad to hear 
 something of the quality of its lieges in this distant quarter. 
 Thou hast doubtless a bell to summon the flock at stated 
 periods." 
 
 ' ' Our people are yet near the dwelling, ' ' returned Con- 
 tent ; ' ' if it be thy pleasure, none shall be absent from the 
 search." 
 
 Gathering from the eye of the other that he was serious 
 in this wish, the quiet colonist proceeded to the gate, and, 
 placing a shell to his mouth, blew one of those blasts that 
 are so often heard in the forests summoning families to 
 their homes, and which are alike used as the signals of 
 peaceful recall, or of alarm. The sound soon brought all 
 within hearing to the court, whither the Puritan and his 
 unpleasant guests now repaired as to the spot best suited to 
 the purposes of the latter. 
 
 * ' Hallam, ' ' said the principal personage of the four vis- 
 itors, addressing him who might once have been, if he were 
 not still, some subaltern in the forces of the crown, for he 
 was attired in a manner that bespoke him but a half-dis- 
 guised dragoon, "I leave thee to entertain this goodly as- 
 semblage. Thou mayst pass the time in discoursing on the 
 vanities of the world, of which I believe few are better 
 qualified to speak understandingly than thyself; or a few 
 words of admonition to hold fast to the faith would come 
 with fitting weight from thy lips. But look to it, that none 
 of thy flock wander ; for here must every creature of them 
 remain, stationary as the indiscreet partner of L,ot, till I 
 
TPdtept of Mfsb^on^Mteb 7* 
 
 have cast an eye into all the cunning places of their abode. 
 So set wit to work, and show thy breeding as an enter- 
 tainer." 
 
 After this irreverent charge to his subordinate, the 
 speaker signified to Content and his father that he and his 
 remaining attendant would proceed to a more minute 
 examination of the premises. 
 
 When Mark Heathcote saw that the man who had so rudely 
 broken in upon the peaceful habits of his family was ready 
 to proceed, he advanced steadily in his front, like one who 
 boldly invited inquiry, and by a grave gesture desired him to 
 follow. The stranger, perhaps as much from habit as from 
 any settled design, first cast a free glance around at the 
 bevy of fluttered maidens, leered even upon the modest and 
 meek-eyed Ruth herself, and then took the direction indi- 
 cated by him who had so unhesitatingly assumed the office 
 of a guide. 
 
 The object of this examination still remained a secret be- 
 tween those who made it and the Puritan, who had prob- 
 ably found its motive in the written warranty which had 
 been submitted to his inspection. That it proceeded from 
 fitting authority, none might doubt ; and that it was in some 
 manner connected with the events that were known to have 
 wrought so sudden and so great a change in the government 
 of the mother country, all believed probable. Notwithstand- 
 ing the seeming mystery of the procedure, the search was 
 not the less rigid. Few habitations of any size or pretension 
 were erected in those times which did not contain certain 
 secret places, where valuables and even persons might be 
 concealed, at need. The strangers displayed great famili- 
 arity with the nature and ordinary positions of these private 
 recesses. Not a chest, a closet, nor even a drawer of size, 
 escaped their vigilance ; nor was there a plank that sounded 
 hollow, but the master of the valley was called on to explain 
 the cause. In one or two instances, boards were wrested 
 violently from their fastenings, and the cavities beneath 
 were explored, with a wariness that increased as the investi- 
 gation proceeded without success. 
 
 The strangers appeared irritated by their failure. An 
 
72 Ube Wept of 
 
 hour passed in the keenest scrutiny, and nothing had trans- 
 pired which brought them any nearer to their object. That 
 they had commenced the search with more than usually con- 
 fident anticipations of a favorable result, might have been 
 gathered from the boldness of tone assumed by their chief, 
 and the pointed personal allusions in which, from time to 
 time, he indulged, often too freely, and always at some ex- 
 pense to the loyalty of the Heathcotes. But when he had 
 completed the circuit of the buildings, having entered all 
 parts from their cellars to the garrets, his spleen became so 
 strong as, in some degree, to get the better of a certain parade 
 of discretion, which he had hitherto managed to maintain in 
 the midst of all his levity. 
 
 " Hast seen nothing, Mr. Hallam? " he demanded, of the 
 individual left on watch, as they crossed the court in retir- 
 ing from the last of the out-buildings ; * ' or have those 
 traces which led us to this distant settlement proved false ? 
 Captain Heathcote, you have seen that we come not with- 
 out sufficient warranty, and it is in my power to say we 
 come not without sufficient ' ' 
 
 Checking himself, as if about to utter more than was 
 prudent, he suddenly cast an eye on the block-house, and 
 demanded its uses. 
 
 1 * It is, as thou seest, a building erected for the purposes 
 of defence," replied Mark; " one to which, in the event of 
 an inroad of the savages, the family may fly for refuge. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Ah ! these citadels are not unknown to me. I have met 
 with others during my journey, but none so formidable or 
 so military as this. It hath a soldier for its governor, and 
 should hold out for a reasonable siege. Being a place of pre- 
 tension, we will look closer into its mystery." 
 
 He then signified an intention to close the search by an 
 examination of this edifice. Content unhesitatingly threw 
 open its door, and invited him to enter. 
 
 1 ' On the word of one who, though now engaged in a more 
 peaceful calling, has been a campaigner in his time, 't would 
 be no child's play to carry this tower without artillery. Had 
 thy spies given notice of our approach, Captain Heathcote, 
 the entrance might have been more difficult than we now 
 
Wept of wtsb^zron^iOitBD 73 
 
 find it. We have a ladder here ! Where the means of 
 mounting are found there must be something to tempt one 
 to ascend. I will taste your forest air from an upper 
 room." 
 
 ' ' You will find the apartment above like this below, 
 merely provided for the security of the unoffending dwellers 
 of the habitations," said Content; while he quietly ar- 
 ranged the ladder before the trap, and then led the way 
 himself to the floor above. 
 
 * ' Here have we loops for the musketoons, ' ' cried the 
 stranger, looking about him understandingly , ' ' and reason- 
 able defences against shot. Thou hast not forgotten thy art, 
 Captain Heathcote, and I consider myself fortunate in hav- 
 ing entered thy fortress by surprise, or I should rather say, 
 in amity, since the peace is not yet broken between us. But 
 why have we so much of household gear in a place so evi- 
 dently equipped for war ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' Thou forgettest that women and children may be driven 
 to this block for a residence, ' ' replied Content. ' ' It would 
 show little discretion to neglect matters that might be useful 
 to their wants." 
 
 "Is there trouble with the savages?" demanded the 
 stranger, a little quickly ; " the gossips of the colony bade 
 us fear nothing on that hand. ' ' 
 
 * ' One cannot say at what hour creatures trained in their 
 wild nature may choose to rise. The dwellers on the borders 
 therefore never neglect a fitting caution. ' ' 
 
 " Hist ! " interrupted the stranger; " I hear a footstep 
 above. Ha ! the scent will prove true at last ! Hilloa, 
 Master Hallam ! " he cried, from one of the loops ; "let thy 
 statues of salt dissolve, and come hither to the tower. Here 
 is work for a regiment, for well do we know the nature of 
 that we are to deal with." 
 
 The sentinel in the court shouted to his companion in the 
 stables ; and then openly and boisterously exulting in the 
 prospects of a final success to a search which had hitherto 
 given them useless employment throughout many a long 
 day and weary ride, they rushed together to the block- 
 house. 
 
74 TTbe Wept of 
 
 "Now, worthy lieges of a gracious master," said the 
 leader, when he perceived himself backed by all his armed 
 followers, and speaking with the air of a man flushed with 
 success, ' ' now quickly provide the means of mounting to 
 the upper story. I have thrice heard the tread of man, 
 moving across that floor ; though it hath been light and wary, 
 the planks are tell-tales, and have not had their schooling." 
 
 Content heard the request, which was uttered sufficiently 
 in the manner of an order, perfectly unmoved. Without 
 betraying either hesitation or concern he disposed himself to 
 comply. Drawing the light ladder through the trap below, 
 he placed it against the one above him, and ascending, he 
 raised the door. He then returned to the floor beneath, 
 making a quiet gesture to imply that they who chose might 
 mount. But the strangers regarded each other with very 
 visible doubts. Neither of the inferiors seemed disposed to 
 precede his chief, and the latter evidently hesitated as to the 
 order in which it was meet to make the necessary advance. 
 
 " Is there no other manner of mounting but by this nar- 
 row ascent ? " he asked. 
 
 * ' None. Thou wilt find the ladder secure, and of no 
 difficult height. It is intended for the use of women and 
 children." 
 
 "Ay," muttered the officer ; " but your women and chil- 
 dren are not called upon to confront the devil in a human 
 form. Fellows, are thy weapons in serviceable condition ? 
 Here may be need of spirit ere we get our Hist ! by the 
 Divine Right of our Gracious Master ! there is truly one 
 stirring above. Harkee, my friend ; thou knowest the road 
 so well we will choose to follow thy conduct." 
 
 Content, who seldom permitted ordinary events to disturb 
 the equanimity of his temper, quietly assented, and led the 
 way up the ladder, like one who saw no ground for appre- 
 hension in the undertaking. The agent of the crown sprang 
 after him, taking care to keep as near as possible to the per- 
 son of his leader, and calling to his inferiors to lose no time 
 in backing him with their support. The whole mounted 
 through the trap with an alacrity nothing short of that with 
 which they would have pressed through a dangerous breach ; 
 
Mept of Mteb^Uon^Wteb 75 
 
 nor did either of the four take time to survey the lodgment 
 he had made, until the whole party was standing in array, 
 with hands grasping the handles of their pistols, or seeking 
 as it were instinctively the hilts of their broadswords. 
 
 ' ' By the dark visage of the Stuart ! ' ' exclaimed the 
 principal personage, after satisfying himself by a long and 
 disappointed gaze, that what he said was true, * * here is 
 naught but an unarmed savage boy ! ' ' 
 
 ' * Didst expect to meet else ? ' ' demanded the still un- 
 moved Content. 
 
 4 ' Hum that which we expected to meet is sufficiently 
 known to the quaint old gentleman below, and to our own 
 good wisdom. If thou doubtest of our right to look into 
 thy very hearts, warranty for that we do can be forth- 
 coming. King Charles hath little cause to be tender of his 
 mercies to the dwellers of these colonies, who lent but too 
 willing ears to the whinings and hypocrisies of the wolves 
 in sheep's clothing of whom old England hath now so hap- 
 pily gotten rid. Thy buildings shall again be rummaged 
 from the bricks of the chimney-tops to the corner-stone in 
 thy cellars unless deceit and rebellious cunning shall be 
 abandoned, and the truth proclaimed with the openness and 
 fairness of bold-speaking Englishmen." 
 
 ' ' I know not what is called the fairness of bold-speaking 
 Englishmen, since fairness of speech is not a quality of one 
 people or of one land ; but well I do know that deceit is 
 sinful, and little of it, I humbly trust, is practised in this 
 settlement. I am ignorant of what is sought, and therefore 
 it cannot be that I meditate treachery. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Thou hearest, Hallam ; he reasoneth on a matter that 
 toucheth the peace and safety of the king ! ' ' cried the 
 other, his arrogance of manner increasing with the anger 
 of disappointment. ' ' But why is this dark-skinned boy a 
 prisoner ? Dost dare to constitute thyself a sovereign over 
 the natives of this continent, and affect to have shackles and 
 dungeons for such as meet thy displeasure ? ' ' 
 
 ' * The lad is in truth a captive, but he has been taken in 
 defence of life, and hath little to complain of, more than 
 loss of freedom." 
 
76 tlbe Wept of 
 
 ' * I will inquire deeply into this proceeding. Though 
 commissioned on an errand of different interest, yet, as one 
 trusted in a matter of moment, I take upon me the office of 
 protecting every oppressed subject of the crown. There 
 may grow discoveries out of this practice, Hallam, fit to go 
 before the council itself. ' ' 
 
 1 ' Thou wilt find but little here worthy of the time and 
 attention of those burdened with the care of a nation, ' ' re- 
 turned Content. " The youthful heathen was found lurking 
 near our habitations the past night ; and he is kept where 
 thou seest, that he may not carry the tidings of our condi- 
 tion to his people, who are doubtless outlying in the forest, 
 waiting for the fit moment to work their evil." 
 
 ' * How meanest thou ? ' ' hastily exclaimed the other ; "at 
 hand in the forest, didst say ? ' ' 
 
 "There can be little doubt. One young as this would 
 scarce be found distant from the warriors of his tribe ; and 
 that the more especially, as he was taken in the commission 
 of an ambush." 
 
 * ' I hope thy people are not without good provision of 
 arms, and other sufficient muniments of resistance. I trust 
 the palisadoes are firm, and the posterns ingeniously de- 
 fended." 
 
 ' ' We look with a diligent eye to our safety, for it is well 
 known to us dwellers on the borders that there is little secu- 
 rity but in untiring watchfulness. The young men were at 
 the gates until the morning, and we did intend to make a 
 strong scouting into the woods as the day advanced, in order 
 to look for those signs that may lead us to conclusions on 
 the number and purposes of those by whom we are envi- 
 roned, had not thy visit called us to other duties. ' ' 
 
 "And why so tardy in speaking of this intent?" de- 
 manded the agent of the king, leading the way down the 
 ladder with suspicious haste. "It is a commendable pru- 
 dence, and must not be delayed. I take upon me the re- 
 sponsibilities of commanding that all proper care be had 
 in defence of the weaker subjects of the crown who are 
 here collected. Are our roadsters well replenished, Hallam ? 
 Duty, as thou sayest, is an imperative master ; it recalls us 
 
Ube Mept of Misb^on^TOiBb 77 
 
 more into the heart of the colony. I would it might 
 shortly point the way to Europe ! " he muttered as he 
 reached the ground. * ' Go, fellows ; see to our beasts, and 
 let them be speedily prepared for departure. ' ' 
 
 The attendants, though men of sufficient spirit in open 
 war, and when it was to be exercised in a fashion to which 
 they were accustomed, had, like other mortals, a wholesome 
 deference for unknown and terrific-looking danger. It is a 
 well-known truth, and one that has been proved by the 
 experience of two centuries, that while the European soldier 
 has ever been readiest to have recourse to the assistance of 
 the terrible warrior of the American forest, he has, in nearly 
 every instance, when retaliation or accident has made him 
 the object instead of the spectator of the ruthless nature of 
 his warfare, betrayed the most salutary, and frequently the 
 most abject and ludicrous apprehension of the prowess of 
 his ally. While Content therefore looked so steadily, though 
 still seriously, at the peculiar danger in which he was placed, 
 the four strangers seemingly saw all of its horrors without any 
 of the known means of avoiding them. Their chief quickly 
 abandoned the insolence of office, and the tone of disappoint- 
 ment, for a mien of greater courtesy ; and, as policy is often 
 seen suddenly to change the sentiments of even more pretend- 
 ing personages, when interests assume a new aspect, so did his 
 language rapidly take a character of conciliation and courtesy. 
 
 The handmaidens w T ere no longer leered at ; the mistress 
 of the dwelling was treated with marked deference ; and the 
 air of deep respect with which even the principal of the party 
 addressed the aged Puritan bordered on an exhibition of 
 commendable reverence. Something was said in the way 
 of an apology for the disagreeable obligations of duty, 
 and of a difference between a manner that was assumed to 
 answer secret purposes, and that which nature and a sense 
 of right would indicate ; but neither Mark nor his son 
 appeared to have sufficient interest in the motives of their 
 visitors, to put them to the trouble of repeating explanations 
 that were as awkward to those who uttered them as they 
 were unnecessary to those who listened. 
 
 So far from offering any further obstacle to the movements 
 
78 Ube Wept of 
 
 of the family, the borderers were seriously urged to pursue 
 their previous intentions of thoroughly examining the 
 woods. The dwelling was accordingly intrusted, under the 
 orders of the Puritan, to the keeping of about half the labor- 
 ers, assisted by the Europeans, who clung with instinctive 
 attachment to the possession of the block-house ; their leader 
 repeatedly and rightly enough declaring that though ready 
 at all times to risk life on a plain, he had an unconquerable 
 distaste to putting it in jeopardy in a thicket. Attended by 
 Eben Dudley, Reuben Ring, and two other stout youths, all 
 well though lightly armed, Content then left the palisadoes, 
 and took his way towards the forest. They entered the woods 
 at the nearest point, always marching with the caution and 
 vigilance that a sense of the true nature of the risk they ran 
 would inspire, and much practice only could properly direct. 
 
 The manner of the search was as simple as it was likely 
 to prove effectual. The scouts commenced a circuit round 
 the clearing, extending their line as far as might be done 
 without cutting off support, and each man lending his 
 senses attentively to the signs of the trail, or of the lairs, 
 of those dangerous enemies, who they had reason to think 
 were outlying in their neighborhood. But, like the recent 
 search in the buildings, the scouting was for a long time 
 attended by no results. Many weary miles were passed 
 slowly over, and more than half their task was ended, and 
 no sign of being having life was met, except the very visible 
 trail of their four guests, and the tracks of a single horse 
 along the path leading to the settlements from the quarter 
 by which the visitor of the previous night had been known 
 to approach. No comments were made by any of the party, 
 as each in succession struck and crossed this path, nearly at 
 the same instant ; but a low call from Reuben Ring, which 
 soon after met their ears, caused them to assemble in a 
 body at the spot whence the summons had proceeded. 
 
 " Here are signs of one passing from the clearing," said 
 the quick-eyed woodsmen, "and of one too that is not 
 numbered among the family of Wish-Ton-Wish ; since his 
 beast hath had a shodden hoof, a mark which belongeth to 
 no animal of ours." 
 
Mept of Wisb^UotWlKllteb 79 
 
 " We will follow," said Content, immediately striking in 
 upon a straggling trail, that by many unequivocal signs 
 had been left by some animal which had passed that way 
 not many hours before. Their search, however, soon drew 
 to a close. Kre they had gone any great distance, they 
 came upon the half-demolished carcass of a dead horse. 
 There was no mistaking the proprietor of this unfortunate 
 animal. Though some beast, or rather beasts of prey, had 
 fed plentifully on the body, which was still fresh and had 
 scarcely yet done bleeding, it was plain, by the remains of 
 the torn equipments, as well as by the color and size of the 
 animal, that it was no other than the hack ridden by the 
 unknown and mysterious guest, who, after sharing in wor- 
 ship and in the evening meal of the family of Wish-Ton- 
 Wish, had so strangely and so suddenly disappeared. The 
 leathern sack, the weapons which had so singularly riveted 
 the gaze of old Mark, and indeed all but the carcass and a 
 ruined saddle, were gone ; but what was left, sufficiently 
 served to identify the animal. 
 
 " Here has been the tooth of a wolf," said Bben Dudley, 
 stooping to examine into the nature of a ragged wound in 
 the neck ; " and here, r too, has been cut of knife ; but 
 whether by the hand of a redskin, it exceedeth my art to 
 say." 
 
 Each individual of the party now bent curiously over the 
 wound ; but the results of their inquiries went no further 
 than to prove that it was undeniably the horse of the 
 stranger, that had forfeited its life. To the fate of its mas- 
 ter, however, there was not the slightest clue. Abandon- 
 ing the investigation, after a long and fruitless examination, 
 they proceeded to finish the circuit of the clearing. Night 
 had approached ere the fatiguing task was accomplished. 
 As Ruth stood at the postern waiting anxiously for their 
 return, she saw by the countenance of her husband, that 
 while nothing had transpired to give any grounds of addi- 
 tional alarm, no satisfactory testimony had been given to 
 explain the nature of the painful doubts, with which, as a 
 tender and sensitive mother, she had been distressed through- 
 out the day. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 "Is there not milking-time, 
 When you go to bed, or kiln -hole, 
 To whistle off these secrets ; but you must be 
 Tattling before all our guests ? " 
 
 Winters Tale. 
 
 LONG experience hath shown that the white man, 
 when placed in situations to acquire such knowl- 
 edge, readily becomes the master of most of that 
 peculiar skill for which the North American In- 
 dian is so remarkable, and which enables him, among other 
 things, to detect the signs of a forest trail, with a quickness 
 and an accuracy of intelligence that amount nearly to an 
 instinct. The fears of the family were therefore greatly 
 quieted by the reports of the scouts, all of whom agreed in 
 the opinion that no party of savages, that could be at all 
 dangerous to a force like their own, was lying near the 
 valley ; and some of whom, the loudest of which number 
 being stout Eben Dudley, boldly offered to answer for the 
 security of those who depended on their vigilance, with 
 their own lives. These assurances had, beyond a doubt, a 
 soothing influence on the apprehensions of Ruth and her 
 handmaidens ; but they somewhat failed of their effect with 
 those unwelcome visitors who still continued to cumber 
 Wish-Ton-Wish with their presence. Though they had 
 evidently abandoned all ideas connected with the original 
 object of their visit, they spoke not of departure. On the 
 contrary, as night approached, their chief entered into coun- 
 cil with old Mark Heathcote, and made certain propositions 
 for the security of his dwelling, which the Puritan saw no 
 reason to oppose. 
 
ZTbe Mept of Misb^on^Misb 8i 
 
 A regular watch was, in consequence, set, and maintained 
 till morning, at the palisadoes. The different members of 
 the family retired to their usual places of rest, tranquil in 
 appearance, if not in entire confidence of peace ; and the 
 military messengers took post in the lower of the two fight- 
 ing apartments of the citadel. With this simple, and to the 
 strangers particularly satisfactory arrangement, the hours 
 of darkness passed away in quiet ; morning returning to 
 the secluded valley, as it had so often done before, with its 
 loveliness unimpaired by violence or tumult. 
 
 In the same peaceful manner did the sun set successively 
 three several times, and as often did it rise on the abode 
 of the Heathcotes, without further sign of danger, or motive 
 of alarm. With the passage of time, the agents of the 
 Stuart gradually regained their confidence. Still they never 
 neglected to withdraw within the protection of the block- 
 house with the retiring light ; a post which the subordinate 
 named Hallam more than once gravely observed, they were, 
 by their disciplined and military habits, singularly qualified 
 to maintain. Though the Puritan secretly chafed under 
 this protracted visit, habitual self-denial, and a manner so 
 long subdued, enabled him to conceal his disgust. For the 
 first two days after the alarm, the deportment of his guests 
 was unexceptionable. All their faculties appeared to be 
 engrossed with keen and anxious watchings of the forest, 
 out of which it would seem they expected momentarily to 
 see issue a band of ferocious and ruthless savages ; but 
 symptoms of returning levity began to be apparent, as con- 
 fidence and a feeling of security increased, with the quiet 
 passage of the hours. 
 
 It was on the evening of the third day from that on which 
 they had made their appearance in the settlement, that the 
 man called Hallam was seen strolling, for the first time, 
 through the postern so often named, and taking a direction 
 which led towards the out-buildings. His air was less dis- 
 trustful than it had been for many a weary hour, and his 
 step proportionably confident and assuming. Instead of 
 wearing, as he had been wont, a pair of heavy horseman's 
 pistols at his girdle, he had even laid aside his broadsword, 
 
 6 
 
82 Ube Wept of 
 
 and appeared more in the guise of one who sought his per- 
 sonal ease, than in that cumbersome and martial attire which 
 all of his party, until now, had deemed it prudent to main- 
 tain. He cast his glance cursorily over the fields of the 
 Heathcotes, as they glowed under the soft light of a setting 
 sun ; nor did his eye even refuse to wander vacantly along 
 the outlines of that forest which his imagination had so 
 lately been peopling with beings of a fierce and ruthless 
 nature. 
 
 The hour was one when rustic economy brings the labors 
 of the day to a close. Among those who were more than 
 usually active at that busy moment was a handmaiden of 
 Ruth, whose clear, sweet voice was heard, in one of the 
 inclosures, occasionally rising on the notes of a spiritual 
 song, and as often sinking to a nearly inaudible hum, as 
 she extracted from a favorite animal liberal portions of 
 its nightly tribute to the dairy of her mistress. To that in- 
 closure the stranger, as it were by accident, suffered his 
 sauntering footsteps to stroll, seemingly as much in admira- 
 tion of the sleek herd as of any other of its comely tenants. 
 
 ; * From what thrush hast taken lessons, my pretty maid, 
 that I mistook thy notes for one of the sweetest songsters 
 of thy woods ? " he asked, trusting his person to the sup- 
 port of the pen, in an attitude of easy superiority. ' ' One 
 might fancy it a robin, or a wren, trolling out his evening 
 song, instead of human voice, rising and falling in every- 
 day psalmody." 
 
 " The birds of our forest rarely speak," returned the girl, 
 " and the one among them which has most to say, does it 
 like those who are called gentlemen, when they set wit to 
 work to please the ear of simple country maidens." 
 
 " And in what fashion may that be ? " 
 
 "Mockery." 
 
 " Ah ! I have heard of the creature's skill. It is said to 
 be a compound of the harmony of all other forest songsters, 
 and 3^et I see little resemblance to the honest language of a 
 soldier in its manner of utterance. ' ' 
 
 ' ' It speaketh without much meaning ; and oftener to 
 cheat the ear than in honest reason. ' ' 
 
TTbe Mept of Misb*Uon*Wisfo 83 
 
 " Thou forgettest that which I told thee in the morning, 
 child. It would seem that they who named thee have 
 no great cause to exult in their judgment of character, 
 since Unbelief would better describe thy disposition than 
 Faith." 
 
 * * It may be that they who named me little knew how 
 great must be credulity, to give ear to all I have been required 
 to credit." 
 
 * * Thou canst have no difficulty in admitting that thou 
 art comely, since the eye itself will support thy belief ; nor 
 can one of so quick speech fail to know that her wit is 
 sharper than common. Thus far I admit the name of Faith 
 will not surely belie thy character." 
 
 * ' If Kben Dudley hear thee use such vanity-stirring dis- 
 course," returned the half-pleased girl, "he might give thee 
 less credit for wit than thou seemest willing to yield to 
 others. I hear his heavy foot among the cattle, and ere 
 long we shall be sure to see a face that hath little more of 
 lightness to boast." 
 
 * * This Eben Dudley is a personage of no mean impor- 
 tance, I find ! " muttered the other, continuing his walk, as 
 the borderer named made his appearance at another en- 
 trance of the pen. The glances exchanged between them 
 were far from friendly, though the woodsman permitted the 
 stranger to pass without any oral expression of displeasure. 
 
 " The skittish heifer is getting gentle at last, Faith Ring," 
 said the borderer, casting the butt of his musket on the 
 ground with a violence that left a deep impression on the 
 faded sward at his feet. " That brindled ox, old Logger, is 
 not more willing to come into his yoke than is the four-year- 
 old to yield her milk." 
 
 ' ' The creature has been getting kind since you taught 
 the manner to tame its humor," returned the dairy girl, in 
 a voice that, spite of every effort of maiden pride, betrayed 
 something of a flurry of her spirits, while she plied her 
 light task with violent industry. 
 
 ' * Umph ! I hope some other of my teachings may be as 
 well remembered ; but thou art quick at the trick of learn- 
 ing, Faith, as is plain by the ready manner in which thou 
 
84 Ube Wept of 
 
 hast so shortly got the habit of discourse with a man as 
 nimble-tongued as yon riding reprobate from over sea." 
 
 " I hope that civil listening is no proof of unseemly dis- 
 course on the part of one who hath been trained in modesty 
 of speech, Eben Dudley. Thou hast often said, it was the 
 bounden duty of her who was spoken to, to give ear, lest 
 some might say she was of scornful mind, and her name for 
 pride be better earned than that for good-nature." 
 
 ' ' I see that more of my lessons than I had hoped are still 
 in thy keeping. So thou listenest thus readily, Faith, 
 because it is meet that a maiden should not be scornful ! ' ' 
 
 " Thou sayest so. Whatever ill name I may deserve, thou 
 hast no right to count scorn among my failings." 
 
 "If I do, may I" Eben Dudley bit his lip, and 
 checked an expression which would have given grievous 
 offence to one whose habits of decency were as severe as 
 those of his companion. "Thou must have heard much 
 that was profitable to-day, Faith Ring, ' * he added, ' * con- 
 sidering that thy ear is so open, and that thy opportunities 
 have been great. ' ' 
 
 " I know not what thou wouldst say by speaking of my 
 opportunities," returned the girl, bending still lower beneath 
 the object of her industry, in order to conceal the glow 
 which her own quick consciousness told her was burning on 
 her cheek. 
 
 " I would say that the tale must be long that needeth four 
 several trials of private speech to finish." 
 
 " Four ! As I hope to be believed for a girl of truth in 
 speech or deed, this is but the third time that the stranger 
 hath spoken to me apart, since the sun hath risen." 
 
 ' ' If I know the number of the fingers of my hand, it is 
 the fourth!" 
 
 " Nay, how canst thou, Eben Dudley, who hast been 
 afield since the crowing of the cock, know what hath passed 
 about the dwellings ? It is plain that envy, or some other 
 evil passion, causeth thee to speak angrily." 
 
 " How is it that I know ! perhaps thou thinkest, Faith, 
 thy brother Reuben only hath the gift of sight." 
 
 " The labor must have gone on with great profit to the 
 
Ube Mept of Mfsb=tron*Misb 85 
 
 captain, whilst eyes have been roving over other matters ! 
 But perhaps they kept the strong of arm for the lookers- 
 out, and have set them of feebler bodies to the toil." 
 
 * ' I have not been so careless of thy life as to forget, at 
 passing moments, to cast an eye abroad, pert one. What- 
 ever thou mayest think of the need, there would be fine 
 wailings in the butteries and dairies, did the Wampanoags 
 get into the clearing, and were there none to give the alarm 
 in season." 
 
 "Truly, Eben, thy terror of the child in the block must 
 be grievous for one of thy manhood, else wouldst thou not 
 watch the buildings so narrowly," retorted Faith, laughing ; 
 for with the dexterity of her sex, she began to feel the 
 superiority she was gradually obtaining in the discourse. 
 1 ' Thou dost not remember that we have valiant troopers 
 from old England, to keep the younker from doing harm. 
 But here cometh the brave soldier himself ; it will be well 
 to ask vigilance at his hands, or this night may bring us to 
 the tomahawk in our sleep .! ' ' 
 
 ' ' Thou speakest of the weapon of the savages ! ' ' said 
 the messenger, who had drawn near again with a visible 
 willingness to share in an interview which, while he had 
 watched its progress at a distance, appeared to be growing 
 interesting. " I trust all fear is over from that quarter." 
 
 "As you say, for this quarter," said Eben, adjusting 
 his lips to a low whistle, and coolly looking up to examine 
 the heavenly body to which he meant allusion. " But 
 the next quarter may bring us a pretty piece of Indian 
 skirmishing." 
 
 " And what hath the moon in common with an incursion 
 of the savages ? Are there those among them who study the 
 secrets of the stars ? ' ' 
 
 "They study deviltries and other wickedness more than 
 aught else. It is not easy for the mind of man to fancy 
 horrors such as they design when Providence has given 
 them success in an inroad." 
 
 " But thou didst speak of the moon ! In what manner 
 is the moon leagued with their bloody plots ? ' ' 
 
 * * We have her now in the full, and there is little of the 
 
86 Ube Mept of 
 
 night when the eye of a watcher might not see a redskin 
 in the clearing ; but a different tale may be heard, when an 
 hour or two of jet darkness shall again fall among these 
 woods. There will be a change shortly ; it behooveth us 
 therefore to be on our guard." 
 
 1 ' Thou thinkest then, truly, that there are outlyers wait- 
 ing for the fitting moment ? ' ' said the officer, with an in- 
 terest so marked as to cause even the but half-pacified Faith 
 to glance an arch look at her companion, though he still 
 had reason to distrust a wilful expression that lurked in 
 the corner of her eyes, which threatened at each moment to 
 contradict his relation to the sinister omens. 
 
 " There may be savages lying in the hills at a day's 
 journey in the forest ; but they know the aim of a white 
 man's musket too well to be sleeping within reach of its 
 range. It is the nature of an Indian to eat and sleep while 
 he has time for quiet, and to fast and murder when the 
 killing hour hath come." 
 
 * ' And what call you the distance to the nearest settle- 
 ment on the Connecticut ? ' ' demanded the other, with an 
 air so studiously indifferent as to furnish an easy clue to the 
 inner workings of his mind. 
 
 ' ' Some twenty hours would bring a nimble runner to the 
 outer habitations, granting small time for food and rest. 
 He that is wise, however, will take but little of the latter, 
 until his head be safely housed within some such building 
 as yon block, or until there shall stand between him and 
 the forest at least a goodly row of oaken pickets." 
 
 " There is no path ridden by which travellers may avoid 
 the forest during the darkness ? ' ' 
 
 * ' I know of none. He who quits Wish -Ton- Wish for 
 the towns below must make his pillow of the earth, or be 
 fain to ride as long as beast can carry him." 
 
 " We have truly had experience of this necessity journey- 
 ing hither. Thou thinkest, friend, that the savages are in 
 their resting-time, and that they wait the coming quarter 
 of the moon ? ' ' 
 
 " To my seeming, we shall not have them sooner," re- 
 turned Kben Dudley ; taking care to conceal all qualifica- 
 
ZTbe Wept of Wisb*fton*Wtefo 87 
 
 tion of this opinion, if any such he entertained, by closely 
 locking its purport in a mental reservation. 
 
 ' ' And what season is it usual to choose for getting into 
 the saddle, when business calls any to the settlements be- 
 low?" 
 
 ' ' We never fail to take our departure about the time the 
 sun touches the tall pine which stands on yonder height of 
 the mountain. Much experience hath told us it is the safest 
 hour ; hand of time-piece is not more sure than yon tree." 
 
 "I like the night," said the other, looking about him with 
 the air of one suddenly struck with the promising appear- 
 ance of the weather. ' ' The blackness no longer hangs 
 about the forest, and it seems a fitting moment to push the 
 matter on which we are sent nearer to its conclusion." 
 
 So saying, and probably believing that he had sufficiently 
 concealed the motives of his decision, the uneasy dragoon 
 walked with an air of soldierly coolness towards the dwell- 
 ings, signing at the same time to one of his companions, 
 who was regarding him from a distance, to approach. 
 
 " Now dost thou believe, witless Dudley, that the four 
 fingers of thy clumsy hand have numbered the full amount 
 of all that thou callest my listenings?" said Faith, when 
 she thought no other ear but his to whom she spoke could 
 catch her words, and at the same time laughing merrily be- 
 neath her heifer, though still speaking with a vexation she 
 could not entirely repress. 
 
 * ' Have I spoken aught but truth ? It is not for such as 
 I to give lessons in journeying to one who follows the hon- 
 est trade of a man-hunter. I have said that which all who 
 dwell in these parts know to be reasonable." 
 
 " Surely naught else. But truth is made so powerful in 
 thy hands, that it needs to be taken, like a bitter healing 
 draught, with closed eyes and at many swallows. One who 
 drinketh of it too freely may well-nigh be strangled. I mar- 
 vel that he who is so vigilant in providing for the cares of 
 others, should take so little heed of those he is sent to 
 guard." 
 
 "I know not thy meaning, Faith. When was danger 
 near the valley and my musket wanting ? ' ' 
 
88 TOe TKftept of 
 
 1 ' The good piece is truer to duty than its master. Thou 
 mayst have lawful license to sleep at thy post, for we 
 maidens know nothing of the pleasure of the captain in 
 these matters ; but it would be as seemly, if not as soldierly, 
 to place the arms at the postern and thyself in the chambers, 
 when next thou hast need of watching and sleeping in the 
 same hour. ' ' 
 
 Dudley looked as confused as one of his mould and un- 
 bending temperament might well be, though he stubbornly 
 refused to understand the allusion of his offended companion. 
 
 " Thou hast not discussed with the trooper from over sea 
 in vain," he said, " since thou speakest so wisely of watches 
 and arms." 
 
 " Truly he hath much schooled me in the matter." 
 
 " Umph ! and what may be the amount of his teaching? " 
 
 * ' That he who sleepeth at a postern should neither talk 
 too boldly of the enemy, nor expect maidens to put too 
 much trust ' ' 
 
 " In what, Faith?" 
 
 " Thou surely knowest I mean in his watchfulness. My 
 life on it, had one happened to pass at a later hour than 
 common near the night-post of that gentle-spoken soldier, 
 he would not have been found like a sentinel of this house- 
 hold in the second watch of the night that was gone, dream- 
 ing of the good things of madam's buttery." 
 
 " Didst truly come then, girl? " said Eben, dropping his 
 voice, and equally manifesting his satisfaction and his 
 shame. "But thou knowest, Faith, that the labor had 
 fallen behind in behalf of the scouting party, and that the 
 toil of yesterday exceeded that of our usual burdens. 
 Nevertheless, I keep the postern again to-night from eight 
 to twelve, and " 
 
 1 ' Will make a goodly rest of it, I doubt not. Now he 
 who hath been so vigilant throughout the day must needs 
 tire of the task as night draws on. Fare thee well, wake- 
 ful Dudley ; if thine eyes should open on the morrow, be 
 thankful that the maidens have not stitched thy garments 
 to the palisadoes." 
 
 Notwithstanding the efforts of the young man to detain 
 
tlbe TKftept of Wisb^otWIKIlteb 8 9 
 
 her, the light-footed girl eluded his grasp, and bearing her 
 burden towards the dairy, she tripped along the path with 
 a half-averted face, in which triumph and repentance were 
 already struggling for the possession. 
 
 In the meantime the leader of the messengers and his 
 military subordinate had a long and interesting conference. 
 When it was ended, the former took his way to the apart- 
 ment in which Mark Heathcote was wont to pass those por- 
 tions of his time that were not occupied in his secret strivings 
 for the faith, or in exercise without, while superintending 
 the laborers in the fields. With some little circumlocution, 
 which was intended to mask his real motives, the agent of 
 the king announced his intention to take his final departure 
 that very night. 
 
 ' ' I felt it a duty, as one who has gained experience in 
 arms by some practise in the wars of Kurope," he said, " to 
 tarry in thy dwelling while danger threatened from the 
 lurking savage. It would ill become soldiers to speak of 
 their intentions ; but had the alarm in truth sounded, thou 
 wilt give faith when I say that the block-house would not 
 have been lightly yielded ! I shall make report to them 
 that sent me, that in Captain Mark Heathcote, Charles hath 
 a loyal subject, and the constitution a firm supporter. The 
 rumors, of a seemingly mistaken description, which have led 
 us hither, shall be contradicted, and doubtless it will be 
 found that some accident hath given rise to the deception. 
 Should there be occasion to dwell on the particulars of the 
 late alarm, I trust the readiness of my followers to do good 
 service to one of the king's subjects will not be overlooked." 
 
 ' ' It is the striving of an humble spirit to speak naught 
 evil of its fellows, and to conceal no good," returned the 
 reserved Puritan. " If thou hast found thy abode in my 
 dwelling to thy liking, thou art welcome, and if duty or 
 pleasure calleth thee to quit it, peace go with thee. It will 
 be useful to unite with us in asking that thy passage 
 through the wilderness may be unharmed ; that He who 
 watcheth over the meanest of his creatures should take 
 thee in his especial keeping, and that the savage heathen ' ' 
 
 " Dost think the savage out of his villages ? " demanded 
 
90 Ube Wept of 
 
 the messenger, with an indecorous rapidity that cut short 
 the enumeration of the particular blessings and dangers 
 that his host thought it meet to include in the leave-taking 
 prayer. 
 
 ' ' Thou surely hast not tarried with us to aid in the de- 
 fence, and yet feel it doubtful that thy services might be 
 useful ! ' ' observed Mark Heathcote dryly. 
 
 ' * I would the Prince of Darkness had thee and all the 
 other diabolicals of these woods in his own good gripe ! ' ' 
 muttered the messenger between his teeth ; and then, as if 
 guided by a spirit that could not long be quelled, he as- 
 sumed something more of his unbridled and natural air, 
 boldly declining to join in the prayer on the plea of haste, 
 and the necessity of his looking in person to the movements 
 of his followers. "But this need not prevent thee, worthy 
 captain, from pouring out an asking in our behalf while we 
 are in the saddle, ' ' he concluded ; "for ourselves, there re- 
 maineth much of thy previously -bestowed pious aliment to 
 be digested, though we doubt not that should thy voice be 
 raised in our behalf, while journeying along the first few 
 leagues of the forest, the tread of the hacks would not be 
 heavier, and it is certainty that we ourselves should be 
 none the worse for the favor." 
 
 Then casting a glance of ill-concealed levity at one of his 
 followers who had come to say that their steeds awaited, 
 he made the parting salutation with an air in which the 
 respect that one like the Puritan could scarce fail to excite 
 struggled with his habitual contempt for things of a serious 
 character. 
 
 The family of Mark Heathcote, the lowest dependant in- 
 cluded, saw these strangers depart with great inward satis- 
 faction. Kven the maidens, in whom nature, in moments 
 weaker than common, had awakened some of the lighter 
 vanities, were gladly rid of gallants who could not soothe 
 their ears with the unction of flattery without frequently 
 giving great offence to their severe principles, by light and 
 irreverent allusions to things on which they themselves were 
 accustomed to think with fitting awe. Bben Dudley could 
 scarcely conceal the chuckle with which he saw the party 
 
Wept of TOteb*Uon*Wisb 9 1 
 
 bury themselves in the forest, though neither he nor any of 
 the more instructed in such matters believed they incurred 
 serious risk from their sudden enterprise. 
 
 The opinion of the scouts proved to be founded on accurate 
 premises. That and many a subsequent night passed with- 
 out alarm. The season continued to advance, and the labor- 
 ers pursued their toil to its close without another appeal to 
 their courage, or any additional reasons for vigilance. Whit- 
 tal Ring followed his colts with impunity among the reces- 
 ses of the neighboring forests, and the herds of the family 
 went and came as long as the weather would permit them to 
 range the woods, in regularity and peace. The period of the 
 alarm and the visit of the agents of the crown came to be 
 food for tradition, and during the succeeding winter the 
 former often furnished motive of merriment around the blaz- 
 ing fires that were so necessary to the country and the 
 
 *> 
 
 season. 
 
 Still there existed in the family a living memorial of the 
 unusual incidents of that night. The captive remained long 
 after the events which had placed him in the power of the 
 Heathcotes were beginning to be forgotten. 
 
 A desire to quicken the seeds of spiritual regeneration, 
 which, however dormant they might be, old Mark Heathcote 
 believed to exist in the whole family of man, and conse- 
 quently in the young heathen as well as in others, had be- 
 come a sort of ruling passion in the Puritan. The fashions 
 and mode of thinking of the times had a strong leaning 
 towards superstition, and it was far from difficult for a man 
 of his ascetic habits and exaggerated doctrines to believe 
 that a special interposition had cast the boy into his hands 
 for some hidden but mighty purpose, that time in the good 
 season would not fail to reveal. 
 
 Notwithstanding the strong coloring of fanaticism which 
 tinged the character of the religionists of those days, they 
 were rarely wanting in worldly discretion. The agents they 
 saw fit to employ, in order to aid the more hidden purposes 
 of Providence, were in common useful and rational. Thus, 
 while Mark never forgot to summon the lad from his prison 
 at the hour of prayer, or to include an especial asking in 
 
92 Ube Mept of 
 
 behalf of the ignorant heathen in general and of this chosen 
 youth in particular, he hesitated to believe that a manifest 
 miracle would be exerted in his favor. That no blame might 
 attach to the portion of duty that was confided to human 
 means, he had recourse to the discreet agency of kindness 
 and unremitted care. But all attempts to lure the lad into 
 the habits of a civilized man were completely unsuccessful. 
 As the severity of the weather increased, the compassionate 
 and thoughtful Ruth endeavored to induce him to adopt the 
 garments that were found so necessary to the comfort of men 
 who were greatly his superiors in hardihood and in strength. 
 Clothes decorated in a fashion suited to the taste of an Indian 
 were considerately provided, and entreaties and threats were 
 both freely used, with a view to make the captive wear them. 
 On one occasion he was even forcibly clad by Kben Dudley ; 
 and being brought in the unwonted guise into the presence 
 of old Mark, the latter offered up an especial petition that 
 the youth might be made to feel the merits of this concession 
 to the principles of a chastened and instructed man. But 
 within an hour the stout woodsman, who had been made on 
 the occasion so active an instrument of civilization, an- 
 nounced to the admiring Faith that the experiment was un- 
 successful ; or, as Kben somewhat irreverently described the 
 extraordinary effort of the Puritan, " the heathen hath al- 
 ready resumed his skin leggings and painted waist-cloth, 
 notwithstanding the captain hath strove to pin better gar- 
 ments on his back, by virtue of a prayer that might have 
 clothed the nakedness of a whole tribe." In short, the 
 result proved in the case of this lad, as similar experiments 
 have since proved in so many other instances, the difficulty 
 of tempting one trained in the freedom and ease of a savage, 
 to consent to admit of the restraints of a state of being that 
 is commonly thought to be so much superior. In every in- 
 stance in which the youthful captive had liberty of choice, 
 he disdainfully rejected the customs of the whites, adhering 
 with a singular and almost heroic pertinacity to the usages 
 of his people and his condition. 
 
 The boy was not kept in his bondage without extraordi- 
 nary care. Once, when trusted in the fields, he had openly 
 
Mept of Wteb^UotVlKIUsb 93 
 
 attempted to escape ; nor was the possession of his person 
 recovered without putting the speed of Eben Dudley and 
 Reuben Ring to a more severe trial, as was confessed by the 
 athletic young borderers themselves, than any they had 
 hitherto undergone. From that moment, he was never per- 
 mitted to pass the palisadoes. When duty called the labor- 
 ers afield, the captive was invariably secured in his prison, 
 where, as some compensation for his confinement, he was 
 supposed to enjoy the benefit of long and familiar communi- 
 cation with Mark Heathcote, who had the habit of passing 
 many hours of each day, and not unfrequently long portions 
 of the night too, within the retirement of the block-house. 
 During the time only when the gates were closed, or when 
 some one of strength and activity sufficient to control his 
 movements was present, was the latter permitted to stroll at 
 will among the buildings of the border fortress. This liberty he 
 never failed to exercise, and often in a manner that overcame 
 the affectionate Ruth with a painful excess of sensibility. 
 
 Instead of joining in the play of the other children, the 
 young captive would stand aloof, and regard their sports 
 with a vacant eye, or, drawing near the palisadoes, he often 
 passed hours in gazing wistfully at those endless forests in 
 which he first drew breath, and which probably contained 
 all that was most prized in the estimation of his simple judg- 
 ment. Ruth, touched to the heart by this silent but expres- 
 sive exhibition of suffering, endeavored in vain to win his 
 confidence, with a view of enticing him into employments 
 that might serve to relieve his care. The resolute but still 
 quiet boy would not be lured into a forgetfulness of his 
 origin. He appeared to comprehend the kind intentions of 
 his gentle mistress, and frequently he had even suffered him- 
 self to be led by the mother into the centre of her own joy- 
 ous and merry offspring ; but it was only to look upon their 
 amusements with his former cold air, and to return, at the 
 first opportunity, to his beloved site at the pickets. Still 
 there were singular and even mysterious evidences of a 
 growing consciousness of the nature of the discourse of which 
 he was occasionally an auditor, that would have betrayed 
 greater familiarity with the language and opinions of the 
 
94 ^be TOept ot 
 
 inhabitants of the valley, than his known origin and his 
 absolute withdrawal from communication could give reason 
 to expect. This important and inexplicable fact was proved 
 by the frequent and meaning glances of his dark eye, when 
 aught was uttered in his hearing that affected, ever so 
 remotely, his own condition ; and, once or twice, by the 
 haughty gleamings of ferocity that escaped him, when 
 Eben Dudley was heard to vaunt the prowess of the white 
 men in their encounters with the original owners of the 
 country. The Puritan did not fail to note these symptoms 
 of a budding intelligence, as the pledges of a fruit that 
 would more than reward his pious toil ; and they served to 
 furnish a great relief to certain occasional repugnance, 
 which all his zeal could not entirely subdue, at being the 
 instrument of causing so much suffering to one who after all 
 had inflicted no positive wrong on himself. 
 
 At the period of which we are writing, the climate of 
 these States differed materially from that which is now 
 known to their inhabitants. A winter in the province of 
 Connecticut was attended by many successive falls of snow, 
 until the earth was entirely covered with firmly compressed 
 masses of the frozen element. Occasional thaws and pass- 
 ing storms of rain, that were driven away by a return of 
 the clear and cutting cold of the northwestern gales, were 
 wont at times to lay a covering on the ground, that was con- 
 gealed to the consistency of ice, until men, and not unfre- 
 quently beasts, and sometimes sleighs, were seen moving on 
 its surface, as on the bed of a frozen lake. During the 
 extremity of a season like this, the hardy borderers, who 
 could not toil in their customary pursuits, were wont to 
 range the forest in quest of game, which, driven for food to 
 known resorting-places in the woods, then fell most easily a 
 prey to the intelligence and skill of such men as Kben Dud- 
 ley and Reuben Ring. 
 
 The youths never left the dwellings on these hunts, with- 
 out exciting the most touching interest in their movements, 
 on the part of the Indian boy. On all such occasions he would 
 linger at the loops of his prison throughout the day, listening 
 intently to the reports of the distant muskets, as they 
 
Ube Mept of Wteb^orWTCllisb 95 
 
 resounded in the forest ; and the only time, during a captivity 
 of so many months, that he was ever seen to smile, was 
 when he examined the grim look and muscular claws of a 
 dead panther, that had fallen beneath the aim of Dudley, in 
 one of these excursions to the mountains. The compassion 
 of all the borderers was powerfully awakened in behalf of 
 the patient and dignified young sufferer, and gladly would 
 they have given their captive the pleasure of joining in the 
 chase, had not the task been one that was far from easy of 
 accomplishment. The former of the woodsmen just men- 
 tioned had even volunteered to lead him like a hound in a 
 leash ; but this was a species of degradation against which it 
 was certain that a young Indian, ambitious of the character 
 and jealous of the dignity of a warrior, would have openly 
 rebelled. 
 
 The quick interest of the observant Ruth had, as it has 
 been seen, early detected a growing intelligence in the boy. 
 The means by which one who never mingled in the employ- 
 ments, and who rarely seemed to listen to the dialogues of 
 the family, could come to comprehend the meaning of a 
 language that is found sufficiently difficult for a scholar, 
 were, however, as much of a mystery to her as to all around 
 her. Still, by the aid of that instinctive tact which so often 
 enlightens the mind of woman, was she certain of the fact. 
 Profiting by this knowledge, she assumed the task of endeav- 
 oring to obtain an honorary pledge from her protg, that, 
 if permitted to join the hunters, he would return to the 
 valley at the end of the day. But though the language of 
 the woman was gentle as her own kind nature, and her 
 entreaties that he would give some evidence of having 
 comprehended her meaning were zealous and oft repeated, 
 not the smallest symptom of intelligence, on this occasion, 
 could be extracted from her pupil. Disappointed, and not 
 without sorrow, Ruth had abandoned the compassionate 
 design in despair, when, on a sudden, the old Puritan, who 
 had been a silent spectator of her fruitless efforts, announced 
 his faith in the integrity of the lad, and his intention to 
 permit him to make one of the very next party that should 
 leave the habitation. 
 
96 ZTbe Mept of 
 
 The cause of this sudden change in the hitherto stem 
 watchfulness of Mark Heathcote was, like so many other of 
 his impulses, a secret in his own bosom. It has just been 
 said, that during the time Ruth was engaged in her kind 
 and fruitless experiment to extract some evidence of intelli- 
 gence from the boy, the Puritan was a close and interested 
 observer of her efforts. He appeared to sympathize in her 
 disappointment, but the weal of those unconverted tribes 
 who were to be led from the darkness of their ways by the 
 instrumentality of this youth, was far too important to admit 
 the thought of rashly losing the vantage-ground he had 
 gained, in the gradually-expanding intellect of the boy, by 
 running the hazard of an escape. To all appearance, the 
 intention of permitting him to quit the defences had there- 
 fore been entirely abandoned, when old Mark so suddenly 
 announced a change of resolution. The conjectures on the 
 causes of this unlooked-for determination were exceedingly 
 various. Some believed that the Puritan had been favored 
 with a mysterious intimation of the pleasure of Providence 
 in the matter ; and others thought that, beginning to despair 
 of success in his undertaking, he was willing to seek for a 
 more visible manifestation of its purposes, by hazarding the 
 experiment of trusting the boy to the direction of his own 
 impulses. All appeared to be of opinion that if the lad 
 returned, the circumstance might be set down to the inter- 
 vention of a miracle. Still, with his resolution once taken, 
 the purpose of Mark Heathcote remained unchanged. He 
 announced this unexpected intention after one of his long 
 and solitary visits to the block-house, where it is possible 
 he had held a powerful spiritual strife on the occasion ; and, 
 as the weather was exceedingly favorable for such an object, 
 he commanded his dependants to prepare to make the sortie 
 on the following morning. 
 
 A sudden and an uncontrollable gleam of delight flashed 
 on the dark features of the captive, when Ruth was about 
 to place in his hands the bow of her own son, and, by signs 
 and words, she gave him to understand that he was to be 
 permitted to use it in the free air of the forest. But the 
 exhibition of pleasure disappeared as quickly as it had been 
 
Ube Wept of Mfsb^orWlimfsb 97 
 
 betrayed. When the lad received the weapons, it was 
 rather with the manner of a hunter accustomed to their use, 
 than of one to whose hands they had so long been strangers. 
 As he left the gates of Wish-Ton-Wish, the handmaidens of 
 Ruth clustered about him, in wondering interest ; for it was 
 strange to see a youth so long guarded with jealous care, 
 again free and unwatched. Notwithstanding their ordinary 
 dependence on the secret lights and great wisdom of the 
 Puritan, there was a very general impression that the lad, 
 around whose presence there was so much that was myste- 
 rious and of interest to their own security, was now to be 
 gazed upon for the last time. The boy himself was unmoved 
 to the last. Still he paused, with his foot on the threshold 
 of the dwelling, and appeared to regard Ruth and her young 
 offspring with momentary concern. Then, assuming the 
 calm air of an Indian warrior, he suffered his eye to grow 
 cold and vacant, following with a nimble step the hunters 
 who were already passing without the palisadoes. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 " Well, I am your theme : you have the start of me ; I am de- 
 jected ; I am not able to answer the Welsh flannel ; ignorance itself 
 is a plummet over me ; use me as you will." 
 
 Merry Wives of Windsor. 
 
 POETS, aided by the general longing of human 
 nature, have given a reputation to the spring that 
 it rarely merits. Though this imaginative class of 
 writers have said so much of its balmy airs and 
 odoriferous gales, we find it nearly everywhere the most re- 
 luctant, churlish, and fickle of the four seasons. It is the 
 youth of the year, and, like that probationary period of 
 life, most fitted to afford the promise of better things. There 
 is a constant struggle between reality and hope throughout 
 the whole of this slow-moving and treacherous period, 
 which has an unavoidable tendency to deceive. All that is 
 said of its grateful productions is fallacious, for the earth is 
 as little likely to yield a generous tribute without the 
 quickening influence of the summer heats, as man is wont 
 to bring forth commendable fruits without the agency of a 
 higher moral power than any he possesses in virtue of his 
 innate propensities. On the other hand, the fall of the year 
 possesses a sweetness, a repose, and a consistency, which 
 may be justly likened to the decline of a well-spent life. It 
 is, in all countries and in every climate, the period when 
 physical and moral causes unite to furnish the richest 
 sources of enjoyment. If the spring is the time of hope, 
 autumn is the season of fruition. There is just enough of 
 change to give zest to the current of existence, while there 
 is too little of vicissitude to be pregnant of disappointment. 
 Succeeding to the nakedness of winter, the spring is grate- 
 
TTbe Wept of Misb^oiWJKIiteb 99 
 
 ful by comparison ; while the glories of autumn are enjoyed 
 after the genial powers of summer have been lavishly 
 expended. 
 
 In obedience to this great law of the earth, let poets sing 
 and fancy as they may, the spring anC autumn of America 
 partake largely of the universally distinctive characters of 
 the rival seasons. What nature has done on this continent 
 has not been done niggardly ; and, while we may boast of 
 a decline of the year that certainly rivals, and, with few 
 exceptions, eclipses the glories of most of the climates of the 
 Old World, the opening months rarely fail of equalizing the 
 gifts of Providence, by a very decided exhibition of all the 
 disagreeable qualities for which they are remarkable. 
 
 More than half a year had elapsed, between the time 
 when the Indian boy had been found lurking in the valley 
 of the Heathcotes, and that day when he was first permitted 
 to go into the forest, fettered by no other restraint than the 
 moral tie which the owner of the valley either knew, or 
 fancied, would not fail to cause him to return to a bondage 
 he had found so irksome. It was April ; but it was April 
 as the month was known a century ago in Connecticut, and 
 as it is even now so often found to disappoint all expecta- 
 tions of that capricious season of the year. The weather 
 had returned suddenly and violently to the rigor of winter. 
 A thaw had been succeeded by a storm of snow and sleet, 
 and the interlude of the spring-time of blossoms had termi- 
 nated with a biting gale from the northwest, which had 
 apparently placed a permanent seal on the lingering pres- 
 ence of a second February. 
 
 On the morning that Content led his followers into the 
 forest, they issued from the postern clad in coats of skin. 
 Their lower limbs were protected by the coarse leggings 
 which they had worn in so many previous hunts during the 
 past winter, if that might be called past which had returned, 
 weakened but little of its keenness, and bearing all the out- 
 ward marks of January. When last seen, Kben Dudley, 
 the heaviest of the band, was moving firmly on the crust of 
 the snow, with a step as sure as if he had trodden on the 
 frozen earth itself. More than one of the maidens declared, 
 
ioo TTbe Mept of 
 
 that though they had endeavored to trace the footsteps of 
 the hunters from the palisadoes, it would have exceeded 
 even the sagacity of an Indian eye to follow their trail along 
 the icy path they travelled. 
 
 Hour after hour passed without bringing tidings from the 
 chase. The reports of fire-arms had indeed been occasion- 
 ally heard, ringing among the arches of the woods ; and 
 broken echoes were, for some hours, rolling from one recess 
 of the hills to another. But even these signs of the pres- 
 ence of the hunters gradually receded with the advance of 
 the day ; and long ere the sun had gained the meridian, 
 and its warmth, at that advanced season not without power, 
 was shed into the valley, the whole range of the adjoining 
 forest lay in its ordinary dull and solemn silence. 
 
 The incident of the hunt, apart from the absence of the 
 Indian boy, was one of too common occurrence to give 
 birth to any particular motives of excitement. Ruth quietly 
 busied herself among her women, and when the recollection 
 of those who were scouring the neighboring forest came at 
 all to her mind, it was coupled with the care with which 
 she was providing to administer to their comforts, after the 
 fatigue of a day of extraordinary personal efforts. This was 
 a duty never lightly performed. Her situation was one em- 
 inently fitted to foster the best affections of woman, since 
 it admitted of few temptations to yield to other than the 
 most natural feeling ; she was, in consequence, known on 
 all occasions to exercise them with the devotedness of her sex. 
 
 "Thy father and his companions will look on our care 
 with pleasure," said the thoughtful matron to her youthful 
 image, as she directed a more than usual provision of her 
 larder to be got in readiness for the hunters ; " home is 
 ever sweetest after toil and exposure. ' ' 
 
 " I doubt if Mark be not ready to faint with so weary a 
 march," said the child already introduced by the name of 
 Martha ; " he is young to go into the woods, with scouters 
 tall as great Dudley." 
 
 " And the heathen," added the little Ruth, " he is young 
 too as Mark, though more used to the toil. It may be, 
 mother, that he will never come to us more ! ' 
 
Wept of Wisb^on^Wfsb 101 
 
 * ' That would grieve our venerable parent ; for thou 
 knowest, Ruth, that he hath hopes of working on the mind 
 of the boy, until his savage nature shall yield to the secret 
 power. But the sun is falling behind the hill, and the 
 evening is coming in cool as winter ; go to the postern, and 
 look out upon the fields. I would know if there be any 
 signs of thy father and his party." 
 
 Though Ruth gave this mandate to her daughter, she did 
 not the less neglect to exercise her own faculties in the 
 same grateful office. While the children went, as they 
 were ordered, to the outer gate, the matron herself ascended 
 to the lower apartment of the block, and, from its different 
 loops, she took a long and anxious survey of the limited 
 prospect. The shadows of the trees that lined the western 
 side of the view were already thrown far across the broad 
 sheet of frozen snow, and the sudden chill which succeeded 
 the disappearance of the sun announced the rapid approach 
 of a night that promised to support the severe character of 
 the past day. A freezing wind, which had brought with it 
 the cold airs of the Great Lakes, and which had even tri- 
 umphed over the more natural influence of an April sun, 
 had however fallen, leaving a temperature not unlike that 
 which dwells in the milder seasons of the year among the 
 glaciers of the upper Alps. 
 
 Ruth was too long accustomed to such forest scenes, and 
 to such a ' ' lingering of winter in the lap of May, ' ' to feel, 
 on their account, any additional uneasiness. Bnt the hour 
 had now arrived when she had reason to look for the return 
 of the hunters. With the expectation of seeing their forms 
 issuing from the forest, came the anxiety which is an un- 
 avoidable attendant of disappointment. The shadows con- 
 tinued to deepen in the valley, until the gloom thickened 
 to the darkness of night, without bringing any tidings from 
 those without. 
 
 When a delay which was unusual in the members of a 
 family circumstanced like that of the Wish-Ton-Wish came 
 to be coupled with various little observations that had been 
 made during the day, it was thought that reasons for alarm 
 were beginning, at each instant, to grow more plausible. 
 
102 Ube Wept of 
 
 Reports of fire-arms had been heard, at an early hour, from 
 opposite points in the hills, and in a manner too distinct to 
 be mistaken for echoes ; a certain proof that the different 
 members of the hurt had separated in the forest. Under 
 such circumstances, it was not difficult for the imagination 
 of a wife and a mother, of a sister, or of her who secretly 
 confessed a still more tender interest in some one of the 
 hunters, to conjure to the imagination the numberless dan- 
 gers to which those who were engaged in these expeditions 
 were known to be exposed. 
 
 "I doubt that the chase hath drawn them farther from 
 the valley than is fitting for the hour and the season, ' ' ob- 
 served Ruth to her maidens, who had gathered in a group 
 about her, at a point that overlooked as much of the cleared 
 land around the buildings as the darkness would allow ; 
 "the gravest man becomes thoughtless as the unreflecting 
 child, when led by the eagerness of the pursuit. It is the 
 duty of older heads to think for those that want experience 
 but into what indiscreet complaints are my fears leading ! 
 It may be that my husband is even now striving to collect 
 his party, in order to return. Have any heard his conch 
 sounding the recall ? ' ' 
 
 * * The woods are still as the day the first echo of the axe was 
 heard among the trees," returned Faith. " I did hear that 
 which sounded like a strain of brawling Dudley's songs, but it 
 proved to be no more than the lowing of one of his own oxen. 
 Perchance the animal misseth some of his master's care." 
 
 " Whittal Ring hath looked to the beasts, and it may not 
 be that he hath neglected to feed, among others, the crea- 
 tures of Dudley. Thy mind is given to levity, Faith, in the 
 matter of this young man. It is not seemly that one of thy 
 years and sex should manifest so great displeasure at the 
 name of a youth who is of an honest nature, and of honest 
 habits, too, though he may appear ungainly to the eye, and 
 have so little favor with one of thy disposition." 
 
 " I did not fashion the man," said Faith, biting her lip, 
 and tossing her head ; ' * nor is it aught to me whether he 
 be gainly or not. As to my favor, when he asks it, the 
 man shall not wait long to know the answer. But is not 
 
TTbe Wept of Mfsb^orWlKIUsb 103 
 
 yon figure the fellow himself, Madam Heathcote? 
 coming in from the eastern hill, along the orchard path. 
 The form I mean is just here ; you may see it, at this 
 moment, turning by the bend in the brook. ' ' 
 
 ' ' There is one of a certainty, and it should be one of our 
 hunting party, too ; and yet he doth not seem to be that of a 
 size or of a gait like that of Kben Dudley. Thou shouldst 
 have a knowledge of thy kindred, girl ; to me it seemeth 
 thy brother." 
 
 ' ' Truly, it may be Reuben Ring ; still it hath much of 
 the swagger of the other, though their stature be nearly 
 equal ; the manner of carrying the musket is much the 
 same with all the borderers, too ; one cannot easily tell the 
 form of a man from a stump, by this light, and yet do I 
 think it will prove to be the loitering Dudley. ' ' 
 
 " Loiterer or not, he is the first to return from this long 
 and weary chase, ' ' said Ruth, breathing heavily, like one 
 who regretted that the truth were so. "Go thou to the 
 postern, and admit him, girl. I ordered bolts to be drawn, 
 for I like not to leave a fortress defended by a female gar- 
 rison, at this hour, with open gates. I will hie to the 
 dwelling and see to the comforts of those who are a-hun- 
 gered, since it will not be long ere we shall have more of 
 them at hand." 
 
 Faith complied, with affected indifference and sufficient 
 delay. By the time she had reached the place of admis- 
 sion, a form was seen ascending the acclivity, and taking 
 the direction which led to the same spot. In the next 
 minute a rude effort to enter announced an arrival without. 
 
 " Gently, Master Dudley," said the wilful girl, who held 
 the bolt with one hand, though she maliciously delayed to 
 remove it. ' ' We know thou art powerful of arm, and yet 
 the palisadoes will scarcely fall at thy touch. Here are no 
 Samsons to pull down the pillars on our heads. Perhaps 
 we may not be disposed to give entrance to them who stay 
 abroad out of all season. ' ' 
 
 4 'Open the postern, girl," said Kben Dudley; "after 
 which, if thou hast aught to say, we shall be better conven- 
 ienced for discourse. " 
 
of 
 
 " It may be that thy conversation is most agreeable when 
 heard from without. Render an account of thy backslidings, 
 throughout this day, penitent Dudley, that I may take pity 
 on thy weariness. But lest hunger should have overcome 
 thy memory, I may serve to help thee to the particulars. 
 The first of thy offences was to consume more than thy 
 portion of the cold meats ; the second was to suffer Reu- 
 ben Ring to kill the deer, and for thee to claim it ; and a 
 third was a trick thou hast of listening so much to thine 
 own voice, that even the beasts fled thee, from dislike of 
 thy noise." 
 
 "Thou triflest unseasonably, Faith; I would speak with 
 the captain without delay." 
 
 "It may be that he is better employed than to desire 
 such company. Thou art not the only strange animal by 
 many who hath roared at the gate of Wish-Ton-Wish." 
 
 ' ' Have any come within the day, Faith ? ' ' demanded the 
 borderer, with the interest such an event would be likely to 
 create in the mind of one who habitually lived in so great 
 retirement. 
 
 "What sayest thou to a second visit from the gentle- 
 spoken stranger? he who favored us with so much gay 
 discourse, the by gone fall of the year. That would be a 
 guest fit to receive ! I warrant me his knock would not be 
 heard a second time." 
 
 "The gallant had better beware the moon ! " exclaimed 
 Dudley, striking the butt of his musket against the ice with 
 so much force as to cause his companion to start in alarm. 
 "What fool's errand hath again brought him to prick his 
 nag so deep into the forest ? ' ' 
 
 "Nay, thy wit is ever like the unbroken colt, a head- 
 strong runaway. I said not, in full meaning, that the man 
 had come ; I only invited thee to give an opinion in the 
 event that he should arrive unexpectedly, though I am far 
 from certain that any here ever expect to see his face again." 
 
 "This is foolish prating," returned the youth, provoked 
 at the exhibition of jealousy into which he had been incau- 
 tiously betrayed. "I tell thee to withdraw the bolt, for I 
 have great need to speak with the captain, or with his son." 
 
TTbc Wept of mtsb^on^mtsb 105 
 
 "Thou mayst open thy mind to the first, if he will listen 
 to what thou hast to say, ' ' returned the girl, removing the 
 impediment to his entrance ; * ' but thou wilt sooner get the 
 ear of the other by remaining at the gate, since he has not 
 yet come in from the forest." 
 
 Dudley recoiled a pace, and repeated her words in the 
 tone of one who admitted a feeling of alarm to mingle with 
 his surprise. 
 
 ' ' Not in from the forest ! " he said ; ' ' surely there are 
 none abroad, now that I am home ! ' ' 
 
 * * Why dost say it ? I have put my jibes upon thee more 
 in payment of ancient transgressions than for any present 
 offence. So far from being last, thou art the first of the 
 hunters we have yet seen. Go in to the madam without 
 delay, and tell her of the danger, if any there be, that we 
 take speedy measures for our safety." 
 
 4 'That would do little good, truly," muttered the bor- 
 derer, like one musing. "Stay thou here, and watch the 
 postern, Faith ; I will back to the woods ; for a timely 
 word or a signal blow from my conch might quicken their 
 footsteps." 
 
 " What madness hath beset thee, Dudley ! Thou wouldst 
 not go into the forest again, at this hour, and alone, if there 
 be reason for fear ! Come farther within the gate, man, 
 that I may draw the bolt. The madam will wonder that we 
 tarry here so long. ' ' 
 
 * * Ha ! I hear feet moving in the meadow ; I know it by 
 the creaking of the snow ; the others are not lagging, ' ' 
 
 Notwithstanding the apparent certainty of the young 
 man, instead of going forth to meet his friends, he with- 
 drew a step, and with his own hand drew the bolt that 
 Faith had just desired might be fastened ; taking care at 
 the same time to let fall a swinging bar of wood, which 
 gave additional security to the fastenings of the postern. 
 His apprehensions, if any such had induced this caution, 
 were, however, unnecessary ; for ere he had time to make 
 or even to reflect on any further movement, admission was 
 demanded in the well-known voice of the son of him who 
 owned the valley. The bustle of the arrival for with Con- 
 
106 Ube Wept of 
 
 tent entered a group of companions loaded with venison- 
 put an end to the dialogue. Faith seized the opportunity 
 to glide away in the obscurity, in order to announce to her 
 mistress that the hunters had returned an office that she 
 performed without entering at all into the particulars of her 
 own interview with Eben Dudley. 
 
 It is needless to dwell on the satisfaction with which 
 Ruth received her husband and son, after the uneasiness she 
 had just suffered. Though the severe manners of the 
 province admitted of no violent exhibition of passing emo- 
 tions, secret joy was reigning in the mild eyes, and glowing 
 about the flushed cheeks of the discreet matron, while she 
 personally officiated in the offices of the evening meal. 
 
 The party had returned, teeming with no extraordinary 
 incidents ; nor did they appear to be disturbed with any of 
 that seriousness of air which had so unequivocally charac- 
 terized the deportment of him who had preceded them. 
 On the contrary, each had his quiet tale to relate, now per- 
 haps at the expense of a luckless companion, and sometimes 
 in order that no part of his own individual skill as a hunter 
 should be unknown. The delay was accounted for, as sim- 
 ilar delays are commonly explained, by distance and the 
 temptations of an unusually successful chase. As the appe- 
 tites of those who had spent the day in the exciting toil 
 were keen, and the viands tempting, the first half-hour 
 passed quickly, as all such half-hours are wont to pass, 
 in garrulous recitals of personal exploits, and of the hair- 
 breadth escapes of deer, which, had fortune not been fickle, 
 should have now been present as trophies of the skill of the 
 hand by which they fell. It was only after personal vanity 
 was sufficiently appeased, and when the hunger even of a 
 border-man could achieve no more, that the hunters began 
 to look about them with a diminished excitement, and to 
 discuss the events of the day with a fitting calmness, and 
 with a discretion more suited to their ordinary self-com- 
 mand. 
 
 " We lost the sound of thy conch, wandering Dudley, as 
 we fell into the deep hollow of the mountain," said Content, 
 in a pause of the discourse ; ' ' since which time, neither eye 
 
Wept of Misb*Uoru=Wteb 107 
 
 nor ear of any has had trace of thy movements, until we 
 met thee at the postern, stationed like a looker-out on his 
 watch." 
 
 The individual addressed had mingled in none of the 
 gayety of the hour. While others fed freely, or joined in 
 the quiet joke, which could escape the lips of even men 
 chastened as his companions, Kben Dudley had tasted spar- 
 ingly of the viands. Nor had the muscles of his hard coun- 
 tenance once relaxed in a smile. A gravity and a silence 
 so extraordinary, in one so little accustomed to exhibit either 
 quality, did not fail to attract attention. It was universally 
 ascribed to the circumstance that he had returned empty- 
 handed from the hunt ; and now that one having authority 
 had seen fit to give such a direction to the discourse, the im- 
 aginary delinquent was not permitted to escape unscathed. 
 
 " The butcher had little to do with this day's killing," 
 said one of the young men ; * * as a punishment for his absence 
 from the slaughter, he should be made to go on the hill and 
 bring in the two bucks he will find hanging from a maple 
 sapling near to the drinking spring. Our meat should pass 
 through his hands in some fashion or other, else will it lack 
 savor. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Ever since the death of the straggling wether, the tradfc 
 of Kben hath been at a stand," added another ; " the down- 
 hearted youth seems like one ready to give up his calling 
 to the first stranger that shall ask it." 
 
 " Creatures which run at large prove better mutton than 
 the stalled wether, ' * continued a third ; ' ' and thereby cus- 
 tom was getting low before this hunt. Beyond a doubt, he 
 has a full supply for all who shall be likely to seek venison 
 in his stall." 
 
 Ruth observed that the countenance of her husband grew 
 grave, at these allusions to an event he had always seemed 
 to wish forgotten ; and she interposed, with a view to lead 
 the minds of those who listened back to matter more fitting 
 to be discussed. 
 
 " How is this ? " she exclaimed in haste ; " hath the stout 
 Dudley lost any of his craft ? I have never counted with 
 greater certainty on the riches of the table, than when he 
 
to8 ttbe Wept of 
 
 hath been sent among the hills for the fat deer or the tendei 
 turkey. It would much grieve me to learn that he begin- 
 neth to lack the hunter's skill." 
 
 " The man is getting melancholy with over- feeding, " mut- 
 tered the wilful tones of one busied among the vessels in a 
 distant part of the room. " He taketh his exercise alone, 
 in order that none need discover the failing. I think he 
 be much disposed to go over sea, in order to become a 
 trooper." 
 
 Until now, the subject of these mirthful attacks had 
 listened like one too confident of his established reputation 
 to feel concern, but at the sound of the last speaker's voice, 
 he grasped the bushy covering of one entire cheek in his 
 hand, and turning a reproachful and irritated glance at the 
 already half-repentant eye of Faith Ring, all his natural 
 spirit returned. 
 
 4 'It maybe that my skill hath left me," he said, "and 
 that I love to be alone, rather than to be troubled with the 
 company of some that might readily be named, no reference 
 being had to such gallants as ride up and down the colony, 
 putting evil opinions into the thoughts of honest men's 
 daughters ; but why is Eben Dudley to bear all the small 
 shot of your humors, when there is another who, it might 
 seem, hath strayed even farther from your trail than 
 he?" 
 
 Eye sought eye, and each youth by hasty glances en- 
 deavored to read the countenances of all the rest of the 
 company, in order to learn who the absentee might be. 
 The young borderers shook their heads, as the features of 
 every well-known face were recognized, and a general ex- 
 clamation of denial was about to break from their lips, 
 when Ruth exclaimed, 
 
 ' ' Truly, the Indian is wanting ! ' ' 
 
 So constant was the apprehension of danger from the 
 savage's in the breasts of those who dwelt on that exposed 
 frontier, that every man arose at the words, by a sudden and 
 common impulse, and each individual gazed about him in a 
 surprise that was a little akin to dismay. 
 
 " The boy was with us when we quitted the forest," said 
 
IKHept of Mteb*ZTon*Mfsb 109 
 
 Content, after a moment of death-like stillness. "I spoke 
 to him in commendation of his activity, and of the knowl- 
 edge he had shown in beating up the secret places of the 
 deer ; though there is little reason to think my words were 
 understood." 
 
 ' ' And were it not sinful to take such solemn evidence in 
 behalf of so light a matter, I could be qualified on the Book 
 itself, that he was at my elbow as we entered the orchard, ' ' 
 added Reuben Ring, a man renowned in that little com- 
 munity for the accuracy of his vision. 
 
 * ' And I will make oath or declaration of any sort, law- 
 ful or conscientious, that he came not within the postern 
 when it was opened by my own hand," returned Kben 
 Dudley. ' ' I told off the number of the party as you passed, 
 and right sure am I that no redskin entered." 
 
 " Canst thou tell us aught of the lad? " demanded Ruth, 
 quick to take the alarm on a subject that had so long exer- 
 cised her care and given food to her imagination. 
 
 ' ' Nothing. With me he hath not been seen since the turn 
 of the day. I have not seen the face of living man from 
 that moment, unless in truth one of mysterious character, 
 whom I met in the forest, may be so called. ' ' 
 
 The manner in which the woodsman spoke was too serious 
 and too natural, not to give birth in his auditors to some of 
 his own gravity. Perhaps the appearance of the Puritan, 
 at that moment, aided in quieting the levity that had been 
 uppermost in the minds of the young men ; for it is certain 
 that, when he entered, a deeper and a general curiosity came 
 over the countenances of all present. Content waited a 
 moment in respectful silence, till his father had moved 
 slowly through the circle, and then he prepared himself 
 to look further into an affair that began to assume the 
 appearance of matter worthy of investigation. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 44 'Last night of all, 
 
 When yon same star, that 's westward from the pole, 
 Had made its course to illume that part of heaven 
 Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself, 
 The bell then beating one ' 
 'Peace, but break thee off; look, where it comes again ! '" 
 
 Hamlet. 
 
 IT is our duty as faithful historians of the events recorded 
 in this homely legend, to conceal no circumstance 
 which may throw the necessary degree of light on its 
 incidents, nor any opinion that may serve for the 
 better instruction of the reader in the characters of its actors. 
 In order that this obligation may be discharged with suffi- 
 cient clearness and precision, it has now become necessary 
 to make a short digression from the immediate action of the 
 tale. 
 
 Enough has been already shown to prove that the Heath- 
 cotes lived at a time, and in a country, where very quaint 
 and peculiar religious dogmas had the ascendency. At a 
 period when visible manifestations of the goodness of Provi- 
 dence, not only in spiritual but in temporal gifts, were 
 confidently expected and openly proclaimed, it is not at all 
 surprising that more evil agencies should be thought to ex- 
 ercise their power in a manner that is somewhat opposed to 
 the experience of our own age. As we have no wish, how- 
 ever, to make these pages the vehicle of a theological or 
 metaphysical controversy, we shall deal tenderly with certain 
 important events, that most of the writers who were contem- 
 porary with the facts assert took place in the colonies of New 
 England, at and about the period of which we are now 
 
 no 
 
TTbe Wept of Wisb^on^Misb m 
 
 writing. It is sufficiently known that the art of witchcraft, 
 and one even still more diabolical and direct in its origin, 
 were then believed to flourish in that quarter of the world, 
 to a degree that was probably in a very just proportion to 
 the neglect with which most of the other arts of life were 
 treated. 
 
 There is so much grave and respectable authority to prove 
 the existence of these evil influences, that it requires a pen 
 hardier than any we wield, to attack them without a suitable 
 motive. " Flashy people, " says the learned and pious 
 Cotton Mather, Doctor of Divinity and Fellow of the Royal 
 Society, ' ' may burlesque these things : but when hundreds 
 of the most sober people, in a country where they have as 
 much mother wit, certainly, as the rest of mankind, know 
 them to be true, nothing but the absurd and froward spirit of 
 Sadducism can question them." Against this grave and 
 credited authority, we pretend to raise no question of 
 skepticism. We submit to the testimony of such a writer 
 as conclusive, though as credulity is sometimes found to be 
 bounded by geographical limits, and to possess something of 
 a national character, it may be prudent to refer certain readers 
 who dwell in the other hemisphere to the Common I,aw of 
 Kngland on this interesting subject, as it is ingeniously 
 expounded by Keble, and approved of by the twelve judges 
 of that highly civilized and enlightened island. With this 
 brief reference to so grave authorities in support of what we 
 have now to offer, we shall return to the matter of the 
 narrative, fully trusting that its incidents will throw some ad- 
 ditional light on the subject of so deep and so general concern. 
 
 Content waited respectfully until his father had taken his 
 seat, and then, perceiving that the venerable Puritan had no 
 immediate intention of moving personally in the affair, he 
 commenced the examination of his dependant as follows ; 
 opening the matter with a seriousness that was abundantly 
 warranted by the gravity of the subject itself. 
 
 1 * Thou hast spoken of one met in the forest, ' ' he said ; 
 ' ' proceed with the purport of that interview, and tell us of 
 what manner of man it was." 
 
 Thus directly interrogated, Eben Dudley disposed himself 
 
H2 ZTbe Wept of 
 
 to give a full and satisfactory answer. First casting a glance 
 around, so as to embrace every curious and eager counte- 
 nance, and letting his look rest a little longer than common 
 on a half-interested, half-incredulous, and somewhat ironical 
 dark eye, that was riveted on his own from a distant corner 
 of the room, he commenced his statement as follows : 
 
 "It is known to you all, ' ' said the borderer, ' ' that when 
 we had gained the mountain-top there was a division of our 
 numbers, in such a fashion that each hunter should sweep 
 his own range of the forest, in order that neither moose, 
 deer, nor bear, might have reasonable chance of escape. 
 Being of large frame, and it may be of swifter foot than 
 common, the young captain saw fit to command Reuben 
 Ring to flank one end of the line, and a man who is nothing 
 short of him in either speed or strength to do the same duty 
 on the other. There was nothing particularly worthy of 
 mention that took place on the flank I held for the first two 
 hours ; unless, indeed, the fact that three several times did 
 I fall upon a maze of well-beaten deer-tracks, that as often 
 led to nothing ' ' 
 
 ' * These are signs common to the woods, and they are no 
 more than so many proofs that the animal has its sports, 
 like any other playful creature, when not pressed by hunger 
 or by danger, ' ' quietly observed Content. 
 
 " I pretend not to take those deceitful tracks much into 
 the account, ' ' resumed Dudley ; * * but shortly after losing 
 the sound of the conchs, I roused a noble buck from his lair 
 beneath a thicket of hemlocks, and having the game in view, 
 the chase led me wide-off towards the wilderness, it may 
 have been the distance of two leagues." 
 
 * ' And in all that time had you no fitting moment to strike 
 the beast?" 
 
 " None whatever ; nor, if opportunity had been given, am 
 I bold to say that hand of mine would have been hardy 
 enough to aim at its life. ' ' 
 
 1 ' Was there aught in the deer that a hunter should seek 
 to spare it?" 
 
 * ' There was that in the deer that might bring a Christian 
 man to much serious reflection." 
 
Wept of Wi0b*fton*tKIlteb 113 
 
 " Deal more openly with the nature and appearance of 
 the animal," said Content, a little less tranquil than usual, 
 while the youths and maidens placed themselves in attitudes 
 still more strongly denoting attention. 
 
 Dudley pondered an instant, and then he commenced a 
 less equivocal enumeration of what he conceived to be the 
 marvels of his tale. 
 
 ''Firstly," he said, "there was no trail, neither to nor 
 from the spot where the creature had made its lair ; 'sec- 
 ondly, when roused, it took not the alarm, but leaped sport- 
 ingly ahead, taking sufficient care to be beyond the range 
 of musket, without ever becoming hid from the eye ; and, 
 lastly, its manner of disappearance was as worthy of men- 
 tion as any other of its movements. ' ' 
 
 * ' And in what manner didst thou lose the creature ? ' ' 
 
 " I had gotten it upon the crest of a hillock, where tru$ 
 eye and steady hand might make sure of a buck of much 
 smaller size, when didst hear aught that might be accounted 
 wonderful, at a season of the year when the snows are still 
 lying on the earth ? ' ' 
 
 The auditors regarded one another curiously, each en- 
 deavoring to recall some unwonted sound which might sus- 
 tain a narrative that was fast obtaining the seducing interest 
 of the marvellous. 
 
 "Wast sure, Charity, that the howl we heard from the 
 forest was the yell of the beaten hound ? ' ' demanded a 
 handmaiden of Ruth, of a blue-eyed companion, who seemed 
 equally well disposed to contribute her share of evidence in 
 support of any exciting legend. 
 
 " It might have been other," was the answer ; " though 
 the hunters do speak of their having beaten the pup for 
 restiveness." 
 
 ' ' There was a tumult among the echoes that sounded like 
 the noises which follow the uproar of a falling tree, ' ' said 
 Ruth, thoughtfully. " I remember to have asked if it might 
 not be that some fierce beast had caused a general discharge 
 of the musketry, but my father was of opinion that death 
 had undermined some heavy oak." 
 
 " At what hour might this have happened ? " 
 
H4 ttbe Wept of 
 
 " It was past the turn of the day ; for it was at the mo- 
 ment I bethought me of the hunger of those who had toiled 
 since light in the hills. ' ' 
 
 ' ' That then was the sound I mean. It came not from 
 falling tree, but was uttered in the air, far above all forests. 
 Had it been heard by one better skilled in the secrets of 
 nature ' ' 
 
 "He would say it thundered," interrupted Faith Ring, 
 who, unlike most of the other listeners, manifested little of 
 the quality which was expressed by her name. ' ' Truly, 
 Kben Dudley hath done marvels in this hunt ; he hath come 
 in with a thunderbolt in his head, instead of a fat buck on 
 his shoulders ! ' ' 
 
 * ' Speak reverently, girl, of that thou dost not compre- 
 hend," said Mark Heathcote, with stern authority. " Mar- 
 vels are manifested equally to the ignorant and to the 
 learned ; and although vain-minded pretenders to philoso- 
 phy affirm that the warring of the elements is no more than 
 nature working out its own purification, yet do we know, 
 from all ancient authorities, that other manifestations are 
 therein exhibited. Satan may have control over the maga- 
 zines of the air ; he can * let off the ordnance of heaven. ' 
 That ' the Prince of the Powers of Darkness ' hath as good 
 a share in chemistry as goes to the making of Aurum Ful- 
 minans, is asserted by one of the wisest writers of our age. ' ' 
 
 From this declaration, and more particularly from the 
 learning discovered in the Puritan's speech, there was no 
 one so hardy as to dissent. Faith was glad to shrink back 
 among the bevy of awe-struck maidens, while Content, after 
 a sufficiently respectful pause, invited the woodsman, who 
 was yet teeming with the most important part of his com- 
 munication, to proceed. 
 
 1 ' While my eye was searching for the lightning which 
 should in reason have attended that thunder, had it been 
 uttered in the manner of nature, the buck had vanished ; 
 and when I rushed upon the hillock, in order to keep the 
 game in view, a man mounting its opposite side came so 
 suddenly upon me that our muskets were at each other's 
 breasts before either had time for speech." 
 
TPdlept of Misb^on^Mfsb 115 
 
 * * What manner of man was he ? " 
 
 " So far as human judgment might determine, he seemed 
 a traveller, who was endeavoring to push through the wil- 
 derness, from the towns below to the distant settlements of 
 the Bay Province ; but I account it exceedingly wonderful 
 that the trail of a leaping buck should have brought us 
 together in so unwonted a manner ! " 
 
 1 ' And didst thou see aught of the deer, after that en- 
 counter ? ' ' 
 
 ' * In the first hurry of the surprise, it did certainly appear 
 as if an animal were bounding along tbe wood into a distant 
 thicket ; but it is known how readilj one may be led by 
 seeming probabilities into a false conclusion, and so I ac- 
 count that glimpse as delusion. No doubt the animal, hav- 
 ing done that which it was commissioned to perform, did 
 then and there disappear, in the manner I have named." 
 
 " It might have been thus. And the stranger had you 
 discourse with him before parting ? " 
 
 * ' We tarried together a short hour. He related much 
 marvellous matter of the experiences of the people near the 
 sea. According to the testimony of the stranger, the Pow- 
 ers of Darkness have been manifested in the provinces in a 
 hideous fashion. Numberless of the believers have been 
 persecuted by the invisibles, and greatly have they endured 
 suffering, both in soul and body." 
 
 " Of all this have I witnessed surprising instances in my 
 day," said Mark Heathcote, breaking the awful stillness that 
 succeeded the annunciation of so heavy a visitation on the 
 peace of the colony, with his deep-toned and imposing 
 voice. * ' Did he with whom you conferred enter into the 
 particulars of the trials ? ' * 
 
 * ' He spoke also of certain other signs that are thought to 
 foretell the coming of trouble. When I named the weary 
 chase that I had made, and the sound which came from the 
 air, he said that these would be accounted trifles in the 
 towns of the Bay, where the thunder and its lightnings had 
 done much evil work the past season, Satan having espe- 
 cially shown his spite by causing them to do injury to the 
 houses of the L,ord. ' ' 
 
n6 Ube Tlfflept of 
 
 " There has long been reason to think that the pilgrimage 
 of the righteous into these wilds will be visited by some 
 fierce opposition of those envious natures, which, fostering 
 evil themselves, cannot brook to look upon the toiling of 
 such as strive to keep the narrow path. We will now re- 
 sort to the only weapon it is permitted us to wield in this 
 controversy, but which, when handled with diligence and 
 zeal, never fails to lead to victory." 
 
 So saying, without waiting to hear more of the tale of 
 Eben Dudley, old Mark Heathcote arose, and assuming the 
 upright attitude usual among the people of his sect, he ad- 
 dressed himself to prayer. The grave and awe-struck but 
 deeply confiding congregation imitated his example, and the 
 lips of the Puritan had parted in the act of utterance, when 
 a low, faltering note, like that produced by a wind instru- 
 ment, rose on the outer air, and penetrated to the place 
 where the family was assembled. A conch was suspended 
 at the postern, in readiness to be used by any of the family 
 whom accident or occupation shonld detain beyond the 
 usual hour of closing the gates ; and both by the direction 
 and nature of this interruption, it would seem that an appli- 
 cant for admission stood at the portal. The effect on the 
 auditors was general and instantaneous. Notwithstanding 
 the recent dialogue, the young men involuntarily sought 
 their arms, while the startled females huddled together like 
 a flock of trembling and frightened deer. 
 
 "There is, of a certainty, a signal from without ! " Con- 
 tent at length observed, after waiting to suffer the sounds to 
 die away among the angles of the buildings. ' * Some hun- 
 ter who hath strayed from his path claimeth hospitality." 
 
 Eben Dudley shook his head like one who dissented ; 
 but having, with all the other youths, grasped his musket, 
 he stood as undetermined as the rest concerning the course 
 it was proper to pursue. It is uncertain how long this inde- 
 cision might have continued, had no other summons been 
 given ; but he without appeared too impatient of delay to 
 suffer much time to be lost. The conch sounded again, and 
 with far better success than before. The blast was longer, 
 louder, and bolder, than that which had first pierced the 
 
Hbe Mept of 
 
 walls of the dwelling, rising full and rich on the air, as 
 though one well practised in the use of the instrument had 
 placed lips to the shell. 
 
 Content would scarcely have presumed to disobey a man- 
 date coming from his father, had it been little in conformity 
 with his own intentions. But second thoughts had already 
 shown him the necessity of decision, and he was in the act 
 of motioning to Dudley and Reuben Ring to follow, when 
 the Puritan bade him look to the matter. Making a sign 
 for the rest of the family to remain where they were, and 
 arming himself with a musket which had more than once 
 that day been proved to be of certain aim, he led the way 
 to the postern which has already been so often mentioned. 
 
 "Who sounds at my gate ? " demanded Content, when he 
 and his followers had gained a position, under cover of a 
 low earthern mound erected expressly for the purpose of 
 commanding the entrance ; ' ' who summons a peaceful 
 family, at this hour of the night, to their outer defences? " 
 
 ' ' One who hath need of what he asketh, or he would not 
 disturb thy quiet," was the answer. "Open the postern, 
 Master Heathcote, without fear ; it is a brother in the faith, 
 and a subject of the same laws, that asketh the boon." 
 
 "Here is truly a Christian man without," said Content, 
 hurrying to the postern, which, without a moment's delay, 
 he threw freely open, saying, as he did so, "Enter of Heav- 
 en's mercy, and be welcome to that we have to bestow." 
 
 A tall, and, by his tread, a heavy man, wrapped in a 
 riding cloak, bowed to the greeting, and immediately 
 passed beneath the low lintel. Every eye was keenly fas- 
 tened on the stranger, who, after ascending the acclivity a 
 short distance, paused, while the young men, under their 
 master's orders, carefully and scrupulously renewed the 
 fastenings of the gate. When bolts and bars had done their 
 office, Content joined his guest ; and after making another 
 fruitless effort, by the feeble light which fell from the stars, 
 to scan his person, he said, in his own meek and quiet 
 manner, 
 
 "Thou must have great need of warmth and nourishment. 
 The distance from this valley to the nearest habitation is 
 
us Ube Mept of 
 
 wearisome, and one who hath journeyed it, in a season like 
 this, may well be nigh fainting. Follow, and deal with that 
 we have to bestow as freely as if it were thine own." 
 
 Although the stranger manifested none of that impa- 
 tience which the heir of the Wish-Ton-Wish appeared to 
 think one so situated might in all reason feel, thus invited he 
 did not hesitate to comply. As he followed in the footsteps 
 of his host, his tread, however, was leisurely and dignified ; 
 and, once or twice, when the other half delayed in order to 
 make some passing observation of courtesy, he betrayed no 
 indiscreet anxiety to enter on those personal indulgences 
 which might in reality prove so grateful to one who had 
 journeyed far in an inclement season, and along a road 
 where neither dwelling nor security invited repose. 
 
 * ' Here is warmth and a peaceful welcome, ' ' pursued 
 Content, ushering his guest into the centre of a group of 
 fearfully anxious faces. * ' In a little time, other matters 
 shall be added to thy comfort." 
 
 When the stranger found himself under the glare of a 
 powerful light, and confronted to so many curious and won- 
 dering eyes, for a single instant he hesitated. Then step- 
 ping calmly forward, he cast the short riding-cloak, which 
 had closely muffled his features, from his shoulders, and 
 discovered the severe eye, the stern lineaments, and the 
 athletic form of him who had once before been known to 
 enter the doors of Wish-Ton-Wish with little warning, and 
 to have quitted them so mysteriously. 
 
 The Puritan had arisen, with quiet and grave courtesy, to 
 receive his visitor ; but obvious, powerful, and extraordinary 
 interest gleamed about his usually subdued visage, when, 
 as the features of the other were exposed to view, he recog- 
 nized the person of the man who advanced to meet him. 
 
 ' ' Mark Heathcote, ' ' said the stranger, ' ' my visit is to 
 thee. It may, or it may not, prove longer than the last, as 
 thou shalt receive my tidings. Affairs of the last moment 
 demand that there should be little delay in hearing that 
 which I have to offer." 
 
 Notwithstanding the excess and nature of the surprise 
 which the veteran Mark had certainly betrayed, it endured 
 
Mept of 
 
 119 
 
 just long enough to allow those wondering eyes, which were 
 eagerly devouring all that passed, to note its existence. 
 Then the subdued and characteristic manner which in gen- 
 eral marked his air instantly returned, and with a quiet 
 gesture, like that which friends use in moments of confi- 
 dence and security, he beckoned to the other to follow to an 
 inner room. The stranger complied, making a slight bow 
 of recognition to Ruth, as he passed her on the way to the 
 apartment chosen for an interview that was evidently intended 
 to be private. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 " Mar. Shall I strike at it with my partisan ? 
 Hor. Do, if it will not stand. 
 Ber. 'T is here! 
 
 Hor. 'T is here! 
 
 Mar. 'T is gone ! " 
 
 Hamlet. 
 
 THE time that this unexpected visitor stood un- 
 cloaked and exposed to recognition, before the 
 eyes of the curious group in the outer room, did 
 not much exceed a minute. Still it was long 
 enough to allow men who rarely overlooked the smallest 
 peculiarity of dress or air, to note some of the more dis- 
 tinguished accompaniments of his attire. The heavy horse- 
 man's pistols, once before exhibited, were in his girdle, and 
 young Mark got a glimpse of a silver-handled dagger which 
 had pleased his eye before that night. But the passage of 
 his grandfather and the stranger from the room prevented 
 the boy from determining whether it was entirely of the 
 same fashion as that which, rather as a memorial of bygone 
 scenes than for any service that it might now be expected to 
 perform, hung above the bed of the former. 
 
 ' * The man hath not yet parted with his arms ! ' ' ex- 
 claimed the quick-sighted youth, when he found that every 
 other tongue continued silent. ' ' I would he may now leave 
 them with my grand' ther, that I may chase the skulking 
 Wampanoag to his hiding ' 
 
 * * Hot-headed boy ! Thy tongue is too much given to 
 levity," said Ruth, who had not only resumed her seat, but 
 also the light employment that had been interrupted by the 
 blast at the gate, with a calmness of mien that did not fail 
 
TOept ot Wteb*ttoiMMUsb 121 
 
 in some degree to reassure her maidens. " Instead of cher- 
 ishing the lessons of peace that are taught thee, thy unruly 
 thoughts are bent on strife." 
 
 ' * Is there harm in wishing to be armed with a weapon 
 suited to my years, that I may do service in beating down 
 the power of our enemies ; and perhaps aid something, too, 
 in affording security to my mother ? ' ' 
 
 "Thy mother hath no fears," returned the matron, 
 gravely, while grateful affection prompted a kind but fur- 
 tive glance towards the high-spirited though sometimes 
 froward lad. ' ' Reason hath already taught me the folly 
 of alarm because one has knocked at our gate in the night- 
 season. L,ay aside thy arms, men ; you see that my husband 
 no longer clings to the musket. Be certain that his eye will 
 give us warning when there shall be danger at hand. ' ' 
 
 The unconcern of her husband was even more strikingly 
 true than the simple language of his wife would appear to 
 convey. Content had not only laid aside his weapon, but 
 he had resumed his seat near the fire, with an air as calm, 
 as assured, and it might have seemed to one watchfully 
 observant, as understanding, as her own. Until now, the 
 stout Dudley had remained leaning on his piece, immovable 
 and apparently unconscious as a statue. But, following 
 the injunctions of one he was accustomed to obey, he placed 
 the musket against the wall, with the care of a hunter, and 
 then running a hand through his shaggy locks, as though 
 the action might quicken ideas that were never remarkably 
 active, he bluntly exclaimed, 
 
 "An armed hand is well in these forests, but an armed 
 heel is not less wanting to him who would push a roadster 
 from the Connecticut to the Wish-Ton-Wish, between a 
 rising and a setting sun ! The stranger no longer journeys 
 in the saddle, as is plain by the sign that his boot beareth 
 no spur. When he worried, by dint of hard pricking, the 
 miserable hack that proved food for the wolves, through 
 the forest, he had better appointments. I saw the bones of 
 the animal no later than this day. They have been polished 
 by fowls and frost, till the driven snow of the mountains is 
 not whiter !" 
 
122 Ube TKHept of 
 
 Meaning and uneasy, but hasty glances of the eye were 
 exchanged between Content and Ruth, as Bben Dudley 
 thus uttered the thoughts which had been suggested by 
 the unexpected return of the stranger. 
 
 " Go you to the lookout of the western p? 1 isadoes," said 
 the latter; "and see if perchance the Indiuu may not be 
 lurking near the dwellings, ashamed of his delay, and per- 
 chance fearful of calling us to his admission. I cannot 
 think that the child means to desert us, with no sign of 
 kindness, and without leave-taking. ' ' 
 
 " I will not take upon me to say how much or how little 
 of ceremony the youngster may fancy to be due to the 
 master of the valley and his kin ; but if not gone already, 
 the snow will not melt more quietly in the thaw, than the 
 lad will one day disappear. Reuben Ring, thou hast an 
 eye for light or darkness ; come forth with me, that no sign 
 escape us. Should thy sister, Faith, make one of our party, 
 it would not be easy for the redskin to pass the clearing 
 without a hail." 
 
 "Go to," hurriedly answered the female; "it is more 
 womanly that I tarry to see to the wants of him who hath 
 journeyed far and hard since the rising of the sun. If 
 the boy pass thy vigilance, wakeful Dudley, he will have 
 little cause to fear that of others." 
 
 Though Faith so decidedly declined to make one of the 
 party, her brother complied without reluctance. The young 
 men were about to quit the place together, when the latch, 
 on which the hand of Dudley was already laid, rose quietly 
 without aid from his finger, the door opened, and the object 
 of their intended search glided past them, and took his cus- 
 tomary position in one of the more retired corners of the 
 room. There was so much of the ordinary noiseless manner 
 of the young captive in this entrance, that for a moment 
 they who witnessed the passage of his dark form across the 
 apartment were led to think the movement no more than the 
 visit he was always permitted to make at that hour. But 
 recollection soon came, and it was not only the suspicious 
 circumstance of his disappearance, but the inexplicable 
 manner of his admission within the gates. 
 
Wept of Misb^on^Misb 123 
 
 "The pickets must be looked to ! " exclaimed Dudley, 
 the instant a second look assured him that his eyes, in truth, 
 beheld him who had been missing. ' ' The place that a 
 stripling can scale might well admit a host." 
 
 * ' Truly, ' ' said Content, ' ' this needeth explanation. Hath 
 not the boy entered when the gate was opened for the 
 stranger ? Here cometh one that may speak to the fact ! ' ' 
 
 " It is so," said the individual named, who re-entered from 
 the inner room in season to hear the nature of the remark. 
 " I found this native child near thy gate, and took upon me 
 the office of a Christian man to bid him welcome. Certain 
 am I that one kind of heart and gently disposed, like the 
 mistress of this family, will not turn him away in anger. ' ' 
 
 "He is no stranger at our fire, or at our board," said 
 Ruth ; ' * had it been otherwise thou wouldst have done 
 well." 
 
 Eben Dudley looked incredulous. His mind had been 
 powerfully exercised that day with visions of the marvellous, 
 and, of a certainty, there was some reason to distrust the 
 manner in which the reappearance of the youth had been 
 made. 
 
 " It will be well to look to the fastenings," he muttered, 
 * ' lest others, less easy to dispose of, should follow. Now 
 that invisible agencies are at work in the colony, one may 
 not sleep too soundly ! ' ' 
 
 * ' Then go thou to the lookout, and keep the watch till 
 the clock shall strike the hour of midnight, ' ' said the Pu- 
 ritan, who uttered the command in a manner to show that 
 he was in truth moved by considerations far deeper than 
 the vague apprehensions of his dependant. "Ere sleep 
 overcome thee another shall be ready for the relief." 
 
 Mark Heathcote seldom spoke, but respectful silence per- 
 mitted the lowest of his syllables to be audible. On the 
 present occasion, when his voice was first heard, such a 
 stillness came over all in presence, that he finished the sen- 
 tence amid the nearly imperceptible breathings of the listen- 
 ers. In this momentary but death-like quiet, there arose a 
 blast from the conch at the gate, that might have seemed 
 an echo of that which had so lately startled the already 
 
Ube Mept of 
 
 excited inmates of the dwelling. At the repetition of 
 sounds so unwonted all sprang to their feet, but no one 
 spoke. Content cast a hurried and inquiring glance at his 
 father, who in his turn had anxiously sought the eyes of the 
 stranger. The latter stood firm and unmoved. One hand 
 was clenched upon the back of the chair from which he 
 had arisen, and the other grasped, perhaps unconsciously, 
 the handle of one of those weapons which had attracted 
 the attention of young Mark, and which still continued 
 thrust through the broad leathern belt that girded his 
 doublet. 
 
 * * The sound is like that which one little used to deal 
 with earthly instruments might raise ! " muttered one of 
 those whose minds had been prepared, by the narrative of 
 Dudley, to believe in anything marvellous. 
 
 * ' Come from what quarter it may, it is a summons that 
 must be answered, ' ' returned Content. ' ' Dudley, thy 
 musket ; this visit is so unwonted, that more than one hand 
 should do the office of porter. ' ' 
 
 The borderer instantly complied, muttering between his 
 teeth as he shook the priming deeper into the barrel of his 
 piece, ' ' Your over-sea gallants are quick on the trail to- 
 night ! ' ' Then throwing the musket into the hollow of his 
 arm, he cast a look of discontent and resentment towards 
 Faith Ring, and was about to open the door for the passage 
 of Content, when another blast arose on the silence without. 
 The second touch of the shell was firmer, longer, louder, 
 and more true, than that by which it had just been pre- 
 ceded. 
 
 " One might fancy the conch was speaking in mockery," 
 observed Content, looking with meaning towards their guest. 
 ' ' Never did sound more resemble sound than these we have 
 just heard, and those thou drew from the shell when asking 
 admission." 
 
 A sudden light appeared to break in upon the intelli- 
 gence of the stranger. Advancing more into the circle, 
 rather with the freedom of long familiarity than with the 
 diffidence of a newly-arrived guest, he motioned for silence 
 as he said, 
 
ZTbe TKHept of Misb*ZIcm*Wisb 125 
 
 * ' Let none move, but this stout woodsman, the young cap- 
 tain, and myself. We will go forth, and doubt not that 
 the safety of those within shall be regarded." 
 
 Notwithstanding the singularity of this proposal, as it 
 appeared to excite neither surprise nor opposition in the 
 Puritan or his son, the rest of the family offered no objec- 
 tion. The stranger had no sooner spoken, than he ad- 
 vanced near to the torch, and looked closely into the condi- 
 tion of his pistols. Then turning to old Mark, he continued 
 in an under- tone, 
 
 ' ' Peradventure there will be more worldly strife than any 
 which can flow from the agencies that stir up the unquiet 
 spirits of the colonies. In such an extremity, it may be 
 well to observe a soldier's caution." 
 
 " I like not this mockery of sound," returned the Puri- 
 tan ; "it argueth a taunting and fiend-like temper. We 
 have, of late, had in this colony tragical instances of what 
 the disappointed malice of Azazel can attempt ; and it 
 would be vain to hope that the evil agencies are not vexed 
 with the sight of my Bethel." 
 
 Though the stranger listened to the words of his host 
 with respect, it was plain that his thoughts dwelt on dangers 
 of a different character. The member that still rested on 
 the handle of his weapon was clenched with greater firm- 
 ness, and a grim though a melancholy expression was 
 seated about a mouth that was compressed in a manner to 
 denote the physical rather than the spiritual resolution of 
 the man. He made a sign to the two companions he had 
 chosen, and led the way to the court. 
 
 By this time, the shades of night had materially thick- 
 ened, and, although the hour was still early, a darkness had 
 come over the valley that rendered it difficult to distinguish 
 objects at any distance from the eye. The obscurity made 
 it necessary that they who now issued from the door of the 
 dwelling should advance with caution, lest, ere properly ad- 
 monished of its presence, their persons should be exposed 
 to some lurking danger. When the three, however, were 
 safely established behind the thick curtain of plank and 
 earth that covered and commanded the entrance, and where 
 
Ube Wept of 
 
 their persons, from the shoulders downwards, were com- 
 pletely protected alike from shot and arrow, Content de- 
 manded to know who applied at his gates for admission at 
 an hour when they were habitually closed for the night. 
 Instead of receiving, as before, a ready answer, the silence 
 was so profound that his own words were very distinctly 
 heard repeated, as was not uncommon C : that quiet hour, 
 among the recesses of the neighboring woods. 
 
 " Come it from devil, or come it from man, here is treach- 
 ery ! ' ' whispered the stranger after a fitting pause. ' ' Arti- 
 fice must be met by artifice ; but thou art much abler to 
 advise against the wiles of the forest, than one trained, as 
 I have been, in the less cunning deceptions of Christian 
 warfare. ' ' 
 
 " What think' st, Dudley?" asked Content ; "will it be 
 well to sally, or shall we wait another signal from the 
 conch?" 
 
 11 Much dependeth on the quality of the guests expected," 
 returned he of whom counsel was asked. " As for the brag- 
 gart gallants, that are over-valiant among the maidens, and 
 heavy of heart when they think the screech of the jay an 
 Indian whoop, I care not if ye beat the pickets to the earth, 
 and call upon them to enter on the gallop. I know the 
 manner to send them to the upper story of the block, 
 quicker than the cluck of the turkey can muster its young ; 
 but" 
 
 11 'Tis well to be discreet in language, in a moment of 
 such serious uncertainty ! " interrupted the stranger. "We 
 look for no gallants of the kind." 
 
 1 1 Then will I give you a conceit that shall know the rea- 
 son of the music of yon conch. Go ye two back into the 
 house, making much conversation by the way, in order that 
 any without may hear. When ye have entered, it shall be 
 my task to find such a post nigh the gate, that none shall 
 knock again and no porter be at hand to question them in 
 the matter of their errand." 
 
 "This soundeth better," said Content ; "and that it may 
 be done with all safety, some others of the young men, who 
 are accustomed to this species of artifice, shall issue by the 
 
Mept of WUsh^onxmteh 127 
 
 secret door and lie in wait behind the dwellings, in order 
 that support shall not be wanting in case of violence. 
 Whatever else thou dost, Dudley, remember that thou dost 
 not undo the fastenings of the postern." 
 
 " lyook to the support," returned the woodsman ; "should 
 it be keen-eyed Reuben Ring, I shall feel none the less cer- 
 tain that good aid is at my back. The whole of that fam- 
 ily are quick of wit and ready of invention, unless it may be 
 the wight who hath got the form without the reason of a 
 man." 
 
 " Thou shalt have Reuben, and none other of his kin," 
 said Content. " Be well advised of the fastenings, and so 
 I wish thee all fitting success, in a deception that cannot be 
 sinful, since it aims only at our safety. ' ' 
 
 With this injunction, Content and the stranger left Dud- 
 ley to the practice of his own devices, the former observing 
 the precaution to speak aloud while returning, in order that 
 any listeners without might be led to suppose the whole 
 party had retired from the search, satisfied of its fruitlessness. 
 
 In the meantime, the youth left nigh the postern set about 
 the accomplishment of the task he had undertaken, in sober 
 earnest. Instead of descending in a direct line to the palisa- 
 does, he also ascended, and made a circuit among the out- 
 buildings on the margin of the acclivity. Then bending so 
 low as to blend his form with objects on the snow, he gained 
 an angle of the palisadoes, at a point remote from the spot 
 he intended to watch, and, as he hoped, aided by the dark- 
 ness of the hour and the shadows of the hill, completely 
 protected from observation. When beneath the palisadoes, 
 the sentinel crouched to the earth, creeping with extreme 
 caution along the timber which bound their lower ends, 
 until he found himself arrived at a species of sentry-box, 
 that was erected for the very purpose to which he now in- 
 tended it should be applied. Once within the cover of this 
 little recess, the sturdy woodsman bestowed his large frame 
 with as much attention to comfort and security as the cir- 
 cumstances would permit. Here he prepared to pass many 
 weary minutes, before there should be further need of his 
 sendees. 
 
128 Ube TlXRept of 
 
 The reader will find no difficulty in believing that one of 
 opinions like those of the borderer did not enter on his 
 silent watch without much distrust of the character of the 
 guests that he might be called upon to receive. Enough 
 has been shown to prove that the suspicion uppermost in his 
 mind was, that the unwelcome agents of the government 
 had returned on the heels of the stranger. But, notwith- 
 standing the seeming probability of this opinion, there were 
 secret misgivings of the earthly origin of the two last wind- 
 ings of the shell. All the legends, and all the most cred- 
 ited evidence in cases of prestigious agency, as it had been 
 exhibited in the colonies of New England, went to show 
 the malignant pleasure the evil spirits found in indulging 
 their wicked mockeries, or in otherwise tormenting those 
 who placed their support on a faith that was believed to be 
 so repugnant to their own ungrateful and abandoned natures. 
 Under the impressions naturally excited by the communica- 
 tion he had held with the traveller in the mountains, Eben 
 Dudley found his mind equally divided between the expec- 
 tation of seeing, at each moment, one of the men whom he 
 had induced to quit the valley so unceremoniously, return- 
 ing to obtain surreptitiously admission within the gate, or of 
 being made an unwilling witness of some wicked manifesta- 
 tion of that power which was temporarily committed to the 
 invisibles. In both of these expectations, however, he was 
 fated to be disappointed. Notwithstanding the strong spir- 
 itual bias of the opinions of the credulous sentinel, there 
 was too much of the dross of temporal things in his compo- 
 sition to elevate him altogether above the weakness of hu- 
 manity. A mind so encumbered began to weary with its 
 own contemplations ; and, as it grew feeble with its extraor- 
 dinary efforts, the dominion of matter gradually resumed its 
 sway. Thought, instead of being clear and active, as the 
 emergency would have seemed to require, began to grow 
 misty. Once or twice the borderer half arose, and appeared 
 to look about him with observation ; and then, as his large 
 frame fell heavily back into its former semi-recumbent atti- 
 tude, he grew tranquil and stationary. This movement was 
 several times repeated, at intervals of increasing length, till, 
 
Ube Mept of OTisb*ttoiMKaf8b 129 
 
 at the end of an hour, forgetting alike the hunt, the troop- 
 ers, and the mysterious agents of evil, the young man 
 yielded to the fatigue of the day. The tall oaks of the ad- 
 joining forest stood not more immovable in the quiet of the 
 tranquil hour, than his frame now leaned against the side 
 of its narrow habitation. 
 
 How much time was thus lost in inactivity, Bben Dudley 
 could never precisely tell. He always stoutly maintained it 
 could not have been long, since his watch was not disturbed by 
 the smallest of those sounds from the woods which sometimes 
 occur in deep night, and which may be termed the breathing 
 of the forest in its slumbers. His first distinct recollection 
 was that of feeling a hand grasped with the power of a giant. 
 Springing to his feet, the young man eagerly stretched forth 
 an arm, saying as he did so, in words sufficiently con- 
 fused, 
 
 1 l If the buck hath fallen by a shot in the head, I grant 
 him to be thine, Reuben Ring ; but if struck in limb or body, 
 I claim the venison for a surer hand. ' ' 
 
 " Truly, a very just division of the spoil," returned one in 
 an under-tone, and speaking as if sounds too loud might be 
 dangerous. " Thou givest the head of the deer for a target 
 to Reuben Ring, and keepest the rest of the creature to thine 
 own uses." 
 
 ' ' Who hath sent thee, at this hour, to the postern ? Dost 
 not know that there are thought to be strangers outlying in 
 the fields?" 
 
 ' ' I know that there are some, who are not strangers, in- 
 lying on their watch ! ' ' said Faith Ring. ' ' What shame 
 would come upon thee, Dudley, did the captain, and they 
 who have been so strongly exercised in prayer within, but 
 suspect how little care thou hast had of their safety, the 
 while!" 
 
 " Have they come to harm ! If the captain hath held 
 them to spiritual movements, I hope that he will allow that 
 nothing earthly hath passed this postern to disturb the exer- 
 cise. As I hope to be dealt honestly by, in all matters of 
 character, I have not once quitted the gate since the watch 
 was set." 
 
 9 
 
130 Ube Mept of 
 
 ' ' Else wouldst thou be the famousest sleep-walker in the 
 Connecticut Colony ! Why, drowsy one, conch cannot raise 
 a louder blast than that thou soundest, when eyes are fairly 
 shut in sleep. This may be watching, according to thy 
 meaning of the word ; but infant in its cradle is not half 
 so ignorant of that which passeth around it, as thou hast 
 been." 
 
 " I think, Faith Ring, that thou hast gotten to be much 
 given to backbiting, and evil saying against friends, since 
 the visit of the gallants from over sea." 
 
 " Out upon gallants from over sea, and thee too, man ! I 
 am not a girl to be flouted with bold speech from one who 
 doth not know whether he be sleeping or waking. I tell 
 thee, thy good name would be lost in the family, did it come 
 to the ears of the captain, and more particularly to the 
 knowledge of that soldier stranger up in the dwelling, of 
 whom even the madam maketh so great ceremony, that 
 thou hast been watching with a tuneful nose, an open mouth, 
 and a sealed eye." 
 
 "If any but thee had said this slander of me, girl, it 
 would go nigh to raise hot speech between us ! Thy brother, 
 Reuben Ring, knows better than to stir my temper by such 
 falsity of accusation. " 
 
 " Thou dealest so generously by him, that he is prone to 
 forget thy misdeeds. Truly he hath the head of the buck, 
 while thou contentest thyself with the offals and all the less 
 wortlry parts ! Go to, Dudley ; thou wast in a heavy dream 
 when I caused thee to awake." 
 
 " A pretty time have we fallen upon, when petticoats are 
 used instead of beards and strong-armed men, to go the 
 rounds of the sentinels, and to say who sleepeth and who is 
 watchful ! What hath brought thee so far from the exercises 
 and so nigh the gates, Mistress Faith, now that there is no 
 over-sea gallant to soothe thy ears with lying speech and 
 light declarations." 
 
 " If speech not to be credited is that I seek," returned the 
 girl, "truly the errand hath not been without its reward. 
 What brought me hither, sooth ! Why, the madam hath 
 need of articles from the outer buttery and ay and my 
 
THUept of Misb^on^Wisb 131 
 
 ears led me to the postern. Thou knowest, musical Dudley, 
 that I have had occasion to hearken to thy watchful notes 
 before this night. But my time is too useful to be wasted 
 in idleness ; thou art now awake, and may thank her who 
 hath done thee a good turn, with no wish to boast of it, that 
 one of a black beard is not the laughing-stock of all the 
 youths in the family. If thou keepest thine own counsel, 
 the captain may yet praise thee for a vigilant sentinel; 
 though Heaven forgive him the wrong he will do the 
 truth!" 
 
 ''Perhaps a little anger at unjust suspicions may have 
 prompted more than the matter needed, Faith, when I taxed 
 thee with the love of backbiting, and I do now recall that 
 word ; though I will ever deny that aught more than some 
 wandering recollection concerning the hunt of this day hath 
 come over my thoughts, and perhaps made me even forget- 
 ful that it was needful to be silent at the postern ; and, 
 therefore, on the truth of a Christian man, I do forgive thee 
 the" 
 
 But Faith was already out of sight and out of hearing. 
 Dudley himself, who began to have certain prickings of 
 conscience concerning the ingratitude he had manifested to 
 one who had taken so much interest in his reputation, now 
 bethought him seriously of that which remained to be done. 
 He had much reason to suspect that there was less of the 
 night before him than he had at first believed, and he be- 
 came in consequence more sensible of the necessity of mak- 
 ing some report of the events of his watch. Accordingly, he 
 cast a scrutinizing glance around in order to make sure that 
 the facts should not contradict his testimony, and then, first 
 examining the fastenings of the postern, he mounted the 
 hill and presented himself before the family. The members 
 of the latter, having in truth passed most'of the long interval 
 of his absence in spiritual exercises and in religious conver- 
 sation, were not so sensible of his delay in reporting, as they 
 might otherwise have been. 
 
 " What tidings dost thou bring us from without?" said 
 Content, as soon as the self-relieved sentinel appeared. 
 " Hast seen any, or hast heard that which is suspicious ! " 
 
ZTbe TOept of 
 
 Ere Dudley would answer, his eye did not fail to study 
 the half-malicious expression of the countenance of her who 
 was busy in some domestic toil, directly opposite to the 
 place where he stood. But reading there no more than a 
 glance of playful though smothered irony, he was encouraged 
 to proceed in his report. 
 
 "The watch has been quiet," was the answer; "and 
 there is little cause to keep the sleepers longer from their 
 beds. Some vigilant eyes, like those of Reuben Ring and 
 my own, had better be open until the morning ; further than 
 that, there is no reason to be wakeful." 
 
 Perhaps the borderer would have dwelt more at large on 
 his own readiness to pass the remainder of the hours of 
 rest in attending to the security of those who slept, had not 
 another wicked glance from the dark, laughing eye of her 
 who stood so favorably placed to observe his countenance, 
 admonished him of the prudence of being modest in his 
 professions. 
 
 "This alarm hath then happily passed away," said the 
 Puritan, rising. ' ' We will now go to our pillows in thank- 
 fulness and peace. Thy service shall not be forgotten, 
 Dudley ; for thou hast exposed thyself to seeming danger, 
 at least, in our behalf." 
 
 "That hath he ! " half-whispered Faith ; " and sure am 
 I, that we maidens will not forget his readiness to lose the 
 sweets of sleep in order that the feeble may not come to 
 harm." 
 
 "Speak not of the trifle," hurriedly returned the other. 
 ' ' There has been some deception in the sound, for it is 
 now my opinion, except to summon us to the gate that this 
 stranger might enter the conch hath not been touched at 
 all to-night. ' ' 
 
 " Then is it a deception which is repeated ! " exclaimed 
 Content, rising from his chair as a faint and broken blast 
 from the shell, like that which had first announced their 
 visitor, again struggled among the buildings, until it reached 
 every ear in the dwelling. 
 
 ' ' Here is warning as mysterious as it may prove porten- 
 tous ! " said old Mark Heathcote, when the surprise, not to 
 
ftfoe Mept of Wisb*Uon==Mf3b 133 
 
 say the consternation, of the moment, had subsided. " Hast 
 seen nothing that might justify this ? " 
 
 Kben Dudley, like most of the auditors, was too much 
 confounded to reply. All seemed to attend anxiously for 
 the second and more powerful blast, which was to complete 
 the imitation of the stranger's summons. It was not neces- 
 sary to wait long ; for in a time as near as might be to that 
 which had intervened between the two first peals of the 
 horn, followed another, and in a note so true again, as to 
 give it the semblance of an echo. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 " I will watch to-night ; 
 Perchance 'twill walk again." 
 
 Hamlet. 
 
 " IV /TAY not this be a warning given in mercy?" 
 \ / 1 the Puritan, at all times disposed to yield 
 
 _, b V JL credit to supernatural manifestations of the 
 care of Providence, demanded with a solem- 
 nity that did not fail to produce its impression on most of 
 his auditors. * ' The history of our colonies is full of the 
 evidences of these merciful interpositions." 
 
 ' ' We will thus consider it, ' ' returned the stranger, to 
 whom the question seemed more particularly addressed. 
 ' ' The first measure shall be to seek out the danger to which 
 it points. L,et the youth they call Dudley give me the aid 
 of his powerful frame and manly courage, then trust the 
 discovery of the meaning of these frequent speakings of the 
 conch to me. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Surely, Submission, thou wilt not again be first to go 
 forth ! " exclaimed Mark, in a surprise that was equally 
 manifested by Content and Ruth, the latter of whom pressed 
 her little image to her side as though the bare proposal 
 presented a powerful picture of supernatural danger. ' * 'T will 
 be well to think maturely on the step, ere thou runnest the 
 hazard of such an adventure." 
 
 "Better it should be I," said Content, "who am accus- 
 tomed to forest signs, and all the usual testimonials of the 
 presence of those who may wish us harm." 
 
 ' ' No, ' ' said he who for the first time had been called 
 " Submission," a name that savored of the religious enthusi- 
 
 134 
 
TKHept of Mteb^on^Misb 135 
 
 asm of the times, and which might have been adopted as an 
 open avowal of his readiness to bow beneath some peculiar 
 dispensation of Providence. "This service shall be mine. 
 Thou art both husband and father ; and many are there who 
 look to thy safety as to their rock of earthly support and 
 comfort, while neither kindred, nor but we will not speak 
 of things foreign to our purpose ! Thou knowest, Mark 
 Heathcote, that peril and I are no strangers. There is little 
 need to bid me be prudent. Come, bold woodsman ; 
 shoulder thy musket, and be ready to do credit to thy man- 
 hood, should there be reason to prove it." 
 
 "And why not Reuben Ring?" said a hurried female 
 voice, that all knew to proceed from the lips of the sister 
 of the youth just named. "He is quick of eye and ready 
 of hand in trials like these ; would it not be well to succor 
 thy party with such aid? " 
 
 " Peace, girl," meekly observed Ruth. " This matter is 
 already in the ordering of one used to command ; there 
 needeth no counsel from thy short experience. ' ' 
 
 Faith shrank back, abashed ; the flush which had mantled 
 over her brown cheek deepening to a tint like that of blood. 
 
 Submission (we use the appellation in the absence of all 
 others) fastened a searching glance for a single moment on 
 the countenance of the girl ; and then, as if his intention 
 had not been diverted from the principal subject in hand, he 
 rejoined coolly, 
 
 "We go as scouters and observers of that which may 
 hereafter call for the ready assistance of this youth ; but 
 numbers would expose us to observation, without adding 
 to our usefulness and yet," he added, arresting his foot- 
 step, which was already turned towards the door, and look- 
 ing earnestly and long at the Indian boy, ' * perhaps there 
 standeth one who might much enlighten us, would he but 
 speak!" 
 
 This remark drew every eye on the person of the cap- 
 tive. The lad stood the scrutiny with the undismayed 
 and immovable composure of his race. But though his 
 eye met the looks of those around him haughtily and in 
 pride, it was not gleaming with any of that stern defi- 
 
136 Ube Wept of 
 
 ance which had so often been known to glitter in his 
 glances, when he had reason to think that his fortunes 
 or his person were the subject of the peculiar observation 
 of those with whom he dwelt. On the contrary, the ex- 
 pression of his dark visage was rather that of amity than 
 of hatred, and there was a moment when the look he cast 
 upon Ruth and her offspring was visibly touched with 
 a feeling of concern. A glance charged with such a 
 meaning could not escape the quick-sighted vigilance of 
 a mother. 
 
 1 'The child hath proved himself worthy to be trusted," 
 she said ; " and in the name of Him who looketh into and 
 knoweth all hearts, let him once more go forth." 
 
 Her lips became sealed, for again the conch announced 
 the seeming impatience of those without to be admitted. 
 The full tones of the shell thrilled on the nerves of the lis- 
 teners, as though they proclaimed the coming of some great 
 and fearful judgment. 
 
 In the midst of these often-repeated and mysterious 
 sounds, Submission alone seemed calm and unmoved. Turn- 
 ing his look from the countenance of the boy, whose head 
 had dropped upon his breast as the last notes of the conch 
 rang among the buildings, he motioned hurriedly to Dudley 
 to follow, and left the place. 
 
 There was, in good truth, that in the secluded situation 
 of the valley, the darkness of the hour, and the nature of 
 the several interruptions, which might readily awaken deep 
 concern in the breasts of men as firm even as those who 
 now issued into the open air, in quest of the solution of 
 doubts that were becoming intensely painful. The stranger, 
 or Submission, as we may in future have frequent occasion 
 to call him, led the way in silence to a point of the emi- 
 nence without the buildings, where the eye might overlook 
 the palisadoes that hedged the sides of the acclivity, and 
 command a view beyond of all that the dusky and imper- 
 fect light would reveal. 
 
 It was a scene that required familiarity with a border life 
 to be looked on at any moment with indifference. The 
 broad, nearly interminable, and seemingly trackless forest lay 
 
wept ot imisb^on^miBb 137 
 
 about them, bounding the view to the narrow limits of the 
 valley, as though it were some straitened oasis amidst an 
 ocean of wilderness. Within the bounderies of the cleared 
 land objects were less indistinct, though even those nearest 
 and most known were now seen only in the confused and 
 gloomy outlines of night. 
 
 Across this dim prospect Submission and his companion 
 gazed long and cautiously. 
 
 " There is naught but motionless stumps, and fences 
 loaded with snow," said the former, when his eye had 
 roamed over the whole circuit of the view which lay on the 
 side of the valley where they stood. ' ' We must go forth, 
 that we may look nearer to the fields. ' ' 
 
 " This way, then, is the postern," said Dudley, observing 
 that the other took a direction opposite to that which led 
 to the gate. But a gesture of authority induced him at the 
 next instant to restrain his voice, and to follow whither his 
 companion chose to lead the way. 
 
 The stranger made a circuit of half the hill ere he de- 
 scended to the palisadoes, at a point where lay long and 
 massive piles of wood, which had been collected for the 
 fuel of the family. This spot was one that overlooked the 
 steepest acclivity of the eminence, which was in itself, just 
 there, so difficult of ascent, as to render the provision of the 
 pickets far less necessary than in its more even faces. Still 
 no useful precaution for the security of the family had been 
 neglected, even at this strong point of the works. The 
 piles of wood were laid at such a distance from the pickets 
 as to afford no facilities for scaling them, while, on the other 
 hand, they formed platforms and breast-works that might 
 have greatly added to the safety of those who should be re- 
 quired to defend this portion of the fortress. Taking his 
 way directly amid the parallel piles, the stranger descended 
 rapidly through the whole of their mazes, until he had 
 reached the open space between the outer of the rows and 
 the palisadoes, a space that was warily left too wide to be 
 passed by the leap of man. 
 
 "'Tis many a day since foot of mine has been in this 
 spot," said Kben Dudley, feeling his way along a path that 
 
138 Ube Wept of 
 
 his companion threaded without any apparent hesitation. 
 " My own hand laid this outer pile some winters since, and 
 certain am I, that from that hour to this, man hath not 
 touched a billet of the wood. And yet, for one who hath 
 come from over sea, it would appear that thou hast no great 
 difficulty in making way among the narrow lanes ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' He that hath sight may well choose between air and 
 beechen logs, ' ' returned the other, stopping at the palsadoes, 
 and in a place that was concealed from any prying eyes 
 within the works, by triple and quadruple barriers of wood. 
 Feeling in his girdle, he then drew forth something which 
 Dudley was not long in discovering to be a key. While 
 the latter, aided by the little light that fell from the heavens, 
 was endeavoring to make the most of his eyes, Submission 
 applied the instrument to a lock that was artfully sunk in 
 one of the timbers, at the height of a man's breast from the 
 ground, and giving a couple of vigorous turns, a piece of 
 the palisado, some half a fathom long, yielded on a power- 
 ful hinge below, and falling, made an opening sufficiently 
 large for the passage of a human body. 
 
 "Here is a sally-port ready provided for our sortie," 
 the stranger coolly observed, motioning to the other to 
 precede him. When Dudley had passed, his companion 
 followed, and the opening was then carefully closed and 
 locked. 
 
 " Now is all fast again, and we are in the fields without 
 raising alarm to any of mortal birth, at least," continued 
 the guide, thrusting a hand into the folds of his doublet, as 
 if to feel for a weapon, and preparing to descend the diffi- 
 cult declivity which still lay between him and the base of 
 the hill. Bben Dudley hesitated to follow. The interview 
 with the traveller in the mountains occurred to his heated 
 imagination, and the visions of a prestigious agency revived 
 with all their original force. The whole manner and the 
 mysterious character of his companion was little likely to 
 reassure a mind disturbed with such images. 
 
 "There is a rumor going in the colony," muttered the 
 borderer, "that the invisibles are permitted for a time to 
 work their evil ; and it may well happen that some of their 
 
Wept of WHisb^tTon^Mtsb 139 
 
 ungodly members shall journey to the Wish-Ton-Wish, in 
 lack of better employment." 
 
 ' ' Thou sayst truly, ' ' replied the stranger ; ' ' but the power 
 that allows of their wicked torments may have seen fit to 
 provide an agent of his own to defeat their subtleties. We 
 will not draw nearer to the gate, in order that an eye may 
 be kept on their malicious designs. ' ' 
 
 Submission spoke with gravity, and not without a certain 
 manner of solemnity. Dudley yielded, though with a divided 
 and a disturbed mind, to his suggestion. Still he followed 
 in the footsteps of the stranger, with a caution that might 
 well have eluded the vigilance of any agency short of that 
 which drew its means of information from sources deeper 
 than any of human power. 
 
 When the two watchers had found a secret and suitable 
 place, not far from the postern, they disposed themselves in 
 silence to await the result. The out-buildings lay in deep 
 quiet, not a sound of any sort arising from all of the many 
 tenants they were known to contain. The lines of ragged 
 fences ; the blackened stumps, capped with little pyramids 
 of snow ; the taller and sometimes suspicious-looking stubs ; 
 an insulated tree, and finally the broad border of forest 
 were alike motionless, gloomy, and clothed in the doubtful 
 forms of night. Still, the space around the well-secured 
 and trebly-barred postern was vacant. A sheet of spotless 
 snow served as a background, that would have been sure to 
 betray the presence of any object passing over its surface. 
 Kven the conch might be seen suspended from one of the 
 timbers, as mute and inoffensive as the hour when it had 
 been washed by the waves on the sands of the seashore. 
 
 ' ' Here will we watch for the coming of the stranger, be 
 he commissioned by the powers of air, or be he one sent on 
 an errand of earth," whispered Submission, preparing his 
 arms for immediate use, and disposing of his person, at the 
 same time, in a manner most convenient to endure the weari- 
 ness of a patient watch. 
 
 " I would my mind were at ease on the question of right 
 doing in dealing harm to one who disturbs the quiet of 3 
 border family," said Dudley, in a tone sufficiently repressed 
 
GDC 'Wliept of 
 
 for caution ; it may be found prudent to strike the first blow 
 should one like an over-sea gallant, after all, be inclined to 
 trouble us at this hour." 
 
 ' ' In that strait, thou wilt do well to give little heed to 
 the order of the offences," gloomily returned the other. 
 4 * Should another messenger of England appear ' ' 
 
 He paused, for a note of the conch was heard rising gradu- 
 ally on the air, until the whole of the wide valley was filled 
 with its rich and melancholy sound. 
 
 ' ' lyip of man is not at the shell ! ' ' exclaimed the stranger, 
 who like Dudley had made a forward movement towards the 
 postern the instant the blast reached his ear, and who, like 
 Dudley, recoiled in an amazement that even his practised 
 self-command could not conceal, as he undeniably perceived 
 the truth of that his speech affirmed. * * This exceedeth all 
 former instances of marvellous visitations ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' It is vain to pretend to raise the feeble nature of man to 
 the level of things coming from the invisible world," re- 
 turned the woodsman at his side. ' * In such a strait, it is 
 seemly that sinful men should withdraw to the dwellings, 
 where we may sustain our feebleness by the spiritual striv- 
 ings of the captain." 
 
 To this discreet proposal the stranger raised no objection. 
 Without taking the time necessary to effect their retreat 
 with the precaution that had been observed in their 
 advance, the two adventurers quickly found themselves 
 at the secret entrance through which they had so lately 
 issued. 
 
 ' ' Enter, ' ' said the stranger, lowering the piece of the 
 palisado for the passage of his companion. "Enter, for 
 Heaven's sake ! for it is truly meet that we assemble all our 
 spiritual succor." 
 
 Dudley was in the act of complying, when a dark line, ac- 
 companied by a low, rushing sound, cut the air between his 
 head and that of his companion. At the next instant, a flint- 
 headed arrow quivered in the timber. 
 
 1 * The heathen ! ' ' shouted the borderer, recovering all his 
 manhood as the familiar danger became apparent, and throw- 
 ing back a stream of fire in the direction from which the 
 
Gbe Wept of Mfsb^on^Mtsb 141 
 
 treacherous missile had come. ' ' To the palisadoes, men ! the 
 bloody heathen is upon us ! " 
 
 " The heathen ! " echoed the stranger, in a deep, steady, 
 commanding voice, that had evidently often raised the warn- 
 ing in scenes of even greater emergency, and levelling a pistol, 
 which brought a dark form that was gliding across the 
 snow to one knee, ' ' The heathen ! the bloody heathen is 
 upon us ! " 
 
 As if both assailants and assailed paused, one moment of 
 profound stillness succeeded this fierce interruption of the 
 quiet of the night. Then the cries of the two adventurers 
 were answered by a burst of yells from a wide circle, that 
 nearly environed the hill. At the same moment each dark 
 object in the fields gave up a human form. The shouts were 
 followed by a cloud of arrows, that rendered further delay 
 without the cover of the palisadoes eminently hazardous. 
 Dudley entered ; but the passage of the stranger would have 
 been cut off by a leaping, whooping band that pressed 
 fiercely on his rear, had not a broad sheet of flame, glancing 
 from the hill directly in their swarthy and grim countenances, 
 driven the assailants back upon their own footsteps. In 
 another moment, the bolts of the lock were passed, and the 
 two fugitives were in safety behind the ponderous piles of 
 wood. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 "There need no ghost, my lord, come from the grave 
 To tell us this." 
 
 Hamlet. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the minds of most, if not of all the in- 
 mates of the Wish-Ton-Wish, had been so power- 
 fully exercised that night with a belief that the 
 powers of the invisible world were about to be let 
 loose upon them, the danger had now presented itself in a 
 shape too palpable to admit of further doubt. The cry of 
 ' * the heathen ' ' had been raised from every lip ; even the 
 daughter and Steve of Ruth repeated it, as they fled wailing 
 through the buildings ; and, for a moment, terror and sur- 
 prise appeared to involve the assailed in inextricable confu- 
 sion. But the promptitude of the young men in rushing to 
 the rescue, with the steadiness of Content, soon restored 
 order. Even the females assumed at least the semblance of 
 composure, the family having been too long trained to 
 meet the exigencies of such an emergency to be thrown 
 entirely off its guard, for more than the first and the most 
 appalling moments of the alarm. 
 
 The effect of the sudden repulse was such as all experi- 
 ence had taught the colonists to expect, in their Indian war- 
 fare. The uproar of the onset ceased as abruptly as it had 
 commenced, and a calmness so tranquil, and a stillness so 
 profound, succeeded, that one who had for the first time 
 witnessed such a scene might readily have fancied it the 
 effects of some wild and fearful illusion. 
 
 During these moments of general and deep silence, the 
 two adventurers, whose retreat had probably hastened the 
 
 142 
 
Ube Mept of Misb*Uon*Wfsb 143 
 
 assault by offering the temptation of an easy passage within 
 the works, left the cover of the piles of wood, and ascended 
 the hill to the place where Dudley knew Content was to be 
 posted, in the event of a summons to the defences. 
 
 ' ' Unless much inquiry hath deceived me in the nature of 
 the heathen's craftiness," said the stranger, " we shall have 
 breathing-time ere the onset be renewed. The experience 
 of a soldier bids me say, that prudence now urges us to look 
 into the number and position of our foes, that we may order 
 our resistance with better understanding of their force. ' ' 
 
 ' ' In what manner of way may this be done ? Thou 
 seest naught about us but the quiet and the darkness of 
 night, Speak of the number of our enemies we cannot, and 
 sally forth we may not, without certain destruction to all 
 who quit the palisadoes. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Thou forgettest that we have a hostage in the boy ; he 
 may be turned to some advantage, if our power over his 
 person be used with discretion." 
 
 ' * I doubt that we deceive ourselves with a hope that is 
 vain," returned Content, leading the way as he spoke, how- 
 ever, towards the court which communicated with the prin- 
 cipal dwelling. ' ' I have closely studied the eye of that lad, 
 since his unaccountable entrance within the works, and lit- 
 tle do I find there that should teach us to expect confidence. 
 It will be happy if some secret understanding with those 
 without has not aided him in passing the palisadoes, and 
 that he prove not a dangerous spy on our force and move- 
 ments." 
 
 " In regard to that he hath entered the dwelling without 
 sound of conch or aid of postern, be not disturbed," re- 
 turned the stranger with composure. ' ' Were it fitting, this 
 mystery might be of easy explanation ; but it may truly 
 need all our sagacity to discover whether he hath connection 
 with our foes ! The mind of a native does not give up its 
 secrets like the surface of a vanity-feeding mirror." 
 
 The stranger spoke like a man who wrapped a portion 
 of his thoughts in reserve, and his companion listened as one 
 who comprehended more than it might be seemly or discreet 
 to betray. With this secret and yet equivocal understand- 
 
144 ftbe TKftept of WisI>zrotWIKIiisb 
 
 ing of each other's meaning, they entered the dwelling, and 
 soon found themselves in the presence of those they sought. 
 
 The constant danger of their situation had compelled the 
 family to bring themselves within the habits of a method- 
 ical and severely-regulated order of defence. Duties were 
 assigned, in the event of alarm, to the feeblest bodies and 
 the faintest hearts ; and during the moments which pre- 
 ceded the visit of her husband, Ruth had been endeavoring 
 to commit to her female subordinates the several necessary 
 charges that usage, and more particularly the emergency of 
 the hour, appeared so imperiously to require. 
 
 " Hasten, Charity, to the block," she said; " and look 
 into the condition of the buckets and the ladders, that 
 should the heathen drive us to its shelter, provision of 
 water, and means of retreat, be not wanting in our ex- 
 tremity ; and hie thee, Faith, into the upper apartments, to 
 see that no lights may direct their murderous aim at any in 
 the chambers. Thoughts come tardily, when the arrow or 
 the bullet hath already taken its flight ! And now that the 
 first assault is over, Mark, and we may hope to meet the 
 wiles of the enemy by some prudence of our own, thou 
 mayst go forth to thy father. It would have been tempt- 
 ing Providence too rashly, hadst thou rushed, unbidden and 
 uninformed, into the first hurry of the danger. Come hither ; 
 child, and receive the blessing and prayers of thy mother ; 
 after which thou shalt, with better trust in Providence, place 
 thy young person among the combatants, in the hope of 
 victory. Remember that thou art now of an age to do jus- 
 tice to thy name and origin, and yet art thou of years too 
 tender to be foremost in speech, and far less in action, on 
 such a night as this. ' ' 
 
 A momentary flush, that only served to render the suc- 
 ceeding paleness more obvious, passed across the brow of 
 the mother. She stooped and imprinted a kiss on the 
 forehead of the impatient boy, who scarcely waited to re- 
 ceive this act of tenderness, ere he hurried to place himself 
 in the ranks of her defenders. 
 
 " And now," said Ruth, slowly turning her eye from the 
 door by which the lad had disappeared, and speaking with 
 
Mept of OTfsfo^ron^Wisb 145 
 
 a sort of unnatural composure, * ' and now we will look to 
 the safety of those who can be of but little service, except 
 as sentinels to sound the alarm. When thou art certain, 
 Faith, that no neglected light is in the rooms above, take 
 the children to the secret chamber ; thence they may look 
 upon the fields, without danger from any chance direction 
 of the savages' aim. Thou knowest, Faith, my frequent 
 teaching in this matter ; let no sounds of alarm, nor fright- 
 ful whoopings of the people without, cause thee to quit the 
 spot ; since thou wilt there be safer even than in the block, 
 against which many missiles will doubtless be driven, on 
 account of its seeming air of strength. Timely notice shall 
 be given of the change, should we seek its security. Thou 
 wilt descend only shouldst thou see enemies scaling the 
 palisadoes on the side which overhangs the stream ; since 
 there have we the fewest eyes to watch their movements. 
 Remember that on the side of the out-buildings and of the 
 fields our force is chiefly posted ; there can be less reason, 
 therefore, that thou shouldst expose thy lives by endeavor- 
 ing to look too curiously into that which passeth in the 
 fields. Go, my children ; and a heavenly Providence prove 
 thy guardian ! ' ' 
 
 Ruth stooped to kiss the cheek that her daughter offered 
 to the salute. The embrace was then given to the other 
 child, who was in truth scarcely less near her heart, being 
 the orphan daughter of one who had been as a sister in her 
 affections. But, unlike the kiss she had impressed on the 
 forehead of Mark, the present embraces were hasty, and 
 evidently awakened less intense emotion. She had com- 
 mitted the boy to a known and positive danger, but, under 
 the semblance of some usefulness, she sent the others to a 
 place believed to be even less exposed, so long as the enemy 
 could be kept without the works, than the citadel itself. 
 Still, a feeling of deep and maternal tenderness came over 
 her mind, as her daughter retired ; and yielding to its sud- 
 den impulse, she recalled the girl to her side. 
 
 * ' Thou wilt repeat the prayer for especial protection 
 against the dangers of the wilderness, ' ' she solemnly con- 
 tinued. " In thy asking, fail not to remember him to whom 
 
146 trbe Mept of 
 
 thou owest being, and who now exposeth life, that we may 
 be safe. Thou knowest the Christian's rock ; place thy 
 faith on its foundation." 
 
 ''And they who seek to kill us," demanded the well- 
 instructed child ; ' ' are they too of the number of those for 
 whom He died?" 
 
 " It may not be doubted, though the manner of the dis- 
 pensation be so mysterious ! Barbarians in their habits, 
 and ruthless in their enmities, they are creatures of our 
 nature, and equally objects of his care." 
 
 Flaxen locks, that half covered a forehead and face across 
 which ran the most delicate tracery of veins, added lustre to 
 a skin as spotlessly fair as if the warm breezes of that latitude 
 had never fanned the countenance of the girl. Through 
 this maze of ringlets, the child turned her full, clear, blue 
 eyes, bending her looks, in wonder and in fear, on the dark 
 visage of the captive Indian youth, who at that moment was 
 to her a subject of secret horror. Unconscious of the inter- 
 est he excited, the lad stood calm, haughty, and seemingly 
 unobservant, cautious to let no sign of weakness or of con- 
 cern escape him, in this scene of womanly emotion. 
 
 "Mother," whispered the still wondering child, "may 
 we not let him go into the forest ? I do not love to ' ' 
 
 " This is no time for speech. Go to thy hiding-place, my 
 child, and remember both thy askings and the cautions I 
 have named. Go, and heavenly care protect thy innocent 
 head!" 
 
 Ruth again stooped, and bowing her face until the fea- 
 tures were lost in the rich tresses of her daughter, a moment 
 passed during which there was an eloquent silence. When 
 she arose, a tear glistened on the cheek of the child. The 
 latter had received the embrace more in apathy than in con- 
 cern ; and now, when, led towards the upper rooms, she 
 moved from the presence of her mother, it was with an eye 
 that never bent its riveted gaze from the features of the 
 young Indian, until the intervening walls hid him entirely 
 from her sight. 
 
 " Thou hast been thoughtful and like thyself, my good 
 Ruth," said Content, who at that moment entered, and who 
 
ZCbe TPOtept of Mtsb^on^TKUfsb 147 
 
 rewarded the self-command of his wife by a look of the 
 kindest approbation. "The youths have not been more 
 prompt in meeting the foe at the stockades, than thy maid- 
 ens in looking to their less hardy duties. All is again quiet 
 without ; and we come, now, rather for consultation, than 
 for any purposes of strife." 
 
 " Then must we summon our father from his post at the 
 artillery, in the block." 
 
 "It is not needful," interrupted the stranger. "Time 
 presses, for this calm may be too shortly succeeded by a 
 tempest that all our power shall not quell. Bring forth the 
 captive. ' ' 
 
 Content signed to the boy to approach, and when he was 
 in reach of his hand, he placed him full before the stranger. 
 
 " I know not thy name, nor even that of thy people," 
 commenced the other, after a long pause in which he seemed 
 to study deeply the countenance of the lad ; *' but certain 
 am I, though a more wicked spirit may still be struggling 
 for the mastery in thy wild mind, that nobleness of feeling 
 is no stranger in thy bosom. Speak ; hast thou aught to 
 impart concerning the danger that besets this family ? I 
 have learned much this night from thy manner, but to be 
 clearly understood, it is now time that thou shouldst speak 
 in words." 
 
 The youth kept his eye fastened on that of the speaker, 
 until the other had ended, and then he bent it slowly, but 
 with searching observation, on the anxious countenance of 
 Ruth. It seemed as if he balanced between his pride and 
 his sympathies. The latter prevailed ; for, conquering the 
 deep reluctance of an Indian, he spoke openly, and for the 
 first time since his captivity, in the language of the hated 
 race. 
 
 "I hear the whoops of warriors," was his calm answer. 
 "Have the ears of the pale-men been shut ? " 
 
 * ' Thou hast spoken with the young men of thy tribe in 
 the forest, and thou hadst knowledge of this onset ? ' ' 
 
 The youth made no reply, though the keen look of hi? 
 interrogator was met steadily, and without fear. Perceiving 
 that he had demanded more than would be answered, the 
 
148 ZTbe TKHept of 
 
 stranger changed his mode of investigation, masking his 
 inquiries with a little more of artifice. 
 
 ' ' It may not be that a great tribe is on the bloody path ! ' ' 
 he said ; ' ' warriors would have walked over the timbers of 
 the palisadoes like bending reeds ! 'T is a Pequot, who hath 
 broken faith with a Christian, and who is now abroad, 
 prowling as a wolf in the night. ' ' 
 
 A sudden and wild expression gleamed over the swarthy 
 features of the boy. His lips moved, and the words that 
 issued from between them were uttered in the tones of 
 biting scorn. Still he rather muttered than pronounced 
 aloud, 
 
 ' ' The Pequot is a dog ! ' ' 
 
 " It is as I had thought : the knaves are out of their vil- 
 lages, that the Yengeese may feed their squaws. But a 
 Narragansett, or a Wampanoag, is a man ; he scorns to lurk 
 in the darkness. When he comes, the sun will light his 
 path. The Pequot steals in silence, for he fears that the 
 warriors will hear his tread. ' ' 
 
 It was not easy to detect any evidence that the captive 
 listened, either to the commendation or the censure, with an- 
 swering sympathy ; for marble is not colder than were the 
 muscles of his unmoved countenance. 
 
 The stranger studied the expression of his features in vain, 
 and drawing so near as to lay his hand on the naked shoul- 
 der of the lad, he added, " Boy, thou rjast heard much mov- 
 ing matter concerning the nature of our Christian faith, and 
 thou hast been the subject of many a fervent asking ; it may 
 not be that so much good seed hath been altogether scat- 
 tered by the wayside ! Speak ; may I again trust thee ? ' ' 
 
 ' * Let my father look on the snow. The print of the moc- 
 casin goes and comes. ' ' 
 
 " It is true. Thus far hast thou proved honest. But when 
 the war-whoop shall be thrilling through thy young blood, 
 the temptation to join the warriors may be too strong. Hast 
 any gage, any pledge, in which we may find warranty for 
 letting thee depart?" 
 
 The boy regarded his interrogator with a look that plainly 
 denoted ignorance of his meaning. 
 
Wept of Mfsb^on^Wisb 149 
 
 " I would know what thou canst leave with me, to show 
 that our eyes shall again look upon thy face, when we have 
 opened the gate for thy passage into the fields." 
 
 Still the gaze of the other was wondering and con- 
 fused. 
 
 "When the white man goes upon the war-path, and 
 would put trust in his foe, he takes surety for his faith, by 
 holding the life of one dear as a warranty of its truth. What 
 canst offer, that I may know thou wilt return from the 
 errand on which I would fain send thee ? ' ' 
 
 "The path is open." 
 
 " Open, but not certain to be used. Fear may cause thee 
 to forget the way it leads. ' ' 
 
 The captive now understood the meaning of the other's 
 doubts, but, as if disdaining to reply, he bent his eyes aside, 
 and stood in one of those immovable attitudes which so often 
 gave him the air of a piece of dark statuary. 
 
 Content and his wife had listened to this short dialogue, 
 in a manner to prove that they possessed some secret 
 knowledge, which lessened the wonder they might other- 
 wise have felt, at witnessing so obvious proofs of a secret 
 acquaintance between the speakers. Both, however, mani- 
 fested unequivocal signs of astonishment, whan they first 
 heard English sounds issuing from the lips of the boy. There 
 was, at least, the semblance of hope in the mediation of one 
 who had received and who had appeared to acknowledge, 
 so much kindness from herself; and Ruth clung to the 
 cheering expectation with the quickness of maternal care. 
 
 " L,et the boy depart," she said. " I will be his hostage ; 
 and should he prove false, there can be less to fear in his 
 absence then in his presence. ' ' 
 
 The obvious truth of the latter assertion probably weighed 
 more with the stranger than the unmeaning pledge of the 
 woman. 
 
 " There is reason in this," he resumed. " Go, then, into 
 the fields, and say to thy people that they have mistaken the 
 path ; that they are on hath led them to the dwelling of a 
 friend. Here are no Pequots, nor any of the men of the 
 Manhattoes ; but Christian Yengeese, who have long dealt 
 
150 ttbe Wept of 
 
 with the Indian as one just man dealeth with another. 
 Go, and when thy signal shall be heard at the gate, it 
 shall be opened to thee for readmission. ' ' 
 
 Thus saying, the stranger motioned to the boy to follow, 
 taking care, as they left the room together, to instruct him 
 in all such minor matters as might assist in effecting the 
 pacific object of the mission on which he was employed. 
 
 A few minutes of doubt and of fearful suspense succeeded 
 this experiment. The stranger, after seeing that egress was 
 permitted to his messenger, had returned to the dwelling and 
 rejoined his companions. He passed the moments in pacing 
 the apartment, with the strides of one in whom powerful con- 
 cern was strongly at work. At times, the sound of his heavy 
 footsteps ceased, and then all listened intently, in order to 
 catch any sound that might instruct them in the nature of 
 the scene that was passing without. In the midst of one of 
 these pauses, a yell like that of savage delight arose in the 
 fields. It was succeeded by the death-like and portentous 
 calm which had rendered the time since the momentary at- 
 tack even more alarming than when the danger had a posi- 
 tive and known character. But all the attention the most 
 intense anxiety could now lend furnished no additional clue 
 to the movements of their foes. For many minutes the quiet 
 of midnight reigned both within and without the defences. 
 In the midst of this suspense the latch of the door was 
 lifted, and their messenger appeared with that noiseless 
 tread and collected mien which distinguish the people of his 
 race. 
 
 ' * Thou hast met the warriors of thy tribe ? ' ' hastily de- 
 manded the stranger. 
 
 ' ' The noise did not cheat the Yengeese. It was not a girl 
 laughing in the woods." 
 
 " And thou hast said to thy people, ' We are friends ' ? " 
 
 " The words of my father were spoken." 
 
 1 ' And heard ? were they loud enough to enter the ears of 
 the young men ? ' ' 
 
 The boy was silent. 
 
 "Speak," continued the stranger, elevating his form 
 proudly, like one ready to breast a more severe shock. 
 
ttbe Mept of Mtsb*Uon*Misb 151 
 
 " Thou hast men for thy listeners. Is the pipe of the 
 savage filled ? Will he smoke in peace, or holdeth he the 
 tomahawk in a clenched hand ? ' ' 
 
 The countenance of the boy worked with a feeling that 
 it was not usual for an Indian to betray. He bent his 
 look with concern on the mild eyes of the anxious Ruth ; 
 then drawing a hand slowly from beneath the light robe 
 that partly covered his body, he cast at the feet of the 
 stranger a bundle of arrows, wrapped in the glossy and 
 striped skin of the rattlesnake. 
 
 "This is a warning we may not misconceive!" said 
 Content, raising the well-known emblem of ruthless hos- 
 tility to the light, and exhibiting it before the eyes of his 
 less instructed companion. " Boy, what have the people of 
 my race done, that thy warriors should seek their blood to 
 this extremity ? ' ' 
 
 When the boy had discharged his duty he moved aside, 
 and appeared unwilling to observe the effect which his mes- 
 sage might produce on his companions. But thus ques- 
 tioned, all gentle feelings were near being forgotten in the 
 sudden force of passion. A hasty glance at Ruth quelled 
 the emotion, and he continued calm as ever, and silent. 
 
 "Boy," repeated Content, "I ask thee why thy people 
 seek our blood?" 
 
 The passage of the electric spark is not more subtle, 
 nor is it scarcely more brilliant than was the gleam that 
 shot into the dark eye of the Indian. The organ seemed 
 to emit rays coruscant as the glance of the serpent. His 
 form appeared to swell with the inward strivings of the 
 spirit, and for a moment there was every appearance of a 
 fierce and uncontrollable burst of ferocious passion. The 
 conquest of feeling was, however, but momentary. He 
 regained his self-command by a surprising effort of will, 
 and advancing so near to him who had asked this bold 
 question, as to lay a finger on his breast, the young savage 
 haughtily said, 
 
 "See ! this world is very wide. There is room on it for 
 the panther and the deer. Why have the Yengeese and the 
 redmen met ? ' ' 
 
152 Ube Mept of 
 
 1 ' We waste the precious moments in probing the stem 
 nature of a heathen," said the stranger. ''The object of 
 his people is certain, and, with the aid of the Christian's 
 staff, we will beat back their power. Prudence requireth at 
 our hands that the lad be secured ; after which, will we 
 repair to the stockades and prove ourselves men." 
 
 Against this proposal no reasonable objection could be 
 raised. Content was about to secure the person of his 
 captive in a cellar, when a suggestion of his wife caused 
 him to change his purpose. Notwithstanding the sudden 
 and fierce mien of the youth, there had been such an in- 
 telligence created between them by looks of kindness and 
 interest, that the mother was reluctant to abandon all hope 
 of his aid. 
 
 " Miantonimoh ! " she said, " though others distrust thy 
 purpose, I will have confidence. Come, then, with me ; 
 and while I give thee promise of safety in thine own per- 
 son, I ask at thy hands the office of a protector for my 
 babes." 
 
 The boy made no reply ; but as he passively followed his 
 conductress to the chambers, Ruth fancied she read assur- 
 ance of his faith in the expression of his eloquent eye. At 
 the same moment her husband and Submission left the house 
 to take their stations at the palisadoes. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 "Thou art my good youth ; my page ; 
 I '11 be thy master : walk with me; speak freely." 
 
 Cymbeline. 
 
 THE apartment in which Ruth had directed the chil- 
 dren to be placed was in the attic, and, as already 
 stated, on the side of the building which faced the 
 stream that ran at the foot of the hill. It had a 
 single projecting window, through which there was a view 
 of the forest and of the fields on that side of the valley. 
 Small openings in its sides admitted also of glimpses of the 
 grounds which lay farther in the rear. In addition to the 
 covering of the roofs, and of the massive frame-work of the 
 building, an interior partition of timber protected the place 
 against the entrance of most missiles then known in the 
 warfare of the country. During the infancy of the chil- 
 dren this room had been their sleeping apartment ; nor was 
 it abandoned for that purpose until the additional outworks, 
 which increased with time around the dwellings, had em- 
 boldened the family to trust themselves at night in situations 
 more convenient, and which were believed to be no less 
 equally secure against surprise. 
 
 ' ' I know thee to be one who feeleth the obligations of 
 a warrior," said Ruth, as she ushered her follower into the 
 presence of the children. "Thou wilt not deceive me; 
 the lives of these tender ones are in thy keeping. Look 
 to them, Miantonimoh, and the Christian's God will re- 
 member thee in thine own hour of necessity ! ' ' 
 
 The boy made no reply, but in a gentle expression which 
 was visible in his dark visage, the mother endeavored to find 
 
 s! 
 
... _ . - _ , 
 
 
 
 "\ ::.:: : tr: t 
 
 He 
 Mi 
 -- 
 
156 ZTbe Wept of 
 
 the garrison was now actively employed in resisting the 
 main attack. 
 
 * * In the name of Him who is with us in every danger ! ' ' 
 exclaimed Ruth, advancing to two figures that were so 
 busily engaged in their own concerns as not to heed her 
 approach, " tell me how goes the struggle? Where are rny 
 husband and the boy ? Or has it pleased Providence that 
 any of our people should be stricken ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' It hath pleased the devil, ' ' returned Eben Dudley, some- 
 what irreverently for one of that chastened school, " to send 
 an Indian arrow through jerkin and skin into this arm of 
 mine ! Softly, Faith ; dost think, girl, that the covering of 
 man is like the coat of a sheep, from which the fleece may 
 be plucked at will? I am no moulting fowl, nor is this 
 arrow a feather of my wing. The Lord forgive the rogue 
 for the ill turn he hath done my flesh, say I, and amen like 
 a Christian ! He will have occasion too for the mercy, see- 
 ing he hath nothing further to hope for in this world. Now, 
 Faith, I acknowledge the debt of thy kindness, and let there 
 be no more cutting speech between us. Thy tongue often 
 pricketh more sorety than the Indian's arrow." 
 
 ' ' Whose fault is it that old acquaintance hath sometimes 
 been overlooked in new conversations ? Thou knowest 
 that, wooed by proper speech, no maiden in the colony is 
 wont to render gentler answer. Dost feel uneasiness in 
 thine arm, Dudley ? ' ' 
 
 <0 Tis not tickling with a straw, to drive a flint-headed 
 arrow to the bone ! I forgive thee the matter of too much 
 discourse with the trooper, and all the side-cuts of thy over- 
 ambling tongue, on conditions that ' ' 
 
 * ' Out upon thee, brawler ! Wouldst be prating here the 
 night long on pretence of a broken skin, and the savage at 
 our gates ! A fine character will the madam render of thy 
 deeds when the other youths have beaten back the Indian, 
 and thou loitering among the buildings ! ' ' 
 
 The discomfited borderer was about to curse in his heart 
 the versatile humor of his mistress, when he saw, by a side 
 glance, that ears which had no concern in the subject had 
 liked to have shared in the matter of their discourse. 
 
Wept of Wtsb^Uon^TOisb 157 
 
 Seizing the weapon which was leaning against the founda- 
 tion of the block, he hurried past the mistress of the fam- 
 ily, and in another minute his voice and his musket were 
 again heard ringing in the uproar. 
 
 ' ' Does he bring tidings from the palisadoes ? ' ' repeated 
 Ruth, too anxious that the young man should return to 
 his post, to arrest his retreat. ' * What saith he of the 
 onset?" 
 
 "The savage hath suffered for his boldness, and little 
 harm hath yet come to our people. Except that yon block 
 of a man hath managed to put arm before the passage of 
 an arrow, I know not that any of our people have been 
 harmed. ' ' 
 
 " Hearken ! they retire, Faith. The yells are less near, 
 and our young men will prevail ! Go thou to thy charge 
 among the piles of the fuel, and see that no lurker remain- 
 eth to do injury. The Lord hath remembered mercy, and 
 it may yet arrive that this evil shall pass away from before 
 us!" 
 
 The quick ear of Ruth had not deceived her. The 
 tumult of the assault was gradually receding from the 
 works, and though the flashings of the muskets and the 
 bellowing reports that rang in the surrounding forest were 
 not less frequent than before, it was plain that the critical 
 moment of the onset was already past. In place of the 
 fierce effort to carry the stockade by surprise, the savages 
 had now resorted to means that were more methodical, 
 and which, though not so appalling in appearance, were 
 perhaps quite as certain of final success. Ruth profited by 
 a momentary cessation in the flight of the missiles, to seek 
 those in whose welfare she had placed her chief concern. 
 
 " Has other than brave Dudley suffered by this assault? " 
 demanded the anxious wife, as she passed swiftly among a 
 group of dusky figures that were collected in consultation 
 on the brow of the declivity ; ' ' has any need of such care 
 as a woman's hand may bestow? Heathcote, thy person 
 is unharmed ! ' ' 
 
 " Truly, One of great mercy hath watched over it, for 
 little opportunity hath been given to look to our own 
 
158 Ube nmept of 
 
 safety. I fear that some of our young men have not re 
 garded the covers with the attention that prudence requires. ' ' 
 
 " The thoughtless Mark hath forgotten my admoni- 
 tions ! Boy, thou hast never lost sight of duty so far as 
 to precede thy father ? ' ' 
 
 "One sees or thinks but little of the redskins when the 
 whoop is ringing among the timbers of the palisadoes, 
 mother," returned the boy, dashing his hand across his 
 brow, in order that the drops of blood which were trick- 
 ling from a furrow left by the passage of an arrow might 
 not be seen. ' ' I have kept near my father, but whether 
 in his front or in his rear the darkness hath not permitted 
 me to note." 
 
 "The lad hath behaved in a bold and seemly manner," 
 said the stranger ; ' ' and he hath shown the metal of his 
 grandsire's stock. Ha ! what is 't we see gleaming among 
 the sheds ? A sortie may be needed to save the granaries 
 and thy folds from destruction ! ' ' 
 
 "To the barns! to the barns!" shouted two of the 
 youths, from their several lookouts. * * The brand is in the 
 buildings ! " exclaimed a maiden, who discharged a similar 
 duty under cover of the dwellings. Then followed a dis- 
 charge of muskets, all of which were levelled at the glanc- 
 ing light that was glaring in fearful proximity to the 
 combustible materials which filled the most of the out- 
 buildings. A savage yell, and a sudden extinguishment of 
 the blazing knot, announced the fatal accuracy of the aim. 
 
 "This may not be neglected!" exclaimed Content, 
 moved to extraordinary excitement by the extremity of the 
 danger. " Father ! " he called aloud, " 't is fitting time to 
 show our utmost strength." 
 
 A moment of suspense succeeded this summons. The 
 whole valley was then as suddenly lighted as if a torrent 
 of the electric fluid had flashed across its gloomy bed ; a 
 sheet of flame glanced from the attic of the block, and 
 then came the roar of the little piece of artillery, which 
 had so long dwelt there in silence. The rattling of a shot 
 among the sheds, and the rending of timber followed. 
 Fifty dark forms were seen by the momentary light gliding 
 
Ube IKHept of Mteb*ITotWlKIUsb 159 
 
 from among the out-buildings, in an alarm natural to their 
 ignorance, and with an agility proportioned to their alarm. 
 The moment was propitious. Content silently motioned to 
 Reuben Ring ; they passed the postern together, and disap- 
 peared in the direction of the barns. The period of their 
 absence was one of intense care to Ruth, and it was not 
 without its anxiety even to those whose nerves were bettei 
 steeled. A few moments, however, served to appease these 
 feelings ; for the adventurers returned in safety and as 
 silently as they had quitted the defences. The trampling 
 of feet on the crust of the snow, the neighing of horses, 
 and the bellowing of frightened cattle, as the terrified beasts 
 scattered about the fields, soon proclaimed the object of the 
 risk which had just been run. 
 
 " Enter," whispered Ruth, who held the postern with 
 her own hand. "Knter, of Heaven's mercy! Thou hast 
 given liberty to every hoof, that no living creature perish 
 by the flames?" 
 
 ' ' All ; and truly not too speedily for, see the brand 
 is again at work ! " 
 
 Content had much reason to felicitate himself on his ex- 
 pedition ; for even while he spoke, half-concealed torches, 
 made as usual of blazing knots of pine, were again seen 
 glancing across the fields, evidently approaching the out- 
 buildings, by such indirect and covered paths as might pro- 
 tect those who bore them from the shot of the garrison. 
 A final and common effort was made to arrest the danger. 
 The muskets of the young men were active, and more than 
 once did the citadel of the stern old Puritan give forth 
 its flood and flame, in order to beat back the dangerous vis- 
 itants. A few shrieks of savage disappointment and of 
 bodily anguish announced the success of these discharges ; 
 but though most of those who approached the barns were 
 either driven back in fear or suffered for their temerity 
 one among them, more wary or more practised than his 
 companions, found means to effect his object. The firing 
 had ceased, and the besieged were congratulating them- 
 selves on success, when a sudden light glared across the 
 fields. A sheet of flame soon came curling over the crest 
 
160 TTfoe Wept of 
 
 of a wheat-stack, and quickly wrapped the inflammable 
 material in its fierce torrent. Against this destruction there 
 remained no remedy. The barns and inclosures, which so 
 lately had been lying in the darkness of the hour, were in- 
 stantly illuminated, and life would have been the penalty 
 paid by any of either party who should dare to trust his 
 person within the bright glare. The borderers were soon 
 compelled to fall back, even within the shadows of the hill, 
 and to seek such covers as the stockades offered, in order to 
 avoid the aim of the arrow or the bullet. 
 
 "This is a mournful spectacle to one that has harvested 
 in charity with all men," said Content to the trembler who 
 convulsively clasped his arm, as the flame whirled in the 
 currents of the heated air, and sweeping once or twice 
 across the roof of a shed, left a portion of its torrent creeping 
 insidiously along the wooden covering. ' * The in-gathering 
 of a blessed season is about to melt into ashes before the 
 brand of these accur " 
 
 " Peace, Heathcote ! What is wealth, or the fulness of 
 thy granaries, to that which remains ? Check these repin- 
 ings of thy spirit, and bless God that He leaveth us our 
 babes, and the safety of our inner roofs. ' ' 
 
 ' c Thou sayest truly, ' ' returned the husband, endeavoring 
 to imitate the meek resignation of his companion. " What 
 indeed are the gifts of the world, set in the balance against 
 the peace of mind ha ! that evil blast of wind sealeth 
 the destruction of our harvest ! The fierce element is in the 
 heart of the graneries." 
 
 Ruth made no reply, for though less moved by worldly 
 cares than her husband, the frightful progress of the con- 
 flagration alarmed her with a sense of personal danger. 
 The flames had passed from roof to roof, and meeting 
 everywhere with fuel of the most combustible nature, the 
 whole of the vast range of barns, sheds, granaries, cribs, 
 and out-buildings was just breaking forth in the brightness 
 of a torrent of fire. Until this moment, suspense, with 
 hope on one side and apprehension on the other, had kept 
 both parties mute spectators of the scene. But yells of 
 triumph soon proclaimed the delight with which the Indians 
 
ZTbe Mept of 'Misb^on^miBb 161 
 
 witnessed the completion of their fell design. The whoops 
 followed this burst of pleasure, and a third onset was made. 
 
 The combatants now fought under a brightness which, 
 though less natural, was scarcely less brilliant than that of 
 noonday. Stimulated by the prospect of success which 
 was offered by the conflagration, the savages rushed upon 
 the stockade with more audacity than it was usual to dis- 
 play in their cautious warfare. A broad shadow was cast, 
 by the hill and its buildings, across the fields on the side 
 opposite to the flames, and through this belt of comparative 
 gloom the fiercest of the band made their way to the very 
 palisadoes with impunity. Their presence was announced 
 by the yell of delight, for too many curious eyes had been 
 drinking in the fearful beauty of the conflagration to note 
 their approach until the attack had nearly proved success- 
 ful. The rushes to the defence and to the attack were 
 now alike quick and headlong. Volleys were useless, for 
 the timbers offered equal security to both assailant and 
 assailed. It was a struggle of hand to hand, in which num- 
 bers would have prevailed, had it not been the good for- 
 tune of the weaker party to act on the defensive. Blows 
 of the knife were passed swiftly between the timbers, and 
 occasionally the discharge of the musket, or the twanging 
 of the bow, was heard. 
 
 * ' Stand to the timbers, my men ! ' ' said the deep tones 
 of the stranger, who spoke in the midst of the fierce strug- 
 gle with that commanding and stirring cheerfulness that 
 familiarity with danger can alone inspire. " Stand to the 
 defences, and they are impassable. Ha ! 'twas well meant, 
 friend savage," he muttered between his teeth, as he par- 
 ried, at some jeopardy to one hand, a thrust aimed at his 
 throat, while with the other he seized the warrior who had 
 inflicted the blow, and drawing his naked breast, with the 
 power of a giant, full against the opening between the tim- 
 bers, he buried his own keen blade to its haft in the body. 
 The eyes of the victim rolled wildly, and when the iron 
 hand which bound him to the wood with the power of a 
 vice loosened its grasp, he fell motionless on the earth. 
 This death was succeeded by .the usual yell of disappoint' 
 
162 ZTbe Wept of 
 
 ment, and the assailants disappeared as swiftly as they had 
 approached. 
 
 "God be praised that we have to rejoice in this advan- 
 tage ! ' ' said Content, enumerating the individuals of his 
 force, wi^h an anxious eye, when all were again assembled 
 at the stand on the hill, where, favored by the glaring light, 
 they could overlook in comparative security the more ex- 
 posed parts of their defences. " We count our own, though 
 I fear me many may have suffered." 
 
 The silence and the occupations of his listeners, most of 
 whom were stanching their blood, was a sufficient an- 
 swer. 
 
 " Hist, father ! " said the quick- eyed and observant Mark ; 
 ' ' one remaineth on the palisado nearest the wicket. Is it a 
 savage ? or do I see a stump in the field beyond ? ' ' 
 
 All eyes followed the direction of the hand of the 
 speaker, and there was seen, of a certainty, something 
 clinging to the inner side of one of the timbers, that bore 
 a marked resemblance to the human form. The part of the 
 stockades where the seeming figure clung lay more in ob- 
 scurity than the rest of the defences, and doubts as to its 
 character were not alone confined to the quick-sighted lad 
 who had first detected its presence. 
 
 " Who hangs upon our palisadoes ? " called Eben Dudley. 
 " Speak, that we do not harm a friend ! " 
 
 The wood itself was not more immovable than the dark 
 object, until the report of the borderer's musket was heard, 
 and then it came tumbling to the earth like an insensible 
 mass. 
 
 ' * Fallen like a stricken bear from his tree ! Life was in 
 it, or no bullet of mine could have loosened the hold ! ' ' 
 exclaimed Dudley, a little in exultation, as he saw the suc- 
 cess of his aim. 
 
 ' * I will go forward, and see that he is past ' ' 
 
 The mouth of young Mark was stopped by the hand of 
 the stranger, who calmly observed, 
 
 " I will look into the fate of the heathen, myself." He 
 was about to proceed to the spot, when the supposed dead 
 or wounded man sprang to his feet, with a yell that rang in 
 
Ufoe Mept of Wub^ZToiVQfltteb 163 
 
 echoes along the margin of the forest, and bounded towards 
 the cover of the buildings with high and active leaps. Two 
 or three muskets sent their streaks of flame across his path, 
 but seemingly without success. Jumping in a manner to 
 elude the certainty of their fire, the unharmed savage gave 
 forth another yell of triumph, and disappeared among the 
 angles of the dwellings. His cries were understood, for 
 answering whoops were heard in the fields, and the foe 
 without again rallied to the attack. 
 
 ' * This may not be neglected, ' ' said he who, more by 
 his self-possession and air of authority, than by any known 
 right to command, had insensibly assumed so much control 
 in the important business of that night. "One like this, 
 within our walls, may quickly bring destruction on the gar- 
 rison. The postern may be opened to an inroad " 
 
 "A triple lock secures it," interrupted Content. "The 
 key is hid where none know to seek it, other than such as 
 are of our household." 
 
 ' ' And happily the means of passing the private wicket 
 are in my possession," muttered the other in an under-tone. 
 " So far, well ; but the brand ! the brand ! the maidens must 
 look to the fires and lights, while the youths make good the 
 stockade, since this assault admitteth not of further delay." 
 
 So saying, the stranger gave an example of courage by 
 proceeding to his stand at the pickets, where, supported by 
 his companions, he continued to defend the approaches 
 against a discharge of arrows and bullets that was more 
 distant, but scarcely less dangerous to the safety of those 
 who showed themselves on the side of the acclivity, than 
 those which had been previously showered upon the gar- 
 rison. 
 
 In the meantime Ruth summoned her assistants, and 
 hastened to discharge the duty which had just been pre- 
 scribed. Water was cast freely on all the fires, and, as the 
 still raging conflagration continued to give far more light 
 than was either necessary or safe, care was taken to extin- 
 guish any torch or candle that, in the hurry of alarm, 
 might have been left to moulder in its socket, throughout 
 the extensive range of the dwellings and the offices. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " Thou mild, sad mother 
 
 Quit him not so soon ! 
 Mother, in mercy, stay ! 
 
 Despair and death are with him ; and canst thou, 
 With that kind, earthward look, go leave him now ? " 
 
 DANA. 
 
 WHEN these precautions were taken, the females 
 returned to their several lookouts, and Ruth, 
 whose duty it was in moments of danger to 
 exercise a general superintendence, was left 
 to her meditations and to such watchfulness as her fears 
 might excite. Quitting the inner rooms, she approached 
 the door that communicated with the court, and for a mo- 
 ment lost the recollection of her immediate cares in a view 
 of the imposing scene by which she was surrounded. 
 
 By this time, the whole of the vast range of out-buildings, 
 which had been constructed as was usual in the colonies 
 of the most combustible materials and with no regard to the 
 expenditure of wood, was wrapped in fire. Notwithstand- 
 ing the position of the intermediate edifices, broad flashes 
 of light were constantly crossing the court itself, on whose 
 surface she was able to distinguish the smallest object, 
 while the heavens above her were glaring with a lurid red. 
 Through the openings between the buildings of the quad- 
 rangle, the eye could look out upon the fields, where she 
 saw every evidence of a sullen intention on the part of the 
 savages to persevere in their object. Dark, fierce-looking, 
 and nearly naked human forms were seen flitting from cover 
 to cover, while there was no stump nor log within arrow' s- 
 flight of the defences, that did not protect the person of a 
 
Ube TOept of Wteb^orWlKflteb 165 
 
 daring and indefatigable enemy. It was plain the Indians 
 were there in hundreds, and as the assaults continued after 
 the failure of a surprise, it was too evident that they were bent 
 on victory, at some hazard to themselves. No usual means 
 of adding to the horror of the scene were neglected. Whoops 
 and yells were incessantly ringing around the place, while 
 the loud and often-repeated tones of a conch betrayed the 
 artifice by which the savages had so often endeavored, in 
 the earlier part of the night, to lure the garrison out of 
 the palisadoes. A few scattering shot, discharged with delib- 
 eration and from every exposed point within the works, pro- 
 claimed both the coolness and the vigilance of the defen- 
 dants. The little gun in the block-house was silent ; for the 
 Puritan knew too well its real power to lessen its reputation 
 by a too frequent use. The weapon was therefore reserved 
 for those moments of pressing danger that would be sure to 
 arrive. 
 
 On this spectacle Ruth gazed in fearful sadness. The 
 long-sustained and sylvan security of her abode was vio- 
 lently destroyed, and in the place of a quiet which had ap- 
 proached as near as may be on earth to that holy peace for 
 which her spirit strove, she and all she most loved were 
 suddenly confronted to the , most frightful exhibition of 
 human horrors. In such a moment, the feelings of a mother 
 were likely to revive ; and ere time was given for reflection, 
 aided by the light of the conflagration, the matron was 
 moving swiftly through the intricate passages of the dwell- 
 ing, in quest of those whom she had placed in the security 
 of the chambers. 
 
 ' ' Thou hast remembered to avoid looking on the fields, 
 my children?" said the nearly breathless woman as she 
 entered the room. ' ' Be thankful, babes ; hitherto the efforts 
 of the savages have been vain, and we still remain masters 
 of our habitations." 
 
 ' * Why is the night so red ? Come hither, mother ; thou 
 mayst look into the wood as if the sun were shining ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' The heathens have fired our granaries, and what thou 
 seest is the light of the flames. But happily they cannot put 
 brand into the dwellings, while thy father and the young 
 
166 tTbe Wept oi 
 
 men stand to their weapons. We must be grateful for this 
 security, frail as it seemeth. Thou hast knelt, my Ruth, 
 and hast remembered to think of thy father and brother in 
 thy prayers ? ' ' 
 
 " I will do so again, mother," whispered the child, bend- 
 ing to her knees, and wrapping her young features in the 
 garments of the matron. 
 
 ' ' Why hide thy countenance ? One young and innocent 
 as thou may lift thine eyes to Heaven with confidence." 
 
 " Mother, I see the Indian unless my face be hid. He 
 looketh at me, I fear, with wish to do us harm." 
 
 "Thou art not just to Miantonimoh, child," answered 
 Ruth, as she glanced her eye rapidly round to seek the boy, 
 who had modestly withdrawn into a remote and shaded corner 
 of the room. " I left him with thee for a guardian, and not 
 as one who would wish to injure. Now think of thy God, 
 child," imprinting a kiss on the cold, marble-like forehead 
 of her daughter, ' ' and have reliance in his goodness. Mian- 
 tonimoh, I again leave you with a charge to be their 
 protector," she added, quitting her daughter and advancing 
 towards the youth. 
 
 " Mother ! " shrieked the child, " come to me, or I die ! " 
 
 Ruth turned from the listening captive with the quickness 
 of instinct. A glance showed her the jeopardy of her off- 
 spring. A naked savage, dark, powerful of frame, and fierce 
 in the frightful masquerade of his war-paint, stood winding 
 the silken hair of the girl in one hand, while he already held 
 the glittering axe above a head that seemed inevitably 
 devoted to destruction. 
 
 " Mercy ! mercy ! " exclaimed Ruth, hoarse with horror, 
 and dropping to her knees, as much from inability to stand 
 as with intent to petition. " Monster, strike me ; but spare 
 the child!" 
 
 The eyes of the Indian rolled over the person of the 
 speaker, but it was with an expression that seemed rather 
 to enumerate the number of his victims than to announce 
 any change of purpose. With a fiend-like coolness that 
 bespoke much knowledge of the ruthless practice, he again 
 swung the quivering but speechless child in the air, and 
 
Mept of Wfsb^UotWlKIiteb 167 
 
 prepared to direct the weapon with a fell certainty of aim. 
 The tomahawk had made its last circuit, and an instant 
 would have decided the fate of the victim, when the captive 
 boy stood in front of the frightful actor in this revolting 
 scene. By a quick forward movement of his arm, the blow 
 was arrested. The deep guttural ejaculation which betrays 
 the surprise of an Indian broke from the chest of the savage, 
 while his hand fell to his side, and the form of the suspended 
 girl was suffered again to touch the floor. The look and 
 gesture with which the boy had interfered, expressed authority 
 rather than resentment or horror. His air was calm , collected , 
 and, as it appeared by the effect, imposing. 
 
 " Go," he said in the language of the fierce people from 
 whom he had sprung ; "the warriors of the pale-men are 
 calling thee by name." 
 
 " The snow is red with the blood of our young men," 
 the other fiercely answered ; ' ' and not a scalp is at the belt 
 of my people. ' ' 
 
 "These are mine," returned the boy with dignity, sweep- 
 ing his arm while speaking, in a manner to show that he 
 extended protection to all present. 
 
 The warrior gazed about him grimly, and like one but 
 half-convinced. He had incurred a danger too fearful in 
 entering the stockade, to be easily diverted from his purpose. 
 
 "Listen! "he continued, after a short pause, during 
 which the artillery of the Puritan had again bellowed in 
 the uproar without. " The thunder is with the Yengeese ! 
 Our young women will look another way, and call us 
 Pequots, should there be no scalps on our pole. ' ' 
 
 For a single moment the countenance of the boy changed, 
 and his resolution seemed to waver. The other, who watched 
 his eyes with longing eagerness, again seized his victim by 
 the hair, when Ruth shrieked in the accents of despair, 
 
 " Boy ! boy ! if them art not with us God, hath deserted 
 us!" 
 
 "She is mine," burst fiercely from the lips of the lad. 
 * ' Hear my words, Wompahwisset : the blood of my father 
 is very warm within me." 
 
 The other paused and the blow was once more suspended. 
 
1 68 Ube Wept ot 
 
 The glaring eye-balls of the savage rested intently on the 
 swelling form and stern countenance of the young hero, 
 whose uplifted hand appeared to menace instant punishment, 
 should he dare to disregard the mediation. The lips of the 
 warrior severed, and the word " Miantonimoh " was uttered 
 as softly as if it recalled a feeling of sorrow. Then, as a 
 burst of yells rose above the roar of the conflagration, the 
 fierce Indian turned in his tracks, and abandoning the 
 trembling and nearly insensible child, he bounded away like 
 a hound loosened on a fresh scent of blood. 
 
 " Boy ! boy !" murmured the mother ; ''heathen or Chris- 
 tian, there is one that will bless thee ' ' 
 
 A rapid gesture of the hand interrupted the fervent ex- 
 pression of her gratitude. Pointing after the form of the 
 retreating savage, the lad encircled his own head with a 
 finger, in a manner that could not be mistaken, as he uttered 
 steadily, but with the deep emphasis of an Indian, 
 
 ' ' The young pale-face has a scalp ! ' ' 
 
 Ruth heard no more. With instinctive rapidity, every 
 feeling of her soul quickened nearly to agony, she rushed 
 below, in order to warn Mark against the machinations of so 
 fearful an enemy. Her step was heard but for a moment in 
 the vacant chambers, and then the Indian boy, whose stead- 
 iness and authority had just been so signally exerted in 
 favor of the children, resumed his attitude of meditation as 
 quietly as if he took no further interest in the frightful events 
 of the night. 
 
 The situation of the garrison was now, indeed, to the last 
 degree critical. A torrent of fire had passed from the further 
 extremity of the out-houses to that which stood nearest to 
 the defences ; and as building after building melted beneath 
 its raging power, the palisadoes became heated nearly to the 
 point of ignition. The alarm created by this imminent 
 danger had already been given, and when Ruth issued into 
 the court a female was rushing past her seemingly on some 
 errand of the last necessity. 
 
 ' ' Hast seen him ? ' ' demanded the breathless mother, 
 arresting the steps of the quick-moving girl. 
 
 ' ' Not since the savage made his last onset ; but I war- 
 
Mept of Misb^on^Wisb 169 
 
 rant me he may be found near the western loop, making 
 good the works against the enemy ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' Surely he is not foremost in the fray ! Of whom 
 speakest thou, Faith ? I questioned thee of Mark. There 
 is one, even now, raging within the pickets, seeking a 
 victim." 
 
 ' ' Truly, I thought it had been question of the boy is 
 with his father and the stranger soldier, who does such deeds 
 of valor in our behalf. I have seen no enemy within the 
 palisadoes, Madam Heathcote, since the entry of the man 
 who escaped, by favor of the powers of darkness, from the 
 shot of Eben Dudley's musket." 
 
 " And is this evil like to pass from us," resumed Ruth, 
 breathing more freely, as she learned the safety of her son, 
 ' ' or does Providence veil its face in anger ? ' ' 
 
 " We keep our own, though the savage hath pressed the 
 young men to extremity. Oh ! it gladdened heart to see 
 how brave a guard Reuben Ring and others near him made 
 in our behalf. I do think me, Madam Heathcote, that after 
 all there is real manhood in the brawler Dudley ! Truly, 
 the youth hath done marvels in the way of exposure and 
 resistance. Twenty times this night have I expected to see 
 him slain." 
 
 "And he that lieth there?" half- whispered the alarmed 
 Ruth, pointing to a spot near them, where, aside from the 
 movements of those who still acted in the bustle of the 
 combat, one lay stretched on the earth " who hath fallen ? " 
 
 The cheek of Faith blanched to a whiteness that nearly 
 equalled that of the linen, which, even in the hurry of such 
 a scene, some friendly hand had found leisure to throw in 
 decent sadness over the form. 
 
 "That!" said the faltering girl ; "though hurt and 
 bleeding, my brother Reuben surely keepeth the loop at 
 the western angle ; nor is Whittal wanting in sufficient 
 sense to take heed of danger. This may not be the stran- 
 ger, for under the covers of the postern breast-work he 
 holdeth counsel with the young captain." 
 
 "Art certain, girl?" 
 
 "I saw them both within the minute. Would to God 
 
170 Ube TKHept of Misb^otWIKIlisb 
 
 we could hear the shcut of noisy Dudley, Madam Heath- 
 cote ; his cry cheereth the heart, in a moment awful as 
 this ! " 
 
 " 14ft the cloth," said Ruth, with calm solemnity, " that 
 we may know which of our friends hath been called to the 
 great account." 
 
 Faith hesitated ; and when by a powerful effort, in 
 which secret interest had as deep an influence as obedience, 
 she did comply, it was with a sort of desperate resolution. 
 On raising the linen, the eyes of the two women rested on 
 the pallid countenance of one who had been transfixed by 
 an iron-headed arrow. The girl dropped the linen, and in 
 a voice that sounded like a burst of hysterical feeling, she 
 exclaimed, 
 
 " 'T is but the youth that came lately among us ! We 
 are spared the loss of any ancient friend." 
 
 ' ' 'T is one who died for our safety. I would give largely 
 of this world's comforts, that this calamity might not have 
 been, or that greater leisure for the last fearful reckoning 
 had been accorded. But we may not lose the moments in 
 mourning. Hie thee, girl, and sound the alarm that a sav- 
 age lurketh within our walls, and that he skulketh in quest 
 of a secret blow. Bid all be wary. If the young Mark 
 should cross thy path, speak to him twice of this danger ; 
 the child hath a froward spirit, and may not hearken to 
 words uttered in too great hurry." 
 
 With this charge Ruth quitted her maiden. While the 
 latter proceeded to give the necessary notice, the other 
 sought the spot where she had just learned there was reason 
 to believe her husband might be found. 
 
 Content and the stranger were in fact met in consultation 
 over the danger which threatened destruction to their most 
 important means of defence. The savages themselves 
 appeared to be conscious that the flames were working in 
 their favor ; for their efforts sensibly slackened, and having 
 already severely suffered in their attempts to annoy the 
 garrison, they had fallen back to their covers, and awaited 
 the moment when their practised cunning should tell them 
 they might, with more flattering promises of success, again 
 
Ube Wept of Misb^on^lKIlisb 171 
 
 rally to the onset. A brief explanation served to make Ruth 
 acquainted with the imminent jeopardy of their situation. 
 Under the sense of a more appalling danger she lost the rec- 
 ollection of her former purpose, and with a contracted and 
 sorrowing eye she stood like her companions, in impotent 
 helplessness, an entranced spectator of the progess of the 
 destruction. 
 
 * ' A soldier should not waste words in useless plaints, ' ' 
 observed the stranger, folding his arms like one who was 
 conscious that human efforts could do no more, ' ' else should 
 I say, 'tis pity that he who drew yon line of stockade hath 
 not remembered the uses of the ditch." 
 
 11 1 will summon the maidens to the wells," said Ruth. 
 
 "'T will not avail us. The arrow would be among them, 
 nor could mortal long endure the heat of yon glowing 
 furnace. Thou seest that the timbers already smoke and 
 blacken under its fierceness." 
 
 The stranger was still speaking, when a small, quivering 
 flame played on the corners of the palisado nearest the 
 burning pile. The element fluttered like a waving line 
 along the edges of the heated wood, after which it spread 
 over the whole surface of the timber, from its larger base to 
 the pointed summit. As if this had merely been the signal 
 of a general destruction, the flames kindled in fifty places 
 at the same instant, and then the whole line of the stockade, 
 nearest the conflagration, was covered with fire. A yell of 
 triumph arose in the field, and a flight of arrows, sailing 
 tauntingly into the works, announced the fierce impatience 
 of those who watched the increase of the conflagration. 
 
 ' ' We shall be driven to our block, ' ' said Content. ' ' As- 
 semble thy maidens, Ruth, and make speedy preparation for 
 the last retreat." 
 
 " I go ; but hazard not thy life in any vain endeavor to 
 retard the flames. There will yet be time for all that is 
 needful to our security." 
 
 "I know not," hurriedly observed the stranger. ''Here 
 cometh the assault in a new aspect ! ' * 
 
 The feet of Ruth were arrested. On looking upwards she 
 saw the object which had drawji this remark from the last 
 
172 Ube Mept of 
 
 speaker. A small bright ball of fire had arisen out of the 
 fields, and, describing an arc in the air, it sailed above their 
 heads and fell on the shingles of a building which formed 
 part of the quadrangle of the inner court. The movement 
 was that of an arrow thrown from a distant bow, and its way 
 was to be traced by a long trail of light, that followed its 
 course like a blazing meteor. This burning arrow had been 
 sent with a cool and practised judgment. It lighted upon a 
 portion of the combustibles that was nearly as inflammable 
 as gunpowder, and the eye had scarcely succeeded in tra- 
 cing it to its fall, ere the bright flames were seen stealing 
 over the heated roof. 
 
 * ' One struggle for our habitations ! ' ' cried Content but 
 the hand of the stranger was placed firmly on his shoulder. 
 At that instant a dozen similar meteor-looking balls shot 
 into the air, and fell in as many different places on the 
 already half-kindled pile. Further efforts would have been 
 useless. Relinquishing the hope of saving his property, 
 every thought was now given to personal safety. 
 
 Ruth recovered from her short trance, and hastened with 
 hurried steps to perform her well-known office. Then came 
 a few minutes of exertion, during which the females trans- 
 ferred all that was necessary to their subsistence, and which 
 had not been already provided in the block, to their citadel. 
 The glowing light, which penetrated the darkest passages 
 among the buildings, prevented this movement from being 
 made without discovery. The whoop summoned their ene- 
 mies to another attack. The arrows thickened in the air, 
 and the important duty was not performed without risk, as 
 all were obliged, in some degree, to expose their persons, 
 while passing to and fro, loaded with necessaries. The 
 gathering smoke, however, served in some measure for a 
 screen ; and it was not long before Content received the wel- 
 come tidings that he might command the retreat of his young 
 men from the palisadoes. The conch sounded the necessary 
 signal, and ere the foe had time to understand its meaning, 
 or profit by the defenceless state of the works, every individ- 
 ual within them had reached the door of the block in safety. 
 Still, there was more of hurry and confusion than altogether 
 
Ube Kftept of Mtsb^on^TKHtsb 173 
 
 comported with their safety. They who were assigned to 
 that duty, however, mounted eagerly to the loops, and stood 
 in readiness to pour out their fire on whoever might dare to 
 come within its reach, while a few still lingered in the court, 
 to see that no necessary provision for resistance, or of safety, 
 was forgotten. Ruth had been foremost in exertion, and she 
 now stood pressing her hands to her temples, like one whose 
 mind was bewildered by her own efforts. 
 
 "Our fallen friend!" she said. "Shall we leave his 
 remains to be mangled by the savage ? ' ' 
 
 " Surely not ; Dudley, thy hand. We will bear the body 
 within the lower ha ! death hath struck another of our 
 family." 
 
 The alarm with which Content made this discovery passed 
 quickly to all in hearing. It was but too apparent, by the 
 shape of the linen, that two bodies lay beneath its folds. 
 Anxious and rapid looks were cast from face to face, in order 
 to learn who was missing ; and then, conscious of the haz- 
 ard of further delay, Content raised the linen, in order to 
 remove all doubts of certainty. The form of the young 
 borderer, who was known to have fallen, was first slowly 
 and reverently uncovered ; but even the most self-restrained 
 among the spectators started back in horror, as his robbed 
 and reeking head showed that a savage hand had worked its 
 ruthless will on the unresisting corpse. 
 
 " The other ! " Ruth struggled to say, and it was only as 
 her husband had half removed the linen that she could 
 succeed in uttering the words, ' ' Beware the other ! ' ' 
 
 The warning was not useless, for the linen waved vio- 
 lently as it rose under the hand of Content, and a grim 
 Indian sprang into the very centre of the startled group. 
 Sweeping his armed hand wildly about him, the savage 
 broke through the receding circle, and giving forth the ap- 
 palling whoop of his tribe, he bounded into the open door 
 of the principal dwelling, so swiftly as utterly to defeat any 
 design of pursuit. The arms of Ruth were frantically ex- 
 tended towards the place where he had disappeared, and she 
 was about to rush madly on his footsteps, when the hand of 
 her husband stopped the movement. 
 
174 tTbe Mept of 
 
 " Wouldst hazard life to save some worthless trifle ? " 
 
 " Husband, release me ! " returned the woman, nearly 
 choked with her agony ; ' ' nature hath slept within me. ' ' 
 
 " Fear blindeth thy reason ! " 
 
 The form of Ruth ceased to struggle. All the madness 
 which had been glaring wildly about her eyes disappeared 
 in the settled look of an almost preternatural calm. Col- 
 lecting the whole of her mental energy in one desperate effort 
 of self-command, she turned to her husband, and, as her 
 bosom swelled with the terror that seemed to stop her 
 breath, she said in a voice that was frightful by its com- 
 posure, 
 
 "If thou hast a father's heart, release me. Our babes 
 have been forgotten ! ' ' 
 
 The hand of Content relaxed its hold, and, in another in- 
 stant, the form of his wife was lost to view on the track that 
 had just been taken by the successful savage. This was the 
 luckless moment chosen by the foe to push his advantage. 
 A fierce burst of yells proclaimed the activity of the assail- 
 ants, and a general discharge from the loops of the block- 
 house sufficiently apprised those in the court that the onset 
 of the enemy was now pushed into the very heart of the 
 defences. All had mounted, but the few who lingered to 
 discharge the melancholy duty to the dead. They were too 
 few to render resistance prudent, and yet too many to think 
 of deserting the distracted mother and her offspring without 
 an effort. 
 
 " Enter," said Content, pointing to the door of the block. 
 " It is my duty to share the fate of those nearest my blood." 
 
 The stranger made no answer. Placing his powerful 
 hands on the nearly stupefied husband, he thrust his person, 
 by an irresistible effort, within the basement of the building, 
 and then he signed, by a quick gesture, for all around him 
 to follow. After the last form had entered, he commanded 
 that the fastenings of the door should be secured, remaining 
 himself, as he believed, alone without. But when by a 
 rapid glance he saw there was another gazing in dull awe on 
 the' features of the fallen man, it was too late to rectify the 
 mistake. Yells were now rising out the black smoke that 
 
Ube TKftept ot Misb^ZTon^Mteb 175 
 
 was rolling in volumes from the heated buildings, and it 
 was plain that only a few feet divided them from their pur- 
 suers. Beckoning the man who had been excluded from the 
 block to follow, the stern soldier rushed into the principal 
 dwelling, which was still but little injured by the fire. 
 Guided rather by chance than by any knowledge of the 
 windings of the building, he soon found himself in the cham- 
 bers. He was now at a loss whither to proceed. At that 
 moment, his companion, who was no other than Whittal 
 Ring, took the lead, and in another instant they were at the 
 door of the secret apartment. 
 
 * ' Hist ! ' ' said the stranger, raising a hand to command 
 silence as he entered the room. " Our hope is in secrecy." 
 
 ' ' And how may we escape without detection ? ' ' demanded 
 the mother, pointing about her at objects illuminated by a 
 light so powerful as to penetrate every cranny of the ill- 
 constructed building. ' ' The noonday sun is scarce brighter 
 than this dreadful fire ! " 
 
 * ' God is in the elements ! His guiding hand shall point 
 the way. But here we may not tarry, for the flames are 
 already on the shingles. Follow, and speak not." 
 
 Ruth pressed the children to her side, and the whole 
 party left the apartment of the attic in a body. Their 
 descent to a lower room was made quickly, and without 
 discovery. But here their leader paused, for the state of 
 things without was one to demand the utmost steadiness of 
 nerve, and great reflection. 
 
 The Indians had by this time gained command of the 
 whole of Mark Heathcote's possessions, with the exception 
 of the block-house ; and as their first act had been to apply 
 the brand wherever it might be wanting, the roar of the 
 conflagration was now heard in every direction. The dis- 
 charge of muskets and the whoops of the combatants, how- 
 ever, while they added to the horrible din of such a scene, 
 proclaimed the unconquered resolution of those who held 
 the citadel. A window of the room they occupied enabled 
 the stranger to take a cautious survey of what was passing, 
 without. The court, lighted to the brilliancy of day, was 
 empty ; for the increasing heat* of the fires, no less than the 
 
176 Ube Wept of 
 
 discharges from the loops, still kept the cautious savages to 
 their covers. There was barely hope, that the space be- 
 tween the dwelling and the block-house might yet be passed 
 in safety. 
 
 11 1 would I had asked that the door of the block should 
 be held in hand," muttered Submission ; "it would be death 
 to linger an instant in that fierce light ; nor have we any 
 manner of " 
 
 A touch was laid upon his arm, and turning, the speaker 
 saw the dark eye of the captive boy looking steadily in his 
 face. 
 
 " Wilt do it ? " demanded the other, in a manner to show 
 that he doubted, while he hoped. 
 
 A speaking gesture of assent was the answer, and then 
 the form of the lad was seen gliding quietly from the room. 
 
 Another instant, and Miantonimoh appeared in the court. 
 He walked with the deliberation that one would have shown 
 in moments of the most entire security. A hand was raised 
 towards the loops, as if to betoken amity, and then dropping 
 the limb, he moved with the same slow step into the very 
 centre of the area. Here the boy stood in the fullest glare 
 of the conflagration, and turned his face deliberately on 
 every side of him. The action showed that he wished to 
 invite all eyes to examine his person. At this moment the 
 yells ceased in the surrounding covers, proclaiming alike the 
 common feeling that was awakened by his appearance, and 
 the hazard that any other would have incurred by exposing 
 himself in that fearful scene. When this act of exceeding 
 confidence had been performed, the boy drew a pace nearer 
 to the entrance of the block. 
 
 1 1 Comest thou in peace, or is this another device of In- 
 dian treachery? " demanded a voice, through an opening in 
 the door left expressly for the purposes of parley. 
 
 The boy raised the palm of one hand towards the speaker 
 while he laid the other with a gesture of confidence on his 
 naked breast. 
 
 4 ' Hast aught to offer in behalf of my wife and babes ? 
 If gold will buy their ranson, name thy price. ' ' 
 
 Miantonimoh was at no loss to comprehend the other's 
 
Ube Mept of Wteb^Uon^Misb 177 
 
 meaning. With the readiness of one whose faculties had 
 been early schooled in the inventions of emergencies, he 
 made a gesture that said even more than his figurative 
 words, as he answered, 
 
 " Can a woman of the pale- faces pass through wood? An 
 Indian arrow is swifter than the foot of my mother." 
 
 " Boy, I trust thee," returned the voice from within the 
 loop. " If thou deceivest beings so feeble and so innocent, 
 Heaven will remember the wrong." 
 
 Miantonimoh again made a sign to show that caution 
 must be used, and then he retired with a step calm and 
 measured as that used in his advance. Another pause to 
 the shouts betrayed the interest of those whose fierce eyes 
 watched his movements in the distance. 
 
 When the young Indian had rejoined the party in the 
 dwelling, he led them, without being observed by the lurk- 
 ing band that still hovered in the smoke of the surrounding 
 buildings, to a spot that commanded a full view of their 
 short but perilous route. At this moment the door of the 
 block-house half opened, and was closed again. Still the 
 stranger hesitated, for he saw how little was the chance that 
 all should cross the court unharmed, and to pass it by re- 
 peated trials he knew to be impossible. 
 
 " Boy," he said, " thou, who hast done thus much, may 
 still do more. Ask mercy for these children, in some man- 
 ner that may touch the hearts of thy people." 
 
 Miantonimoh shook his head, and pointing to the ghastly 
 corpse that lay in the court, he answered coldly, 
 
 " The redman has tasted blood." 
 
 " Then must the desperate trial be done ! Think not of 
 thy children, devoted and daring mother, but look only to 
 thine own safety. This witless youth and I will charge our- 
 selves with the care of the innocents." 
 
 Ruth waved him away with her hand, pressing her mute 
 and trembling daughter to her bosom, in a manner to show 
 that her resolution was taken. The stranger yielded, and 
 turning to Whittal who stood near him, seemingly as much 
 occupied in vacant admiration of the blazing piles as in any 
 apprehension of his own r>ersona 1 danger, he bade him look 
 
178 TTbe Mept of 
 
 to the safety of the remaining child. Moving in front him- 
 self, he was about to offer Ruth such protection as the case 
 afforded, when a window in the rear of the house was 
 dashed inwards, announcing the entrance of the enemy, and 
 the imminent danger that their flight would be intercepted. 
 There was no time to lose, for it was now certain that only 
 a single room separated them from their foes. The gener- 
 ous nature of Ruth was aroused, and catching Martha from 
 the arms of Whittal Ring, she endeavored by a desperate 
 effort, in which feeling rather than any reasonable motive 
 predominated, to envelop both the children in her robe. 
 
 " I am with ye ! " whispered the agitated woman : " hush 
 ye, hush ye, babes ! thy mother is nigh ! ' ' 
 
 The stranger was very differently employed. The in- 
 stant the crash of glass was heard, he rushed to the rear ; 
 and he had already grappled with the savage so often 
 named, and who acted as guide to a dozen fierce and yell- 
 ing followers. 
 
 " To the block ! " shouted the steady soldier, while with 
 a powerful arm he held his enemy in the throat of the 
 narrow passage, stopping the approach of those in the rear 
 by the body of his foe. " For the love of life and children, 
 woman, to the block ! ' ' 
 
 The summons rang frightfully in the ears of Ruth, but in 
 that moment of extreme jeopardy her presence of mind was 
 lost. The cry was repeated, and not till then did the be- 
 wildered mother catch her daughter from the floor. With 
 eyes still bent on the fierce struggle in her rear, she clasped 
 the child to her heart and fled, calling on Whittal Ring to 
 follow. The lad obeyed, and ere she had half crossed the 
 court the stranger, still holding his savage shield between 
 him and his enemies, was seen endeavoring to take the 
 same direction. The whoops, the flight of arrows, and the 
 discharges of musketry that succeeded, proclaimed the 
 whole extent of the danger. But fear had lent unnatural 
 vigor to the limbs of Ruth, and the gliding arrows them- 
 selves scarce sailed more swiftly through the heated air 
 than she darted into the open door of the block. Whittal 
 Ring was less successful. As he crossed the court, bearing 
 
ZTbe Mept of Misb^otWiKIUsb 179 
 
 the child intrusted to his care, an tiirow pierced his flesh. 
 Stung by the pain, the witless lad turned in anger to chide 
 the hand that had inflicted the injury. 
 
 " On, foolish boy ! " cried the stranger, as he passed him, 
 still making a target of the body of the savage that was 
 writhing in his grasp. * ' On, for thy life, and that of the 
 babe !" 
 
 The mandate came too late. The hand of an Indian was 
 already on the innocent victim, and in the next instant the 
 child was sweeping the air, while with a short yell a keen 
 axe flourished above his head. A shot from the loops laid 
 the monster dead in his tracks. The girl was instantly 
 seized by another hand, and as the captor with his prize 
 darted unharmed into the dwelling, there arose in the block 
 a common exclamation of the name of " Kiantonimoh ! " 
 Two more of the savages profited by the pause of horror 
 that followed, to lay hands on the wounded Whittal and to 
 drag him within the blazing building. At the same mo- 
 ment, the stranger cast the unresisting savage back upon 
 the weapons of his companions. The bleeding and half- 
 strangled Indian met the blows which had been aimed at 
 the life of the soldier, and as he staggered and fell, his 
 vigorous conqueror disappeared in the block. The door 
 of the little citadel was instantly closed, and the savages, 
 who rushed headlong against the entrance, heard the fitting 
 of the bars which secured it against their attacks. The yell 
 of retreat was raised, and in the next instant the court was 
 left to the possession of the dead. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 " Did Heaven look on, 
 And would not take their part ? 
 
 Heaven rest them now ! " 
 
 Macbeth. 
 
 "\ T 7" wiu be thankful for this 
 
 \ /\ I Content, as he aided the half-unconscious 
 
 \ \ Ruth to mount the ladder, yielding himself 
 
 to a feeling of nature that said little against 
 
 his manhood. "If we have lost one that we loved, God 
 
 hath spared our own child." 
 
 His breathless wife threw herself into a seat, and folding 
 the treasure to her bosom, she whispered rather than said 
 aloud, " From my soul, Heathcote, am I grateful !." 
 
 1 ' Thou shieldest the babe from my sight, ' ' returned the 
 father, stooping to conceal a tear that was stealing down 
 his brown cheek, under the pretence of embracing the child ; 
 but suddenly recoiling, he added in alarm, " Ruth ! " 
 
 Startled by the tone in which her husband uttered her 
 name, the mother threw aside the folds of her dress which 
 still concealed the girl, and stretching her out to the length 
 of an arm, she saw that, in the hurry of the appalling scene, 
 the children had been exchanged, and that she had saved 
 the life of Martha ! 
 
 Notwithstanding the generous disposition of Ruth, it was 
 impossible to repress the feeling of disappointment which 
 came over her with the consciousness of the mistake. Na- 
 ture at first had sway, and to a degree that was fearfully 
 powerful. 
 
 "It is not our babe ! " shrieked the mother, still holding 
 the child at the length of her arm, and gazing at its inno- 
 
 1 80 
 
Ube Ulept of Misb^on^Misb 181 
 
 cent and terrified countenance, with an expression that 
 Martha had never yet seen gleaming from eyes that were 
 in common so soft and so indulgent. 
 
 ' ' I am thine ! I am thine ! ' ' murmured the little trem- 
 bler, struggling in vain to reach the bosom that had so long 
 cherished her infancy. " If not thine, whose am I ? " 
 
 The gaze of Ruth was still wild the workings of her 
 features hysterical. 
 
 ''Madam Mrs. Heathcote mother!" came timidly, 
 and at intervals, from the lips of the orphan. Then the 
 heart of Ruth relented. She clasped the daughter of her 
 friend to her breast, and nature found a temporary relief in 
 one of those frightful exhibitions of anguish which appear 
 to threaten the dissolution of the link which connects the 
 soul with the body. 
 
 " Come, daughter of John Harding," said Content, look- 
 ing around him with the assumed composure of a chastened 
 man, while natural regret struggled hard at his heart ; 
 " this has been God's pleasure. It is meet that we kiss his 
 parental hand. I^et us be thankful," he added, with a quiv- 
 ering lip but steady eye, " that even this mercy hath been 
 shown. Our babe is with the Indian, but our hopes are far 
 beyond the reach of savage malignity. We have not ' laid 
 up treasure where moth and rust can corrupt, or where 
 thieves may break in and steal.' It may be that the morn- 
 ing shall bring means of parley and, haply, opportunity of 
 ransom." 
 
 There was the glimmering of hope in this suggestion. 
 The idea seemed to give a new direction to the thoughts of 
 Ruth, and the change enabled the long habits of self-re- 
 straint to regain something of their former ascendency. The 
 fountain of her tears became dry, and after one short and 
 terrible struggle, she was again enabled to appear com- 
 posed. But at no time during the continuance of that 
 fearful struggle was Ruth Heathcote again the same ready 
 and useful agent of activity and order that she had been in 
 the earlier events of the night. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to remind the reader that the 
 brief burst of parental agony which has just been related, 
 
tTbe Mept of 
 
 escaped Content and his wife amid a scene in which' the 
 other actors were f oo much occupied by their exertions to 
 note its exhibition. The fate of those in the block was too 
 evidently approaching its close, to allow of any interest in 
 such an episode to the great tragedy of the moment. 
 
 The character of the contest had in some measure 
 changed. There was no longer any immediate apprehension 
 from the missiles of the assailants, though danger pressed 
 upon the besieged in a new and even in a more horrible 
 aspect. Now and then indeed an arrow quivered in the 
 openings of the loops, and the blunt Dudley had once a nar- 
 row escape from the passage of a bullet, which, guided by 
 chance, or aimed by a hand surer than common, glanced 
 through one of the narrow slits, and would have terminated 
 the history of the borderer, had not the head it obliquely 
 encountered been too solid to yield even to such an assault. 
 The attention of the garrison was chiefly called to the im- 
 minent danger of the surrounding fire. Though the prob- 
 ability of such an emergency as that in which the family 
 was now placed, had certainly been foreseen, and in some 
 degree guarded against, in the size of the area and in the 
 construction of the block, yet it was found that the danger 
 exceeded all former calculations. 
 
 For the basement, there was no reason to feel alarm. It 
 was of stone, and of a thickness and a material to put at 
 defiance any artifice that their enemy might find time to 
 practise. Even the two upper stories were comparatively 
 safe ; for they were composed of blocks so solid as to re- 
 quire time to heat them, and they were consequently as 
 little liable to combustion as wood well could be. But the 
 roof, like all of that, and indeed like most of the present, 
 day in America, was composed of short, inflammable shingles 
 of pine. The superior height of the tower was some little 
 protection ; but as the flames rose roaring above the build- 
 ings of the court, and waved in wide circuits around the 
 heated area, the whole of the fragile covering of the block 
 was often wrapped in folds of fire. The result may be an- 
 ticipated. Content was first recalled from the bitterness of 
 his parental regret, by a cry which passed among the family 
 
TKftept of Wteb*Uon*TKIU8b 183 
 
 that the roof of their little citadel was in flames. One of 
 the ordinary wells of the habitation was in the basement of 
 the edifice, and it was fortunate that no precaution neces- 
 sary to render it serviceable in an emergency like that 
 which was now arrived had been neglected. A well se- 
 cured shaft of stone rose through the lower apartment into 
 the upper floor. Profiting by this happy precaution, the 
 handmaidens of Ruth plied the buckets with diligence, while 
 the young men cast water freely on the roof, from the win- 
 dows of the attic. The latter duty it may readily be sup- 
 posed was not performed without hazard. Flights of 
 arrows were constantly directed against the laborers, and 
 more than one of the youths received greater or less inju- 
 ries while exposed to their annoyance. There were indeed 
 a few minutes during which it remained a question of grave 
 interest how far the risk they ran was likely to be crowned 
 with success. The excessive heat of so many fires, and the 
 occasional contact with the flames, as they swept in eddies 
 over the place, began to render it doubtful whether any 
 human efforts could long arrest the evil. Even the mas- 
 sive and moistened logs of the body of the work began to- 
 smoke, and it was found by experiment that the hand could 
 rest but a moment on their surface. 
 
 During this interval of deep suspense, all the men posted 
 at the loops were called to aid in extinguishing the fire. 
 Resistance was forgotten in the discharge of a duty that had 
 become still more pressing. Ruth herself was aroused by 
 the nature of the alarm, and all hands and all minds were 
 arduously occupied in a toil that diverted attention from 
 incidents which had less interest, because they were teem- 
 ing less with instant destruction. Danger is known to lose 
 its terrors by familiarity. The young borderers became 
 reckless of their persons in the ardor of exertion, and as 
 success began to crown their efforts, something like the 
 levity of happier moments got the better of their concern. 
 Stolen and curious glances were thrown around a place that 
 had so long been kept sacred to the secret uses of the 
 Puritan, when it was found that the flames were subdued, 
 and that the present danger was averted. The light glared 
 
1 84 ZTbe Wept of 
 
 powerfully through several openings in the shingles no less 
 than through the windows, and every eye was enabled to 
 scan the contents of an apartment which all had longed, 
 though none had ever before presumed, to enter. 
 
 "The captain looketh well to the body," whispered Reu- 
 ben Ring to one of his comrades, as he wiped the effects of 
 the toil from a sunburnt brow. "Thou seest, Hiram, that 
 there is good store of cheer." 
 
 ' * The buttery is not better stored ! ' ' returned the other, 
 with the shrewdness and ready observation of a border-man. 
 ' l It is known that he never toucheth that which the cow 
 yields, except as it comes from the creature, and here we 
 find of the best that the madam's dairy can yield ! " 
 
 " Surely yon buff jerkin is like to those worn by the idle 
 cavaliers at home ! I think it be long since the captain hath 
 ridden forth in such a guise." 
 
 "That may be matter of ancient usage, for thou seest he 
 hath relics of the fashion of the English troopers in this bit 
 of steel ; it is like he holdeth deep exercise over the vanities 
 of his youth, while recalling the times in which they were 
 worn." 
 
 This conjecture appeared to satisfy the other, though it is 
 probable that a sight of a fresh store of bodily aliment, 
 which was soon after exposed, in order to gain access to the 
 roof, might have led to some further inferences, had more 
 time been given to conjectures. But at this moment a new 
 wail proceeded from the maidens who plied the buckets 
 beneath. 
 
 " To the loops ! to the loops, or we are lost ! " was a sum- 
 mons that admitted of no delay. I,ed by the stranger, the 
 young men rushed below, where, in truth, they found a seri- 
 ous demand on all their activity and courage. 
 
 The Indians were wanting in none of the sagacity which 
 so remarkably distinguishes the warfare of this cunning 
 race. The time spent by the family in arresting the flames 
 had not been thrown away by the assailants. Profiting by 
 the attention of those within, to efforts that were literally 
 of the last importance, they had found means to convey 
 burning brands to the door of the block, against which they 
 
Ube Mept of WLteh*Uon*W&iBh 185 
 
 had piled a mass of blazing combustibles, that threatened 
 shortly to open the way into the basement of the citadel 
 itself. In order to mask this design and to protect their 
 approaches, the savages had succeeded in dragging bundles 
 of straw and other similar materials to the foot of the work, 
 to which the fire soon communicated, and which conse- 
 quently served both to increase the actual danger of the 
 building and to distract the attention of those by whom it 
 was defended. Although the water that fell from the roof 
 served to retard the progress of these flames, it contributed 
 to produce the effect that of all others was most desired by 
 the savages. The dense volumes of smoke that arose from 
 the half-smothered fire first apprised the females of the new 
 danger which assailed them. When Content and the stran- 
 ger reached the principal floor of their citadel, it required 
 some little time and no small degree of coolness to compre- 
 hend the situation in which they were now placed. The 
 vapor that rolled upwards from the wet straw and hay had 
 already penetrated into the apartment, and it was with no 
 slight difficulty that they who occupied it were enabled to 
 distinguish objects, or even to breathe. 
 
 ' ' Here is matter to exercise our utmost fortitude, ' ' said 
 the stranger to his constant companion. "We must look 
 to this new device, or we come to the fate of death by fire. 
 Summon the stoutest-hearted of thy youths, and I will lead 
 them to a sortie, ere the evil get past a remedy." 
 
 " That were certain victory to the heathen. Thou near- 
 est, by their yells, that 't is no small band of scouters who 
 beleaguer us ; a tribe hath sent forth its chosen warriors to 
 do their wickedness. Better is it that we bestir ourselves 
 to drive them from our door, and to prevent the further an- 
 noyance of this cloud, since, to issue from the block, at this 
 moment, would be to offer our heads to the tomahawk ; 
 and to ask mercy is as vain as to hope to move the rock 
 with tears." 
 
 " And in what manner may we do this needful ser- 
 vice ?" 
 
 " Our muskets will still command the entrance, by means 
 of these downward loops, and \vater may yet be applied 
 
1 86 ftbe Wept of 
 
 through the same openings. Thought hath been had of 
 this danger, in the disposition of the place. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Then, of Heaven's mercy, delay not the effort ! " 
 
 The necessary measures were taken instantly. Kben 
 Dudley applied the muzzle of his piece to a loop, and dis- 
 charged it downwards, in the direction of the endangered 
 door. But aim was impossible in the obscurity, and his 
 want of success was proclaimed by a taunting shout of 
 triumph. Then followed a flood of water, which, however, 
 was scarcely of more service, since the savages had foreseen 
 its use, and had made a provision against its effects by 
 placing boards and such vessels as they found scattered 
 among the buildings, above the fire, in a manner to prevent 
 most of the fluid from reaching its aim. 
 
 ' ' Come hither with thy musket, Reuben Ring, ' ' said 
 Content, hurriedly ; ' ' the wind stirreth the smoke here ; 
 the savages still heap fuel against the wall. ' ' 
 
 The borderer complied. There were in fact moments 
 when dark human forms were to be seen gliding in silence 
 around the building, though the density of the vapor ren- 
 dered the forms indistinct, and their movements doubtful. 
 With a cool and practised eye, the youth sought a victim ; 
 but as he discharged his musket an object glanced near his 
 own visage, as though the bullet had recoiled on him who had 
 given it a very different mission. Stepping backwards a little 
 hurriedly, he saw the stranger pointing through the smoke 
 at an arrow, which still quivered in the floor above them. 
 
 ' ' We cannot long abide these assaults, ' ' the soldier mut- 
 tered ; "something must be speedily devised, or we fall." 
 
 His words ceased, for a yell that appeared to lift the floor 
 on which he stood announced the destruction of the door 
 and the presence of the savages in the basement of the 
 tower. Both parties appeared momentarily confounded at 
 this unexpected success ; for while the one stood mute with 
 astonishment and dread, the other did little more than tri- 
 umph. But this inaction soon ended. The conflict was 
 resumed, though the efforts of the assailants began to as- 
 sume the confidence of victory, while on the part of the 
 besieged they partook fearfully of the aspect of despair. 
 
Mept of Mtsb^on^lPdltsb 187 
 
 A few muskets were discharged, both from below and 
 above, at the intermediate door, but the thickness of the 
 planks prevented the bxillets from doing injury. Then com- 
 menced a struggle, in which the respective qualities of the com- 
 batants were exhibited in a singularly characteristic manner. 
 While the Indians improved their advantages beneath, with 
 all the arts known to savage warfare, the young men resisted 
 with that wonderful aptitude of expedient and readiness 
 of execution which distinguish the American borderer. 
 
 The first attempt of the assailants was to burn the floor of 
 the lower apartment. In order to effect this, they threw vast 
 piles of straw into the basement. But ere the brand was 
 applied, water had reduced the inflammable material to a 
 black and murky pile. Still the smoke had nearly effected a 
 conquest which the fire itself had failed to achieve. So suffo- 
 cating indeed were the clouds of vapor which ascended through 
 the crevices, that the females were compelled to seek a refuge 
 in the attic. Here the openings in the roof, and a swift cur- 
 rent of air, relieved them in some degree from its annoyance. 
 
 When it was found that the command of the well afforded 
 the besieged the means of protecting the wood-work of the 
 interior, an effort was made to cut off the communication with 
 the water, by forcing a passage into the circular stone shaft, 
 through which it was drawn into the room above. This at- 
 tempt was defeated by the readiness of the youths, who soon 
 cut holes in the floor, whence they sent down certain death 
 on all beneath. Perhaps no part of the assault was more 
 obstinate than that which accompanied this effort ; nor did 
 either assailants or assailed, at any time during its continu- 
 ance, suffer greater personal injury. After a long and fierce 
 struggle, the resistance was effectual, and the savages had 
 recourse to new schemes in order to effect their ruthless object. 
 
 During the first moments of their entrance, and with a view 
 to reap the fruits of the victory when the garrison should be 
 more effectually subdued, most of the furniture of the dwell- 
 ing had been scattered by the conquerors on the side of the 
 hill. Among other articles, some six or seven beds had 
 been dragged from the dormitories. These were now brought 
 into play as powerful instruments in the assault. They were 
 
1 88 tlbe Mept of 
 
 cast, one by one, on the still burning though smothered 
 flames in the basement of the block, whence they sent up a 
 cloud of their intolerable effluvia. At this trying moment 
 the appalling cry was heard in the block that the well had 
 failed ! The buckets ascended as empty as they went down, 
 and they were thrown aside as no longer useful. The savages 
 seemed to comprehend their advantage, for they profited by 
 the confusion that succeeded among the assailed to feed the 
 slumbering fires. The flames kindled fiercely, and in less 
 than a minute they became too violent to be subdued. They 
 were soon seen playing on the planks of the floor above. 
 The subtle element flashed from point to point, and it was 
 not long ere it was stealing up the outer side of the heated 
 block itself. 
 
 The savages now knew that conquest was sure. Yells and 
 whoopings proclaimed the fierce delight with which they 
 witnessed the certainty of their victory. Still there was 
 something portentous in the death-like silence with which 
 the victims within the block awaited their fate. The whole 
 exterior of the building was already wrapped in flames, and 
 yet no show of further resistance, no petition for mercy, 
 issued from its bosom. The unnatural and frightful still- 
 ness that reigned within was gradually communicated to 
 those without. The cries and shouts of triumph ceased, 
 and the crackling of the flames, or the falling of timber in 
 the adjoining buildings, alone disturbed the awful calm. At 
 length a solitary voice was heard in the block. Its tones 
 were deep, solemn, and imploring. The fierce beings who 
 surrounded the glowing pile bent forward to listen, for their 
 quick faculties caught the first sounds that were audible. 
 It was Mark Heathcote pouring out his spirit in prayer. The 
 petition was fervent, but steady, and though uttered in words 
 that were unintelligible to those without, they knew enough 
 of the practices of the colonists to be aware that it was the 
 chief of the pale-faces holding communion with his God. 
 Partly in awe, and partly in doubt of what might be the 
 consequences of so mysterious an asking, the dark crowd 
 withdrew to a little distance, and silently watched the pro- 
 gress of the destruction. They had heard strange sayings 
 
OTept of TOteb*tTon*Wi6b 189 
 
 of the power of the Deity of their invaders, and as their vic- 
 tims appeared suddenly to cease using any of the known 
 means of safety, they appeared to expect, perhaps they did 
 expect, some unequivocal manifestation of the power of the 
 Great Spirit of the stranger. 
 
 Still no sign of pity, no relenting from the ruthless bar- 
 barity of their warfare, escaped any of the assailants. If they 
 thought at all of the temporal fate of those who might still 
 exist within the fiery pile, it was only to indulge in some 
 passing regret that the obstinacy of the defence had deprived 
 them of the glory of bearing the usual bloody tokens of vic- 
 tory in triumph to their villages. But even these peculiar 
 and deeply-rooted feelings were forgotten as the progress of 
 the flames placed the hope of its indulgence beyond all pos- 
 sibility. 
 
 The roof of the block rekindled, and, by the light that 
 shone through the loops, it was but too evident the interior 
 was in a blaze. Once or twice smothered sounds came out 
 of the place, as if suppressed shrieks were escaping the 
 females ; but they ceased so suddenly as to leave doubts 
 among the auditors whether it was more than the deception 
 of their own excited fancies. The savages had witnessed 
 many a similar scene of human suffering, but never one be- 
 fore in which death was met with so unmoved a calmness. 
 The serenity that reigned in the blazing block communicated 
 to them a feeling of awe ; and when the pile came a tumbling 
 and blackened mass of ruins to the earth, they avoided the 
 place like men that dreaded the vengeance of a Deity who 
 knew how to infuse so deep a sentiment of resignation into 
 the breasts of his worshippers. 
 
 Though the yells of victory were again heard in the val- 
 ley that night, and though the sun had arisen before the 
 conquerors deserted the hill, but few of the band found reso- 
 lution to approach the smouldering pile where they had wit- 
 nessed so impressive an exhibition of Christian fortitude. 
 The few that did draw near stood around the spot rather in 
 the reverence with which an Indian visits the graves of the 
 just, than in the fierce rejoicings with which he is known to 
 glut his revenge over a fallen enemy. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 " What are these, 
 
 So withered, and so wild in their attire ; 
 That look not like the inhabitants of earth, 
 And yet are on 't?" 
 
 Macbeth. 
 
 THAT sternness of the season which has already been 
 mentioned in these pages is never of long con- 
 tinuance in the month of April. A change in the 
 wind had been noted by the hunters even before 
 they retired from their range among the hills ; and though 
 too seriously occupied to pay close attention to the progress 
 of the thaw, more than one of the young men had found 
 occasion to remark that the final breaking up of the winter 
 had arrived. I/ong ere the scene of the preceding chapter 
 reached its height, the southern winds had mingled with 
 the heat of the conflagration. Warm airs, that had been 
 following the course of the Gulf Stream, were driven to the 
 land, and, sweeping over the narrow island that at this point 
 forms the advanced work of the continent, but a few short 
 hours had passed before they destroyed every chilling rem- 
 nant of the dominion of winter. Warm, bland, and rushing 
 in torrents, the subtle currents penetrated the forests, melted 
 the snows from the fields, and as all alike felt the genial in- 
 fluence, it appeared to bestow a renovated existence on man 
 and beast. With morning, therefore, a landscape very dif- 
 ferent from that last placed before the mind of the reader 
 presented itself in the valley of the Wish-Ton-Wish. 
 
 The winter had entirely disappeared, and as the buds had 
 begun to swell under the occasional warmth of the spring, 
 one ignorant of the past would not have supposed that the 
 
 IQO 
 
Mept of Misb^ITotVraiUsb 191 
 
 advance of the season had been subject to so stern an inter- 
 ruption. But the principal and most melancholy change 
 was in the more artificial parts of the view. Instead of those 
 simple and happy habitations which had crowned the little 
 eminence, there remained only a mass of blackened and 
 charred ruins. A few abused and half-destroyed articles of 
 household furniture lay scattered on the sides of the hill, and 
 here and there a dozen palisadoes, favored by some accidental 
 cause, had partially escaped the flames. Eight or ten mas- 
 sive and dreary-looking stacks of chimneys rose out of the 
 smoking piles. In the centre of the desolation was the stone 
 basement of the block-house, on which still stood a few 
 gloomy masses of the timber, resembling coal. The naked 
 and unsupported shaft of the well reared its circular pillar 
 from the centre, looking like a dark monument of the past. 
 The wide ruin of the out-buildings blackened one side of the 
 clearing, and, in different places, the fences, like radii diverg- 
 ing from the common centre of destruction, had led off the 
 flames into the fields. A few domestic animals ruminated 
 in the background, and even the feathered inhabitants of the 
 barns still kept aloof, as if warned by their instinct that dan- 
 ger lurked around the site of their ancient abodes. In all 
 other respects the view was calm and lovely as ever. The 
 sun shone from a sky in which no cloud was visible. The 
 blandness of the winds, and the brightness of the heavens, 
 lent an air of animation to even the leafless forest ; and the 
 white vapor, that continued to rise from the smouldering 
 piles, floated high over the hills, as the peaceful smoke of 
 the cottage curled above its roof. 
 
 The ruthless band which had occasioned this sudden 
 change was already far on the way to its villages, or haply 
 it sought some other scene of blood. A skilful eye might 
 have traced the route these fierce creatures of the woods had 
 taken, by fences hurled from their places, or by the carcass 
 of some animal that had fallen, in the wantonness of victory, 
 beneath a parting blow. Of all these wild beings, one only 
 remained ; and he appeared to linger at the spot in the in- 
 dulgence of feelings that were foreign to those passions that 
 had so recently stirred the bosoms of his comrades. 
 
Ube Wept of 
 
 It was with a slow, noiseless step, that the solitary loiterer 
 moved about the scene of destruction. He was first seen 
 treading with a thoughtful air among the ruins of the build- 
 ings that had formed the quadrangle, and then, seemingly 
 led by an interest in the fate of those who had so miserably 
 perished, he drew nearer to the pile in its centre. The nicest 
 and most attentive ear could not have detected the fall of his 
 foot, as the Indian placed it within the gloomy circle of the 
 ruined wall ; nor is the breathing of the infant less audible 
 than the manner in which he drew breath, while standing in 
 a place so lately consecrated by the agony and martyrdom of 
 a Christian family. It was the boy called Miantonimoh, 
 seeking some melancholy memorial of those with whom he 
 had so long dwelt in amity, if not in confidence. 
 
 One skilled in the history of savage passions might have 
 found a clue to the workings of the mind of the youth, in the 
 play of his speaking features. As his dark, glittering eye 
 rolled over the smouldering fragments, it seemed to search 
 keenly for some vestige of the human form. The element, 
 however, had done its work too greedily to have left many 
 visible memorials of its fury. An object resembling that he 
 sought, however, caught his glance, and stepping lightly 
 to the spot where it lay, he raised the bone of a powerful arm 
 from the brands. The flashing of his eye, as it lighted on 
 this sad object, was wild and exulting, like that of the sav- 
 age when he first feels the fierce joy of glutted vengeance ; 
 but gentle recollections came with the gaze, and kinder feel- 
 ings evidently usurped the place of the hatred he had been 
 taught to bear a race who were so fast sweeping his people 
 from the earth. The relic fell from his hand, and had Ruth 
 been there to witness the melancholy and relenting shade 
 that clouded his swarthy features, she might have found 
 pleasure in the certainty that all her kindness had not been 
 wasted. 
 
 Regret soon gave place to awe. To the imagination of 
 the Indian, it seemed as if a still voice, like that which is 
 believed to issue from the grave, was heard in the place. 
 Bending his body forward, he listened with the intensity and 
 acuteness of a savage. He thought the smothered tones of 
 
Ube Wept of Mfsb^on^Mfsb 193 
 
 Mark Heathecote were again audible, holding communion 
 with his God. The chisel of the Grecian would have loved 
 to delineate the attitudes and movements of the wondering 
 boy, as he slowly and reverently withdrew from the spot. 
 His look was riveted on the vacancy where the upper apart- 
 ments of the block had stood, and where he had last seen 
 the family, calling in their extremity on their Deity for aid. 
 Imagination still painted the victims in their burning pile. 
 For a minute longer, during which brief space the young 
 Indian probably expected to see some vision of the pale- 
 faces, did he linger near ; and then, with a musing air and 
 softened mind, he trod lightly along the path which led on 
 the trail of his people. When his active form reached the 
 boundary of the forest, he again paused, and taking a final 
 gaze at the place where fortune had made him a witness to 
 so much domestic peace and to so much sudden misery, his 
 form was quickly swallowed in the gloom of his native 
 woods. 
 
 The work of the savages now seemed complete. An 
 effectual check appeared to be placed to the further progress 
 of civilization in the ill-fated valley of the Wish-Ton-Wish. 
 Had nature been left to its own work, a few years would 
 have covered the deserted clearing with its ancient vegeta- 
 tion ; and half a century would have again buried the whole 
 of its quiet glades in the shadows of the forest. But it was 
 otherwise decreed. 
 
 The sun had reached the meridian, and the hostile band 
 had been gone some hours, before aught occurred likely 
 to affect this seeming decision of Providence. To one 
 acquainted with the recent horrors, the breathing of the airs 
 over the ruins might have passed for the whisperings of de- 
 parted spirits. In short, it appeared as if the silence of the 
 wilderness had once more resumed its reign, when it was 
 suddenly though slightly interrupted. A movement was 
 made within the ruins of the block. It sounded as if billets 
 of wood were gradually and cautiously displaced, and then 
 a human head was reared slowly, and with marked suspicion, 
 above the shaft of the well. The wild and unearthly air of 
 
 this seeming spectre was in keeping with the rest of the 
 13 
 
194 'Ebe Wept of 
 
 scene. A face begrimed with smoke and stained with blood, 
 a head bound in some fragment of a soiled dress, and eyes 
 that were glaring in a species of dull horror, were objects 
 in unison with all the other frightful accessories of the 
 place. 
 
 ' ' What seest thou ? ' ' demanded a deep voice from within 
 the walls of the shaft. * ' Shall we again come to our weap- 
 ons, or have the agents of Moloch departed ? Speak, en- 
 tranced youth ! what dost behold ? ' ' 
 
 1 ' A sight to make a wolf weep ! ' ' returned Bben Dudley, 
 raising his large frame so as to stand erect on the shaft, 
 where he commanded a bird's-eye view of most of the deso- 
 lation of the valley. * ' Evil though it be, we may not say 
 that forewarning signs have been withheld. But what is 
 the cunningest man, when mortal wisdom is weighed in the 
 scale against the craft of devils ? Come forth ! Belial hath 
 done his worst, and we have a breathing time." 
 
 The sounds which issued still deeper from the well de- 
 noted the satisfaction with which this intelligence was 
 received, no less than the alacrity with which the summons 
 of the borderer was obeyed. Sundry blocks of wood and 
 short pieces of plank were first passed with care up to the 
 hands of Dudley, who cast them like useless lumber among 
 the other ruins of the building. He then descended from 
 his perch, and made room for others to follow. 
 
 The stranger next arose. After him came Content, the 
 Puritan, Reuben Ring, and, in short, all the youths, with 
 the exception of those who had unhappily fallen in the con- 
 test. After these had mounted, and each in turn had leaped 
 to the ground, a very brief preparation served for the 
 liberation of the more feeble of the body. The readiness 
 of border skill soon sufficed to arrange the necessary means. 
 By the aid of chains and buckets, Ruth and the little 
 Martha, Faith and all the handmaidens, without even one 
 exception, were successfully drawn from the bowels of the 
 earth, and restored to the light of day. It is scarcely nec- 
 essary to say to those whom experience has best fitted to 
 judge of such an achievement, that no great time or labor 
 was necessary for its accomplishment. 
 
TOept of TOisb^ZTotWCXIUsb 195 
 
 It is not our intention to harass the feelings of the 
 reader, further than is required by a simple narrative of the 
 incidents of the legend. We shall therefore say nothing 
 of the bodily pain, or of the mental alarm, by which this 
 ingenious retreat from the flames and the tomahawk had 
 been effected. The suffering was chiefly confined to appre- 
 hension ; for as the descent was easy, so had the readiness 
 and ingenuity of the young men found means, by the aid 
 of articles of furniture first cast into the shaft, and by 
 well-secured fragments of the floors properly placed across, 
 both to render the situation of the females and children less 
 painful than might at first be supposed, and effectually to 
 protect them from the tumbling block. But little of the 
 latter, however, was likely to affect their safety, as the form 
 of the building was, in itself, a sufficient security against the 
 fall of its heavier parts. 
 
 The meeting of the family amid the desolation of the 
 valley, though relieved by the consciousness of having es- 
 caped a more shocking fate, may easily be imagined. The 
 first act was to render brief but solemn thanks for their 
 deliverance, and then, with the promptitude of people trained 
 in hardship, their attention was given to those measures 
 which prudence told them were yet necessary. 
 
 A few of the more active and experienced of the youths 
 were despatched in order to ascertain the direction taken by 
 the Indians, and to gain what intelligence they might con- 
 cerning their future movements. The maidens hastened to 
 collect the kine, while others searched with heavy hearts 
 among the ruins, in quest of such articles of food and com- 
 fort as could be found, in order to administer to the first 
 wants of nature. 
 
 Two hours had effected most of that which could imme- 
 diately be done in these several pursuits. The young men 
 returned with the assurance that the trails announced the 
 certain and final retreat of the savages. The cows had 
 yielded their tribute, and such provision had been made 
 against hunger as circumstances would allow. The arms 
 had been examined and put, as far as the injuries they had 
 received would admit, in readiness for instant service. A 
 
196 Ube Mept of 
 
 few hasty preparations had been made, in order to protect 
 the females against the cool airs of the coming night ; and, 
 in short, all was done that the intelligence of a border-man 
 could suggest, or his exceeding readiness in expedients could 
 in so brief a space supply. 
 
 The sun began to fall towards the tops of the beeches 
 that crowned the western outline of the view, before all 
 these necessary arrangements were ended. It was not till 
 then, however, that Reuben Ring, accompanied by another 
 youth of equal activity and courage, appeared before the 
 Puritan, equipped as well as men in their situation might 
 be for a journey through the forest. 
 
 " Go," said the old religionist, when the youths presented 
 themselves before him ; ' ' go ; carry forth the tidings of this 
 visitation, that men come to our succor. I ask not ven- 
 geance on the deluded and heathenish imitators of the wor- 
 shippers of Moloch. They have ignorantly done this evil. 
 I^et no man arm in behalf of the wrongs of one sinful and 
 erring. Rather let them look into the secret abominations 
 of their own hearts, in order that they crush the living 
 worm, which, by gnawing on the seeds of a healthful hope, 
 may yet destro}^ the fruits of the promise in their own souls. 
 I would that there be profit in this example of divine dis- 
 pleasure. Go make the circuit of the settlements for some 
 fifty miles, and bid such of the neighbors as may be spared, 
 come to our aid. They shall be welcome ; and may it be 
 long ere any of them send invitation to me or mine to enter 
 their clearings on the like melancholy duty. Depart, and 
 bear in mind that you are messengers of peace ; that your 
 errand toucheth not the feelings of vengeance, but that 
 it is succor in all fitting reason, and no arming of the 
 hand to chase the savage to his retreats, that I ask of the 
 brethren. " 
 
 With this final admonition, the young men took their 
 leave. Still it was evident by their frowning brows and 
 compressed lips, that some part of its forgiving principle 
 might be forgotten, should chance in their journey bring 
 them on the trail of any wandering inhabitant of the forest. 
 In a few minutes they were seen passing with swift steps 
 
Wept of Wteb^orWOmteb 197 
 
 from the fields into the depths of the forest, along that 
 path which led to the towns that lay lower on the Connecti- 
 cut. 
 
 Another task still remained to be performed. In making 
 the temporary arrangements for the shelter of the family, 
 attention had been first paid to the block-house. The walls 
 of the basement of this building were still standing, and it 
 was found easy by means of half-burnt timbers, with an 
 occasional board that had escaped the conflagration, to cover 
 it in a manner that offered a temporary protection against 
 the weather. This simple and hasty construction, with an 
 extremely inartificial office erected around the stack of a 
 chimney, embraced nearly all that could be done until time 
 and assistance should enable them to commence other dwell- 
 ings. In clearing the ruins of the little tower of its rubbish, 
 the remains of those who had perished in the fray were 
 piously collected. The body of the youth who had died in 
 the earlier hours of the attack was found but half consumed 
 in the court, and the bones of two more, who fell within the 
 block, were collected from among the ruins. It had now 
 become a melancholy duty to consign them all to the earth 
 with decent solemnity. 
 
 The time selected for this sad office was just as the west- 
 ern horizon began to glow with that which one of our own 
 poets has so beautifully termed, " the pomp that brings and 
 shuts the day. ' ' The sun was in the tree-tops, and a softer 
 or sweeter light could not have been chosen for such a cere- 
 mony. Most of the fields still lay in the soft brightness of 
 the hour, though the forest was rapidly getting the more 
 obscure look of night. A broad and gloomy margin was 
 spreading from the boundary of the woods, and here and 
 there a solitary tree cast its shadow on the meadows with- 
 out its limits, throwing a dark, ragged line in bold relief on 
 the glow of the sun's rays. One it was the dusky image 
 of a high and waving pine, that reared its dark green pyra- 
 mid of never-fading foliage nearly a hundred feet above the 
 humbler growth of beeches cast its shade to the side of 
 the eminence of the block. Here the pointed extremity of 
 the shadow was seen, stealing slqwly towards the open grave, 
 
198 Ube TOept of 
 
 an emblem of that oblivion in which its humble tenants 
 were so shortly to be wrapped. 
 
 At this spot Mark Heathcote and his remaining com- 
 panions had assembled. An oaken chair saved from the 
 flames was the seat of the father, and two parallel benches, 
 formed of planks placed on stones, held the other members 
 of the family. The grave lay between. The patriarch had 
 taken his station at one of its ends, while the stranger, so 
 often named in these pages, stood with folded arms and a 
 thoughtful brow at the other. The bridle of a horse, capari- 
 soned in that imperfect manner which the straitened means 
 of the borderers now rendered necessary, was hanging from 
 one of the half-burnt palisadoes, in the background. 
 
 11 A just, but a merciful hand hath been laid heavily on my 
 household," commenced the old Puritan, with the calmness 
 of one who had long been accustomed to chasten his regrets 
 by humility. ' ' He that hath given freely hath taken away, 
 and One that hath long smiled upon my weakness hath now 
 veiled his face in anger. I have known Him in his power 
 to bless. It was meet that I should see Him in his dis- 
 pleasure. A heart that was waxing confident would have 
 hardened in its pride. At that which hath befallen, let no 
 man murmur. L,et none imitate the speech of her who 
 spoke foolishly : * What ! shall we receive good at the hand 
 of God, and shall we not receive evil ? ' I would that the 
 feeble-minded of the world they that jeopard the soul on 
 vanities, they that look with scorn on the neediness of the 
 flesh might behold the riches of One steadfast. I would that 
 they might know the consolation of the righteous ! L,et the 
 voice of thanksgiving be heard in the wilderness. Open thy 
 mouths in praise, that the gratitude of a penitent be not 
 hid ! " 
 
 As the deep tones of the speaker ceased, his stern eye 
 fell upon the features of the nearest youth, and it seemed to 
 demand an audible response to his own lofty expression of 
 resignation. But the sacrifice exceeded the power of the 
 individual to whom had been made this silent but intelligible 
 appeal. After regarding the relics that lay at his feet, cast- 
 ing a wandering glance at the desolation which had swept 
 
TKRept of TKHisb^Uon^Mtsb 199 
 
 over a place his own hand had helped to decorate, and receiv- 
 ing a renewed consciousness of his own bodily suffering in the 
 shooting pain of his wounds, the young borderer averted his 
 look, and seemed to recoil from so officious a display of sub- 
 mission. Observing his inability to reply, Mark continued, 
 
 ''Hath no one a voice to praise the Lord? The bands of 
 the heathen have fallen upon my herds ; the brand hath been 
 kindled within my dwellings ; my people have died by the 
 violence of the unenlightened, and none are here to say that 
 the Lord is just ! I would that the shouts of thankgiving 
 should arise in my fields ! I would that the song of praise 
 should grow louder than the whoop of the savage, and that 
 all the land might speak joy fulness ! " 
 
 A long, deep and expecting pause succeeded. Then Con- 
 tent rejoined, in his quiet tones, speaking firmly, but with 
 the modest utterance he rarely failed to use : 
 
 "The hand that hath held the balance is just," he said, 
 * ' and we have been found wanting. He that made the 
 wilderness blossom hath caused the ignorant and the barba- 
 rous to be the instruments of his will. He hath arrested 
 the season of our prosperity, that we may know He is the 
 Lord. He hath spoken in the whirlwind, but his mercy 
 granteth that our ears shall know his voice." 
 
 As his son ceased, a gleam of satisfaction shot across the 
 countenance of the Puritan. His eyes next turned inquir- 
 ingly towards Ruth, who sat among her maidens, the image 
 of womanly sorrow. Common interest seemed to still the 
 breathing of the little assembly, and sympathy was quite as 
 active as curiosity, when each one present suffered a glance to 
 steal towards her benignant but pallid face. The eye of the 
 mother was gazing earnestly, but without a tear, on the melan- 
 choly spectacle before her. It unconsciously sought, among 
 the dried and shrivelled remnants of mortality that lay at her 
 feet, some relic of the cherub she had lost. A shudder and 
 struggle followed, after which her gentle voice breathed so 
 low that those nearest her person could scarcely distinguish 
 the words, 
 
 1 ' The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed 
 be his holy name !" 
 
200 TTbe TKHept of Misb^UotWIKIUsb 
 
 ' ' Now know I that He who hath smote me is merciful ; 
 for He chasteneth them Heloveth," said Mark Heathcote, 
 rising with dignity to address his household. ' ' Our life is 
 a life of pride. The young are wont to wax insolent, while 
 he of many years saith to his own heart, ' It is good to be 
 here. ' There is a fearful mystery in One who sitteth on high. 
 The heavens are His throne, and He hath created the earth 
 for His footstool. L,et not the vanity of the weak of mind pre- 
 sume to understand it ; for * who that hath the breath of life, 
 lived before the hills ? ' The bonds of the evil one, of Satan, 
 and of the sons of Belial, have been loosened, that the faith 
 of the elect may be purified, that the names of those written 
 since the foundations of the earth were laid may be read in 
 letters of pure gold. The time of man is but a moment in 
 the reckoning of Him whose life is eternity earth the habi- 
 tation of a season ! The bones of the bold, of the youthful, 
 and of the strong of yesterday, lie at our feet. None know 
 what an hour may bring forth. In a single night, my chil- 
 dren, hath this been done. They whose voices were heard in 
 my halls are now speechless, and they who so lately rejoiced 
 are sorrowing. Yet hath this seeming evil been ordered 
 that good may come thereof. We are dwellers in a wild 
 and distant land/' he continued, insensibly permitting his 
 thoughts to incline towards the more mournful details of 
 their affliction. "Our earthly home is afar off. Hither 
 have we been led by the flaming pillar of Truth, and yet the 
 malice of the persecutors hath not fogotten to follow. One 
 houseless, and sought like the hunted deer, is again driven 
 to flee. We have the canopy of the stars for a roof. None 
 may tarry longer to worship secretly within our walls. But 
 the path of the faithful, though full of thorns, leadeth to 
 quiet, and the final rest of the just man can never know 
 alarm. He that hath borne hunger and thirst, and the pains 
 of the flesh, for the sake of truth, knoweth how to be satisfied; 
 nor will the hours of bodilu suffering be accounted weary 
 to him whose goal is the peace of the righteous. ' ' The strong 
 lineaments of the stranger grew even more than usually 
 austere, and as the Puritan continued, the hand which rested 
 on the handle of a pistol grasped the weapon until the fingers 
 
Ube Wept of TOteb*Uon*Wtsb 201 
 
 seemed imbedded in the wood. He bowed, however, as if to 
 acknowledge the personal allusion, and remained silent. 
 
 " If any mourn the early death of those who have ren- 
 dered up their being, struggling, as it may be permitted, 
 in behalf of life and dwelling, ' ' continued Mark Heathcote, 
 regarding a female near him, ' ' let her remember, that from 
 the beginning of the world were his days numbered, and 
 that not a sparrow falleth without answering the ends of 
 wisdom. Rather let the fulfilment of things remind us 
 of the vanity of life, that we may learn how easy it is to 
 become immortal. If the youth hath been cut down, 
 seemingly like unripened grass, he hath fallen by the 
 sickle of One who knoweth best when to begin the in- 
 gathering of the harvest to his eternal garners. Though 
 a spirit bound unto his, as one feeble is wont to lean on 
 the strength of man and mourn over his fall, let her sor- 
 row be mingled with rejoicing." A convulsive sob broke 
 out of the bosom of the handmaiden who was known to 
 have been affianced to one of the dead, and for a moment 
 the address of Mark was interrupted. But when silence 
 again ensued, he continued, the subject leading him, by a 
 transition that was natural, to allude to his own sorrows. 
 " Death hath been no stranger in my habitation," he said. 
 * ' His shaft fell heaviest when it struck her, who, like 
 those that have here fallen, was in the pride of her youth, 
 and when her soul was glad with the first joy of the birth 
 of a man-child ! Thou who sittest on high ! " he added, 
 turning a glazed and tearless eye to heaven ; ' ' Thou know- 
 est how heavy was that blow, and Thou hast written down 
 the strivings of an oppressed soul. The burden was not 
 found too heavy for endurance. The sacrifice hath not 
 sufficed ; the world was again getting uppermost in my 
 heart. Thou didst bestow an image of that innocence and 
 loveliness that dwelleth in the skies, and this hast Thou 
 taken away, that we might know thy power. To this judg- 
 ment we bow. If Thou hast called our child to the man- 
 sions of bliss, she is wholly thine, and we presume not to 
 complain ; but if Thou hast still left her to wander further 
 in the pilgrimage of life, we comide in thy goodness. She 
 
202 Ube Mept of 
 
 is of a long-suffering race, and Thou wilt not resign her to 
 the blindness of the heathen. She is thine, she is wholly 
 thine, King of Heaven ! and yet hast Thou permitted our 
 hearts to yearn towards her, with the fondness of earthly 
 love. We await some further manifestation of thy will, 
 that we may know whether the fountains of our affec- 
 tion shall be dried in the certainty of her blessedness ' ' 
 (scalding tears were rolling down the cheeks of the pallid 
 and immovable mother) ' ' or whether hope, nay, whether 
 duty to Thee calleth for the interference of those bound to 
 her in the tenderness of the flesh. When the blow was 
 heaviest on the bruised spirit of a lone and solitary wan- 
 derer, in a strange and savage land, he held not back the 
 offspring it was thy will to grant him in the place of her 
 called to Thyself; and now that the child hath become a 
 man, he too layeth, like Abraham of old, the infant of his 
 love a willing offering at thy feet. Do with it as to thy 
 never-failing wisdom seemeth best." The words were inter- 
 rupted by a heavy groan, that burst from the chest of Con- 
 tent. A deep silence ensued, but when the assembly 
 ventured to throw looks of sympathy and awe at the 
 bereaved father, they saw that he had arisen and stood gaz- 
 ing steadily at the speaker, as if he wondered, equally with 
 the others, whence such a sound of suffering could have 
 come. The Puritan renewed the subject, but his voice 
 faltered, and for an instant, as he proceeded, his hearers 
 were oppressed with the spectacle of an aged and dignified 
 man shaken with grief. Conscious of his weakness, the 
 old man ceased speaking in exhortation, and addressed 
 himself to prayer. While thus engaged, his tones again 
 became clear, firm, and distinct, and the petition was ended 
 in the midst of a deep and holy calm. 
 
 With the performance of this preliminary office, the 
 simple ceremony was brought to its close. The remains 
 were lowered, in solemn silence, into the grave, and the earth 
 was soon replaced by the young men. Mark Heathcote 
 then invoked aloud the blessing of God on his household, 
 and bowing in person, as he had before done in spirit, to the 
 will of Heaven, he motioned to the family to withdraw. 
 
Ube Mept of Misb^UotWlHIiteb 203 
 
 The interview that succeeded was over the resting-place 
 of the dead. The hand of the stranger was firmly clenched 
 in that of the Puritan, and the stern self-command of both 
 appeared to give way, before the regrets of a friendship 
 that had endured through so many trying scenes. 
 
 ' ' Thou knowest that I may not tarry, ' ' said the former, 
 as if he replied to some expressed wish of his companion. 
 * ' They would make me a sacrifice to the Moloch of their 
 vanities ; and yet would I fain abide, until the weight of 
 this heavy blow may be forgotten. I found thee in peace, 
 and I quit thee in the depths of suffering ! ' ' 
 
 " Thou distrustest me, or thou dost injustice to thine 
 own belief," interrupted the Puritan, with a smile, that 
 shone on his haggard and austere visage as the rays of the 
 setting sun light a wintry cloud. " Seemed I happier when 
 this hand placed that of a loved bride in mine own, than 
 thou now seest me in this wilderness, houseless, stripped 
 of my wealth, and, God forgive the ingratitude ! but I had 
 almost said, childless ! No, indeed, thou mayst not tarry, 
 for the blood-hounds of tyranny will be on their scent ; 
 here is shelter no longer. ' ' 
 
 The eyes of both turned, by a common and melancholy 
 feeling, towards the ruin of the block. The stranger then 
 pressed the hand of his friend in both his own, and said in 
 a struggling voice, 
 
 * ' Mark Heathcote, adieu ! He that had a roof for the 
 persecuted wanderer shall not long be houseless ; neither 
 shall the resigned forever know sorrow." 
 
 His words sounded in the ears of his companion like the 
 revelation of a prophecy. They again pressed their hands 
 together, and, regarding each other with looks in which 
 kindness could not be altogether smothered by the repul- 
 sive character of an acquired air, they parted. The Puri- 
 tan slowly took his way to the dreary shelter which covered 
 his family ; while the stranger was shortly after seen urg- 
 ing the beast he had mounted across the pastures of the 
 valley, towards one of the most retired paths of the wilder- 
 ness. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 " Together towards the village then we walked, 
 And of old friends and places much we talked ; 
 And who had died, who left them, would he tell ; 
 And who still in their father's mansion dwell. " 
 
 DANA. 
 
 WE leave the imagination of the reader to sup- 
 ply an interval of several years. Before the 
 thread of the narrative shall be resumed, it 
 will be necessary to take another hasty view 
 of the condition of the country in which the scene of our 
 legend had place. 
 
 The exertions of the provincials were no longer limited 
 to the first efforts of a colonial existence. The establish- 
 ments of New England had passed the ordeal of experi- 
 ment, and were become permanent. Massachusetts was 
 already populous ; and Connecticut, the colony with which 
 we have more immediate connection, was sufficiently peopled 
 to manifest a portion of that enterprise which has since 
 made her active little community so remarkable. The 
 effects of these increased exertions were becoming exten- 
 sively visible ; and we shall endeavor to set one of these 
 changes, as distinctly as our feeble powers will allow, before 
 the eyes of those who read these pages. 
 
 When compared with the progress of society in the other 
 hemisphere, the condition of what is called in America a 
 new settlement becomes anomalous. There, the arts of life 
 have been the fruits of an intelligence that has progressively 
 accumulated with the advancement of civilization ; while 
 here, improvement is in a great degree the consequence of 
 experience elsewhere acquired. Necessity, prompted by an 
 
 204 
 
TTbe TKftept of TKHtsb^on^lKIlisb 205 
 
 understanding of its wants, incited by a commendable spirit 
 of emulation, and encouraged by liberty, early gave birth to 
 those improvements which have converted a wilderness into 
 the abodes of abundance and security, with a rapidity that 
 wears the appearance of magic. Industry has wrought 
 with the confidence of knowledge, and the result has been 
 peculiar. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to say that in a country where 
 the laws favor all commendable enterprise, where unneces- 
 sary artificial restrictions are unknown, and where the hand 
 of man has not yet exhausted its efforts, the adventurer is 
 allowed the greatest freedom of choice in selecting the field 
 of his enterprise. The agriculturist passes the heath and 
 the barren, to seat himself on the river-bottom ; the trader 
 looks for the site of demand and supply ; and the artisan 
 quits his native village to seek employment in situations 
 where labor will meet its fullest reward. It is a conse- 
 quence of this extraordinary freedom of election, that, while 
 the great picture of American society has been sketched 
 with so much boldness, a large portion of the filling-up still 
 remains to be done. The emigrant has consulted his imme- 
 diate interests ; and, while no very extensive and profitable 
 territory throughout the whole of our immense possessions 
 has been wholly neglected, neither has any particular district 
 yet attained the finish of improvement. The city is even 
 now seen in the wilderness, and the wilderness often con- 
 tinues near the city, while the latter is sending forth its 
 swarms to distant scenes of industry. After thirty years of 
 fostering care on the part of the government, the capital 
 itself presents its disjointed and sickly villages in the centre 
 of the deserted " old fields" of Maryland, while numberless 
 youthful rivals are flourishing on the waters of the West, 
 in spots where the bear has ranged and the wolf howled, 
 long since the former has been termed a city. 
 
 Thus it is that high civilization, a state of infant ex- 
 istence, and positive barbarity, are often brought so near 
 each other within the borders of this republic. The trav- 
 eller, who has passed the night in an inn that would not 
 disgrace the oldest country in Europe, may be compelled to 
 
206 Ube Tixaept of 
 
 dine in the shanty ' of a hunter ; the smooth and gravelled 
 road sometimes ends in an impassable swamp ; the spires 
 of the town are often hid by the branches of a tangled forest, 
 and the canal leads to a seemingly barren and unprofitable 
 mountain. He that does not return to see what another 
 year may bring forth commonly bears away from these 
 scenes recollections that conduce to error. To see America 
 with the eyes of truth, it is necessary to look often ; 
 and in order to understand the actual condition of these 
 States, it should be remembered that it is equally unjust to 
 believe that all the intermediate points partake of the im- 
 provements of particular places, as to infer the want of 
 civilization at more remote establishments, from a few unfa- 
 vorable facts gleaned near the centre. By an accidental 
 concurrence of moral and physical causes, much of that 
 equality which distinguishes the institutions of the country 
 is extended to the progress of society over its whole surface. 
 
 Although the impetus of improvement was not so great in 
 the time of Mark Heathcote as in our own days, the princi- 
 ple of its power was actively in existence. Of this fact we 
 shall furnish a sufficient evidence, by pursuing our intention 
 of describing one of those changes to which allusion has 
 already been made. 
 
 The reader will remember that the age of which we write 
 had advanced into the last quarter of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury. The precise moment at which the action of the tale 
 must recommence was that period of the day when the 
 gray of twilight was redeeming objects from the deep 
 darkness with which the night draws to its close. The 
 month was June, and the scene such as it may be necessary 
 to describe with some particularity. 
 
 Had there been light, and had one been favorably placed 
 
 1 Shanty, or Shaniee, is a word much used in the newer settle- 
 ments. It strictly means a rude cabin of bark or brush, such as is 
 often erected in the forest for temporary purposes. But the borderers 
 often quaintly apply it to their own habitations. The only derivation 
 which the writer has heard for this American word is one that sup- 
 poses it to be a corruption of Chientt, a term said to be used among 
 the Canadians to express a dog-kennel. 
 
Ube Mept of Mf5b*zron*Wteb 207 
 
 to enjoy a bird's-eye view of the spot, he would have seen 
 a broad and undulating field of leafy forest, in which the 
 various deciduous trees of New England were relieved by 
 the deeper verdure of occasional masses of evergreens. In 
 the centre of this swelling and nearly interminable outline 
 of woods was a valley that spread between three low 
 mountains. Over the bottom land, for the distance of sev- 
 eral miles, all the signs of a settlement in a state of rapid 
 and prosperous improvement were visible. The devious 
 course of a deep and swift brook, that in the other hemi* 
 sphere would have been termed a river, was to be traced 
 through the meadows by its borders of willow and sumach. 
 At a point near the centre of the valley the waters had been 
 arrested by a small dam ; and a mill, whose wheel at that 
 early hour was without motion, stood on the artificial 
 mound. Near it was the site of a New England hamlet. 
 
 The number of dwellings in the village might have been 
 forty. They were, as usual, constructed of a firm frame- 
 work, neatly covered with sidings of boards. There was 
 a surprising air of equality in the general aspect of the 
 houses ; and, if there were question of any country but our 
 own, it might be added there was an unusual appearance 
 of comfort and abundance in even the humblest of them 
 all. They were mostly of two low stories, the superior 
 overhanging the inferior by a foot or two ; a mode of con- 
 struction much in use in the earlier days of the Eastern 
 colonies. As paint was but little used at that time, none 
 of the buildings exhibited a color different from that the 
 wood would naturally assume after the exposure of a few 
 years to the weather. Each had its single chimney in the 
 centre of the roof, and but two or three showed more than 
 a solitary window on each side of the principal or outer 
 door. In front of every dwelling was a small, neat court, 
 in green sward, separated from the public road by a light 
 fence of deal. Double rows of young and vigorous elms 
 lined each side of the wide street, while an enormous syca- 
 more still kept possession of the spot in its centre which it 
 had occupied when the white man entered the forest. Be- 
 neath the shade of this tree the inhabitants often collected 
 
208 Ube mept of 
 
 to gather tidings of each other's welfare, or to listen to some 
 matter of interest that rumor had borne from the towns 
 nearer the sea. A narrow and little-used wheel-track ran 
 with a graceful and sinuous route through the centre of the 
 wide and grassy street. Reduced in appearance to little 
 more than a bridle-path, it was to be traced without the 
 hamlet, between high fences of wood, for a mile or two, to 
 the points where it entered the forest. Here and there 
 roses were pressing through the openings of the fences be- 
 fore the doors of the different habitations, and bushes of 
 fragrant lilacs stood in the angles of most of the courts. 
 
 The dwellings were detached. Bach occupied its own 
 insulated plot of ground, with a garden in its rear. The out- 
 buildings were thrown to that distance which the cheapness of 
 land and security from fire rendered both easy and expedient. 
 
 The church stood in the centre of the highway, and near 
 one end of the hamlet. In the exterior and ornaments of 
 the imported temple, the taste of the times had been fas- 
 tidiously consulted, its form and simplicity furnishing no 
 slight resemblance to the self-denying doctrines and quaint 
 humors of the religionists who worshipped beneath its roof. 
 The building, like all the rest, was of wood, and externally 
 of two stories. It possessed a tower, without a spire 
 the former alone serving to denote its sacred character. 
 In the construction of this edifice, especial care had been 
 taken to eschew all deviations from direct lines and right 
 angles. Those narrow-arched passages for the admission 
 of light that are elsewhere so common were then thought 
 by the stern moralists of New England to have some mys- 
 terious connection with her of the scarlet mantle. The 
 priest would as soon have thought of appearing before his 
 flock in the vanities of stole and cassock, as the congrega- 
 tion of admitting the repudiated ornaments into the outline 
 of their severe architecture. Had the Genii of the Lamp 
 suddenly exchanged the windows of the sacred edifice with 
 those of the inn that stood nearly opposite, the closest critic 
 of the settlement could never have detected the liberty, 
 since, in the form, dimensions, and style of the two, there 
 was no visible difference. 
 
Mept of Wteb^on^Mteb 209 
 
 A little inclosure at no great distance from the church, 
 and on one side of the street, had been set apart for the final 
 resting-place of those who had finished their race on earth. 
 It contained but a solitary grave. 
 
 The inn was to be distinguished from the surrounding 
 buildings by its superior size, an open horse-shed, and a 
 sort of protruding air with which it thrust itself on the 
 line of the street, as if to invite the traveller to enter. A 
 sign swung on a gallows-looking post, that, in consequence 
 of frosty nights and warm days, had already deviated from 
 the perpendicular. It bore a conceit that at the first glance 
 might have gladdened the heart of a naturalist with the 
 belief that he had made the discovery of some unknown 
 bird. The artist, however, had sufficiently provided against 
 the consequences of so embarrassing a blunder, by consid- 
 erately writing beneath the offspring of his pencil, "This 
 is the sign of the Whip-Poor- Will ; " a name that the most 
 unlettered traveller in those regions would be likely to 
 know was vulgarly given to the Wish-Ton-Wish, or the 
 American night-hawk. 
 
 But few relics of the forest remained immediately around 
 the hamlet. The trees had long been felled, and sufficient 
 time had elapsed to remove most of the vestiges of their 
 former existence. But as the eye receded from the cluster 
 of buildings, the signs of more recent inroads on the wil- 
 derness became apparent, until the view terminated with 
 openings, in which piled logs and mazes of felled trees 
 announced the recent use of the axe. 
 
 At that early day, the American husbandman, like the 
 agriculturists of most of Europe, dwelt in his village. The 
 dread of violence from the savages had given rise to a cus- 
 tom similar to that which centuries before had been pro- 
 duced in the other hemisphere by the inroads of more 
 pretending barbarians, and which, with few and distant 
 exceptions, has deprived rural scenery of a charm that, it 
 would seem, time and a better condition of society are slow 
 to repair. Some remains of this ancient practice are still to 
 be traced in the portion of the Union of which we write, 
 where even at this day the farmfer often' quits the village to 
 
2io Ube Wept of 
 
 seek his scattered fields in its neighborhood. Still, as man 
 has never been the subject of a system here, and as each 
 individual has always had the liberty of consulting his own 
 temper, bolder spirits early began to break through a prac- 
 tice by which quite as much was lost in convenience as was 
 gained in security. Even in the scene we have been de- 
 scribing, ten or twelve humble habitations were distributed 
 among the recent clearings on the side of the mountains, 
 and in situations too remote to promise much security against 
 any sudden inroad of the common enemy. 
 
 For general protection, in cases of the last extremity, 
 however, a stockaded dwelling, not unlike that which we 
 have had occasion to describe in our earlier pages, stood 
 in a convenient spot near the hamlet. Its defences were 
 stronger and more elaborate than usual, the pickets being 
 furnished with flanking block-houses ; and, in other respects, 
 the building bore the aspect of a work equal to any resist- 
 ance that might be required in the warfare of those regions. 
 The ordinary habitation of the priest was within its gates ; and 
 hither most of the sick were timely conveyed, in order to antici- 
 pate the necessity of removals at more inconvenient moments. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to tell the American, that heavy 
 wooden fences subdivided the whole of this little landscape 
 into inclosures of some eight or ten acres in extent ; that, 
 here and there, cattle and flocks were grazing without 
 herdsmen or shepherds, and that while the fields nearest to 
 the dwellings were beginning to assume the appearance of a 
 careful and improved husbandry, those more remote became 
 gradually wilder and less cultivated, until the half-reclaimed 
 openings, with their blackened stubs and barked trees, were 
 blended with the gloom of the living forest. These are more 
 or less the accompaniments of every rural scene in districts 
 of the country where time has not yet effected more than the 
 first two stages of improvement. 
 
 At the distance of a short half mile from the fortified house, 
 or garrison, as by a singular corruption of terms the stock- 
 aded building was called, stood a dwelling of pretensions 
 altogether superior to any in the hamlet. The buildings in 
 question, though simple, were extensive ; and though scarcely 
 
Ube Mept of Misb^EotVlKIlisb 211 
 
 other than such as might belong to an agriculturist in easy 
 circumstances, still they were remarkable in that settlement, 
 by the comforts which time alone could accumulate, and 
 some of which denoted an advanced condition for a frontier 
 family. In short, there was an air about the establishment, 
 as in the disposition of its out-buildings, in the superior 
 workmanship, in the materials, and in numberless other well- 
 known circumstances, which went to show that the whole of 
 the edifices were reconstructions. The fields near this habi- 
 tation exhibited smoother surfaces than those in the distance. 
 The fences were lighter and less rude ; the stumps had 
 absolutely disappeared ; and the gardens and homesteads 
 were well planted with flourishing fruit-trees. A conical 
 eminence arose at a short distance in the rear of the principal 
 dwelling. It was covered with that beautiful and peculiar 
 ornament of an American farm, a regular, thrifty, and lux- 
 uriant apple-orchard. Still, age had not given its full beauty 
 to the plantation, which might have had a growth of some 
 eight or ten years. A blackened tower of stone, which 
 sustained the charred ruins of a superstructure of wood, 
 though of no great height in itself, rose above the tallest of 
 the trees, and stood a sufficient memorial of some scene 
 of violence in the brief history of the valley. There was 
 also a small block-house near the habitation ; but, by the 
 air of neglect that reigned around, it was quite apparent the 
 little work had been of a hurried construction, and of but 
 temporary use. A few young plantations of fruit-trees 
 were also to be seen in different parts of the valley, which 
 was beginning to exhibit many other evidences of an im- 
 proved agriculture. 
 
 So far as all these artificial changes went, they were of 
 an English character. But it was England devoid alike of 
 its luxury and its poverty, and with a superfluity of space 
 that gave to the meanest habitation in the view an air of 
 abundance and comfort that is so often wanting about the 
 dwellings of the comparatively rich, in countries where man 
 is found bearing a far greater numerical proportion to the 
 soil than was then, or is even now the case, in the regions 
 of which we write. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 " Come hither, neighbor Sea-coal God hath blessed you with a good 
 name : to be a well-favored man is the gift of fortune ; but to write 
 and read comes by Nature." 
 
 Much Ado About Nothing. 
 
 IT has already been said, that the hour at which the 
 action of the tale must recommence was early morn- 
 ing. The usual coolness of night, in a country ex- 
 tensively covered with wood, had passed, and the 
 warmth of a summer morning, in that low latitude, was 
 causing the streaks of light vapor, that floated about the 
 meadows, to rise above the trees. The feathery patches 
 united to form a cloud that sailed away towards the sum- 
 mit of a distant mountain, which appeared to be a common 
 rendezvous for all the mists that had been generated by the 
 past hours of darkness. 
 
 Though the burnished sky announced his near approach, 
 the sun was not yet visible. Notwithstanding the earliness 
 of the hour, a man was already mounting a little ascent in 
 the road, at no great distance from the southern entrance 
 of the hamlet, and at a point where he could command a 
 view of all the objects described in the preceding chapter. 
 A musket thrown across his left shoulder, with the horn 
 and pouch at his sides, together with the little wallet at his 
 back, proclaimed him one who had either been engaged in 
 a hunt, or in some short expedition of even a less peaceable 
 character. His dress was of the usual material and fashion 
 of a countryman of the age and colony, though a short 
 broadsword, that was thrust through a wampum belt which 
 girded his body, might have attracted observation. In all 
 other respects, he had the air of an inhabitant of the hamlet, 
 
 312 
 
Mept of Mtsb^on^TOfsb 213 
 
 who had found occasion to quit his abode on some affair of 
 pleasure or of duty, that had made no very serious demand 
 on his time. 
 
 Whether native or stranger, few ever passed the hillock 
 named, without pausing to gaze at the quiet loveliness of 
 the cluster of houses that lay in full view from its summit. 
 The individual mentioned loitered as usual, but, instead of 
 following the line of the path, his eye rather sought some 
 object in the direction of the fields. Moving leisurely to 
 the nearest fence, he threw down the upper rails of a pair of 
 bars, and beckoned to a horseman, who was picking his way 
 across a broken bit of pasture land, to enter the highway 
 by the passage he had opened. 
 
 "Put the spur smartly into the pacer's flank," said he 
 who had done this act of civility, observing that the other 
 hesitated to urge his beast across the irregular and some- 
 what scattered pile; "my word for it, the jade goes over 
 them all, without touching with more than three of her four 
 feet. Fie, doctor ! there is never a cow in the Wish-Ton- 
 Wish, but it would take the leap to be in the first at the 
 milking." 
 
 "Softly, ensign," returned the timid equestrian, laying 
 the emphasis on the final syllable of his companion's title, 
 and pronouncing the first as if it were spelt with the third 
 instead of the second vowel. " Thy courage is meet for one 
 set apart for deeds of valor, but it would be a sorrowful day 
 when the ailing of the valley should knock at my door, and 
 a broken limb be made the apology for want of succor. Thy 
 efforts will not avail thee, man ; for the mare hath had 
 schooling, as well as her master. I have trained the beast 
 to methodical habits, and she hath come to have a rooted 
 dislike to all irregularities of movement. So, cease tugging 
 at the rein, as if thou wouldst compel her to pass the pile 
 in spite of her teeth, and throw down the upper bar al- 
 together." 
 
 ' ' A doctor in these rugged parts should be mounted on 
 one of those ambling birds of which we read, ' ' said the other, 
 removing the obstacle to the secure passage of his friend ; 
 " for truly a journey at night,* in the paths of these clear- 
 
214 ^be TKHept of 
 
 ings, is not always as safe moving as that which is said to be 
 enjoyed by the settlers nearer sea." 
 
 ' ' And where hast found mention of a bird of a size and 
 velocity fit to be the bearer of the weight of a man ? ' ' de- 
 manded he who was \noi r ^d, with r. vivacity that betrayed 
 some jealousy on the su ect of a monopoly of learning. I 
 had thought, there was never a book in the valley, out of 
 mine own closet, that dealeth in these abstrusities ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' Dost think the scriptures are strangers to us ? There 
 thou art now in the public path, and thy journey is without 
 danger. It is matter of marvel to many in this settlement, 
 how thou movest about at midnight, amongst upturned 
 roots of trees, holes, logs, and stumps, without falling ' ' 
 
 " I have told thee, ensign, it is by virtue of much training 
 given to the beast. Certain am I, that neither whip nor 
 spur would compel the animal to pass the bounds of discre- 
 tion. Often have I travelled this bridle-path, without fear 
 as in truth without danger, when sight was a sense of as 
 little use as that of smelling." 
 
 ' ' I was about to say falling into thine own hands, which 
 would be a tumble of little less jeopardy than even that of 
 the wicked spirits." 
 
 The medical man affected to laugh at his companion's 
 joke ; but, remembering the dignity suited to one of his 
 calling, he immediately resumed the discourse with grav- 
 ity :- 
 
 " These may be matters of levity with those who know 
 little of the hardships that are endured in the practice of the 
 settlements. Here have I been on yonder mountain, guided 
 by the instinct of my horse " 
 
 " Ha ! hath there been a call at the dwelling of my 
 brother Ring ? ' ' demanded the pedestrian, observing, by the 
 direction of the other's eye, the road he had been travel- 
 ling. 
 
 ' ' Truly, there hath ; and at the unseasonable hour that 
 is wont in a very unreasonable proportion of the cases of my 
 practice." 
 
 " And Reuben numbereth another boy to the four that he 
 could count yesterday ? ' ' 
 
Ube Wept of Wisb^ZTotWGXliisb 215 
 
 The medical man held up three of his fingers, in a signifi- 
 cant manner, as he nodded assent. 
 
 4 ' This putteth Faith something in arrears, ' ' returned he 
 who has been called ensign, and who was no other than the 
 reader's old acquaintance Kben Dudley, preferred to that 
 station in the train-band of the valley. * * The heart of my 
 brother Reuben will be gladdened by these tidings when he 
 shall return from the scout. ' ' 
 
 ''There will be occasion for thankfulness, since he will 
 find seven beneath a roof where he left but four ! ' ' 
 
 " I will close the bargain with the young captain for the 
 mountain lot this very day!" muttered Dudley, like one 
 suddenly convinced of the prudence of a long-debated meas- 
 ure. "Seven pounds of the colony money is no usurer's 
 price, after all, for a hundred acres of heavily-timbered 
 land ; and they in full view of a settlement where boys come 
 three at a time ! ' ' 
 
 The equestrian stopped his horse, and regarding his com- 
 panion intently and with a significant air, he answered, 
 
 ' ' Thou hast now fallen on the clue of an important mys- 
 tery, Ensign Dudley. This continent was created with a 
 design. The fact is apparent by its riches, its climate, its 
 magnitude, its facilities of navigation, and chiefly in that it 
 hath been left undiscovered until the advanced condition of 
 society hath given opportunity and encouragement to men 
 of a certain degree of merit to adventure in its behalf. 
 Consider, neighbor, the wonderful progress it hath already 
 made in the arts and in learning, in reputation and in re- 
 sources, and thou wilt agree with me in the conclusion that 
 all this hath been done with a design." 
 
 ' 'T would be presuming to doubt it ; for he hath indeed 
 a short memory to whom it shall be necessary to recall the 
 time when this very valley was little other than a den for 
 beasts of prey, and their beaten highway a deer- track. Dost 
 think that Reuben will be like to raise the whole of the recent 
 gift?" 
 
 " With judgment, and by the blessing of Providence. The 
 mind is active, Ensign Dudley, when the body is journey- 
 ing among the forests ; and much have my thoughts been 
 
216 Ube Wept of 
 
 exercised in this matter, whilst thou and others have been 
 in your slumbers. Here have we the colonies in their first 
 century, and yet thou knowest to what a pass of improve- 
 ment they have arrived. They tell me the Hartford settle- 
 ment is getting to be apportioned like the towns of mother 
 England, that there is reason to think the day may come 
 when the provinces shall have a power, and a convenience of 
 culture and communication, equalling that which belongeth 
 to some parts of the venerable island itself ! ' ' 
 
 4 'Nay, nay, Dr. Ergot," returned the other with an in- 
 credulous smile, * ' that is exceeding the bounds of a dis- 
 cretionable expectation." 
 
 " Thou wilt remember that I said equalling to certain 
 parts. I think we may justly imagine, that ere many cen- 
 turies shall elapse, there may be millions counted in these 
 regions, and truly that, too, where one seeth naught at 
 present but the savage and the beast." 
 
 * { I will go with any man, in this question, as far as rea- 
 son will justify ; but doubtless thou hast read in the books 
 uttered by writers over sea the matters concerning the con- 
 dition of those countries, wherein it is plain that we may 
 never hope to reach the exalted excellence they enjoy." 
 
 " Neighbor Dudley, thou seemest disposed to push an 
 unguarded expression to extremity. I said equalling cer- 
 tain parts, meaning always, too, in certain things. Now it 
 is known in philosophy, that the stature of man hath de- 
 generated, and must degenerate in these regions, in obedi- 
 ence to established laws of nature ; therefore it is meet 
 that allowance should be made for some deficiency in less 
 material qualities. ' ' 
 
 ' ' It is like, then, that the better sort of the men over sea 
 are ill-disposed to quit their country," returned the ensign, 
 glancing an eye of some unbelief along the muscular pro- 
 portions of his own vigorous frame. ' ' We have no less than 
 three from the old countries in our village, here, and yet I 
 do not find them men like to have been sought for at the 
 building of Babel." 
 
 ' ' This is settling a knotty and learned point by the evi- 
 dence of a few shallow exceptions. I presume to tell you, 
 
Mept of Misb^on^Wfsb 217 
 
 Ensign Dudley, that the science, and wisdom, and philoso- 
 phy of Europe, have been exceeding active in this matter ; 
 and they have proved to their own perfect satisfaction 
 which is the same thing as disposing of the question without 
 appeal, that man and beast, plant and tree, hill and dale, 
 lake and pond, sun, air, fire, and water, are all wanting in 
 some of the perfectness of the older regions. I respect a 
 patriotic sentiment, and can carry the disposition to ap- 
 plaud the bounties received from the hands of a beneficent 
 Creator as far as any man ; but that which hath been 
 demonstrated by science, or collected by learning, is placed 
 too far beyond the objections of light-minded cavillers, to be 
 doubted by graver faculties. ' ' 
 
 * ' I shall not contend against things that are proven, ' ' re- 
 turned Dudley, who was quite as meek in discussion as he 
 was powerful and active in more physical contests ; ' * since 
 it needs be that the learning of men in the old countries 
 must have an exceeding excellence in virtue of its great 
 age. It would be a visit to remember, should some of its 
 rare advantages be dispersed in these our own youthful 
 regions ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' And can it be said that our mental wants have been 
 forgotten that the nakedness of the mind hath been suf- 
 fered to go without its comely vestment, neighbor Dudley ? 
 To me it seemeth that therein we have unwonted reason 
 to rejoice, and that the equilibrium of nature is in a manner 
 restored by the healing exercises of art. It is unseemly 
 in an unenlightened province to insist on qualities that 
 have been discreetly disproven ; but learning is a transfer- 
 able and communicable gift, and it is meet to affirm that 
 it is to be found here in quantities adapted to the wants 
 of the colony." 
 
 " I '11 not gainsay it, for having been more of an adven- 
 turer in the forest than one who hath travelled in quest of 
 sights among the settlements along the sea-shore, it may 
 happen that many things are to be seen there, of which my 
 poor abilities have formed no opinion." 
 
 ' ' And are we utterly unenlightened, even in this distant 
 valley, ensign? " returned the Jeech, leaning over the neck 
 
TKIlept of 
 
 of his horse, and addressing his companion in a mild and 
 persuasive tone, that he had probably acquired in his exten- 
 sive practice among the females of the settlement. "Are 
 we to be classed with the heathen in knowledge, or to be 
 accounted as the unnurtured men who are known once to 
 have roamed through these forests in quest of their game ? 
 Without assuming any infallibility of judgment, or aspiring 
 to any peculiarity of information, it doth not appear to 
 my defective understanding, Master Dudley, that the prog- 
 ress of the settlement hath ever been checked for want of 
 necessary foresight, nor that the growth of reason among 
 us hath ever been stunted from any lack of mental aliment. 
 Our councils are not barren of wisdom, ensign, nor hath it 
 often arrived that abstrusities have been propounded, that 
 some one intellect, to say no more in our own favor, hath 
 not been known to grapple with successfully." 
 
 "That there are men, or perhaps I ought to say that 
 there is a man, in the valley, who is equal to many marvels 
 in the way of enlightened gifts ' ' 
 
 " I knew we should come to peaceable conclusions, En- 
 sign Dudley," interrupted the other, rising erect in his sad- 
 dle, with an air of appeased dignity ; "for I have ever 
 found you a discreet and consequent reasoner, and one who 
 is never known to resist conviction, when truth is pressed 
 with understanding. That the men from over sea are not 
 often so well gifted as some we will say, for the sake of a 
 convenient illustration, as thyself, ensign is placed beyond 
 the reach of debate, since sight teacheth us that numberless 
 exceptions may be found to all the more general and dis- 
 tinctive laws of nature. I think we are yet likely to carry 
 our disagreement further? " 
 
 " It is impossible to make head against one so ready with 
 his knowledge," returned the other, well content to exist in 
 his own person a striking exception to the inferiority of his 
 fellows ; ' * though it appeareth to me that my brother Ring 
 might be chosen, as another instance of a reasonable stat- 
 ure ; a fact that thou mayst see, doctor, by regarding him 
 as he approaches through yon meadow. He hath been 
 like myself, on the scout among the mountains," 
 
ZEbe Mept of Mteb*tTon*Wteb 219 
 
 " There are many instances of physical merit among thy 
 connections, Master Dudley," returned the complaisant phy- 
 sician ; ' ' though it would seem that thy brother hath not 
 found his companion among them. He is attended by an 
 ill-grown, and, it may be added, an ill-favored comrade, that 
 I know not." 
 
 ' ' Ha ! It would seem that Reuben hath fallen on the 
 trail of savages ! The man in company is certainly in 
 paint and blanket. It may be well to pause at yonder 
 opening, and await their coming." 
 
 As this proposition imposed no particular inconvenience, 
 the doctor readily assented. The two drew nigh to the 
 place where the men, whom they saw crossing the fields in 
 the distance, were expected to enter the highway. 
 
 But little time was lost in attendance. Kre many min- 
 utes had elapsed, Reuben Ring, accoutered and armed like 
 the borderer already introduced in this chapter, arrived at 
 the opening, followed by the stranger whose appearance 
 had caused so much surprise to those who watched their 
 approach. 
 
 ' ' What now, sergeant, ' ' exclaimed Dudley, when the 
 other was within ear-shot, speaking a little in the manner 
 of one who had a legal right to propound his questions ; 
 ' ' hast fallen on a trail of the savage, and made a captive ? 
 or hath some owl permitted one of its brood to fall from 
 the nest across thy footpath ? ' ' 
 
 "I believe the creature may be accounted a man," re- 
 turned the successful Reuben, throwing the breech of his 
 gun to the earth, and leaning on its long barrel, while he 
 intently regarded the half-painted, vacant, and extremely 
 equivocal countenance of his captive. " He hath the colors 
 of a Narragansett about the brow and eyes, and yet he 
 faileth greatly in the form and movements. ' ' 
 
 ' ' There are anomalies in the physicals of an Indian, as 
 in those of other men," interrupted Doctor Ergot, with a 
 meaning glance at Dudley. " The conclusion of our neigh- 
 bor Ring may be too hasty, since paint is the fruit of art, 
 and may be applied to any of our faces, after an established 
 usage. But the evidences of nature are far less to be dis- 
 
220 Ube TKIlept of 
 
 trusted. It hath come within the province of my studies 
 to note the differences in formation which occur in the 
 different families of man ; and nothing is more readily to 
 be known to an eye skilled in these abstrusities than the 
 aboriginal of the tribe Narragansett. Set the man more in 
 a position of examination, neighbors, and it shall shortly 
 be seen to which race he belongs. Thou wilt note in this 
 little facility of investigation, ensign, a clear evidence of 
 most of the matters that have this morning been agitated 
 between us. Doth the patient speak English ? ' ' 
 
 1 * Therein have I found some difficulty of inquiry, ' ' re- 
 turned Reuben, or as he should now be, and as he was 
 usually called, Sergeant Ring. * ' He hath been spoken to 
 in the language of a Christian, no less than in that of a 
 heathen, and as yet no reply hath been made, while he 
 obeys commands uttered in both forms of speech." 
 
 ' ' It mattereth not," said Ergot, dismounting, and draw- 
 ing near to his subject, with a look towards Dudley that 
 should seem to court his admiration. 
 
 " Happily the examination before me leaneth but little 
 on any subtleties of speech. I/et the man be placed in an 
 attitude of ease, one in which nature may not be fettered 
 by restraint. The conformation of the whole head is re- 
 markably aboriginal, but the distinction of tribes is not to 
 be sought in these general delineations. The forehead, as 
 you see, neighbors, is retreating and narrow, the cheek- 
 bones as usual high, and the olfactory member, as in all of 
 the natives, inclining to Roman." 
 
 ' ' Now to me it would seem that the nose of the man 
 hath a marked upturning at the end," Dudley ventured to 
 remark, as the other ran volubly over the general and well- 
 known distinctive points of physical construction in an 
 Indian. 
 
 " As an exception ! Thou seest, ensign, by this eleva- 
 tion of the bone, and the protuberance of the more fleshy 
 parts, that the peculiarity is an exception. I should rather 
 have said that the nose originally inclined to the Roman. 
 The departure from regularity has been produced by some 
 casualty of their warfare, such as a blow from a tomahawk, 
 
ZTbe Mept of Misb^on^TOtsb 221 
 
 or the gash of a knife ay ! here thou seest the scar left 
 by the weapon ! It is concealed by the paint ; but remove 
 that, and you will find that it hath all the form of a cicatrix 
 of a corresponding shape. These departures from generali- 
 ties have a tendency to confound pretenders ; a happy cir- 
 cumstance in itself for the progress of knowledge on fixed 
 principles. Place the subject more erect, that we may see 
 the natural movement of the muscles. Here is an evidence 
 of great aquatic habits in the dimensions of the foot, which 
 go to confirm original conceptions. It is a happy proof, 
 through which reasonable and prudent conclusions confirm 
 the quick-sighted glances of practice. I pronounce the 
 fellow to be a Narragansett." 
 
 ' * Is it then a Narragansett that hath a foot to confound 
 a trail ? ' ' returned Kben Dudley, who had been studying 
 the movements and attitudes of the captive with quite as 
 much keenness, and with something more of understand- 
 ing than the leech. " Brother Ring, hast ever known 
 an Indian leave such an out-turning foot-print on the 
 leaves?" 
 
 "Ensign, I marvel that a man of thy discretion should 
 dwell on a slight variety of movement, when a case exists 
 in which the laws of nature may be traced to their sources. 
 This training for the Indian troubles hath made thee critical 
 in the position of a foot. I have said that the fellow is a 
 Narragansett, and what I have uttered hath not been lightly 
 ventured. Here is the peculiar formation of the foot, 
 which hath been obtained in infancy, a fulness in the 
 muscles of the breast and shoulders, from unusual exercise 
 in an element denser than the air, and a nicer construction 
 in" 
 
 The physician paused, for Dudley had coolly advanced 
 to the captive, and raising the thin robe of deer-skin which 
 was thrown over the whole of his superior members, he 
 exposed the unequivocal skin of a white man. This would 
 have proved an embarrassing refutation to one accustomed 
 to the conflict of wits ; but monopoly in certain branches 
 of knowledge had produced in favor of Doctor Ergot an 
 acknowledged superiority, that in its effects might be likened 
 
222 Ube Wept of 
 
 to the predominating influence of any other aristocracy on 
 those faculties that have been benumbed by its operation. 
 His opinion changed, which is more than can be said of his 
 countenance ; for with the readiness of invention which is 
 so often practised in the felicitous institutions we have 
 named, and by which the reasoning, instead of regulating, 
 is adapted to the practice, he exclaimed with uplifted hands 
 and eyes that bespoke the fulness of his admiration, 
 
 "Here have we another proof of the wonderful agency 
 by which the changes in nature are gradually wrought ! 
 Now do we see in this Narragansett ' ' 
 
 "The man is white!" interrupted Dudley, tapping the 
 naked shoulder, which he still held exposed to view. 
 
 * * White, but not a tittle the less a Narragansett. Your 
 captive, beyond a doubt, oweth his existence to Christian 
 parentage, but accident hath thrown him early among the 
 aboriginals, and all those parts which were liable to change 
 were fast getting to assume the peculiarities of the tribe. 
 He is one of those beautiful and connecting links in the 
 chain of knowledge, by which science followeth up its de- 
 ductions to demonstration." 
 
 ' ' I should ill brook coming to harm for doing violence to 
 a subject of the king," said Reuben Ring, a steady, open- 
 faced yeoman, who thought far less of the subtleties of his 
 companion than of discharging his social duties in a manner 
 fitting the character of a quiet and well-conditioned citizen. 
 * ' We have had so much of stirring tidings latterly, concern- 
 ing the manner the savages conduct their warfare, that it 
 behooveth men in places of trust to be vigilant ; for, ' ' glanc- 
 ing eyes towards the ruin of the distant block-house, 
 "thou knowest, brother Dudley, that we have occasion 
 to be watchful in a settlement as deep in the forest as 
 this." 
 
 " I will answer for the indemnity, Sergeant Ring," said 
 Dudley, with an air of dignity. "I take upon myself the 
 keeping of this stranger, and will see that he be borne, prop- 
 erly and in fitting season, before the authorities. In the 
 meantime, duty hath caused us to overlook matters of 
 moment in thy household, which it may be seemly to 
 
Mept of Misb^on^Mteb 223 
 
 communicate. Abundance hath not been neglectful of thy 
 interests, during the scout." 
 
 ' * What ! ' ' demanded the husband, with rather more of 
 earnestness than was generally exhibited by one of habits 
 as restrained as his own ; ' * hath the woman called upon 
 the neighbors during my absence ? ' ' 
 
 Dudley nodded an assent. 
 
 "And shall I find another boy beneath my roof ? " 
 
 Doctor Ergot nodded three times, with a gravity that 
 might have suited a communication even more weighty than 
 the one he made. 
 
 ' ' Thy woman rarely doth a good turn by halves, Reu- 
 ben. Thou wilt find that she hath made provision for a 
 successor to our good neighbor Ergot, since a seventh son 
 is born in thy house. ' ' 
 
 The broad, honest face of the father flushed with joy, and 
 then a feeling less selfish came over him. He asked, with 
 a slight tremor in the voice, that was none the less touch- 
 ing for coming from the lips of one so stout of frame and 
 firm of movement, 
 
 "And the woman? in what manner doth Abundance 
 bear up under the blessing ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' Bravely, ' ' returned the leech ; "go to thy dwelling, 
 Sergeant Ring, and praise God that there is one to look to 
 its concerns in thy absence. He who hath received the 
 gift of seven sons in five years need never be a poor nor a 
 dependent man in a country like this. Seven farms added 
 to that pretty homestead of mountain-land which thou now 
 tillest will render thee a patriarch in thine age, and sustain 
 the name of Ring hundreds of years hence, when these 
 colonies shall become peopled and powerful, and, I say it 
 boldly, caring not who may call me one that vaunteth out 
 of reason, equal to some of your lofty and self-extolled king- 
 doms of Europe ay, even peradventure to the mighty 
 sovereignty of Portugal itself! I have enumerated thy 
 future farms at seven, for the allusion of the ensign to the 
 virtues of men born with natural propensities to the healing 
 art, must be taken as pleasant speech, since it is a mere 
 delusion of old wives' fancy, and it would be particularly un- 
 
224 Ube Mept of 
 
 necessary here, where every reasonable situation of this na- 
 ture is already occupied. Go to thy wife, sergeant, and bid 
 her be of good cheer ; for she hath done herself, thee, and 
 thy country, a service, and that without dabbling in pursuits 
 foreign to her comprehension.'' 
 
 The sturdy yeoman, on whom this rich gift of Providence 
 had been dispensed, raised his hat, and placing it decently 
 before his face, he offered up a silent thanksgiving for the 
 favor. Then transferring his captive to the keeping of his 
 superior and kinsman, he was soon seen striding over the 
 fields towards his upland dwelling, with a heavy foot, though 
 with a light heart. 
 
 In the meantime, Dudley and his companion bestowed a 
 more particular attention on the silent and nearly motion- 
 less object of their curiosity. Though the captive appeared 
 to be of middle age, his eye was unmeaning, his air timid 
 and uncertain, and his form cringing and ungainly. In all 
 these particulars, he was seen to differ from the known 
 peculiarities of a native warrior. 
 
 Previously to departing, Reuben Ring had explained 
 that while traversing the woods, on that duty of watchful- 
 ness to which the state of the colony and some recent signs 
 had given rise, this wandering person had been encountered 
 and secured, as seemed necessary to the safety of the settle- 
 ment. He had neither sought nor avoided his captor ; but 
 when questioned concerning his tribe, his motive for trav- 
 ersing those hills, and his future intentions, no satisfactory 
 reply could be extracted. He had scarcely spoken, and the 
 little that he said was uttered in a jargon between the lan- 
 guage of his interrogator and the dialect of some barbarous 
 nation. Though there was much in the actual state of the 
 colonies, and in the circumstances in which this wanderer 
 had been found, to justify his detention, little had in truth 
 been discovered, to supply a clue either to any material 
 facts in his history, or to any of his views in being in the 
 immediate vicinity of the valley. 
 
 Guided only by this barren information, Dudley and his 
 companion endeavored, as they moved towards the hamlet, 
 to entrap their prisoner into some confession of his object, 
 
Ube Mept of 
 
 225 
 
 by putting their questions with a sagacity not unusual to 
 men in remote and difficult situations, where necessity and 
 danger are apt to keep alive all the native energies of the 
 human mind. The answers were little connected and un- 
 intelligible, sometimes seeming to exhibit the finest subtlety 
 of savage cunning, and at others appearing to possess the 
 
 mental helplessness of the most abject fatuity. 
 
 15 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 " I am not prone to weeping, as our sex 
 Commonly are ; 
 
 But I have 
 
 That honorable grief lodged here, which burns 
 Worse than tears drown." 
 
 Winter's Tale. 
 
 
 
 IF the pen of a compiler, like that we wield, possessed 
 the mechanical power of the stage, it would be easy to 
 shift the scenes of this legend as rapidly and effective!)' 
 as is required for its right understanding, and for the 
 proper maintenance of its interest. That which cannot be 
 done with the magical aid of machinery must be attempted 
 by less ambitious, and we fear by far less efficacious means. 
 At the same early hour of the day, and at no great dis- 
 tance from the spot where Dudley announced his good 
 fortune to his brother Ring, another morning meeting had 
 place between persons of the same blood and connections. 
 From the instant when the pale light that precedes the day 
 was first seen in the heavens, the windows and doors of the 
 considerable dwelling, on the opposite side of the valley, 
 had been unbarred. Ere the glow of the sun had gilded 
 the sky over the outline of the eastern woods, this example 
 of industry and providence was followed by the inmates of 
 every house in the village, or on the surrounding hills ; and 
 by the time the golden globe itself w r as visible above the 
 trees, there was not a human being in all that settlement, 
 of proper age and health, who was not actively afoot. 
 
 It is unnecessary to say that the dwelling particularly 
 named was the present habitation of the household of Mark 
 
 226 
 
Tlbe Mept of Misb^ZToiVlKIUsb 227 
 
 Heathcote. Though age had sapped the foundations of his 
 strength, and had nearly dried the channels of his existence, 
 the venerable religionist still lived. While his physical 
 perfection had been gradually giving way before the ordi- 
 nary decay of nature, the moral man was but little altered. 
 It is even probable that his visions of futurity were less 
 dimmed by the mists of carnal interests than when last 
 seen, and that the spirit had gained some portion of that 
 energy which had certainly been abstracted from the more 
 corporeal parts of his existence. At the hour already 
 named, the Puritan was seated in the piazza, which stretched 
 along the whole front of a dwelling that, however it might 
 be deficient in architectural proportions, was not wanting in 
 the more substantial comforts of a spacious and commodious 
 frontier residence. In order to obtain a faithful portrait 
 of a man so intimately connected with our tale, the reader 
 will fancy him one who had numbered four-score and ten 
 years, with a visage on which deep and constant mental 
 striving had wrought many and menacing furrows, a form 
 that trembled while it yet exhibited the ruins of power- 
 ful limb and flexible muscle, and a countenance on which 
 ascetic reflections had engraved a severity that was but 
 faintly relieved by the gleamings of a natural kindness, 
 which no acquired habits nor any traces of metaphysical 
 thought could ever entirely erase. Across this picture of 
 venerable and self-mortifying age, the first rays of the sun 
 were now softly cast, lighting a dimmed eye and furrowed 
 face with a look of brightness and peace. Perhaps the 
 blandness of the expression belonged as much to the season 
 and hour, as to the habitual character of the man. This 
 benignancy of feature, unusual rather in its strength than 
 in its existence, might have been heightened by the fact 
 that his spirit had just wrought in prayer, as was usual, in 
 the circle of his children and dependants, ere they left those 
 retired parts of the building where they had found rest and 
 security during the night. Of the former, none known 
 and cherished in the domestic circle had been absent ; and 
 the ample provision that was making for the morning meal 
 sufficiently showed that the ntfcnber of the latter had in no 
 
228 Ube Wept of 
 
 degree diminished since the reader was familiar with the 
 domestic economy of his household. 
 
 Time had produced no very striking alteration in the 
 appearance of Content. It is true that the brown hue of 
 his features had deepened, and that his frame was begin- 
 ning to lose some of its elasticity and ease of action in the 
 more measured movements of middle age. But the gov- 
 erned temperament of the individual had always kept the 
 animal in more than usual subjection. Even his earlier 
 days had rather exhibited the promise than the perform- 
 ance of the ordinary youthful qualities. Mental gravity 
 had long before produced a corresponding physical effect. 
 In reference to his exterior, and using the language of the 
 painter, it would now be said that, without having wrought 
 any change in form and proportions, the colors had been 
 mellowed by time. If a few hairs of gray were sprinkled 
 here and there around his brow, it was as moss gathers on 
 the stones of the edifice, rather furnishing evidence of its 
 increased adhesion and approved stability, than denoting 
 any symptoms of decay. 
 
 Not so with his gentle and devoted partner. That soft- 
 ness and sweetness of air which had first touched the heart 
 of Content were still to be seen, though they existed amid 
 the traces of a constant and a corroding grief. The fresh- 
 ness of youth had departed, and in its place was visible the 
 more lasting, and, in her case, the more affecting beauty of 
 expression. The eye of Ruth had lost none of its gentle- 
 ness, and her smile still continued kind and attractive ; but 
 the former was often painfully vacant, seeming to look in- 
 vward upon those secret and withering sources of sorrow 
 that were deeply and almost mysteriously seated in her 
 heart ; while the latter resembled the cold brightness of 
 that planet which illumines objects by repelling the bor- 
 rowed lustre from its own bosom. The matronly form, the 
 feminine beaming of the countenance, and the melodious 
 voice, yet remained ; but the first had been shaken till it 
 stood on the very verge of a premature decay ; the second 
 had a mingling of anxious care in its most sympathetic 
 movements, and the last was seldom without that fearful 
 
Ube Mept ot 
 
 thrill which so deeply affects the senses by conveying to the 
 understanding a meaning so foreign from the words. And 
 yet an uninterested and ordinary observer might not have 
 seen, in the faded comeliness and blighted maturity of the 
 matron, more than the every-day signs that betray the turn 
 in the tide of human existence. As befitted such a subject, 
 the coloring of sorrow had been traced by a hand too deli- 
 cate to leave the lines visible to every vulgar eye. L,ike 
 the master-touches of art, her grief, as it was beyond the 
 sympathies, so it lay beyond the ken of those whom excel- 
 lence may fail to excite, or in whom absence can deaden 
 affections. Still her feelings were true to all who had any 
 claims on her love. The predominance of wasting grief 
 over the more genial springs of her enjoyments only went 
 to prove how much greater is the influence of the generous 
 than the selfish qualities of our nature in a heart that is 
 truly endowed with tenderness. It is scarce necessary to say 
 that this gentle and constant woman sorrowed for her child. 
 
 Had Ruth Heathcote known that the girl ceased to live, 
 it would not have been difficult for one of her faith to have 
 deposited her regrets by the side of hopes that were so justi- 
 fiable in the grave of the innocent. But the living death to 
 which her offspring might be condemned was rarely absent 
 from her thoughts. She listened to the maxims of resigna- 
 tion, which were heard flowing from lips she loved, with the 
 fondness of a woman and the meekness of a Christian ; and 
 then, even while the holy lessons were still sounding in her 
 attentive organs, the workings of an unconquerable nature 
 led her insidiously back to the sorrow of a mother. 
 
 The imagination of this devoted and feminine being had 
 never possessed an undue control over her reason. Her 
 visions of happiness with the man whom her judgment not 
 less than her inclination approved, had been such as experi- 
 ence and religion might justify. But she was now fated to 
 learn there is a fearful poetry in sorrow, which can sketch 
 with a grace and an imaginative power that no feebler efforts 
 of a heated fancy may ever equal. She heard the sweet 
 breathing of her slumbering infant in the whispering of the 
 summer airs ; its plaints came to her ears amid the howlings 
 
230 ZTbe Mept of 
 
 of the gale ; while the eager question and fond reply were 
 mixed up with the most ordinary intercourse of her own 
 household. To her the laugh of childish happiness, that 
 often came on the still air of evening from the hamlet, 
 sounded like the voice of mourning ; and scarce an infantile 
 sport met her eye that did not bring with it a pang of an- 
 guish. Twice since the events of the inroad had she been a 
 mother ; and, as if an eternal blight were doomed to destroy 
 her hopes, the little creatures to whom she had given birth 
 slept side by side near the base of the ruined block. Thither 
 she often went, but it was rather to be the victim of those 
 cruel images of her fancy, than as a mourner. Her visions 
 of the dead were calm and even consolatory, but if ever her 
 thoughts mounted to the abodes of eternal peace, and her 
 feeble fancy essayed to embody the forms of the blessed, her 
 mental eye sought her who was not, rather than those who 
 were believed to be secure in their felicity. Wasting and 
 delusory as were these glimpses of the mind, there were others 
 far more harrowing, because they presented themselves with 
 more of the coarse and certain features of the world. It was 
 the common, and perhaps it was the better opinion of the 
 inhabitants of the valley, that death had early sealed the 
 fate of those who had fallen into the hands of the savages on 
 the occasion of the inroad. Such a result was in conformity 
 with the known practices and ruthless passions of the con- 
 querors, who seldom spared life unless to render revenge 
 more cruelly refined, or to bring consolation to some bereaved 
 mother of the tribe by offering a substitute for the dead in 
 the person of a captive. There was relief to picture the face 
 of the laughing cherub in the clouds, or to listen to its light 
 footstep in the empty halls of the dwelling ; for in these il- 
 lusive images of the brain suffering was confined to her own 
 bosom. But when stern reality usurped the place of fancy, 
 and she saw her living daughter shivering in the wintry 
 blasts or sinking beneath the fierce heats of the climate, 
 cheerless in the desolation of female servitude, and suffering 
 meekly the lot of physical weakness beneath a savage mas- 
 ter, she endured that anguish which was gradually exhaust- 
 ing the springs of life. 
 
ZTbe Wept of Wisb*Uon*Wisb 231 
 
 Though the father was not altogether exempt from similar 
 sorrow, it beset him less ceaselessly. He knew how to 
 struggle with the workings of his mind as best became a 
 man. Though strongly impressed with the belief that the 
 captives had early been put beyond the reach of suffering, he 
 had neglected no duty which tenderness to his sorrowing 
 partner, parental love, or Christian duty, could require at his 
 hands. 
 
 The Indians had retired on the crust of the snow, and with 
 the thaw every foot-print or sign by which such wary foes 
 might be traced, had vanished. It remained matter of doubt 
 to what tribe or even to what nation the marauders belonged. 
 The peace of the colony had not yet been openly broken, 
 and the inroad had been rather a violent and fierce symptom 
 of the evils that were contemplated, than the actual com- 
 mencement of the ruthless hostilities which had since rav- 
 aged the frontier. But while policy had kept the colonists 
 quiet, private affection omitted no rational means of effect- 
 ing the restoration of the sufferers, in the event of their 
 having been spared. 
 
 Scouts had passed among the conspiring and but half- 
 peaceable tribes nearest to the settlement, and rewards and 
 menaces had both been liberally used, in order to ascertain 
 the character of the savages who had laid waste the valley, 
 as well as the more interesting fortunes of their hapless vic- 
 tims. Every expedient to detect the truth had failed. The 
 Narragansetts affirmed that their constant enemies, the Mo- 
 hicans, acting with their customary treachery, had plundered 
 their English friends, while the Mohicans vehement!)' threw 
 back the imputation on the Narragansetts. At other times, 
 some Indians affected to make dark allusions to the hostile 
 feelings of fierce warriors, who, under the name of the Five 
 Nations, were known to reside within limits of the Dutch 
 colony of New Netherlands, and to dwell upon the jealousy 
 of the pale- faces who spoke a language different from that 
 of the Yengeese. In short, inquiry had produced no result, 
 and Content, when he did permit his fancy to represent his 
 daughter as still living, was forced to admit to himself the 
 probability that she might be buried far in the ocean of wil- 
 
232 TEbe TKHept of 
 
 derness which then covered most of the surface of this con- 
 tinent. 
 
 Once, indeed, a rumor of an exciting nature had reached 
 the family. An itinerant trader, bound from the wilds of 
 the interior to a mart on the sea-shore, had entered the 
 valley. He brought with him a report that a child, answer- 
 ing in some respects to the appearance which might now be 
 supposed to belong to her who was lost, was living among 
 the savages, on the banks of the smaller lakes of the adjoin- 
 ing colony. The distance to this spot was great ; the path 
 led through a thousand dangers, and the result was far from 
 certain. Yet it quickened hopes which had long been dor- 
 mant. Ruth never urged any request that might involve 
 serious hazard to her husband, and for many months the 
 latter had even ceased to speak on the subject. Still, nature 
 was working powerfully within him. His eyes, at all times 
 reflecting and calm, grew more thoughtful ; deeper lines of 
 care gathered about his brow, and at length melancholy 
 took possession of a countenance which was usually so 
 placid. 
 
 It was at this precise period, that Kben Dudley chose to 
 urge the suit he had always pressed after his own desultory 
 fashion, on the decision of Faith. One of those well-ordered 
 accidents which, from time to time, had brought the girl 
 and the young borderer in private conversation, enabled him 
 to effect his design with sufficient clearness. Faith heard 
 him without betraying any of her ordinary waywardness, 
 and answered with as little prevarication as the subject 
 seemed to demand. 
 
 "This is well, Eben Dudley," she said, "and it is no 
 more than an honest girl hath a right to hear from one who 
 hath taken as many means as thou to get into her favor. 
 But he who would have his life tormented by me hath a 
 solemn duty to do, ere I listen to his wishes." 
 
 " I have been in the lower towns and studied their manner 
 of life, and I have been upon the scouts of the colony, to 
 keep the Indians in their wigwams," returned her suitor, 
 endeavoring to recount the feats of manliness that might 
 reasonably be expected of one inclined to venture on so 
 
Ube Wept of TOteb*zron*Wteb 233 
 
 hazardous an experiment as matrimony. "The bargain 
 with the young captain for the hill-lot, and for a village 
 homestead, is drawing near a close, and as the neighbors 
 will not be backward at the stone-bee, or the raising, I see 
 nothing to ' ' 
 
 ' * Thou deceivest thyself, observant Dudley, ' ' interrupted 
 the girl, " if thou believest eye of thine can see that which 
 is to be sought, ere one and the same fortune shall be the 
 property of thee and me. Hast noted, Kben, the manner 
 in which the cheek of the madam hath paled, and how her 
 eye is getting sunken, since the time when the fur trader 
 tarried with us, the week of the storm ? ' ' 
 
 1 ' I cannot say that there is much change in the wearing of 
 the madam within the bearing of my memory, ' ' answered 
 Dudley, who was never remarkable for minute observations 
 of this nature, however keen he might prove in subjects 
 more intimately connected with his daily pursuits. " She 
 is not young and blooming as thou, Faith ; nor is it often 
 that we see " 
 
 " I tell thee, man, that sorrow preyeth upon her form', 
 and that she liveth but in the memory of the lost infant ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' This is carrying mourning beyond the bounds of rea- 
 son. The child is at peace, as is thy brother Whittal, be- 
 yond all manner of question. That we have not discovered 
 their bones is owing to the fire, which left but little to tell 
 of" 
 
 * ' Thy head is a charnel-house, dull Dudley ; but this pic- 
 ture of its furniture shall not suffice for me. The man who 
 is to be my husband must have a feeling for a mother's 
 sorrows ! ' ' 
 
 " What is now getting uppermost in thy mind, Faith ? Is 
 it for me to bring back the dead to life, or to place a child 
 that hath been lost so many years, once more in the arms 
 of its parents ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' It is. Nay, open not thine eyes, as if light were first 
 breaking into the darkness of a clouded brain ! I repeat, 
 it is ! " 
 
 ' ' I am glad that we have got to these open declarations, 
 for too much of my life hath been -already wasted in unsettled 
 
234 ^be TKRept of 
 
 gallanting, when sound wisdom and the example of all 
 around me have shown that in order to become the father 
 of a family, and to be esteemed for a substantial settler, I 
 should have both cleared and wived some years ago. I wish 
 to deal justly by all, and having given thee reason to think 
 that the day might come when we should live together, as 
 is fitting to people of our condition, I felt it a duty to ask 
 thee to share my chances ; but now that thou dealest in 
 impossibilities, it is needful to seek elsewhere. ' ' 
 
 ' ' This hath ever been thy way when a good understanding 
 hath been established between us. Thy mind is ever getting 
 into some discontent, and then blame is heaped on one who 
 rarely doth anything that should in reason offend thee. 
 What madness maketh thee dream that I ask impossibili- 
 ties? Surely, Dudley, thou canst not have noticed the 
 manner in which the nature of the madam is giving way 
 before the consuming heat of her grief ; thou canst not look 
 into the sorrow of woman, or thou wouldst have listened 
 with more kindness to a plan of travelling the woods for a 
 short season, in order that it might be known whether she 
 of whom the trader spoke is the lost one of our family, or 
 the child of some stranger ! ' ' 
 
 Though Faith spoke with vexation, she also spoke with 
 feeling. Her dark eye swam in tears, and the color of her 
 brown cheek deepened, until her companion saw new reasons 
 to forget his discontent, in sympathies which, however ob- 
 tuse they might be, were never entirely dormant. 
 
 " If a journey of a few hundred miles be all thou askest, 
 girl, why speak in parables?" he good-naturedly replied. 
 ' ' The kind word was not wanting to put me on such a trial. 
 We will be married on the Sabbath, and please Heaven, the 
 Wednesday, or the Saturday at most, shall see me on the 
 path of the western trader. ' ' 
 
 " No delay. Thou must depart with the sun. The more 
 active thou pro vest on the journey, the sooner wilt thou 
 have the power to make me repent a foolish deed. ' ' 
 
 But Faith had been persuaded to relax a little from this 
 severity. They were married on the Sabbath, and the 
 following day Content and Dudley left the valley in quest 
 
Mept of Wisb^orWTCllfsb 235 
 
 of the distant tribe on which the scion of another stock was 
 said to have been so violently engrafted. 
 
 It is needless to dwell on the dangers and privations of 
 such an expedition. The Hudson, the Delaware, and the 
 Susquehannah, rivers that were then better known in tales 
 than to the inhabitants of New England, were all crossed ; 
 and after a painful and hazardous journey, the adventurers 
 reached the first of that collection of small interior lakes 
 whose banks are now so beautifully decorated with villages 
 and farms. Here, in the bosom of savage tribes, and 
 exposed to every danger of field and flood, supported only 
 by his hopes, and by the presence of a stout companion 
 that hardships or danger could not easily subdue, the father 
 diligently sought his child. 
 
 At length a people was found who held a captive that 
 answered the description of the trader. We shall not dwell 
 on the feelings with which Content approached the village 
 that contained this little descendant of a white race. He 
 had not concealed his errand ; and the sacred character in 
 which he came found pity and respect even among tho.se 
 barbarous tenants of the wilderness. A deputation of the 
 chiefs received him in the skirts of their clearing. He was 
 conducted to a wigwam where a council-fire was lighted, 
 and an interpreter opened the subject by placing the amount 
 of the ransom offered, and the professions of peace with 
 which the strangers came, in the fairest light before his 
 auditors. It is not usual for the American savage to loosen 
 his hold easily on one naturalized in his tribe. But the 
 meek air and noble confidence of Content touched the latent 
 qualities of those generous though fierce children of the 
 woods. The girl was sent for, that she might stand in the 
 presence of the elders of the nation. 
 
 No language can paint the sensation with which Content 
 first looked upon this adopted daughter of the savages. 
 The years and sex were in accordance with his wishes ; but 
 in place of the golden hair and azure eyes of the cherub he 
 had lost, there appeared a girl in whose jet-black tresses and 
 equally dark organs of sight he might better trace a de- 
 scendant of the French of the tanadas, than one sprung 
 
236 ilbe Mept of 
 
 from his own Saxon lineage. The father was not quick of 
 mind in the ordinary occupations of life, but nature was 
 now big within him. There needed no second glance to 
 say how cruelly his hopes had been deceived. A smothered 
 groan struggled from his chest, and then his self-command 
 returned with the imposing grandeur of Christian resigna- 
 tion. He arose, and thanking the chiefs for their indulgence, 
 he made no secret of the mistake by which he had been led 
 so far on a fruitless errand. While speaking, the signs and 
 gestures of Dudley gave him reason to believe that his com- 
 panion had something of importance to communicate. In 
 a private interview, the latter suggested the expediency of 
 concealing the truth, and of rescuing the child they had in 
 fact discovered from the hands of her barbarous masters. 
 It was now too late to practise a deception that might have 
 availed for this object, had the stern principles of Content 
 permitted the artifice. But transferring some portion of the 
 interest which he felt for the fortunes of his own offspring to 
 that of the unknown parent, who like himself most prob- 
 ably mourned the uncertain fate of the girl before him, 
 he tendered the ransom intended for Ruth in behalf of the 
 captive. It was rejected. Disappointed in both their ob- 
 jects, the adventurers were obliged to quit the village with 
 weary feet and still heavier hearts. 
 
 If any who read these pages have ever felt the agony of 
 suspense in a matter involving the best of human affections, 
 they will know how to appreciate the sufferings of the 
 mother during the month that her husband was absent on 
 this holy errand. At times hope brightened around her 
 heart, until the glow of pleasure was again mantling on her 
 cheek and playing in her eye. The first week of the 
 adventure was one almost of happiness. The hazards of the 
 journey were nearly forgotten in its anticipated results, and 
 though occasional apprehensions quickened the pulses of 
 one whose system answered so fearfully to the movements 
 of the spirit, there was a predominance of hope in all her 
 anticipations. She again passed among her maidens with 
 a mien in which joy was struggling with the meekness of 
 subdued habits, and her smiles once more began to beam 
 
Ube Mept of Mfsb^UotWTCIlisfo 237 
 
 with renovated happiness. To his dying day old Mark 
 Heathcote never forgot the sudden sensation that was 
 created by the soft laugh that on some unexpected occasion 
 came to his ear from the lips of his son's wife. Though 
 years had elapsed between the moment when that unwonted 
 sound was heard, and the time at which the action of the 
 tale now stands, he never heard it repeated. To heighten 
 the feelings which were now uppermost in the mind of 
 Ruth, when within a day's march of the village to which 
 he was going, Content had found the means to send the 
 tidings of his prospects of success. It was over all these 
 renewed wishes that disappointment was to throw its chill, 
 and it was affections thus riveted that were to be again 
 blighted by the cruellest of all withering influences, that 
 of hope defeated. 
 
 It was near the hour of the setting of the sun when 
 Content and Dudley reached the deserted clearing on their 
 return to the valley. Their path led through this opening 
 on the mountain-side, and there was one point among the 
 bushes from which the buildings that had already arisen 
 from the ashes of the burning might be distinctly seen. 
 Until now, the husband and father had believed himself equal 
 to any effort that duty might require in the progress of this 
 mournful service. But here he paused, and communicated 
 a wish to his companion that he would go ahead and break 
 the nature of the deception that led them so far on a fruit- 
 less mission. Perhaps Content was himself ignorant of all 
 he wished, or to what unskilful hands he had confided a 
 commission of more than ordinary delicacy. He merely 
 felt his own inability, and with a weakness that may find 
 some apology in his feelings, he saw his companion depart 
 without instructions or indeed without any other guide 
 than Nature. 
 
 Though Faith had betrayed no marked uneasiness dur- 
 ing the absence of the travellers, her quick eye was the 
 first to discover the form of her husband, as he came with 
 a tired step across the fields, in the direction of the dwell- 
 ings. I^ong ere Dudley reached the house, every one of 
 its inmates had assembled in the piazza. This was no 
 
238 TTbe TKIlept ot Misb^UotWQfflisb 
 
 meeting of turbulent delight or of clamorous greetings. 
 The adventurer drew near amid a silence so oppressive, 
 that it utterly disconcerted a studied project, by which he 
 had hoped to announce his tidings in a manner suited to 
 the occasion. His hand was on the gate of the little court, 
 and still none spoke ; his foot was on the low step, and yet 
 no voice bade him welcome. The looks of the little group 
 were rather fixed on the features of Ruth than on the per- 
 son of him who approached. Her face was as pallid as death, 
 her eye contracted, but filled with the mental effort that 
 sustained her, and her lip scarce trembled, as in obedience 
 to a feeling still stronger than the one which had so long 
 oppressed her, she exclaimed, 
 
 " Kben Dudley, where hast thou left my husband ? " 
 
 "The young captain was foot- weary, and he tarried in 
 the second growth of the hill ; but so brave a walker can- 
 not be far behind. We shall see him soon, at the opening 
 by the dead beech ; and it is there that I recommend the 
 madam ' ' 
 
 * { It was thoughtful in Heathcote, and like his usual kind- 
 ness, to devise this well-meant caution," said Ruth, across 
 whose countenance a smile so radiant passed, that it im- 
 parted the expression which is believed to characterize the 
 peculiar benignancy of angels. " Still it was unnecessary ; 
 for he should have known that we place our strength on 
 the Rock of Ages. Tell me, in what manner hath my 
 precious one borne the exceeding weariness of thy tangled 
 route?" 
 
 The wandering glance of the messenger had gone from 
 face to face, until it became fastened on the countenance of 
 his own wife, in a settled, unmeaning gaze. 
 
 ''Nay, Faith hath demeaned well, both as my assistant 
 and as thy partner, and thou mayst see that her comeliness 
 is in no degree changed. And did the babe falter in this 
 weary passage, or did she retard thy movements by her 
 fretfulness ? But I know thy nature, man ; she hath been 
 borne over many long miles of mountain-side and treacher- 
 ous swamp in thine own vigorous arms. Thou answerest 
 not, Dudley ! ' ' exclaimed Ruth, taking the alarm, and lay- 
 
IKHept of Misb*zron==Misb 239 
 
 ing a hand firmly on the shoulder of him she questioned ; 
 as forcing his half-averted face to meet her eye, she seemed 
 to read his soul. 
 
 The muscles of the sunburnt and strong features of the 
 borderer worked involuntarily, his broad chest swelled to 
 its utmost expansion, big burning drops rolled out upon his 
 brown cheeks, and then taking the arm of Ruth in one of 
 his own powerful hands, he compelled her to release her 
 hold, with a firm but respectful exercise of his strength ; 
 and thrusting the form of his own wife without ceremony 
 aside, he passed through the circle, and entered the dwell- 
 ing with the tread of a giant. 
 
 The head of Ruth dropped upon her bosom, the paleness 
 again came over her cheeks, and it was then that the in- 
 ward look of the eye might first be seen, which afterwards 
 became so constant and so painful an expression in her 
 countenance. From that hour to the time in which the 
 family of the Wish-Ton-Wish is again brought immediately 
 before the reader, no further rumors were ever heard, to 
 lessen or increase the wasting regrets of her bosom. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 " Sir, he hath never fed of the dainties that are bred in a book ; he 
 hath not eaten paper, as it were ; he hath not drunk ink ; his intellect 
 is not replenished ; he is only an animal only sensible in the duller 
 parts." 
 
 Lovers Labor >s Lost. 
 
 " T" T ERK cometh Faith, to bring us tidings of the 
 hamlet, ' ' said the husband of the woman whose 
 
 J__ \_ character we have so feebly sketched, as he took 
 his seat on the piazza, at the early hour and in 
 the group already mentioned. "The ensign hath been 
 abroad on the hills throughout the night, with a chosen 
 party of our people ; and perchance she hath been sent with 
 the substance that they have gathered concerning the un- 
 known trail." 
 
 "The heavy-footed Dudley hath scarce mounted to the 
 dividing ridge, where report goeth the prints of moccasins 
 were seen," observed a young man, who in his person bore 
 all the evidences of an active and healthful manhood. " Of 
 what service is the scouting that faileth of the necessary 
 distance, by the weariness of its leader ? ' ' 
 
 1 ' If thou believest, boy, that thy young foot is equal to 
 contend with the sinews of Eben Dudley, there may be 
 occasion to show the magnitude of thy error, ere the dan- 
 ger of this Indian out-breaking shall pass away. Thou art 
 too stubborn of will, Mark, to be yet trusted with the lead- 
 ing of parties that may hold the safety of all who dwell in 
 the Wish-Ton-Wish within their keeping." 
 
 The young man looked displeased ; but, fearful that his 
 father might observe and misinterpret his humor into a 
 personal disrespect, he turned away, permitting his frown- 
 
 240 
 
'Cbe Wept of Mi8b*tton*Wisb 241 
 
 ing eye to rest for an instant on the timid and stolen glance 
 of a maiden whose cheek was growing like the eastern sky, 
 as she busied herself with the preparations of the table. 
 
 ' ' What welcome news dost bring from the sign of the 
 Whip- Poor- Will ?" Content asked of the woman who had 
 now come within the little gate of his court. ' ' Hast seen 
 the ensign since the party took the hill-paths ; or is it 
 some traveller who hath charged thee with matter for our 
 ears?" 
 
 * * Eye of man hath not seen the man since he girded 
 himself with the sword of office, ' ' returned Faith, entering 
 the piazza and nodding salutation to those around her ; 
 ' * and as for strangers, when the clock shall strike noon, it 
 will be one month to the day that the last of them was 
 housed within my doors. But I complain not of the want 
 of custom, as the ensign would never quit the bar and his 
 gossip to go into the mountain-lots, so long as there was 
 one to fill his ears with the marvels of the old countries, 
 or even to discourse of the home-stirrings of the colonies 
 themselves." 
 
 ' ' Thou speakest lightly, Faith, of one who merits th}>- 
 respect and thy duty." 
 
 The eye of the former studied the meek countenance of 
 her from whom this reproof came, with an intenseness and 
 a melancholy that showed her thoughts were on other mat- 
 ters, and then, as if suddenly recalled to what had passed, 
 she resumed, 
 
 " Truly, what with duty to the man as a husband, and 
 respect to him as an officer of the colony, Madam Heath- 
 cote, the task is not one of easy bearing. If the king's 
 representative had given the colors to my brother Reuben, 
 and left the Dudley with the halberd in his hand, the pre- 
 ferment would have been ample for one of his qualities, and 
 all the better for the credit of the settlement." 
 
 "The governor distributed his favor according to the 
 advice of men competent to distinguish merit," said Con- 
 tent. c * Eben was foremost in the bloody affair among the 
 people of the Plantations, where his manhood was of good 
 example to all in company. Should he continue as faithful 
 
 16 - 
 
242 Ube Mept of Wteb*UotWBGlisb 
 
 and as valiant, thou mayst yet live to see thyself the consort 
 of a captain ! ' ' 
 
 " Not for glory gained in this night's marching ; for yon- 
 der cometh the man with a sound body, and seemingly 
 with the stomach of a Caesar ay, and I '11 answer for it, 
 of a regiment too ! It is no trifle that will satisfy his ap- 
 petite, after one of these ha ! Pray Heaven the fellow 
 be not harmed. Truly, he hath our neighbor Ergot in 
 attendance." 
 
 " There is other than he too ; for one cometh in the rear 
 whose gait and air are unknown to me. The trail hath 
 been struck, and Dudley leadeth a captive ! A savage, in 
 his paint and cloak of skin, is taken." 
 
 This assertion caused all to rise for the excitement of an 
 apprehended inroad was still strong in the minds of those 
 secluded people. Not a syllable more was uttered until the 
 scout and his companions were before them. 
 
 The quick glance of Faith had scanned the person of her 
 husband, and, resuming her spirits with the certainty that 
 he was unharmed, she was the first to greet him with 
 words : 
 
 " How now, Ensign Dudley," said the woman, quite pos- 
 sibly vexed that she had unguardedly betrayed a greater 
 interest in his welfare than she might always deem prudent. 
 " % How now, ensign hath the campaign ended with no 
 better trophy than this ? " 
 
 " The fellow is not a chief, nor, by his step and dull look, 
 even a warrior ; but he was, nevertheless, a lurker nigh the 
 settlements, and it was thought prudent to bring him in," 
 returned the husband, addressing himself to Content, while 
 he answered the salutation of his wife with a sufficiently 
 brief nod. ' ' My own scouting hath brought nothing to light ; 
 but my brother Ring hath fallen on the trail of him that is 
 here present, and it is not a little that we are puzzled in 
 probing, as the good Dr. Ergot calleth it, into the meaning 
 of his errand." 
 
 " Of what tribe may the savage be? " 
 
 "There hath been discussion among us on that matter," 
 returned Dudley, with an oblique glance of the eye towards 
 
TPdept of Wisb^otWlKIUsb 243 
 
 the physician. * ' Some have said he is a Narragansett, while 
 others think he cometh of a stock still further east. ' ' 
 
 " In giving that opinion, I spoke merely of his secondary 
 or acquired habits, ' ' interrupted Ergot ; ' ' for, having refer- 
 ence to his original, the man is assuredly a white." 
 
 " A white ! " repeated all around him. 
 
 ' ' Beyond a cavil, as may be seen by divers particulars in 
 his outward conformation, namely, in the shape of the head, 
 the muscles of the arms and of the legs, the air and gait, 
 besides sundry other signs, that are familiar to men who 
 have made the physical peculiarities of the two races their 
 study." 
 
 ' ' One of which is this ! ' ' continued Dudley, throwing up 
 the robe of the captive, and giving his companions the ocular 
 evidence which had so satisfactorily removed all his own 
 doubts. " Though the color of the skin may not be proof 
 positive, like that named by our neighbor Ergot, it is still 
 something, in helping a man of little learning to make up 
 an opinion in such a matter. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Madam ! ' ' exclaimed Faith so suddenly as to cause her 
 she addressed to start, "for the sake of Heaven's mercy! 
 let thy maidens bring soap and water, that the face of this 
 man may be cleansed of its paint." 
 
 "What foolishness is thy brain set upon? " rejoined the 
 ensign, who had latterly affected some of that superior 
 gravity which might be supposed to belong to his official 
 station. "We are not now under the roof of the Whip- 
 Poor- Will, wife of mine, but in the presence of those who 
 need none of thy suggestions to give proper forms to an 
 examination of office. ' ' 
 
 Faith heeded no reproof. Instead of waiting for others to 
 perform that which she had desired, she applied herself to 
 the task, with a dexterity that had been acquired by long 
 practice, and a zeal that seemed awakened by some extraor- 
 dinary emotion. In a minute the colors had disappeared 
 from the features of the captive, and, though deeply tanned 
 by exposure to an American sun and to sultry winds, his 
 face was unequivocally that of one who owed his origin to an 
 European ancestry. The movements of the eager woman 
 
244 ~bc cUcpt of 
 
 watched with carious interest by all present, and when 
 the short task was ended, a murmur of surprise broke 
 simultaneously from every lip. 
 
 "There is meaning in this masquerade," observed Con- 
 tent, who had long and intently studied the dull and un- 
 gainly countenance that was exposed to his scrutiny by the 
 operation. " I have heard of Christian men who have sold 
 themselves to gain, and who, forgetting religion and the 
 love of their race, have been known to league with the 
 savage in order to pursue rapine in the settlements. This 
 wretch hath the subtlety of one of the French of the 
 
 C4>Tiafb<g in Tris eye." 
 
 " Away ! away ! " cried Faith, forcing herself in front of 
 the speaker, and, by placing her two hands on the shaven 
 crown of the prisoner, forming a sort of shade to his features. 
 "Away with all folly about the Frenchers and wicked 
 leagues ! This is no plotting miscreant, but a stricken in- 
 nocent, Whittal my brother Whittal, dost know me?" 
 
 The tears rolled down the cheeks of the wayward woman 
 as she gazed into the face of her witless relative, whose eye 
 lighted with one of its occasional gleamings of intelligence, 
 and who indulged in a low, vacant laugh, ere he answered 
 her earnest interrogatory. 
 
 " Some speak like men from over the sea," he said, "and 
 some speak like men of the woods. Is there such a thing as 
 bear's meat or a mouthful of hominy in the wigwam ? " 
 
 Had the voice of one long known to be in the grave broken 
 on the ears of the family, it would scarcely have produced a 
 deeper sensation, or have quickened the blood more violently 
 about their hearts, than this sudden and utterly unexpected 
 discovery of the rfiarsiffg*r of their captive. Wonder and 
 awe held them mute for a time, and then Ruth was seen 
 standing before the restored wanderer, her hands clasped in 
 the attitude of petition, her eye contracted and imploring, 
 and her whole person expressive of the suspense and excite- 
 ment which had roused her long latent emotions to agony. 
 
 "Tefl me," said a thrilling voice that might have quick- 
 ened the intellect of one even duller than the man addressed, 
 " as thou hast pity in thy heart, teU me if my babe yet tive?" 
 
IClept of Idisb^OTWGClisb 245 
 
 " *T is a good babe, ' ' returned the other, and then laughing 
 again in his own vacant and unmeaning manner, he bent his 
 eyes with a species of stupid wonder on Faith, in whose ap- 
 pearance there was far less change than in the speaking but 
 wasted countenance of her who stood immediately before him. 
 
 "Give leave, dearest madam," interposed the sister; "I 
 know the nature of the boy, and could ever do more with 
 him than any other." 
 
 But this request was useless. The system of the mother, 
 in its present state of excitement, was unequal to further 
 effort. Sinking into the watchful arms of Content, she was 
 borne away, and, for a minute, the anxious interest of the 
 handmaidens left none but the men on the piazza. 
 
 "Whittal my old playfellow, Whittal Ring," said the 
 son of Content, advancing with a humid eye to take the 
 hand of the prisoner. "Hast forgotten, man, the com- 
 panion of thy early days? It is young Mark Heathcote 
 that speaks." 
 
 The other looked up into his countenance, for a moment, 
 with a reviving recollection; but shaking his head, he drew 
 back in marked displeasure, muttering loud enough to be 
 heard, 
 
 "What a false liar is a pale-face! Here is one of the 
 tall rogues wishing to pass for a loping boy! " 
 
 What more he uttered his auditors never knew, for he 
 instanth- changed his language to some dialect of an Indian 
 tribe. 
 
 "The mind of the unhappy youth hath even been more 
 blunted, by exposure and the usages of a savage life, than 
 by nature," said Content, who with most of the others had 
 been recalled, by his interest in the examination, to the 
 scene they had momentarily quitted. "Let the sister deal 
 tenderly with the lad, and, in Heaven's time, shall we learn 
 the truth." 
 
 The deep feeling of ttie father clothed his words with 
 authority. The eager group gave place, and something like 
 the solemnity of an official examination succeeded to the 
 irregular and hurried interrogatories which had first broken 
 on the dull intellect of the recovered wanderer. 
 
246 Ube Mept of 
 
 The dependants took their stations in a circle around the 
 chair of the Puritan, by whose side was placed Content, 
 while Faith induced her brother to be seated on the step of 
 the piazza, in a manner that all might hear. The attention 
 of the brother himself was drawn from the formality of the 
 arrangement, by placing food in his hands. 
 
 "And now, Whittal, I would know," commenced the 
 ready woman, when a deep silence denoted the attention of 
 the auditors, " I would know, if thou rememberest the day 
 I clad thee in garments of bough ten cloth, from over sea ; 
 and how fond thou wast of being seen among the kine in 
 colors so gay ? ' ' 
 
 The young man looked up in her face as if the tones of 
 her voice gave him pleasure ; but, instead of making any 
 reply, he preferred to munch the bread with which she had 
 endeavored to lure him back to their ancient confidence. 
 
 "Surely, boy, thou canst not so soon have forgotten the 
 gift I bought with the hard earnings of a wheel that turned 
 at night. The tail of yon peacock is not finer than thou 
 then wast but I will make thee such another garment, 
 that thou mayst go with the trainers to their weekly mus- 
 ter." 
 
 The youth dropped the robe of skin that covered the 
 upper part of his body, and making a forward gesture, with 
 the gravity of an Indian, he answered, 
 
 4 ' Whittal is a warrior on his path ; he has no time for 
 the talk of the women ! ' ' 
 
 " Now, brother, thou forgettest the manner in which I 
 was wont to feed thy hunger, as the frost pinched thee, in 
 the cold mornings, and at the hour when the kine needed 
 thy care ; else thou wouldst not call me woman." 
 
 "Hast ever been on the trail of a Pequot? Know'st 
 how to whoop among the men ? ' ' 
 
 " What is an Indian whoop to the bleating of the flocks 
 or the bellowing of cattle in the bushes ! Thou remem- 
 berest the sound of the bells, as they tinkled among the 
 second growth of an evening ? ' ' 
 
 The former herdsman turned his head, and seemed to 
 lend his attention, as a dog listens to an approaching foot- 
 
Ube TKHept of Misb^oiWlKIiisb 247 
 
 step. But the gleam of recollection was quickly lost. In 
 the next moment, he yielded to the more positive, and pos- 
 sibly more urgent, demands of his appetite. 
 
 ' * Then hast thou lost the use of ears ; else thou wouldst 
 not say that thou forgettest the sound of the bells. ' ' 
 
 * ' Didst ever hear a wolf howl ? ' ' exclaimed the other. 
 " That 's a sound for a hunter ! I saw the Great Chief 
 strike the striped panther, when the boldest warrior of the 
 tribe grew white as a craven pale- face at his leaps ! ' '' 
 
 "Talk not to me of your ravenous beasts and Great 
 Chiefs, but rather let us think of the days when we were 
 young, and when thou hadst delight in the sports of a 
 Christian childhood. Hast forgotten, Whittal, how our 
 mother used to give us leave to pass the idle time in games 
 among the snow ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' Nipset hath a mother in her wigwam, but he asketh no 
 leave to go on the hunt. He is a man ; the next snow, 
 he will be a warrior." 
 
 ' ' Silly boy ! This is some treachery of the savage, by 
 which he has bound thy weakness with the fetters of his 
 craftiness. Thy mother, Whittal, was a woman of Chris- 
 tian belief, and one of a white race ; and a kind and mourn- 
 ing mother was she over thy feeble-mindedness ! Dost not 
 remember, unthankful of heart ! how she nursed thy sickly 
 hours in boyhood, and how she administered to all thy 
 bodily wants ? Who was it that fed thee when a-hungered, 
 or who had compassion on thy waywardness, when others 
 tired of thy idle deeds, or grew impatient at thy weak- 
 ness?" 
 
 The brother looked, for an instant, at the flushed features 
 of the speaker, as if glimmerings of some faintly distin- 
 guished scenes crossed the visions of his mind ; but the 
 animal still predominated, and he continued to feed his 
 hunger. 
 
 "This exceedeth human endurance!" exclaimed the 
 excited Faith. " I,ook into this eye, weak one, and say if 
 thou knowest her who supplied the place of that mother 
 whom thou refusest to remember she who hath toiled for 
 thy comfort, and who hath never refused to listen to all thy 
 
248 TTbe Wept of 
 
 plaints, and to soften all thy sufferings. L,ook at this eye, 
 and speak dost know me ? ' ' 
 
 " Certain! " returned the other, laughing with a half- 
 intelligent expression of recognition ; "'t is a woman of the 
 pale-faces, and, I warrant me, one that will never be satis- 
 fied till she hath all the furs of the Americas on her back, 
 and all the venison of the woods in her kitchen. Didst 
 ever hear the tradition, how that wicked race got into 
 the hunting-grounds, and robbed the warriors of the 
 country ? * ' 
 
 The disappointment of Faith had made her too impatient 
 to lend a pleased attention to this tale ; but at that moment 
 a form appeared at her side, and by a quiet and com- 
 manding gesture directed her to humor the temper of the 
 wanderer. 
 
 It was Ruth, in whose pale cheek and anxious eye, all 
 the intenseness of a mother's longings might be traced, in 
 its most touching aspect. Though so lately' helpless and 
 sinking beneath her emotions, the sacred feelings which now 
 sustained her seemed to supply the place of all other aid ; 
 and as she glided past the listening circle, even Content 
 himself had not believed it necessary to offer succor, or to 
 interpose with remonstrance. Her quiet, meaning gesture 
 seemed to say, " Proceed, and show all the indulgence to the 
 weakness of the young man." The rising discontent of 
 Faith was checked by habitual reverence, and she prepared 
 to obey. 
 
 " And what say the silly traditions of which you speak ? " 
 she added, ere the current of his dull ideas had time to 
 change its direction. 
 
 " 'Tis spoken by the old men in the villages, and what 
 is there said is gospel-true. You see all around you land 
 that is covered with hill and valley, and which once bore 
 wood, without the fear of the axe, and over which game 
 was spread with a bountiful hand. There are runners and 
 hunters in our tribe, who have been on a straight path 
 towards the setting sun, until their legs were weary and 
 their eyes could not see the clouds that hang over the salt 
 lake, and yet they say 't is everywhere beautiful as yonder 
 
TTbe Wept of Wteb^TTotWCflUsb 249 
 
 green mountain. Tall trees and shady woods, rivers and 
 lakes filled with fish, and deer and beaver plentiful as the 
 sands on the sea-shore. All this land and water the Great 
 Spirit gave to men of red skins ; for them he loved, since 
 they spoke truth in their tribes, were true to their friends, 
 hated their enemies, and knew how to take scalps. Now, 
 a thousand snows had come and melted, since this gift was 
 made," continued Whittal, who spoke with the air of one 
 charged with the narration of a grave tradition, though he 
 probably did no more than relate what many repetitions 
 had rendered familiar to his inactive mind, ' ' and yet none 
 but redskins were seen to hunt the moose, or to go on the 
 war-path. Then the Great Spirit grew angry ; he hid his 
 face from his children because they quarrelled among them- 
 selves. Big canoes came out of the rising sun, and brought 
 a hungry and wicked people into the land. At first, the 
 strangers spoke soft and complaining like women. They 
 begged room for a few wigwams, and said if the warriors 
 would give them ground to plant they would ask their God 
 to look upon the redmen. But when they grew strong 
 they forgot their words and made liars of themselves. Oh, 
 they are wicked knaves ! A pale-face is a panther. When 
 a-hungered, you can hear him whining in the bushes like a 
 strayed infant ; but when you come within his leap, beware 
 of tooth and claw ! " 
 
 "This evil-minded race, then, robbed the red warriors 
 of their land?" 
 
 " Certain ! They spoke like sick women till they grew 
 strong, and then they out-devilled the Pequots themselves 
 in wickedness ; feeding the warriors with their burning 
 milk, and slaying with blazing inventions, that they made 
 out of the yellow meal." 
 
 ' ' And the Pequots ! was their great warrior dead before 
 the coming of the men from over sea ? ' ' 
 
 " You are a woman that has never heard a tradition, or 
 you would know better ! A Pequot is a weak and crawling 
 cub." 
 
 "And thou thou art, then, a Narragansett ? " 
 
 " Don't I look like a man ? " ' 
 
250 Ube Wept of 
 
 * * I had mistaken thee for one of our nearer neighbors, 
 the Mohegan Pequots." 
 
 ' ' The Mohicans are basket-makers for the Yengeese ; 
 but the Narragansett goes leaping through the woods like 
 a wolf on the trail of the deer ! ' ' 
 
 " All this is quite in reason, and now thou pointest to its 
 justice, I cannot fail but see it. But we have curiosity to 
 know more of the great tribe. Hast ever heard of one of 
 thy people, Whittal, known as Miantonimoh 'tis a chief 
 of some renown." 
 
 The witless youth had continued to eat at intervals, but, 
 on hearing this question, he seemed suddenly to forget his 
 appetite. For a moment he looked down, and then he 
 answered slowly and not without solemnity, 
 
 ' ' A man cannot live forever. ' ' 
 
 " What ? " said Faith, motioning to her deeply-interested 
 auditors to restrain their impatience, " has he quitted his 
 people ? And thou lived with him, Whittal, ere he came 
 to his end?" 
 
 " He never looked on Nipset, or Nipset on him." 
 
 ''I know naught of this Nipset; tell me of the great 
 Miantonimoh. ' ' 
 
 " Dost need to hear twice? The sachem is gone to the 
 far land, and Nipset will be a warrior when the next snow 
 comes ! ' ' 
 
 Disappointment threw a cloud on every countenance, and 
 the beam of hope, which had been kindled in the eye of 
 Ruth, changed to the former painful expression of deep 
 inward suffering. But Faith still managed to repress all 
 speech among those who listened, continuing the examina- 
 tion, after a short delay that her vexation rendered un- 
 avoidable. 
 
 " I had thought that Miantonimoh was still a warrior in 
 his tribe," she said. " In what battle did he fall ? " 
 
 " Mohican Uncas did that wicked deed. The pale-men 
 gave him great riches to murder the sachem." 
 
 "Thou speakest of the father; but there was another 
 Miantonimoh ; he who in boyhood dwelt among the people 
 of white blood." 
 
ZTbe IPHept of Wfsb*Tron*Misb 251 
 
 Whittal listened attentively, and after seeming to rally his 
 thoughts, he shook his head, saying before he again began 
 to eat, 
 
 ' ' There never was but one of the name, and there never 
 will be another. Two eagles do not build their nests in the 
 same tree." 
 
 ' * Thou sayest truly, ' ' continued Faith, well knowing that 
 to dispute the information of her brother was, in effect, to 
 close his mouth. " Now tell me of Conanchet, the present 
 Narragansett sachem, he who hath leagued with Metacom, 
 and hath of late been driven from his fastness near the sea, 
 doth he yet live? " 
 
 The expression of the brother's countenance underwent 
 another change. In place of the childish importance with 
 which he had hitherto replied to the questions of his sister, 
 a look of overreaching cunning gathered about his dull eye. 
 The organ glanced slowly and cautiously around him, as if 
 its owner expected to detect some visible sign of those covert 
 intentions he so evidently distrusted. Instead of answering, 
 the wanderer continued his meal , though less like one who 
 had need of sustenance, than one resolved to make no commu- 
 nications which might prove dangerous. This change was 
 not unobserved by Faith, nor by any of those who so in- 
 tently watched the means by which she had been endeavor- 
 ing to thread the confused ideas of one so dull, and yet who 
 at need seemed so practised in savage artifice. She pru- 
 dently altered her manner of interrogating by endeavoring 
 to lead his thoughts to other matters. 
 
 "I warrant me," continued the sister, "that thou now 
 beginnest to call to mind the times when thou led'st the 
 cattle among the bushes, and how thou wert wont to call on 
 Faith to give thee food, when a-weary with threading the 
 woods in quest of the kine. Hast ever been assailed by the 
 Narragansetts thyself, Whittal, when dwelling in the house 
 of a pale-face ? ' ' 
 
 The brother ceased eating. Again he appeared to muse, 
 as intently as was possible for one of his circumscribed intel- 
 lects. But shaking his head in, the negative, he silently 
 resumed the grateful office of mastication. 
 
252 ftbe Wept ot 
 
 " What ! hast come to be a warrior, and never known a 
 scalp taken, or seen a fire lighted in the roof of a wigwam ? " 
 
 Whittal laid down the food, and turned to his sister. 
 His face was teeming with a wild and fierce meaning, and 
 he indulged in a low but triumphant laugh. When this 
 exhibition of satisfaction was over, he consented to reply. 
 
 " Certain," he said. " We went on a path in the night, 
 against the lying Yengeese, and no burning of the woods 
 ever scorched the 'arthas we blackened their fields ! All 
 their proud housen were turned into piles of coals. ' ' 
 
 * ' And where and when did you this act of brave ven- 
 geance ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' They called the place after the bird of night ; as if an 
 Indian name could save them from an Indian massacre ! ' ' 
 
 " Ha ! J T is of the Wish-Ton-Wish thou speakest ! But 
 thou wast a sufferer, and not an actor, brother, in that heart- 
 less burning." 
 
 4 'Thou liest like a wicked woman of the pale-faces as 
 thou art ! Nipset was only a boy on that path, but he went 
 with his people. I tell thee we singed the very 'arth with 
 our brands, and not a head of them all ever rose again from 
 the ashes." 
 
 Notwithstanding her great self-command, and the object 
 that was constantly before the mind of Faith, she shuddered 
 at the fierce pleasure with which her brother pronounced 
 the extent of the vengeance that in his imaginary character 
 he believed he had taken on his enemies. Still, cautious 
 not to destroy an illusion which might aid her in the so 
 long-defeated and so anxiously desired discovery, the woman 
 repressed her horror, and continued, 
 
 ' ' True, yet some were spared ; surely the warriors carried 
 prisoners back to their village. Thou didst not slay all ? " 
 
 " All." 
 
 "Nay; thou speakest now of the miserables who were 
 wrapped in the blazing block ; but but some without might 
 have fallen into thy hands, ere the assailed sought shelter 
 in the tower. Surely, surely thou didst not kill all ? " 
 
 The hard breathing of Ruth caught the ear of Whittal, 
 and for a moment he turned to regard her countenance in 
 
TTbe Wept of Wfsb^otWCfllteb 253 
 
 dull wonder. But again shaking his head, he answered in a 
 low, positive tone, 
 
 ' ' All ay, to the screeching women and crying babes ! * ' 
 
 " Surely, there is a child, I would say there is a woman 
 in thy tribe of fairer skin and of form different from most 
 of thy people. Was not such an one led a captive from the 
 burning of the Wish-Ton-Wish ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' Dost think the deer will live with the wolf, or hast ever 
 found the cowardly pigeon in the nest of the hawk ? ' * 
 
 "Nay, thou art of different color thyself, Whittal, and it 
 well may be thou art not alone. ' ' 
 
 The youth regarded his sister a moment with marked 
 displeasure, and then on turning to eat he muttered, 
 
 ' ' There is as much fire in snow as truth in a lying Yen- 
 geese ! ' ' 
 
 "This examination must close," said Content, with a 
 heavy sigh ; ' * at another hour we may hope to push the 
 matter to some more fortunate result ; but yonder cometh 
 one charged with especial service from the towns below, as 
 would seem by the fact that he disregardeth the holiness of 
 the day, no less than by the earnest manner in which he is 
 journeying. " 
 
 As the individual named was visible to all who chose to look 
 in the direction of the hamlet, his sudden appearance caused 
 a general interruption to the interest which had been so 
 strongly awakened on a subject that was familiar to every 
 resident in the valley. 
 
 The early hour, the gait at which the stranger urged his 
 horse, the manner in which he passed the open and inviting 
 door of the Whip-Poor- Will, proclaimed him a messenger, 
 who probably bore some communication of importance from 
 the government of the colony to the younger Heathcote, 
 who filled the highest station of official authority in that 
 distant settlement. Observations to this purport had passed 
 from mouth to mouth, and curiosity was actively alive by 
 the time the horseman rode into the court. There he dis- 
 mounted, and covered with the dust of the road he pre- 
 sented himself, with the air of one who had passed the night 
 in the saddle, before the man he sought. 
 
?54 
 
 Mept of 
 
 "I have orders for Captain Content Heathcote," said the 
 messenger, saluting all around him with the usual grave but 
 studied courtesy of the people to whom he belonged. 
 
 ' ' He is here to receive and to obey, ' ' was the answer. 
 
 The traveller wore a little of that mysteriousness that is so 
 grateful to certain minds, which, from inability to command 
 respect in any other manner, are fond of making secrets of 
 matters that might as well be revealed. In obedience to 
 this feeling he expressed a desire that his communications 
 might be made apart. Content quietly motioned for him to 
 follow, leading the way into an inner apartment of the house. 
 As a new direction was given by this interruption to the 
 thoughts of the spectators of the foregoing scene, we shall 
 also take the opportunity to digress, in order to lay before 
 the reader some general facts that may be necessary to the 
 connection of the subsequent parts of the legend. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 " Be certain what you do, sir ; lest your justice 
 Prove violence." 
 
 Winters Tale. 
 
 THE designs of the celebrated Metacom had been 
 betrayed to the colonists by the treachery of a 
 subordinate warrior, named Sausaman. The 
 punishment of this treason led to inquiries which 
 terminated in accusations against the great Sachem of the 
 Wampanoags. Scorning to vindicate himself before ene- 
 mies that he hated, and perhaps distrusting their clemency, 
 Metacom no longer endeavored to cloak his proceedings, but 
 throwing aside the emblems of peace, he openly appeared 
 with an armed hand. 
 
 The tragedy had commenced about a year before the 
 period at which the tale has now arrived. A scene not un- 
 like that detailed in the foregoing pages took place ; the 
 brand, the knife, and the tomahawk doing their work of 
 destruction, without pity and without remorse. But unlike 
 the inroad of the Wish-Ton-Wish, the expedition was im- 
 mediately followed by others, until the whole of New Eng- 
 land was engaged in the celebrated war to which we have 
 before referred. 
 
 The entire white population of the colonies of New Eng- 
 land had shortly before been estimated at one hundred and 
 twenty thousand souls. Of this number it was thought that 
 sixteen thousand men were capable of bearing arms. Had 
 time been given for the maturity of the plans of Metacom, 
 he might have readily assembled bands of warriors, who, 
 aided by their familiarity with the woods, and accustomed 
 to the privations of such a warfare, would have threatened 
 
 .255 
 
256 Ube Wept of 
 
 serious danger to the growing strength of the whites. But 
 the ordinary and selfish feelings of man were as active among 
 these wild tribes as they are known to be in more artificial 
 communities. The indefatigable Metacom, like that Indian 
 hero of our own times, Tecumthe, had passed years in en- 
 deavoring to appease ancient enmities and to lull jealousies, 
 in order that all of red blood might unite in crushing a foe 
 that promised, should he be longer undisturbed in his march 
 to power, soon to be too formidable for their united efforts 
 to subdue. The premature explosion in some measure 
 averted the danger. It gave the English time to strike sev- 
 eral severe blows against the tribe of their great enemy, be- 
 fore his allies had determined to make common cause in his 
 design. The summer and autumn of 1675 had been passed 
 in active hostilities between the English and Wampanoags, 
 without openly drawing any other nation into the contest. 
 Some of the Pequots, with their dependent tribes, even took 
 sides with the whites ; and we read of the Mohegans being 
 actively employed in harassing the sachem on his well-known 
 retreat from that neck of land where he had been hemmed in 
 by the English with the expectation that he might be starved 
 into submission. 
 
 The warfare of the first summer was, as might be expected, 
 attended by various degrees of success, fortune quite as often 
 favoring the redmen, in their desultory attempts at annoy- 
 ance, as their more disciplined enemies. Instead of con- 
 fining his operations to his own circumscribed and easily 
 environed districts, Metacom had led his warriors to the dis- 
 tant settlements on the Connecticut ; and it was during the 
 operations of this season that several of the towns on that 
 river were first assailed and laid in ashes. Active hostilities 
 had in some measure ceased between the Wampanoags and 
 the English, with the cold weather, most of the troops retir- 
 ing to their homes, while the Indians apparently paused to 
 take breath for their final effort. 
 
 It was, however, previously to this cessation of activity, 
 that the Commissioners of the United Colonies, as they were 
 called, met to devise the means of a concerted resistance. 
 Unlike their former dangers from the same quarter, it was 
 
TOe Wept of Wtsb*tIon*TKIiisb 257 
 
 manifest by the manner in which a hostile feeling was spread- 
 ing around their whole frontier, that a leading spirit had 
 given as much of unity and design to the movements of the 
 foe as could probably ever be created among a people so 
 separated by distance and so divided in communities. Right 
 or wrong, the colonists gravely decided that the war on their 
 part was just. Great preparations were therefore made to 
 carry it on the ensuing summer, in a manner more suited to 
 their means, and to the absolute necessities of their situation. 
 It was in consequence of the arrangements made for bringing 
 a portion of the inhabitants of the colony of Connecticut into 
 the field that we find the principal characters of our legend 
 in the warlike guise in which they have just been re-intro- 
 duced to the reader. 
 
 Although the Narragansetts had not at first been openly 
 implicated in the attacks on the colonists, facts soon came to 
 the knowledge of the latter which left no doubt of the state 
 of feeling in that nation. Many of their young men were 
 discovered among the followers of Metacom, and arms taken 
 from whites who had been slain in the different encounters 
 were also seen in the villages. One of the first measures of 
 the commissioners, therefore, was to anticipate more serious 
 opposition, by directing an overwhelming force against his 
 people. The party collected on that occasion was probably 
 the largest military body which the English at that early day 
 had ever assembled in their colonies. It consisted of a thou- 
 sand men, of whom no inconsiderable number was cavalry-' 
 a species of troops that, as all subsequent experience has 
 shown, is admirably adapted to operations against so active 
 and so subtle a foe. 
 
 The attack was made in the depth of winter, and it proved 
 fearfully destructive to the assailed. The defence of Conan- 
 chet, the young Sachem of the Narragansetts, was every 
 way worthy of his high character for courage and mental 
 resources, nor was the victory gained without serious loss to 
 the colonists. The native chief had collected his warriors, 
 and taken post on a small area of firm land that was situated 
 in the centre of a densely wooded swamp ; and the prepara- 
 tions for resistance betrayed a singular familiarity with the 
 
258 ZTbe Mept of 
 
 military expedients of a white man. There had been a pali- 
 sadoed breast- work, a species of redoubt and a regular block- 
 house to overcome, ere the colonists could penetrate into the 
 fortified village itself. The first attempts were unsuccess- 
 ful, the Indians having repulsed their enemies with loss. 
 But better arms and greater concert finally prevailed, though 
 not without a struggle that lasted for many hours, and not 
 until the defendants were, in truth, nearly surrounded. 
 
 The events of that memorable day made a deep impres- 
 sion on the minds of men who were rarely excited by any 
 incidents of a great and moving character. It was still the 
 subject of earnest, and not unfrequently of melancholy dis- 
 course, around the firesides of the colonists ; nor was the 
 victory achieved without accompaniments, which, however 
 unavoidable they might have been, had a tendency to raise 
 doubts in the minds of conscientious religionists, concerning 
 the lawfulness of their cause. It is said that a village of 
 six hundred cabins was burnt, and that hundreds of dead 
 and wounded were consumed in the conflagration. A thou- 
 sand warriors were thought to have lost their lives in this 
 affair, and it was believed that the power of the nation was 
 broken forever. The sufferers among the colonists them- 
 selves were numerous, and mourning came into a vast many 
 families, with the tidings of victory. 
 
 In this expedition most of the men of the Wish-Ton-Wish 
 had been conspicuous actors, under the orders of Content. 
 They had not escaped with impunity ; but it was confidently 
 hoped that their courage was to meet its reward in a long 
 continuance of peace, which was the more desirable on 
 account of their remote and exposed situation. 
 
 In the meantime the Narragansetts were far from being 
 subdued. Throughout the whole continuance of the in- 
 clement season they had caused alarms on the frontiers ; 
 and in one or two instances their renowned sachem had 
 taken signal vengeance for the dire affair in which his peo- 
 ple had so heavily suffered. As the spring advanced the 
 inroads became still more frequent, and the appearances of 
 danger so far increased as to require a new call on the col- 
 onists to arm. The messenger introduced in the last chap- 
 
TTbe TKDlept of TOi0b*Uon*OTtsb 259 
 
 ter was charged with matter that had a reference to the 
 events of this war ; and it was with an especial communi- 
 cation of great urgency that he had now demanded his 
 secret audience with the leader of the military force of the 
 valley. 
 
 ' ' Thou hast affairs of moment to deal with, Captain 
 Heathcote," said the hard-riding traveller, when he found 
 himself alone with Content. ' ' The orders of his honor 
 are to spare neither whip nor spur, until the chief men of 
 the borders shall be warned of the actual situation of the 
 colony. ' ' 
 
 * ' Hath aught of moving interest occurred, that his honor 
 deemeth there is necessity for unusual watchfulness ? We 
 had hoped that the prayers of the pious were not in vain ; 
 and that a time of quiet was about to succeed to that vio- 
 lence of which, bounden by our social covenants, we have 
 unhappily been unwilling spectators. The bloody assault 
 of Pettyquamscott hath exercised our minds severely nay, 
 it hath even raised doubts of the lawfulness of some of OUT 
 deeds." 
 
 "Thou hast a commendable spirit of forgiveness, Cap- 
 tarn Heathcote, or thy memory would extend to other 
 scenes than those which bear relation to the punishment of 
 an enemy so remorseless. It said on the river, that the 
 valley of Wish-Ton-Wish hath been visited by the savage 
 in its day, and men speak freely of the wrongs suffered by 
 its owners on that pitiless occasion." 
 
 * * The truth may not be denied, even that good should 
 come thereof. It is certain that much suffering was in- 
 flicted on me and on mine, by the inroad of which you speak ; 
 nevertheless we have ever striven to consider it as a mer- 
 ciful chastisement inflicted for manifold sins, rather than as 
 a subject that might be remembered, in order to stimulate 
 passions that, in all reason as in all charity, should slumber 
 as much as a weak nature will allow. ' ' 
 
 " This is well, Captain Heathcote, and in exceeding con- 
 formity with the most received doctrines," returned the 
 stranger, slightly gaping, either from want of rest the pre- 
 vious night, or from disinclination to so grave a subject ; 
 
260 Ube TKHept of 
 
 " but it hath little connection with present duties. My 
 charge beareth especial concern with the further destruc- 
 tion of the Indians, rather than to any inward searchings 
 into the condition of our own mental misgivings, concern- 
 ing any right it may be thought proper to question, that 
 hath a reference to the duty of self-protection. There is 
 no unworthy dweller in the Connecticut colony, sir, that 
 hath endeavored more to cultivate a tender conscience than 
 the wretched sinner who standeth before you ; for I have 
 the exceeding happiness to sit under the outpourings of a 
 spirit that hath few mortal superiors in the matter of pre- 
 cious gifts. I now speak of Dr. Calvin Pope ; a most 
 worthy and soul-quieting divine ; one who spareth not the 
 goad when the conscience needeth pricking, nor hesitateth 
 to dispense consolation to him who seeth his fallen estate ; 
 and one that never faileth to deal with charity, and hum- 
 bleness of spirit, and forbearance with the failings of 
 friends, and forgiveness of enemies, as the chiefest signs 
 of a renovated moral existence; and therefore there can 
 be but little reason to distrust the spiritual rightfulness of 
 all that listen to the riches of his discourse. But when it 
 cometh to be question of life or death, a matter of do- 
 minion and possession of these fair lands that the Lord 
 hath given why, sir, then I say that, like the Israelites 
 dealing with the sinful occupants of Canaan, it behooveth us 
 to be true to each other, and to look upon the heathen with 
 a distrustful eye." 
 
 1 ' There may be reason in that thou utterest, ' ' observed 
 Content, sorrowfully. "Still it is lawful to mourn even 
 the necessity which conduceth to all this strife. I had 
 hoped that they who direct the councils of the colony might 
 have resorted to less violent means of persuasion, to lead 
 the savage back to reason, than that which cometh from the 
 armed hand. Of what nature is thy especial errand ? ' ' 
 
 "Of deep urgency, sir, as will be seen in the narration," 
 returned the other, dropping his voice like one habitually 
 given to the dramatic part of diplomacy, however unskilful 
 he might have been in its more intellectual accomplish- 
 ments, ' * Thou wast in the Pettyquamscott scourging, and 
 
Mept of Misb*Uon==Wteb 261 
 
 needst not be reminded of the manner in which the Lord 
 dealt with our enemies on that favor-dispensing day ; but 
 it may not be known to one so remote from the stirring 
 and daily transactions of Christendom, in what manner the 
 savage hath taken the chastisement. The restless and still 
 unconquered Conanchet hath deserted his towns and taken 
 refuge in the open woods ; where it exceedeth the skill and 
 usage of our civilized men of war, to discover, at all times, 
 the position and force of their enemies. The consequences 
 may be easily conjectured. The savage hath broken in 
 upon, and laid waste, in whole or in part, firstly, Lancas- 
 ter, on the tenth," counting on his fingers, "when many 
 were led into captivity ; secondly, Marlborough, on the 
 twentieth ; on the thirteenth ultimo, Groton ; Warwick, on 
 the seventeenth ; and Rehoboth, Chelmsford, Andover, 
 Wey mouth, and divers other places, have been greatly suf- 
 ferers, between the latter period and the day when I quitted 
 the abode of his honor. Pierce of Scituate, a stout war- 
 rior, and one practised in the wiles of this nature of war- 
 fare, hath been cut off with a whole company of followers ; 
 and Wadsworth and Brockleband, men known and esteemed 
 for courage and skill, have left their bones in the woods, 
 sleeping in common among their luckless followers." 
 
 ' ' These are truly tidings to cause us to mourn over the 
 abandoned condition of our nature, ' ' said Content, in whose 
 meek mind there was no affectation of regrets on such a 
 subject. "It is not easy to see in what manner the evil 
 may be arrested without again going forth to do battle." 
 
 ' ' Such is the opinion of his honor, and of all who sit 
 with him in council ; for we have sufficient knowledge of 
 the proceedings of the enemy, to be sure that the master- 
 spirit of wickedness, in the person of him called Philip, is 
 raging up and down the whole extent of the borders, 
 awakening the tribes to what he calleth the necessity of 
 resisting further aggression, and stirring up their vengeance 
 by divers subtle expedients of malicious cunning." 
 
 " And what manner of proceeding hath been ordered in 
 so urgent a strait, by the wisdom of our rulers ? ' ' 
 
 " Firstly, there is a fast ordained, that we come to the duty 
 
262 Ube Mept of 
 
 as men purified by mental struggle and deep self-examina- 
 tion ; secondly, it is recommended that the congregations 
 deal with more than wonted severity with all back-sliders 
 and evil-doers, in order that the towns may not fall under 
 the Divine displeasure, as happened to them that dwelt in 
 the devoted cities of Canaan ; thirdly, it is determined to 
 lend our feeble aid to the ordering of Providence, by calling 
 forth the allotted number of the trained bands ; and fourthly, 
 it is contemplated to counteract the seeds of vengeance, by 
 setting a labor-earning price on the heads of our enemies. ' ' 
 
 * ' I accord with the first three of these expedients, as the 
 known and lawful resorts of Christian men," said Content. 
 ' ' But the latter seemeth the measure that needeth to be 
 entertained with great wariness of manner, and some dis- 
 trust of purpose. ' ' 
 
 " Fear not, since all suiting and economical discretion is 
 active in the minds of our rulers, who have pondered saga- 
 ciously on so grave a policy. It is not intended to offer 
 more than half the reward that is held forth by our more 
 wealthy and elder sister of the Bay ; and there is some acute 
 question about the necessity of bidding at all for any of 
 tender years. And now, Captain Heathcote, with the good 
 leave of so respectable a subject, I will proceed to lay before 
 you the details of the number and the nature of the force that 
 it is hoped you will lead in person in the ensuing campaign." 
 
 As the result of that which followed will be seen in the 
 course of the legend, it is not necessary to accompany the 
 messenger any further in his communication. We shall 
 therefore leave him and Content busied with the matter of 
 their conference, and proceed to give some account of the 
 other personages connected with our subject. 
 
 When interrupted, as already related, by the arrival of the 
 stranger, Faith had endeavored by a new expedient to elicit 
 some evidences of a more just remembrance from the dull 
 mind of her brother. Accompanied by most of the depen- 
 dants of the family, she had led him to the summit of that 
 hill which was now crowned with the foliage of a young 
 and thrifty orchard, and placing him at the foot of the ruin, 
 she tried to excite a train of recollections that should lead to 
 
Wept of Wisfo^otWlKIlteb 263 
 
 deeper impressions, and possibly, by their aid, to a discovery 
 of the important circumstance that all so much longed to 
 have explained. 
 
 The experiment produced no happy result. The place, 
 and indeed the whole valley, had undergone so great a 
 change, that one more liberally gifted might have hesitated 
 to believe them those that have been described in our earlier 
 pages. This rapid alteration of objects, which elsewhere 
 know so little change in a long course of ages, is a fact 
 familiar to all who reside in the newer districts of the Union. 
 It is caused by the rapid improvements that are made in the 
 first stages of a settlement. To fell the forest alone, is to 
 give an entirely new aspect to the view ; and it is far from 
 easy to see in a village and in cultivated fields, however 
 recent the existence of the one or imperfect the other, any 
 traces of a spot that a short time before was known as the 
 haunt of the wolf or the refuge of the deer. 
 
 The features, and more particularly the eye of his sister, 
 had stirred long-dormant recollections in the mind of Whittal 
 Ring ; and though these glimpses of the past were de- 
 tached and indistinct, they had sufficed to quicken that 
 ancient confidence which was partially exhibited in their 
 opening conference. But it exceeded his feeble powers to 
 recall objects that would appeal to no very lively sympathies, 
 and which had themselves undergone so material alterations. 
 Still the witless youth did not look on the ruin entirely 
 without some strivings of his nature. Although the sward 
 around its base was lively in the brightest verdure of early 
 summer, and the delicious odor of the wild clover saluted 
 his senses, still there was that in the blackened and ragged 
 walls, the position of the tower, and the view of the sur- 
 rounding hills, shorn as so much of them now were, that 
 evidently spoke to his earliest impressions. He looked at 
 the spot as a hound gazes at a master who has been so long 
 lost as even to deaden his instinct; and at times, as his 
 companions endeavored to aid his faint images, it would 
 seem as if memory were likely to triumph, and all those 
 deceptive opinions which habit and Indian wiles had drawn 
 over his dull mind were about to vanish before the light of 
 
264 TOe Wept of 
 
 reality. But the allurements of a life in which there was so 
 much of the freedom of nature, mingled with the fascinating 
 pleasures of the chase and of the woods, were not to be dis- 
 possessed so readily. When Faith artfully led him back to 
 those animal enjoyments of which he had been so fond in 
 boyhood, the fantasy of her brother seemed most to waver ; 
 but whenever it became apparent that the dignity of a warrior, 
 and all the more recent and far more alluring delights of his 
 later life, were to be abandoned ere his being could return into 
 its former existence, his dull faculties obstinately refused to 
 lend themselves to a change that, in his case, would have 
 been little short of that attributed to the transmigration of 
 souls. 
 
 After an hour of anxious, and frequently, on the part of 
 Faith, of angry efforts to extract some evidences of his 
 recollection of the condition of life to which he had once 
 belonged, the attempt for the moment was abandoned. At 
 times, it seemed as if the woman were about to prevail. He 
 often called himself Whittal, but he continued to insist that 
 he was also Nipset, a man of the Narragansetts, who had 
 a mother in his wigwam, and who had reason to believe that 
 he should be numbered among the warriors of his tribe ere 
 the fall of another snow. 
 
 In the meantime, a very different scene was passing at 
 the place where the first examination had been held, and 
 which had been immediately deserted by most of the spec- 
 tators, on the sudden arrival of the messenger. But a sol- 
 itary individual was seated at the spacious board, which had 
 been provided alike for those who owned and presided over 
 the estate, and for their dependants to the very meanest. 
 The individual who remained had thrown himself into a 
 seat, less with the air of him who consults the demands of 
 appetite, than of one whose thoughts were so engrossing as 
 to render him indifferent to the situation or employment of 
 his more corporeal part. His head rested on his arms, the 
 latter effectually concealing the face, as they were spread 
 over the plain but exquisitely neat table of cherry-wood, 
 which, by being placed at the side of one of less costly 
 material, was intended to form the only distinction between 
 
TTbe "adept of WiiBb^on^MiBb 265 
 
 the guests, as, in more ancient times and in other countries, 
 the salt was known to mark the difference in rank among 
 those who partook of the same feast. 
 
 " Mark," said a timid voice at his elbow, " thou art weary 
 with this night-watching, and with the scouting on the 
 hills. Dost not think of taking food before seeking thy 
 rest?" 
 
 ' ' I sleep not, ' ' returned the youth, raising his head, and 
 gently pushing aside the basin of simple food that was 
 offered by one whose eye looked feelingly on his flushed 
 features, and whose suffused cheek perhaps betrayed there 
 was a secret consciousness that the glance was kinder than 
 maiden diffidence should allow. * ' I sleep not, Martha, nor 
 doth it seem to me that I shall ever sleep again." 
 
 * ' Thou frightest me by this wild and unhappy eye. Hast 
 suffered aught in the march on the mountains ? ' ' 
 
 1 ' Dost think any of my years and strength unable to bear 
 the weariness of a few hours' watching in the forest ? The 
 body is well, but the mind endureth grievously." 
 
 ' ' And wilt not say what causeth this vexation ? Thou 
 knowest, Mark, that there are none in this dwelling nay, 
 I am certain, I might add in this valley, that do not wish 
 thee happiness." 
 
 " 'T is kind to say it, good Martha ; but thou never hadst 
 a sister ! ' ' 
 
 " 'T is true, I am all of my race ; and yet to me it seemeth 
 that no tie of blood could have been nearer than the love 
 I bore to her who is lost." 
 
 " Nor mother ! Thou never knewest what 'tis to rever- 
 ence a parent. ' ' 
 
 1 ' And is not thy mother mine ? ' ' answered a voice that 
 was deeply melancholy, and yet so soft that it caused the 
 young man to gaze intently at his companion, for a moment, 
 ere he again spoke. 
 
 " True, true," he said hurriedly. " Thou must and dost 
 love her who hath nursed thy infancy, and brought thee 
 with care and tenderness, to so fair and happy a woman- 
 hood. ' ' The eye of Martha grew brighter, and the color of 
 her healthful cheek deepened; as Mark unconsciously uttered 
 
266 TIbe TKHept of 
 
 this simple commendation of her appearance ; but as she 
 shrank, with female sensitiveness, from his observation, the 
 change was unnoticed, and he continued, ' ' Thou seest that 
 my mother is drooping hourly under this sorrow for. our 
 little Ruth ; and who can say what may be the end of a 
 grief that endureth so long ? ' ' 
 
 " 'Tis true that there hath been reason to fear much in 
 her behalf; but, of late, hope hath gotten the better of 
 apprehension. Thou dost not well, nay, I am not assured 
 thou dost not evil, to permit this discontent with Provi- 
 dence, because thy mother yieldeth to a little more than her 
 usual mourning, on account of the unexpected return of one 
 so nearly connected with her that we have lost. ' ' 
 
 " 'Tis not that, girl 't is not that ! " 
 
 "If thou refusest to say what 'tis that giveth thee this 
 pain, I can do little more than pity." 
 
 11 Listen, and I will say. It is now many years, as thou 
 knowest, since the savage Mohawk or Narragansett, Pequot 
 or Wampanoag, broke in upon our settlement, and did his 
 vengeance. We were then children, Martha ; and 't is as 
 a child that I have thought of that merciless burning. Our 
 little Ruth was, like thyself, a blooming infant of some 
 seven or eight years ; and I know not how the folly hath 
 beset me, but it hath been ever as one of that innocence and 
 age, that I have continued to think of my sister. ' ' 
 
 " Surely thou knowest that time cannot stay ; the greater 
 therefore is the reason that we should be industrious to im- 
 prove ' ' 
 
 11 'T is what our duty teacheth. I tell thee, Martha, that 
 at night, when dreams come over me, as they sometimes 
 will, and I see our Ruth wandering in the forest, it is as a 
 playful, laughing child, such as we knew her; and even 
 while waking, do I fancy my sister at my knee, as she was 
 wont to stand while listening to those idle tales with which 
 we lightened our childhood. ' ' 
 
 "But we had our birth in the same year and month, 
 dost think of me too, Mark, as one of that childish age ? ' ' 
 
 "Of thee! That cannot well be. Do I not see that 
 thou art grown into the condition of a woman, that thy 
 
Ube Mept of Witeb*Uon*Mi$b 267 
 
 little tresses of brown have become the jet-black and flowing 
 hair that becomes thy years, and that thou hast the stature 
 and I say it not in idleness of speech, Martha, for thou 
 knowest my tongue is no vain flatterer but do I not see 
 that thou hast grown into all the excellence of a most 
 comely maiden ? But 'tis not thus, or rather 'twas not 
 thus, with her we mourn ; for till this hour have I ever pic- 
 tured my sister the little innocent we sported with, that 
 gloomy night she was snatched from our arms by the cruelty 
 of the savage. ' ' 
 
 "And what hath changed this pleasing image of our 
 Ruth ? " asked his companion, half-covering her face to con- 
 ceal the still deeper glow of female gratification which had 
 been kindled by the words just heard. " I often think of 
 her as thou hast described, nor do I now see why we may 
 not still believe her, if she yet live, all that we could desire 
 to see." 
 
 " That cannot be. The delusion is gone, and in its place 
 a frightful truth has visited me. Here is Whittal Ring, 
 whom we lost a boy ; thou seest he is returned a man, and 
 a savage ! No, no ; my sister is no longer the child I loved 
 to think her, but one grown into the estate of woman- 
 hood." 
 
 ' ' Thou thinkest of her unkindly, while thou thinkest of 
 others far less endowed by nature with too much indul- 
 gence ; for thou rememberest, Mark, she was ever of more 
 pleasing aspect than any that we knew. ' ' 
 
 "I know not that I say not that I think not that. 
 But be she what hardships and exposure may have made 
 her, still must Ruth Heathcote be far too good for an 
 Indian wigwam. Oh ! 'tis horrible to believe that she is 
 the bondwoman, the servitor, the wife of a savage ! " 
 
 Martha recoiled, and an entire minute passed, during 
 which she made no reply. It was evident that the revolt- 
 ing idea for the first time crossed her mind, and all the 
 natural feelings of gratified and maiden pride vanished be- 
 fore the genuine and pure sympathies of a female bosom. 
 
 "This cannot be," she at length murmured, "it can 
 never be ! Our Ruth must still remember the lessons taught 
 
268 Ube Mept of 
 
 her in her infancy. She knoweth she is born of Christian 
 lineage ! of reputable name ! of exalted hope ! of glorious 
 promise ! ' ' 
 
 " Thou seest by the manner of Whittal, who is of greater 
 age, how little of that taught can withstand the wily 
 savage. ' ' 
 
 "But Whittal faileth of Nature's gifts; he hath evei 
 been below the rest of men in understanding." 
 
 ' ' And yet to what degree of Indian cunning hath he 
 already attained." 
 
 " But, Mark," rejoined his companion timidly, as if, while 
 she felt all its force, she only consented to urge the argu- 
 ment in tenderness to the harassed feelings of the brother, 
 " we are of equal years ; that which hath happened to me 
 may well have been the fortune of our Ruth." 
 
 ' ' Dost mean, that being unespoused thyself, or that hav- 
 ing at thy years inclinations that are free, my sister may 
 have escaped the bitter curse of being the wife of a Nar- 
 ragansett, or what is not less frightful, the slave of his 
 humors ? ' ' 
 
 " Truly, I mean little else than the former." 
 
 "And not the latter," continued the young man, with 
 a quickness that showed some sudden revolution in his 
 thoughts. "But though with opinions that are decided, 
 and with kindness awakened in behalf of one favored, thou 
 hesitatest, Martha, it is not like that a girl left in the fet- 
 ters of savage life would so long pause to think. Even 
 here in the settlements all are not difficult of judgment as 
 thou!" 
 
 The long lashes vibrated above the dark eyes of the 
 maiden, and for an instant it seemed as if she had no in- 
 tention to reply. But looking timidly aside, she answered 
 in a voice so low that her companion scarcely gathered the 
 meaning of that she uttered. 
 
 1 ' I know not how I may have earned this false character 
 among my friends," she said ; "for to me it ever seemeth 
 that what I feel and think is but too easily known." 
 
 " Then is the smart gallant from the Hartford town, who 
 cometh and goeth so often between this distant settlement 
 
Wept of Mteb*Uon*Wisb 269 
 
 and his father's house, better assured of his success than I 
 had thought. He will not journey the long road much 
 oftener alone ! ' ' 
 
 " I have angered thee, Mark, or thou wouldst not speak 
 with so cold an eye to one who hath ever lived with thee 
 in kindness." 
 
 " I do not speak in anger, for 'twould be both unreason- 
 able and unmanly to deny all of thy sex right of choice ; 
 but yet it doth seem right that when taste is suited and 
 judgment appeased, there should be little motive for with- 
 holding speech." 
 
 1 ' And wouldst thou have a maiden of my years in haste 
 to believe that she was sought, when haply it may be that 
 he of whom you speak is in quest of thy society and friend- 
 ship, rather than of my favor ? ' ' 
 
 " Then might he spare much labor and some bodily suf- 
 fering, unless he finds great pleasure in the saddle ; for I 
 know not a youth in the Connecticut colony for whom I 
 have smaller esteem. Others may see matter of approval 
 in him, but to me, he is of bold speech, ungainly air, and 
 great disagreeableness of discourse." 
 
 1 ' 1 am happy that at last we find ourselves of one mind ; 
 for that thou sayest of the youth is much as I have long 
 considered him." 
 
 ''Thou! Thou thinkest of the gallant thus! Then 
 why dost listen to his suit? I had believed thee a girl 
 too honest, Martha, to affect such niceties of deception. 
 With this opinion of his character why not refuse his 
 company ? ' ' 
 
 " Can a maiden speak too hastily ? " 
 
 1 ' And if here, and ready to ask thy favor, the answer 
 would be " 
 
 "No!" said the girl, raising her eyes for an instant, 
 and bashfully meeting the eager look of her companion, 
 though she uttered the monosyllable firmly. 
 
 Mark seemed bewildered. An entirely new and a novel 
 idea took possession of his brain. The change was appar- 
 ent by his altering countenance, and a cheek that glowed 
 like flame, What he might* have said, most of our read- 
 
270 ttbe Wept of 
 
 ers over fifteen may presume ; but at that moment the 
 voices of those who had accompanied Whittal to the ruin 
 were heard on their return, and Martha glided away so 
 silently as to leave him for a moment ignorant of her ab- 
 sence. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 " Oh ! when amid the throngs of men 
 The heart grows sick of hollow mirth, 
 How willingly we turn us, then, 
 Away from this cold earth ; 
 And look into thy azure breast, 
 For seats of innocence and rest ! " 
 
 BRYANT'S Skies. 
 
 THE day was the Sabbath. This religious festival, 
 which is even now observed in most of the States 
 of the Union with a strictness that is little heeded in 
 the rest of Christendom, was then reverenced with 
 a severity suited to the austere habits of the colonists. The 
 circumstance that one should journey on such a day had 
 attracted the observation of all in the hamlet ; but as the 
 stranger had been seen to ride towards the dwelling of the 
 Heathcotes, and the times were known to teem with more 
 than ordinary interest to the Province, it was believed that 
 he found his justification in some apology of necessity. 
 Still none ventured forth to inquire into the motive of this 
 extraordinary visit. At the end of an hour the horseman 
 was seen to depart as he had arrived, seemingly urged on by 
 the calls of some pressing emergency. He had in truth pro- 
 ceeded farther with his tidings, though the lawfulness of 
 discharging even this imperious duty on the Sabbath had 
 been gravely considered in the councils of those who had 
 sent him. Happily they had found, or thought they had 
 found, in some of the narratives of the sacred volume, a suffi- 
 cient precedent to bid their messenger proceed. 
 
 In the meantime the unusual excitement which had been 
 so unexpectedly awakened in the dwelling of the Heathcotes 
 
 ,271 
 
272 TTbe Wept of 
 
 began to subside in that quiet which is in so beautiful ac- 
 cordance with the sacred character of the day. The sun 
 rose bright and cloudless over the hills, every vapor of the 
 past night melting before his genial warmth into the invisi- 
 ble element. The valley then lay in that species of holy 
 calm which conveys so sweet and so forcible an appeal to 
 the heart. The world presented a picture of the glorious 
 handiwork of Him who seems to invite the gratitude and 
 adoration of his creatures. To the mind yet untainted, 
 there is exquisite loveliness and even godlike repose in such 
 a scene. The universal stillness permits the softest natural 
 sounds to be heard ; and the buzz of the bee or the wing of the 
 humming-bird reaches the ear like the loud notes of a gen- 
 eral anthem. This temporary repose is full of meaning. It 
 should teach how much of the beauty of this world's enjoy- 
 ments, how much of its peace, and even how much of the 
 comeliness of nature itself, is dependent on the spirit by 
 which we are actuated. When man reposes, all around him 
 seems anxious to contribute to his rest ; and when he aban- 
 dons the contentions of grosser interests, to elevate his spirit, 
 all living things appear to unite in worship. Although this 
 apparent sympathy of nature may be less true than imagi- 
 native, its lesson is not destroyed, since it sufficiently shows 
 that what man chooses to consider good in this world is good, 
 and that most of its strife and deformities proceed from his 
 own perversity. 
 
 The tenants of the valley of the Wish-Ton-Wish were 
 little wont to disturb the quiet of the Sabbath. Their error 
 lay in the other extreme, since they impaired the charities 
 of life by endeavoring to raise man altogether above the 
 weakness of his nature. They substituted the revolting 
 aspect of a sublimated austerity for that gracious though 
 regulated exterior, by which all in the body may best illus- 
 trate their hopes or exhibit their gratitude. The peculiar air 
 of those of whom we write was generated by the error of 
 the times and of the country, though something of its sin- 
 gularly rigid character might have been derived from the 
 precepts and example of the individual who had the direction 
 of the spiritual interests of the parish. As this person will 
 
TTbe Mept of OTteb*Uon*OTteb 273 
 
 have further connection with the matter of the legend, he 
 shall be more familiarly introduced in its pages. 
 
 The Reverend Meek Wolfe was, in spirit, a rare combina- 
 tion of the humblest self-abasement and of fierce spiritual 
 denunciation. L,ike so many others of his sacred calling 
 in the colony he inhabited, he was not only the descendant 
 of a line of priests, but it was his greatest earthly hope that 
 he should also become the progenitor of a race in whom the 
 ministry was to be perpetuated as severely as if the regulated 
 formula of the Mosaic dispensation were still in exist- 
 ence. He had been educated in the infant college of Har- 
 vard, an institution that the emigrants from Kn gland had 
 the wisdom and enterprise to found within the first five- 
 and-twenty-years of their colonial residence. Here this 
 scion of so pious and orthodox a stock had abundantly quali- 
 fied himself for the intellectual warfare of his future life, by 
 regarding one set of opinions so steadily as to leave little 
 reason to apprehend he would ever abandon the most trifling 
 of the outworks of his faith. No citadel ever presented a 
 more hopeless curtain to the besieger, than did the mind of 
 this zealot to the efforts of conviction ; for on the side of his 
 opponents, he contrived that every avenue should be closed 
 by a wall blank as indomitable obstinacy could oppose. He 
 appeared to think that all the minor conditions of argument 
 and reason had been disposed of by his ancestors, and that 
 it only remained for him to strengthen the many defences of 
 his subject, and now and then to scatter by a fierce sortie 
 the doctrinal skirmishers who might occasionally approach 
 his parish. There was a remarkable singleness of mind in 
 this religionist, which, while it in some measure rendered 
 oven his bigotry respectable, greatly aided in clearing the 
 knotty subject with which he dealt, of much embarrassing 
 matter. In his eyes, the straight and narrow path would 
 hold but few besides his own flock. He admitted some for- 
 tuitous exceptions, in one or two of the nearest parishes, 
 with whose clergymen he was in the habit of exchanging 
 pulpits ; and perhaps, here and there, in a saint of the other 
 hemisphere, or of the more distant towns of the colonies, the 
 brightness of whose faith was something aided, in his eyes, 
 
 18 
 
274 Ube Mept of 
 
 by distance, as this opaque globe of ours is thought to appear 
 a ball of light to those who inhabit its satellite. In short, 
 there was an admixture of seeming charity with an exclu- 
 siveness of hope, an unweariness of exertion with a coolness 
 of exterior, a disregard of self with the most complacent 
 security, and an uncomplaining submission to temporal evils 
 with the loftiest spiritual pretensions, that in some measure 
 rendered him a man as difficult to comprehend as to de- 
 scribe. 
 
 At an early hour in the forenoon, a little bell that was sus- 
 pended in an awkward belfry, perched on the roof of the 
 meeting-house, began to summon the congregation to the 
 place of worship. The call was promptly obeyed, and ere 
 the first notes had reached the echoes of the hills, the wide 
 and grassy street was covered with family groups, all tak- 
 ing the same direction. Foremost in each little party walked 
 the austere father, perhaps bearing in his arms a suckled 
 infant, or some child yet too young to sustain its own weight ; 
 while at a decent distance followed the equally grave matron, 
 casting oblique and severe glances at the little troop around 
 her, in whom acquired habits had yet some conquests to ob- 
 tain over the lighter impulses of vanity. Where there was 
 no child to need support, or where the mother chose to as- 
 sume the office of bearing her infant in person, the man was 
 seen to carry one of the heavy muskets of the day ; and when 
 his arms were otherwise employed, the stoutest of his boys 
 served in the capacity of armor-bearer. But in no instance 
 was this needful precaution neglected, the state of the prov- 
 ince and the character of the enemy requiring that vigilance 
 should mingle even with their devotions. There was no 
 loitering on the path, no light and worldly discourse by the 
 way, nor even any salutations, other than those grave and 
 serious recognitions by hat and eye, which usage tolerated 
 as the utmost limit of courtesy on the weekly festival. 
 
 When the bell changed its tone, Meek appeared from the 
 gate of the fortified house where he resided, in quality of 
 castellan, on account of its public character, its additional 
 security, and the circumstance that his studious habits per- 
 mitted him to discharge the trust with less waste of manual 
 
TKDlept of TOisb^on^Misb 275 
 
 labor than it would cost the village were the responsible 
 office confided to one of more active habits. His consort 
 followed, but at even a greater distance than that taken by 
 the wives of other men, as if she felt the awful necessity of 
 averting even the remotest possibility of scandal from one of 
 so sacred a profession. Nine offspring of various ages, and 
 one female assistant, of years too tender to be a wife herself, 
 composed the household of the divine ; and it was a proof of 
 the salubrious air of the valley that all were present, since 
 nothing but illness was ever deemed a sufficient excuse for 
 absence from the common worship. As this little flock is- 
 sued from the palisadoes, a female, in whose pale cheek the 
 effects of recent illness might yet be traced, held open the 
 gate for the entrance of Reuben Ring and a stout youth, who 
 bore the prolific consort of the former, with her bounteous 
 gift, into the citadel of the village, a place of refuge that 
 nothing but the undaunted resolution of the woman prevented 
 her from occupying before, since more than half of the chil- 
 dren of the valley had first seen the light within the security 
 of its defences. 
 
 The family of Meek preceded him into the temple, and 
 when the feet of the minister himself crossed its threshold, 
 there was no human form visible without its walls. The bell 
 ceased its monotonous and mournful note, and the tall, gaunt 
 form of the divine moved through the narrow aisle to its 
 usual post, with the air of one who had already more than 
 half rejected the burden of bodily encumbrance. A search- 
 ing and stern glance was thrown around, as if he possessed 
 an instinctive power to detect all delinquents, and then seat- 
 ing himself, the deep stillness that always preceded the exer- 
 cises reigned in the place. 
 
 When the divine next showed his austere countenance to 
 his expecting people, its meaning was expressive rather of 
 some matter of worldly import, than of that absence of carnal 
 interest with which he usually strove to draw near to his 
 Creator in prayer. 
 
 ' * Captain Content Heathcote, ' ' he said with grave severity, 
 after permitting a short pause to awaken reverence, * ' there 
 has one ridden through this valley on the Lord's day, making 
 
276 Ube TKDlept of 
 
 thy habitation his halting-place. Hath the traveller war- 
 ranty for this disrespect of the Sabbath, and canst thou find 
 sufficient reason in his motive, for permitting the stranger 
 within thy gates to neglect the solemn ordinance delivered 
 on the mount ? " 
 
 'He rideth on especial commission," answered Content, 
 who had respectfully arisen when thus addressed by name ; 
 * * for matter of grave interest to the well-being of the colony 
 is contained in the subject of his errand." 
 
 ' * There is naught more deeply connected with the well- 
 being of man, whether resident in this colony or in more 
 lofty empires, than reverence to God's declared will," re- 
 turned Meek, but half-appeased by the apology. * ' It would 
 have been expedient for one, who in common not only set- 
 teth so good an example himself, but who is also charged 
 with the mantle of authority, to have looked with distrust 
 into the pretences of a necessity that may be only seeming." 
 
 "The motive shall be declared to the people at a fitting 
 moment ; but it hath seemed more wise to retain the sub- 
 stance of the horseman's errand until worship hath been 
 offered, without the alloy of temporal concerns." 
 
 11 Therein hast thou acted discreetly ; for a divided mind 
 giveth but little joy above. I hope there is equal reason 
 why all of thy household are not with thee in the temple ? ' ' 
 
 Notwithstanding the usual self-command of Content, he 
 did not revert to this subject without emotion. Casting a 
 subdued glance at the empty seat where she whom he so 
 much loved was wont to worship at his side, he said, in a 
 voice that evidently struggled to maintain its customary 
 equanimity, 
 
 "There has been powerful interest awakened beneath my 
 roof this day, and it may be that the duty of the Sabbath 
 has been overlooked by minds so exercised. If we have 
 therein sinned, I hope He that looketh kindly on the peni- 
 tent will forgive ! She of whom thou speakest hath been 
 shaken by the violence of griefs renewed ; though willing in 
 spirit, a feeble and sinking frame is not equal to support the 
 fatigue of appearing here, even though it be the house of 
 God." 
 
Ube Wept of Mfsb^on^KIltsb 277 
 
 This extraordinary exercise of pastoral authority was un- 
 interrupted, even by the breathings of the congregation. 
 Any incident of an unusual character had attraction for the 
 inhabitants of a village so remote ; but here was deep, do- 
 mestic interest, connected with breach of usage and indeed 
 of law, and all heightened by that secret influence that leads 
 us to listen with singular satisfaction to those emotions in 
 others which it is believed to be natural to wish to conceal. 
 Not a syllable that fell from the lips of the divine, or of 
 Content not a deep tone of severity in the former, nor a 
 struggling accent of the latter, escaped the dullest ear in 
 that assembly. Notwithstanding the grave and regulated 
 air that was common to all, it is needless to say there was 
 pleasure in the little interruption of this scene, which, how- 
 ever, was far from being extraordinary in a community 
 where it was not only believed that spiritual authority might 
 extend itself to the most familiar practices, but where few 
 domestic interests were deemed so exclusive, or individual 
 feelings considered so sacred, that a very large proportion 
 of the whole neighborhood might not claim a right to par- 
 ticipate largely in both. The Reverend Mr. Wolfe was ap- 
 peased by the explanation, and after allowing a sufficient 
 time to elapse, in order that the minds of the congregation 
 should recover their tone, he proceeded with the regular 
 services of the morning. 
 
 It is needless to recount the well-known manner of the 
 religious exercises of the Puritans. Enough of their forms 
 and of their substance has been transmitted to us, to render 
 both manner and doctrine familiar to most of our readers. 
 We shall therefore confine our duty to a relation of such 
 portions of the ceremonies if that which sedulously avoided 
 every appearance of form can thus be termed as have an 
 immediate connection with the incidents. 
 
 The divine had gone through a short opening prayer, had 
 read the passage of holy writ, had given out the verses of 
 the psalm, and had joined in the strange nasal melody with 
 which his flock endeavored to render it doubly acceptable, 
 and had ended his long and fervent wrestling of the spirit in 
 a colloquial petition of some * forty minutes' duration, in 
 
278 tTbe Wept of 
 
 which direct allusion had been made not only to the subject 
 of his recent examination, but to divers other familiar inter- 
 ests of his parishioners, and all without any departure from 
 the usual zeal on his own part, or of the customary attention 
 and grave decorum on that of his people. But when, for 
 the second time, he rose to read another song of worship and 
 thanksgiving, a form was seen in the centre or principal 
 aisle, that as well by its attire and aspect, as by the unusual 
 and irreverent tardiness of its appearance, attracted general 
 observation. Interruptions of this nature were unfrequent, 
 and even the long practised and abstracted minister paused 
 for an instant, ere he proceeded with the hymn, though there 
 was a suspicion current among the more instructed of his 
 parishioners, that the sonorous version was an effusion of 
 his own muse. 
 
 The intruder was Whittal Ring. The witless young man 
 had strayed from the abode of his sister, and found his way 
 into that general receptacle, where most of the village was 
 congregated. During his former residence in the valley, 
 there had been no temple, and the edifice, its interior ar- 
 rangements, the faces of those it contained, and the business 
 on which they had assembled, appeared alike strangers to 
 him. It was only when the people lifted up their voices in 
 the song of praise, that some glimmerings of his ancient 
 recollections were discoverable in his inactive countenance. 
 Then, indeed, he betrayed a portion of the delight which 
 powerful sounds can quicken, even in beings of his unhappy 
 mental constitution. As he was satisfied, however, to remain 
 in a retired part of the aisle, listening with dull admiration, 
 even the grave Ensign Dudley, whose eye had once or twice 
 seemed ominous of displeasure, saw no necessity for inter- 
 ference. 
 
 Meek had chosen for his text, on that day, a passage from 
 the book of Judges : * * And the children of Israel did evil 
 in the sight of the Lord ; and the Lord delivered them into 
 the hands of Midian seven years. ' ' With this text the sub- 
 tle-minded divine dealt powerfully, entering largely into the 
 mysterious and allegorical allusions then so much in vogue. 
 In whatever manner he viewed the subject, he found reason 
 
Ube Wept of Wisb^UotVQXIiteb 279 
 
 to liken the suffering, bereaved, and yet chosen dwellers of 
 the colonies, to the race of the Hebrews. If they were not 
 set apart and marked from all others of the earth, in order 
 that one mightier than man should spring from their loins, 
 they were led into that distant wilderness, far from the 
 temptations of licentious luxury, or the worldly-mindedness 
 of those who built their structure of faith on the sands of 
 temporal honors, to preserve the word in purity. As there 
 appeared no reason on the part of the divine himself to dis- 
 trust this construction of the words he had quoted, so it was 
 evident that most of his listeners willingly lent their ears 
 to so soothing an argument. 
 
 In reference to Midian, the preacher was far less explicit. 
 That the great father of evil was in some way intended by 
 this allusion could not be doubted ; but in what manner the 
 chosen inhabitants of those regions were to feel his malign 
 influence was matter of more uncertainty. At times, the 
 greedy ears of those who had long been wrought up into 
 the impression that visible manifestations of the anger or of 
 the love of Providence were daily presented to their eyes, 
 were flattered with the stern joy of believing that the war 
 which then raged around them was intended to put their 
 moral armor to the proof, and that out of the triumph of 
 their victories were to flow honor and security to the church. 
 Then came ambiguous qualifications, which left it question- 
 able whether a return of the invisible powers, that had been 
 known to be so busy in the provinces, were not the judgment 
 intended. It is not to be supposed that Meek himself had 
 the clearest mental intelligence on a point of this subtlety, 
 for there was something of misty hallucination in the man- 
 ner in which he treated it, as will be seen by his closing 
 words. 
 
 ' * To imagine that Azazel regardeth the long-suffering and 
 steadfastness of a chosen people with a pleasant eye," he 
 said, * ' is to believe that the marrow of righteousness can 
 exist in the carrion of deceit. We have already seen his 
 envious spirit raging in many tragical instances. If re- 
 quired to raise a warning beacon to your eyes, by which the 
 presence of this treacherous enemy might be known, I should 
 
280 Ube Mept of 
 
 say, in the words of one learned and ingenious in this craft 
 iness, that, * when a person, having full reason, doth know- 
 ingly and wittingly seek and obtain of the devil, or any 
 other God besides the true God Jehovah, an ability to do or 
 know strange things, which he cannot by his own human 
 abilities arrive unto, * that then he may distrust his gifts and 
 tremble for his soul. And, oh ! my brethren, how many of 
 ye cling at this very moment to those tragical delusions, and 
 worship the things of the world, instead of fattening on the 
 famine of the desert, which is the sustenance of them 
 that would live forever ! Lift your eyes upwards, my 
 brethren ' ' 
 
 " Rather turn them to the earth ! " interrupted a deep, 
 authoritative voice from the body of the church ; ' * there is 
 present need of all your faculties to save life, and even to 
 guard the tabernacle of the Lord ! ' ' 
 
 Religious exercises composed the recreation of the 
 dwellers in that distant settlement. When they met in 
 companies to lighten the load of life, prayer and songs of 
 praise were among the usual indulgences of the entertain- 
 ment. To them, a sermon was like a gay scenic exhibition 
 in other and vainer communities, and none listened to the 
 word with cold and inattentive ears. In literal obedience 
 to the command of the preacher, and sympathizing with 
 his own action, every eye in the congregation had been 
 turned towards the naked rafters of the roof, when the 
 unknown tones of him who spoke broke the momentary 
 delusion. It is needless to say that, by a common move- 
 ment, they sought an- explanation of this extraordinary 
 appeal. The divine became mute, equally with wonder 
 and with indignation. 
 
 A first glance was enough to assure all present that new 
 and important interests were likely to be awakened. A 
 stranger of grave aspect, and of a calm but understanding 
 eye, stood at the side of Whittal Ring. His attire was 
 of the simple guise and homely materials of the country. 
 Still he bore about his person enough of the equipments 
 of one familiar with the wars of the eastern hemisphere, 
 to strike the senses. His hand was armed with a shining 
 
TTbe Mept of TOtsb^on^Misb 281 
 
 broadsword, such as were then used by the cavaliers of 
 Kngland, and at his back was slung the short carabine of 
 one who battled in the saddle. His mien was dignified and 
 even commanding, and there was no second look necessary 
 to show that he was an intruder of a character altogether 
 different from the moping innocent at his side. 
 
 ' ' Why is one of an unknown countenance come to 
 disturb the worship of the temple ? " demanded Meek, when 
 astonishment permitted utterance. ' ' Thrice hath this holy 
 day been profaned by the foot of the stranger, and well 
 may it be doubted whether we live not under an evil 
 agency." 
 
 "Arm, men of the Wish-Ton-Wish! arm, and to your 
 defences ! ' ' 
 
 A cry arose without, that seemed to circle the whole 
 valley ; and then a thousand whoops rolled out of the 
 arches of the forest, and appeared to meet in one hostile 
 din above the devoted hamlet. These were sounds that had 
 been too often heard, or too often described, not to be gen- 
 erally understood. A scene of wild confusion followed. 
 
 Each man, on entering the church, had deposited his arms 
 at the door, and thither most of the stout borderers were 
 now seen hastening to resume their weapons. Women 
 gathered their children to their sides, and the wails of 
 horror and alarm were beginning to break through the 
 restraints of habit. 
 
 ' ' Peace ! ' ' exclaimed the pastor, seemingly excited to 
 a degree above human emotion. "Ere we go forth, let 
 there be a voice raised to our heavenly Father. The ask- 
 ing shall be as a thousand men of war battling in our 
 behalf!" 
 
 The commotion ceased as suddenly as if a mandate had 
 been issued from that place to which their petition was 
 to be addressed. Even the stranger, who had regarded the 
 preparations with a stern but anxious eye, bowed his head 
 and seemed to join in the prayer, with a devoted and con- 
 fiding heart. 
 
 "Lord!" said Meek, stretching his meagre arms, with 
 the palms of the hands open* high above the heads of his 
 
282 TTbe TKHept of 
 
 flock, * ' at thy bidding, we go forth ; with thy aid, the gates 
 of hell shall not prevail against us ; with thy mercy, there 
 is hope in heaven and on earth. It is for thy tabernacle 
 that we shed blood ; it is for thy word that we contend. 
 Battle in our behalf, King of Kings ! send thy heavenly 
 legions to our succor, that the song of victory may be in- 
 cense at thy altars, and a foul hearing to the ears of the 
 enemy Amen. ' ' 
 
 There was a depth in the voice of the speaker, a super- 
 natural calmness in the tones, and so great a confidence in 
 the support of the mighty ally implored, that the words 
 went to every heart. It was impossible that nature should 
 not be powerful within, but a high and exciting enthusiasm 
 began to lift the people far above its influence. Thus 
 awakened by an appeal to feelings that had never slum- 
 bered, and stimulated by all the moving interests of life, the 
 men of the valley poured out of the temple in defence of person 
 and fireside, and, as they believed, of religion and of God. 
 
 There was pressing necessity not only for this zeal, but 
 for all the physical energies of the stoutest of their num- 
 bers. The spectacle that met the view on issuing into the 
 open air was one that might have appalled the hearts of 
 warriors more practised, and have paralyzed the efforts of 
 men less susceptible to the impressions of religious excite- 
 ment. 
 
 Dark forms were leaping through the fields on the hill- 
 sides ; and all adown the slopes that conducted to the val- 
 ley armed savages were seen pouring madly forward, on 
 their path of destruction and vengeance. Behind them, 
 the brand and the knife had been already used ; for the 
 log tenement, the stacks, and the out-buildings of Reuben 
 Ring, and several others who dwelt in the skirts of the 
 settlement, were sending forth clouds of murky smoke, in 
 which forked and angry flames were already flashing fiercely. 
 But danger most pressed still nearer. A long line of fierce 
 warriors was even in the meadows ; and in no direction 
 could the eye be turned that it did not meet with the ap- 
 palling proof that the village was completely surrounded 
 by an overwhelming superiority of force, 
 
TTbe Wept of Mteb*aon*Timteb 283 
 
 ' ' To the garrison ! ' ' shouted some of the foremost of 
 those who first saw the nature and imminency of the danger, 
 pressing forward themselves in the direction of the fortified 
 house. " To the garrison, or we are lost ! " 
 
 ' ' Hold ! ' ' exclaimed that voice which was so strange to 
 the ears of most of those who heard it, but which spoke in 
 a manner that by its compass and firmness commanded obe- 
 dience. "With this mad disorder we are truly lost. I^et 
 Captain Content Heathcote come to my councils." 
 
 Notwithstanding the tumult and confusion which had 
 now in truth begun to rage fearfully around him, the quiet 
 and self- restrained individual to whom the legal and per- 
 haps moral right to command belonged, had lost none of 
 his customary composure. It was plain by the look of 
 powerful amazement with which he had at first regarded 
 the stranger on his sudden interruption of the service, and 
 by the glances of secret intelligence and recognition they 
 exchanged, that they had met before. But this was no 
 time for greetings or explanations, nor was that a scene in 
 which to waste the precious moments in useless contests 
 about opinions. 
 
 "I am here," said he who was thus called for; " ready 
 to lead whither thy prudence and experience shall point the 
 way." 
 
 "Speak to thy people, and separate the combatants in 
 three bodies of equal strength. One shall press forward to 
 the meadows, and beat back the savage ere he encircle the 
 palisadoed house ; the second shall proceed with the feeble 
 and tender in their flight to its covers ; and with the third 
 but thou knowest that which I would do with the third. 
 Hasten, or we lose all by tardiness." 
 
 It was perhaps fortunate that orders so necessary and so 
 urgent were given to one little accustomed to superfluity of 
 speech. Without offering either commendation or dissent, 
 Content obeyed. Accustomed to his authority, and con- 
 scious of the critical situation of all that was dear, the 
 men of the village yielded an obedience more prompt and 
 effective than it is usual to meet in soldiers who are not 
 familiar with habits of discipline. The fighting men were 
 
284 Ube TOept of 
 
 quickly separated into three bodies, consisting of rather 
 more than a score of combatants in each. One, commanded 
 by Eben Dudley, advanced at quick time towards the 
 meadows in the rear of the fortress, that the whooping body 
 of savages, who were already threatening to cut off the re- 
 treat of the women and children, should be checked ; while 
 another departed in a nearly opposite direction, taking the 
 street of the hamlet, for the purpose of meeting those who 
 advanced by the southern entrance of the valley. The third 
 and last of these small but devoted bodies remained station- 
 ary, in attendance for more definite orders. 
 
 At the moment when the first of these little divisions of 
 force was ready to move, the divine appeared in its front, 
 with an air in which spiritual reliance on the purposes of 
 Providence, and some show of temporal determination, were 
 singularly united. In one hand he bore a Bible, which he 
 raised on high as the sacred standard of his followers, and 
 in the other he brandished a short broadsword, in a manner 
 that proved there might be danger in encountering its blade. 
 The volume was open, and at brief intervals the divine read 
 in a high and excited voice such passages as accidentally 
 met his eye, the leaves blowing about in a manner to pro- 
 duce a rather remarkable admixture of doctrine and senti- 
 ment. But to these trifling moral incongruities, both the 
 pastor and his parishioners were alike indifferent ; their 
 subtle mental exercises having given birth to a tendency of 
 aptly reconciling all seeming discrepancies, as well as of 
 accommodating the most abstruse doctrines to the more 
 familiar interests of life. 
 
 " Israel and the Philistines had put their battle in array, 
 army against army," commenced Meek, as the troop he led 
 began its advance. Then reading at short intervals he con- 
 tinued, " Behold I will do a thing in Israel, at which both 
 the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle." "O 
 house of Aaron, trust in the Lord ; He is thy help and thy 
 shield." " Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man ; preserve 
 me from the violent man." "Let burning coals fall upon 
 them ; let them be cast into the fire ; into deep pits ; that 
 they rise not again." " Let the wicked fall into their own 
 
Ube Mept of Mteb^oiWCfflteb 285 
 
 nets, whilst that I, withal, escape." "Therefore doth my 
 father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take 
 it again." " He that hateth me, hateth my father also." 
 " Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." 
 * * Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an 
 eye, and a tooth for a tooth." " For Joshua drew not his 
 hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he 
 had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai." Thus 
 far the words of Meek were intelligible to those who re- 
 mained, but distance soon confounded the syllables. Then 
 naught was audible but the yells of the enemy, the tramp 
 of the men who pressed in the rear of the priest, with a 
 display of military pomp as formidable as their limited 
 means would allow, and those clear high tones, which 
 sounded in the ears and quickened the blood at the hearts 
 of his followers as though they had been trumpet-blasts. 
 In a few more minutes the little band was scattered be- 
 hind the covers of the fields, and the rattling of fire-arms 
 succeeded to the quaint and characteristic manner of their 
 march. 
 
 While this movement was made in front, the party or- 
 dered to cover the village was not idle. Commanded by a 
 sturdy yeoman, who filled the office of lieutenant, it ad- 
 vanced with less of religious display, but with equal activity, 
 in the direction of the south ; and the sounds of contention 
 were quickly heard, proclaiming both the urgency of the 
 measure, and the warmth of the conflict. 
 
 In the meantime equal decision, though tempered by 
 some circumstances of deep personal interest, was displayed 
 by those who had been left in front ot the church. As soon 
 as the band of Meek had got to such a distance as to 
 promise security to those who followed, the stranger com- 
 manded the children to be led towards the fortified house. 
 This duty was performed by the trembling mothers, who 
 had been persuaded with difficulty to defer it until cooler 
 heads should pronounce that the proper moment had come. 
 A few of the women dispersed among the dwellings in quest 
 of the infirm, while all the boys of proper age were actively 
 employed in transporting indispensable articles from the 
 
286 Ube Mept ot 
 
 village within the palisadoes. As these several movements 
 were simultaneous, but a very few minutes elapsed between 
 the time when the orders were issued and the moment when 
 they were accomplished. 
 
 ' ' I had intended that thou shouldst have had the charge 
 in the meadows," said the stranger to Content, when naught 
 remained to be performed but that which had been reserved 
 for the last of the three little bands of fighting men. ' ' But 
 as the work proceedeth bravely in that quarter, we will move 
 in company. Why doth this maiden tarry ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' Truly I know not, unless it may be of fear. There is 
 an opening for thy passage into the fort, Martha, with others 
 of thy sex." 
 
 ' * I will follow the fighters that are about to march to the 
 rescue of them that remain in our habitation," said the girl, 
 in a low but steady voice. 
 
 " And how knowest thou that such is the service intended 
 for those here arrayed ? ' ' demanded the stranger, with a little 
 show of displeasure that his military purposes should have 
 been anticipated. 
 
 " I see it in the countenances of them that tarry," returned 
 the other, gazing furtively towards Mark, who, posted in the 
 little line, could with difficulty brook a delay which threat- 
 ened his father's house, and those whom it held, with so 
 much jeopardy. 
 
 " Forward ! " cried the stranger. " Here is no leisure for 
 dispute. I^et the maiden take wisdom and hasten to the 
 fort. Follow, men stout of heart, or we come too late to the 
 succor ! " 
 
 Martha waited until the party had advanced a few paces, 
 and then, instead of obeying the repeated mandate to consult 
 her personal safety, she took the direction of the armed band. 
 
 " I fear me that 't will exceed our strength," observed the 
 stranger, who marched in front at the side of Content, ' ' to 
 make good the dwelling, at so great distance from further 
 aid." 
 
 '* And yet the visitation will be heavy that shall drive us 
 for a second time to the fields for a resting-place. In what 
 manner didst get warning of this inroad ? ' ' 
 
Ube Mept ot TOisb^otWflfllfsb 287 
 
 " The savages believed themselves concealed in the cun 
 ning place, where thou knowest that my eyelhad opportunity 
 to overlook their artifices. There is a Providence in our 
 least seeming calculations : an imprisonment of weary years 
 hath its reward in this warning ! ' ' 
 
 Content appeared to acquiesce, but the situation of affairs 
 prevented the discourse from becoming more minute. 
 
 As they approached the dwelling of the Heathcctes, bet- 
 ter opportunity of observing the condition of things in and 
 around the house was of course obtained. The position of 
 the building would have rendered any attempt on the part 
 of those in it to gain the fort, ere the arrival of assistance, 
 desperately hazardous, since the meadows that lay between 
 them were already alive with the ferocious warriors of the 
 enemy. But it was evident that the Puritan, whose infirmi- 
 ties kept him within doors, entertained no such design ; for 
 it was shortly apparent that those within were closing and 
 barring the windows of the habitation, and that other pro- 
 visions for defence were in the course of active preparation. 
 The feelings of Content, who knew that the house contained 
 only his wife and father, with one female assistant, were ex- 
 cited to agony, as the party he commanded drew near on one 
 side, at a distance about equal to that of a band of the enemy, 
 who were advancing diagonally from the woods on the other. 
 He saw the efforts of those so dear to him, as they had re- 
 course to the means of security provided to repel the very 
 danger which now threatened ; and to his eyes it appeared 
 that the trembling hands of Ruth had lost their power, when 
 haste and confusion more than once defeated the object of 
 her exertions. 
 
 ' ' We must break and charge, or the savage will be too 
 speedy ! " he said, in tones that grew thick from breathing 
 quicker than was wont, for one of his calm temperament. 
 " See ! they enter the orchard ! In another minute they will 
 be masters of the dwelling ! ' ' 
 
 But his companion marched with a firmer step, and 
 looked with a cooler eye. There was in his gaze the un- 
 derstanding of a man practised in scenes of sudden danger, 
 and in his mien the authority of one accustomed to command,. 
 
288 Ube Mept of 
 
 11 Fear not," he answered ; "the art of old Mark Heath- 
 cote hath departed from him, or he still knoweth how to 
 make good his citadel against a first onset. If we quit our 
 order the superiority of concert will be lost, and being few 
 in numbers defeat will be certain ; but with this front, and 
 a fitting steadiness, our march may not be repulsed. To 
 thee, Captain Content Heathcote, it need not be told, that 
 he who now counsels hath seen the strife of savages ere this 
 hour." 
 
 4 ' I know it well but dost not see my Ruth laboring at 
 the ill-fated shutter of the chamber ? The woman will be 
 slain in her heedlessness for, hark ! there beginneth the 
 volley of the enemy ! ' ' 
 
 "No, 'tis he who led my troop in a far different war- 
 fare ! ' ' exclaimed the stranger, whose form grew more erect, 
 and whose thoughtful and deeply furrowed features assumed 
 something like the stern pleasure which kindles in the soldier 
 as the sounds of contention increase. " 'T is old Mark 
 Heathcote, true to his breeding and his name ! he hath let 
 off the culverin upon the knaves ! behold, they are already 
 disposed to abandon one who speaketh so boldly, and are 
 breaking through the fences to the left, that we may taste 
 something of their quality. Now, bold Englishmen, strong 
 of hand and stout of heart, you have training in your duty, 
 and you shall not be wanting in example. You have wives 
 and children at hand, looking at your deeds ; and there is 
 One above that taketh note of the manner in which you 
 serve in this cause. Here is an opening for your skill ; 
 scourge the cannibals with the hand of death ! On, on to 
 onset, and to victory ! " 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 ' 'Hed. Is this Achilles ? 
 
 Achil. I am Achilles. 
 Hect. Stand fair, I pray thee : let me look on thee." 
 
 Troilus and Cressida* 
 
 IT may now be necessary to take a rapid glance at the 
 situation of the whole combat, which had begun to 
 thicken in different parts of the valley. The party 
 led by Dudley and exhorted by Meek had broken its 
 order on reaching the meadows behind the fort, and seeking 
 the covers of the stumps and fences, it had thrown in its 
 fire with good effect on the irregular band that had pressed 
 into the fields. This decision quickly caused a change in 
 the manner of the advance. The Indians took to covers in 
 their turn, and the struggle assumed that desultory but dan- 
 gerous character, in which the steadiness and resources of 
 the individual are put to the severest trial. Success appeared 
 to vacillate ; the white men at one time widening the dis- 
 tance between them and their friends in the dwelling, and, at 
 another, falling back as if disposed to seek the shelter of the 
 palisadoes. Although numbers were greatly in favor of the 
 Indians, weapons and skill supported the cause of their ad- 
 versaries. It was the evident wish of the former to break 
 in upon the little band that opposed their progress to the 
 village, in and about which they saw that scene of hurried 
 exertion which has already been described a spectacle but 
 little likely to cool the furious ardor of an Indian onset. 
 But the wary manner in which Dudley conducted his battle 
 rendered this an experiment of exceeding hazard. 
 
 However heavy of intellect, the ensign might appear on 
 other occasions, the present was one every way adapted to 
 19 289 
 
290 ttbe Wept of Wfeb*cOu*'Kli3b 
 
 draw oat his best and most manly qualities. Of large and 
 powerful stature, he felt in moments of strife a degree of 
 confidence in himself that was commensurate with the 
 amount of physical force he wielded. To this hardy assur- 
 ance was to be added no trifling portion of the sort of 
 enthusiasm that can be awakened in the most sluggish 
 bosoms, and which, like the anger of an even-tempered man, 
 is only the more formidable from the usually quiet habits of 
 the individual. Nor was this the first, by many, of Ensign 
 Dudley's warlike deeds. Besides the desperate affair al- 
 ready related in these pages, he had been engaged in divers 
 hostile expeditions against the aborigines, and on all occa- 
 sions had he shown a cool head and a resolute mind. 
 
 There was pressing necessity for both these essential 
 qualities in the situation in which the ensign now found 
 himself. By properly extending his little force, and yet 
 keeping it at the same time perfectly within supporting dis- 
 tance, by emulating the caution of his foes in consulting the 
 covers, and by reserving a portion of his fire throughout 
 the broken and yet well-ordered line, the savages were 
 finally beaten back, from stump to stump, from hillock to 
 hillock, and fence to fence, until they had fairly entered the 
 margin of the forest. Farther, the experienced eye of the 
 borderer saw he could not follow. Many of his men were 
 bleeding, and growing weaker as the wounds still flowed. 
 The protection of the trees gave the enemy too great an 
 advantage for their position to be forced, and destruction 
 would have been the inevitable consequence of the close 
 struggle which must have followed a charge. In this stage 
 of the combat Dudley began to cast anxious and inquiring 
 looks behind him. He saw that support was not to be 
 expected, and he also saw with regret that many of the 
 women and children were still busy transporting necessaries 
 from the village into the fort. Falling back to a better 
 line of covers, and to a distance that materially lessened 
 the danger of the arrows, the weapons used by quite two 
 thirds of his enemies, he awaited in sullen silence the proper 
 moment to effect a further retreat. 
 
 It was while the party of Dudley stood thus at bay, that 
 
ZTbe IClept of TXlisfVCOTWCClisb 291 
 
 a fierce yell rang in the arches of the forest It was an 
 exclamation of pleasure, uttered in the wild manner of 
 those people ; as if the tenants of the woods were animated 
 by some sudden and general impulse of joy. The crouch- 
 ing yeomen regarded each other in uneasiness, but seeing 
 no sign of wavering in the steady mien of their leader, each 
 man kept close, awaiting some further exhibition of the 
 devices of their foes. Ere another minute had passed, two 
 warriors appeared at the margin of the wood, where they 
 stood apparently in contemplation of the different scenes 
 that were acting in various parts of the valley. More than 
 one musket was levelled with the intent to injure them, but 
 a sign from Dudley prevented attempts that would most 
 probably have been frustrated by the never-slumbering vigi- 
 lance of a North American Indian. 
 
 There was, however, something in the air and port of 
 these two individuals, that had its share in producing the 
 forbearance of Dudley. They were evidently both chiefs, 
 and of far more than usual estimation. As was common 
 with the military leaders of the Indians, they were men 
 also of large and commanding stature. Viewed at the dis- 
 tance from which they were seen, one seemed a warrior who 
 had reached the meridian of his days, while the other had 
 the lighter step and more flexible movement of a much 
 briefer existence. Both were well armed, and, as was 
 usual with the people of their origin on the war-path, they 
 were clad only in the customary scanty covering of waist- 
 cloths and leggings. The former, however, were of scarlet, 
 and the latter were rich in the fringes and bright colors of 
 Indian ornaments. The elder of the two wore a gay belt 
 of wampum around his head in the form of a turban ; but 
 the younger appeared with a shaven crown, on which 
 nothing but the customary chivalrous scalp-lock was visible. 
 
 The consultation, like most of the incidents that have 
 been just related, occupied but a very few minutes. The 
 eldest of the chiefs issued some orders. The mind of Dud- 
 ley was anxiously endeavoring to anticipate their nature, 
 when the two disappeared together. The ensign would 
 now have been left entirely to vague conjectures, had not 
 
292 ZTbe Wept of 
 
 the rapid execution of the mandates that had been issued 
 to the youngest of the Indians soon left him in no doubt 
 of their intentions. Another loud and general shout drew 
 his attention towards the right ; and when he had endeav- 
 ored to strengthen his position by calling three or four of 
 the best marksmen to that end of his little line, the young- 
 est of the chiefs was seen bounding across the meadow, 
 leading a train of whooping followers to the covers that 
 commanded its opposite extremity. In short, the position 
 of Dudley was completely turned ; and the stumps and 
 angles of the fences which secreted his men were likely to 
 become of no further use. The emergency demanded de- 
 cision. Collecting his yeomen ere the enemy had time to 
 profit by his advantage, the ensign ordered a rapid retreat 
 towards the fort. In this movement he was favored by the 
 formation of the ground, a circumstance that had been well 
 considered on the advance ; and in a very few minutes the 
 party found itself safely posted under the protection of a 
 scattering fire from the palisadoes, which immediately 
 checked the pursuit of the whooping and exulting foe. The 
 wounded men, after a stern or rather sullen halt, that was 
 intended to exhibit the unconquerable determination of the 
 whites, withdrew into the works for succor, leaving the 
 command of Dudley reduced by nearly one half of its num- 
 bers. With this diminished force, however, he promptly 
 turned his attention towards the assistance of those who 
 combated at the opposite extremity of the village. 
 
 Allusion has already been made to the manner in which 
 the houses of a new settlement were clustered near each other, 
 at the commencement of the colonial establishments. In ad- 
 dition to the more obvious and sufficient motive, which has 
 given rise to the same inconvenient and unpicturesque man- 
 ner of building over nine tenths of the continent of Europe, 
 there had been found a religious inducement for conforming 
 to the custom. One of the enactments of the Puritans said, 
 that "no man shall set his dwelling-house above the dis- 
 tance of a half a mile, or a mile at farthest, from the meet- 
 ing of the congregation where the church doth usually 
 assemble for the worship of God." " The support of the 
 
Wept of WiiBb*Uon*'mteb 293 
 
 worship of God, in church fellowship," was the reason al- 
 leged for this arbitrary provision of the law ; but it is quite 
 probable that support against danger of a more temporal 
 character was another motive. There were those within the 
 fort who believed the smoking piles that were to be seen, 
 here and there, in the clearings on the hills, owed their de- 
 struction to a disregard of that protection which was thought 
 to be yielded to those who leaned with the greatest confi- 
 dence, even in the forms of earthly transactions, on the sus- 
 taining power of an all-seeing and all-directing Providence. 
 Among this number was Reuben Ring, who submitted to 
 the lose of his habitation, as to a merited punishment for 
 the light-mindedness that had tempted him to erect a dwell- 
 ing at the utmost limits of the prescribed distance. 
 
 As the party of Dudley retreated, that sturdy yeoman 
 stood at a window of the chamber in which his prolific 
 partner with her recent gift were safely lodged, for in that 
 moment of confusion the husband was compelled to discharge 
 the double duty of sentinel and nurse. He had just fired 
 his piece, and he had reason to think with success, on the 
 enemies that pressed too closely on the retiring party, and 
 as he reloaded the gun, he turned a melancholy eye on the 
 pile of smoking embers, that now lay where his humble but 
 comfortable habitation had so lately stood. 
 
 ' ' I fear me, Abundance, ' ' he said, shaking his head with 
 a sigh, "that there was error in the measurement between 
 the meeting and the clearing. Some misgivings of the 
 lawfulness of stretching the chain across the hollows 
 came over me at the time ; but the pleasant knoll, where 
 the dwelling stood, was so healthful and commodious, that, 
 if it were a sin, I hope it is one that is forgiven ! There 
 doth not seem so much as the meanest of its logs, that is not 
 now melted into white ashes by the fire ! " 
 
 "Raise me, husband," returned the wife, in the weak 
 voice natural to her feeble situation ; " raise me with thine 
 arm, that I may look upon the place where my babes first 
 saw the light. ' ' 
 
 Her request was granted, and for a minute, the woman 
 gazed in mute grief at the destruction of her comfortable 
 
294 ftbe IPdept of 
 
 home. Then, as a fresh yell from the foe rose on the air 
 without, she trembled, and turned with a mother's care 
 towards the unconscious beings that slumbered at her side. 
 
 ' ' Thy brother hath been driven by the heathen to the 
 foot of the palisadoes, ' ' observed the other, after regarding 
 his companion with manly kindness for a moment, ' ' and he 
 hath lessened his force by many that are wounded. ' ' 
 
 A short but eloquent pause succeeded. The woman 
 turned her tearful eyes upwards, and stretching out a blood- 
 less hand, she answered, 
 
 "I know what thou wouldst do it is not meet that 
 Sergeant Ring should be a woman-tender, when the Indian 
 enemy is in his neighbor's fields ! Go to thy duty, and 
 that which is to be done, do manfully ! and yet would I have 
 thee remember how many there are who lean upon thy life 
 for a father's care." 
 
 The yeoman first cast a cautious look around him, for 
 this the decent and stern usages of the Puritans exacted, 
 and perceiving that the girl who had occasionally entered to 
 tend the sick was not present, he stooped, and impressing 
 his lips on the cheek of his wife, he threw a yearning look 
 at his offspring, shouldered his musket, and descended to 
 the court. 
 
 When Reuben Ring joined the party of Dudley, the latter 
 had just issued an order to march to the support of those who 
 still stoutly defended the southern entry of the village. The 
 labor of securing necessaries was not yet ended, and it was 
 on every account an object of the last importance to make 
 good the hamlet against the enemy. The task, however, 
 was not as difficult as the force of the Indians might at first 
 have given reasons to believe. The conflict, by this time, 
 had extended to the party which was headed by Content, 
 and, in consequence, the Indians were compelled to contend 
 with a divided force. The buildings themselves, with the 
 fences and out-houses, were so many breastworks, and it 
 was plain that the assailants acted with a caution and concert 
 that betrayed the direction of some mind more highly gifted 
 than those which ordinarily fall to the lot of uncivilized men. 
 
 The task of Dudley was not so difficult as before, since 
 
Mept of Mteb^orVlKIitsb 295 
 
 the enemy ceased to press upon his march, preferring to 
 watch the movements of those who held the fortified house, 
 of whose numbers they were ignorant, and of whose attacks 
 they were evidently jealous. As soon as the reinforcement 
 reached the lieutenant who defended the village, he com- 
 manded the charge, and his men advanced with shouts and 
 clamor, some singing spiritual songs, others lifting up their 
 voices in prayer, while a few availed themselves of the down- 
 right and perhaps equally effective means of raising sounds 
 as fearful as possible. The whole being backed by spirited 
 and well-directed discharges of musketry, the effort was 
 successful. In a few minutes the enemy fled, leaving that 
 side of the valley momentarily free from danger. 
 
 Pursuit would have been folly. After posting a few 
 lookouts in secret and safe positions among the houses, the 
 whole party returned, with an intention of cutting off the 
 enemy who still held the meadows near the garrison. In 
 this design, however, their intentions were frustrated. The 
 instant they were pressed, the Indians gave way, evidently 
 for the purpose of gaining the protection of the woods ; 
 and when the whites returned to their works, they were 
 followed in a manner to show that they could make no 
 further movement without the hazard of a serious assault. 
 In this condition, the men in and about the fort were 
 compelled to be inefficient spectators of the scene that was 
 taking place around the " Heathcote-house," as the dwel- 
 ling of old Mark was commonly called. 
 
 The fortified building had been erected for the protection 
 of the village and its inhabitants, an object that its position 
 rendered feasible ; but it could offer no aid to those who 
 dwelt without the range of the musketry. The only piece 
 of artillery belonging to the settlement was the culverin 
 which had been discharged by the Puritan, and which 
 served for the moment to check the advance of his enemies. 
 But the exclamations of the stranger, and the appeal to his 
 men, with which the last chapter closed, sufficiently pro- 
 claimed that the attack was diverted from the house, and 
 that work of a bloody character now offered itself to those 
 he and his companion led. 
 
296 Ube Wept of 
 
 The ground around the dwelling of the Heathcotes ad- 
 mitted of closer and more deadly conflict than that on which 
 the other portions of the combat had occurred. Time had 
 given size to the orchards, and wealth had multiplied and 
 rendered more secure the inclosures and out-buildings. It 
 was in one of the former that the hostile parties met, and 
 came to that issue which the warlike stranger had foreseen. 
 
 Content, like Dudley, caused his men to separate, and 
 they threw in their fire with the same guarded reservation 
 that had been practised by the other party. Success again 
 attended the efforts of discipline ; the whites gradually beat- 
 ing back their enemies, until there was a probability of 
 forcing them entirely into the open ground in their rear, 
 a success that would have been tantamount to a victory. 
 But at this flattering moment, yells were heard behind the 
 leaping and whooping band that was still seen gliding 
 through the openings of the smoke, resembling so many 
 dark and malignant spectres acting their evil rites. Then, 
 as a chief with a turbaned head, terrific voice, and com- 
 manding stature, appeared in their front, the whole of the 
 wavering line received an onward impulse. The yells re- 
 doubled ; another warrior was seen brandishing a toma- 
 hawk on one flank, and the whole of the deep phalanx 
 came rushing in upon the whites, threatening to sweep them 
 away, as the outbreaking torrent carries desolation in its 
 course. 
 
 " Men, to your square ! " shouted the stranger, disregard- 
 ing cover and life together, in such a pressing emergency ; 
 ' ' to your square, Christians, and be firm. ' ' 
 
 The command was repeated by Content, and echoed from 
 mouth to mouth. But before those on the flanks could 
 reach the centre, the shock had come. All order being lost, 
 the combat was hand to hand, one party fighting fiercely 
 for victory, and the other knowing that they stood at the 
 awful peril of their lives. After the first discharge of the 
 musket and the twang of the bow, the struggle was main- 
 tained with knife and axe ; the thrust of the former, or the 
 descent of the keen and glittering tomahawk, being an- 
 swered by sweeping and crushing blows of the musket's butt, 
 
Mept of TKHtsb^on^Mtsb 297 
 
 or by throttling grasps of hands that were clenched in the 
 death-gripe. Men fell on each other in piles, and when the 
 conqueror rose to shake off the bodies of those who gasped 
 at his feet, his frowning eye rested alike on friend and 
 enem}'. The orchard rang with yells of the Indians, but 
 the colonists fought in mute despair. Sullen resolution only 
 gave way with life ; and it happened more than once, that fear- 
 ful day, that the usual reeking token of an Indian triumph 
 was swung before the stern and still conscious eyes of the 
 mangled victim from whose head it had been torn. 
 
 In this frightful scene of slaughter and ferocity, the 
 principal personages of our legend were not idle. By a tacit 
 but intelligent understanding, the stranger with Content 
 and his son placed themselves back to back, and struggled 
 manfully against their luckless fortune. The former showed 
 himself no soldier of parade ; for, knowing the uselessness 
 of orders when each one fought for life, he dealt out power- 
 ful blows in silence. His example was nobly emulated by 
 Content ; and young Mark moved limb and muscle with 
 the vigorous activity of his age. A first onset of the enemy 
 was repelled, and for a moment there was a faint prospect of 
 escape. At the suggestion of the stranger, the three moved 
 in their order towards the dwelling, with the intention of 
 trusting to their personal activity when released from the 
 throng. But at this luckless instant, when hope was begin- 
 ning to assume the air of probability, a chief came stalking 
 through the mtee, seeking on each side some victim of his 
 uplifted axe. A crowd of the inferior herd pressed at his 
 heels, and a first glance told the assailed that the decisive 
 moment had come. 
 
 At the sight of so many of their hated enemies still living 
 and capable of suffering, a common and triumphant shout 
 burst from the lips of the Indians. Their leader, like one 
 superior to the more vulgar emotions of his followers, alone 
 approached in silence. As the band opened and divided to 
 encircle the victims, chance brought him face to face with 
 Mark. Like his foe the Indian warrior was still in the 
 freshness and vigor of young manhood. In stature, years, 
 and agility, the antagonists seemed equal ; and, as the fol- 
 
298 Ube Mept of 
 
 lowers of the chief threw themselves on the stranger and 
 Content, like men who knew their leader needed no aid, 
 there was every appearance of a fierce and doubtful struggle. 
 But, while neither of the combatants showed any desire to 
 avoid the contest, neither was in haste to give the commenc- 
 ing blow. A painter, or rather sculptor, would have seized 
 the attitudes of these young combatants for a rich exhibi- 
 tion of the power of his art. 
 
 Mark, like most of his friends, had cast aside all super- 
 fluous vestments ere he approached the scene of strife. The 
 upper part of his body was naked to the shirt, and even this 
 had been torn asunder by the rude encounters through which 
 he had already passed. The whole of his full and heaving 
 chest was bare, exposing the white skin and blue veins of 
 one whose fathers had come from towards the rising sun. 
 His swelling form rested on a leg that seemed planted in 
 defiance, while the other was thrown in front like a lever to 
 control the expected movements. His arms were extended 
 to the rear, the hands grasping the barrel of a musket which 
 threatened death to all who should come within its sweep. 
 The head, covered with the short, curling, yellow hair of his 
 Saxon lineage, was a little advanced above the left shoulder, 
 and seemed placed in a manner to preserve the equipoise of 
 the whole frame. The brow was flushed, the lips com- 
 pressed and resolute, the veins of the neck and temples 
 swollen nearly to bursting, and the eyes contracted, but of 
 a gaze that bespoke equally the feelings of desperate de- 
 termination and of entranced surprise. 
 
 On the other hand, the Indian warrior was a man still 
 more likely to be remarked. The habits of his people had 
 brought him, as usual, into the field with naked limbs and 
 nearly uncovered body. The position of his frame was that 
 of one prepared to leap ; and it would have been a compari- 
 son tolerated by the license of poetry to have likened his 
 straight and agile form to the semblance of a crouching 
 panther. The projecting leg sustained the body, bending 
 under its load more with the free play of muscle and sinew 
 than from any weight, while the slightly stooping head was 
 a little advanced beyond the perpendicular. One hand was 
 
Wept of Wisb^on^Misb 299 
 
 clenched on the helve of an axe that lay in a line with the 
 right thigh, while the other was placed with a firm gripe on 
 the buck-horn handle of a knife that was still sheathed at 
 his girdle. The expression of the face was earnest, severe, 
 and perhaps a little fierce, and yet the whole was tempered 
 by the immovable and dignified calm of a chief of high 
 qualities. The eye, however, was gazing and riveted ; and, 
 like that of the youth whose life he threatened, it appeared 
 singularly contracted with wonder. 
 
 The momentary pause that succeeded the movement by 
 which the two antagonists threw themselves into these fine 
 attitudes was full of meaning. Neither spoke, neither per- 
 mitted play of muscle, neither even seemed to breathe. The 
 delay was not like that of preparation, for each stood ready 
 for his deadly effort, nor would it have been possible to trace 
 in the compressed energy of the countenance of Mark, or in 
 the lofty and more practised bearing of the front and eye of 
 the Indian, anything like wavering of purpose. An emo- 
 tion foreign to the scene appeared to possess them both, each 
 active frame unconsciously accommodating itself to the 
 bloody business of the hour, while the inscrutable agency of 
 the mind held them for a brief interval in check. 
 
 A yell of death from the mouth of a savage who was 
 beaten to the very feet of his chief by a blow of the stranger, 
 and an encouraging shout from the lips of the latter, broke 
 the short trance. The knees of the chief bent still lower, 
 the head of the tomahawk was a little raised, the blade of 
 the knife was seen glittering from its sheath, and the butt 
 of Mark's musket had receded to the utmost tension of his 
 sinews, when a shriek and a yell, different from any before 
 heard that day, sounded near. At the same moment, the 
 blows of both the combatants were suspended, though by 
 the agency of very different degrees of force. Mark felt the 
 arms of one cast around his limbs with a power sufficient to 
 embarrass, though not to subdue him, while the well-known 
 voice of Whittal Ring sounded in his ears : 
 
 ' ' Murder the lying and hungry pale-faces ! They leave 
 us no food but air no drink but water ! ' ' 
 
 On the other hand, when the chief turned in anger to 
 
300 Ube Mept of 
 
 strike the daring one who presumed to arrest his arm, he 
 saw at his feet the kneeling figure, the uplifted hands, and 
 agonized features of Martha. Averting the blow that 
 a follower already aimed at the life of the suppliant, he 
 spoke rapidly in his own language, and pointed to the 
 struggling Mark. The nearest Indians cast themselves on 
 the already half-captured youth. A whoop brought a hun- 
 dred more to the spot, and then a calm as sudden, and al- 
 most as fearful, as the previous tumult prevailed in the 
 orchard. It was succeeded by the long-drawn, frightful, 
 and yet meaning yell by which the American warrior pro- 
 claims his victory. 
 
 With the end of the tumult in the orchard, the sounds 
 of strife ceased in all the valley. Though conscious of the 
 success of their enemies, the men in the fort saw the cer- 
 tainty of destruction, not only to themselves, but to those 
 feeble ones whom they should be compelled to leave without 
 a sufficient defence, were they to attempt a sortie to that 
 distance from their works. They were, therefore, compelled 
 to remain passive and grave spectators of an evil they had 
 not the means to avert. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 "Were such things here, as we do speak about? 
 Or have we eaten of the insane root 
 That takes the reason prisoner? " 
 
 Macbeth. 
 
 AN hour later presented a different scene. Bands of 
 the enemy, that in civilized warfare would be 
 called parties of observation, lingered in the skirts 
 of the forest nearest to the village ; and the set- 
 tlers still stood to their arms, posted among the buildings, 
 or maintaining their array at the foot of the palisadoes. 
 Though the toil of securing the valuables continued, it was 
 evident that, as the first terrors of alarm had disappeared, 
 the owners of the hamlet began to regain some assurance in 
 their ability to make it good against their enemies. Even 
 the women were now seen moving through its grassy street 
 with greater seeming confidence, and there was a regularity 
 in the air of the armed men, which denoted a determination 
 that was calculated to impose on their wild and undisciplined 
 assailants. 
 
 But the dwelling, the out-buildings, and all the imple- 
 ments of domestic comfort, which had so lately contributed 
 to the ease of the Heathcotes, were completely in posses- 
 sion of the Indians. The open shutters and doors, the 
 scattered and half-destroyed furniture, the air of devastation 
 and waste, and the general abandonment of all interest in 
 the protection of property, proclaimed the licentious dis- 
 order of a successful assault. Still the work of destruction 
 and plunder did not go on. Although here and there 
 might be seen some warrior, decorated, according to the 
 
 301 
 
302 Ube Mept of 
 
 humors of his savage taste, with the personal effects of the 
 former inmates of the building, every hand had been 
 checked, and the furious tempers of the conquerors had 
 been quieted, seemingly by the agency of some unseen and 
 extraordinary authority. The men, who so lately had been 
 moved by the fiercest passions of our nature, were suddenly 
 restrained, if not appeased ; and, instead of that exulting 
 indulgence of vengeance which commonly accompanies an 
 Indian triumph, the warriors stalked about the buildings 
 and through the adjacent grounds, in a silence which, 
 though gloomy and sullen, was marked by their character- 
 istic submission to events. 
 
 The principal leaders of the inroad, and all the surviv- 
 ing sufferers by the defeat, were assembled in the piazza. 
 of the dwelling. Ruth, pale, sorrowing, and mourning for 
 others rather than for herself, stood a little apart, attended 
 b}^ Martha and the young assistant whose luckless fortune 
 it was to be found at her post on this eventful day. Con- 
 tent, the stranger, and Mark were near, subdued and 
 bound, the sole survivors of all that band they had so re- 
 cently led into the conflict. The gray hairs and bodily in- 
 firmities of the Puritan spared him the same degradation. 
 The only other being present, of European origin, was 
 Whittal Ring. The innocent stalked slowly among the 
 prisoners, sometimes permitting ancient recollections and 
 sympathies to come over his dull intellect, but oftener 
 taunting the unfortunate with the injustice of their race, and 
 with the wrongs of his adopted people. 
 
 The chiefs of the successful party stood in the centre, 
 apparently engaged in some grave deliberation. As they 
 were few in number, it was evident that the council only 
 included men of the highest importance. Chiefs of inferior 
 rank, but of great names in the limited renown of those 
 simple tribes, conversed in knots among the trees, or paced 
 the court at a respectful distance from the consultation of 
 their superiors. 
 
 The least practised eye could not mistake the person of 
 him on whom the greatest weight of authority had fallen. 
 The turbaned warrior, already introduced in these pages, 
 
Kftept of WiiBb^on^MiQb 303 
 
 occupied the centre of the group, in the calm and dignified 
 attitude of an Indian who hearkens to or who utters advice. 
 His musket was borne by one who stood in waiting, while 
 the knife and axe were returned to his girdle. He had 
 thrown a light blanket, or it might be better termed a robe 
 of scarlet cloth, over his left shoulder, whence it gracefully 
 fell in folds, leaving the whole of the right arm free, and 
 most of his ample chest exposed to view. From beneath 
 this mantle, blood fell slowly in drops, dyeing the floor on 
 which he stood. The countenance of this warrior was 
 grave, though there was a quickness in the movements of 
 an ever-restless eye that denoted great mental activity, no 
 less than the disquiet of suspicion. One skilled in physiog- 
 nomy might too have thought that a shade of suppressed 
 discontent was struggling with the self-command of habits 
 that had become part of the nature of the individual. 
 
 The two companions nearest this chief were, like himself, 
 men past the middle age, and of mien and expression that 
 were similar, though less strikingly marked ; neither show- 
 ing those signs of displeasure which occasionally shot from 
 organs that, in spite of a mind so trained and so despotic, 
 could not always restrain their glittering brightness. One 
 was speaking, and by his glance it was evident that the sub- 
 ject of his discourse was the fourth and last of their num- 
 ber, who had placed himself in a position that prevented 
 his being an auditor of what was said. 
 
 In the person of the latter chief, the reader will recognize 
 the youth who had confronted Mark, and whose rapid move- 
 ment on the flank of Dudley had first driven the colonists 
 from the meadows. The eloquent expression of limb, the 
 tension of sinews, and the compression of muscles, as last 
 exhibited, were now gone. They had given place to the 
 peculiar repose that distinguishes the Indian warrior in his 
 moments of inaction, quite as much as it marks the man- 
 ner of one schooled in the forms of more polished life. With 
 one hand he leaned lightly on a musket, while from the 
 wrist of the other, which hung loose at his side, depended, 
 by a thong of deer's sinew, a .tomahawk from which fell 
 drops of human blood. His person bore no other covering 
 
304 tXbe Mept of 
 
 than that in which he had fought, and, unlike his more aged 
 companion in authority, his body had escaped without a 
 wound. 
 
 In form and in features, this young warrior might be 
 deemed a model of the excellence of Indian manhood. The 
 limbs were full, round, faultlessly straight, and distinguished 
 by an appearance of extreme activity, without being equally 
 remarkable for muscle. In the latter particular, in the up- 
 right attitude, and in the distant and noble gaze which so 
 often elevated his front, there was a close affinity to the 
 statue of the Pythian Apollo; while in the full though 
 slightly effeminate chest, there was an equal resemblance to 
 that look of animal indulgence which is to be traced in the 
 severe representations of Bacchus. This resemblance, how- 
 ever, to a deity that is little apt to awaken lofty sentiments 
 in the spectator, was not displeasing, since it in some meas- 
 ure relieved the sternness of an eye that penetrated like the 
 glance of an eagle, and that might otherwise have left an 
 impression of too little sympathy with the familiar weak- 
 nesses of humanity. Still the young chief was less to be 
 remarked by this peculiar fulness of chest, the fruit of inter- 
 vals of inaction, constant indulgence of the first wants of 
 nature, and a total exemption from toil, than most of those 
 who either counselled in secret near, or paced the grounds 
 about the building. In him, it was rather a point to be 
 admired than a blemish ; for it seemed to say, that notwith- 
 standing the evidences of austerity which custom, and per- 
 haps character, as well as rank, had gathered in his air, 
 there was a heart beneath that might be touched by the 
 charities of humanity. On the present occasion, the glances 
 of his roving eye, though searching and full of meaning, 
 were evidently weakened by an expression that betrayed a 
 strange and unwonted confusion of mind. 
 
 The conference of the three was ended, and the warrior 
 with a turbaned head advanced towards his captives, with 
 the step of a man whose mind had come to a decision. As 
 the dreaded chief drew near, Whittal retired, stealing to the 
 side of the younger warrior, in a manner that denoted greater 
 familiarity, and perhaps greater confidence. A sudden 
 
ZTbe KHepr of Wis[>fton*Wfsb 305 
 
 thought lighted the countenance of the latter. He led the 
 innocent to the extremity of the piazza., spoke low and ear- 
 nestly, pointing to the forest, and when he saw that his 
 messenger was already crossing the fields at the top of his 
 speed, he moved with a calm dignity into the centre of the 
 group, taking his station so near his friend that the folds of 
 the scarlet blanket brushed his elbow. Until this movement 
 the silence was not broken. When the great chief felt the 
 passage of the other he glanced a look of hesitation at his 
 friends, but resuming his former air of composure, he 
 spoke : 
 
 ' ' Man of many winters, ' ' he commenced, in an English 
 that was quite intelligible, while it betrayed a difficulty of 
 speech we shall not attempt imitating, * * why hath the Great 
 Spirit made thy race like hungry wolves ? why hath a pale- 
 face the stomach of a buzzard, the throat of a hound, and 
 the heart of a deer ? Thou hast seen many meltings of the 
 snow : thou rememberest the young tree a sapling. Tel] 
 me, why is the mind of a Yengeese so big, that it must hold 
 all that lies between the rising and the setting sun ? Speak, 
 for we would know the reason why arms so long are found on 
 so little bodies? " 
 
 The events of that day had been of a nature to awaken all 
 the latent energies of the Puritan. He had lifted up his 
 spirit, with the morning, in the customary warmth with 
 which he ever hailed the Sabbath ; the excitement of the 
 assault had found him sustained above most earthly calam- 
 ities, and while it quickened feelings that can never become 
 extinct in one who has been familiar with martial usages, it 
 left him, stern in his manhood, and exalted in his sentiments 
 of submission and endurance. Under such influences, he 
 answered with an austerity that equalled the gravity of the 
 Indian. 
 
 " The I/>rd hath delivered us into the bonds of the hea- 
 then," he said, "and yet his name shall be blessed beneath 
 my roof ! Out of evil shall come good ; and from this tri- 
 umph of the ignorant shall proceed an everlasting victory ! ' ' 
 
 The chief gazed intently at tlje speaker, whose attenuated 
 frame, venerable face, and long locks, aided by the hectic of 
 
306 Ube Mept of 
 
 enthusiasm that played beneath a glazed and deep-set eye, 
 imparted a character that seemed to rise superior to human 
 weakness. Bending his head in superstitious reverence, he 
 turned gravely to those who, appearing to possess more of 
 the world in their natures, were more fitting subjects for the 
 designs he meditated. 
 
 ' ' The mind of my father is strong, but his body is like a 
 branch of the scorched hemlock ! ' ' was the pithy declaration 
 with which he prefaced his next remark. ' * Why is this ? ' ' 
 he continued, looking severely at the three who had so lately 
 been opposed to him in deadly contest. ' ' Here are men with 
 skins like the blossom of the dog- wood, and yet their hands 
 are so dark that I cannot see them ! ' ' 
 
 ' * They have been blackened by toil beneath a burning sun, ' ' 
 returned Content, who knew how to discourse in the figura- 
 tive language of the people in whose power he found himself. 
 "We have labored, that our women and children might eat." 
 
 ' * No ! the blood of redmen hath changed their color. ' ' 
 
 1 ' We have taken up the hatchet, that the land which the 
 Great Spirit hath given might still be ours, and that our 
 scalps might not be blown about in the smoke of a wigwam. 
 Would a Narragansett hide his arms, and tie up his hands, 
 with the war-whoop ringing in his ears ? ' ' 
 
 When allusion was made to the ownership of the valley, 
 the blood rushed into the cheek of the warrior in such a flood 
 that it deepened even the natural swarthy hue ; but clench- 
 ing the handle of his axe convulsively , he continued to listen, 
 like one accustomed to entire self-command. 
 
 "What a redman does may be seen," he answered, point' 
 ing with a grim smile towards the orchard ; exposing, by 
 the movement of the blanket, as he raised his arm, two of 
 the reeking trophies of victory attached to his belt. " Our 
 ears are open very wide. We listen, to hear in what manner 
 the hunting-grounds of the Indian have become the ploughed 
 fields of the Yengeese. Now let my wise men hearken, that 
 they may grow more cunning, as the snows settle on their 
 heads. The pale-men have a secret to make the black seem 
 white!" 
 
 "Narragansett" 
 
Mept of Mteb^on^Misb 307 
 
 ' * Wampanoag ! ' ' interrupted the chief, with the lofty air 
 with which an Indian identifies himself with the glory of his 
 people ; then glancing a milder look at the young warrior at 
 his elbow, he added, hastily, and in the tone of a courtier, 
 "'tis very good Narragansett or Wampanoag Wampa- 
 noag or Narragansett. The redmen are brothers and friends. 
 They have broken down the fences between their hunting- 
 grounds, and they have cleared the paths between their 
 villages of briers. What have you to say to the Narragan- 
 sett ? he has not yet shut his ear. ' ' 
 
 "Wampanoag, if such be thy tribe," resumed Content, 
 ' * thou shalt hear that which my conscience teacheth is lan- 
 guage to be uttered. The God of an Englishman is the 
 God of men of all ranks, and of all time." His listeners 
 shook their heads doubtingty, with the exception of the 
 youngest chief, whose eye never varied its direction while 
 the other spoke, each word appearing to enter deep within 
 the recesses of his mind. "In defiance of these signs of 
 blasphemy, do I still proclaim the power of Him I wor- 
 ship ! " Content continued. ' ' My God is thy God ; and He 
 now looketh equally on the deeds, and searcheth, with in- 
 scrutable knowledge, into the hearts of both. This earth is 
 his footstool ; yonder heaven his throne ! I pretend not to 
 enter into his sacred mysteries, or to proclaim the reason 
 why one half of his fair work hath been so long left in that 
 slough of ignorance and heathenish abomination in which 
 my fathers found it ; why these hills never before echoed the 
 songs of praise, or why the valleys have been so long mute. 
 These are truths hid in the secret designs of his sacred pur- 
 pose, and they may not be known until the last fulfilment. 
 But a great and righteous spirit hath led hither men filled 
 with the love of truth and pregnant with the designs of a 
 heavily burdened faith, inasmuch as their longings are for 
 things pure, while the consciousness of their transgressions 
 bends them in deep humility to the dust. Thou bringest 
 against us the charge of coveting thy lands, and of bearing 
 minds filled with the corruption of riches. This cometh of 
 ignorance of that which hath been abandoned, in order that 
 the spirit of the godly might hold'fast to the truth. When the 
 
TTbe Wept of 
 
 Yengeese came into this wilderness, he left behind him all 
 that can delight the eye, please the senses, and feed the 
 longings of the human heart, in the country of his fathers ; 
 for fair as is the work of the L,ord in other lands, there is none 
 that is so excellent as that from which these pilgrims in the 
 wilderness have departed. In that favored isle, the earth 
 groaneth with the abundance of its products ; the odors of 
 its sweet savors salute the nostrils, and the eye is never 
 wearied in gazing at its loveliness. No ; the men of the 
 pale-faces have deserted home, and all that sweeteneth life, 
 that they might serve God ; and not at the instigations of 
 craving minds or of evil vanities ! ' ' 
 
 Content paused for as he grew warm with the spirit by 
 which he was animated, he had insensibly strayed from the 
 closer points of his subject. His conquerors maintained the 
 decorous gravity with which an Indian always listens to 
 the speech of another, until he had ended, and then the 
 Great Chief, or Wampanoag, as he had proclaimed himself 
 to be, laid a finger lightly on the shoulder of his prisoner, 
 as he demanded, 
 
 1 ' Why have the people of the Yengeese lost themselves 
 on a blind path ? If the country they have left is pleasant, 
 cannot their God hear them from the wigwams of their 
 fathers? See if our trees are but bushes, leave them to 
 the redman ; he will find room beneath their branches to lie 
 in the shade. If our rivers are small, it is because the 
 Indians are little. If the hills are low and the valleys nar- 
 row, the legs of my people are weary with much hunting, 
 and they will journey among them the easier.' Now what 
 the Great Spirit hath made for a redman, a redman should 
 keep. They whose skins are like the light of the morning 
 should go back towards the rising sun, out of which they 
 have come to do us wrong. ' ' 
 
 The chief spoke calmly ; but it was like a man much 
 accustomed to deal in the subtleties of controversy, accord- 
 ing to the fashion of the people to whom he belonged. 
 
 ' ' God hath otherwise decreed, ' ' said Content. ' ' He hath 
 led his servants hither, that the incense of praise may 
 arise from the wilderness." 
 
tTbe Wept of Misb*Uon*7KHteb 309 
 
 * ' Your Spirit is a wicked Spirit. Your ears have been 
 cheated. The counsel that told your young men to come so 
 far was not spoken in the voice of the Manitou. It came 
 from the tongue of one that loves to see game scarce and 
 the squaws hungry. Go you follow the mocker, or your 
 hands would not be so dark." 
 
 " I know not what injury may have been done the Watn- 
 panoags, by men of wicked minds ; for some such there are, 
 even in the dwellings of the well-disposed but wrong to 
 any hath never come from those that dwell within my 
 doors. For these lands a price hath been paid, and what is 
 now seen of abundance in the valley, hath been wrought by 
 much labor. Thou art a Wampanoag, and dost know that 
 the hunting-grounds of thy tribe have been held sacred by 
 my people. Are not the fences standing which their hands 
 placed, that not even the hoof of colt should trample the 
 corn ? and when was it known that the Indian came for jus- 
 tice against the trespassing ox, and did not find it ? " 
 
 ' ' The moose doth not taste the grass at the root he 
 liveth on the tree ! He doth not stoop to feed on that which 
 he treadeth under foot ! Does the hawk look for the 
 mosquito ? His eye is too big. He can see a bird. Go 
 when the deer have been killed, the Wampanoags will break 
 down the fence with their own hands. The arm of a hun- 
 gry man is strong. A cunning pale-face hath made that 
 fence ; it shutteth out the colt, and it shutteth in the Indian. 
 But the mind of a warrior is too big ; it will not be kept at 
 grass with the ox." 
 
 A low but expressive murmur of satisfaction from the 
 mouths of his grim companions succeeded this reply of 
 the chief. 
 
 "The country of thy tribe is far distant," returned Con- 
 tent, " and I will not lay untruth to my soul, by presuming 
 to say whether justice or injustice hath been done them in 
 the partition of the lands. But in this valley hath wrong 
 never been done to the redman. What Indian hath asked 
 for food, and not got it ? If he hath been a-thirst, cider 
 came at his wish ; if he hath ]?een a-cold, there was a seat 
 by the hearth ; and yet hath there been reason why the 
 
Mept of 
 
 hatchet should be in my hand, and why my foot should be 
 on the war-path ! For many seasons we lived on lands 
 which were bought of both red and white man, in peace. 
 But though the sun shone clear so long, the clouds came at 
 last. There was a dark night fell upon this valley, Wam- 
 panoag, and death and the brand entered my dwelling 
 together. Our young men were killed, and our spirits 
 were sorely tried. ' ' 
 
 Content paused, for his voice became thick, and his eye 
 had caught a glimpse of the pale and drooping countenance 
 of her who leaned on the arm of the still excited and frown- 
 ing Mark for support. The young chief listened with a 
 charmed ear. As Content had proceeded, his body was 
 inclined a little forward, and his whole attitude was that 
 which men unconsciously assume when intensely occupied 
 in listening to sounds of the deepest interest. 
 
 " But the sun rose again ! " said the great chief, pointing 
 at the evidences of prosperity which were everywhere 
 apparent in the settlement, casting at the same time an 
 uneasy and suspicious glance at his youngest companion. 
 "The morning was clear, though the night was so dark. 
 The cunning of a pale-face knows how to make corn grow 
 on a rock. The foolish Indian eats roots, when crops fail 
 and grain is scarce." 
 
 " God ceased to be angry," returned Content, meekly, 
 folding his arms in a manner to show he wished to speak 
 no more. 
 
 The great chief was about to continue, when his younger 
 associate laid a finger on his naked shoulder, and by a sign 
 indicated that he wished to hold communication with him 
 apart. The former met the request with respect, though it 
 might be discovered that he little liked the expression of 
 his companion's features, and that he yielded with reluc- 
 tance, if not with disgust. But the countenance of the youth 
 was firm, and it would have needed more than usual hardi- 
 hood to refuse a request seconded by so steady and so 
 meaning an eye. The elder spoke to the warrior nearest 
 his elbow, addressing him by the name of Annawon, and 
 then, by a gesture so natural and so dignified that it might 
 
Ube Wept ot Wteb*fton*Misb 311 
 
 have graced the air of a courtier, he announced his readi- 
 ness to proceed. Notwithstanding the habitual reverence 
 of the aborigines for age, the others gave way for the pas- 
 sage of the young man, in a manner to proclaim that merit 
 or birth, or both, had united to purchase for him a personal 
 distinction which far exceeded that shown in common to 
 men of his years. The two chiefs left the piazza in the 
 noiseless manner of the moccasined foot. 
 
 The passage of these dignified warriors towards the 
 grounds in the rear of the dwelling, as it was characteristic 
 of their habits, is worthy of being mentioned. Neither 
 spoke, neither manifested any womanish impatience to pry 
 into the musings of the other's mind, and neither failed in 
 those slight but still sensible courtesies by which the path 
 was rendered commodious and the footing sure. They had 
 reached the summit of the elevation so often named, ere 
 they believed themselves sufficiently retired to indulge in a 
 discourse which might otherwise have enlightened profane 
 ears. When beneath the shade of the fragrant orchard 
 which grew on the hill, the senior of the two stopped, and 
 throwing about him one of those quick, nearly impercepti- 
 ble, and yet wary glances by which an Indian understands 
 his precise position, as it were by instinct, he commenced 
 the dialogue. The discourse was in the dialect of their 
 race ; but as it is not probable that many who read these 
 pages would be much enlightened were we to record it in 
 the precise words in which it has been transmitted to us, a 
 translation into Knglish as freely as the subject requires, 
 and the geniuses of the two languages will admit, shall be 
 attempted. 
 
 ' ' What would my brother have ? ' ' commenced he with 
 the turbaned head, uttering the guttural sounds in the low, 
 soothing tones of friendship, and even of affection. " What 
 troubles the Great Sachem of the Narragansetts ? His 
 thoughts seem uneasy. I think there is more before his 
 eye than one whose sight is getting dim can see. Doth he 
 behold the spirit of the brave Miantonimoh, who died like 
 a dog, beneath the blows of cowardly Pequots and false- 
 tongued Yengeese? Or does his heart swell with longing 
 
312 Ube Mept of 
 
 to see the scalps of treacherous pale-faces hanging at his 
 belt ? Speak, my son ; the hatchet hath long been buried 
 in the path between our villages, and thy words will enter 
 the ears of a friend." 
 
 " I do not see the spirit of my father," returned the 
 young sachem ; * ' he is afar off in the hunting-grounds of 
 just warriors. My eyes are too weak to look over so many 
 mountains and across so many rivers. He is chasing the 
 moose in grounds where there are no briers ; he needeth 
 not the sight of a young man to tell him which way the 
 trail leadeth. Why should I look at the place where the 
 Pequot and the pale-face took his life? The fire which 
 scorched this hill hath blackened the spot, and I can no 
 longer find the marks of blood." 
 
 " My son is very wise cunning beyond his winters ! 
 That which hath been once revenged is forgotten. He 
 looks no further than six moons. He sees the warriors of 
 the Yengeese coming into his village, murdering his old 
 women, and slaying the Narragansett girls ; killing his 
 warriors from behind, and lighting their fires with the bones 
 of redmen. I will now stop my ears, for the groans of 
 the slaughtered make my soul feel weak. ' ' 
 
 " Wampanoag," answered the other, with a fierce flashing 
 of his eagle eye, and laying his hand firmly on his breast, 
 ' ' the night the snows were red with the blood of my people 
 is here ! my mind is dark ; none of my race have since 
 looked upon the place where the lodges of the Narragan- 
 setts stood, and yet it hath never been hid from our sight. 
 Since that time have we travelled in the woods, bearing on 
 our backs all that is left but our sorrow that we carry in 
 our hearts." 
 
 1 1 Why is my brother troubled ? There are many scalps 
 among his people, and see, his own tomahawk is very red. 
 L,et him quiet his anger till the night cometh, and there will 
 be a deeper stain on the axe. I know he is in a hurry, but 
 our councils say it is better to wait for darkness, since the 
 cunning of the pale-faces is too strong for the hands of our 
 young men." 
 
 " When was a Narragansett slow to leap, after the 
 
Wept of 
 
 whoop was given, or unwilling to stay when men of gray 
 heads say 'tis better? I like your counsel it is full of 
 wisdom. Yet an Indian is but a man ! Can he fight with 
 the God of the Yengeese ? He is too weak. An Indian is 
 but a man, though his skin be red ! ' ' 
 
 " I look into the clouds, at the trees, among the lodges," 
 said the other, affecting to gaze curiously at the different 
 objects he named, "but I cannot see the white Manitou. 
 The pale- men were talking to him when we raised the 
 whoop in their fields, and yet He has not heard them. Go ; 
 my son has struck their warriors with a strong hand ; has 
 he forgotten to count how many dead lie among the trees 
 with the sweet-smelling blossoms ? ' ' 
 
 1 ' Metacom, ' ' returned he who had been called the Sachem 
 of the Narragansetts, stepping cautiously nearer to his 
 friend, and speaking lower, as if he feared an invisible audi- 
 tor, "thou hast put hate into the bosoms of the redmen, 
 but canst thou make them more cunning than the spirits ? 
 Hate is very strong, but cunning hath a longer arm. See," 
 he added, raising the fingers of his two hands before the 
 eyes of his attentive companion ; " ten snows have come 
 and melted since there stood a lodge of the pale-faces on this 
 hill. Conanchet was then a boy. His hand had struck 
 nothing but deer. His heart was full of wishes. By day 
 he thought of Pequot scalps, at night he heard the dying 
 words of Miantonimoh. Though slain by cowardly Pequots 
 and lying Yengeese, his father came with the night into his 
 wigwam, to talk to his son. ' Does the child of so many 
 great sachems grow big ? ' would he say ; * is his arm get- 
 ting strong, his foot light, his eye quick, his heart valiant? 
 Will Conanchet be like his fathers ? when will the young 
 Sachem of the Narragansetts become a man ? ' Why should 
 I tell my brother of these visits? Metacom hath often 
 seen the long line of Wampanoag chiefs, in his sleep. The 
 brave sachems sometimes enter into the heart of their son ? ' ' 
 
 The lofty-minded though wily Philip struck his hand 
 heavily upon his naked breast, as he answered, 
 
 " They are always here. Metacom has no soul but the 
 spirit of his fathers ! " 
 
314 ^Tbe IKHept of 
 
 ' ' When he was tired of silence the murdered Miantonimoh 
 spoke aloud," continued Conanchet, after permitting the 
 customary courteous pause to succeed the emphatic words of 
 his companion. " He bade his son arise, and go among the 
 Yengeese, that he might return with scalps to hang in his 
 wigwam ; for the eyes of the dead chief liked not to see the 
 place so empty. The voice of Conanchet was then too feeble 
 for the council-fire ; he said nothing he went alone. An 
 evil spirit gave him into the hands of the pale- faces. He was 
 a captive many moons. They shut him in a cage, like a 
 tamed panther ! It was here. The news of his ill-luck 
 passed from the mouths of the young men of the Yengeese 
 to the hunters, and from the hunters it came to the ears of 
 the Narragansetts. My people had lost their sachem, and 
 they came to seek him. Metacom, the boy had felt the 
 power of the God of the Yengeese ! His mind began to 
 grow weak ; he thought less of revenge ; the spirit of his 
 father came no more at night. There was much talking 
 with the unknown God, and the words of his enemies were 
 kind. He hunted with them. When he met the trail of his 
 warriors in the woods his mind was troubled, for he knew 
 their errand. Still he saw his father's spirit, and waited. 
 The whoop was heard that night ; many died, and the Nar- 
 ragansetts took scalps. Thou seest this lodge of stone, over 
 which fire has passed. There was then a cunning place 
 above, and in it the pale-men went to fight for their lives. 
 But the fire kindled, and then there was no hope. The soul 
 of Conanchet was moved at that sight, for there was much 
 honesty in them within. Though their skins were so white, 
 they had not slain his father. But the flames would not be 
 spoken to, and the place became like the coals of a deserted 
 council-fire. All within were turned to ashes. If the 
 spirit of Miantonimoh rejoiced, it was well ; but the soul of 
 his son was very heavy. The weakness was on him, and 
 he no longer thought of boasting of his deeds at the war- 
 post" 
 
 " That fire scorched the stain of blood from the sachem's 
 plain?" 
 
 " It did. Since that time I have not seen the marks of 
 
TTbe Wept of Mi8b*Uon*Mteb 315 
 
 my father's blood. Gray heads and boys were in that fire, 
 and when the timbers fell nothing was left but coals. Yet 
 do they, who were in the blazing lodge, stand there ! ' ' 
 
 The attentive Metacom started, and glanced a hasty look 
 at the ruin. 
 
 " Does my son see spirits in the air ! " he asked hastily. 
 
 ' ' No, they live ; they are bound for the torments. In the 
 white head, is he who talked much with his God. The 
 elder chief who struck our young men so hard was then 
 also a captive in this lodge. He who spoke, and she who 
 seems even paler than her race, died that night ; and yet 
 are they now here ! Even the brave youth that was so hard 
 to conquer looks like a boy that was in the fire ! The Yen- 
 geese deal with unknown gods ; they are too cunning for an 
 Indian !" 
 
 Philip heard this strange tale as a being educated in su- 
 perstitious legends would be apt to listen ; and yet it was 
 with a leaning to incredulity, that was generated by his 
 fierce and indomitable desire for the destruction of the hated 
 race. He had prevailed, in the councils of his nation, over 
 many similar signs of supernatural agency that were exer- 
 cised in favor of his enemies, but never before had facts so 
 imposing come so directly and from so high a source before 
 his mind. Even the proud resolution and far-sighted wis- 
 dom of this sagacious chief were shaken by such testimony, 
 and there was a single moment when the idea of abandoning 
 a league that seemed desperate took possession of his brain. 
 But true to himself and his cause, second thoughts and a 
 firmer purpose retorted his resolution, though they could 
 not remove the perplexity of his doubts. 
 
 " What does Conanchet wish ?" he said. "Twice have 
 his warriors broken into this valley, and twice have the 
 tomahawks of his young men been redder than the head of 
 the woodpecker. The fire was not good fire ; the tomahawk 
 will kill surer. Had not the voice of my brother said to his 
 young men, ' Let the scalps of the prisoners alone,' he could 
 not now say, * Yet do they now stand here ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' My mind is troubled, friend f my father. Let them be 
 questioned artfully, that the truth be known." 
 
Ube Wept of 
 
 Metacom mused an instant ; then smiling in a friendly 
 manner on his young and much-moved companion, he made 
 a sign to a youth who was straying about the fields to ap- 
 proach. This young warrior was made the bearer of an 
 order to lead the captives to the hill, after which the two 
 chiefs stalked to and fro in silence, each brooding over what 
 had passed, in a humor that was suited to his particular 
 character and more familiar feelings. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 " No withered witch shall here be seen, 
 No goblins lead their nightly crew ; 
 The female fays shall haunt the green, 
 And dress thy grave with pearly dew." 
 
 CoujNS. 
 
 IT is rarely indeed that the philosophy of a dignified 
 Indian is so far disturbed as to destroy the appear- 
 ance of equanimity. When Content and the family 
 of the Heathcotes appeared on the hill, they found the 
 chiefs still pacing the orchard, with the outward composure 
 of men unmoved, and with the gravity that was suited to 
 their rank. Annawon, who had acted as their conductor, 
 caused the captives to be placed in a row, choosing the foot 
 of the ruin for their position, and then he patiently awaited 
 the moment when his superiors might be pleased to renew 
 the examination. In this habitual silence, there was noth- 
 ing of the abject air of Asiatic deference. It proceeded 
 from the habit of self-command which taught the Indian to 
 repress all natural emotions. A very similar effect was pro- 
 duced by the religious abasement of those whom fortune had 
 now thrown into their power. It would have been a curious 
 study for one interested in the manners of the human species, 
 to note the difference between the calm, physical, and per- 
 fect self-possession of the wild tenants of the forest, and the 
 ascetic, spiritually sustained, and yet meek submission to 
 Providence, that was exhibited by most of the prisoners. 
 We say most, for there was an exception. The brow of 
 young Mark still retained its frown, and the angry charac- 
 ter of his eye was only lost when by chance it lighted on 
 the drooping form and pallid features of his mother. There 
 
 317 
 
318 Ube Mept of 
 
 was ample time for these several and peculiar qualities to be 
 thus silently exhibited, many minutes passing before either 
 of the sachems seemed inclined to recommence the confer- 
 ence. At length Philip, or Metacom, as we shall indiffer- 
 ently call him, drew near and spoke. 
 
 ''This earth is a good earth," he said; " it is of many 
 colors, to please the eyes of Him who made it. In one part 
 it is dark, and as the worm taketh the color of the leaf on 
 which he crawls, there the hunters are black ; in another 
 part it is white, and that is the part where pale-men were 
 born, and where they should die ; or they may miss the 
 road which leads to their happy hunting-grounds. Many 
 just warriors who have been killed on distant war-paths still 
 wander in the woods, because the trail is hid and their sight 
 dim. It is not good to trust so much to the cunning of " 
 
 " Wretched and blind worshipper of Apollyon ! " inter- 
 rupted the Puritan, " we are not of the idolatrous and fool- 
 ish-minded ! It hath been accorded to us to know the 
 Lord ; to his chosen worshippers all regions are alike. The 
 spirit can mount equally through snows and whirlwinds ; 
 the tempest and the calm ; from the lands of the sun, and 
 the lands of the frosts ; from the depths of the ocean, from 
 fire, from the forest " 
 
 He was interrupted in his turn. At the word fire, the 
 finger of Metacom fell meaningly on his shoulder, and when 
 he had ceased, for until then no Indian would have spoken, 
 the other gravely asked, 
 
 ' ' And when a man of a pale-skin has gone up in the fire 
 can he again walk upon earth ? Is the river between this 
 clearing and the pleasant fields of a Yengeese so narrow 
 that the just men can step across it when they please? " 
 
 ' ' This is the conceit of one wallowing in the slough of 
 heathenish abominations ? Child of ignorance ! know that 
 the barriers which separate heaven from earth are impass- 
 able ; for what purified being could endure the wickedness 
 of the flesh?" 
 
 1 ' This is a lie of the false pale-faces, ' ' said the wily 
 Philip ; "it is told that the Indian might not learn their 
 cunning, and become stronger than a Yengeese. My 
 
Wept of Mtsb^on^Misb 319 
 
 father, and those with him, were once burnt in this lodge, 
 and now he standeth here, ready to take the tomahawk ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' To be angered at this blasphemy would ill denote the 
 pity that I feel," said Mark, more excited at the charge of 
 necromancy than he was willing to own ; " and yet to suffer 
 so fatal an error to spread among these deluded victims of 
 Satan would be neglect of duty. Thou hast heard some 
 legend of thy wild people, man of the Wampanoags, which 
 may heap double perdition on thy soul, lest thou shouldst 
 happily be rescued from the fangs of the deceiver. It is 
 true that I and mine were in exceeding jeopardy in this 
 tower, and that to the eyes of men without we seemed melted 
 with the heat of the flames ; but the Lord put it into our 
 spirits to seek refuge whither fire could not come. The well 
 was made the instrument of our safety, for the fulfilment of 
 His own inscrutable designs. ' ' 
 
 Notwithstanding the long-practised and exceeding sub- 
 tlety of the listeners, they heard this simple explanation of 
 that which they had deemed a miracle, with a wonder that 
 could not readily be concealed. Delight at the excellence 
 of the artifice was evidently the first and common emotion 
 of them both ; nor would they yield implicit faith until 
 assured beyond a doubt that what they heard was true. 
 The little iron door, which had permitted access to the well, 
 for the ordinary domestic purposes of the family, was still 
 there ; and it was only after each had cast a look down the 
 deep shaft, that he appeared satisfied of the practicability of 
 the deed. Then a look of triumph gleamed in the swarthy 
 visage of Philip, while the features of his associate expressed 
 equally his satisfaction and his regret. They walked apart, 
 musing on what they had just seen and heard ; and when 
 they spoke, it was again in the language of their people. 
 
 ' ' My son hath a tongue that cannot lie, ' ' observed Mata- 
 com, in a soothing, flattering accent. " What he hath seen, 
 he tells ; and what he tells is true. Conanchet is not a boy, 
 but a chief whose wisdom is gray, while his limbs are young. 
 Now, why shall not his people take the scalps of these Yen- 
 geese, that they may never go any more into holes in the 
 earth, like cunning foxes ? " 
 
320 ZTbe Wept of 
 
 "The sachem hath a very bloody mind," returned the 
 young chief, quicker than was common for men of his sta- 
 tion. " Let the arms of the warriors rest, till they meet the 
 armed hands of the Yengeese, or they will be too tired to 
 strike heavily. My young men have taken scalps since the 
 sun came over the trees, and they are satisfied. Why does 
 Metacom look so hard ? What does my father see ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' A dark spot in the middle of a white plain. The grass 
 is not green ; it is red as blood. It is too dark for the blood 
 of a pale-face. It is the rich blood of a great warrior. The 
 rains cannot wash it out ; it grows darker every sun. The 
 snows do not whiten it ; it hath been there many winters. 
 The birds scream as they fly over it ; the wolf howls ; the 
 lizards creep another way." 
 
 ' ' Thine eyes are getting old ; fire hath blackened the 
 place, and what thou seest is coal." 
 
 * ' The fire was kindled in a well ; it did not burn bright. 
 What I see is blood." 
 
 " Wampanoag, " rejoined Conanchet, fiercely, " I have 
 scorched the spot with the lodges of the Yengeese. The 
 grave of my father is covered with scalps taken by the hand 
 of his son ! Why does Metacom look again ? What does 
 the chief see?" 
 
 ' ' An Indian town burning in the midst of the snow ; the 
 young men struck from behind ; the girls screaming ; the 
 children broiling on coals, and the old men dying like dogs ! 
 It is the village of the cowardly Pequots No, I see better ; 
 the Yengeese are in the country of the Great Narragansett, 
 and the brave sachem is there, fighting ! I shut my eyes, 
 for smoke blinds them ! ' ' 
 
 Conanchet heard this allusion to the recent and deplorable 
 fate of the principal establishment of his tribe, in sullen 
 silence ; for the desire of revenge, which had been so fear- 
 fully awakened, seemed now to be slumbering, if it were not 
 entirely quelled by the agency of some mysterious and po- 
 tent feeling. He rolled his eyes gloomily from the apparently 
 abstracted countenance of his artful companion to those of 
 the captives, whose fate only awaited his judgment, since the 
 band which had that morning broken in upon the Wish-Ton- 
 
ZTbe Wept of Mf8b*Uon*Mfsb 321 
 
 Wish was, with but few exceptions, composed of the sur- 
 viving warriors of his own powerful nation. But while his 
 look was displeased, faculties that were schooled so highly 
 could not easily be mistaken in what passed, even in the 
 most cursory manner, before his sight. 
 
 ' ' What sees my father next ? " he asked, with an interest 
 he could not control, detecting another change in the features 
 of Met acorn. 
 
 " One who is neither white nor red. A young woman, that 
 boundeth like a skipping fawn ; who hath lived in a wig- 
 wam, doing nothing ; who speaks with two tongues ; who 
 holds her hands before the eyes of a great warrior, till he is 
 blind as the owl in the sun I see her ' ' 
 
 Metacom paused, for at that moment a being that singu- 
 larly resembled this description appeared before him, offering 
 the reality of the imaginary picture he was drawing with so 
 much irony and art. 
 
 The movement of the timid hare is scarce more hurried, or 
 more undecided, than that of the creature who now suddenly 
 presented herself to the warriors. It was apparent, by the hesi- 
 tating and half-retreating step that succeeded the light bound 
 with which she came in view, that she dreaded to advance, 
 while she knew not how far it might be proper to retire. 
 For the first moment, she stood in a suspended and doubting 
 posture, such as one might suppose a creature of mist would 
 assume ere it vanished, and then meeting the eye of Conan- 
 chet, the uplifted foot retouched the earth, and her whole 
 form sank into the modest and shrinking attitude of an In- 
 dian girl, who stood in the presence of a sachem of her tribe. 
 As this female is to enact no mean part in that which follows, 
 the reader may be thankful for a more minute description 
 of her person. 
 
 The age of the stranger was under twenty. In form she 
 rose above the usual stature of an Indian maid, though the 
 proportions of her person were as light and buoyant as at all 
 comported with the fulness that properly belonged to her 
 years. The limbs, seen below the folds of a short kirtle of 
 bright scarlet cloth, were just and tapering, even to the nicest 
 proportions of classic beauty ; and never did foot of higher 
 
322 ZTbe Mept of 
 
 instep, and softer roundness, grace a feathered moccasin. 
 Though the person, from the neck to the knees, was hid by 
 a tightly-fitting vest of calico and the short kirtle named, 
 enough of the shape was visible to betray outlines that had 
 never been injured, either by the mistaken devices of art or 
 by the baneful effects of toil. The skin was only visible at 
 the hands, face, and neck. Its lustre having been a little 
 dimmed by exposure, a rich, rosy tint had usurped the 
 natural brightness of a complexion that had once been fair 
 even to brilliancy. The eye was full, sweet, and of a blue that 
 emulated the sky of evening ; the brows soft and arched ; 
 the nose straight, delicate, and slightly Grecian ; the fore- 
 head fuller than that which properly belonged to a girl of 
 the Narragansetts, but regular, delicate, and polished ; and 
 the hair, instead of dropping in long straight tresses of jet 
 black, broke out of the restraints of a band of beaded wam- 
 pum, in ringlets of golden yellow. 
 
 The peculiarities that distinguished this female from the 
 others of her tribe were not confined alone to the indelible 
 marks of nature. Her step was more elastic her gait more 
 erect and graceful her foot less inwardly inclined, and her 
 whole movements freer and more decided than those of a 
 race doomed from infancy to subjection and labor. Though 
 ornamented by some of the prized inventions of the hated 
 race to which she evidently owed her birth, she had the wild 
 and timid look of those with whom she had grown into 
 womanhood. Her beauty would have been remarkable in 
 any region of the earth, while the play of muscle, the in- 
 genuous beaming of the eye, and the freedom of limb and 
 action, were such as seldom pass beyond the years of child- 
 hood among people who, in attempting to improve, so often 
 mar the works of nature. 
 
 Although the color of the eye was so very different from 
 that which generally belongs to one of Indian origin, the 
 manner of its quick and searching glance, and of the half- 
 alarmed and yet understanding look with which this extra- 
 ordinary creature made herself mistress of the more general 
 character of the assemblage before which she had been sum- 
 moned, was like the half-instinctive knowledge of one accus- 
 
Wept of Wisb*Uon*Wteb 323 
 
 tomed to the constant and keenest exercise of her faculties. 
 Pointing with a finger towards Whittal Ring, who stood a 
 little in the background, a low, sweet voice was heard asking, 
 in the language of the Indians, 
 
 "Why 'has Conanchet sent for his woman from the 
 woods?" 
 
 The young sachem made no reply. An ordinary specta- 
 tor could not have detected about him even a consciousness 
 of the speaker's presence. On the contrary, he maintained 
 the lofty reserve of a chief engaged in affairs of moment. 
 However deeply his thoughts might have been troubled, it 
 was not easy to trace any evidence of the state of his mind 
 in the calmness of features that appeared habitually immov- 
 able. For a single treacherous instant only, was a glance of 
 kindness shot towards the timid and attentive girl, and then 
 throwing the still bloody tomahawk into the hollow of one 
 arm, while the hand of the other firmly grasped its handle, 
 he remained unchanged in feature, as he was rigid in limb. 
 Not so with Philip. When the intruder first appeared, a 
 dark and lowering gleam of discontent gathered at his brow. 
 It quickly changed to a look of sarcastic and biting scorn. 
 
 1 ' Does my brother again wish to know what I see ! " he 
 demanded, when sufficient time had passed, after the unan- 
 swered question of the female, to show that his companion 
 was not disposed to answer. 
 
 * * What does the Sachem of the Wampanoags now be- 
 hold?" returned Conanchet, proudly, unwilling to show 
 any circumstance had occurred to interrupt the subject of 
 their conference. 
 
 " A sight that his eyes will not believe. He sees a great 
 tribe on the war-path. There are many braves, and a chief 
 whose fathers came from the clouds. Their hands are in 
 the air. They strike heavy blows ; the arrow is swift, and 
 the bullet is not seen to enter but it kills. Blood runs from 
 the wounds, that is of the color of water. Now he does not 
 see, but he hears ! 'T is the scalp-whoop, and the warriors 
 are very glad. The chiefs in the happy hunting-grounds are 
 coming with joy to meet Indians that are killed ; for they 
 know the scalp- whoop of their children." 
 
Ube Wept of 
 
 The expressive countenance of the young sachem invol- 
 untarily responded to this description of the scene through 
 which he had just passed ; and it was impossible for one so 
 tutored to prevent the blood from rushing faster to a heart 
 that ever beat strongly with the wishes of a warrior. 
 
 ' ' What sees my father next ? " he asked, triumph insensi- 
 bly stealing into the tones of his voice. 
 
 ' ' A messenger : and then he hears the moccasins of 
 squaws ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' Enough ; Metacom, the women of the Narragansetts 
 have no lodges. Their villages are in coals, and they follow 
 the young men for food." 
 
 '* I see no deer. The hunter will not find venison in a 
 clearing of the pale-faces. But the corn is full of milk. 
 Conanchet is very hungry ; he hath sent for his woman, that 
 he may eat ! ' ' 
 
 The fingers of that hand which grasped the handle of the 
 tomahawk appeared to bury themselves in the wood. The 
 glittering axe itself was slightly raised ; but the fierce 
 gleaming of resentment subsided, as the anger of the young 
 sachem vanished, and a dignified calm again settled on his 
 countenance. 
 
 " Go, Wampanoag," he said, waving a hand proudly, as 
 if determined to be no longer harassed by the language of 
 his wily associate. ' ' My young men will raise the whoop 
 when they hear my voice, and they will kill deer for their 
 women. Sachem, my mind is my own." 
 
 Philip answered to the look which accompanied these 
 words, with one that threatened vengeance ; but smothering 
 his anger with his accustomed wisdom, he left the hill, as- 
 suming an air that affected more of commiseration than of 
 resentment. 
 
 ' ' Why has Conanchet sent for a woman from the woods ? ' ' 
 repeated the same soft voice, nearer to the elbow of the 
 young sachem, and which spoke with less of the timidity of 
 the sex, now that the troubled spirit of the Indians of those 
 regions had disappeared. 
 
 " Narra-mattah, come near," returned the young chief, 
 changing the deep and proud tones in which he had ad- 
 
tlbe Wept of Mt0b*aon==Wisb 325 
 
 dressed his restless and bold companion in arms, to those 
 which better suited the gentle ear for which his words were 
 intended. " Fear not, daughter of the morning ; for those 
 around us are of a race used to see women at the council- 
 fires. Now look with an open eye. Is there anything among 
 these trees that seemeth like an ancient tradition? Hast 
 ever beheld such a valley in thy dreams ? Have yonder 
 pale-faces whom the tomahawks of my young men spared, 
 been led before thee by the Great Spirit in the dark night ? ' ' 
 
 The female listened in deep attention. Her gaze was 
 wild and uncertain, and yet it was not absolutely without 
 gleamings of a half-reviving intelligence. Until that mo- 
 ment she had been too much occupied in conjecturing the 
 subject of her visit, to regard the natural objects of which 
 she was surrounded ; but with her attention thus directly 
 turned upon them, her organs of sight embraced each and 
 all, with the discrimination that is so remarkable in those 
 whose faculties are quickened by danger and necessity. 
 Passing from side to side, her swift glances ran over the 
 distant hamlet, with its little fort, the buildings in the near 
 grounds, the soft and verdant fields the fragrant orchard, 
 beneath whose leafy shades she stood, and the blackened 
 tower that rose in its centre like some gloomy memorial, 
 placed there to remind the spectator not to trust too fondly 
 to the signs of peace and loveliness that reigned around. 
 Shaking back the ringlets that had blown about her tem- 
 ples, the wondering female returned thoughtfully and in 
 silence to her place. 
 
 1 'T is a village of the Yengeese ! " she said, after a long 
 and expressive pause. A Narragansett woman does not love 
 to look at the lodges of the hated race. ' ' 
 
 * * Listen. Lies have never entered the ears of Narra-mattah . 
 My tongue hath spoken like the tongue of a chief. Thou 
 didst not come of the sumach, but of the snow. This 
 hand of thine is not like the hands of the women of my 
 tribe ; it is little, for the Great Spirit did not make it for 
 work ; it is of the color of the sky in the morning, for thy 
 fathers were born near the place^ where the sun rises. Thy 
 blood is like spring- water. All this thou knowest, for none 
 
326 Ube Mept of 
 
 have spoken false in thy ear. Speak dost thou never see 
 the wigwam of thy father ? Does not his voice whisper to 
 thee in the language of his people ? ' ' 
 
 The female stood in the attitude which a sibyl might be 
 supposed to assume, while listening to the occult mandates 
 of the mysterious oracle, every faculty entranced and atten- 
 tive. 
 
 ' Why does Conanchet ask these questions of his wife ? 
 He knows what she knows ; he sees what she sees ; his 
 mind is her mind. If the Great Spirit made her skin of a 
 different color, he made her heart the same. Narra-mattah 
 will not listen to the lying language ; she shuts her ears, 
 for there is deceit in its sounds. She tries to forget it. 
 One tongue can say all she wishes to speak to Conanchet ; 
 why should she look back in dreams, when a great chief is 
 her husband ? ' ' 
 
 The eye of the warrior, as he looked upon the ingenuous 
 and confiding face of the speaker, was kind to fondness. 
 The firmness had passed away, and in its place was left the 
 winning softness of affection, which, as it belongs to nature, 
 is seen, at times, in the expression of an Indian's eye, as 
 strongly as it is ever known to sweeten the intercourse of a 
 more polished condition of life. 
 
 11 Girl," he said with emphasis, after a moment of 
 thought, as if he would recall her and himself to more 
 important duties, "this is a war-path ; all on it are men. 
 Thou wast like the pigeon before its wing opens, when I 
 brought thee from the nest ; still the winds of many win- 
 ters had blown upon thee. Dost never think of the warmth 
 and of the food of the lodge in which thou hast passed so 
 many seasons ? ' ' 
 
 ' * The wigwam of Conanchet is warm ; no woman of the 
 tribe hath as many furs as Narra-mattah." 
 
 " He is a great hunter ! when they hear his moccasin, 
 the beavers lie down to be killed ! But the men of the 
 pale-faces hold the plough. Does not the driven snow 
 think of those who fenced the wigwam of her father from 
 the cold, or of the manner in which the Yengeese live ? ' ' 
 
 His youthful and attentive wife seemed to reflect; but 
 
Ube OTept of Wfsb^on^Wteb 327 
 
 raising her face, with an expression of content that could 
 not be counterfeited, she shook her head in the negative. 
 
 ' ' Does she never see a fire kindled among the lodges, or 
 hear the whoops of warriors as they break into a settle- 
 ment?" 
 
 "Many fires have been kindled before her eyes. The 
 ashes of the Narragansett town are not yet cold." 
 
 ' ' Does not Narra-mattah hear her father speaking to the 
 God of the Yengeese ? Listen he is asking favor for his 
 child." 
 
 ' ' The Great Spirit of the Narragansett has ears for his 
 people." 
 
 "But I hear a softer voice ! 'Tis a woman of the pale- 
 faces among her children : cannot the daughter hear ? ' ' 
 
 Narra-mattah, or ' ' the driven snow, ' ' laid her hand lightly 
 on the arm of the chief, and she looked wistfully and long 
 into his face, without an answer. The gaze seemed to 
 deprecate the anger that might be awakened by what she 
 was about to reveal. 
 
 ' ' Chief of my people, ' ' she said, encouraged by his still 
 calm and gentle brow, to proceed, * ' what a girl of the 
 clearings sees in her dreams shall not be hid. It is not 
 the lodges of her race, for the wigwam of her husband is 
 warmer. It is not the food and clothes of a cunning peo- 
 ple, for who is richer than the wife of a great chief? It 
 is not her father speaking to their Spirit, for there is none 
 stronger than Manitou. Narra-mattah has forgotten all ; 
 she does not wish to think of things like these. She knows 
 how to hate a hungry and craving race. But she sees one 
 that the wives of the Narragansetts do not see. She sees a 
 woman with a white skin ; her eyes look softly on her child 
 in her dreams ; it is not an eye, it is a tongue ! It says, 
 What does the wife of Conanchet wish ? is she cold ? here 
 are furs is she hungry? here is venison is she tired? 
 the arms of the pale woman open, that an Indian girl may 
 sleep. When there is silence in the lodges, when Conan- 
 chet and his young men lie down, then does this pale woman 
 speak. Sachem, she does not talk of the battles of her peo- 
 ple, nor of the scalps that her warriors have taken, nor of 
 
328 Ube Wept of 
 
 the manner in which the Pequots and Mohicans fear her 
 tribe. She does not tell how a young Narragansett should 
 obey her husband, nor how the woman must keep food in 
 the lodges for the hunters that are wearied ; her tongue 
 useth strange words. It names a mighty and just Spirit, 
 it telleth of peace and not of war ; it soundeth as one talk- 
 ing from the clouds ; it is like the falling of the water 
 among rocks. Narra-mattah loves to listen, for the words 
 seem to her like the Wish-Ton-Wish, when he whistles in 
 the woods." 
 
 Conanchet had fastened a look of deep and affectionate 
 interest on the wild and sweet countenance of the being 
 who stood before him. She had spoken in that attitude of 
 earnest and natural eloquence that no art can equal ; and 
 when she ceased, he laid a hand, in kind but melancholy 
 fondness, on the half-inclined and motionless head, as he 
 answered, 
 
 " This is the bird of night, singing to its young ! The 
 Great Spirit of thy fathers is angry, that thou livest in the 
 lodge of a Narragansett. His sight is too cunning to be 
 cheated. He knows that the moccasin, and the wampum, 
 and the robe of fur are liars. He sees the color of the skin 
 beneath." 
 
 "Conanchet, no," returned the female, hurriedly, and 
 with a decision her timidity did not give reason to expect. 
 "He seeth further than the skin, and knoweth the color of 
 the mind. He hath forgotten that one of his girls is miss- 
 ing.'' 
 
 "It is not so. The eagle of my people was taken into 
 the lodges of the pale-faces. He was young, and they 
 taught him to sing with another tongue. The colors of his 
 feathers were changed, and they thought to cheat the Mani- 
 tou. But when the door was open, he spread his wings 
 and flew back to his nest. It is not so. What hath been 
 done is good, and what will be done is better. Come, there 
 is a straight path before us." 
 
 Thus saying, Conanchet motioned to his wife to follow 
 towards the group of captives. The foregoing dialogue had 
 occurred in a place where two parties were partially con- 
 
TOept ot Misb*Uon*Wisb 329 
 
 cealed from each other by the ruin ; but as the distance 
 was so trifling, the sachem and his companion were soon 
 confronted with those he sought. leaving his wife a little 
 without the circle, Conanchet advanced, and taking the un- 
 resisting and half-unconscious Ruth by the arm, he led her 
 forward. He placed the two females in attitudes where 
 each might look the other full in the face. Strong emotion 
 struggled in a countenance which, in spite of its fierce 
 mask of war-paint, could not entirely conceal its workings. 
 
 ' ' See, ' ' he said in English, looking earnestly from one to 
 the other. ' ' The Good Spirit is not ashamed of his work. 
 What He hath done, He hath done ; Narragansett nor Yen- 
 geese can alter it. This is the white bird that came from the 
 sea," he added, touching the shoulder of Ruth lightly with 
 a finger, c ' and this the young, that she warmed under her 
 wing. ' ' 
 
 Then, folding his arms on his naked breast, he appeared 
 to summon his energy, lest, in the scene that he knew must 
 follow, his manhood might be betrayed into some act un- 
 worthy of his name. 
 
 The captives were necessarily ignorant of the meaning of 
 the scene which they had just witnessed. So many strange 
 and savage-looking forms were constantly passing and re- 
 passing before their eyes, that the arrival of one more or 
 less was not likely to be noted. Until she heard Conanchet 
 speak in her native tongue, Ruth had lent no attention to 
 the interview between him and his wife. But the figurative 
 language and no less remarkable action of the Narragansett 
 had the effect to arouse her suddenly, and in the most exciting 
 manner, from her melancholy. 
 
 No child of tender age ever unexpectedly came before 
 the eyes of Ruth Heathcote, without painfully recalling the 
 image of the cherub she had lost. The playful voice of 
 infancy never surprised her ear, without the sound convey- 
 ing a pang to the heart ; nor could allusion, ever so remote, 
 be made to persons or events that bore resemblance to the 
 sad incidents of her own life, without quickening the never 
 dying pulses of maternal love. I<Jo wonder, then, that when 
 she found herself in the situation and under the circunv 
 
330 Ube ITClept of 
 
 stances described, nature grew strong within her, and that 
 her mind caught glimpses, however dim and indistinct they 
 might be, of a truth that the reader has already anticipated. 
 Still, a certain and intelligible clue was wanting. Fancy 
 had ever painted her child in the innocence and infancy in 
 which it had been torn from her arms ; and here, while 
 there was so much to correspond with reasonable expecta- 
 tion, there was little to answer to the long and fondly cher- 
 ished picture. The delusion, if so holy and natural a feeling 
 may thus be termed, had been too deeply seated to be dis- 
 possessed at a glance. Gazing long, earnestly, and with 
 features that varied with every changing feeling, she held 
 the stranger at the length of her two arms, alike unwilling 
 to release her hold, or to admit her closer to a heart which 
 might rightfully be the property of another. 
 
 " Who art thou ? " demanded the mother, in a voice that 
 was tremulous with the emotions of that sacred character. 
 11 Speak, mysterious and lovely being ! who art thou ? " 
 
 Narra-mattah had turned a terrified and imploring look 
 at the immovable and calm form of the chief, as if she 
 sought protection from him at whose hands she had been 
 accustomed to receive it. But a different sensation took 
 possession of her mind, when she heard sounds which had 
 too often soothed the ear of infancy ever to be forgotten. 
 Struggling ceased, and her pliant form assumed the attitude 
 of intense and entranced attention. Her head was bent 
 aside, as if the ear were eager to drink in a repetition of the 
 tones, while her bewildered and delighted eye still sought 
 the countenance of her husband. 
 
 1 ' Vision of the woods ! wilt thou not answer ? ' ' continued 
 Ruth. ' ' If there is reverence for the Holy One of Israel in 
 thine heart, answer, that I may know thee ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' Hist ! Conanchet ! ' ' murmured the wife, over whose 
 features the glow of pleased and wild surprise continued to 
 deepen. ' ' Come near, sachem ; the spirit that talketh to 
 Narra-mattah in her dreams is nigh." 
 
 ' ' Woman of the Yengeese ! ' ' said the husband, advanc- 
 ing with dignity to the spot, ' ' let the clouds blow from thy 
 sight. Wife of a Narragansett ! see clearly. The Manitou 
 
tlbe TKttept of Wisb^on*Wteb 331 
 
 of your race speaks strong. He telleth a mother to know 
 her child!" 
 
 Ruth could hesitate no longer ; neither sound nor excla- 
 mation escaped her, but as she strained the yielding frame 
 of her recovered daughter to her heart it appeared as if she 
 strove to incorporate the two bodies into one. A cry of 
 pleasure and astonishment drew all around her. Then came 
 the evidence of the power of nature when strongly awakened. 
 Age and youth alike acknowledge its potency, and recent 
 alarms were overlooked in the pure joy of such a moment. 
 The spirit of even the lofty-minded Conanchet was shaken. 
 Raising the hand, at whose wrist still hung the bloody toma- 
 hawk, he veiled his face, and turning aside, that none might 
 see the weakness of so great a warrior, he wept. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 " One sees more devils than vast hell can hold ; 
 That is the madman." 
 
 Midsummer Night's Dream. 
 
 ON quitting the hill Philip had summoned his Wampa- 
 noags, and supported by the obedient and fierce 
 Annawon, a savage that might, under better aus- 
 pices, have proved a worthy lieutenant to Caesar, 
 he left the fields of Wish-Ton-Wish. Accustomed to see 
 these sudden outbreakings of temper in their leaders, the 
 followers of Conanchet, who would have preserved their air 
 of composure under far more trying circumstances, saw him 
 depart equally without question and without alarm. But 
 when their own sachem appeared on the ground, which was 
 still red with the blood of the combatants, and made known 
 his intention to abandon a conquest that seemed more than 
 half achieved, he was not heard without murmuring. The 
 authority of an Indian chief is far from despotic, and though 
 there is reason to think it is often aided, if not generated, by 
 the accidental causes of birth and descent, it receives its 
 main support in the personal qualities of him who rules. 
 Happily for the Narragansett leader, even his renowned 
 father, the hapless Miantonimoh, had not purchased a 
 higher name for wisdom or for daring than that which had 
 been fairly won by his still youthful son. The savage 
 humors and the rankling desire for vengeance in the boldest 
 of his subalterns were made to quail before the menacing 
 glances of an eye that seldom threatened without perform- 
 ance ; nor was there one of them all, when challenged to 
 come forth to brave the anger or to oppose the eloquence of 
 
TKftept of TKUfsb^on^Misb 333 
 
 his chief, who did not shrink from a contest which habitual 
 respect had taught them to believe would be far too un- 
 equal for success. Within less than an hour after Ruth had 
 clasped her child to her bosom the invaders had altogether 
 disappeared. The dead of their party were withdrawn and 
 concealed with all the usual care, in order that no scalp of 
 a warrior might be left in the hands of his enemies. 
 
 It was not unusual for the Indians to retire satisfied with 
 the results of their first blow. So much of their military 
 success was dependent on surprise, that it oftener happened 
 the retreat commenced with its failure, than that victory 
 was obtained by perseverance. 
 
 So long as the battle raged, their courage was equal to all 
 its dangers ; but among people who made so great a merit 
 of artifice, it is not at all surprising that they seldom put 
 more to the hazard than was justified by the most severe 
 discretion. When it was known, therefore, that the foe had 
 disappeared in the forest, the inhabitants of the village were 
 more ready to believe the movement was the result of their 
 own manful resistance, than to seek motives that might not 
 prove so soothing to their self-esteem. The retreat was 
 thought to be quite in rule, and though prudence forbade 
 pursuit, able and well-limbed scouts were sent on their trail, 
 as well to prevent a renewal of the surprise, as to enable the 
 forces of the colony to know the tribe of their enemies and 
 the direction which they had taken. 
 
 Then came a scene of solemn ceremonies and of deep 
 affliction. Though the parties led by Dudley and the lieu- 
 tenant had been so fortunate as to escape with a few imma- 
 terial wounds, the soldiers headed by Content, with the 
 exception of those already named, had fallen to a man. 
 Death had struck, at a blow, twenty of the most efficient 
 individuals, out of that isolated and simple community. 
 Under circumstances in which victory was so barren and so 
 dearly bought, sorrow was a feeling far stronger than re- 
 joicing. Exultation took the aspect of humility, and while 
 men were conscious of their well-deserving, they were the 
 more sensible of their dependence on a power they could 
 neither influence nor comprehend. The characteristic opin- 
 
334 TOe Wept of 
 
 ions of the religionists became still more exalted, and the 
 close of the day was quite as remarkable for an exhibition 
 of the peculiarly exaggerated impressions of the colonists, 
 as its opening had been frightful in violence and blood. 
 
 When one of the more active of the runners returned with 
 the news that the Indians had retired through the forest with 
 a broad trail, a sure sign that they meditated no further con- 
 cealment near the valley, and that they had already been 
 traced many miles on their retreat, the villagers returned to 
 their usual habitations. The dead were then distributed 
 among those who claimed the nearest right to the perform- 
 ance of the last duties of affection ; and it might have been 
 truly said, that mourning had taken up its abode in nearly 
 every dwelling. The ties of blood were so general in a 
 society thus limited, and, where they failed, the charities of 
 life were so intimate and so natural, that not an individual 
 of them all escaped, without feeling that the events of the 
 day had robbed him, forever, of some one on whom he was 
 partially dependent for comfort or happiness. 
 
 As the day drew towards its close, the little bell again 
 summoned the congregation to the church. On this solemn 
 occasion, but few of those who still lived to hear its sounds 
 were absent. The moment when Meek arose for prayer was 
 one of general and intense feeling. The places so lately 
 occupied by those who had fallen were now empty, and they 
 resembled so many eloquent blanks in the description of 
 what had passed, expressing far more than any language 
 could impart. The appeal of the divine was in his usual 
 strain of sublimated piety, mysterious insights into the 
 hidden purposes of Providence being strangely blended with 
 the more intelligible wants and passions of man. While he 
 gave Heaven the glory of the victory, he spoke with a lofty 
 and pretending humility of the instruments of its power ; 
 and although seemingly willing to acknowledge that his 
 people abundantly deserved the heavy blow which had 
 alighted on them, there was an evident impatience of the 
 agents by which it had been inflicted. The principles of the 
 sectarian were so singularly qualified by the feelings of the 
 borderer, that one subtle in argument would have found 
 
Ube Wept of Wiisb*Uon*Wiisb 335 
 
 little difficulty in detecting flaws in the reasoning of this 
 zealot ; but as so much was obscured by metaphysical mists, 
 and so much was left for the generalities of doctrine, his 
 hearers, without an exception, made such an application of 
 what he uttered, as apparently rendered every mind satis- 
 fied. 
 
 The sermon was as extemporaneous as the prayer, if 
 anything can come extempore from a mind so drilled and 
 fortified in opinion. It contained much the same matter, 
 delivered a little less in the form of an apostrophe. The 
 stricken congregation, while they were encouraged with the 
 belief that they were vessels set apart for some great and 
 glorious end of Providence, were plainly told that they 
 merited far heavier affliction than this which had now be- 
 fallen ; and they were reminded that it was their duty to 
 desire even condemnation, that He who framed the heavens 
 and the earth might be glorified ! Then they heard com- 
 fortable conclusions, which might reasonably teach them to 
 expect, that though in the abstract such were the obliga- 
 tions of the real Christian, there was good reason to think 
 that all who listened to doctrines so pure would be remeni' 
 bered with an especial favor. 
 
 So useful a servant of the temple as Meek Wolfe did 
 not forget the practical application of his subject. It is 
 true that no visible emblem of the cross was shown to ex- 
 cite his hearers, nor were they stimulated to loosen blood- 
 hounds on the trail of their enemies ; but the former was 
 kept sufficiently before the mind's eye by constant allusions 
 to its merits, and the Indians were pointed at as the instru- 
 ments by which the great father of evil hoped to prevent 
 " the wilderness from blossoming like the rose," and "yield- 
 ing the sweet savors of godliness." Philip and Conanchet 
 were openly denounced by name ; some dark insinuations 
 being made that the person of the former was no more 
 than the favorite tenement of Moloch ; while the hearer 
 was left to devise a suitable spirit for the government of 
 the physical powers of the other, from among any of the 
 more evil agencies that were na^med in the Bible. Any 
 doubts of the lawfulness of the contest, that might assail 
 
336 Ube Mept of 
 
 tender consciences, were brushed away by a bold and de- 
 cided hand. There was no attempt at justification, how- 
 ever ; for all difficulties of this nature were resolved by the 
 imperative obligations of duty. A few ingenious allusions 
 to the manner in which the Israelites dispossessed the occu- 
 pants of Judea were of great service in this particular part 
 of the subject, since it was not difficult to convince men, 
 who so strongly felt the impulses of religious excitement, 
 that they were stimulated rightfully. Fortified by this 
 advantage, Mr. Wolfe manifested no desire to avoid the 
 main question. He affirmed that if the empire of the true 
 faith could be established by no other means, a circum- 
 stance which he assumed it was sufficiently apparent to all 
 understandings could not be done, he pronounced it the 
 duty of young and old, the weak and the strong, to unite 
 in assisting to visit the former possessors of the country 
 with what he termed the wrath of an offended Deity. He 
 spoke of the fearful slaughter of the preceding winter, in 
 which neither years nor sex had been spared, as a triumph 
 of the righteous cause, and as an encouragement to per- 
 severe. Then, by a transition that was not extraordinary 
 in an age so remarkable for religious subtleties, Meek re- 
 turned to the more mild and obvious truths which pervade 
 the doctrines of Him whose church he professed to uphold. 
 His hearers were admonished to observe lives of humility 
 and charity, and were piously dismissed, with his benedic- 
 tion, to their several homes. 
 
 The congregation quitted the building with the feelings of 
 men who thought themselves favored by peculiar and ex- 
 traordinary intelligences with the author of all truth, while 
 the army of Mahomet itself was scarcely less influenced by 
 fanaticism than these blinded zealots. There was something 
 so grateful to human frailty in reconciling their resentments 
 and their temporal interests to their religious duties, that it 
 should excite little wonder when we add that most of them 
 were fully prepared to become ministers of vengeance in the 
 hands of any bold leader. While the inhabitants of the set- 
 tlement were thus struggling between passions so contradic- 
 tory, the shades of evening gradually fell upon their village, 
 
Ube Wept of TOsb^fton^Mteb 337 
 
 and then came darkness, with the rapid strides with which 
 it follows the setting of the sun in a low latitude. 
 
 Some time before the shadows of the trees were getting 
 the grotesque and exaggerated forms which precede the last 
 rays of the luminary, and while the people were still listen- 
 ing to their pastor, a solitary individual was placed on a 
 giddy eyrie, whence he might note the movements of those 
 who dwelt in the hamlet, without being the subject of obser- 
 vation himself. A short spur of the mountain projected 
 into the valley, on the side nearest to the dwelling of the 
 Heathcotes. A little tumbling brook, which the melting of 
 the snows and the occasional heavy rains of the climate 
 periodically increased into a torrent, had worn a deep ra- 
 vine in its rocky bosom. Time and the constant action of 
 water, aided by the driving storms of winter and autumn, 
 had converted many of the different faces of this ravine into 
 wild-looking pictures of the residences of men. There was, 
 however, one spot in particular, around which a closer in- 
 spection than that which the distance of the houses in the 
 settlement offered, might have detected far more plausible 
 signs of the agency of human hands, than any that were 
 afforded by the fancied resemblances of fantastic angles and 
 accidental formations. 
 
 Precisely at that point where a sweep of the mountain 
 permitted the best view of the valley, did the rocks assume 
 the wildest, the most confused, and consequently the most 
 favorable appearance for the construction of any residence 
 which it was desirable should escape the curious eyes of the 
 settlers, at the same time that it possessed the advantage of 
 overlooking their proceedings. A hermit would have chosen 
 the place as a spot suited to distant and calm observation 
 of the world, while it was every way adapted to solitary 
 reflection and ascetic devotion. All who have journeyed 
 through the narrow and water-worn vineyards and meadows 
 which are washed by the Rhone, ere that river pours its 
 tribute into the Lake of Iceman, have seen some such site, 
 occupied by one who has devoted his life to seclusion and 
 the altar, overhanging the village of St. Maurice, in the 
 Canton of le Valais. But there is an air of obtrusiveness 
 
338 Ube Mept of 
 
 in the Swiss hermitage that did not belong to the place of 
 which we write, since the one is perched upon its high and 
 narrow ledge, as if to show the world in what dangerous 
 and circumscribed limits God may be worshipped ; while 
 the other sought exemption from absolute solitude, while it 
 courted secrecy with the most jealous caution. A small hut 
 had been erected against a side of the rock, in a manner 
 that presented an oblique angle. Care had been taken to 
 surround it with such natural objects as left little reason to 
 apprehend that its real character could be known by any 
 who did not absolutely mount to the difficult shelf on which 
 it stood. L,ight entered into this primitive and humble 
 abode by a window that looked into the ravine, and a low 
 door opened on the side next the valley. The construction 
 was partly of stone and partly of logs, with a roof of bark 
 and a chimney of mud and sticks. 
 
 One who, by his severe and gloomy brow, was a fit pos- 
 sessor of so secluded a tenement, was, at the hour named, 
 seated on a stone at the most salient angle of the mountain, 
 and at the place where the eye commanded the widest and 
 least obstructed view of the abodes of man in the distance. 
 Stones had been rolled together in a manner to form a lit- 
 tle breastwork in his front, so that had there been any wan- 
 dering gaze sweeping over the face of the mountain, it was 
 far from probable that it would have detected the presence 
 of a man whose whole form, with the exception of the 
 superior parts, was so effectually concealed. 
 
 It would have been difficult to say whether this secluded 
 being had thus placed himself in order to indulge in some 
 habitual and fancied communication with the little world 
 of the valley, or whether he sat at his post in watchfulness. 
 There was an appearance of each of these occupations in 
 his air ; for a time his eye was melancholy and softened, as 
 if his spirit found pleasure in the charities natural to the 
 species ; and at others, the brows contracted with sternness, 
 while the lips became more than usually compressed, like 
 those of a man who drew himself on his own innate resolu- 
 tion for support. 
 
 The solitude of the place, the air of universal quiet which 
 
TTbe Wept of KHtsb*Tron*KHt8b 339 
 
 reigned above, the boundless leafy carpet over which the 
 eye looked from that elevated point, and the breathing still- 
 ness of the bosom of the woods, united to give grandeur to 
 the scene. The figure of the tenant of the ravine was as 
 immovable as any other object of the view. It seemed, in 
 all but color and expression, of stone. An elbow was lean- 
 ing on the little screen in front, and the head was supported 
 by a hand. At the distance of an arrow's flight, the eye 
 might readily have supposed it no more than another of the 
 accidental imitations which had been worn in the rock by 
 the changes of centuries. An hour passed, and scarce a 
 limb had been changed or a muscle relieved. Either con- 
 templation, or the patient awaiting of some looked-for 
 event, appeared to suspend the ordinary functions of life. 
 At length an interruption occurred to this extraordinary in- 
 action. A rustling, not louder than that which would have 
 been made by the leap of a squirrel, was first heard in the 
 bushes above. It was succeeded by a crackling of branches, 
 and then a fragment of rock came bounding down the preci- 
 pice, until it shot over the head of the still motionless her- 
 mit, and fell, with a noise that drew a succession of echoes 
 from the caverns of the place, into the ravine beneath. 
 
 Notwithstanding the suddenness of this interruption, and 
 the extraordinary fracas with which it was accompanied, he 
 who might be supposed to be most affected by it manifested 
 none of the usual symptoms of fear or surprise. He listened 
 intently until the last sound had died away, but it was with 
 expectation rather than with alarm. Arising slowly, he 
 looked warily about him, and then walking with a quick 
 step along the ledge which led to his hut, he disappeared 
 through its door. In another minute, however, he was 
 again seen at his former post, a short carabine, such as was 
 then used by mounted warriors, lying across his knee. If 
 doubt or perplexity beset the mind of this individual at so 
 palpable a sign that the solitude he courted was in danger 
 of being interrupted, it was not of a nature sufficiently 
 strong to disturb the equanimity of his aspect. A second 
 time the branches rustled, and the.sounds proceeded from a 
 lower part of the precipice, as if the foot that caused the 
 
340 Ube IKHept of 
 
 disturbance was in the act of descending. Though no one 
 was visible, the nature of the noise could no longer be mis- 
 taken. It was evidently the tread of a human foot ; for no 
 beast of a weight sufficient to produce so great an impres- 
 sion would have chosen to rove across a spot where the sup- 
 port of hands was nearly as necessary as that of the other 
 limbs. 
 
 ' ' Come forward ! ' ' said he who in all but the accessories 
 of dress and hostile preparation might so well be termed a 
 hermit, " I am already here." 
 
 The words were not given to the air, for one suddenly 
 appeared on the ledge at the side next the settlement, and 
 within twenty feet of the speaker. When glance met 
 glance, the surprise which evidently took possession of the 
 intruder and of him who appeared to claim a better right to 
 be where they met, seemed mutual. The carabine of the 
 latter, and a musket carried by the former, fell into the 
 dangerous line of aim at the same instant, and in a moment 
 they were thrown upwards again, as if a common impulse 
 controlled them. The resident signed to the other to draw 
 nigher, and then every appearance of hostility disappeared 
 in that sort of familiarity which confidence begets. 
 
 "How is it," said the former to his guest, when both 
 were calmly seated behind the little screen of stones, ' ' that 
 thou hast fallen upon the secret place? The foot of 
 stranger hath not often trod these rocks, and no man before 
 thee hath ever descended the precipice. ' ' 
 
 1 ' A moccasin is sure, ' ' returned the other with Indian 
 brevity. " My father hath a good eye. He can see very 
 far from the door of his lodge. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Thou knowest that the men of my color speak often to 
 their Great Spirit, and they do not love to ask his favor in 
 the highways. This place is sacred to his holy name. ' ' 
 
 The intruder was the young Sachem of the Narragan- 
 setts, and he who, notwithstanding this plausible apology, so 
 palpably sought secrecy rather than solitude, was the man 
 that has so often been introduced into these pages under the 
 shade of mystery. The instant recognition and the mutual 
 confidence require no further explanation, since enough has 
 
Mept of Misb^orWlKIlfsb 341 
 
 already been developed in the course of the narrative, to 
 show that they were no strangers to each other. Still the 
 meeting had not taken place without uneasiness on the one 
 part, and great though admirably veiled surprise on the 
 other. As became his high station and lofty character, the 
 bearing of Conanchet betrayed none of the littleness of a 
 vulgar curiosity. He met his ancient aquaintance with the 
 calm dignity of his rank, and it would have been difficult for 
 the most inquiring eye to have detected a wandering glance, 
 a single prying look, or any other sign that he deemed the 
 place at all extraordinary for such an interview. He lis- 
 tened to the little explanation of the other with grave cour- 
 tesy, and suffered a short time to elapse before he made any 
 reply. 
 
 "The Manitou of the pale-men," he then said, " should be 
 pleased with my father. His words are often in the ears of 
 the Great Spirit ! The trees and the rocks know them." 
 
 "Like all of a sinful and fallen race," returned the 
 stranger with the severe air of the age, * ' I have much need 
 of my askings. But why dost thou think that my voice is 
 so often heard in this secret place ? ' ' 
 
 The finger of Conanchet pointed to the worn rock at his 
 feet, and his eye glanced furtively at the beaten path which 
 led between the spot and the door of the lodge. 
 
 1 ' A Yengeese hath a hard heel, but it is softer than stone. 
 The hoof of the deer would pass many times to leave such 
 a trail." 
 
 "Thou art quick of eye, Narragansett, and yet thy judg- 
 ment may be deceived. My tongue is not the only one that 
 speaketh to the God of my people." 
 
 The sachem bent his head slightly, in acquiescence, as if 
 unwilling to press the subject. But his companion was not 
 so easily satisfied, for he felt the consciousness of a fruitless 
 attempt at deception goading him to some plausible means 
 of quieting the suspicions of the Indian. 
 
 1 ' That I am now alone may be matter of pleasure or 
 of accident," he added; "thou knowest that this hath 
 been a busy and bloody day among the pale-men, and 
 there are dead and dying in their lodges. One who hath 
 
342 TOe Wept of 
 
 no wigwam of his own may have found time to worship by 
 himself." 
 
 ' ' The mind is very cunning, ' ' returned Conanchet ; ' ' it 
 can hear when the ear is deaf it can see when the eye is 
 shut. My father hath spoken to the Good Spirit with the 
 rest of his tribe." 
 
 As the chief concluded, he pointed significantly towards 
 the distant church, out of which the excited congregation 
 we have described was at that moment pouring into the 
 green and little-trodden street of the hamlet. The other 
 appeared to understand his meaning, and at the same in- 
 stant to feel the folly, as well as the uselessness, of attempt- 
 ing any longer to mislead one that already knew so much 
 of his former mode of life. 
 
 " Indian, thou sayest true," he rejoined gloomily; "the 
 mind seeth far, and it seeth often in the bitterness of sorrow. 
 My spirit was communing with the spirits of those thou 
 seest, when thy step was first heard ; besides thine own, the 
 feet of man never mounted to this place, except it be of 
 those who minister to my bodily wants. Thou sayest true ; 
 the mental sight is keen ; and far beyond those distant hills, 
 on which the last rays of the setting sun are now shining so 
 gloriously, doth mine often bear me in spirit. Thou wast 
 once my fellow-lodger, youth, and much pleasure had I in 
 striving to open thy young mind to the truths of our race, 
 and to teach thee to speak with the tongue of a Christian ; 
 but years have passed away hark ! There cometh one up 
 the path. Hast thou dread of a Yengeese ? " 
 
 The calm mien with which Conanchet had been listening 
 changed to a cold smile. His hand had felt for the lock of 
 his musket, some time before his companion had betrayed 
 any consciousness of the approaching footstep ; but until 
 questioned, no change of countenance was visible. 
 
 ' ' Is my father afraid for his friend ? " he asked, pointing 
 in the direction of him who approached. * ' Is it an armed 
 warrior ? ' ' 
 
 " No ; he cometh with the means of sustaining a burden 
 that must be borne, until it pleaseth Him who knoweth what 
 is good for all his creatures to ease me of it. It may be 
 
Wept of Wtsb*Uon*Wisb 343 
 
 the parent of her thou hast this day restored to her friends, 
 or it may be the brother ; for, at times, I owe this kindness 
 to different members of that worthy family." 
 
 A look of intelligence shot across the swarthy features of 
 the chief. His decision appeared taken. Arising, he left 
 his weapon at the feet of his companion, and moved swiftly 
 along the ledge, as if to meet the intruder. In another 
 instant he returned, bearing a little bundle closely envel- 
 oped in belts of richly-beaded wampum. Placing the latter 
 gently by the side of the old man, for time had changed 
 the color of the solitary's hair to gray, he said, in a low, 
 quick voice, pointing with significance at what he had 
 done, 
 
 "The messenger will not go back with an empty hand. 
 My father is wise ; he will say what is good." 
 
 There was little time for further explanation. The door 
 of the hut had scarcely closed on Conanchet, before Mark 
 Heathcote appeared at the point where the path bent around 
 the angle of the precipice. 
 
 "Thou knowest what hath passed, and wilt suffer me to 
 depart with brief discourse," said the young man, placing 
 food at the feet of him he came to seek ; " ha ! what hast 
 here ? didst gain this in the fray of the morning ? ' ' 
 
 " It is booty that I freely bestow ; take it to the house of 
 thy father. It is left with that object. Now tell me of the 
 manner in which death hath dealt with our people, for thou 
 knowest that necessity drove me from among them, so soon 
 as liberty was granted. ' ' 
 
 Mark showed no disposition to gratify the other's wish. 
 He gazed on the bundle of Conanchet, as if his eye had 
 never before looked on a similar object, and keenly con- 
 tending passions were playing about a brow that was seldom 
 as tranquil as suited the self-denying habits of the times 
 and country. 
 
 " It shall be done, Narragansett ! " he said, speaking be- 
 tween his clenched teeth ; * * it shall be done ! ' ' Then turn- 
 ing on his heel, he stalked along the giddy path with a 
 rapidity of stride that kept the qther in fearful suspense for 
 his safety, until his active form had disappeared. 
 
344 ^be Mept of 
 
 The recluse arose and sought the occupant of his humble 
 abode. 
 
 ' ' Come forth, ' ' he said, opening the narrow door for the 
 passage of the chief. * ' The youth hath departed with thy 
 burden, and thou art now alone with an ancient associate." 
 
 Conanchet reappeared at the summons, but it was with 
 an eye less glowing and a brow less stern than when he 
 entered the little cabin. As he moved slowly to the stone 
 he had before occupied, his step was arrested for a moment, 
 and a look of melancholy regret seemed to be cast at the 
 spot where he had laid the bundle. Conquering his feelings, 
 however, in the habitual self-command of his people, he re- 
 sumed his seat, with the air of one that was grave by nature, 
 while he appeared to exert no effort in order to preserve the 
 admirable equanimity of his features. A long and thought- 
 ful silence succeeded, and then the solitary spoke. 
 
 ' * We have made a friend of the Narragansett chief, ' ' he 
 said, ' ( and this league with Philip is broken ! ' ' 
 
 11 Yengeese," returned the other, " I am full of the blood 
 of sachems." 
 
 "Why should the Indian and the white do each other 
 this violence ? The earth is large, and there is place for men 
 of all colors and of all nations on its surface." 
 
 " My father hath found but little," said the other, bestow- 
 ing such a cautious glance at the narrow limits of his host, 
 as at once betrayed the sarcastic purport of his words, while 
 it equally bespoke the courtesy of his mind. 
 
 " A light-minded and vain prince is seated on the throne 
 of a once godly nation, chief, and darkness has again come 
 over a land which of late shone with a clear and shining 
 light ! The just are made to flee from the habitations of 
 their infancy, and the temples of the elect are abandoned 
 to the abominations of idolatry. Oh, England ! England ! 
 when will thy cup of bitterness be full ? When shall this 
 judgment pass from thee? My spirit groaneth over thy fall, 
 yea, my inmost soul is saddened with the spectacle of thy 
 misery ! " 
 
 Conanchet was too delicate to regard the glazed eye and 
 flushed forehead of the speaker, but he listened in amaze- 
 
Ube TKHept of Wii3b*TLon*Wii$b 345 
 
 ment and in ignorance. Such expressions had often met 
 his ear before, and though his tender years had probably 
 prevented their producing much effect, now that he again 
 heard them in his manhood, they conveyed no intelligible 
 meaning to his mind. Suddenly laying a finger on the knee 
 of his companion, he said, 
 
 " The arm of my father was raised on the side of the Yen- 
 geese to-day; yet they give him no seat at their council-fire ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' The sinful man who ruleth in the island whence my 
 people came, hath an arm that is long as his mind is vain. 
 Though debarred from the councils of this valley, chief, 
 time hath been when my voice was heard in councils that 
 struck heavily at the power of his race. These eyes have 
 seen justice done on him who gave existence to the double- 
 tongued instrument of Belial, that now governeth a rich 
 and glorious realm ! " 
 
 " My father hath taken the scalp of a great chief! " 
 
 " I helped to take his head ! " returned the solitary, a ray 
 of bitter exultation gleaming through the habitual austerity 
 of his brow. 
 
 ''Come ! The eagle flies above the clouds that he may 
 move his wings freely. The panther leaps longest on the 
 widest plain ; the biggest fish swim in the deep water. My 
 father cannot stretch himself between these rocks. He is 
 too big to lie down in a little wigwam. The woods are wide ; 
 let him change the color of his skin, and be a gray-head at 
 the council-fire of my nation. The warriors will listen to 
 what he says, for his hand hath done a strong deed ! ' ' 
 
 " It may not be it may not be, Narragansett. That 
 which hath been generated in the spirit must abide, and it 
 would be * easier for the blackamoor to become white, or 
 for the leopard to change his spots,' than for one who hath 
 felt the power of the Lord to cast aside his gifts. But I 
 meet thy proffers of amity in a charitable and forgiving 
 spirit. My mind is ever with my people ; yet is there place 
 for other friendships. Break, then, this league with the evil- 
 minded and turbulent Philip, and let the hatchet be forever 
 buried in the path between thy village and the towns of the 
 Yengeese. ' ' 
 
346 Ube Mept ot 
 
 ' ' Where is my village ? There is a dark place near the 
 islands on the shores of the Great I,ake ; but I see no 
 lodge." 
 
 11 We will rebuild thy towns, and people them anew. I^et 
 there be peace between us." 
 
 " My mind is ever with my people," returned the Indian, 
 repeating the other's words with an emphasis that could not 
 be mistaken. 
 
 A long and melancholy pause succeeded ; and when the 
 conversation was renewed, it had reference to those events 
 which had taken place in the fortunes of each since the 
 time when they were both tenants of the block-house that 
 stood amid the ancient habitations of the Heathcotes. Bach 
 appeared too well to comprehend the character of the other 
 to attempt any further efforts towards producing a change of 
 purpose ; and darkness had gathered about the place before 
 they arose to enter the hut of the solitary. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 " Sleep, thou hast been a grandsire, and begot 
 A father to me ; and thou hast created 
 A mother and two brothers." 
 
 Cymbeline. 
 
 THE short twilight was already passed when old 
 Mark Heathcote ended the evening prayer. The 
 mixed character of the remarkable events of that 
 day had given birth to a feeling which could find 
 no other relief than that which flowed from the usual zeal- 
 ous, confiding, and exalted outpouring of the spirit. On 
 the present occasion he had even resorted to an extraor- 
 dinary, and what one less devout might be tempted to think 
 a supererogatory, offering of thanksgiving and praise. After 
 dismissing the attendants of the establishment, supported by 
 the arm of his son, he had withdrawn into an inner apart- 
 ment, and there, surrounded only by those who had the 
 nearest claims on his affections, the old man again raised his 
 voice to laud the Being who, in the midst of so much general 
 grief, had deigned to look upon his particular race with the 
 eyes of remembrance and of favor. He spoke of his recov- 
 ered grandchild by name, and he dealt with the whole sub- 
 ject of her captivity among the heathen, and her restoration 
 to the foot of the altar, with the fervor of one who saw the 
 wise decrees of Providence in the event, and with the ten- 
 derness of sentiment that age was far from having extin- 
 guished. It was at the close of this private and peculiar 
 worship, that we return into the presence of the family. 
 
 The spirit of reform had driven those who so violently 
 felt its influence into many usages that, to say the least, 
 were quite as ungracious to the imagination, as the customs 
 they termed idolatrous were obnoxious to the attacks of 
 
348 tTbe Mept of 
 
 their own unaccommodating theories. The first Protestants 
 had expelled so much from the service of the altar, that lit- 
 tle was left for the Puritan to destroy, without incurring the 
 risk of leaving it naked of its loveliness. By a strange sub- 
 stitution of subtlety for humility, it was thought pharisaical 
 to bend the knee in public, lest the great essential of spiritual 
 worship might be supplanted by the more attainable merit 
 of formula ; and while rigid aspects and prescribed deport- 
 ments of a new character were observed with all the zeal of 
 converts, ancient and even natural practices were condemned 
 chiefly, we believe, from that necessity of innovation 
 which appears to be an unavoidable attendant of all plans of 
 improvement, whether they are successful or the reverse. 
 But though the Puritans refused to bow their stubborn 
 limbs when the eye of man was on them, even while asking 
 boons suited to their own sublimated opinions, it was per- 
 mitted to assume in private an attitude which was thought 
 to admit of so gross an abuse, inasmuch as it infers a claim 
 to a religious vitality, while in truth the soul might only be 
 slumbering in the security of mere moral pretension. 
 
 On the present occasion, they who worshipped in secret 
 had bent their bodies to the humblest posture of devotion. 
 When Ruth Heathcote arose from her knees, it was with a 
 hand clasped in that of the child whom her recent devotion 
 was well suited to make her think had been rescued from a 
 condition far more gloomy than that of the grave. She had 
 used a gentle violence to force the wondering being at her 
 side to join, so far as externals could go, in the prayer ; and 
 now it was ended, she sought the countenance of her daugh- 
 ter, in order to read the impression the scene had produced, 
 with all the solicitude of a Christian, heightened by the 
 tenderest maternal love. 
 
 Narra-mattah, as we shall continue to call her, in air, 
 expression, and attitude, resembled one who had a fancied 
 existence in the delusion of some exciting dream. Her ear 
 remembered sounds which had so often been repeated in her 
 infancy, and her memory recalled indistinct recollections of 
 most of the objects and usages that were so suddenly re- 
 placed before her eyes ; but the former now conveyed their 
 
Ube TKHept of Mteb*Uon*TKIiisb 349 
 
 meaning to a mind that had gained its strength under a very 
 different system of theology, and the latter came too late to 
 supplant usages that were rooted in her affections by the aid 
 of all those wild and seductive habits that are known to be- 
 come nearly unconquerable in those who have long been 
 subject to their influence. She stood, therefore, in the centre 
 of the grave, self-restrained group of her nearest kin, like 
 an alien to their blood, resembling some timid and but half- 
 tamed tenant of the air, that human art had endeavored to 
 domesticate, by placing it in the society of the more tranquil 
 and confiding inhabitants of the aviary. 
 
 Notwithstanding the strength of her affections, and her 
 devotion to all the natural duties of her station, Ruth Heath- 
 cote was not now to learn the manner in which she was to 
 subdue any violence in their exhibition. The first indul- 
 gence of joy and gratitude was over, and in its place ap- 
 peared the never-tiring, vigilant, engrossing, but regulated 
 watchfulness, which the events would naturally create. The 
 doubts, misgivings, and even fearful apprehensions that 
 beset her, were smothered in an appearance of satisfaction ; 
 and something like gleamings of happiness were again seen 
 playing about a brow that had so long been clouded with 
 an unobtrusive but corroding care. 
 
 ' ' And thou recallest thine infancy, my Ruth ? " asked the 
 mother, when the respectful period of silence which ever 
 succeeded prayer in that family was passed ; ' ' thy thoughts 
 have not been altogether strangers to us, but nature hath had 
 its place in thy heart. Tell us, child, of thy wanderings in 
 the forest, and of the sufferings that one so tender must have 
 undergone among a barbarous people. There is pleasure in 
 listening to all thou hast seen and felt, now that we know 
 there is an end to unhappiness. ' ' 
 
 She spoke to an ear that was deaf to language like this. 
 Narra-mattah evidently understood her words, while their 
 meaning was wrapped in an obscurity that she was neither 
 desirous nor capable of comprehending. Keeping a gaze, 
 in which pleasure and wonder were powerfully blended, on 
 that soft look of affection which^ beamed from her mother's 
 eye, she felt hurriedly among the folds of her dress, and 
 
350 TTbe Wept of 
 
 drawing a belt that was gayly ornamented after the most 
 ingenious fashion of her adopted people, she approached her 
 half-pleased, half-distressed parent, and with hands that 
 trembled equally with timidity and pleasure, she arranged 
 it around her person in a manner to show its richness to the 
 best advantage. Pleased with her performance, the artless 
 being eagerly sought approbation in eyes that bespoke little 
 else than regret. Alarmed at an expression she could not 
 translate, the gaze of Narra-mattah wandered, as if it sought 
 support against some sensation to which she was a stranger. 
 Whittal Ring had stolen into the room, and missing the cus- 
 tomary features of her own cherished home, the looks of the 
 startled creature rested on the countenance of the witless 
 wanderer. She pointed eagerly at the work of her hands, 
 appealing by an eloquent and artless gesture to the taste of 
 one who should know whether she had done well. 
 
 "Bravely!" returned Whittal, approaching nearer to 
 the subject of his admiration ; " 't is a brave belt, and none 
 but the wife of a sachem could make so rare a gift ! ' ' 
 
 The girl folded her arms meekly on her bosom, and 
 again appeared satisfied with herself and with the world. 
 
 " Here is the hand of him visible who dealeth in all 
 wickedness," said the Puritan. "To corrupt the heart 
 with vanities, and to mislead the affections by luring them 
 to the things of life, is the guile in which he delighteth. 
 A fallen nature lendeth but too ready aid. We must deal 
 with the child in fervor and watchfulness, or better that 
 her bones were lying by the side of those little ones of thy 
 flock, who are already inheritors of the promise." 
 
 Respect kept Ruth silent ; but while she sorrowed over 
 the ignorance of her child, natural affection was strong at 
 her heart. With the tact of a woman and the tenderness 
 of a mother, she both saw and felt that severity was not 
 the means to effect the improvement they desired. Taking 
 a seat herself, she drew her child to her person, and first 
 imploring silence by a glance at those around her, she pro- 
 ceeded, in a manner that was dictated by the mysterious 
 influence of nature, to fathom the depth of her daughter's 
 mind. 
 
ZTbe Mept of Wisb^UotWlKIUsb 351 
 
 ' ' Come nearer, Narra-mattah, ' ' she said, using the name 
 to which the other would alone answer. ' ' Thou art still in 
 thy youth, my child ; but it hath pleased Him whose will 
 is law, to have made thee the witness of many changes in 
 this varying life. Tell me if thou recallest the days of 
 infancy, and if thy thoughts ever returned to thy father's 
 house, during those weary years thou wast kept from our 
 view ? ' ' 
 
 Ruth used gentle force to draw her daughter nearer 
 while speaking, and the latter sank into that posture from 
 which she had just arisen, kneeling, as she had often done 
 in infancy, at her mother's side. The attitude was too full 
 of tender recollections not to be grateful, and the half- 
 alarmed being of the forest was suffered to retain it during 
 most of the dialogue that followed. But while she was 
 thus obedient in person, by the vacancy or rather wonder 
 of an eye that was so eloquent to express all the emotions 
 and knowledge of which she was the mistress, Narra-mattah 
 plainly manifested that little more than the endearment of 
 her mother's words and manner was intelligible. Ruth saw 
 the meaning of her hesitation, and smothering the pang it 
 caused, she endeavored to adapt her language to the habits 
 of one so artless. 
 
 " Even the gray heads of thy people were once young," 
 she resumed ; " and they remember the lodges of their 
 fathers. Does my daughter ever think of the time when 
 she played among the children of the pale-faces ? ' ' 
 
 The attentive being at the knee of Ruth listened greedily. 
 Her knowledge of the language of her childhood had been 
 sufficiently implanted before her captivity, and it had been 
 too often exercised by intercourse with the whites, and 
 more particularly with Whittal Ring, to leave her in any 
 doubt of the meaning of what she now heard. Stealing a 
 timid look over a shoulder, she sought the countenance of 
 Martha, and studying her lineaments for near a minute 
 with intense regard, she laughed aloud in the contagious 
 merriment of an Indian girl. 
 
 4 ' Thou hast not forgotten us ! That glance at her who 
 was the companion of thy infancy assures me, and we shall 
 
352 Ube Mept of 
 
 soon again possess our Ruth in affection as we now possess 
 her in the body. I will not speak to thee of that fearful 
 night when the violence of the savage robbed us of thy 
 presence, nor of the bitter sorrow which beset us at thy 
 loss ; but there is One who must still be known to thee, my 
 child ; He who sitteth above the clouds, who holdeth the 
 earth in the hollow of His hand, and who looketh in mercy 
 on all that journey on the path to which His own finger 
 pointeth. Hath He yet a place in thy thoughts? Thou 
 rememberest His holy name, and still thinkest of His 
 power ? ' ' 
 
 The listener bent her head aside, as if to catch the full 
 meaning of what she heard, the shadows of deep reverence 
 passing over a face that had so lately been smiling. After 
 a pause she audibly murmured the word, 
 
 "Manitou." 
 
 "Manitou, or Jehovah; God, or King of Kings and 
 I^ord of Lords ! it mattereth little which term is used to 
 express his power. Thou knowest Him then, and hast 
 never ceased to call upon his name ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' Narra-mattah is a woman. She is afraid to speak to the 
 Manitou aloud. He knows the voices of the chiefs, and 
 opens his ears when they ask help. ' ' 
 
 The Puritan groaned, but Ruth succeeded in quelling 
 her own anguish, lest she should disturb the reviving con- 
 fidence of her daughter. 
 
 " This may be the Manitou of an Indian," she said, 
 "but it is not the Christian's God. Thou art of a race 
 which worships differently, and it is proper that thou 
 shouldst call on the name of the Deity of thy fathers. 
 Even the Narragansett teacheth this truth ! Thy skin is 
 white, and thy ears should hearken to the traditions of the 
 men of thy blood. ' ' 
 
 The head of the daughter drooped at this allusion to 
 her color, as if she would fain conceal the mortifying truth 
 from every eye ; but she had not time for answer ere 
 Whittal Ring drew near, and pointing to the burning color 
 of her cheeks, that were deepened as much with shame as 
 with the heats of an American sun, he said, 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 "Tarry a little there is something else." 
 
 Merchant of Venice. 
 
 WE shift the scene. The reader will transport 
 himself from the valley of the Wish-Ton-Wish 
 to the bosom of a deep and dark wood. 
 
 It may be thought that such scenes have 
 been too often described to need any repetition. Still, as it 
 is possible that these pages may fall into the hands of some 
 who have never quitted the older members of the Union, we 
 shall endeavor to give them a faint impression concerning 
 the appearance of the place to which it has become our duty 
 to transfer the action of the tale. 
 
 Although it is certain that inanimate, like animate nature, 
 has its period, the existence of the tree has no fixed and 
 common limit. The oak, the elm, and the linden, the 
 quick-growing sycamore and the tall pine, has each its own 
 laws for the government of its growth, its magnitude, and 
 its duration. By this provision of nature, the wilderness, 
 in the midst of so many successive changes, is always main- 
 tained at the point nearest to perfection, since the acces- 
 sions are so few and gradual as to preserve its character. 
 
 The American forest exhibits in the highest degree the 
 grandeur of repose. As nature never does violence to its 
 own laws, the soil throws out the plant which it is best 
 qualified to support, and the eye is not often disappointed 
 by a sickly vegetation. There ever seems a generous emu- 
 lation in the trees, which is not to be found among others 
 of different families, when left to pursue their quiet exist- 
 ence in the solitude of the fields. Each struggles towards 
 
 the light, and an equality in bulk and a similarity in form 
 24 
 
370 ZTbe Wept of 
 
 are thus produced, which scarce belong to their distinctive 
 characters. The effect may be easily imagined. The 
 vaulted arches beneath are filled with thousands of high, 
 unbroken columns, which sustain one vast and trembling 
 canopy of leaves. A pleasing gloom and an imposing 
 silence have their interminable reign below, while an outer 
 and another atmosphere seems to rest on the cloud of 
 foliage. 
 
 While the light plays on the varying surface of the tree- 
 tops, one sombre and little- varied hue colors the earth. 
 Dead and moss-covered logs ; mounds covered with decom- 
 posed vegetable substances, the graves of long-past genera- 
 tions of trees ; cavities left by the fall of some uprooted 
 trunk ; dark fungi, that flourish around the decayed roots 
 of those about to lose their hold, with a few slender and 
 delicate plants of a minor growth, and which best succeed 
 in the shade, form the accompaniments of the lower scene. 
 The whole is tempered, and in summer rendered grateful, 
 by a freshness which equals that of the subterranean vault, 
 without possessing any of its chilling dampness. In the 
 midst of this gloomy solitude the foot of man is rarely 
 heard. An occasional glimpse of the bounding deer or 
 trotting moose is almost the only interruption on the earth 
 itself; while the heavy bear or leaping panther is, at long 
 intervals, met seated on the branches of some venerable 
 tree. There are moments, too, when troops of hungry 
 wolves are found hunting on the trail of the deer ; but 
 these are seen rather as exceptions to the stillness of the 
 place, than as accessories that should properly be introduced 
 into the picture. Even the birds are, in common, mute, or 
 when they do break the silence, it is in a discordance that 
 suits the character of their wild abode. 
 
 Through such a scene two men were industriously jour- 
 neying on the day which succeeded the inroad last described. 
 They marched as wont, one after the other, the younger 
 and more active leading the way through the monotony of 
 the woods, as accurately and as unhesitatingly as the 
 mariner directs his course by the aid of the needle over the 
 waste of waters. He in front was light, agile, and seem- 
 
ZTbe OTept ot TPdltsb^on^TKIltsb 371 
 
 Ingly unwearied ; while the one who followed was a man 
 of heavy mould, whose step denoted less practice in the 
 exercise of the forest, and possibly some failing of natural 
 vigor. 
 
 "Thine eye, Narragansett, is an unerring compass by 
 which to steer, and thy leg a never- wearied steed, ' ' said the 
 latter, casting the butt of his musket on the end of a mould- 
 ering log, while he leaned on the barrel for support. " If 
 thou movest on the war-path with the same diligence as 
 thou usest in our errand of peace, well may the colonists 
 dread thy enmity. ' ' 
 
 The other turned, and without seeking aid from the gun 
 which rested against his shoulder, he pointed at the several 
 objects he named, and answered, 
 
 * ' My father is this aged sycamore ; it leans against the 
 young oak. Conanchet is a straight pine. There is great 
 cunning in gray hairs," added the chief, stepping lightly 
 forward until a finger rested on the arm of Submission ; 
 ' ' can they tell the time when we shall lie under the moss 
 like a dead hemlock ? ' ' 
 
 "That exceedeth the wisdom of man. It is enough, sa- 
 chem, if when we fall, we may say with truth that the land 
 we shadowed is no poorer for our growth. Thy bones will 
 lie in the earth where thy fathers trod, but mine may whiten 
 in the vault of some gloomy forest." 
 
 The quiet of the Indian's face was disturbed. The pupils 
 of his dark eyes contracted, his nostrils dilated, and his full 
 chest heaved, and then all reposed like the sluggish ocean 
 after a vain effort to heave its waters into some swelling 
 wave, during a general calm. 
 
 " Fire hath scorched the prints of my father's moccasins 
 from the earth," he said, with a smile that was placid 
 though bitter, " and my eyes cannot find them. I shall die 
 under that shelter, ' ' pointing through an opening in the foli- 
 age to the blue void; * 'the falling leaves will cover my bones. ' ' 
 
 " Then hath the I^ord given us a new bond of friendship. 
 There is a yew-tree and a quiet churchyard in a country 
 afar, where generations of my race sleep in their graves. 
 The place is white with stones that bear the name of " 
 
372 ttbe TRUept of 
 
 Submission suddenly ceased to speak, and when his eye 
 was raised to that of his companion, it was just in time to 
 detect the manner in which the curious interest of the latter 
 changed suddenly to cold reserve, and to note the high 
 courtesy of the air with which the Indian turned the dis- 
 course. 
 
 " There is water beyond the little hill," he said. "I^t 
 my father drink and grow stronger, that he may live to lie 
 in the clearings." 
 
 The other bowed, and they proceeded to the spot in 
 silence. It would seem by the length of time that was now 
 lost in taking the required refreshment, that the travellers 
 had journeyed long and far. The Narragansett ate more 
 sparingly, however, than his companion ; for his mind 
 appeared to sustain a weight that was far more grievous 
 than the fatigue which had been endured by the body. Still 
 his composure was little disturbed outwardly for during 
 the silent repast he maintained the air of a dignified warrior, 
 rather than that of a man whose air could be much affected 
 by inward sorrow. When nature was appeased, they both 
 arose, and continued their route through the pathless forest. 
 
 For an hour after quitting the spring, the progress of our 
 two adventurers was swift, and uninterrupted by any pass- 
 ing observation or momentary pause. At the end of that 
 time, however, the speed of Conanchet began to slacken, 
 and his eye, instead of maintaining its steady and forward 
 direction, was seen to wander with some of the appearance 
 of indecision. 
 
 ' ' Thou hast lost those secret signs by which we have so 
 far threaded the woods," observed his companion; "one 
 tree is like another, and I see no difference in this wilderness 
 of nature ; but if thou art at fault, we may truly despair of 
 our object." 
 
 " Here is the nest of the eagle," returned Conanchet, 
 pointing at the object he named, perched on the upper and 
 whitened branches of a dead pine ; ' ' and my father may 
 see the council-tree in this oak but there are no Wampa- 
 noags ! ' ' 
 
 "There are many eagles in this forest nor is that oak 
 
Ube Mept of Misb^otWflfllteb 373 
 
 one that may not have its fellow. Thine eye hath been 
 deceived, sachem, and some false sign hath led us astray." 
 
 Conanchet looked at his companion attentively. After 
 a moment, he quietly asked, 
 
 " Did my father ever mistake his path, in going from the 
 wigwam to the place where he looked upon the house of his 
 Great Spirit ?" 
 
 "The matter of that often travelled path was different, 
 Narragansett. My foot had worn the rock with many 
 passings, and the distance was a span. But we have jour- 
 neyed through leagues of forest, and our route hath lain 
 across brook and rill, through brake and morass, where 
 human vision hath not been able to detect the smallest sign 
 of the presence of man." 
 
 " My father is old," said the Indian, respectfully. " His 
 eye is not as quick as when he took the scalp of the Great 
 Chief, or he would know the print of a moccasin. See," 
 making his companion observe the mark of a human foot 
 that was barely discernible by the manner in which the dead 
 leaves had been displaced, "his rock is worn, but it is 
 harder than the ground. He cannot tell by its signs who 
 passed, or when." 
 
 " Here is truly that which ingenuity may portray as the 
 print of man's foot ; but it is alone, and may be some acci- 
 dent of the wind." 
 
 ' * I,et my father look on every side ; he will see that a 
 tribe hath passed." 
 
 ' ' This may be true, though my vision is unequal to de- 
 tect that thou wouldst show. But if a tribe hath passed, 
 let us follow." 
 
 Conanchet shook his head, and spread the fingers of his 
 two hands in a manner to describe the radii of a circle. 
 
 * c Hugh ! " he said, starting even while he was thus sig- 
 nificantly answering by gestures, " a moccasin comes ! " 
 
 Submission, who had so often and so recently been ar- 
 rayed against the savages, involuntarily sought the lock of 
 his carabine. His look and action were menacing, though 
 his roving eye could see no object to excite alarm. 
 
 Not so Conanchet. His quicker and more practised 
 
374 TOe Mept of 
 
 vision soon caught a glimpse of the warrior who was ap- 
 proaching, occasionally concealed by the trunks of trees, 
 and whose tread on the dried leaves had first betrayed his 
 proximity. Folding his arms on his naked bosom, the 
 Narragansett chief awaited the coming of the other, in an 
 attitude of calmness and dignity. Neither did he speak 
 nor suffer a muscle to play, until a hand was placed on 
 one of his arms, and he who had drawn near said, in tones 
 of amity and respect, 
 
 " The young sachem hath come to look for his brother? " 
 
 " Wampanoag, I have followed the trail, that your ears 
 may listen to the talk of a pale-face." 
 
 The third person in this interview was Metacom. He 
 shot a haughty and fierce glance at the stranger, and then 
 turned to his companion in arms, with recovered calmness, 
 to reply. 
 
 "Has Conanchet counted his young men since they 
 raised the whoop ? " he asked, in the language of the abo- 
 rigines. ' ' I saw many go into the fields, that never came 
 back. Let the white man die." 
 
 ' ' Wampanoag, he is led by the wampum of a sachem. 
 I have not counted my young men ; but I know that they 
 are strong enough to say that what their chief hath prom- 
 ised shall be done. ' ' 
 
 " If the Yengeese is a friend to my brother, he is wel- 
 come. The wigwam of Metacom is open ; let him enter 
 it." 
 
 Philip made a sign for the others to follow, and led the 
 way to the place he had named. 
 
 The spot chosen by Philip for his temporary encamp- 
 ment was suited to such a purpose. There was a thicket 
 denser than common on one of its sides a steep and high 
 rock protected and sheltered its rear ; a swift and wide 
 brook dashed over fragments that had fallen, with time, 
 from the precipice in its front, and towards the setting sun 
 a whirlwind had opened a long and melancholy glade 
 through the forest. A few huts of brush leaned against 
 the base of the hill, and the scanty implements of their 
 domestic economy were scattered among the habitations of 
 
ZTbe Mept of Wi6b*aotWlKIUsb 375 
 
 the savages. The whole party did not number twenty ; 
 for, as has been said, the Wampanoag had acted latterly 
 more by the agency of his allies, than with the materials of 
 his own proper force. 
 
 The three were soon seated on a rock whose foot was 
 washed by the rapid current of the tumbling water. A 
 few r gloomy -looking and fierce Indians watched the confer- 
 ence in the background. 
 
 ' * My brother hath followed my trail, that my ears may 
 hear the words of a Yengeese," Philip commenced, after a 
 sufficient period had elapsed to escape the imputation of 
 curiosity. * ' Let him speak . ' ' 
 
 "I have come singly into the jaws of the lion, restless 
 and remorseless leader of the savages," returned the bold 
 exile, ' ' that you may hear the words of peace. Why hath 
 the son seen the acts of the English so differently from the 
 father? Massasoit was a friend of the persecuted and 
 patient pilgrims who have sought rest and refuge in this 
 Bethel of the faithful ; but thou hast hardened thy heart 
 to their prayers, and seekest the blood of those who wish 
 thee no wrong. Doubtless thy nature is one of pride and 
 mistaken vanities, like that of all thy race, and it hath 
 seemed needful to the vainglory of thy name and nation 
 to battle against men of a different origin. But know 
 there is One who is master of all here on earth, as He is 
 King of Heaven ! It is His pleasure that the sweet savor 
 of His worship should arise from the wilderness. His will 
 is law, and they that would withstand do but kick against 
 the pricks. Listen then to peaceful counsels, that the 
 land may be parcelled justly to meet the wants of all, and 
 the country be prepared for the incense of the altar. ' ' 
 
 This exhortation was uttered in a deep and almost un- 
 earthly voice, and with a degree of excitement that was 
 probably increased by the intensity with which the solitary 
 had lately been brooding over his peculiar opinions, and 
 the terrible scenes in which he had so recently been an 
 actor. Philip listened with the high courtesy of an Indian 
 prince. Unintelligible as was the meaning of the speaker, 
 his countenance betrayed no gleaming of impatience, his 
 
376 tlbef Mept of 
 
 lip no smile of ridicule. On the contrary, a noble and 
 lofty gravity reigned in every feature ; and ignorant as he 
 was of what the other wished to say, his attentive eye and 
 bending head expressed every wish to comprehend. 
 
 " My pale friend hath spoken very wisely," he said, when 
 the other ceased to speak. ' ' But he doth not see clearly in 
 these woods ; he sits too much in the shade ; his eye is bet- 
 ter in a clearing. Metacom is not a fierce beast. His claws 
 are worn out ; his legs are tired with travelling ; he cannot 
 jump far. My pale friend wants to divide the land. Why 
 trouble the Great Spirit to do his work twice ? He gave the 
 Wampanoags their hunting-grounds, and places on the salt 
 lake to catch their fish and clams, and he did not forget his 
 children, the Narragansetts. He put them in the midst of 
 the water, for he saw that they could swim. Did he forget 
 the Yengeese ? or did he put them in a swamp, where they 
 would turn into frogs and lizards ? " 
 
 * ' Heathen, my voice shall never deny the bounties of my 
 God ! His hand hath placed my fathers in a fertile land, 
 rich in the good things of the world, fortunate in position, 
 sea-girt, and impregnable. Happy is he who can find justi- 
 fication in dwelling within its borders ! ' ' 
 
 An empty gourd lay on the rock, at the side of Meta- 
 com. Bending over the stream he filled it to the brim 
 with water, and held the vessel before the eyes of his com- 
 panions. 
 
 " See," he said, pointing to the even surface of the fluid ; 
 " so much hath the Great Spirit said it shall hold. Now," 
 he added, filling the hollow of the other hand from the 
 brook, and casting its contents into the gourd, "now my 
 brother knows that some must come away. It is so with 
 his country. There is no longer room in it for my pale 
 friend." 
 
 " Did I attempt to deceive thine ears with this tale, I 
 should lay falsehood to my soul. We are many, and sorry 
 am I to say that some among us are like unto them that 
 were called 'Legion.' But to say that there is not still 
 place for all to die where they are born is to utter damning 
 untruth.'* 
 
Tlbe Wept of Misb^on^Wisb 377 
 
 " The land of the Yengeese is then good very good," 
 returned Philip ; ' ' but their young men like one that is 
 better." 
 
 "Thy nature, Wampanoag, is not equal to comprehend 
 the motives which have led us hither, and our discourse is 
 getting vain." 
 
 " My brother Conanchet is a sachem. The leaves that fall 
 from the trees of his country, in the season of frosts, blow 
 into my hunting-grounds. We are neighbors and friends," 
 slightly bending his head to the Narragansett. ' * When a 
 wicked Indian runs from the islands to the wigwams of my 
 people, he is whipped and sent back. We keep the path 
 between us open only for honest redmen." 
 
 Philip spoke with a sneer that his habitual loftiness of 
 manner did not conceal from his associate chief, though it 
 was so slight as entirely to escape the observation of him 
 who was the subject of his sarcasm. The former took the 
 alarm, and for the first time during the dialogue did he 
 break silence. 
 
 * ' My pale father is a brave warrior, ' * said the young 
 Sachem of the Narragansetts. ' ' His hand took the scalp 
 of the Great Sagamore of his people ! ' ' 
 
 The countenance of Metacom changed instantly. In 
 place of the ironical scorn that was gathered about his lip, 
 its expression became serious and respectful. He gazed 
 steadily at the hard and weather-beaten features of his 
 guest ; and it is probable that words of higher courtesy than 
 any he had yet used would have fallen from him, had not 
 at that moment a signal been given by a young Indian, set 
 to watch on the summit of the rock, that one approached. 
 Both Metacom and Conanchet appeared to hear this cry with 
 some uneasiness. Neither, however, arose, nor did either 
 betray such evidence of alarm as denoted a deeper interest 
 in the interruption than the circumstances might very 
 naturally create. A warrior was shortly seen entering the 
 encampment, from the side of the forest which was known 
 to lie in the direction of the Wish-Ton-Wish. 
 
 The moment Conanchet saw the person of the newly 
 arrived man, his eye and attitude resumed their former 
 
378 Ube Mept of 
 
 repose, though the look of Metacom still continued gloomy 
 and distrustful. The difference in the manner of the chiefs 
 was not, however, sufficiently strong to be remarked by 
 Submission, who was about to resume the discourse, when 
 the new-comer moved past the cluster of warriors in the en- 
 campment, and took his seat near them, on a stone so low 
 that the water laved his feet. As usual, there was no greet- 
 ing between the Indians for some moments, the three ap- 
 pearing to regard the arrival as a mere thing of course. But 
 the uneasiness of Metacom prompted a communication sooner 
 than common. 
 
 ' ' Mohtucket, " he said, in the language of their tribe, 
 11 hast lost the trail of his friends. We thought the crows 
 of the pale-men were picking his bones ! ' ' 
 
 ''There was no scalp at his belt, and Mohtucket was 
 ashamed to be seen among the young men with an empty 
 hand." 
 
 * ' He remembered that he had too often come back with- 
 out striking a dead enemy," returned Metacom, about whose 
 firm mouth lurked an expression of ill-concealed contempt. 
 " Has he now touched a warrior ? ' ' 
 
 The Indian, who was merely a man of the inferior class, 
 held up the trophy which hung at his girdle, to the exami- 
 nation of the chief. Metacom looked at the disgusting ob- 
 ject with the calmness and nearly with the interest that a 
 virtuoso would lavish on an antique memorial of some tri- 
 umph of former ages. His finger was thrust through a hole 
 in the skin, and then, while he resumed his former position, 
 he observed dryly, 
 
 " A bullet hath hit the head. The arrow of Mohtucket 
 doth little harm ! " 
 
 ' ' Metacom hath never looked on his young man like a 
 friend since the brother of Mohtucket was killed." 
 
 The glance that Philip cast at his underling, though it was 
 not unmingled with suspicion, was one of princely and sav- 
 age scorn. Their white auditor had not been able to under- 
 stand the discourse, but the dissatisfaction and uneasiness 
 of the eyes of both were too obvious not to show that the 
 conference was far from being amicable. 
 
TOept of Wteb^roiVMteb 379 
 
 " The sachem hath discontent with his young man," he 
 observed, " and from this may he understand the nature of 
 that which leadeth many to quit the land of their fathers, 
 beneath the rising sun, to come to this wilderness in the 
 west. If he will now listen, I will touch further on the 
 business of my errand, and deal more at large with the sub- 
 ject we have but so lightly skimmed." 
 
 Philip manifested attention. He smiled on his guest, and 
 even bowed his assent to the proposal ; still his keen eye 
 seemed to read the soul of his subordinate, through the veil 
 of his gloomy visage. There was a play of the fingers of 
 his right hand when the arm fell from its position across his 
 bosom to his thigh, as if they itched to grasp the knife, 
 whose buck-horn handle lay within a few inches of their 
 reach. Yet his air to the white man was composed and 
 dignified. The latter was again about to speak, when the 
 arches of the forest suddenly rang with the report of a mus- 
 ket. All in and near the encampment sprang to their feet 
 at the well-known sound, and yet all continued as motionless 
 as if so many dark but breathing statues had been planted 
 there. The rustling of leaves was heard, and then the body 
 of the young Indian who had been posted on the rock rolled 
 to the edge of the precipice, whence it fell, like a log, on the 
 yielding roof of one of the lodges beneath. A shout issued 
 from the forest behind, a volley roared among the trees, and 
 glancing lead was whistling through the air, and cutting 
 twigs from the undergrowth on every side. Two more of 
 the Wampanoags were seen rolling on the earth in the 
 death-agony. 
 
 The voice of Annawon was heard in the encampment, 
 and at the next instant the place was deserted. 
 
 During this startling and fearful moment the four indi- 
 viduals near the stream were inactive. Conanchet and his 
 Christian friend stood to their arms, but it was rather as 
 men cling to the means of defence in moments of great 
 jeopardy, than with any intention of offensive hostilities. 
 Metacom seemed undecided. Accustomed to receive and 
 inflict surprises, a warrior so experienced could not be dis- 
 concerted ; still he hesitated as to the course he ought to 
 
380 
 
 tlbe Mept of 
 
 take. But when Annawon, who was nearer the scene, 
 sounded the signal of retreat, he sprang towards the re- 
 turned straggler, and with a single blow of his tomahawk 
 brained the traitor. Glances of fierce revenge, and of inex- 
 tinguishable though disappointed hatred, were exchanged 
 between the victim and his chief, as the former lay on the 
 rock, gasping for breath ; and then the latter turned in his 
 tracks, and raised the dripping weapon over the head of the 
 white man. 
 
 ' ' Wampanoag, no ! ' ' said Conanchet, in a voice of thun- 
 der. ' ' Our lives are one. ' ' 
 
 Philip hesitated. Fierce and dangerous passions were 
 struggling in his breast, but the habitual self-command of 
 the wily politician of those woods prevailed. Even in that 
 scene of blood and alarm he smiled on his powerful and 
 fearless young ally ; then pointing to the deepest shades of 
 the forest he bounded towards them with the activity of a 
 deer. 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 " But peace be with him ! 
 That life is better life, past fearing death, 
 Than that which lives of fear. ' 
 
 Measure for Measure. 
 
 COURAGE is both a comparative and an improvable 
 virtue. If the fear of death be a weakness com- 
 mon to the race, it is one that is capable of being 
 diminished by frequent exposure, and even rendered 
 extinct by reflection. It was, therefore, with sensibilities 
 entirely changed from their natural course, that the two 
 individuals who were left alone by the retreat of Philip saw 
 the nature and the approach of the danger that now beset 
 them. Their position near the brook had so far protected 
 them from the bullets of the assailants ; but it was equally 
 obvious to both, that in a minute or two the colonists would 
 enter an encampment that was already deserted. Each, in 
 consequence, acted according to those opinions which had 
 been fostered by the habits of their respective lives. 
 
 As Conanchet had no act of vengeance like that which 
 Metacom had performed, immediately before his eyes, he 
 had, at the first alarm, given all his faculties to the nature 
 of the attack. The first minute was sufficient to under- 
 stand its character, and the second enabled him to decide. 
 
 " Come," he said hastily, but with perfect self-possession, 
 pointing as he spoke to the swift-running stream at his feet ; 
 4 ' we will go with the water, let the marks of our trail run 
 before." 
 
 Submission hesitated. There was something like haughty 
 military pride in the stern determination of his eye, which 
 seemed reluctant to incur the disgrace of a flight so unequivo- 
 
382 tlbe TKKept of 
 
 cal, and, as he might have believed, so unworthy of his 
 character. 
 
 ' ' No, Narragansett ! " he answered ; ' ' flee for thy life, 
 but leave me to reap the harvest of my deeds. They can 
 but leave my bones by the side of those of this traitor at 
 my feet." 
 
 The mien of Conanchet was neither excited nor dis- 
 pleased. He quietly drew the corner of his light robe 
 over a shoulder, and was about to resume his seat on the 
 stone from which he had but a minute before arisen, when 
 his companion again urged him to fly. 
 
 "The enemies of a chief must not say that he led his 
 friend into a trap, and that when his leg was fast he ran 
 away himself, like a lucky fox. If my brother stays to 
 be killed, Conanchet will be found near him." 
 
 " Heathen, heathen ! " returned the other, moved nearly 
 to tears by the loyalty of his guide, ' ' many a Christian 
 man might take lessons from thy faith. Lead on I will 
 follow at the utmost of my speed." 
 
 The Narragansett sprang into the brook, and took its 
 downward course a direction opposite to that which 
 Philip had chosen. There was wisdom in this expedient ; 
 for though their pursuers might see that the water was 
 troubled, there was no certainty as to the direction of the 
 fugitives. Conanchet had foreseen this little advantage, 
 and with the instinctive readiness of his people, he did 
 not fail to make it of service. Metacom had been influ- 
 enced by the course taken by his warriors, who had retired 
 under shelter of the rocks. 
 
 Ere the two fugitives had gone any great distance, they 
 heard the shouts of their enemies in the encampment ; 
 and soon after, scattering shot announced that Philip had 
 already rallied his people to resistance. There was an 
 assurance of safety in the latter circumstance, which caused 
 them to relax their speed. 
 
 ' ' My foot is not as active as in days that are past, ' ' said 
 Submission ; "we will therefore recover strength while we 
 may, lest we be yet taken at emergency. Narragansett, 
 thou hast ever kept thy faith with me, and come of what 
 
Wept ot Wisb^UotWQXIlisb 383 
 
 race or worship in what manner thou mayst, there is one to 
 remember it. ' ' 
 
 ' ' My father looked with the eye of a friend on the In- 
 dian boy that was kept like a young bear in a cage. He 
 taught him to speak with the tongue of a Yengeese. ' ' 
 
 ' ' We passed weary months together in our prison, chief ; 
 and Apollyon must have been strong in a heart, to resist 
 the opportunity of friendship in such a situation. But, 
 even there, my confidence and care were repaid, for without 
 thy mysterious hints, gathered from signs thou hadst gleaned 
 thyself during the hunt, it would not have been in my 
 power to warn my friends that thy people contemplated an 
 attack, the unhappy night of the burning. Narragansett, 
 we have done many acts of kindness, each in his own fash- 
 ion, and I am ready to confess this last not to be the least 
 of thy favors. Though of white blood and of Christian 
 origin, I can almost say that my heart is Indian." 
 
 "Then die an Indian's death!" shouted a voice within 
 twenty feet of the spot where they were wading down the 
 stream. 
 
 The menacing words were rather accompanied than 
 seconded by a shot, and Submission fell. Conanchet cast 
 his musket into the water, and turned to raise his companion. 
 
 " It was merely age dealing with the slippery stones of 
 the brook," said the latter, as he recovered his footing. 
 "That had well-nigh been a fatal discharge ! but God, for 
 his own purpose, hath still averted the blow. ' ' 
 
 Conanchet did not speak. Seizing his gun, which lay at 
 the bottom of the stream, he drew his friend after him to 
 the shore, and plunged into the thicket that lined its banks. 
 Here they were momentarily protected from missiles. But 
 the shouts that succeeded the discharge of the muskets 
 were accompanied by yells that he knew to proceed from 
 Pequots and Mohegans, tribes that were in deadly hostility 
 to his own people. The hope of concealing their trail 
 from such pursuers was not to be indulged, and for his com- 
 panion to escape by flight he knew to be impossible. There 
 was no time to lose. In such emergencies, with an Indian, 
 thought takes the character of 'instinct. The fugitive stood 
 
384 tTfoe Mept of 
 
 at the foot of the sapling, whose top was completely con- 
 cealed by masses of leaves, which belonged to the underbrush 
 that clustered around its trunk. Into this tree he assisted 
 Submission to ascend, and then, without explaining his own 
 views, he instantly left the spot, rendering his own trail as 
 broad and perceptible as possible, by beating down the 
 bushes as he passed. 
 
 The expedient of the faithful Narragansett was com- 
 pletely successful. Before he had got a hundred yards from 
 the place, he saw the foremost of the hostile Indians hunt- 
 ing like blood-hounds on his footsteps. His movement was 
 slow, until he saw that, having his person in view, all of 
 the pursuers had passed the tree. Then, the arrow parting 
 from the bow was scarce swifter than his flight. 
 
 The pursuit now partook of all the exciting incidents 
 and ingenious expedients of an Indian chase. Conanchet 
 was soon hunted from his cover, and obliged to trust his 
 person in the more open parts of the forest. Miles of hill 
 and ravine, of plain, of rocks, of morass and stream were 
 crossed, and still the trained warrior held on his way un- 
 broken in spirit and scarce wearied in limb. The merit of the 
 savage in such an employment rests more on his bottom than 
 on his speed. The three or four colonists who had been 
 sent with the party of amicable Indians, to intercept those 
 who might attempt to escape down the stream, were early 
 thrown out ; and the struggle was now entirely between the 
 fugitive and men equally practised in limb and ingenious in 
 expedient. 
 
 The Pequots had a great advantage in their number. 
 The frequent doublings of the fugitive kept the chase within 
 the circle of a mile, and as each of his enemies tired, there 
 were always fresh pursuers to take his place. In such a 
 contest the result could not be questionable. After more 
 than two hours of powerful exertion, the foot of Conanchet 
 began to fail, and his speed very sensibly to flag. Ex- 
 hausted by efforts that had been nearty supernatural, the 
 breathless warrior cast his person prostrate on the earth, and 
 lay for several minutes as if he were dead. 
 
 During this breathing-time his throbbing pulses grew 
 
Ube Mept of Wisb^otWCOUsb 385 
 
 more calm, his heart beat less violently, and the circulation 
 was gradually returning to the tranquil flow of nature in a 
 state of rest. It was at this moment, when his energies 
 were recruited by rest, that the chief heard the tread of the 
 moccasins on his trail. Rising, he looked back on the 
 course over which he had just passed with so much pain. 
 But a single warrior was in view. Hope for an instant 
 regained the ascendency, and he raised his musket to fell 
 his approaching adversary. The aim was cool, long, and it 
 would have been fatal had not the useless tick of the lock 
 reminded him of the condition of his gun. He cast the wet 
 and unserviceable piece away and grasped his tomahawk 
 but a band of Pequots rushed in to the rescue, rendering 
 resistance madness. Perceiving the hopelessness of kis 
 situation, the Sachem of the Narragansetts dropped his 
 tomahawk, loosened his belt, and advanced unharmed, with 
 a noble resignation, to meet his foes. In the next instant he 
 was their prisoner. 
 
 4 'Bring me to your chief," said the captive, haughtily, 
 when the common herd into whose hands he had fallen 
 would have questioned him on the subject of his companion's 
 and of his own fate. ' ' My tongue is used to speak with 
 sachems." 
 
 He was obeyed, and before an hour had passed the re- 
 nowned Conanchet stood confronted with his most deadly 
 enemy. 
 
 The place of meeting was the deserted encampment of the 
 band of Philip. Here most of the pursuers had already 
 assembled, including all of the colonists who had been en- 
 gaged in the expedition. The latter consisted of Meek 
 Wolfe, Ensign Dudley, Sergeant Ring, and a dozen private 
 men of the village. 
 
 The result of the enterprise was, by this time, generally 
 known. Though Metacom, its principal object, had es- 
 caped ; yet, when it was understood that the Sachem of the 
 Narragansetts had fallen into their hands, there was not an 
 individual of the party who did not think his personal risk 
 more than amply compensated. Though the Mohegans and 
 
 Pequots restrained their exultation, lest the pride of their 
 25 
 
386 tTbe Mept of 
 
 captive should be soothed by such an evidence of his impor- 
 tance, the white men drew around the prisoner with an in- 
 terest and a joy they did not care to conceal. Still, as he 
 had yielded to an Indian, there was an affectation of leaving 
 the chief to the clemency of his conquerors. Perhaps some 
 deeply-pondered scheme of policy had its influence in this 
 act of seeming justice. 
 
 When Conanchet was placed in the centre of the curious 
 circle, he found himself immediately in presence of the prin- 
 cipal chief of the tribe of Mohegans. It was Uncas, son of 
 that Uncas whose fortunes had also prevailed, aided by the 
 whites, in the conflict with his father, the hapless but noble 
 Miantonimoh. Fate had now decreed that the same evil 
 star, which had governed the destinies of the ancestor, should 
 extend its influence to the second generation. 
 
 The race of Uncas, though weakened of its power, and 
 shorn of much of its peculiar grandeur by a vicious alliance 
 with the English, still retained most of the fine qualities of 
 savage heroism. He who now stood forth to receive his 
 captive was a warrior of middle age, of just proportions, of 
 a grave though fierce aspect, and of an eye and countenance 
 that expressed all those contradictory traits of character 
 which render the savage warrior almost as admirable as he 
 is appalling. Until this moment the rival chieftains had 
 never met except in the confusion of battle. For a few 
 minutes neither spoke. Each stood regarding the fine out- 
 lines, the eagle eye, the proud bearing, and the severe 
 gravity of the other in secret admiration, but with a calm- 
 ness so immovable as entirely to conceal the workings of 
 his thoughts. At length they began to assume miens suited 
 to the part each was to enact in the coming scene. The 
 countenance of Uncas became ironical and exulting, while 
 that of his captive grew still more cold and unconcerned. 
 
 " My young men," said the former, "have taken a fox 
 skulking in the bushes. His legs were very long ; but he 
 had no heart to use them. ' ' 
 
 Conanchet folded his arms on his bosom, and the glance 
 of his quiet eye seemed to tell his enemy that devices so 
 common were unworthy of them both. The other either 
 
ttbe Mept of Timisb^on^Misb 387 
 
 understood its meaning, or loftier feelings prevailed, for he 
 added, in a better taste, 
 
 ' ' Is Conanchet tired of his life that he comes among my 
 young men ? ' ' 
 
 " Mohican," said the Narragansett chief, "he has been 
 there before ; if Uncas will count his warriors he will see 
 that some are wanting." 
 
 ' ' There are no traditions among the Indians of the 
 islands ! ' ' said the other, with an ironical glance at the 
 chiefs near him. ' ' They have never heard of Miantonimoh ; 
 they do not know such a field as the sachem's plain ! " 
 
 The countenance of the prisoner changed. For a single 
 instant it appeared to grow dark, as if a deep shadow were 
 cast athwart it ; and then every feature rested, as before, 
 in dignified repose. His conqueror watched the play of his 
 lineaments, and when he thought nature was getting the 
 ascendency, exultation gleamed about his own fierce eye ; 
 but when the self-possession of the Narragansett returned, 
 he affected to think no more of an effort that had been fruit- 
 less. 
 
 ' ' If the men of the islands know little, ' ' he continued, ' l it 
 is not so with the Mohicans. There was once a great sachem 
 among the Narragansetts ; he was wiser than the beaver 
 swifter than the moose, and more cunning than the red fox. 
 But he could not see into to-morrow. Foolish counsellors 
 told him to go upon the war-path against the Pequots and 
 Mohicans. He lost his scalp ; it hangs in the smoke of my 
 wigwam. We shall see if it will know the hair of its son. 
 Narragansett, here are wise men of the pale- faces ; they will 
 speak to you. If they offer a pipe, smoke ; for tobacco is 
 not plenty with your tribe. ' ' 
 
 Uncas then turned away, leaving his prisoner to the in- 
 terrogatories of his white allies. 
 
 "Here is the look of Miantonimoh, Sergeant Ring," ob- 
 served Ensign Dudley to his wife's brother, after he had 
 contemplated for a reasonable time the features of the pris- 
 oner. "I see the eye and the tread of the father in this 
 young sachem. And more, Sergeant Ring ; the chief favors 
 the boy we picked up in the fields some dozen years agone, 
 
388 Ube Mept of 
 
 and kept in the block for the matter of many months, caged 
 like a young panther. Hast forgotten the night, Reuben, 
 and the lad, and the block ? A fiery oven is not hotter than 
 that pile was getting before we dove into the earth. I never 
 fail to think of it when the good minister is dealing power- 
 fully with the punishments of the wicked and the furnaces of 
 Tophet!" 
 
 The silent yoeman comprehended the disconnected allu- 
 sions of his relative, nor was he slow in seeing the palpable 
 resemblance between their prisoner and the Indian boy whose 
 person had once been so familiar to his eye. Admiration 
 and surprise were blended in his honest face with an expres- 
 sion that appeared to announce deep regret. As neither of 
 these individuals, however, was the principal personage of 
 their party, each was fain to remain an attentive and an in- 
 terested observer of that which followed. 
 
 ' ' Worshipper of Baal ! ' ' commenced the sepulchral voice 
 of the divine, * ' it has pleased the King of heaven and earth 
 to protect his people ! The triumph of thy evil nature hath 
 been short, and now cometh the judgment ! " 
 
 These words were uttered to ears that affected deafness. 
 In the presence of his most deadly foe, and a captive, Co- 
 nanchet was not a man to suffer his resolution to waver. He 
 looked coldly and vacantly on the speaker, nor could the 
 most suspicious or the most practised eye have detected in 
 his mien his knowledge of the English language. Deceived 
 by the stoicism of the prisoner, Meek muttered a few words, 
 in which the Narragansett was strangely dealt by, denunci- 
 ations and petitions in his favor being blended in the quaint 
 and exaggerated fashions of the times ; and then he sub- 
 mitted to the interference of those present, who were charged 
 with the duty of deciding on the fate of the Indian. 
 
 Although Eben Dudley was the principal and the efficient 
 military man in this little expedition from the valley, he was 
 accompanied by those whose authority was predominant in 
 all matters that did not strictly appertain to the executive 
 portion of the duty. Commissioners named by the govern- 
 ment of the colony had come out with the party, clothed with 
 power to dispose of Philip, should that dreaded chief, as was 
 
Ube Mept of Mteb^Uon^WtBb 389 
 
 expected, fall into the hands of the English. To these per- 
 sons the fate of Conanchet was now referred. 
 
 We shall not detain the narrative to dwell on the particu- 
 lars of the council. The question was gravely considered, 
 and it was decided with a deep and conscientious sense of the 
 responsibility of those who acted as judges. Several hours 
 were passed in deliberation, Meek opening and closing the 
 proceedings by solemn prayers. The judgment was then 
 announced to Uncas by the divine himself. 
 
 ' ' The wise men of my people have consulted together in 
 the matter of this Narragansett, " he said, " and their spirits 
 have wrestled powerfully with the subject. In coming to 
 their conclusion, if it wear the aspect of time-serving, let all 
 remember the Providence of Heaven hath so interwoven the 
 interests of man with its own good purposes, that to the car- 
 nal eye they may outwardly seem to be inseparable. But 
 that which is here done is done in good faith to our ruling 
 principle, which is good faith to thee and to all others who 
 support the altar in this wilderness. And herein is our de- 
 cision : We commit the Narragansett to thy justice, since it 
 is evident that while he is at large, neither thou, who art a 
 feeble prop to the church in these regions, nor we, who are 
 its humble and unworthy servitors, are safe. Take him, 
 then, and deal with him according to thy wisdom. We place 
 limits to thy power in only two things. It is not meet that 
 any born of humanity, and having human sensibilities, should 
 suffer more in the flesh than may be necessary to the ends of 
 duty ; we therefore decree that thy captive shall not die by 
 torture ; and, for the better security of this our charitable 
 decision, two of our number shall accompany thee and him 
 to the place of execution ; it being always supposed it is thy 
 intention to inflict the pains of death. Another condition of 
 this concession to a foreordered necessity is, that a Christian 
 minister may be at hand, in order that the sufferer may de- 
 part with the prayers of one accustomed to lift his voice in 
 petitions to the footstool of the Almighty. 
 
 The Mohegan chief heard this sentence with deep atten 
 tion. When he found he was to be denied the satisfaction 
 of proving, or perhaps of overcoming, the resolution of his 
 
390 ttbe Mept of 
 
 enemy, a deep cloud passed across his swarthy visage. But 
 the strength of his tribe had long been broken, and to resist 
 would have been as unprofitable as to repine would have 
 been unseemly. The conditions were therefore accepted, 
 and preparations were accordingly made among the Indians 
 to proceed to judgment. 
 
 These people had few contradictory principles to appease, 
 and no subtleties to distract their decision. Direct, fearless, 
 and simple in all their practices, they did little more than 
 gather the voices of the chiefs and acquaint their captive 
 with the result. They knew that fortune had thrown an 
 implacable enemy into their hands, and they believed that 
 self-preservation demanded his life. To them it mattered 
 little whether he had arrows in his hands, or had yielded 
 himself an unarmed prisoner. He knew the risk he ran 
 in submitting, and he had probably consulted his own char- 
 acter, rather than their benefit, in throwing away his arms. 
 They therefore pronounced the judgment of death against 
 their captive, merely respecting the decree of their white 
 allies, which had commanded them to spare the torture. 
 
 So soon as this determination was known, the commission- 
 ers of the colony hastened away from the spot with con- 
 sciences that required some aid from the stimulus of their 
 subtle doctrines, in order to render them quiet. They were, 
 however, ingenious casuists ; and as they hurried along 
 their return path, most of the party were satisfied that they 
 had rather manifested a merciful interposition, than exer- 
 cised any act of positive cruelty. 
 
 During the two or three hours which had passed in these 
 solemn and usual preparations, Conanchet was seated on a 
 rock, a close but apparently an unmoved spectator of all that 
 passed. His eye was mild, and at times melancholy, but its 
 brightness and its steadiness remained unimpaired. When 
 his sentence was announced, it exhibited no change ; and he 
 saw all the pale-men depart, with the calmness he had 
 maintained throughout. It was only as Uncas, attended 
 by the body of his party and the two white superintendents 
 who had been left, approached, that his spirit seemed to 
 awaken. 
 
Wept of Wteb^Uon^KHteb 391 
 
 ' ' My people have said that there shall be no more wolves 
 in the woods, ' ' said Uncas ; ' ' and they have commanded our 
 young men to slay the hungriest of them all." 
 
 ' ' It is well ! " coldly returned the other. 
 
 A gleaming of admiration, and perhaps of humanity, came 
 over the grim countenance of Uncas, as he gazed at the re- 
 pose which reigned in the firm features of his victim. For an 
 instant, his purpose wavered. 
 
 ' * The Mohicans are a great tribe ! " he added ; ' * and the 
 race of Uncas is getting few. We will paint our brother so 
 that the lying Narragansetts shall not know him, and he 
 will be a warrior on the main land. ' ' 
 
 This relenting of his enemy had a corresponding effect on 
 the generous temper of Conanchet. The lofty pride deserted 
 his eye, and his look became milder and more human. For 
 a minute, intense thought brooded around his brow ; the 
 grim muscles of his mouth played a little, though scarcely 
 enough to be seen, and then he spoke. 
 
 " Mohican," he said, "why should your young men be in 
 a hurry ? My scalp will be the scalp of a Great Chief to- 
 morrow. They will not take two, should they strike their 
 prisoner now." 
 
 "Hath Conanchet forgotten anything, that he is not 
 ready?" 
 
 " Sachem, he is always ready; but " he paused, and spoke 
 in tones that faltered " does a Mohican live alone? " 
 
 " How many suns does the Narragansett ask ? " 
 
 * * One ; when the shadow of that pine points towards the 
 brook, Conanchet will be ready. He will then stand in the 
 shade, with naked hands." 
 
 " Go," said Uncas, with dignity ; " I have heard the words 
 of a sagamore." 
 
 Conanchet turned, and passing swiftly through the silent 
 crowd, his person was soon lost in the surrounding forest. 
 
CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 " Therefore, lay bare your bosom." 
 
 Merchant of Venice. 
 
 THE night that succeeded was wild and melancholy. 
 The moon was nearly full, but its place in the 
 heavens was only seen, as the masses of vapor 
 which drove through the air occasionally opened, 
 suffering short gleams of fitful light to fall on the scene be- 
 low. A southwestern wind rather moaned than sighed 
 through the forest, and there were moments when its fresh- 
 ness increased, till every leaf seemed a tongue, and each low 
 plant appeared to be endowed with the gift of speech. With 
 the exception of these imposing and not unpleasing natural 
 sounds, there was a solemn quiet in and about the village of 
 the Wish-Ton-Wish. An hour before the moment when we 
 resume the action of the legend, the sun had settled into the 
 neighboring forest, and most of its simple and laborious in- 
 habitants had already sought their rest. 
 
 The lights, however, still shone through many of the 
 windows of the " Heathcote house," as, in the language of 
 the country, the dwelling of the Puritan was termed. There 
 was the usual stirring industry in and about the offices, and 
 the ordinary calm was reigning in the superior parts of the 
 habitation. A solitary man was to be seen on its piazza,. It 
 was young Mark Heathcote, who paced the long and 
 narrow gallery, as if impatient of some interruption to his 
 wishes. 
 
 The uneasiness of the young man was of short continu- 
 ance ; for, ere he had been many minutes at his post a door 
 opened, and two light and timid forms glided out of the 
 house. 
 
 392 
 
Ube TOept of Wisb*Uon=*Wteb 393 
 
 "Thou hast not come alone, Martha," said the youth, 
 half-displeased. ' ' I told thee that the matter I had to say 
 was for thine own ear. ' ' 
 
 " It is our Ruth. Thou knowest, Mark, that she may not 
 be left alone, for we fear her return to the forest. She is 
 like some ill- tamed fawn, that would be apt to leap away at 
 the first well-known sound from the woods. Even now, I 
 fear we are too much asunder." 
 
 ' ' Fear nothing ; my sister fondles her infant, and she 
 thinketh not of flight ; thou seest I am here to intercept her, 
 were such her intention. Now speak with candor, Martha, 
 and say if thou meanest in sincerity that the visits of the 
 Hartford gallant were less to thy liking than most of thy 
 friends have believed ? " 
 
 ' ' What I have said cannot be recalled. ' ' 
 
 " Still it may be repented of." 
 
 * ' I do not number the dislike I may feel for the young 
 man among my failings. I am too happy here, in this 
 family, to wish to quit it. And now that our sister there 
 is one speaking to her at this moment, Mark ! " 
 
 1 'Tis only the innocent," returned the young man, glan- 
 cing his eye to the other end of the piazza. ' ' They confer 
 often together. Whittal hath just come in from the woods, 
 where he is much inclined to pass an hour or two, each even- 
 ing. Thou wast saying that now we have our sister " 
 
 " I feel less desire to change my abode." 
 
 ' ' Then why not stay with us forever, Martha ? ' ' 
 
 "Hist!" interrupted his companion, who, though con- 
 scious of what she was about to listen to, shrank, with the 
 waywardness of human nature, from the very declaration 
 she most wished to hear, "hist there was a movement. 
 Ah ! Ruth and Whittal are fled ! " 
 
 " They seek some amusement for the babe they are near 
 the out-buildings. Then why not accept a right to remain 
 forever ? ' ' 
 
 " It may not be, Mark," cried the girl, wresting her hand 
 from his grasp ; " they are fled ! " 
 
 Mark reluctantly released his hold, and followed to the 
 spot where his sister had been sitting. She was, in truth, 
 
394 'Ebe Wept of 
 
 gone ; though some minutes passed before even Martha 
 seriously believed that she had disappeared without an in- 
 tention of returning. The agitation of both rendered the 
 search ill-directed and uncertain, and there was perhaps a 
 secret satisfaction in prolonging their interview even in this 
 vague manner, that prevented them for some time from giv- 
 ing the alarm. When that moment did come, it was too 
 late. The fields were examined, the orchards and out-houses 
 thoroughly searched, without any traces of the fugitives. It 
 would have been useless to enter the forest in the darkness, 
 and all that could be done in reason was to set a watch 
 during the night, and to prepare for a more active and in- 
 telligent pursuit in the morning. 
 
 But long before the sun arose, the small and melancholy 
 party of the fugitives threaded the woods at such a distance 
 from the valley as would have rendered the plan of the 
 family entirely nugatory. Conanchet had led the way over 
 a thousand forest knolls, across water-courses, and through 
 dark glens, followed by his silent partner, with an industry 
 that would have baffled the zeal of even those from whom 
 they fled. Whittal Ring, bearing the infant on his back, 
 trudged with unwearied step in the rear. Hours had passed 
 in this manner, and not a syllable had been uttered by either 
 of the three. Once or twice, they had stopped at some spot 
 where water, limpid as the air, gushed from the rocks ; 
 and, drinking from the hollows of their hands, the march 
 had been resumed with the same speechless industry as 
 before. 
 
 At length Conanchet paused. He studied the position of 
 the sun gravely, and took a long and anxious look at the 
 signs of the forest, in order that he might not be deceived 
 in its quarter. To an unpractised eye, the arches of the 
 trees, the leaf-covered earth, and the mouldering logs, would 
 have seemed everywhere the same. But it was not easy to 
 deceive one so trained in the woods. Satisfied equally with 
 the progress he had made, and with the hour, the chief 
 signed to his two companions to place themselves at his side, 
 and took a seat on a low shelf of rock that thrust its naked 
 head out of the side of a hill. 
 
ttbe Wept ot Wteb*tron*Mteb 395 
 
 For many minutes after all were seated, no one broke the 
 silence. The eye of Narra-mattah sought the countenance 
 of her husband, as the eye of woman seeks instruction from 
 the expression of features that she has been taught to revere ; 
 but still she spoke not. The innocent laid the patient babe 
 at the feet of its mother, and imitated her reserve. 
 
 "Is the air of the woods pleasant to the Honeysuckle 
 after living in the wigwam of her people ? ' ' asked Conan- 
 chet, breaking the long silence. * ' Can a flower, which 
 blossomed in the sun, like the shade ? " 
 
 ' ' A woman of the Narragansetts is happiest in the lodge 
 of her husband. ' ' 
 
 The eye of the chief met her confiding look with affection, 
 and then it fell, mild and full of kindness, on the features 
 of the infant that lay at their feet. There was a minute, 
 during which an expression of bitter melancholy gathered 
 about his brow. 
 
 "The Spirit that made the earth," he continued," is very 
 cunning. He has known where to put the hemlock, and 
 where the oak should grow. He has left the moose and the 
 deer to the Indian hunter, and he has given the horse and 
 the ox to a pale-face. Bach tribe hath its hunting-grounds 
 and its game. The Narragansetts know the taste of a clam, 
 while the Mohawks eat the berries of the mountains. Thou 
 hast seen the bright bow which shines in the skies, Narra- 
 mattah, and knowest how one color is mixed with another, 
 like paint on a warrior's face. The leaf of the hemlock is 
 like the leaf of the sumach ; the ash, the chestnut ; the 
 chestnut, the linden ; and the linden, the broad-leaved tree 
 which bears the red fruit, in the clearing of the Yengeese ; 
 but the tree of the red fruit is little like the hemlock ! Co- 
 nanchet is a tall and straight hemlock, and the father of 
 Narra-mattah is a tree of the clearing, that bears the red fruit. 
 The Great Spirit was angry when they grew together." 
 
 The senitive wife understood but too well the current of 
 the chief's thoughts. Suppressing the pain she felt, how- 
 ever, she answered with the readiness of a woman whose 
 imagination was quickened by her affections. 
 
 "What Conanchet hath said is true. But the Yengeese 
 
396 tTbe Mept of 
 
 have put the apple of their own land on the thorn of our 
 woods, and the fruit is good ! ' ' 
 
 " It is like that boy," said the chief, pointing to his son ; 
 4 ' neither red nor pale. No, Narra-mattah ; what the Great 
 Spirit hath commanded, even a sachem must do. ' ' 
 
 * ' And doth Conanchet say this fruit is not good ? ' ' asked 
 his wife, lifting the smiling boy with a mother's joy before 
 his eyes. 
 
 The heart of the warrior was touched. Bending his head, 
 he kissed the babe, with such fondness as parents less stern 
 are wont to exhibit. For a moment, he appeared to have 
 satisfaction in gazing at the promise of the child. But as 
 he raised his head, his eye caught a glimpse of the sun, and 
 the whole expression of his countenance changed. Motion- 
 ing to his wife to replace the infant on the earth, he turned 
 to her with solemnity, and continued, 
 
 "I^et the tongue of Narra-mattah speak without fear. 
 She hath been in the lodges of her father, and hath tasted 
 of their plenty. Is her heart glad ! ' ' 
 
 The young wife paused. The question brought with it 
 a sudden recollection of all those reviving sensations, of 
 that tender solicitude, and of those soothing sympathies of 
 which she had so lately been the subject. But these feel- 
 ings soon vanished ; for, without daring to lift her eyes to 
 meet the attentive and anxious gaze of the chief, she said 
 firmly, though with a voice that was subdued by diffi- 
 dence, 
 
 11 Narra-mattah is a wife." 
 
 * ' Then she will listen to the words of her husband. Co- 
 nanchet is a chief no longer. He is a prisoner of the 
 Mohicans. Uncas waits for him in the woods ! ' ' 
 
 Notwithstanding the recent declaration of the young wife, 
 she heard of this calamity with little of the calmness of an 
 Indian woman. At first it seemed as if her senses refused 
 to comprehend the meaning of the words. Wonder, doubt, 
 horror, and fearful certainty, each in its turn prevailed ; for 
 she was too well schooled in all the usages and opinions of 
 the people with whom she dwelt, not to understand the jeop- 
 ardy in which her husband was placed. 
 
Ube Wept of Wisb*aotVlimf0b 397 
 
 1 ' The Sachem of the Narragansetts a prisoner of Mohican 
 Uncas ! ' ' she repeated in a low tone, as if the sound of her 
 voice were necessary to dispel some horrible illusion. ' ' No ! 
 Uncas is not a warrior to strike Conanchet ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' Hear my words, ' ' said the chief, touching the shoulder 
 of his wife, as one arouses a friend, from his slumbers. 
 ' ' There is a pale-face in these woods who is a burrowing 
 fox. He hides his head from the Yengeese. When his 
 people are on the trail, barking like hungry wolves, this 
 man trusted to a sagamore. It was a swift chase, and my 
 father is getting very old. He went up a young hickory 
 like a bear, and Conanchet led off the lying tribe. But he 
 is not a moose. His legs cannot go like running water for- 
 ever !" 
 
 ' ' And why did the great Narragansett give his life for a 
 stranger ! " 
 
 ' c The man is a brave, ' ' returned the sachem, proudly ; 
 ' ' he took the scalp of a sagamore ! ' ' 
 
 Again Narra-mattah was silent. She brooded in nearly 
 stupid amazement on the frightful truth. 
 
 ' ' The Great Spirit sees that the man and his wife are of 
 different tribes," she at length ventured to rejoin. "He 
 wishes them to become the same people. I^et Conanchet 
 quit the woods, and go into the clearings with the mother 
 of his boy. Her white father will be glad, and Mohican 
 Uncas will not dare to follow. ' ' 
 
 "Woman, I am a sachem, and a warrior among my 
 people!" 
 
 There was a severe and cold displeasure in the voice of 
 Conanchet that his companion had never before heard. He 
 spoke in the manner of a chief to his woman, rather than 
 with that manly softness with which he had been accus- 
 tomed to address the scion of the pale-faces. The words 
 came over her heart like a withering chill, and affliction 
 kept her mute. The chief himself sat a moment longer in a 
 stern calmness, and then rising in displeasure he pointed to 
 the sun, and beckoned to his companions to proceed. In a 
 time that appeared to the throbbing heart of her who fol- 
 lowed his swift footsteps but* a moment, they had turned 
 
398 ftbe IKftept ot 
 
 a little eminence, and in another minute they stood in the 
 presence of a party that evidently awaited their coming. 
 This grave group consisted only of Uncas, two of his 
 fiercest-looking and most athletic warriors, the divine, and 
 Kben Dudley. 
 
 Advancing rapidly to the spot where his enemy stood, 
 Conanchet took his post at the foot of the fatal tree. 
 Pointing to the shadow, which had not yet turned towards 
 the east, he folded his arms on his naked bosom, and as- 
 sumed an air of haughty unconcern. These movements 
 were made in the midst of a profound stillness. 
 
 Disappointment, unwilling admiration, and distrust, all 
 struggled through the mask of practised composure, in the 
 dark countenance of Uncas. He regarded his long-hated 
 and terrible foe with an eye that seemed willing to detect 
 some lurking signs of weakness. It would not have been 
 easy to say whether he felt most respect or regret at the 
 faith of the Narragansett. Accompanied by his two grim 
 warriors, the chief examined the position of the shadow 
 with critical minuteness, and when there no longer existed 
 a pretext for affecting to doubt the punctuality of their cap- 
 tive, a deep ejaculation of assent issued from the chest of 
 each. I^ike some wary judge, whose justice is fettered by 
 legal precedents, as if satisfied there was no flaw in the 
 proceedings, the Mohegan then signed to the white men to 
 draw near. 
 
 ' * Man of a wild and unreclaimed nature ! ' ' commenced 
 Meek Wolfe, in his usual admonitory and ascetic tones, 
 1 ' the hour of thy existence draws to its end ! Judgment 
 hath had rule ; thou hast been weighed in the balances and 
 art found wanting. But Christian charity is never weary. 
 We may not resist the ordinances of Providence, but we 
 may temper the blow to the offender. That thou art here 
 to die is a mandate decreed in equity, and rendered awful 
 by mystery ; but further, submission to the will of Heaven 
 doth not exact. Heathen, thou hast a soul, and it is about 
 to leave its earthly tenement for the unknown world ' ' 
 
 Until now, the captive had listened with the courtesy of 
 a savage when unexcited. He had even gazed at the quiet 
 
Wept of Wteb*Uon*TKIifsb 399 
 
 enthusiasm and singularly contradictory passions that shone 
 in the deep lines of the speaker's face, with some such rev- 
 erence as he might have manifested at an exhibition of one 
 of the pretended revelations of a prophet of his tribe. 
 But when the divine came to touch upon his condition 
 after death, his mind received a clear, and to him an unerr- 
 ing clue to the truth. L,aying a finger suddenly on the 
 shoulder of Meek, he interrupted him by saying, 
 
 ' ' My father forgets that the skin of his son is red. The 
 path to the happy hunting-grounds of just Indians lies 
 before him. ' ' 
 
 ''Heathen, in thy words hath the Master Spirit of De- 
 lusion and Sin uttered his blasphemies ! ' ' 
 
 ' ' Hist ! Did my father see that which stirred the bush ? ' ' 
 
 1 ( It was the viewless wind, idolatrous and idle-minded 
 infant in the form of adult man ! " 
 
 "And yet my father speaks to it," returned the Indian, 
 with the grave but cutting sarcasm of his people. " See," 
 he added, haughtily, and even with ferocity, "the shadow 
 hath passed the root of the tree. Let the cunning man of 
 the pale-faces stand aside ; a sachem is ready to die ! ' ' 
 
 Meek groaned audibly and in real sorrow ; for, notwith- 
 standing the veil which exalted theories and doctrinal sub- 
 tleties had drawn before his judgment, the charities of the 
 man were grounded in truth. Bowing to what he believed 
 to be a mysterious dispensation of the will of Heaven, he 
 withdrew to a short distance, and kneeling on a rock, his 
 voice was heard during the remainder of the ceremonies, lifting 
 its tones in fervent prayer for the soul of the condemned. 
 
 The divine had no sooner quitted the place, than Uncas 
 motioned to Dudley to approach. Though the nature of 
 the borderer was essentially honest and kind, he was in 
 opinion and prejudices but a creature of the times. If he 
 had assented to the judgment which committed the captive 
 to the mercy of his implacable enemies, he had the merit 
 of having suggested the expedient that was to protect the 
 sufferer from those refinements in cruelty which the sav- 
 ages were known to be too ready to inflict. He had even 
 volunteered to be one of the 'agents to enforce his own 
 
400 Ube TKHept of 
 
 expedient, though in so doing he had committed no little 
 violence to his natural inclinations. The reader will there- 
 fore judge of his conduct in this particular, with the degree 
 of lenity that a right consideration of the condition of the 
 country and of the usages of the age may require. There 
 was even a relenting and a yielding of purpose in the 
 countenance of this witness of the scene, that was favorable 
 to the safety of the captive, as he now spoke. His address 
 was first to Uncas. 
 
 "A happy fortune, Mohegan, something aided by the 
 power of the white men, hath put this Narragansett into 
 thy hands, ' ' he said. * ' It is certain that the commissioners 
 of the colony have consented that thou shouldst exercise 
 thy will on his life ; but there is a voice in the breast of 
 every human being, which should be stronger than the voice 
 of revenge, and that is the voice of mercy. It is not yet 
 too late to hearken to it. Take the promise of the Narra- 
 gansett for his faith take more : take a hostage in this 
 child, which with its mother shall be guarded among the 
 English, and let the prisoner go." 
 
 ' ' My brother asketh with a big mind ! ' ' said Uncas, dryly. 
 
 I ' I know not how nor why it is I ask with this earnest- 
 ness, ' ' resumed Dudley, ' * but there are old recollections and 
 former kindnesses, in the face and manner of this Indian ! 
 And here, too, is one, in the woman that I know is tied to 
 some of our settlements, with a bond nearer than that of 
 common charity. Mohegan, I will add a goodly gift of 
 powder and of muskets, if thou wilt listen to mercy, and 
 take the faith of the Narragansett." 
 
 Uncas pointed with ironical coldness to his captive, as he 
 said, 
 
 II Let Conanchet speak ! " 
 
 "Thou hearest, Narragansett. If the man I begin to 
 suspect thee to be, thou knowest something of the usages 
 of the whites. Speak ! Wilt swear to keep peace with 
 the Mohegans, and to bury the hatchet in the path between 
 your villages?" 
 
 " The fire that burnt the lodges of my people turned the 
 heart of Conanchet to stone," was the steady answer. 
 
Ube Wept of TKHtsb*TTon*TKIlt9b 401 
 
 " Then can I do no more than see the treaty respected," 
 returned Dudley, in disappointment. "Thou hast thy na- 
 ture, and it will have way. The Lord have mercy on thee, 
 Indian, and render thee such judgment as is meet for one 
 of savage opportunities." 
 
 He made a gesture to Uncas that he had done, and fell 
 back a few paces from the tree, his honest features express- 
 ing all his concern, while his eye did not refuse to do its 
 duty by closely watching each movement of the adverse 
 parties. At the same instant the grim attendants of the 
 Mohegan chief, in obedience to a sign, took their stations 
 on each side of the captive. They evidently waited for the 
 last and fatal signal, to complete their unrelenting purpose. 
 At this grave moment there was a pause, as if each of the 
 principal actors pondered serious matter in his inmost mind. 
 
 * ' The Narragansett hath not spoken to his woman, ' ' said 
 Uncas, secretly hoping that his enemy might yet betray 
 some unmanly weakness in a moment of so severe trial. 
 "She is near." 
 
 * ' I said my heart was stone, ' ' coldly returned the Narra- 
 gansett. 
 
 * * See ! the girl creepeth like a frightened fowl among the 
 leaves. If my brother Conanchet will look, he will see his 
 beloved." 
 
 The countenance of Conanchet grew dark, but it did not 
 waver. 
 
 ' { We will go among the bushes, if the sachem is afraid 
 to speak to his woman with the eyes of a Mohican on him. 
 A warrior is not a curious girl, that he wishes to see the 
 sorrow of a chief ! ' ' 
 
 Conanchet felt hurriedly for some weapon that might 
 strike his enemy to the earth, and then a low murmuring 
 sound at his elbow stole so softly on his ear, as suddenly to 
 divert the tempest of passion. 
 
 "Will not a sachem look at his boy?" demanded the 
 suppliant. "It is the son of a great warrior. Why is the 
 face of his father so dark on him ? ' ' 
 
 Narra-mattah had drawn near enough to her husband 
 
 to be within reach of his hand. With extended arms she 
 
 26 
 
462 ttbe Wept of 
 
 held the pledge of their former happiness towards the chief, 
 as if to beseech a last and kindly look of recognition and 
 love. 
 
 " Will not the great Narragansett look at his boy ? " she 
 repeated, in a voice that sounded like the lowest notes of 
 some touching melody. ' ' Why is his face so dark on a 
 woman of his tribe ? ' ' 
 
 Even the stern features of the Mohegan Sagamore showed 
 that he was touched. Beckoning to his grim attendants to 
 move behind a tree, he turned and walked aside with the 
 noble air of a savage, when influenced by his better feelings. 
 Then light shot into the clouded countenance of Conanchet. 
 His eyes sought the face of his stricken and grieved con- 
 sort, who mourned less for his danger than she grieved for 
 his displeasure. He received the boy from her hands, and 
 studied his features long and intently. Beckoning to Dud- 
 ley, who alone gazed on the scene, he placed the infant in 
 his arms. 
 
 "See ! " he said, pointing to the child. " It is a blossom 
 of the clearings. It will not live in the shade." 
 
 He then fastened a look on his trembling partner. 
 There was a husband's love in the gaze. "Flower of the 
 open land ! " he said ; ' * the Manitou of thy race will place 
 thee in the fields of thy fathers. The sun will shine upon 
 thee, and the winds from beyond the salt lake will blow the 
 clouds into the woods. A just and great chief cannot shut 
 his ear to the Good Spirit of his people. Mine calls his 
 son to hunt among the braves that have gone on the long 
 path. Thine points another way. Go, hear his voice and 
 obey. I^et thy mind be like a wide clearing. L,et all its 
 shadows be next the woods ; let it forget the dream it 
 dreamt among the trees. 'T is the will of the Manitou." 
 
 " Conanchet asketh much of his wife. Her soul is only 
 the soul of a woman ! " 
 
 "A woman of the pale-faces; now let her seek her 
 tribe. Narra-mattah, thy people speak strange traditions. 
 They say that one just man died for all colors. I know 
 not. Conanchet is a child among the cunning, and a man 
 with the warriors. If this be true, he will look for his 
 
TTbe Tlfltept of misb*Uon=*Wteb 403 
 
 woman and boy in the happy hunting-grounds, and they 
 will come to him. There is no hunter of the Yengeese 
 that can kill so many deer. L,et Narra-mattah forget her 
 chief till that time, and then, when she calls him by name, 
 let her speak strong ; for he will be very glad to hear her 
 voice again. Go ! A sagamore is about to start on a long 
 journey. He takes leave of his wife with a heavy spirit. 
 She will put a little flower of two colors before her eyes, and 
 be happy in its growth. Now let her go. A sagamore is 
 about to die." 
 
 The attentive woman caught each slow and measured 
 syllable, as one trained in superstitious legends would listen 
 to the words of an oracle. But accustomed to obedience 
 and bewildered with her grief, she hesitated no longer. 
 The head of Narra-mattah sank on her bosom as she left 
 him, and her face was buried in her robe. The step with 
 which she passed Uncas was so light as to be inaudible ; 
 but when he saw her tottering form, turning swiftly, he 
 stretched an arm high in the air. The terrible mutes just 
 showed themselves from behind the tree, and vanished. 
 Conanchet started, and it seemed as if he were about to 
 plunge forward ; but, recovering himself by a desperate 
 effort, his body sank back against the tree, and he fell in the 
 attitude of a chief seated in council. There was a smile of 
 fierce triumph on his face, and his lips evidently moved. 
 Uncas did not breathe as he bent forward to listen. 
 
 " Mohican, I die before my heart is soft ! " uttered firmly, 
 but with a struggle, reached his ears. Then came two long 
 and heavy respirations. One was the returning breath of 
 Uncas, and the other the dying sigh of the last sachem of 
 the broken and dispersed tribe of the Narragansetts. 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 " Each lonely scene shall thee restore ; 
 For thee the tear be duly shed ; 
 Beloved till life could charm no more, 
 And mourned till pity's self be dead." 
 
 COLUNS. 
 
 AN hour later, and the principal actors in the fore- 
 going scene had disappeared. There remained 
 only the widowed Narra-mattah, with Dudley, 
 the divine, and Whittal Ring. 
 
 The body of Conanchet still continued, where he had died, 
 seated like a chief in council. The daughter of Content and 
 Ruth had stolen to its side, and she had taken her seat, in 
 that species of dull woe, which so frequently attends the 
 first moments of any unexpected and overwhelming afflic- 
 tion. She neither spoke, sobbed, nor sorrowed in any way 
 that grief is wont to affect the human system. The mind 
 seemed palsied, though a withering sense of the blow was 
 fearfully engraven on every lineament of her eloquent face. 
 The color deserted her cheeks, the lips were bloodless, while 
 at moments they quivered convulsively, like the tremulous 
 movement of the sleeping infant ; and at long intervals her 
 bosom heaved, as if the spirit within struggled heavily to 
 escape from its earthly prison. The child lay unheeded at 
 her side, and Whittal Ring had placed himself on the oppo- 
 site side of the corpse. 
 
 The two agents appointed by the colony to witness the 
 death of Conanchet stood near, gazing mournfully on the 
 piteous spectacle. The instant the spirit of the condemned 
 man fled, the prayers of the divine had ceased, for he be- 
 lieved that then the soul had gone to judgment. But there 
 
 404 
 
TTbe Mept of Wteb^on^Mteb 45 
 
 was more of human charity and less of that exaggerated 
 severity in his aspect, than was ordinarily seated in the 
 deep lines of his austere countenance. Now that the deed 
 was done, and the excitement of his exalted theories had 
 given way to the more positive appearance of the result, he 
 might even have moments of harassing doubts concerning 
 the lawfulness of an act that he had hitherto veiled under 
 the forms of a legal and necessary execution of justice. 
 The mind of Bben Dudley vacillated with none of the 
 subtleties of doctrine or of law. As there had been less 
 exaggeration in his original views of the necessity of the 
 proceeding, so was there more steadiness in his contempla- 
 tion of its fulfilment. Feelings, they might be termed 
 emotions, of a different nature troubled the breast of this 
 resolute but justly disposed borderer. 
 
 " This hath been a melancholy visitation of necessity, 
 and a severe manifestation of the fore-ordering will," said 
 the ensign, as he gazed at the sad spectacle before him. 
 " Father and son have both died, as it were, in my pres- 
 ence, and both have departed for the world of spirits in a 
 manner to prove the inscrutableness of Providence. But 
 dost not see, here, in the face of her who looketh like a form 
 of stone, traces of a countenance that is familiar ? ' ' 
 
 "Thou hast allusion to the consort of Captain Content 
 Heathcote?" 
 
 " Truly, to her only. Thou art not, reverend sir, of suffi- 
 cient residence at the Wish-Ton-Wish, to remember that lady 
 in her youthfulness. But to me, the hour when the captain 
 led his followers into the wilderness seemeth but as a morn- 
 ing of the past season. I was then active in limb, and 
 something idle in reflection and discourse ; it was in that 
 journey that the woman who is now the mother of my chil- 
 dren and I first made acquaintance. I have seen many 
 comely females in my time, but never did I look on one so 
 pleasant to the eye, as was the consort of the captain until 
 the night of the burning. Thou hast often heard the loss 
 she then met, and from that hour her beauty hath been that 
 of the October leaf, rather than its loveliness in the season 
 of fertility. Now look on the face of this mourner, and say 
 
406 Ube TOept of 
 
 if there be not here such an image as the water reflects from 
 an overhanging bush. In verity, I could believe it was 
 the sorrowing eye and the bereaved look of the mother 
 herself!" 
 
 ' * Grief hath struck its blow heavily on this unoffending 
 victim," uttered Meek, with great and subdued softness in 
 his manner. * ' The voice of petition must be raised in her 
 behalf, or" 
 
 * ' Hist ! there are some in the forest ; I hear the rustling 
 of leaves!" 
 
 ' ' The voice of Him who made the earth whispereth in the 
 winds ; his breath is the movement of nature ! ' ' 
 
 " Here are living men ! But, happily, the meeting is 
 friendly, and there will be no further occasion for strife. 
 The heart of a father is sure as ready eye and swift foot. ' ' 
 
 Dudley suffered his musket to fall at his side, and both 
 he and his companion stood in attitudes of decent com- 
 posure to await the arrival of those who approached. The 
 party that drew near arrived on the side of the tree opposite 
 to that on which the death of Conanchet had occurred. The 
 enormous trunk and swelling roots of the pine concealed the 
 group at its feet, but the persons of Meek and the ensign 
 were soon observed. The instant they were discovered, he 
 who led the new-comers bent his footsteps in that direction. 
 
 c ' If, as thou hast supposed, the Narragansett hath again 
 led her thou hast so long mourned into the forest," said 
 Submission, who acted as guide to those who followed, 
 4 'here are we at no great distance from the place of his 
 resort. It was near yon rock that he gave the meeting with 
 the bloody-minded Philip, and the place where I received 
 the boon of an useless and much-afflicted life from his care 
 is within the bosom of that thicket which borders the brook. 
 This minister of the Lord, and our stout friend the ensign, 
 may have further matter to tell us of his movements. ' ' 
 
 The speaker had stopped within a short distance of the two 
 he named, but still on the side of the tree opposite to that 
 where the body lay. He had addressed his words to Con- 
 tent, who also halted to await the arrival of Ruth, who came 
 in the rear, supported by her son, and attended by Faith and 
 
Ube Wept of WfBb^on^Mteb 407 
 
 the physician, all equipped like persons engaged in a search 
 through the forest. A mother's heart had sustained the 
 feeble woman for many a weary mile, but her steps had 
 begun to drag shortly before they so happily fell upon the 
 signs of human beings, near the spot where they now met 
 the two agents of the colony. 
 
 Notwithstanding the deep interest which belonged to the 
 respective pursuits of the individuals who composed these 
 two parties, the interview was opened with no lively signs 
 of feeling on either side. To them a journey in the forest 
 possessed no novelties, and after traversing its mazes for a 
 day the newly-arrived encountered their friends as men 
 meet on more beaten tracks in countries where roads un- 
 avoidably lead them to cross each other's paths. Even the 
 appearance of Submission in front of the travellers elicited 
 no marks of surprise in the unmoved features of those who 
 witnessed his approach. Indeed, the mutual composure of 
 one who had so long concealed his person, and of those who 
 had more than once seen him in striking and mysterious 
 situations, might well justify a belief that the secret of his 
 presence near the valley had not been confined to the family 
 of the Heathcotes. This fact is rendered still more probable 
 by the recollection of the honesty of Dudley, and of the 
 professional characters of the two others. 
 
 " We are on the trail of one fled, as the truant fawn 
 seeketh again the covers of the woods," said Content. 
 1 ' Our hunt was uncertain, and it might have been vain, so 
 many feet have lately crossed the forest, were it not that 
 Providence hath cast our route on that of our friend here, 
 who hath reason to know the probable situation of the 
 Indian camp. Hast seen aught of the Sachem of the Nar- 
 ragansetts, Dudley? and where are those thou led' st against 
 the subtle Philip ? That thou fell upon his party we have 
 heard ; though further than thy general success we have yet 
 to learn. The Wampanoag escaped thee ? ' ' 
 
 * ' The wicked agencies that back him in his designs 
 profited the savage in his extremity. Else would his fate 
 have been that which I fear a far worthier spirit hath been 
 doomed to suffer," 
 
408 Ube Wept of 
 
 * ' Of whom dost speak ? but it mattereth not. We seek 
 our child ; she whom thou hast known, and whom thou hast 
 so lately seen, hath again left us. We seek her in the camp 
 of him who hath been to her Dudley, hast seen aught of 
 the Narragansett Sachem ? ' ' 
 
 The ensign looked at Ruth as he had once before been 
 seen to gaze on the sorrowing features of the woman ; but 
 he spoke not. Meek folded his arms on his breast, and 
 seemed to pray inwardly. There was, however, one who 
 broke the silence, though his tones were low and menacing. 
 
 ' ' It was a bloody deed ! ' ' muttered the innocent. ' ' The 
 lying Mohican hath struck a great chief from behind. I,et 
 him dig the prints of his moccasin from the earth, with his 
 nails, like a burrowing fox ; for there '11 be one on his trail 
 before he can hide his head. Nipset will be a warrior the 
 next snow ! ' ' 
 
 "There speaks my witless brother!" exclaimed Faith, 
 rushing ahead she recoiled, covered her face with her 
 hands, and sank upon the ground, under the violence of the 
 surprise that followed. 
 
 Though time moved with his ordinary pace, it appeared 
 to those who witnessed the scene which succeeded, as if 
 the emotions of many days were collected within the brief 
 compass of a few minutes. We shall not dwell on the 
 first harrowing and exciting moments of the appalling dis- 
 covery. 
 
 A short half-hour served to make each person acquainted 
 with all that it was necessary to know. We shall therefore 
 transfer the narrative to the end of that period. 
 
 The body of Conanchet still rested against the tree. The 
 eyes were open, and though glazed in death, there still re- 
 mained about the brow, the compressed lips, and the expan- 
 sive nostrils, much of that lofty firmness which had sustained 
 him in the last trial of life. The arms were passive at its 
 sides, but one hand was clenched in the manner with which 
 it had so often grasped the tomahawk, while the other had 
 lost its power in a vain effort to seek the place in the girdle 
 where the keen knife should have been. These two move- 
 ments had probably been involuntary, for in all other re- 
 
TTbe TKHept of TOisb*Uon*Wt9b 409 
 
 spects, the form was expressive of dignity and repose. At 
 its side, the imaginary Nipset still held his place, menacing 
 discontent betraying itself through the ordinary dull fatuity 
 of his countenance. 
 
 The others present were collected around the mother and 
 her stricken child. It would seem that all other feelings 
 were, for the moment, absorbed in apprehension for the 
 former. There was much reason to dread that the recent 
 shock had suddenly deranged some of that fearful machinery 
 which links the soul to the body. This effect, however, 
 was more to be apprehended by a general apathy and failing 
 of the system, than by any violent and intelligible symptom. 
 
 The pulses still vibrated, but it was heavily, and like the 
 irregular and faltering evolutions of the mill, which the 
 dying breeze is ceasing to fan. The pallid countenance was 
 fixed in its expression of anguish. Color there was none, 
 even the lips resembling the unnatural character which is 
 given by images of wax. Her limbs, like her features, were 
 immovable ; and yet there was, at moments, a working of 
 the latter, which would seem to imply not only conscious- 
 ness, but vivid and painful recollections of the realities of 
 her situation. 
 
 * ' This surpasseth my art, ' ' said Doctor Ergot, raising 
 himself from a long and silent examination of the pulse ; 
 " there is a mystery in the construction of the body, which 
 human knowledge hath not yet unveiled. The currents of 
 existence are sometimes frozen in an incomprehensible 
 manner, and this I conceive to be a case that would confound 
 the most learned of our art, even in the oldest countries of 
 the earth. It hath been my fortune to see many arrive and 
 but few depart from this busy world, and yet do I presume 
 to foretell that here is one destined to quit its limits ere the 
 natural number of her days has been filled ! " 
 
 4 ' I<et us address ourselves, in behalf of that which shall 
 never die, to Him who hath ordered the event from the 
 commencement of time," said Meek, motioning to those 
 around him to join in prayer. 
 
 The divine then lifted up his voice, under the arches of 
 the forest, in an ardent, pious, afnd eloquent petition. When 
 
410 Zlbe Wept of 
 
 this solemn duty was performed, attention was again be- 
 stowed on the sufferer. To the surprise of all, it was found 
 that the blood had revisited her face, and that her radiant 
 eyes were lighted with an expression of brightness and 
 peace. She even motioned to be raised, in order that those 
 near her person might be better seen. 
 
 ' * Dost know us ? " asked the trembling Ruth. ' ' Look 
 on thy friends, long-mourned and much-suffering daughter. 
 'T is she who sorrowed over thy infant afflictions, who re- 
 joiced in thy childish happiness, and who hath so bitterly 
 wept thy loss, that craveth the boon. In this awful mo- 
 ment, recall the lessons of youth. Surely, surely, the God 
 that bestowed thee in mercy, though He hath led thee on a 
 wonderful and inscrutable path, will not desert thee at the 
 end ? Think of thy early instruction, child of my love ; 
 feeble of spirit as thou art, the seed may yet quicken, 
 though it hath been cast where the glory of the promise 
 hath so long been hid." 
 
 * ' Mother ! ' ' said a low, struggling voice in reply. The 
 word reached every ear, and it caused a general and breath- 
 less attention. The sound was soft and low, perhaps infan- 
 tile, but it was uttered without accent, and clearly. 
 
 ' ' Mother why are we in the forest ? ' ' continued the 
 speaker. " Have any robbed us of our home, that we 
 dwell beneath the trees ? " 
 
 Ruth raised a hand imploringly, for none to interrupt the 
 illusion. 
 
 "Nature hath revived the recollections of her youth," 
 she whispered. * * Let the spirit depart, if such be his holy 
 will, in the blessedness of infant innocence ! " 
 
 1 1 Why do Mark and Martha stay ? ' ' continued the 
 other. "It is not safe, thou knowest, mother, to wander 
 far in the woods ; the heathen may be out of their towns, 
 and one cannot say what evil chance might happen to the 
 indiscreet." 
 
 A groan struggled from the chest of Content, and the 
 muscular hand of Dudley compressed itself on the shoulder 
 of his wife, until the breathlessly attentive woman withdrew 
 unconsciously, with pain, 
 
Ube Mept of Wisb^ttotWlKIlteb 4" 
 
 " I 've said as much to Mark, for he doth not always 
 remember thy warnings, mother ; and those children do so 
 love to wander together ! but Mark is, in common, good ; 
 do not chide if he stray too far mother, thou wilt not 
 chide?" 
 
 The youth turned his head, for even at that moment 
 the pride of young manhood prompted him to conceal his 
 weakness. 
 
 " Hast prayed to-day, my daughter? " said Ruth, strug- 
 gling to be composed. "Thou shouldst not forget thy 
 duty to His blessed name, even though we are houseless in 
 the woods." 
 
 ~''I will pray now, mother," said the creature of this 
 mysterious hallucination, struggling to bow her face into 
 the lap of Ruth. Her wish was indulged, and for a min- 
 ute, the same low, childish voice was heard distinctly re- 
 peating the words of a prayer adapted to the earliest 
 period of life. Feeble as were the sounds, none of their 
 intonations escaped the listeners, until near the close, when 
 a species of holy calm seemed to absorb the utterance. 
 Ruth raised the form of her child, and saw that the fea- 
 tures bore the placid look of a sleeping infant. I^ife 
 played upon them, as the flickering light lingers on the 
 dying torch. Her dove-like eyes looked up into the face 
 of Ruth, and the anguish of the mother was alleviated by 
 a smile of intelligence and love. The full and sweet or- 
 gans next rolled from face to face, recognition and pleas- 
 ure accompanying each change. On Whittal they became 
 perplexed and doubtful, but when they met the fixed, 
 frowning, and still commanding eye of the dead chief, 
 their wandering ceased forever. There was a minute, 
 during which fear, doubt, wildness, and early recollec- 
 tions, struggled for the mastery. The hands of Narra- 
 mattah trembled, and she clung convulsively to the robe 
 of Ruth. 
 
 ' ' Mother ! mother ! ' ' whispered the agitated victim of 
 so many conflicting emotions, * ' I will pray again, an evil 
 spirit besets me." 
 
 Ruth felt the force of her grasp, and heard the breath- 
 
412 Ube Wept of 
 
 ing of a few words of petition ; after which the voice was 
 mute, and the hands relaxed their hold. When the face 
 of the nearly insensible parent was withdrawn, to the others 
 the dead appeared to gaze at each other with a myste- 
 rious and unearthly intelligence. The look of the Nar- 
 ragansett was still, as in his hour of pride, haughty, 
 unyielding, and filled with defiance ; while that of the 
 creature who had so long lived in his kindness was per- 
 plexed, timid, but not without a character of hope. A 
 solemn calm succeeded, and when Meek raised his voice 
 again in the forest, it was to ask the Omnipotent Ruler of 
 Heaven and Karth to sanctify his dispensation to those who 
 survived. 
 
 The changes which have been wrought on this continent 
 within a century and a half are very wonderful. Cities 
 have appeared where the wilderness then covered the 
 ground, and there is good reason to believe that a flourish- 
 ing town now stands on or near the spot where Conanchet 
 met his death. But, notwithstanding so much activity has 
 prevailed in the country, the valley of this legend remains 
 but little altered. The hamlet has increased to a village ; 
 the farms possess more of the air of cultivation ; the 
 dwellings are enlarged, and are somewhat more commodi- 
 ous ; the churches are increased to three ; the garrisoned 
 houses, and all other signs of apprehension from violence, 
 have long since disappeared ; but still the place is secluded, 
 little known, and strongly impressed with the marks of its 
 original sylvan character. 
 
 A descendant of Mark and Martha is, at this hour, the 
 proprietor of the estate on which so many of the moving 
 incidents of our simple tale were enacted. Even the 
 building which was the second habitation of his ancestors 
 is in part standing, though additions and improvements 
 have greatly changed its form. The orchards, which in 
 1675 were young and thrifty, are now old and decaying. 
 The trees have yielded their character for excellence, to 
 those varieties of the fruit which the soil and the climate 
 have since made known to the inhabitants. Still they 
 
Ube Mept of Wisb^ZTon^TKIiteb 413 
 
 stand, for it is known that fearful scenes occurred beneath 
 their shades, and there is a deep moral interest attached to 
 their existence. 
 
 The ruins of the block-house, though much dilapidated 
 and crumbling, are also visible. At their foot is the last 
 abode of all the Heathcotes who have lived and died in 
 that vicinity, for near two centuries. The graves of those 
 of later times are known by tablets of marble ; but nearer 
 to the ruin are many, whose monuments, half-concealed in 
 the grass, are cut in the common coarse freestone of the 
 country. 
 
 One who took an interest in the recollection of days 
 long gone had occasion a few years since to visit the spot. 
 It was easy to trace the births and deaths of generations 
 by the visible records on the more pretending monuments 
 of those interred within a hundred years. Beyond that 
 period, research became difficult and painful. But his zeal 
 was not to be easily defeated. 
 
 To every little mound, one only excepted, there was a 
 stone, and on each stone, illegible as it might be, there was 
 an inscription. The undistinguished grave, it was pre- 
 sumed, by its size and its position, was that which con- 
 tained the bones of those who fell in the night of the 
 burning. There was another, which bore, in deep letters, 
 the name of the Puritan. His death occurred in 1680. 
 At its side there was an humble stone, on which, with 
 great difficulty, was traced the single word "Submission." 
 It was impossible to ascertain whether the date was 1680 
 or 1690. The same mystery remained about the death of 
 this man, as had clouded so much of his life. His real 
 name, parentage, or character, further than they have 
 been revealed in these pages, was never traced. There 
 still remains, however, in the family of the Heathcotes, an 
 orderly-book of a troop of horse, which tradition says had 
 some connection with his fortunes. Affixed to this defaced 
 and imperfect document, is a fragment of some diarv or 
 journal, which has reference to the comdemnation of 
 Charles I. to the scaffold. 
 
 The body of Content lay ne*ar his infant children, and it 
 
414 ^be Wept of 
 
 would seem that lie still lived in the first quarter of the last 
 century. There was an aged man, lately in existence, who 
 remembers to have seen him, a white-headed patriarch, 
 reverend by his years, and respected for his meekness and 
 justice. He had passed nearly or quite half a century un- 
 married. This melancholy fact was sufliciently shown by the 
 date on the stone of the nearest mound. The inscription 
 denoted it to be the grave of ' ' Ruth, daughter of George 
 Harding of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, and wife of 
 Capt. Content Heathcote." She died in the autumn of 
 1675, with, as the stone reveals, "a spirit broken for the 
 purposes of earth, by much family affliction, though with 
 hopes justified by the covenant, and her faith in the I^ord." 
 
 The divine, who lately officiated, if he do not now offici- 
 ate, in the principal church of the village, is called the Rev- 
 erend Meek L,amb. Though claiming a descent from him 
 who ministered in the temple at the period of our tale, time 
 and intermarriages have produced this change in the name, 
 and happily some others in doctrinal interpretations of duty. 
 When this worthy servant of the church found the object 
 which had led one born in another State, and claiming 
 descent from a line of religionists who had left the common 
 country of their ancestors to worship in still another manner, 
 to take an interest in the fortunes of those who first inhab- 
 ited the valley, he found a pleasure in aiding the inquiries. 
 The abodes of the Dudleys and Rings were numerous in 
 the village and its environs. He showed a stone, surrounded 
 by many others that bore these names, on which was rudely 
 carved, ''I am Nipset, a Narragansett ; the next snow, I 
 shall be a warrior ! " There is a rumor, that though the 
 hapless brother of Faith gradually returned to the ways of 
 civilized life, he had frequent glimpses of those seducing 
 pleasures which he had once enjoyed in the freedom of the 
 woods. 
 
 Whilst wandering through these melancholy remains of 
 former scenes, a question was put to the divine concerning 
 the place where Conanchet was interred. He readily 
 offered to show it. The grave was on the hill, and distin- 
 guished only by a head-stone that the grass had concealed 
 
Ube TKttept of 
 
 415 
 
 from former search. It merely bore the words "The 
 Narragansett." 
 
 " And this at its side ? " asked the inquirer. " Here is 
 one also, before unnoted. ' ' 
 
 The divine bent in the grass, and scraped the moss from 
 the humble monument. He then pointed to a line, carved 
 with more than usual care. The inscripton simply said 
 
 " THE WEPT OF WISH-TON-WISH." 
 
 END. 
 
THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ 
 
 This book is due on the last DATE stamped below. 
 
 To renew by phone, call 429-2756 
 
 Books not returned or renewed within 1 4 days 
 
 after due date are subject to billing. 
 
 APR1V95 
 
 APR051994REC'D 
 
 Series 2373 
 
IX OF 
 
 7577