UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES KONINGSMARKE, THE LONG FINNE, A STORY OF THE NEW WORLD. " Tliis afTuir being taken into consideration, it waj adjudged that Koningimarkp, commonly called the Long Finnc, deserved to die ; yet, in regard that many concern- p.l in the affVir Mng timj.le and ignorant people, it was thought fit to order that the f.ong Finu* ih"'ild be severely **#* ." '. Fragment of Minutes of Council in New- York, IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. NEW- YORK : rilARLES WILEY, NO. 3 WALL-STREET. Jnfmslone & FhnAWi/;. I'.-intn-s, 1823, Sew/Arm Ditlricl t/Ntie-Yorl, n. -.; BE IT REMEMBERED, thi fr.rty -eighth year of the Independence of the t n nJ Jutrict, bilh deposited in thii ofcce b* claims as proprietor, in the werdi following. ( n t'h eighth day of Jvly, in lee d St.tr, of America. Char In MV.-. . he title of a book, the rifht where'of it: he New World. K f >mirke, the Loaf Finne, a Story of " ' Thu affair btiiif taken into consideration, t wn adjod^d that Koniaffunirke. cnmmool/ called the LOB; Finne, dr<- .in rr^ird that many concern -ir.f iimple aad ifaorant people, it was thought t to order that the I lane should b screrel/ ! .'....Frafnunt of M>**lei of Co*- '.. In two Tolumn. I f.,rnutj to the Act of the Confresa of the United Rut", tntitirJ, "An Act rncnun/remrtt al l^irnin^, by secuhni; the copies of Maps, Cbarts, and to the authors and proprietors of such copies, Johns; the time tbrrein n . i also to an Act entitled, "An Act, supplementary to an Act, entitled, an ungcment of Lesrnintr. IT i- <*. and to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mar- sad eiteudinf the heneiti thereof to the arts of designing-, ecgrsTing and ; a."f isjmii il aad aiWr rnau, .T \MKi I'll I Clrrko/lkt Setilktr* iHtind of Acr- York. KONINGSMARKE, THE LONG FINNE. BOOK FIRST. I CHAPTER I. IN order that our readers and ourselves nia\ at once come to a proper understanding, we will confess, without any circumlocution, that we sat down to write this history before we had thought of any regular plan, or arranged the incidents, being fully convinced that an author who trusts to his own genius, like a modern saint who re lies solely on his faith, will never be left in tiio lurch. Another principle of ours, which we have seen fully exemplified in the very great suc( es$ of certain popular works, advertised for publi cation before they were begun to be written, is. that it is much better for an author to comment i- hi.s work, without knowing how it is to end, than VOL. i. 1 ' -MAHK1.. to hamper him.-elf with a regular plot, a ,-u. -ion of prepared incidents, and a premedit eata-trophe. Thi-. we hold to bean error little . than to tie the legs of a dancing nin-ter. to make him caper the more gracefully, or pinion a man's arms behind his back, a- a preparatixi to a boxin- match. In -hort. it is taking awax . b\ a -ort of literary /e/o de se, all that free will that perfect liberty of imagination and inventio which causes us writers to curvet so graceful in the fertile fields of hi-torical fiction. \iiother sore obstacle in the way of the fi mi-, i- for a writer of historical no- \\e haxe reason to suspect this will turn out to be. to embarrass his invention by an abject submission to chronology, or confine iiim-elf only to the introduction of such charac- "iid incidcnt> a- really existed or took pi within the limit.- of time and space comprised in -roumlwork of hi- story. Nothing can be more evident than that tlii- -([ii<"itm-liiie-- of tin- author must materially interfere with the in- ' and variety of his work, -ii,- of- ten happen-, there should be wanting great cha- r greal < \tnt-. coming lawfully within the i :ii]tri.-fd in the said hi-tory. the MgHIr will lie nroporti- in hi- in i- KONINGSMARKF.. lerials. To be scared by a trifling anachronism, in relation to things that have passed away a century, or ten centuries ago, is a piece of lite rary cowardice, similar to that of the ignorant clown, who should be frightened by the ghost of some one that had been dead a thousand years. So far, therefore, as we can answer for our- selves in the course of this history, we honestly advertise the reader, that although our hero is strictly an historical personage, having actually lived and died, like other people, yet in all other respects, not only he, but every character in the work, belongs entirely to us. We mean to make them think, talk and act just as we like, and without the least regard to nature, education or probability. So also as respects the incidents of our history. We intend, at present, reserving to ourselves, however, the liberty of altering our plan whenever it suits us in the course of our la bours, to confine our labours to no time nor place, but to embody in our work every incident or adventure that falls in our way, or that an inti mate knowledge of old ballads, nursery tales,' and traditions, has enabled us to collect together. In short, we are fully determined, by the ex- >nnple of a certain Great Unknown, that so long KONUVGSMARKE, :i we. holil the pen, we will never be deterred i'roni sei/iiiu any romantic or improbable adven ture, by any weak apprehension that people will (|ii:irrel with us because they do not follow on in the natural course, or hang together by an\ probable connexion of cau>e and effect. Another (Ifterinination of ours, of which we think it fair to apprize the reader, is, tliat we shall strenuously endeavour to avoid an intercourse, either directly or indirectly, wi that bane of true geniu>, coiiiinonly called com mon sense. We look upon that species of vul immpkin capacity, :c> little better than thr in.-tinct of animal-; a-- the greatest pot of aii- thor.-hip that e\ er exn-ei-fd jni-ixliction in tin tield- of literatun-. It< \erv name i^ snllieient t indicate the al>Mirdit\ ofper-on- Ntri\ijm l<> pro duce an\ tiling iincoiinnon ly an abject submi-- Bion tO 1U dictates. It -liall al^o be our e-peri;d . 10 a\oid the uncleiit, but nearl\ exploded >r. of >iippo-i!iii that either nature or proba bility i- in an\\\i>e nee essar} to the interest of a u of iiuauination. \Ve intend that all 0111 principal character- -hall induce in a> inan\ in- coni>teucie> and t ( ceinriciiie-, a- \\ ill >uliice (o inal -onic\\hal in . beini: aim --iin-d tint your -nlnr. rational mortal-. KONINGSMARKE. 9 who act from ordinary impulses, "and pursue a course of conduct sanctioned by common sense, ore no better than common-place people, entire!}' unworthy the addition of an author, or hi:- readers. It is" for this special reason that we have chosen for our scene of action, a for- .u'otten village, and for our actors, an obscure colony, whose existence is scarcely known. ;ind the incidents of whose history are sufficient- Is insignificant to allow us ample liberty in giv ing what cast and colouring we please to their manners, habits and opinions. And we shall make free use of this advantage, trusting to the t'\;unple of the great writer to whom we before alluded, that the good-natured public will give n> full credit for being most faithful delineators of life and manners. Great and manifold are the Advantages arising from choosing this obscure period. The writer who attempts to copy exist ing life and manners, must come in competi tion, and undergo a comparison with the origi- n;il>. which he cannot sustain, unless his picture be correct and characteristic. But with regard to a state of society that is become extinct, it is like painting the unicorn, or the mammoth; give he one only a single horn, and make the other 10 EOK1NOSVA&KK. <>nh bitf rnouch, and tin- likene-, will be n vived a- perfei i. ( Yrt;tiu ca\iller, who pretend to be the ad\o- - of truth, ha\e -tremmu>l^ objected to the present fashion of erectinu ;i .>nper-tructure of fiction on ;i lj;i-i> of Ihct, \\ liich tlic\ >av i< ron- roundint;- trutli with falsehood in tin- mind- <>i youthful readers. Hut \ve look upon this olijtv.- tioii a- jirrfivtlv frivolou>. It i-annot lie denied that such a mixture of history and romance i- e\- :inince, if the figure may In allowed u-, truth i- the meat, and fiction the v a ]t, v. hich uivt - it a /< ,t, and jir- serVM it from jieri-h- So, also, a little emliellishment \\ ill -a\ e ( -er- i i in in^iirnilicant \ eiit- from lieiiiu entirely lo>t or tien in the lapse of time. Hence ue find young people, who turn with di-^u-'. from the >oli(i dulne.s> of purr matter of fart history, de- \tnrii)L r with \a->t a\idity those delectable mixed di-he-, and thus acquiring a knowlrdtie tn- Ahich, though we coulees -ome\\hat arlult**- 4'ated. i- better than nonr at all. l>e-ide> thi>. \ leai-iied per-on- are o(' opinion that all Jii>tory i- in it>elf little lietter than a romance., mo-t e>jirciall\ that part wherein hi-torian- j>re- to detail the M-rvn inoiives of niuiuirch-: and KOMNGSMARKE. 11 their ministers. One who was himself an old ^talesman, writes thus : - How oft, when great affairs perplex the brain? Of mighty politicians, to conjecture From whence sprung such designs, such revolution*. Such exaltations, such depressions, wars and crime*. Our female Machiavels would smile to think 1 low closely lurking lay the nick of all In some such trifle as a woman's spleen, Or statesman's empty pride, or passing whim." Such, the.n, being the case with history, we think it a marvellous idle objection to this our mode of writing, to say that it is falsifying what is true^ -ince it is onfy sprinkling a little more fiction with it, in order to render it sufficiently natural and entertaining to allure the youthful and ro mantic reader. Before concluding this introductory chapter, which is to be considered the key to our under taking, we will ask one favour of the reader. It is, that if on some occasions we shall, in the course of this work, appear somewhat wiser in various matters, than comports with the period of our history, and at other times not so wise as we oui;ht to be, he will in the one case ascribe it to the total inability of authors to refrain from telling what they know, and in the other, to an KONINGSMARKE. xtraordinan exertion of modesty, by \\hicli u t-nablrd, at that particular moment, to re* the Hl'rne-cence of our kmwledue. Finally, in order that the reader may devour >nr \\ork with a proper zest, we hereby assure him, (in confidence,*) tliat our bookseller has co- \fu;tntcd and agreed to pay us ten thousand dol lar- in Kentucky bank notr>. j)ro\id-d tin- -ale ol it >hould justify such inordinate irmrrnsiu . \N \\ill now pluntr*- directly into the thicker (.f'oin adventure^, having thus happily got over tin- tir-t \\liich i- h-ld to be half the battle. CHAPTER II. Peter Piper pick'd a peck of pickled peppers. Where is the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper pick'd ?" THE curious traveller along the western bank of the Delaware river, will hardly fail to notice some few scattered remains, such as parts of old walls, and fragments of chimneys, which indicate where once stood the famous fort and town of Elsingburg, one of the earliest settlements of the Swedes in this country. The precise spot these ruins occupy we shall not point out, since it is our present intention to give such an ac curate description, that it cannot be mistaken by a reader of common sagacity. At the time this history commences, that is to say, somewhere about the middle of the sixteenth rciitury, a period of very remote antiquity consi dering the extreme juvenility of our country, tin- important little post was governed by the Heer Peter Piper, a short thickset person, of German parentage, whose dress, rain or shine, week day? r Sundays, in peace or war, in winter and sum- mer.ua> a -nit of olive-colon red \el\ it. ornament ed with ebony buttons. \ v -till preserved in the Piper family, r him with a round. and -omewhat full face, a uood deal wrinkled; -tnrdy -hort leir-.thin at the ankle-, and redundant at the s.sneh a- we -eldoin -ee no\\.ula\ B, , \\hich ren der- it entirely nnnere--ar\ that nature >hould ial pain- with that part of the ani mal man : -toed -line-, and -i|iiare luickle- of a \ellowi-h hue. hiu whether of irold or I i- impo--ihle to decide at this remote period. *\ould uise the uorld, that is to say, all that part of it which is at piv-ent in our po-se--inii. namely, a magnificent castle in the air, to be able to satisfy the doubts of our readers in respect to the problem whether the Heer Peter Piper wore a cocked hat. But a^ the painter, with an unpar donable neirliiieiice. and a total di-reuanl t> po terit\. hi- rlioMii to represent him bareheaded, v\e can onl\ -a\ , that hi- head ua- ordinaril\ vered with a thick crop of hair that curled rather >bedly aboitt itis forehead and ear-. It Irnh been aptly remarked by close observers of human nature, that tin- -per'u-s of petulant curl, i- almo-i i (variable concomitant of an irritable, te-i\ . uper, which, as it J-JH ami KONINGSMARKE. I O carls about after a similar manner with the said hair. Certain it is that, whatever exceptions may oo -ur to the general rule, the Heer Piper was not one of them, he being, as the course of our his tory will fully substantiate, an exceeding little tyrant, that fell into mortal passions about no thing, broke his nose over every straw that lay in his way, and was seldom to be found in any sort of good humour, except when he had swore vengeance at every soul that excited his wrath. Indeed, to say truth, he was one of those bluster ing little bodies, who differ entirely from those who are said to be no heroes to their valet-de- rhambre, since it was said of him that he was ;i hero to nobody else, but his servants and depend ants, whom he bullied exceedingly. The good people of Elsingburgh called him, behind his back, Pepper Pot Peter, in double allu sion to the fiery nature of his talk, and his fond- tor the dish known among our ancestors b\ that name, and remarkable for its high seasoning. Tlic distich placed at the head of this chapter^ \\:is made upon the Heer Peter, by a wag of the day, who excelled in alliterative poetry, and of whom we shall say more anon, if we do not for- L-ff it in the multiplicity of adventure- \\e intend to incorporate into thi- true history. Hut a- w< mean to leave a tjood part of our work to tin imagination of tin* reader to supply to the be-i of hi- abilities, we will let the character of Go vernor Piper develop itself in his future con duct, and proceed \\ith our -to; One -ultry -uiiuuer altrrnoon in tin- month ol hil\ , tin- Hivr I'ctcr lia\ iim fnii-hcd his dinner 1>\ f>n' o'clock, \\:is -ittinu in lii> irrt-at arm rhair. under the shade of a nolile elm, the stump of which is still to he seen, and hein^: hollow. - for a notable pi^ -t\, vmokintr bis pipe ;i- v\a- hi- cii-tom, and niminatintr in that luxiiriou- -tate of imbecility between -leepin^; and uakiti-z. 'I'he river in front spread out into an e\pan-i\ hike, ^mooth and bright as a lookincr ulass ; the .-huim almost lifeleM to the trees, for there v\a- not a breath of air -tirrinir ; tlie cnttlt stood midway in the water-, lasliimr the flie- !a/ilv with their tail- ; the turke\- Miuuht tin -hade with their bills wide open, ira-pina; for breath ; and all nature, animate as well ;i> in animate, di-|)la\ed thru lassitude which is tin . i|l]ence of e\ci i\ e heat. The llerr .-at with hi- i\e- ( lo-ed, and We v\i!l not -wear that he \va- not :.t thi- precise mo- p. ahhouerh the -moke of hi- pipe KOMNGSMARKE. IT jtill continued to ascend at regular intervals, i a perpendicular column, inasmuch as it wa? affirmed by Wolfgang Langfanger, and some others of his friends and counsellers, that the Heer Peter did sometimes smoke somewhat in stinctively, as a man breathes in his sleep. How ever this may be, whether sleeping or waking, the Governor was suddenly roused by the intrusion of one Lob Dotterel, a constable and busybody, who considered himself, in virtue of his office, at full liberty to poke his proboscis into every hole and corner, and to pry into the secret as well as public actions of every soul in the village. It is astonishing what a triumph it was to Lob Dot terel, to catch any body tripping ; he considered it a proof of his vigilance and sagacity. And here, lest the reader should do Master Dotterel wrong, in supposing that the prospect of bribes or fees herein stimulated him to activity, we will aver it as our belief, that he was governed by no such sordid motive, but acted upon a similar instinct with that of a well-bred pointer dog, who is ever seen wagging his tail with great delight when he brings in game, although hr neither expects to be rewarded, or to share in the spoil, at least so far as we have been able to penetrate his motives of action. VOL. i. 2 J8 Master Dotterel wai backed on tli> .ifore-aid, h\ one Re-tore Cioslin^. and Ala>ti>, Oldale, keeper of the Indian Queen, the mo-i fashionable, not to -a\ the only ta\ern, in the vil- lageofElsingburgb. These three worthieffhad HI ruMody a tall, straight) light-complexioned, hlur- c\rd \oiitli, \\lin signified his ronu-inpt for tlif urru^ation, \\liale\cr it iniulit he, the con-tahle. Ma-ter He>tore Cio-lint:, iNIa-Jter Oldale, and the Hi-cr 1'fter hiinselt', hy rul)hinu his rliin on citlit^r >ide \\itli his thuinh and fniLTr-. and vvhi>tlini: Vanker Doodle, or any other tune th;i1 doth not imulve a horrihle anachronism. There are three tliiiiu- a real LTenuine man cannot hear, to wit : to do bu>inos alter dinner to he di>turhed in his meditation or to >u>j>eet that tin- little people behm him do not think him so ureat a jier-on a> he i- inclined t. think himself. All thesi- causes combined to put the Heer Peter in a had humour, insomuch that he privately communed with him>elf that h would tickle tin- \vhistlini:, chin-scrapinc >trip- Well, culprit," cried the Ilecr, itli a formi dable aspect of authority " \Vell, culj)rit, what i- \otir crime r 1 can see with half an eye yoii'rt- no brttrr than vou honkl 1 KOMNGSMAUKE, 19 "That's no more than may be said of most people, I believe," answered the youth, with great composure. "Answer me, sirrah," quoth the Heer, "what fs thy crime, I say?" " Ask these Gentlemen," said the other. "What eh! you can't confess, hey! an old offender I warrant me. I'll tickle you before I've done with you. What's thy name whence came you and whither art thou going, cul prit?" "My name," replied the fair tail youth, " i> Koningsmarke, surnamed the Long Finne ; I came from the Hoarkill, and I am going to jail. I presume, if I may augur aught from your Excellency's look, and the hard names you are pleased to bestow on me." Nothing is so provoking to the majesty of a great man, as the self-possession of a little one. Tlie Heer Peter Piper began to suspect that the Long Finne did not stand in sufficient awe of hi> li unity and authority, a suspicion than which nothing could put him in a greater passion. He addressed Master Dotterel, and demanded to know for what offence the culprit was brought before him, in a tone which Lob perfectly under stood as encouragement not to suppress any part K f, N >fthe prisoner's guilt. Lol) hereupon referred flu- Heer to Master Oldale, who referred him to >! Gos-liiiM-, who had laid the information. This apparent disposition to shift the oni/* H eau-ed additional wrath in the Heer, li"i:aii to tremble lest the Long Finne might him the >lip, and e>rape th- consequences of ontempt of authority . He thundered forth Mimand to Co-ling to state nil he knew :ist the culprit; laying hard emphasis on the 1." Master Gosling, ntter divers scratches of the my I^ord Byron indultreth in when he writeth pi>. i himself toirether, and -aid as follows not deposed, for the Heer held it an unriue indulgence to prisoners, to put the will; iiiM them to their bible oath. d, that he had >een tlu MM'im man, who called him-elf Koningsmarke. or the Lontr Finne, take out of his pocket a hand- full of .Mark .New by "s halfpence, or, as it \\a- commonly called. /',/?'.* halfpence, which ever\ WAS prohibited being brought into rlie dommioii it n, under penalty of con- 'ion of the money; one half to the informer. nd the other half to his Sacred Maj. KONINGS-MABKK. 2\ King of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and tin- Goths. "Ho, ho!" exclaimed the Heer, rubbing his hands; "this looks like conspiracy and plot with a vengeance. I should not be surprised if the Pope and the of Babylon were at the bottom of this." And here we will remind the reader that this was about the time that the manu factory of plots, Popish and Presbyterian, Meal Tub and Rye House, flourished so luxuriantly, under the fruitful invention of Shaftesbury, Oates, Tongue, Dugdale, Bedlow and others." Now the I leer Peter always took pattern after the old countries, insomuch that whenever a plot came out in England, or elsewhere, he forthwith got up another at Elsingburgh, as nearly like it as possible. In one word, he imitated all the pranks, freaks and fooleries of royalty, as an apjo does those of a man. At the period, too, which this history is about to commemorate, there were frn-iblejealousies and heart-burnings betwixt the n-presentatives of royalty in the adjoining or neighbouring colonies of New-Jersey, Pensylva- tiiu, Maryland, New-York, and Connecticut, The different monarch^ of Europe, had not onjy iven away with astonishing liberality what did not belong to them, in this new world, but givejj 2* it away over and over again to different per tion Vnv, though these trarts were, ninety-nine purl in a hundred, a perfect wilderness, and the nuni- af inhabitants as one to a hundred squan miles, yet did these potentates, and especially vernors, feel great solicitude lest thej Oiould be in no little time stinted for elbow-room v were, consequent!) , always l>icki ring abom boundaries and disputing every inch of wilder- most manfully, by protest and appeal tc thin^ hut arms. Tlie HUT I'ipe :;-d a territory by right of i : .grant, possession, and what not. what larger than Sweden, and which, at the time of this writing, contained exactly (by census) three hundred and sixty-eight \clu>i\e of Indian.-*. It is therefore little to be wondered at, if, beinc as he wa*. i Ion.; -headed man, metaphorically >peak- ld iieuin to look out in time for thr comfort of the immcn.-e population, which In foresaw must -pcidilv be pressed for room. Hi- ' of course coiHimially sfjuintii: tONINCSMARKE. 3 his neighbours, most especially the Quakers at Coaquanock, and the Roman Catholics, who about this time settled at St. Mary's under Leonard Calvert. He therefore pricked up his ears, and smelt a plot, at the very sound of Mark Newby's halfpence, a coin then circula~ ring in West Jersey and Coaquanock, and forth with set down the Long Finne as an emissary from the Quakers, who, he swore, although they would not fight, had various ways of getting pos- -ession of his territories, much more effectual than arms. Moreover, he abhorred them be cause they would not pull off their hats to the representative of Gustavus Adolphus, and, as he -tftirmed, were a people who always expected manners from others, although they gave none themselves. In addition to these causes of dis- uust, it was rumoured, that his Excellency tht- Heer, being once riding out near Coaquanock. met a Quaker driving a great wagon, and who refusing to turn either to the right or to the left* rendered it necessary for Peter Piper to at tempt to pass him, by the which his buggy wa> overset, and himself precipitated into a slough i ,et me tell the reader, that trifles less than ilVse have more than once set mankind toCtlv- J4 KONINGsMARKK. vr by the ear.-, and cau-ed the river- of the earth 'I run red with blood. l'nder tlie influence of thc.-e statesmanlike view-, jealou.-ic-. antij);ithie-. and \vhat not, the H< T \ieued the possession of such a quantiu ''lark \ewh\\ halfpence as a suspicious cir- Mim-tance, and indeed had little doubt, in hi^ on n mind, that the Long Finne had come into -ttleinrnt to seduce it from \\< allegiance to the ere at ( Ju-tav u-,bv actual Ijribery. The read er nra\ -mile at tin- idea of corrupting a com munity \vith halfpence, now when paper mone> plrnty that dollar- fly about like may-llie- in the -print: , and that it sometimes actually ta k hundred of thr-e to purchase a man's conscience. IJut \ve will make bold to tell him, hi- .-mile on- \ 8 an utter ignorance of the simplicity of time-, when a penny \\a< deemed equal to -i\ \\h'tt<- and four black wampnm ; and a tract tl'land, laru'i-r than a (n-rman princi|)alit\ , \\ out- lime purcha-rd inr sixty tobacco-boxes, one hundred and twenty pipe-, one hundred .It harp-, and a quantity of red paint. It hath 1 -iirewdly ob-erved, that the value of' mo- ne\ i-euulate- the con-cience- of men, a- it doc.- .-\er\ other article of trade, >o that the suspicion ..f \ernov Piper WH- not quiti- -o ridiculon- n- KONINGSMARKE. 2a many ignorant readers may be inclined to sup pose at first sight. This explanation we afford gratuitously, hinting, at the same time, that as it is no part of our plan to make things appear pro bable, or actions consistent, we shall not often display a similar disposition to account for what happens. " Long Finne," said the Heer, after consider able cogitation " Long Finne, thou art found guilty of suspicion of traitorous designs against the authority of his sacred majesty, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, and in order that thou mayest have time and opportunity to clear up thy character, we sentence thee to be imprison ed till thine innocence is demonstrated, or thou -halt confess thy guilt." By this time half the village, at least, was col lected, as is usual on these occasions, when they flock to see a criminal, as porpoises do about a wounded mate, not to succour, but to worry him. The whole assembly were struck with astonish ment at the wisdom of Governor Piper's deci sion, which they looked upon as dictated by blind Justice herself. Not so the Long Finne, who like most unreasonable persons, that are seldom satisfied with law or justice when it goes against r linn, seemed inclined to remonstrate. But the ~U KOM.N<;.-M.\KX).. Heer, who-.- ni;i\ini it wa^ to punish lirat and pity afterwards, forthwith rominandcd him to be quiet, quoting lii- favourite -ay'inm, " Sirrah, il we both talk at once, how are we to und'T-tand one ;>iiothcr :" \-they were takinu him from the present of the Governor to convex him to prison, the tall- lair \outli. turned hi- rye mildl\, \ei -i-nifieant- U towards theHeer, and pronounced in a low voice the word-. " Caspar Steinmets." "\Nh;it! who! ivhose name did you utter ?" exclaimed hi- ei cellencN in ure;it limitation -par Steiunift-" replied the youth. " What of him" rejoined the Heer. " I am hi- nephew'' replied the Long Finn*-. "The friend of N our youth wuld be little obliuej to \oti, i onld lie see \ou liurr\iiiii the had a nephew, and 1 don't belie\e a word of it." " He had a si-ter, who married a gentleman of Finland, called Colonel Konint;>marke, again.-i (he wi-he- of her friends. She w;i- di-c;irded rf .md her namem-\er mention. -d. On the deatli ' .>th nu p;ir.-nt-, my uneli- :ti- 1\ Dame Partlrt. the hen, with all her kacK line brood, nestled for tin- niuht upon t >hadv bniiiji-; the dome-tic uvncration of tw '1 and four-legged animaU wen- abo -eekini: their \ariou- lodi/nm-, and the careti hind v i unchainine tin- tru>t\ and pou t-rfnl ina-tiH', the faithl'id -uanlian ot' hini-r lii- childn-n, \\ifc, and all liis ti-ea^nr- -urpri-o, in the solitude of the niirht. when the wild uolf. and the Indian tonally wild. un. i heard to \cll the (|iiavrriim Knell of dhn- rrr and death. K\ery oliject bewail ^raduallN \iinate to that rural repose and hapjn quiet which i-liaraeteri/e- the e\eniiii: of a eonntr\ hainlei, ainuim a people of >imj)le aiul \irtnon- habit-. In one U'-rd, it \\a- ju>t the period betwixi da;, light and darK, when tlielleei- Piper. ,ied at the end of the la-t chapter, returned lii< mansion, to indulge hiin-elf in hi> aceu-to .(1 >tont >npper, which ti-i.-.dly cons'b u'd of what i> call' ider, a 5] . whicli goes down a man'- throat liK iarp -word, and which the -tiird\ Heer cidl- rd emphatically man's cider, it beinu- an urnjue- tionable den ' ! iood (o be able t KONINGSMARKK. 31 drink it, without causing people's eyes to start nut of their heads. To this was usually added u mess of pepper-pot, with heaps of meat and vegetables, among which figured, in all the dignity of a national dish, the execrable and ever-to-be-avoided sour-krout dire. All these luxuries of the day were spread on the table, and waited his coming, in company with the members of the household. The first of these which we shall introduce in due form to the reader, was the lady Edith Piper, only sister to his Excellency the Gover nor a person of ominious notability, who, on the death of the Heer's wife, had taken command of the establishment, and, if report says true, of Governor Piper into the bargain. She was, in the main, a good sort of a body, and of a most public-spirited disposition, since she neglected the affairs of the Heer, to attend to those of every body else in the village. She knew very thing that happened, and a vast many things that never happened. And we will ven ture to pledire our veracity as historians, that there never were but two secrets in the village, from the time of Madam Edith's arrival, to the day of her final extinction. One was -lir year of the lady's birth the other we do KONINGSMAii ' disclose at pre-eiit, liciuu un\ ions to com hire the world that w<- too 11 a- other folk. To do the i^ood lady no more than justice. uas not ill-natured, although her thirst aner knowled omewhat extrenae ; nor did -h> 'd ii-r ot'lhe village tittle-tattle. which raine to her ears. She never repeated tale of scandal, without at first impressiveh riim her hearer< that -he did not believe om d of it, not -he; -he men !\ told the story, to --how what an ill-natured world it was that the\ i in. Madam Edith was -npposed to mail tain her authority over the H""r Piper, more b dint of talkinc; incessantly, than throimh tin icy of fear. When she had a point to train, sht r abandoned it; and if, as often happened, the governor walked out in a pet to avoid hei importunities, she would, on his return, resunu the argument just where it was left oil", with a- toni.-hini: precision. . in proee-s of time -liru : him out, and. from lonir experience of th ,ce of tin- dame, as well a> the inefti- ( n>\Tiit r I'ipn- raine at la jiiict -ul)ini.--ion to he tyranni/.ed o\< within door.-, being re>.ohed to make liim-eh \mend- b\ wiiho-n. The Vrou\y KONINGSMARKE. Oil) F.dith. who, we neglected to premise, was never ninrried, not boinc: n.ble to find any body in the old or new world good enough for her, was, in M>ber truth, a considerable talker, although tin- nne regard to veracity impels us to the confes- -ion that she was not always understood by her hearers. Taking it for granted, that every body x\;i- as anxious about every body's business as herself, she gave them credit for as much know ledge, and was perpetually indulging in hints, innuendoes, and scraps of biography, which puzzled her friends worse than the riddle of the Sphinx. Thus she generally alluded to her acquaintances in old Finland, by their Christian names, and detailed the various particulars inci dent to nurseries, kitchens, &c. as if the whole universe felt an interest in the subjects of her biography. In one word, she was a thin, short little body, dressed in high-heel'd shoes, a chintz gown, with flowers as large as cabbages, :.md leaves like those of the palm, together with a long-tabbed lawn cap, which, on great occa- -inu-. was displaced for a black velvet skull-cap^ fitting close to the head, and tied under the chin. Of her voice, it may be affirmed that it was as -harp as the Heer's favourite cider. Th< only being in the governor's establrsh- 3* KOMM.-MARK.K. mem that could hold a candle to anut Ediii -he was tonally denominated, or who ventured to exchange a shot in the war of words with her. rtain mysterious, wayward, out-of-the- ture, who was generally reputed to b m equal compound of fortune-teller and witch, ^lie v. a> by birth an African, and her general iitation was that of Bombie of the Frizzled I lead. Bombie was a thick, squat thing, remark able for that peculiar redundancy of figure. -o frequently observed in the ladies of her colour md country. Her head and face were singular!} disproportioned to her size, the first being MT\ -mall, and the latter, proportionally large, sine. \\ith truth be averred, that her head \\;<- lyall lace. The tart \\ a-, tliatnalnrehad given her he \\ a-obli-f d ti- place them on either side of the head, where the\ projected almost as far, and a< red a- tlioseof boiled lobster. This gave her an air of sinirnl;; \\ildness, inasmuch as it produced the peculiar look -alled starintr. u hich is held to be tliefavourit*- mi of that popular class of lately created hem*- wln -tand in a sort ; bui ndd compound of them all, being made KONINGSMARKE. mere force of the author's genius to supply the want of every natural or physical advantage. Bombie of the Frizzled Head, was so surnamed on account of her hair, which was distinguished by that peculiar and obstinate curl, which, to gether with the accompanying black complexion, are held to be the characteristics of the posterity of Cain. Age had, at this period, bent her body almost double, seamed her face with innume rable wrinkles, and turned her hair white, which contrasted singularly with her ebony skin. But still she exhibited one of the peculiarities of this unhappy race, in a set of teeth white a> the driven snow, and perfect as the most perfect ever seen through the ruby lips of the lass the reader most love?. And if the truth must be told, her tongue seemed to be as little injured ly the assaults of time as her teeth. She was, in fact, a desperate railer, gifted with a natural eloquence that was wont to overpower the voice and authority of aunt Edith, and drive the Heev Piper from his sternest domestic resolves. The tyranny of Bombie's tongue was, however. strengthened in its authority by certain vul gar opinions, the more powerful, perhaps, front their indefinite nature and va^rue obscurity. It >uid that she was the daughter and the witV Ki.v of an African Kinir, taken in battle, and -.).] to a trader who carried her to St. Harts, when- .-hr Jit by the Heer IVter Piper, \\ ho wlii- loine figured a- Fi-cal of that fruitful island, from whence -he accompanied iiiin first to Fin land, and afterward-; to the new world. Rumour, that pro-en\ of darkne--. distance, and ob-cu- rit\. al-o whi-prred that -he of the Frr/./le \\cre -tre;iL:thened. l\ the \^-- euliav ajipearance and habil> of the Fri/./led Head, as \\ < II as hy the aiithorit\ of reitain in- -lance- ot wit<-hiT,lit that liappened about ihi- t'nne in : corded b\ the learned and venerable Cotton Matlrvr. in hi- book of woii- i:e Mairnalia. I ,ike the o\\ 1 and the \\ hipperu ill, >ln 1\ e\'er 9 abroad e\ecj)t at n'mht, and. like ihi in, -I ppo-ed to L;O forth in the daii l\ t<> bode or to praeti-e ill. \Vith -hort pipe in her mouth, lier horn-headeii -tirk in her hand, >he would be seen \valkin ni^lit aloim the bank of the river, without an\ trent purpu-e, generally >ilent. but occasion- KONINGSMARKE. 37 KE. i ombination produced a wild, picturesque < I altogether indescribable. In justice to the Hi er, we imi-t premise, that it \\a> not his fault thatBombie \\a> not better dad, lor he often a;i\ her clothing, with which no one ever kueu what u in an\ tliiiiu bin a multijilicity of r '.rjiouu'h, to ;i|)|)e;ir;iiicr. \rrcdinul\- a tied ami infirm, the Knon- Hull. a> (Jo\ eni(r Piper n>ed to call her, wa> trifled with an aetiviu and power of endnrani-e, that had somethinp almost Miper- natnral in it. and which enahled her to hra\e all and all \\eather-. ;i~ if she had been the HIM- of black marble -lit- .-oinetimt - ned. \\ In n tandin- -tck -till, Icaninu on her -tirk and contemplating the .-ilent moon. She had a Lrrand-on, of \\hoin \\e ^hall >a\ moiv nd-b\. At present \se will leave the 1 1 (! to fmi>h his supper, a> we mean to do our o\\n presently, not wishing to burthen the read er with too much of ;i uood thinu. which i- -Ijrewdly affirmed { be equivalent to u thine; "hich ig good for nothing. CHAPTER IV, The rose is red, the violet blue, The gilly-flower sweet, and so are you. These are the words you bade me say, For a bonny kiss, on Easter day." WE left our hero, at the conclusion of the la>i chapter save one, quietly on his way to prison, in the custody of Lob Dotterel, the vigilant high constable of Elsingburgh. The reader may perhaps wonder at the spiritless acquies cence with which the Long Finne submitted to the decision of the Heer Piper, as well as to the safe conduct of the constable. Now, though it i- in our power, by a single flourish of the pen, to account for this singularity, we are too well acquainted with the nature of the human mind, to deprive our history at the very outsei of that indescribable interest which arises from the author's keeping to himself certain secrets, which, like leading strings, as it were, conduct the reader to the end, in the hope of at length being fully rewarded by a disclosure of the 40 KOS'INGSMARKE. mystery. Suffice it to say that the tall youth \\ a- quietly conducted to prison, apparently without either caring much about it himself, or excitine the compassion of a single soul in the village. But it was not so. There was one heart that melted with sympathy, and one eye that shed a solitary tear, to see so interesting a youth thu ? . as it were, about to be buried alive, upon M> MiiTiu- and slight a suspicion. That heart, and that eye, beat in the bosom, and sparkled in tlx brow of as fair a maid as ever the sun shone upon in this new world, whose sprightly daugh ters are acknowledged on all hands to excel in beauty, id virtue, all the rest of the imi- \-Tse. The daughter, the only daughter, uay, the only offspring of the Heer, wa -itthiL: in tin low parlour window that looked out upon tin green sward, where that puissant irmernor ued nokc his afternoon's pipe in pleasant weather, uhejj the \ iirilant high constable brought in lli. fall, fair priufririently near to hear hi- Hinination. >he \\av >truck with wonder and en- -ntimeiits that are said {> herited by the -e\, in a direct line from ennui mother KM . KONINGSMAHKE. 41 Those readers, ay, and writers loo, who happen to know as much of human nature as the head of a cabbage, are aware of the electrical finality of any excitement that springs up in the heart, in a situation, and under circumstancesj where objects of interest are rare, and there is uo variety to attract us from the train of thought and feeling, which such objects inspire. In early youth, and just at that blooming period of >pring, when the bud of sentiment begins to expand its leaves to the zephyr and the sun, it uften happens, that the memory and the fancy will both combine to rivet in the mind, a feeling lighted by a single spark, in a single moment, UK! make its impression almost indelible. It was thus, in some degree, with the fair and uentle daughter of the Heer, whose light blue eye, the colour of the north, seemed destined to conquer all hearts in the new world, as her blue- pyed ancestors did the old with their invin cible arms. She had never yet seen, except in dreams, since she entered her teens, a being like the Long Finne, who, contrasted with the sturdy boors around her, not even excepting her admir rer Othman Pfegel, was an Apollo among sat\ n. Christina, for so was she called, had indeed von. i. 4 1- ^URKf . -oinc remote recollection of ;i >pecie> of polished heini:-, >nch a-, when a little trirl, >lir had seen in Finland ; but the remembrance wa- -o \ "illy to enable her in some de'_ r n'< to ivcti'_:niM' the vulgarity and want of'refme- rnent of the Sunday beaux of Elsinirbnrirh. The heart, the pure, warm, social heart of u uirl of i. may be said to be like tin- turtle dove, which pines in the absence of it- mate, and fills the wilderness of the world with olitary moanintr>. ll waits but i de-tined counterpart, to tremble and palpitate; and if its (ir>t emotion- are not rudely jostled n-ide, or overpowered ly the distraction of con- Ilictintr objects, and the variety of oppo>inn ie:njia!'" v will become the iro\eni- inu principle of i-xi-tence diiriui: a whole life of lo\e. koniim-markc ua-. in truth, a figure that i;t have drawn the particular attention of a lad\ < ii-tomed to the iine.l form- of mankind. He was nearly, or quite ~i\ f. ( i hiuh, -traiuht. and well proportioned, with ft Complexion almost too fair for a man. and - of a liu'ht blue. His hair wa- somewhat too liulit ti> >uit the ta-te of the pre- in day, bin which, to an eye accustomed to associate it wi KONINCSMARKE. 4o ideas of manly beauty, was rather attractive than otherwise. With these features, he might have been thought somewhat effeminate in his appear ance, were it not that a vigorous, muscular form, and a certain singular expression of his eye, which partook somewhat of a fierce violence, threw around him the port of a hardy and fearless being. This expression of the eye, in after times, when their acquaintance had ripened into inti macy, often gave rise to vague and indefinite suspicions of his character, and fears of its developement, which the fair Christina could never wholly discard from her bosom. The dress of the youth, though not fine nor splendid, was of the better sort, and in excellent taste, except that he wore his ruff higher up in the neck than beseemed. The person whose appearance we have thus -ketched, as might be expected, excited a degree of interest in the maiden, sufficiently powerful to have impelled her to actual interference with the Heer, in favour of the prisoner, had it not been for that new-born feeling, which, wherever it is awakened in the bosom of a delicate and virtuous female, is accompanied by a shrinking and timid consciousness, that trembles lest th* KONINGSM.UIKE. most common courtesies, and the most ordinal -\ emotions, may be detected as the offspring of a warmer feeling. Besides this, the fair Christina knew from experience that though her father loved her better than all the world besides, there was one thing he loved still better, and that was, tin- freedom of his sovereign will and pleasure, in the exercise of his authority as the representa tive ofGustavus Adolphus of Sweden. The Heer. in fact, never failed to resent all interfere-in < of this nature on the part of the ladies of hi> household, always accompanying his refusal bv oni. \\icked jest, or some reflection upon peo- not minding their own business. Christina, therefore, remained quiet in her seat, and accom panied the fair, tall youth to prison with thf -igh and the tear heretofore commemorated. The prison formed one side of the square, at the opposite extremity of which was placed the nun'- palace, as he called it, videlicet, a two-story brick house, with a steep roof, co vered with fiery red tiles, lapping over each uilier like the scales of a drum fish. The kl \\liich composed the walls of the palaee. were of the same dusky hue of red, so that the A'hole had the appearance of a vast oven, JMM d for a batrh of bread. Aurreably to tli. KONINGSMARKE. 45 tashion of the times, the house was of little depth, the windows of the same room opening to both front and rear ; but then it made up in length what it wanted in depth, and when not taken in profile, had a very imposing appear ance. Exactly opposite, at a distance of about thirty yards, was the prison, also of brick, with small windows, having ominous iron bars, and other insignia shrewdly indicative of durance vile. One part of the building was appropriated to the accommodation of persons who had the misfortune to fall under the guilt of suspicion, like the Long Finne ; and in the other portion, was the great court room, as it was pompously called, where the Heer met, as 'was his custom, to consult with his council, and do just as he liked afterwards, as practised by the potent Governors of that day. In truth, these little men were so far out of the reach of their masters, that they considered themselves as little less than immor- (al, and often kicked up a dust for the sole jnirpose of showing their authority. The Governor's mansion, and the court-hoax or jail, were the only brick buildings in the vil lage, the rest consisting of wooden edifices ot,' round logs for the vulgar, and square ones, filled in with mortar, for the better sort. These 4* t" KOMNCiSMABKt. \M-re huddled clo>e together round the M^, tor two special reasons ; one, that they might the more easily included in the strong pali -ado, which had been raised about the to%n lor >f(iiiit\ ;i-;tinM any sudden irruption of the ires ; the other, that no ground miirht he <-d in laying out the place, which, in the opinion 'i' the longest heads, v, ;i> -o ad- vantaireou^ly situated, that every loot oi land must be of inimeiiM 1 value .-oine day or other. Vain anticipation-^ ! since the place i.> now a ruin, and the colony no more ; yet such 1> the iiMial fate of all the towrrinir ho|')e.> ot man ! The house-, we >peak of, were all nearh i.!' i In- same >ize and fashion, and equally digni fied by an enormous chimney of brick. \\h'u h ap pertained to the house, or more strictly speak ing, to \\hich the hoii^e >eemed to appertain, .ind which beinu; placed outside of the \\all in stead of in>ide, for tlic j)urpose of affording more room to the fainii the man-ion >omewhat the relative appe:iranv of a wren hou-e -.tuck up airainst the side of a chimney. In tin's veritable? jail, we have ju-t dc.-cribed. he 1 niewas consigned by Lob Dotterel. : by the Cerberus who guarded it. ;.id who. finding tlin n;oluiiient- uf his offie. KONINGSMARKE. ousiderably inadequate to maintain a family, of some eight or ten children, generally worked at his trade of carpenter abroad, leaving the keys of the prison in the hands of his wife. The latter was popularly considered the better man of the two, and currently reported not to fear devil or dominie, in fair open daylight. Master Gottlieb Swaschbuckler's vocation might be said to be almost a sinecure, since, notwithstanding Lob Dotterel's vigilant police, the prison was, during the greater part of the year, undignified by a single inhabitant, save the" jailer and his family. And here we can not but express our mortification, that, notwith standing the vast pains taken since that time to improve the mind and morals of mankind, and the astonishing success of all the plans laid down for that purpose, there should be such ;i singular and unaccountable increase of the tenants of jails, bridewells, penitentiaries, and such like schools of reformation. So extraor dinary indeed is the fact we have just stated, that we feel it incumbent upon us, to request of the reader a little exertion of that generous credu lity, by which he is enabled to gulp down the in teresting improbabilities of our modern romaj: (>;i.me Swaschbuckler was, consequently, 18 KONING>MARKI.. lighted at the appearance of the Long Fame, having been some time without any body but her hu>band anil family upon whom to exercise her authority, and holding, as she did, that a pri-on without a prisoner was, liUe a cage with out a bird, utterly worthless and uninteresting. lived to entertain him in her be-i manner, and accunliiiLilv ^hourd him into a ,i. the doors of which were tuice a- thick, and the windows ornamented with double the number of bar.-, of :m\ other in the whole build Having thus accommodated our hero uith board and lodeinu, \\e -hall pause a moment in order to .'hat \M- >hall a\ in th< CHAPTER IV Who comes here ? A Grenadier. What d'ye want? A pint of beer. Where's your money? I forgot. Get you gone, you drunken sot." WE neglected to mention, not foreseeing that it might be necessary to the course of our histo ry, that the Heer Piper, when he pronounced sentence upon the Long Finne, did also at the same time declare, all that portion of Mark Newby's halfpence which he carried about him, utterly forfeited, one half to the informer, the other to the crown of Sweden. It was accord ingly divided between Restore Gosling and the Governor, as representative of Majesty. The Long Finne accordingly entered tin prison, without that key which not only unlocks stone walls, but also the flinty hearts of those who are wont to preside within them. His pockets were as empty as a church on week days. When, therefore, the next morning IK iHt the gnawings of that insatiate fiend, whom KONINGSMARKE. bolts, nor bars, nor subterranean dungeon.-. -uffice to keep from tagging at the heels of man, and ventured to hint to dame Swasch- buckler that he had some idea of wanting his breakfast, that good woman promptly desired him to lay down his dust, and she would pro- rure him a breakfast fit for Governor Piper himself. " But I have no dust, mother, as you call it," replied the youth. What, no money !" screamed out the Dame; > teufel hole dich, what brought ther here then." " Master Lob Dotterel," replied he. " And tliou hast no money du galgen achivenkel," roared the dame. " Not a stiver, nor even one of Mark NewbyV halfpence," responded the Long Finne. " Then thou gettest no break faM liere," cried ilie uiiMre>> of the stone jug, " except der f irndni. It would be a fine matter truly, if every galgengefalhner spitzbube uere to he maintained here in idleness, at the expense of tin poor." So saying, she waddled indignantly out of the room, -hutting the door ..tier her with great emphasis, and turnincr th KONIN'GSMARKE. key with a quick motion, indicating wrath unappeasable. Dinner-time came, but no dinner ; supper- time came,, but no supper ; for it ought to br premised, that it was one of the Heer Piper's maxims, that the less a criminal had to eat in prison, the more likely he would be to come to a speedy confession of his crime. He therefore made no provision for persons committed on mere suspicion. Most people, we believe, happen to be aware of the vast importance of rating and drinking, not only as a very simple means of supplying the wants of nature, but like wise as creating certain divisions of time, where by that venerable personage is disarmed of half his terrors, and the desperate uniformity of his pace agreeably interrupted. Accordingly, when the night came, and nothing to eat, the Long Finne began to feel not a little tired of his >ituation. He paced his solitary room in silent vexation, occasionally stopping at the window, which fronted the Governor's palace, and gazing wistfully at the figures which passed backward*, mid forwards about his little parlour. As he stood thus contrasting the cheerful aspect of the palace with his dark, noiseless prison, and bl own solitary starving state, he beheld tlu-m >J Hi>NI\.sMAKKI.. bringing in the Heer's supper, and his bow yearned. The contrast was more than lie could r; he flung himself upon tin- straw in a t-oriier of the room, and communed with him- M-lf in the bitterness of his heart ; he drank hi- mn tears in the \i: >f hi> thirst, and buJlyaoking under weakness, and the emotion- if his heart, fell asleep. From this last refuse of mi-fry and hun^ei the Long Finne was awakened by a loud pe;d of thunder, that seemed to have shattered tin (iriMiu into atoms. On opening his e\e-. the lir-t ol)jeet lie beheld, by the almost nncea- lla^hes of lightning, was a fiirure standing him, half bent, and leaning upon a stick, mut tering and miimbliiig some unintelligible incan- t.uion. Her eyes seeuvd like coals of fire, dancing in their deep sockets, and her who!' appearance was altogether, or nearly superna tural. " Who, and what are you, in the name i (iod r" 1 cried the Limn Finne, starting up from in- -traw. " I am a being disinherited of all the riaiii-. aid heir to all the wrongs to which humanil\ .line. 1 ua-, born a princess in one (juar- f the globe 1 was brouLht up in another, KONINGSMARKE. a beast of burthen. I am here the slave of man's will, the creature of his capricious ty* ranny." The voice of the apparition was hol low, and rung like a muffled bell. " And what brought thee here at this time of the night," replied the youth, " and such ;i night too !" " The thunder and the lightning, the storm and the whirlwind, are my elements ; night to me is day ; and when others sleep, the spirit that is unseen in the morning, the guilty that fear, and the injured that hate the light and the face of man, go forth to warn the living, to in dulge the bitterness of their hearts, or to com mit new crimes." " Awa^ ! I know thee now ; thou art Bombie of the Frizzled Head I know thee now," repli ed the youth. " And 1 too KNOW THEE," hollowly rejoined the figure " t know thee, Long Finne. Thou comest here for no good ; thou art here to stab the sleeping innocent to engraft upon the tree of my master's house the bitter fruit of guilt and misery. I am sent here to prevent all this. J come with food, and the means of freeing thee from thy prison. Follow me, and go thy ways, never to return." VOL. i. ~i "1 \\ill stay here ami die," bitterh exdainietl the fair youth. " I am an outcast from my na tive laud a hunted deer, ^ whom neither tin woods, the \\ i ailord a refuse. Whither shrill I LM*.' X& while man nor red man will shield me ft^^^^Wnhieh follows in \uhere from tflMHm that never die-, the lire that U never quenched. No Twillst.n here and peri-h." He Ihine; him-elf reekle--.lv on the floor, and covered hi- face with hi hand-. 11 Stay here and peri-h!" replied the Friz/.led Head, scornfully. "Thus does the coward v\hite man quail and whimper, when he hall, done that whi-'h his ahject spirit dare not look in the fa i : !iat hath the couraee to com mit a crime, should have the couraue to lace it- on-e(|iience-. C'ouard, arise and follow me." No 1 will die her. 1 perish hereafter," cried the hlacU m\ - itini!' doun a little La-ki-t he^'nir thr \<>uti). " l-'areuell; but be careful what thou doe-t. \Vherf\er thc-u poest I will follow; uhatever thou doest I shall know; and if, und > i-o\er of niuht and 'olitude, \\hen tlion thiid\.--i that no mortal e> r < -..M!-, the . thou dare%t \<> <] KONINGSMARKF:. ill, my eye shall be upon thee, and my spell wi ther thy resolves. Beware !" Thus saying, sKe departed, and sorry are \\< to say, it was in a manner somewhat unwortln her mysterious dignity,: for she passed out at the door, and locked it after her. The Long FiniflBby and ruminated for some time on what lie had seen and heard; but at length his cu riosity inspired him with the idea of examining rhe basket, the contents of which drove even thing else out of his head. And here we might tamper with the reader's curiosit}', and affect ihat mystery with which our great prototype Is \\ont so unmercifully to torment his readers. But . . all such vulgar arts of authorship, and honestly confess that the Long Finne wa- -truck d'unb by the 'sight of an excellent supper, which he attacked with great vigour, after the manner of men that have fasted much and pray ed little. The visit of the Frizzled Head was, after thU. repeated nightly, and the supper with it, dtwbt- with the connivance of dame Schwasch- buckler, whose husband, being a jjreat politi- fiau, usually spent the first part of the night in Anting foxed at Master Oldale's shrine, and th*. other part in slcephm himself sober at home. >D KOMM.-MAHKK. In truth, the weeping blood of woman'? hear* M-ldom beats with a stronger !' 'ini; of pity, than it now began to do in the bosom of the fair Christina. She was observed to be often at the window of her chamber, \\hich fronted the pri- *on. through whose bars slie had a dim and indistinct view of the tall, fair y backward.* and forwards in his narrow bound*, and sometimes stopping before the unite*, where he would lav hi* hand on his heart, and l>o\\ his head profoundly, as if to thank her for hrr charity to a poor wanderer. Sometimes, in thr evening. he wonld play on a little llaireo let which lie managed exquisitely, and ocea*ionally *iiu: portions of the tender and popular air* of li. -imoiiirwhieh she ol'trn distim;iii*h< d tin- follow inu couplet : a'-heakcin gefsngi. I "ml ci-cr-n- -tungfii kriu kaefig ;" whirl) -ri'iiit d to her expros*ive of tin- triumph of mind o\er time and circumstance. TluiM uiii. have *tudi-d tlic heart of woman, and read in it* rudd\ pa ire* how prone it i* to pity, and how naturalU it passes :'rom pity to a ^ .11-1111 -r frelinir, we tru*t will ui\e us credit for e little regard to probability, when \M- \en- KONINGSMARKE. 07 i are to hint, that the little simple village girl had not long indulged in the one, till she began to feel the approaches of the other. The moment she became aware of this change in her feelings, all the pleasure she had hitherto felt in administering, through the instrumentality ofBomJne, to the wants of the prisoner, vanished. An indescribable sensation of awkward embar rassment possessed her, whenever she applied to the sybil to carry his daily supply. And the blush which accompanied the application, was the silent, yet sure testimony that she w;i- now acting under the impulses of anew feeling, which she dared not avow. The conduct of the Frizzled Head increased this embarrassment. The sybil every day dis covered more and more unwillingness to go on her nightly errand of charity, and was perpetual ly pouring forth mystical prophecies and denunciations. "I will not," said she at last "I will noi pamper the wolf that he may be preserved to devour the innocent lamb. I have seen what I have seen, I know what I know. There is peril in the earth, the sea, and the air, yet thf voung see il not till it comes, and when it comes KOMNGSMARKE. they know not how to escape. I will go t.. the prison no more." "And the youth will be left to perish with hunger," replied the young damsel, sadly. "Lot him perish!" exclaimed the Frizzled Head. "The guilty die, that the innocent may live; for wicKednos is the strength of the lion, and the cunnintr of the tiger combined. Enough ran it accomplish of mischief without my assist- ,iin -e I will go no more.'' In the name df Heaven, what meanest thou," .e-ked the trembling girl, "by the.-e fearful hints of danger f Who is the wolf, and who the lamb, thai thou >houhUt thus thwart me in m\ errand of compassion?" I ba\e seen what I have seen 1 Know what I Know," replied the sybil. "The warning that i- ui\en in time, is the word which i> bowled out in the wilderne>s. Better were it for one of m\ colour to be diimbthan speak evil of one of thine. Rut I ha\e seen what I ha\e -ern I Know what ( Know." This was all poor Christina could ^et out of the old mv-tery, and that niuht tlie Loim' Finm went ;>uj>|-rli--x (,) bi, xtniu'. \\iih the thouuli' lying liKe lead upon hi-- heart, that he wa- now tteii and forsiKen liy all the world. BOOK SECOND. BOOK SECOND. CHAPTER I. THE farther we advance in our history, thr more do we perceive the advantages of that ex- trmpore writing, the example of which we have borrowed from the great modern master of this exceedingly pleasant and profitable mode of exercising the fancy and invention, as it were, at the expense of history. It is wonderful, with what a charming rapidity the thoughts flow, and the pen moves, when thus disembar- r:i--ed of all care for the past, all solicitude for the future. Incidents are invented or borrow ed at pleasure, and put together with a degree of t-use that is perfectly inconceivable by a plod ding author, who thinks before he speaks, and stultifies himself with long cogitations as to pro bability, congruity, and all that sort of thing, \\hich we de-pi-e, a< appertaining to our an- rient and irreconcilable enemy, common sense. It may in truth he affirmed of thi- new and happy mode of writing, thft( it yery often happens, that it cau-e- less trouble to the author than to the reader, the hitter of whom not unfre(|uenth . e-perially if lie is one of those unreasona ble per-on- who -ii|)po-e that nature and proba bility are nece-sary part- of an hi-torical novel, will be sorely pn/./.led to find out the moti\e of m action, or the mean.- by which it wa- hrouirhl ibout. l>ut whatevrr may be the profit of the read- 'rtain it S-, that of the author is ama/.ini:- Iv nhanei-d hv th- ; velocity attained by thi.- new mode ,.r mlmm. Certain plod ding wri' h a- Fieldi'. -.Met. and other-, whom it i.- imnece--ary lo name, \\rotr not above three or four works oj'thi- sort in the '.vhole e.iin-e of their liv<'-: and what wa- the They lived from hand to mouth, as it were, for want of a know-led:.. the art of wriiinu extempore ; and were obli to put up with an immortality of fame, uliieh they could never enjoy. In-tead of makh fortune in a few \car- by the power of multi- plyinir their progeny, they fooli-hly preferred 10 }> years in tlie unprofitable bu-ine^ tONI^GSMARKE. of copying nature, and running a wild-goose chase after probability. Now, we hold that an author is like a black female slave, valuable for the rapidity and ease with which she produces her offspring, which are always worth something in the market. As to the colour, shape, and mental qualities of the bantling, these are of little consequence, provided it is of a good siie, imd comes of a well-tried breed. And here we will take occasion to dilate a little more copiously upon the great advan tages, which may reasonably be expected from the apt disposition of the world, to imitate thi> mode of writing without plan, and mixing the opposite ingredients of truth and falsehood. Books must of necessity multiply so fast, that r\ erv village, and every individual will, after a year or two from their publication, be able to purchase a library of them for little or nothing, .1- is the case with a vast many popular works, which in a little time come upon the parish, as it were, and are sold to whoever will afford them house-room. Thus will knowledge be wonder fully disseminated, and every body come to know, not only what did happen, but also what did not happen, in the various ages and countries of the world. Nay, we should not be at all surprised if, under the increased facilities afforded '1 MlflKK by this happy invention of the extempore, ^^^^^^B ' I) should in time heroine his own author. :ind furnish his own library, at t!;> of paper and printing only ; and \vithout any troii- !.! tory will be universally studied throucrli the medium of impossible adventure, and truth tly imbibed in the fa^cinatinc draught- of' improbable fiction; when younn people vj ia ll make chemical lo\e. and u r ain each other"- a! tions by the inevitable force of lines, lanireni>. atfiniu. and attraction ; and when the consumma tion of all thinirs shall hapjen, in youny; children beiiiL; taught their A. B. C. by the allur'nii: and irresistible temptation of being able iu rear! the Va\erl\- \o\el-. in-tead of appealing to their low-born appetites through the \ulgar medium CHAPTER II. Sing, sing what shall I sing? The cat's run away with the pudding-bag string." WHILE Dan Cupid was shooting his arrow> with such effect from the windows of the prison, to those of the palace, and so back again, the Heer Piper and Madam Edith were taken up with other weighty affairs, that prevented am interference with the young people on their part. His Excellency was confined to his room with a fit of the gout ; a disorder, which, according to the theory of a waggish friend of ours, naturally resolves itself into three distinct stages in its progress. The first is the swearing stage, wherein the patient now and then indul ges himself with damning the gout lustily. The second, called the praying stage, is when he softm- down his exclamations into " O, my G d !" or ' bless my soul !", and the like. The third, and worst of all, is the whistling stage, during which the patient is seen to draw up his leg with a long wh e e w! accompanied by divers contor^ VOL. i. 6 KOMNGSMARKE. tions of \ isage. This gout, the Heer was wont to say, was the only inheritance he received from his father, who left one of his sons the estate without the gout, and the other the gout without the estate; which, in the opinion of Governor Piper, was a most unjust distribution. During these attacks, the Heer's natural irascibility of temper was, as mitrht be expected. itly increased, insomuch, that if any one came suddenly into the room, or opened the door with a noise, or walked heavily, so as to -hake the floor, he would flourish his crutch most manfully, and exclaim, "der teufel hole dich, der enschivenicel; 11 or, if it happened to be Bom- hie of the Fri'/.zled Head, "das fount rwrffrr xcfilurrr dich knutzevds in d( n boden," one of hi- niu-t bitter denunciation-. Indeed, the only person allowed to approach him was the fair and liri-tina. who.-e southing whisper.-, and soft, delicate touch, seemed to charm away his pains, and lull his impatient spirit into temporary rest. At sin-It time-, he would lay his hand gently on her head, cry "(iod blc-- iliee, ur\ daughter," and close his eyes in (juict resigna tion. Such is the balhi of fdial affection ! such the divine ministration of tender, duteou- womau! KONINGSMARKE. privy council, and accordingly, despatched hi> trusty me>M'imrr( 'upid, crand>on to the incomprehensible Boml/ie of the Krizzled Hi ud.'o summon them together. This Cupid was a trentleman of colour, a> the |)olite phraM- i>, about four feet and a hall liiirh, with an ebony complexion, flat nose, lonu, urinklcd f;n-e, small eyes, sunk in his head, a uide mouth, hit. r h cheeks, bu>hy eye-brows an in all bandy legs, of the cucumber outline, and lartre splay feet, which, it is affirmed, continued to increa-e in si/.e. IOIILT alter every otht-r part of him had done crowing. In >hort. he \v;i~. lo u-i> tin- phr:iM- of our southern ..II, ' a likely fellow." < 'iipid u;i- reckoned the u or>t chap in the uhole A'illatre, bein- a!u;i\s at the head ol'ev >f juvenile mischief; and. if r-port >pok ruth, had more than on< atiempted to >et fin KONINGSMARKE. 69 to the houses of persons against whom he had . pique. Lob Dotterel's fingers itched to get hold of him; but the awe in which he, together with the rest of the villagers, stood of his grandmother's supernatural powers, checked the surprising vigilance of the high constable, and saved Cupid's bacon more than once. The- boy, who was now supposed to be about eighteen, notwithstanding his diminutive size, uas as obstinate as a mule, as mischevious as a monkey, and as ill-natured as a bull-dog. Punishment was lost upon him, and kindness thrown away. Neither one nor the other ever drew a tear from his eye, an acknowledgement of his fault, or promise of future amendment. Belonging, as he did, to a race who seemed born to endure, both in their native Afric, and i -very where else, he suffered in silence, and revenged himself in the obscurity of the night. ly the exercise of a degree of dexterous cunning, which is often seen among those whose situation represses the impulses of open vengeance. The only gleams of affection or attachment ever exhibited by this dwarfish and miserable being, seemed called forth by his grandmother, and an old Swedish cur, belonging to the Heer. If any flue insulted or worried, as children aiv 6* KONINGSMABKE. uont to do, the old woman, or the old dog, Hi- rage of the dwarf was terrible, and his revenge bounded only b\ his mean- of mi-chief. Twici had he cut open the head of a villaire urchin guilty of this ofleiice, with a large stone, and once u;<- on the point of stabbing another, if he had not been prevented. Hi- urandmother doated on him with that ob-tinate and instincti\t lion, which i> >o often called forth by those very (jualities that render its object hateful or i-onteniptible in the eye> of tlu- world. As to old Ciri/i, the doir, he \\ould obey nobod\. follow nobody, fawn on nobody, or bite, or wati his tail at the bidding of any earthly beintr, ex- ept the b'ack d arf ( 'npicl, but on all occasion- ondex-rnded to obey the behests of this hi- puis>ant ma- 'i'hen came, in due time, Wolfgang Langfan- . the pottee-baker, Liuluitr \ arlett, the shoe maker, who. if he ever heard the old proverb nt .tutor, &;<-. desj)i-ed it with all his heart, and Ma>- ter Oldale, fat and plump as a barrel of his o\vn ruce l>fcr. all L r ood men and true, and member- of hi- .M ouncil in the good town of Kl- -intrburirh. After the different " howdoon \ had been exchanged, and the Heer had gi\en y full, true, and particular history of his late KONlNGSilARKE. 71 n't of the gout, he opened his business, and Lob Dotterel, who always instinctively attended on these occasions, was despatched for the Long Finne. In the mean time, the Heer and his coun- ril lighted their pipes, and took their seats with most imposing dignity. Master Lob fulfilled his duty in the twinkling of an eye, and the Long Pinne appeared in the high presence, with pretty much the same air of indifference as before, and with a rosy complexion, which puzzled the Heer not a little, till he resolved the thing into a blush of conscious guilt. ' Well, henckers knecht" said the Heer, "have you come to your senses by this time f " " I am no henckers knecht" replied the Long Finne, " and I have never been mad, all my life." " Der teufel hole dick" exclaimed the Heer. \\ axing wrotli ; " dost think to brave it out with me in this manner, der ans dem land gejacter herll Where gottest thou that handful of Mark Ncwby's halfpence ? answer me that, der tevfd* braden," " Ask Lob Dotterel,' 1 replied the youth ; " he- saw me receive them in change for a rix-dollar. from a stranger who passed through the vil- lage." KONINGSMARKE. v< Der teufd .'" exclaimed the Heer, and ihetv- itpon the three members of the council gave a simultaneous pufl' extraordinary, expressive of astonishment. Harkye, Lob Dotterel," said the Heer. did'st see the Long Finne receive this money in change from the stranger :" " 1 did," replied master hiirh constable, who MI to feel his prisoner slipping through hi- fingers. " Verflurht ii/u/ vcrdamt .'" exclaimed the I ( er, da-hinir the ashes from his pipe in a mortal passion ; " and why didst not tell me so befoi>. 'lni schivenkrl /" " 'Twain my l>u-ine>s," quoth Lob ; "your i % \( i llency :dw:i\s tells me not to put in my oar, till 1 am called to speak." "Put him to his bible oath," said the Ileer. who held that, thouah the oath of a witnr-- u;i~ not i . to the coiniiiittingof a person to jail. \et was it indispensable to his release. Whereupon Woli'mmi: Lanufan^er, the pottee- Ijaker, pulled out of his breeches pocket, a mar- \ellously ureasy little square book with silver lasps, which, haviutr t rubbed bright on the . of his coat, he handed to the Heer. Lob Ootterel was then incontinently put to his corpo- KONINGSMARKE. 73 ral oath, and confirmed the account which the prisoner had given of his coming into the posses sion of such a quantity of Mark Newby's half pence. "Dergalgen schivenkel!" exclaimed the Heer, shaking his crutch at Lob Doterel, who looked rather sheepish, and, for that matter, so did his Excellency. However, he gathered himself to gether, and forthwith pronounced so discrimina ting ajudgment on the case, that, had not .the town of Elsingburgh been destroyed long ago, it would, doubtless, have been remembered to this day in the traditions of the inhabitants. Mus tering together his recreant, runaway dignity, he decided, that he should divide his judgment into two parts. And first, as he, Koningsmarke, sir- named the Long Finne, was acquitted of treason able practices in regard to the possession of Mark Newby's halfpence, he should be released from prison. Secondly, that inasmuch as he had not been able to give a good account of himself, and of his motives for coming to the village, lie should be again remanded to jail, on suspicion of certain designs, which, as yet, did not sufficiently appear to the satisfaction of his Majesty's go- \ eminent. The rest of the council signified i heir approbation, according to custom, by saying KONINGS1CABKE. nothing ; for it ought to have been premised that the Heer Piper, as the representative of majesty, held, that though bound to consult his council, he was not bound to pay any attention to their ophiions. In fact, it was his maxim, that a council was of no other use to a Governor, than to bear the blame of any unlucky or unpopular measure. As Lob Dotterel placed his withering paw <>n the shoulder of the Long Finne, that myste rious and unaccountable youth took occasion to except to the Governor's assertion that he had not been able to give a good account of himself. " If your Excellency is not -atisfied, 1 will begin again, :mil *- r iv<' you the history of my family, from the flood, in which some of my an cestors were doubtless drowned, to the present time, when" When," interrupted the Heer, " one of their f rity, at least, is in some danger of br'mt:. hanged. Hrironr, //> / am tfnn landgqacter kn-l. \\\; parlour and kitchen, had hern left hiirnini:, for the purpose of drvinir Madam Schwashbuckler's best, and indeed only, muslin irown, (an article which conferred, at that time. no little distinction on the possessor,) together with certain other articles of dress, intended for Ate husband and children the en-nin^ Sunda\. Hesides tliese, there was in the chimue\ corner, a quantity of liirht wood, which Master (jottleib. uho smelt a storm that ni^ht, had collected together for the use of the morrow. Either the clothes had taken fire, and communicated to the dry wood, or the latter had first cauirht. and romnnmicati'd to the former ; for this i> one of tho-e knotty difficulties, which even authors. uho know so many secrets, are often unable to resohe. He thi> as it nia\, when the door was burst open, the flames had M, far advanced, that a few minutes more and it had been all over with the ancient family of the Schw ashbuclsli i -. \^ the door oj)ened the little brood rushed out like M, many teged partridges ; but it waswiih no little difficulty that the sleeping pair were made to comprehend their situation, and with still more that they were trot out of the bnildiuu. it beine KONINGSMABEE. <' iheir pleasure to stay and dispute which wu- i<> blame for this catastrophe. The opening of the large door, which fronted the direction from which the wind was blowing, having given an impulse to the flames, the> almost instantaneously communicated to the only staircase that led to the upper story of the prison. It was now in vain to attempt saving the building, and accordingly, one part of the community were employing themselves in sprinkling the roofs of such houses as were most exposed to the flakes of fire, which now began to soar into the air, while others were quietly looking on in gaping wonderment, sometimes watching the reflection of the flames, that at one moment spread upwards on the bosom of the dark sky, and at another receded, leaving them darker than before. Others were adding to the horrors of the scene, by wailing. and cries of fire, fire, although by this time. every one was collected from far and near. At this moment the mysterious Bombie rushed among the crowd, rryinu' out. in -i \ that overpowered the infernal uproar, " Shann on the pale-faced nice ! They will let one of their colour perish in the flames, without e^ ;) \ i n <. to relieve him, as if he were one of those \e call the posterity of the first murderer !" KOMM.SJUHK.K. There i> nobody in the prison !" t.' half a hundred \oices. " There is, 1 tell you," replied the sybil. Look ! Me ye not a shadow, passing among the lights in yonder room ': See % not that he i- putting forth his hands through the grates, im ploring a-H-tance .' Si- y not how he trie- to urench the iron from its fixture in the last ef fort ofde>pair. Hi i- innocent at least," mut tered she to herself, u lie is innocent of the crimp for which he is here would I could say, of all others." A ladder ! a ladder !" cried half a hundred \oice- at once. But alas ! there was no ladder io be had loner enough to reach the window. The person of master Gottlieb Schwashbucklcr died for the key of the room where the prisoner was confined, and all his pocket- turned inside out to no purpose. At la>t that worthy, after rubbing his ryes, -eratchhiL; hi- I, and y.iwnini: half a do/rn time-, avowed hi> firm belief that he had locked the room care- fulh 'ife r ? :i'>d :> carefully left the ke\ -ticking in the Kevhole. ^. \rrai aii-i]i|ii> wen- now made. ly diffen-nt JX-I-.-OM-. to a-cend the anrl unlock the door, uhieh was noi iiion- than tv. < om it : but the\ all return- KONINGSMARKE. 81 ed without success, some with their hair singed, others with scorched hands, and almost suffoca ted ; in short, all now declared that relief was entirely hopeless. Bombie now advanced a little before the rest, leaned upon her horn-headed stick, and cried out with an almost supernatural voice " Konings- marke!" " I hear" answered a voice from within. " Koningsmarke thy fate is in thine own hands ; all human help, save thine, is vain. Exert thy strength upon the door, or upon the iron bars. Thou art strong, and thou art despe rate ; exert thyself and be free, or perish as thou deservest," said the sybil, ending in a low mutter. At that moment there was a crash within the building, and the disappearance of the youth was announced by a groan from die spectators, whose noisy exclamations now sunk into a hor rible silence. A minute or two after, he appear ed again, at the window, having employed the interval of his disappearance in attempting, in vain, to force the door. Now he made a despe-r rate effort at the bars of one of the windows, but they resisted his strength. "The other ! the other!" cried the sybil. 7* KONINGSMARKK. He es>a\ ed die other without success. " Ti- in vain," cried the \ until, in despair. "I perish here: remember! remember!" " Remember thou !" shrieked the old woman: Remember that the dove of thv christian le gend went forth thrice, ere she found what -h< sought. Try once again." He tried attain, but in vain the bars >hook. hut did not yield. "Once more," cried she, "for the sake of thv benefactress." He essayed again with convulsive strength the bar- -hook moved the wall in which ihe\ uere iiisrrted trembled irave wa\ and the whole fell into the room. A shout of triumphant humanity annomced the event. " .lump jump for thy lif- !" < iicd out one and all, for that wa- >!il\ \\a\ to escape. Konmgsmarke IIUIIL; i moment, with hi- hand-, from the Bid Broken \\indow. and at length, leitinu him- -eli' i' the -_round in-'-n-ible. CHAPTER IV. And why may not I love Johnny ? And why may not Johnny love me ? And why may not I love Johnny, As well as another body ?" WHERE was the fair and gentle daughter oi' the Heer, while what we have detailed in the last chapter was passing f That innocent and tender-hearted maiden, checked by the innate sense of propriety, which is the truest safeguard of virtue, and restrained by the timidity of new born affection, remained at home in a state of the most painful anxiety. She despatched the old sybil Bombie to bring her information, and then stood at her window, watching with increasing agita tion, the progress of the devouring element. She could distinguish, by the glaring light, the Granger youth, sometimes standing at the window, as if imploring his rescue, and every time he disappeared, a hope arose in her bosom, that the door had been opened for his escape. But lie returned again, and again, while at even KONINGSMAUKK new disappointment, her agitation increased j until at length, when she heard the crash of the falling staircase, and saw a shower of burning cinders rise into the air, the blood rushed to her heart, and her senses became for a while suspended. With the lir-t moment of returning animation, tin- lair Christina beheld the black s\bil standing o\er her, muttering one of her incomprehensible -pell-, in a low and sepulchral voice. "I- he -ale." a-kedthe maiden, fearfully. The wolf i- auain abroad, and let the inno- ent lanih beware," replied the Fri/y.led Head. "What in the name of Heaven meanest thou. by thy parable of the wolf and the lamb! Be -ilent, or tell all thou knowe.-t. I beseech thee,' r -aid the -tartled girl. The -lave cannot wii ;i-t the ma-ter. nor the colour I bear, te-tily atrain>t thine. I have -een uhat I have -ecu I know what I know . Sleep out the re.-t of thi< niaht in the B!( of innocence, for no one knows Itut it Inay be the I, iviiiir, the mysterious monitor bade her \ounu mi-tress good night, and retired, leaving poor Christina to inu-e with jiainful curio.-ity on her dark and in-crutable oracles. In the mean time, the Heer Piper had been KONINGSMARKE. apprised of the situation of the Long Finne, who, as we have before stated, was taken up insensible, after his fall from the window of the prison. Though a testy, impatient little man, the Heer was, at the bottom, neither ill-natured nor malignant. He could not reflect on the immi nent danger to which his suspicions had exposed the stranger youth, without a painful feeling of remorse, or contemplate his present forlorn and desolate condition, without compassion. Yield ing to his feelings, he directed that the Long Finne should be brought to his palace, where he was placed on a bed, and every means in their power used for his recovery. It was for some time doubtful whether the soul and the body had not parted forever ; but at length the youth opened his eyes with a long-drawn sigh, then shut them again for a few moments, during which, nature seemed to struggle be tween life and death. At length, however, the desperate contest was over ; the colour gradual ly rame back into his cheeks, and he seemed to recognise the Heer, who had watched his revival \vjth no little solicitude. The recovery of the Long Finne, who \\a> -oivlv bruised with his fall, was slow and gradual, but it wa< at last completed, and In: HOMNGS.MARHI . became a man a^ain. Unwilling any longer to tre*pass on the hospitality of the I leer, the \ouim man one day took an opportunity to e\pre* s hi* deep and indelible sense of the obligation* lie owed to the Heer and his family. hi* inability to repay tlicm for the present, hi* hope that providence would onr dav |)iit it in his pirn rr, and fmallv, hi* resolution to de part on the morrow. The Lonii Finne had no\\ been an inmate of the palace. *omeuhat more than a moiitli. and during all that time expe rienced unvarvinu Kindne.**. It i* one of the most noble and delightful characteristic- of our nature, that whatever ma\ be our fir*t motive lor be*towinu kindne** ti( intercourse, and which uraduallv rli*>ipate* lia*iv and unfounded prejudi' *ince it is hardly possible to live in the same I K.ONINGSMARKE. house with a person whose manners are tolerably conciliating, without feeling something of that species of neighbourly good will, which, after all, is the strongest cement of society. It was so with the Heer Piper, who felt njo little complacency of spirit, when he looke'rl back upon the various claims his late kindness had given him and his, on the gratitude of the youth. When, therefore, he heard the propo sition for to-morrow's departure, it was with something like a feeling of dissatisfaction. " Why, hang it, Long Finne," he exclaimed, 'I hope there is no ill-blood between us about the affair of Mark Newby's halfpence eh !" "I were ungrateful if I remembered that," said the youth. " Thou hast buried it for ever under the recollection of a thousand kindnesses. F remember nothing, but that I owe my life, worthless as it is, to you." "Well, well," replied the Heer, "I will tell thee what. Thou sayest thou art friend]c>.>. and without money, and where wilt thou find cither one or the other, in this wilderness f" "Alas! I know not," replied the youth; " but it is better to go forth in search of ur^.v friends, than to tire our old ones." "Der tevful hole dicfi" cried the fiery and 88 KONINGSMARKE. puissant Heer ; "who told thro thy old friend- were tired of thee ? are my household negligent, or do I treat thee with any more ceremony than ;i kitten? 'Slife Master Long Finne, but thai the jail is unluckily burnt down, I'd clap thre up again, for such a false suspicion, I would der teufel hole ilich.'' " But 1 have not been used to live onchariu .' rejoined the youth. "Charitv!'' furiously exclaimed the Heer. 'Charity! rtrjliirfit in/d vrrdci nit'. why, Vdeath. am not I Governor of this territory, and < an't 1 take a man into my palace out of in\ own free will and pleasure, without beinc; accused of charity, and having the matter thrown into im teeth, tin- ttnfrl ! Harkye, Long Finne,' either v in my house till 1 can provide 1 for thee, or the immortal glory of the trreat (iustavu*. clap thee up between four >tone \\ alls, if I lother jail on pure 4 Thou shalt not need/' replied the LOIIL smiling; "I will not run a\\a\ from son. I ma\ make myself useful, at l-at in 1 danger. 1 was once a >oldier, and if a.tres should ever attempt the fort. I pay some of my obligation-." "Very well," quoth the Heer ; " a\\a\ with KONINGS5IARKE. 8<) thee j and harkye, if I hear any thing more abour that d d charity, I'll set that mortal speechifier, the Snow Ball, at thee, for I perceive thou an more afraid of her confounded smoked tongue than of der teufel." As the Heer said this, he- looked round rather apprehensively, as if to ser whether the Snow Ball was not within hearing, knowing full well that if he affronted her, sh< would spoil his pepper-pot for him at supper. The Long Finne bowed, and left the high presence of the representative of majesty, and from thence went to a place where he w;i- pretty certain of meeting the charming Christina, who had ministered to his sick bed, like a guardian sylph Pshaw! like a gentle, com passionate, sweet-souled woman ! who is worth all the sylphs that ever sung or flitted in (lit- vacuum of a poet's brain. " Art thou going away to-morrow . ? " askerl Christina, with her blue eye cast to the earth. " No," replied the youth with a smile ; " tin lather threatens me with building anew prison if 1 talk of departing. I will stay, and at least lose my liberty more pleasantly." That evening, the Long Finne and the gen tle Christina walked on the white sand beach, that skirted the wide expansive river, over VOL. i. 8 JMNHi . whose placid bosom, the south wind -ailed, and the moonbeams sprinkled a million of little bright reflection*, that danced on the \\a\vi, as they broke in gentle murmurs on thr pebbly shore. Night, and silence, tho-e tongur- tied witnesses of the lover'- innocent endear ments, the seducer's accursed art-, the murder- step, the flntnkard'l reel, and the housele-s \vre!cirs wanderings niuht, and silence, created that solitude, in which happ\. youthful lovers, see nothing but them-e' and forget that they exist not alone in thi- uorld. The almost noiseless monotony of the \va\t >, appearing, breakinir, vani-hiiii; one after another, like the evanescent trene.-aiimt- of man ; the spla-h of the >tnri:eon. at IOIILT intenaK. .jumping up, . and falling back a^ain into the \\aters; these, other soothing sound>. enticed them to wander far down thr -hore, out of sight and out of hearing of the \ illage. All at once they were startled at the voice il the solitary, ill-boding Whipperwill, whirl) whUtled its shrill cry, as if it were close to their . althoudi entirely invisible. "Whip-poor- will Whip-poor-will," cried the bird of -uper- -titiou> fear- : and that moment a voice wa- KONINGSMARKK, 91 heard from the bank above them, exclaiming not, " O, yes ! O, yes !"or " Hear ye ! Hear ye !" but singing the following wild, mysterious strain : They sat all in a lonely grove ; Beneath the flowers were springing, And many a bonny bird above, His blithesome notes was singing. With harmless innocence of look, And eyes so sweetly smiling, Her willing hand he gently took, The first step to beguiling. \ kiss he begg'd she gave a kiss, While her cheek grew red and flushing : For o'er her heart the tide of bliss, With thrilling throb was rushing. lie's gone away, to come no more; And she who late so smiling, The blush of health and youth aye WOK . Now mourns her sad beguiling. Her hope is cross'd, her health is lost, For ever, and for ever ; While he, on distant billows toss'd, Returns to her no, never ! She wanders lonely to and fro, Forsaken and forsaking ; \nd those who see Jier face of wo, See that her heart is breaking. Tin- \oice and the figure were (liose of thf i-'ri/./.led li. ad. \vho possessed the musical talent, M remarkable a characteristic of her African : and who, as >he was seen by the niooil- liulit, >taiidiim lialf bent, leaning on her stick, .it tin- top of the bank, looked like an old witch. if not -oint'tliinpr worse. A- -he finished thi- Ion;: ditiy. - out, in a Sepulchral tout-. \lis.s Christina, vou'n- wanted at lionu- ; the -upper is ready, and the pepper-pot is gettin- i old. The wolf is abroad, li't the lamb beware. 1 h what I have seen I know what J know." So saying, -lie mounted her stick, whirl) we rather afraid was not a broomstick, and capered oil' like ;m ostrich, half nmninir, half ilyinu. The yoinm couple returned to the palace, and Christina remarked that the J, one Tinne uttered not n word during the rest of th- CHAPTER V. Arthur O'Bower has broken his ban>1. And he comes roaring; up the land ; King of Scots, with all his power, Nover can turn Sir Arthur O'Bower/' THE summer passed away, and autumn be gan to hang out his many-coloured flag up on the trees, that, smitten by the nighth frosts, every morning exhibited less of the green, and more of the gaudy hues that mark thr waning year in our western clime. The farmers of Elsingburgh were out in their fields, bright and early, gathering in the fruits of their spring and summer's labours, or busily employed in making their cider ; while the urchins passed their holydays in gathering nuts, to crack by the winter's fire. The little quails began to whistle their autumnal notes ; the grasshopper, having had his season of idle sport and chirping jollity, began now to pay the penalty of his thoughtless improvidence, and might be seen sunning hinv self, at mid-day, in melancholy silence^ as if an-. h.OMM.-M\UXI ticipating the period when his short and mem \\ould be rim. Flocks of robin- \\er- inu in the -outh, to seek a more genial air ; tin- >ober cattle beiran to as-uine their nuiirh. wintry coal, and to put on that despe- nce oi' ennui, with whieh all nature -alute- tin- approach of winter. The little blue bird alone, the la-t to lea\e u>, and the iir>t to return in the sprinir, sometimes poured out hi- j)en-i\'e note, :i> if bidding farewell to the ne-l where it had reared it- MHIHU. ;i- i- set forth in the following ver>es. indicted \}\ Ma-ter La- /aru- IJirclieni. eiewhile liner ger to the small frv \Vlif-,. hunt. favourite hamt, 1 liio iix iiH-hini li<)ly home, I '..I- I . when all the tuneful race it their wintry hMin? jilacr. Lingers, and sings his notes awhile, Though past is nature's cheering - And when I hear the II i? notes a^iiin, I hail the spring; For by that harbinger I know. The flowers and zephyrs oon will Wow KONINGSUARKE. Sweet bird ! that lovest the haunts of men. Right welcome to our woods again, For thou dost erer with thee bring The first glad news of coming spring. All this while, the fair Christina and the tali youth were left to take their own way ; to wan der, to read, to sing, and to look unutterable things, unobserved and unmolested, save by the mysterious and incomprehensible warnings of the black sybil of the Frizzled Head, who, when ever she met them, was continually dinning in their ears the eternal sing-song of "I have seen what I have seen I know what I know.'' At such interruptions, the eye of the Long Finne would assume that fearful expression which, we have before observed, had startled the fair Christina, and which, now that she felt ;i stronger interest in the youth, often occasion ed a vague sensation of horror, that caused her many a sleepless night. The situation of our little blue-eyed Finland- er became every day more painful and embar rassing. The consciousness of her growing in terest in the Long Finne, the obscurity of his character, the equivocal expression of his eye, and the mysterious warnings of the Frizzled Head, all combined to produce a sea of doubts KOMNGSMARKi:. and fears, on which her heart was tossed to a fro. At times she would resolve to alter her deportment towards the youth, and banish him her father's house, by a harsh and contemptuou.- indifference. But here love, in the form of pity, interfered. Poor, friendless, and unkixmn. where should he find a refuge, if banished from the village? He would be forced to seeK the \\oods, herd with the bands of Indians, and heroine himself the VTOrst of Savages, a \\hitr one. At other times she determined to consult tumt Edith. But that good lady, as ue ob>er- \ed before, had too much to attend to abroad, to mind .1 flairs at home; and was so smitten with a desire to do good on a great scale, that her sympathies could ne\er, contract theuel\e> to the little circle of the domestic fireside. Her father next presented himself to her mind, a- her natural guardian and counsellor. Hut thr I leer, though lie loved her better than pipe or pepper-pot, wa> a testy, scolding little man ; apt to speak rather more than he thought, and to threaten more than he would do. Hem < the tender apprehen-i\e feeling of a delicato L'irl. thus circumstanced, shrunk from the idea. perhaps roughly assailed in tiw outset, KONISGSMARKE. Although, in the end, she might meet with affec tionate sympathy. The Heer, at this time, was sorely environed with certain weighty cares of state, that perplex ed him exceedingly, and added not a little to the irritability of his temper. He was engaged, tooth and nail, in a controversy about bounda ries, with his neighbour William Penn, who, it is well known, was a most redoubtable adversary in matters of paper war. Two brooks, about half a mile apart from each other, and having nothing to distinguish them, caused great dis putes, with respect to the boundary line between the territories of Coaquanock and Elsingburgh. Trespasses, on either side, occasioned mutual complaints, and though the Heer Piper fell into a passion and swore, the other kept his tamper, and the possession of the territory in dispute besides. In order to settle this affair, it was proposed to send an envoy to Elsingburgh, on the part of those of Coaquanock, and accord ingly he made his appearance, about this time, at this renowned capital. Shadrach Moneypenny, as he was called, for Excellencies and Honourables did not fly about like hail-stones, at that time, as now, was a tall, upright, skin-and-bone figure, clothed KOMNGSMARK1;. from head to foot, in a suit of drab-coloured broad-cloth ; a large hat, the brim of which turned up behind, and without any appen- . that approached to finery, except a very -mall pair of silver buckle- to iii> hiuh-quarter- Yet, with all this plaiimr--. there a en-tain sly air of extreme far.- in the ad justment of his garments, in accordance \\ith the most prim simplicity, that shreudly indica- triend Shadrach thought |iiile a- much of his appearance as other-, ulio dn --< -<1 i gaudily to the eye. The Long Finne, who wa- -omewhat of a mischeviouswag at times, affirmed that the worthy envoy looked very much as if he had tone through the same prod --of u a-hinu. clear-starchinir and ironinu, with his pr. band a^id rigid collar. Shadrach Money pennv rode a horse seventeen hands hiirh, and propor- tionably larire and jolly in his other dimen-ion-. which afforded a perfect contrast to the leannr-- of his rider; so that one likened them unto Pha- roah's dream, another to king Porus and hi- elephant, and \arious were the jokes cracked upon Shadrach and his big horse, as they entered the village. It was with much ado that Lob Dotterel could prevent the bad boys from jeering the stranger, as they sat in the road. KONINGSMARKE. 9 ( J busily employed in making dirt pies, in joy ful anticipation of the coming of the Christmas h olydays. The Governor received the envoy in full council. And here it occurs to us, that we have not properly introduced these distinguished persons to the reader, an omission which shall be duly supplied, before we proceed one strp further in our history. Wolfgang Langfanger, the pottee-baker, \va> the greatest smoker, and of course the greatest man in the village, except the representative of majesty himself. He was, in time past, con sidered among the most prosperous and thriving persons in all the territories of New Swedeland, being an excellent baker of stone pots, some of which remain to this day in the houses of the descendants of the ancient inhabitants, beauti fully lackered with green flowers, and bearing the initials of W. L., which would doubtless sorely puzzle future antiquaries, were it not for this true history. What he earned, he saved ; and being manfully assisted by his spouse, with in doors, he gradually waxed wealthy, inso much, that he every year built either a new hen house, pig-sty, or the like, and whitewashed his garden fence, in spring and fall. But from thr period in which he arrived at the unexpected honour of being of the King's council, his head Denied turned topsy-turvy, and his good help mate's, inside out. Wolfgang fell into such a tur moil, re-pectinir the affairs of the great Gustavus, i, at that time, was carrying the reformation on the point of his sword into Germany, that In ne\er baked a good pot afterwards; while his wife hegan to scom whitewashing fences, and churning infamous butter. The very next Sun- she took the field at church, dressed in a !i of the same piece, and a cap of the -ame fineness, with those of madam Kdith, to the il scandal of Dominie Kanttwell, and the utter -polling of aunt Kdith's pious meditations for that day. .More than that. Wolfgang beuau to frer|iient master Oldale's hou-e, \\here he talked politics, drank ale, smoked his pipe, till the co\\- came home, and ut the reputation n|' a loiiL r -headcd person that saw deep into fu- torii Sudden wealth and sudden honour ruineth many an honest man. We ha\e seen a pri/.c in the lottery, and an election to the dignity of -sor or alderman, spoil some of the most \\orthv tradesmen in the world. Thus was ii uith Wolt'uantr Lantrfanaer, who sprnt his- mo- KOSMXGSMARKF.. 101 ney, and neglected his business, till at length he had not a fix-dollar left, and his reputation, as a pot-baker, was ruined for ever. At the time we -peak of, he lived, sometimes upon credit. VOL. i. 9 KON1NGSUARKE. - iir us to tint the only o\ ert act of ! committed airainst the In-art of the fai' Christina, wa>, always pul'lini: the >rnoke of hi- towards that fair dam>el, whenever >h< in the room, which was held a sure indication of JK i to which his inclinations pointed. Othman promising youth, ! arrived at such a di.-tiniruish- cd honour at the early ap> of forty-ci-ht ; and then- were tho-r who did not >cruj)lf to hint tliat .:lt- d:i\ colii' vci'lior of KK' burch. Otlnnan and the Long Finn* orn th<- one, cvinring his hostility, \>\ coni- u his rhal to a harn-door in a frosty morn- vvliicli is ahsay.- siuokini; ; the other. no notice, whatever, of hi^ rival, in hi> ; nid making divers reflection upon him, when ah-ent. The third member of the yreat council of \t \s Surdeland na^ Ludwit;- Varlett. a wild. barem-scarem f jolly fellow, la/v as n Turk, idle i India planter, and -o generous, when he had money, that lie wa* often obliued to be mean for the want of it. He held prudence, economy, n< :id the like, to he words of Indian oriirin. and whenever any one used them in his pre-cnce. would exclaim, "Eh! what ? KONINGSMARKK. ;ni I don't understand it, it's Indian." Coun sellor Varlett dealt liberally, in a great variety of singular expletives and epithets, peculiar to himself, and which were at every one's service. But then he would consign people to the bitterest punishments in this way, with such a good-hu moured eccentric vehemence, that nobody ever thought of giving him credit for being in ear nest, or taking ofience at his discourse. A singular colloquy, which hath been acci dentally/ preserved, by a curious person of our acquaintance, will, perhaps, throw more light on the character of Counsellor Varlett's elo quence than any general outlines we could give. The goblin Cupid used to do various little job? and errands for master Ludwig, who wa in the habit of calling after him with, " here, you d d, idle, good-for-nothing rogue ; you've no thing to do; go catch my horse, yonder you bloody black snow ball." Cupid, so far from taking this in dudgeon, would acquiesce with a mortal exhibition of white ivory, knowing full well the Counsellor would pay him liberal ly, whenever he got money. On some one of these occasions, Ludwig had promised Cupid ;i rix-rlollar for doing a job, and, being a little tardy in the performance, that likely fellow called 104 KOMN,->IAI: 'lit 1 day to duu him, when the following dial- is said to have taken place : Ludwig-'s wife en ters and says " Cupid wants you." Liudiriif. li What does the fellow want? curst picture, if hr wants money, tell the rascal I'll ram- him.'' "I!* 'i owe him a rix-dollar, for cut ting wood la -i winter." l^nln-iff. " | don't our him a halfpenny, tin infernal hint? son of a . Show him in ' and In'- ha\e a look at him; it'< mighty likelx I'M- paid him already. ( 'ome in, >ir. Art now ready to swear, and take your bible oath. I did'nt pay x on before .' Not a d d -fixer -hall \on ha\e. till you pro\ e 1 haven't paid you ; \\ice aln-ady you d d t-i/'/ard-heel'd. iiinn'd. cushion-anck'd son how much 't pit of hem '. u'thi- fellow i-n't enough to ruin any man, I'll tell you what, \ou infernal Snow Ball, if you re dimni: .iin. I'll n, ^.ni of brim-tonr. >tirred with a KONINGSMAfcKE. 105 lightning rod; I will, you bloody infernal cucum- ber-shinn'd rascal." But with all this bad habit, Counsellor Lud- \vig was, in the main, a good-natured man, who took the world as it went ; charitable to the poor, whom he would relieve with a hearty maledic tion ; one, in fact, who would have deserved great credit for his liberality, had it not been too often exercised at the expense of his creditors. He never looked beyond the present moment, and was accustomed to anathematize Counsellor Langfanger's schemes of improvement, which were always founded on distant views of future advantage. The consequence was, that the latter got the reputation of a very long-headed person, while honest Ludwig was stigmatized - vs a short-sighted fellow. When Shadrach Moneypenny appeared be fore the council of New Swedeland, the first offence he gave was omitting either to make a bow, or pull off his hat, to the great annoyance of Governor Piper ; who was as great a stickler for ceremony as the emperor of China, or the - rretary of state, in a republic, where all are rqual. The Heer fidgeted, first one way, then 'another, made divers wry faces, and had nor M;. li been a privileged pei -on, on tin -< ore ol i>lt nipotential functions, would ha\e commit- liim t<> tl f L -jiirit nioveth me ; unto thee, 1 am come from Coaquanock to com mune with thee oil the Sldiject of the di-pilte- 'Uir people and thine, about certain n our patent and the pretend lit- of I:.' ' l-'riend Piper jn'etended rihl-," repeated ihe Heer, miuterin^ indiinwmtly to liim-elt'. Hut harkye. .Mr. Sliadrarh .Me.-he< U and the d 1, before \\r proceed to l)ii-ine--, \ou mil-! lie pleaded to understand, that no man com- - the pr- the repaesentativc of tlu :he Htilwark of the Protestant \\iihont ptdlinir off hi.- hat." u Friend Piper," replied Slim!, iidiiiL' ill preii-el\ the po-ili.iii \\c have de-criiied : iend Piper, -near not at all. Verily. I do pull ofi" my hat to much le.-- to the i 'nut calleth K6NINGSMARKE. 10? great Gustavus, whom I conceive a wicked man of blood, one who propagateth religion with the -word of man instead of the word of Jehovah." " Verflucht und vcrdamt /" exclaimed thr Heer, in mortal dudgeon ; " the great Gustavus, the Bulwark of the Protestant Faith, a man of blood ! Der teufcl hole dich ! 1 swear, you shall put off your hat, or depart, without holding 'onference with us, with a flea in thine ear." "Swear not at all," replied Shadrach, "friend Piper. Again I say to thee, I will not pull oil* my hat ; and, if necessary, I will depart with a ilea in mine ear, as thou art pleased to expn --. thyself, rather than give up the tenets of t>t, friend I'iper,'' rejoined tin- other ; ' and for m\ u .nouth, -inee it ofiend> thee. I \\ill depart to \\heni . I eame." So >a\iii(_ r . In- leisurely turned himself round, and was proceeding on his \\a\. i the Heer Piper, to whosd choler the di\\ eloquent idrach added fresh fuel, eriod out, ' in a voice of thunder. machinery of Shadraeh, which had KONINGSMARKL. 10U put in motion for his departure, stopped, accor- , in the old world, and aiv n-ady for -ufleraiicc- in the new. Kvrn now, in yon Iv^u-rn *fttlcm'nt>, our brethren are expelled from the poor refuses tlies have sought, and chavd. UK- tin I ll'l haunt* ttf the new-settled pi" thrir blood .blood of wolves tlifir hand- the cla\\ - of tiiMTv, and their tret the feet of the murder er. Our f;iith trrcw up in uflerinirs, and behold, 1 nin readx ; sinito am road\ . Tin ^ ho hath no (Jod, en dure^ the tortures of tire, without -hriuKiiii:. and -litdl not I d;ire to sutler, whom he sn-t;ii Smite J am read\ ." The- Heer \va> now in tin 1 predicament, of 'erlain pa ionate projile, \\hothreaten, \\hat. ilie point, they -hrink from in- tlictiiiL:. !>e-ides that the law of nation-; made the of cn\e Didd not hrii; If to commit \iolence upon one, \\hoM- prijx'ijile- of non-r . in- bU-. I?y way of co?iiiuu off. therefore, with a good grace, he and Lndwii: Varlctt, fell into a iuted Shadrach M> \vith a fluet of e\[ileii\e-. which that wor thy pleliipui More. I'or -cine time, with ical indii;'. \rt thou iend l^iper." exei ln\ t;dvi of tin- i KONINGSMARKE. 1 i j "Begone, and der teufel hole dick, and das tonnerwetter schlage dich kreutzeveis in (Jen boden" cried the Heer. " I go, verily ;" and the good Shadrach inarched leisurely out of the council chamber, with his hands crossed over his breast, his eyes turned upwards, neither looking to the right nor 10 the left. Coming to the place where he had left his horse, he untied him from the branch of an apple-tree, mounted by the aid of ei friendly rock, and seated himself in the saddle ; whereupon, he smote him in the side with his unarmed heel, and the horse, taking the hint, trotted ofl' for the territory of Coaquanock. Thus was the negotiation between the powers of Elsingburgh and Coaquanock, wrecked on a point of etiquette, like that between England and China, which happened in later times. The obstinacy of Shadrach, in not pulling off his hat to the Heer, and that of my Lord Amherst, in refusing to prostrate himself ever so many tinns before the elder brother of the moon, were both, in all probability, followed by consequences that affected millions of human beings, or will affect them at some future period. This pn>vi> the vast importance of etiquette, and we hope our worthy statesmen at the capital will perse- KONINGSMAB \orc in their praiseworthy attempt.-, to mak- ertain people, \\lio don't know the important I'thcst' nuittrr>. scnsiljlc ofthr aloolutc IH-COMIX of pn-codt'iirr hrini: r'.^idl\ oliM-r\i'd. in u into dinint: ruunj^. and uner (If this cargo and ichooner." Tin .iiufanu-er hailed thi e\-nt a.- fur- nishinir unquestionable augury that the town of KUinirburgh was destined to moiiopoli/.e the commerce of all the dominions of his Swedi-li Maje-H in the new world, provider! proper mea- Mirt-s were taken to improve it- natural ad\an- 3. He a it wharf. for tin- accoiiui. v .,,,, , lM i, iv or fort\ 1. ^hips. \\ith -tore.-, for _'Hiisted. in the curtroe'-. of a feu }>ark canot^, in which the Indians brought down muskrat and hear -kin<, to barter for aqua rita. In order KONINGSMARKE. 1 J i> to accommodate these, he planned a canal, to connect the Brandywine with the Delaware, by a cut, that would shorten the distance at least six miles. By this he boasted that the whole trade of the interior would centre at El- singburgh, to the complete abandonment and destruction of Coaquanock, which must neces sarily dwindle into utter insignificance. The Heer was excessively tickled with the idea of being so effectually revenged upon Shadrach Moneypenny, and the rest of his old enemies, the Quakers. His next project was that of beautifying the town, which, it must be confessed, was rather a rigmarole sort of place, built at random, the streets somewhat crooked, and the houses occa sionally protruding themselves before their neighbours, in somewhat of an unmannerly manner. Langfanger proposed to revise tin- whole plan, widen many of the principal streets. lay out several others upon a magnificent scale, and pull down the houses that interfered with the improvement of the city, as he soon began to call the great town of Elsingburgh. Thf- Heer was rather startled at this project, consi dering the expense of purchasing the houses to be pulled down, and the probable opposition of 110 KOMNf.-MAI (he good people who inhabited them. But Langfknger wa- never at a loss on tin dons. lit- went forth among the villagers, with n -triii uments, deductions, calculations, and mtieipation-, enough to pu/./le, ii' not convim < . much wiser heads than those which urew on the ^honlders of the simple inhabitants. Admitting >nly that his premises were true, and that what ho predicted would certainly come to pass, and there \\;i~ mi (ien\ ini: hi.i conclusions. Accord- v, I he 0od people liec.une a-sured Unit the pullinL: down their IIOUM -, and cuttinii tip their .ind fields into broad streets ami avenue-. would, in no little time, make every soul ol'tliem .'.'. It was curious to see the apple cut down, the urass cut up, and the lot- d into ih' most whimsical shapes, 1>\ Wolf- L r aii'j-'< improvements, The beautiful ^rass-plot- t:a\e place to dii-ty or mudd\ a\enu-s, branchini;- oil' in all direction-, and leading no \\here. insomuch, that ould hardly find their way any where. Houses, that had hitherto fronted the -in et, now \ with their backs to it, or presented a >harp corner ; and the whole world wastuimi! l'py-turvy at J-'lsinulmrah. Hut the KONINGSHARKE. Ill Counsellor Langfanger appeared to the greatest advantage in respect to certain obstinate persons, who did not choose to have their houses pulled flown over their heads, without being well paid for it. Wolfgang settled matters with these, by causing the houses to be valued at so much, and the improvement of the property, in consequence of pulling them down, as equivalent to the loss of the houses. These unreasonable persons were, by this equitable arrangement, turned out of doors, and left to live very comfortably upon the anticipation of a great rise in the value of their estates. Under the magnificent system of Counsellor Wolfgang, the village of Elsingburgh grew and flourished, by anticipation, beyond all former example ; although, since that time, man^ -imilar wonders have been exhibited to the world. But there are always drawbacks upon human prosperity an inside, and an outside, to every thing. The mischief was, that these great improvements cost a great deal of money, and there was very little of it to be had at El- burgh. Improvements brought debts, and debts are as naturally followed b\ t;i\c--, as y cow is by her tail. It became necc-sv.iry, at least, to provide for the payment of the interest 10* upon thedebt contracted, in consequence of tho-c 4n\;duable improvements, in order to keep up the public credit, and enable ( 'oun>el]or 1/auu- T to carry on hi- M henie-, ;uid impnne llir town, by rimninir up :x still hea\ ier -core. And here we will take occasion to remark upon a lity, which distinuui-hes tho man \\hola\- out hi-> ouu. Iroui him who disburse- the jiublic iuone\. How carel'ul is lie, in tho . to make the 1110*1 of it, to turn tiny to \\\- advantage, and to weiu'li the probable u-ain^ in eiiij)lo\inu it, before he part- with a dollar! \' -utrarx. when he hath < ))t of the public funds, it i- ui.-hin^ how liberal lie becomes; how hi- nl upon what questionable he \\ill expend millions, that do not >o him. r l'h' >ilier peculiarity, which t M r accompanies the in :it of tin public wealth, uhich is. that lit a man be ever one.-t IM fore hand, or ever -o de.-iro exhibit to the world a pure example ofdi-inter- ne of this money \vill stick to hi- i -pile of hi- te< th, and brini_ r hi- inte- V into (jue.-tion. This is doubtless the reason why men are -o unwilling to undertake these mat- tor-, and that only the wavmc-t patriotism will KONINCSMARKE-. i 19 induce them to have any thing to do with the public mony. But, to return to our history. The worthy Counsellor Langfanger, by direction of Gover nor Piper, forthwith set about devising the ways and means to keep up public credit, and go on with the public improvements. Political econo my, or the art of picking the pockets of a com munity, was not much understood at this time ; but genius supplies the want of precep and ex ample. Counsellor Langfanger devised, and the Heer Piper adopted and enforced, a system of taxation, more just and equally proportion ed than any ever before known. Nobody was to lie taxed above one per cent, on his property; but then, the Heer reserved to himself to value the said property agreeably to his discretion. Accordingly, to make his revenues meet his im provements, he was obliged to rate things at a sort of imaginary prospective value, at least three times greater than any body would give for them. The good people of Elsingburgh were highly astonished at finding themselves MI rich., and paid their taxes cheerfully, until the perpe tual drain upon their pockets, to pay for Coun sellor Langfanger's improvements, made it con- \enient to sell some part of their property, when they were utterly confounded to find themselves h.U.MN(,>MAKK.i.. rich only according to the Heer Piper'- ta.x list. Hut agreeably to the homely old ravine, " In tor a penny, in for a pound." Wolfgang assured them that if they stopt short in their improvement- Id-fore they had got half through, all the money hitherto expended would be utterly lost ; but if they only persevered to the end, they could not possibly fail of reaping a glorious harvest. The irood folks scratched their heads, and paid their In the mean time, the Heer and his Counsellor every day discovered sonie new ar ticle to tax, until at length it came to pass, that v thinu necessary to the existence of the people of Elsingburgh, every thing that belong ed to them, to the very heads on their shoul- . and the coats on their backs, was loaded \\ith impost*, to contribute to the great end of public improvement. It will be only anticipa ting the course of events a few year.-, to sa\. that many of these projects of Counsellor Lang- er never realized the advantages heprediot- (I. and of others that did, the profits were ne ver repped by those who paid for them, since -,\ t portion of these were, in process of time, compelled to sell their property by piecemeal, to meet the perpetual exactions of the Heer Pi per and hi< long-headed Counsellor. BOOK THIRD. BOOK THIRD CHAPTER I. It' we examine, aided by the light of historv . the course of human events, we shall find that every thing moves in a perpetual circle. The world turns round, and all things with it. Eve ry tiling new is only the revival of something forgotten ; and what are called improvements, discoveries, or inventions, are, for the most part, little else than matters that have again come uppermost, by the eternal revolutions of the wheel of fate. Mutability maybe said to con- Jtitute the harmony of the universe, whose va>i mid apparent changes and varieties are produ ced, like those of music, by the same notes dif ferently arranged. "It is an ill wind that blows nobody good," -.ays the old proverb, and accordingly we find, i hat causes which produce the misery u florin L:- mortal, solace him-elf \\ith tin comfortable a--urance, that be is nothing more than a martyr to the happine-- of some unknown beinii, who, in the coiir-eof e\ent>. will reap the harve-t in joy, of what hath been -own in tears. The origin of moral evil, which is a problem that b,i- pu//.le.l wi-er heads than ours, i< ea-il\ and -imply reconciled to the seeming contradic tions it invohe-. by means of this theory, which will equally apply to man. and to all animated na ture. The sufferings of virtuous men, and the KONINGSMARKE. 125 apparent prosperity of the wicked, furnish, per haps, the strongest internal support to that uni versal belief in a future state, which is cherished, with some little varieties, all over the world. Thus, a principle essential to our faith, and, of course, a source of infinite happiness, both here and hereafter, a great good in fact, owes its ori gin in some measure to the existence of what might, otherwise, be considered a great evil. Those, therefore, who take advantage of this Deeming disparity to impeach the justice, and sometimes the very existence, of a superintend ing providence, look at but one side, of the question, and decide from partial views. But perhaps the reader may be 'superficial enough not to perceive the connexion between these specu lations, and the position with which we set out : we will therefore leave this matter for the pre sent. That all things move in a circle is, however, particularly demonstrated in affairs of less con sequence, which revolve perpetually before our eyes. It is denominated, by philosophers, action and re-action ; but it is only the revolutions of the wheel of mutability. For instance, it has been supposed, that bigotry and intolerance were synonymous with ignorance and hypocrisy : VOL. i. 11 i* . IJO KoMM.s \rAHKV. M'l \\e BCC the nio-t virtuous and monarch-. a^ \\ell a- tin- inos-t learned and pion- preacher-. -paring no paiu> to bring the world hack to a belief in doirma-and mbtUties, supposed to In- peculiar to a-v- of barbarism and super stition. No one doubts that the nineteenth cen- tur\ i> tin- mo.-t niliphtciicd a ire the world CUT -av\ . Yd do we find the world. unlr-- we mistake, i- in an at danger of being brought, by a morr adrojt appeal to it-. f'ear>, or it may be to it- n a- -011, to -ubmit inij)liritly to old abuses under ;i ne\\ name, with as much docility as in the tenth eentnry. For instance, the Inquisition, beinu abolislied in Spain, has revived in Kndand un der a new name. The " IJridtre-.-treet as they are denominated, is nothin^more than an inquisition into mi n'> con-riei.n - ; ;uid though it cannot put the victim- to the torture of the rack or the boot, ran put them to that of the Kimli-h la\\. and an Kngli>h prison, \\hieh. in the opinion of tho>e who have had experience in these deliuht-. are no pitiful Mib>titnte> for the discipline of a S|.ai)i-h lii(|uisition. When a -- 'iet\ like that of Bridge-street i- -auctioned b\ vdiirt- of jii-tice. in an interferenee with, and a ptini>lnnent of a man's opinion- in matter- of faith, it i- of little con-eqneiice wheilier A on eall KONINGSMARKK. 127 it an Inquisition, or a society for the suppression of vice and the punishment of blasphemy. The Inquisitors of Spain punished the Protestants with the rack, the Inquisitors of London punish those who difler with them in opinion, with fine and imprisonment. Whatever body of men in terferes with men's consciences, in this or that manner, is an Inquisition to all intents and pur poses. Beyond doubt, many people who have not paid proper attention to the absolute monotony which characterizes the course of events in all ages of the world, and which is produced by the revolutions of our wheel, are of opinion that those refinements in police, those schemes for public improvement, and that noble system of political economy by which nations and com munities are enabled to get over head and ears in debt, are the productions of the present age. But whoever compares the system of the Heer Pi per, and his long-headed Counsellor Wolfgang Langfanger, with that commonly in operation at this time in our cities and states, will at once per- < cive it is nothing more than the same thing brought up again in the revolutions of the great wheel, theprimum mobile of hitman events. In de- failing the various plans of Governor Piper, to KONIMiSMARKK. make all I ho little bad boys good by means of teaching them their A, B. C ; in his attempts to banish vice and poverty from Elsingburgh, by an ingenious mode of encouraging idleness ; and in various other philanthropic schemes, which \\ t hitter enemy to all sorts of innocent -port-, which he represented as the devil's to\-. with which that arch-enemy seduced people from their allegiance to the church. He held all the -urplu- earnings of the poor, a.- well a- all lay ing up for the future, to be little better than a distrusting of Providence ; taking every oppor tunity to assure his lloek, that it was their dut\ to work hard all the week, shun all sort- of amu-ements and indulgences, and devote all the\ could earn to the good of the church, and the comfort of the parson. He pledged him- M-lf. i!' they would do tin-, they might be > to the wants of the future, -ince, in can -ickn-'--. loss of crops, "i- any other accident.- of life, some miraculous inti-rposition would ne- \-r fail to take place, by which their want- v\ould be supplied. Bean- and bacon would rain down from heaven, partridges would ily in at their doors and windows, and all their want- would be administered to, a- a reward for their !->-it\ to the parson. Domine Kanttwell wa.- a L r rt at dealer in judg- t- and miracle-;. The direct iuterpo-ition KONINGSMARKE. 131 of Providence was always visible to him, in every little accident that happened in the vil lage; and while he preached that this world was a mere state of probation, a furnace where Ljood men were tried by fire, and subjected to every species of suffering, he took every other opportunity of contradicting this doctrine, by converting every little good or ill accident that happened to his flock into a judgment or a mi racle a reward for going to church, and ho nouring the parson, or a punishment for neglect ing both. On one occasion, the only child of .1 poor widow happened to be drowned in pad dling a boat on the river, on the Sabbath morn ing. The Domine immediately visited the af flicted parent, and comforted her with the as surance of its being a judgment upon her for not sending the boy to church. In the after noon he thundered forth from the pulpit, and contrasted this unhappy catastrophe, or signal judgment of Providence, with the miracle of the poor man, who, notwithstanding he was over head and ears in debt, with a family of ciuht young children, had bestowed a part of his earnings upon a fund for converting the In dians, and was rewarded by a miraculous shot, l>\ which he killed a fat buck, a thinar he had I-'}- KONIM,~M\KKK. never done before in ;ill his life. What was ve ry singular, however, and would have excited -nine little suspicion, in any other case but that of the Domine, he never tr:ive any tiling awa\ himself, or tru.-ted to any of these miracles in his own particular case, it beinir a maxim of his. ihat to cau>e other- to bestow their alms for an\ object, was equivalent to giving them him- ~c>lf. In short, he held the consoling and com fortable doctrine, that he was perfectly justified in indulging himself with the good things of this life, provided he could only persuade thr poor of \\\> tloek to appropriate a portion of their nece>sary comforts to the great objects In had in view. The principal of these objects was, to put a Mop to all sinful recreations, such a> dancing, iii!_ r wicked ballad-; about love and murder, indul^inu' in the abominations of puppet shou -, readintr pla\s poetrx, and oui:. uhen Domine Kanttwell went forth into the vil lage; and nothing was heard but the nasal twanc >f \ o'u <.< bellowinii forth volumes ofbuming wrath; KONINGSMARKE. 133 and eternal fires, to those who dared to be happy, in a moment of cessation from toil. These, toge ther with certain tracts, containing wonderful accounts of conversions of young sinners of five years old, denunciations of eternal punishment upon wicked laughers, who dared to smile, even while the bottomless pit was yawning to receive them, together with pious exhortations to pay the Domine well, and contribute to the conversion of the Indians, were the only relaxations and amnse- aients permitted in the village of Elsingburgh. Aided by the influence of the Heer, the elo quence of aunt Edith, and the activity of Lob Dotterel, the merry little village of Elsingburgh became a dull, torpid, dronish hive, where no thing was thought of but the bottomless pit. People neglected their labours to sing psalms, and instead of paying their debts, gave their money to the Domine, to convert the Indians, trusting to a miracle for support in case of acci dent. Lob intruded himself into every house, in search of old ballads, and such like enormi ties, which it was customary at that time to paste upon the walls ; and never rested, till he had suc ceeded, either by persuasion, threatSj or briberv , in displacing these ancient memorials. These M VKK.I;. -pecified, which were printed on largo sheet-, in he pasted on the walls, in the room of the car nal and wicked legends of hallad poetry. In a little while, there wa- not one of the-e m he seen, except in the shop of a heterodox cobbler, whose \\;ills were decked with a numerous col lection of old Swedish hallads, snrh a> he had heard in his youth ; and which were connected- and intertwined with all the delightful recollec- lions which thronu around the thoughts of our native home, when we have left it fore\er. These venerable old legends were his choicest treasures, and constituted the source of his prin cipal delights. He sung them while at work in his shop ; and in the leisure of evenintis sat at hi- door, rhantinir hi- ditties in an agreeable \oice, that never failed to collect around him a crowd of little urchins, and -onictimes Deduced the hearer- from an oppo-ite house, where the Doinine and aunt Kdith had instituted a -ocieu for celebrating the horrors of the bottonile-- pit. The-e -eductions of the old Itallads wen- highly re.-cnted. and Loh Dotterel \\a- directed to arm him-elf with a (jiiautity of tract-, reple nish his paste pot, and attack the ballad-, tooth and nail. Crispin, who had -ome idea thai KONINGSMARKE. 135 nobody bad a right to meddle with his ballads, resisted the high constable, at first, with argu ment ; but finding that Lob was proceeding to displace his favourite ditty, very discourteously seized him round the waist, threw him out of the window, and emptied the paste-pot upon Master Dotterel's head. But this outrage of the wicked cobbler, was speedily punished, by a >pecial judgment, according to the theory of Domine Kantttrell ; who wisely employed hu man means, however, to bring it about. The Domine used all his influence, as well as that of the Heer Piper, and aunt Edith, to persuade people their shoes would never prosper, if made, or even mended, by the wicked, ballad-singing cobbler. One, who persisted, notwithstanding, in employing him, had a new pair of shoes, made by poor Crispin, stolen from him, the very night they were brought home, by some heaven-in spired rogue. The influence of the Domine. ;uid his coadjutors, aided by this judgment, did not fail to bring another judgment on the cobbler, who gradually l, in this city, prospered rijjht well, Spite of the d 1 and Domine Kanttwell. He with his latest Christian breath, Bean testimony until d-ath, That lie never knew since he was bornM. An honest man that ballads scorn'd." Wolvert was the la^t person that maintained the legitimacy of old ballad- in the villatre of Elsingburg. From die time of the signal judg ment that followed his contumacy, the sound of cheerful gayety, the merry laugh, and sprightly dance were no more heard or seen ; and even the tinkling cow-bell, that homely music whose simpli- rity so charmingly accords with rural scenes and rural quiet, was banished, because the wicked cows disturbed the Dominie by tinkling them on Sabbath day. The Dominie, and his zealous coadjutor aunt Kdith, rejoiced mightily in their work, and pre dicted wonderful effects from the downfall of wicked ballads, profane singing, and the tinkling of the cow-bells. But it hath been shrewdly observed, that the corruptions of human na ture are like those of the blood, that break out into little pimples, which, though they disfi gure the face somewhat, produce no fatal results, unless they are forcibly driven in, when they are apt to occasion the most mortal disc; Physicians should be careful how they tamper with the pimples ; and reformers should beware, lest, like unskilful tinkers, in stopping one hole, they open half a dozen others. It was thus with the result of Dominie KanUwell's reforma tions. The worthy folks of K! rr- voi, i. 12 '1 \I:K !.. iH-il ill tho.-e little amusements and rec which, as it \\cn-. >anetif\ those hour> ol OUS to mankind in iri >:ne liccn-e of this kind is allotted thru). n to indulire in practice- more fatal to the ivpn- M|' -M-iety. and the happiness of mankind. than -inn'mi: or dancing. The pimple* di>:ij ! from the Mirface, hut the humour- ; \\ithin. The deep and denial \ices ol trloom and superstition came in the pi v herrl'iil ainii-ements ; and it \\a-oli-erved, that instances of overreaching in hareain>. more interruptions in social harmony, and 68 from cha-tity. took jilace in one \ear. than formerly occurred in live. The ignorant :!-d to think they obtained a lirrr.se for lain \\orldly oll'mci-s. by j)rac:i>in^ the otitui.ni i'orms of piety, and inv'm- money to the Doini- . \\hile the e\il di^po^ed mad- religion a cloak for their hypoeri-y. 15ut thi'-e \vi-n-not the only con sequences of this the poor out of the >urp!i their little rarniiiL r s, for pious purposes, and trust- BS in time ofneed, backed l>y the pro- --ri])tion of -miles and -on.. loflayiii .-thiiii: for rainy t lortune which occur -n Ire- KONINGSMARKE. 139 in the tide of human affairs, they part- <*d with these little nest-eggs, trusting to the assurances of Dominie Kanttwell, that if the worst came to the worst, they would be fed like the prophet, even by the ravens. But when these trying seasons came, when the mildew spoiled the harvest, or sickness unnerved the arm of the lusty tradesman, it often came to pass, that the bitter effects of neglecting worldly means fell heavily upon them. The partridge did not fly in at the window, nor the unskilful marksman always hit his deer. Poverty, the inevitable consequence of relying er. HiiraciCS for relief, at least in these latter days, came to be the portion of many. To meet these visitations, the Dominie, with the aid of aunt Edith, instituted a society for the relief of these unfortunate people, thus suffering for their faith in miracles. Those who chanced to have preserved that little surplus, so essential to the welfare of the labouring classes, were in duced to part with all, or a portion of it, and thus to prepare themselves for becoming objects of charity in turn, by placing their future w;nit> at the mercy of the rubs and accidents of life. Those who found it more agreeable to live without labour, at the expense of others- KU-. M;. could nou indulge their \sisdt-. uithout sufTerin:; the consequences of idlt i iually remitted their labours, both oi'caruiiiL and Tims recruits poured in on every side; idlenrs.- iucrciiM-d ; cxtravaeanri- >pread alu-oad ; and, in no lone: period of time, the little industrious ronnnunity of Elsiiiiiluir^h. \\here a lietruar had liitht-rto never been seen. , i of paupers. The busy Dominie. ;her with his zealous assistant, then about institutini; societies of other kinds, for tli- relief of these trrowin^ miseries. But the more so- cled< formed, the more bet^ary and idieni -s in.-reased. Counsellor Laniifaiiirer thi-n consulted, as to the best remedy fo? these cry in IT evils; and accordingly, ad\ .ictv fur the enrouram-ment of industn . Hut this plan unluckily failed, owinu to theex- olinary fact, ihat >>o loiii: a- the other soci- ofh-red relief without workintr, nobod\ applied fur employment, to the society for en- couraging industry. So r;i-\ i> it to make people uor-e. intr\ini: to make them better 1 CHAPTER 111. There was a madman, mad us a March hare could lit-. And people swore that no man could madder be than he ; But the madman was resolved, even with them to be, *o he swore that all the world was mad, excepting only he. OUR youthful readers may perhaps be inclined to suspect that we have forgotten our heroine, and lost sight of the principal object of every history of this kind, which ought always to be that of throwing as many obstacles in the way of the happiness of the lovers as possible. But the suspicion is entirely groundless. The fair Christina is not an object to be so easily overlook ed; and though we may occasionally turn aside from her affairs, to graver matters of state, it is only with a view of giving our lovers an oppor tunity of enjoying, without interruption, those innocent, and never-to-be-forgotten delights. that accompany the early dawnings of aflec- tion ; and to which the aged always look back is the happiest period of existence. The blue-eyed maid, and the fair, tall youth. KOMNG-MVfcKI . i pretty much to themselves, daring the progress of tin.- autumnal season, the Governor uiul aunt I-'diili being both, as we have before -tated, busily employed, the one in public hn- pnnements, the other reforming mankind. The youthful pair sung, and read, and rambled 'tlier; and every passing day added to the ngth of those tie-, which were gradually uniting their hearts for ever. KoningsmarKe. although his actions and looks expressed all the feelings of a de\oied attachment, never made - any explicit declaration on the subject, for both :-,ed Mtli-iiid with the >ueet coiiM-i.ii-i;.'^ ( .f mutual attachment, ("hri-tina had no rivals i't the village, and Othman Pfegel treate.l h< -r with rt of pouting indifVerence. seldom intruding on their lonely rambles, or di>turbing their dome-tic enjoy ment-. But ('hri-'-tina was far from beinur happy. She could not deteixe IMTX If with the hope, that her ailection uould be sanctioned by her lather's approbation ; and every new ferlini; that ileveaiped it--if in the jiroL r re>s of her affec tion < ID convince her that a time would :ie, when a more intimate union would be necessary to IK r l.aj-.pitu -tlcsth'.-. erving lire, hut, in the coldest weather, contented himself 'with crawling into his hut, stopping the mouth of it with leaves, and remaining there* till hunger drove him forth. Yet he appeared to delight in this miserable mode of existence, which no persuasion could induce him to forsake, to join in participating in the labours and enjoyments of social life. He en joyed perfect health, and never asked charity. except when neither nuts nor apples could be procured in the woods and orchards. Then he would appear in the village, uttering certain unintelligible sounds, nhirh the people under stood a- expn -H\e of his wants, and relie\ed him accordingly. For fifteen years this solitary hein.tr had never hern heard to -peak a single word that could he understood, either from n natural dumbness, a derangement of mind, or a ui-h to e-rape ;dl o,iietioiiinu. a- to who he \\a-. or \\iience lie came, t\\o tiling- that nobod\ < Ing 1 , KONINGSMARKE. 145 and when the people got a little used to him, he ceased to excite either curiosity or appre hension. Christina often walked that way, without thinking of the hermit, or fearing any outrage ; although there had been rumours in the village, that he was once or twice seen, about the full of the moon, in a paroxysm of raving insanity. One afternoon she stole away from Konings- marke, to take a solitary walk along the brook- side, and strolled as far as the hut, which hap pening to be untenanted at that moment, she sat down near lo it on the bank of the stream. It chanced that a little popular song of her own country, which turns on a breach of constancy on the part of a young woman, came over her mind, and she was singing it to herself, when a wild and horrible laugh alarmed her fears. She >tarted up, and looking round, beheld the Her mit, coming towards her with the look and ac tion of a maniac. " Ha ! ha !" he exclaimed ; " have I found you at last, faithless, inconstant girl ! Thou art she I know thee by thy song." Thus saying, he rushed towards the affright ed maid, and attempted to drag her towards hi- hut. Christina struggled, and beeped him tor I4G HOVI.VfJ-lMf, ; to ivlt-Msr her; hut his violen-'e onl\ increased \\itli opposition. His r\es lla-h- (1 lire, hr enashed his teetli, and foamed at the mouth in horrible ec-tac\ . " O ! for pitvV -ake for the sake of Hea ven, my lather, all those who have bren kind to \ oii,l. t me tro lam not her you think; myname i> ( 'hristina.'' " False, deceitful woman," cried the maniac ; "did I not hear the sing theesong the very song! do J not know thee by thy soft blue eye, th\ < n r ling, flaxy hair, thy voice, thy very breath, whose sweetuess I om-o used to inhale ? Thuii liast sought me, to laugh at my misery and tri umph in my wrongs. But come come in," added he in a hurried tone " come in ; the bri dal bed is made ; I have waited for yon many long wintry nights, when the uolves howled. and thought you'd never come. In in \\t -hall be hapjn yt." Sosaxing. he airain attempted to force her toward^ the door of his wretched hut. The poor crirl shrieked and stnurirled with all her miirht, and the fury of the madman increased with her resistance. He dragged her forcibly along, and when she caught by the young trees, nable her to resist more effectually, cruelly KONINGSMAHKi:. 147 bruised her tender hands, to force her to let go her hold. Gradually her powers of resistance gave way to a fainting, deadly languor. Again she shrieked ; and at that moment a man with a gun darted from the woods towards them. The maniac let go his hold, and, ere the stranger could point his gun, darted forward, and seized it witli both hands. A mortal struggle ensued. The maniac r with a desperate effort, snatched the gun from the other ; who, springing forward, seized him round the waist, and forced him to drop the weapon, in order to defend himself. They fell, the stranger uppermost ; but in the act of falling, the maniac seized him by his ruff, tore it oil*, grappled his neck with his long nails, and, burying his teeth in his flesh, seemed to en joy the sucking of his blood. Koningsmarke, for it was h>, turned black in the face, and his eyes became gradually almost shrouded in darkness, when, with a convulsive effort, he placed his knee on the breast of the maniac, drew himself up on a sudden, and loosed his hold. Both started up ; but Koningsmarke had a moment's advantage, which he employed in sci/.ing the gun and running a (V-u steps from him. The other followed. "Stand off," cried Koninffsmarke. " V 148 MAKKH. I alone, I would irheyou a fair chance ; but the lift' and happiness ol' an angel is at stake. Stand oil or " The maniac advanced one two step-. The third was the -trji to eternity. The piece went oil' with a true aim; he uttered a yelling laugh, jumped into the air, and Jell without sen-e or motion. Koningsmarke, alter >ati>t\in- him- -i if that all was o\er with the poor wretch, has- tened to Christina, \\lio was lying insensible, \\ith her hair dishevelled, her garments torn, and her cheeks a > \\hite as the pure and snowy bo- -oiii. whose modest covering had been displaced in the >trm:ule. He called her his dear Chri<- tina ; he ran to the brook for water to sprinkle her face; and ki^-ed the drops as they rolled down her pale cheeks. At length she opened her' '(1 for a moment as if bewildered, and shut them airain. JJy derive-. houe\er, la recollection of her situation adjusted her dre~. and e ayed to express her ii'.ide. Hut her voice failed her. She saw the blood running from the neck of her deliverer, wiped it a\\a\ \\hii her hair, and wistfnlh /.'IIIL: <>n the wound, cried out with an e.\pre-.Mon of horrible and sudden de-pair "The sear ! the seal r face \\ith both her KONINGSMARKE. 140 hands, she groaned in the agony of conflicting emotions, and throwing herself to the earth, was relieved from distraction by a shower of tears. It was now evening the youth raised her up, placed her arm within his, and pressed it tenderly to his heart. Christina shuddered, and looked up in his face with an expression so tender, yet so wretched, that had not his con scious heart told him it was now impossible, he would have asked her to be his for ever. They walked home without uttering a word, and were received with a very bad grace by the Heer, who did not much like their walking so late by moon light. But w : hen he heard the story of Chris tina's deliverance from the blue-eyed maiden her self, he wept over her like an infant, and, grasp ing the Long Finne in his arms, blessed the youth, and called him his dear son. A long illness followed this adventure, on tht- part of Christina, and when her health was apparently restored, her innocent sprightlines?, her buoyant step, rosy cheek, laughing eye, and all the bright hopes which youth delights to che rish, seemed gone for ever. From this time forward, the character and deportment of the poor girl seemed to have undergone a preaf VOL. i. 13 KON Viol.-Mt bur-t~ nj" - :) \ , r\ , iollou"i hi-tantanenii- uloom and despondency; lauprhter and tear- : li-tl-'-- aemiit-erner. or ohstinatf oppn-'uion to the wishes of all around her, he- -poke either an unsettled mind, or a heart torn by contending feelinir-. It wa- believed that the friiiht of her late adventure had unsettled her nerve-;, and all the \vi>e old women of thr villaue pre>eribed for her in vain. But her deportment towards the Long Finin- marked by the mo-t sudden anil oxtra-n dinary iuen-i-teneie>. Sonietiino she \\ould -ilently cotitemplftte hi>faee, till the tears irushed from her eyes: and at others, u hen he rame >uddenl\ into her pre-en<-e, utter a ^rream of liied ferlinu, and llee from his jire-i-n'e with i look of horror. She would -oinetline- conseiu to take the arm of the youth, and walk alontf tho river side, and then, as if from a >udden and irre-i-tible impul-e, snatch it auay, and reccu'l from him. a> fn-jn the touch of a serpent. In -hort, e\T\ pa-^inu da\ made it more and more apparent, that -he was struir.tilint'- with powerful and eontdidiim emotion-, that obtained an al- ty, and _ iM-rn.-d her action^ for he moment, with unlimited >wa\ . Koningsroark^, thouc'h he -n\\. and appeared RON IXG S1IARKK . 1 O 1 10 lament this change in her character, m-\M- Assayed to draw from her the cause. He seemed deterred by a secret consciousness, that a full explanation would do him at least no good, and continued his attentions as usual. Bombie of the Frizzled Head acted a con spicuous part at this time, and became more in comprehensible than ever. She seemed to know the secret of all these wonders, but would tell nothing* of what she knew; contenting herself with a more than usual quantity of mysterious warnings, too well now understood by Christina hut incomprehensible to her father. The Heer often cursed her in the bitterness of his perplex ity, exclaiming " why dost thou not speak out. thou execrable Snow Ball." But Bombie only >hook her head, and replied as usual: "I have seen what I have seen I know what I know." One day as Koningsmarke had taken a soli tary walk, and was seated on the bank of the -tivam, close by the hut of the solitary stranger, reflecting painfully on matters that deeply con cerned himself, he was roused from his reverie by the well-known voice of the Snow Ball, call ing out, " Koningsmarke!" "I am here," he replied. Tiinn art here, wln-n thou shouldst be far KONINOSMARKF.. i\\;iy," crifd the Snnw K;dl. Art thou Ml -atislied with the mother's fate, that thou hun- ~t for the ruin of the daughter's happiness? (in thy ways, or 1 will tell what 1 have seen, and what 1 know." " Who will helieve thee ':" replied the Long Finne. " Thou art a slave, and canst not wit- m-t him that is free. I have been long enough a wanderer, without a resting place; I have found a home at la-t. and I will not go hence. Tell \\hatthou wilt; I care not." " Ay," cried the syhil, " thou hast found ;t home, at the prir<- of mi-ery to those who afford thee a shelter ; thou hast turned \ iper, and sttniL him that warmed thee at his fire; thou ha-i . i.'d tli\-eir into an innocent hosom, to d-- -tro\ i; . or corrupt its innocence, and red the heart that woidd. ay, and will \rt, die for thee, it' thou linux-re^t here. Depart, I . and let thi* one ac touard> the daughtei atone for thine art.- to the moth' r." The Lonp I- "nine wnniir hi> hand-, and the - rolled do\\n lii- cheeks, a- lie exclaimed, Woman! woman! \\hithcr -hall. I go r I uould remain In re, where none but thou and know who 1 am, and atone lor the pa-t. ;>\oiin<: my-elf to the happiness of Chris RONINGSMARKE, 153 mia and her father. This is my only chance ; lor if I go hence an outcast, I shall become what I once was. The fate of mine immortal >oul turns upon this cast." " It is too late," replied the other ; " SHE KNOWS IT NOW. Dost thou not see it in her tears, her struggles, her pale cheek, and wild ;md hollow eyes f It is too late ; if thou stay- est, she dies if thou goest speedily, she may yet live. Hence, then, and never let her see thee more." " Away, old raven," answered the youth, re- >uming his obduracy. " If SHE should rise from the dead, and motion me with her fleshless finger, to the north or the south, the east or the west nay, if I saw the hand of Fate pointing to the destruction of myself and all around me, I would stay." The sybil dropped her horn-headed cane, raised her bent, decrepit figure, till she stood upright as the tall pine, threw her hands an3 fyes towards heaven, and cried out, in the bit terness of her heart " Stay then and may the curse of the wicked % onie swiftly upon thee. May the sorrow.- thou hast caused unto others recoil tenfold upofi thy blasted head. May the malediction of th< 13* l-"->J M.Ultvl.. father, who opened \\\> hou-r to tluv. crush rln spoiler. May the forgiveness of her who will die forgiving thee, be but the forerunner of thim eternal condemnation to that fire which i- nexer (.liienched and n'\cr consumes." Again Bombie relapsed into her usual stoop'niL attitude, picked up her stick, and disapp eared, lea- \ ii^ r the youth with a load of consciousness onhi> iieart, but with a determined jwrpo-e not to de part from Elsi&gburgh. CHAPTER IV. Cold and raw the north winds blovv^ Bleak in the morning early ; All the hills are covered with snow. And winter's now come fairly." WINTER, with silver locks and sparkling icicles, now gradually approached, under cover- of his northwest winds, his pelting storms, cold, frosty mornings, and bitter, freezing nights. \nd here we will take occasion to express our. obligations to the popular author of thr PIONEERS, for the pleasure we have derived from his happy delineations of the progress of our seasons, and the* successive changes which mark their course. All that remember thdr youthful days in the country, and look back with tender, melancholy enjoyment, upon their slippery gambols on the ice, their Christmas pic-., and nut-crackings by the cheerful fireside, will read his pages with a gratified spirit, and thank him heartily for having refreshed their memory, \rith the half-effaced recollections of scenes and M.. manners, lahour- and delights, which, in the progress of time, and the changes which e\er\ where mark his course, will in some future perhaps, live only in the touches of hi* pm. If, in the cour-e of our hi>tor\ . we should chance to dwell upon .-cent - soim \\hat -iinilar to tkosr hr dr>crihr>, or to mark the- varying tints of our .seasons, with a -ainrncss of colouring, let u- not he -timnatized uith hornwing from him, -ince it is next to impossible to he true to na ture, without seejuinu to ha\e liis sketches in our e\e. The holvdays, those wintry hles-inus, whicli eheer tlie heart of young and old, and uive to the i:looin\ depths of v, inter the life and -pint of laughingjjolly -prinu, \\rie now near at hand. The chopping-knife ^a\e token of goodh minced pies, and the hustle of the kitchen af forded shrewd indication- of \\ hat uascomiiiL- l>\ and h\. The celebration of the new \ear. it i- well known, came originally from the northern nations of Knrope, who still keep up main <( the pra- 'iiiisements, ,nnl enjoyinents, Known to their ancestors. The lleer Piper va- hn-d himself upon 1^ imine northern man. and, consequently, held the winter Itoly- ms, it was shrcudly snxjjprtfd, that his zeal in celebrating these good old sports was not a little quickened, in consequence of his mortal antagonist, William Penn, having hinted, in the course of their controversy, that the pf actice of keeping holydays savoured not only of popery, but paganism. Before the Heer consented to sanction thr projects of Dominie Kanttwell for abolishing sports and ballads, he stipulated for full liberty, on the part of himself and his people of Elsing- burgh, to eat, drink, sing and frolic as much as they liked, during the winter holydays. In fact, the Dominie made no particular opposition 10 tliis suspension of his blue-laws, being some- what addicted to good eating and drinking. whenever the occasion justified ; that is to say, K henever such accidents came in his way. 1 1 had long been the custom with Governor Piper, to usher in the new year with a gram! -upper, to v.hirh the Dominie, the member the council, and rcn;.iu of the most respert Burghers, were alway- bidden. This year, he determined to -ee tin- old \v;ir out. and the new one in, as the phrase WH-. hnvinir just heard of \ lined by i!i<> Bulwark of th( CONI -K.J.. Religion, tilt' immort;il (iii>ta\ u.- which. tlmiK.'h it happened nearh fonryear> before, had only new reached the villain- if Kl>inirbnrirh. Accordinirh. the Snow Ball liomhie. was set to work in tin- cookinir of a mortal -"upper; whirli, aurn-ahlv to llit- i of \\r-t Indian cpicin :inc|i onormous quantities of red prppt-r, that whoc\ri >%a- ohliircd to drink, to keep his inotitli from getting OB fire, like unto a chimney. Kxartly at ten o'clock, the une-l- >at down lo the table, wherelhex ate and drank to the Micces> of the Protestant cause, the elory of the ( (iii.-tavus, the downfall of Popery 'and (^iiakfr-, \\ith eijnal /eal and patriiiti>in. The instant the clock trnrk twel\e. a round ! from the fort, and a \ast and hottom- 'ppo>ed to he the identical one in which the f.'iimii- wise men of (iothain went \<> hronirht in, filled to the utmost hrim with -mokinir punch. The memory of tin and the hope- \' the An drank in a special bumper ' 'i ired, and noi-e and the order of the night. The H t \ of havinc >urprised and t; let-iruanl, under the trn-at ( 1 KONING9MARKE. 159 KOMM.-V M:KE. 1(51 home and emptied them seven times, of loads oi' new-year cookies. When the gay groups had finished their rounds in the village, the ice in front was seen all alive with the small fry of Elsingburgh, gamboling and skating, sliding and tumbling, hel- ter skelter, and making the frost-bit ears of win ter glad with the sounds of mirth and revelry. In one place was a group playing at hurley, with crooked sticks, with which they sometimes hit the ball, and sometimes each other's shins. In another, a knot of sliders, following in a row, so that if the foremost fell, the re>t were sure to tumble over him. A little farther might be seen a few, that had the good fortune to pos sess a pair of skates, luxuriating in that most graceful of all exercises, and emulated by some half a dozen little urchins, with smooth bones fastened to their feet, in imitation of the others, skating away with a gravity and perseverance worthy of better implements. All was rout, lamvhter, revelry and liappii:<--> ; and that day the icy mirror of the noble Delaware reflected as light hearts as ever beat together in the new world. At twelve o'clock, the jolly Heer, ac cording to his immemorial custom, Went forth from the edge of the river, distributing applr-. \oi.. i. 14 10J KON1MJSM.VRKE. and other dainties, together with handsfull ot wampum, which, rollini; away on the- ice in dif ferent directions, occasioned innumerable con tests and sqnabhles among tin- fry, whose dis- jnitcs, ttinibles, and occasional bnftelings for tin- prizes, were inimitably ludicrous upon the slip pery element. Among the most obstreperous and mischievous of the crowd was that likely follow Cnpid, who made more noise, and trip ped up more heels that day, than any half a dozen of his cotemporaries. His voice could !>< heard above all the rest, especially after the arrival of the Heer, before whom lie seemed to think it his duty to exert himself, while his unrestrained, extravagant laugh, exhibited that singular hilarity of spirit which distin guishes the deportment of the African slave from the invariable gra\ity of the free red- man of the western world. All dny. and until after the sun had set, and the shadows of niiibt succeeded, the sports of the continued, and the merry sounds nmir far and near, occasionally interrupted by those loud noises, which sometimes shoot across the like a rushing earthquake, and are occasioned by its crackinir, as the water ri-es or falls. All at once, however, these bursts of noisy merri- TtONINGSMARKK. 163 rneiit ceased, and were succeeded by a hol low, indistinct murmur, which gradually died away, giving place to a single voice, calling, as if from a distance, with a voice growing feebler at every repetition, " Help ! help ! help !" Presently it was rumoured, that a traveller, coming down the river on the ice, had fallen into what is called an air-hole, occasioned by the tide, which was stronger at this spot, in con- >equence of the jutting out of a low, rocky point. In places of this sort, the ice does not cease all at once, but becomes gradually thin ner and weaker towards the centre, where there is an open, unfrozen space. The consequence is, that if a person is so unfortunate as to fall into one of these places, which are, in fact, hardly distinguishable at night from the solid ice, it is next to impossible to escape by his own efforts, or to be relieved by those of others. As fast as he raises himself upon the ice, it breaks from under him, and every effort diminishes his strength, without affording him relief. Thus the poor wretch continues his hopeless struggles, and becomes gradually weaker and weaker, un til, finally, his blood is chilled, his limbs be come inflexible, he loses his hold, and sinks to rise no more. 104 The same cause that forbids his relie\ int.' himself, operates in preventing other- ; since, if ;'iiv one were to approarh suflicienth near to reach his hand, the ice \vonld break under him, and both would peri-h together. In this situa tion was the poor man whose rries were now- heard, at intervals, growing weaker and weak er. All the \iil:i -ut, and many hardy ^pirits, actuated by fer lings of humanity, made vain and desperate attempts to approach suffi ciently near to a fiord assistance. But although 1 their lives, none succeeded ; and at length the conviction that his fate was inevita- \ a> announced in u disninl ;>-ronn from tlie anders. At this moment the Long Finiic- approached, with two boards upon his shoul der, which he brought as near tp die opening a- \\as safe to approach it on foot. Standing 'ly at this line, he threw one of the boards upon the ice before him, and, dratruiiiii the other after, proceeded cautiou-ly alonir to the end. Then he dn-\\ ap the board which he had drag- behind, and threw it before him, walking illy and c:u'i.ni>ly on that, dragging the other after him a> ln-lnre. In this manner, while the Inlanders watched in hreathlc Icnco. he trradually approached the op i niiiir. KONINGSMARKE. 165 encouraging the poor man to hold out, for God's sake, a few moments longer. At last he came near enough to throw him a cord, which he had brought with him. The perishing wretch caught it, and while Konings- marke held the other end, essayed to raise himself out of the water by its assistance. But the ef fort was beyond his strength, the ice again broke under him, and he disappeared, as all thought, forever. He arose, however, with a des"- perate effort. " Tie the cord around your waist," cried the youth. " My fingers are stiff with cold," replied the other, " and if I let go the ice to tie the cord, I am gone." Ko- ningsmarke now crawled on his hand and knees, on one of the boards, and pushing the other be fore him, cautiously crept to the end of the advanced board. He was near enough to reach the hand of the drowing man, and to fas ti n the cord about his arm. Then, receding in the manner he had advanced, lie threw the other end of the cord to the people, who drag ged the poor wretch out ofthe water, witli a shout that announced the triumph of courage and humanity. During the whole of the scone we have jus. ^i.'-rnbcd, the anxiety of Christina had ^ 14* Kl'-. . Kl . excited in the most painful manner. At I'u>t, the filiation of the poor perishing traveler monopo lized 1 if ; -. but when it was told her, thai the Lonu Finne v, -i- ri>UiiiLC his lift- for the stran ger, her apprehensions rose to a irony ; >he wrung tier hands, and, uncon-cious of the presence of ;n\ body, would exclaim, " he will he drown ed, he will be drowned !" The hollow voice of tlie Friz/led Head an-wered, and said, "be not afraid ; the race of him lor who-e >alrt\ thou feare.>t, i> not (!f-tint'd to close here. He will not perish by wat r." " \Vhalineaiie.-t thou!" exclaimed the appre- heii>i\e Lrirl. " II.' will iso upwards, not downwanN, out of the world/' replied the Fri/./.lrd Head, and gli ded out of the room. \ow \\a> heard the noise of many footMep<, and many tonirm-s, approaching, and Chri>t;na summoned her fortitude to go down >tairs, for the purpose of ottering her assistrsnc*-. -h(juld it be necc-sar\. The body of tlie stranger, now almost still' and frozen, was brought in, laid in a bed with warm blankets, and ,eans taken to restore the waning circulation. Slow ly, these applications had the desired eliect : the stranger gradually recovered. He announced KONINGSMARKE. 167 himself as from Coaquanock, and as being on his way down to the Hoar Kills, having taken the ice, as the best and most direct path thither. The worthy Heer, whose generous feelings ne ver failed to conquer his antipathies, treated the stranger with the greatest kindness, during his progress to a perfect recovery ; praised and ca ressed the Long Finne, for his gallant presence of mind ; and finally observed, " I would give twenty rix-dollars, if the galgen schivenkel had been any thing save a Quaker." CHAPTER \ * Bonny law ! bonny lass ! will you be mine ? Thou shall neither wash dishes, nor serve the wine; But it on a cushion, and sew up a \nd dine upon strawberries, sugar and cream." FORTUNE, or fate, or call it what you will, , of her cheek, the languor of her figure, and her eye, gradually became 170 KONlNT.MARkt.. more and more apparent, until at last the pood Heer began to observe, and to be alarmed at her look-. In the mean time, the Long Finne ) whole d:i\- in the woods, with bis dog and gnu. either to relieve ( 'hristina from hi- presence, or to bide his own feeling- in the depth- of the for- *'-t. where theaxeof the woodm;m, or the voice ol' a civilized being, bad never been heard. Some times he crossed the river on the ice, and pene trated into the pines, whieli reared their green heads into the heavens, and presented, in iheir dark foliage, a contract to the white snow, that, if possible, added to the wintry gloom. \t oilier times, he turned his steps westward, where, -ave a little cultivated space about the vil lage. one\a-t and uninterrupted world of fore-i tended, as it were, to the regions of the setting sun. Here be roamed about, immersed in thoughts as gloomy a- the black wintry woods mer hi- head, and unconscious of his purpose, until the whirring partridge, suddenly rising and thundering among the branches, or the sudden barking of his dog at a scjuirrel, or oc casionally at a bear, roused hi> attention. He -Mom or never brought home an\ game, and numerous were the jests which the Heer cracked KONINGSMARKE. 171 on his want of skill in the noble sports of hunt ing. The Long Finne would often have been lost in the woods, had it not been for his dog, who, with unerring sagacity, always showed him the way home. One day, we believe it might have been to wards the latter end of February, Koningsmarke set forth on his customary ramble, with his gun on his shoulder, his tinder-box, flint, and steel, the indispensable appendages of ramblers in those pathless woods. He whistled, and called for his dog, but the animal had been seduced away, in the pure spirit of mischief, by that likely fellow, Cupid. Koningsmarke, therefore, proceeded without him, with a friendly caution from the Heer, to look -which way he went, not to wander too far, and, with an arch wink, to be sure and bring home a fat haunch of venison. The Long Finne soon forgot the advice, and the joke, and before noon, had wandered so far into the fo rest, that he could see none of his usual land marks, nor any object which he recognised. Towards one o'clock it became overcast, raw and chill v, ami every tliinu presaged a storm. The Long Finne thought it high time to retrace his steps ; but without some path, or some guide, to direct IIH course, a man in a irreal tov'-t only 172 walks in ;i circle. He heard that dreary, dismal hmvl, which i.- caiiM-dhy the wind rushing among the leafleas branches of the trel . : an act of free will, whereas the oth er -:nack> of coercion ; and men no more like to die, than .lark FaMaff did to give a reason, upon compulsion. The Lonu; Finne, accordingly, tacitly atrreed with himself to postpone dyiim for the present, and make use of the few remain'mir liours of daylight to seek hi- wa\ home. But in his per- .M \KKE. plexity, he wandered about in the labyrinths of the forest until near dark, without recognising any object that could assist in deciding where lie was. He hallooed, and fancied he heard the barking of a dog, but when he approached it nearer, it turned out to be the howling of a wolf. At another time he heard, afar off, the long echoes of a gun, but, in the depths of the woods, could not distinguish the direction in which it was fired. The dusky shadows of night began to gather around, and reminded the Long Finne, that if darkness overtook him before he had prepared craping under the snow, he gathered a quantity of dry leaves, with which he made a bed ; and contrived a sort of covering, by breaking off the branches of the fallen pine, and laving them with one end on the ground, the other rotintr f>n the trunk of the tree. He then gathered ;i VOL. i. 15 174 KONIN'.-VAKM.. quantity of brush, dry wood, and leaves, with which to keep lire during the night, for such \\a- tin- inten>ity of the cold, that without the aid of artificial warmth, he mu>t ha\r inevitably perished before morning. By the time tliese preparations wcro finished it was quite dark; the uiud whistled louder and louder through the leafless branches, that cracked in the onset, and the storm every moment incrca-ed in \iolence. In painful anxiety, the Lone: Finne prepared his implements for striking fire, and collected some of the driest leaves and sticks, for the purpose of lighting them with his tinder. In his eagerness to strike fire, the flint flew from his benumbed hand, and lie could not find it again in the obscurity that surrounded him. He then unscrewed the flint from his gun ; but, just at the instant the sparks had communicated to the tinder, a sudden j)ufl' of wind lle\\ it out of the box, and scattered it in the air. A moment of irresolution and de-pair, and he bethought himself of one more chance for his life. He re placed the flint in his gun, which he fired oli' against the trunk of the fallen tree ; the burning wad fell upon the dry leave- placed there, and l>\ carefully blowing it with hi- mouth, a little KONINGSMARKE. 175 flame was produced, which at length caught the leaves, and relieved his breathless anxiety. The Long Finne carefully placed the wood over the leaves, until a blazing fire illuminated the dismal gloom of the forest; and then proceeded to collect a sufficient quantity of fuel to last the night. The fire was kindled just at the mouth of his lit tle shelter, into which he crept with a determina tion to watch through the night, and keep up his fire, well knowing that if he fell asleep, and suffered it to go out, he would probably never wake again. But the fatigue he had gone through during the day, the intense cold he had endured, and the weakness occasioned by long fasting, all combined to produce an irresistible drowsiness, and long before morning he fell asleep. How long he slept he knew not, but when he revived to some degree of conscious ness, he was without the use of his limbs ; the fire was almost extinguished, and he was unable to raise himself up, or move hand or foot. A horrible apprehension came over him, and the sudden impulse it communicated to the pulsation of the heart, probably saved his life. By de grees he was able to crawl to the fire, which he raked together, and replenished with fuel ; and then, by violent exercise, restored the circu- I 70 KOMN(.5MARKE. lation of his blood. In a little while the day broke, the clouds, cleared ;i\\ a\ , ;ind the sun rose briirht and cl. ar. l>\ the aid of this sure guide, he was enabled to ^hape \\\< course towards the ri\t r. which having once pained, he could ea>il\ find his way back to the village. It being usual for the Lone: Finne to stay out till day on his hunting excursions, his absence 'led no anxiety until it became dark. The intense cold had gathered the good Heer and his family close around a blazing hickory fire. \\here. at fir.-t, the\ bre'an to wonder what had b. eome of the youth. By degrees, as the even- ad\nnced, and the storm grew louder and louder, their apprehensions became painful, and ; fnrni.-hed a variety of sugjre.-tions, to ar- i for his non-appearanc% none of which. ho\\(\er, \\ei-e satisfactory. A> bed time drew near, and he came not, the fair and gentle Chri<- lina. could no longer conceal tlio-e keen anxie- iilch virtuous timidity had hitherto enabled her to sinotherin the recesses of her heart. " lit \\ill jierish in the snow," cried >hc in agon\ ; and -lie bevonoht her father to alarm the village. . a party \\ a< collected. a\ed thy hie caused to IHT v, IKI -rive thce th\ life: her spirit watcln- dice." So savin-. >ln- izlidrd out of the room, :ind poor Christina thrrw herself on tlie bed, \vlicn- >he la\ till mornine, a prey to the nio-t hitter and coiiH'K-tiim- emotions. A ithi I K>ng Pinne was bending hil wear} i->> towards the rising 8UD, he heard the barking of a doir at a distance, \\hich he answered by hal looing aloud. Presently the barking came nearer, and in a few minutes he saw his faithful fox-hound speeding towards him. The poor animal crawled at hi.- feet, \\airued hi> tail, and whined his jo\ at >eehm hi> master. He then licked his hand, luolved up wi.-tfnlly in his face, and proceeded o.iuards, c\er\ innnuiit tnrniiiL: back, as if to M-e \\hetlu-r hi- master followed. Koningsmarhe under-t-. .;>.! all this, and proceeded on after him, until the sau'aciou> animal led him directh in a -traiuht line to the villa A hundred -hont> from the L r ood jieople of Elsirigburgh hailed hi> return. The Heir 1'i- per fell on hi- neck and blc^ed him; while lii- KOMNGSMARKE. 179 pule daughter, after' rushing half way into the room, as if to welcome him, suddenly recoiled, and fainted away. For the first time, did the Heer begin to suspect the state of his daughter's heart ; for, although the mysterious hints of the Snow Ball, together with some occasional sly innuendoes of his long-headed counsellor, Wolf gang Langfanger, had sometimes set him think ing on the subject, he was always called off to the more weighty affairs of state, before he could come to any conclusion on the subject. But the truth flashed upon his mind at once, and his conviction was followed by the exclamation of " der tevfcl." Now the Heer was a warm-hearted little man, that came to Ins conclusions somewhat sudden ly. He liked the Long Finne, was accustomed to his society, and, in looking around the village, could see no one worthy the hand of his daugh ter, or of being son-in-law to the Representa tive of Majesty. After reflecting a moment on these matters, he slapped his hand smartl}' on hi> thigh, and pronounced, with an air of deci sion, u It shall be so." " Long Finne," quoth the Heer " Long , dost thou lo\ei:iy daughter r" 180 koMVfJSMARKr. "She kno\v I do," replied the youth, ''morr than my life." "Christina, m\ daughter, my darlinir, conic hither," >aid the I leer. Chri>tina approached her lather, pale as a lily, and trembling like the a>pin leaf. "Christina, art thou Billing to be the wife of this youth ? Remember, he saved thee from death, and worse perhaj)s than death." " And caused the death of " muttered Bom- bie to herself, indistinctly, and without being noticed. The poor girl struggled almost to dissolution ; the paleness of death came over her ; >hc trem bled, ;iml Mink on a ehair, her head re-ting on her heaving bosom. The Heer approached, took her cold hand, aijd said, " Answer me, my daughter ; wilt thou be the w ife of this \ outh ?" "I will," replied >|ie, m^iiiiLr for breath. "Then join \our hand-." >:iid the good Iher, the tear> starting from hi> eyes, >k and re- reixe tlie bli-Jvin^ o{' ;( |'atl; " And the rurse- of a mother !" exclainx-d Bombie of the Friz'/.led l!e;i(i. hobbled out of the room. Chr itched her hand from the eager iingsmarke, and rushed out of the KONINGSMARKE. 181 Heer's presence, exclaiming in agony, " Oh, God ! direct me." " Der teufel hole that infernal black Snow Ball," cried the irritated Heer; "what means the the old hag, Long Finne ?" " She means she means that I am what 1 pray God thou mayest never be," answered the youth, and staggered out of the room. " Der teufel is in ye all, I think," muttered the Heer Piper, and proceeded to eat his breakfast, out of humour with everybody, and particular ly with himself. It will generally be found, that a. person in this state of mind, at length concen trates his ill humour upon some particular ob ject ; and accordingly it happened that the Heer, by tracing up effects to their causes, discovered that all the mischiefs of the morning originated in Cupid's having, as we before stated, enticed away the Long Finne's dog. Whereupon, he or dered him a sound flogging, at the hands of Lob Dotterel. As the stripes of Boadicea whilome produced a rising of the ancient Britons, so did those of Cupid bring forth results which were long afterwards felt by the good people of El- singfourg. BOOK FOURTH. BOOK FOURTH, CHAPTER I. As HI STORY receives a great portion of its dig nity and importance, not from the magnitude of those events which it records, but from the rank and consequence of the personages that figure in the great drama of the world, so in like man ner doth every work of fiction depend upon the same cause for its interest. Every word and action of a legitimate monarch, for instance, i& matter of infinite moment, not only to the pre sent age, but to posterity ; and it is conse quently carefully recorded in books of history. If he take a ride, or go to church, it is con sidered, especially the latter event, such a rarity that nothing will do but it must be set down in the chronicles. Hence the vast advantages accruing to an author from a discreet choice of his character?, roi, i. 16 KONIN6SXA1 nhoso notions, provided they are persons proper rank, may he both vulgar and insignili ant. without either tiring or di-^u-tini: the reader. The hero, provided he be right royal. or even noble, may turn his palace into a bro thel, or commit the most paltry mean> es, without losing his charaoter: and tin heroine, if she be only of sufficient rank, may, by virtue of her prerogative, swear like a fisherwoman, without being thought in the 1 \uluar. The most delicate and virtuou- male, properly imbued with a taste for tin tempore historical no\el. does not mind beinu introduced, by a popular author, into the compa ny of -trumpets, pimps, and their dignified em- plovers uho-e titles and patent.- of noliility U'IM them the privilege of doing things that would li-u'race the vulgar, who, poor souls, have no way of becoming toleraoK respectable, but by conforming to the oommon deceneie- of life. So al-o. a Duke of Buckingham, a Sir Charles Sed- U\\ , or any other distinguished per-on, histori cally witty, may be made by an author :i - M'.thit. and \ulgar in his conversation-, a- the -aid author himself, who puts the \\ord- into hi- mouth, and, ton to one, the reader \\ill think he i- on the ((uinte--en-f of refmrd wil KONIN'GSMARKE. 1 *' and humour. A Sheffield may be made to talK about his titled mistresses to his valet, as if In were the lowest bully of a brothel ; and yet read ers, who would shrink with disgust from the latter, will chance to admire the former, simply from the difference between the rank of the two persons. .Vot to multiply particular instances, we may lay it down as a general rule, that the dignity of actions, the refinement of morals, and the sharp ness of wit, is exactly in proportion to the rank and quality of the characters to whom they ap pertain. For the reasons above stated, we here take special occasion to remind the reader, that most of our principal characters are fully entitled, by their rank and dignity, to the privilege of being dull and vulgar, without forfeiting his respect or admiration. The Heer Piper, though not ac- i tually a king himself, is the representative of a kiiiu. He also held, or at least claimed, sovereign sway over a space of country as large at len- Great Britain, and was as little subject to an\ laws, except of his own making, as the HUM mortal tyrant in Christendom. We see, tli< n - fore, no particular reason why he may not be to swear, without being thought indr KOMNGSMARKK. ' em, a.-, well as Elizabeth, lf;irry the Fourth, or ;iiiy otiicr swearing potentate on record. We also claim the benefit of sublimity for the effusions of Bombie of the Frizzled Head ; ^ ho, as before stated, was the wife and daughter of an African monarch, superior in state and iity to any European legitimate; becau-e he could actually sell his subjects, whereas the latter are only entitled to pick their pockets. If it be objected that she is a slave, we would ob- -Tve, that this misfortune, this reverse of fate, only render- her the more sublimely interesting, \liibitingin her person an awful example of the uncertainty of all human grandeur. Kin-- tnd queens have often been bought and sold; .as a kinir of Cyprus was once publidv \hibitedfor sale in the market of Rome, so ma\ it possibly happen, before some of OUT readers lie, that other-, of the race which has so lout; ln!iiin< .red over mankind, may be made to exhibit example- equally -inking, of the muta bility of fortune. We caution our reader- al-o (o bear in mind, that that likely fellow Cupid l-o a portion of the blood royal in his veins, the effects of which, we trust, will be strikin-Jv iplified in the ronr>e of this history. If, after all, the reader should object that thi- KONINGSMARKE. 189 . i> more secondhand royalty, and be inclined to pronounce the awful condemnation of vulgarity upon us and our book, we here take this oppor tunity to pledge ourselves, in the course of a few succeeding chapters, to introduce some genuine legitimate monarchs, full-blooded, and with pedigrees equal to that of a Turkish horse, or the renowned Eclipse himself, meaning not, however, to detract either from the merits of Mr. Van Ranst or his horse, by this latter assertion. 16* rilAl'TKR 11. t ions' All com i iratorsof Rome, uus, and Cicero, t of them all." _ Trow the laughing, jolly spring In can -oiiH'times to -how her buxom fart- in tin bright morning; but ever and anon, meeting the angry frown of winter, loath to resign hi- rough sway over the wide realm of nature, she would retire again into her southern bower. Vrt, thonirh her visits were at first but short, her very lm>k seemed to exercise a magic influence. The buds began slowly to expand their close winter folds ; the dark and melan choly wood- to assume an almost impercepti ble purple tint; and here and then- a little chirp- blue-bird hopped about the orchards of Clsingbnrgh. Strip> of fresh green appeared along the brooks, now released from their ic\ fetters: and nests of little var'n-irated flowers, nameless, yet richly deserving a name, sprung npin the sheltered recesses of the leafless wood-. KONINGSMARKE. 191 By and by, the shad, the harbinger at once of -pring and plenty, came up the river before the mild southern breeze ; the ruddy blossoms of i he peach-tree exhibited their gorgeous pagean try ; the little lambs appeared frisking and gamboling about the sedate mother ; young, in nocent calves began their first bleatings ; the cack ling hen announced her daily feat, in the barn yard, with clamorous astonishment ; every day added to the appearance of that active vegetable and animal life, which nature presents in the pro gress of the genial spring; and finally, the flowers, the zephyrs, the warblers, and the maidens' rosy cheeks, announced to the eye, the oar, the senses, the fancy, and the heart, tho return, and the stay of the vernal year. But the sprightly song, the harmony of nature, the rural blessings, and the awakened charms of spring, failed to bring back peace or joy to the bosom of our blue-eyed maid. Every heart seemed glad save hers ; and the rose*- grew every where but on the cheek of Christina. Yet, however interested we may be for tho repose and happiness of that gentle girl, w<- are compelled to lose sight of her for a wliile, in order to attend to matters indispensable to the progress of our history. KON Ki:. At the period of which we are writing, the whole of both hunks of the Delaware, from the Hoarkill, now Lewiston, to Elsingburgh, ite of nature. The country had i granted by different monarchs to different JK rsons, who had, from time to time, purchased f the 1ndi:in> larire tracts of country, of which l)iit a very inconsiderable portion, just about their forts, was cultivated. Above Elsing- hurgh. was the -ettlement of Coaquanock, on the -aine >ide of the Delaware ; and higher up Chviioos and the Falls settlement, where iton now stands. Beyond this, establish ment* had been formed, and small vill built, at Elizabeth-Town, Bergen, Middletown. Shn--biiry. Amboy, and perhaps a few other ^ilacf-. ^'ith little exceptions, all the settlers dwelt in villages for their security against the fndians, having their farms scattered around, \\hifh they cultivated with arms in their liand<. In the intermediate spaces, between these di>tant settlements, re>idi-d various small tribes <>f Indians, who sometimes maintained friendly relations with their new neighbours, at other^ mitted depredations and murders. The early settlers of this country were, perhaps, as \tranrdiiiary a race of people as ever existed. .KONINGSMARKE. 193 Totally unwarlike in their habits, they ventur ed upon a new world, and came, few in numbers, fearlessly into the society and within the power of a numerous race of savages. The vir tuous and illustrious William Penn, and his followers, whose principles and practice were those of non-resistance, and who held even self-defence unlawful, trusted themselves to the wilds, not with arms in their hands, to fight their way among the wild Indians, but with the olive branch, to interchange the peaceful relations of social life. There was in these adventurers generally, a degree of moral courage, faith, perseverance, hardihood, and love of indepen dence, civil and religious, that enabled them to do with the most limited means, what, with the most ample, others have failed in achieving. We cannot read their early history, and dwell upon the patient endurance of labours and dangers on the part of the men, of heroic faith and constancy on that of the women, without tooling our eyes moisten, our hearts expand with affectionate admiration of these our noble ancestors, who watered the young tree of liber ty with their tears, and secured to themselves und their posterity the noblest of all privilr. KOMNGSMARK) . that of \vor.-hippinir (iod according to thcii i the price of their blood. TKe character of tin- Indian nations, which inhabited these portion- of the country, and iu- I that of all the \ariou> tribe- ( ,f in .\orth America, \va- pretty uniform. Like all ignorant people, the\ \\e,-e \er\ -njx-rstitiou-. When llie M|-,.;H coniet appeared in U>M>. ehein \\as a>ked \\hat lie thought of its appear ance. It M'jnilie^." >aid he, " iliat \\ e Indian- -liall melt away, and thi- cniintry ho inhabited by another people." They had a ^reat \ene- >n for their ancient \mr\ iim-eronnd.- ; anil \\henan\oftlieirfriend-orrelati\fs died at a a di>tance, wonld brinir bi- bon - to be interred in the ancient cemetery of the tribe. Xothing, in after time-, excited a deeper ven- ii-t the \\hite people, than their plontrhinir r.j>the Liround \\ here the bone-of their fathers had been deposited. When \\ell treated, :id and liberal to the -tranuer- ; but \\eienaturallv re-er\ed. apt to resent, to ron- eal their re.-entment, and retain it a Ion- time. Um their remembrance of benefits \\a> emiall\ tenacious and tl - < >t the oblitration- .f hospitality. KOMNGSMARKE. 195 An old Indian used to visit the house of a worthy farmer at Middletown in New-Jersey, uhere he was always hospitably received and kindly entertained. One day the wife of the farmer observed the Indian to be more pensive than usual, and to sigh heavily at inten She inquired what was the matter; when he re plied, that he had something to tell her, which, if it were known, would cost him his life. On being further pressed, he disclosed a plot of tin Indians, who were that night to surprise the village, and murder all the inhabitants. "I tie.vt-r yet deceived thee," cried the old man ; ; tell thy husband, that he may tell his white brothers ; but let no one else know that I have i thee to day." The husband collected the men of the village to watch that night. \bout twelve o'clock they heard the war-whoop; Ijut the Indians, perceiving them on their guard, consented to a treaty of peace, which they never Afterwards violated. Their ideas of justice were nearly confined f<> the revenging of injuries ; but an offender who u a- taken in attempting to escape the punish ment of a crime, submitted to the will of hi> tribe, without a murmur. On one occasion, a liief named Tashyowican lost a sister by the 1% KONINGSMARKE. small-pox, the introduction of which b\ tla whites was one great occasion of the hostility of the Indians. " The Maneto of the white man ha- killed my sister," said he, " and I will go kill the white man." Accordingly, taking a friend with him, they set upon and killed a settler of the name of Muggins. On receiving information of this outrage, the settlers demanded satisfaction of the tribe to which Tashyowican belonged, threat ening severe retaliation if it were refused. The Sachems despatched two Indians to take him. dead or alive. On coming to his wigwam, Tashyowican, suspecting their designs, asked if they intended to kill him. They replied, " no but the Sachems have ordered you to die. 1 ' " And what do you say, brothers ?" replied he. " Wt-Miy you must die," answered they. Ta>li- yowican then covered his eyes, and cried out " kill me," upon which they shot him through the heart. Piv\iou- to their intemur>e with the white>, had few vices, as their state of socie- tnrnished them with few temptatioin ; and these vices were counterbalanced b\ many good, not to say great qualities. But, by e of their race, spirituous li- KONINGSMARKE. 19" the seductions of which the best and greatest of them could not resist. It is thi which has caused their tribes to wither away, leaving nothing behind but a name, which will soon be forgotten, or, at best, but a miserable remnant of degenerate beings, whose minds are debased, and whose forms exhibit nothing of that tall and stately majesty which once characteri sed the monarchs of the forest. But the most universal and remarkable trait in the character of the red-men of North Ame rica, was a gravity of deportment, almost ap proaching to melancholy. It seemed as if they had a presentiment of the fate which awaited them in the increasing numbers of the white stran gers ; and it is certain, that there were many traditions and prophecies among them, which >eemed to indicate the final ruin and extinc tion of their race. Their faces bore the expres sion of habitual melancholy j and it was observ ed that they never laughed or were gay, except in their drunken feasts, which, however, gene rally ended in outrage and bloodshed. The little Christina always called them THE SAD PEOPLE; and the phrase aptly expressed their peculiar character. It is little to be wondered at, if two races of VOL. i. 17 men, so totally distinct in habits, manner-. intere-t.-, and withal objects of mutual jealor -u-picion and fear, should be oftener enemies than friends. K\.r\ little -insularity ob-t . in the actions and deportment of each other. accordins-|\ sa\e ri-e to suspicion, often follow ed b\ outrage; and every little robbery com mitted on the property of either, u to the other parts, >o that the history of tin-n early intercourse with each other, is little other than a narrative of bickerings and bloodshed. Thus they continued, until it finally happened in the new, as it hath alwav> happened in the old world, that the" wi-ewhite-n; da final mined it to his pdfteriu . About the period to which our hi.-tory ha- 11OW brought us, there e\i-led c< ;i-iderahle mi-- under-landing 1 between the lleer Piper and the Mbouring tribes. A mill had been built mouth of the little river, which h< dammed aero.--, the shad and herrings, which 'd the principal portion of their food at thi> MI, could no ' i the -tream into the interior of the country, where the Indian- ..une in the -prin^ to fi-h. -4'he Indian- bad likewise drank up the liquor. \\ .< mled the powder, and worn out the watch-coats the\ lead KONINGSMARKE. 10 l . received for a large territory they had sold to the Swedish government ; and, as usual on such occasions, began to be sick of their bargain. The Sachems also complained that Dominic Kanttwell had been tampering with some of their people, and, in attempting to teach them to be good Christians, had only taught them to drink rum, and made them" bad Indians. On the other hand, the Heer Piper charged them with trespassing on the rights of his Swedish Majesty, by hunting on the lands ceded by them in fair purchase. He also hinted his suspicions of a design on their part to surprise the town of Elsingburgh, which suspicion he founded upon some mysterious hints of the Snow Ball, who of late had given vent to certain inexplicable obscurities. Dominie Kanttwell, too, was horribly out of humour, in consequence of having been sorely puzzled in argument, not long since, by a sly old Sachem whom he attempted to convert to what he as sured him was the only true faith. The old Sachem listened till he had done, it being their custom never to interrupt any person in speak ing, and then replied with great gravity : " Brother, you say your religion is the only true religion in the world. Good. I have been ,200 K.ONINGSMARKE. in Canada, and there they told me theirs wri the only true religion. Good. I have been at Boston, where they assured me the religion of the people of Canada was the religion of the bad spirit, and that theirs was the only triu one. Good. I have been at the Manhattans where they called the white people of Boston bad people, and said they had no religion. Good. I have been at Coaquanock, among the Big Hats, and they told me the religion of the Man hattans was not the right sort. Good. I am here, and you say, brother, ours is the only good religion, and you must believe like me. Good. Hut brother, which am I to believe? You say. all of you, that the good book out of which you preach is what you all take for your guide, and that it is written by the Great Spirit him- M-lf. yet you all differ among yourselves. Now, brother, hear what I have got to say. As soon mi shrill ajrrer among yourselves which i- ihe true religion, I -hall think of joining you. Good." To explain these apparent contradictions to the capacity of a man of nature, was out of the tion. Indians cannot comprehend metaphy- -i< ;il >ubtiltie>. and the religion calculated for a of society like theirs, must be composed KONINGSMARKE. 201 "[' the most simple elements. However this may be, the Dominie resented the obstinacy of the old Sachem, and actually talked of converting the savages with fire and sword. The Heer, however, preferred calling a conference with some of the Chiefs, who were accordingly sum moned to meet the Representative of the Swedish Majesty, at a spot about four miles from Elsing- burg, on the bank of the little river to which we have so often alluded in the course of this history. The place selected for this meeting was a lit tle flat in a curve of the river, which was here about twenty yards wide, clothed with majestic elms and sycamores, standing at various distan ces from each other, and without any underwood. The greensward extended to the edge of the stream on one side, and on the other rose a lofty barrier of rocks, clothed with gray mosses, and laurel bushes, now just exhibiting their pale pink blossoms. The precipice was crowned, at its summit, with a primeval growth of lofty oaks that waved their broad arms beyond the rocks, and partly overshadowed the stream, which, a little onward, wound between two high hills and disappeared. To this sequestered spot came the Heer Piper, 17* KOMNGSMARKf . >mpanied by the Long Finne, Doinini Kanttwell, the tru>ty Counsellors of Elsingburi;. therwiih divers men, women, and children, drawn thither by curiosity, and whom the tru>t\ and indefatigable Lob Dotterel kept in order. i)\ dint of making more noise than all the re-t. Here, too, came ten or a dozen of the monarch- of the new \\orld, whose names and titles, trail- lated inlo Kimli-h, equal those of the most loft\ and legitimate kings of the east. Tliere cam*- the IJiu Buffalo, the Little Duck Legs, the Sharp the Walkinir Shadow, the Rollim: Thunder, the Iron Cloud, the Jumping Sturireon. the Hells Ach. and the Doctor, all legitimate Aith copper rin^s in their in blanket robes of state, and painted facet. T!ie-< n< re accompanied by a train of inferior chief- and warriors* who seated them-elvr* in >ilener. in a half circle, on one side of the little plain. On tli'' riuht iit' tin -e sat tl'.e KiiiL:>, their bodie- t'u -ward in a posture to listen, and their !)lanl\et- drawn , ound their .-hdidder-. which, when occasionally >pened, tin- dt-adly tomahawk and >calpiny knife. On the opposite side, upon a little natural 18 phuvd a bench, or tribune, fn Piper and hi< -uitf. The Heer on thi- KONINGSMARKF.. 2().'i occasion was dressed in his uniform as a Swedish officer, which he wore under the Great Gustavus, and had on a sword, given him, as he Hiiirmed, by that Bulwark of the Protestant Faith, as a reward for certain great services, which Governor Piper declined to enumerate, except on new-year's eve, and other remarkable epochs. The Rolling Thunder produced a long pipe, ornamented with died horse hair, porcupine's quills variously coloured, and many enormous !< 'vices. Having lighted it, he took a whiffor two, handed it to the next, and thus it passed completely round the circle, till both white- men and red-men had partaken in tin solemn rite of peace. The Rolling Thunder then bowed gracefully to the Heer, and waved his hand in token that they were ready to hear him. Governor Piper rose, and his speech wa- from time to time translated by an interpreter. " Delnwares, Minks, Mingoes, Muskrats, and Mud Turtles, listen !" said the Heer. feeling all the dignity of his situation as the representative of a king, addressing an assem blage of kings. "You have behaved badly of late ; you ha\<- -old lands, and taken them back airain. after KONINGSM\l(Ki:. \uu had shot away your powder, emptied \on: tobacco boxes, and drank your rum. "Delaware-, Minks. Minuses, Muskrnts and Mud Turtles, li-ten ! You '_n>w \\or-e every day, notwithstand ing the trouble \\e take to make yon better : you uet drunk and Jiirht each other with kni\r-. in-lead of embracing like brothers. Thi- i- wicked, and the (i real Spirit will punish \ou. Uefore many moon- are pa:--ed away, people ill ask wkat has become of the Delaware-, the Mintioes, and the rest of the red-men '". and the an-uer >hall be, they ha\e bc:-n consumed in liquid fii "Delaware.-, .Mink-, Minuoe-, Mnskrat- and .Mud Turllr-. li-ten ! " You lia\e reiu-edto heaAllOSe wllOlll I amoii'j-t \ou, to teach yon the worship of the true CJreut Spirit, who i.> ani^ry \\illi \ou, andha> the -mall-pox to punish \oiir ob-tinac\ . \ "on ha\e hunted on the white-man'- iiround, and broke down the dam 1 c-ui>ed to be bnill >-.- the river, that \\ e miulit urind our corn, and >aw board.- to build our houses. These some of the tliinu.- 1 wi-hed to talk to you about. The (Jreal Sjiirit, I tell \ou, i- antcry, and your sreat father, acro-s the big l a k c yonder, will KONINGSMARKE. 205 take vengeance. Let me hear what you have- to say." The red kings heard this harangue in dead silence, and waited a little while to see if the Heer had done speaking. The Rolling Thunder then rose, and, throwing back his blanket, so as to bare his shoulder and red right arm, spoke a* follows, beginning in a low tone, and gradually becoming more loud and animated : " Long Knife ! The strong liquor was first brought among us by the Dutch, who sold it to us, and then tolcl us we must not drink it; they knew it was for our hurt, yet they tempted us to buy it. " Long Knife ! The next people that came among us was the English, who likewise sold us strong liquors, which they blamed us afterwards for drinking. The next that came were the Swedes, your people, and they too sold us -trong drinks. All of you knew they were hurtful to us, and that if you let us have them, \ve would drink them, and become mad. AVr drink, abuse one another, and throw each other into the fire. Six score and ten of our people have been killed by their own brothers, in tin-so mad fits of drinking. Who i- to blame foi this : KONINGSMARRE. Knife ! You say, that after we ha\< made away with the price of our lands we conic there and hunt on them as if they were our own. We sold you the land, and the trees upon it, but we did not -dl the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the forest. These belong to th<>-< who h;ive courage -and skill to catch them. The Lonir Knivc> don't know how to hunt an\ more than women. You say, too, that we have destroyed the dam which you made across the liver to urind your corn. This spring, when we were looking out for the fish to come up the i her as they used to do, none came, and our women and children were near starving. We came down to >ee what was the matter, and loimd the fish could not get up your dam. M> we destroyed it. You tell n> that men should do as they would be done b\ . Wh\ then did you depri\e us offish, that you might grind your urn : " Long Knife ! We have listened to the Do minie's talks, and tried to understand them, but we cannot. The Great Spirit has given thr red-men one mind, and the \\hite-mrii another. When you bargain with u- lor three bea\er si you will not take one lor three ; yet you > believe that three Great Spirits make KONINGSMARKE. 207 one Great Spirit. We can't understand this. Is that our fault ? " Long Knife ! You say we grow worse and worse every day, and that the Great Spirit will, in his anger, sweep us from the face of the earth. We know this, for already our numbers are Crowing less and less every day. The white- man is the fire which is lighted in the woods, and burns up the leaves, and kills the tall trees of the forest. We shall perish, or be driven be fore it, till we come, to where the sun sets in the irreat salt lake of the West, and when we can no no further, there will soon be an end of our race. If such is the will of the Great Spirit, \\ t annot help it ; if it is not his will, you cannot make it so. " Long Knife ! I have answered you : no\\ , hear me. You came here as strangers, but few in number, and asked us for a little piece of land for a garden we gave it you. By and by, you asked for more, and it was given. When \\< were tired of giving, you purchased of us tnvai tracts of country for tobacco boxes ami rum. The tobacco boxes and rum are gone, and \on have the land. Is it any wonder that \\ ;irc angry at being made fools of, and wish to have our lands back again? Every day tlir KONINGSMAK white-man comes, and pu-lie- tin- Indian lartln-. and farther hack into the wood?, where then- arc neitlier fish nor oysters to eat. I- i an\ won der that, when we are imm_r\. u<- fall into bad humour* and hate the white-men ? The Domi nie tell- us that you have a right to otir countn . because we don't make fence-, plough up the -round, and irrow rich and happy, like \ our pro- pie, in their own country. If they were so hap py at home, I don't see why the\ came here. " Long Knife ! We would like to be friend- with you, but you are a bad people ; you have two faces, two hearts, and two tongues; you tell u< one thing, and you do another : a red- Mian never lies, except w hen you have made him drunk ; what he says, lien ill do ; he never cr< 61 hi- track. You came here as friends, but j have been our worst enemie- ; you brontrhi us strong drink, small-pox and lies : go home again, and take these all hack with you. We \\ould, if possible, be u v. . once were, before you came amongst us. Go ! leave us to om \\ood-. our water-, our ancient customs, and our ancient ^>-<\-. If the Great Spirit wishes us to ploudi the land, sell rum, and become Christians, lit- can do it. But the means you take will onlv brintr these things about, when there KONINGSMARKE. J0(. will be nothing left of the red-men but their name, and their graves." When the Rolling Thunder ceased, Dominie Kanttwell arose and made a speech, which, however zealous and well meant, only served to exasperate the red kings. He treated their an- rient belief with scorn ; insulted their feelings of national pride ; scoffed at their modes of thinking and acting ; and drew a mortifying contrast betwixt the ignorant barbarian roam ing the woods, and the white-man enjoying the comfort and security of civilized rife. The sur rounding Indians began to murmur ; then to gnash their teeth, and finally many of them, starting up, seized their tomakawks, and uttered the war-whoop. The Heer and his party were now in imminent danger of falling victims to the fury of the moment. But the Rolling Thunr arose, and, waving his hand for silence, spoke KOMM.^MARKK. tomahawk. We art- friends no move. Knife, go hence in peace to day, but to-morrow count the red-men thy mortal foes. Before another moon is past, look to see me auain." He then bared his arm, and, drawing his knife. >turk it into the fleshy part. The blood -pouted forth, as he exclaimed, " For every drop thai now falls to the trround there shall be counted one, two, three, ay, four victims, from the nc-i of the serpent." The red Kinir- then slowly moved oil', fol lowed by their people, who cradiudly dis appeared, yellinir the war-whoop, and chanl- inir bloody sonirs, till at length their \O'HT- died may in the rece>ses of the IOIT-I. The alarmed and irritated Ilecr muttered to hini-elf " Fer- jlnchr mid n rdttmt sfy dcine sclur(irz> tul*.'' .nid, together with his train returned trloomv and di the snuff of an expiring lamp or candle ; the lat ter being rather the most savoury comparison. He inspected his palisades, scoured his patte- reroes, victualled his garrison, and exercised hr villagers in practising the deadly rifle. Every day he invested himself in his cocked hat, invincible sword, and tarnished regimentals, and strutted about with a countenance so full of undaunted valour, that the very women and little children slept soundly every night, save when a troop of howling wolves approached the ^ illage under cover of darkness, and waked them -1- -UHKE. with the apprehension of an attack of the In 'lians, led on by the Rolling Thunder himself. whose very name w as enough to alarm a whole regiment of militia. One of the most provoking things which mortal man encounters in this spiteful world, i- that of taking a vast deal of trouble to provide 'n>t ;i danger which never arrives. Yd nothiivg is more common than to see people laying. op treasures they never live to enjoy: providing against rxigrncie-. llr.it ne\er happen: md sacrificing present ease, pleasure, and en joyment, only to guard against the want- period that the\ never live to see. It would almost serin that fate delialit- n- ,ify the pride of human wisdom, hy exhibit- ..iiple-.. ho\v often the most jratcb fa! prudence is either idly employed in guarding i n>t evils that never come, or in vainly attempt . ade the con-, that do ; .viiile. on the oilier hand, the mo>t daring disregard ilcnlalion- of the future i- often coupled with :ilO-t pro-peroil- -Ui'Ci'Sx. \\ e wonld LI\ thai !d of fan \ . uh'n-li i- tlie only \\orld to which \ve i' 'lif (piill fan lay an\ po-iti\r elaim. *\e to deride the question hduivt the !i\e pro-pen- of a person of' extraordinary KONINGSMARKE. 213 prudence, and no prudence at all. Possibly, however, the course of our history may thro\* some light upon this matter. More than a fortnight elapsed, amid the din of preparation, and the vigilance of watchful alarm, without any appearance of the Rolling Thunder and his painted warriors. Every day the Heer talked and strutted more loftily than the day before, and boasted more confidently of the sound drubbing he would give these galgen schivenkels, if they dared to attack his fortress of Elsingburgh. But, alas ! that man should always be passing from one extreme to another, from the fearfulness of apprehension, to the fool- hardihood of unbounded carelessness. Finding the Indians did not come as soon as he expected them, the good Heer at length persuaded himself they would not come at all, though he ought to have known that the race of the red-men never for get either a benefit or an injury. He accordingly remitted his vigilance by degrees, and put his fortress upon the peace establishment, in spite of the singular and myst-rioii> warnings of the Frizzled Head. That declamatory oddity now more vehement in her incomprehensible denunciations, never meetj::g the Heer without uttering some dismal raven's note. ,'H KONINfiSMAKKK. " Sleep on, till thou wake^i no more." cried -he ; " dream till tliy dreaming* end in wakiiiL - : and believe that what i- not will never be." " What meanest thou, thou eternal mill-clap per r" would the Heer reply : " away with ti .uul either speak what thou knowest, or hold th\ tongue. What knowest thou ? der teitfrl hoi' I." I know what I know 1 could tell what I will not trll 1 could save those 1 lo\-, ;ii tin of losing those that I love >till better." Confound thee for a iniuidle-pated. rrack lirainedSnow Ball,"(juoth the Heer; \\hile Bom of the Frismled Houd iroald go in search of that likely fellow Cupid, her^rand-on. \\lio t-\er\ .use more mood\ and unumcrnable, and now spent more thanhalfhis time wandering about with lii> dou in the \\ ood-. The>e \\\ o were oli- i-d to have fronient fonler-nee> together, in \\hicll Boillhie sonu-tinn - -et'inrd unuls ;i!_it:i- : but the subject of their di>cu> ua- uoi \MI, a- tin \ excited little interest. \Vhit>untide came, and with it a hundred rural |iriu r htlv merr\- makings. The bux- m la c-;, \\itli uau't gear, and cheeks redder Inn tho r Mnpaiiied by many a ru^- K.ONINGSMARKE. vical and barbarous Cory don, hied forth to tin- \voods, in search of Pinckster apples, or to pla\ at)iide-and-seek among the blossoms. The boys, and lads who were yet too young to think of sweethearts, were gathered together in a large level common, just without the village, pursuing such various sports as inclination led them to prefer. In one place, a party of lusty lads were playing at ball, having for audience some half u dozen black fellows, who applauded with ob streperous admiration any capital stroke or feat in running. Elsewhere, a party not quite old enough to be admitted among the others, were iinusing tfiemselves in pairs, by striking their respective balls from one to the other. A third set were shooting marbles ; a fourth firing little lead cannons ; a fifth setting off ascotches, as thes are 'yclept in boyish parlance; a sixth was pla\- ing at chuck-farthing, with old buttons without eves; ;i M'vmthrollinginthe dirt; and an eighth, making dirt pies. In short, there was no end u> the diversity of sports ; it was holyday, and all were happy as noise and freedom could make them. The only drawback upon the pleasures of these merry and noisy wights, was the presence of that busybody Lob Dotterel, the high con- JH> KONINGSMARKE. -table of Elsingburgfa, who never saw a knot of people, great or small, making merr\ together, that lie was not in the thickest of them, making mischief and raising -port, b\ wliat lie wa- plea-ed to denominate keeping the peace. \Ve -hould ha\e mentioned before, that among the plans adopted by the Heer and hi> trusty coun cilors for improving tin- police of KUingburgh, was that of pa--iii!j. laws for tlie prevention of various amusements, which children have prac- ii-cd from time immemorial, and which are as much their riuht, as any of tfre immunities which men enjoy under the common law. If Lob Dotterel, who was always on the look-out. brought information that a hor>e had thrown hi> rider in con>e(juence of beiim frightened b\ a pa]>er kite, a law wa> forthwith enacted to forbid that danuerou- and unlawful practice : if an old woman chanced to have her petticoat Hiiued by the explosion ofanascotch, an ordi- nance ua- -traiirhtway fulminated atiain>t the>f dent fireworks ; and so on till the urchin- ot the village were gradually so hemmed in bylaws, that, ifthe\ had paid any attention to these enact- its.the little ro.L!ue> would hardly have had an amusement or a play that was not unlawful. Like man\ modern legislator- of the pn KONINGSMABKE. 21? lime, a single fact was sufficient ground for passing half a dozen great wordy laws, which, after all, nobody obeyed. These, for the most part, lay dormant, like a great spider in the recesses of his web, until the zeal of some Lob Dotterel would sally out upon some little buzzing fly of a boy, who had chanced to gel entangled in their mazes. It was amazing to see the bustling activity of Lob, on this occasion of the sports of Whitsun tide. If two little fellows happened to fall out in playing at marbles, or chuck-farthing, and proceeded to settle the dispute, by an appeal to the law of nature ; or if a hubbub was raised in any part of the field, that indefatigable officer dashed in among them; and wherever he came, there was an awful silence, till he was called 10 some other quarter, to quell another riot, when his departure was announced by a renewal of the fight and noise. Never was poor man in such a worry ; and never did poor man get so little for his pains, as Lob Dotterel, who might be said to be in the predicament of certain great conquerors, or rather, of certain legitimate monarchs, of the present day, who. tin- moment they have quelled an insurrection in one part of thrir territories, arc straightway KONINGSMARKK called to another for the like purpose. Vari ous were the tricks put upon the High Consta ble. At one time, they pinned a dishclout to the bottom of his coat, with which he marched about for a time, unknowing of this appendage to his dignity ; at another, they exploded an ascotch under his tail ; and at a third, they pelted him behind his back with a shower of dirt and missiles of various kinds. It was in vain that he turned round to punish the de linquent, for at the instant, the fry dispersed like a flock of birds, and others attacked hi> rear with some new annoyance. Never man in authority was SO baited mid wm-ried in tilt . -\ercise of his office as Lob Dotterel, who finally quitted the field, distrusted with official diirnity, leaving the small fry of Elsingburgh to play at ball, shoot marbles, fly kite-, chuck farthings, roll in the dirt, and furl n I'oiiuh and tumble, uninterrupted, all day long. Towards sunset, the Heer, who had a certain nidi' .out him that caused his heart to curvet and caper at the -'i!_ r ht of human happines^, < ;ime out with hom M Lndwig Var- lett, who sympathised in Mich Mmrt> a- ilie>e, to renovate his age with a sight of the hi-u iram- l>o|s. While thus employed, he was assailed KONINGSMA.RKE. 219 the Frizzled Head, who hovered near him, and poured forth a more than usual quantity of in comprehensibilities. Sometimes she addressed the Heer, and at others, turning towards the sportive groups, she would apostrophize them in seeming abstraction. " Yes," muttered she, " yes, sport away, ye grasshoppers, that die dancing and singing ! The cricket chirps in the hearth when the house is on fire ; the insect sports in the noonday sun, and dreams not of the coming midnight frost that lays him stiff and cold." Then, turning to the Governor, she would ex claim, with earnest energy " Heer ! Heer ! Thou seest the sun going down yonder in the west ; take heed lest you ne ver see it rise again. Remember that danger eomes like a thief in the night, and that the pe rils of sleep are greater than those of waking. To-morrow who knows which of us shall see to-morrow? to-morrow we may be, like y day, a portion of eternity. Remember, and de spise not thy last warning !" The sun went down ; the chilly dews damped the grass and the hilarity of the sportful groups. that gradually broke away and returned to the village. -'-'" KONINGSMARKE. All that evening Bombie seemed to hovev about her master, as if impelled by some inscru table impulse, and seemini: tn \\i-h to -ay what >he dared not utter. " Der teufel hole rhVA," -aid the Heer at last ; " What wouldst thou ? I believe thou hast swal lowed too much liquor, and art drunk." "The spirit moves me," she slowly replied. " but it is not that spirit which i> the curse <>i our race and thine." " Then let it move thee to talk so as to be un- drr-tood ; -ay out, or say nothing, thou croak ing raven." " Yes I am the raven whose notes forebode and ton-warn : whm the rax en croak-, let the mortal at who>e \\iiido\\-lic |]iittcr> In-ware; when l>ombie croaks, do tliou too beware, Heer." ' Of what ?" ( )f I cannot tell. To save the blood ol'tlio>. u-lio have been kind to me. at leat xmietiines, 1 >hould -lied blood that runs in the veins of the only beinoj that claim-- kindred with me in thi- \\ide world. Heer, \ have warned thee, A ell. When thou nearest the murderous yell. the dvintr -hriek, the shout of triumph, and the ,1'mtr flames, blame not me. Farewell ! So saying, she slowly retired, and he saw her KONINGSMARKE. no more. The Heer pondered for a moment on her strange warnings ; but he had been so ac customed to her wild and wayward talk, that the impression soon passed away. He retired to rest, and was soon in his usual profound sleep, the result of good health and a good conscience. TOL. J. CHAPTER 1\. The wolf inn! in ^t night, Aye seeking bloody prey ; nl \\ hitc. Hut h: The Ilubbinz - XK.HT, that gives to the honest man rest, and rouses the rogue, the wolf, and the owl, to their predator\ labours, now held her quiet sway over the peaceful inhabitant- of tin- village. The vigilant sentinel-, whose turn it was to watch at the gates of the palisades which >ur- rounded the })lace, \\ere fa-t asleep at their po>t>, like their legitimate -ucce-.-or-, the trusty watchmen of New-York and Philadelphia; and nothinu' disturbed the repo-e of midn'mht hut the barking of some sleepless curs, ba^inir each other from afar. \' ' B -'nl \\a- auake in the villaiie a\e the m\>terion> Fri/.y.led Head, who wandered about from the kitchen to the hall, and back again, nmtteriiiL', and mumbling her in comprehensible, disjointed talk. Suddenly -be KOMNGSMARKE. -topped before the great clock, and, contempla ting it for a moment, exclaimed, " The hour is almost come. Now is the time, or never. I may yet save my master and his child without betraying my own blood." So saying, she hobbled up to the chamber of the Long Finne, and, shaking him till he awoke, exclaimed, " Arise, Koningsmarke ; the wolves are approaching. Awake, or thy sleep will last for ever." " What of the wolves ?" answered he, rubbing his eyes ; " are they abroad to night near the village ?" " Yes, the wolves that carry the tomahawk and scalping knife, that devour not the innocent lambs, but drink the blood of thy race. Ere half an hour is passed away you will hear the Rolling Thunder rattling, not in the clouds, but ut thy door. Quick, arm thyself, and awaken the people that sleep on the brink of the grave. Be quick, I say ; tho Indians are out to-night." Koningsmarke dressed himself hastily, seized a sword and a rifle, and sallied forth to alarm the village ; while Bombie went and roused the Heer, who bestowed upon her his benediction, for thus disturbing his slumbers. When, ho\\- over, lie was av-mvd by the Frizzled Head, who KOIUNGBMAJUU , lor once condescc nded to he explicit, that abroad, lie hastily dressed himself in his cocked-hat and rustx regimentals, eirded -vvu:d. and hastened to perform the duties of his station. But ere half the men of the villa. dressed, the great clock m tbe palace hall -truck twelve, and at that moment H horrible yell that rose from every quarter, announced that the place was surrounded by the '. arrinr-. That yell, which the adven turous founders of the new world were, alas ! -tomed to hear, roused all but the lead, and in a little time, women and children \\ere runnincr about, \\ailing' and shrieking 1 in all direction*. All now was confusion, noise and hon till the hardy -pints of the villa, did not \ield to despair. K\ cry man waited at his jtd-t. and e\-n the women and children d\ to liiiid the ^-iins. ami hand them to The little \illa-:e of KL-inu-hur-rh was built C to the i : part of the en- trenchinent. which con.-isted of thic-k pali-ade-. Q1 fourteen tei I hiiill, \\itl) loop-hole> at for lirinir upon aailants, and -tron';l\ fa-teiu d tu i\\o IMW- ((' beams in the imi' .'h i<>.-ii-t treenails, was immer>fd HONING SMAKKE. ~ 2 "> in the water four or five feet at high tides. Here the fishing boats belonging to the villa gers were drawn in ever^y night, to secure them against theft, or injury frohi any quarter. This side of the village being in Some degree pro tected by the river, the Indians bent all their efforts to set fire to the palisades, and force the iiate, which looked towards the country. Led on by the Rolling Thunder, the Indians assailed the gate, where fought the valiant Heer, seconded by Koningsmarke, and others of the stoutest of his people, with all the arts with which their limited modes of warfare furnished them. They essayed to set the gate on fire, by piling dry brush and wood against the outside ; but the women and children brought water, which was handed to those who ventured upon the upper beams we have described, who threw it upon the flames, and extinguished them from time to time. Several times did the fire catch to the dry palisades, and as often was it put out, by the unremitting 'exertions of those inside. The valiant Elsiugburgben kept up an incessant fire through the loop-holes; but the obscurity of the night prexentcd their taking deadly aim, although now and then :. yell announced that a shot had taken . fleet. 19* KONINGSMARKE. lialiled in thrir attempts to fire the pali- ilie now brought large stone-, and. piling them up against the outside, attempted (Voni thence to climb to the top, and thus jump into the area within. Hut the marksmen \ on the watch, and the moment of the appearance of a head above the palisades, was the signal of death to the assailant. The Indians ha\i- little perseverance in war, and soon become dis couraged by resistance. Their efforts now ln-iin to Hat: ; when, all at once, an explosion from the little magazine where the powder \\ as deposited, announced to the horror struck \illagers, that their great means of defence was annihilated in one instant. A i:roan from within, and a shout from without tlie defen annouiM cd the de-pair of the wliite-men, and the triumph of the sa\ ; The gallant Heer. perrci\inir now that all \va- lo>t, and that the da\ 'light, that w as now just peering in tin- east, windd witness tin 1 maoacn- of himself, liis dauirhter, and his people, motion- f.l to KonincsmarUe to go and open the pate toward- the river, prepare the boats, and embark (he women and children, with all possible speed, while he himself attempted still to make good the defence of tin 1 western uate. With silent KOMNGSMARKE. 227 celerity these orders were obeyed, and Konings- inarke returned in a few minutes, to say that all was ready. " Go now," said the Long Finne, " while Ludwig Varlett, Lob Dotterel and I, make a stand here, until you are safe." "Der teufel," quoth the Heer, " go thou I must be the last man that deserts his post ; away.'* " Nay," said the other, " you are old, and cannot run like us ; remember thy daughter, thy only daughter. If thou shouldst perish, who will protect her ?" " Thou," said the Heer ; " remember, if any thing happens to me, I leave her as my dying legacy. Farewell ; we must lose no more time in disputing who shall go. When you hear a gun, come speedily." The Heer and the rest now hastily pursued their way towards the boats, leaving Konings- marke with his two companions, to make a last stand, for the safety of their poor villagers. The gate was now in a blaze, and, being bat tered with large stones, as well as weakened by the fire, began to break and totter fearfully, when the signal was fired. At that moment the gate fell inward. The Indians gave a shout, and waited half a minute to let the burning cinders disperse. That half minute enabled Konintrs- inarke and his companions to gain a decisive KONINGSMARKE. advantage. They lied, pursued by sonic ol the foremost savages, one of whom seized the queue of Lob Dotterel, who luckily wore a wii:. which he left ill the hands of the astonished war rior a> a trophy. The three fugitives jumped into the boat, where was the fair Christina and some two or three women and children, and pushed it ofl' after the others, which had drawn oil' to some distance. A tall Indian rushed into the water after the h-i boat, and seized hold of the gunwale with lii> left hand, irra-pini: hi> tomahawk in his right. Koning-mai ke has tened to the bow with his sword, and with a well-aimed blow cut oil' the hand that detained the boat. The il her by the oilier, which wa- cut off at the same instant by ftoningsmarke. The Indian yelled with rage and fury, and, a- the last ellbrt of despair, -e'r/.ed by the side of the boat with his teeth, where he maintained hi- hold, till hi> head w a- -i-\ er d from his body, and he fell dead into the blood- d\ed water-. Hut hi> efforts were fatal to the part\ in the boat. b\ nabliiej several otiier Indians to fusti into the ri\er and -e!/i- her at \arit)ii- point-. " M-d.i' no further re-istancc, :n;d \oiir 1 will ' KQNINGSMARKE. the voice of the Frizzled Head from the shore. Christina, in this moment of terror, threw her white arms around Koningsmarke, and conjuretl him to listen to the warning. Reluctantly he yielded ; the boat was drawn ashore, and the party made prisoners by the Indians, among whom appeared that likely fellow Cupid, who was now seen for the first time, during the whole of this eventful night. Bombie kissed the hand of her young mistress, while the tears rolled down her withered cheeks, and, turning to the Long Finne, exclaimed with solemn earnestness, " The lamb is committed to thee as its shepherd ; prove not a wolf to devour it, but watch by day and by night ; let not thine eye wink, or thine ear close for a moment, but watch, watch, watch, like the stars that never sleep. Be faithful, and the spirit of tho> sainted mother may yet forgive the preserver of the daughter." Koningsmarke placed his hand on his heart, lifted his eyes to heaven, and then bowing to the earth, replied in a low voice, " So help me God." Scarce had the boats which held the fugitives of EKingburgh rowed out of the reach of the savago>, when a cloud of smoke rose on the bo som of the night, succeeded by an hundred J 5U KONIKGSUARK.K. ri>ini: wreaths of fire, that announced tho swift destruction of the homes ol' the poor villager-. They ^at in their boats wcepinir and wringing tlicir hands, as one by one the roofs fell in, and the bla/.ing cinders flew aloft in showers of glit- terinu atoms. The good Heor, who was unconscious that a still heavier calamity had fallen on his aged head. viewed with silent sorrow the destruction of hi- little nestling place, which, in his hours of proud anticipation, he had pictured as the future capital of a vast empire, of nhich he would he hailed a- the founder. When nothinir re mained of the village but the ruins, a wild, shrill whoop announced the triumph and depar ture of the savnce-. \\ho. ju-t before the risin- ofthe.-un, set forth, with exulting hearts, for their I As the day arhanrr-l, the fugitives ventured to approach the [>lace where their dwell- once stood. Slowly and cautiously tlie\ neared tii:> shore, and. perceiving no traces of the Indians, ventured to land among the smokincr ruins. Nothinir remained of their home- but their .ad, like the I- they only re turned to weep. Each had >uiVered in common with the others, and while <-, in boats, bringing with them a supply of food, boards, timber, and other necessaries, to- T with mechanics to assist them in rebuild- in.; iheir houses. All these were sent by the i^ood William Penn, who, hearing of their ca lamity, had opened no, hi> heart was alway- Mpeu had -cut them thi> timely relief. Shadrach not quite so dry and stifi' as at his former vi-it, and \\hen he appeared in the Heer's }>re C, paid that respect to his misfortune- which he bad refused to his prosperity, by com- M near to making a bow as his canons ol coiirte-y would permit. "Friend Piper," quoth Shadrach, and ihr ,i friend, which had formerly sounded so un couth, was now grateful to the ear of the broken down parent " Friend Piper, I come from th\ neighbour William Pc-nn, who hath heard of thy :in\fortime., and sent thee the little he can spar, for the relief of thy people." But 1 cannot pay for these things, and tin people are said to expect payment for even thine. v KONINGSMARKE. -3-J "Friend Piper," replied Shadrach, "it may be that when our people make bargains in the way of business, they are earnest for payment ; hut when they administer to the sufferings, or contribute to relieve the calamities of their fel low creatures, they expect not to be repaid in this world. William Penn freely bestows upon thee what I have brought ; and moreover, bids me tell thee he will send to the Indians, by the first opportunity, to seek, and, if possible, recover thy lost child." The ancient prejudices of the Heer against his peaceable neighbours of Coaquanock now rushed to his heart, and were there buried for ever in a flood of gratitude. The mention of his daughter, combined with the generous gifts and never broken promises of William Penn, overpowered the old father, and he wept aloud. When his emotions had somewhat subsided, he took Shadrach's hand and said, " Friend, 1 cannot thank thee." " There is no need, friend Piper. All that William Penn asks of thee, is that thou wilt believe that men were not made, tike the beasts of the forest, only to shed each other's blood." The Heer stood corrected, for He remembered the sneers he had thrown out KONIN68W \l:KK. i.'i>t iii> peaceable 'ie'mhl>oui>, tin- Jfig Hck. whom the spirit nio\ i-d to -croud /.c.-dou-Iy thr exertions of those of Elsingburgh, that village \\ ;i> renewed, ;uid swarmed nii-ain like a bee-hive. The Heer and hi? people loiiy retained a urate- lul recollection of the U'mdiie>> of the gr>od \\illiain Penn, \\itli the exception, however, of the Dominie and aunt Kdith, who \?ere accus tomed to Ilout all irood works, and to despite l he Kindoliicextf all. >a\e tho-e whom the\ \\er d to demoniinate the diet. K \oi.i \H: t UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRAR Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stani|>ed be OCT2072 OfCll NON-RZ DUE 2 WKS FROM DATE RECZ Form L9-8ries 444