The Prairie (Fiscle Part 3) Of 2 by J Fenimore Cooper (phonics reading books TXT) 📕

Who Had Taken A Post At His Elbow,  Saw,  With Alarm,  The Gleam Of Keen

Distrust That Flashed In His Swarthy Visage.

"Where Is Your Conjuror?" Demanded The Chief,  Turning Suddenly To The

Trapper,  As If He Meant To Make Him Responsible For The Re-Appearance

Of Obed.

"Can I Tell My Brother The Number Of The Stars? The Ways Of A Great

Medicine Are Not Like The Ways Of Other Men."

"Listen To Me,  Grey-Head,  And Count My Words," Continued The Other,

Bending On His Rude Saddle-Bow,  Like Some Chevalier Of A More

Civilised Race,  And Speaking In The Haughty Tones Of Absolute Power;

"The Dahcotahs Have Not Chosen A Woman For Their Chief; When Mahtoree

Feels The Power Of A Great Medicine,  He Will Tremble; Until Then He

Will Look With His Own Eyes,  Without Borrowing Sight From A Pale-Face.

If Your Conjuror Is Not With His Friends In The Morning,  My Young Men

Shall Look For Him. Your Ears Are Open. Enough."

The Trapper Was Not Sorry To Find That So Long A Respite Was Granted.

He Had Before Found Reason To Believe,  That The Teton Partisan Was One

Of Those Bold Spirits,  Who Overstep The Limits Which Use And Education

Fix To The Opinions Of Man,  In Every State Of Society,  And He Now Saw

Plainly That He Must Adopt Some Artifice To Deceive Him,  Different

From That Which Had Succeeded So Well With His Followers. The Sudden

Appearance Of The Rock,  However,  Which Hove Up,  A Bleak And Ragged

Mass,  Out Of The Darkness Ahead,  Put An End For The Present To The

Discourse,  Mahtoree Giving All His Thoughts To The Execution Of His

Designs On The Rest Of The Squatter's Movables. A Murmur Ran Through

The Band,  As Each Dark Warrior Caught A Glimpse Of The Desired Haven,

After Which The Nicest Ear Might Have Listened In Vain,  To Catch A

Sound Louder Than The Rustling Of Feet Among The Tall Grass Of The

Prairie.

But The Vigilance Of Esther Was Not Easily Deceived. She Had Long

Listened Anxiously To The Suspicious Sounds,  Which Approached The Rock

Across The Naked Waste,  Nor Had The Sudden Outcry Been Unheard By The

Unwearied Sentinels Of The Rock. The Savages,  Who Had Dismounted At

Some Little Distance,  Had Not Time To Draw Around The Base Of The Hill

In Their Customary Silent And Insidious Manner,  Before The Voice Of

The Amazon Was Raised,  Demanding--

"Who Is Beneath? Answer,  For Your Lives! Siouxes Or Devils,  I Fear Ye

Not!"

No Answer Was Given To This Challenge,  Every Warrior Halting Where He

Stood,  Confident That His Dusky Form Was Blended With The Shadows Of

The Plain. It Was At This Moment That The Trapper Determined To

Escape. He Had Been Left With The Rest Of His Friends,  Under The

Surveillance Of Those Who Were Assigned To The Duty Of Watching The

Horses,  And As They All Continued Mounted,  The Moment Appeared

Favourable To His Project. The Attention Of The Guards Was Drawn To

The Rock,  And A Heavy Cloud Driving Above Them At That Instant,

Obscured Even The Feeble Light Which Fell From The Stars. Leaning On

The Neck Of His Horse,  The Old Man Muttered--

"Where Is My Pup? Where Is It--Hector--Where Is It,  Dog?"

The Hound Caught The Well-Known Sounds,  And Answered By A Whine Of

Friendship,  Which Threatened To Break Out Into One Of His Piercing

Howls. The Trapper Was In The Act Of Raising Himself From This

Successful Exploit,  When He Felt The Hand Of Weucha Grasping His

Throat,  As If Determined To Suppress His Voice By The Very Unequivocal

Process Of Strangulation. Profiting By The Circumstance,  He Raised

Another Low Sound,  As In The Natural Effort Of Breathing,  Which Drew A

Second Responsive Cry From The Faithful Hound. Weucha Instantly

Abandoned His Hold Of The Master In Order To Wreak His Vengeance On

The Dog. But The Voice Of Esther Was Again Heard,  And Every Other

Design Was Abandoned In Order To Listen.

"Ay,  Whine And Deform Your Throats As You May,  Ye Imps Of Darkness,"

She Said,  With A Cracked But Scornful Laugh; "I Know Ye; Tarry,  And Ye

Shall Have Light For Your Misdeeds. Put In The Coal,  Phoebe; Put In

The Coal; Your Father And The Boys Shall See That They Are Wanted At

Home,  To Welcome Their Guests."

As She Spoke,  A Strong Light,  Like That Of A Brilliant Star,  Was Seen

On The Very Pinnacle Of The Rock; Then Followed A Forked Flame,  Which

Curled For A Moment Amid The Windings Of An Enormous Pile Of Brush,

And Flashing Upward In An United Sheet,  It Wavered To And Fro,  In The

Passing Air,  Shedding A Bright Glare On Every Object Within Its

Influence. A Taunting Laugh Was Heard From The Height,  In Which The

Voices Of All Ages Mingled,  As Though They Triumphed At Having So

Successfully Exposed The Treacherous Intentions Of The Tetons.

The Trapper Looked About Him To Ascertain In What Situations He Might

Find His Friends. True To The Signals,  Middleton And Paul Had Drawn A

Little Apart,  And Now Stood Ready,  By Every Appearance,  To Commence

Their Flight At The Third Repetition Of The Cry. Hector Had Escaped

His Savage Pursuer,  And Was Again Crouching At The Heels Of His

Master's Horse. But The Broad Circle Of Light Was Gradually Increasing

In Extent And Power,  And The Old Man,  Whose Eye And Judgment So Rarely

Failed Him,  Patiently Awaited A More Propitious Moment For His

Enterprise.

"Now,  Ishmael,  My Man,  If Sight And Hand Ar' True As Ever,  Now Is The

Time To Work Upon These Redskins,  Who Claim To Own All Your Property,

Even To Wife And Children! Now,  My Good Man,  Prove Both Breed And

Character!"

A Distant Shout Was Heard In The Direction Of The Approaching Party Of

The Squatter,  Assuring The Female Garrison That Succour Was Not Far

Distant. Esther Answered To The Grateful Sounds By A Cracked Cry Of

Her Own,  Lifting Her Form,  In The First Burst Of Exultation,  Above The

Rock In A Manner To Be Visible To All Below. Not Content With This

Dangerous Exposure Of Her Person,  She Was In The Act Of Tossing Her

Arms In Triumph,  When The Dark Figure Of Mahtoree Shot Into The Light

And Pinioned Them To Her Side. The Forms Of Three Other Warriors

Glided Across The Top Of The Rock,  Looking Like Naked Demons Flitting

Among The Clouds. The Air Was Filled With The Brands Of The Beacon,

And A Heavy Darkness Succeeded,  Not Unlike That Of The Appalling

Instant,  When The Last Rays Of The Sun Are Excluded By The Intervening

Mass Of The Moon. A Yell Of Triumph Burst From The Savages In Their

Turn,  And Was Rather Accompanied Than Followed By A Long,  Loud Whine

From Hector.

In An Instant The Old Man Was Between The Horses Of Middleton And

Paul,  Extending A Hand To The Bridle Of Each,  In Order To Check The

Impatience Of Their Riders.

"Softly,  Softly," He Whispered,  "Their Eyes Are As Marvellously Shut

For The Minute,  As If The Lord Had Stricken Them Blind; But Their Ears

Are Open. Softly,  Softly; For Fifty Rods,  At Least,  We Must Move No

Faster Than A Walk."

The Five Minutes Of Doubt That Succeeded Appeared Like An Age To All

But The Trapper. As Their Sight Was Gradually Restored,  It Seemed To

Each That The Momentary Gloom,  Which Followed The Extinction Of The

Beacon,  Was To Be Replaced By As Broad A Light As That Of Noon-Day.

Gradually The Old Man,  However,  Suffered The Animals To Quicken Their

Steps,  Until They Had Gained The Centre Of One Of The Prairie Bottoms.

Then Laughing In His Quiet Manner He Released The Reins And Said--

"Now,  Let Them Give Play To Their Legs; But Keep On The Old Fog To

Deaden The Sounds."

It Is Needless To Say How Cheerfully He Was Obeyed. In A Few More

Minutes They Ascended And Crossed A Swell Of The Land,  After Which The

Flight Was Continued At The Top Of Their Horses' Speed,  Keeping The

Indicated Star In View,  As The Labouring Bark Steers For The Light

Which Points The Way To A Haven And Security.

              The Clouds And Sunbeams O'er His Eye,

              That Once Their Shades And Glories Threw,

              Have Left,  In Yonder Silent Sky,

              No Vestige Where They Flew.

                                                   --Montgomery.

A Stillness,  As Deep As That Which Marked The Gloomy Wastes In Their

Front,  Was Observed By The Fugitives To Distinguish The Spot They Had

Just Abandoned. Even The Trapper Lent His Practised Faculties,  In

Vain,  To Detect Any Of The Well-Known Signs,  Which Might Establish The

Important Fact That Hostilities Had Actually Commenced Between The

Parties Of Mahtoree And Ishmael; But Their Horses Carried Them Out Of

The Reach Of Sounds,  Without The Occurrence Of The Smallest Evidence

Of The Sort. The Old Man,  From Time To Time,  Muttered His Discontent,

But Manifested The Uneasiness He Actually Entertained In No Other

Manner,  Unless It Might Be In Exhibiting A Growing Anxiety To Urge The

Animals To Increase Their Speed. He Pointed Out In Passing,  The

Deserted Swale,  Where The Family Of The Squatter Had Encamped,  The

Night They Were Introduced To The Reader,  And Afterwards He Maintained

An Ominous Silence; Ominous,  Because His Companions Had Already Seen

Enough Of His Character,  To Be Convinced That The Circumstances Must

Be Critical Indeed,  Which Possessed The Power To Disturb The Well

Regulated Tranquillity Of The Old Man's Mind.

"Have We Not Done Enough," Middleton Demanded,  In Tenderness To The

Inability Of Inez And Ellen To Endure So Much Fatigue,  At The End Of

Some Hours; "We Have Ridden Hard,  And Have Crossed A Wide Tract Of

Plain. It Is Time To Seek A Place Of Rest."

"You Must Seek It Then In Heaven,  If You Find Yourselves Unequal To A

Longer March," Murmured The Old Trapper. "Had The Tetons And The

Squatter Come To Blows,  As Any One Might See In The Natur' Of Things

They Were Bound To Do,  There Would Be Time To Look About Us,  And To

Calculate Not Only The Chances But The Comforts Of The Journey; But As

The Case Actually Is,  I Should Consider It Certain Death,  Or Endless

Captivity,  To Trust Our Eyes With Sleep,  Until Our Heads Are Fairly

Hid In Some Uncommon Cover."

"I Know Not," Returned The Youth,  Who Reflected More On The Sufferings

Of The Fragile Being He Supported,  Than On