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

Companion; "I Know Not; We Have Ridden Leagues,  And I Can See No

Extraordinary Signs Of Danger:--If You Fear For Yourself,  My Good

Friend,  Believe Me You Are Wrong,  For--"

"Your Grand'ther,  Were He Living And Here," Interrupted The Old Man,

Stretching Forth A Hand,  And Laying A Finger Impressively On The Arm

Of Middleton,  "Would Have Spared Those Words. He Had Some Reason To

Think That,  In The Prime Of My Days,  When My Eye Was Quicker Than The

Hawk's,  And My Limbs Were As Active As The Legs Of The Fallow-Deer,  I

Never Clung Too Eagerly And Fondly To Life: Then Why Should I Now Feel

Such A Childish Affection For A Thing That I Know To Be Vain,  And The

Companion Of Pain And Sorrow. Let The Tetons Do Their Worst; They Will

Not Find A Miserable And Worn Out Trapper The Loudest In His

Complaints,  Or His Prayers."

"Pardon Me,  My Worthy,  My Inestimable Friend," Exclaimed The Repentant

Young Man,  Warmly Grasping The Hand,  Which The Other Was In The Act Of

Withdrawing; "I Knew Not What I Said--Or Rather I Thought Only Of

Those Whose Tenderness We Are Most Bound To Consider."

"Enough. It Is Natur',  And It Is Right. Therein Your Grand'ther Would

Have Done The Very Same. Ah's Me! What A Number Of Seasons,  Hot And

Cold,  Wet And Dry,  Have Rolled Over My Poor Head,  Since The Time We

Worried It Out Together,  Among The Red Hurons Of The Lakes,  Back In

Those Rugged Mountains Of Old York! And Many A Noble Buck Has Since

That Day Fallen By My Hand; Ay,  And Many A Thieving Mingo,  Too! Tell

Me,  Lad,  Did The General,  For General I Know He Got To Be,  Did He Ever

Tell You Of The Deer We Took,  That Night The Outlyers Of The Accursed

Tribe Drove Us To The Caves,  On The Island,  And How We Feasted And

Drunk In Security?"

"I Have Often Heard Him Mention The Smallest Circumstance Of The Night

You Mean; But--"

"And The Singer; And His Open Throat; And His Shoutings In The

Fights!" Continued The Old Man,  Laughing Joyously At The Strength Of

His Own Recollections.

"All--All--He Forgot Nothing,  Even To The Most Trifling Incident. Do

You Not--"

"What! Did He Tell You Of The Imp Behind The Log And Of The Miserable

Devil Who Went Over The Fall--Or Of The Wretch In The Tree?"

"Of Each And All,  With Every Thing That Concerned Them.[*] I Should

Think--"

[*] They Who Have Read The Preceding Books,  In Which,  The Trapper

    Appears As A Hunter And A Scout,  Will Readily Understand The

    Allusions.

"Ay," Continued The Old Man,  In A Voice,  Which Betrayed How Powerfully

His Own Faculties Retained The Impression Of The Spectacle,  "I Have

Been A Dweller In Forests,  And In The Wilderness For Three-Score And

Ten Years,  And If Any Can Pretend To Know The World,  Or To Have Seen

Scary Sights,  It Is Myself! But Never,  Before Nor Since,  Have I Seen

Human Man In Such A State Of Mortal Despair As That Very Savage; And

Yet He Scorned To Speak,  Or To Cry Out,  Or To Own His Forlorn

Condition! It Is Their Gift,  And Nobly Did He Maintain It!"

"Harkee,  Old Trapper," Interrupted Paul,  Who,  Content With The

Knowledge That His Waist Was Grasped By One Of The Arms Of Ellen,  Had

Hitherto Ridden In Unusual Silence; "My Eyes Are As True And As

Delicate As A Humming-Bird's In The Day; But They Are Nothing Worth

Boasting Of By Starlight. Is That A Sick Buffaloe,  Crawling Along In

The Bottom,  There,  Or Is It One Of The Stray Cattle Of The Savages?"

The Whole Party Drew Up,  In Order To Examine The Object,  Which Paul

Had Pointed Out. During Most Of The Time,  They Had Ridden In The

Little Vales In Order To Seek The Protection Of The Shadows,  But Just

At That Moment,  They Had Ascended A Roll Of The Prairie In Order To

Cross Into The Very Bottom Where This Unknown Animal Was Now Seen.

"Let Us Descend," Said Middleton; "Be It Beast Or Man,  We Are Too

Strong To Have Any Cause Of Fear."

"Now,  If The Thing Was Not Morally Impossible," Cried The Trapper,  Who

The Reader Must Have Already Discovered Was Not Always Exact In The

Use Of Qualifying Words,  "If The Thing Was Not Morally Impossible,  I

Should Say,  That Was The Man,  Who Journeys In Search Of Reptiles And

Insects: Our Fellow-Traveller The Doctor."

"Why Impossible? Did You Not Direct Him To Pursue This Course,  In

Order To Rejoin Us?"

"Ay,  But I Did Not Tell Him To Make An Ass Outdo The Speed Of A Horse:

--You Are Right--You Are Right," Said The Trapper,  Interrupting

Himself,  As By Gradually Lessening The Distance Between Them,  His Eyes

Assured Him It Was Obed And Asinus,  Whom He Saw; "You Are Right,  As

Certainly As The Thing Is A Miracle. Lord,  What A Thing Is Fear! How

Now,  Friend; You Have Been Industrious To Have Got So Far Ahead In So

Short A Time. I Marvel At The Speed Of The Ass!"

"Asinus Is Overcome," Returned The Naturalist,  Mournfully. "The Animal

Has Certainly Not Been Idle Since We Separated,  But He Declines All My

Admonitions And Invitations To Proceed. I Hope There Is No Instant

Fear From The Savages?"

"I Cannot Say That; I Cannot Say That; Matters Are Not As They Should

Be,  Atween The Squatter And The Tetons,  Nor Will I Answer As Yet For

The Safety Of Any Scalp Among Us. The Beast Is Broken Down! You Have

Urged Him Beyond His Natural Gifts,  And He Is Like A Worried Hound.

There Is Pity And Discretion In All Things,  Even Though A Man Be

Riding For His Life."

"You Indicated The Star," Returned The Doctor,  "And I Deemed It

Expedient To Use Great Diligence In Pursuing The Direction."

"Did You Expect To Reach It,  By Such Haste? Go,  Go; You Talk Boldly Of

The Creatur's Of The Lord,  Though I Plainly See You Are But A Child In

Matters That Concern Their Gifts And Instincts. What A Plight Would

You Now Be In,  If There Was Need For A Long And A Quick Push With Our

Heels?"

"The Fault Exists In The Formation Of The Quadruped," Said Obed,  Whose

Placid Temper Began To Revolt Under So Many Scandalous Imputations.

"Had There Been Rotary Levers For Two Of The Members,  A Moiety Of The

Fatigue Would Have Been Saved,  For One Item--"

"That,  For Your Moiety's And Rotaries,  And Items,  Man; A Jaded Ass Is

A Jaded Ass,  And He Who Denies It Is But A Brother Of The Beast

Itself. Now,  Captain,  Are We Driven To Choose One Of Two Evils. We

Must Either Abandon This Man,  Who Has Been Too Much With Us Through

Good And Bad To Be Easily Cast Away,  Or We Must Seek A Cover To Let

The Animal Rest."

"Venerable Venator!" Exclaimed The Alarmed Obed; "I Conjure You By All

The Secret Sympathies Of Our Common Nature,  By All The Hidden--"

"Ah,  Fear Has Brought Him To Talk A Little Rational Sense! It Is Not

Natur',  Truly,  To Abandon A Brother In Distress; And The Lord He Knows

That I Have Never Yet Done The Shameful Deed. You Are Right,  Friend,

You Are Right; We Must All Be Hidden,  And That Speedily. But What To

Do With The Ass! Friend Doctor,  Do You Truly Value The Life Of The

Creatur'?"

"He Is An Ancient And Faithful Servant," Returned The Disconsolate

Obed,  "And With Pain Should I See Him Come To Any Harm. Fetter His

Lower Limbs,  And Leave Him To Repose In This Bed Of Herbage. I Will

Engage He Shall Be Found Where He Is Left,  In The Morning."

"And The Siouxes? What Would Become Of The Beast Should Any Of The Red

Imps Catch A Peep At His Ears,  Growing Up Out Of The Grass Like To

Mullein-Tops?" Cried The Bee-Hunter. "They Would Stick Him As Full Of

Arrows,  As A Woman's Cushion Is Full Of Pins,  And Then Believe They

Had Done The Job For The Father Of All Rabbits! My Word For It Out

They Would Find Out Their Blunder At The First Mouthful!"

Middleton,  Who Began To Grow Impatient Under The Protracted

Discussion,  Interposed,  And,  As A Good Deal Of Deference Was Paid To

His Rank,  He Quickly Prevailed In His Efforts To Effect A Sort Of

Compromise. The Humble Asinus,  Too Meek And Too Weary To Make Any

Resistance,  Was Soon Tethered And Deposited In His Bed Of Dying Grass,

Where He Was Left With A Perfect Confidence On The Part Of His Master

Of Finding Him,  Again,  At The Expiration Of A Few Hours. The Old Man

Strongly Remonstrated Against This Arrangement,  And More Than Once

Hinted That The Knife Was Much More Certain Than The Tether,  But The

Petitions Of Obed,  Aided Perhaps By The Secret Reluctance Of The

Trapper To Destroy The Beast,  Were The Means Of Saving Its Life. When

Asinus Was Thus Secured,  And As His Master Believed Secreted,  The

Whole Party Proceeded To Find Some Place Where They Might Rest

Themselves,  During The Time Required For The Repose Of The Animal.

According To The Calculations Of The Trapper,  They Had Ridden Twenty

Miles Since The Commencement Of Their Flight. The Delicate Frame Of

Inez Began To Droop Under The Excessive Fatigue,  Nor Was The More

Robust,  But Still Feminine Person Of Ellen,  Insensible To The

Extraordinary Effort She Had Made. Middleton Himself Was Not Sorry To

Repose,  Nor Did The Vigorous And High-Spirited Paul Hesitate To

Confess