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

The Question Of His Companion,  He Turned To His Equally Calm Though

Differently Occupied Associate,  The Trapper,  Demanding,  With The Most

Provoking Insensibility To The Urgent Nature Of Their Situation--

"Venerable Hunter,  You Have Often Witnessed Similar Prismatic

Experiments--"

He Was Rudely Interrupted By Paul,  Who Struck The Tablets From His

Hands,  With A Violence That Betrayed The Utter Intellectual Confusion

Which Had Overset The Equanimity Of His Mind. Before Time Was Allowed

For Remonstrance,  The Old Man,  Who Had Continued During The Whole

Scene Like One Much At A Loss How To Proceed,  Though Also Like One Who

Was Rather Perplexed Than Alarmed,  Suddenly Assumed A Decided Air,  As

If He No Longer Doubted On The Course It Was Most Advisable To Pursue.

"It Is Time To Be Doing," He Said,  Interrupting The Controversy That

Was About To Ensue Between The Naturalist And The Bee-Hunter; "It Is

Time To Leave Off Books And Moanings,  And To Be Doing."

"You Have Come To Your Recollections Too Late,  Miserable Old Man,"

Cried Middleton; "The Flames Are Within A Quarter Of A Mile Of Us,  And

The Wind Is Bringing Them Down In This Quarter With Dreadful

Rapidity."

"Anan! The Flames! I Care But Little For The Flames. If I Only Knew

How To Circumvent The Cunning Of The Tetons,  As I Know How To Cheat

The Fire Of Its Prey,  There Would Be Nothing Needed But Thanks To The

Lord For Our Deliverance. Do You Call This A Fire? If You Had Seen

What I Have Witnessed In The Eastern Hills,  When Mighty Mountains Were

Like The Furnace Of Smith,  You Would Have Known What It Was To Fear

The Flames,  And To Be Thankful That You Were Spared! Come,  Lads,  Come;

'Tis Time To Be Doing Now,  And To Cease Talking; For Yonder Curling

Flame Is Truly Coming On Like A Trotting Moose. Put Hands Upon This

Short And Withered Grass Where We Stand,  And Lay Bare The 'Arth."

"Would You Think To Deprive The Fire Of Its Victims In This Childish

Manner?" Exclaimed Middleton.

A Faint But Solemn Smile Passed Over The Features Of The Old Man,  As

He Answered--

"Your Grand'ther Would Have Said,  That When The Enemy Was Nigh,  A

Soldier Could Do No Better Than To Obey."

The Captain Felt The Reproof,  And Instantly Began To Imitate The

Industry Of Paul,  Who Was Tearing The Decayed Herbage From The Ground

In A Sort Of Desperate Compliance With The Trapper's Direction. Even

Ellen Lent Her Hands To The Labour,  Nor Was It Long Before Inez Was

Seen Similarly Employed,  Though None Amongst Them Knew Why Or

Wherefore. When Life Is Thought To Be The Reward Of Labour,  Men Are

Wont To Be Industrious. A Very Few Moments Sufficed To Lay Bare A Spot

Of Some Twenty Feet In Diameter. Into One Edge Of This Little Area The

Trapper Brought The Females,  Directing Middleton And Paul To Cover

Their Light And Inflammable Dresses With The Blankets Of The Party. So

Soon As This Precaution Was Observed,  The Old Man Approached The

Opposite Margin Of The Grass,  Which Still Environed Them In A Tall And

Dangerous Circle,  And Selecting A Handful Of The Driest Of The Herbage

He Placed It Over The Pan Of His Rifle. The Light Combustible Kindled

At The Flash. Then He Placed The Little Flame In A Bed Of The Standing

Fog,  And Withdrawing From The Spot To The Centre Of The Ring,  He

Patiently Awaited The Result.

The Subtle Element Seized With Avidity Upon Its New Fuel,  And In A

Moment Forked Flames Were Gliding Among The Grass,  As The Tongues Of

Ruminating Animals Are Seen Rolling Among Their Food,  Apparently In

Quest Of Its Sweetest Portions.

"Now," Said The Old Man,  Holding Up A Finger,  And Laughing In His

Peculiarly Silent Manner,  "You Shall See Fire Fight Fire! Ah's Me!

Many Is The Time I Have Burnt A Smooty Path,  From Wanton Laziness To

Pick My Way Across A Tangled Bottom."

"But Is This Not Fatal?" Cried The Amazed Middleton; "Are You Not

Bringing The Enemy Nigher To Us Instead Of Avoiding It?"

"Do You Scorch So Easily? Your Grand'ther Had A Tougher Skin. But We

Shall Live To See; We Shall All Live To See."

The Experience Of The Trapper Was In The Right. As The Fire Gained

Strength And Heat,  It Began To Spread On Three Sides,  Dying Of Itself

On The Fourth,  For Want Of Aliment. As It Increased,  And The Sullen

Roaring Announced Its Power,  It Cleared Every Thing Before It,  Leaving

The Black And Smoking Soil Far More Naked Than If The Scythe Had Swept

The Place. The Situation Of The Fugitives Would Have Still Been

Hazardous Had Not The Area Enlarged As The Flame Encircled Them. But

By Advancing To The Spot Where The Trapper Had Kindled The Grass,  They

Avoided The Heat,  And In A Very Few Moments The Flames Began To Recede

In Every Quarter,  Leaving Them Enveloped In A Cloud Of Smoke,  But

Perfectly Safe From The Torrent Of Fire That Was Still Furiously

Rolling Onward.

The Spectators Regarded The Simple Expedient Of The Trapper With That

Species Of Wonder,  With Which The Courtiers Of Ferdinand Are Said To

Have Viewed The Manner In Which Columbus Made His Egg Stand On Its

End,  Though With Feelings That Were Filled With Gratitude Instead Of

Envy.

"Most Wonderful!" Said Middleton,  When He Saw The Complete Success Of

The Means By Which They Had Been Rescued From A Danger That He Had

Conceived To Be Unavoidable. "The Thought Was A Gift From Heaven,  And

The Hand That Executed It Should Be Immortal!"

"Old Trapper," Cried Paul,  Thrusting His Fingers Through His Shaggy

Locks,  "I Have Lined Many A Loaded Bee Into His Hole,  And Know

Something Of The Nature Of The Woods,  But This Is Robbing A Hornet Of

His Sting Without Touching The Insect!"

"It Will Do--It Will Do," Returned The Old Man,  Who After The First

Moment Of His Success Seemed To Think No More Of The Exploit; "Now Get

The Horses In Readiness. Let The Flames Do Their Work For A Short Half

Hour,  And Then We Will Mount. That Time Is Needed To Cool The Meadow,

For These Unshod Teton Beasts Are As Tender On The Hoof As A

Barefooted Girl."

Middleton And Paul,  Who Considered This Unlooked-For Escape As A

Species Of Resurrection,  Patiently Awaited The Time The Trapper

Mentioned With Renewed Confidence In The Infallibility Of His

Judgment. The Doctor Regained His Tablets,  A Little The Worse From

Having Fallen Among The Grass Which Had Been Subject To The Action Of

The Flames,  And Was Consoling Himself For This Slight Misfortune By

Recording Uninterruptedly Such Different Vacillations In Light And

Shadow As He Chose To Consider Phenomena.

In The Mean Time The Veteran,  On Whose Experience They All So

Implicitly Relied For Protection,  Employed Himself In Reconnoitring

Objects In The Distance,  Through The Openings Which The Air

Occasionally Made In The Immense Bodies Of Smoke,  That By This Time

Lay In Enormous Piles On Every Part Of The Plain.

"Look You Here,  Lads," The Trapper Said,  After A Long And Anxious

Examination,  "Your Eyes Are Young And May Prove Better Than My

Worthless Sight--Though The Time Has Been,  When A Wise And Brave

People Saw Reason To Think Me Quick On A Look-Out; But Those Times Are

Gone,  And Many A True And Tried Friend Has Passed Away With Them. Ah's

Me! If I Could Choose A Change In The Orderings Of Providence--Which I

Cannot,  And Which It Would Be Blasphemy To Attempt,  Seeing That All

Things Are Governed By A Wiser Mind Than Belongs To Mortal Weakness--

But If I Were To Choose A Change,  It Would Be To Say,  That Such As

They Who Have Lived Long Together In Friendship And Kindness,  And Who

Have Proved Their Fitness To Go In Company,  By Many Acts Of Suffering

And Daring In Each Other's Behalf,  Should Be Permitted To Give Up Life

At Such Times,  As When The Death Of One Leaves The Other But Little

Reason To Wish To Live."

"Is It An Indian,  That You See?" Demanded The Impatient Middleton.

"Red-Skin Or White-Skin It Is Much The Same. Friendship And Use Can

Tie Men As Strongly Together In The Woods As In The Towns--Ay,  And For

That Matter,  Stronger. Here Are The Young Warriors Of The Prairies.--

Often Do They Sort Themselves In Pairs,  And Set Apart Their Lives For

Deeds Of Friendship; And Well And Truly Do They Act Up To Their

Promises. The Death-Blow To One Is Commonly Mortal To The Other! I

Have Been A Solitary Man Much Of My Time,  If He Can Be Called

Solitary,  Who Has Lived For Seventy Years In The Very Bosom Of Natur',

And Where He Could At Any Instant Open His Heart To God,  Without

Having To Strip It Of The Cares And Wickednesses Of The Settlements--

But Making That Allowance,  Have I Been A Solitary Man; And Yet Have I

Always Found That Intercourse With My Kind Was Pleasant,  And Painful

To Break Off,  Provided That The Companion Was Brave And Honest. Brave,

Because A Skeary Comrade In The Woods," Suffering His Eyes

Inadvertently To Rest A Moment On The Person Of The Abstracted

Naturalist,  "Is Apt To Make A Short Path Long; And Honest,  Inasmuch As

Craftiness Is Rather An Instinct Of The Brutes,  Than A Gift Becoming

The Reason Of A Human Man."

"But The Object,  That You Saw--Was It A Sioux?"

"What The World Of America Is Coming To,  And Where The Machinations

And Inventions Of Its People Are To Have An