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

Errand. But The Eye Of The Teton Chief Was Not Less Quick And Certain

Than That Of His Enemy. He Threw Himself From His Horse The Moment

Preceding The Report,  And Sunk Into The Water. The Beast Snorted With

Terror And Anguish,  Throwing Half His Form Out Of The River In A

Desperate Plunge. Then He Was Seen Drifting Away In The Torrent,  And

Dyeing The Turbid Waters With His Blood.

The Teton Chief Soon Re-Appeared On The Surface,  And Understanding The

Nature Of His Loss,  He Swam With Vigorous Strokes To The Nearest Of

The Young Men,  Who Relinquished His Steed,  As A Matter Of Course,  To

So Renowned A Warrior. The Incident,  However,  Created A Confusion In

The Whole Of The Dahcotah Band,  Who Appeared To Await The Intention Of

Their Leader,  Before They Renewed Their Efforts To Reach The Shore. In

The Mean Time The Vessel Of Skin Had Reached The Land,  And The

Fugitives Were Once More United On The Margin Of The River.

The Savages Were Now Swimming About In Indecision,  As A Flock Of

Pigeons Is Often Seen To Hover In Confusion After Receiving A Heavy

Discharge Into Its Leading Column,  Apparently Hesitating On The Risk

Of Storming A Bank So Formidably Defended. The Well-Known Precaution

Of Indian Warfare Prevailed,  And Mahtoree,  Admonished By His Recent

Adventure,  Led His Warriors Back To The Shore From Which They Had

Come,  In Order To Relieve Their Beasts,  Which Were Already Becoming

Unruly.

"Now Mount You,  With The Tender Ones,  And Ride For Yonder Hillock,"

Said The Trapper; "Beyond It,  You Will Find Another Stream,  Into Which

You Must Enter,  And Turning To The Sun,  Follow Its Bed For A Mile,

Until You Reach A High And Sandy Plain; There Will I Meet You. Go;

Mount; This Pawnee Youth And I,  And My Stout Friend The Physician,  Who

Is A Desperate Warrior,  Are Men Enough To Keep The Bank,  Seeing That

Show And Not Use Is All That Is Needed."

Middleton And Paul Saw No Use In Wasting Their Breath In Remonstrances

Against This Proposal. Glad To Know That Their Rear Was To Be Covered,

Even In This Imperfect Manner,  They Hastily Got Their Horses In

Motion,  And Soon Disappeared On The Required Route. Some Twenty Or

Thirty Minutes Succeeded This Movement Before The Tetons On The

Opposite Shore Seemed Inclined To Enter On Any New Enterprise.

Mahtoree Was Distinctly Visible,  In The Midst Of His Warriors,  Issuing

His Mandates And Betraying His Desire For Vengeance,  By Occasionally

Shaking An Arm In The Direction Of The Fugitives; But No Step Was

Taken,  Which Appeared To Threaten Any Further Act Of Immediate

Hostility. At Length A Yell Arose Among The Savages,  Which Announced

The Occurrence Of Some Fresh Event. Then Ishmael And His Sluggish Sons

Were Seen In The Distance,  And Soon The Whole Of The United Force

Moved Down To The Very Limits Of The Stream. The Squatter Proceeded To

Examine The Position Of His Enemies,  With His Usual Coolness,  And,  As

If To Try The Power Of His Rifle,  He Sent A Bullet Among Them,  With A

Force Sufficient To Do Execution,  Even At The Distance At Which He

Stood.

"Now Let Us Depart!" Exclaimed Obed,  Endeavouring To Catch A Furtive

Glimpse Of The Lead,  Which He Fancied Was Whizzing At His Very Ear;

"We Have Maintained The Bank In A Gallant Manner,  For A Sufficient

Length Of Time; Quite As Much Military Skill Is To Be Displayed In A

Retreat,  As In An Advance."

The Old Man Cast A Look Behind Him,  And Seeing That The Equestrians

Had Reached The Cover Of The Hill,  He Made No Objections To The

Proposal. The Remaining Horse Was Given To The Doctor,  With

Instructions To Pursue The Course Just Taken By Middleton And Paul.

When The Naturalist Was Mounted And In Full Retreat,  The Trapper And

The Young Pawnee Stole From The Spot In Such A Manner As To Leave

Their Enemies Some Time In Doubt As To Their Movements. Instead,

However,  Of Proceeding Across The Plain Towards The Hill,  A Route On

Which They Must Have Been In Open View,  They Took A Shorter Path,

Covered By The Formation Of The Ground,  And Intersected The Little

Water-Course At The Point Where Middleton Had Been Directed To Leave

It,  And Just In Season To Join His Party. The Doctor Had Used So Much

Diligence In The Retreat,  As To Have Already Overtaken His Friends,

And Of Course All The Fugitives Were Again Assembled.

The Trapper Now Looked About Him For Some Convenient Spot,  Where The

Whole Party Might Halt,  As He Expressed It,  For Some Five Or Six

Hours.

"Halt!" Exclaimed The Doctor,  When The Alarming Proposal Reached His

Ears; "Venerable Hunter,  It Would Seem,  That On The Contrary,  Many

Days Should Be Passed In Industrious Flight."

Middleton And Paul Were Both Of This Opinion,  And Each In His

Particular Manner Expressed As Much.

The Old Man Heard Them With Patience,  But Shook His Head Like One Who

Was Unconvinced,  And Then Answered All Their Arguments,  In One General

And Positive Reply.

"Why Should We Fly?" He Asked. "Can The Legs Of Mortal Men Outstrip

The Speed Of Horses? Do You Think The Tetons Will Lie Down And Sleep;

Or Will They Cross The Water And Nose For Our Trail? Thanks Be To The

Lord,  We Have Washed It Well In This Stream,  And If We Leave The Place

With Discretion And Wisdom,  We May Yet Throw Them Off Its Track. But A

Prairie Is Not A Wood. There A Man May Journey Long,  Caring For

Nothing But The Prints His Moccasin Leaves,  Whereas In These Open

Plains A Runner,  Placed On Yonder Hill,  For Instance,  Could See Far On

Every Side Of Him,  Like A Hovering Hawk Looking Down On His Prey. No,

No; Night Must Come,  And Darkness Be Upon Us,  Afore We Leave This

Spot. But Listen To The Words Of The Pawnee; He Is A Lad Of Spirit,

And I Warrant Me Many Is The Hard Race That He Has Run With The Sioux

Bands. Does My Brother Think Our Trail Is Long Enough?" He Demanded In

The Indian Tongue.

"Is A Teton A Fish,  That He Can See It In The River?"

"But My Young Men Think We Should Stretch It,  Until It Reaches Across

The Prairie."

"Mahtoree Has Eyes; He Will See It."

"What Does My Brother Counsel?"

The Young Warrior Studied The Heavens A Moment,  And Appeared To

Hesitate. He Mused Some Time With Himself,  And Then He Replied,  Like

One Whose Opinion Was Fixed--

"The Dahcotahs Are Not Asleep," He Said; "We Must Lie In The Grass."

"Ah! The Lad Is Of My Mind," Said The Old Man,  Briefly Explaining The

Opinion Of His Companion To His White Friends. Middleton Was Obliged

To Acquiesce,  And,  As It Was Confessedly Dangerous To Remain Upon

Their Feet,  Each One Set About Assisting In The Means To Be Adopted

For Their Security. Inez And Ellen Were Quickly Bestowed Beneath The

Warm And Not Uncomfortable Shelter Of The Buffaloe Skins,  Which Formed

A Thick Covering,  And Tall Grass Was Drawn Over The Place,  In Such A

Manner As To Evade Any Examination From A Common Eye. Paul And The

Pawnee Fettered The Beasts And Cast Them To The Earth,  Where,  After

Supplying Them With Food,  They Were Also Left Concealed In The Fog Of

The Prairie. No Time Was Lost When These Several Arrangements Were

Completed,  Before Each Of The Others Sought A Place Of Rest And

Concealment,  And Then The Plain Appeared Again Deserted To Its

Solitude.

The Old Man Had Advised His Companions Of The Absolute Necessity Of

Their Continuing For Hours In This Concealment. All Their Hopes Of

Escape Depended On The Success Of The Artifice. If They Might Elude

The Cunning Of Their Pursuers,  By This Simple And Therefore Less

Suspected Expedient,  They Could Renew Their Flight As The Evening

Approached,  And,  By Changing Their Course,  The Chance Of Final Success

Would Be Greatly Increased. Influenced By These Momentous

Considerations The Whole Party Lay,  Musing On Their Situation,  Until

Thoughts Grew Weary,  And Sleep Finally Settled On Them All,  One After

Another.

The Deepest Silence Had Prevailed For Hours,  When The Quick Ears Of

The Trapper And The Pawnee Were Startled By A Faint Cry Of Surprise

From Inez. Springing To Their Feet,  Like Men,  Who Were About To

Struggle For Their Lives,  They Found The Vast Plain,  The Rolling

Swells,  The Little Hillock,  And The Scattered Thickets,  Covered Alike

In One,  White,  Dazzling Sheet Of Snow.

"The Lord Have Mercy On Ye All!" Exclaimed The Old Man,  Regarding The

Prospect With A Rueful Eye; "Now,  Pawnee,  Do I Know The Reason Why You

Studied The Clouds So Closely; But It Is Too Late; It Is Too Late! A

Squirrel Would Leave His Trail On This Light Coating Of The 'Arth. Ha!

There Come The Imps To A Certainty. Down With Ye All,  Down With Ye;

Your Chance Is But Small,  And Yet It Must Not Be Wilfully Cast Away."

The Whole Party Was Instantly Concealed Again,  Though Many An Anxious

And Stolen Glance Was Directed Through The Tops Of The Grass,  On The

Movements Of Their Enemies. At The Distance Of Half A Mile,  The Teton

Band Was Seen Riding In A Circuit,  Which Was Gradually Contracting

Itself,  And Evidently Closing Upon The Very Spot Where The Fugitives

Lay. There Was But Little Difficulty In Solving The Mystery Of This

Movement. The Snow Had Fallen In Time To Assure Them That Those They

Sought Were In Their Rear,  And They Were Now Employed,  With The

Unwearied Perseverance And Patience Of Indian Warriors,  In Circling

The Certain Boundaries Of Their Place Of Concealment.

Each Minute Added To The Jeopardy Of The Fugitives. Paul And Middleton

Deliberately Prepared Their Rifles,  And As The Occupied Mahtoree Came,

At Length,  Within Fifty Feet Of Them,  Keeping His Eyes Riveted On The

Grass Through Which He Rode,  They Levelled Them Together And Pulled

The Triggers. The Effort Was Answered By The Mere Snapping Of The

Locks.

"Enough," Said The Old Man,  Rising With Dignity; "I Have Cast Away The

Priming; For Certain Death Would Follow Your Rashness. Now Let Us Meet

Our Fates Like Men. Cringing And Complaining Find No Favour In Indian

Eyes."

His Appearance Was Greeted By A Yell,  That Spread Far And Wide Over

The Plain,  And In A Moment A Hundred Savages Were Seen Riding Madly To

The