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

Listen To What Comes From A Grey-Head,  And Then Speak Accordingly. My

People Is A Mighty People. The Sun Rises On Their Eastern And Sets On

Their Western Border. The Land Is Filled With Bright-Eyed And Laughing

Girls,  Like These You See--Ay,  Teton,  I Tell No Lie," Observing His

Auditor To Start With An Air Of Distrust--"Bright-Eyed And Pleasant To

Behold,  As These Before You."

"Has My Father A Hundred Wives!" Interrupted The Savage,  Laying His

Finger On The Shoulder Of The Trapper,  With A Look Of Curious Interest

In The Reply.

"No,  Dahcotah. The Master Of Life Has Said To Me,  Live Alone; Your

Lodge Shall Be The Forest; The Roof Of Your Wigwam,  The Clouds. But,

Though Never Bound In The Secret Faith Which,  In My Nation,  Ties One

Man To One Woman,  Often Have I Seen The Workings Of That Kindness

Which Brings The Two Together. Go Into The Regions Of My People; You

Will See The Daughters Of The Land,  Fluttering Through The Towns Like

Many-Coloured And Joyful Birds In The Season Of Blossoms. You Will

Meet Them,  Singing And Rejoicing,  Along The Great Paths Of The

Country,  And You Will Hear The Woods Ringing With Their Laughter. They

Are Very Excellent To Behold,  And The Young Men Find Pleasure In

Looking At Them."

"Hugh," Ejaculated The Attentive Mahtoree.

"Ay,  Well May You Put Faith In What You Hear,  For It Is No Lie. But

When A Youth Has Found A Maiden To Please Him,  He Speaks To Her In A

Voice So Soft,  That None Else Can Hear. He Does Not Say,  My Lodge Is

Empty And There Is Room For Another; But Shall I Build,  And Will The

Virgin Show Me Near What Spring She Would Dwell? His Voice Is Sweeter

Than Honey From The Locust,  And Goes Into The Ear Thrilling Like The

Song Of A Wren. Therefore,  If My Brother Wishes His Words To Be Heard,

He Must Speak With A White Tongue."

Mahtoree Pondered Deeply,  And In A Wonder That He Did Not Attempt To

Conceal. It Was Reversing All The Order Of Society,  And,  According To

His Established Opinions,  Endangering The Dignity Of A Chief,  For A

Warrior Thus To Humble Himself Before A Woman. But As Inez Sat Before

Him,  Reserved And Imposing In Air,  Utterly Unconscious Of His Object,

And Least Of All Suspecting The True Purport Of So Extraordinary A

Visit,  The Savage Felt The Influence Of A Manner To Which He Was

Unaccustomed. Bowing His Head,  In Acknowledgment Of His Error,  He

Stepped A Little Back,  And Placing Himself In An Attitude Of Easy

Dignity,  He Began To Speak With The Confidence Of One Who Had Been No

Less Distinguished For Eloquence,  Than For Deeds In Arms. Keeping His

Eyes Riveted On The Unconscious Bride Of Middleton,  He Proceeded In

The Following Words--

"I Am A Man With A Red Skin,  But My Eyes Are Dark. They Have Been Open

Since Many Snows. They Have Seen Many Things--They Know A Brave From A

Coward. When A Boy,  I Saw Nothing But The Bison And The Deer. I Went

To The Hunts,  And I Saw The Cougar And The Bear. This Made Mahtoree A

Man. He Talked With His Mother No More. His Ears Were Open To The

Wisdom Of The Old Men. They Told Him Every Thing--They Told Him Of The

Big-Knives. He Went On The War-Path. He Was Then The Last; Now,  He Is

The First. What Dahcotah Dare Say He Will Go Before Mahtoree Into The

Hunting Grounds Of The Pawnees? The Chiefs Met Him At Their Doors,  And

They Said,  My Son Is Without A Home. They Gave Him Their Lodges,  They

Gave Him Their Riches,  And They Gave Him Their Daughters. Then

Mahtoree Became A Chief,  As His Fathers Had Been. He Struck The

Warriors Of All The Nations,  And He Could Have Chosen Wives From The

Pawnees,  The Omawhaws,  And The Konzas; But He Looked At The Hunting

Grounds,  And Not At His Village. He Thought A Horse Was Pleasanter

Than A Dahcotah Girl. But He Found A Flower On The Prairies,  And Be

Plucked It,  And Brought It Into His Lodge. He Forgets That He Is The

Master Of A Single Horse. He Gives Them All To The Stranger,  For

Mahtoree Is Not A Thief; He Will Only Keep The Flower He Found On The

Prairie. Her Feet Are Very Tender. She Cannot Walk To The Door Of Her

Father; She Will Stay,  In The Lodge Of A Valiant Warrior For Ever."

When He Had Finished This Extraordinary Address,  The Teton Awaited To

Have It Translated,  With The Air Of A Suitor Who Entertained No Very

Disheartening Doubts Of His Success. The Trapper Had Not Lost A

Syllable Of The Speech,  And He Now Prepared Himself To Render It Into

English In Such A Manner As Should Leave Its Principal Idea Even More

Obscure Than In The Original. But As His Reluctant Lips Were In The

Act Of Parting,  Ellen Lifted A Finger,  And With A Keen Glance From Her

Quick Eye,  At The Still Attentive Inez,  She Interrupted Him.

"Spare Your Breath," She Said,  "All That A Savage Says Is Not To Be

Repeated Before A Christian Lady."

Inez Started,  Blushed,  And Bowed With An Air Of Reserve,  As She Coldly

Thanked The Old Man For His Intentions,  And Observed That She Could

Now Wish To Be Alone.

"My Daughters Have No Need Of Ears To Understand What A Great Dahcotah

Says," Returned The Trapper,  Addressing Himself To The Expecting

Mahtoree. "The Look He Has Given,  And The Signs He Has Made,  Are

Enough. They Understand Him; They Wish To Think Of His Words; For The

Children Of Great Braves,  Such As Their Fathers Are,  Do Nothing With

Out Much Thought."

With This Explanation,  So Flattering To The Energy Of His Eloquence,

And So Promising To His Future Hopes,  The Teton Was Every Way Content.

He Made The Customary Ejaculation Of Assent,  And Prepared To Retire.

Saluting The Females,  In The Cold But Dignified Manner Of His People,

He Drew His Robe About Him,  And Moved From The Spot Where He Had

Stood,  With An Air Of Ill-Concealed Triumph.

But There Had Been A Stricken,  Though A Motionless And Unobserved

Auditor Of The Foregoing Scene. Not A Syllable Had Fallen From The

Lips Of The Long And Anxiously Expected Husband,  That Had Not Gone

Directly To The Heart Of His Unoffending Wife. In This Manner Had He

Wooed Her From The Lodge Of Her Father,  And It Was To Listen To

Similar Pictures Of The Renown And Deeds Of The Greatest Brave In Her

Tribe,  That She Had Shut Her Ears To The Tender Tales Of So Many Of

The Sioux Youths.

As The Teton Turned To Leave His Lodge,  In The Manner Just Mentioned,

He Found This Unexpected And Half-Forgotten Object Before Him. She

Stood,  In The Humble Guise And With The Shrinking Air Of An Indian

Girl,  Holding The Pledge Of Their Former Love In Her Arms,  Directly In

His Path. Starting,  The Chief Regained The Marble-Like Indifference Of

Countenance,  Which Distinguished In So Remarkable A Degree The

Restrained Or More Artificial Expression Of His Features,  And Signed

To Her,  With An Air Of Authority To Give Place.

"Is Not Tachechana The Daughter Of A Chief?" Demanded A Subdued Voice,

In Which Pride Struggled With Anguish: "Were Not Her Brothers Braves?"

"Go; The Men Are Calling Their Partisan. He Has No Ears For A Woman."

"No," Replied The Supplicant; "It Is Not The Voice Of Tachechana That

You Hear,  But This Boy,  Speaking With The Tongue Of His Mother. He Is

The Son Of A Chief,  And His Words Will Go Up To His Father's Ears.

Listen To What He Says. When Was Mahtoree Hungry And Tachechana Had

Not Food For Him? When Did He Go On The Path Of The Pawnees And Find

It Empty,  That My Mother Did Not Weep? When Did He Come Back With The

Marks Of Their Blows,  That She Did Not Sing? What Sioux Girl Has Given

A Brave A Son Like Me? Look At Me Well,  That You May Know Me. My Eyes

Are The Eagle's. I Look At The Sun And Laugh. In A Little Time The

Dahcotahs Will Follow Me To The Hunts And On The War-Path. Why Does My

Father Turn His Eyes From The Woman That Gives Me Milk? Why Has He So

Soon Forgotten The Daughter Of A Mighty Sioux?"

There Was A Single Instant,  As The Exulting Father Suffered His Cold

Eye To Wander To The Face Of The Laughing Boy,  That The Stern Nature

Of The Teton Seemed Touched. But Shaking Off The Grateful Sentiment,

Like One Who Would Gladly Be Rid Of Any Painful,  Because Reproachful,

Emotion,  He Laid His Hand Calmly On The Arm Of His Wife,  And Led Her

Directly In Front Of Inez. Pointing To The Sweet Countenance That Was

Beaming On Her Own,  With A Look Of Tenderness And Commiseration,  He

Paused,  To Allow His Wife To Contemplate A Loveliness,  Which Was Quite

As Excellent To Her Ingenuous Mind As It Had Proved Dangerous To The

Character Of Her Faithless Husband. When He Thought Abundant Time Had

Passed To Make The Contrast Sufficiently Striking,  He Suddenly Raised

A Small Mirror,  That Dangled At Her Breast,  An Ornament He Had Himself

Bestowed,  In An Hour Of Fondness,  As A Compliment To Her Beauty,  And

Placed Her Own Dark Image In Its Place. Wrapping His Robe Again About

Him,  The Teton Motioned To The Trapper To Follow,  And Stalked

Haughtily From The Lodge,  Muttering,  As He Went--

"Mahtoree Is Very Wise! What Nation Has So Great A Chief As The

Dahcotahs?"

Tachechana Stood Frozen Into A Statue Of Humility. Her Mild And

Usually Joyous Countenance Worked,  As If The Struggle Within Was About

To Dissolve The Connection Between Her Soul And That More Material

Part,  Whose Deformity Was Becoming So Loathsome. Inez And Ellen Were

Utterly Ignorant Of The Nature Of Her Interview With Her Husband,

Though The Quick And Sharpened Wits Of The Latter Led Her To Suspect A

Truth,  To Which The Entire Innocence Of The Former Furnished No Clue.

They Were Both,  However,  About To Tender Those Sympathies,  Which Are

So Natural To,  And So Graceful In The Sex,  When Their Necessity Seemed

Suddenly To Cease. The Convulsions In The Features Of The Young Sioux

Disappeared,  And