The Pathfinder; Or, The Inland Sea

by James Fenimore Cooper

  CHAPTER XXVI.

  You saw but sorrow in its waning form; A working sea remaining from a storm, Where now the weary waves roll o'er the deep, And faintly murmur ere they fall asleep. DRYDEN.

  Men accustomed to a warfare like that we have been describing are notapt to be much under the influence of the tender feelings while stillin the field. Notwithstanding their habits, however, more than one heartwas with Mabel in the block, while the incidents we are about to relatewere in the course of occurrence; and even the indispensable meal wasless relished by the hardiest of the soldiers than it might have beenhad not the Sergeant been so near his end.

  As Pathfinder returned from the block, he was met by Muir, who ledhim aside in order to hold a private discourse. The manner of theQuartermaster had that air of supererogatory courtesy about itwhich almost invariably denotes artifice; for, while physiognomy andphrenology are but lame sciences at the best, and perhaps lead toas many false as right conclusions, we hold that there is no moreinfallible evidence of insincerity of purpose, short of overt acts, thana face that smiles when there is no occasion, and the tongue that is outof measure smooth. Muir had much of this manner in common, mingled withan apparent frankness that his Scottish intonation of voice, Scottishaccent, and Scottish modes of expression were singularly adapted tosustain. He owed his preferment, indeed, to a long-exercised deferenceto Lundie and his family; for, while the Major himself was much tooacute to be the dupe of one so much his inferior in real talents andattainments, most persons are accustomed to make liberal concessionsto the flatterer, even while they distrust his truth and are perfectlyaware of his motives. On the present occasion, the contest in skill wasbetween two men as completely the opposites of each other in all theleading essentials of character as very well could be. Pathfinder wasas simple as the Quartermaster was practised; he was as sincere as theother was false, and as direct as the last was tortuous. Both were cooland calculating, and both were brave, though in different modes anddegrees; Muir never exposing his person except for effect, while theguide included fear among the rational passions, or as a sensation to bedeferred to only when good might come of it.

  "My dearest friend," Muir commenced,--"for ye'll be dearer to us all, byseventy and sevenfold, after your late conduct than ever ye were,--ye'vejust established yourself in this late transaction. It's true thatthey'll not be making ye a commissioned officer, for that species ofprefairment is not much in your line, nor much in your wishes, I'mthinking; but as a guide, and a counsellor, and a loyal subject, andan expert marksman, yer renown may be said to be full. I doubt if thecommander-in-chief will carry away with him from America as much creditas will fall to yer share, and ye ought just to set down in content andenjoy yoursal' for the remainder of yer days. Get married, man, withoutdelay, and look to your precious happiness; for ye've no occasion tolook any longer to your glory. Take Mabel Dunham, for Heaven's sake, toyour bosom, and ye'll have both a bonnie bride and a bonnie reputation."

  "Why, Quartermaster, this is a new piece of advice to come from yourmouth. They've told me I had a rival in you."

  "And ye had, man, and a formidible one, too, I can tell you,--one thathas never yet courted in vain, and yet one that has courted five times.Lundie twits me with four, and I deny the charge; but he little thinksthe truth would outdo even his arithmetic. Yes, yes, ye had a rival,Pathfinder; but ye've one no longer in me. Ye've my hearty wishes foryer success with Mabel; and were the honest Sergeant likely to survive,ye might rely on my good word with him, too, for a certainty."

  "I feel your friendship, Quartermaster, I feel your friendship, though Ihave no great need of any favor with Sergeant Dunham, who has long beenmy friend. I believe we may look upon the matter to be as sartain asmost things in war-time; for, Mabel and her father consenting, the whole55th couldn't very well put a stop to it. Ah's me! The poor father willscarcely live to see what his heart has so long been set upon."

  "But he'll have the consolation of knowing it will come to pass, indying. Oh, it's a great relief, Pathfinder, for the parting spirit tofeel certain that the beloved ones left behind will be well providedfor after its departure. All the Mistress Muirs have duly expressed thatsentiment with their dying breaths."

  "All your wives, Quartermaster, have been likely to feel thisconsolation."

  "Out upon ye, man! I'd no' thought ye such a wag. Well, well; pleasantwords make no heart-burnings between auld fri'nds. If I cannot espouseMabel, ye'll no object to my esteeming her, and speaking well of her,and of yoursal', too, on all suitable occasions and in all companies.But, Pathfinder, ye'll easily understan' that a poor deevil who losessuch a bride will probably stand in need of some consolation?"

  "Quite likely, quite likely, Quartermaster," returned the simple-mindedguide; "I know the loss of Mabel would be found heavy to be borne bymyself. It may bear hard on your feelings to see us married; but thedeath of the Sergeant will be likely to put it off, and you'll have timeto think more manfully of it, you will."

  "I'll bear up against it; yes, I'll bear up against it, though myheart-strings crack! And ye might help me, man, by giving me somethingto do. Ye'll understand that this expedition has been of a very peculiarnature; for here am I, bearing the king's commission, just a volunteer,as it might be; while a mere orderly has had the command. I've submittedfor various reasons, though my blood has boiled to be in authority,while ye war' battling, for the honor of the country and his Majesty'srights--"

  "Quartermaster," interrupted the guide, "you fell so early into theenemy's hands that your conscience ought to be easily satisfied on thatscore; so take my advice, and say nothing about it."

  "That's just my opinion, Pathfinder; we'll all say nothing about it.Sergeant Dunham is _hors de combat_--"

  "Anan?" said the guide.

  "Why, the Sergeant can command no longer, and it will hardly do to leavea corporal at the head of a victorious party like this; for flowers thatwill bloom in a garden will die on a heath; and I was just thinking Iwould claim the authority that belongs to one who holds a lieutenant'scommission. As for the men, they'll no dare to raise any objactionand as for yoursal', my dear friend, now that ye've so much honor, andMabel, and the consciousness of having done yer duty, which is moreprecious than all, I expect to find an ally rather than one to opposethe plan."

  "As for commanding the soldiers of the 55th, Lieutenant, it is yourright, I suppose, and no one here will be likely to gainsay it; thoughyou've been a prisoner of war, and there are men who might stand outag'in giving up their authority to a prisoner released by their owndeeds. Still no one here will be likely to say anything hostile to yourwishes."

  "That's just it, Pathfinder; and when I come to draw up the report ofour success against the boats, and the defence of the block, togetherwith the general operations, including the capitulation, ye'll no' findany omission of your claims and merits."

  "Tut for my claims and merits, Quartermaster! Lundie knows what I am inthe forest and what I am in the fort; and the General knows better thanhe. No fear of me; tell your own story, only taking care to do justiceby Mabel's father, who, in one sense, is the commanding officer at thisvery moment."

  Muir expressed his entire satisfaction with this arrangement, as well ashis determination to do justice by all, when the two went to the groupassembled round the fire. Here the Quartermaster began, for the firsttime since leaving Oswego, to assume some of the authority that mightproperly be supposed to belong to his rank. Taking the remainingcorporal aside, he distinctly told that functionary that he must infuture be regarded as one holding the king's commission, and directedhim to acquaint his subordinates with the new state of things. Thischange in the dynasty was effected without any of the usual symptoms ofa revolution for, as all well understood the Lieutenant's legal claimsto command, no one felt disposed to dispute his orders. For reasons bestknown to themselves, Lundie and the Quartermaster had originally made adifferent disposition and now, for reasons of his own, the latter hadseen fit to change it.
This was reasoning enough for soldiers, thoughthe hurt received by Sergeant Dunham would have sufficiently explainedthe circumstance had an explanation been required.

  All this time Captain Sanglier was looking after his own breakfastwith the resignation of a philosopher, the coolness of a veteran, theingenuity and science of a Frenchman, and the voracity of an ostrich.This person had now been in the colony some thirty years, having leftFrance in some such situation in his own army as Muir filled in the55th. An iron constitution, perfect obduracy of feeling, a certainaddress well suited to manage savages, and an indomitable courage, hadearly pointed him out to the commander-in-chief as a suitable agent tobe employed in directing the military operations of his Indian allies.In this capacity, then, he had risen to the titular rank of captain; andwith his promotion had acquired a portion of the habits and opinionsof his associates with a facility and an adaptation of self which arethought in America to be peculiar to his countrymen. He had often ledparties of the Iroquois in their predatory expeditions; and hisconduct on such occasions exhibited the contradictory results of bothalleviating the misery produced by this species of warfare, andof augmenting it by the broader views and greater resources ofcivilization. In other words, he planned enterprises that, in theirimportance and consequences, much exceeded the usual policy of theIndians, and then stepped in to lessen some of the evils of his owncreating. In short, he was an adventurer whom circumstances had throwninto a situation where the callous qualities of men of his class mightreadily show themselves for good or for evil; and he was not of acharacter to baffle fortune by any ill-timed squeamishness on the scoreof early impressions, or to trifle with her liberality by unnecessarilyprovoking her frowns through wanton cruelty. Still, as his name wasunavoidably connected with many of the excesses committed by hisparties, he was generally considered in the American provinces a wretchwho delighted in bloodshed, and who found his greatest happiness intormenting the helpless and the innocent; and the name of Sanglier,which was a sobriquet of his own adopting, or of Flint Heart, as he wasusually termed on the borders, had got to be as terrible to the womenand children of that part of the country as those of Butler and Brandtbecame at a later day.

  The meeting between Pathfinder and Sanglier bore some resemblance tothat celebrated interview between Wellington and Blucher which hasbeen so often and graphically told. It took place at the fire; and theparties stood earnestly regarding each other for more than a minutewithout speaking. Each felt that in the other he saw a formidablefoe; and each felt, while he ought to treat the other with the manlyliberality due to a warrior, that there was little in common betweenthem in the way of character as well as of interests. One served formoney and preferment; the other, because his life had been cast in thewilderness, and the land of his birth needed his arm and experience.The desire of rising above his present situation never disturbed thetranquillity of Pathfinder; nor had he ever known an ambitious thought,as ambition usually betrays itself, until he became acquainted withMabel. Since then, indeed, distrust of himself, reverence for her, andthe wish to place her in a situation above that which he then filled,had caused him some uneasy moments; but the directness and simplicity ofhis character had early afforded the required relief; and he soon cameto feel that the woman who would not hesitate to accept him for herhusband would not scruple to share his fortunes, however humble. Herespected Sanglier as a brave warrior; and he had far too much of thatliberality which is the result of practical knowledge to believe half ofwhat he had heard to his prejudice, for the most bigoted and illiberalon every subject are usually those who know nothing about it; but hecould not approve of his selfishness, cold-blooded calculations, andleast of all of the manner in which he forgot his "white gifts," toadopt those that were purely "red." On the other hand, Pathfinder was ariddle to Captain Sanglier. The latter could not comprehend the other'smotives; he had often heard of his disinterestedness, justice, andtruth; and in several instances they had led him into grave errors, onthat principle by which a frank and open-mouthed diplomatist is said tokeep his secrets better than one that is close-mouthed and wily.

  After the two heroes had gazed at each other in the manner mentioned,Monsieur Sanglier touched his cap; for the rudeness of a border life hadnot entirely destroyed the courtesy of manner he had acquired in youth,nor extinguished that appearance of _bonhomie_ which seems inbred in aFrenchman.

  "Monsieur le Pathfinder," said he, with a very decided accent, thoughwith a friendly smile, "_un militaire_ honor _le courage, et laloyaute_. You speak Iroquois?"

  "Ay, I understand the language of the riptyles, and can get along withit if there's occasion," returned the literal and truth-telling guide;"but it's neither a tongue nor a tribe to my taste. Wherever you findthe Mingo blood, in my opinion, Master Flinty-heart, you find a knave.Well, I've seen you often, though it was in battle; and I must say itwas always in the van. You must know most of our bullets by sight?"

  "Nevvair, sair, your own; _une balle_ from your honorable hand besairtaine deat'. You kill my best warrior on some island."

  "That may be, that may be; though I daresay, if the truth was known,they would turn out to be great rascals. No offence to you, MasterFlinty-heart, but you keep desperate evil company."

  "Yes, sair," returned the Frenchman, who, bent on saying that which wascourteous himself, and comprehending with difficulty, was disposed tothink he received a compliment, "you too good. But _un brave_ always_comme ca_. What that mean? ha! what that _jeune homme_ do?"

  The hand and eye of Captain Sanglier directed the look of Pathfinder tothe opposite side of the fire, where Jasper, just at that moment, hadbeen rudely seized by two of the soldiers, who were binding his armsunder the direction of Muir.

  "What does that mean, indeed?" cried the guide, stepping forward andshoving the two subordinates away with a power of muscle that would notbe denied. "Who has the heart to do this to Jasper Eau-douce? And whohas the boldness to do it before my eyes?"

  "It is by my orders, Pathfinder," answered the Quartermaster, "andI command it on my own responsibility. Ye'll no' tak' on yourselfto dispute the legality of orders given by one who bears the king'scommission to the king's soldiers?"

  "I'd dispute the king's words, if they came from the king's own mouth,did he say that Jasper desarves this. Has not the lad just saved all ourscalps, taken us from defeat, and given us victory? No, no, Lieutenant;if this is the first use that you make of your authority, I, for one,will not respect it."

  "This savors a little of insubordination," answered Muir; "but we canbear much from Pathfinder. It is true this Jasper has _seemed_ to serveus in this affair, but we ought not to overlook past transactions. Didnot Major Duncan himself denounce him to Sergeant Dunham before we leftthe post? Have we not seen sufficient with our own eyes to make sure ofhaving been betrayed? And is it not natural, and almost necessary, tobelieve that this young man has been the traitor? Ah, Pathfinder! Ye'llno' be making yourself a great statesman or a great captain if you puttoo much faith in appearances. Lord bless me! Lord bless me! If I donot believe, could the truth be come at, as you often say yourself,Pathfinder, that hypocrisy is a more common vice than even envy, andthat's the bane of human nature."

  Captain Sanglier shrugged his shoulders; then he looked earnestly fromJasper towards the Quartermaster, and from the Quartermaster towardsJasper.

  "I care not for your envy, or your hypocrisy, or even for your humannatur'," returned Pathfinder. "Jasper Eau-douce is my friend; JasperEau-douce is a brave lad, and an honest lad, and a loyal lad; and no manof the 55th shall lay hands on him, short of Lundie's own orders, whileI'm in the way to prevent it. You may have authority over your soldiers;but you have none over Jasper and me, Master Muir."

  "_Bon!_" ejaculated Sanglier, the sound partaking equally of theenergies of the throat and of the nose.

  "Will ye no' hearken to reason, Pathfinder? Ye'll no' be forgetting oursuspicions and judgments; and here is another circumstance to augmentand aggravate them all. Ye can see this little
bit of bunting; well,where should it be found but by Mabel Dunham, on the branch of a tree onthis very island, just an hour or so before the attack of the enemy; andif ye'll be at the trouble to look at the fly of the _Scud's_ ensign,ye'll just say that the cloth has been cut from out it. Circumstantialevidence was never stronger."

  "_Ma foi, c'est un peu fort, ceci,_" growled Sanglier between his teeth.

  "Talk to me of no ensigns and signals when I know the heart," continuedthe Pathfinder. "Jasper has the gift of honesty; and it is too rare agift to be trifled with, like a Mingo's conscience. No, no; off hands,or we shall see which can make the stoutest battle; you and your men ofthe 55th, or the Sarpent here, and Killdeer, with Jasper and his crew.You overrate your force, Lieutenant Muir, as much as you underrateEau-douce's truth."

  "_Tres bon!_"

  "Well, if I must speak plainly, Pathfinder, I e'en must. CaptainSanglier here and Arrowhead, this brave Tuscarora, have both informed methat this unfortunate boy is the traitor. After such testimony you canno longer oppose my right to correct him, as well as the necessity ofthe act."

  "_Scelerat,_" muttered the Frenchman.

  "Captain Sanglier is a brave soldier, and will not gainsay the conductof an honest sailor," put in Jasper. "Is there any traitor here, CaptainFlinty-heart?"

  "Ay," added Muir, "let him speak out then, since ye wish it, unhappyyouth! That the truth may be known. I only hope that ye may escape thelast punishment when a court will be sitting on your misdeeds. How isit, Captain; do ye, or do ye not, see a traitor amang us?"

  "_Oui_--yes, sair--_bien sur_."

  "Too much lie!" said Arrowhead in a voice of thunder, striking thebreast of Muir with the back of his own hand in a sort of ungovernablegesture; "where my warriors?--where Yengeese scalp? Too much lie!"

  Muir wanted not for personal courage, nor for a certain sense ofpersonal honor. The violence which had been intended only for a gesturehe mistook for a blow; for conscience was suddenly aroused within him,and he stepped back a pace, extending his hand towards a gun. His facewas livid with rage, and his countenance expressed the fell intentionof his heart. But Arrowhead was too quick for him; with a wild glance ofthe eye the Tuscarora looked about him; then thrust a hand beneath hisown girdle, drew forth a concealed knife, and, in the twinkling of aneye, buried it in the body of the Quartermaster to the handle. As thelatter fell at his feet, gazing into his face with the vacant stare ofone surprised by death, Sanglier took a pinch of snuff, and said in acalm voice,--

  "_Voila l'affaire finie; mais,_" shrugging his shoulders, "_ce n'estqu'un scelerat de moins._"

  The act was too sudden to be prevented; and when Arrowhead, utteringa yell, bounded into the bushes, the white men were too confounded tofollow. Chingachgook, however, was more collected; and the bushes hadscarcely closed on the passing body of the Tuscarora than they wereagain opened by that of the Delaware in full pursuit.

  Jasper Western spoke French fluently, and the words and manner ofSanglier struck him.

  "Speak, Monsieur," said he in English; "_am_ I the traitor?"

  "_Le voila_," answered the cool Frenchman, "dat is our _espion_--our_agent_--our friend--_ma foi_--_c'etait un grand scelerat_--_voici_."

  While speaking, Sanglier bent over the dead body, and thrust his handinto a pocket of the Quartermaster, out of which he drew a purse.Emptying the contents on the ground, several double-louis rolled towardsthe soldiers, who were not slow in picking them up. Casting the pursefrom him in contempt, the soldier of fortune turned towards the soup hehad been preparing with so much care, and, finding it to his liking,he began to break his fast with an air of indifference that the moststoical Indian warrior might have envied.