CHAPTER XVI.
The raptures of a conqueror's mood Rushed burning through his frame; The depths of that green solitude Its torrents could not tame, Though stillness lay, with eve's last smile, Round those far fountains of the Nile --MRS HEMANS.
When the bee-hunter and Corporal Flint thus went forth in midnight, fromthe "garrison" of Castle Meal (Chateau au Miel), as the latter wouldhave expressed it, it was with no great apprehension of meeting anyother than a four-footed enemy, notwithstanding the blast of the hornthe worthy corporal supposed he had heard. The movements of the dogseemed to announce such a result rather than any other, for Hive wastaken along as a sort of guide. Le Bourdon, however, did not permit hismastiff to run off wide, but, having the animal at perfect command, itwas kept close to his own person.
The two men first moved toward the grove of the Kitchen, much to Hive'sdiscontent. The dog several times halted, and he whined, and growled,and otherwise manifested his great dislike to proceed in that direction.At length so decided did his resistance become, that his master said tohis companion:
"It seems to me best, corporal, to let the mastiff lead us. I have neveryet seen him so set on not going in one way, and on going in another.Hive has a capital nose, and we may trust him."
"Forward," returned the corporal, wheeling short in the direction ofthe dog; "one thing should be understood, however, Bourdon, which isthis--you must act as light troops in this sortie, and I as the mainbody. If we come on the inimy, it will be your duty to skrimmage infront as long as you can, and then fall back on your resarves. I shalldepend chiefly on the baggonet, which is the best tool to put an Injinup with; and as he falls back, before my charge, we must keep him underas warm a fire as possible. Having no cavalry, the dog might be madeuseful in movements to the front and on our flanks."
"Pooh, pooh, corporal, you're almost as much set in the notions of yourtrade as Parson Amen is set in his idees about the lost tribes. Inmy opinion there'll be more tribes FOUND in these openings before thesummer is over than we shall wish to meet. Let us follow the dog, andsee what will turn up." Hive WAS followed, and he took a direction thatled to a distant point in the openings, where not only the trees weremuch thicker than common, but where a small tributary of the Kalamazooran through a ravine, from the higher lands adjacent into the mainartery of all the neighboring watercourses. The bee-hunter knew thespot well, having often drank at the rivulet, and cooled his brow in theclose shades of the ravine, when heated by exertions in the moreopen grounds. In short, the spot was one of the most eligible forconcealment, coolness, and pure water, within several miles of CastleMeal. The trees formed a spacious grove around it, and, by means of thebanks, their summits and leaves answered the purpose of a perfect screento those who might descend into the ravine, or, it would be better tosay, to the bottom. Le Bourdon was no sooner satisfied that his mastiffwas proceeding toward the great spring which formed the rivulet at thehead of the ravine mentioned, than he suspected Indians might be there.He had seen signs about the spot, which wore an appearance of its havingbeen used as a place of encampment--or for "camping out," as it istermed in the language of the west--and, coupling the sound of the hornwith the dog's movements, his quick apprehension seized on the facts asaffording reasonable grounds of distrust. Consequently he resorted togreat caution, as he and the corporal entered the wood which surroundedthe spring, and the small oval bit of bottom that lay spread before it,like a little lawn. Hive was kept close at his master's side, thoughhe manifested a marked impatience to advance. "Now, corporal," said thebee-hunter in a low tone, "I think we have lined some savages to theirholes. We will go round the basin and descend to the bottom, in a closewood which grows there. Did you see that?"
"I suppose I did," answered the corporal, who was as firm as a rock."You meant to ask me if I saw fire?"
"I did. The red men have lighted their council fire in this spot,and have met to talk around it. Well, let 'em hearken to each other'sthoughts, if they will; we shall be neither the better nor the worse forit."
"I don't know that. When the commander-in-chief calls together hisprincipal officers, something usually comes of it. Who knows but thisvery council is called in order to take opinions on the subject ofbesieging or of storming our new garrison? Prudent soldiers shouldalways be ready for the worst."
"I have no fear, so long as Peter is with us. That chief is listened toby every red-skin; and while we have him among us there will be littleto care for. But we are getting near to the bottom and must work our waythrough these bushes with as little noise as possible. I will keep thedog quiet."
The manner in which that sagacious animal now behaved was trulywonderful. Hive appeared to be quite as much aware of the necessityof extreme caution as either of the men, and did not once attempt toprecede his master his own length. On one or two occasions he actuallydiscovered the best passages, and led his companions through them withsomething like the intelligence of a human being. Neither growl nor barkescaped him; on the contrary, even the hacking breathing of an impatientdog was suppressed, precisely as if the animal knew how near he wasgetting to the most watchful ears in the world.
After using the greatest care, the bee-hunter and the corporal got justsuch a station as they desired. It was within a very few feet of theedge of the cover, but perfectly concealed, while small openings enabledthem to see all that was passing in their front. A fallen tree, a relicof somewhat rare occurrence in the openings of Michigan, even furnishedthem with a seat, while it rendered their position less exposed. Hiveplaced himself at his master's side, apparently trusting to other sensesthan that of sight for his information, since he could see nothing ofwhat was going on in front.
As soon as the two men had taken their stations, and began to look aboutthem, a feeling of awe mingled with their curiosity. Truly, the scenewas one so very remarkable and imposing that it might have filled moreintellectual and better fortified minds with some such sensation.The fire was by no means large, nor was it particularly bright; butsufficient to cast a dim light on the objects within reach of its rays.It was in the precise centre of a bit of bottom land of about half anacre in extent, which was so formed and surrounded, as to have somethingof the appearance of the arena of a large amphitheatre. There was onebreak in the encircling rise of ground, it is true, and that was ata spot directly opposite the station of le Bourdon and his companion,where the rill which flowed from the spring found a passage out towardthe more open ground. Branches shaded most of the mound, but the arenaitself was totally free from all vegetation but that which covered thedense and beautiful sward with which it was carpeted. Such is a briefdescription of the natural accessories of this remarkable scene.
But it was from the human actors, and their aspects, occupations,movements, dress, and appearance generally, that the awe which cameover both the bee-hunter and the corporal had its origin. Of these, nearfifty were present, offering a startling force by their numbers alone.Each man was a warrior, and each warrior was in his paint. These werefacts that the familiarity of the two white men with Indian customsrendered only too certain. What was still more striking was the factthat all present appeared to be chiefs; a circumstance which went toshow that an imposing body of red men was most likely somewhere in theopenings, and that too at no great distance. It was while observing andreflecting on all these things, a suspicion first crossed the mind of leBourdon that this great council was about to be held, at that midnighthour, and so near his own abode, for the purpose of accommodating Peter,whose appearance in the dark crowd, from that instant, he began toexpect.
The Indians already present were not seated. They stood in groupsconversing, or stalked across the arena, resembling so many dark andstately spectres. No sound was heard among them, a circumstance thatadded largely to the wild and supernatural aspect of the scene. If anyspoke, it was in a tone so low and gentle, as to carry the sound nofarther than to the ears that were listening; two never spoke atthe same time and
in the same group, while the moccasin permitted nofootfall to be audible. Nothing could have been more unearthly than thepicture presented in that little, wood-circled arena, of velvet-likegrass and rural beauty. The erect, stalking forms, half naked, if noteven more; the swarthy skins; the faces fierce in the savage conceitswhich were intended to strike terror into the bosoms of enemies, and theglittering eyes that fairly sparkled in their midst, all contributed tothe character of the scene, which le Bourdon rightly enough imagined wasaltogether much the most remarkable of any he had ever been in the wayof witnessing.
Our two spectators might have been seated on the fallen tree half anhour, all of which time they had been gazing at what was passing beforetheir eyes; with positively not a human sound to relieve the unearthlynature of the picture. No one spoke, coughed, laughed, or exclaimed, inall that period. Suddenly, every chief stood still, and all the facesturned in the same direction. It was toward the little gateway of therill, which being the side of the arena most remote from the bee-hunterand the corporal, lay nearly in darkness as respected them. With the redmen it must have been different, for THEY all appeared to be in intentexpectation of some one from that quarter. Nor did they have to waitlong; for, in half a minute, two forms came out of the obscurity,advancing with a dignified and deliberate tread to the centre ofthe arena. As these newcomers got more within the influence of theflickering light, le Bourdon saw that they were Peter and Parson Amen.The first led, with a slow, imposing manner, while the other followed,not a little bewildered with what he saw. It may be as well to explainhere, that the Indian was coming alone to this place of meeting, whenhe encountered the missionary wandering among the oaks, looking for leBourdon and the corporal, and, instead of endeavoring to throw off thisunexpected companion, he quietly invited him to be of his own party.
It was evident to le Bourdon, at a glance, that Peter was expected,though it was not quite so clear that such was the fact as regardedhis companion. Still, respect for the great chief prevented anymanifestations of surprise or discontent, and the medicine-man of thepale-faces was received with as grave a courtesy as if he had been aninvited guest. Just as the two had entered the dark circle that formedaround them, a young chief threw some dry sticks on the fire, whichblazing upward, cast a stronger light on a row of as terrificallylooking countenances as ever gleamed on human forms. This suddenillumination, with its accompanying accessories, had the effect tostartle all the white spectators, though Peter looked on the whole witha calm like that of the leafless tree, when the cold is at its height,and the currents of the wintry air are death-like still Nothing appearedto move HIM, whether expected or not; though use had probably accustomedhis eye to all the aspects in which savage ingenuity could offer savageforms. He even smiled, as he made a gesture of recognition, whichseemed to salute the whole group. It was just then, when the fire burnedbrightest, and when the chiefs pressed most within its influence, thatle Bourdon perceived that his old acquaintances, the head-men of thePottawattamies, were present, among the other chiefs so strangely andportentously assembled in these grounds, which he had so long possessedalmost entirely to himself.
A few of the oldest of the chiefs now approached Peter, and a lowconversation took place between them. What was said did not reach leBourdon, of course; for it was not even heard in the dark circle ofsavages who surrounded the fire. The effect of this secret dialogue,however, was to cause all the chiefs to be seated, each taking his placeon the grass; the whole preserving the original circle around the fire.Fortunately, for the wishes of le Bourdon, Peter and his companions tooktheir stations directly opposite to his own seat, thus enabling him towatch every lineament of that remarkable chief's still more remarkablecountenance. Unlike each and all of the red men around him, the face ofPeter was not painted, except by the tints imparted by nature; which, inhis case, was that of copper a little tarnished, or rendered dull by theaction of the atmosphere. The bee-hunter could distinctly trace everylineament; nor was the dark roving eye beyond the reach of his ownvision. Some attention was given to the fire, too, one of the youngerchiefs occasionally throwing on it a few dried sticks, more to keepalive the flame, and to renew the light, than from any need of warmth.One other purpose, however, this fire DID answer; that of enablingthe young chiefs to light the pipes that were now prepared; it seldomoccurring that the chiefs thus assembled without SMOKING around theircouncil-fire.
As this smoking was just then more a matter of ceremony than for anyother purpose, a whiff or two suffices for each chief; the smokerpassing the pipe to his neighbor as soon as he had inhaled a few puffs.The Indians are models of propriety, in their happiest moods, and everyone in that dark and menacing circle was permitted to have his turnwith the pipe, before any other step was taken. There were but two pipeslighted, and mouths being numerous, some time was necessary in orderto complete this ceremony. Still, no sign of impatience was seen, thelowest chief having as much respect paid to his feelings, as relatedto his attention, as the highest. At length the pipes completed theircircuit, even Parson Amen getting, and using, his turn, when a deadpause succeeded. The silence resembled that of a Quaker meeting, andwas broken only by the rising of one of the principal chiefs, evidentlyabout to speak. The language of the great Ojebway nation was used onthis occasion, most of the chiefs present belonging to some one of thetribes of that stock, though several spoke other tongues, English andFrench included. Of the three whites present, Parson Amen alone fullycomprehended all that was said, he having qualified himself in thisrespect, to preach to the tribes of that people; though le Bourdonunderstood nearly all, and even the corporal comprehended a good deal.The name of the chief who first spoke at this secret meeting, which wasafterward known among the Ojebways by the name of the "Council of theBottom Land, near to the spring of gushing water," was Bear's Meat, anappellation that might denote a distinguished hunter, rather than anorator of much renown.
"Brothers of the many tribes of the Ojebways," commenced this personage,"the Great Spirit has permitted us to meet in council. The Manitou ofour fathers is now among these oaks, listening to our words, and lookingin at our hearts. Wise Indians will be careful what they say in such apresence, and careful of what they think. All should be said and thoughtfor the best. We are a scattered nation, and the time is come when wemust stop in our tracks, or travel beyond the sound of each other'scries. If we travel beyond the hearing of our people, soon will ourchildren learn tongues that Ojebway ears cannot understand. The mothertalks to her child, and the child learns her words. But no child canhear across a great lake. Once we lived near the rising sun. Where arewe now? Some of our young men say they have seen the sun go down in thelakes of sweet water. There can be no hunting-grounds beyond THAT spot;and if we would live, we must stand still in our tracks. How to do this,we have met to consider.
"Brothers, many wise chiefs and braves are seated at this council-fire.It is pleasant to my eyes to look upon them. Ottawas, Chippeways,Pottawattamies, Menominees, Hurons, and all. Our father at Quebec hasdug up the hatchet against the Yankees. The war-path is open betweenDetroit and all the villages of the red men. The prophets are speakingto our people, and we listen. One is here; he is about to speak. Thecouncil will have but a single sense, which will be that of hearing."
Thus concluding, Bear's Meat took his seat, in the same composedand dignified manner as that in which he had risen, and deep silencesucceeded. So profound was the stillness, that, taken in connection withthe dark lineaments, the lustrous eyeballs that threw back the lightof the fire, the terrific paint and the armed hands of every warriorpresent, the picture might be described as imposing to a degree thatis seldom seen in the assemblies of the civilized. In the midst of thisgeneral but portentous calm, Peter arose. The breathing of the circlegrew deeper, so much so as to be audible, the only manner in whichthe intensity of the common expectation betrayed itself. Peter was anexperienced orator, and knew how to turn every minutiae of his art togood account. His every movement was deliberate, his attitude highlydignified--ev
en his eye seemed eloquent.
Oratory! what a power art thou, wielded, as is so often the case, asmuch for evil as for good. The very reasoning that might appear tobe obtuse, or which would be over looked entirely when written andpublished, issuing from the mouth, aided by the feelings of sympathy andthe impulses of the masses, seems to partake of the wisdom of divinity.Thus is it, also, with the passions, the sense of wrong, the appealsto vengeance, and all the other avenues of human emotion. Let them beaddressed to the cold eye of reason and judgment, in the form of writtenstatements, and the mind pauses to weigh the force of arguments, thejustice of the appeals, the truth of facts: but let them come upon theear aided by thy art, with a power concentrated by sympathy, and thetorrent is often less destructive in its course, than that of thewhirlwind that thou canst awaken!
"Chiefs of the great Ojebway nation, I wish you well," said Peter,stretching out his arms toward the circle, as if desirous of embracingall present. "The Manitou has been good to me. He has cleared a path tothis spring, and to this council-fire. I see around it the faces of manyfriends. Why should we not all be friendly? Why should a red man everstrike a blow against a red man? The Great Spirit made us of the samecolor, and placed us on the same hunting-grounds. He meant that weshould hunt in company; not take each other's scalps. How many warriorshave fallen in our family wars? Who has counted them? Who can say?Perhaps enough, had they not been killed, to drive the pale-faces intothe sea!"
Here Peter, who as yet had spoken only in a low and barely audiblevoice, suddenly paused, in order to allow the idea he had just thrownout to work on the minds of his listeners. That it was producing itseffect was apparent by the manner in which one stern face turned towardanother, and eye seemed to search in eye some response to a query thatthe mind suggested, though no utterance was given to it with the tongue.As soon, however, as the orator thought time sufficient to impressthat thought on the memories of the listeners had elapsed, he resumed,suffering his voice gradually to increase in volume, as he warmed withhis subject.
"Yes," he continued, "the Manitou has been very kind. Who is theManitou? Has any Indian ever seen him? Every Indian has seen him. No onecan look on the hunting-grounds, on the lakes, on the prairies, on thetrees, on the game, without seeing his hand. His face is to be seen inthe sun at noonday; his eyes in the stars at night. Has any Indianever heard the Manitou? When it thunders, he speaks. When the crash isloudest, then he scolds. Some Indian has done wrong. Perhaps one red manhas taken another red man's scalp!"
Another pause succeeded, briefer, and less imposing than the first, butone that sufficed to impress on the listeners anew, the great evil of anIndian's raising his hand against an Indian.
"Yes, there is no one so deaf as not to hear the voice of the GreatSpirit when he is angry," resumed Peter. "Ten thousands of buffalobulls, roaring together, do not make as much noise as his whisper.Spread the prairies, and the openings, and the lakes, before him, and hecan be heard in all, and on all, at the same time.
"Here is a medicine-priest of the pale-faces; he tells me that the voiceof the Manitou reaches into the largest villages of his people, beneaththe rising sun, when it is heard by the red man across the great lakes,and near the rocks of the setting sun. It is a loud voice; woe to himwho does not remember it. It speaks to all colors, and to every people,and tribe, and nation.
"Brothers, that is a lying tradition which says, there is one Manitoufor a Sac, and another for the Ojebway--one Manitou for the red man, andanother for the pale-face. In this, we are alike. One Great Spiritmade all; governs all; rewards all; punishes all. He may keep the happyhunting-grounds of an Indian separate from the white man's heaven,for he knows that their customs are different, and what would please awarrior would displease a trader; and what would please a trader woulddisplease a warrior. He has thought of these things, and has madeseveral places for the spirits of the good, let their colors be whatthey may. Is it the same with the places of the spirits of the bad? Ithink not. To me it would seem best to let THEM go together, that theymay torment one another. A wicked Indian and a wicked pale-face wouldmake a bad neighborhood. I think the Manitou will let THEM go together.
"Brothers, if the Manitou keeps the good Indian and the good pale-faceapart in another world, what has brought them together in this? If hebrings the bad spirits of all colors together in another world, whyshould they come together here, before their time? A place for wickedspirits should not be found on earth. This is wrong; it must be lookedinto.
"Brothers, I have now done; this pale-face wishes to speak, and I havesaid that you would hear his words. When he has spoken his mind, Imay have more to tell you. Now, listen to the stranger. He is amedicine-priest of the white men, and says he has a great secret to tellour people--when he has told it, I have another for their ears too. Minemust be spoken when there is no one near but the children of red clay."
Having thus opened the way for the missionary, Peter courteously tookhis seat, producing a little disappointment among his own admirers,though he awakened a lively curiosity to know what this medicine-priestmight have to say on an occasion so portentous. The Indians in theregions of the great lakes had long been accustomed to missionaries, andit is probable that even some of their own traditions, so far as theyrelated to religious topics, had been insensibly colored by, if notabsolutely derived from, men of this character; for the first whiteswho are known to have penetrated into that portion of the continent wereJesuits, who carried the cross as their standard and emblem of peace.Blessed emblem! that any should so confound their own names anddenunciatory practices with the revealed truth, as to imagine that astandard so appropriate should ever be out of season and place, when itis proper for man to use aught, at all, that is addressed to his senses,in the way of symbols, rites, and ceremonies! To the Jesuits succeededthe less ceremonious and less imposing priesthood of America, as Americapeculiarly was in the first years that followed the Revolution. There isreason to believe that the spirit of God, in a greater or less degree,accompanied all; for all were self-denying and zealous, though thefruits of near two centuries of labor have, as yet, amounted to littlemore than the promise of the harvest at some distant day. Enough,however, was known of the missionaries, and their views in general,to prepare the council, in some small degree, for the forthcomingexhibition.
Parson Amen had caught some of the habits of the Indians, in the courseof years of communication and intercourse. Like them he had learned tobe deliberate, calm, and dignified in his exterior; and, like them, hehad acquired a sententious mode of speaking.
"My children," he said, for he deemed it best to assume the parentalcharacter, in a scene of so great moment, "as Peter has told you, thespirit of God is among you! Christians know that such has he promisedto be always with his people, and I see faces in this circle that I amready to claim as belonging to those who have prayed with me, in daysthat are long past. If your souls are not touched by divine love, itdoes not kill the hope I entertain of your yet taking up the cross, andcalling upon the Redeemer's name. But, not for this have I come withPeter, this night. I am now here to lay before you an all-importantfact, that Providence has revealed to me, as the fruit of long labor inthe vineyard of study and biblical inquiry. It is a tradition--and redmen love traditions--it is a tradition that touches your own history,and which it will gladden your hearts to hear, for it will teach you howmuch your nation and tribes have been the subject of the especial careand love of the Great Spirit. When my children say, speak, I shall beready to speak."
Here the missionary took his seat, wisely awaiting a demonstration onthe part of the council, ere he ventured to proceed any further. Thiswas the first occasion on which he had ever attempted to broach, in adirect form, his favorite theory of the "lost tribes." Let a man getonce fairly possessed of any peculiar notion, whether it be on religion,political economy, morals, politics, arts, or anything else, and he seeslittle beside his beloved principle, which he is at all times ready toadvance, defend, demonstrate, or expatiate on. No
thing can be simplerthan the two great dogmas of Christianity, which are so plain that allcan both comprehend them and feel their truth. They teach us to loveGod, the surest way to obey him, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.Any one can understand this; all can see how just it is, and how much ofmoral sublimity it contains. It is Godlike, and brings us near the veryessence of the Divinity, which is love, mercy, and truth. Yet how feware content to accept the teachings of the Saviour in this respect,without embarrassing them with theories that have so much of theirorigin in human fancies. We do not mean by this, however, that ParsonAmen was so very wrong in bestowing a part of his attention on thatwonderful people, who, so early set apart by the Creator as thecreatures of his own especial ends, have already played so great apart in the history of nations, and who are designed, so far as we canpenetrate revelation, yet to enact their share in the sublime drama ofhuman events.
As for the council, its members were moved by more than ordinarycuriosity to hear what further the missionary might have to say, thoughall present succeeded admirably in suppressing the exhibition ofany interest that might seem weak and womanly. After a decent delay,therefore, Bear's Meat intimated to the parson that it would beagreeable to the chiefs present to listen to him further.
"My children, I have a great tradition to tell you," the missionaryresumed, as soon as on his feet again; "a very great and divinetradition; not a tradition of man's, but one that came direct from theManitou himself. Peter has spoken truth; there is but one Great Spirit;he is the Great Spirit of all colors, and tribes, and nations. He madeall men of the same clay." Here a slight sensation was perceptible amongthe audience, most of whom were very decidedly of a different opinion,on this point of natural history. But the missionary was now so farwarmed with his subject as to disregard any slight interruption, andproceeded as if his listeners had betrayed no feeling. "And he dividedthem afterward into nations and tribes. It was then he caused the colorof his creatures to change. Some he kept white, as he had made them.Some he put behind a dark cloud, and they became altogether black. Ourwise men think that this was done in punishment for their sins. Some hepainted red, like the nations on this continent." Here Peter raised afinger, in sign that he would ask a question; for, without permissiongranted, no Indian would interrupt the speaker. Indeed, no one of lessclaims than Peter would hardly have presumed to take the step he nowdid, and that because he saw a burning curiosity gleaming in the brighteyes of so many in the dark circle.
"Say on, Peter," answered the missionary to this sign; "I will reply."
"Let my brother say WHY the Great Spirit turned the Indian to a redcolor. Was he angry with him? or did he paint him so out of love?"
"This is more than I can tell you, friends. There are many colors amongmen, in different parts of the world, and many shades among people ofthe same color. There are pale-faces fair as the lily, and there arepale-faces so dark, as scarcely to be distinguished from blacks. Thesun does much of this; but no sun, nor want of sun, will ever make apale-face a red-skin, or a red skin a pale-face."
"Good--that is what we Indians say. The Manitou has made us different;he did not mean that we should live on the same hunting-grounds,"rejoined Peter, who rarely failed to improve every opportunity in orderto impress on the minds of his followers the necessity of now crushingthe serpent in its shell.
"No man can say that," answered Parson Amen. "Unless my people had cometo this continent, the word of God could not have been preached byme, along the shores of these lakes. But I will now speak of our greattradition. The Great Spirit divided mankind into nations and tribes.When this was done, he picked out one for his chosen people. Thepale-faces call that favorite, and for a long time much-favored people,Jews. The Manitou led them through a wilderness, and even through a saltlake, until they reached a promised land, where he permitted them tolive for many hundred winters. A great triumph was to come out of thatpeople--the triumphs of truth and of the law, over sin and death. In thecourse of time--"
Here a young chief rose, made a sign of caution, and crossing the circlerapidly, disappeared by the passage through which the rill flowed.In about a minute he returned, showing the way into the centre of thecouncil to one whom all present immediately recognized as a runner, byhis dress and equipments. Important news was at hand; yet not a man ofall that crowd either rose or spoke, in impatience to learn what it was!
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