CHAPTER XX.
--Therefore, go with me; I'll give the fairies to attend on thee; And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep, --Peas-blossom! cobweb! moth! and mustard-seed, --Midsummer-Night's Dream
As le Bourdon kept moving across the prairie, while the remarks weremade that have been recorded in the preceding chapter, he soon reachedthe new position where he intended to again set up his stand. Here herenewed his operations; Peter keeping nearest his person, in jealouswatchfulness of the least movement he made. Bees were caught, and scarcea minute elapsed ere the bee-hunter had two of them on the piece ofcomb, uncovered and at liberty. The circumstance that the cap wasmomentarily placed over the insects, struck the savages as a piece ofnecromancy, in particular. The reader will understand that this is donein order to darken the tumbler, and induce the bee to settle down on thehoney so much the sooner. To one who understood the operation and itsreason, the whole was simple enough; but it was a very different matterwith men as little accustomed to prying into the habits of creaturesas insignificant as bees. Had deer, or bisons, or bears, or any of thequadrupeds of those regions, been the subject of the experiment, it ishighly probable that individuals could have been found in that attentiveand wondering crowd, who could have enlightened the ablest naturalistson the subject of the animals under examination; but when the inquirydescended to the bee, it went below the wants and usages of savage life.
"Where you t'ink dis bee go?" demanded Peter, in English, as soon as leBourdon raised the tumbler.
"One will go in this direction, the other in that," answered thebee-hunter, pointing first toward the corner of the woods, then towardthe island in the prairie--the two points toward which two of the otherbees had flown.
The predictions might or might not prove true. If they did, the effectmust be great; if they did not, the failure would soon be forgotten inmatters of more interest. Our hero, therefore, risked but little, whilehe had the chance of gaining a very great advantage. By a fortunatecoincidence, the result completely justified the prediction. A beerose, made its circles around the stand, and away it went toward theisland-like copse in the prairie; while its companion soon imitatedits example, but taking the other prescribed direction. This time Peterwatched the insects so closely that he was a witness of their movements,and with his own eyes he beheld the flight, as well as the directiontaken by each.
"You tell bee do dis?" demanded Peter, with a surprise that was sosudden, as well as so great, that it overcame in some slight degree hishabitual self-command.
"To be sure I did," replied le Bourdon, carelessly. "If you wish to seeanother, you may."
Here the young man coolly took another bee, and put it on the comb.Indifferent as he appeared, however, he used what was perhaps thehighest degree of his art in selecting this insect. It was taken fromthe bunch of flowers whence one of his former captives had been taken,and there was every chance of its belonging to the same hive as itscompanion. Which direction it might take, should it prove to be a beefrom either of the two hives of which the positions were now known,it altogether exceeded Boden's art to tell, so he dexterously avoidedcommitting himself. It was enough that Peter gazed attentively, andthat he saw the insect dart away, disappearing in the direction of theisland. By this time more of the savages were on the alert, and nowknowing how and where to look for the bee, they also saw its course.
"You tell him ag'in go dere?" asked Peter, whose interest by this timewas so manifest, as to defy all attempts at concealment.
"To be sure I did. The bees obey ME, as your young men obey YOU. I amtheir chief, and they KNOW me. I will give you further proof of this. Wewill now go to that little bit of wood, when you shall all see what itcontains. I have sent three of my bees there; and here, one of them isalready back, to let me know what he has seen."
Sure enough, a bee was buzzing around the head of le Bourdon, probablyattracted by some fragment of comb, and he cunningly converted it intoa messenger from the copse! All this was wonderful to the crowd, andit even greatly troubled Peter. This man was much less liable to theinfluence of superstition than most of his people; but he was very farfrom being altogether above it. This is the fact with very few civilizedmen; perhaps with no man whatever, let his philosophy and knowledge bewhat they may; and least of all, is it true with the ignorant. There istoo much of the uncertain, of the conjectural in our condition as humanbeings, to raise us altogether above the distrusts, doubts, wonder, andother weaknesses of our present condition. To these simple savages, themanner in which the bees flew, seemingly at le Bourdon's bidding, tothis or that thicket, was quite as much a matter of astonishment, asany of our most elaborate deceptions are wonders to our own ignorant andvulgar. Ignorant! And where is the line to be drawn that is to place menbeyond the pale of ignorance? Each of us fails in some one, if notin very many of the important branches of the knowledge that is evenreduced to rules Among us. Here is seen the man of books, so ignorantof the application of his own beloved theories, as to be a mere child inpractice; and there, again, can be seen the expert in practice, who istotally unacquainted with a single principle of the many that lie atthe root of his very handicraft. Let us not, then, deride these poorchildren of the forest, because that which was so entirely new to them,should also appear inexplicable and supernatural.
As for Peter, he was more confounded than convinced. His mind was somuch superior to those of the other chiefs, as to render him far moredifficult to mislead; though even he was not exempt from the greatweaknesses of ignorance, superstition, and its concomitants--credulity,and a love of the marvellous. His mind was troubled, as was quiteapparent to Ben, who watched HIM quite as narrowly as he was observedhimself, in all he did. Willing to deepen the impression, our artistnow determined to exhibit some of the higher fruits of his skill. Theproduction of a considerable quantity of honey would of itself be a sortof peace-offering, and he now prepared to turn the certainty of therebeing a hive in the little wood to account--certainty, because threebees had taken wing for it, and a very distinct angle had been made withtwo of them.
"Does my brother wish any honey?" asked le Bourdon carelessly; "or shallI send a bee across Lake Michigan, to tell the Injins further west thatDetroit is taken?"
"Can Bourdon find honey, NOW?" demanded Peter.
"Easily. Several hives are within a mile of us. The bees like thisprairie, which is so well garnished with flowers, and I am never at aloss for work, in this neighborhood. This is my favorite bee-ground; andI have got all the little creatures so that they know me, and are readyto do everything that I tell them. As I see that the chiefs love honey,and wish to eat some, we will now go to one of my hives."
Thus saying, le Bourdon prepared for another march. He moved withall his appliances, Margery keeping close at his side, carrying thehoney-comb and honey. As the girl walked lightly, in advance of theIndians, some fifteen or twenty bees, attracted by the flavor of whatshe carried, kept circling around her head, and consequently around thatof Boden; and Peter did not fail to observe the circumstance. To him itappeared as if these bees were so many accompanying agents, who attendedtheir master in order to do his bidding. In a word, Peter was fastgetting into that frame of mind, when all that is seen is pressed intothe support of the theory we have adopted. The bee-hunter had somemysterious connection with, and control over the bees, and this wasone among the many other signs of the existence of his power. All this,however, Boden himself disregarded. His mind was bent on throwing dustinto the eyes of the Indians; and he was cogitating the means of sodoing, on a much larger scale than any yet attempted.
"Why dem bee fly 'round young squaw?" demanded Peter--"and fly roundyou, too?"
"They know us, and go with us to their hive; just as Injins would comeout of their villages to meet and honor visitors."
This was a ready reply, but it scarcely satisfied the wily savage towhom it was given. Just then Crowsfeather led Peter a little aside,and began talking earnestly to that chi
ef, both continuing on withthe crowd. Le Bourdon felt persuaded that the subject of this privateconference was some of his own former backslidings in the character ofconjuror, and that the Pottawattamie would not deal very tenderly withhis character. Nevertheless, it was too late to retrace his steps, andhe saw the necessity of going on.
"I wish you had not come out with us," the bee-hunter found an occasionto say to Margery. "I do not half like the state of things, and thisconjuration about the bees may all fall through."
"It is better that I should be here, Bourdon," returned the spiritedgirl. "My being here may make them less unfriendly to you. When I am by,Peter always seems more human, and less of a savage, they all tell me,than when I am not by."
"No one can be more willing to own your power, Margery, than I; butInjins hold the squaws too cheap, to give you much influence over thisold fellow."
"You do not know--he may have had a daughter of about my age, or size,or appearance; or with my laugh, or voice, or something else thatreminds him of her, when he sees me. One thing I am sure of--Peter is noenemy of MINE!"
"I hope this may prove to be true! I do not see, after all, why an Injinshould not have the feelin's you name. He is a man, and must feel forhis wife and children, the same as other--"
"Bourdon, what ails the dog? Look at the manner in which Hive isbehaving!"
Sure enough, the appearance of Hive was sufficiently obvious to attracthis master's attention. By this time the crowd had got within twentyrods of the little island-like copse of wood, the mastiff being nearlyhalf that distance in advance. Instead of preceding the party, however,Hive had raised his form in a menacing manner, and moved cautiouslyfrom side to side, like one of his kind that scents a foe. There was nomistaking these movements; and all the principal chiefs soon had theirattention also drawn to the behavior of the dog.
"Why he do so?" asked Peter. "He 'fraid of bee, eh?"
"He waits for me to come up," answered le Bourdon. "Let my brother andtwo other chiefs come with me, and let the rest stay here. Bees do notlike crowds. Corporal, I put Margery in your keeping, and Parson Amenwill be near you. I now go to show these chiefs what a bee can tell aman."
Thus saying, le Bourdon advanced, followed by Peter, Bear's Meat, andCrowsfeather. Our hero had made up his mind that something more thanbees were to be found in the thicket; for, the place being a littlemarshy, bushes as well as trees were growing on it, and he fullyexpected a rencontre with bears, the creatures most disposed to prey onthe labors of the bee--man excepted. Being well armed, and accompaniedby men accustomed to such struggles, he had no apprehensions, and ledthe way boldly, feeling the necessity of manifesting perfect confidencein all his own acts, in order to command the respect of the observers.As soon as the bee-hunter passed the dog, the latter growled, showedhis teeth fiercely, and followed, keeping closely at his side. Theconfidence and alacrity with which le Bourdon moved into the thicket,compelled his companions to be on the alert; though the first brokethrough the belt of hazels which enclosed the more open area within,a few instants before the Indians reached the place. Then it was thatthere arose such a yell, such screechings and cries, as reached far overthe prairie, and might have appalled the stoutest heart. The picturethat was soon offered to the eye was not less terrific than the soundswhich assailed the ear. Hundreds of savages, in their war-paint, armed,and in a crowded maze, arose as it might be by one effort, seemingly outof the earth, and began to leap and play their antics amid thetrees. The sudden spectacle of a crowd of such beings, nearly naked,frightfully painted, and tossing their arms here and there, whileeach yelled like a demon, was enough to overcome the nerves of a veryresolute man. But le Bourdon was prepared for a conflict and even feltrelieved rather than alarmed, when he saw the savages. His ready mind atonce conceived the truth. This band belonged to the chiefs, and composedthe whole, or a principal part of the force which he knew they musthave outlying somewhere on the prairies, or in the openings. He hadsufficiently understood the hints of Pigeonswing to be prepared for sucha meeting, and at no time, of late, had he approached a cover, withoutremembering the possibility of its containing Indians.
Instead of betraying alarm, therefore, when this cloud of phantom-likebeings rose before his eyes, le Bourdon stood firm, merely turningtoward the chiefs behind him, to ascertain if they were taken bysurprise, as well as himself. It was apparent that they were; for,understanding that a medicine-ceremony was to take place on the prairie,these young men had preceded the party from the hut, and had, ununknownto all the chiefs, got possession of this copse, as the best availablecover, whence to make their observations on what was going on.
"My brother sees his young men," said le Bourdon, quietly, the instant adead calm had succeeded to the outcries with which he had been greeted."I thought he might wish to say something to them, and my bees told mewhere to find them. Does my brother wish to know anything else?"
Great was the wonder of the three chiefs, at this exhibition of medicinepower! So far from suspecting the truth, or of detecting the luckycoincidence by which le Bourdon had been led to the cover of theirwarriors, it all appeared to them to be pure necromancy. Such an artmust be of great service; and how useful it would be to the warrior onhis path, to be accompanied by one who could thus command the vigilanceof the bees.
"You find enemy all same as friend?" demanded Peter, letting out thethought that was uppermost, in the question.
"To be sure. It makes no difference with a bee; he can find an enemy aseasily as he can find a friend.'
"No whiskey-spring dis time?" put in Crowsfeather, a littleinopportunely, and with a distrust painted in his swarthy face that leBourdon did not like.
"Pottawattamie, you do not understand medicine-men. OUGHT I to haveshown your young men where whiskey was to be had for nothing? Askyourself that question. Did you wish to see your young men wallowinglike hogs in such a spring? What would the great medicine-priest of thepale-faces, who is out yonder, have said to THAT?"
This was a coup de maitre on the part of the bee-hunter. Until thatmoment, the affair of the whiskey-spring had weighed heavily in thebalance against him; but now, it was suddenly changed over in thescales, and told as strongly in his favor. Even a savage can understandthe morality which teaches men to preserve their reason, and not tolower themselves to the level of brutes, by swallowing "fire-water"; andCrowsfeather suddenly saw a motive for regarding our hero with the eyesof favor, instead of those of distrust and dislike.
"What the pale-face says is true," observed Peter to his companion. "Hadhe opened his spring, your warrior would have been weaker than women. Heis a wonderful medicine-man, and we must not provoke him to anger. HowCOULD he know, but through his bees, that our young men were here?"
This question could not be answered; and when the chiefs, followed bythe whole band of warriors, some three or four hundred in number cameout upon the open prairie, all that had passed was communicated to thosewho awaited their return, in a few brief, but clear explanations. LeBourdon found a moment to let Margery comprehend his position and views,while Parson Amen and the corporal were put sufficiently on their guardnot to make any unfortunate blunder. The last was much more easilymanaged than the first. So exceedingly sensitive was the conscienceof the priest, that had he clearly understood the game le Bourdon wasplaying, he might have revolted at the idea of necromancy, as touchingon the province of evil spirits; but he was so well mystified as tosuppose all that passed was regularly connected with the art of takingbees. In this respect, he and the Indians equally resembled one of thosefamiliar pictures, in which we daily see men, in masses, contributingto their own deception and subjection, while they fondly but blindlyimagine that they are not only inventors, but masters. This tradeof mastery, after all, is the property of a very few minds; and noprecaution of the prudent, no forethought of the wary, nor any expedientof charters, constitutions, or restrictions, will prevent the few fromplacing their feet on the neck of the many. We may revive the fable ofKing Log and King Stork, as of
ten, and in as many forms as we will; itwill ever be the fable of King Log and King Stork. We are no admirersof political aristocracies, as a thousand paragraphs from our pen willprove; and, as for monarchs, we have long thought they best enact theirparts, when most responsible to opinion; but we cannot deceive ourselveson the subject of the atrocities that are daily committed by thosewho are ever ready to assume the places of both, making theirfellow-creatures in masses their dupes, and using those that they affectto serve.
Ben Boden was now a sort of "gouvernement provisoire" among thewondering savages who surrounded him. He had got them to believe innecromancy--a very considerable step toward the exercise of despoticpower. It is true, he hardly knew, himself, what was to be done next;but he saw quite distinctly that he was in a dilemma, and must manage toget out of it by some means or other. If he could only succeed in thisinstance, as well as he had succeeded in his former essay in the blackart, all might be well, and Margery be carried in triumph into thesettlements. Margery, pro haec vice, was his goddess of liberty, and heasked for no higher reward, than to be permitted to live the remainderof his days in the sunshine of her smiles. Liberty! a word that is, justnow, in all men's mouths, but in how few hearts in its purity andtruth! What a melancholy mistake, moreover, to suppose that, could itbe enjoyed in that perfection with which the imaginations of men love tocheat their judgments, it is the great good of life! One hour spentin humble veneration for the Being that gave it, in common with all ofearth, its vacillating and uncertain existence, is of more accountthan ages passed in its service; and he who fancies that in worshippingliberty, he answers the great end of his existence, hugs a delusionquite as weak, and infinitely more dangerous, than that which nowcame over the minds of Peter and his countrymen, in reference to theintelligence of the bee. It is a good thing to possess the defective andqualified freedom, which we term "liberty"; but it is a grave error toset it up as an idol to be worshipped.
"What my brother do next?" demanded Bear's Meat, who, being asomewhat vulgar-minded savage, was all for striking and wonder-workingexhibitions of necromancy. "P'raps he find some honey now?"
"If you wish it, chief. What says Peter?--shall I ask my bees to tellwhere there is a hive?"
As Peter very readily assented, le Bourdon next set about achieving thisnew feat in his art. The reader will recollect that the positions of twohives were already known to the bee-hunter, by means of that very simpleand every-day process by which he earned his bread. One of these hiveswas in the point of wood already mentioned, that lay along the margin ofthe prairie; while the other was in this very copse, where the savageshad secreted themselves. Boden had now no thought of giving any furtherdisturbance to this last-named colony of insects; for an insight intotheir existence might disturb the influence obtained by the jugglery ofthe late discovery, and he at once turned his attention toward the otherhive indicated by his bees.
Nor did le Bourdon now deem it necessary to resort to his usual means ofcarrying on his trade. These were not necessary to one who knew alreadywhere the hive was to be found, while it opened the way to certainmummeries that might be made to tell well in support of his assumedcharacter. Catching a bee, then, and keeping it confined within histumbler, Ben held the last to his ear, as if listening to what thefluttering insect had to say. Having seemingly satisfied himself on thispoint, he desired the chiefs once more to follow him, having first letthe bee go, with a good deal of ceremony. This set all in motion again;the party being now increased by the whole band of savages who had been"put up" from their cover.
By this time, Margery began to tremble for the consequences. She hadheld several short conferences with le Bourdon, as they walked together,and had penetrated far enough into his purposes to see that he wasplaying a ticklish game. It might succeed for a time, but she fearedit must fail in the end; and there was always the risk of incurring thesummary vengeance of savages. Perhaps she did not fully appreciatethe power of superstition, and the sluggishness of the mind that oncesubmits to its influence; while her woman's heart made her keenlyalive to all those frightful consequences that must attend an exposure.Nevertheless, nothing could now be done to avert the consequences. Itwas too late to recede, and things must take their course, even at allthe hazards of the case. That she might not be wholly useless, when herlover was risking so much for herself--Margery well understandingthat her escape was the only serious difficulty the bee-hunterapprehended--the girl turned all her attention to Peter, in whose favorshe felt that she had been daily growing, and on whose pleasure so muchmust depend. Changing her position a little, she now came closer to thechief than she had hitherto done.
"Squaw like medicine-man?" asked Peter, with a significance ofexpression that raised a blush in Margery's cheek.
"You mean to ask me if I like to SEE medicine-men perform," answeredMargery, with the readiness of her sex. "White women are always curious,they say--how is it with the women of the red men?"
"Juss so--full of cur'osity. Squaw is squaw--no matter what color."
"I am sorry, Peter, you do not think better of squaws. Perhaps you neverhad a squaw--no wife, or daughter?"
A gleam of powerful feeling shot athwart the dark countenance of theIndian, resembling the glare of the electric fluid flashing on a cloudat midnight; but it passed away as quickly as it appeared, leavingin its stead the hard, condensed expression, which the intensity ofa purpose so long entertained and cultivated, had imprinted there, asindelibly as if cut in stone.
"All chief have squaw--all chief have pappoose--" was the answer thatcame at last. "What he good for, eh?"
"It is always good to have children, Peter; especially when the childrenthemselves are good."
"Good for pale-face, maybe--no good for Injin. Pale-face glad whenpappoose born--red-skin sorry."
"I hope this is not so. Why should an Injin be sorry to see the laugh ofhis little son?"
"Laugh when he little--p'raps so; he little, and don't know what happen.But Injin don't laugh any more when he grow up. Game gone; land gone;corn-field gone. No more room for Injin--pale-face want all. Pale-faceyoung man laugh--red-skin young man cry. Dat how it is."
"Oh! I hope not, Peter! I should be sorry to think it was so. The redman has as good a right--nay, he has a BETTER right to this country thanwe whites; and God forbid that he should not always have his full shareof the land!"
Margery probably owed her life to that honest, natural burst of feeling,which was uttered with a warmth and sincerity that could leave no doubtthat the sentiment expressed came from the heart. Thus singularly are weconstructed! A minute before, and no exemption was made in the mind ofPeter, in behalf of this girl, in the plan he had formed for cutting offthe whites; on the contrary, he had often be-thought him of the numberof young pale-faces that might be, as it were, strangled in theircradles, by including the bee-hunter and his intended squaw in thecontemplated sacrifice. All this was changed, as in the twinkling of aneye, by Margery's honest and fervent expression of her sense of right,on the great subject that occupied all of Peter's thoughts. These suddenimpulses in the direction of love for our species, the second of thehigh lessons left by the Redeemer to his disciples, are so many proofsof the creation of man in the image of his maker. They exert their poweroften when least expected, and are ever stamped by the same indelibleimpression of their divine origin. Without these occasional glimpses atthose qualities which are so apt to lie dormant, we might indeed despairof the destinies of our race. We are, however, in safe and mercifulhands; and all the wonderful events that are at this moment developingthemselves around us, are no other than the steps taken by Providencein the progress it is steadily making toward the great and glorious end!Some of the agencies will be corrupt; others deluded; and no one of themall, perhaps, will pursue with unerring wisdom the precise path thatought to be taken; but even the crimes, errors, and delusions, willbe made instrumental in achieving that which was designed before thefoundations of this world were laid!
"Does my daughter wish this?"
returned Peter, when Margery had thusfrankly and sincerely given vent to her feelings. "Can a pale-face squawwish to leave an Injin any of his hunting-grounds?"
"Thousands of us wish it, Peter, and I for one. Often and often have wetalked of this around our family fire, and even Gershom, when his headhas not been affected by fire-water, has thought as we all have thought.I know that Bourdon thinks so, too; and I have heard him say that hethought Congress ought to pass a law to prevent white men from gettingany more of the Injin's lands."
The face of Peter would have been a remarkable study, during the fewmoments that his fierce will was in the process of being broughtin subjugation to the influence of his better feelings. At first heappeared bewildered; then compunction had its shade; and human sympathycame last, asserting its long dormant, but inextinguishable power.Margery saw some of this, though it far exceeded her penetration to readall the workings of that stern and savage mind; yet she felt encouragedby what she did see and understand.
While an almighty and divine Providence was thus carrying out itsown gracious designs in its own way, the bee-hunter continued bent onreaching a similar end by means of his own. Little did he imagine howmuch had been done for him within the last few moments, and howgreatly all he had in view was jeoparded and put at risk by his owncontrivances--contrivances which seemed to him so clever, but which werewanting in the unerring simplicity and truth that render those that comefrom above infallible. Still, the expedients of le Bourdon may have hadtheir agency in bringing about events, and may have been intended to bea part of that moral machinery, which was now at work in the breast ofPeter, for good.
It will be remembered that the bee-hunter habitually carried a smallspy-glass, as a part of the implements of his calling. It enabled himto watch the bees, as they went in and came out of the hives, on thehighest trees, and often saved him hours of fruitless search. This glasswas now in his hand; for an object on a dead tree, that rose a littleapart from those around it, and which stood quite near the extreme pointin the forest, toward which they were all proceeding, had caught hisattention. The distance was still too great to ascertain by the nakedeye what that object was; but a single look with the glass showedthat it was a bear. This was an old enemy of the bee-hunter, who oftenencountered the animal, endeavoring to get at the honey, and he had ondivers occasions been obliged to deal with these plunderers, before hecould succeed in his own plans of pilfering. The bear now seen continuedin sight but an instant; the height to which he had clambered being sogreat, most probably, as to weary him with the effort, and to compel himto fall back again. All this was favorable to le Bourdon's wishes, whoimmediately called a halt. The first thing that Bourdon did, when allthe dark eyes were gleaming on him in fierce curiosity, was to catch abee and hold it to his ear, as it buzzed about in the tumbler.
"You t'ink dat bee talk?" Peter asked of Margery, in a tone ofconfidence, as if a newly-awakened principle now existed between them.
"Bourdon must think so, Peter," the girl evasively answered, "or hewould hardly listen to hear what it says."
"It's strange, bee should talk! Almos' as strange as pale-face wish toleave Injin any land! Sartain, bee talk, eh?"
"I never heard one talk, Peter, unless it might be in its buzzing. Thatmay be the tongue of a bee, for anything I know to the contrary."
By this time le Bourdon seemed to be satisfied, and let the bee go; thesavages murmuring their wonder and admiration.
"Do my brothers wish to hunt?" asked the bee-hunter in a voice so loudthat all near might hear what he had to say.
This question produced a movement at once. Skill in hunting, next tosuccess on the war-path, constitutes the great merit of an Indian; andit is ever his delight to show that he possesses it. No sooner did leBourdon throw out his feeler, therefore, than a general exclamationproclaimed the readiness of all the young men, in particular, to join inthe chase.
"Let my brothers come closer," said Ben, in an authoritative manner;"I have something to put into their ears. They see that point of wood,where the dead basswood has fallen on the prairie. Near that basswoodis honey, and near that honey are bears. This my bees have told me. Now,let my brothers divide, and some go into the woods, and some stay on theprairie; then they will have plenty of sweet food."
As all this was very simple, and easily to be comprehended, not a momentwas lost in the execution. With surprising order and aptitude, thechiefs led off their parties; one line of dark warriors penetrating theforest on the eastern side of the basswood, and another on its western;while a goodly number scattered themselves on the prairie itself, in itsfront. In less than a quarter of an hour, signals came from the forestthat the battue was ready, and Peter gave the answering sign to proceed.
Down to this moment, doubts existed among the savages concerning theaccuracy of le Bourdon's statement. How was it possible that his beesshould tell him where he could find bears? To be sure, bears were thegreat enemies of bees--this every Indian knew--but could the bees have afaculty of thus arming one enemy against another? These doubts, however,were soon allayed by the sudden appearance of a drove of bears, eightor ten in number, that came waddling out of the woods, driven before thecircle of shouting hunters that had been formed within.
Now commenced a scene of wild tumult and of fierce delight. Thewarriors on the prairie retired before their enemies until all of theirassociates were clear of the forest, when the circle swiftly closedagain, until it had brought the bears to something like close quarters.Bear's Meat, as became his appellation, led off the dance, letting flyan arrow at the nearest animal. Astounded by the great number of theirenemies, and not a little appalled by their yells, the poor quadrupedsdid not know which way to turn. Occasionally, attempts were made tobreak through the circle, but the flight of arrows, aimed directly attheir faces, invariably drove the creatures back. Fire-arms were notresorted to at all in this hunt, spears and arrows being the weaponsdepended on. Several ludicrous incidents occurred, but none that weretragical. One or two of the more reckless of the hunters, ambitious ofshining before the representatives of so many tribes, ran rather greaterrisks than were required, but they escaped with a few smart scratches.In one instance, however, a young Indian had a still narrower SQUEEZEfor his life. Literally a SQUEEZE it was, for, suffering himself to getwithin the grasp of a bear, he came near being pressed to death, ere hiscompanions could dispatch the creature. As for the prisoner, the onlymeans he had to prevent his being bitten, was to thrust the head of hisspear into the bear's mouth, where he succeeded in holding it, spite ofthe animal's efforts to squeeze him into submission. By the time thiscombat was terminated, the field was strewn with the slain; every one ofthe bears having been killed by hunters so much practised in the art ofdestroying game.
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