Part 42 (1/2)
The irresistible sweep of the cataract reseth; its roar, his voice; and the hoary rocks were indicative of his age Could he obtain the favor of so n, it could be easy of execution He would s, and acquaint hiht not to love the white ifts, while the red er and since, had covered the shores with presents
He would not be disregardful or turn a deaf ear to one of his children who sought a just revenge
Animated by these considerations and such hopes, Ohqua day, to propitiate the Manito of the Falls His way led through the wood, along the h-road and some open fields and another belt of woods, before he reached the Yaupaae
Arrived at his destination, he looked with a sole to see the Genius of the place But he beheld nothing, save the wild features of nature, and thetrees: he heard no sound except the uninterrupted roaring of the torrent In the hot rays of that June sun, not even the birds e under their leafy shelters in the darkest recesses of the woods, until the pleasant coolness of approaching evening should te that no one was in sight, co brush and sticks of dry wood that lay about, which he heaped up into a pile upon a rock close to the water's edge After he had gathered together a quantity that appeared to hi around, a couple of flints which see the a shower of sparks, which falling on the thoroughly dried and coue of fla his body towards the cataract, as in an attitude of supplication, Ohquamehud addressed the Manito, and explained his wishes He spoke with dignity, as one who, though standing in the presence of a superior, was not unmindful of his oorth The sounds at first were those of lamentation, so low as scarcely to be audible, and plaintive and sweet as the sighs of the wind through the curled conch shell
”Oh Manito,” he said, ”where are thy children, once as plenty as the forest leaves? Ask of the month of flowers for the snows that 'Hpoon scatters from his hand, or of the Yaupaae for the streaer, with hair like the curls of the vine, ca sun He eak as a little child: he shi+vered with the cold: he was perishi+ng with hunger
The red : he wrapped hiwam of bark, and defied the storer; he brought him on his back out of the snow, and laid him by the fire; he chafed his limbs and clothed him in furs; he presented venison with his own hands, and the daughters of the tribes offered honey and cakes of maize, and wept for compassion And the pale face saw that our land was better than his own, and he envied us, and sent e Then they ca, innumerable: in multitudes as the shad and salmon, when they ascend the thawed rivers They poisoned the air with their breaths, and the Indians died helpless in the pestilence They made war upon us, and drove us from our cornfields; they killed our oldmen and maidens into slavery O, Manito, thus hath the accursed pale faces requited our kindness
”Wast thou displeased with the red men O, Manito? Had the children of the Forest offended thee, that thou didst deliver them into the hand of their eneer hath done Thou hast destroyed us, and injured thyself Where are the offerings that once covered these rocks, the bears' le, and sweet-s tobacco? Who now honoreth the Manito of the loud voiced Yaupaae? I listen, but I hear no answer”
Thus far the voice of Ohquamehud was low and melancholy, as the wail of a broken heart, and his face sad, as of one laed to a loftier expression, and the words were hissed out with a guttural roughness, without being spoken much louder
”O, Manito!” he continued, ”I alone arant tobacco Behold! I will fill thy pipe many times if thou wilt assist me Onontio hath done es of my people, and slain our warriors Why shouldst thou favor hi which thou wilt kick away froe? He cohest rock, to look down upon thy dwelling-place It is to nourish the pride of his heart It is to exult that, as far as his eye can see, it beholds no aifts Help Manito!
Think upon thine orongs,--reivethus spoken, and conciliated by every ood-will of the tutelary Spirit of the Falls, recounting the generosity of the Indians, and the ingratitude of the whites, reer, and pointing out its folly, trying to stilect of himself, and, to tempt his love of presents by promises, Ohquamehud threw a quantity of tobacco in the leaf, which the Indians were accustomed to raise themselves around their cabins, into the flames But an incident took place, which, for a tiround, and covered him with mortification and confusion
The day, as we have already intimated, was unusually hot, even for the month of June As the hours advanced, a sultry and slumbrous silence filled the air, which quivered with the heat Clouds began to collect in the northwest, and to roll up higher and higher towards the zenith, in immense waves, which darkened momently, until half the heavens seean to play s of the thunder becaether unaware of the approaching stored in the solemn rite, the appearances of the clouds had not attracted as much of his attention as otherwise they would have done At the instant he threw the tobacco into the fire, the blackness of the clouds was intensest, and a gri in anxious expectation of sorand event, brooded over the earth interrupted only by the shout of the cataract; then, a thunderbolt blazed almost in the eyes of the Indian, followed, instantly, by a crash, as if the solid rocks were splintered into frag, not in drops, but, in one continuous flood For a few radually slackened and ceased The lightning glittered less frequently; the threatenings of the thunder became less distinct, and the clouds rolled up their dark standards and dispersed, disappearing in the depths of the unfathomable sky
The Indian,at the fire in which the rain hissed as it fell Thus, like a statue, he stood, until the stor froly, fro, then, had been rejected The Manito either could not or would not assist hireat eance Ohquamehud, with a frown upon his brow, dark as the folds of the departing clouds, strode several steps froht, he co in the ashes The surface, of course, was soaked; but, as he penetrated deeper, they were drier, and at the bottouished coals He carefully searched round, to discover if any portion of the tobacco was unconsu had not, then, been rejected The Manito had accepted it
It was not he who sent the storm Perhaps, some other Manito, who, however, was unable to defeat the sacrifice The countenance of Ohquaain to collect the brush and scattered sticks From hollows, in the butts of old trees, and recesses under projecting cliffs, he succeeded in finding enough dry fuel to start the fire anew, and soon it shot up a bright bold flary--receive ain, he threw tobacco into the fire, and, this tireedy flame seized upon the dry leaves, which crackled in the heat, and bore theh into the air The fire continued burning till all was consumed, and the heap sent up only a spiral of indistinct s froratified Indian stretched out his hand, and again spoke--
”O, Manito, thanks! The heart of Ohqua sun, his feet shall bound like those of a deer, for the scalp of Onontio will hang at his girdle”
He glided into the woods and disappeared, ignorant that any one had been a witness of his actions But, Quadaquina, froreen thicket, had watched all his motions As the form of Ohquamehud became dimmer in the distance, the boy could not repress his exultation at the success of his a the notes of the whipperwill It caught the ear of the Indian, and he turned, and as he did so, the boy threw hiround The sun had hardly set It was too early for the bird to be heard, which never co are spread over the dewy earth The eyes of Ohqualances in the direction whence the whistle ca He listened for awhile, but the sounds were not repeated, and wondering what they could mean--for he relied too iination had deceived him--he resumed his course ho no one in sight, followed in the same direction
The boy, at first, walked deliberately along; but, after, as he supposed, a considerable interval was interposed between him and the Indian, he quickened his steps, in order to more at about the same rate as the other He had cleared the clumps of trees next to the Falls, and crossed the open fields, and advanced so the river, when, suddenly, Ohquae tree, stood before hin betrayed emotion
”What does a child like Quadaquina,so far in the dark away from its er a child,” answered the boy, ”to need his mother He runs about, like a squirrel, in the woods, whenever he please”
”Quah! He is more like a bird, and it is to take lessons from the whipperwill, that he comes into the woods”
”Ohquamehud talks like a crow that knows not what he says”
”When next,” said the Indian, with a laugh, ”Quadaquina tries to be a bird, let him remember that the bashful whipperwill likes not the sun to hear his song”
The boy fancying that he had been discovered, and that any further attempt at concealment was vain, answered boldly,