The History of Sandford and Merton Part 22

The race had now endured a considerable time, and seemed to be no nearer to a conclusion, when, on a sudden, the pony turned short, upon an attempt of his master to stop him, and rushed precipitately into a large bog or quagmire, which was full before him; here he made him a momentary halt, and Tommy wisely embraced the opportunity of letting himself slide off upon a soft and yielding bed of mire. The servant now came up to Tommy and rescued him from his disagreeable situation, where, however, he had received no other damage than that of daubing himself all over.

William had been at first very much frightened at the danger of his master; but when he saw that he had so luckily escaped all hurt, he could not help asking him, with a smile, whether this too was a stroke of Arabian horsemans.h.i.+p? Tommy was a little provoked at this reflection upon his horsemans.h.i.+p; but, as he had now lost something of his irritability by repeated mortification, he wisely repressed his pa.s.sion, and desired William to catch his horse, while he returned homewards on foot to warm himself. The servant, therefore, endeavoured to approach the pony, who, as if contented with the triumph he had obtained over his rider, was quietly feeding at a little distance; but the instant William approached, he set off again at a violent rate, and seemed disposed to lead him a second chase not inferior to the first.

In the meantime Tommy walked pensively along the common, reflecting on the various accidents which had befallen him, and the repeated disappointments he had found in all his attempts to distinguish himself.

While he was thus engaged, he overtook a poor and ragged figure, the singularity of whose appearance engaged his attention. It was a man of middle age, in a dress he had never seen before, with two poor children that seemed with difficulty to keep up with him, while he carried a third in his arms, whose pale emaciated looks sufficiently declared disease and pain. The man had upon his head a coa.r.s.e blue bonnet instead of a hat; he was wrapped round by a tattered kind of garment, striped with various colours, and at his side hung down a long and formidable sword.

Tommy surveyed him with such an earnest observation, that at length the man took notice of it, and, bowing to him with the greatest civility, ventured to ask him if he had met with any accident, that he appeared in a disorder which suited so little with his quality. Tommy was not a little pleased with the discernment of the man, who could distinguish his importance in spite of the dirtiness of his clothes, and therefore mildly answered, "No, friend, there is not much the matter. I have a little obstinate horse that ran away with me, and after trying in vain to throw me down, he plunged into the middle of that great bog there, and so I jumped off for fear of being swallowed up, otherwise I should soon have made him submit, for I am used to such things, and don't mind them in the least."

Here the child that the man was carrying began to cry bitterly, and the father endeavoured to pacify him, but in vain. "Poor thing," said Tommy, "he seems to be unwell; I am heartily sorry for him!" "Alas! master,"

answered the man, "he is not well, indeed; he has now a violent ague fit upon him, and I have not had a morsel of bread to give him or any of the rest since yesterday noon."

Tommy was naturally generous, and now his mind was unusually softened by the remembrance of his own recent distresses; he therefore pulled a s.h.i.+lling out of his pocket and gave it to the man, saying, "Here, my honest friend, here is something to buy your child some food, and I sincerely wish he may soon recover." "G.o.d bless your sweet face!" said the man; "you are the best friend I have seen this many a day; but for this kind a.s.sistance we might have been all lost." He then, with many bows and thanks, struck across the common into a different path, and Tommy went forward, feeling a greater pleasure at this little act of humanity than he had long been acquainted with among all the fine acquaintance he had lately contracted.

But he had walked a very little way with these reflections before he met with a new adventure. A flock of sheep was running, with all the precipitation which fear could inspire, from the pursuit of a large dog; and just as Tommy approached, the dog had overtaken a lamb, and seemed disposed to devour it. Tommy was naturally an enemy to all cruelty, and therefore, running towards the dog with more alacrity than prudence, he endeavoured to drive him from his prey; but the animal, who probably despised the diminutive size of his adversary, after growling a little while and showing his teeth, when he found that this was not sufficient to deter him from intermeddling, entirely quitted the sheep, and making a sudden spring, seized upon the skirt of Tommy's coat, which he shook with every expression of rage. Tommy behaved with more intrepidity than could have been expected, for he neither cried out nor attempted to run, but made his utmost efforts to disengage himself from his enemy. But, as the contest was so unequal, it is probable he would have been severely bitten, had not the honest stranger, whom he had relieved, come running up to his a.s.sistance, and seeing the danger of his benefactor, laid the dog dead at his feet by a furious stroke of his broadsword.

Tommy, thus delivered from impending danger, expressed his grat.i.tude to the stranger in the most affectionate manner, and desired him to accompany him to his father's house, where he and his wearied children should receive whatever refreshment they wished. He then turned his eyes to the lamb, which had been the cause of the contest, and lay panting upon the ground bleeding and wounded, but not to death, and remarked, with astonishment, upon his fleece the well-known characters of H.S., accompanied with a cross. "As I live," said Tommy, "I believe this is the very lamb which Harry used to be so fond of, and which would sometimes follow him to Mr Barlow's. I am the luckiest fellow in the world, to have come in time to deliver him, and now, perhaps, Harry may forgive me all the ill-usage he has met with." Saying this, he took the lamb up and kissed it with the greatest tenderness; nay, he would have even borne it home in his arms had it not been rather too heavy for his strength; but the honest stranger, with a grateful officiousness, offered his services, and prevailed on Tommy to let him carry it, while he delivered his child to the biggest of his brothers.

When Tommy had now arrived within a little distance of his home he met his father and Mr Barlow, who had left the house to enjoy the morning air, before breakfast. They were surprised to see him in such an equipage, for the dirt, which had bespattered him from head to foot, began to dry in various places, and gave him the appearance of a farmer's clay-built wall in the act of hardening. But Tommy without giving them time to make inquiries, ran affectionately up to Mr Barlow, and taking him by the hand, said, "Oh, sir! here is the luckiest accident in the world! poor Harry Sandford's favourite lamb would have been killed by a great mischievous dog, if I had not happened to come by and save his life!" "And who is this honest man," said Mr Merton, "whom you have picked up on the common? He seems to be in distress, and his famished children are scarcely able to drag themselves along."

"Poor man!" answered Tommy, "I am very much obliged to him; for, when I went to save Harry's lamb, the dog attacked me, and would have hurt me very much if he had not come to my a.s.sistance and killed him with his great sword. So I have brought him with me that he might refresh himself with his poor children, one of which has a terrible ague; for I knew, papa, that though I had not behaved well of late, you would not be against my doing an act of charity." "I am, on the contrary, very glad,"

said Mr Merton, "to see you have so much grat.i.tude in your temper. But what is the reason that I see you thus disfigured with dirt? Surely you must have been riding, and your horse has thrown you? And so it is, for here is William following with both the horses in a foam."

William at that moment appeared, and, trotting up to his master, began to make excuses for his own share in the business. "Indeed, sir," said he, "I did not think there was the least harm in going out with Master Tommy, and we were riding along as quietly as possible, and master was giving me a long account of the Arabs, who, he said, lived in the finest country in the world, which does not produce anything to eat or drink, or wear, and yet they never want to come upon the parish, but ride upon the most mettled horses in the world, fit to start for any plate in England. And just as he was giving me this account, Punch took it into his head to run away, and while I was endeavouring to catch him, he jumped into a quagmire, and shot Master Tommy off in the middle of it."

"No," said Tommy, "there you mistake; I believe I could manage a much more spirited horse than Punch, but I thought it prudent to throw myself off for fear of his plunging deeper into the mire." "But how is this?"

said Mr Merton, "the pony used to be the quietest of horses; what can have given him this sudden impulse to run away? Surely, William, you were not so imprudent as to trust your master with spurs?" "No, sir,"

answered William, "not I; and I can take my oath he had no spurs on when he first set out."

Mr Merton was convinced there was some mystery in this transaction, and, looking at his son to find it out, he at length discovered the ingenious contrivance of Tommy to supply the place of spurs, and could hardly preserve his gravity at the sight. He, however, mildly set before him his imprudence, which might have been attended with the most fatal consequences--the fracture of his limbs, or even the loss of his life--and desired him for the future to be more cautious. They then returned to the house, and Mr Merton ordered his servants to supply his guests with plenty of the most nouris.h.i.+ng food.

After breakfast they sent for the unhappy stranger into the parlour, whose countenance now bespoke satisfaction and grat.i.tude; and Mr Merton, who, by his dress and accent, discovered him to be an inhabitant of Scotland, desired to know by what accident he had thus wandered so far from home with these poor helpless children, and had been reduced to so much misery.

"Alas! your honour," answered the man, "I should ill deserve the favours you have shown me if I attempted to conceal anything from such worthy benefactors. My tale, however, is simple and uninteresting, and I fear there can be nothing in the story of my distress the least deserving of your attention."

"Surely," said Mr Merton, with the most benevolent courtesy, "there must be something in the distress of every honest man which ought to interest his fellow-creatures; and if you will acquaint us with all the circ.u.mstances of your situation, it may perhaps be within our power, as it certainly is in our inclinations, to do you further service."

The man then bowed to the company with an air of dignity which surprised them all, and thus began: "I was born in that part of our island which is called the North of Scotland. The country there, partly from the barrenness of the soil, and the inclemency of the season, and partly from other causes which I will not now enumerate, is unfavourable to the existence of its inhabitants. More than half of the year our mountains are covered with continual snows, which prohibit the use of agriculture, or blast the expectations of a harvest; yet the race of men which inhabit these dreary wilds are perhaps not more undeserving the smiles of fortune than many of their happier neighbours. Accustomed to a life of toil and hards.h.i.+p, their bodies are braced by the incessant difficulties they have to encounter, and their minds remain untainted by the example of their more luxurious neighbours; they are bred up from infancy with a deference and respect for their parents, and with a mutual spirit of endearment towards their equals, which I have not remarked in happier climates. These circ.u.mstances expand and elevate the mind, and attach the Highlanders to their native mountains with a warmth of affection which is scarcely known in the midst of polished cities and cultivated countries. Every man there is more or less acquainted with the history of his clan, and the martial exploits which they have performed. In the winter season we sit around the blazing light of our fires, and commemorate the glorious actions of our ancestors; the children catch the sound, and consider themselves as interested in supporting the honour of a nation which is yet unsullied in the annals of the world, and resolve to transmit it equally pure to their posterity.

"With these impressions, which were the earliest I can remember, you cannot wonder, gentlemen, that I should have early imbibed a spirit of enterprise and a love of arms. My father was indeed poor, but he had been himself a soldier, and therefore did not so strenuously oppose my growing inclination; he, indeed, set before me the little chance I should have of promotion, and the innumerable difficulties of my intended profession. But what were difficulties to a youth brought up to subsist upon a handful of oatmeal, to drink the waters of the stream, and to sleep shrouded in my plaid, beneath the arch of an impending rock! I see, gentlemen," continued the Highlander, "that you appear surprised to hear a man, who has so little to recommend him, express himself in rather loftier language than you are accustomed to among your peasantry here. But you should remember that a certain degree of education is more general in Scotland than where you live, and that, wanting almost all the gifts of fortune, we cannot afford to suffer those of nature to remain uncultivated. When, therefore, my father saw that the determined bent of my temper was towards a military life, he thought it vain to oppose my inclinations. He even, perhaps, involuntarily cherished them, by explaining to me, during the long leisure of our dreary winter, some books which treated of military sciences and ancient history. From these I imbibed an early love of truth and honour, which I hope has not abandoned me since, and by teaching me what brave and virtuous men have suffered in every age and country, they have, perhaps, prevented me from entirely sinking under my misfortunes.

"One night, in the autumn of the year, as we were seated round the embers of our fire, we heard a knocking at the door. My father rose, and a man of a majestic presence came in, and requested permission to pa.s.s the night in our cottage. He told us he was an English officer, who had long been stationed in the Highlands, but now, upon the breaking out of war, he had been sent for in haste to London, whence he was to embark for America as soon as he could be joined by his regiment. 'This,' said he, 'has been the reason of my travelling later than prudence permits, in a mountainous country, with which I am imperfectly acquainted. I have unfortunately lost my way, and but for your kindness,' added he, smiling, 'I must here begin my campaign, and pa.s.s the night upon a bed of heath amid the mountains.' My father rose, and received the officer with all the courtesy he was able (for in Scotland every man thinks himself honoured by being permitted to exercise his hospitality); he told him his accommodations were mean and poor, but what he had was heartily at his service. He then sent me to look after his visitor's horse, and set before him some milk and oaten bread, which were all the dainties we possessed; our guest, however, seemed to feed upon it with an appet.i.te as keen as if he had been educated in the Highlands; and what I could not help remarking with astonishment, although his air and manners proved that he could be no stranger to a more delicate way of living, not a single word fell from him that intimated he had ever been used to better fare.

"During the evening our guest entertained us with various accounts of the dangers he had already escaped, and the service he had seen. He particularly described the manners of the savage tribes he was going to encounter in America, and the nature of their warfare. All this, accompanied with the tone and look of a man who was familiar with great events, and had borne a considerable share in all he related, so inflamed my military ardour, that I was no longer capable of repressing it. The stranger perceived it, and looking at me with an air of tenderness and compa.s.sion, asked if that young man was intended for the service. My colour rose, and my heart immediately swelled at the question; the look and manner of our guest had strangely interested me in his favour, and the natural grace and simplicity with which he related his own exploits, put me in mind of the great men in other times. Could I but march under the banner of such a leader I thought nothing would be too arduous to be achieved. I saw before me a long perspective of combats, difficulties, and dangers; something, however, whispered to my mind that I should be successful in the end, and support the reputation of our name and clan. Full of these ideas I sprang forwards at the question, and told the officer that the darling pa.s.sion of my life would be to bear arms under a chief like him; and that, if he would suffer me to enlist under his command, I should be ready to justify his kindness by patiently supporting every hards.h.i.+p, and facing every danger. 'Young man,' replied he, with a look of kind concern, 'there is not an officer in the army that would not be proud of such a recruit; but I should ill betray the hospitality I have received from your parents, if I suffered you to be deceived in your opinion of the military profession.' He then set before me, in the strongest language, all the hards.h.i.+ps which would be my lot; the dangers of the field, the pestilence of camps, the slow consuming languor of hospitals, the insolence of command, the mortification and subordination, and the uncertainty that the exertions of even a long life would ever lead to the least promotion. 'All this,' replied I, trembling with fear that my father should take advantage of these too just representations to refuse his consent, 'I knew before; but I feel an irresistible impulse within me which compels me to the field. The die is cast for life or death, and I will abide by the chance that now occurs. If you, sir, refuse me, I will, however, enlist with the first officer that will accept me; for I will no longer wear out life amid the solitude of these surrounding mountains, without either a chance of meriting applause or distinguis.h.i.+ng my name.'

"The officer then desisted from his opposition, and, turning to my parents, asked them if it were with their consent that I was going to enlist. My mother burst into tears, and my sisters hung about me weeping; my father replied with a deep sigh, 'I have long experienced that it is in vain to oppose the decrees of Providence. Could my persuasions have availed, he would have remained contented in these mountains; but that is now impossible, at least till he has purchased wisdom at the price of his blood. If, therefore, sir, you do not despise his youth and mien, take him with you, and let him have the advantage of your example. I have been a soldier myself; and I can a.s.sure you, with truth, that I have never seen an officer under whom I would more gladly march than yourself.' Our guest made a polite reply to my father, and instantly agreed to receive me. He then pulled out a purse, and offering it to my father, said, 'The common price of a recruit is now five guineas; but so well am I satisfied with the appearance of your son, and the confidence you repose in me, that I must insist upon your accepting what is contained in this purse; you will dispose of it as you please for your mutual advantage. Before I depart to-morrow I will give such directions as may enable him to join the regiment, which is now preparing to march.' He then requested that he might retire to rest, and my father would have resigned the only bed he had in the house to his guest, but he absolutely refused, and said, 'Would you shame me in the eyes of my new recruit? What is a soldier good for that cannot sleep without a bed? The time will soon arrive when I shall think a comfortable roof and a little straw an enviable luxury.' I therefore raised him as convenient a couch as I was able to make with heath and straw, and wrapping himself up in his riding-coat, he threw himself down upon it and slept till morning. With the first dawn of day he rose and departed, having first given me the directions which were necessary to enable me to join the regiment. But before he went, my father, who was equally charmed with his generosity and manners, pressed him to take back part of the money he had given us; this, however, he absolutely refused, and left us, full of esteem and admiration.

"I will not, gentlemen, repeat the affecting scene I had to undergo in taking leave of my family and friends. It pierced me to the very heart; and then, for the first time, I almost repented of being so near the accomplishment of my wishes. I was, however, engaged, and determined to fulfil my engagement; I therefore tore myself from my family, having with difficulty prevailed upon my father to accept of part of the money I had received for my enrolment. I will not trespa.s.s upon your time to describe the various emotions which I felt from the crowd of new sensations that entered my mind during our march. I arrived without any accident in London, the splendid capital of this kingdom; but I could not there restrain my astonishment to see an immense people talking of wounds, of death, of battles, sieges, and conquests, in the midst of feasts, and b.a.l.l.s, and puppet-shows, and calmly devoting thousands of their fellow-creatures to perish by famine or the sword, while they considered the loss of a dinner, or the endurance of a shower, as an exertion too great for human fort.i.tude.

"I soon embarked, and arrived, without any other accident than a horrible sickness, at the place of our destination in America. Here I joined my gallant officer, Colonel Simmons, who had performed the voyage in another s.h.i.+p."--(Miss Simmons, who was present at this narration, seemed to be much interested at this mention of her own name; she, however, did not express her feelings, and the stranger proceeded with his story.)--"The gentleman was, with justice, the most beloved, and the most deserving to be so, of any officer I have ever known. Inflexible in everything that concerned the honour of the service, he never pardoned wilful misbehaviour, because he knew that it was incompatible with military discipline; yet, when obliged to punish, he did it with such reluctance that he seemed to suffer almost as much as the criminal himself. But, if his reason imposed this just and necessary severity, his heart had taught him another lesson in respect to private distresses of his men; he visited them in their sickness, relieved their miseries, and was a n.i.g.g.ard of nothing but human blood. But I ought to correct myself in that expression, for he was rashly lavish of his own, and to that we owe his untimely loss.

"I had not been long in America before the colonel, who was perfectly acquainted with the language and manners of the savage tribes that border upon the British colonies, was sent on an emba.s.sy to one of their nations, for the purpose of soliciting their alliance with Britain. It may not, perhaps, be uninteresting to you, gentlemen, and to this my honourable little master, to hear some account of a people whose manners and customs are so much the reverse of what you see at home. As my worthy officer, therefore, contented with my a.s.siduity and improvement in military knowledge, permitted me to have the honour of attending him, I will describe some of the most curious facts which I was witness to.

"You have, doubtless, heard many accounts of the surprising increase of the English colonies in America; and when we reflect that it is scarcely a hundred years since some of them were established, it must be confessed that they have made rapid improvements in clearing the ground of woods and bringing it to cultivation. Yet, much as they have already done, the country is yet an immense forest, except immediately on the coasts. The forests extend on every side to a distance that no human sagacity or observation has been able to determine; they abound in every species of tree which you see in England, to which may be added a great variety more which are unknown with us. Under their shade is generally found a rich luxurious herbage, which serves for pasture to a thousand herds of animals. Here are seen elks (a kind of deer of the largest size), and buffaloes (a species of wild ox), by thousands, and even horses, which, having been originally brought over by the Spaniards, have escaped from their settlements and multiplied in the woods."

"Dear!" said Tommy, "that must be a fine country, indeed, where horses run wild; why, a man might have one for nothing." "And yet," said Mr Merton, "it would be but of little use for a person to have a wild horse, who is not able to manage a tame one."

Tommy made no answer to his father; and the man proceeded. "But the greatest curiosity of all this country is, in my opinion, the various tribes or nations which inhabit it. Bred up from their infancy to a life of equal hardiness with the wild animals, they are almost as robust in their const.i.tutions. These various tribes inhabit little villages, which generally are seated upon the banks of rivers; and, though they cultivate small portions of land around their towns, they seek the greater part of their subsistence from the chase. In their persons they are rather tall and slender, but admirably well-proportioned and active, and their colour is a pale red, exactly resembling copper. Thus accustomed to roam about the woods, and brave the inclemencies of the weather, as well as continually exposed to the attacks of their enemies they acquire a degree of courage and fort.i.tude which can scarcely be conceived. It is nothing to them to pa.s.s whole days without food; to be whole nights upon the bare damp ground, and to swim the widest rivers in the depth of winter. Money, indeed, and the greatest part of what we call the conveniences of life, they are unacquainted with; nor can they conceive that one man should serve another merely because he has a few pieces of s.h.i.+ning metal; they imagine that the only distinctions arise from superior courage and bodily perfections, and therefore these alone are able to engage their esteem. A celebrated traveller relates that, on one occasion, while he was engaged in finis.h.i.+ng a drawing, he was suddenly interrupted by three of these curious-looking persons entering the room in which he was. At first he feared that they intended to attack him; but he soon found that he was mistaken, for, upon their seeing the representation of themselves upon a sheet which he had taken the day before, and which one of them took up, they immediately burst into a loud fit of laughter, while one of them offered to purchase it by giving some fruit in exchange.

"But if their manners are gentle in peace, they are more dreadful, when provoked, than all the wildest animals of the forest. Bred up from infancy to suffer no restraint, and to give an unbounded loose to the indulgence of their pa.s.sions, they know not what it is to forgive those who have injured them. They love their tribe with a degree of affection that is totally unknown in every other country; for they are ready to suffer every hards.h.i.+p and danger in its defence. They scruple not in the least to experience wounds, and pain, and even death itself, as often as the interest of the country to which they are so much attached is concerned; but the same attachment renders them implacable and unforgiving to all their enemies. In short, they seem to have all the virtues and the vices of the ancient Spartans.

"To one of these tribes, called the Ottigamies, was Colonel Simmons sent amba.s.sador, accompanied by a few more officers, and some private men, among whom I had the honour to be included. We pursued our march for several days, through forests which seemed to be of equal duration with the world itself. Sometimes we were shrouded in such obscurity, from the thickness of the covert, that we could scarcely see the light of heaven; sometimes we emerged into s.p.a.cious meadows, bare of trees, and covered with the most luxuriant herbage, on which were feeding immense herds of buffaloes. These, as soon as they snuffed the approach of men, which they are capable of doing even at a considerable distance, ran with precipitation into the surrounding woods; many, however, fell beneath our attack, and served us for food during our journey. At length we came to a wide and rapid river, upon whose banks we found a party of friendly savages, with some of whom we embarked upon canoes made of the bark of trees, to proceed to the country of the Ottigamies.

"After three days' incessant rowing we entered a s.p.a.cious lake, upon whose banks were encamped a considerable portion of the nation we sought. As we approached the sh.o.r.e they saluted us with a volley of b.a.l.l.s from their muskets, which whistled just above our heads, without producing mischief. I and several of the soldiers instantly seized our arms, imagining it to be a hostile attack; but our leader quieted our apprehensions by informing us that this was only a friendly salute with which a nation of warriors received and welcomed their allies. We landed, and were instantly conducted to the a.s.sembly of the chiefs, who were sitting upon the ground, without external pomp or ceremony, with their arms beside them; but there was in their countenances and eyes an expression of ferocious grandeur which would have daunted the boldest European. Yes, gentlemen, I have seen the greatest and most powerful men in my own country; I have seen them adorned with every external circ.u.mstance of dress, of pomp, and equipage, to inspire respect, but never did I see anything which so completely awed the soul as the angry scowl and fiery glance of a savage American.

"As soon as our leader entered the circle, he produced the calumet, or pipe of peace. This is the universal mark of friends.h.i.+p and alliance among all the barbarous nations of America, and he that bears it is considered with so much respect that his person is always safe. This calumet is nothing but a long and slender pipe, ornamented with the most lively and beautiful feathers, which are ingeniously fixed along the tube; the bowl is composed of a peculiar kind of reddish marble, and filled with scented herbs and tobacco.

"Colonel Simmons lighted his pipe with great solemnity, and turning the bowl first towards the heavens, then to the earth, then in a circle round him, he began to smoke. In the mean time the whole a.s.sembly sat with mute attention, waiting to hear his proposals; for, though we call them savages, yet in some respects they well deserve to be imitated by more refined nations; in all their meetings and a.s.semblies the greatest order and regularity prevail; whoever rises to speak is sure of being patiently heard to the end without the least interruption.

"Our leader then began to harangue them in their own language, with which he was well acquainted. I did not understand what pa.s.sed, but it was afterwards explained to me that he set before their eyes the injuries they had mutually received from the French and the tribes in their alliance. He told them that their great father (for so these people call the King of Britain) had taken up the hatchet of war, and was sending an innumerable band of warriors to punish the insults of his enemies. He told them that he had ordered him to visit the Ottigamies, his dutiful children, and smoke with them the pipe of peace. He invited their young men to join the warriors that came from beyond the ocean, and who were marching to bury the bones of their brethren, who had been killed by their mutual foes. When he had concluded, he flung upon the ground a curious string of sh.e.l.ls, which is called the belt of _Wampum_. This is a necessary circ.u.mstance in all the treaties made with these tribes. Whoever comes as an amba.s.sador brings one with him to present to the people whose friends.h.i.+p is solicited, and, if the belt is accepted the proposed alliance is considered as entered into.

"As soon as our leader had finished, a chief of a stature superior to the common race of men, and of a most determined look, jumped into the middle of the a.s.sembly, and, taking up the belt, cried out in their language, 'Let us march, my brethren, with the young men of our great father! Let us dig up the hatchet of war and revenge the bones of our countrymen; they lie unburied, and cry to us for vengeance! We will not be deaf to their cries; we will shake off all delays; we will approve ourselves worthy of our ancestors; we will drink the blood of our enemies, and spread a feast of carnage for the fowls of the air and the wild beasts of the forest!' This resolution was universally approved by the whole nation, who consented to the war with a ferocious joy. The a.s.sembly was then dissolved, and the chiefs prepared for their intended march according to the manners of their country.

"All the savage tribes that inhabit America are accustomed to very little clothing. Inured to the inclemencies of the weather, and being in the constant exercise of all their limbs, they cannot bear the restraint and confinement of a European dress. The greater part of their bodies, therefore, is naked; and this they paint in various fas.h.i.+ons, to give additional terror to their looks.

"When the chiefs were thus prepared they came from their tents; and the last solemnity I was witness to, was dancing the dance of war and singing the song of death. But what words can convey an adequate idea of the furious movements and expressions which animated them through the whole of this performance! Every man was armed with a kind of hatchet, which is their usual weapon in battle, and called a _tomahawk_. This he held in his hand, and brandished through the whole of the dreadful spectacle. As they went on, their faces kindled into an expression of anger that would daunt the boldest spectator; their gestures seemed to be inspired by frantic rage and animosity; they moved their bodies with the most violent agitations, and it was easy to see they represented all the circ.u.mstances of a real combat. They seemed to be engaged in close or distant battle, and brandished their weapons with so much fury, that you would have imagined they were going every instant to hew each other to pieces. Nor would it have been possible, even for the performers themselves of this terrific dance, to have avoided mutual wounds and slaughter, had they not been endued with that extraordinary activity which is peculiar to savage nations. By intervals they increased the horrid solemnity of the exhibition by uttering yells that would have pierced a European ear with horror. I have seen rage and fury under various forms and in different parts of the globe, but I must confess that everything I have seen elsewhere is feeble and contemptible, when compared with this day's spectacle. When the whole was finished, they entertained us at a public festival in their cabins, and, when we departed, dismissed us with these expressive wishes; they prayed that the Great Spirit would favour us with a prosperous voyage; that he would give us an unclouded sky and smooth waters by day, and that we might lie down at night on a beaver blanket, enjoying uninterrupted sleep and pleasant dreams; and that we might find continual protection under the great pipe of peace. I have been thus particular (said the Highlander) in describing the circ.u.mstances of this emba.s.sy, because you have not disdained to hear the story of my adventures; and I thought that this description of a people so totally unlike all you have been accustomed to in Europe might not prove entirely uninteresting."

"We are much obliged to you," said Mr Barlow, "for all these curious particulars, which are perfectly conformable to all I have heard and read upon the subject. Nor can I consider, without a certain degree of admiration, the savage grandeur of man in his most simple state. The pa.s.sion for revenge, which marks the character of all uncivilised nations, is certainly to be condemned. But it is one of the constant prejudices of their education; and many of those that call themselves refined, have more to blush at in that respect than they are aware of.

Few, I am afraid, even in the most refined state of society, have arrived at that sublime generosity which is able to forgive the injuries of his fellow-creatures, when it has the power to repay them, and I see many around me that are disgraced by the vices of uncivilised Americans, without a claim to their virtues."

"I will not fatigue your ears," continued the Highlander, "with the recital of all the events I was engaged in during the progress of the war. The description of blood and carnage is always disagreeable to a humane mind; and, though the perversity of mankind may sometimes render war a necessary evil, the remembrance of its mischiefs is always painful. I will only mention one event, continually lamented in the annals of this country, because it is connected with the untimely fate of my n.o.ble friend and gallant leader.

"It was determined by those who governed that we should march through the woods upon a distant expedition against the French. The conduct of this enterprise was given to a brave but rash commander, totally unacquainted with the people he had to oppose, and unskilled in the nature of a savage war. We therefore began our march through the same trackless wilds I have described, and proceeded for several days without any other difficulties than the nature of the country itself produced, and without seeing the face of an enemy. It was in vain that officers of the greatest experience, and particularly my worthy colonel, suggested to our commander the necessity of using every precaution against a dangerous and insidious foe.

"War is not managed, amid the forests of America, in the same manner as it is conducted upon the plains of Europe. The temper of the people there conspires with the nature of the country to render it a continual scene of stratagems and surprise. Unenc.u.mbered with tents or baggage, or numerous trains of artillery, the hostile warriors set out in small and chosen parties, with nothing but their arms, and are continually upon the watch to deceive their enemies. Long experience has taught them a degree of sagacity in traversing the woods which to us is inconceivable. Neither the widest rivers nor the most extensive forests can r.e.t.a.r.d them for an instant. A march of a thousand miles is scarcely to them a greater difficulty than the pa.s.sage of a European army between two neighbouring towns. The woods themselves afford them a continual supply of provisions in the various animals which they kill by the chase. When they are near their enemies they frequently lurk all day in thickets, for fear of a discovery, and pursue their march by night.

Hundreds of them sometimes pursue their course in the same line, treading only in each other's steps, and the last of the party carefully covers over the impressions which his fellows have made. When they are thus upon the point of accomplis.h.i.+ng their purpose the very necessities of nature are unheeded; they cease to fire upon the beasts of the forest, lest it should alarm the foe; they feed upon the roots or the bark of trees, or pa.s.s successive days in a perfect abstinence from food. All this our colonel represented to the general, and conjured him, with the strongest entreaties, not to hazard the safety of our army by an incautious progress. He advised him to send out numerous detachments to beat the bushes and examine the woods; and offered himself to secure the march of the army. But presumption is always blind; our general was unacquainted with any other than European warfare, and could not conceive that naked savages would dare to attack an army of two thousand disciplined troops.

"One morning, the way before us appeared more intricate and obscure than common; the forests did not, as usual, consist of lofty trees, which afford a tolerably clear prospect between their trunks, but were composed of creeping bushes and impervious thickets. The army marched as usual, with the vain ostentation of military discipline, but totally unprepared for the dreadful scene which followed. At length we entered a gloomy valley, surrounded on every side by the thickest shade, and rendered swampy by the overflowings of a little rivulet. In this situation it was impossible to continue our march without disordering our ranks; and part of the army extended itself beyond the rest, while another part of the line involuntarily fell behind.

"In the moment while the officers were employed in rectifying the disorder of their men, a sudden noise of musketry was heard in front, which stretched about twenty of our men upon the field. The soldiers instinctively fired towards the part whence they were attacked, and instantly fell back in disorder. But it was equally vain to retreat or go forward, for it now appeared that we were completely hemmed in. On every side resounded the fatal peals of scattering fire, that thinned our ranks and extended our bravest comrades on the earth. Figure to yourself a shoal of fishes, enclosed within the net, that circle in vain the fatal labyrinth in which they are involved; or rather, conceive what I have myself been witness to--a herd of deer, surrounded on every side by a band of active and unpitying hunters, who press and gall them on every side, and exterminate them at leisure in their flight; just such was the situation of our unfortunate countrymen. After a few unavailing discharges, which never annoyed a secret enemy that scattered death unseen, the ranks were broken and all subordination lost. The ground was covered with gasping wretches, and stained with blood; the woods resounded with cries and groans, and fruitless attempts of our gallant officers to rally their men, and check the progress of the enemy. By intervals was heard, more shrill, more dreadful than all the rest, the dismal yell of the victorious savages, who now, emboldened by their success, began to leave the covert and hew down those who fled, with unrelenting cruelty. As to myself, the description which our colonel had given me of their method of attack, and the precautions to be used against it, rendered me perhaps less disturbed than I should otherwise have been. I remarked that those who stood and those who fled were exposed to equal danger; those who kept their ranks and endeavoured to repel the enemy, exposed their persons to their fire, and were successively shot down, as happened to most of our unfortunate officers, while those who fled frequently rushed headlong upon the very death they sought to avoid.

"Pierced to the heart at the sight of such a carnage of my gallant comrades, I grew indifferent to life, and abandoned myself to despair; but it was a despair that neither impaired my exertions nor robbed me of the faculties of my mind. 'Imitate me,' I cried, 'my gallant countrymen, and we shall yet be safe.' I then directly ran to the nearest tree, and sheltered myself behind its stem--convinced that this precaution alone could secure me from the incessant volleys which darted on every side. A small number of Highlanders followed my example; and, thus secured, we began to fire with more success at the enemy, who now exposed themselves with less reserve. This check seemed to astonish and confound them; and had not the panic been so general, it is possible that this successful effort might have changed the fortune of the fight; for, in another quarter, the provincial troops that accompanied us behaved with the greatest bravery, and, though deserted by the European forces, effected their own retreat.

"But it was now too late to hope for victory or even safety; the ranks were broken on every side, the greater part of our officers slain or wounded, and our unfortunate general himself had expiated with his life his fatal rashness. I cast my eyes around, and saw nothing but images of death, and horror, and frantic rage. Yet even then the safety of my n.o.ble colonel was dearer to me than my own. I sought him for some time in vain, amid the various scenes of carnage which surrounded me. At length I discovered him at a distance, almost deserted by his men, yet still attempting to renew the fight, and heedless of the wounds which covered him. Transported with grief and pa.s.sion, I immediately darted forward to offer him my feeble support; but, in the very instant of my arrival, he received a straggling ball in his bosom, and, tottering to a tree, supported his fainting limbs against the trunk. Just in that moment three of our savage enemies observed his situation, and marked him for their prey; they raised their hideous yell, and darted upon him with the speed and fierceness of wolves. Fury then took possession of my soul; had I possessed a thousand lives, I should have held them cheap in the balance. I fired with so unerring an aim that I stretched the foremost on the earth; the second received the point of my bayonet in his breast, and fell in the pangs of death; the third, daunted with the fate of his companions, turned his steps another way.

"Just then a horse, that had lost his rider, was galloping along the wood; I bounded across the path, and, seizing him by the bridle, instantly led him to my leader, and conjured him to preserve his glorious life. He thanked me in the most affectionate manner for my friends.h.i.+p, but bade me preserve my own life. 'As to myself,' said he, 'I do not wish to survive my country's dishonour; and even had I such a wish, the wounds I have received would render all escape impossible.'

'If that is your resolution,' said I, 'we will die together; for I swear by the eternal majesty of my Creator that I will not leave you.' When he saw me thus resolved, he consented to use my a.s.sistance, and with infinite difficulty I seated him upon the horse, which, holding by the reins, as I was then light and active, I guided along the wood with no inconsiderable speed.

"Fortunately for me, we were not observed by any of our savage enemies, so that, flying through the thickest part of the forest, we left the danger behind, and were soon removed beyond the sight or hearing of the battle. 'Courage,' said I, 'my n.o.ble leader! you are now almost in safety; and I trust you will yet preserve a life so necessary to your friends and country.' He answered me with the kindest expressions, but with a feeble voice, 'Campbell, I have consented to fly, more for the sake of preserving your life than from any hopes of my own; but since we are at a distance from yonder dreadful scene, permit me to alight; I have consumed my small remaining forces in the way, and now I am faint from loss of blood.' He sunk down at this, and would have fallen, but I received him in my arms; I bore him to the next thicket, and, strewing gra.s.s and leaves upon the ground, endeavoured to prepare him a bed. He thanked me again with grat.i.tude and tenderness, and grasped my hand as he lay in the very agonies of death, for such it was, although I believed he had only fainted, and long tried every ineffectual method to restore departed life. Thus was I deprived of the n.o.blest officer and kindest friend that ever deserved the attachment of a soldier. Twenty years have now rolled over me since that inauspicious day, yet it lives for ever in my remembrance, and never shall be blotted from my soul.

(The Highlander then turned away to hide a tear, which did not misbecome his manly countenance; the company seemed all to share his griefs, but Miss Simmons above the rest. However, as the natural gentleness of her temper was sufficiently known, no one suspected that she had any particular interest in the relation.)