The Deerslayer (Barnes & Noble Classics) - James Fenimore Cooper [143]
“My brother, Hawkeye, has sent a message to the Hurons,” resumed Rivenoak, “and it has made their hearts very glad. They hear he has images of beasts with two tails! Will he show them to his friends?”
“Inimies would be truer,” returned Deerslayer; “but sound isn’t sense, and does little harm. Here is one of the images; I toss it to you under faith of treaties. If it’s not returned, the rifle will settle the p’int atween us.”
The Iroquois seemed to acquiesce in the conditions, and Deerslayer arose and prepared to toss one of the elephants to the raft, both parties using all the precaution that was necessary to prevent its loss. As practice renders men expert in such things, the little piece of ivory was soon successfully transferred from one hand to the other; and then followed another scene on the raft, in which astonishment and delight got the mastery of Indian stoicism. These two grim old warriors manifested even more feeling, as they examined the curiously wrought chessman, than had been betrayed by the boy; for, in the case of the latter, recent schooling had interposed its influence; while the men, like all who are sustained by well-established characters, were not ashamed to let some of their emotions be discovered. For a few minutes they apparently lost the consciousness of their situation in the intense scrutiny they bestowed on a material so fine, work so highly wrought, and an animal so extraordinary. The lip of the moose is, perhaps, the nearest approach to the trunk of the elephant that is to be found in the American forest; but this resemblance was far from being sufficiently striking to bring the new creature within the range of their habits and ideas, and the more they studied the image, the greater was their astonishment. Nor did these children of the forest mistake the structure on the back of the elephant for a part of the animal. They were familiar with horses and oxen, and had seen towers in the Canadas, and found nothing surprising in creatures of burden. Still, by a very natural association, they supposed the carving meant to represent that the animal they saw was of a strength sufficient to carry a fort on its back; a circumstance that in no degree lessened their wonder.
“Has my paleface brother any more such beasts?” at last the senior of the Iroquois asked, in a sort of petitioning manner.
“There’s more where them came from, Mingo,” was the answer; “one is enough, however, to buy off fifty scalps.”
“One of my prisoners is a great warrior—tall as a pine—strong as the moose—active as a deer—fierce as the panther. Some day he’ll be a great chief, and lead the army of King George!”
“Tut—tut—Mingo; Hurry Harry is Hurry Harry, and you’ll never make more than a corporal of him, if you do that. He’s tall enough, of a sartainty; but that’s of no use, as he only hits his head ag‘in the branches as he goes through the forest. He’s strong, too; but a strong body isn’t a strong head, and the King’s generals are not chosen for their sinews. He’s swift, if you will, but a rifle bullet is swifter; and as for f ’erceness, it’s no great ricommend to a soldier; they that think they feel the stoutest, often givin’ out at the pinch. No—no—you’ll never make Hurry’s scalp pass for more than a good head of curly hair, and a rattlepate beneath it!”
“My old prisoner very wise—king of the lake—great warrior, wise counselor!”
“Well, there’s them that might gainsay all this, too, Mingo. A very wise man wouldn’t be apt to be taken in so foolish a manner as befell Master Hutter; and if he gives good counsel, he must have listened to very bad in that affair. There’s only one king of this lake, and he’s a long way off, and isn’t likely ever to see it. Floating Tom is some