The Pioneers; Or, The Sources of the Susquehanna

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f the forest c

cupied by two great nations of Indians, from whom had descended numberless tribes. But, as the original distinctions between these nations were marked by a difference in language, as well as by repeated and bloody wars, they were never known to amalg

s generally called, by the Anglo-Americans Iroquois, or the Six Nations, and sometimes Mingoes. Their appellation among their rivals, seems generally to have been the Mengwe, or Maqua. They consisted of the tribes or, as their allies were fond of asserting, in order to raise their cons

that which bore the generic name, were the Mahicanni, Mohicans, or Mohegans, and the Nanticokes, or Nentigoes. Of these the latter held the country along the waters of the Chesapeake and the seashore;

as he was termed by the natives, effected its object with less difficulty, though not with less certainty. As the natives gradually disappea

ing in vain tried the effects of hostility, had recourse in artifice in order to prevail over their rivals. According to this declaration,

es an easy task to restrain its members within the rules of the nation. Several fierce and renowned warriors of the Mohegans, finding the conflict with the whites to be in vain, sought a refuge with their grandfather, and brought with them the feelings and princi

d for a long time been an associate of the white men, particularly in their wars, and having been, at the season when his services were of importance, much noticed and flattered, he had turned Christian and was baptized by the name of John. He had suffered severely in his family during the recent war, having

he seemed peculiarly welcome; and, as the habits of the Leather-Stocking were so nearly assimilated to those of the savages, the conjunction

s began to wrinkle with time, and he stood alone, the last of his family, and his particular tribe, the few Delawares, who yet continued about the head-waters of their river, gave him the mournful appellation of Mohegan. Perhaps there was something of deep feeling excited in the bosom of this inhabitant of the forest by the sound

rse hair concealed his forehead, his crown, and even hung about his cheeks, so as to convey the idea, to one who knew his present amid former conditions, that he encouraged its abundance, as a willing veil to hide the shame of a noble soul, mourning for glory once known. His forehead, when it could be seen, appeared lofty, broad, and noble. His nose was high, and of the kind called Roman, with nostrils that expanded, in his seventieth year, with the freedom that had di

ed the blanket which covered the upper part of his frame, from his shoulders, suffering it to fall over

, the dignified and deliberate tread o

full; but the arms, though straight and graceful, wanted the muscular appearance that labor gives to a race of men. The medallion was the only ornament he wore, although enormous slits in the rim of either ear, which suffered the cartilages to fall two

ver, but stood fixing his glowing eyes on the shoulder of the young hunter, and then turning them intently on the countenance of the Judge. The latte

opinion of thy skill, it seems, for he prefers thee

able English, but in a low

t of blood; and yet the Young Eagle has been

my hand has ever drawn human blood willingly? For shame! for

aks the truth; his hand has never taken life, when awake; no! not even when the childre

aviour, 'Judge not, lest ye be judged.' What motive could Judge Temple have for injuring a yout

e, and, when he had concluded, he stret

. My brother ha

be astonished at his suspicion, he had ceased to resent it; while the wounded youth stood, ga

invasion of his rights, but made way for the new leech with an air that expressed a willingness to gratify the humors of his patient, now that the all-important part of t

n can dress the wound. The young man, I hear, lives with John and Natty Bumppo, and it's a

happy, Mister Todd, in your pratice. I tink the elder

al the wound. Do you remember, John, the time when I and you set the bone of Natty Bumppo's little finger, after he broke it by falling from the rock, when he was trying to get the partridge that fell on the cliffs? I never could tell yet whether it was I or Natty who killed that bird: he fired first, and the bird stooped, and then it was rising again as I pulled

cifics, indicating, by a gesture, that he might hold it. Mr. Jones was quite satisfied with this commission; and ever after,

ndeed, the Indian gave him but little opportunity for the exercise of a forbearing temper, as he had come prepared for the occasion. His dressing

ise of a supernatural power, and was held in greater veneration than their practice could at all justify; but the other was really endowed wi

red to the doctor, in order to hold himself one end of the bandages. Here he was soon enabled to detect sundry fragments of wood and bark, of which he quite coolly took possessi

cancers and hydrophoby they are quite ingenious. I will just take this bark home and analyze it; for, though it can't be worth sixpence to the young man's

he was gradually qualifying himself for the duties of his profession. The process to which he subjected the specific differed, however, greatly from the ordinary rules o

the wound received by one of the parties, which had the flavor that was peculiar to the tree, or root, that Mohegan had used. Ten years later still, when England and the United States were again engaged in war, and

used in sewing the bandages, for these were implements of which the native but little understood th

t get under the dressings, and inflame the wound. See, John, I have put the lint I scraped between two layers of the linen; for though the bark is certainly best for the flesh, yet the lint will serve to keep the cold air from the wound. If any

eath her petticoat of green moreen a pair of dull-looking shears; "w

e case, Now, young man, I think you'll do. The shot has been neatly taken out, although, perhaps, seeing I had a hand in it, I ought not to say so; and the wound is admirably dressed. You will soon be well again; though the jerk you gave my lea

be unnecessary for me to trespass longer on your time and patience. There remains but one

call here, and we can adjust this, as well as more important matters Elizabeth"-for the young lady, being apprised that the wound was dressed, had re-en

d the youth, seemingly struggling with his own feelings; "I

been shot without being disabled; have had the wound dressed in the best possible manner here in the woods, as well as it would have been done in the Philadelphia hospital, if not better; have sold your deer at a high price, and yet can keep most of the carcass,

or my escape," returned the stranger; "but you reserve the very part of

t is harder to be swallowed

overt his rights, he met the astonished gaze of Elizabeth, and proceeded more mildly: "That is, if a man is allo

t the whole deer is placed in the sleigh; and have this youth conveyed to the hut of Leather Stocking. But, you

s, I am easily to be seen, sir, for I live nigh by, and am

the knowledge that you decline our assistance would give my

ok brought the blood to her temples; when, recollecting himself

d see Judge Temple; and I will accept hi

in the act that injured thee, young man; there sho

" observed Mr. Grant, "is the language used by our Divine Master him

rk eyes rather wildly around the hall, he bowed low to the divine, and

r closed behind the stranger; "but while the pain is recent, and the sense of the injury so fresh, he mu

f, fixing her eyes on the little figure of the English ingrain carpet that covered the floor; while

r a sportsman off his farm with as little ceremony as I would order Benjamin to put a log in the stove-By-the-bye, Benjamin, see how the thermometer stands.-Now, if a man has a right to do this on a farm of a hundred acres, what power must a landlord have who owns sixty thousand-ay, for the matter of that, including the late purchases, a hundred thou

plied the Frenchman; "we give, in Fr

Greece, as well as Rome. But if I were in 'Duke's place, I would stick up advertisements to-morrow morning, forbidding all persons to shoo

his side, "now listen; I have livet seventy-five years on ter Mohawk, and in ter woots. You had better

is no law? Damn the fellow! I have a great mind to sue him in the morning myself, before Squire Doolittle, for medd

Judge. "But we will now take our evening's repast, which I perseive, by Remarkable's physiognomy, i

nte!" said the Frenchman. "Il ne manque que

hdrew to an eating parlor, if we except Benjamin, who civilly remained to close t

when the church has appointed prayers and thanksgivings to be offered up by her children, and when all are invited to partake of the mystical elements. As you ha

aying no surprise; though he did not un

d for all, for the poor Indian as well as for the white man. Heaven knows no difference in color; nor must earth witness a separation of the church. It is good and profitable, John, to freshen the

he stretched his right arm on high, and dropped his forefinger downward, as if pointing

t can see from the clouds-t

duty. The Great Spirit overlooks none of his children; and the man of the woods is as much an obj

her to join his party at the supper-table. While Benjamin was opening the door f

a Christian-born, like myself, just for the matter of a little tan, from cruising in warm latitudes; though, for the matter of that, this damned norwester is en