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Файл:Satanstoe; or, The Littlepage Manuscripts
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SATANSTOE; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
hending what he said. The call passed unheeded, then, such
things being quite frequent among the Dutch, who seldom
passed each other on the highway without a greeting of some
sort or other. I was thinking of this practice, and of the points
that distinguished our own habits from those of the people of
this part of the colony, when sleigh-bells sounded quite near
me, and turning my head, I saw Herman Mordaunt’s bays galloping close to us, as if wishing to get alongside. At the next
moment the object was effected, and Guert pulled up.
«Did you understand the man who passed down, Guert?»
demanded Herman Mordaunt, as soon as all noises ceased.
«He called out to us, at the top of his voice, and would
hardly do that without an object».
«These men seldom go home, after a visit to Albany, without fi lling their jugs», answered Guert, drily; «what could he
have to say, more than to wish us good-night?»
«I cannot tell, but Mrs. Bogart thought she understood
something about ‘Albany,’ and ‘the river.’«
«The ladies always fancy Albany is to sink into the river
after a great thaw», answered Guert, good-humouredly; «but
I can show either of them that the ice is sixteen inches thick,
here where we stand».
Guert then gave me the reins, stepped out of the sleigh,
went a short distance to a large crack that he had seen while
speaking, and returned with a thumb placed on the handle of
the whip, as a measure to show that his statement was true.
The ice, at that spot, was certainly nearer eighteen than sixteen inches thick. Herman Mordaunt showed the measure to
Mrs. Bogart, whose alarm was pacifi ed by this positive proof.
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
Neither Anneke nor Mary exhibited any fear; but, on the contrary, as the sleighs separated again, each had something
pleasant, but feminine, to say at the expense of poor Mrs. Bogart’s imagination.
I believe I was the only person in our own sleigh who felt
any alarm, after the occurrence of this little incident. Why
uneasiness beset me, I cannot precisely say. It must have been
altogether on Anneke’s account, and not in the least on my
own. Such accidents as sleighs breaking through, on our New
York lakes and rivers, happened almost every winter, and
horses were often drowned; though it was seldom the consequences proved so serious to their owners. I recalled to mind
the fragile nature of ice, the necessary effects of the great thaw
and the heavy rains, remembering that frozen water might
still retain most of its apparent thickness, after its consistency
was greatly impaired. But, I could do nothing! If we landed,
the roads were impassable for runners, almost for wheels, and
another hour might carry the ladies, by means of the river, to
their comfortable homes. That day, however, which, down to
the moment of meeting the unknown sleigh, had been
the very happiest of my life, was entirely changed in its aspect,
and I no longer regarded it with any satisfaction. Had Anneke
been at home, I could gladly have entered into a contract to
pass a week on the river myself, as the condition of her safety,
I thought but little of the others, to my shame be it said, though
I cannot do myself the injustice to imagine, had Anneke been
away, that I would have deserted even a horse, while there was
a hope of saving him.
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SATANSTOE; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
Away we went! Guert drove rapidly, but he drove with judgment, and it seemed as if his blacks knew what was expected of
them. It was not long before we were trotting past the hamlet I have mentioned. It would seem that the bells of the two
sleighs attracted the attention of the people on the shore,
all of whom had not yet gone to bed; for the door of a house
opened, and two men issued out of it, gazing at us as we trotted
past at a pace that defi ed pursuit. These men also hallooed to
us, in Dutch, and again Herman Mordaunt galloped up alongside, to speak to us.
«Did you understand these men?» he called out, for this
time Guert did not see fi t to stop his horses; «they, too, had
something to tell us».
«These people always have something to tell an Albany
sleigh, Mr. Mordaunt», answered Guert; «though it is not often
that which it would do any good to hear».
«But Mrs. Bogart thinks they also had something to say
about ‘Albany,’ and the ‘river.’«
«I understand Dutch as well as excellent Mrs. Bogart», said
Guert, a little drily; «and I heard nothing; while I fancy I understand the river better. This ice would bear a dozen loads of
hay, in a close line».
This again satisfi ed Herman Mordaunt and the ladies, but it
did not satisfy me. Our own bells made four times the noise of
those of Herman Mordaunt; and it was very possible that one,
who understood Dutch perfectly, might comprehend a call in
that language, while seated in his own sleigh, when the same
call could not be comprehended by the same person, while
seated in Guert’s. There was no pause, however; on we trotted;
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
and another mile was passed, before any new occurrence attracted attention.
The laugh was again heard among us, for Mary Wallace
consented to sing an air, that was rendered somewhat ludicrous by the accompaniment of the bells. This song, or verse
or two, for the singer got no further on account of the interruption, had drawn Guert’s and my attention behind us, or
away from the horses, when a whirling sound was heard, followed immediately by a loud shout. A sleigh passed within ten
yards of us, going down, and the whirling sound was caused by
its runners, while the shout came from a solitary man, who
stood erect, waving his whip and calling to us in a loud voice,
as long as he could be heard. This was but for a moment, however, as his horses were on the run; and the last we could see of
the man, through the misty moon-light, he had turned his
whip on his team, to urge it ahead still faster. In an instant,
Herman Mordaunt was at our side, for the third time that
night, and he called out to us somewhat authoritatively to stop.
«What can all this mean, Guert?» he asked. «Three
times have we had warnings about ‘Albany’ and the ‘river.’
I heard this man myself utter those two words, and cannot be
mistaken».
«I dare say, sir, that you may have heard something of
the sort», answered the still incredulous Guert; «for these
chaps have generally some impertinence to utter, when they
pass a team that is better than their own. These blacks of mine,
Herman Mordaunt, awaken a good deal of envy, whenever
I go out with them; and a Dutchman will forgive you any other
superiority, sooner than he will overlook your having the best
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SATANSTOE; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
team. That last man had a spur in his head, moreover, and is
driving his cattle, at this moment, more like a spook than like
a humane and rational being, I dare say he asked if we owned
Albany and the river».
Guert’s allusion to his horses occasioned a general laugh;
and laughter is little favourable to cool refl ection. We all
looked out on the solemn and silent night, cast our eyes along
the wide and long reach of the river, in which we happened to
be, and saw nothing but the calm of nature, rendered imposing by solitude and the stillness of the hour. Guert smilingly renewed his assurances that all was right, and moved on.
Away we went! Guert evidently pressed his horses, as if desirous of being placed beyond this anxiety as soon as possible.
The blacks fl ew, rather than trotted; and we were all beginning to submit to the exhilaration of so rapid and easy a motion, when a sound which resembled that which one might
suppose the simultaneous explosion of a thousand rifl es
would produce, was heard, and caused both drivers to pull up;
the sleighs stopping quite near each other, and at the same instant! A slight exclamation escaped old Mrs. Bogart; but Anneke and Mary remained still as death.
«What means that sound, Guert?» inquired Herman
Mordaunt; the concern he felt being betrayed by the very
tone of his voice. «Something seems wrong!»
«Something is wrong», answered Guert, coolly, but very decidedly; «and it is something that must be seen to».
As this was said, Guert stepped out on the ice, which he
struck a hard blow with the heel of his boot, as if to make certain of its solidity. A second report was heard, and it evidently
315
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
came from behind us. Guert gazed intently down the river;
then he laid his head close to the surface of the ice, and looked
again. At the same time, three or four more of these startling
reports followed each other in quick succession. Guert instantly rose to his feet.
«I understand it, now», he said, «and fi nd I have been rather too confi dent. The ice, however, is safe and strong, and we
have nothing to fear from its weakness. Perhaps it would be
better to quit the river notwithstanding, though I am far from
certain the better course will not be to push on».
«Let us know the danger at once, Mr. Ten Eyck», said Herman Mordaunt, «that we may decide for the best».
«Why, sir, I am afraid that the rains and the thaw together,
have thrown so much water into the river, all at once, as it
might be, as to have raised the ice and broken it loose, in spots,
from the shores. When this happens above, before the ice has
disappeared below, it sometimes causes dams to form, which
heap up such a weight as to break the whole plain of ice far
below it, and thus throw cakes over cakes until walls twenty or
thirty feet high are formed. This has not happened yet, therefore there is no immediate danger; but by bending your heads
low, you can see that such a break has just taken place about
half a mile below us».
We did as Guert directed, and saw that a mound had arisen
across the river nearer than the distance named by our companion, completely cutting off retreat by the way we had come.
The bank on the west side of the Hudson was high at the point
where we were, and looking intensely at it, I saw by the manner in which the trees disappeared, the more distant behind
316
SATANSTOE; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
those that were nearer, that we were actually in motion! An involuntary exclamation caused the whole party to comprehend
this startling fact at the same instant. We were certainly in motion, though very slowly, on the ice of that swollen river, in
the quiet and solitude of a night in which the moon rather
aided in making danger apparent than in assisting us to avoid
it! What was to be done? It was necessary to decide, and that
promptly and intelligently.
We waited for Herman Mordaunt to advise us, but he referred the matter at once to Guert’s greater experience.
«We cannot land here», answered the young man, «so long
as the ice is in motion, and I think it better to push on. Every
foot will bring us so much nearer to Albany, and we shall get
among the islands a mile or two higher, where the chances of
landing will be greatly increased. Besides, I have often crossed
the river on a cake, for they frequently stop, and I have known
even loaded sleighs profi t by them to get over the river. As
yet there is nothing very alarming; – let us push on, and get
nearer to the islands».
This, then, was done, though there was no longer heard
the laugh or the song among us. I could see that Herman
Mordaunt was uneasy about Anneke, though he could not
bring her into his own sleigh, leaving Mary Wallace alone;
neither could he abandon his respectable connection, Mrs.
Bogart. Before we re-entered the sleighs, I took an occasion to
assure him that Anneke should be my especial care.
«God bless you, Corny, my dear boy», Herman Mordaunt
answered, squeezing my hand with fervour. «God bless you,
and enable you to protect her. I was about to ask you to change
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
seats with me; but, on the whole, I think my child will be safer
with you than she could be with me. We will await God’s pleasure as accident has placed us».
«I will desert her only with life, Mr. Mordaunt. Be at ease on
that subject».
«I know you will not – I am sure you will not, Littlepage;
that affair of the lion is a pledge that you will not. Had Bulstrode come, we should have been strong enough to but Guert
is impatient to be off. God bless you, boy – God bless you. Do
not neglect my child».
Guert was impatient, and no sooner was I in the sleigh
than we were once more in rapid motion. I said a few words to
encourage the girls, and then no sound of a human voice mingled with the gloomy scene.
CHAPTER XVI
He started up, each limb convulsed
With agonizing fear,
He only heard the storm of night—
‘Twas music to his ear.
Lord William.
Away we went! Guert’s aim was the islands, which carried him nearer home, while it offered a place of retreat, in
the event of the danger’s becoming more serious. The fi erce
rapidity with which we now moved prevented all conversation, or even much refl ection. The reports of the rending ice,
however, became more and more frequent, fi rst coming from
above, and then from below. More than once it seemed as if
the immense mass of weight that had evidently collected
somewhere near the town of Albany, was about to pour down
upon us in a fl ood – when the river would have been swept for
miles, by a resistless torrent. Nevertheless, Guert held on his
way; fi rstly, because he knew it would be impossible to get on
either of the main shores, anywhere near the point where we
happened to be; and secondly, because, having often seen similar dammings of the waters, he fancied we were still safe. That
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
the distant reader may understand the precise character of
the danger we ran, it may be well to give him some notion of
the localities.
The banks of the Hudson are generally high and precipitous, and in some places they are mountainous. No fl ats worthy of being mentioned, occur, until Albany is approached;
nor are those which lie south of that town, of any great extent, compared with the size of the stream. In this particular
the Mohawk is a very different river, having extensive fl ats
that, I have been told, resemble those of the Rhine, in miniature. As for the Hudson, it is generally esteemed in the colony
as a very pleasing river; and I remember to have heard intelligent people from home, admit, that even the majestic Thames
itself, is scarcely more worthy to be visited, or that it better rewards the trouble and curiosity of the enlightened traveller.
26
This remark of Mr. Cornelius Littlepage’s, may induce a smile
in the reader. But, few persons of fi fty can be found, who cannot
recall the time, when it was a rare thing to imagine anything American, as good as its English counterpart. The American who could
write a book – a real, live book – forty years since, was a sort of
prodigy. It was the same with him who could paint any picture beyond a common portrait. The very fruits and natural productions
of the country were esteemed, doubtingly; and he was a bold man
who dared to extol even canvass-back ducks, in the year 1800! At
the present day, the feeling is fast undergoing an organic change. It
is now the fashion to extol everything American, and from submitting to a degree that was almost abject, to the feeling of colonial
dependency, the country is fi lled, to-day, with the most profound
provincial self-admiration. It is to be hoped that the next change
will bring us to something like the truth. – EDITOR.
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