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Файл:Satanstoe; or, The Littlepage Manuscripts
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SATANSTOE; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
and passed two or three days in walking over and examining
the quality of the land, together with the advantages offered by
the water-courses. As for Mr. Worden and Jason, the former
had gone to join the army, craving the fl esh-pots of a regimental mess, in preference to the simple fare of the woods; while
Jason had driven a hard bargain with Herman Mordaunt for
the possession of the mill-seat; which had been the subject of
frequent discussions between the parties, and about which
the pedagogue had deemed it prudent to draw on the wisdom of Mother Doortje. As the reader may have some curiosity to know how such things were conducted in the colony, in
the year 1758, I will recapitulate the terms of the bargain that
was fi nally agreed on, signed and sealed.
Herman Mordaunt expected no emolument to himself,
from Ravensnest, but looked forward solely to a provision for
posterity. In consequence of these views, he refused to sell,
but gave leases on such conditions as would induce tenants to
come into his terms, in a country in which land was far plentier than men. For some reason, that never was very clear to
me, he was particularly anxious to secure Jason Newcome, and
no tolerable terms seemed extravagant to effect his purpose.
It is not surprising, therefore, that our miller in perspective
got much the best of the bargain, as its conditions will show.
The lease was for three lives, and twenty-one years afterwards. This would have been thought equal to a lease for
forty-two years, in that day, in Europe; but experience is show-
35
ing that it is, in truth, for a much longer period, in America.
The fi rst ten years, no rent at all was to be paid. For the next
35
It has been found that a three lives’ lease, in the State of New
York, is equal to a term of more than thirty years. – EDITOR.
441
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
ten, the land, fi ve hundred acres, was to pay sixpence currency
an acre, the tenant having the right to cut timber at pleasure.
This was a great concession, as the mill-lot contained much
pine. For the remainder of the lease, be it longer or shorter,
a shilling an acre, or about sixpence sterling, was to be paid
for the land, and forty pounds currency, or one hundred dollars a year, for the mill-seat. The mills to be taken by the landlord, at an appraisal ‘made by men’, at the expiration of
the lease; the tenant to pay the taxes. The tenant had the privilege of using all the materials for his dams, buildings, &c., he
could fi nd on the land.
The policy of the owners of Mooseridge was different. We
intended to sell at low prices, at fi rst, reserving for leases hereafter, such farms as could not be immediately disposed of, or
for which the purchaser failed to pay. In this manner it was
thought we should sooner get returns for our outlays, and
sooner ‘build up a settlement,’ as the phrase goes. In America,
the reader should know, everything is ‘built.’ The priest ‘builds
up’ a fl ock; the speculator, a fortune; the lawyer, a reputation;
and the landlord, a settlement; sometimes, with suffi cient accuracy in language, he even builds a town.
Jason was a very happy man, the moment he got his lease,
signed and sealed, in his own possession. It made him a sort of
a land-holder on the spot, and one who had nothing to pay
for ten years to come. God forgive me, if I do the man injustice; but, from the fi rst, I had a suspicion that Jason trusted to
fortune to prevent any pay-day from ever coming at all. As for
Herman Mordaunt, he seemed satisfi ed, for he fancied that he
had got a man of some education on his property, who might
answer a good purpose in civilizing, and in otherwise advancing the interests of his estate.
442
SATANSTOE; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
Just as the rays of the rising sun streamed through the crevices of our log tenement, and ere one of us three idlers had
risen from his pallet, I heard a moccasined foot moving near
me, in the nearly noiseless tread of an Indian. Springing to my
feet, I found myself face to face with the missing Onondago!
«You here, Susquesus!» I exclaimed; «we supposed you had
abandoned us. What has brought you back?»
«Time to go, now», answered the Indian, quietly. «Yengeese
and Canada warrior soon fi ght».
«Is this true! – And do you, can you know it to be true!
Where have you been this fortnight past?»
«Been see – have see – know him just so. Come – call
young men; go on war-path».
Here, then, was an explanation of the mystery of the Onondago’s absence! He had heard us speak of an intention of moving with the troops, at the last moment, and he had gone to
reconnoitre, in order that we might have seasonable notice
when it would be necessary to quit the ‘Ridge,’ as we familiarly
termed the Patent. I saw nothing treasonable in this, but rather deemed it a sign of friendly interest in our concerns; though
it was certainly ‘running’ much farther than the Indian had
been directed to proceed, and ‘running’ a little off the track.
One might overlook such an irregularity in a savage, however,
more especially as I began to weary of the monotony of our
present manner of living, and was not sorry to discover a plausible apology for a change.
The reader may be certain, it was not long before I had communicated the intelligence brought by the Trackless, to my
companions; who received it as young men would be; apt to
listen to tidings so stirring. The Onondago was summoned to
443
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
our council, and he renewed his protestation that it was time
for us to be moving.
«No stop» – he answered, when questioned again on
the subject; «time go. Canoe ready – gun loaded – warrior
counted – chief woke up – council fi re gone out. Time, go».
«Well then, Corny», said Guert, rising and stretching his
fi ne frame like a lion roused from his lair, «here’s off. We can
go to Ravensnest to sleep, to-day; and, to-morrow we will
work our way out into the highway, and fall into the line of
march of the army. I shall have another opportunity of seeing
Mary Wallace, and of telling her how much I love her. That
will be so much gained, at all events».
«No see squaw – no go to Nest!» said the Indian, with
energy. «War-path this way», pointing in a direction that
might have varied a quarter of a circle from that to Herman
Mordaunt’s settlement. «Bad for warrior to see squaw when he
dig up hatchet – only make woman of him. No; go this way –
path there – no here – scalp there – squaw here».
As the gestures of the Onondago were quite as signifi cant
as his language, we had no diffi culty in understanding him.
Guert continued his questions, however, while dressing, and
we all soon became convinced, by the words of the Indian,
broken and abrupt as they were, that Abercrombie was on
the point of embarking with his army on Lake George, and
that we must needs be active, if we intended to be present at
the contemplated operations in front of Ticonderoga.
Our decision was soon reached, and our preparations made.
By packing and shouldering his knapsack, and arming himself,
each man would be ready; though a short delay grew out of
the absence of Traverse and his chain-bearers. We wrote a let-
444
SATANSTOE; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
ter, however, explaining the reason of our intended absence,
promising to return as soon as the operations in front of Ty
should be terminated. This letter we left with Pete, who was to
remain as cook, though Jaap bestirred himself, loaded his
broad shoulders with certain indispensables for our march,
took his rifl e, pack and horn and was ready to move as soon
as any of us. All this the fellow did, moreover, without orders;
deeming it a part of his duty to follow his young master, even if
he followed him to evil. No dog, indeed, could be truer, in this
particular, than Jaap or Jacob Satanstoe, for he had adopted
the name of the Neck as his patronymic; much as the nobles of
other regions style themselves after their lands.
When all was ready, and we were on the point of quitting the hut, the question arose seriously, whether we were to
go by Ravensnest, or by the new route that the Onondago had
mentioned. Path there was not, in either direction; but, we had
land-marks, springs, and other known signs, on the former;
while of the latter we literally knew nothing. Then Anneke
and Mary Wallace, with their bright, blooming, sunny faces –
bright and happy whenever we appeared, most certainly, of
late – were in the former direction, and even Dirck cried out
‘for Ravensnest.’ But, on that route the Onondago refused to
stir one foot. He stood, resembling a fi nger-post, pointing
north-westerly with an immovable obstinacy, that threatened to bring the order of our march into some confusion.
«We know nothing of that route, Trackless», Guert observed, or rather replied, for the Indian’s manner was so expressive as to amount to a remark, «and we would rather travel a road with which we are a little acquainted. Besides, we
wish to pay our parting compliments to the ladies».
445
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
«Squaw no good, now – war-path no go to squaw. Huron –
French warrior, here».
«Ay, and they are there, too. We shall be on their heels
soon enough, by going to Ravensnest».
«No soon ‘nough – can’t do him. Path long, time short.
Pale-face warrior in great hurry».
«Pale-face warriors’ friends are in a hurry, too – so you
will do well to follow us, as we do not intend to follow you.
Come, gentlemen, we will lead the Indian, as the Indian does
not seem disposed to lead us. After a mile or two he will think
it more honourable to go in advance; and, for that distance,
I believe, I can show you the way».
«That road good for young men who don’t want see enemy!» said Susquesus, with ironical point.
«By St. Nicholas! Indian, what do you mean?» cried Guert,
turning short on his heels and moving swiftly towards
the Onondago, who did not wait for the menacing blow, but
wheeled in his tracks and led off, at a quick pace, directly towards the north-west.
I do believe that Guert pursued, for the fi rst minute, with
no other intention than that of laying his powerful arm on
the offender’s shoulder; but I dropped in on his footsteps
so soon, Dirck following me, and Jaap Dirck, that we were
all moving off Indian fi le, or in the fashion of the woods, at
the rate of four miles in the hour, almost before we knew it.
An impulse of that angry nature is not over in a minute, and,
before either of us had suffi ciently cooled to be entirely reasonable, the whole party was fairly out of sight of the hut. After that no one appeared to think of the necessity or of the expediency of reverting to the original intention. It was certainly
446
SATANSTOE; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
indiscreet, thus to confi de absolutely in the good faith of
a savage, or a semi-savage, at least, whom we scarcely knew,
and whom we had actually distrusted; but we did it, and precisely in the manner and under the feelings I have described.
I know that we all thought of the indiscretion of which we
had been guilty, after the fi rst mile; but each was too proud to
make the other acquainted with his misgivings. I say all, but
Jaap ought to be excepted, for nothing in the shape of danger
ever gave that negro any concern, unless it was spooks. He was
afraid of ‘spooks,’ but he did not fear man.
Susquesus manifested the same confi dence in his knowledge of the woods, while now leading the way, league after
league through the dark forest, as he had done when he took
us to the oak with the broken top. On this occasion, he guided
us more by the sun, and the course generally, than by any acquaintance with objects that we passed; though, three times
that day did he point out to us particular things that he had
before seen, while traversing the woods in directions that
crossed, at angles more or less oblique, the line of our present route. As for us, it was like a sailor’s pointing to a path on
the trackless ocean. We had our pocket-compasses, it is true,
and understood well enough that a north-west course would
bring us out somewhere near the foot of Lake George; but
I much doubt if we could have made, by any means, as direct
a line, by their aid, as we did by that of the Indian.
On this subject we had a discussion among ourselves,
I well remember, when we halted to eat and rest, a little after
the turn of the day. For fi ve hours had we walked with great
rapidity, much as the bird fl ies, so far as course was concerned,
never turning aside, unless it might be to avoid some impass-
447
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
able obstacle; and our calculation was that we had made quite
twenty, of the forty miles we had to go over, according to
the Onondago’s account of the probable length of our journey.
We had strung our sinews and hardened our muscles in such
a way as to place us above the infl uence of common fatigue;
yet, it must be confessed, the Indian was much the freshest of
the fi ve, when we reached the spring where we dined.
«An Indian does seem to have a nose much like that of
a hound», said Guert, as our appetites began to be appeased;
«that must be admitted. Yet I think, Corny, a compass would
carry a man through the woods with more certainty than any
signs on the bark of trees, or looks at the sun».
«A compass cannot err, of course; but it would be a troublesome thing to be stopping every minute or two, to look at your
compass, which must have time to become steady, you will remember, or it would become a guide that is worse than none».
«Every minute or two! Say once in an hour, or once in
half an hour, at most. I would engage to travel as straight as
the best Indian of them all, by looking at my compass once in
half an hour».
Susquesus was seated near enough to us three to over
hear our conversation, and he understood English perfectly,
though he spoke it in the usual, clipped manner of an Indian.
I thought I could detect a covert gleam of contempt in his dark
countenance, at this boast of Guert’s; but he made no remark.
We fi nished our meal, rested our legs; and, when our watches
told us it was one o’clock, we rose in a body to resume our
march. We were renewing the priming of our rifl es, a precaution each man took twice every day, to prevent the effects of
448
SATANSTOE; OR, THE LITTLEPAGE MANUSCRIPTS
the damps of the woods, when the Onondago quietly fell in
behind Guert, patiently waiting the leisure of the latter.
«We are all ready, Trackless», cried the Albanian ‘give us
the lead and the step, as before».
«No» – answered the Indian. «Compass lead, now Susquesus no see any longer, – blind as young dog».
«Oh! that is your game, is it! Well, let it be so. Now, Corny,
you shall learn the virtue there is in a compass».
Hereupon Guert drew his compass from a pocket in his
hunting-shirt, placed it on a log, in order to get a perfectly
accurate start, and waited until the quivering needle had become perfectly stationary. Then he made his observation, and
took a large hemlock, which stood at the distance of some
twenty rods, a great distance for a sight in the forest, as his
land-mark, gave a shout, caught up his compass, and led off.
We followed, of course, and soon reached the tree. As Guert
now fancied he was well entered on the right course, he disdained to turn to renew his observation, but called out for
us to ‘come on;’ as he had a new tree for his guide, and that in
the true direction. We may have proceeded in this manner for
half a mile, and I began to think that Guert was about to triumph – for, to me, it did really seem that our course was as
straight as it had been at any time that day. Guert now began to brag of his success, talking to me, and at the Indian, who
was between us over his shoulder.
«You see, Corny», he said, «I am used to the bush, after all,
and have often been up among the Mohawks, and on their
hunts. The great point is to begin right; after which you can
have no great trouble. Make certain of the fi rst ten rods, and
you can be at ease about the ten thousand that are to follow. So
449
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
it is with life, Corny, boy; begin right, and a young man is pretty certain of coming out right. I made a mistake at the start,
and you see the trouble it has given me. But, I was left an orphan, Littlepage, at ten years of age; and the boy that has neither father nor money, must be an uncommon boy not to kick
himself out of the traces before he is twenty. Well, Onondago,
what do you say to following the compass, now!»
«Best look at him – he tell», answered Susquesus, our
whole line halting to let Guert comply.
«This d–d compass will never come round!» exclaimed
Guert, shaking the little instrument in order to help the needle
round to the point at which he wished to see it stand. «These
little devils are very apt to get out of order, Corny after all».
«Try more – got three» – said the Indian, holding up
the number of fi ngers he mentioned, as was his wont, when
mentioning numbers of any sort.
On this hint Dirck and I drew out our compasses, and
the three were placed on a log, at the side of which we had
come to our halt. The result showed that the three ‘little
devils’ agreed most accurately, and that we were marching
exactly south-east, instead of north-west! Guert looked, on
that occasion, very much as he did when he rose from
the snow, after the hand-sled had upset with us. There
was no resisting the truth; we had got turned completely
round, without knowing it. The fact that the sun was so near
the zenith, probably contributed to our mistake; but, any
one who has tried the experiment, will soon ascertain how
easy it is for him to lose his direction, beneath the obscurity
and amid the inequalities of a virgin forest. Guert gave it up,
like a man as he was, and the Indian again passed in front,
450
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