| OCR Text |
Show 264 THE LILY AND TilE TOTEM. p:'lssions of tile wolf and tiger. Lean and feeble ns nrc our Frenchmen, they arc desperate. They are in the mood to bravo the forest chief in his f.-stnesscs, and to seize upon his own heart, in tho Jack of other food. The very desperation of their case secures them against any mi~gi\• ings. '!'he dontinions of llol:itn Uti1tn. were dist:lnt from La Caroline, between forty atHl (ift.y leagues up the river. !lis chief town, where he dwelt, lay some six more league!! inland, a space over which our Frenchmen had to march. Leaving a sulli.ccn~ guad:l in their vessels, L:mdounicrc and his company landed and pro· cccdcd in this quarter. He marched with caution, for he Knew l1is enemy. II is advance was conducted by Alphonse D'Erlar.h, his standard-bearer-one, whose experience and skill had been too frequently tried to leave it doubtful that llis conduct would bo a safe one. He had tra\'ersod the space before, and he know the route thoroughly. Tile progress was urged with as much secrecy as caution. The cover of the woods was carefully maintained, the object of the party being a surprise. They well knew that Utina had but little expectation of seeing them, at this juncture, in his own abode.!!. None, so \veil as hi tm~elf,knew how feeble was their condition, how little competent to any courageous enterprise. They succeeded iu appearing at the village of the chief witl10ut provokiug alarm. He himself was at homo, sitting in state in the royal wigwam, with but few warriors about him. The fashion of tho Indian, with less royal magnificence, in other words, with loss art and civilization- is not greatly unlike that or the Turk. Olata Utina sat crossed legs upon a dai! prepared of dressed skins of tho deer, the bear and panther. Tho spotted l1ides hung over the raised portions of the scat which he kept, upon which alao wight bo seen coverlets of cott(IO ingeniously CAI'TI\' IT \ OF TIH: GHEA'l' r'AIIACOUSSI. 265 manufactut·ed , and t·ichly stained with the bt·ight crimson, scarlet, and yellow,of natiw: Jyc-woO<k T hi!> tut of dyeing, the savages had broug!Jt to a eomparativdy high state of perfection. His house itsd f ~lood upon nn a r tificial e tuiueuco of earth, raised in the \'Cry centro of his \'illuge, and O\'erlooking it on every hand. It was an :1iry structure, with nu1uet·ou.s openings, nod tho breeze played sweetly and capriciously a.mong the coverlets which hung ns cttrtains bcfot·c the !lcvcml Jllaccs of egress and entrance. Utin., hituself was a. s.·wage of noble size and appearance. He carried himself with the case and dignity of one born to tho pttrJllc. Jli.s form, though an old man, was still unbending and tall. Jlis couutcnancc was one of great spirit and nobleness. \\'ith forehead efJually large and high, with n. dark eye that flash ed with all the fires of youth, with lips that opeued only to discOUl'Se in tones of a sweet but majestic eloquence, and with n. shrewd s..1gacity, that made him, among a cunning people, a recognised master of all the arts of the serpent, he was necessarily a person to impress with respect :md admiration tbo9e even who came with ho~ti l ity. I t is probable that Utina knew nothing of tho approach of the Frf'nchmcn, until it was too late to escape them. But, before they entered the opened P~paco as.«igned to tho settlement, he was ad,·iscd of their coming . 'l'hcn it was tlJflt ho threw aside his domestic habit nnd aJ;~~mn cd his state. Then it wna that he resumed hi.s dignity and ascended the tiuis of stained cotton and flowing deer-skin. Tlis turban of purple and yellow cotton w:ls bound skilfully about his brow, his bow and quiver lay beside him, while at his fuot was cxtcndr.d hie hugo mrt.cawl, or war-club, which it sc:u·cr'ly seemed poS.:>ible that his aged hands should now grasp with vigur sufficicut fur it.<i forwidahh: w.c. Hid hauds, whou tho 12 |
