Frostburg mining journal., 1883-11-03

remarkable for the strangeness of his
dress, the iron-like inhexibility of
his frame, and the singular COM
pound of quick, vigilant sagacity,
and of exquisite simplicity, that by
turns usurped the possession of his
muscular features. At little dis
tance i'll advance stood Uncas, his
whole person thrown powerfully into
view. The travellers anxiously re-
garded the upright, flexible figure of
the yonng Mohican, graceful and
unrestrained in the attitudes and
movements of nature. Though his
person was more than usually screen
ed by green and fringed hunting
shirt, like that of the white man,
there was no concealment to his
dark, glancing, fearless eye, alike
terrible and calm; the bold outline
of his high, naughty features, pure
in their native red, or to the digni-
fled elevation of his receding fore
head, together with the finest pro-
portions of a noble head, barred to
the generous scalping tuft. 1t was
the first opportunity possessed by
Duncan and his companions to view
the marked lineaments of either of
their Indian attendants, and each in
dividual of the party felt relieved
from doubt, as the proud and de-
termined, though wild expression of
the features of the young warrior
forced itself on their notice. They
felt it might be being partially be-
nighted in the vale of ignorance, but
it could not be one who would
willingly devote his rich natural
gift to the purposes of wanton
treachery. The ingenious Alice
gazed at his free air and proud car
riage, as she would have looked upon
some relic of the Grecian chisel, to
which life had been impaired by the
intervention of q miracle; while Hey
ward, though accustomed to see the
perfection of form which abounds
among the uncorrupted natives,
openly expressed his admiration at
such an unbl0mished specimen of
the noblest proportions of man.
81 could sleep in peace" whisper
ed Alice, ''with such fearless and
generous looking youth for my SEN
tinel. Surely, Duncan, those cruel
murders, those terrific scenes of tor
ture, of which we read and hear so
much are never acted in the presence
of such as he?"
"This, certainly, is rare instance
of those natural qualities, i'll which
these peculiar people are said to
excel" he answered. 81 agree with
you, Alice, in thinking that such q
front and eye were formed rather to
intimidate than to deceive; but let
us not practice a deception upon our
selves, by expecting any other exhi'
bition ofwhat we esteem virtue than
according to the fashion of savage
AS bright examples of great quail
ties are but too uncommon things
among Christians, so are they singu.
lar and solitary with the Indians
though for the honor of our common
nature, neither are incapable of pro.
ducing them. Let us then hope
that this Mohican may not disap'
point our wishes, but prove, what
his looks assert him to be, a brave
and constant friend"
"Now, Major Hayward speaks as
Major Hayward should" said Cora
"who that looks at this creature O.
nature, remembers the shade of his
skim"
A short, and apparently an EN-.
barassed silence succeeded this re.
mark, which was interrupted by the
scout calling to them aloud to enter
''This fire begins to show too bright
Il Aame," he continued as they com.
piled, "and might light the Mingoe'
to our undoing. Uncas, drop the
blanket, and show the knaves its
dark side. This is not such sup.
per as major of the Royal Ameri'
cans has right to expect, but Eve
known stout attachments of the
corps glad to eat their venison raw
and without a relish, too.* Here
you see, we have plenty of salt, and
vim vulgar parlance the condiments of {
repast are called by the Americans "a relish,
substituting the thing for its effect. These
provincial terms are frequently put in the
mouths of the speakers according to theil