Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1883-10-13

SfedG lfacl, ike Gile sea, WHERE Ine
earth is round, how in reason can
the water be quiet? You might as
well expect the river to lie still on
the brink Of those black rocks,
a mile above US, though your own
ears tell You that it is tumbling over
them at this very moment"
If unsatisfed by the philosophy of
his companion, the Indian was far
too dignifed to betray his unbelief.
He listened like one who was convinc-
ed, and resumed his narrative in his
former solemn manner.
ave came from the place where
the sun is hid at night, over great
plains where the.buffaloes live, until
we reached the big river. There we
fought the Alligewi, till the ground
was red with their blood. From the
banks of the big river to the shores
of the salt lake, there was none to
meet us. The Maquas followed at
a distance. We said the country
should be ours from the place where
the water runs up no longer ON this
stream to river twenty suns journey
toward the summer. The land we
had taken like warriors we kept like
men. We drove the Maquas into the
woods with the bears. They only
tasted salt at the licks; they drew no
fish from the great lake; we threw
them the bones"
"All this | have heard and believe"
said the white man, observing that the
Indian paused; "butit was long before
the English came into the country"
"a pine tree grew where this chest
nut now stands. The first palefaces
who came among us spoke no English.
They came in large canoe, when my
fathers buried the tomahawk with the
red men around them. Then Hawk
eye" he continued, betraying his
emotion, only by permitting his voice
to fall to those low, cultural tones,
which render his language, as spoken
at times, so very musical; "then,
Hawk-eye, we were one people, and
we were happy. The salt lake gave
lis fish, the wood it's deer, and the
air it's birds. We took wives who
bore lis children; we worshipped the
Great Spirit; and We kept the Maquas
beyond the sound of our songs of
triumph"
"Know you anything of your own
family at that time ?" demanded the
white. "Butyou are just man, for
an Indian; and | suppose you hold
their gifts, your fathers must have
been brave warriors, and wise men at
the council-fre."
"My tribe is the grandfather of
nations, but / am an unmixed man.
The blood of the chiefs is in my veins
where it must stay, forever. The
Dutch landed, and gave my people
the frewater; they drank until the
heavens and the earth seemed to meet,
and they foolishly thought they had
found the Great Spirit. Then they
parted with their land. Foot by foot
they were driven back from the
shores, until !, that am q chief and
a Sycamore, have never seen the sun
shine but through the trees, and have
never visited the graves of my fathers"
"Graves bring solemn feelings over
the mind" returned the scout, good
deal touched at the calm sufferings of
his companion; sand they often aid a
man in his good intentions; though,
for myself, l expect to leave my bones
unburied, to bleach in the woods, or
to be torn asunder by the wolves.
But where are to be found those of
your race who came to their kin in the
Delaware country, so many summers
since?"
"Where are the blossoms of those
summers fallen one by one; SO all
of my family departed, each in his
turn, to the land of spirits. am on
the hilltop and must go down into
the valley; and when Uncas follows
in my footsteps, there will no longer
be any of the blood of the Sagamores,
for my boy is the last of the Mohicans."
"Uncas is here," said another voice,
in the same soft cultural tones, near
his elbow; 'who speaks of Uncas ?"
The white man loosened his knife
in his leather sheath, and made an
involuntary movement of the hand
towards his rifle, at this sudden in
terruption; but the Indian sat COM