第42章

Mabel Dunham, though unsophisticated, like most of her countrywomen of that period, and ingenuous and frank as any warm-hearted and sincere-minded girl well could be, was not altogether without a feeling for the poetry of this beautiful earth of ours.Although she could scarcely be said to be educated at all, for few of her sex at that day and in this country received much more than the rudiments of plain English instruction, still she had been taught much more than was usual for young women in her own station in life; and, in one sense certainly, she did credit to her teaching.The widow of a field-officer, who formerly belonged to the same regiment as her father, had taken the child in charge at the death of its mother;and under the care of this lady Mabel had acquired some tastes and many ideas which otherwise might always have remained strangers to her.Her situation in the family had been less that of a domestic than of a humble com-panion, and the results were quite apparent in her attire, her language, her sentiments, and even in her feelings, though neither, perhaps, rose to the level of those which would properly characterize a lady.She had lost the less refined habits and manners of one in her original position, without having quite reached a point that disqualified her for the situation in life that the accidents of birth and fortune would probably compel her to fill.All else that was distinctive and peculiar in her belonged to natural character.

With such antecedents it will occasion the reader no wonder if he learns that Mabel viewed the novel scene before her with a pleasure far superior to that produced by vulgar surprise.She felt its ordinary beauties as most would have felt them, but she had also a feeling for its sublimity -- for that softened solitude, that calm grandeur, and eloquent repose, which ever pervades broad views of natural objects yet undisturbed by the labors and strug-gles of man.

"How beautiful!" she exclaimed, unconscious of speak-ing, as she stood on the solitary bastion, facing the air from the lake, and experiencing the genial influence of its freshness pervading both her body and her mind.

"How very beautiful! and yet how singular!"The words, and the train of her ideas, were interrupted by a touch of a finger on her shoulder, and turning, in the expectation of seeing her father, Mabel found Pathfinder at her side.He was leaning quietly on his long rifle, and laughing in his quiet manner, while, with an outstretched arm, he swept over the whole panorama of land and water.

"Here you have both our domains," said he, -- "Jasper's and mine.The lake is for him, and the woods are for me.The lad sometimes boasts of the breadth of his dominions; but I tell him my trees make as broad a plain on the face of this 'arth as all his water.Well, Mabel, you are fit for either; for I do not see that fear of the Mingos, or night-marches, can destroy your pretty looks.""It is a new character for the Pathfinder to appear in, to compliment a silly girl.""Not silly, Mabel; no, not in the least silly.The Ser-geant's daughter would do discredit to her worthy father, were she to do or say anything that could be called silly.""Then she must take care and not put too much faith in treacherous, flattering words.But, Pathfinder, I rejoice to see you among us again; for, though Jasper did not seem to feel much uneasiness, I was afraid some accident might have happened to you and your friend on that frightful rift.""The lad knows us both, and was sartain that we should not drown, which is scarcely one of my gifts.It would have been hard swimming of a sartainty, with a long-barrelled rifle in the hand; and what between the game, and the savages and the French, Killdeer and Ihave gone through too much in company to part very easily.No, no; we waded ashore, the rift being shallow enough for that with small exceptions, and we landed with our arms in our hands.We had to take our time for it, on account of the Iroquois, I will own; but, as soon as the skulking vagabonds saw the lights that the Sergeant sent down to your canoe, we well understood they would decamp, since a visit might have been expected from some of the garrison.So it was only sitting patiently on the stones for an hour, and all the danger was over.Patience is the greatest of virtues in a woodsman.""I rejoice to hear this, for fatigue itself could scarcely make me sleep, for thinking of what might befall you.""Lord bless your tender little heart, Mabel! but this is the way with all you gentle ones.I must say, on my part, however, that I was right glad to see the lanterns come down to the waterside, which I knew to be a sure sign of _your_ safety.We hunters and guides are rude beings; but we have our feelings and our idees, as well as any general in the army.Both Jasper and I would have died before you should have come to harm -- we would.""I thank you for all you did for me, Pathfinder; from the bottom of my heart, I thank you; and, depend on it, my father shall know it.I have already told him much, but have still a duty to perform on this subject.""Tush, Mabel! The Sergeant knows what the woods be, and what men -- true red men -- be, too.There is lit-tle need to tell him anything about it.Well, now you have met your father, do you find the honest old soldier the sort of person you expected to find ?""He is my own dear father, and received me as a soldier and a father should receive a child.Have you known him long, Pathfinder?""That is as people count time.I was just twelve when the Sergeant took me on my first scouting, and that is now more than twenty years ago.We had a tramping time of it; and, as it was before your day, you would have had no father, had not the rifle been one of my natural gifts.""Explain yourself."

"It is too simple for many words.We were ambushed, and the Sergeant got a bad hurt, and would have lost his scalp, but for a sort of inbred turn I took to the weapon.