James Fenimore Cooper

The Pathfinder James Fenimore Cooper

The Mohican continued to eat, though the second white man rose, and courteously took off hiscap to Mabel Dunham. He was young, healthful, and manly in appearance; and he wore a dresswhich, while it was less rigidly professional than that of the uncle, also denoted one accustomed tothe water. In that age, real seamen were a class entirely apart from the rest of mankind, their ideas, ordinary language, and attire being as strongly indicative of their calling as the opinions, speech, anddress of a Turk denote a Mussulman. Although the Pathfinder was scarcely in the prime of life, Mabel had met him with a steadiness that may have been the consequence of having braced hernerves for the interview; but when her eyes encountered those of the young man at the fire, they fellbefore the gaze of admiration with which she saw, or fancied she saw, he greeted her. Each, in truth, felt that interest in the other which similarity of age, condition, mutual comeliness, and their novelsituation would be likely to inspire in the young and ingenuous."Here," said Pathfinder, with an honest smile bestowed on Mabel, "are the friends your worthyfather has sent to meet you. This is a great Delaware; and one who has had honors as well astroubles in his day. He has an Indian name fit for a chief, but, as the language is not always easy forthe inexperienced to pronounce we naturally turn it into English, and call him the Big Sarpent. Youare not to suppose, however, that by this name we wish to say that he is treacherous, beyond what islawful in a red-skin; but that he is wise, and has the cunning which becomes a warrior. Arrowhead, there, knows what I mean."While the Pathfinder was delivering this address, the two Indians gazed on each other steadily, and the Tuscarora advanced and spoke to the other in an apparently friendly manner."I like to see this," continued Pathfinder; "the salutes of two red-skins in the woods, Master Cap, are like the hailing of friendly vessels on the ocean. But speaking of water, it reminds me of myyoung friend, Jasper Western here, who can claim to know something of these matters, seeing thathe has passed his days on Ont