Chapter 14

"'A stranger animal,' cries one,
'Sure never liv'd beneath the sun;
A lizard's body lean and long,
A fish's head, a serpent's tongue,
Its foot, with triple claw disjoined;
And what a length of tail behind!'"

James Merrick, "The Chameleon," 11.21-26.

The first act of the Delaware, on rejoining his friend, was to
proceed gravely to disencumber himself of his civilized attire, and
to stand forth an Indian warrior again. The protest of Deerslayer
was met by his communicating the fact that the presence of an
Indian in the hut was known to the Iroquois, and that maintaining
the disguise would be more likely to direct suspicions to his real
object, than if he came out openly as a member of a hostile tribe.
When the latter understood the truth, and was told that he had been
deceived in supposing the chief had succeeded in entering the Ark
undiscovered, he cheerfully consented to the change, since further
attempt at concealment was useless. A gentler feeling than the
one avowed, however, lay at the bottom of the Indian's desire to
appear as a son of the forest. He had been told that Hist was on
the opposite shore, and nature so far triumphed over all distinctions
of habit, and tribes and people, as to reduce this young savage
warrior to the level of a feeling which would have been found in
the most refined inhabitant of a town, under similar circumstances.
There was a mild satisfaction in believing that she he loved could
see him, and as he walked out on the platform in his scanty, native
attire, an Apollo of the wilderness, a hundred of the tender fancies
that fleet through lovers' brains beset his imagination and softened
his heart. All this was lost on Deerslayer, who was no great adept
in the mysteries of Cupid, but whose mind was far more occupied
with the concerns that forced themselves on his attention, than with
any of the truant fancies of love. He soon recalled his companion,
therefore, to a sense of their actual condition, by summoning him
to a sort of council of war, in which they were to settle their
future course. In the dialogue that followed, the parties mutually
made each other acquainted with what had passed in their several
interviews. Chingachgook was told the history of the treaty about
the ransom, and Deerslayer heard the whole of Hetty's communications.
The latter listened with generous interest to his friend's hopes,
and promised cheerfully all the assistance he could lend.

"Tis our main ar'n'd, Sarpent, as you know, this battling for the
castle and old Hutter's darters, coming in as a sort of accident.
Yes - yes - I'll be actyve in helping little Hist, who's not only
one of the best and handsomest maidens of the tribe, but the very