Your own people will not own you, and no
tribe of redmen would have you in their wigwams; you skulk among
petticoated warriors. You slay our brave friend who has left us?
- No- his great soul scorned to fight you, and left his body rather
than have the shame of slaying you! But the blood that you spilt
when the spirit was not looking on, has not sunk into the ground.
It must be buried in your groans. What music do I hear? Those
are not the wailings of a red man! - no red warrior groans so much
like a hog. They come from a pale-face throat - a Yengeese bosom,
and sound as pleasant as girls singing - Dog - skunk - woodchuck
-mink - hedgehog - pig - toad - spider -yengee -"
Here the old woman, having expended her breath and exhausted
her epithets, was fain to pause a moment, though both her fists
were shaken in the prisoner's face, and the whole of her wrinkled
countenance was filled with fierce resentment. Deerslayer looked
upon these impotent attempts to arouse him as indifferently as
a gentleman in our own state of society regards the vituperative
terms of a blackguard: the one party feeling that the tongue of an
old woman could never injure a warrior, and the other knowing that
mendacity and vulgarity can only permanently affect those who resort
to their use; but he was spared any further attack at present, by
the interposition of Rivenoak, who shoved aside the hag, bidding
her quit the spot, and prepared to take his seat at the side of his
prisoner.
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