VI.
Sir John in friendly accents spoke,
And ask’d their king to see;
They pointed to a shelter’d lodge
Beneath a giant tree;
And when away where the old oak grew
They moved with haughty strides,
Sir John and his little band march’d up
And follow’d their grim guides.
And here a village rose in sight,
Where the woods look’d dark and wild,
But silence reign’d in every lodge,
Nor saw they man or child.
Then spoke Sir John to his guides again,
And ask’d their chief to see.
They answer’d not, but away to the woods
They pointed silently;
And into the woods with quicken’d step
They silently withdrew,
And in their village left Sir John
Alone with his vessel’s crew.
But soon from the forest came again
Dark warriors with their bows,
And painted men on every side
From brake and bush arose;
And a warlike throng came up the path,
That led from the river shore,
And, moving quick, with hideous shouts,
Their sacred Okee bore—
Great Okee, whose mysterious power
Is in the earth and air,
In fire and flood and stormy winds,
And worketh every where.
Great Okee, dress’d in painted robes,
And shining chains and beads,
Who in the silent night performs
Unutterable deeds,
And safely through the darkest hour
His faithful people leads—
Great Okee cometh in the van
With war-plume on his head;
His brow is striped with black and white,
His cheeks are gory red;
And to the pale mysterious throng
They now are pressing near,
But Okee cometh in the van,
Why should his people fear?
A sudden war-whoop, wild and fierce,
Rings upward to the sky,
And a hundred warriors draw their bows,
And a hundred arrows fly.
But answering muskets quick give back
To the woods a roaring sound;
Each bowman flies, and Okee falls
Alone upon the ground.
Sir John the painted idol took,{[15]}
And bore it to the shore;
And soon a suppliant priest came down
Its ransom to implore.