Sam - The history of mystery
The author illustrates the History of the United States or Sam in a beautiful and mystical way without affecting the accuracy of historical facts.
Excerpt:
The Mysterious birth of "Sam"— Some of his Youthful Feats and Characteristic Eccentricities.
ONCE, when Earth, the good mother, was in grievous tribulation because of her children, and a voice of wailing was heard among the nations, a great cloud grew up suddenly in the East, and there seemed a sign of fire and tempest within its bosom. All the peoples felt the shadow of this great cloud upon them, but they knew not what the strange portent meant, except that, to certain minds among them, it seemed that this gathering of mighty forces must be pregnant with some MYSTERY that was to step out from its bosom soon, as if the " Son of the morning" came forth from the caves of night, and that this mystery, too, was most like to stand as an embodiment, whether an incarnated embodiment or not, of some new birth of regeneration to all mankind.
Though it was thus the wise man spoke, or rather hoped, yet no one knew these things to be true; therefore the people trembled, and were afraid, while the- turmoil of this cloudy PRESENCE rolled with its slow shadow over them; and when they saw it take its way toward the West, over the solitary sea, they wondered greatly whither it might be speeding.
Only the Viking's wandering prow had furrowed that solitary sea, as yet, when the great cloud set forth upon its face; but there were daring men who said its shadow was protection, and that no harm could come to any bark which sailed beneath it. And soon, from the port of Palos, in Andalusia, a fleet of little ships, like three cockleshells, went dancing forth upon the open sea and were quickly hid from view beneath that shadow. A mighty sailor stood within these deckless hulls, whose deep-visioned eyes saw beyond all shadows. (1492, 3d August.) And when men saw the mighty sailor forth, then from many a port went many a vessel, to sail within his wake, and all the world was filled with the wonder of the golden miracles those ships brought back.
And many a gay, adventuring host went shining underneath that shadow, that its slow glooms would not give up. At length (Dec. llth, 1620), the great cloud, which for more than a hundred years had wandered up and down, "brooding upon the sea, gathered together, and amidst a mighty anthem of the waves and winds, struck upon a headland rock, at Plymouth, and its voluminous folds, wrapping the snows for a moment, shivered as in a throe, then, thin and dim, commenced to fade upon the icy air. Now, as the shattered cloud rose up, a strange, frail ship that seemed to have been hidden within its womb of shadow, lay trembling feebly in the offing on subsiding waves.
The name of the little ship was " Mayflower." But when the cloud was all gone, there lay stretched upon the snow-covered summit of that headland rock a gigantic form, which seemed most like some helpless and misshapen Titan, which had been thus struck dumb, blind and sprawling out of the thunders of a tempest-birth, and hurled upon the desolation.
The trees yet rocked behind the passing storm when the bright sun came out, glittering keenly from the angles of the frosty rocks, upon this pale, ungainly spectre, which, born thus of the thunder, seemed the incarnation of some new and powerful FORCE. Touched by the sun, its lips moved in inarticulate sounds, that seemed in natural consonance with the groanings of the struggling forest, which bent its trees like grass-spears beneath the heavy head, thus pillowed on them all unconsciously.
The great arms of the monstrous Youngling, cast wildly out in spasms of a troubled awakening, in the involuntary clasp of drowsy fingers, tore the old oaks from rocky fissures, and the mighty stretching of its restless feet made maelstroms with the cliff-fronts, which they tumbled into the sea. Far away upon the crest of hills, and upon the promontories of that broken shore, the tufted red men gathered, warned by the sounding tremors in the earth and air of some strange advent.
And now they thronged and gazed upon this majestic wonder, which seemed to have lain down, as if upon its own couch, within the House-of-Sky, covering with its giant limbs the land of which the pestilence had made them but of late afraid.0 Now, with a slow, upward heave, the shoulders of the Youngling arise beneath the sun, and as he sits erect with mute, upturned face and unsealed eyes, the bowed forest trees swing up again with a clangour that would have scared Behemoth, stepping on the mountains.
He spreads with lazy stretch his arms abroad, feeling among the hills — and now, with quick sense, his unused fingers clutch upon the groups of shrinking red men, and thrilled by a touch of struggling life, he lifts them, fumbling, as if with baubles, toward his mouth.
The dangling stoics howl their death-whoop while they swing through mid-air by their scalp-locks, and at the strange sound the Mighty Infant, with loosened grasp, throws up its hands in awe, for now, through eyes dim-opened in the startle, the English received a visit from one of the natives, who came boldly into Plymouth, calling out Welcome English men! His name was Samoset, a Sagamore, who had learned a little English from the fishing vessels that had been on the coast. He informed the adventurers that the place they occupied, was called by the Indians Patuxet and that all the people formerly inhabiting the place, died of an extraordinary sickness about four years since. — Antiquarian Researches — E. Hoyt.
The spot to which Providence had directed the planters had, a few years before, been rendered entirely a desert by a pestilence, which had likewise swept over the neighbouring tribes, and desolated almost the whole sea-board of New England. When the Pilgrims landed, there were traces of a previous population but not one living inhabitant. Smoke from fires in the remote distance alone indicated the vicinity of natives. Miles Standish, " the best linguist" among the Pilgrims, as well as the best soldier, with an exploring party, was able to discover wigwams, but no tenants.
Yet a body of Indians from abroad was soon discovered hovering near the settlements though disappearing when pursued. — Bancroft's United States*. the power of the sun lias overcome him. Reaching, as if to pluck the glittering toy, his upright form has straightway chinned the hills, and with folded arms, now leaning idly on their barriers, he gazes out upon the spreading space. Some moving specs upon a far-off lake have caught his vacant eye — his outstretched grasp has reached them — and, gathering an Algonquin fleet within his fingers, he eyes, with an unmoved stare, the frail canoes of bark that are crushed within unconscious pressure, then snapping the huge pine that grew along the steppes, he piled a mighty ark in play, that launched with a toss on the same waves, displaced in overflow the pent-up waters with its swing.
As children pick in idleness at any dot upon the sheet, he plucked a wigwam village by the roots, and with a stare and stride, as if their funnel-tops had proved offensive, he tore the idle bowlders from the valleys and built a towering House that would not smoke. Now, as the sun went up and the awed savages kneeled to him, the giant Infant took a new mood. While he gazed steadfast on the blazing orb, there seemed a gnat, or some ambitious thing, that flitted before his sight. He swept his great hand down and brought the struggler to his face. It pecked and clawed him with a vicious tare, that first aroused him to the sense of pain, and tossing the warlike insect from him, he watched it cleave with unrumpled plumes, the sunward air again. He took the tameless creature down from the skies, and made its eyrie on the House he built!
Some contents:
CHAPTER I.
The Mysterious birth of " Sam " — Some of his Youthful Feats and Characteristic Eccentricities, 5
CHAPTER II.
The young " Sam " proves a shrewd Citizen — His first Hanging Feat — The early Navigators 9
CHAPTER III.
The first act of Diplomacy on the part of "Sam" — His tender mercies toward the heathen King Philip, and other merciful attributes. ... 12
CHAPTER IV.
Specimens of " Sam's " savage battles with the Indian Tribes-!— the character of his Retribution 18
CHAPTER V.
The capture of Cononchet and of Miantonomah — Annuwan, the last captain of Philip — Characteristic end of tie War 23
CHAPTER VI.
The humorous Nathaniel Word — "Sam's" theory of government through his assistance — Blue Laws
CHAPTER VII.
Commencement of the Witch-burning Comedy — Exemplary Mr Philip Smith, and the Valdemar Case 35
CHAPTER VIII.
The Origin of the Witch Persecutions — Character of Cotton Mather — Cotton Mather and his Invisibles- — Parris, his associate and conspirator — Hanging of George Burroughs — Decline of the delusion, and Mather's despair — Quaint specimens from Mather's Works — White Slavery 39
CHAPTER IX.
Slavery, White, Black, Red and Yellow — Impudence of the clamour about Slavery, raised by those with whom it originated — Slavery old as time — Historical, of the different forms of Slavery 46
CHAPTER X.
very brought home to the Children of "Sam" — Pure Domestic Aspect — Original existence in all the Colonies — " Sam's Slave Panic in New York 61
CHAPTER XI.
Puritan " Sam " and Individuality — "Day" first Printer — Abuse of the Virginia Settlers in the "Yellow covered Literature" of History — Who were the true Discoverers and Settlers of America? 63
CHAPTER XII.
Formation of the London Company for the Settlement of Virginia — Birthplace of Capt. John Smith, and early crosses — Enters the service of Austria — Single combats in presence of both armies — Prisoner among the Tartars — Romantic adventures and escape — Joins the London Company — Prisoner among the Indians — Saved from death by the youthful Pocahontas — Other achievements in America 66
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