With a cheek glowing, an eye flashing,
and his gleaming tomahawk whirling rapidly round his
head, he cleared at a single bound the fire that separated
him from his insulter. The formidable man who had thus
wantonly provoked the attack, was equally prompt in
meeting it. At the first movement of the youth, he too
had leapt to his feet, and brandished the terrible weapon
that served in the double capacity of pipe and hatchet.
A fierce yell escaped the lips of each, as they thus met
in close and hostile collision, and the scene for the
moment promised to be one of the most tragic character;
but before either could find an assailable point on which
to rest his formidable weapon, Ponteac himself had thrown
his person between them, and in a voice of thunder
commanded the instant abandonment of their purpose.
Exasperated even as they now mutually were, the influence
of that authority, for which the great chief of the
Ottawas was well known, was not without due effect on
the combatants. His anger was principally directed against
the assailant, on whom the tones of his reproving voice
produced a change the intimidation of his powerful opponent
could never have effected.
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