INFLUENCE OF NORTH AMERICAN LITERATURE 487 



in the form of the dreaded Mingo Indians, who really undertake 

 the plundering of the castle only because it is good booty, lying acci- 

 dentally in their way. Help comes to Old Tom, thus surrounded with 

 impending dangers, in the person of an acquaintance and hunting 

 comrade, a rough man, superhumanly strong, called Hurry Harry, 

 who sues in vain for the love of Tom's elder daughter, the wondrously 

 beautiful Judith, even as the knight from Upper Austria sues for 

 Clarissa's love. Judith has formerly been in love with an English 

 officer, Warley, as Clarissa has loved the Swedish Prince Ronald. 

 Gregory I regard as the parallel to the Deerslayer himself. 



Almost all of this cycle of Cooper's novels start out with some 

 sort of a forest journey. In the Deerslayer, the two hunters press on 

 through the wilderness, in order to reach the lake and floating Tom. 

 The same situation is more fully worked out at the commencement of 

 the Pathfinder, where the four characters likewise reach a "windrow " 

 in the forest, in which the fallen trees lie "blended like jackstraws," 

 and from which they enjoy a sublime prospect over the measureless 

 expanse of woods. "An exclamation of surprise broke from the lips 

 of Deerslayer, an exclamation that was low and guardedly made, 

 however, for his habits were much more thoughtful and regulated 

 than those of the reckless Hurry, when, on reaching the margin of 

 the lake, he beheld the view that unexpectedly met his gaze." A 

 gentle exclamation of astonishment escapes also from the maidens 

 at the sight of the broad surface of "glistening water, over whose 

 bosom the soft image of the moon floated like a lazy cloud." The 

 lake in Deerslayer is called " Glimmerglass, seeing that its whole 

 basin is so often fringeel'with pines, cast upward from its face; as if 

 it would throw back the hills that hang over it." In a pregnant 

 passage in the Lost of the Mohicam, the "sparkling streams" are 

 spoken of with great emphasis. Glimmer, shimmer, glitter l arc also 

 favorite 1 and oft-recurring words with Stit'ter. The whole lake scent 1 

 in Stifter is like that in Cooper; the changes which lie has introduced 

 into the geographical relations of Blockeiistein Lake can be explained 

 as results of this literary influence. The equipment of the forest house 1 

 in Stifter is closely patterned after that of the castle in Cooper, 

 even to the padlock and to the fortification with palisades 2 a. 

 wholly superfluous fortification in ca>e of a building standing on dry 

 land. In the arrangement of both houses, great precautions are 

 taken against fin 1 , .lust as. in Stifter. the furnishings an 1 surprisingly 

 comfortable, so also \ve read in Cooper: a single 1 glance 1 sufiiceel to 

 show that the house was inhabited by females. Most clearly do the 

 rafts in Stifter betray their foreign origin. Old Tom, for the sake of 



1 "Glimmern. sehimmern, flimmern." 



2 Later, Stifter uses "Pflocke" as the equivalent of " Palirfrfaden'' in the 

 translations of Cooper, " Pfe.il er" is also employed. 



