第6章

Kateplayfullyvoicedheradmiration;Jimmethimwithabrotherlyridiculewhichbespokehisaffectionaswellashisamusement;butColonelZane,havingonceyieldedtothesameburning,riotouscravingforfreedomwhichnowstirredintheboy"sheart,understood,andfeltwarmlydrawntowardthelad。

Hesaidnothing,thoughashewatchedJoehiseyesweregraveandkind。Inhislongfrontierlife,wheremanyadaymeasuredthelifeandfireofordinaryyears,hehadseenladafterladgodownbeforethisforestfever。Itwaswell,hethought,becausethefreedomofthesoildependedonthesewild,light—footedboys;yetitalwaysmadehimsad。Howmanyyouths,hisbrotheramongthem,layunderthefragrantpine—needlecarpetoftheforest,intheirlastearthlysleep！

The"raising"broughtoutallthesettlement——thewomentolookonandgossip,whilethechildrenplayed;thementobendtheirbacksinthemovingoftheheavytimbers。Theycelebratedtheerectionofanewcabinasanoteworthyevent。Asasocialfunctionithadaprominentplaceinthesettlers"shortlistofpleasures。

Joewatchedtheproceedingwiththesamepleasureandsurprisehehadfeltineverythingpertainingtoborderlife。

Tohimthislog—raisingappearedthehardestkindoflabor。Yetitwasplainthesehardymen,theselow—voicedwomen,andmerrychildrenregardedtheworkassomethingfarmoresignificantthanthemerebuildingofacabin。Afterawhileheunderstoodthemeaningofthescene。Akindredspirit,thespiritofthepioneer,drewthemallintoonelargefamily。Thiswasanothercabin;

anotherhome;anotheradvancetowardtheconqueringofthewilderness,forwhichthesebravemenandwomenweregivingtheirlives。Inthebright—eyedchildren"sglee,whentheyclappedtheirlittlehandsatthemountinglogs,Joesawtheprogress,themarchofcivilization。

"Well,I"msorryyou"retoleaveusto—night,"remarkedColonelZanetoJoe,astheyoungmancameovertowherehe,hiswife,andsisterwatchedthework。

"Jonathansaidallwasreadyforyourdepartureatsundown。"

"Dowetravelbynight？"

"Indeed,yes,mylad。ThereareIndianseverywhereontheriver。Ithink,however,withJackandLewhandlingthepaddles,youwillslipbysafely。Theplanistokeepalongthesouthshoreallnight;thencrossoverataplacecalledGirty"sPoint,whereyouaretoremaininhidingduringdaylight。FromthereyoupaddleupYellowCreek;thenportageacrosscountrytotheheadoftheTuscarwawas。Anothernight"sjourneywillthenbringyoutotheVillageofPeace。"

JimandMr。Wells,withhisnieces,joinedthepartynow,andallstoodwatchingasthelastlogswereputinplace。

"ColonelZane,myfirstlog—raisingisaneducationtome,"saidtheyoungminister,inhisearnestmanner。"Thissceneissofulloflife。Ineversawsuchgoodwillamonglaboringmen。Lookatthatbrawny—armedgiantstandingonthetopmostlog。Howhewhistlesasheswingshisax！Mr。Wells,doesitnotimpressyou？"

"Thepioneersmustbebrothersbecauseoftheirisolationandperil;tobebrothersmeanstoloveoneanother;toloveoneanotheristoloveGod。WhatyouseeinthisfraternityisGod。AndIwanttoseethissamebeautifulfeelingamongtheIndians。"

"Ihaveseenit,"saidColonelZane,totheoldmissionary。"WhenIcameoutherealonetwelveyearsagotheIndianswerepeaceable。Ifthepioneershadpaidforland,asIpaidCornplanter,therewouldneverhavebeenaborderwar。Butno;thesettlersmustgraspeveryacretheycould。ThentheIndiansrebelled;thentheGirtysandtheiralliesspreaddiscontent,andnowtheborderisabloodywarpath。"

"HavetheJesuitmissionariesaccomplishedanythingwiththesewartribes？"

inquiredJim。

"No;theirworkhasbeenchieflyamongtheIndiansnearDetroitandnorthward。

TheHurons,Delawares,ShawneesandotherwesterntribeshavebeendemoralizedbytheFrenchtraders"rum,andincitedtofiercehatredbyGirtyandhisrenegades。YourworkatGnaddenhuttenmustbeamongthesehostiletribes,anditissurelyahazardousundertaking。"

"MylifeisGod"s,"murmuredtheoldminister。Nofearcouldassailhissteadfastfaith。

"Jim,itstrikesmeyou"dbemorelikelytoimpresstheseIndiansColonelZanespokeofifyou"dgetasuitlikemineandwearaknifeandtomahawk,"

interposedJoe,cheerfully。"Then,ifyoucouldn"tconvert,youcouldscalpthem。"

"Well,well,letushopeforthebest,"saidColonelZane,whenthelaughterhadsubsided。"We"llgoovertodinnernow。Come,allofyou。Jonathan,bringWetzel。Betty,makehimcome,ifyoucan。"

Asthepartyslowlywendeditswaytowardthecolonel"scabinJimandNellfoundthemselvessidebyside。Theyhadnotexchangedawordsincetheeveningprevious,whenJimhadkissedher。Unabletolookateachothernow,andfindingspeechdifficult,theywalkedinembarrassedsilence。

"Doesn"tJoelooksplendidinhishuntingsuit？"askedJim,presently。

"Ihadn"tnoticed。Yes;helookswell,"repliedNell,carelessly。Shewastooindifferenttobenatural。

"Areyouangrywithhim？"

"Certainlynot。"

Jimwasalwayssimpleandfrankinhisrelationswithwomen。Hehadnoneofhisbrother"sfluencyofspeech,withneitherconfidence,boldnessnorunderstandingoftheintricatemazesofawoman"smoods。

"But——youareangrywith——me？"hewhispered。

Nellflushedtohertemples,yetshedidnotraisehereyesnorreply。

"Itwasaterriblethingformetodo,"wentonJim,hesitatingly。"Idon"tknowwhyItookadvantage——of——ofyourmistakingmeforJoe。Ifyouonlyhadn"theldupyourmouth。No——Idon"tmeanthat——ofcourseyoudidn"t。

But——well,Icouldn"thelpit。I"mguilty。Ihavethoughtoflittleelse。Somewonderfulfeelinghaspossessedmeeversince——since———"

"WhathasJoebeensayingaboutme？"demandedNell,hereyesburninglikeopals。

"Why,hardlyanything,"answeredJim,haltingly。"Itookhimtotaskabout——aboutwhatIconsideredmightbewrongtoyou。Joehasneverbeenverycarefulofyoungladies"feelings,andIthought——well,itwasnoneofmybusiness。Hesaidhehonestlycaredforyou,thatyouhadtaughthimhowunworthyhewasofagoodwoman。Buthe"swrongthere。Joeiswildandreckless,yethisheartisawellofgold。Heisadiamondintherough。JustnowheispossessedbywildnotionsofhuntingIndiansandroamingthroughtheforests;buthe"llcomeroundallright。IwishIcouldtellyouhowmuchhehasdoneforme,howmuchIlovehim,howIknowhim！Hecanbemadeworthyofanywoman。Hewilloutgrowthisfiery,daringspirit,andthen——won"tyouhelphim？"

"Iwill,ifhewillletme,"softlywhisperedNell,irresistiblydrawnbythestrong,earnestlovethrillinginhisvoice。

ChapterX。

Oncemoreoutundertheblue—blackvaultofheaven,withitsmyriadsoftwinklingstars,thevoyagersresumedtheirwestwardjourney。Whisperedfarewellsofnewbutsincerefriendslingeredintheirears。Nowthegreatloomingbulkofthefortabovethemfadedintotheobscuredarkness,leavingafeelingasifaprotectorhadgone——perhapsforever。Admonishedtoabsolutesilencebythesternguides,whoseemedindeedtohaveembarkeduponadarkanddeadlymission,thevoyagerslaybackinthecanoesandthoughtandlistened。Thewatereddiedwithsoftgurglesinthewakeoftheracingcanoes;

butthatmusicalsoundwasalltheyheard。Thepaddlesmighthavebeenshadows,forallthesplashtheymade;theycutthewaterswiftlyandnoiselessly。Onwardthefrailbarksglidedintoblackspace,sidebyside,closeundertheoverhangingwillows。Longmomentspassedintolonghours,astheguidespaddledtirelesslyasiftheirsinewswerecordsofsteel。

Withgraydawncamethecarefullandingofthecanoes,acoldbreakfasteatenundercoverofawillowthicket,andthebeginningofalongdaywhiletheywerelyinghiddenfromthekeeneyesofIndianscouts,waitingforthefriendlymantleofnight。

Thehoursdraggeduntiloncemorethecanoeswerelaunched,thistimenotonthebroadOhio,butonastreamthatmirrorednoshiningstarsasitflowedstillandsomberunderthedensefoliage。

Thevoyagersspokenot,norwhispered,norscarcelymoved,somenacinghadbecometheslow,listeningcautionofWetzelandZane。Snappingoftwigssomewhereintheinscrutabledarknessdelayedthemforlongmoments。AnymovementtheairmightresoundwiththehorribleIndianwar—whoop。Everysecondwasheavywithfear。Howmarvelousthatthesescouts,penetratingthewildernessofgloom,glidedonsurely,silently,safely！Instinct,ortheeyesofthelynx,guidetheircourse。Butanotherdarknightworeontothetardydawn,andeachofitsfearfulhoursnumberedmilespastandgone。

ThesunwasrisinginruddyglorywhenWetzelranhiscanoeintothebankjustaheadofasharpbendinthestream。

"Dowegetouthere？"askedJim,seeingJonathanturnhiscanoetowardWetzel"s。

"Thevillageliesyonder,aroundthebend,"answeredtheguide。"Wetzelcannotgothere,soI"lltakeyouallinmycanoe。"

"There"snoroom;I"llwait,"repliedJoe,quietly。Jimnotedhislook——astrange,steadyglanceitwas——andthensawhimfixhiseyesuponNell,watchingheruntilthecanoepassedaroundthegreen—borderedbendinthestream。

UnmistakablesignsofanIndiantownwerenowevident。Dozensofgracefulbirchencanoeslayuponthewell—clearedbanks;alogbridgespannedthestream;abovetheslightridgeofrisinggroundcouldbeseenthepolesofIndianteepees。

AsthecanoegrateduponthesandybeachalittleIndianboy,whowasplayingintheshallowwater,raisedhisheadandsmiled。

"That"sanIndianboy,"whisperedKate。

"Thedearlittlefellow！"exclaimedNell。

Theboycamerunninguptothem,whentheywerelanded,withpleasureandconfidenceshininginhisduskyeyes。Savefortinybuckskinbreeches,hewasnaked,andhisshinyskingleamedgold—bronzeinthesunlight。Hewasasingularlyhandsomechild。

"Me——Benny,"helispedinEnglish,holdinguphislittlehandtoNell。

Theactionwasaslovingandtrustingasanythatcouldhavebeenmanifestedbyawhitechild。JonathanZanestaredwithacuriouslightinhisdarkeyes;

Mr。WellsandJimlookedasthoughtheydoubtedtheevidenceoftheirownsight。Here,eveninanIndianboy,wasincontestableproofthatthesavagenaturecouldbetamedandcivilized。

WithatenderexclamationNellbentoverthechildandkissedhim。

JonathanZaneswunghiscanoeup—streamforthepurposeofbringingJoe。Thetrimlittlebarkslippedoutofsightroundthebend。Presentlyitsgray,curvednosepeepedfrombehindthewillows;thenthecanoesweptintoviewagain。Therewasonlyonepersoninit,andthattheguide。

"Whereismybrother？"askedJim,inamazement。

"Gone,"answeredZane,quietly。

"Gone！Whatdoyoumean？Gone？Perhapsyouhavemissedthespotwhereyoulefthim。"

"They"rebothgone。"

NellandJimgazedateachotherwithslowlywhiteningfaces。

"Come,I"lltakeyouuptothevillage,"saidZane,gettingoutofhiscanoe。

Allnoticedthathewascarefultotakehisweaponswithhim。

"Can"tyoutelluswhatitmeans——thisdisappearance？"askedJim,hisvoicelowandanxious。

"They"regone,canoeandall。IknewWetzelwasgoing,butIdidn"tcalkilateonthelad。MebbehefollowedWetzel,mebbehedidn"t,"answeredthetaciturnguide,andhespokenomore。

Inhiskeenexpectationandwonderastowhatthevillagewouldbelike,Jimmomentarilyforgothisbrother"sdisappearance,andwhenhearrivedatthetopofthebankhesurveyedthescenewitheagerness。WhathesawwasmoreimposingthantheVillageofPeacewhichhehadconjuredupinhisimagination。Confrontinghimwasalevelplain,inthecenterofwhichstoodawide,lowstructuresurroundedbylogcabins,andtheseinturnencircledbyIndianteepees。Anumberoflargetrees,mostlyfull—foliagedmaples,shadedtheclearing。ThesettlementswarmedwithIndians。Afewshrillhalloesutteredbythefirstobserversofthenewcomersbroughtbraves,maidensandchildrentroopingtowardthepartywithfriendlycuriosity。

JonathanZanesteppedbeforeacabinadjoiningthelargestructure,andcalledinattheopendoor。Ashort,stoop—shoulderedwhiteman,cladinfadedlinsey,appearedonthethreshold。Hisserious,linedfacehadtheunmistakablebenevolentaspectpeculiartomostteachersofthegospel。

"Mr。Zeisberger,I"vefetchedapartyfromFortHenry,"saidZane,indicatingthosehehadguided。Then,withoutanotherword,neverturninghisdarkfacetotherightorleft,hehurrieddownthelanethroughthethrongofIndians。

Jimremembered,ashesawtheguidevanishoverthebankofthecreek,thathehadheardColonelZanesaythatJonathan,aswellasWetzel,hatedthesightofanIndian。Nodoubtlongyearsofwarandbloodshedhadrenderedthesetwogreathunterscallous。Tothemtherecouldbenodiscrimination——anIndianwasanIndian。

"Mr。Wells,welcometotheVillageofPeace！"exclaimedMr。Zeisberger,wringingtheoldmissionary"shand。"TheyearshavenotbeensolongbutthatIrememberyou。"

"Happy,indeed,amItogethere,afterallthesedark,dangerousjourneys,"

returnedMr。Wells。"Ihavebroughtmynieces,NellandKate,whowerechildrenwhenyouleftWilliamsburg,andthisyoungman,JamesDowns,aministerofGod,andearnestinhishopeforourwork。"

"Agloriousworkitis！Welcome,youngladies,toourpeacefulvillage。And,youngman,Igreetyouwithheartfeltthankfulness。Weneedyoungmen。Comein,allofyour,andsharemycabin。I"llhaveyourluggagebroughtup。Ihavelivedinthishutalone。Withsomelittlelabor,andthemagictouchwomenbringtothemakingofahome,wecanbemostcomfortablehere。"

Mr。Zeisbergergavehisownroomtothegirls,assuringthemwithasmilethatitwasthemostluxuriousinthevillage。Theapartmentcontainedachair,atable,andabedofIndianblanketsandbuffalorobes。Afewpegsdriveninthechinksbetweenthelogscompletedthefurnishings。Sparseaswerethecomforts,theyappealedwarmlytothegirls,who,wearyfromtheirvoyage,laydowntorest。

"Iamnotfatigued,"saidMr。Wells,tohisoldfriend。"Iwanttohearallaboutyourwork,whatyouhavedone,andwhatyouhopetodo。"

"Wehavemetwithwonderfulsuccess,farbeyondourwildestdreams,"respondedMr。Zeisberger。"CertainlywehavebeenblessedofGod。"

Thenthemissionarybeganalong,detailedaccountoftheMoravianMission"seffortsamongthewesterntribes。TheworklaychieflyamongtheDelawares,anoblenationofredmen,intelligent,andwonderfullysusceptibletotheteachingofthegospel。AmongtheeasternDelawares,livingontheothersideoftheAlleghenyMountains,themissionarieshadsucceededinconvertingmany;

anditwaschieflythroughthewesternexplorationsofFrederickPostthathisChurchdecidedtheIndiansofthewestcouldaswellbetaughttoleadChristianlives。ThefirstattempttoconvertthewesternredmentookplaceupontheupperAllegheny,wheremanyIndians,includingAllemewi,ablindDelawarechief,acceptedthefaith。Themissiondecided,however,itwouldbebesttomovefartherwest,wheretheDelawareshadmigratedandweremorenumerous。

InApril,1770,morethantenyearsbefore,sixteencanoes,filledwithconvertedIndiansandmissionaries,drifteddowntheAlleghenytoFortPitt;

thencedowntheOhiototheBigBeaver;upthatstreamandfarintotheOhiowilderness。

UponatributaryoftheMuskingong,calledtheTuscarwawas,asettlementwasfounded。Nearandfarthenewswascirculated。Redmenfromalltribescameflockingtothenewcolony。Chiefsandwarriors,squawsandmaidens,wereattractedbythenewdoctrineoftheconvertedIndians。Theywereastonishedatthemissionaries"teachings。Manydoubted,somewereconverted,alllistened。GreatexcitementprevailedwhenoldGlickhican,oneofthewisestchiefsoftheTurtletribeoftheDelawares,becameaconverttothepalefaces"religion。

Theinterestwidened,andinafewyearsabeautiful,prosperoustownarose,whichwascalledVillageofPeace。TheIndiansofthewarliketribesbestowedtheappropriatename。Thevastforestswererichineveryvarietyofgame;thedeep,swiftstreamswereteemingwithfish。Meatandgraininabundance,buckskinforclothing,andsoftfursforwintergarmentsweretobehadforlittlelabor。Atfirstonlyafewwigwamswereerected。Soonalargelogstructurewasthrownupandusedasachurch。Thenfollowedaschool,amill,andaworkshop。Theverdantfieldswerecultivatedandsurroundedbyrailfences。Horsesandcattlegrazedwiththetimiddeeronthegrassyplains。

TheVillageofPeaceblossomedasarose。Thereportsoftheloveandhappinessexistinginthisconvertedcommunityspreadfrommouthtomouth,fromtowntotown,withtheresultthatinquisitivesavagesjourneyedfromallpointstoseethishaven。PeacefulandhostileIndianswerealikeamazedatthechangeintheirbrethren。Thegood—fellowshipandindustryoftheconvertshadawidespreadandwonderfulinfluence。More,perhaps,thananyotherthing,thegreatfieldsofwavingcorn,thehillscoveredwithhorsesandcattle,thoseevidencesofabundance,impressedthevisitorswiththewell—beingoftheChristians。BandsoftravelingIndians,whetherfriendlyorotherwise,weretreatedwithhospitality,andneversentawayempty—handed。Theywereaskedtopartakeoftheabundanceandsolicitedtocomeagain。

Afeaturebynomeansinsignificantinthepopularityofthevillagewasthechurchbell。TheIndianslovedmusic,andthisbellcharmedthem。Onstillnightsthesavagesindistanttownscouldhearatduskthedeep—toned,mellownotesofthebellsummoningtheworshiperstotheeveningservice。Itsringingclang,sostrange,sosweet,sosolemn,breakingthevastdeadwildernessquiet,hauntedthesavageearasthoughitwereacallfromawoodlandgod。

"Youhavearrivedmostopportunely,"continuedMr。Zeisberger。"Mr。EdwardsandMr。Youngareworkingtoestablishothermissionaryposts。Heckewelderisherenowintheinterestofthisbranchingout。"

"HowlongwillittakemetolearntheDelawarelanguage？"inquiredJim。

"Notlong。Youdonot,however,needtospeaktheIndiantongue,forwehaveexcellentinterpreters。"

"WeheardmuchatFortPittandFortHenryaboutthedanger,aswellasuselessness,ofourventure,"Jimcontinued。"Thefrontiersmendeclaredthateveryrodofthewaywasbesetwithsavagefoes,andthat,evenintheunlikelyeventofourarrivingsafelyattheVillageofPeace,wewouldthenbehemmedinbyfierce,vengefultribes。"

"Hostilesavagesaboundhere,ofcourse;butwedonotfearthem。Weinvitethem。Ourworkistoconvertthewicked,toteachthemtoleadgood,usefullives。Wewillsucceed。"

Jimcouldnothelpwarmingtotheministerforhisunswervablefaith,hisearnestbeliefthattheworkofGodcouldnotfail;nevertheless,whilehefeltnofearandintendedtoputallhisheartinthework,herememberedwithdisquietudeColonelZane"swarnings。HethoughtofthewonderfulprecautionandeternalvigilanceofJonathanandWetzel——menofallmenwhomostunderstoodIndiancraftandcunning。Itmightwellbepossiblethatthesegoodmissionaries,wrappedupinsavingthesoulsofthesechildrenoftheforestsofullofGod"steachingsastohavelittlemindforaughtelse,hadnoknowledgeoftheIndiannaturebeyondwhatthenarrowscopeoftheirworkinvited。Ifwhatthesefrontiersmenassertedwastrue,thentheministers"

zealhadstruckthemblind。

Jimhadagrowingideaofthewayinwhichthesavagescouldbebesttaught。

Heresolvedtogoslowly;tostudytheredmen"snatures;nottopreachonewordofthegospeltothemuntilhehadmasteredtheirlanguageandcouldconveytotheirsimplemindstherealtruth。HewouldmakeChristianityascleartothemaswerethedeer—trailsonthemossandleavesoftheforest。

"Ah,hereyouare。Ihopeyouhaverestedwell,"saidMr。Zeisberger,whenattheconclusionofthislongrecitalNellandKatecameintotheroom。

"Thankyou,wefeelmuchbetter,"answeredKate。Thegirlscertainlylookedrefreshed。Thesubstitutionofcleangownsfortheirformertravel—stainedgarmentsmadeachangethatcalledforththeminister"ssurpriseandadmiration。

"My！My！Won"tEdwardsandYoungbegmetokeepthemherenow！"heexclaimed,hispleasedeyesrestingonNell"spiquantbeautyandKate"snobleproportionsandrichcoloring。"Come;IwillshowyouovertheVillageofPeace。"

"ArealltheseIndiansChristians？"askedJim。

"No,indeed。TheseIndiansyouseehere,andoutyonderundertheshade,thoughtheyarefriendly,arenotChristians。Ourconvertsemploythemselvesinthefieldsorshops。Come;takeapeepinhere。Thisiswherewepreachintheeveningsandduringinclementweather。Onpleasantdaysweusethemaplegroveyonder。"

Jimandtheotherslookedinatthedoorofthelargelogstructure。Theysawanimmenseroom,thefloorcoveredwithbenches,andaraisedplatformatoneend。Afewwindowsletinthelight。Spaciousandbarn—likewasthisapartment;butundoubtedly,seenthroughthebeamingeyesofthemissionary,itwasagrandamphitheaterforworship。Thehard—packedclayfloorwasvelvetcarpet;therudeseatssoftaseiderdown;theplatformwithitswhite—oakcross,analtarofmarbleandgold。

"Thisisoneofourshops,"saidMr。Zeisberger,leadingthemtoacabin。

"Herewemakebrooms,harnessforthehorses,farmingimplements——everythingusefulthatwecan。Wehaveaforgehere。BeholdanIndianblacksmith！"

Theinteriorofthelargecabinpresentedasceneofbustlingactivity。

TwentyormoreIndiansbenttheirbacksinearnestemployment。Inonecornerasavagestoodholdingapieceofred—hotirononananvil,whileabrawnybravewieldedasledge—hammer。Thesparksflew;theanvilrang。Inanothercorneracircleofbravessataroundapileofdriedgrassandflags。Theyweretwistingandfashioningthesematerialsintobaskets。AtabenchthreeIndiancarpenterswerepoundingandsawing。Youngbravesranbackandforth,carryingpails,rough—hewnboardsandblocksofwood。

Instantlystruckbytwothings,Jimvoicedhiscuriosity:

"WhydotheseIndiansallwearlonghair,smoothandshiny,withoutadornment？"

"TheyareChristians。Theywearneitherheaddress,war—bonnet,norscalp—lock,"repliedMr。Zeisberger,withunconsciouspride。

"Ididnotexpecttoseeablacksmith"sanvilouthereinthewilderness。

Wheredidyouprocurethesetools？"

"Wehavebeenyearsgettingthemhere。SomecamebywayoftheOhioRiver;

othersoverlandfromDetroit。Thatanvilhasahistory。Itwaslostonce,andlayforyearsinthewoods,untilsomeIndiansfounditagain。ItiscalledtheRingingStone,andIndianscomefrommilesaroundtoseeandhearit。"

Themissionarypointedoutwidefieldsofcorn,nowgrowingyellow,andhillsidesdotedwithbrowsingcattle,drovesofsturdy—limbedhorses,andpensoffat,gruntingpigs——allofwhichattestedtothegrowingprosperityoftheVillageofPeace。

Onthewaybacktothecabin,whiletheotherslistenedtoandquestionedMr。

Zeisberger,Jimwassilentandthoughtful,forhisthoughtsrevertedtohisbrother。

Later,ashewalkedwithNellbythegolden—fringedstream,hespokeofJoe。

"JoewantedsomuchtohuntwithWetzel。Hewillcomeback;surelyhewillreturntouswhenhehassatisfiedhiswildcravingforadventure。Doyounotthinkso？"

TherewasaneagernessthatwasalmostpleadinginJim"svoice。Whathesomuchhopedfor——thatnoharmhadbefallenJoe,andthathewouldreturn——hedoubted。heneededtheencouragementofhishope。

"Never,"answeredNell,solemnly。

"Oh,why——whydoyousaythat？"

"Isawhimlookatyou——astrange,intentglance。Hegazedlongatmeasweseparated。Oh！Icanfeelhiseyes。No;hewillnevercomeback。"

"Nell,Nell,youdonnotmeanhewentawaydeliberately——because,oh！Icannotsayit。"

"Fornoreason,exceptthatthewildernesscalledhimmorethanloveforyouor——me。"

"No,no,"returnedJim,hisfacewhite。"Youdonotunderstand。Hereallylovedyou——Iknowit。Helovedme,too。Ah,howwell！Hehasgonebecause——I

can"ttellyou。"

"Oh,Jim,Ihope——heloved——me,"sobbedNell,burstingintotears。"Hiscoldness——hisneglectthose——lastfewdays——hurtme——so。Ifhecared——asyousay——Iwon"tbe——so——miserable。"

"Wearebothright——youwhenyousayhewillneverreturn,andIwhenIsayhelovedusboth,"saidJimsadly,asthebittercertaintyforceditselfintohismind。

Asshesobbedsoftly,andhegazedwithset,sternfaceintothedarkeningforest,thedeep,mellownotesofthechurchbellpealedout。Sothrilled,sostartledweretheybythismelodywondrouslybreakingthetwilightstillness,thattheygazedmutelyateachother。Thentheyremembered。Itwasthemissionary"sbellsummoningtheChristianIndianstotheeveningservice。

ChapterXI。

The,sultry,drowsy,summerdayspassedwithnountowardeventtomartheirslumberingtranquillity。LifeforthenewcomerstotheVillageofPeacebroughtacontent,thelikeofwhichtheyhadneverdreamedof。Mr。WellsatoncebeganactiveworkamongtheIndians,preachingtothemthroughaninterpreter;NellandKate,inhoursapartfromhouseholdduties,busiedthemselvesbrighteningtheirnewabode,andJimentereduponthetaskofacquaintinghimselfwiththemodesandhabitsoftheredmen。Truly,theyoungpeoplemighthavefoundperfecthappinessinthisnewandnovellife,ifonlyJoehadreturned。Hisdisappearanceandsubsequentabsencefurnishedathemeformanytalksandmanyaquiethourofdreamysadness。Thefascinationofhispersonalityhadbeensoimpellingthatlongafteritwaswithdrawnacharmlingeredaroundeverythingwhichremindedthemofhim;asubtleandsweetmemory,withperverseandhalfbitterpersistence,returnedhauntingly。NotraceofJoehadbeenseenbyanyofthefriendlyIndianrunners。Hewasgoneintothemazesofdeep—shadowedforests,wheretohuntforhimwouldbelikestrivingtotrailtheflightofaswallow。Twoofthosehehadleftbehindalwaysrememberedhim,andintheirthoughtsfollowedhiminhiswanderings。

JimsettleddowntohisstudyofIndianswithsingle—heartednessofpurpose。

Hespentpartofeverymorningwiththeinterpreters,withwhoseassistanceherapidlyacquiredtheDelawarelanguage。HewentfreelyamongtheIndians,endeavoringtowintheirgood—will。TherewerealwaysfiftytoanhundredvisitingIndiansatthevillage;sometimes,whenthemissionarieshadadvertisedaspecialmeeting,therewereassembledintheshadymaplegroveasmanyasfivehundredsavages。Jimhad,therefore,opportunitiestopracticehisofficesoffriendliness。

Fortunatelyforhim,heatoncesucceededinestablishinghimselfinthegoodgracesofGlickhican,theconvertedDelawarechief。ThewiseoldIndianwasofinestimablevaluetoJim。Earlyintheiracquaintanceheevincedanearnestregardfortheyoungminister,andtalkedwithhimforhours。

FromGlickhicanJimlearnedtherealnatureoftheredmen。TheIndian"sloveoffreedomandhonor,hishatredofsubjectionanddeceit,asexplainedbythegoodoldman,recalledtoJimColonelZane"sestimateofthesavagecharacter。

Surely,asthecolonelhadsaid,theIndianshadreasonfortheirhatredofthepioneers。Truly,theywereablightedrace。

Seldomhadtherightsoftheredmenbeenthoughtof。Thesettlerpushedonward,plodding,asitwere,behindhisplowwitharifle。HeregardedtheIndianaslittlebetterthanabeast;hewaseasiertokillthantotame。Howlittlethesettlerknewtheproudindependence,thewisdom,thestainlesschastityofhonor,whichbelongedsotrulytomanyIndianchiefs！

Theredmenweredrivenlikehoundeddeerintotheuntroddenwilds。Fromfreemenoftheforests,fromownersofthegreatboundlessplains,theypassedtostern,enduringfugitivesontheirownlands。Smallwonderthattheybecamecruelwhereoncetheyhadbeengentle！Stratagemandcunning,thenightassault,thedaylightambushtooktheplaceoftheirone—timeopenwarfare。

Theirchivalrouscourage,thatsublimeinheritancefromancestorswhohadneverknownthepalefacefoe,degeneratedintoasavageferocity。

InterestingaswasthishistorytoJim,hecaredmoreforGlickhican"srichportrayaloftheredmen"sdomesticlife,forthebeautifulpoetryofhistraditionandlegends。HeheardwithdelighttheexquisitefancifulIndianlore。Fromtheseromanticlegends,beautifulpoems,andmarvelousmythshehopedtogetideasoftheIndian"sreligion。Sweetandsimpleaschildlessdreamswerethesequainttales——talesofhowthewoodlandfairiesdweltinfern—carpeteddells;howatsunrisetheycameouttokissopentheflowers;

howtheforestwalkswerespirit—hauntedpaths;howtheleaveswhisperedpoetrytothewinds;howtherocksharboredIndiangodsandmasterswhowatchedovertheirchosenones。