第12章
"I,too,sufferwiththatthought;morethanthat,Iammorbidanddepressed。
Ifeelasifsomecalamityawaitedushere。Ihaveneverbeensuperstitious,norhaveIhadpresentiments,butoflatetherearestrangefearsinmymind。"
AtthisjunctureMr。WellsandHeckeweldercameoutoftheadjoiningcabin。
"Ihadwordfromatrustworthyrunnerto—day。GirtyandhiscaptiveshavenotbeenseenintheDelawaretowns,"aidHeckewelder。
"Itismostunlikelythathewilltakethemtothetowns,"repliedEdwards。
"WhatdoyoumakeofhiscapturingJim？"
"ForPipe,perhaps。TheDelawareWolfissnappinghisteeth。PipeisparticularlyopposedtoChristianity,and——what"sthat？"
Alowwhistlefromthebushesnearthecreekbankattractedtheattentionofall。Theyoungermengotuptoinvestigate,butHeckewelderdetainedthem。
"Wait,"headded。"Thereisnotellingwhatthatsignalmaymean。"
Theywaitedwithbreathlessinterest。Presentlythewhistlewasrepeated,andaninstantlaterthetallfigureofamansteppedfrombehindathicket。Hewasawhiteman,butnotrecognizableatthatdistance,evenifafriend。Thestrangerwavedhishandasifaskingthemtobecautious,andcometohim。
Theywenttowardthethicket,andwhenwithinafewpacesofthemanMr。Wellsexclaimed:
"It"sthemanwhoguidedmypartytothevillage。ItisWetzel！"
Theothermissionarieshadneverseenthehunterthough,ofcourse,theywerefamiliarwithhisname,andlookedathimwithgreatcuriosity。Thehunter"sbuckskingarmentswerewet,torn,andcoveredwithburrs。Darkspots,evidentlybloodstains,showedonhishunting—shirt。
"Wetzel？"interrogatedHeckewelder。
Thehunternodded,andtookastepbehindthebush。Bendingoverheliftedsomethingfromtheground。Itwasagirl。ItwasNell！Shewasverywhite——butalive。Afaint,gladsmilelightedupherfeatures。
Notawordwasspoken。WithanexpressionoftendercompassionMr。Wellsreceivedherintohisarms。Thefourmissionariesturnedfearful,questioningeyesuponthehunter,buttheycouldnotspeak。
"She"swell,an"unharmed,"saidWetzel,readingtheirthoughts,"onlywornout。I"vecarriedherthesetenmiles。"
"Godblessyou,Wetzel！"exclaimedtheoldmissionary。"Nellie,Nellie,canyouspeak？"
"Uncledear——I"m——allright,"camethefaintanswer。
"Kate？What——ofher？"whisperedGeorgeYoungwithlipsasdryascornhusks。
"Ididmybest,"saidthehunterwithasimpledignity。Nothingbuttheagonizedappealintheyoungman"seyescouldhavemadeWetzelspeakofhisachievement。
"Tellus,"brokeinHeckewelder,seeingthatfearhadstrickenGeorgedumb。
"Wetrailed"eman"gotawaywiththegolden—hairedlass。ThelastIsawofJoehewasbracedupaginarockfightin"likeawildcat。ItriedtocutJimlooseasIwasgoin"by。Is"pectthewustferthebrothersan"theotherlass。"
"Canwedonothing？"askedMr。Wells。
"Nothin"！"
"Wetzel,hasthecapturingofJamesDownsanysignificancetoyou？"inquiredHeckewelder。
"Ireckonso。"
"What？"
"Pipean"hiswhite—redskinalliesareaginChristianity。"
"Doyouthinkweareindanger？"
"Ireckonso。"
"Whatdoyouadvise？"
"Packupafewofyourtraps,takethelass,an"comewithme。I"llseeyoubackinFortHenry。"
Heckeweldernervouslywalkeduptothetreeandbackagain。YoungandEdwardslookedblanklyatoneanother。TheybothrememberedEdward"spresentiment。Mr。
Wellsutteredanangryexclamation。
"Youaskustofailinourduty？No,never！TogobacktothewhitesettlementsandacknowledgewewereafraidtocontinueteachingtheGospeltotheIndians！YoucannotunderstandChristianityifyouadvisethat。Youhavenoreligion。YouareakillerofIndians。"
Ashadowthatmighthavebeenoneofpainflittedoverthehunter"sface。
"No,Iain"taChristian,an"IamakillerofInjuns,"saidWetzel,andhisdeepvoicehadastrangetremor。"Idon"tknownothin"much"ceptthewoodsan"fields,an"ifthere"saGodfermeHe"souttharunderthetreesan"
grass。Mr。Wells,you"rethefirstmanasevercalledmeacoward,an"I
overlookitbecauseofyourcallin"。IadviseyoutogobacktoFortHenry,becauseifyoudon"tgonowthechancesareaginstyourevergoin"。
ChristianityornoChristianity,suchmenasyouhevnobisnessinthesewoods。"
"Ithankyouforyouradvice,andblessyouforyourrescueofthischild;butIcannotleavemywork,norcanIunderstandwhyallthisgoodworkwehavedoneshouldbecalleduseless。WehaveconvertedIndians,savedtheirsouls。
Isthatnotbeingofsomeuse,ofsomegoodhere？"
"It"saccordin"tohowyoulookatit。NowIknowthebarkofanoakisdifferentaccordin"tothesideweseefrom。I"llallow,hatin"InjunsasI
do,isnoreasonyououghtn"ttotryan"convert"em。Butyou"rebringin"onawar。TheseInjunswon"tallowthisVillageofPeaceherewithitsbigfieldsofcorn,an"shopsan"workin"redskins。It"sagintheirnature。You"reonlysacrificin"yourChristianInjuns。"
"Whatdoyoumean？"askedMr。Wells,startledbyWetzel"swords。
"Enough。I"mreadytoguideyoutoFortHenry。"
"I"llnevergo。"
Wetzellookedattheothermen。Noonewouldhavedoubtedhim。NoonecouldhavefailedtoseeheknewthatsometerribleangerhoveredovertheVillageofPeace。
"Ibelieveyou,Wetzel,butIcannotgo,"saidHeckewelder,withwhiteface。
"Iwillstay,"saidGeorge,steadily。
"AndI,"saidDave。
Wetzelnodded,andturnedtodepartwhenGeorgegraspedhisarm。Theyoungmissionary"sfacewasdrawnandhaggard;hefixedanintensegazeuponthehunter。
"Wetzel,listen;"hisvoicewaslowandshakenwithdeepfeeling。"IamateacherofGod"sword,andIamasearnestinthatpurposeasyouareinyourlife—work。Ishalldiehere;Ishallfillanunmarkedgrave;butIshallhavedonethebestIcould。Thisisthelifedestinyhasmarkedoutforme,andI
willliveitasbestImay;butinthismoment,preacherasIam,IwouldgiveallIhaveorhopetohave,allthelittlegoodImayhavedone,allmylife,tobesuchamanasyou。ForIwouldavengethewomanIloved。Totorture,tokillGirty！Iamonlyapoor,weakfellowwhowouldbelostamilefromthisvillage,andifnot,wouldfallbeforetheyoungestbrave。Butyouwithyourgloriousstrength,yourincomparablewoodcraft,youarethemantokillGirty。
Ridthefrontierofthisfiend。Killhim！Wetzel,killhim！Ibeseechyouforthesakeofsomesweetgirlwhoevennowmaybeonherwaytothisterriblecountry,andwhomayfallintoGirty"spower——forhersake,Wetzel,killhim。
Trailhimlikeabloodhound,andwhenyoufindhimremembermybrokenheart,rememberNell,remember,oh,God！rememberpoorKate！"
Young"svoicebrokeintodrysobs。Hehadcompletelyexhaustedhimself,sothathewasforcedtoleanagainstthetreeforsupport。
Wetzelspokeneveraword。Hestretchedouthislong,brawnyarmandgrippedtheyoungmissionary"sshoulder。Hisfingersclaspedhard。Simple,withoutwordsastheactionwas,itcouldnothavebeenmorepotent。Andthen,ashestood,thesofterlookfadedslowlyfromhisface。Arippleseemedtorunoverhisfeatures,whichfroze,asitsubsided,intoacold,stonerigidity。
Hisarmdropped;hesteppedpastthetree,and,boundinglightlyasadeer,clearedthecreekanddisappearedinthebushes。
Mr。WellscarriedNelltohiscabinwhereshelayforhourswithwanfaceandlistlesslanguor。SheswallowedthenourishingdrinkanoldIndiannurseforcedbetweenherteeth;sheevensmiledweaklywhenthemissionariesspoketoher;butshesaidnothingnorseemedtorallyfromherterribleshock。A
darkshadowlayalwaysbeforeher,consciousofnothingpresent,livingoveragainherfrightfulexperience。Againsheseemedsunkindullapathy。
"Dave,we"regoingtolooseNell。She"sfadingslowly,"saidGeorge,oneevening,severaldaysafterthegirl"sreturn。"Wetzelsaidshewasunharmed,yetsheseemstohavereceivedahurtmorefatalthanaphysicalone。It"shermind——hermind。Ifwecannotbrightenheruptomakeherforget,she"lldie。"
"We"vedoneallwithinourpower。Ifshecouldonlybebroughtoutofthistrance！Sheliestherealldaylongwiththosestaringeyes。Ican"tlookintothem。Theyaretheeyesofachildwhohasseenmurder。"
"Wemusttryinsomewaytogetheroutofthisstupor,andIhaveanidea。
HaveyounoticedthatMr。Wellshasfailedverymuchinthelastfewweeks？"
"IndeedIhave,andI"mafraidhe"sbreakingdown。Hehasgrownsothin,eatsverylittle,anddoesn"tsleep。Heisold,youknow,and,despitehiszeal,thisborderlifeistellingonhim。"
"Dave,Ibelieveheknowsit。Poor,earnestoldman！Heneversaysawordabouthimself,yethemustknowheisgoingdownhill。Well,weallbegin,soonerorlater,thatdescentwhichendsinthegrave。IbelievewemightstirNelliebytellingherMr。Wells"healthisbreaking。"
"Letustry。"
Ahurriedknockonthedoorinterruptedtheirconversation。
"Comein,"saidEdwards。
Thedooropenedtoadmitaman,whoenteredeagerly。
"Jim！Jim！"exclaimedbothmissionaries,throwingthemselvesuponthenewcomer。
Itwas,indeed,Jim,butnoansweringsmilelightedhisworn,distressedfacewhilehewrunghisfriends"hands。
"You"renothurt？"askedDave。
"No,I"muninjured。"
"Tellusall。Didyouescape？Didyouseeyourbrother？DidyouknowWetzelrescuedNell？"
"Wingenundsetmefreeinspiteofmanydemandsformydeath。HekeptJoeaprisoner,andintendstokillhim,fortheladwasWetzel"scompanion。Isawthehuntercomeintothegladewherewecamped,breakthroughthelineoffightingIndiansandcarryNelloff。"
"Kate？"falteredYoung,withashenface。
"George,IwishtoGodIcouldtellyousheisdead,"answeredJim,nervouslypacingtheroom。"ButshewaswellwhenIlastsawher。SheenduredthehardjourneybetterthaneitherNellorI。Girtydidnotcarryherintotheencampment,asSilvertipdidJoeandme,buttherenegadeleftusontheoutskirtsoftheDelawaretown。Therewasarockyravinewithdenseundergrowthwherehedisappearedwithhiscaptive。Isupposehehashisdensomewhereinthatravine。"
Georgesankdownandburiedhisfaceinhisarms;neithermovementnorsoundbetokenedconsciousness。
"HasWetzelcomeinwithNell？Joesaidhehadacavewherehemighthavetakenherincaseofillnessoraccident。"
"Yes,hebroughtherback,"answeredEdwards,slowly。
"Iwanttoseeher,"saidJim,hishaggardfaceexpressingakeenanxiety。
"She"snotwounded？hurt？ill？"
"No,nothinglikethat。It"sashockwhichshecan"tgetover,can"tforget。"
"Imustseeher,"criedJim,movingtowardthedoor。
"Don"tgo,"repliedDave,detaininghim。"Wait。Wemustseewhat"sbesttobedone。WaittillHeckeweldercomes。He"llbeheresoon。Nellthinksyou"redead,andthesurprisemightbebadforher。"
Heckeweldercameinatthatmoment,andshookhandswarmlywithJim。
"TheDelawarerunnertoldmeyouwerehere。IamoverjoyedthatWingenundfreedyou,"saidthemissionary。"Itisamostfavorablesign。IhaveheardrumorsfromGoshockingandSanduskythathaveworriedme。Thisgoodnewsmorethanoffsetsthebad。Iamsorryaboutyourbrother。Areyouwell？"
"Well,butmiserable。IwanttoseeNell。Davetellsmesheisnotexactlyill,butsomethingiswrongwithher。PerhapsIoughtnottoseeherjustyet。"
"It"llbeexactlythetonicforher,"repliedHeckewelder。"She"llbesurprisedoutofherself。Sheismorbid,apathetic,and,tryaswemay,wecan"tinteresther。Comeatonce。"
HeckewelderhadtakenJim"sarmandstartedforthedoorwhenhecaughtsightofYoung,sittingbowedandmotionless。TurningtoJimhewhispered:
"Kate？"
"Girtydidnottakeherintotheencampment,"answeredJim,inalowvoice。
"Ihopedhewould,becausetheIndiansarekind,buthedidn"t。Hetookhertohisden。"
JustthenYoungraisedhisface。Thedespairinitwouldhavemeltedaheartofstone。Ithadbecomethefaceofanoldman。
"Ifonlyyou"dtoldmeshehaddied,"hesaidtoJim,"I"dhavebeenmanenoughtostandit,but——this——thiskillsme——Ican"tbreathe！"
Hestaggeredintotheadjoiningroom,whereheflunghimselfuponabed。
"It"shard,andhewon"tbeabletostandupunderit,forhe"snotstrong,"
whisperedJim。
Heckewelderwasamild,piousman,inwhomnoonewouldeverexpectstrongpassion;butnowdepthswerestirredwithinhisheartthathadeverbeentranquil。Hebecamelivid,andhisfacewasdistortedwithrage。
"It"sbadenoughtohavetheserenegadesplottingandworkingagainstourreligion;tohavethemsowdiscontent,spreadlies,maketheIndiansthinkwehaveaxestogrind,toplanttheonlyobstacleinourpath——allthisisbad;
buttodoomaninnocentwhitewomantoworsethandeath！WhatcanIcallit！"
"Whatcanwedo？"askedJim。
"Do？That"stheworstofit。Wecandonothing,nothing。Wedarenotmove。"
"IstherenohopeofgettingKateback？"
"Hope？None。Thatvillainissurroundedbyhissavages。He"lllielownowforawhile。I"veheardofsuchdeedsmanyatime,butitneverbeforecamesoclosehome。KateWellswasapure,lovingChristianwoman。She"llliveanhour,aday,aweek,perhaps,inthatsnake"sclutches,andthenshe"lldie。
ThankGod！"
"WetzelhasgoneonGirty"strail。Iknowthatfromhismannerwhenheleftus,"saidEdwards。
"Wetzelmayavengeher,buthecanneversaveher。It"stoolate。Hello———"
TheexclamationwascalledforthbytheappearanceofYoung,whoenteredwitharifleinhishands。
"George,whereareyougoingwiththatgun？"askedEdwards,graspinghisfriendbythearm。
"I"mgoingafterher,"answeredGeorgewildly。Hetotteredashespoke,butwrenchedhimselffreefromDave。
"Come,George,listen,listentoreason,"interposedHeckewelder,layingholdofYoung。"Youarefranticwithgriefnow。Soareallofus。Butcalmyourself。Why,man,you"reapreacher,notahunter。You"dbelost,you"dstarveinthewoodsbeforegettinghalfwaytotheIndiantown。Thisisterribleenough;don"tmakeitworsebythrowingyourlifeaway。Thinkofus,yourfriends;thinkofyourIndianpupilswhorelysomuchonyou。ThinkoftheVillageofPeace。Wecanpray,butwecan"tpreventthesebordercrimes。
Withcivilization,withthespreadofChristianity,theywillpassaway。Bearupunderthisblowforthesakeofyourwork。Rememberwealonecanchecksuchbarbarity。Butwemustnotfight。Wemustsacrificeallthatmenholddear,forthesakeofthefuture。"
HetooktherifleawayfromGeorge,andledhimbackintothelittle,darkroom。ClosingthedoorheturnedtoJimandDave。
"Heisinabadway,andwemustcarefullywatchhimforafewdays。"
"ThinkofGeorgestartingouttokillGirty！"exclaimedDave。"Ineverfiredagun,butyetI"dgotoo。"
"Sowouldweall,ifwedidasourheartsdictate,"retortedHeckewelder,turningfiercelyuponDaveasifstung。"Man！wehaveavillagefullofChristianstolookafter。Whatwouldbecomeofthem？Itellyouwe"veallwecandoheretooutwittheseborderruffians。SimonGirtyisplottingourruin。
Ihearditto—dayfromtheDelawarerunnerwhoismyfriend。Heisjealousofourinfluence,whenallwedesireistosavethesepoorIndians。And,Jim,Girtyhaskilledourhappiness。CanweeverrecoverfromthemiserybroughtuponusbypoorKate"sfate？"
Themissionaryraisedhishandasiftoexhortsomepowerabove。
"CursetheGirty"s！"heexclaimedinasuddenburstofuncontrollablepassion。
"Havingconqueredallotherobstacles,mustwefailbecauseofwickedmenofourownrace？Oh,cursethem！"
"Come,"hesaid,presently,inavoicewhichtrembledwiththeefforthemadetobecalm。"We"llgointoNellie。"
ThethreemenenteredMr。Wells"cabin。Theoldmissionary,withbowedheadandhandsclaspedbehindhisback,waspacingtoandfro。HegreetedJimwithgladsurprise。
"WewantNellietoseehim,"whisperedHeckewelder。"Wethinkthesurprisewilldohergood。"
"Itrustitmay,"saidMr。Wells。
"Leaveittome。"
TheyfollowedHeckewelderintoanadjoiningroom。Atorchflickeredovertherudemantle—shelf,lightinguptheroomwithfitfulflare。Itwasawarmnight,andthesoftbreezecominginthewindowalternatelypaledandbrightenedtheflame。
JimsawNelllyingonthebed。Hereyeswereclosed,andherlong,darklashesseemedblackagainstthemarblepalenessofherskin。
"Standbehindme,"whisperedHeckeweldertoJim。
"Nellie,"hecalledsoftly,butonlyafaintflickeringofherlashesansweredhim。
"Nellie,Nellie,"repeatedHeckewelder,hisdeep,strongvoicethrilling。
Hereyesopened。TheygazedatMr。Wellsononeside,atEdwardsstandingatthefootofthebed,atHeckewelderleaningoverher,buttherewasnorecognitionorinterestinherlook。
"Nellie,canyouunderstandme？"askedHeckewelder,puttingintohisvoiceallthepowerandintensityoffeelingofwhichhewascapable。
Analmostimperceptibleshadowofunderstandingshoneinhereyes。
"Listen。Youhavehadaterribleshock,andithasaffectedyourmind。Youaremistakeninwhatyouthink,whatyoudreamofallthetime。Doyouunderstand？Youarewrong！"
Nell"seyesquickenedwithapuzzled,questioningdoubt。Theminister"smagnetic,penetratingvoicehadpiercedherdulledbrain。
"See,IhavebroughtyouJim！"
HeckeweldersteppedasideasJimfellonhiskneesbythebed。Hetookhercoldhandsinhisandbentoverher。Forthemomenthisvoicefailed。
ThedoubtinNell"seyeschangedtoawondrousgladness。Itwasliketherekindlingofasmolderingfire。
"Jim？"shewhispered。
"Yes,Nellie,it"sJimaliveandwell。It"sJimcomebacktoyou。"
Asoftflushstainedherwhiteface。Sheslippedherarmtenderlyaroundhisneck,andheldhercheekclosetohis。
"Jim,"shemurmured。
"Nellie,don"tyounowme？"askedMr。Wells,trembling,excited。Thiswasthefirstwordshehadspokeninfourdays。
"Uncle！"sheexclaimed,suddenlylooseningherholdonJim,andsittingupinbed,thenshegazedwildlyattheothers。
"Wasitallahorribledream？"
Mr。Wellstookherhandsoothingly,buthedidnotattempttoanswerherquestion。HelookedhelplesslyatHeckewelder,butthatmissionarywasintentlystudyingtheexpressiononNell"sface。
"Partofitwasadream,"heanswered,impressively。
"Thenthathorriblemandidtakeusaway？"
"Yes。"
"Oh—h！butwe"refreenow？Thisismyroom。Oh,tellme？"
"Yes,Nellie,you"resafeathomenow。"
"Tell——tellme,"shecried,shudderingly,assheleanedclosetoJimandraisedawhite,imploringfacetohis。"WhereisKate？——Oh！Jim——say,sayshewasn"tleftwithGirty？"
"Kateisdead,"answeredJim,quickly。Hecouldnotendurethehorrorinhereyes。Hedeliberatelyintendedtolie,ashadHeckewelder。
ItwasasifthetensionofNell"snerveswassuddenlyrelaxed。Therelieffromherworstfearwassogreatthathermindtookinonlytheoneimpression。Then,presently,achokingcryescapedher,tobefollowedbyaparoxysmofsobs。
ChapterXX。
EarlyonthefollowingdayHeckewelder,astridehishorse,appearedatthedoorofEdwards"cabin。
"HowisGeorge？"heinquiredofDave,whenthelatterhadopenedthedoor。
"Hehadabadnight,butissleepingnow。Ithinkhe"llbeallrightafteratime,"answeredDave。
"That"swell。Neverthelesskeepawatchonhimforafewdays。"
"I"lldoso。"
"Dave,Ileavemattersheretoyourgoodjudgment。I"mofftoGoshockingtojoinZeisberger。Affairstheredemandourimmediateattention,andwemustmakehaste。"
"Howlongdoyouintendtobeabsent？"
"Afewdays;possiblyaweek。IncaseofanyunusualdisturbanceamongtheIndians,theappearanceofPipeandhistribe,oranyoftheopposingfactions,sendafleetrunneratoncetowarnme。MostofmyfearshavebeenallayedbyWingenund"sattitudetowardus。HisfreeingJiminfaceoftheoppositionofhischiefsisasuresignoffriendliness。MorethanonceIhavesuspectedthathewasinterestedinChristianity。Hisdaughter,WhisperingWinds,exhibitedthesameintensefervorinreligionashasbeenmanifestedbyallourconverts。ItmaybethatwehavenotappealedinvaintoWingenundandhisdaughter;buttheirhighpositionintheDelawaretribemakesitimpoliticforthemtorevealachangeofheart。Ifwecouldwinoverthosetwowe"dhaveeverychancetoconvertthewholetribe。Well,asitiswemustbethankfulforWingenund"sfriendship。Wehavetwopowerfulalliesnow。Tarhe,theWyandotchieftain,remainsneutral,tobesure,butthat"salmostashelpfulashisfriendship。"
"I,too,takeahopefulviewofthesituation,"repliedEdwards。
"We"lltrustinProvidence,anddoourbest,"saidHeckewelder,asheturnedhishorse。"Good—by。"
"Godspeed！"calledEdwards,ashischiefrodeaway。
Themissionaryresumedhisworkofgettingbreakfast。Heremainedindoorsallthatday,exceptforthefewmomentswhenheranovertoMr。Wells"cabintoinquireregardingNell"scondition。Hewasrelievedtolearnshewassomuchbetterthatshehaddeclaredherintentionofmovingaboutthehouse。DavekeptaclosewatchonYoung。He,himself,wassufferingfromthesameblowwhichhadprostratedhisfriend,buthisphysicalstrengthandfortitudeweresuchthathedidnotweaken。HewasoverjoyedtoseethatGeorgerallied,andshowednofurtherindicationsofbreakingdown。
Trueitwas,perhaps,thatHeckewelder"searnestprayeronbehalfoftheconvertedIndianshadsunkdeeplyintoGeorge"sheartandthuskeptitfrombreaking。Nostrongerpleacouldhavebeenmadethantheallusiontothosegentle,dependentChristians。Noonebutamissionarycouldrealizethesweetness,thesimplicity,thefaith,theeagerhopeforagood,truelifewhichhadbeenimplantedintheheartsoftheseIndians。Tobearitinmind,tothinkofwhathe,asamissionaryandteacher,wastothem,relievedhimofhalfhisburden,andforstrengthtobeartheremainderhewenttoGod。Forallworrythereisasovereigncure,forallsufferingthereisahealingbalm;itisreligiousfaith。Happinesshadsuddenlyflashedwithameteor—likeradianceintoYoung"slifeonlytobesnuffedoutlikeacandleinawindygloom,buthiswork,hisdutyremained。Soinhistrialhelearnedthenecessityofresignation。Hechaffednomoreatthemysterious,seeminglybrutalmethodsofnature;hequestionednomore。HewonderednomoreattheapparentindifferenceofProvidence。Hehadonehope,whichwastobetruetohisfaith,andteachittotheend。
Nellmasteredhergriefbyanastonishingreserveofstrength。Undoubtedlyitwasthatmarvelouslymercifulpowerwhichenablesaperson,fortheloveofothers,tobearupunderacross,oreventofightdeathhimself。AsYounghadhisbright—eyedIndianboysandgirls,whohadlearnedChristianityfromhim,andwhosefuturedependedonhim,soNellhadheragedandweakeninguncletocareforandcherish。
Jim"sattentionstoherbeforethedeepafflictionhadnotbeenslight,butnowtheyweresomarkedastobeunmistakable。InsomewayJimseemedchangedsincehehadreturnedfromtheDelawareencampment。Althoughhewentbacktotheworkwithhisoldaggressiveness,hewasnotnearlysosuccessfulashehadbeenbefore。Whetherornotthiswashisfault,hetookhisfailuredeeplytoheart。TherewasthatinhistendernesswhichcausedNelltoregardhim,inonesense,asshedidheruncle。Jim,too,leaneduponher,andsheacceptedhisdevotionwhereonceshehadrepelledit。Shehadunconsciouslybetrayedagreatdealwhenshehadturnedsotenderlytohiminthefirstmomentsafterherrecognition,andherememberedit。Hedidnotspeakoflovetoher;heletathousandlittleactsofkindness,aconstantthoughtfulnessofherpleadhiscause。
ThedayssucceedingHeckewelder"sdeparturewereremarkableforseveralreasons。Althoughtheweatherwasenticing,thenumberofvisitingIndiansgraduallydecreased。Notarunnerfromanytribecameintothevillage,andfinallythedaydawnedwhennotasingleIndianfromtheoutlyingtownswaspresenttohearthepreaching。
Jimspoke,asusual。AfterseveraldayshadpassedandnonebutconvertedIndiansmadeupthecongregation,theyoungmanbegantobeuneasyinmind。
YoungandEdwardswereunabletoaccountfortheunusualabsencefromworship,yettheydidnotseeinitanythingtocauseespecialconcern。OftentherehadbeendayswithoutvisitationtotheVillageofPeace。