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。