\"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。