eased him he permitted them to
swim to the great pasture land, and to fill the woods; if they pleased
him not, he first withdrew the life, and then turned them into clay
again. Once he made so large a beast that he was afraid to give him
life. There were also other smaller, to whom he gave not life, because
he considered them not useful. Once he made a creature, in the form of
a man, which he also rejected, but he forgot to take the life away
from him, and this is the evil spirit, Hobbamocki."

"And thou believest this fable, as wild as ever sprung from the
unbridled license of an Oriental story-teller?"

"Sassacus believes as the wise men of his nation believed, when he was
a little pappoose, and as their fathers believed, when they were
papooses, and as his people have always believed, for more summers
than there are stars in the sky. But do not the white men believe in
Hobbamocki?"

"They do, though they give him a different name," answered the Knight.
"He was a Great Spirit, who was expelled from heaven, or the happy
hunting grounds, because of his wickedness."

"Was he not very happy there, and had all that he wanted?" inquired
the Pequot.

"He was happy and preeminent above all other manitos in glory and
power."

"How then became he wicked?"

"That is a question which our wise men have never been able to answer.
But he envied the greatness of the Master of Life, and desired to
occupy his place."

"Can your Hobbamocki be in two places at once?"

"No. Being a created spirit, he is limited."

"It cannot be, then, that he was such a fool," said the chief,
decisively. "Behold! the Master of Life is every where! He is like the
air and the light. Manitos are very little things beside him, and all
together cannot fill his place. Your powahs have deceived you, and
told a foolish story of their own invention. No. Hobbamocki was vexed
because the Great Spirit did not like him, and for that reason tries
to revenge himself, by troubling those whom the Great Spirit loves."

"At least," said the Knight, "our two traditions agree in this--that
there is an evil spirit, who injures and leads men into wickedness,
and therein do thy legends confirm the truth of the Catholic
religion."

"Do the people at Shawmut, under Sagamore Winthrop, believe in all
things, as my brother?"

"Nay. They are heretics, and given over to believe a lie--from whom
this land shall be taken, and bestowed as an heritage on others, who
shal