misery 'tis to be made a Christian on! Hoo-oo-oo-oo-oo! You
wouldn't want to know all the racks and miseries and fights and grinds
on it. I guess they got sick on it themselves, for after I'd tried a
many times to get away from houses, and been brought back, I tried again
and they let me go, and I've been a-going ever since. I asked for my
people, and they told me they was _exterminated_, every one on 'em. Yes,
I've been a-going ever since, but I can't go any more. I hope they'll
let me stay in these forests 'till the Great Spirit takes me away to my
people. He can't find me in the houses, but if I keep out in the forest,
I hope he'll find me soon. It's been a weary, long time."

"_Are_ you two hundred years old?" asked Benny softly. "That's what
folks say."

"Two hunderd? Hoo-oo-oo-oo! _two_ hunderd? I'm _ten_ hundered, if I'm a
day," said the poor old creature. "But don't be afeard on me--I hope
there won't be anybody afeard on me _here_, for then they'd be driving
on me off, or shutting me up again somewhere where the Great Spirit
can't find me. Tell your people not to be skeered on me--ask 'em to let
me stay here."

The sad old eyes looked wistfully at Benny, whose generous heart took up
the poor Indian's cause at once.

"You can stay here fast enough," said he. "I know who these woods belong
to--some o' my relations. There won't anybody be afraid of you. Me 'n
'Bijah'll take care of you."

"O, _bless_ you!" said she. "I _thought_ I'd got to the right place when
I got here--it looked like it--it felt like it. It seemed a'most as if I
most expected to see wigwams. A-h-h-h-h, if I could sleep in a wigwam!"

Benny felt that he could sympathize with her in that. He and the boys
had played Indians and 'Bijah had built wigwams for them in the wood,
and he had greatly wished and entreated to be allowed to sleep all night
in one. But he could not guess at the longing of the aged to go back to
the things dear and familiar to them in childhood; he did not know that
all the old Indian's days were spent in dreaming of those things, and
that she often wandered all night in the woods, fancying herself
surrounded by the wigwams of her people--searching anxiously for that of
her father. Though Benny could understand nothing of the pathetic
sadness, he felt a strong desire to offer consolation and cheer, and he
said, "_I_ can build wigwams. Me 'n 'Bijah'll make you a wigwam!"

But the aged Chetonquin muttered to herself in a