to him."

But if the festive spirit of the barbarians might have lasted for ever,
there was, it appeared, no such exhaustless quality in their liquor; and,
that failing at last, the uproar began gradually to decrease; although it
was not until within an hour of midnight that Nathan declared the moment
had arrived for entering the village.

He then rose from his lair, and repeating his injunctions to Roland to
remain where he was, until the issue of his own visit should be known,
added a word of parting counsel, which, to Roland's imagination, bore
somewhat an ominous character. "The thing that is to come," he said,
"neither thee nor me knows anything about; for, truly, an Injun village
is a war-trap, which one may sometimes creep into easy enough; but,
truly, the getting out again is another matter. And so, friend, if it
should be my luck, and friend Ralph's, to be killed or captivated, so
that we cannot return to thee again, do thee move by the first blink of
day, and do thee best to save thee own life; and, truly, I have some hope
that thee may succeed, seeing that, if I should fall, little Peter (which
I will leave with thee, for, truly, he would but encumber me among the
dogs of the village, having better skill to avoid murdering Injuns than
the creatures of his own kind), will make thee his master,--as verily, he
can no longer serve a dead one,--and show thee the way back again from
the wilderness. Truly, friend, he hath an affection for thee, for thee
has used him well; which he can say of no other persons, save only thee
and me excepted."

With that, having laid aside his gun, which, as he represented, could
be, in such an undertaking, of no service, and directed Stackpole to do
the same, he shook Roland by the hand, and, waiting an instant till
Ralph had followed his example, and added his farewell in the brief
phrase,--"Sodger, I'm atter my mistress; and, for all Nathan's small talk
about massacree and captivation, we'll fetch her, with a most beautiful
lot of hosses; so thar's no fawwell about it,"--turned to little Peter,
whom he addressed quite as gravely as he had done the Virginian. "Now,
little dog Peter," said he, "I leave thee to take care of theeself and
the young man that is with thee; and do thee be good, and faithful, and
obedient, as thee always has been, and have a good care thee keeps out of
mischief."

With these words, which Peter, doubtless, perfectly understood, for he
squatted himself do