men, he frequently dropped into their customs, and oftener into
their feelings, unconsciously to himself, in consequence of having no
other arbiters to appeal to, than their judgments and tastes. On the
present occasion, he would have abstained from betraying a feverish
haste by a too speedy return, since it would have contained a tacit
admission that the time asked for was more than had been wanted; but,
on the other hand, had the idea occurred to him, he would have quickened
his movements a little, in order to avoid the dramatic appearance of
returning at the precise instant set as the utmost limit of his absence.
Still, accident had interfered to defeat the last intention, for when
the young man put his foot on the point, and advanced with a steady
tread towards the group of chiefs that was seated in grave array on
a fallen tree, the oldest of their number cast his eye upward, at an
opening in the trees, and pointed out to his companions the startling
fact that the sun was just entering a space that was known to mark the
zenith. A common, but low exclamation of surprise and admiration escaped
every mouth, and the grim warriors looked at each other, some with envy
and disappointment, some with astonishment at the precise accuracy of
their victim, and others with a more generous and liberal feeling. The
American Indian always deemed his moral victories the noblest, prizing
the groans and yielding of his victim under torture, more than the
trophy of his scalp; and the trophy itself more than his life. To slay,
and not to bring off the proof of victory, indeed, was scarcely deemed
honorable, even these rude and fierce tenants of the forest, like their
more nurtured brethren of the court and the camp, having set up for
themselves imaginary and arbitrary points of honor, to supplant the
conclusions of the right and the decisions of reason.

The Hurons had been divided in their opinions concerning the probability
of their captive's return. Most among them, indeed, had not expected it
possible for a pale-face to come back voluntarily, and meet the known
penalties of an Indian torture; but a few of the seniors expected better
things from one who had already shown himself so singularly cool, brave
and upright. The party had come to its decision, however, less in
the expectation of finding the pledge redeemed, than in the hope of
disgracing the Delawares by casting into their teeth the delinquency
of one bred in their villages.