pastor, while a
shade of sadness passed over his mild features, as if unpleasant
thoughts had been roused by the hunter's speech.

"Well, it's not easy to say why," rejoined the other. "I've no
partic'lar objection to the redskins. There's only one man among them
that I bears a grudge agin, and even that one I'd rayther avoid than
otherwise."

"But you should _forgive_ him, Jacques. The Bible tells us not only to
bear our enemies no grudge, but to love them and to do them good."

The hunter's brow darkened. "That's impossible, sir," he said; "I
couldn't do _him_ a good turn if I was to try ever so hard. He may
bless his stars that I don't want to do him mischief; but to _love him_,
it's jist imposs'ble."

"With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible," said
the pastor solemnly.

Jacques's naturally philosophic though untutored mind saw the force of
this. He felt that God, who had formed his soul, his body, and the
wonderfully complicated machinery and objects of nature, which were
patent to his observant and reflective mind wherever he went, must of
necessity be equally able to alter, influence, and remould them all
according to his will. Common-sense was sufficient to teach him this;
and the bold hunter exhibited no ordinary amount of common-sense in
admitting the fact at once, although in the case under discussion (the
loving of his enemy) it seemed utterly impossible to his feelings and
experience. The frown, therefore, passed from his brow, while he said
respectfully, "What you say, sir, is true; I believe though I can't
_feel_ it. But I s'pose the reason I niver felt much drawn to the
redskins is, that all the time I lived in the settlements I was used to
hear them called and treated as thievin' dogs, an' when I com'd among
them I didn't see much to alter my opinion. Here an' there I have found
one or two honest Injins, an' Redfeather is as true as steel; but the
most o' them are no better than they should be. I s'pose I don't think
much o' them just because they _are_ redskins."

"Ah, Jacques, you will excuse me if I say that there is not much sense
in _that_ reason. An Indian cannot help being a red man any more than
you can help being a white one, so that he ought not to be despised on
that account. Besides, God made him what he is, and to despise the
_work_ of God, or to undervalue it, is to despise God himself. You may
indeed despise, or rather abhor, the sins that red m