ded, and about half the guests persuaded to withdraw, the dying
chief was with difficulty made to understand who were his visitors, and
feebly groping with his hand he faintly murmured,--

"_Winsnow, keen Winsnow?_" (Is it you Winsnow?) To which Winslow gently
replied, grasping the cold hand,--

"It is Winslow who is come to see you, sachem."

"I shall never see thee again, Winsnow," muttered the dying man, and
those standing by explained that the sight had left his eyes some hours
before.

But Winslow, after patiently repeating over and over the message of
sympathy and friendship delivered him by the governor, produced a little
pot of what he calls a confection of many comfortable conserves, and
with the point of his knife inserted a portion between the sick man's
teeth.

"It will kill him! He cannot swallow," declared the favorite wife, who
stood chafing her lord's hands; but presently as the conserve, prepared
by Doctor Fuller and of rare virtue, melted, it trickled down the
patient's throat, who presently whispered, "More!" and Winslow well
pleased administered several doses. Then, finding the mouth whose
muscles had now relaxed, foul with fever, this courtly and haughty
gentleman, this necessity of the Lord Protector of England, this Grand
Commissioner of the future, with his own hands performed a nurse's
loathly work, and ceased not until the sachem, refreshed, relieved,
rescued from death, was able to ask for drink, when Hampden prepared
some of the confection with water, and Winslow administered it. All
night this work went on, and when morning broke, the sick man could see
and hear and swallow as well as ever he could, and his appetite
returning he demanded broth such as he had tasted at Plymouth.

Now that especial broth was a delicious compound of Priscilla's
compounding, and Winslow knew no more of its recipe than you or I do,
nor were any materials such as should go to the making of white man's
broth at hand. Worst of all, Winslow had never taken note or share in
culinary labors, for Susanna was a notable housewife and had both men
and maids at her command; but a willing mind is a powerful teacher, and
not only Winslow the man, was full of Christian charity, but Winslow the
statesman desired intensely that Massasoit should remain sachem of the
Pokanokets, instead of making way for Corbitant, who had once declared
his enmity to the white men, and had only been put down by the strong
hand.

So Winslo