a few earnestly bent on seeking the comforts necessary to their habits, but more pausing to exchange hasty and whispered sentences with their friends. The warriors were lounging in groupes, musing more than they conversed; and when a few words were uttered, speaking like men who deeply weighed their opinions. The instruments of the chase were to be seen in abundance among the lodges; but none departed. Here and there, a warrior might be seen examining his arms, with an attention that is rarely bestowed on the implements, when no other enemy than the beasts of the forest are expected to be encountered. And, occasionally, the eyes of a whole groupe were turned simultaneously towards a large and silent lodge in the centre of the village, as if it contained the subject of their common thoughts.
During the existence of this scene, a man suddenly appeared at the farthest extremity of that platform of rock which formed the level of the village. He was without arms, and his paint tended rather to soften than increase the natural sternness of his austere
