Then, friend,--for, truly, I saw it all in the light of the fire, being scarce two rods off,--he snatched the poor babe from the dying woman's arms, and struck it with the same bloody hatchet,--" "And you!" exclaimed Roland, leaning from his horse and clutching the speaker by the collar, for he was seized with ungovernable indignation, or rather fury, at what he esteemed the cold-blooded cowardice of Nathan, "_You_!" he cried, grasping him as if he would have torn him to pieces, "You, wretch! stood by and saw the child murdered!" "Friend!" said Nathan, with some surprise at the unexpected assault, but still with great submissiveness, "thee is as unjust to me as others.

Had I been as free to shed blood as thee theeself, yet could I not have saved the babe in that way, seeing that my gun was taken from me, and I was unarmed.

Thee forgets,--or rather I forgot to inform thee,--how, when I told friend Bruce my story, he took my gun from me, saying that 'as I was not man enough to use it, I should not be allowed to carry it,' and so turned me out naked from the fort.

Truly, it was an ill thing of him to take from me that which gave me my meat; and truly too, it was doubly ill of him, as it concerned the child; for I tell thee, friend, when I stood in the corn and saw the great brutal Injun raise the hatchet to strike the little child, had there been a gun in my hand, I should--I can't tell thee, friend, what I might have done; but, truly, I should not have permitted the evil creature to do the bloody deed!" "I thought so, by Heaven!" said Roland, who had relaxed his grasp the moment Nathan mentioned the seizure of the gun, which story was corroborated by the account Bruce had himself given of that stretch of authority,--"I thought so: no human creature, not an Indian, unless the veriest dastard and dog that ever lived, could have had arms in his hand, and, on such an occasion, failed to use them! But you had humanity,--you did something ?" "Friend," said Nathan, meekly, "I did what I could,--but, truly, what could I?
Nevertheless, friend, I did, being set beside myself by the sight, snatch the little babe out of the man's hands, and fly to the woods, hoping, though it was sore wounded, that it might yet live.

But, alas, before I had run a mile, it died in my arms, and I was covered from head to foot with its blood.