this proposal; and when it was explained to the Indian Chief, he gave
the most cordial and ready assent. The mild yet dignified countenance
of the elder had won his respect and confidence; and he hoped to gain
as great advantages from a more intimate connection with the white men,
as they expected from his alliance and support.

Henrich was now able to leave his couch, and again to join Edith and
his young companions out of doors; but he still looked delicate, and
his former strength and activity had not fully returned. He was,
however, able to walk with the assistance of a crutch that his father
had made for him; and he formed one of the group that followed the
Indians in their procession through the village, and also escorted them
as far as the confines of the wood in whose depths their village lay.
The Chief remarked the boy, and showed sympathy for his lameness, which
he was given to understand was owing to an aggression of the Nausetts;
and his eyes flashed, and his nostrils dilated, and his whole
countenance was changed from its habitual expression of gentle dignity,
to one of fierce hostility. It was evident that, in these Wampanoges,
the settlers had secured allies who would be zealous and persevering in
protecting them from the attacks of their harassing enemies, the
Nausetts; and who would, when the proper time should arrive, assist
them in fleeing the district of such troublesome inhabitants.

The Indians returned to their wigwams, and the elder accompanied them,
and became an inmate of Mooanam's lodge. He soon began to acquire some
knowledge of the language of his host, and also to instruct him and his
wife in many English words and phrases, in which their aptitude to
learn astonished him. A constant communication was kept up between the
Indian village and that of the settlers, and a real regard and esteem
sprang up between them. As the spring advanced, Henrich was able to