him to fill the place of him whose death he so deeply deplored; and
Oriana already looked on him as a brother, and took the greatest
delight in his society. No apprehensions were now felt of his escaping
to the settlement; for the distance which they had traveled through
woods, and over hills and plains, to reach the Pequodee encampment, was
so great, that it was utterly impossible for any one but an Indian,
well accustomed to the country, to traverse it alone. Henrich was,
therefore, allowed to enjoy perfect liberty, and to ramble unmolested
around the camp; and it was his greatest pleasure to climb to the
summit of a neighboring hill, which was crowned by a few ancient and
majestic pines, and there to look in wonder and admiration at the
scenery around him. To the west, a vast and trackless forest spread as
far as the eye could reach, unbroken save by some distant lakes, that
shone like clear mirrors in their dark green setting. Trees of gigantic
growth rose high above their brethren of the wood, but wild luxuriant
creepers, many of them bearing clusters of bright blossoms, had climbed
ambitiously to their summits, seeking the light of day, and the warmth
of the sunbeams, which could not penetrate the thick underwood that was
their birth-place. It was a sea of varied and undulating foliage,
beautiful and striking, but almost oppressive to the spirit; and
Henrich gazed sadly over the interminable forest, and thought of the
weeks, and months--and, possibly, the years that this wilderness was to
be his home. Escape, under present circumstances, he felt to be
impossible; and he endeavored to reconcile himself to his fate, and to
look forward with hope to a dim and uncertain future. Could his parents
and Edith but have been assured of his safety, he thought he could have
borne his captivity more cheerfully; but to feel that they were mourning
him as dead, and that, perhaps, they would never know that his blood had
not been cruelly shed by his captors, was hard for the affectionate boy
to endure.