so impeding progress; his habits hardening into him, his ascribing to
himself all wisdom, and depriving everybody of his right to successive
command; his endless talk, and dwelling on the past, so that the world
could not bear him. Describe his ascetic and severe habits, his rigid
calmness, etc._]

But before the great sagamore died he imparted to a chosen one of his
tribe, the next wisest to himself, the secret of a potent and delicious
drink, the constant imbibing of which, together with his abstinence from
luxury and passion, had kept him alive so long, and would doubtless have
compelled him to live forever. This drink was compounded of many
ingredients, all of which were remembered and handed down in tradition,
save one, which, either because it was nowhere to be found, or for some
other reason, was forgotten; so that the drink ceased to give immortal
life as before. They say it was a beautiful purple flower. [_Perhaps the
Devil taught him the drink, or else the Great Spirit,--doubtful
which._] But it still was a most excellent drink, and conducive to
health, and the cure of all diseases; and the Indians had it at the time
of the settlement by the English; and at one of those wizard meetings in
the forest, where the Black Man used to meet his red children and his
white ones, and be jolly with them, a great Indian wizard taught the
secret to Septimius's great-grandfather, who was a wizard, and died for
it; and he, in return, taught the Indians to mix it with rum, thinking
that this might be the very ingredient that was missing, and that by
adding it he might give endless life to himself and all his Indian
friends, among whom he had taken a wife.

"But your great-grandfather, you know, had not a fair chance to test its
virtues, having been hanged for a wizard; and as for the Indians, they
probably mixed too much fire-water with their liquid, so that it burnt