They shall be welcome; and
may it be long ere any of them send invitation to me or mine, to enter
their clearings on the like melancholy duty. Depart, and bear in mind,
that you are messengers of peace; that your errand toucheth not the
feelings of vengeance, but that it is succor, in all fitting reason, and
no arming of the hand to chase the savage to his retreats, that I ask of
the brethren."
With this final admonition, the young men took their leaves. Still it was
evident, by their frowning brows and compressed lips, that some part of
its forgiving principle might be forgotten, should chance, in their
journey, bring them on the trail of any wandering inhabitant of the
forest. In a few minutes, they were seen passing, with swift steps, from
the fields into the depths of the forest, along that path which led to the
towns that lay lower on the Connecticut.
Another task still remained to be performed. In making the temporary
arrangements for the shelter of the family, attention had been first paid
to the block-house. The walls of the basement of this building were still
standing, and it was found easy, by means of half-burnt timbers, with an
occasional board that had escaped the conflagration, to cover it, in a
manner that offered a temporary protection against the weather.
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