"
"You can never do it, father!" said Hetty, in a low, remonstrating
manner, taking his hard, knotty hand into both her own; "you have
talked long with Harry March; but neither of you have the heart to
do it!"
"This is going beyond your means, foolish child; you must have been
naughty enough to have listened, or you could know nothing of our
talk."
"Why should you and Hurry kill people- especially women and children?"
"Peace, girl, peace; we are at war, and must do to our enemies as
our enemies would do to us."
"That's not it, father! I heard Deerslayer say how it was. You
must do to your enemies as you wish your enemies would do to you.
No man wishes his enemies to kill him."
"We kill our enemies in war, girl, lest they should kill us. One
side or the other must begin; and them that begin first, are most
apt to get the victory. You know nothing about these things, poor
Hetty, and had best say nothing."
"Judith says it is wrong, father; and Judith has sense though I
have none."
"Jude understands better than to talk to me of these matters; for
she has sense, as you say, and knows I'll not bear it. Which would
you prefer, Hetty; to have your own scalp taken, and sold to the
French, or that we should kill our enemies, and keep them from
harming us?"
"That's not it, father! Don't kill them, nor let them kill us.
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