"This is the sacred volume, Hist," she said - "and these words,
and lines, and verses, and chapters, all came from God."
"Why Great Spirit no send book to Injin, too?" demanded Hist, with
the directness of a mind that was totally unsophisticated.
"Why?" answered Hetty, a little bewildered by a question so
unexpected. "Why? - Ah! you know the Indians don't know how to
read."
If Hist was not satisfied with this explanation, she did not deem
the point of sufficient importance to be pressed. Simply bending
her body, in a gentle admission of the truth of what she heard,
she sat patiently awaiting the further arguments of the pale-face
enthusiast.
"You can tell these chiefs that throughout this book, men are ordered
to forgive their enemies; to treat them as they would brethren; and
never to injure their fellow creatures, more especially on account
of revenge or any evil passions. Do you think you can tell them
this, so that they will understand it, Hist?"
"Tell him well enough, but he no very easy to understand." Hist
then conveyed the ideas of Hetty, in the best manner she could, to
the attentive Indians, who heard her words with some such surprise as
an American of our own times would be apt to betray at a suggestion
that the great modern but vacillating ruler of things human, public
opinion, might be wrong.
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