a celestial spirit breathed them into his soul stillness and peace stole over him he was amazed at his own tranquillity it may be he thought that my mother is permitted to minister to me he might have been agitated by the admission of the least ray of hope but hope was utterly and it was only when he thought of his father that his courage failed him but we must leave him to his solitude and silence only interrupted by the distant of the owl and the heavy tread of the chief who spent the night in slowly pacing before the door of the hut and her companions were conducted to a standing on that part of the plain on which they had first entered it was completely enclosed on three sides by dwarf oaks in front there was a little plantation of the luxuries of the savages on entering the hut they perceived it had but one a sick old woman who was stretched on her mat covered with skins she raised her head as the strangers entered and at the sight of faith uttered a faint exclamation the fair creature a messenger from the hope it land but being who they were and whence they came she made every and expression of courtesy to them that her feeble strength permitted heir hut contained all that was essential to savage hospitality a few were burning on a in the middle of the apartment the smoke that found passed out by a hole in the centre of the roof over which a mat was adjusted and to the side by a cord that hung within the old woman in her long pilgrimage had accumulated stores of indian riches piles of sleeping lay in one corner nicely dressed the walls baskets of all shapes and sizes decorated with rude images of birds and flowers contained dried fruits indian com nuts and game a covered made of folds of bark was filled with a kind of beer � a of various roots and shrubs neatly turned wooden and and of clay supplied all the demands of the of savage life the travellers directed by their old hostess prepared their evening � a short and simple process to an indian and having satisfied the of hunger they were all with the exception of and one of the in a very short time stretched on their and fast asleep seated herself at the feet of the old woman and had neither spoken nor moved since she entered the hut she watched anxiously and hope the movements of the indian whose appointed duty it appeared to be to guard her he placed a wooden bench against the mat which served for a door and his pipe with tobacco from a over his shoulder and then filling a with the liquor in the and placing it beside him he quietly sat himself down to his night watch the old woman became restless and her loud and repeated groans at last withdrew from her own miserable thoughts she inquired if she could do aught to her pain the sufferer pointed to a jar that stood on the embers ia which a preparation was she ta to give her a of the liquor she did so and as she took it it is made she said of all the plants on which the spirit of sleep has breathed and so it seemed to be for she had scarcely swallowed it when she fell asleep once or twice she and murmured something and once heard her say hark to the is he is perched on the old oak by the sacrifice rock and his cry is neither musical nor merry a bad sign in a bird but all signs and were alike to every sound rung a death peal to her ear and the hissing silence had in it the mystery and of death the night wore slowly and painfully away as if as in the fairy tale the moments were counted by drops of heart s blood but the most wearisome nights will end the morning approach hon ed the familiar notes of the birds of earliest were heard and the twilight peeped through the of the hut when a new sound fell on s startled ear it was the slow measured tread of many feet the poor girl now broke and vehemently entreated the to let her pass the door or at least to raise the mat he shook his head with a look of as if it were the demand of a child when the old woman awakened by the noise cried out that she was dying that she must have light and air i and the started up to raise the mat it was held between two poles that formed the door posts and while he was it as if inspired and quick as thought poured the from the jar on the fire into the hollow of hand and dashed it into the which the mo hawk had just the was boiling hot but she did not she did not even feel it and she could scarcely repress a cry of joy when the savage turned round and swallowed at one draught the contents of the cup looked eagerly through the but though the sound of the footsteps had approached nearer she saw no one she saw nothing but a gentle that to the plain a few yards from the hut and was covered with a grove of trees beyond and peering above them were the hill and the sacrifice rock the star its rays not yet in the light of day shed a soft trembling beam on its summit this beautiful star alone in the heavens when all other lights were spoke to the superstitious or rather the imaginative spirit of star of promise she thought thou dost still linger with us when day is vanished and now thou art there alone to 