no
one can go harmless for doing an evil act, because another has done it before
him. Render good for evil, says this book, and that is the law for the red man
as well as for the white man.«
    »Never hear such law among Delaware, or among Iroquois -« answered Hist
soothingly. »No good to tell chiefs any such laws as dat. Tell 'em somet'ing
they believe.«
    Hist was about to proceed, notwithstanding, when a tap on the shoulder, from
the finger of the oldest chief caused her to look up. She then perceived that
one of the warriors had left the group, and was already returning to it with
Hutter and Hurry. Understanding that the two last were to become parties in the
inquiry, she became mute, with the unhesitating obedience of an Indian woman. In
a few seconds the prisoners stood face to face with the principal men of the
captors.
    »Daughter,« said the senior chief to the young Delaware, »ask this grey
beard why he came into our camp?«
    The question was put by Hist, in her own imperfect English, but in a way
that was easy to be understood. Hutter was too stern and obdurate by nature, to
shrink from the consequences of any of his acts, and he was also too familiar
with the opinions of the savages not to understand that nothing was to be gained
by equivocation or an unmanly dread of their anger. Without hesitating,
therefore, he avowed the purpose with which he had landed, merely justifying it
by the fact that the government of the province had bid high for scalps. This
frank avowal was received by the Iroquois, with evident satisfaction, not so
much, however, on account of the advantage it gave them in a moral point of
view, as by its proving that they had captured a man worthy of occupying their
thoughts and of becoming a subject of their revenge. Hurry, when interrogated,
confessed the truth, though he would have been more disposed to concealment than
his sterner companion, did the circumstances very well admit of its adoption.
But he had tact enough to discover that equivocation would be useless, at that
moment, and he made a merit of necessity by imitating a frankness, which, in the
case of Hutter, was the offspring of habits of indifference acting on a
disposition that was always ruthless, and reckless of personal consequences.
    As soon as the chiefs had received the answers to their questions, they
walked away, in silence, like men who deemed the matter disposed of, all Hetty's
dogmas being