290 Hills and Lakes. 



by a head, tlian the rest. His arms were long, ahnost 

 hke an ape's, and one of 'em seemed stiff at the elbow, 

 as if from an old hurt. I counted 'em where I lay in 

 the bushes, over and over again j as they danced a hor- 

 rible dance round that burnin' pile. I warn't angry^ 

 nor sorrowful, nor afraid. A strange sort of calmness 

 was on me. I seemed to look on without any thought^ 

 but to study the faces and forms of them IngeniS ; why, 

 I know not. My feelins' seemed to be all dead. I 

 foi'got father, mother, brother, sisters : all passed from 

 me, while I looked upon those bloody scalps, and 

 studied the faces of them red demons dancin' round. 



" ' After awhile, they gave one last horrible yell, and 

 filed off, one after another, towards the forest. They 

 passed close to the bush beneath which I lay. He with 

 the scalps went first, and the rest in a line behind him* 

 I saw all their faces, plain and distinct as I see yours. 

 Tiiey all seemed to look straight at me, as they passed 

 b}^, and moved away into the still woods. Then a 

 drowsiness, heavy, like death, came over me, and I 

 sunk away, into a deep sleep, 



" ' When I awoke, the sun was shining. I looked 

 out from the bush, and saw the neighbors standin' 

 round, and wondered why they were all there. I 



