THE AMERICANS AND THE ABORIGINES. 295 



sion and motherly tenderness, speedily restored to 

 her the use of her tongue. 



" Good God ! " cried she, stretching out her hands 

 to take the infant ; " what a sweet little darling ; 

 and come of good parents too, I'll be SAvorn. Only 

 look at the fur, and the fine lace ! Did you ever see 

 such a thing ! Where did you get the child 1 Poor 

 little thing ! Feed it? To be sure I will. This is 

 no red-man's child." 



The worthy lady seemed disposed to run on in this 

 way for some time longer, had not a significant sign 

 from her husband stopped her mouth. The chief, 

 without vouchsafing her the smallest attention, un- 

 fastened the pelisse of grey fox-skin, stripped it off, 

 and then proceeded to divest the infant of the first 

 of the coats in which it was enveloped, like a silk- 

 worm in its cocoon. But when, after having with 

 some difficulty accomplished this, a third, fourth, and 

 fifth wrapper appeared, he seemed suddenly to lose 

 patience, and drawing his knife, he, with one cut, 

 ripped the whole of the child's clothes from its body, 

 and handed it over stark naked to the tavern-keeper's 

 wife. 



" Incarnate fiend ! " screamed the shuddering wo- 

 man, as she snatched the infant from his hands. 



" Stop ! " cried the Indian, his cold and imper- 

 turbable gaze fixed upon the infant's neck, from 

 which a small medal was suspended by a gold chain. 

 Without uttering a word, the woman slipped the 



