MOSES' ILLNESS 141 



and tottering ; his voice was hoarse and piping ; his appe- 

 tite was gone, and he was utterly indifferent to everything 

 around him. 



During my journey I had secured a companion for him, 

 and when I disembarked from the canoe I hastened to 

 him with this new addition to our little family. I had not 

 been told that he was ill, and, of course, was not prepared 

 to see him looking so ghastly. When he discovered me 

 approaching, he rose up and began to call me, as he had 

 been wont to do before I left him ; but his weak voice was 

 like a death-knell to my ears. My heart sunk within me 

 as I saw him trying to reach out his long, bony arms to 

 welcome my return. Poor, faithful Moses ! I could not 

 repress the tears of pity and regret at this sudden change, 

 for to me it seemed the work of a moment. I had last 

 seen him in the vigor of a strong and robust youth, but 

 now I beheld him in the decrepitude of a feeble senility. 

 What a transformation ! 



I diagnosed his case as well as I was able and began to 

 treat him, but it was evident that he was so far gone that 

 I could not expect him to recover. My conscience smote 

 me for having left him, yet I felt that I had not done 

 wrong. It was not neglect or cruelty for me to leave him 

 while I went in pursuit of the chief object of my search, 

 and I had no cause to reproach myself for having done so. 

 But emotions that are stirred by such incidents are not to 

 be controlled by reason or hushed by argument, and the 

 pain caused me was more than I can tell. 



If I had done wrong, the only restitution possible for 

 me to make was to nurse him patiently and tenderly to 



