"Swear not, friend, it is an abomination,
and becometh not a Christian man."
Peter was amazed, he could not trust his eyes, his ears, or his
memory.
"Toctor," said he, "come here for heaven's sake, is she hern ainsel or
ta tevil."
The moment the doctor saw him, his hands as usual involuntarily
protected his sides, and he burst out a laughing in his face, and then
describing a circle on the grass, fell down, and rolled over, saying,
"Oh, oh, that man will be the death of me." The girls nearly went into
hysterics, and Cutler, though evidently not approving of the practical
joke, as only fit for military life, unable to contain himself, walked
away. The French boy, Etienne, frightened at his horrible expression
of face, retreated backwards, crossed himself most devoutly, and
muttered an Ave Maria.
"Friend Judd," said I, for I was the only one who retained my gravity,
"thee ought not to wear a mask, it is a bad sign."
"I wear no mask, Mr Slick," he said, "I use no disguises, and it does
not become a professing man like you to jeer and scoff because I
reprove the man Peter for his profaneness."
Peter stamped and raved like a madman, and had to resort to Gaelic to
disburden his mind of his effervescence. He threatened to shoot him;
he knew him very well, he said, for he had seen him before on the
prairies. He was a Kentucky villain, a forger, a tief, a Yankee spy
sent to excite the Indians against the English.
Pages:
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189