"Besides, my aged associate," he
reproachfully added, "the interest, that a man has in his own
existence, is by no means trifling, however it may be eclipsed by his
devotion to more general and philanthropic feelings."
"What I would say is this," resumed the trapper, who was far from
understanding all the subtle distinctions with which his more learned
companion so often saw fit to embellish his discourse; "there is but
one birth and one death to all things, be it hound, or be it deer; be
it red skin, or be it white. Both are in the hands of the Lord, it
being as unlawful for man to strive to hasten the one, as impossible
to prevent the other. But I will not say that something may not be
done to put the last moment aside, for a while at least, and therefore
it is a question, that any one has a right to put to his own wisdom,
how far he will go, and how much pain he will suffer, to lengthen out
a time that may have been too long already. Many a dreary winter and
scorching summer has gone by since I have turned, to the right hand or
to the left, to add an hour to a life that has already stretched
beyond fourscore years.
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