The appearance of
such a group was enough of itself to have deterred one, less
accustomed to such sights than the old man, from trusting himself
within the circle of their wild and repulsive rites.
Each of the crones, as she received the weapon, commenced a slow and
measured, but ungainly, step, around the savage, until the whole were
circling him in a sort of magic dance. The movements were timed, in
some degree, by the words of their songs, as were their gestures by
the ideas. When they spoke of their own losses, they tossed their long
straight locks of grey into the air, or suffered them to fall in
confusion upon their withered necks; but as the sweetness of returning
blow for blow was touched upon, by any among them, it was answered by
a common howl, as well as by gestures, that were sufficiently
expressive of the manner in which they were exciting themselves to the
necessary state of fury.
Into the very centre of this ring of seeming demons, the trapper now
stalked, with the same calmness and observation as he would have
walked into a village church.
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