Le Balafre was seated nigh the dying trapper, with every
mark about his person, that the hour of his own departure was not far
distant. The rest of those immediately in the centre were aged men,
who had apparently drawn near, in order to observe the manner, in
which a just and fearless warrior would depart on the greatest of his
journeys.
The old man was reaping the rewards of a life remarkable for
temperance and activity, in a tranquil and placid death. His vigour in
a manner endured to the very last. Decay, when it did occur, was
rapid, but free from pain. He had hunted with the tribe in the spring,
and even throughout most of the summer, when his limbs suddenly
refused to perform their customary offices. A sympathising weakness
took possession of all his faculties; and the Pawnees believed, that
they were going to lose, in this unexpected manner, a sage and
counsellor, whom they had begun both to love and respect. But as we
have already said, the immortal occupant seemed unwilling to desert
its tenement.
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