open, and _without weapons of defence_, we had
no wish any longer to hurt you. Now, we would fight for you, and
defend you ourselves from all who wish you ill.' Meanwhile the Chief
who had entered first was speaking in broken English to old Zebulon
Hoxie, gesticulating to make his meaning clear.

'Indian come White Man House,' he said, pointing with his finger
towards the Settlement, 'Indian want kill white man, one, two, three,
six, all!' and he clutched the tomahawk at his belt with a gruesome
gesture. 'Indian come, see White Man sit in house; no gun, no arrow,
no knife; all quiet, all still, worshipping Great Spirit. Great Spirit
inside Indian too;' he pointed to his breast; 'then Great Spirit say:
"Indian! No kill them!"' With these words, the Chief took a white
feather from one of his arrows, and stuck it firmly over the centre of
the roof in a peculiar way. 'With that white feather above your
house,' the French-speaking Indian said to Robert Nisbet, 'your
settlement is safe. We Indians are your friends henceforward, and you
are ours.'

A moment later and the strange guests had all disappeared as
noiselessly as they had come. But, when the bushes had ceased to
tremble, Benjamin stole to his mother's side. 'Mother, did you _see_,
did you _see_?' he whispered. 'They were _not_ friendly Indians. They
were the very most savage kind. Did you,' he shuddered, 'did you, and
father, and grandfather, and the others not notice what those things
were, hanging from their waists? They were _scalps_--scalps of men and
women that those Indians had killed,' and again he shuddered.

His mother stooped and kissed him. 'Yea, my son,' she answered, 'I did
see. In truth we all saw, too well, save only the tender maids, thy
sisters, who know naught of terror or wrong. But thou, my son, when
thou dost remember those human scalps, pray for the slayers and for
the slain. Only for thyself and for us, have no fear. Remember,
rather, the blessing of that other Benjamin, for whom I named thee.
"The Beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him. He shall cover
him all the day long."'

XXX. THE THIEF IN THE TANYARD

_'In the House of Love men do not
curse nor swear; they do not destroy
nor kill any. They use no outward
swords or spears. They seek to to
destroy no flesh of man; but it is a
fight of the cross and patience to