Page:Life Amongst the Modocs.djvu/129

 ne-log outside.

A certain strong magnet attracts from out the grains of gold all the ironstone and black sand to itself. It seemed there was something in the nature of this man that attracted all the helpless, and weak, and friendless to his side. He had not sought these little savages. That would have been folly, if not an abso lute wrong to them. There was, perhaps, not another man in camp as little capable of caring for them as he. He had rather tried to avoid them, particularly the boy; but when they fell into his hands, when fate seemed to put them there, he took them proudly, boldly, and trusted to fortune, as all brave men will trust it, and without question.

To see those Indians eat daintily, only a little bit at a time, then put it under the robe, stealthily, and look about ; then a memory, and the head would bend and the eyes go down ; then the little piece of bread would be withdrawn, eyed wistfully, a morsel broken off, and then the piece again returned beneath the robe, to be again withdrawn as they found it im possible to resist the hunger that consumed them.

But Indians are strangely preservative, and these had just endured a bitter school. They had learned the importance of hoarding a bit for to-morrow, and even the next morning had quite a piece of bread still. How could they suppose that any one would provide, or attempt to provide, for them the next day ?

The Prince came in at last from the dusk, and we all went out and helped to bring the wood from the