Page:Nattie Nesmith (1870).pdf/119



HREE months passed less heavily than Nattie had anticipated. It gratified her to feel that she was, in some sense, superior to her captors; and the occupation of her hands relieved the sadness of her heart. Shebecame gradually more accustomed to Indian habits and usages. She was less shocked by their uncivilized manners, and even found some amusement intheir rough mode of life. But the hope, which at first buoyed her up, lost some of its strength as time passed by and she saw that it was not realized. This strong