Until we know more,
I do not wish to touch the scalp of that bee-hunter. It may do us
great harm. I knew a medicine-man of the pale-faces to lose his
scalp, and small-pox took off half the band that made him prisoner
and killed him. It is not good to meddle with medicine-men. A few
days ago, and I wanted this young man's scalp, very much. Now, I do
not want it. It may do us harm to touch it. I wish to let him go,
and to take his squaw with him. The rest we can scalp."
Peter cunningly made no allusion to Margery, until just before he
resumed his seat, though now deeply interested in her safety. As for
le Bourdon, so profound was the impression he had made that morning,
that few of the chiefs were surprised at the exemption proposed in
his favor. The superstitious dread of witchcraft is very general
among the American savages; and it certainly did seem to be
hazardous to plot the death of a man, who had even the bees that
were humming on all sides of them under his control. He might at
that very moment be acquainted with all that was passing; and
several of the grim-looking and veteran warriors who sat in the
circle, and who appeared to be men able and willing to encounter
aught human, did not fail to remember the probability of a medicine-
man's knowing who were his friends, and who his enemies.
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