The chief was soothed and flattered, and the arrangement worked to
the pleasure of both, and to the great good of the village which now
enjoyed a winter of prosperity hitherto unknown to such natives of the
woods. Nobody had to go hungry, there was abundant provision against the
cold. Henry, though not saying it, knew that with him the credit lay,
and just now the world seemed very full. As human beings go he was
thoroughly happy; the life fitted him, satisfied all his wants, and the
memory of his own people became paler and more distant; they could do
very well without him; they were so many, one could be spared, and when
the chance came he would send word to them that he was alive and well,
but that he would not come back.
When the buds began to burst they traveled eastward, until they came to
the Mississippi. The sight of its stream brought back to Henry a thought
of those with whom he had first seen it and he felt a pang of remorse.
But the pang was fleeting, and the memory too he resolutely put aside.
They crossed the Mississippi and advanced into the land of little
prairies, a green, rich region, pleasant to the eye and full of game.
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