Chapter IV.

by James Fenimore Cooper

　　The sad butterfly, Waving his lackered wings, darts quickly on, And, by his free flight, counsels us to speed For better lodgings, and a scene more sweet, Than these dear borders offer us to-night. SIMMS.It was noon before Ben and Gershom dared to commence the process ofcutting and splitting the tree, in order to obtain the honey. Untilthen, the bees lingered around their fallen hive, and it would havebeen dangerous to venture beyond the smoke and heat, in order toaccomplish the task. It is true, le Bourdon possessed severalsecrets, of more or less virtue, to drive off the bees when disposedto assault him, but no one that was as certain as a good fire,backed by a dense column of vapor. Various plants are thought to beso offensive to the insects, that they avoid even their odor; andthe bee-hunter had faith in one or two of them; but none of theright sort happened now to be near, and he was obliged to trust,first to a powerful heat, and next to the vapor of damp wood.

　　As there were axes, and wedges, and a beetle in the canoe, andGershom was as expert with these implements as a master of fencingis with his foil, to say nothing of the skill of le Bourdon, thetree was soon laid open, and its ample stores of sweets exposed. Inthe course of the afternoon the honey was deposited in kegs, thekegs were transferred to the canoe, and the whole deposited in thechiente. The day had been one of toil, and when our two bordermensat down near the spring, to take their evening meal, each felt gladthat his work was done.

　　"I believe this must be the last hive I line, this summer," said leBourdon, while eating his supper. "My luck has been good so far, butin troublesome times one had better not be too far from home. I amsurprised, Waring, that you have ventured so far from your family,while the tidings are so gloomy."

　　"That's partly because you don't know me, and partly because youdon't know Dolly. As for leaving hum, with anybody to kear for it, Ishould like to know who is more to the purpose than Dolly Waring? Ihaven't no idee that even bees would dare get upon her! If they did,they'd soon get the worst on't Her tongue is all-powerful, to saynawthin' of her arms; and if the so'gers can only handle theirmuskets as she can handle a broom, there is no need of new regimentsto carry on this war."

　　Now, nothing could be more false than this character; but a drunkardhas little regard to what he says.

　　"I am glad your garrison is so strong," answered the beehunter,thoughtfully; "but mine is too weak to stay any longer, out here inthe openings. Whiskey Centre, I intend to break up, and return tothe settlement, before the red-skins break loose in earnest. If youwill stay and lend me a hand to embark the honey and stores, andhelp to carry the canoe down the river, you shall be well paid foryour trouble."

　　"Waal, I'd about as lief do that, as do anything else. Good jobs isscarce, out here in the wilderness, and when a body lights of one,he ought to profit by it. I come up here thinkin' to meet you, for Iheer'n tell from a voyager that you was a-beeing it, out in theopenin's, and there's nawthin' in natur' that Dolly takes to with agreater relish than good wild honey. 'Try whiskey,' I've told her athousand times, 'and you'll soon get to like that better than allthe rest of creation'; but not a drop could I ever get her, orBlossom, to swallow. It's true, that leaves so much the more for me;but I'm a companionable crittur, and don't think I've drunk as muchas I want, unless I take it society-like. That's one reason I'vetaken so mightily to you, Bourdon; you're not much at a pull, butyou an't downright afeared of a jug, neither."

　　The bee-hunter was glad to hear that all the family had not thisman's vice, for he now plainly foresaw that the accidents of hisposition must bring him and these strangers much in contact, forsome weeks, at least. Le Bourdon, though not absolutely "afraid of ajug," as Whiskey Centre had expressed it, was decidedly a temperateman; drinking but seldom, and never to excess. He too well knew thehazards by which he was surrounded, to indulge in this way, even hadhe the taste for it; but he had no taste that way, one small jug ofbrandy forming his supply for a whole season. In these days ofexaggeration in all things, exaggeration in politics, in religion,in temperance, in virtue, and even in education, by putting "newwine into old bottles," that one little jug might have sufficed togive him a bad name; but five-and-thirty years ago men had more realindependence than they now possess, and were not as much afraid ofthat croquemitaine, public opinion, as they are to-day. To be sure,it was little to le Bourdon's taste to make a companion of such aperson as Whiskey Centre; but there was no choice. The man was anutter stranger to him; and the only means he possessed of makingsure that he did not carry off the property that lay so much at hismercy, was by keeping near him. With many men, the bee-hunter wouldhave been uneasy at being compelled to remain alone with them in thewoods; for cases in which one had murdered another, in order to getpossession of the goods, in these remote regions, were talked of,among the other rumors of the borders; but Gershom had that in hisair and manner that rendered Ben confident his delinquencies, at themost, would scarcely reach bloodshed. Pilfer he might; but murderwas a crime which he did not appear at all likely to commit.

　　After supping in company, our two adventurers secured everything;and, retiring to the chiente, they went to sleep. No materialdisturbance occurred, but the night passed in tranquillity; the bee-hunter merely experiencing some slight interruption to his slumbers,from the unusual circumstance of having a companion. One as longaccustomed to be alone as himself would naturally submit to somesuch sensation, our habits getting so completely the mastery asoften to supplant even nature.

　　The following morning the bee-hunter commenced his preparations fora change of residence. Had he not been discovered, it is probablethat the news received from the Chippewa would not have induced himto abandon his present position, so early in the season; but hethought the risk of remaining was too great under all thecircumstances. The Pottawattamie, in particular, was a subject ofgreat distrust to him, and he believed it highly possible some ofthat old chief's tribe might be after his scalp ere many suns hadrisen. Gershom acquiesced in these opinions, and, as soon as hisbrain was less under the influence of liquor than was common withhim, he appeared to be quite happy in having it in his power to forma species of alliance, offensive and defensive, with a man of hisown color and origin. Great harmony now prevailed between the two,Gershom improving vastly in all the better qualities, the instanthis intellect and feelings got to be a little released from thethraldom of the jug. His own immediate store of whiskey was quiteexhausted, and le Bourdon kept the place in which his own smallstock of brandy was secured a profound secret. These glimmerings ofreturning intellect, and of reviving principles, are by no meansunusual with the sot, thus proving that "so long as there is life,there is hope," for the moral, as well as for the physical being.What was a little remarkable, Gershom grew less vulgar, even in hisdialect, as he grew more sober, showing that in all respects he wasbecoming a greatly improved person.

　　The men were several hours in loading the canoe, not only all thestores and ammunition, but all the honey being transferred to it.The bee-hunter had managed to conceal his jug of brandy, reduced bythis time to little more than a quart, within an empty powder-keg,into which he had crammed a beaver-skin or two, that he had taken,as it might be incidentally, in the course of his rambles. At lengtheverything was removed and stowed in its proper place, on board thecapacious canoe, and Gershom expected an announcement on the part ofBen of his readiness to embark. But there still remained one duty toperform. The beehunter had killed a buck only the day before theopening of our narrative, and shouldering a quarter, he had left theremainder of the animal suspended from the branches of a tree, nearthe place where it had been shot and cleaned. As venison might beneeded before they could reach the mouth of the river, Ben deemed itadvisable that he and Gershom should go and bring in the remainderof the carcass. The men started on this undertaking accordingly,leaving the canoe about two in the afternoon.

　　The distance between the spot where the deer had been killed, andthe chiente, was about three miles; which was the reason why thebee-hunter had not brought home the entire animal the day he killedit; the American woodsman often carrying his game great distances inpreference to leaving it any length of time in the forest. In thelatter case there is always danger from beasts of prey, which aredrawn from afar by the scent of blood. Le Bourdon thought itpossible they might now encounter wolves; though he had left thecarcass of the deer so suspended as to place it beyond the reach ofmost of the animals of the wilderness. Each of the men, however,carried a rifle: and Hive was allowed to accompany them, by an actof grace on the part of his master.

　　For the first half-hour, nothing occurred out of the usual course ofevents. The bee-hunter had been conversing freely with hiscompanion, who, he rejoiced to find, manifested far more commonsense, not to say good sense, than he had previously shown; and fromwhom he was deriving information touching the number of vessels, andthe other movements on the lakes, that he fancied might be of use tohimself when he started for Detroit. While thus engaged, and whendistant only a hundred rods from the place where he had left thevenison, le Bourdon was suddenly struck with the movements of thedog. Instead of doubling on his own tracks, and scenting right andleft, as was the animal's wont, he was now advancing cautiously,with his head low, seemingly feeling his way with his nose, as ifthere was a strong taint in the wind.

　　"Sartain as my name is Gershom," exclaimed Waring, just after he andBen had come to a halt, in order to look around them--"yonder is anInjin! The crittur' is seated at the foot of the large oak--hereaway, more to the right of the dog, and Hive has struck hisscent. The fellow is asleep, with his rifle across his lap, andcan't have much dread of wolves or bears!"

　　"I see him," answered le Bourdon, "and am as much surprised asgrieved to find him there. It is a little remarkable that I shouldhave so many visitors, just at this time, on my hunting-ground, whenI never had any at all before yesterday. It gives a body anuncomfortable feeling, Waring, to live so much in a crowd! Well,well--I'm about to move, and it will matter little twenty-four hourshence."

　　"The chap's a Winnebago by his paint," added Gershom--"but let's goup and give him a call."

　　The bee-hunter assented to this proposal, remarking, as they movedforward, that he did not think the stranger of the tribe just named;though he admitted that the use of paint was so general and looseamong these warriors, as to render it difficult to decide.

　　"The crittur' sleeps soundly!" exclaimed Gershom, stopping withinten yards of the Indian, to take another look at him.

　　"He'll never awake," put in the bee-hunter, solemnly--"the man isdead. See; there is blood on the side of his head, and a rifle-bullet has left its hole there."

　　Even while speaking, the bee-hunter advanced, and raising a sort ofshawl, that once had been used as an ornament, and which had lastbeen thrown carelessly over the head of its late owner, he exposedthe well-known features of Elks-foot, the Pottawattamie, who hadleft them little more than twenty-four hours before! The warrior hadbeen shot by a rifle-bullet directly through the temple, and hadbeen scalped. The powder had been taken from his horn, and thebullets from his pouch; but, beyond this, he had not been plundered.The body was carefully placed against a tree, in a sitting attitude,the rifle was laid across its legs, and there it had been left, inthe centre of the openings, to become food for beasts of prey, andto have its bones bleached by the snows and the rains!

　　The bee-hunter shuddered, as he gazed at this fearful memorial ofthe violence against which even a wilderness could afford nosufficient protection. That Pigeonswing had slain his late fellow-guest, le Bourdon had no doubt, and he sickened at the thought.Although he had himself dreaded a good deal from the hostility ofthe Pottawattamie, he could have wished this deed undone. That therewas a jealous distrust of each other between the two Indians hadbeen sufficiently apparent; but the bee-hunter could not haveimagined that it would so soon lead to results as terrible as these!

　　After examining the body, and noting the state of things around it,the men proceeded, deeply impressed with the necessity, not only oftheir speedy removal, but of their standing by each other in thatremote region, now that violence had so clearly broken out among thetribes. The bee-hunter had taken a strong liking to the Chippewa,and he regretted so much the more to think that he had done thisdeed. It was true, that such a state of things might exist as tojustify an Indian warrior, agreeably to his own notions, in takingthe life of any one of a hostile tribe; but le Bourdon wished it hadbeen otherwise. A man of gentle and peaceable disposition himself,though of a profoundly enthusiastic temperament in his own peculiarway, he had ever avoided those scenes of disorder and bloodshed,which are of so frequent occurrence in the forest and on theprairies; and this was actually the first instance in which he hadever beheld a human body that had fallen by human hands. Gershom hadseen more of the peculiar life of the frontiers than his companion,in consequence of having lived so closely in contact with the "fire-water"; but even he was greatly shocked with the suddenness andnature of the Pottawattamie's end.

　　No attempt was made to bury the remains of Elksfoot, inasmuch as ouradventurers had no tools fit for such a purpose, and any merelysuperficial interment would have been a sort of invitation to thewolves to dig the body up again.

　　"Let him lean ag'in' the tree," said Waring, as they moved on towardthe spot where the carcass of the deer was left, "and I'll engagenothin' touches him. There's that about the face of man, Bourdon,that skears the beasts; and if a body can only muster courage tostare them full in the eye, one single human can drive before him awhull pack of wolves."

　　"I've heard as much," returned the bee-hunter, "but should not liketo be the 'human' to try the experiment That the face of man mayhave terrors for a beast, I think likely; but hunger would provemore than a match for such fear. Yonder is our venison, Waring; safewhere I left it."

　　The carcass of the deer was divided, and each man shouldering hisburden, the two returned to the river, taking care to avoid the paththat led by the body of the dead Indian. As both labored with muchearnestness, everything was soon ready, and the canoe speedily leftthe shore. The Kalamazoo is not in general a swift and turbulentstream, though it has a sufficient current to carry away its waterswithout any appearance of sluggishness. Of course, this character isnot uniform, reaches occurring in which the placid water is barelyseen to move; and others, again, are found, in which something likerapids, and even falls, appear. But on the whole, and moreespecially in the part of the stream where it was, the canoe hadlittle to disturb it, as it glided easily down, impelled by a lightstroke of the paddle.

　　The bee-hunter did not abandon his station without regret. He hadchosen a most agreeable site for his chiente, consulting air, shade,water, verdure, and groves, as well as the chances of obtaininghoney. In his regular pursuit he had been unusually fortunate; andthe little pile of kegs in the centre of his canoe was certainly agrateful sight to his eyes. The honey gathered this season,moreover, had proved to be of an unusually delicious flavor,affording the promise of high prices and ready sales. Still, thebee-hunter left the place with profound regret. He loved hiscalling; he loved solitude to a morbid degree, perhaps; and he lovedthe gentle excitement that naturally attended his "bee-lining," hisdiscoveries, and his gains. Of all the pursuits that are more orless dependent on the chances of the hunt and the field, that of thebee-hunter is of the most quiet and placid enjoyment. He has thestirring motives of uncertainty and doubt, without the disturbingqualities of bustle and fatigue; and, while his exercise issufficient for health, and for the pleasures of the open air, it isseldom of a nature to weary or unnerve. Then the study of the littleanimal that is to be watched, and, if the reader will, plundered, isnot without a charm for those who delight in looking into thewonderful arcana of nature. So great was the interest that leBourdon sometimes felt in his little companions, that, on threeseveral occasions that very summer, he had spared hives after havingfound them, because he had ascertained that they were composed ofyoung bees, and had not yet got sufficiently colonized to render anew swarming more than a passing accident. With all this kindness offeeling toward his victims, Boden had nothing of the transcendentalfolly that usually accompanies the sentimentalism of theexaggerated, but his feelings and impulses were simple and direct,though so often gentle and humane. He knew that the bee, like allthe other inferior animals of creation, was placed at thedisposition of man, and did not scruple to profit by the power thusbeneficently bestowed, though he exercised it gently, and with aproper discrimination between its use and its abuse.

　　Neither of the men toiled much, as the canoe floated down thestream. Very slight impulses served to give their buoyant craft areasonably swift motion, and the current itself was a materialassistant. These circumstances gave an opportunity for conversation,as the canoe glided onward.

　　"A'ter all," suddenly exclaimed Waring, who had been examining thepile of kegs for some time in silence--"a'ter all, Bourdon, yourtrade is an oncommon one! A most extr'ornary and oncommon callin'!"

　　"More so, think you, Gershom, than swallowing whiskey, morning,noon, and night?" answered the bee-hunter, with a quiet smile.

　　"Aye, but that's not a reg'lar callin'; only a likin'! Now a man mayhave a likin' to a hundred things in which he don't deal. I setnothin' down as a business, which a man don't live by."

　　"Perhaps you're right, Waring. More die by whiskey than live bywhiskey."

　　Whiskey Centre seemed struck with this remark, which was introducedso aptly, and was uttered so quietly. He gazed earnestly at hiscompanion for near a minute, ere he attempted to resume thediscourse.

　　"Blossom has often said as much as this," he then slowly rejoined;"and even Dolly has prophesized the same."

　　The bee-hunter observed that an impression had been made, and hethought it wisest to let the reproof already administered produceits effect, without endeavoring to add to its power. Waring sat withhis chin on his breast, in deep thought, while his companion, forthe first time since they had met, examined the features and aspectof the man. At first sight, Whiskey Centre certainly offered littlethat was inviting; but a closer study of his countenance showed thathe had the remains of a singularly handsome man. Vulgar as were hisforms of speech, coarse and forbidding as his face had become,through the indulgence which was his bane, there were still tracesof this truth. His complexion had once been fair almost toeffeminacy, his cheeks ruddy with health, and his blue eye brightand full of hope. His hair was light; and all these peculiaritiesstrongly denoted his Saxon origin. It was not so much Anglo-Saxon asAmerico-Saxon, that was to be seen in the physical outlines and huesof this nearly self-destroyed being. The heaviness of feature, theponderousness of limb and movement, had all long disappeared fromhis race, most probably under the influence of climate, and his nosewas prominent and graceful in outline, while his mouth and chinmight have passed for having been under the chisel of somedistinguished sculptor. It was, in truth, painful to examine thatface, steeped as it was in liquor, and fast losing the impress leftby nature. As yet, the body retained most of its power, the enemyhaving insidiously entered the citadel, rather than having actuallysubdued it. The bee-hunter sighed as he gazed at his moodycompanion, and wondered whether Blossom had aught of this marvellouscomeliness of countenance, without its revolting accompaniments.

　　All that afternoon, and the whole of the night that succeeded, didthe canoe float downward with the current. Occasionally, some slightobstacle to its progress would present itself; but, on the whole,its advance was steady and certain. As the river necessarilyfollowed the formation of the land, it was tortuous and irregular inits course, though its general direction was toward the northwest,or west a little northerly. The river-bottoms being much moreheavily "timbered"--to use a woodsman term--than the higher grounds,there was little of the park-like "openings" on its immediate banks,though distant glimpses were had of many a glade and of many acharming grove.

　　As the canoe moved toward its point of destination, the conversationdid not lag between the bee-hunter and his companion. Each gave theother a sort of history of his life; for, now that the jug wasexhausted, Gershom could talk not only rationally, but withclearness and force. Vulgar he was, and, as such, uninviting andoften repulsive; still his early education partook of thatpeculiarity of New England which, if it do not make her childrenabsolutely all they are apt to believe themselves to be, seldomleaves them in the darkness of a besotted ignorance. As usuallyhappens with this particular race, Gershom had acquired a good dealfor a man of his class in life; and this information, added tonative shrewdness, enabled him to maintain his place in the dialoguewith a certain degree of credit. He had a very lively perception--fancied or real--of all the advantages of being born in the land ofthe Puritans, deeming everything that came of the great "BlarneyStone" superior to everything else of the same nature elsewhere;and, while much disposed to sneer and rail at all other parts of thecountry, just as much indisposed to "take," as disposed to "give."Ben Boden soon detected this weakness in his companion's character,a weakness so very general as scarce to need being pointed out toany observant man, and which is almost inseparable from half-wayintelligence and provincial self-admiration; and Ben was ratherinclined to play on it, whenever Gershom laid himself a little moreopen than common on the subject. On the whole, however, thecommunications were amicable; and the dangers of the wildernessrendering the parties allies, they went their way with an increasingconfidence in each other's support. Gershom, now that he wasthoroughly sober, could impart much to Ben that was useful; whileBen knew a great deal that even his companion, coming as he did fromthe chosen people, was not sorry to learn. As has been, alreadyintimated, each communicated to the other, in the course of thislong journey on the river, an outline of his past life.

　　The history of Gershom Waring was one of every-day occurrence. Hewas born of a family in humble circumstances in Massachusetts, acommunity in which, however, none are so very humble as to bebeneath the paternal watchfulness of the State. The common schoolshad done their duty by him; while, according to his account of thematter, his only sister had fallen into the hands of a femalerelative, who was enabled to impart an instruction slightly superiorto that which is to be had from the servants of the public. After atime, the death of this relative, and the marriage of Gershom,brought the brother and sister together again, the last still quiteyoung. From this period the migratory life of the family commenced.Previously to the establishment of manufactories within her limits,New England systematically gave forth her increase to the Stateswest and south of her own territories. A portion of this increasestill migrates, and will probably long continue so to do; but thetide of young women, which once flowed so steadily from that region,would now seem to have turned, and is setting back in a flood of"factory girls." But the Warings lived at too early a day to feelthe influence of such a pass of civilization, and went west, almostas a matter of course. With the commencement of his migratory life,Gershom began to "dissipate," as it has got to be matter ofconvention to term "drinking." Fortunately, Mrs. Waring had nochildren, thus lessening in a measure the privations to which thoseunlucky females were obliged to submit. When Gershom left hisbirthplace he had a sum of money exceeding a thousand dollars inamount, the united means of himself and sister; but, by the time hehad reached Detroit, it was reduced to less than a hundred. Severalyears, however, had been consumed by the way, the habits growingworse and the money vanishing, as the family went further andfurther toward the skirts of society. At length Gershom attachedhimself to a sutler, who was going up to Michilimackinac, with aparty of troops; and finally he left that place to proceed, in acanoe of his own, to the head of Lake Michigan, where was a post onthe present site of Chicago, which was then known as Fort Dearborn.

　　In quitting Mackinac for Chicago, Waring had no very settled plan.His habits had completely put him out of favor at the former place;and a certain restlessness urged him to penetrate still farther intothe wilderness. In all his migrations and wanderings the two devotedfemales followed his fortunes; the one because she was his wife, theother because she was his sister. When the canoe reached the mouthof the Kalamazoo, a gale of wind drove it into the river; andfinding a deserted cabin, ready built, to receive him, Gershomlanded, and had been busy with the rifle for the last fortnight, thetime he had been on shore. Hearing from some voyageurs who had gonedown the lake that a bee-hunter was up the river, he had followedthe stream in its windings until he fell in with le Bourdon.

　　Such is an outline of the account which Whiskey Centre gave ofhimself. It is true, he said very little of his propensity to drink,but this his companion was enabled to conjecture from the context ofhis narrative, as well as from what he had seen. It was very evidentto the bee-hunter, that the plans of both parties for the summerwere about to be seriously deranged by the impending hostilities,and that some decided movement might be rendered necessary, even forthe protection of their lives. This much he communicated to Gershom,who heard his opinions with interest, and a concern in behalf of hiswife and sister that at least did some credit to his heart. For thefirst time in many months, indeed, Gershom was now perfectly sober,a circumstance that was solely owing to his having had no access toliquor for eight-and-forty hours. With the return of a clear head,came juster notions of the dangers and difficulties in which he hadinvolved the two self-devoted women who had accompanied him so far,and who really seemed ready to follow him in making the circuit ofthe earth.

　　"It's troublesome times," exclaimed Whiskey Centre, when hiscompanion had just ended one of his strong and lucid statements ofthe embarrassments that might environ them, ere they could get backto the settled portions of the country--"it's troublesome times,truly! I see all you would say, Bourdon, and wonder I ever got myfoot so deep into it, without thinkin' of all, beforehand! The beston us will make mistakes, hows'ever, and I suppose I've been calledon to make mine, as well as another."

　　"My trade speaks for itself," returned the bee-hunter, "and any mancan see why one who looks for bees must come where they're to befound; but I will own, Gershom, that your speculation lies a littlebeyond my understanding. Now, you tell me you have two full barrelsof whiskey--"

　　"Had, Bourdon--had--one of them is pretty nearly half used, I amafeared."

　　"Well, had, until you began to be your own customer. But here youare, squatted at the mouth of the Kalamazoo, with a barrel and ahalf of liquor, and nobody but yourself to drink it! Where theprofits are to come from, exceeds Pennsylvany calculations; perhapsa Yankee can tell."

　　"You forget the Injins. I met a man at Mackinaw, who only took outin his canoe one barrel, and he brought in skins enough to set up agrocery, at Detroit. But I was on the trail of the soldiers, andmeant to make a business on't, at Fort Dearborn. What between thesoldiers and the redskins, a man might sell gallons a day, and atfair prices."

　　"It's a sorry business at the best, Whiskey; and now you're fairlysober, if you'll take my advice you'll remain so. Why not make upyour mind, like a man, and vow you'll never touch another drop."

　　"Maybe I will, when these two barrels is emptied--I've often thoughtof doin' some sich matter; and, ag'in and ag'in, has Dolly andBlossom advised me to fall into the plan; but it's hard to give upold habits, all at once. If I could only taper off on a pint a day,for a year or so, I think I might come round in time. I know as wellas you do, Bourdon, that sobriety is a good thing, and dissipation abad thing; but it's hard to give up all at once."

　　Lest the instructed reader should wonder at a man's using the term"dissipation" in a wilderness, it may be well to explain that, incommon American parlance, "dissipation" has got to mean"drunkenness." Perhaps half of the whole country, if told that aman, or a woman, might be exceedingly dissipated and never swallowanything stronger than water, would stoutly deny the justice ofapplying the word to such a person. This perversion of the meaningof a very common term has probably arisen from the circumstance thatthere is very little dissipation in the country that is notconnected with hard drinking. A dissipated woman is a person almostunknown in America; or when the word is applied, it means a verydifferent degree of misspending of time, from that which isunderstood by the use of the same reproach in older and moresophisticated states of society. The majority rules in this country,and with the majority excess usually takes this particular aspect;refinement having very little connection with the dissipation of themasses, anywhere.

　　The excuses of his companion, however, caused le Bourdon to muse,more than might otherwise have been the case, on Whiskey Centre'scondition. Apart from all considerations connected with the man'sown welfare, and the happiness of his family, there were those whichwere inseparable from the common safety, in the present state of thecountry. Boden was a man of much decision and firmness of character,and he was clear-headed as to causes and consequences. The practiceof living alone had induced in him the habits of reflection; and theself-reliance produced by his solitary life, a life of which he wasfond almost to a passion, caused him to decide warily, but to actpromptly. As they descended the river together, therefore, he wentover the whole of Gershom Waring's case and prospects, with greatimpartiality and care, and settled in his own mind what ought to bedone, as well as the mode of doing it. He kept his own counsel,however, discussing all sorts of subjects that were of interest tomen in their situation, as they floated down the stream, avoidingany recurrence to this theme, which was possibly of more importanceto them both, just then, than any other that could be presented.