He faced round then—­and looked!

Humphrey stood beside him shoulder to shoulder, with his arm about his brother, lest physical weakness should again overpower him.  But Charles seemed like one turned to stone.

For perhaps three long minutes he stood thus—­speechless, motionless; then a wild cry burst from his lips, accompanied by a torrent of the wildest, fiercest invective—­appeals to Heaven for vengeance, threats of undying hatred, undying hostility to those savage murderers whose raid had made this fair spot into a desolation so awful.

Humphrey stood still and silent the while, like one spellbound.  He scarcely knew his brother in this moment of passionate despair and fury.  Charles had been a silent, placable man all his life through.  Born and bred in the Quaker settlement, till he had taken to the life of the forest he had been a man of quiet industry and toil rather than a fighter or a talker.  A peaceful creed had been his, and he had perhaps never before raised a hand in anger against a fellow creature.

This made the sudden wild and passionate outburst the more strange and awful to Humphrey.  It was almost as though Charles was no longer the brother he had known all these years, but had been transformed into a different being by the swift and fearful calamity which had swept down upon them during these past few hours.

“I will avenge—­I swear it!  As they have done, so shall it be done unto them.  Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life—­is not that written in the Scriptures?  The avenger of blood shall follow and overtake.  His hand shall not spare, neither his eye pity.  The evildoer shall be rooted out of the land.  His place shall be no more found.  Even as they have done, so shall it be done unto them.”

He stopped, and suddenly raised his clasped hands to heaven.  A torrent of words broke from his lips.

“O God, Thou hast seen, Thine eyes have beheld.  If it had been an open enemy that had done this thing, then could I perchance have borne it.  If it had been the untutored savage, in his ignorant ferocity, then would I have left Thee, O Lord, to deal with him—­to avenge!  But the white brother has risen up against his own flesh and blood.  The white man has stood by to see.  He has hounded on the savages!  He has disgraced his humanity!  O Lord God, give him into my hands! let me avenge me of mine adversary.  Let the ignorant Indian escape if Thou wilt, but grant unto me to slay and slay and slay amid the ranks of the white man, who has sold his soul for gain, and has become more treacherous and cruel than the Indian ally whose aid he has invoked.  Judge Thou betwixt us, O Lord; look upon this scene!  Strengthen Thou mine arm to the battle, for here I vow that I will henceforth give my life to this work.  I will till the fields no more.  I will beat my pruning hook into a sword.  I will slay, and spare not, and Thou, O God of battles, shalt be with me.  Thou shalt strengthen mine arm; Thou shalt give unto me the victory.  Thou shalt deliver mine enemy into mine hand.  I know it, I see it!  For Thou art God, and I am Thy servant, and I will avenge upon him who has defied Thee this hideous crime upon which Thine eyes have looked!”