In the early settlement of Ohio, Daniel Convers was captured by the savages; but he had the good fortune to be purchased by a noble-hearted Indian whose wife possessed a kindred spirit. His condition, we are informed in the Pioneer History of Ohio, "was not that of a slave, but rather an adoption into the family as a son. The Indian's wife, whom he was directed to call mother, was a model of all that is excellent in woman, being patient, kind-hearted, humane and considerate to the wants and comfort of all around her, and especially so to their newly adopted son. To sum up all her excellences in a brief sentence of the captive's own language, she was 'as good a woman as ever lived.'"[28]
HUMANITY OF A CHEROKEE.
How poor an instrument May do a noble deed.
Shakspeare.
During the Revolution, a young Shawanese Indian was captured by the Cherokees and sentenced to die at the stake. He was tied, and the usual preparations were made for his execution, when a Cherokee woman went to the warrior to whom the prisoner belonged, and throwing a parcel of goods at his feet, said she was a widow and would adopt the captive as her son, and earnestly plead for his deliverance. Her prayer was granted, and the prisoner taken under her care. He rewarded her by his fidelity, for, in spite of the entreaties of his friends, whom he was allowed to visit, he never left her.
SELF-SACRIFICING SPIRIT OF THE MISSIONARY.
Thou know 'st not, Afric! sad of heart and blind, Unskilled the precious Book of God to read; Thou canst not know, what moved that soul refined, Thy lot of wretchedness to heed, And from her fireside, bright with hallowed glee, To dare the boisterous surge and deadly clime for thee.
Mrs. Sigourney.