II.

Dear Sirs,

Though[1] strangers, I feel we shall be great friends, and[2] I shall always remember my feelings of gratefulness, when I first caught sight of your supplies, and my poor, faithful, and brave people cried out: “Master, we are saved!—food[3] is coming!” _The_ old and _the_ young—the men, _the_ women, and _the_ children—lifted their wearied and worn-out[4] frames[5], and began to chant _lustily_ an[6] extemporaneous song, in[7] honour of the white people by (+an+) the great salt sea (the (S. 53, N. 9) Atlantic) who had listened to their prayers. I had[8] to rush to my tent to hide the tears that would issue[9], despite all my attempts to composure[10].

Gentlemen, that the blessing of God may attend your footsteps whithersoever[11] you go, is the very earnest[12] prayer of

Yours faithfully,

H. M. STANLEY,

Commanding the Anglo-American Expedition.—

H. M. STANLEY, “THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT.”

[1] +obgleich wir uns noch fremd sind.+

[2] Say ‘and I shall never forget the feelings of gratefulness which I experienced (+empfinden+, insep. comp. str. v.), when’, etc.

[3] Say ‘there come provisions’!

[4] +abgemagert.+

[5] +Körper+, m., which use in the Sing.

[6] +ein aus dem Stegreife entworfenes Lied+; to chant = to sing.

[7] in — people, +den Weißen ... zu Ehren+; the words +zu Ehren+ must be placed at the end of the clause.

[8] Use the Imperfect of +müssen+.

[9] to issue = to break forth, +hervor´brechen+.

[10] to composure = to compose myself.

[11] The adverbial clause ‘whithersoever you go’ may be briefly rendered by the adverb ‘+stets+’.

[12] earnest = sincere; faithfully, +ergeben+ (adject.).

_Section 151._

RETURNED[1] KINDNESS.

When (S. 4, N. 2) the country near[2] Albany was newly settled, a starving Indian came to the inn at Lichfield and asked for a night’s shelter and some supper, at[3] the same time confessing that, from[4] failure in hunting, he had nothing[5] to pay. The hostess drove him away with reproachful[6] epithets, and as the Indian was about (S. 6, N. 4) scornfully to retire,—there being (S. 30, N. 4) no other inn for[7] many a weary mile,—a[8] man, who was sitting by, directed the hostess to supply[9] his wants, and promised to pay her. As[10] soon as the Indian’s supper was ended, he thanked his benefactor, and said he would some day return his kindness. Several years thereafter[11] the settler was taken a prisoner by a hostile tribe, and carried off to (S. 72, N. 4) Canada. His life was spared[12], but he was detained in[13] slavery. One[14] day, however, an Indian came to him, and bade the captive follow him. The Indian never told where they were going, nor[15] what was his object; _but_ day after[16] day the captive followed his mysterious guide, till one afternoon they came suddenly on[17] a beautiful expanse of cultivated fields, with many houses _rising amongst them_. “Do you know that place?” asked the Indian. “Ah, yes—it is Lichfield!” and whilst the astonished exile[18] had not yet recovered from his surprise and (S. 10, N. 9) amazement, the Indian exclaimed: “And I am the starving Indian, on whom, at this _very_ place, you took[19] pity. And now that[20] I have repaid you, I pray you go home!”—DR. DWIGHT.

[1] +vergelten+, insep. comp. str. v.

[2] +unweit+; newly, +eben+; ‘to settle’, here +kolonisieren+.

[3] at — confessing = on which occasion (+wobei+) he confessed.

[4] +wegen erfolgloser Jagd.+

[5] nothing to pay = no money for (+zu+, contracted with the dat. of the def. art.) paying.

[6] reproachful epithets, +Scheltworte+.

[7] for — mile, +meilenweit in der Runde+.

[8] ‘a man’, here = a guest. The verb ‘directed’ (+heißen+, str. v.) must be placed before the subject, since the subordinate clause precedes the principal one.

[9] to supply a person’s wants, +für die Bedürfnisse eines Menschen sorgen+.

[10] Say ‘As soon as the Indian had eaten (+verzehren+) his supper’.

[11] +später.+

[12] +verschonen.+

[13] in slavery = as _a_ slave; ‘to detain’, here +gefangen halten+.

[14] Say ‘One day, however, came an Indian to the prisoner with the intimation (+Weisung+, f.) to follow him’. This construction is necessary to avoid the repetition of the pronoun ‘+ihm+’.

[15] nor — object = or else his intention.

[16] +für.+

[17] +zu einer schönen Fläche urbar gemachter Felder.+

[18] exile = settler.

[19] to take pity on a person, +sich eines Menschen erbarmen+; supply the adverb +einmal+ (one day) before the verb.

[20] that = since, +da+; to repay a person, +einem seine Schuld ab´tragen+.

_Section 152._

NEW YEAR’S EVE[1].