The wind
blew like knives; the snow fell; sleet, frost, hail, and rain seemed to
come all together in bad company, and still Lox was not happy, although
he had no blanket or fur coat beyond his own. Yet this evil-minded jolly
companion with every vice had one virtue, and that was that of all the
beasts of the forest or devils in _P'lamkik'_ he was the hardest
hearted, toughest, and most unconquerable, being ever the first to fight
and the last to give in, which even then he did not, never having done
it and never intending to; whence it happened that he was greatly admired
and made much of by all the blackguardly beasts of the backwoods,--wherein
they differed but little from many among men.
Now as of all rowdies and rascals the wolves are the worst, we may well
believe that it was with great joy Lox heard, as the darkness was
coming on, a long, sad howl, far away, betokening the coming of a pack
of these pleasant people; to which he raised his own voice in the wolf
tongue,--for he was learned in many languages,--and soon was surrounded
by some fifteen or sixteen lupine land loafers, who danced, rolling
over, barking and biting one another, all for very joy at meeting with
him. And the elder, he who was captain, or the sogmo, [Footnote:
_Sogmo_, sagamore, a chief; the word corrupted into sachem.] said,
"Peradventure thou wilt encamp with us this night, for it is ill for a
gentleman to be alone, where he might encounter vulgar fellows.
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