“I have sometimes doubted,” said Grandfather, when he had told these things to the Children,--“I have sometimes doubted whether there was more than a single man among our forefathers who realized that an Indian possesses a mind, and a heart, and an immortal soul. That single man was John Eliot. All the rest of the early settlers seemed to think that the Indians were an inferior race of beings, whom the Creator had merely allowed to keep possession of this beautiful country till the white men should be in want of it.” “Did the pious men of those days never try to make Christian of them?” asked Laurence. “Sometimes, it is true,” answered Grandfather, “the magistrates and ministers would talk about civilizing and converting the red people. But, at the bottom of their hearts, they would have had almost as much expectation of civilizing the wild bear of the woods and making him fit for paradise. They felt no faith in the success of any such attempts, because they had no love for the poor Indians. Now, Eliot was full of love for them; and therefore so full of faith and hope that he spent the labor of a lifetime in their behalf.” “I would have conquered them first, and then converted them,” said Charley. “Ah, Charley, there spoke the very spirit of our forefathers.” replied Grandfather. “But Mr. Eliot a better spirit. He looked upon them as his brethren. He persuaded as many of them as he could to leave off their idle and wandering habits, and to build houses and cultivate the earth, as the English did. He established schools among them and taught many of the Indians how to read. He taught them, likewise, how to pray. Hence they were called ‘praying Indians.’ Finally, having spent the best years of his life for their good, Mr. Eliot resolved to spend the remainder in doing them a yet greater benefit.” “I know what that was!” cried Laurence. “He sat down in his study,” continued Grandfather, “and began a translation of the Bible into the Indian tongue. It was while he was engaged in this pious work that the mint-master gave him our great chair. His toil needed it and deserved it.” “O Grandfather, tell us all about that Indian Bible!” exclaimed Laurence. “I have seen it in the library of the Athenaeum; and the tears came into my eyes to think that there were no Indians left to read it.” CHAPTER VIII. THE INDIAN BIBLE. As Grandfather was a great admirer of the apostle Eliot, he was glad to comply with the earnest request which Laurence had made at the close of the last chapter. So he proceeded to describe how good Mr. Eliot labored, while he was at work upon the Indian Bible.