German composition

Section 42 The Indian Chief. — II

The⁠1 old man then took the officer by the hand, soothed him into confidence by caresses, and, having conducted him to his hut, treated him with a kindness which did honour to his professions⁠2. He made (S. 27, N. 4) him less a⁠3 slave than a⁠3 companion, taught⁠4 him the language of the country, and instructed him in⁠5 the rude arts that were practised by the inhabitants. They⁠6 lived together in the most perfect harmony, and the young officer, in⁠7 the treatment he met with, found nothing to regret, but⁠8 that (App. § 16) sometimes the old man fixed his eyes upon him, regarded⁠9 him for some minutes with steady and silent attention, and then burst into tears.

Notes

1 Say ‘Hereupon the old man seized the hand of the officer, sought by caresses to gain his (dessen) confidence, conducted him to (in) his hut, and treated’, etc.

2 Versprechung, f.

3 his.

4 The verb lehren, to teach (old German lêran, Gothic laisjan), etymologically signifies ‘to cause a person to know a thing’. This is the reason that it is in German most generally used with two accusatives: that of the person and that of the thing; as—Er lehrt mich die Landessprache, he teaches me the language of the country. Lehre mich Deine Rechte! (Luther.) Wer hat dich solche Streiche gelehrt? (Uhland.)

5 in — arts, in den geringen Geschicklichkeiten; to practise, üben; by, von; ‘inhabitants’, here Eingebornen.

6 They = both; together = with one another, which place after ‘harmony’ (Eintracht, f.).

7 in — with, in der ihm zuteil werdenden Behandlung. Where must the verb be placed? Supply the word ‘anderes’ after ‘nothing’; ‘to regret’, here beklagen.

8 als.

9 Say ‘regarded him silently for a while (App. § 9, A) with steady (unverwandt) attention’.