of the water frightened Virginia, and she durst not wade through the
stream: Paul therefore took her up in his arms, and went thus loaded over
the slippery rocks, which formed the bed of the river, careless of the
tumultuous noise of its waters. 'Do not be afraid,' cried he to Virginia;
'I feel very strong with you. If the inhabitant of the Black River had
refused you the pardon of his slave, I would have fought with
him.'--'What!' answered Virginia, 'with that great wicked man? To what have
I exposed you! Gracious heaven! How difficult it is to do good! and it is
so easy to do wrong.'

"When Paul had crossed the river, he wished to continue his journey,
carrying his sister, and believed he was able to climb in that way the
mountain of the Three Peaks, which was still at the distance of half a
league; but his strength soon failed, and he was obliged to set down his
burden, and to rest himself by her side. Virginia then said to him, 'My
dear brother the sun is going down: you have still some strength left, but
mine has quite failed: do leave me here, and return home alone to ease the
fears of our mothers.'--'Oh, no,' said Paul, 'I will not leave you. If
night surprises us in this wood, I will light a fire, and bring down
another palm-tree: you shall eat the cabbage; and I will form a covering of
the leaves to shelter you.' In the mean time, Virginia being a little
rested, pulled from the trunk of an old tree, which hung over the bank of
the river, some long leaves of hart's tongue, which grew near its root.
With those leaves she made a sort of buskin, with which she covered her
feet, that were bleeding from the sharpness of the stony paths; for, in her
eager desire to do good, she had forgot to put on her shoes. Feeling her
feet cooled by the freshness of the leaves, she broke off a branch of
bamboo, and continued her walk leaning with one hand on the staff, and with
the other on Paul.