This I accordingly did.

He was lying in his bed, death written on his face.

He thanked me for coming, and then explained that, as he was on the point of death and knew he would never return to Washington--it was late spring and he was about to leave--he wished to see me to get my personal promise that, after he died, I would myself look after the interests of the Delaware Indians.

He added that he did not trust the Interior Department--although he knew that I did not share his views on this point--and that still less did he believe that any of his colleagues in the Senate would exert themselves in the interests of the Delawares, and that therefore he wished my personal assurance that I would personally see that no injustice was done them.

I told him I would do so, and then added, in rather perfunctory fashion, that he must not take such a gloomy view of himself, that when he got away for the summer I hoped he would recover and be back all right when Congress opened.