To these savages a thing was either right or wrong.

He had sown the seed of unrest and jealousy in the savage breasts, and the fruit was the decree of death.

As far as these Indians were concerned, this decision was unalterable.
On the other hand, if he did not spread ruin over the Village of Peace, the missionaries would soon get such a grasp on the tribes that their hold would never be broken.

He could not allow that, even if he was forced to sacrifice the missionaries along with their converts, for he saw in the growth of this religion his own downfall.

The border must be hostile to the whites, or it could no longer be his home.