第2章
加入书架 A- A+
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  Sotheyslowlyapproachedthegraveandoneofthemtimidlycalledout:

  \"Please,grandmother,wewon’tdisturbyourgrave。Weonlywanttoseewhereyoulie。Don’tbeangry。\"

  Atonceathinquaveringvoice,likeanoldwoman’s,calledout:

  \"Han,han,takoja,hechetuya,hechetuya!Yes,yes,that’sright,that’sright。\"

  Theboyswerefrightenedoutoftheirsenses,believingtheoldwomanhadcometolife。

  \"Oh,grandmother,\"theygasped,\"don’thurtus;pleasedon’t,we’llgo。\"

  JustthenBraveraisedhismuddyfaceandhandsupthruthechokecherrybushes。Withtheoozymuddrippingfromhisfeatureshelookedlikesomeverywitchjustraisedfromthegrave。Theboysscreamedoutright。Onefainted。Therestranyellingupthehilltothevillage,whereeachbrokeatonceforhismother’stepee。

  AsallthetentsinaDakotacampingcirclefacethecenter,theboysastheycametearingintocampwereinplainviewfromthetepees。Hearingthescreaming,everywomanincamprantohertepeedoortoseewhathadhappened。JustthenlittleBrave,asbadlyscaredastherest,camerushinginafterthem,hishaironendandcoveredwithmudandcryingout,allforgetfulofhisappearance:

  \"It’sme,it’sme!\"

  Thewomenyelpedandboltedinterrorfromthevillage。Bravedashedintohismother’stepee,scaringheroutofherwits。

  Droppingpotsandkettles,shetumbledoutofthetenttorunscreamingwiththerest。NorwouldasinglevillagercomenearpoorlittleBraveuntilhehadgonedowntothelakeandwashedhimself。

  THEBOUNDCHILDREN

  Thereoncelivedawidowwithtwochildren——theelderadaughterandtheyoungerason。Thewidowwentinmourningforherhusbandalongtime。Shecutoffherhair,letherdresslieuntidyonherbodyandkeptherfaceunpaintedandunwashed。

  Therelivedinthesamevillageagreatchief。Hehadonesonjustcomeoldenoughtomarry。Thechiefhaditknownthathewishedhissontotakeawife,andalloftheyoungwomeninthevillagewereeagertomarrytheyoungman。However,hewaspleasedwithnoneofthem。

  Nowthewidowthought,\"Iamtiredofmourningformyhusbandandcaringformychildren。PerhapsifIlayasidemymourningandpaintmyselfred,thechief’ssonmaymarryme。\"

  Sosheslippedawayfromhertwochildren,stoledowntotheriverandmadeabathingplacethrutheice。Whenshehadwashedawayallsignsofmourning,shepaintedanddeckedherselfandwenttothechief’stepee。Whenhissonsawher,helovedher,andafeastwasmadeinhonorofherwedding。

  Whenthewidow’sdaughterfoundherselfforsaken,sheweptbitterly。Afteradayortwoshetookherlittlebrotherinherarmsandwenttothetepeeofanoldwomanwholivedatoneendofthevillage。Theoldwoman’stumbledowntepeewasofbarkandherdressandclothingwasofoldsmoke-driedtentcover。Butshewaskindtothetwowaifsandtooktheminwillingly。

  Thelittlegirlwaseagertofindhermother。Theoldwomansaidtoher:\"Isuspectyourmotherhaspaintedherfacered。Donottrytofindher。Ifthechief’ssonmarrieshershewillnotwanttobeburdenedwithyou。\"

  Theoldwomanwasright。Thegirlwentdowntotheriver,andsureenoughfoundaholecutintheiceandaboutitlaythefilththatthemotherhadwashedfromherbody。Thegirlgatheredupthefilthandwenton。Byandbyshecametoasecondholeintheice。

  Heretoowasfilth,butnotsomuchasatthepreviousplace。Atthethirdholetheicewasclean。

  Thegirlknewnowthathermotherhadpaintedherfacered。Shewentatoncetothechief’stepee,raisedthedoorflapandwentin。Theresathermotherwiththechief’ssonattheirweddingfeast。

  Thegirlwalkeduptohermotherandhurledthefilthinhermother’sface。

  \"There,\"shecried,\"youwhoforsakeyourhelplesschildrenandforgetyourhusband,takethat!\"

  Andatoncehermotherbecameahideousoldwoman。

  Thegirlthenwentbacktothelodgeoftheoldwoman,leavingthecampinanuproar。Thechiefsoonsentsomeyoungwarriorstoseizethegirlandherbrother,andtheywerebroughttohistent。

  Hewasfuriouswithanger。

  \"Letthechildrenbeboundwithlariatswrappedabouttheirbodiesandletthembelefttostarve。Ourcampwillmoveon,\"hesaid。

  Thechief’ssondidnotputawayhiswife,hopingshemightbecuredinsomewayandgrowyoungagain。

  Everybodyincampnowgotreadytomove;buttheoldwomancameclosetothegirlandsaid:

  \"InmyoldtepeeIhavedugaholeandburiedapotwithpunkandsteelandflintandpacksofdriedmeat。Theywilltieyouuplikeacorpse。ButbeforewegoIwillcomewithaknifeandpretendtostabyou,butIwillreallycuttheropethatbindsyousothatyoucanunwinditfromyourbodyassoonasthecampisoutofsightandhearing。\"

  Andso,beforethecampstarted,theoldwomancametotheplacewherethetwochildrenwerebound。Shehadinherhandaknifeboundtotheendofastickwhichsheusedasalance。Shestoodoverthechildrenandcriedaloud:

  \"Youwickedgirl,whohaveshamedyourownmother,youdeserveallthepunishmentthatisgivenyou。ButafterallIdonotwanttoletyoulieandstarve。Farbetterkillyouatonceandhavedonewithit!\"andwithherstickshestabbedmanytimes,asiftokill,butshewasreallycuttingtherope。

  Thecampmovedon;butthechildrenlayonthegrounduntilnoonthenextday。Thentheybegantosquirmabout。Soonthegirlwasfree,andshethensetlooseherlittlebrother。Theywentatoncetotheoldwoman’shutwheretheyfoundtheflintandsteelandthepacksofdriedmeat。

  Thegirlmadeherbrotherabowandarrowsandwiththesehekilledbirdsandothersmallgame。

  Theboygrewupagreathunter。Theybecamerich。Theybuiltthreegreattepees,inoneofwhichwerestoredrowsuponrowsofparflechebagsofdriedmeat。

  Onedayasthebrotherwentouttohunt,hemetahandsomeyoungstrangerwhogreetedhimandsaidtohim:

  \"Iknowyouareagoodhunter,forIhavebeenwatchingyou;yoursister,too,isindustrious。Letmehaveherforawife。ThenyouandIwillbebrothersandhunttogether。\"

  Thegirl’sbrotherwenthomeandtoldherwhattheyoungstrangerhadsaid。

  \"Brother,Idonotcaretomarry,\"sheanswered。\"Iamnowhappywithyou。\"

  \"Butyouwillbeyethappiermarried,\"heanswered,\"andtheyoungstrangerisofnomeanfamily,asonecanseebyhisdressandmanners。\"

  \"Verywell,Iwilldoasyouwish,\"shesaid。Sothestrangercameintothetepeeandwasthegirl’shusband。

  Onedayastheywereintheirtent,acrowflewoverhead,callingoutloudly,\"Kaw,Kaw,Theywhoforsookthechildrenhavenomeat。\"

  Thegirlandherhusbandandbrotherlookedupatoneanother。

  \"Whatcanitmean?\"theyasked。\"LetussendforUnktomi(thespider)。Heisagoodjudgeandhewillknow。\"

  \"AndIwillgetreadyagooddinnerforhim,forUnktomiisalwayshungry,\"addedtheyoungwife。

  WhenUnktomicame,hisyellowmouthopenedwithdelightatthefinefeastspreadforhim。Afterhehadeatenhewastoldwhatthecrowhadsaid。

  \"Thecrowmeans,\"saidUnktomi,\"thatthevillagersandchiefwhoboundanddesertedyouareinsadplight。Theyhavehardlyanythingtoeatandarestarving。\"

  Whenthegirlheardthisshemadeabundleofchoicestmeatandcalledthecrow。

  \"Takethistothestarvingvillagers,\"shebadehim。

  Hetookthebundleinhisbeak,flewawaytothestarvingvillageanddroppedthebundlebeforethechief’stepee。Thechiefcameoutandthecrowcalledloudly:

  \"Kaw,Kaw!

  Thechildrenwhowereforsakenhavemuchmeat;thosewhoforsookthemhavenone。\"

  \"Whatcanhemean,\"criedtheastonishedvillagers。

  \"LetussendforUnktomi,\"saidone,\"heisagreatjudge;hewilltellus。\"

  Theydividedthebundleofmeatamongthestarvingpeople,savingthebiggestpieceforUnktomi。

  WhenUnktomihadcomeandeaten,thevillagerstoldhimofthecrowandaskedwhatthebird’swordsmeant。

  \"Hemeans,\"saidUnktomi,\"thatthetwochildrenwhomyouforsookhavetepeesfullofdriedmeatenoughforallthevillage。\"

  Thevillagerswerefilledwithastonishmentatthisnews。Tofindwhetherornotitwastrue,thechiefcalledsevenyoungmenandsentthemouttosee。Theycametothethreetepeesandtheremetthegirl’sbrotherandhusbandjustgoingouttohunt(whichtheydidnowonlyforsport)。

  Thegirl’sbrotherinvitedthesevenyoungmenintothethirdorsacredlodge,andaftertheyhadsmokedapipeandknockedouttheashesonabuffalobonethebrothergavethemmeattoeat,whichthesevendevouredgreedily。Thenextdayheloadedallsevenwithpacksofmeat,saying:

  \"Takethismeattothevillagersandleadthemhither。\"

  Whiletheyawaitedthereturnoftheyoungmenwiththevillagers,thegirlmadetwobundlesofmeat,oneofthebestandchoicestpieces,andtheotherofliver,verydryandhardtoeat。Afterafewdaysthecamparrived。Theyoungwoman’smotheropenedthedoorandranincrying:\"Oh,mydeardaughter,howgladIamtoseeyou。\"Butthedaughterreceivedhercoldlyandgaveherthebundleofdriedlivertoeat。Butwhentheoldwomanwhohadsavedthechildren’slivescamein,theyounggirlreceivedhergladly,calledhergrandmother,andgaveherthepackageofchoicemeatwithmarrow。

  Thenthewholevillagecampedandateofthestoresofmeatallthewinteruntilspringcame;andwithaltheyweresomany,therewassuchabundanceofstoresthattherewasstillmuchleft。

  THESIGNSOFCORN

  WhencornistobeplantedbytheIndians,itistheworkofthewomenfolktoseetothesortingandcleaningofthebestseed。Itisalsothewomen’sworktoseetotheplanting。(Thiswasinoldentimes。)

  Afterthebestseedhasbeenselected,theplantermeasuresthecorn,laysdownalayerofhay,thenalayerofcorn。Overthiscorntheysprinklewarmwaterandcoveritwithanotherlayerofhay,thenbindhayaboutthebundleandhangitupinaspotwherethewarmraysofthesuncanstrikeit。

  Whilethecornishanginginthesun,thegroundisbeingpreparedtoreceiveit。Havingfinishedthetaskofpreparingtheground,thewomantakesdownherseedcornwhichhasbythistimesprouted。

  Thensheproceedstoplantthecorn。

  Beforesheplantsthefirsthill,sheextendsherhoeheavenwardsandaskstheGreatSpirittoblessherwork,thatshemayhaveagoodyield。Afterherprayershetakesfourkernelsandplantsoneatthenorth,oneatthesouth,oneattheeastandoneatthewestsidesofthefirsthill。ThisisaskingtheGreatSpirittogivesummerrainandsunshinetobringforthagoodcrop。

  Fordifferentgrowthsofthecorn,thewomenhaveaninterpretationastothecharacteroftheonewhoplantedit。

  1st。Wherethecorngrowsinstraightrowsandthecobisfullofkernelstotheend,thissignifiesthattheplanterofthiscornisofanexemplarycharacter,andisverytruthfulandthoughtful。

  2nd。Iftherowsontheearsofcornareirregularandbroken,theplanterisconsideredcarelessandunthoughtful。Alsodisorderlyandslovenlyaboutherhouseandperson。

  3rd。Whenanearofcornbearsafewscatteringkernelswithspacesproducingnocorn,itissaidthatisagoodsignthattheplanterwilllivetoaripeoldage。Sooldwilltheybethatlikethecorn,theirteethwillbefewandfarbetween。

  4th。Whenastalkbearsagreatmanynubbins,orsmallearsgrowingaroundthelargeone,itisasignthattheplanterisfromalargeandrespectablefamily。

  Afterthecornisgathered,itisboiledintosweetcornandmadeintohominy;parchedandmixedwithbuffalotallowandrolledintoroundballs,andusedatfeasts,orcarriedbythewarriorsonthewarpathasfood。

  Whentherehasbeenagoodcropofcorn,anearisalwaystiedatthetopofthemedicinepole,ofthesundance,inthankstotheGreatSpiritforhisgoodnesstotheminsendingabountifulcrop。

  STORYOFTHERABBITS

  TheRabbitnationwereverymuchdepressedinspiritsonaccountofbeingrunoverbyallothernations。They,beingveryobedienttotheirchief,obeyedallhisorderstotheletter。Oneofhisorderswas,thatupontheapproachofanyothernationthattheyshouldfollowtheexampleoftheirchiefandrunupamongtherocksanddownintotheirburrows,andnotshowthemselvesuntilthestrangershadpassed。

  Thistheyalwaysdid。Eventhechirpofalittlecricketwouldsendthemallscamperingtotheirdens。

  Onedaytheyheldagreatcouncil,andaftertalkingovereverythingforsometime,finallyleftittotheirmedicinemantodecide。Themedicinemanaroseandsaid:

  \"Myfriends,weareofnouseonthisearth。Thereisn’tanationonearththatfearsus,andwearesotimidthatwecannotdefendourselves,sothebestthingforustodoistoridtheearthofournation,byallgoingovertothebiglakeanddrowningourselves。\"

  Thistheydecidedtodo;sogoingtothelaketheywereabouttojumpin,whentheyheardasplashinginthewater。Looking,theysawalotoffrogsjumpingintothelake。

  \"Wewillnotdrownourselves,\"saidthemedicineman,\"wehavefoundanationwhoareafraidofus。Itisthefrognation。\"Haditnotbeenforthefrogswewouldhavehadnorabbits,asthewholenationwouldhavedrownedthemselvesandtherabbitracewouldhavebeenextinct。

  HOWTHERABBITLOSTHISTAIL

  Onceuponatimethereweretwobrothers,oneagreatGenieandtheotherarabbit。Likeallgenie,theoldercouldchangehimselfintoanykindofananimal,bird,fish,cloud,thunderandlightning,orinfactanythingthathedesired。

  Theyoungerbrother(therabbit)wasverymischievousandwascontinuallygettingintoallkindsoftrouble。HisolderbrotherwaskeptbusygettingRabbitoutofallkindsofscrapes。

  WhenRabbithadattainedhisfullgrowthhewantedtotravelaroundandseesomethingoftheworld。Whenhetoldhisbrotherwhatheintendedtodo,thebrothersaid:\"Now,Rabbit,youareWitkotko(mischievous),sobeverycareful,andkeepoutoftroubleasmuchaspossible。Incaseyougetintoanyserioustrouble,andcan’tgetoutbyyourself,justcallonmeforassistance,andnomatterwhereyouare,Iwillcometoyou。\"

  Rabbitstartedoutandthefirstdayhecametoaveryhighhouse,outsideofwhichstoodaveryhighpinetree。SohighwasthetreethatRabbitcouldhardlyseethetop。Outsidethedoor,onanenormousstool,sataverylargegiantfastasleep。Rabbit(havinghisbowandarrowswithhim)strunguphisbow,and,takinganarrowfromhisquiver,said:

  \"Iwanttoseehowbigthismanis,soIguessIwillwakehimup。\"

  Sosayinghemovedovertoonesideandtookgoodaim,andshotthegiantuponthenose。Thisstunglikefireandawokethegiant,whojumpedup,crying:\"Whohadtheaudacitytoshootmeonthenose?\"

  \"Idid,\"saidRabbit。

  Thegiant,hearingavoice,lookedallaround,butsawnothing,untilhelookeddownatthecornerofthehouse,andtheresatarabbit。

  \"IhadhiccoughsthismorningandthoughtthatIwasgoingtohaveagoodbigmeal,andhereisnothingbutatoothful。\"

  \"Iguessyouwon’tmakeatoothfulofme,\"saidRabbit,\"Iamasstrongasyou,thoughIamlittle。\"\"Wewillsee,\"saidthegiant。

  Hewentintothehouseandcameout,bringingahammerthatweighedmanytons。

  \"Now,Mr。Rabbit,wewillseewhocanthrowthishammeroverthetopofthattree。\"\"Getsomethinghardertodo,\"saidRabbit。

  \"Well,wewilltrythisfirst,\"saidthegiant。Withthathegraspedthehammerinbothhands,swungitthreetimesaroundhisheadandsentitspinningthrutheair。Up,up,itwent,skimmingthetopofthetree,andcamedown,shakingthegroundandburyingitselfdeepintotheearth。

  \"Now,\"saidthegiant,\"ifyoudon’taccomplishthissamefeat,I

  amgoingtoswallowyouatonemouthful。\"Rabbitsaid,\"IalwayssingtomybrotherbeforeIattemptthingslikethis。\"Sohecommencedsingingandcallinghisbrother。\"Cinye!Cinye!\"

  (brother,brother)hesang。Thegiantgrewnervous,andsaid:

  \"Boy,whydoyoucallyourbrother?\"

  Pointingtoasmallblackcloudthatwasapproachingveryswiftly,Rabbitsaid:\"Thatismybrother;hecandestroyyou,yourhouse,andpinetreeinonebreath。\"

  \"Stophimandyoucangofree,\"saidthegiant。Rabbitwavedhispawsandtheclouddisappeared。

  FromthisplaceRabbitcontinuedonhistriptowardsthewest。Thenextday,whilepassingthruadeepforest,hethoughtheheardsomeonemoaning,asthoughinpain。Hestoppedandlistened;soonthewindblewandthemoaninggrewlouder。Followingthedirectionfromwhencecamethesound,hesoondiscoveredamanstrippedofhisclothing,andcaughtbetweentwolimbsofatallelmtree。

  Whenthewindblewthelimbswouldrubtogetherandsqueezetheman,whowouldgiveforththemournfulgroans。

  \"My,youhaveafineplaceupthere。Letuschange。YoucancomedownandIwilltakeyourplace。\"(Nowthismanhadbeenplacedupthereforpunishment,byRabbit’sbrother,andhecouldnotgetdownunlesssomeonecamealongandproposedtotakehisplaceonthetree)。\"Verywell,\"saidtheman。\"Takeoffyourclothesandcomeup。Iwillfastenyouinthelimbsandyoucanhaveallthefunyouwant。\"

  Rabbitdisrobedandclimbedup。Themanplacedhimbetweenthelimbsandsliddownthetree。HehurriedlygotintoRabbit’sclothes,andjustashehadcompletedhistoilet,thewindblewveryhard。Rabbitwasnearlycrazywithpain,andscreamedandcried。Thenhebegantocry\"Cinye,Cinye\"(brother,brother)。

  \"Callyourbrotherasmuchasyoulike,hecanneverfindme。\"Sosayingthemandisappearedintheforest。

  Scarcelyhadhedisappeared,whenthebrotherarrived,andseeingRabbitinthetree,said:\"Whichwaydidhego?\"Rabbitpointedthedirectiontakenbytheman。Thebrotherflewoverthetopofthetrees,soonfoundthemanandbroughthimback,makinghimtakehisoldplacebetweenthelimbs,andcausingaheavywindtoblowandcontinueallafternoonandnight,forpunishmenttothemanforhavingplacedhisbrotherupthere。

  AfterRabbitgothisclothesbackon,hisbrothergavehimagoodscolding,andwoundupbysaying:\"Iwantyoutobemorecarefulinthefuture。IhaveplentyofworktokeepmeasbusyasIwanttobe,andIcan’tbestoppingeverylittlewhiletobemakingtripstogetyououtofsomefoolishscrape。ItwasonlyyesterdaythatIcamefivehundredmilestohelpyoufromthegiant,andtodayI

  havehadtocomeathousandmiles,sobemorecarefulfromthison。\"

  SeveraldaysafterthistheRabbitwastravelingalongthebanksofasmallriver,whenhecametoasmallclearinginthewoods,andinthecenteroftheclearingstoodanicelittleloghut。Rabbitwaswonderingwhocouldbelivingherewhenthedoorslowlyopenedandanoldmanappearedinthedoorway,bearingatripewaterpailinhisrighthand。Inhislefthandheheldastringwhichwasfastenedtotheinsideofthehouse。Hekeptholdofthestringandcameslowlydowntotheriver。Whenhegottothewaterhestoopeddownanddippedthepailintoitandreturnedtothehouse,stillholdingthestringforguidance。

  Soonhereappearedholdingontoanotherstring,and,followingthisone,wenttoalargepileofwoodandreturnedtothehousewithit。Rabbitwantedtoseeiftheoldmanwouldcomeoutagain,buthecameoutnomore。Seeingsmokeascendingfromthemudchimney,hethoughthewouldgooverandseewhattheoldmanwasdoing。Heknockedatthedoor,andaweakvoicebadehimenter。Henoticedthattheoldmanwascookingdinner。

  \"HelloTunkasina(grandfather),youmusthaveanicetime,livingherealone。Iseethatyouhaveeverythinghandy。Youcangetwoodandwater,andthatisallyouhavetodo。Howdoyougetyourprovisions?\"

  \"Thewolvesbringmymeat,themicemyriceandgroundbeans,andthebirdsbringmethecherryleavesformytea。Yetitisahardlife,asIamallalonemostofthetimeandhavenoonetotalkto,andbesides,Iamblind。\"

  \"Say,grandfather,\"saidRabbit,\"letuschangeplaces。IthinkI

  wouldliketolivehere。\"

  \"Ifweexchangeclothes,\"saidtheother,\"youwillbecomeoldandblind,whileIwillassumeyouryouthandgoodlooks。\"(Now,thisoldmanwasplacedhereforpunishmentbyRabbit’sbrother。Hehadkilledhiswife,sothegeniemadehimoldandblind,andhewouldremainsountilsomeonecamewhowouldexchangeplaceswithhim)。

  \"Idon’tcareforyouthandgoodlooks,\"saidRabbit,\"letusmakethechange。\"

  Theychangedclothes,andRabbitbecameoldandblind,whilsttheoldmanbecameyoungandhandsome。

  \"Well,Imustgo,\"saidtheman。Hewentoutandcuttingthestringsclosetothedoor,ranofflaughing。\"Youwillgetenoughofyourlivingalone,youcrazyboy,\"andsayingthisheranintothewoods。

  Rabbitthoughthewouldliketogetsomefreshwaterandtrythestringpathssothathewouldgetaccustomedtoit。Hebumpedaroundtheroomandfinallyfoundthetripewaterbucket。Hetookholdofthestringandstartedout。Whenhehadgottenashortdistancefromthedoorhecametotheendofthestringsosuddenly,thathelosttheendwhichhehadinhishand,andhewanderedabout,bumpingagainstthetrees,andtanglinghimselfupinplumbushesandthorns,scratchinghisfaceandhandssobadlythatthebloodranfromthem。Thenitwasthathecommencedagaintocry,\"Cinye!Cinye!\"(brother,brother)。Soonhisbrotherarrived,andaskedwhichwaytheoldmanhadgone。

  \"Idon’tknow,\"saidRabbit,\"Icouldn’tseewhichpathhetook,asIwasblind。\"

  Thegeniecalledthebirds,andtheycameflyingfromeverydirection。Asfastastheyarrivedthebrotheraskedthemiftheyhadseenthemanwhomhehadplacedhereforpunishment,butnonehadseenhim。Theowlcamelast,andwhenaskedifhehadseentheman,hesaid\"hoo-hoo。\"\"Themanwholivedhere,\"saidthebrother。\"LastnightIwashuntingmiceinthewoodssouthofhereandIsawamansleepingbeneathaplumtree。Ithoughtitwasyourbrother,Rabbit,soIdidn’tawakenhim,\"saidtheowl。

  \"Goodforyou,owl,\"saidthebrother,\"forthisgoodnews,youshallhereafterroamaroundonlyatnight,andIwillfixyoureyes,sothedarkerthenightthebetteryouwillbeabletosee。

  Youwillalwayshavethefinecoolnightstohuntyourfood。Youotherbirdscanhuntyourfoodduringthehotdaylight。\"(Sincethentheowlhasbeenthenightbird)。

  Thebrotherflewtothewoodsandbroughtthemanbackandcutthestringsshort,andsaidtohim:\"Nowyoucangetatasteofwhatyougavemybrother。\"

  ToRabbithesaid:\"Ioughtnottohavehelpedyouthistime。Anyonewhoissocrazyastochangeplaceswithablindmanshouldbeleftwithouthelp,sobecareful,asIamgettingtiredofyourfoolishness,andwillnothelpyouagainifyoudoanythingasfoolishasyoudidthistime。\"

  Rabbitstartedtoreturntohishome。Whenhehadnearlycompletedhisjourneyhecametoalittlecreek,andbeingthirstytookagoodlongdrink。Whilehewasdrinkingheheardanoiseasthoughawolforcatwasscratchingtheearth。Lookinguptoahillwhichoverhungthecreek,hesawfourwolves,withtheirtailsintertwined,pullingwithalltheirmight。AsRabbitcameuptothemonepulledloose,andRabbitsawthathistailwasbroken。

  \"Letmepulltailswithyou。Mytailislongandstrong,\"saidRabbit,andthewolvesassenting,RabbitinterlockedhislongtailwiththoseofthethreewolvesandcommencedpullingandthewolvespulledsohardthattheypulledRabbit’stailoffatthesecondjoint。Thewolvesdisappeared。

  \"Cinye!Cinye!(Brother,brother。)Ihavelostmytail,\"criedRabbit。ThegeniecameandseeinghisbrotherRabbit’stailmissing,said:\"Youlookbetterwithoutatailanyway。\"

  Fromthattimeonrabbitshavehadnotails。

  UNKTOMIANDTHEARROWHEADS

  Therewereonceuponatimetwoyoungmenwhowereverygreatfriends,andwereconstantlytogether。Onewasaverythoughtfulyoungman,theotherveryimpulsive,whoneverstoppedtothinkbeforehecommittedanact。

  Onedaythesetwofriendswerewalkingalong,tellingeachotheroftheirexperiencesinlovemaking。Theyascendedahighhill,andonreachingthetop,heardatickingnoiseasifsmallstonesorpebbleswerebeingstrucktogether。

  Lookingaroundtheydiscoveredalargespidersittinginthemidstofagreatmanyflintarrowheads。Thespiderwasbusilyengagedmakingtheflintrocksintoarrowheads。Theylookedatthespider,buthenevermoved,butcontinuedhammeringawayonapieceofflintwhichhehadnearlycompletedintoanotherarrowhead。

  \"Let’shithim,\"saidthethoughtlessone。\"No,\"saidtheother,\"heisnotharminganyone;infact,heisdoingagreatgood,asheismakingtheflintarrowheadswhichweusetopointourarrows。\"

  \"Oh,youareafraid,\"saidthefirstyoungman。\"Hecan’tharmyou。justwatchmehithim。\"Sosaying,hepickedupanarrowheadandthrowingitat\"Unktomi,\"hithimontheside。AsUnktomirolledoveronhisside,gotupandstoodlookingatthem,theyoungmanlaughedandsaid:\"Well,letusbegoing,asyourgrandfather,\"Unktomi,\"doesn’tseemtolikeourcompany。\"Theystarteddownthehill,whensuddenlytheonewhohadhitUnktomitookaseverefitofcoughing。Hecoughedandcoughed,andfinallysmallparticlesofbloodcamefromhismouth。Thebloodkeptcomingthickerandingreatgushes。Finallyitcamesothickandfastthatthemancouldnotgethisbreathandfelluponthegrounddead。

  Thethoughtfulyoungman,seeingthathisfriendwasnomore,hurriedtothevillageandreportedwhathadhappened。Therelativesandfriendshurriedtothehill,andsureenough,therelaythethoughtlessyoungmanstillandcoldindeath。TheyheldacouncilandsentforthechiefoftheUnktomitribe。Whenheheardwhathadhappened,hetoldthecouncilthathecoulddonothingtohisUnktomi,asithadonlydefendeditself。

  Saidhe:\"Myfriends,seeingthatyourtribewasrunningshortofarrowheads,Isetagreatmanyofmytribetoworkmakingflintarrowheadsforyou。Whenmymenarethusengagedtheydonotwishtobedisturbed,andyouryoungmannotonlydisturbedmyman,butgrosslyinsultedhimbystrikinghimwithoneofthearrowheadswhichhehadworkedsohardtomake。Mymancouldnotsitandtakethisinsult,soastheyoungmanwalkedawaytheUnktomishothimwithaverytinyarrowhead。Thisproducedahemorrhage,whichcausedhisdeath。Sonow,myfriends,ifyouwillfillandpassthepeacepipe,wewillpartgoodfriendsandmytribeshallalwaysfurnishyouwithplentyofflintarrowheads。\"Sosaying,UnktomiTankafinishedhispeacesmokeandreturnedtohistribe。

  Everafterthat,whentheIndiansheardatickinginthegrass,theywouldgooutoftheirwaytogetaroundthesound,saying,Unktomiismakingarrowheads;wemustnotdisturbhim。

  ThusitwasthatUnktomiTanka(BigSpider)hadtherespectofthistribe,andwasneverafterdisturbedinhisworkofmakingarrowheads。

  THEBEARANDTHERABBITHUNT

  BUFFALO

  Onceuponatimetherelivedasneighbors,abearandarabbit。

  Therabbitwasagoodshot,andthebearbeingveryclumsycouldnotusethearrowtogoodadvantage。Thebearwasveryunkindtotherabbit。Everymorning,thebearwouldcallovertotherabbitandsay:\"Takeyourbowandarrowsandcomewithmetotheothersideofthehill。Alargeherdofbuffaloaregrazingthere,andIwantyoutoshootsomeofthemforme,asmychildrenarecryingformeat。\"

  Therabbit,fearingtoarousethebear’sangerbyrefusing,consented,andwentwiththebear,andshotenoughbuffalotosatisfythehungryfamily。Indeed,heshotandkilledsomanythattherewaslotsofmeatleftafterthebearandhisfamilyhadloadedthemselves,andpackedalltheycouldcarryhome。Thebearbeingverygluttonous,andnotwantingtherabbittogetanyofthemeat,said:\"Rabbit,youcomealonghomewithusandwewillreturnandgettheremainderofthemeat。\"

  Thepoorrabbitcouldnoteventastethebloodfromthebutchering,asthebearwouldthrowearthonthebloodanddryitup。PoorRabbitwouldhavetogohomehungryafterhishardday’swork。

  Thebearwasthefatheroffivechildren。Theyoungestboywasverykindtotherabbit。Themotherbear,knowingthatheryoungestwasaveryheartyeater,alwaysgavehimanextralargepieceofmeat。Whatthebabybeardidnoteat,hewouldtakeoutsidewithhimandpretendtoplayballwithit,kickingittowardtherabbit’shouse,andwhenhegotclosetothedoorhewouldgivethemeatsuchagreatkick,thatitwouldflyintotherabbit’shouse,andinthiswaypoorRabbitwouldgethismealunknowntothepapabear。

  BabybearneverforgothisfriendRabbit。Papabearoftenwonderedwhyhisbabywouldgooutsideaftereachmeal。Hegrewsuspiciousandaskedthebabywherehehadbeen。\"Oh,Ialwaysplayballoutside,aroundthehouse,andwhenIgettiredplayingIeatupmymeatballandthencomein。\"

  Thebabybearwastoocunningtoletpapabearknowthathewaskeepinghisfriendrabbitfromstarvingtodeath。Nevertheless,papabearsuspectedbabyandsaid:\"Baby,Ithinkyougoovertotherabbit’saftereverymeal。\"

  Thefourolderbrotherswereveryhandsome,butbabybearwasalittlepunyfellow,whosecoatcouldn’tkeepoutmuchcold,asitwasshortandshaggy,andofadirtybrowncolor。Thethreeolderbrotherswereveryunkindtobabybear,butthefourthonealwaystookbaby’spart,andwasalwayskindtohisbabybrother。

  Rabbitwasgettingtiredofbeingorderedandbulliedaroundbypapabear。HepuzzledhisbraintoschemesomewayofgettingevenwithMr。Bearforabusinghimsomuch。Hestudiedallnightlong,butnoschemeworthtryingpresenteditself。EarlyonemorningMr。

  BearpresentedhimselfatRabbit’sdoor。

  \"Say,Rabbit,mymeatisallusedup,andthereisafineherdofbuffalograzingonthehillside。Getyourbowandarrowsandcomewithme。Iwantyoutoshootsomeofthemforme。\"

  \"Verywell,\"saidRabbit,andhewentandkilledsixbuffaloforBear。BeargotbusybutcheringandpoorRabbit,thinkinghewouldgetachancetolickuponemouthfulofblood,stayedveryclosetothebearwhilehewascuttingupthemeat。Thebearwasverywatchfullesttherabbitgetsomethingtoeat。Despitebear’swatchfulness,asmallclotofbloodrolledpastandbehindthebear’sfeet。AtonceRabbitseizedtheclotandhiditinhisbosom。BythetimeRabbitgothome,thebloodclotwashardenedfromthewarmthofhisbody,so,beinghungry,itputMr。Rabbitoutofsortstothinkthatafterallhistroublehecouldnoteattheblood。

  Verybadlydisappointed,helaydownonhisfloorandgazedupintothechimneyhole。Disgustedwiththewaythingshadturnedout,hegrabbedupthebloodclotandthrewitupthroughthehole。

  Scarcelyhadithitthegroundwhenheheardthevoiceofababycrying,\"Ate!Ate!\"(father,father)。Hewentoutsideandtherehefoundabigbabyboy。Hetookthebabyintohishouseandthrewhimoutthroughtheholeagain。Thistimetheboywaslargeenoughtosay\"Ate,Ate,he-cun-sin-lo。\"(Father,father,don’tdothat)。

  Butnevertheless,hethrewhimupandoutagain。Ongoingoutthethirdtime,therestoodahandsomeyouthsmilingathim。Rabbitatonceadoptedtheyouthandtookhimintohishouse,seatinghimintheseatofhonor(whichisdirectlyoppositetheentrance),andsaying:\"Myson,Iwantyoutobeagood,honest,straightforwardman。Now,Ihaveinmypossessionafineoutfit,andyou,myson,shallwearit。\"

  Suitinghisactiontohiswords,hedrewoutabagfromahollowtreeandonopeningit,drewoutafinebuckskinshirt(tannedwhiteassnow),workedwithporcupinequills。Alsoapairofredleggingsworkedwithbeads。Moccasinsworkedwithcoloredhair。

  Afineotterskinrobe。Whiteweaselskinstointertwinewithhisbeautifullongblacklocks。Amagnificentcentereaglefeather。Arawhidecoveredbow,accompaniedbyaquiverfullofflintarrowheads。

  Therabbit,havingdressedhissoninallthelatestfinery,satbackandgazedlongandlovinglyathishandsomeson。

  InstinctivelyRabbitfeltthathissonhadbeensenthimforthepurposeofbeinginstrumentalinthedownfallofMr。Bear。Eventswillshow。

  ThemorningfollowingthearrivalofRabbit’sson,Mr。Bearagainpresentshimselfatthedoor,cryingout:\"Youlazy,uglyrabbit,getupandcomeouthere。Iwantyoutoshootsomemorebuffaloforme。\"

  \"Whoisthis,whospeakssoinsultinglytoyou,father?\"askedtheson。

  \"Itisabearwholivesnearhere,andmakesmekillbuffaloforhisfamily,andhewon’tletmetakeevenonelittledropofbloodfromthekilling,andconsequently,myson,Ihavenothinginmyhouseforyoutoeat。\"

  TheyoungmanwasanxioustomeetMr。BearbutRabbitadvisedhimtowaitalittleuntilheandBearhadgonetothehunt。Sothesonobeyed,andwhenhethoughtittimethatthekillingwasdone,hestartedoutandarrivedonthescenejustasMr。Bearwasabouttoproceedwithhisbutchering。

  Seeingastrangeshadowonthegroundbesidehim,Mr。Bearlookedupandgazedintothefearlesseyesofrabbit’shandsomeson。

  \"Whoisthis?\"askedMr。BearofpoorlittleRabbit。

  \"Idon’tknow,\"answeredRabbit。

  \"Whoareyou?\"askedthebearofRabbit’sson。\"Wheredidyoucomefrom?\"

  Therabbit’ssonnotreplying,thebearspokethustohim:\"Getoutofhere,andgetoutquick,too。\"

  Atthisspeechtherabbit’ssonbecameangered,andfastenedanarrowtohisbowanddrovethearrowthroughthebear’sheart。

  ThenheturnedonMrs。Bearandservedherlikewise。Duringthemelee,Rabbitshouted:\"Myson,myson,don’tkillthetwoyoungest。Thebabyhaskeptmefromstarvingandtheotheroneisgoodandkindtohisbabybrother。\"

  Sothethreeolderbrotherswhowereunkindtotheirbabybrothermetasimilarfatetothatoftheirselfishparents。

  This(thestorygoes)isthereasonthatbearstravelonlyinpairs。

  THEBRAVEWHOWENTONTHEWARPATH

  ALONEANDWONTHENAMEOF

  THELONEWARRIOR

  Therewasonceayoungmanwhoseparentswerenotoverburdenedwiththerichesofthisworld,andconsequentlycouldnotdresstheironlysoninasrichacostumeastheotheryoungmenofthetribe,andonaccountofnotbeingsorichlycladasthey,hewaslookeddownuponandshunnedbythem。Hewasneverinvitedtotakepartinanyoftheirsports;norwasheeveraskedtojoinanyofthewarparties。

  Inthevillagelivedanoldmanwithanonlydaughter。Liketheotherfamily,theywerepoor,butthedaughterwasthebelleofthetribe。Shewasthemostsoughtafterbytheyoungmenofthevillage,andwarriorsfromtribesfardistantcametopresstheirsuitatwinningherfortheirbride。Alltonopurpose;shehadthesameanswerforthemasshehadfortheyoungmenofthevillage。

  Thepooryoungmanwasalsoveryhandsomedespitehispoorclothes,buthavingneverkilledanenemynorbroughthomeanyenemies’

  horseshewasnot(accordingtoIndianrules)allowedtomakelovetoanyyoungoroldwoman。Hetriedinvaintojoinsomeofthewarparties,thathemightgetthechancetowinhisspursasawarrior。Toallhispleadings,camethesameanswer:\"Youarenotfittojoinawarparty。Youhavenohorses,andifyoushouldgetkilledourtribewouldbelaughedatandbemadefunofasyouhavesuchpoorclothes,andwedon’twanttheenemytoknowthatwehaveanyoneofourtribewhodressessopoorlyasyoudo。\"

  Again,andagain,hetrieddifferentparties,onlytobemadefunofandinsulted。

  Onenighthesatinthepoortepeeofhisparents。Hewasindeepstudyandhadnothingtosay。Hisfather,noticinghismelancholymood,askedhimwhathadhappenedtocausehimtobesoquiet,ashewasalwaysofajollydisposition。Thesonansweredandsaid:

  \"Father,Iamgoingonthewarpathalone。InvainIhavetriedtobeamemberofoneofthewarparties。ToallofmypleadingsI

  havegotnothingbutinsultsinreturn。\"

  \"Butmyson,youhavenogunnorammunition。Wherecanyougetanyandhowcanyougetit?Wehavenothingtobuyoneforyouwith,\"

  saidthefather。

  \"Idon’tneedanyweapons。Iamgoingtobringbacksomeoftheenemies’horses,andIdon’tneedagunforthat。\"

  Earlythenextmorning(regardlessoftheoldcouple’spleadingsnottogounarmed)theyoungmanleftthevillageandheadednorthwest,thedirectionalwaystakenbythewarparties。

  Fortendayshetraveledwithoutseeinganysignsofacamp。Theeveningofthetenthday,hereachedaveryhighbutte,thicklywoodedatthesummit。Heascendedthisbutte,andashesattherebetweentwolargeboulders,watchingthebeautifulraysofthesettingsun,hewassuddenlystartledtoheartheneighofahorse。

  Lookingdownintothebeautifulvalleywhichwasthreadedbyabeautifulcreekfringedwithtimber,henoticedclosetothebaseofthebutteuponwhichhesat,alargedroveofhorsesgrazingpeacefullyandquietly。Lookingcloser,henoticedatalittledistancefromthemaindrove,ahorsewithasaddleonhisback。

  Thiswastheonethathadneighed,asthedrovedriftedfurtherawayfromhim。Hewastiedbyalonglariattoalargesagebush。

  Wherecouldtheriderbe,hesaidtohimself。Asifinanswertohisquestion,thereappearednotmorethantwentypacesfromhimamiddleagedmancomingupthroughadeepravine。Themanwasevidentlyinsearchofsomekindofgame,asheheldhisguninreadinessforinstantuse,andkepthiseyesdirectedateverycreviceandclumpofbush。Sointentwasheonlocatingthegamehewastrailing,thathenevernoticedtheyoungmanwhosatlikeastatuenottwentypacesaway。Slowlyandcautiouslythemanapproached,andwhenhehadadvancedtowithinafewpacesoftheyoungmanhestoppedandturningaround,stoodlookingdownintothevalley。Thiswastheonlychancethatourbraveyoungfriendhad。Beingunarmed,hewouldstandnoshowiftheenemyevergotaglimpseofhim。Slowlyandnoiselesslyhedrewhishuntingknife(whichhisfatherhadgivenhimonhisdeparturefromhome)andholdingitsecurelyinhisrighthand,gatheredhimselfandgavealeapwhichlandedhimupontheunsuspectingenemy’sshoulders。Theforcewithwhichhelandedontheenemycausedhim(theenemy)tolosehisholdonhisgun,anditwentrattlingdownintothechasm,fortyfeetbelow。

  Downtheycametogether,theyoungmanontop。Nosoonerhadtheystruckthegroundthantheenemyhadouthisknife,andthencommencedahandtohandduel。Theenemy,havingmoreexperience,wasgettingthebestofouryoungfriend。Alreadyouryoungfriendhadtwouglycuts,oneacrosshischestandtheotherthroughhisforearm。

  Hewasbecomingweakfromthelossofblood,andcouldnotstandthekillingpacemuchlonger。Summoningallhisstrengthforonemoretrialtoovercomehisantagonist,herushedhimtowardthechasm,andinhishurrytogetawayfromthisfierceattack,theenemysteppedbackonesteptoofar,anddowntheybothwentintothechasm。Interlockedineachother’sarms,theyoungmandrovehisknifeintotheenemy’ssideandwhentheystruckthebottomtheenemyrelaxedhisholdandstraightenedoutstiffanddead。

  Securinghisscalpandgun,theyoungmanproceededdowntowherethehorsewastiedtothesagebush,andthengatheringthedroveofhorsesproceededonhisreturntohisownvillage。Beingwoundedseverelyhehadtorideveryslowly。Allthelonghoursofthenighthedrovethehorsestowardshishomevillage。

  Inthemeantime,thoseattheenemies’campwonderedatthelongabsenceoftheherderwhowaswatchingtheirdroveofhorses,andfinallysevenyoungmenwenttosearchforthemissingherder。Allnightlongtheysearchedthehillsidesforthehorsesandherder,andwhenithadgrownlightenoughinthemorningtheysawbythegroundwheretherehadbeenafiercestruggle。

  Followingthetracksinthesandandleaves,theycametothechasmwherethecombatantshadfallenover,andthere,lyingonhisbackstaringupatthemindeath,wastheirherder。Theyhastenedtothecampandtoldwhattheyhadfound。Immediatelythewarriorsmountedtheirwarponies(theseponiesareneverturnedloose,butkepttiedclosetothetepeeoftheowner),andstrikingthetrailoftheherddrivenoffbyouryoungfriend,theyurgedforththeirponiesandweresoonfarfromtheircamponthetrailofouryoungfriend。Alldaylongtheytraveledonhistrail,andjustasthesunwassinkingtheycaughtsightofhimdrivingthedroveaheadoverahighhill。Againtheyurgedforththeirtiredponies。Theyoungman,lookingbackalongthetrail,sawsomedarkobjectscomingalong,and,catchingafreshhorse,drovetherestaheadatagreatrate。Againallnighthedrovethem,andwhendaylightcamehelookedback(fromahighbutte)overhistrailandsawcomingoveradistantraise,twohorsemen。Thesetwoundoubtedlyrodethebestponies,ashesawnothingoftheothers。Drivingthehorsesintoathickbeltoftimber,heconcealedhimselfclosetothetrailmadebythedroveofhorses,andlayinambushforthetwodaringhorsemenwhohadfollowedhimsofar。Finallytheyappearedonthebuttefromwherehehadlookedbackandsawthemfollowinghim。Foralongtimetheysattherescouringthecountrybeforetheminhopesthattheymightseesomesignsoftheirstolenhorses。Nothingcouldtheysee。Hadtheybutknown,theirhorseswerebutafewhundredyardsfromthem,butthethicktimbersecurelyhidthemfromview。Finallyoneofthemaroseandpointedtothetimber。Thenleavinghishorseinchargeofhisfriend,hedescendedthebutteandfollowedthetrailofthedrovetowheretheyhadenteredthetimber。Littledidhethinkthathewasstandingonthebrinkofeternity。Theyoungmanhidingnotmorethanahundredyardsfromhimcouldhaveshothimtherewherehestood,butwantingtoplayfair,hesteppedintosight。Whenhedid,theenemytookquickaimandfired。Hewastoohasty。Hadhetakenmorecarefulaimhemighthavekilledouryoungfriend,buthisbulletwhizzedharmlesslyovertheyoungman’sheadandburieditselfinatree。Theyoungmantookgoodaimandfired。Theenemythrewupbothhandsandfellforwardonhisface。Theotheroneonthehill,seeinghisfriendkilled,hastilymountedhishorseandleadinghisfriend’shorse,maderapidlyoffdownthebutteinthedirectionfromwhencehehadcome。Waitingforsometimetobesuretheonewhowasalivedidnotcomeupandtakeashotathim,hefinallyadvanceduponthefallenenemyandsecuringhisgun,ammunitionandscalp,wenttohishorseanddrovetheherdonthroughthewoodsandcrossingalongflatprairie,ascendedalongchainofhillsandsatlookingbackalonghistrailinsearchofanyoftheenemywhomightcontinuetofollowhim。

  Thushesatuntilthelongshadowsofthehillsremindedhimthatitwouldsoonbesunset,andashemustgetsomesleep,hewantedtofindsomecreekbendwherehecoulddrivethebunchofponiesandfeelsafeastotheirnotstrayingoffduringthenight。Hefoundagoodplacefortheherd,andcatchingafreshhorse,hepicketedhimclosetowherehewasgoingtosleep,andwrappinghimselfinhisblanket,wassoonfastasleep。Sotiredandsleepywashethataheavyrainwhichhadcomeup,duringthenight,soakedhimthroughandthrough,butheneverawakeneduntilthesunwashighintheeast。

  Heawokeandgoingtotheplacewherehehadlefttheherd,hewasgladtofindthemallthere。Hemountedhishorseandstartedhisherdhomewardagain。Fortwodayshedrovethem,andontheeveningoftheseconddayhecameinsightofthevillage。

  Theolderwarriors,hearingoftheyoungmangoingonthistripaloneandunarmed,toldtheparentstogoinmourningfortheirson,ashewouldnevercomebackalive。Whenthepeopleofthevillagesawthislargedroveofhorsesadvancingtowardsthem,theyatfirstthoughtitwasawarpartyoftheenemy,andsotheheadmencalledtheyoungwarriorstogetherandfullypreparedforagreatbattle。Theyadvanceduponthesupposedenemy。Whentheygotcloseenoughtodiscernalonehorsemandrivingthislargeherd,theysurroundedthehorsesandlonewarrior,andbroughthimtriumphantlyintocamp。Onarrivinginthecamp(orvillage)thehorseswerecountedandthenumbercounteduptoonehundredandtenhead。

  Thechiefandhiscriers(orheralds)announcedthroughthewholevillagethattherewouldbeagreatwardancegiveninhonoroftheLoneWarrior。

  Thewholevillageturnedoutandhadagreatwardancethatwaskeptupthreedaysandthreenights。Thetwoscalpswhichtheyoungmanhadtakenweretiedtoapolewhichwasplacedinthecenterofthedancecircle。Atthisdance,theLoneWarriorgavetoeachpoorfamilyfiveheadofhorses。

  Beingconsideredeligiblenowtopayhisrespectstoanygirlwhotookhisfancy,heatoncewenttothecampofthebeautifulgirlofthetribe,andashewasalwaysherchoice,sheatonceconsentedtomarryhim。

  ThenewsspreadthroughthevillagethatLoneWarriorhadwonthebelleofthenationforhisbride,andthiswiththegreatfeatwhichhehadaccomplishedaloneinkillingtwoenemiesandbringinghomeagreatherdofhorses,raisedhimtotherankofchief,whichhefaithfullyfilledtotheendofhisdays。AndmanytimeshehadtotellhisgrandchildrenthestoryofhowhegotthenameoftheLoneWarrior。

  THESIOUXWHOMARRIEDTHECROW

  CHIEF’SDAUGHTER

  Awarpartyofsevenyoungmen,seeingalonetepeestandingontheedgeofaheavybeltoftimber,stoppedandwaitedfordarkness,inordertosendoneoftheirscoutsaheadtoascertainwhetherthecampwhichtheyhadseenwasthecampoffriendorenemy。

  Whendarknesshadsettleddownonthem,andtheyfeltsecureinnotbeingdetected,theychoseoneoftheirscoutstogoonaloneandfindoutwhatwouldbethebestdirectionforthemtoadvanceuponthecamp,shoulditprovetobeanenemy。

  Amongthescoutswasonewhowasnotedforhisbravery,andmanywerethebraveactshehadperformed。HisnamewasBigEagle。

  Thismantheyselectedtogotothelonecampandobtaintheinformationforwhichtheywerewaiting。

  BigEaglewastoldtolookcarefullyoverthegroundandselectthebestdirectionfromwhichtheyshouldmaketheattack。Theothersixwouldawaithisreturn。Hestartedonhismission,beingcarefulnottomakeanynoise。Hestealthilyapproachedthecamp。Ashedrewneartothetenthewassurprisedtonotetheabsenceofanydogs,astheseanimalsarealwayskeptbytheSiouxtonotifytheownersbytheirbarkingoftheapproachofanyone。

  Hecrawleduptothetepeedoor,andpeepingthroughasmallaperture,hesawthreepersonssittinginside。Anelderlymanandwomanweresittingattherightofthefireplace,andayoungwomanattheseatofhonor,oppositethedoor。

  BigEaglehadbeenmarriedandhiswifehaddiedfivewintersprevioustothetimeofthisepisode。Hehadneverthoughtofmarryingagain,butwhenhelookeduponthisyoungwomanhethoughthewaslookinguponthefaceofhisdeadwife。Heremovedhiscartridgebeltsandknife,andplacingthem,alongwithhisrifle,atthesideofthetent,heatonceboldlysteppedinsidethetepee,andgoingovertotheman,extendedhishandandshookfirsttheman’shand,thentheoldwoman’s,andlastlytheyoungwoman’s。

  Thenheseatedhimselfbythesideofthegirl,andthustheysat,noonespeaking。

  Finally,BigEaglemadesignstotheman,explainingaswellaspossiblebysigns,thathiswifehaddiedlongago,andwhenhesawthegirlshesostronglyresembledhisdeadwifethathewishedtomarryher,andhewouldgobacktotheenemy’scampandlivewiththem,iftheywouldconsenttothemarriageoftheirdaughter。

  Theoldmanseemedtounderstand,andBigEagleagainmadesignstohimthatapartywerelyinginwaitjustashortdistancefromhiscamp。Noiselesslytheybroughtinthehorses,andtakingdownthetent,theyatoncemovedoffinthedirectionfromwhencetheyhadcome。Thewarpartywaitedallnight,andwhenthefirstraysofdawndisclosedtothemtheabsenceofthetepee,theyatonceconcludedthatBigEaglehadbeendiscoveredandkilled,sotheyhurriedlystartedontheirtrailforhome。

  Inthemeantime,thehuntingparty,forthisitwasthatBigEaglehadjoined,madeverygoodtimeinputtingagooddistancebetweenthemselvesandthewarparty。Alldaytheytraveled,andwheneveningcametheyascendedahighhill,lookingdownintothevalleyontheotherside。Therestretchedfortwomiles,alongthebanksofasmallstream,animmensecamp。TheoldmanmadesignsforBigEagletoremainwiththetwowomenwherehewas,untilhecouldgotothecampandpreparethemtoreceiveanenemyintotheirvillage。

  Theoldmanrodethroughthecampanddrewupatthelargesttepeeinthevillage。SoonBigEaglecouldseemengatheringaroundthetepee。Thecrowdgrewlargerandlarger,untilthewholevillagehadassembledatthelargetepee。Finallytheydispersed,andcatchingtheirhorses,mountedandadvancedtothehillonwhichBigEagleandthetwowomenwerewaiting。Theyformedacirclearoundthemandslowlytheyreturnedtothevillage,singingandridinginacirclearoundthem。

  Whentheyarrivedatthevillagetheyadvancedtothelargetepee,andmotionedBigEagletotheseatofhonorinthetepee。InthevillagewasamanwhounderstoodandspoketheSiouxlanguage。Hewassentfor,andthroughhimtheoathofallegiancetotheCrowtribewastakenbyBigEagle。Thisdonehewaspresentedwiththegirltowife,andalsowithmanyspottedponies。

  BigEaglelivedwithhiswifeamongherpeoplefortwoyears,andduringthistimehejoinedinfourdifferentbattlesbetweenhisownpeople(theSioux)andtheCrowpeople,towhomhiswifebelonged。

  Innobattlewithhisownpeoplewouldhecarryanyweapons,onlyalongwillowcoup-stick,withwhichhestruckthefallenSioux。

  Attheexpirationoftwoyearsheconcludedtopayavisittohisowntribe,andhisfather-in-law,beingachiefofhighstanding,atoncehaditheraldedthroughthevillagethathisson-in-lawwouldvisithisownpeople,andforthemtoshowtheirgoodwillandrespectforhimbybringingponiesforhisson-in-lawtotakebacktohispeople。

  Hearingthis,theherdswerealldriveninandalldaylonghorseswerebroughttothetentofBigEagle,andwhenhewasreadytostartonhishomewardtrip,twentyyoungmenwereelectedtoaccompanyhimtowithinasafedistanceofhisvillage。Thetwentyyoungmendrovethegifthorses,amountingtotwohundredandtwentyhead,towithinoneday’sjourneyofthevillageofBigEagle,andfearingfortheirsafetyfromhispeople,BigEaglesentthembacktotheirownvillage。

  Onhisarrivalathishomevillage,theyreceivedhimasonereturnedfromthedead,astheyweresurehehadbeenkilledthenighthehadbeensenttoreconnoiterthelonecamp。Therewasgreatfeastinganddancinginhonorofhisreturn,andthehorsesweredistributedamongtheneedyonesofthevillage。

  Remainingathishomevillageforayear,heonedaymadeuphismindtoreturntohiswife’speople。Agreatmanyfancyrobes,dresses,warbonnets,moccasins,andagreatdroveofhorsesweregivenhim,andhiswife,andhebadefarewelltohispeopleforgood,saying,\"Iwillneverreturntoyouagain,asIhavedecidedtolivetheremainderofmydayswithmywife’speople。\"

  OnhisarrivalatthevillageoftheCrows,hefoundhisfather-in-lawatthepointofdeath。Afewdayslatertheoldmandied,andBigEaglewasappointedtofillthevacancyofchiefmadebythedeathofhisfather-in-law。

  Subsequentlyhetookpartinbattlesagainsthisownpeople,andinthethirdbattlewaskilledonthefield。TenderlytheCrowwarriorsborehimbacktotheircamp,andgreatwasthemourningintheCrowvillageforthebravemanwhoalwayswentintobattleunarmed,saveonlythewillowwandwhichhecarried。

  ThusendedthecareerofoneofthebravestofSiouxwarriorswhoevertookthescalpofanenemy,andwhofortheloveofhisdeadwife,gaveuphome,parents,andfriends,tobekilledonthefieldofbattlebyhisowntribe。

  THEBOYANDTHETURTLES

  Aboywentonaturtlehunt,andafterfollowingthedifferentstreamsforhours,finallycametotheconclusionthattheonlyplacehewouldfindanyturtleswouldbeatthelittlelake,wherethetribealwayshuntedthem。

  So,leavingthestreamhehadbeenfollowing,hecutacrosscountrytothelake。Ondrawingnearthelakehecrawledonhishandsandkneesinordernottobeseenbytheturtles,whowereverywatchful,astheyhadbeenhuntedsomuch。Peepingovertherockhesawagreatmanyoutontheshoresunningthemselves,soheverycautiouslyundressed,sohecouldleapintothewaterandcatchthembeforetheysecretedthemselves。Butonpullingoffhisshirtoneofhishandswasheldupsohighthattheturtlessawitandjumpedintothelakewithagreatsplash。

  Theboyrantotheshore,butsawonlybubblescomingupfromthebottom。Directlytheboysawsomethingcomingtothesurface,andsoonitcameupintosight。Itwasalittleman,andsoonothers,bythehundreds,cameupandswamabout,splashingthewaterupintotheairtoagreatheight。Soscaredwastheboythatheneverstoppedtogatheruphisclothesbutranhomenakedandfellintohisgrandmother’stentdoor。

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