Indian Legends of Minnesota - 9781451017199

CLASSIIC
REPRIINT
SERIES
INDIAN LE'GENDS OF MINNESOTA
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ISBN 9781451017199
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I
,.)::~.~ I_VIC'lN£l
~rv; SEII/\.n A.
~~ ..J
INDIAN LEGENDS
OF
MI NESOTA
mrPILED
BY
MRS. CORD NIO A. SEVERANCE
.. Then a dark r, drearier vision Passed bef'o e me vague and cloudlike I beheld our nation scattered, All Iorgetfu of my council, Weakened, arring with each other: Saw the rem ant of our people Sweeping w stward, wild and woinl, Like the clo d rack of a tempest. Like the wit ered leaves of Autumn'!"

I
Dedicatio
TO
l'rfRS. FRANCIS B. CLAltICE

AND
~1.H,. DELOS
USDER
A. 1\1 NTI~'ORT,
AND TIlROUGH
'VHOSE
INSPIRATIO~
'WHOSE
ASSISTA:YCE THIS UNDERTA lfADE POSSlnLE, THIS

Dl£
·lNG
HAS BEEN
~OLuME 18
ICATEn.
:R..ESPECTlnrLT.Y

I

I
CONTENTS.
PAGK
THE
LONE \VARPATH.
Elaine Goodale Eastman,
9
22
FOND HEARTS ANI'ETUSAI'A, "'lINONA,
OF THE FOREST, •
32 48
QUARRY.
'IHE PEACE?Irli
Adelaide George Bennett Henry \V. Longfellow,
77
86 91 95
THE SONG OF HrA.WATHA.

HIAWATHA'S THE SONG RIVER
'''aOING.
LAKE.
Henry 'V. Longfellow ••
E. L. Fales,
CHIEF.
OF A NADOWESSEE
Sir E. L. Bulwer, •
97
99
126
MAHNUSATIA. TIlE
Fannie L. Stone,
STAR.
DESCENDING
Ida Sexton Searls, Adelaide George Bennett,
•
•
THE TRAILING ARBUTUS.
IJ2
NOPA.
Ida. Sexton Searls, •
136
· 139
•
162
SWEET 'VATER, DEATH OF \VINONA.

THE LEGEND
H. L. Gordon.
FLOWER.
111
OF THE MOCCASIN
Ida Sexton Searls.
175
179
NOTES,
PREFACE.
to the public this volume the compiler wish s to disown any attempt at a complete colle tion of Indian legends; both her know ledge of a chreology, and the time allowed for the completion of the work are inadequate to such an achievement. She has attempted to gather the more noticeabl legends already in verse in order to stimulate i terest in the scenery and romance of her State. i'rom its namo-c-Minnesota-e-to its the moccasin flowel'-the State everywhere be 1'8 the impress of former occupation. About every la.ke, forest, and valley clings the aroma of romar ce in the form of name or legend of the vanishe Red Man, The indistii ct memory of his loves, wars, and adventures is 'owing rapidly fainter, until even the story-telle himself is confused as to the relation between e ent and locality. It has therefore seemed wise to link indissolubly scene and incident, that the poetr of those who have here lived and loved may no be completely displaced by the prosaic cornme ce of the white man. The compil r wishes also to express her thanks to the writers who have allowed their works to
IN presentin
PREFACE.
reapp ar in this volume: To Rev. E. D. Neill, D.D., for much valuable counsel, and to lIoughton, Miffli & Co., for permission to make extracts from
Hiaw tha.
] N D I A N L G END S.
The Lone
A STORY OF SIOm HD BLAOIU QOT.
a vast prairie stoops t e sultry night; The moon in her broad kin dam wanders white; High hUllg' in space, she swims the murky blue. Low lies yon village of the roaming SiouxIts smoke-stained lodges, oving toward the west, By conquering Sleep invad d and possessed.
O'ER
All there, save one, own hi Their chief has lately left And up the glittering path Thus his young widow, no In yonder solitary tent co The .aching hope, the trem
benign command; his little band, of spirits fled; a twelvemonth wed, cals ling pangs she feels.
How breathless is the nigh! None saw it riseThat black cloudstealing p the glassy skies© 2010 Forgotten Books
I
10
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
Till threatening murmurs, loud and louder grown, Durst from its swelling bosom, an the moon Slips into brief oblivion, while a g are As of far, flickering torches, seems to bear The challenge of the gods. Awa e, awake! Make ready for the tempest, ere it break I Drive tent-pins deeper, stretch the covering tightHobble the ponies, scattering in a Before the thunder-peals. When 11is fast, Keep vigil, then, till the gods' wra h be past t A sudden fury sweeps the somber lain, In dizz.y:s}(\nt de.sc~~~ the sheete rain j Sharp lightD.ings:zeJiq.·~h:.~ivainthe sable gloom, 'Vhite, :Ciu1.oolhl1.Kc, the. unchained hunders boom! On \~i1d t~iliui~i rli~~ s ies o a.rlgry No ear discerns a woman's thrillin cries; Yet, ere its sullen echoes die away In caverns where the mocking spir ts play, Faint, but rejoicing, on a COUC11 of kins, A new-made mother lays her lusty wins I
ih-~
The wise men of the tribe strang This stormy birth portends aston And since the waning heavens, fright, Called forth these daring boys on s Their names must own the event
signs relate-sy fate~ hat should af~ ch a night, t marked their
birth-
The elder, " As-he-walks-ha.shakes- he-earth," The younger twin, " Coming-his-vo] ee-ls-heard "_ Thus saith the oracle.
I
THE LONE WAR-PATH.
11
This mighty word Darkens the mother's heart with nameless dread, Rut casts no shadow on the unconscious head Of either sturdy twin. Their mutual play With joyous echoes fills the livelong day! From helpless infancy to boyhood grown, One brother never had been seen alone, Till sudden sorrow bowed the mother's prideThe elder sickened and untimely died. The gossips point to him that's left aloneH He, -too, will die) for half himself is gone! " .. first, distraught he seemed-unlike a child; A.t He ate not, slept not, neither spoke nor smiled. Then sought the forest-s-wandered there alone For days-his tender mother frantic grownTill he returned to her) and smiling, said, '" My spirit meets and talks with him that's dead f " Thenceforth he seemed as 011e who, hand-in-hand, 'Valks with a brother in the spirit land. Among the Sioux, in those heroic days, 'Vhen certain valor gained the meed of praise, The seasoned warrior, old and full of scars, Oounted the hero of a hundred wars, Yet craving higher honor, went alone, On foot, to meet the enemy, and won (If he returned victorious), on that da.y A proud distinction. Fancy her dismay,The mother of a tender youth untriecl,'Vhen he, the twin we know of, seeks her side
12
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
And murmurs in her ear, who loves him so," Mother, my elder brother bids me go On a lone war-path," Knowing well 'twerc vai To plead with him, her tears must fall like rain On 'broidered moccasins for those dear feet; His pouch, her choicest store of pounded meat Muat fill before the dawn, which sends him for On foot, alone, to pierce the savage north.
(DAKOTA WAR SO~G.)
I hear them coming who made thee ioeep l Leap on thy father's steed And u1'ge him. to his 'utmost speed, And rU81~ to meet the soarlike host,
A·nd meet them. first, ioho kurt thee most.

Strike one among ten thousand, And make but one to bleed l So shall thy name be known, ThrO'll[Jhall the world be known,
If one is made to bleed! HeA-eh-ell,-eh! 1Ieh! Now to the journey gallantly addressed, (Still at his twin's mysterious behest), He kills a buck with branching horns, and takes The tongue and heart for food-then straightw makes A sacrifice to that stern deityThe thunder-god-who rules his destiny. On a fair, level spot, encompassed round
With trees, he pins the carcass to the ground;
...1. (~'I who slew' thy father.
I
·T
E LO..i.V.l:: JV..1R-PA1'II.
13
Prays for succe. 5, his burning heart's desil'c,'l'11e11 sleeps bes de the embers of his fire. How wearisome how long the painful days That follow, as ie treads by unknown ways A mazy wildern S8, where lurk unseen All perils chall ngi.ng his eye-sight keen. Yet on-with t, ttered shoes and blistering feetTo find the sava e foe he longs to meet! At last, to wear ed eyes that. search in vain, The far-off mee ng-place of sky and plain, A fleck of dfl7.;zhngwhit-eness doth appear. The youth excla rns, " l\:Iy enemy is near! Toward that whi e gleam his cautions steps are bent, Surely some rov ng Blackfoot's lonely tonto
'7
Nearer and ncar r creeps, with cat-like tread, The watchful S aux. Above his lowered head The plumy gras es rear a, swaying crest; His sinuous mot on ripples the broad breast Of this ripe prai 'ie) like a playful wind That leaves its S lining, silver track behind. A tent of skins that piercing eye saw true->Wondrously whjte and beautifully new; In all the C0101'S known to savage art, A life-size figur with a blood-red heart Guards the low Oaf. But who shall marc divine, Since not a thre d of smoke, nor sound, nor sign Of human prese co makes the story clear, Save yonder dap led ponies grazing neal' ? Crouched in dee grass the wily Indian lies, Ambitious that 1 ne hunter to surprise© 2010 Forgotten Books
14
lA'DIAN
L};JGENDS.
His gaze the wide horizon ranges low For the first glimpse of his returning fa , The painted lodge full many a glance d th ,vinEach moment may reveal who lurks witl in !
At last it moves-that swinging oval do rAt last she steps upon the prairie floor,
Shading her dark eyes from the dazzling rayA dusky princess, lovelier than the day! No matron, to her hidden foeman's sight Has ever seemed so radiantly bright. Her dress is rich, in style unlike thc Sio x. (These belles in doe-skin have their fashi us, too! ) On either shoulder lies a. jetty braid; Her slender form, most delicately made, lIer deep, black eyes and winsome featu es miss Naught of proportion. 'Vlmt a conques this! To such an enemy who would not bow? Trul your warrior is a capti ve now! Vainly she gazes-turns and disappears, His beating heart our youthful hero hem Rashly he thinks to follow and surprise This charming stranger-s-carry off the p izo Defore her 101'd's return. By impulse Ie , To the low door he stoops his stately he. d, Flings a last hurried glance to left and r ght, Then enters, and beholds this beauty bri ht Seated upon a pile of c-ostly skins, Em broidering her hunter's moccasins! lie stands abashed-she glances up to greet His hasty entrance with a smile so swee , Then drops her lashes with such coqueti . Amazed, he thinks, H No mortal woman he,
I
THE LO.NE IVAR-PATH.
15
Who does not fear a stranger Cll tering so r Rather some tea:sing fairy, or a doe In woman's form." Abruptly he exclaims u What arc you-a Dakota?" As he names Tha.t warlike tribe, at last she starts, and shr lees 1Ier head; then with her slender fingers ma res, Slowly, the signs all tribes of Indians knowU I do not speak your language." so? Where is your husband ? ~, asks our hero youn , In this sa-me silent, yet most graphic tongue . .. J am the daughter of a Blackfoot chief, Whose home is three days' journey north. In b 'ief, My brother is a hunter. r am here To keep his lodge, while he pursues the deer." " Then I will leave yon," he replies, "and W len Your brother comes, I shall return againl " Thus saying, takes his Ienve ; hut, ere be goes, One longing, lingering, backward gla.Jlce he t-hr ws, 'Vhich tells the maid Low straight her arrow s ed To pierce the heart of him she else must dread.
it,
" Is
(DAKOTA LOVE SONG.)
11Iy lieari. is lteavy-my 'wart is BoreI heard you, tcere ,goin!] away! I 'wept all n-i!Jht-I wept all day1 uiepc till I could weep no more
When I heard you uiere fjlJing awa.y Ear, far au,'ay! Om?! heart ! 0 nl/J poor heart !
Helt~eh~elt-e/z..' 110-0-0!
I
113
Concealing in the grass his eagle plumes, The patient Sioux his lonel watch resumes. The reddening sun is low, "hen, far away, He sees a moving speck. ;Vith its last ray A handsome youth dismou ts before the door. His sister, as the custom w s of yore, Removes the body of the d c with speed, Unsaddles, waters, pickets nt his steed, Leaving the wearied hunts . to repose. A film of smoke, dissolvin as it goes, Curls upward from the Bla kfoot's lodge.
At last,
The youthful pail' have en And reappear without, to t Of evening. AU their spo Of meaning gestures, doth Its story to their unseen w Who through the night hi While, wrapt in dreams, th ed their repast, ste the cool tivc converse, full 'ight well supply tcher's eye, tireless vigil keeps, unconscious Blackfoot
sleeps. At earliest dawn, in the chill morning gray,

Again the youthful hunter And, when the sun moun Her lover meets the Black Archly she greets him-e-" lIe whom you seek is gon H But you-you told him " Of my first visit! 11 In rides away ; half " -ay up the sky, oot maiden's eye. aggal'd I why so late? -he could not wait! " at," the you th replies, ach other's eyes
r
They look and laugh; and in that laughter free Dissolves the ancient, t-rib 1 enmity!
THE LONE·1VARPATH.
17
The rooing of an Indian is but brief. He te Is his tale, "l\-Iy father was a chiefThes eighteen years in yonder heaven he dwells." The aiden's heart with 'awe and wonder swells On It aring that mysterious name and birth \Vhie 1 mark him as a being scarce of earth. Then, too, his gallant height and handsome face, Equi mentstrange, and bearing full of grace
Ensn re her fancy.

'Vhell the bold demand from this hero for her heart and hand, In LIt sh and smile her answer may be guessed; Yet, , omanlike, she puts him to the test! " Ere consent, you must return with me Unto y father's lodge. And first-but see This aw-hide trunk. I pray you, creep insidc-" (All his by signs); "then you' can safely hide ! I drea my brother's anger, when he hears Our f ernan asks me for a wife." Such fears (Pret ily figured, it may be), win with ease The y uth's consent to any scheme you please ; Dang r, discomfort, ridicule-all three This allant wooer scorns, and smilingly Conse ts to crowd Iris noble length of limb Withi 1 the narrow space allotted him. Capti e he lies, and, all defenseless, hears The b other's late return. His jealous ears Miss I 0 least accent in the voice of each, Yet g ean so little from their foreign speech
2
18
That, spite of passion (knowing oman's art), A spa,sm of dread contracts the h ro's heart. Suppose, while thus in helpless c: 'e he lay, The maid his pl ..ee of hiding sho ld hetray! t Clutching with iron grasp his tru t.r gun, Scarce breathing, he awaits the n arrow's sun. Meanwhile, S11€ prattles of adven ures ga.yTells how tt handsome stranger c lled that day, Describes his splendid dl'ess,-th arms he bore, Such as no Blackfoot ever saw b fore; But not a word her cunning lips et fall Of love and courtship as the sum of all !
At daybreak forth again the hun er fares,

nut with his artful sister fust pr pares A fresh surprise. When scarcely out of sight, She hastens to relieve her captiv knight; And while he gladly tastes the s. vory fare Which presently her willing han prepare, Stretches his cramped limbs to th grateful sun, And drinks the favoring smiles 8 hardly won, A sudden shadow falls athwart It s feetAt last the war-like Sioux and B ackfoot meet. Surely the boy his sister's secret Since only kindness dwells withi Toward his ancestral foe. By fri Each comely youth the other's th Then suddenly exclaims the dau " Listen, my friend! I must retu To ask and win this maiden for 1 H He-turn with us! not if you priz
I
uessed, his breast ndly signs, nght divines; tless Sioux, n with you y wife! " your life-"
THE LONE fVAR-PATII.
19
T 0 startled Bla.ckfoot answers. "Yon must know T - at all OUT tribe regard you as a foe; AI ' sister's suitors arc as many now A yonder leaves that twinkl e on the bough. Sl auld a Dakota venture such a plea" o r jealous youth would slay him instantly! " T] e youthful warrior merely smiles, and lays H s hand upon his gun, as one who says can defend myself!" "Do you so prize T is thing?" demands the other in surprise. H et up a. mark, and you shall shortly see hat sort of weapon 'tis I bear with me ! " " ake my white pony!" ~'N 0," his friend replies, " et up a. willow wand." St , B D C A The bullet flies 'aight to its mark, and cleaves the target quite, hile youth and maiden, starting in affright, lieve some heavenly wight. this deed hath dOlleubtless the thunder's veritable son! nvinced at last, the Blackfoot yields assent, id leads the stranger to his father's tent.
the third evening, as the shadows fall, T c hospitable chief receives them all I his great lodge, and listens to their tale o the brave Sioux, whose weapon cannot fail, B it, like the thunder, with mysterious roar, Sikes enemies unseen. Well pleased before \- ith this fail' stranger-youth's ingenuous face, H bids him welcome .with a courtly grace, A id on the morn proclaims to all his band T is warriof shall recei vo his daughter's hand.
20
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
The fiery lackfeet, when this word they know, Dart glane s of dire hatred at their foe; But, hold! the criers once again appear-sH This fore gn bridegroom hath a magic here! Weapon Ii e his no Blackfoot ever saw I Bring forD a mark and-then prepare with awe To witness its destruction ! " Scoffingly Each brav presents his finest horse, while he Accepts of one, and fires before them all. Ah, pity! ee the noble creature fall ! Hear its d a th-scream r Some trembled, others fled, But all de bred 80 fair a maid should wed No less a b 'ave than this. All cavil ceased; And now egan with joy the marriage feast.
(LOVE SONG.)
o l-e day
you will remember ?neOne day-one day! ou 'will at last remember me, And say, 8 80 dear to her-so dear to her! Yeh-elt-ell-elL- ; Yo'u 'will remember me One day! Yeh-eh-elt-elt- !
When the 'oung hero carried home his bride,

He rode a
acing pony at her Hide;

21
Twelve others Iollowe Rich robes and gif dower. On a lone war-path His triumph all the vi Peace is declared betw Before the waxing of Guns, knives and hlan Are sent as presents to
,,..-,,<
tly loads they bore, the Blackfoot maiden's
ing such a fate, age celebrate; en the tribes; and soonother moonts, prized past all belief, the Blackfoot. chief.
Such is the tale by In ian ea.mp-firea toldThe old, old story tha grows never old!
GOODALE EAST~~.
Fond Hearts of the Forest

LEGE~D OF FOU~TAIN
THE
CAVE, ~EAR ST.
AUL
hazy gloaming gathers round, The silence mellows every sound, The gentle wind, through foliage nigh, Begins to breathe its plainti ve sigh; \Vhile o'er the bill creeps silver ligllt, Where calm and chaste the queen of ni ht , Awaking from her daily trance, Doth charm all nature with her glance. lIer virgin train sweeps down the glad, Kissing the cavern's mouth of shade; She smiles upon the singing brook, \Vith sparkles filling every nook That. lurks about its dimpled face, Giving its deepest shadows grfl.,ce, And breathing on its grassy mann A gloss it ne'er can hope to gain Beneath the sun's more kingly ray. Weirdly the purling waters play In her embrace; then break away To vanish under bending boughs, But giving voice to gurgling vows
:~,:.
~'
_
.~ \:..... -, t;
....... I
- ,'~
~
_
_..._ ~ .' ._......
I"OU~TArN
C.A VN.
FOND HEARTS
F THE FOREST.
23
Of future tryst, of 10 re again Where meet the ri YO banks and glen. The moonlight vault beyond the trees To gain the river side, and sees A dusky maiden sitti 19 there, Who twines her love y raven hair, And frequent lift.s h r melting eyes To where the flashiu ripple flies Across the bosom of .hut gla.ss Whore dancing stars nocturnal pass. A princess of the wi l wood she, And graceful as the eel' that flee Till stricken by the ight-winged shaft So deadly from the I uuter's craft. The river sings bene th her feet; It finds an echo in tl e sweet And tender thought. hat throbs behind The starry curtains f bel' mind. And when the thrill that sweep her heart Now from her tougu in music start, The wavelets beatin on the strand, The murmuring leav s Ly zephyrs fanned, The minor rhythms hat wake the bowers Of this fair glen wh n evening lowers, And warbling birds' melodious throng, All mingle with her low love song. Her voice is all that' wild and sweet, And slow must be tI at warrior's feet 'Vho would not spee with all his heart To see her red lips eet and part. Love moves her witl his golden swayA young and sta.lwa -t Chippewa Has gained her heal' , and kindred ties
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
A " A ,-
id tribal feuds her love defies. hat cares she that her people hate d his give back without abate ? hat cares she that he is not Sioux? If he but keep his promise true! S e sings an old song, passion-laden n many a dead Da.hkota. maiden :
o 'Where is my
o uihere
lodfJe--1ny love?
is the lord of my breast 'j R veal me, G-reat Spirit above, The arms uihere my passio'n may rest! B ave uiarriors are thick as the leaves Tho: folios» the wind in the fall ~. ch maiden may think she 'receives The smile of the noblest of all ;
'I
B t I know a chief who can slay The panther and bear with his hand,s uiarm. and as proud as the day, And brauer than all in his band,
I: his sine'wy arms I shall rest, A,ltd hear his voice tall me " sweet dove!"
he is the lord of my breast.' lVith him is my lodge and my'love! estops! She turns with sudden start, ith troubled eyes and beating heart, o the frowning bluffs, where warlike cries nd sound of savage revel rise. he warriors of her tribe are there, 11 dancing in the firelight glare.
FOND llEAU1'::> 011' THE FOREST.
Theil' speal's with reeking scalps arc clad, Their thoughts are blood, their brains are rna Each yelling brave now only knows F'ierce hatred for his ancient foes. They boast of all their deeds of might" Of secret slaughter, deadly fight, And woe to him who comes to meet The lonely maid, 'Veuollah sweet, If they his paddle's dip shall heal' Or after learn his presence near. When their wild revel, to her fright, Rose wilder with the fall of night, She stole away and gained this place To see again her lover's fa-ceo She gazes 011 the distant shore, But all is quiet as before. Aga.in she sings, her flute-like tones So low that were the very stones On which she rests her feet possessed 'Vith sense to heal', what she confessed In tuneful cadence would be lost To them, for well she knows the cost For him who loves her, if her thought Be told aloud, and so there naught Breaks on the all' but melody. If sung ill words, her song would be ;
},Iy love is strong, my love is brave, las heart is 'warm and true ~'
lIe soon. will come acrose the wave
And bern' me in hie l£gll-t canoe, To be his queen and slave.

I
INDIAN
LEGE NlJ S.
o me lie bowed his eagle plume, lIe tamed his eagle eye,
nd vowed his love would life consume Jf I refused 'loitlt him to jl!J~ is teepee to illume. I watch-I ioait ! I give up all for thee j . thou wilt have an al-ien mate,
r.
come, 'my chief!
JVenonah longs that one to be, 'hat she may share thy.fate. ome qu.ickly, love, but make no sound,
illy people are tllY foes. 1 thou slwuldlSt here by them be found A warrior'« death th.y life 'Wouldclose, , ny soul be sky'ward bound. 1 hat tlier: 'lIJo-uldpam' Wenonah do If she 'were left alone ? ie scarce would see the luuui that slew Ere she toould. raise her death-cluua tone,
nd 'W-ith, hee perish too! t

S e scans the echoing cliff once more, T en turns to view the farther shore, nd bending low she strives to hear S me sound to tell her he is ncar. er all there seems to fall n hush As tender as her cheek's \V,H'm 11u8h. S firmly rooted to the spot--
A' if she had all things forgot© 2010 Forgotten Books
FOND HEART8
OF THE FOREST.
She looks like some wild, char n-bound elf, As lifeless as the moon itself. But no! the parted lip and ey Of flashing fire such thoughts elie, And well and eloquent avow The soul beneath that rigid br w. o virgin heart r 0 passion bri 11t ! That fills a glance with beauty slight. o -vYenijishid, happy thou, Who surely will not tarry nov ! A moment thus-then up she S Jrings, And now the song she softly si gs Floats o'er the water from her To meet the constant, noiseless Of \Venijishid's paddle blade. How swift to greet the Iaithfu maid lIe comes! She waits, 'tween 'oy and fear, While on he glides, each strok more near. Love gives him more than won ed strength, And on the beach he leaps at I ngth. With trembling joy, with artle s grace, She springs into his glad emb ceo Within her brave young hero's arms Forgot are all her past alarms. One rapturous kiss with quick mpl'ess,His burning hands her locks ca ess,And then they gaze, at love's s vcet 'will, Eye into eye with answering th 'II! " Wenonah, d arli ng t since we ct, Nat once could I that smile for ct Which told me (more than war s could tell) The hopes thai made this hoson swell 'Vera fair in our great Spirit's ight.
28
iN LEGENDS.
He, ere another m on's swift flight, Shall bid me take hee to my 110me And joy in thee, n more to roam." Her trustful voice is low a.nd clear, And sweetest mue C in his ear ; " ~ 0 chief is brav 1', none more bold Than he whose ne k my arms enfold. He dares the light the moonbeams make And da.nger court for my poor sake. Hark! 'Venijishi, hcarest thou not Those yells of war iug? Though this spot Rests now beueat a peaceful spell, How long 'twill s we cannot. tell. Thy heart is big, nd like a rock Will meet the blo d-storrn's awful shock; But I am weaker and I fear For thee each mo lent thou art here. Behold how now he moonlight meets And with a kiss e ch ripple greets; 'Yenonah's heart, o'erfiowecl with bliss, Is wholly thine, at d thine her kiss." The radiance min led with the shade-eThe murmur low y night winds madeThe rune, harmon ous and complete, Of wavelets in th ir ceaseless beatThe fragrance giv n of sleeping flower-The brooding hus that fits the honr,'Vith this fair see e all these are met To make the seen more lovely yet. Wenonah's kiss wiould all confess,
It gives to beauty holiness;

The moments pas ing seem to be Endowed with al eternity,
FOND IIEARTS
OJ/' THE FOREST.
29
And in this lonely spot, love found Brings the whole universe in bound J But, hark! what sound the breezes bear' Turning her gladness to despair? Wenonah trembles like a reed, With hunted look she turns to plead: "0 Wenijishid, leave me, quick! For dangers gather round thee thick. 'Ve are discovered, and thy death May hang upon each wasted breath. Fly for thy life J Too late! too late ! Together we must meet our fate." He smiles, and there with dauntless front ,V ould meet the coming foemen's brunt; But she who will not lea,v€ his side Bears in her hand his warrior pride, And hopes of joyous life with her Are sweeter than the battle's stir. His war-whoop's taunt rings through the glen, While answering come the cries of ten. Wenonah clasps his brawny arm, And lest his love might come to harm He turns to where his birchen boat Seems chafing to be set afloat; And, ere their foes have gained the strand, The light canoe beneath his hand Leaps off before a, foaming track. He flings a yell of triumph back, And grimly smiles as on he flies To hear their disappointed cries; Yet lest they may too soon pursue, He urges on the flight anew. He plies the paddle with a will,
30
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
They s im the waves,-but swifter still A veng ful arrow cleaves the air, To sink between. his shoulders bare. The sho k is cruel, and the hlade Falls Ir In his hand; his powers all fade Like th ught, and plunging on his face, Deathli e he lies. N ow to his place Wenon h springs; with Lloodless lip, 'Vith gl aming eye and nervous grip, She wo ks the paddle with a force Of whic 1 but love could be the source. Beyond the range of bow, she flings The bl. e aside and fiercely brings Her wo nded hero to her breast. N ow sa Iy called, now wildly prossed, He brea hes at last a feeble sigh, And, fe ling sure be will not die, She lab rs strongly, full of hope And no ed with any fate to cope. She gai UI€ shore, and stontly bears Her chi f through brush and wild beast lairs. All tbro gh the night she speeds her flight. To whe e his people's fires burn bright, When f .iendly, helping hands are found, And sh has given him to their care, She sin s upon tho leafy gronnd, Pantin like a hunted hare. Her fai hful powers have filled their task, Their s cred trust no more need ask, And no the goal is gained, they bind Oblivio '8 charm around her mind.
$ill
*
FOND lIEARTS
OF TilE FOREST.
31
Youn life is pliant, love will give A mi hty motive still to live. And vhen he wakes, with deep surprise He 1 eets the dark and glorious eyes Of d ar \Venona.h on him bent In p sion's hope absorbed, content.
Since this took place it is not known How any changing moons have flown; Yot s '11, when Luna's rapiers bright Pierc through the tenuous robe of Night, And hining on the stilly shore Creat a.gain that scene of Y01'e, ,V en nah and her lover true Pass Vel' ill their white canoe; Thei spirit forms unshadowed glide Aero s the rapid, glistening tide.
Anpetusapa,
A LEGEND OF ST. ~THO~Y FALL.
'TIS autumn, and the breezes lift

Theil' melancholy tones; "Tis evening: through each passing ift The stars, like precious stones In lustrous beauty (clouded soon), Sweet incense to the sight, Attend their white-robed mistress In on, Queen of romantic night. Anon, as the cloud hosts fly Before the wind across the sky, The court of the queen is suddenly sen, 'Vith its pomp sublime and army Of sparkling and glittering sheen,
More lovely than the light of day,
More glorious than the twilight glca That mingles with the sun's last bea Where the waves of ocean play. By the river's bank a wandering ban Have reared their teepee walls, Here where the warriors all may sta And view the mighty falls.
PETUSAPA,
33
The ivory moon is r ounting high, The lodge fires flick l' low, And slumbering fa IS are visible by The embers' last fai t glow, \Vhen lightly steps youthful brave Out from the forest vays Into the star-roofed lave, Out from the shadox -lag trees (Le aves flu tterin g s \V in the H 10\...- nigh t bI'eeze) Into the broad, revet ling rays, Into the silvery glm , With step as buoyai t as the all' He glides above the glistening sward; The largest, whitest teepee there Doth seem to center his regard, POI' there his unrnar ed path doth end, And there his burni 19 glances send Their passionate Jig tnings, wild, yet all Made reverent by tl e spot on which they fall. This lodge doth tm r Above the poles on very hand Like some strange c ieftain o'er his band. \V hy comes he at tl -s hour ? Hath dark revenge ( purpose here? Shall bloody strife pear On such a, scene? h, no I the power That spurs him hat a softer spell j For here the tribe's ost cherished flower, The daughter of th chief, doth dwell. His deep, rich voice floats down the glade, In soft, unwonted t ncs Like gentle winds t If 0 ugh pine-tree cones;
3
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
He s ngs the Warrior's Serenade; 'Vhi e at the end of every stra,inWitl more effect his cause to pleadHe I lays a wild and shrill refrain
U pOl a flute of rude-cu treed. Lone 11'Warbling bird of nlght.' Le ue thy bough and pe'rell above
The ilent, dewy.folds of uihite
77, at screen my sleeping love. Drin. c tlie moonlight rays that fall P ore and mellow, like the beams OJ 8 arTY eyes beyond myaall, F. r in the land of dreams, Tell er I ani brave and strong; Tell er I have loved her long ,. Si gin!) softly, like a dove, ~ II Iter all you, knuw oj love I em not tell in song. Tell her I am wa-iting here A the threshold of her bouier ; 1Vin 3 are lift-ing jar and near
e noeets of every flower,

All
in state, iT sic breathes in ever!) stir, All nature seems to 'llJait F. r a glimpse oj her. Tell her I am brave and strong Tell her Lhave loved her long Si ging softly like a dove, II her all you lcnou: of love
O!L.t
he stars are
J'
r.
I ca not- tell in song.

A.Nl) ETUSAP A.
Is T Is T
it the wind that swings apart e deerskin door from tho lodge a way? it a sudden leap of his heart rat makes too vivid fancy play? o is it; a nut-brown ann that holds T le trembling folds, A rd are those liquid eyes that shine L ke diamonds fine? Si 19 011, siug on, bold youth, A id hope shall lead thee to the truth! S ~e is lovelier than the sky,
Sweeter than the freshest bud, I an no longer toait and S1'glt

Here in the moonliqh; flood; A 1 fJny heart is at her feet, All my strength at her behest; sing, and bid her come to greet
The one who loves her best! II her I am brave and strong; II Iter I have loved her long ,Singing softly, like a dove, Tell her all YOM know of love I cannot tell in song. I is manly voice entreating calls s softly as the dewdrop falls. e ceases, and t.he night winds hush s if they too had waited long; he organ river's chanting rush Seems but an echo of his song. nd shall he wait and plead in vain ? h, no! love is not always pain;
For see, the folds re drawn aside, And dimly there ay be descried A shadowy form 0 shadowy grace, That hal ts while sfll in gloom arrayed, With eyes that lig It the tawny face And tresses darker than the shade. of song! power and thrill Of love J 0 dreau that sways The blood of ycutl , that feels no chill Till lovo betrays I 1 ye sprites This quiet moon-Ii When Cupid WefLV His web of subtles 0, can ye hear, an The music of a rna
H
o spell
o hark
that haunt this time,hour, s, in every clime, pov.rer,not rejoice, den's voice?
Anpetusapa's gia ce would meet The night bird tha can sing so sweet." \Vith what a boun ing stride he goes J
'Vith what a light is dark eye glows!
With what a look Ie seeks to fire Those gentle eyes vith his desire I
" 0 multiply what voice reveals;

The bird can sing at half it feels! Too deep, too deep, to tell in words, And even too swee for song of birds,
Is passion like this heart of mine
Doth feel for thine ! ~)

ANPETUSAP
37
She She She And
lightly steps into the light

gently lifts her gentle eye, flies not, though her heart takes flight soars without disguise.
" I know thee; thou art stron Thy fearless deeds are known o may this eve be not more fa r Than life to thee, is all my pr yer." His mighty sinews, sternly tra ned, Are now with manly grace res ained, And the fortunate touch of a. f iry's wand Far ruder would seem than th touch of his hand; And the light of his eye like a streamlet doth flow Where passion and tenderness ingle and flash On the dancing ripples, whose murmuring low From his lips seem to dash A faithful, harmonious echo: Of happiness all my life will If thou in my lodge doth dwel Oh! couldst thou but know The new, the glad, the tender That warms my heart, so fierce ,,\Vhen breasting battle's fierces Couldst thou but feel it pulse 'Vbcne'er my ear is charmed t Thy gentle tongue's melodious Couldst thou but see how thes Rejoice to look upon thy face When like a dream before the Thy matchless form and won
H
I
tell . low y brave wave-snd bound hear soundfond eyes rise ous grace-www.forgottenbooks.org
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
How deeply, thirstily they drink Thy dew-bright eyes, whose flashing glance Doth like a luring firefi y dance (Along an island's shadowy brink Where rippling waters, restless waters, Sing their low, unchanging song Upon the pebbles all night long). Thou art a flower whose smile hath made A sunbeam pierce the forest shade; Thou art a rose that fragra.nt grows To beautify the darksome glade And sweeten every breeze that blows. Anpetusapa I wilt thou give The promise that shall make me live As I have never lived before? I love thee, and the powers divine Shall teach thy heart to pulse with mine, And bless our union evermore While moons shall pass or starlight shine." The guardian bosom of her lover Serves well her modest blush to covel' j 1-101' willowy arms about him twine As closely as the greenwood vine Doth hang upon the towering oak, That holds it safe from every stroke And proudly shelters the delicate form From all the buffets of the storm. The moon and every heavenly gem Now seem to shine alone for them.
Time 1 why must thou speed away? For knowest thou not that present joy
I
A NPE TUSA PA.
39
Bears no increase for such as they, For whom all change must bring alloy? A nd thou, young Love! canst thou not make A lonely Eden for their sake ? 'Tis better that but two should find Gladness of heart and peace of mind, Than all the greater sum of lifeWith burning hearts that fates unbind And crowding thoughts that gender strife. But no, the gift of life is one Of strangest form, of blended tints And crossing lines, with mingled hints Of glory from an unseen sun; And shades that hourly darker grow FaT those who seek that sun to know;And they must take the whole or none. So they must wake to memory Of other things, so they must be Reminded of the powers that hold Their future lives, to rule and mold. '" Anpetusapa need not name The glory of her father's fume ; He is a. mighty chief, and none Too quickly will he choose a son."
" 0 fear not, my blossom,

For he shall not see The flower of his bosom Mismated with me. Where war-whoops are sounding Their blood-stining call, There I shall go bounding
INDIAN
r
LEGENDS.
he foremost of all. W len foemen shall fly me nel chiefs call me brave, He will not deny me he boon I shall crave." 'Yes, thou art brave for one so young; This voice of mine thy feats hath sung 1V len from the war-path thou returned On which thy fil'st renown was earned, If y poor love call make thy bliss, 1\1 service gi ve the happier life, Al hope shall dwell in onc kind kiss Fa' thine eternal-loving wife."
H
" blessed promise! future bright! Thi s feeble tongue of mine can never He eal how dear thou art to-night, H w cherished thou shalt be Iorever I "
Th chief approved the suitor bold, A d for rich goods his daughter sold. Sh thought not of the trade, but went To her young lord with true content, A (1while she dreamed of joy to come Her heart was full, her lips were dumb; A d day by day her task was wrought, Ea h hour with self-denial fraught; Hi wants were met, his lodgo was trim, H r patient thoughts were all for him. The powers divine did seem to bless Tl e promise of his wild caress;
41
And so the happy Dons flew by, Till new refulgence :filled her sky 'Vhen there appeare a baby boy, Whose laugh 0' crflo vecl her ell p of joy; For this must prove she could but, feel, A bond between the strong as steel. Alas, thou too confi What clouds were g For vanity alone wil With human nature Each happy day wil Into the valleys of t Returning but a. gho ing wife, t.hel'ing o'er thy life I stay to the last; slip away e past, tly thing
When the spirit dri ks at Memory's spring.

Why did he vow to Or why allow his he What maid was she Thy love and thee? Had she to work her "That mind shall sol Of loves that come Why should Anpetu Her heart's whole li To one whose boaste Through but a doze Whose passion was f herish ever? rt to change? vho came to sever 'Vhat magic st.range strange endeavor? e the mystery d loves that flee? apa give e, her richest treasure, flame could live moons' small measure; r selfish pleasure?
Yet so it was; anoth r came Her heart to cloud, 1 er place to claim. Her lodge became ai other's nest; The first wife, she w s second now;
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
'Neath custom's yoke compelled to bo And see her rival fondly pressed. The death gloom settled on her brow, Day brought 110 sun, the night no rest. The beam of sadness lit her eye, And memories that could never die Until her body, void of breath, Became the precious spoil of Death. 1\'10fl1 after morn beheld her still Slow sinking, like a mountain rill Whose fountain-head, once bubbling b ight, Hath dried away, and left the white And pulseless sand to mark where Ion Began the sparkle and the song. One joy alone was left to bring rfhe heart-swept thrill of other dftys, When to her baby she would sing Her lullaby of love and praise ; And this, even this, renewed the thoug t Of joyous hopes that came to naught, Betrayed by faith, yet faithful to the 10 t, She murmured Hot; but patiently she assed Each day in kindly service, given As if her heart were all uuriven, Until at length heroic strength Could bear no more. Upon the shore Of wild Messipi's plunging flood, "\Vhere they were camped so long befor , They camped again; again their blood Marched to the music of its roar.
I
ANPETUSAPA.
43
'Tis morning : every bird its matin sing. And beats the ail' with throbbing wings The air so sweet and quick; the glisten'ng dew Hangs crystal beauty on all verdant till gs,Each trembling drop reflecting true The overspread, unclouded bl ue ; While from the east the cohorts of the With dazzling spears begin to strew The morning vapors, damp and dun, Whose melting ranks are closed anew To vanish where the rapid waters run. Anpetusapa hides her woe Until her husband and her foe Have left the lodge and gone from sigh. Then with n. tenrless eye and bright, She gazes madly round the place 'Vherc every comfort bears the trace Of wifely labor wrought with pain, Of woman's love that lives in vain. Here moccasins lie with bead-work gay Here on the wall the breezes sway The music-breathing flute, Whose lips are dry and mute, While she who once inspired its tone Now sits despairing and alone. The very curls of smoke that. rise And mingle with the morning skies, Are tokens of the duties done Beneath the red eye of the rising sun. Awhile she sits in cruel thought,
I
44
INDLd ..N LEGENDS.
Till, with her a.nguish overwrought, She flies to him who sweetly bears The image of her faithless god, And on each infant feature wears The smiling hopes on which he trod, Convulsively she clasps her child, Whose love, alone left undefiled, Is not enough t.o nerve her soul Beneath its crushing weight of dole.
She listens to the roaring water,

'Vho~e voice she heard in music grand When she was but the old chief's daughter, 'Vhen love such wondrous fortunes planned i And ruthless phantoms of the past Across her mind are flitting fast, Each with a keen, envenomed dart That poisons brain and tOltUTOS heart. With breath too quick to lift a sigh, With marble firmness on her brow, 'Vith glassy wildness in her eye, She seeks the river's margin now. She springs into a birch canoe, All beaded with the morning dew, And clasping close her mother's pride, Soon gains the middle of the tide. I thou selfish one who gase Embrace more treacherous than the wave: Does not her song which mounts the air Reproach thee with its grand despair? 'Vhy dost thou hurry to the river? Why dost thou call, why dost thou shiver,
o hark
I
.t1NrETUSAPA.
While she whom thou hast d Is bold amidst the chilly spra What good is all thy vain re Thinkst thou from jaws of de A sacrifice so lightly thrust Upon the altar of thy lust? A host like thee could nothin To meet one tone of her sad JJfy heart can-not live wit-hout l My heart cannot give up its No 'more. will I linger with sor But follow the jOlJs that hav 1Vith lJeath I will rest me to On a kind, dreamless bed of
iven away
? orse ? th to force
urgo .rge : i1~g; um ; oui; flown arrow

stone.
I fear not the rush of the water For me all its terrors are vai i : It cannot bring less tluui gladn 88, For U banishes all my pain; I will sink 'loitlt my burden of siulnes« And mix u_.ith the earth. a,gai t. My baby, my darling, my bloss Nor anguish nor falsehood sl Toqether we' cleave the wild bill Un/altering together we go To rest on the same ·roclcy pillo To slumber and m.ingle below Plunging on the sunlit stream, The frail canoe, with tremblin m, ti knou: j
w,
leaps,

I
46
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
ard the mists that gleam awful steeps. "\Vhat nee has she for any veil? Despairin eyes will never quail! See, now pon the glowing crest, ,V here clo ds of spray beneath her lie, She clasps her boy upon her breast, She gazes n the cloudless sky, And in its blue depth seems to see Death, ro ed in peaceful purity; Then dow into the boiling tomb That mak s for her the happiest doom. now stran e that peace should thus be found Amid sue tumult-breathing sound! To leap fr m life and light, and find A darknes sweeter to the mind I
Long shal the mists of morning show Tho spirit 01 her who long ago
\V rapped hem round her wearilyA victim f love and treachery.

Long shal her mournful death-song find An echo it the moaning wind; Long shal Dahkota legend bind That echo with the roaring falls, The ancie t, foam-crowned, giant falls, Whose voi e so oft hath given The welco e of its watery hans, That lead Iie soul, when the Great Spirit calls, To the hu iting-grounds of heaven. And thou h a child of the forest dark
ANPE T USA
47
'Yeary of life would here en bark, As to a. portal hither comes, And 'yet who may not pass t lis way Into eternal joy and day,The water hides and soon b
The sorrow, and the cadenc Becomes a. lullaby to hush The spi.rit to its endless slee Beneath the sUl'ging rush, Beneath the shrouding spra , Where the tireless waters s, ccp To their wild, unpausing lea Then fly to the South away 1 The flood is cold, but the he l't is bold 'Vhcn the future that lives ew sorrow gives; And within the chamber hal s Of the grand and solemn fa} s May be found a sleep so swe t and deep That its darkness never pall , While ages pass with silent reep. Time hath no tooth to tear The hea.rt whose pulse is der d, An d sorrow may 1ive in the ( ir But not in the river-bed J I ween all peacefully there r s pillowed forever the head Of a. woman whose heart wa fair, Though her cheeks were dus ~y red,
Winona.
PART 1.
first-born daughter, was the name Of a Dakota girl who, long ago, Dwelt with her people hero unknown to fame. Sweet word, 'Vinona, how IUy heart and lips Cling to that name (my mother's was the same Ere her form faded into death's eclipse), Cling lovingly, and loth to let it go. All arts that unto savage life belong She knew, made moccasins, and dressed the gam From crippling fashions free, her well-knit fran e At fifteen summers was mature and strong. She pitched the tipi, 2 dug the tipsin :3 roots, Gathered wild rice and store of savage fruits. Fearless and relf-reliant, she could go Across the prairie on a starless night; She speared the fish while in his wildest flight, And almost like a warrior drew the bow. Y et she was not all hardness; the keen glance, Lighting the darkness of her eyes, perchance Betrayed no softness, but her voice, that rose O'er the weird circle of the midnight dance, Through all the gamut ran of human woes,
'VIN'ONA,
1
48
I
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© 2010 F orgotten B 00 k s
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I
WINONA.
41)
Passion, and joy. A woman's love sh had For ornament ; on ga.la. days was clad In garments of the softest doeskin fin , \Vith shells about her neck; moccasir s neat ,Vere drawn, like gloves, upon her lit Ie feet, Adorned with scarlet quills of porcupine. Innocent of the niceties refined That to the toilet her pale sisters bind, Yct mueh the same beneath the cu ter ind, She was, though all unskilled in bookish lore, A sound, sweet woman to the very co c. Winona's uncle, and step-father too, Was all the father that she ever knew; By the Absarakae 4 her own was slain Before her memory could his face reta n, Two bitter years his widow mourned 1im dead, And then his elder brother she had IV d. None loved Winona's uncle; he was 8 ern And harsh in manner, cold and tacitu , And none might see, without a secret ear, Those thin lips ever curling to a sneer And yet he was of note and influence Among the chieftains; true he rarely ent J\IOl'e than his presence in the council ent, And when he rose to speak disdained ret.enee Of arts rhetoric, but his' few words we it Straight and incisive to the question's core, And rarely was his counsel overborne. The Raven was the fitting name he b re ; And though his winters well-nigh re ched threescore, Pew of his tribe excelled him in the c se.
4
I
50
llYDlAN
LEGB.J..YDS.
A warrior of renown, but never wore The dancing eagle plumes, and seemed to scorn The vanities and follies of his race. I said the Raven was beloved by none; nut no, among the elders there was one 'Vho often sought him, and the two would walk Apart Ior hours, and converse alone. The gossi ps, marveling ill uch what this might mean, Whispered that they at midnight had been seen Pa.r from the village, wrapped in secret talk. They seemed in truth au ill-assorted brace, But Nature oft in Siamese bond unites, By some strange tie, the farthest opposites. Gray Cloud was oily, plausible, and vain, 1.\ conjurer with subtle scheming brain ; Too corpulent and clumsy for the chase, His lodge was still provided with tho best, And though sometimes but a half welcome guest, He took his dish and spoon to every feast.s Priestcraft and leechcraft were combined in him, Two trades occult upon which knaves have thriven, Almost since man from Pa-radise was driven ; Padding with pompous phrases worn and old Their scanty esoteric science dim, And gravely selling, at their weight in gold, Placebos colored to their patients' whim. Man's noblest mission here too oft is made, In heathen as in Christian lauds, a. trade, Holy the task to comfort and console The tortured body and the sin-sick soul,
I
1VINONA.
51
But
ain and sorrow, even pra.yer and creed, urncd too oft to instruments of greed. oujurer claimed to bear ft, mission high: 1\1 erious omens of the earth and sky ys He ] new to read; his medicine could find In ti re of need the buffalo, and bind In 81 ep the senses of the eriemy. PeT] aps not wholly a, deliberate cheat, And yet dissimulation and deceit Ooz d from his form obese at every pore. Skil ed by long practice in the priestly art, To C lin with superstitious fear the heart, A nd versed in all the legendal'Y lore, He knew each herb and root that healing are; est his flock might grow as wise as he, Dis uised their use with solemn mummery. Wh n all the village wrapped in slumber lay, His idnight incantations often Iell, haut now weirdly rose, now sank a.way, As 'er some dying child he cast his spell, An sometimes through his frame strange tremors ranIHa. etic waves, swept from the unknown pole Lin] illg the body to the wavering soul; An swifter came his breath, as if to fan The feeble life spark, and his finger tips 'Ve e to the brow of pain like angel lips. No onder if in moments such as these He Jail believed in his own deities, An thought his sacred rattle could compel The swarrnmg powers unseen to serve him well.
52
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
The Raven lay one evening in his ent With his accustomed crony at his ide; Around their heads a graceful aur 019 Of smoke curled upward from the cadet bowl Of Gray Cloud's pipe with willow ark supplied. Winona's thrifty mother came and went, Her form with household cares and burdens
bent, Fresh fuel adds, and stirs the boili g pot. Meanwhile the young 'Vinona, hal reclined, Plies her swift needle, that resourc refined For woman's leisure, whatsoe'er he lot, The kingly palace or the savage co .
The cronies smoked without a sign or word, Passing the pipe sedately to and fr ; Only a distant wail of hopeless wo , A mother mourning for her child, as heard, And Gray Cloud moved, as though the sound had stirred Some dusty memory; still that bit 01' wail, Rachel's despairing cry without av il, That beats the brazen firmament in vain, Since the first mother wept o'er Ab 1 slain. At length the conjurer's lips the sil nee broke, Softly at first as to himself he spok , Till warmed hy his own swarming ancies' brood He poured the strain almost in mn bel's rude.

I
"W nBRE 'l'EJtOtJCH
rA" l'.1.1Q:.;
l'li 1£, !lJSSISSU'P]
FLO\V
1:). "
l-VINONA. TilE COMBAT nETWEF.N TIlE THUNDER-
53
AND THE
'Y.A.TER-DEMONS.
Gray Cloud shall not be as other men, Dull clods thnt move and breathe a day or t Ere other clods shall bury them from view. Tempest and sky have been my home, and \ en I pass from earth I shall find welcome there. Sons of the Thunder-Bird my playmates wer , Ages ago 6 (the tallest oak to-day In all the land was but a grass blade then). Reared with such brethren, breathing such My spirit grew as tall and bold as they; 'Ve tossed the ball and flushed the noble pre O'er happy plains from human footsteps far; And when our high chief's voice to arm for ar Rang out in tones that rent the morning sky N one of the band exulted more than r. A god might gaze and tremble at the sight Of OUl' array that turned the day to night; "\Vith bow and shield and flame-tipped arro Rushing together at our leader's call, Like storm clouds sweeping round a height. The lofty cliffs our warlike muster saw, Hard by the village of gl'eat Wabashaw," Where through a lake the ~fississippi flows ; Far o'er the dwelling of our ancient foes, The hated 'Vat.er-Demon 8 and his SOIlS, Cold, dark and deep the sluggish current ru Up from their caverns swarming, when they The rolling signal of the Thunder-Bird,
I
all,
eard
54
I.1YDIAN
LEGEJ..YDS.
The 'Yater-Demon and his sons aroso And ans wered back the challenge of heir foes. With horns tumultuous clashing like noherd Of waning elks that struggle for the does, They lashed the wave to clouds of SPI y and foam, Through which their forms uncouth, ike buffaloes Seen dimly through a morning mist, .d loom, Or isles at twilight rising from the sb reo Though we were thirty, they at least ourscore, 'Ve rushed upon them, and a midnigl t pall Over the seething lake 0111' pinions sp ead, 'Neath which our gleaming aITOWS thi kly sped, As shooting stars that in the rice-moo fall. Rent by our beating wings the cloud- ,aves s\vung In eddies round us, and our leader's l' ar Smote peal on peal, and from their ba es flung The rocks that towered along the trei bling shore.
A Thunder-Bird-i-alas, my chosen Iri
d,
But even so a warrior's life should en A Thunder-Bird was stricken; his bri ht beak, Cleaving the tumult like a. lightning treak, Smote with a fiery hiss the watery pla n ; His upturned breast, where gleamed ne fleck of red, His sable wings, one moment wide ou Blackened the whirlpool o'er his sinki The Water-Demon's sons by scores we '0 slain By our swift arrows falling like the ra n ; \Vith yells of rage they sank beneath t e wave That ran all redly now, but could not ave.
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NONA.
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We asked not mercy, ierey never gave; Our flaming darts lit p the farthest cave, Fathoms below the re .ch of deepest line; Our cruel spears, tall l' than mountain pine, Mingled their life blo d with the ruddy wave. The combat ceased, t e Thunder-Birds had won. The 'Vater-Demon wi h one favorite son Fled from the carnag and escaped our wrath. The vapors, thinly cu ling from the shore, Faint musky odors to our nostrils bore. The air was stilled, tl e silence of the dead ; The sun, just atarting on his downward path, A rosy mantle o'er th prairie shed, Save where, Iike vult res, ominous and still, \Ve clustered close, 0 sullen wings outspread; And sometimes, with a momentary chill, A giant shadow swep o'er plain and hill,A Thunder-Bird care ring overhead, Seeking the track by vhieh the foe had fled. While thus we hovel' d motionless, the sun Adown the west his unctual. course had run, When 10, two shinin points far up the stream That split the prairie with a silver seam,The fleeing Water-D mon and his son; Like icicles they gli t ercd in the beam Still struggling up fr m the horizon's rim. IIis sleeping anger kindled at the sight, Our leader's eyes glm red like a flaming brand. Thrilled by one imp lse, all QUI' sable band Dove through the gft hering shadows of the night On wings outshakcu or a headlong flight.
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LEGENDS,
Anger, reveng , but more than all the thirst, The glorious e ulation to be first, Stung me like re, and filled each quivering plume. With tenfold seed our sharp beaks cleft the gloom, A swarm of arr ws singing to the mark, 'Ve hissed to p erce the foe cre yet 'twas dark. Still up the str am the Water-Demons fled, Theil' bodies gl wed like fox-fire far ahead; But every moment saw the distance close Between our thirsty spear-heads and our foes. Louder the hlar t our buzzing pinions made Than mighty f rest in a whirlwind swayed; The giant cliffs of Red wing speeding back, Like specters 1 elting from a cloudy wrack, Melted from vi w in our dissolving track. Kaposia's villa e, clustered on the shore, With sound of 'napping poles and tipis riven, Vanished like s ran's-down by a tempest driven. Stung by our fi ght, the keen ail' smote us sore As ragged hails ones; OIl, still on, we strained, And fast and f iter on the chase we gained, But neck and n ck the fierce pursuit remained, Till close ahead we saw the rocky walls O'er which the ighty river plunging falls," And at their b e the Water-Demons lay: The panting eh se at last had turned to bay, Then thrilled y nerves with more than mortal strength j A breath of Deity was in the burst That bore me a t a goodly lance's length To meet the 'V ter-Demon's son accurst. His evil horn cl nged hollow on my shield
TVINONA.
57
as my spear transfixed nm through and through; A moment towering o'er the faa he reeled, Then sank beneath the roaring Us from view. A dying yell that haunts me ye he gave,
.. And as he fell the crippled wale coiled About him like a wounded sunk ) and boiled, Lashing itself to madness o'er hi grave.
Just
'Ve knew not where the parent

None of our spears might pierce Welded with skill demoniac sea Some watery realm he wanders, That he is changed and bears a And goodly sons again about hit
emon fled;
his ancient mail, e on scale. . nd 'tis said righter form, swarm;
And peace, 'tis but a hollow tru e I know,

N ow reigns between him and hi ancient foe. He hates me still, and fain waul do me harm, But neither man nor demon dar s offend,
Who hath the cruel Thunder-Iii -d for friend.
© 2010 For~otten Books
58
IND
N LEGENDS.
PART II.
Iiath her e ite in every land, Sealed by her signet, felt although unseen. Winona 'mid her fc lows moved a. queen, And scarce a youth ul beau ill all the band But, sighed 'in secre longing for her hand. One only she distin uishcd o'er the rest, The latest aspirant or martial fame, Redstar, a youth W ose coup-stick like his name (Till recently he ha been plain Chaskd) 10 'Vas new, fresh plu l:cd the feathers on his C1'csL Just what, the feats n which he based his claim To warlike glory it vere hard to say; He ne'er had seen ore than one trivial fray, But bold assurance ometimes wins the day. Winona gftve him g nerous credit, too, For the gallant eeds he meant to do. His gay, barbaric dr ss, his lofty air Enmeshed her in a weet bewildering snare. Transfigured by the light of her own passion, She saw Chask6 in uch the usual fashion Of fairer maids, wh love, or think they do. 'Tis not the man th y love, but what he seems; A hright Hyperion, moving stately through The rosy ether of e alted dreams.
NATURE
an
lV NONA.
59
Alas! that love, the p est and most real, Clusters forever round some form ideal; And martial things ha e some strange necromancy To captivate romantic aiden fancy. The very word" Lieut nant " hath a charm, E'en coupled with a v 19ar face and form, A shriveled heart and iicroscopic wit, Scarce for a coachman r a barber fit; His untried sword, his itle, are to her Better than genius, we lth, or high renown; His uniform is sweeter han the gown Of an Episcopalian mi ister ; And" dash," for swagger but a synollym, Is knightly grace and c rivalry with him. Dnnoted young Winon: '8 passion grew, Chaska alone the tende secret knew j And he, too selfish love like hers to know, -\Va..rmedby her presen e to a transient glow, Her silent homage dran c as 'twere his due. Winona asked no more hough madly fond, Nor hardly dreamed as et of closer bond; But chance, or Provide ce, or iron Fate (Call it what name you will), or soon or late, Bend.s to its purpose ev ry human will, And brings to each its estined good or ill.
THE GROVE.
0' erlookinp Mim ctonka's shore, A grove enchant d lured of yore, Lured to their d opest woe and joy, A happy maiden and careless boy;
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LEGENDS.
Lured their feet to its inmost core, Where like snowy maidens the aspen trees Swayed and beckoned in the breeze, While the prairie grass, like rippling seas, Faintly murmuring lulling hymns, Rippled about their gleaming limbs. There is no such charm in a gardel1-close, However fair its bower and rose, As a place where the wild and free rejoice. Nor doth the storied and ivied arch \V 00 the heart with half so sweet a voice As the Lowering arms of the wild-wood lar h, \Vhere the clematis and wild woodbine Festoon the flowering egla.ntine ; Whore in every flower, shrub, and tree Is heard the hum of the honey-bee, And the linden blossoms are softly stirred, As the fanning wings of the humming-bird Scatter a perfume of pollen dust, That mounts to the kindling soul like mus ; Where the turtles each spring their loves r newThe old) old story, "coo-roo, coo-roo," Mingles with the wooing note That bubbles Irom the song-bird's throat; Where on waves of rosy light at play, Mingle a thousand airy minions, And drifting as on a. golden bay, The butterfly with his petal pinions, From isle to isle of his fair dominions Floats with the languid tides away; Where the squirrel and rabbit shyly mate, And none so timid but finds bel' fate;
61
The meek hen-robin upo Thrills to her lover's fla Youth, Love, and Life,' Go to the same sweet tu E'en the flaming flowers Pure as the lily buds the On the bosom of a moun
1
the nest ing breast. id scenes like this, e of bliss; of passion seem t dream ain stream.
Such was the grove that lured of yore, O'erlooking lUinnetonka's shore, Lured to their deepest w e and joy A happy maiden and car less boy,Lured their feet to its in lost core; Where still mysterious s adows slept, While the plenilune Iron her path above With liquid amber bathe the grove, That through the tree-to s trickling crept, And every tender alley s cpt. The happy maiden and c reless boy, Caught for a moment the r deepest joy, And the iris hues of You h and Love, A tender glamour about iem wove; But the trembling shado 'B the aspens cast From the maiden's spirit ever passed; And the nectar was poison d that thrilled and filled, From every treacherous I af distilled, Her veins that night with a strange alloy. Swift came the hour that aid and boy must part; A glow unwonted, tinged with dusky red ","Vinona'sconscious face ~ home she sped; And to the song exultant in her heart, Beat her light moccasins ith rhythmic tread.
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the summit of a little hill, whose base the village lay outspread! A su den sense of some impending ill Smot the sweet fever in her veins with chill. The 1 lee she skirted, on whose mailed breast Rode ike a shield the moon from out the west, She eared her lodge, but there her quick eye
c ught
The v ice of Gray Cloud, and her steps were stayed, For 0 rer her of late an icy fear Broo ed with vulture wings when he was near. lew not why, her eye he never sought, Nor eigned to speak, and yet she felt dismayed At th ught of him, as the mimosa's leaf Befor the fingers touch it shrinks with dread, She auscd a moment, then with furtive tread Close to the tipi glided like a thief; 'Vitli lips apart, and ea.ger bended head, She 1 stencd there to what the conjuror said. His oice, low, musical, recounted o'er Stran 'e tales of days when other fa nus he wore: How, far above the highest airy plain Whe e soars and sings the weird, fantastic crane, aft d like thistle-down he strayed at will, With power almost supreme for good 01' ill, Over all lands and nations ncar and far, Beyo d the seas, 01' 'neath the northern star, And ong had pondered where werc best to dwell 'Vhe he should deign a human shape to wear. "'V ether to be of them that buy and Hell, 'Vit fish-scale eyes, and yellow corn-silk hair,
She
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TVINON.A.
63
Or with the stone-men chase the giant game. But wander where you may, no land can claim A sky so Iair as ours; the sun each day Circles the earth with glaring eye, but sees 1\"0 lakes or plains 80 beautiful as these; N or e'er hath trod or shall upon the earth A race like ours of true Dakota birth. Our chiefs and sages, who so wise as they To counselor to Iead in peace or war, And heal the sick by deep mysterious law. Our beauteous warriors, lithe of limb and strong, Fierce to avenge their own and others' wrong, \Vhat gasping terror smites their battle song When, night-birds gathering ncar the dawn of day, Or wolves in chorus ravening for the prey, They burst upon the sleeping Chippeway ; 11 Their women wail whose hated fingers dare To reap the harvest of our midnight hair; Swifter than eagles, as a panther fleet, A hungry panther seeking for his meat, So swift and noiseless their avenging feet.
'*
Dakota matrons truest ate and best, Dakota maidens too are loveliest." He ceased, and soon, departing through the night, She watched his burly form till out of sight. And then the Raven spoke in whispers low: " Gra.y Cloud demands our daughter's hand, and she Un to his ti pi very soon mus t go."
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LEGEND
Winona's mother sought to make reply, But something checked her in his tone or eye. Aga.in the Raven spoke, imperial sly: " Winona is of proper age to wed; Her suitor suits me, let no more e said." Winona heard no more; a rising wave Of mingled indignation, fear, an shame Like :1 resistless tempest shook h r frame) The earth swam round her, and h r senses reeled; Retter for her a thousand times t e grave Than life in Gray Cloud's tent, b t what could she Against the stern, implacable dec 'ee Of one whose will was never kno vn to yield? Winona fled, scarce knowing wh re or how; Fled like a phantom through th moonlight cool, Until she stood upon the rocky b 'OW That overlooked a deep sequeste ed pool, Where slumbering in a grove-encircled bay Lake Minnetonka's purest waters lay. Unto the brink she rushed, but f ltered thereLife to the young is sweet; in vairi her eye Swept for a moment grove and \ ave and sky With mute appeal. nut see, tw white swans fair Gleamed from the shadows th t o'erhung the shore, Like moons emerging from a sab e screen; Swimming abreast, what haught king and queen, With arching necks their regal c ursa they bore. Winona marveled at the unwont d sight Of white swans swimming there at dead of night, Her frenzy half beguiling with t e scene.
I
JVINON.A...
Unearthly heralds sure, for in their wake What ruddy furrows seamed the placid lake. Almost beneath her feet they came, so ncar She might have tossed a pebble on their backs, When 10, their long necks pierced the waters olea , As down they dove, two shafts of purest light, And chasing fast on their descending tracks, A swarm of 'spirals luminous and white, Swirled to the gloom of nether depths from sight Then all was still for some few moments' space, So smooth the pool, so vanished every trace, It seemed that surely the fantastic pair Had been but snowy phantoms passing there. Winona hardly hoped to see them rise, But while she gazed with half-expectant eyes, The waters strangely quivered in a place About the bigness of a tipi's space, Where weirdly lighting up the hollow wave Beat a deep-glowing heart, whose pulsing ray Now faded to a rosy flush away, Nowfilled with fiery glare the farthest cave. A shapeless bulk arose, then, taking form, Bloomed forth upon the bosom of the lake A crystal rose, or hillock mammiform, And round its base the curling foam did break As round a sunny islet in a storm; And on it poised a swiftly changing form, 1YiLh filmy mantle falling musical, And colors of the floating bubble's ball, Fair and elusive as the sprites that play, Bright children of the sun-illumined spray, 'j\lid rainbows of a. mountain waterfall. 5
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Then mingling with the falling waters came In whispers sibilant Winona's name; So indistinct and low that voice intense, That she, half fl'ightened, cowering in the grass In much bewilderment at what did pass, Till thrice repeated noted not its sense. She rose, and on the very brink defined, Against the sky in silhouette outlined, Erect before the Water-Demon stood. Again those accents weird her wonder stirred, And this is what the listening maiden heard : "Thy fate, Winona, hangs on thine own choice To scorn or heed the Water-Demon's voice. Gone are thy pleasant days of maidenhood, And evil hours draw nigh, but knowest thou not, That what thou fleest is the common lot Of all thy sisters? Thou must be the bride Of one thou lovest not, must toil for him, Watch £01' his coming, and endure his whim; Must share his tent, and lying at his side Weep for another till thine eyes grow dim. And he, so fondly loved, will pass thee by Indifferent with cold averted eye; E'en he, whose wanton hands and hated arms Have crushed the fair flower of thy maidenhoo , Will weary of thy swiftly-fading charms, And seek another when thy beauty wanes. Aha, thou shudderest; in thy tense veins, Fierce and rebellious, leaps the mingling blood Of countless warriors, high of soul and brave; And would'st thou quench their spirit 'neath t e
wave?
WINONA.
67
Is Gray Cloud's life marc dca to thee than thine? The village sleeps, unguarded is his tent, Thy knife is keen, and unto t cc is lent A spell to-night of potency m tligllo Cradled in blissful dreams ala e he lies, And he shall stray so deep in sleep's dominions, He Wall ld not waken though the rushing pinions Of his own Thunder-Bird sho ld shake the sky. All freedom-loving spirits are with thee, Strike hard and fear not as th u would'st be free; Lest thine own hatred prove 00 weak a charm, The \\T ater-Demon's hate shal nerve thine arm."
The Water-Demon sank and isappeared, And faint and fainter fell tho e accents weird, Until the air was silent as th grave, Still 0.8 December's crystal so 1 the wave. Homeward again Winona too her way. How changed in one short ho r! no longer now The song-birds singing at her heart, but there A thousand gnashing furies n ade their lair, And urged her on ; her neare t pathway lay Over a Iittle hill, and on its b ow A group of trees, whereof eac 1blackened bough Bore up to heaven as if in pI test mute I ts clustering load of ghastly harnel fruit, 12 The swaddled forms of all th village deadMaid, lusty warrior, and toot less hag, The infant and the conjurer, ith his bag, Peacefully rotting in theil' bed. As on a battle plain she saw t iem lie, Fouling the fairness of the m onlit sky;
au

I
GS
And heavily th Some floating Loading with p That fanned he Of unclean bir And something At the intruder She hardly hee
INDIAN
LEGENDS.
re flapped above her head, apcl'y or tress of hair, stilential breath the air temples, or the reeking wing obscenely hovering; crossed her path that halting nigh, glared with evil cye,d passing swiftly by.
Leaving behind that hideous umbrage fast, 'Vhat wraith es aping from its tenement, Winona throug the sleeping village passed, And pausing no to Gray Cloud's tipi went, Laid back the d or, and with a stealthy tread, Entered and sof ly crouched beside his head. Her ga7.€ that s emed to pierce his inmost thought, Keen as the rea y knife her hand had sought, And through th open door the slant moonbeams Smiting the slee ers face awaked him not. He vaguely mut ered in his wandering dreams Of "medicine," , nd of the Thunder-Bird, As if to go, her nife she half returned; 'Vbether her wo an's heart with pity stirred, Or superstitious awe, she slightly turned, But ga~ing still, over his features came The semblance 0 a smile, and his arms moved, Clasping in rosy dreams some form beloved, And his lips m ved, and though no sound she heard, She thought the shaped her name, and a red flame Leaped to her in, and through her vision passed;
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lVINONA.
09
A raging demon se zed and filled her frame, And like a lightni g flash leaped forth her knife: That cold keen heatt-pang is his last of life;
The Water-Demon
avenged at last.
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INDIAN
LEGENDS.
PART III.
SHE struck but once, no need hath lig tning stroke For second blow to rend the heart of ak, N or waited there to see how Gray CI ud died; Her fury all in that fierce outburst sp nt, As from a charnel cave she fled the t nt; The wolfish dog suspiciously outside Sniffed at her moccasins but let her p ss, Her tipi soon she reached, distant no ore Than arrow from a warrior's bowstri g sent, Paused but to wipe her knife upon t1 e grass, And found her usual couch upon the floor. But not to sleep; she closed her eyes in vain, Shutting away the mnonlight from 11 r view; Darkness and moonlight wore the same dread hue, Flooding the universe with crimson s ain. She clasped her bosom with her han . to still The throbbing of her heart that seem d to fill 'Vi th tell-tale echoes all the air; an wI The secret with unearthly shrieks COl Iessed, And Gray Cloud's dog sent forth a d leful howl At intervals; but worse than all the 'est, That dreadful drum still beating in h l' breast, As furious war-drums in the scalp-da ce beat To the mad. circling of delirious feet.
I
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lVINONA.
71
Early next morning, as the first f, int rays

Of sunlight through the rustling indens played, Two children sent to seek the COl jurer's aid, Gazed on the sight, with horror a HI amaze, Of Gray Cloud's lifeless body rol ed in blood. Fast through the village sprea the news, and stirred With mingled fear and wonder al who heard. The oracles were baffled and disn ayed, And spoke with muffled tones all. looks of dread; .., Some envious foeman lurking it the wood, With medicine more strong than is," they said, " Stole in last night and gave the fatal wound." The warriors scoured the country miles around, Seeking for sign or trail, but nau ht they found: The murderer left behind no clue or trace More than a vampire's flight t trough darkling
space.
The Raven with a stoic calmness heard Of Gray Cloud's death, nor sh wed by look 01' word The wrath that to its depth his bing stirred. Winona heard the news with Ials surprise, As if just roused from sleep she bbed her eyes j When she arose her knees like as ens shook, But this she quelled and forced a tranquil look To feign the calmness that her soul forsook. And when the mourning wail ros on the air, Winona's voice was heard commi gling there. She gathered with the other mai ens where, On a rude bier, the conjurer'!") body lay Adorned and decked in funeral' ray.
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IAN LEGENDS.
She flung a handfu And wept. such tea As weeps a youthfi Over the coffin of
of her sable hair, s above the painted clay 1 widow, only heir, milhonairo.
13
Moons waxed to fu mess and to sickles waned. The gossips still co versed with bated breath. The appalling myst 'l'y of Gray Cloud's death, 'VI'apped in impen trable gloom, remained A blighting shadov o'er the village spread. But youthful spiri arc invincible, Nor fear nor supers ition long can quell The bubbling flow f that perennial well; And so the youths nd maidens soon regained The wonted gayety that late had fled. All save ""Villona.,i whose face and mien, Unto tho careless C) e, no change was seen; nut one that noted night sometimes espy A furti ve fear that hot across her eye, As in a forest, 'thw rt some bit of blue, Darts a rare bird th t shuns the hunter's view. Her laugh, though ay, a subtle change confessed, And in her attitude a vague unrest Betrayed a world of feelings unexprest, A shade less light h r footsteps in the dance, And sometimes now the Raven's curious glance Her soul with terra' new and strange oppressed. Grief shared is light r, none had she to share Burdens that grew most too grent to bear, For Redstar sorneti es seemed to look askance, A nd sought, they sa d, to win another breast. Winona feigned to 1 ugh, but in her heart
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The rumor rankled like a poisoned d rt, Sometimes she almost thought the Raven guessed The guilty secrets that her thoughts ppressed, And sought, whcnc'cr she could, to s un his sight. Apart from human kind, still more a d more, The Raven dwelt, and human speech forbore. And once upon a wild tempestuous ight, When all the demons of the earth an air Like raging furies were embattled th re, She, peeriug fearfully, amid the swar Flitting athwart the flashes of the st rm, By fitful g1cams beheld the Raven's orm. To her he spoke not since the fateful night l Iis chosen comrade passed from hu an sight, Save only once, forgetting he was by And half forgetting too her care and woes, Unto her lips some idle jest arose. " \Vinona.," said the Raven, :in a tone Of stern reproof that on the instant f 'oze All thought of mirth, and when she let his eye, As by a serpent's charm it fixed her wn j The hate and anger of a. soul intense Were all compressed in that remorse eSBgla.llce, The col dly cruel meaning of whose s nse Smote down the shield of her false i nocencc. She strove to wrest her eye from his n vain, Held by that gaze ophidian like a bir 1, As in a trance she neither breathed or stirred. And gazing thus an icy little lance, Smaller than quill from wing of hu ming-bird, Shot from his eyes, and a keen stingi g pain Sped through the open windows of h .r brain. Her senses failed, she sank upon the round,
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IND!
N LEGENDS,
And darkness veiled 181' eyes; she never knew IIow long this was, b it when she slowly grew Back from death's co ntcrfeit, and looked around, So little change was here, that it might seem The scene had been b t a dis~rdered dream. The Raven sat in his ccustomed place, Smoking his solitary ipe; his face, A gloomy mask that one might penetrate, Betrayed no sign of a gel', grief, or hate; Absorbed so deep in thoughts that none might share, He noted not \Vinon s presence there; From his disdainful Ii s the thin blue smoke From time to time _in ittle spirals broke, Floating like languid sneers upon the air, And settling round hi 1 in a veil of blue So sinister to her disc dered view, That she arose and qt ickly stole away. She shunned him mar than ever from that day, And never mare unm ved could she behold That countenance ins rutablc and cold. But Hope and Love, I ke Indian summer's glow, Gilding the prairies e e December's snow, Lit with a transient b aID "\Vinonn.'s eye. The season for the Maidens' Dance drew nigh, And Redstar vowed, \ hatever might betide, To claim her on the OlTOW as his bride. 'Vhat now to her was II the world beside? The evil omens clarke iug alJ her sky, Malicious sneers, her l' val's envious eye, While her false lover ingcrcrl at her side, All passed like thistle down unheeded by.
75 The evening for the dane An ancient crier through e village passed, And summoned all the m .dens to repair . To the appointed place, a greensward where, Since last year unprofane by human feet, Rustled the prairie grass nd flowers sweet. None hut the true and pn 'e might enter thereMaidens whose souls unsl otted had been kept. At set of sun the circle tl ere was formed, A nd thitherward the hap y maidens swarmed. The people gathered rOUI d to view the scene: Old men in broidered rob 8 that trailing swept, And youths in all their fi lery arrayed, Dotting like tropic birds he prairie green, Their rival graces to the 'Ill·ong displayed. Winona came the last, b t as she stept Into the mystic ring one YOI'd," Beware ! " Rang out in such a tone f high command That all was still, and cv ry look was turned To where the Raven stoo - ; his stern eye burned, And like a flower beneat that withering glare She faded fast, No need that heavy hand To lead Winona from the joyous band; No need those shameful words that stained the
air :
Let not the sacred circl be defiled By one who, all too easil beguiled, Beneath her bosom bears ~ warrior's child."
H
\Vinona swiftly fleeing" she passed, One look upon her shrin lng lover cast That seared his coward II art. for many a day, Into the deepest woods s e took her way.
2010 Forgotten Books www.forgottenbooks.org
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'The dance was soon resumed, and as she fled, Like hollo laughter chasing overhead, Pursued t e music and the maidens' song. Just as sh passed from sight an angry eye Glared for a moment from the western sky, And flung one quivering shaft of dazzling white, With tenf ld thunder-peal, adown the night. Her mothe followed her, and sought her long, Calling an listening through the falling dew, 'Vhile fast and furious still the cadence grew Of the ga dance, whose distant music fell, Smi ting th mother like a funeral knell. High rode the SUll in heaven next day before The strick n mother found along the shore The object of her unremitting quest. The coolin wave whereon she lay at rest IIad stille the tumult of Winoua's breast. Along tha shapely ruin's plastic grace, And in the parting of her braided hair, The hopele s mother's glances searching there The Thun er-Bird's mysterious mark might trace.
So died 'V nona, and let all beware,

For venge nee follows fast and will not spare, Nor maid, or warrior that dares offend Who hath he cruel Thunder-Bird for friend.
swell the olling prairies like the waves of coan deep; Higher rise the crested billows 1'01 ing upward as they sweep From horizon to horizon, and the air grows pure and free, "On the mountains of the prairie" on the windswept emerald sea.
OUT"r ARD
As in olden time the zealots who w uld build unto their God, Sacred temples for his worship, chose a "high place," and the sod Of the consecrated mountain was made holy by the rites
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Of footsore d weary pilgrims who had sought the saer d heights, So instincti ely the red-men, roaming o'er the boundle s main, Looked for eir Manitou above the low level of the plai ; Sought and fund him on the summit o£the green wave's selling crest Rising upwa d like a mountain, in the valley of
the "res .
Not to him ey founded temples, gilded fanes and altars fa r j Looking up, hey saw already Manitou enthroned there In the fastnc s of the mountain, with his sphynxlike, sto ly face 'Vatchi.ng lil e a guardian. spirit, o'er the dusky lawless ace Who regarded not each other, and their deadly hatred s aked In the bloo of friends and foemen, when their slumber ng ire was waked. " Gitche Ma throned 'Vas a God peace a And as God heavenl Gave the la itou, the Mighty," the Great Spirit above, f truth and wisdom, was a God of d love; pon Mount Sinai, stooping from his: throne, unto his people, deeply graven into
stone,
THE PE
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Gitche Manitou, t e Mighty,"
in compassion for
the race Of unlettered, unta ght heathen who knew not

his god-like fae Save they saw it n the tempest or the lightning's li vid gla e, Or ill some familiar mblem they could see, or feel, or wear, Taught them peace nd love to kindred, through an emblem fon ed of stone, Fashioned in the w ll-known outlines of a thing they called thei own. In the caverns of hi store-house, deeply sunken in the ground, Lay the mystical ed pipe-stone, never yet by sachem found. With his strong rig t hand almighty, rent he now the ground in t am, Broke the red stone f the quarry, and, resounding o'er the plain, Came this message the warriors :-" Let this be to you a sign: Make you calumets f pipe-stone, pledge you peace
and love divine By the smoking of his signet. hand to hand.
Let it pass from

and be
Cease you from you wars and wrangling, brothers in the 1 nd,"
The Great Spirit's
ords were heeded,
and the
calumet, the pi e \Vhich they often S oked together in their councils, was the ty e
80
AN LEGENDS.
eace thereafter, and upon the Of good-will quarry's site, Hostile tribes an tongues and races meeting, ght. Many legends traditions cluster round this sacred spot; Many histories a deep with hidden meaning fra t, Have been chise d on the ledges at the ancient bowlders' base Who, like strang in the valley, drifted to a resting place.
Here, ere :Manitou had given to the tribes thepipe of peace, Saw he mighty and bloodshed, saw the tribes
of men deere e,
Until fleeing hom destruction, come three maidens to the ro The last remnant f all women, hiding from the fearful shoe
THE PEACE-PIP
QUARRY.
81
Of the deadly fight and car age which was raging through the air, Driven to these three large b wldcrs, as a refuge in despair. N ow in memory of the con ict and the part the bowlders bore, They are named in weird radition, '" The Three l\iaidens," evermore. Here the thunder-bird porte tons, "\Vakan, terrible
in might,
Made his home in awful grandeur on the cliff's mysterious height. Here the flapping of his pini ns brought the fierce, hot lightning's glare, Glazing all the fissured surf ce like enamel smooth and fair; Melting all the red rock's substance till a footprint of the bird, Plastic then, took form and ardened for a witness of the word.
I
"0
~ o.J,
Fa.U8 of Winnewissa.
TIlE PEACE·PIPE
Q ARRY.
83
Northward, just beyond the q arry, stands the famous " Leaping Hock," With its proud head reared to h avon, with an air that seems to mock And to set at stern defiance, b astful braves who seek for fame, And from agile feats to gather or themselves an envied name. Hither came to try his daring, w'th brave heart to valor nerved, Hopefully a young Sioux chiofu in, never from his purpose swerved, Came in all his youthful vigor, with his band of stalwart braves, From the land of the Dakotas; ealously his spirit craves To lead them all in bravery as he oft oefore has led, And the plumes of the war eagl proudly waving on his head, To wear in boastful triumph n the far-famed treacherous height, And in his tribe's traditions, tIL S Iris envied name to write. Fearlessly he stands n. moment on the overhanging edge Of the nearest cliff's high Sl11Ull it, eyes the small and slippery ledge Just beyond the yawning chasm which his daring feet must leap; Stands there bold and free and earloss, taking' inward at a sweep
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84
All the fearful od and chances, the deep chasm 118 must cross Calculates with ho e of winning, never with a fear of loss. High above him a ch the heavens; deep below him yawns the ulf; In his ears the cata act thunders, and before him stands the rou 1, Towering rock with air defiant, standing mocking, beckoning ther . 'Vith a fixed resolve and purpose, he leaps upward in the ahLeaps, but not as re had counted, for his feet touch not the gal, But his body plung s downward, and the young Sioux warrior's soul, Rising upward thro gh the ether, seeks the happy hunting ground J list as anxious friei ds and kindred gather hastily around, Dropping tears unto lis memory and with slow and measured tread, Bear away the bold young chieftain, to the mansions of the den 1. Fear the falls of ,. innewissa sweetly wooing to repose 'Vi th its murmurous plash of waters perfume-laden of the rose, 'Neath the soil whic onco Ids kindred claimed and lived in until w Rising eastward like a storm-cloud, swept the laud from sea to sea.

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CLASSIIC

INDIAN LE'GENDS OF MINNESOTA

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Copyright © 2010 Forgotten Books AG

You can read literally thousands of books for f ee at www.forgottenbooks.org

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Truth may seem, ntit

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MRS. CORD NIO A. SEVERANCE

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l'rfRS. FRANCIS B. CLAltICE

ASSISTA:YCE THIS UNDERTA lfADE POSSlnLE, THIS

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Elaine Goodale Eastman,

FOND HEARTS ANI'ETUSAI'A, "'lINONA,

Adelaide George Bennett Henry \V. Longfellow,

THE SONG OF HrA.WATHA.

Henry 'V. Longfellow ••

Ida Sexton Searls, Adelaide George Bennett,

THE TRAILING ARBUTUS.

Ida. Sexton Searls, •

SWEET 'VATER, DEATH OF \VINONA.

Ida Sexton Searls.

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signs relate-sy fate~ hat should af~ ch a night, t marked their

THE LONE WAR-PATH.

A·nd meet them. first, ioho kurt thee most.

THE LO.NE IVAR-PATH.

(DAKOTA LOVE SONG.)

sleeps. At earliest dawn, in the chill morning gray,

Ensn re her fancy.

At daybreak forth again the hun er fares,

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THE LONE fVAR-PATII.

When the 'oung hero carried home his bride,

acing pony at her Hide;

tly loads they bore, the Blackfoot maiden's

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Fond Hearts of the Forest

CAVE, ~EAR ST.

_..._ ~ .' ._......

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FOND llEAU1'::> 011' THE FOREST.

And bern' me in hie l£gll-t canoe, To be his queen and slave.

come, 'my chief!

nd 'W-ith, hee perish too! t

A' if she had all things forgot© 2010 Forgotten Books

It gives to beauty holiness;

OJ/' THE FOREST.

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'TIS autumn, and the breezes lift

e noeets of every flower,

I ca not- tell in song.

Sweeter than the freshest bud, I an no longer toait and S1'glt

" 0 multiply what voice reveals;

Doth feel for thine ! ~)

She She She And