The Acorn-Planter Part 7

Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

The Sun Man lied.

{People} Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

The Sun Man lied.

Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

The Sun Man lied.

{Shaman} _(Derisively.)_ Red Cloud is sick. He lives in dreams. Ever he dreams of the wonders of the Sun Man.

{Red Cloud} The Sun Man was strong. The Sun Man was a life-maker. The Sun Man planted acorns, and cut quickly with a knife not of bone nor stone, and of gra.s.ses and hides made cunning cloth that is better than all gra.s.ses and hides.

--Old Man, where is the cunning cloth that is better than all gra.s.ses and hides?

{Old Man} _(Fumbling in his skin pouch for the doth.)_ In the many moons aforetime, Hundred moons and many hundred, When the old man was the young man, When the young man was the youngling, Dragging branches for the campfire, Stealing suet from the bear-meat, Cause of trouble to his mother, Came the Sun Man in the night-time.

I alone of all the Nis.h.i.+nam Live to-day to tell the story; I alone of all the Nis.h.i.+nam Saw the Sun Man come among us, Heard the Sun Man and his Sun Men Sing their death-song here among us Ere they died beneath our arrows, War Chief's arrows sharp and feathered--

{War Chief} _(Interrupting braggartly.)_ Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

{Old Man} _(Producing cloth.)_ And the Sun Man and his Sun Men Wore nor hair nor hide nor birdskin.

Cloth they wore from beaten gra.s.ses Woven like our willow baskets, Willow-woven acorn baskets Women make in acorn season.

_(Old Man hands piece of cloth to Red Cloud.)_

{Red Cloud} _(Admiring cloth.)_ The Sun Man was an acorn-planter, and we killed the Sun Man. We were not kind. We made a blood-debt. Blood-debts are not good.

{Shaman} The Sun Man lied. His brothers did not come after. There is no blood-debt when there is no one to make us pay.

{Red Cloud} He who plants acorns reaps food, and food is life. He who sows war reaps war, and war is death.

{People} _(Encouraged by Shaman and War Chief to drown out Red Cloud's voice.)_ Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

The Sun Man is dead!

Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

The Sun Man and his Sun Men are dead!

{Red Cloud} _(Shaking his head.)_ His brothers of the Sun are coming after.

I have reports.

_(Red Cloud beckons one after another of the young hunters to speak)_

{First Hunter} To the south, not far, I wandered and lived with the Petaluma. With my eyes I did not see, but it was told me by those whose eyes had seen, that still to the south, not far, were many Sun Men--war chiefs who carry the thunder in their hands; cloth-makers and weavers of cloth like to that in Red Cloud's hand; acorn-planters who plant all manner of strange seeds that ripen to rich harvests of food that is good. And there had been trouble. The Petaluma had killed Sun Men, and many Petaluma had the Sun Men killed.

{Second Hunter} To the east, not far, I wandered and lived with the Solano. With my own eyes I did not see, but it was told me by those whose eyes had seen, that still to the east, not far, and just beyond the lands of the Tule tribes, were many Sun Men-- war chiefs and cloth-makers and acorn-planters.

And there had been trouble. The Solano had killed Sun Men, and many Solano had the Sun Men killed.

{Third Hunter} To the north, and far, I wandered and lived with the Klamath. With my own eyes I did not see, but it was told me by those whose eyes had seen, that still to the north, and far, were many Sun Men--war chiefs and cloth-makers and acorn-planters. And there had been trouble.

The Klamath had killed Sun Men, and many Klamath had the Sun Men killed.

{Fourth Hunter} To the west, not far, three days gone I wandered, where, from the mountain, I looked down upon the great sea. With my own eyes I saw. It was like a great bird that swam upon the water. It had great wings like to our great trees here. And on its back I saw men, many men, and they were Sun Men. With my own eyes I saw.

{Red Cloud} We shall be kind to the Sun Men when they come among us.

{War Chief} _(Dancing stiff-legged.)_ Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

Let the Sun Men come!

Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

We will kill the Sun Men when they come!

{People} _(As they join in the war dance.)_ Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

Let the Sun Men come!

Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

We will kill the Sun Men when they come.

_(The dance grows wilder, the Shaman and War Chief encouraging it, while Red Cloud and Dew-Woman stand sadly at a distance.)_

_(Rifle shots ring out from every side. Up the hillside appear Sun Men firing rifles.

The Nis.h.i.+nam reel to death from their dancing.)_

_(Red Cloud s.h.i.+elds Dew-Woman with one arm about her, and with the other arm makes the peace-sign)_

_(The ma.s.sacre is complete, Dew-Woman and Red Cloud being the last to fall.

Red Cloud, wounded, the sole survivor, rests on his elbow and watches the Sun Men a.s.semble about their leader)_

_(The Sun Men are the type of pioneer Americans who, even before the discovery of gold, were already drifting across the Sierras and down into Oregon and California with their oxen and great wagons.

With here and there a Rocky Mountain trapper or a buckskin-clad scout of the Kit Carson type, in the main they are backwoods farmers. All carry the long rifle of the period.)_

_(The Sun Man is buckskin-clad, with long blond hair sweeping his shoulders.)_

{Sun Men} _(Led by Sun Man.)_ We crossed the Western Ocean Three hundred years ago, We cleared New England's forests Three hundred years ago.

Blow high, blow low, Heigh hi, heigh ho, We cleared New England's forests Three hundred years ago.

We climbed the Alleghanies Two hundred years ago, We reached the Susquehanna Two hundred years ago.

Blow high, blow low, Heigh hi, heigh ho, We reached the Susquehanna Two hundred years ago.

We crossed the Mississippi One hundred years ago, And glimpsed the Rocky Mountains One hundred years ago.

Blow high, blow low, Heigh hi, heigh ho, And glimpsed the Rocky Mountains One hundred years ago.

We pa.s.sed the Rocky Mountains A year or so ago, And crossed the salty deserts A year or so ago.

Blow high, blow low, Heigh hi, heigh ho, And crossed the salty deserts A year or so ago.

We topped the high Sierras But a few days ago, And saw great California But a few days ago.

Blow high, blow low, Heigh hi, heigh ho, And saw great California But a few days ago.

We crossed Sonoma's mountains An hour or so ago, And found this mighty forest An hour or so ago.

Blow high, blow low, Heigh hi, heigh ho, And found this mighty forest An hour or so ago.

{Sun Man} _(Glancing about at the slain and at the giant forest.)_ Good the day, good the deed, and good this California land.

{Red Cloud} Not with these eyes, but with other eyes in my lives before, have I beheld you. You are the Sun Man.

_(The attention of all is drawn to Red Cloud, and they group about him and the Sun Man.)_