Wigwam Evenings Part 14

However, the Earth forgot, and in her haste she struck the ground so hard with the sharp-pointed stick with which she dug turnips, that the floor of the sky was broken and she fell through.

Two very old people found the poor girl lying in the meadow.

They kindly made for her a little wigwam of pine boughs, and brought ferns for her bed. The old woman nursed her as well as she could, but she did nothing but wail and cry.

"Let me go to him!" she begged. "I cannot live without my husband!"

Night came, and the stars appeared in the sky as usual. Only the little twinkling Star did not appear, for he was now a widower and had painted his face quite black.

The poor wife waited for him a long time, but he did not come, because he could not. At last she slept, and dreamed she saw a tiny red Star in the sky that had not been there before.

"Ah!" said she, "that is Red Star, my son!"

In the morning she found at her side a pretty little boy, a Star Boy, who afterward grew to be a handsome young man and had many adventures.

His guides by night through the pathless woods were the Star children of his mother's sister, his cousins in the sky.

TWENTY-FOURTH EVENING

NORTH WIND AND STAR BOY

TWENTY-FOURTH EVENING

"Hun, hun, hay! Old man Wazeya, the North Wind, is again on the war-path! You are brave children to come out to-night! See, he shakes his downy feather robe, and the little snow-flakes fly fast and faster!

He gives his war-whoop, and cowards seek the safe shelter of their own wigwams. You are no cowards, I am sure of that, so I shall tell you of the battle between Wazeya and one of our great heroes, the son of a mortal maiden and a Star."

NORTH WIND AND STAR BOY

In the very old days at the beginning of things, Star Boy went about the world as a champion, defending all feeble folk against the attacks of their enemies.

The champion was so strong that he could not bend his bow of wood without breaking it, therefore he armed himself with a bone bow, a bone knife and a stone war-club.

One day, he came to the village of the Frogs, who poured out of their lodges to meet him and set before him food, but no water. "He who goes to the water," said they, "never returns. A great warrior lies there who has swallowed many of us alive, and now we are peris.h.i.+ng of thirst!"

Star Boy himself was so thirsty that after he had eaten, he went down to the water, and was instantly swallowed by Tamahay, the Pickerel. But with his bone knife he slashed the Pickerel in the gills and escaped; after which he warned the big fish, saying: "Be careful how you wantonly destroy this people, for some day they will be used to destroy you!"

[Ill.u.s.tration: STAR BOY ATTACKED BY HINHAN, THE OWL.

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He then went on his way, as far as another village of Little People, who complained that they had no fire-wood.

"We dare not go to the wood any more," they said, "for there a fierce warrior lives who swoops down from above and devours us!"

Star Boy at once went to the wood, where he was attacked by Hinhan, the Owl. Him he easily conquered with his stone war-club. "Because of your cruelty," he said to the Owl, "the sun shall blind you hereafter, so that you can hunt only in the dark, when the Mouse people are advised to take to their holes and hiding-places."

Now Star Boy travelled northward, until he had reached the very northernmost country, and in that far land he found a people in great distress. That was because they feared Wazeya, the North Wind, who drove away the buffalo herds so that they had no meat. "And when he points his finger at one of us," said they, "that man dies!"

"Come, let us hunt the buffalo!" said Star Boy to them; and although they were starving, they were afraid and unwilling to go. However, he made some of the men go out with him, and upon the open plain they met with North Wind, who at once challenged the champion to do battle. The two rushed upon one another with great fury, and in the first onset Star Boy broke the bow of North Wind; but in the second, Star Boy was overthrown and lay as one dead.

However, after a time he got up again, and they met for the third bout, when lo! neither could prevail against the other, so that in the midst of the fight they were obliged to sit upon a s...o...b..nk to rest. Star Boy sat upon his calf-skin and fanned himself with an eagle-wing, and immediately the snow began to melt and the North Wind was forced to retreat. Before he went away, he made a treaty of peace with Star Boy, promising to come to earth for half the year only, and to give timely warning of his approach, so that the people might prepare for his coming and lay up food against the day of scarcity. By this means the winter and summer were established among us.

TWENTY-FIFTH EVENING

THE TEN VIRGINS

TWENTY-FIFTH EVENING

The strong sun of March still hovers over the deep blue lake, and last night's snow flurry has quite vanished from the pleasant, brown face of our Grandmother Earth, when the children arrive at Smoky Day's wide-open doorway. There is a tang in the air and a stir in the blood to-night that moves the old man to tell a tale of youth and adventure. And this is the tale:

THE TEN VIRGINS

There were once two brothers who loved one maiden, and it appeared that the younger brother was the favorite. One day, the jealous elder invited his brother to go hunting with him upon an island in the great lake, a day's journey in canoes from their village.

No sooner had they touched sh.o.r.e than the elder said:

"Do you go to the other end of the island, and I will drive the Deer toward you!"

The other obeyed; but although he waited a long time on the further side, no Deer appeared, nor did he see anything of his brother. At last he returned through the woods to the spot where they had landed; and behold! the canoe with his brother was almost out of sight on the blue waters of the lake.

The young man, thus abandoned, wandered about the island for many days, living upon the game which he found there in abundance. He had grown very lonely and tired of his solitary life, when one day a strange old man with long, white hair appeared on the sh.o.r.e.

"My son," said he, "you look unhappy! Tell me if there is anything you wish for."

"I want nothing except to cross the water to the mainland," replied the young man, "but I have no boat nor the means of making one."

"Get upon my back, and I will take you over in safety," returned the patriarch. Accordingly he took him upon his back and swam across the lake with his burden.

Now the young man was grateful to his rescuer and he no longer cared to return to his own people and to the brother who had betrayed him, therefore he went with the old man to his wigwam to hunt for him.

One day, when he was out hunting as usual, he thought he heard the far-off, musical sound of girls' laughter from the depths of the forest.

He turned in the direction of the sound and soon came upon a broad trail, which he followed until he was overtaken by nine young men, all running eagerly along the same trail.

They at once made him join their company, saying that they had needed just one more to complete their number. The ten hastened on, and presently they overtook ten beautiful young damsels. Night fell, and they all went into camp together on the sh.o.r.e of the great lake.