Part 10 (1/2)
But I must leave some things for you to discover; and I advise you to select a rock or tree that is well exposed to the elements for a first attempt. Of course, in well-protected localities, these distinctions are not so marked, but even there are discernible to a trained eye.
If you ever lose your way in the woods, do not allow yourself to become unnerved. Never ”give up.” Fear drowns more people than water, and is a more dangerous enemy than the wilderness. A normal man, with some knowledge of out-of-doors, can without much effort keep in touch with his starting-point, and, however tortuously he may rove, he will pick the shortest way back. Know exactly where you are before starting, in relation to the natural landmarks, and at every halt locate yourself as nearly as possible. Measure your shadow (it varies according to the season), and scatter dry earth, leaves, or gra.s.s, to learn the direction of the wind. The watershed is another important point to bear in mind.
On a clear night, look for the well-known stars, such as the ”Great Dipper,” which lies to the north in summer, the handle pointing west.
The ”Milky Way” lies north and south. Once you locate the camp, you may be guided by these or by the wind in night travel.
The Indian, as an out-of-door man, early learns the necessity of a weather bureau of his own. He develops it after the fas.h.i.+on of another system of precaution; that is, he takes note of the danger-signals of the animals, those unconscious criers of the wilderness, both upon water and land. These have definite signals for an approaching change in the weather. For instance, the wolf tribes give the ”storm call” on the evening before. This call is different in tone from any other and clearly identified by us. Horses kick and stamp, and the buffalo herds low nervously. Certain water-fowl display a strange agitation which they do not show under any other circ.u.mstances. Antelopes seek shallow lakes before a thunder-shower and stand in the water-the Indians say because lightning does not strike in the water. Even dogs howl and make preparations to hide their young. Ducks have their signal call; but the chief weather prophet of the lakes is the loon, as the gray wolf or coyote is of the prairie.
Certain leaves and gra.s.s-blades contract or expand at the approach of storm, and even their color is affected, while the wind in the leaves has a different sound. The waves on the beach whisper of the change, and we also observe the ”ring” around the sun, and the opacity and disk of the moon. The lone hunter may be left with only the open prairie and the dome of heaven; but he still has his gra.s.s-blades, his morning and evening skies. Sometimes the little prairie birds give him the signal; or, if not, he may fall back upon his old wounds, that begin to ache and swell with the change of atmosphere.
XXIV-THE ART OF STORY-TELLING
Perhaps no other people enjoy good stories better, and are more apt at telling them, than are the Indians. This art, most highly prized in a race without books, serves as a necessary outlet to their imaginations, and wonderfully enlivens their social and family life. The time for telling Indian stories is in the evening-best of all, around a glowing wood fire, on the long nights of winter. Here, every accent, every gesture, has its meaning, no faintest shade of which is lost upon the circle of attentive listeners.
True stories of warfare and the chase are related many times over by actors and eye-witnesses, that no detail may be forgotten. Handed down from generation to generation, these tales gradually take on the proportions of heroic myth and legend. They blossom into poetry and chivalry, and are alive with mystery and magic. The pictures are vivid, and drawn with few but masterly strokes. Often animals as well as men are the villains and heroes, and in this way a grotesque humor is artfully yet naturally developed.
In the old days, it was customary among us for each clan to have its official story-teller, whose skill in making the most of his material had built up a reputation which might extend even to neighboring villages. He was not only an entertainer in demand at all social gatherings, but an honored schoolmaster to the village children. The great secret of his success was his ability to portray a character or a situation truthfully, yet with just a touch of humorous or dramatic exaggeration. The scene is clearly visualized; the action moves quickly, with successive events leading up to the climax, which must be handled with much dignity and seriousness, or pathos and gravity may be turned upside down in the unexpectedness of the catastrophe.
Here is a short example of Indian story-telling:
Far out in the middle of the ”Bad Lands” upon the Little Missouri, there stands a pillar-like b.u.t.te some four or five hundred paces in height.
Here and there upon its sheer walls cling a few stunted pines and cedars, some hanging by one foot, others by their great toe only. Not one of the many gulches that furrow its sides affords a safe path, or even a tolerable ladder to the top. There is generally a pair of eagles who breed there, and an occasional Rocky Mountain sheep may be seen springing along its terraces. We Indians have long regarded this b.u.t.te as a sacred temple, the very spot for solitary prayer and fasting; but tradition states that only two men have ever set foot upon its summit for this purpose.
Feared-by-the-Bear was a warrior of unquestioned bravery. One day he announced that he would fast upon Cloud b.u.t.te. Thereupon other well-known braves decided to fast there also. Their leader managed the ascent with much labor and difficulty. When, just at sunset, he reached the summit, he was happy; the world seemed revealed to him in all its beauty and majesty. ”Where can such another shrine be found?” he thought.
He took his position upon a narrow projection of rock extending over the abyss, where it is said no human being has stood before or since. The full moon had risen, and the brave stood above that silvered gulf of air with uplifted filled pipe and extended arm, praying without words, as is our custom.
Suddenly his ears rang with the cry: ”Haya hay! A grizzly! A grizzly!”
He was compelled to suspend his devotions for an instant, and to throw a glance in the direction of the call. He perceived that his example had been followed, and that what seemed an avenging spirit was pursuing his fellow wors.h.i.+pper.
”Dodge behind a tree! Run your best; he is almost upon you!” he shouted.
But the nearest tree hung upon the verge of the precipice. If the man missed his footing, he must go down to death.
There was no time to consider. Around the tree he flew and disappeared like a pa.s.sing shadow. At his heels the desperate grizzly, who had prolonged his unwilling fast upon the b.u.t.te for days, not daring to attempt the descent, lunged heavily against the swaying cedar to save himself from falling headlong. He was half a second too late!
Feared-by-the-Bear had not yet been discovered. He clutched his long pipe and still pointed it toward the starry sky in silent supplication.
Indeed, he had now more immediate cause for prayer. ”Waugh!” uttered the hungry bear, and approached him with wide-open mouth.
The dizzy shelf on which the brave stood had been an eagle's nest for ages, but was just now unoccupied. Old Mato, the bear, seemed reluctant to advance, for on either side the sheer rock descended to a great distance. The warrior merely turned toward him the filled pipe which he had been offering to the ”Great Mystery.”
”To your spirit, O Bear! I offer this peace pipe, the same I have just offered to the Maker of us both. Will you partake of it, and commission me to be as brave and strong as yourself?” Thus speaking, and without showing any nervousness, he pointed the long stem of the pipe directly at the bear, upon which Mato growled ungraciously, but did not offer to come nearer. On the other hand, he showed no intention of leaving, and the way to escape was blocked.
Feared-by-the-Bear lighted his pipe with the ”fire maker,” and smoked deliberately. Then he kindled a little fire in the dry twigs of the old eagle's nest. This seemed to disturb the bear, whereupon he boldly threw a firebrand at him. The dry leaves caught and blazed fiercely. Mato ran for his life, and with this new fright behind him, found no serious difficulty in getting down the trail.
In due time, the faster left his position with all dignity, and approached the leaning cedar tree behind which his friend, as he supposed, had leaped to death. His first shuddering look over the brink showed him that the young man still hung suspended by his hands from a large branch. With much difficulty he was dragged up to solid rock, and his involuntary ordeal brought to a close. This event established the names and reputations of ”Overcliff” and ”Feared-by-the-Bear.”