Part 27 (1/2)
”Can Leelinau be happier” asked the young hunter, ”because another is made miserable? Were I to kill a warrior for her sake, would not her drearoans of his mother?”
The eyes of the Sachee
”Go,” he said, ”if thou art a dove, seek not to mate with the hawk”
But the resolution of Wampum-hair was not to be shaken by threats or reproaches, nor weakened by the seductions of love In the long and final fast which revealed to hiuardian spirit, twelve days with unshaken fortitude, to the wonder of the tribe, had he remained without food before the vision ca a little animal unknown to the country It was the size of the beaver, and covered all over with long white hair that curled closely to its body Its eyes were entler than anything ever seen on earth
The child laid his hand on the heart of the fainting youth, and an influence soft as the breath of the south wind streathened, and stood upon his feet and partook of food Since then the war-song had been hateful to the ears of Was of the braves He preached peace to his people, and endeavored to convince the their fellow men But prejudices old as the uh the olduish themselves after thee, and that he had never hesitated when others flinched His tribe therefore ascribed his conduct to no want of bravery, but to a delusion sent by his guardian genius Hence, though his influence was is continued for soain addressed Waisaunikwa still beat softly, like the heart of a deer!”
”It beats like ahunter, ”and not like that of a vile wild beast The Indian should imitate the Good Spirit in his actions, and not destroy his brothers and sisters”
”Yes,” said the Sacheh it is soft Does Wampum-hair still love Leelinau?”
”The breath of Thequan is not more welco of the bird dearer to its isaunikwa”
”What would Wampum-hair do to obtain her love?”
”He would climb the sky, or dive to the bottom of the salt lake; all that the Great Spirit could ask would he do”
”A chief cannot coive his own consent, and the young bird listens to the voice of its parent”
”Let the great chief say what he would have, and the ar to do his will For the sake of Leelinau he would please her father”
The Sache features of the young ood of his people In those days the panthers, driven froreat nuame, on which the Indians depended for subsistence
Although e the land and do serious injury; and they had beco frequently hunted that they al the chase It would be a public service, though a difficult undertaking, to exterminate the ravenous ani me a conaus made of the scalps of panthers, and another for Leelinau, and he shall have the strong word of a chief to whisper commendations of the hunter in the ears of the reat chief are pleasant, and my ears drink them up as the thirsty sand the drops of rain The feet of Wampum-hair are swift; his arrows are true, and they shall pierce the screa hunter to commence the chase, he started for those parts of the forest where the game was most likely to be found Many were the beasts destroyed by hiht wander in security ten days' journey, in every direction, froe of the Sachem, and narroere the escapes froh were obtained toshoulders of Leelinau In vain, the enamored youth extended his hunt still further, even twenty days' journey fro intervals was a beast discovered, but, finally, not one was to be found, and the youth awoke to the conviction that he had beenof the Sache one day sorrowfully over his disappointed hopes, ashae, to which he had never returned without success before, when, suddenly, a man of majestic presence stood before hile, and his eyes resee feathers, of brilliant colors, oven into his scalp-lock; a nificent robe of skins depended fro spear, tipped with a pointed stone
”My brother is sad,” he said ”Let rief to bear”
Thus exhorted, Magisaunikwa disclosed the cause of his dejection to his syer ”Return, and thou shalt find the conaus in thy lodge, and when thou beholdest theift of Manabozho I am Manabozho”
He spoke, and before the astonished hunter had ti man knew that he had conversed with the capricious Manito, and with full faith and light heart, he directed his steps ho to the promise of the Manito One he presented to the chief, and the other he offered to the maiden, but she refused to accept the tribute of his devotion
The astonishon-ai-bee, and of the whole tribe, is not to be conceived, and the fame of Wampum-hair mounted to the stars The truthful chief spoke earnestly to his daughter, of the merits of her lover, and proposed hiest aversion to the union The haughty maiden inherited the fierce temper of her father, without his wisdouished by high descent or bloody deeds, nor in her soaring pride was there one of the young men of the tribe worthy of her hand Not that there were not youthful warriors who could point to the evidences of their prowess, and whose na, but in every instance the difficult beauty had found some objection, and turned away her head The truth is, the ind, that entices the flowers fro, and leads the bird to its mate, had never breathed upon the heart of Leelinau
But the time finally came when the maiden was constrained to make a choice Her family had become impatient of delay, and Leelinau yielded to their remonstrances It was only in appearance, however, that she acquiesced in the wishes of her relatives She determined to propose, as the price of her hand, some enterprise too difficult to be accohtly as lightly prized, and that the daughter of a great chief like him, was not to be wooed like other maidens, and obtained from hi-bird, his consent to her scheme
The conditions on which Leelinau consented to follow a husband to his lodge were soon known Only hiuide his canoe in safety from the head of the Falls of the Yaupaae to the little islands below The old men shook their heads when they heard the terms, and the squaws said, her heart ht of trying their fortunes