THE SAMPSON OF THE KLAMATH INDIANS.
Kay-kay-my-alth-may, the Sampson of the Po-lick-la’s, (the lower
Klamath Indians) and the Pech-ic-la’s (upper Klamath Indians), was born
at the village of Auh-leek-kin on the river. This village is about
twelve miles down the river from the old Klamath Bluffs store, and
about the same distance from the mouth of the river at Requa. It was
once a large and flourishing village, a long time ago at the time of
Sampson’s birth, and long after he was dead.
This Indian Sampson was a tall and handsome fellow, with sinewy arms
and a body of muscle. His hair was extremely long, such flowing tresses
of beauty and strength, wherein his wonderful physical powers lay.
This man of wonderful physique was a Klamath Indian, a lone and mighty
warrior for all who opposed him; and it mattered little how many in
number were against him, they were always defeated. This warrior did
not use bow and arrows, spears or shields to defend himself in his
conquests, but used instead the sling and pebbles. He would raid whole
villages in the quest of wealth and none dared combat him but what were
defeated. The tribes feared him for his great strength, as they knew
not where he got his super-natural power.
The tribes of the Smith River, Hoopa and Klamath feared him greatly as
he reached the dizzy heights of his powers and massacres. He refused to
pay tribute to any of the tribes.
One day this warrior bold, emboldened by his triumphs, met a beautiful
and shy maiden of another tribe, with whom he fell desperately in love.
Her people were the Smith River tribe (He-na’s) with whom he was
fighting at the time. He defeated them and took her captive, and alas,
love after a time proved his utter ruin. Ah, what monarch of earth
that love will not conquer with her soothing hands! After he captured
the maiden he married her so she could hold herself respected before
all, and took her to his home at Auh-leek-kin, giving her the name of
Auh-leek-kin-on. No children came to bless this union; no childish
prattle or laughter to lift the gloom of the coming years.
This Sampson’s dwelling place was in a house where he had made a
cellar in the clay and in this cellar he always retreated at night
that he might not be suddenly surprised and taken by his enemies. His
wife yielded to his love, seeking the secret of his great strength,
and alas, mighty man and warrior, the conqueror of tribes fell before
the weak hands of the woman he loved. Day by day, so gentle and sweet
her endearing words of affection fell like balm on his troubled soul,
soothing the afflictions of a dark and turbulent career. Patiently as
the months past by she gained his confidence. Ah, ’tis sweet to yield
to woman’s wiles, though she leads you to the grave, yawning with the
grim jaws of death. In this woman’s feeble arms, this powerful man
revealed his secret, that his mighty strength was in his long and
flowing hair, the beauty of night and the strength of nations.
False woman came to dwell in his life as she gained the secrets of
his mighty powers; siren like was the touch of her fingers upon his
troubled forehead. Fascinated in the comfort of one he loved so
passionately he fell asleep, and one fatal day with his head laid
lovingly upon her lap, the cruel woman of destiny arose stealthily and
stole from the fire embers a flaming torch and burnt the raven locks
off closely to his head, as he slept soundly on.
Upon awakening, to his great alarm and grief, he found that his
super-human strength had left him. The pride of his life, his long and
flowing locks were gone, and with it his fate was sealed. The powerful
warrior lay vanquished at the feet of his enemies, to grieve his loss
as only great men can grieve.
After his enemies had captured him they decided to put out his eyes
that he might never more be able to fight them. Thus, at last, the
great and strong Kay-kay-my-alth-may was defeated by the weak hands of
a woman he had loved and trusted so much.
After he had been captured and tortured, his proud spirit gave grief so
intense that only a great physical strength could long endure. He lived
a few short years, in his native village, but the time seemed long in
his blindness. He could no longer behold the splendors of the sunrise
on the mountain tops or the splendors of the sunset on yon Pacific
Ocean. The wunderlust of his life had set in dismal gloom as he pined
away and died of a broken heart. His faithless wife returned to her
people, where she also died, leaving no one to mourn her and only the
memory of his great strength.