THE LEGEND OF THE MUSKINGUM RIVER
"Long years ago there lived a brave Indian chief called Wa-chi-ta; in
fact, he and his tribe inhabited a portion of this state--perhaps in the
vicinity of these very trees.
"He was a kind and humane man, and his wife, Ona-pas-see, was like him
in that respect, therefore they were dearly beloved by their subjects.
They had three fine sons but no daughter, so when a little girl came to
them they were exceedingly happy and there was great rejoicing.
"'As she is fair and beautiful to behold we will call her O-hi-o,' said
the Chief. ("As we know, Ohio means 'beautiful,'" said Kate.)
"So little O-hi-o waxed strong and grew into a woman worthy of her name.
She was idolized by Ona-pas-see and spoiled by Wa-chi-ta.
"After the manner of all maidens, when she arrived at the marriageable
age from miles around came many braves to pay their respects. They
brought her rare and costly gifts of silver, copper, and gold--of beads
and bears' claws, as well as the skins of the fox, squirrel, and ermine.
"O-hi-o smiled sweetly and accepted her gifts with pretty speeches of
thanks, but of the young men she would have none. Her parents worried
not a little, as they wished to see her settled in life, living in her
own wigwam. Her brothers talked with her upon her duty, but she only
smiled, showing her pretty teeth and arranged her headband of beads,
using for a glass the clear stream near the wigwam.
"The squaws declared that she would never marry--that soon would go her
youth and good looks; then the braves would seek some maiden younger and
fairer. But O-hi-o only shook her head and ran to her father to be
kissed.
"'She is proud,' they said, gazing after her, 'No one is good enough for
her. She will meet with her punishment--watch.'
"Then behold! there came to the village one day a young
warrior--Mus-kin-gum by name. He came from a tribe many miles distant,
bearing a message from its Chief to Wa-chi-ta.
"O-hi-o sat near her father. She was embroidering a wampum belt with
different colored beads and shells, skilfully fashioning birds,
butterflies, animals, etc. As she glanced up shyly, lo! her eye caught
the eye of the young brave. The blood flew into her cheeks and her heart
started in to beat as though it would burst. While delivering his speech
to Wa-chi-ta young Mus-kin-gum grew scarlet and embarrassed.
"That was the beginning. It was in June. The birds sang their love songs
and the air was filled with mysterious romance and sweetness. Permission
had been granted by Wa-chi-ta to Mus-kin-gum to pay his addresses to his
daughter O-hi-o, and when he told her of his love he said:
"'Why confess it? You have known since the day in the wigwam when our
eyes met and my soul fell captive to your beauty and sweetness.'
"Then, when upon the mountain sides the trees hung out their yellow,
gray and scarlet banners, with great pomp and ceremony these two young
people were wed, and the festivities lasted for days. Everyone was happy
because Wa-chi-ta was happy, and all of the tribe loved Wa-chi-ta.
"As for O-hi-o and Mus-kin-gum, they were content. They lived in a fine
wigwam and adored each other. While her husband was in the woods
shooting game or fishing, Ohio would sit in the doorway and watch for
his return, and as for him, his eyes were constantly roving towards the
valley where he could see the smoke coming from a certain wigwam; and
when it came in volumes as though from a freshly started fire, his heart
would rejoice, for then he knew that O-hi-o was preparing the supper and
it was time to return.
"And so these two who loved each other lived in one continual honeymoon
until the arrival of little Mus-kin-gum--a strong, lusty, little fellow
looking not unlike Wa-chi-ta, which pleased his grandfather only too
well. It was his father's delight to attend to his education, and his
father was not only beloved by his tribe but feared by his enemies. So
he wished to teach his little son to be honest, kind and fearless. He
wished him to be brave and able to lead his tribe into battle--to die
for them if necessary. He taught the boy to aim well and shoot with a
bow and arrow, and when he was about seven years old it was his delight
to accompany big Mus-kin-gum on his shooting expeditions--to help him
fish and hunt. Together they would tramp for miles, and O-hi-o would sit
in her doorway and embroider, thanking the Great Spirit that she had two
warriors to look after instead of one; and little Mus-kin-gum would clap
his hands with joy when she'd say:
"'What has the little warrior shot today?' And her husband would reply:
'He has helped me; he has carried my heavy bow and arrow; and he has
also carried these,' displaying a large string of fish. 'Besides, he
caught two of them.'
"Of course, they talked in Indian language, which is more beautiful than
ours.
"Then on their trips Mus-kin-gum would teach his little son how to
distinguish one tree from another by examining its leaves; how to tell
the name of a bird by listening to its call; how to read the signs of
the Indians; how to read from their tracks the whereabouts of the enemy,
the trail of the animals, and the secrets of the woods--the song of the
birds, the whispering of the trees, and the murmuring of the brook;
about the way of flowers, ferns, etc., and the names of the different
nuts and fruits that flower first and then become ripe and fall to the
ground.
"He taught him about the different animals and how to trap and shoot
them, and lastly he taught him about the stars and the stories connected
with them. Little Mus-kin-gum could point out the Dipper or Great Bear,
the Little Bear, how the last star but one in the Dipper--the star at
the bend of the handle--is called 'Mizar,' one of the horses; and just
above tucked close in is a smaller star--'Alcor' or 'the rider.' The
Indians called these two the 'Old Squaw and the Papoose on her back,'
and the young men would say to the little fellow: 'Do you see the
papoose on the old squaw's back?'
"Then at once he'd point to them, and the parents would be proud of him.
"His father also taught him that shaking a blanket in Indian language
meant 'I want to talk with you.' Holding up a tree branch--'I wish to
make peace.' Holding up a weapon--'I am prepared to fight,' and many
others like our own signal of the Camp Fires," said Kate, "which is one
of the oldest of Indian signs."
"Isn't this a lovely story?" broke in Patty. "I can't wait for its
finish."
"And it's late; I'll have to talk more rapidly, I fear," replied Miss
Hollister, "or postpone the rest until tomorrow night."
"Oh, don't," went up a shout of young voices,--"please finish. Why, we'd
keep awake all night if you stopped now."
Kate laughed good-naturedly and signed to one of the Fire Makers to put
on more wood. Quickly Ethel jumped up and brought an armful, for our
Camp was very ceremonious. Then as the flame burst forth anew she
proceeded:
"So you can see that little Mus-kin-gum was a loveable child, endowed
with more than ordinary intelligence. His father also told him of the
Great Spirit, and the child listened reverently. He was an unusual
child--bright for his age--and he learned quickly. He was also
affectionate, and Mus-kin-gum became as weak as a woman when the little
fellow would put his arms about his neck or clasp him by the hand.
"The mother had taught the child a prayer to the Great Spirit. It was
this:
"'Great Spirit, listen Thou to us; guide us this day; help us, lest we
fall; make our will Thy will--our ways Thy way.'
"Mus-kin-gum's great fear was that he might lose him ere he grew up to
manhood, for next to O-hi-o he adored his boy.
"One morning big and little Mus-kin-gum started for the woods. They were
in high spirits as they kissed O-hi-o goodbye.
"'We will shoot for you a big deer,' said the boy, 'and we will bring to
you many large fish.'
"O-hi-o smiled and wished them luck. After watching until out of sight
she left her wigwam to spend the day with her parents. It was a warm
June day and it reminded O-hi-o of her courting days. She lived it all
over again, and her heart gave thanks to the Great Spirit for His
kindness--for the wonderful love and happiness that had since been hers
in the possession of her husband and child. And the birds sang as on the
day that Mus-kin-gum first beheld her at the door of her father's
wigwam. She could see his eyes holding her own; she could feel her heart
bounding in her bosom, and the red flushed into her cheek even as it had
done then.
"She spent a pleasant day talking of her two dear ones and her parents
were never weary of listening. They made her repeat the little prayer
said to the Great Spirit by the idolized grandson.
"'I must leave now,' she said, 'and prepare their supper. They will be
watching in the valley for the smoke from our wigwam,' and kissing her
parents fondly she left.
"In the meanwhile it grew dark.
"'Little one,' said Mus-kin-gum, 'we must hasten. I feel rain in the
air. Look at the clouds and behold it in them ready to fall.'
"And the little fellow looked and laughed, thinking it fun to be caught
in a shower. They were close to the edge of the woods ready to descend
the path leading to the valley, when suddenly with terrific force the
rain began to fall, followed by a mighty wind that rent the clouds and
rushed through the woods. Thunder pealed loud and long; lightning
flashed, blinding the eyes. Little Mus-kin-gum grew pale and trembled.
Never before had he feared a storm.
"'It is the voice of the Great Spirit,' he said solemnly, and began to
repeat the prayer.
"Seeing his fright, his father drew the boy's head to his breast and
held it there so that he might not see the lightning as it flashed with
unusual violence.
"At last one flash came, and with it went the spirit of brave
Mus-kin-gum. His arms loosened their hold on the screaming child. He
reeled and fell backward--dead. The last bolt had killed him.
"Then followed peal after peal of thunder. The boy called to him in
vain. He even tried to raise him in his arms. Seeing that it was useless
he threw himself on his breast and moaned, every now and then lamenting
in loud cries.
"The storm ceased. When, after the night fell, and Mus-kin-gum and the
boy failed to appear, O-hi-o gathered together a band of young men from
nearby and started out to search for them. O-hi-o kept calling,
'Mus-kin-gum, where art thou? My little one--art thou safe?'
"Then on the air floated a child's voice calling to its mother.
"Like a deer, O-hi-o flew to the spot. The child was rubbing his eyes.
He had fallen asleep on his dead father's breast and was awakened by his
mother's voice, but he never left his father's body.
"As O-hi-o drew near she beheld her poor brave handsome Mus-kin-gum
lying with his face upturned to the moon, whose beams fell upon him.
O-hi-o knelt down and kissed her husband but she uttered no cry--only a
dull muffled moan escaped her, for she was the daughter of an Indian
Chieftain and it would not have done. She had been taught to bear pain
without a murmur, but the look upon her face was terrible. The young men
would gladly have died to have brought young Mus-kin-gum to life for her
sake.
"Then the eldest lifted the child, who still sat by his dead father's
side, and placed him in his mother's arms, and as the little fellow
sobbed and kissed her lo! her eyes filled with tears and she headed the
procession that followed bearing the body of their beloved Mus-kin-gum
adown the steep path that led to her wigwam.
"And Mus-kin-gum was buried with great ceremony and honors becoming a a
man of his station. But O-hi-o took no further interest in life. The
child now clung to his grandfather, who tried to take his father's
place. Every day O-hi-o would lead him to the grave on the mountain
side, and together they would pray to the Great Spirit.
"'And I prayed in the woods,' said the boy, 'when the thunder rolled and
the lightning came, but the Great Spirit turned away his face and took
my father.'
"'He was called to live among the stars,' O-hi-o would reply.
"'And is he up there?" the child would ask. 'I will look for him,' after
which every night would little Mus-kin-gum stand or lie on the ground
gazing at the stars, declaring at times that he could discern his father
looking down upon them.
"But alas! from the day of the storm the boy could never again hear the
voice of thunder, nor see the flashes of lightning, without going into
convulsions. Upon the first distant roar he would jump up and down,
scream loudly, and run to his mother, burying his head on her breast,
relapsing into a state of semi-consciousness until the storm should have
passed. It was pitiful, and poor O-hi-o's tears would fall on the boy's
head, for it was thus he had stood before his father while Mus-kin-gum
met his death.
"As time went on the attacks grew worse. Vainly did old Wa-chi-ta
summon the best known medicine men and old women, but each one shook his
or her head doubtfully. Vainly did the tribe assemble in the Council
wigwam to consult with one another and pray to the Great Spirit for
Mus-kin-gum's son--for his recovery. Nothing seemed to avail. The child
grew worse and worse, never caring to leave his mother's side.
"Then came a bad year for the Indians. There was a drought. The fruit
fell from the trees while yet in flower. The grass turned brown and
withered. The crops died. The water dried up and there was none for the
cattle. The different tribes met and prayed with no result.
"'We must die,' they said. 'Behold! the Lake even has gone, and
something must be done.'
"And the wise men declared that the Great Spirit must be angry with them
and that he demanded of them a sacrifice. The more they talked the more
they believed that it was imperative. 'One life must be sacrificed,'
they said,--'one life for many. That is the only way to save our people.
No rain has fallen in nearly four months. The Great Spirit demands and
must be obeyed.'
"Then into the midst of the wise men and chieftains came O-hi-o. She was
very beautiful and the braves held their breath as they gazed upon her.
By her hand she led the son of Mus-kin-gum.
"'I have heard what you said--oh! wise men,' she began. 'I have no wish
to live longer. I and my son are ready to be your sacrifice. My heart is
in the grave upon the mountain side. My son is not strong; his health is
poor. We give ourselves for the good of our people.'
"Many wept. The wise men regarded her as they might an angel sent by the
Great Spirit. Her parents gazed upon her with pride and adoration.
"'But,' she continued, 'I would choose the manner of my death. On the
pinnacle of rocks overlooking this valley, where each day that he hunted
in the woods my dear Mus-kin-gum would stand and wave to me, tomorrow
night 'neath the light of the moon, with my son's hand in mine--together
he and I will leap from that rock into the valley below,--the once
lovely valley now so desolate. Do not refuse me,' she cried, as many
protested suggesting others not so young. 'No, I will gladly make the
sacrifice for my dear father's people.'
"So they counselled together and accepted the offer made by their
Chieftain's daughter.
"O-hi-o and Mus-kin-gum spent their last day with the old people, who,
while filled with pride, were heartbroken. They clung to the mother and
child, nor were they ashamed to show their love and weakness.
"'I shall be with my father,' said little Mus-kin-gum. 'You may look for
my mother and me in the stars, Grandpa. I have seen father there. Be
sure and watch; we shall all be together,' and the child smiled as he
kissed his grandparents, whose hearts were breaking.
"'My two brave ones,' said old Wa-chi-ta, 'if the rain comes to us it
will be you who have sent it.'
"The tribes assembled from miles around. It was a hot, torrid night,
although the moon shone brightly. All was silent as O-hi-o and little
Mus-kin-gum came forth to the sacrifice. She wore her ceremonial
costume; her long, black hair was flowing and held in by a beaded
headband. She looked so beautiful as she marched up the mountain that
people wept, but she walked proudly with her head erect, leading her
child by the hand, and the little fellow also held his head upright and
seemed without fear. Soon the ledge was reached. Looking down into the
valley below they took their position.
"'Farewell,' said O-hi-o, 'I do this for the love I bear you, my
people.'
"Then she kissed the boy many times and, reconsidering, she lifted him
in her arms. The child put his face to hers and clung tightly about her
neck. She whispered in his ear. He raised his head and called aloud:
'May the rain fall and may you all be happy.'
"Then holding her child close to her heart the brave woman stepped to
the edge, closed her eyes, and leaped into the valley below,--the valley
in which stood her wigwam."
Kate paused. The girls were hanging breathlessly on her words. Sallie
Davis and Mattie Hastings were crying, while Edna Whitely and Mollie
Long drew nearer.
"Oh, don't stop," gasped Patty Sands, "please go on, Miss Kate. I'm all
excited."
Kate laughed.
"Do let me get my breath, girls. I had no idea it would take me so
long."
"There fell no rain that night, but the people as they marched down into
the valley thought of nothing but the sacrifice. Probably had it rained
they would not have known it. They were silent, thinking with admiration
of the wonderful act of heroism that they had just witnessed.
"The next day searching parties started out to seek the bodies of the
mother and child, but not a trace could be found.
"'The Great Spirit has taken them in the flesh,' they said. 'Perhaps He
is angry that we allowed it.'
"Everyone grew frightened. None seemed to care to speak. Suddenly a low
peal of thunder was heard, then a louder one, after which came a flash
of lightning.
"'A storm!" they cried, 'the sacrifice has not been in vain,' and they
fell to their knees.
"It rained as it had never rained before. It fell in sheets. The cattle
drank greedily and the water was plentiful. After the third day it grew
lighter and the rain slacked. People ventured out of doors, and lo! the
valley with the wigwam of Mus-kin-gum had disappeared. In its place,
behold! a river. Up and down as far as eye could reach flowed the
shining waters. A miracle had been performed, and the wise men came from
miles around.
"'We will call the river O-hi-o,' they said, 'for it is the soul of her
who has saved us.'
"And the river spread and grew larger. The braves explored and found
that it was too long to measure. It would take days and days to find the
end; in fact, they doubted that there could be an end.
"One morning they discovered a smaller river that emptied into the one
they had named O-hi-o. That increased in length as well, but with their
canoes they could paddle a hundred miles. They also noticed a peculiar
thing about this smaller river. Whenever there came a thunder shower the
river would rise and become covered with whitecaps, and rush madly down
like a torrent until it seemed to fairly leap into the Ohio; and one
wise man--the wisest of the tribe--said:
"'Behold, it is little Mus-kin-gum. Can you not see how the storm
affects him? Was he not so in the flesh? Can you not see how he seeks
his mother's bosom for shelter?'
"And so the mystery was explained. From the date of the appearance of
the two rivers everything in that part of the country prospered. The
cattle were second to none. The fruit was the fairest and most luscious
fruit ever grown, while the crops--corn, buckwheat, oats, barley and
wheat--could not be excelled."
("Today the fisheries are the finest and the Grand Reservoir is the
largest body of artificial water in the world--equal in extent to all
others in the state. It is well for you to know that," said Kate,
interrupting the story).
"And whenever the Indians prayed to the Great Spirit they would thank
him for having sent O-hi-o as a voluntary sacrifice; and each starlight
night old Wa-chi-ta and his wife would search among the constellations
for their three loved ones. Then they, too, passed into the Happy
Hunting Grounds. But with many of the Western tribes the legend remains
until today.
"For years to come the little Indian children would say to one another:
"'It's going to storm. Hear the thunder; see it lighten; let us go down
and watch the little Mus-kin-gum get frightened and rush into his
mother's arms.'"
"That is the end," said Kate.
"Oh! it is lovely," they all cried, "and we thank you so much."
"You see," she added, "now I am glad that I called this Camp Fire the
'Ohio.' That is our legend, and we can have a little copy made to annex
to our book."
Then the Fire Maker came forward and extinguished the dying embers. Each
girl arose and kissed the Guardian goodnight, and retired.