The Delawares were a peaceful tribe, hunting and fishing in their rich
valley and not bothering their neighbors, for they had plenty and needed
little more than they were able to obtain themselves with their strong
bows and sharp arrows and their well-kept fishing gear.
It was late spring, and one day as Little Fire Cloud romped and played
in the village his father called to him.
“Come, Little Fire Cloud, it is time we built a new canoe. Shortly we
shall be needing a new canoe and if we do not start work now it will not
be ready when the time comes to leave camp.”
So father and son started out to gather the materials to make a fine new
canoe.
The Indians of the forest and lakes depended a great deal upon the canoe
and were wise enough to construct them of material that was easy to
obtain. Light cedar made the ribs and the planking of the canoe, and
over this the Indians stretched a tight cover of birch bark. Then they
took spruce roots and split them and these they used to sew the seams of
the canoe together. They then would calk the spaces with a tarlike
substance which was made from pine pitch and soot. When finished the
product was firm and sturdy, but above all if the canoe should become
injured in any way, the materials were always handy in the forest with
which to make repairs.
Finally Little Fire Cloud and his father had gathered all the necessary
equipment together and the work on the canoe was started. Father and son
worked very hard at the job, and a few days later the canoe was
completed. As the two finished their work they stood back to admire the
job and Little Fire Cloud said,
“Is it not beautiful, father? It is the most beautiful canoe I have ever
seen either in our own village or any of our neighbors.”
“Yes, Little Fire Cloud, it really is a beautiful canoe and one which we
can be proud of.”
For the rest of that day that remained, Little Fire Cloud could talk of
nothing else but the beautiful canoe that he helped his father to build.
Finally supper was over, and it was time to retire.
That night as Little Fire Cloud fell asleep his head was all full of
visions of canoes and rapids and great lakes and rivers. Soon the
confusion of many things became one thing, and Little Fire Cloud found
himself standing on the shore of a great lake. He did not know how he
got there or what lake it was, but the water was a beautiful blue green
and it was calm and smooth. It was daytime and, as Little Fire Cloud
looked upon the lake, in the distance he saw a canoe coming toward him.
In the bow of the canoe stood a great warrior, his arms folded across
his chest and his eyes looking right at Little Fire Cloud.
In the stern of the canoe, a young warrior softly paddled the canoe
forward toward the shore, directly to where Little Fire Cloud was
standing. As the canoe drew closer, Little Fire Cloud saw that it was
made of shimmering silver birch bark and it looked so clean and new.
As the bow scraped the shore, the warrior stepped from the canoe and
walked to where Little Fire Cloud was standing.
“Come, Little Fire Cloud, step into the canoe, and we shall take a short
trip.”
“I do not know if I should,” said Little Fire Cloud overcome by the
great warrior who stood before him. “My father might wonder where I had
gone.”
“Do not worry about your father for you will be gone only a short while
and we shall return you to this point on the shore. I have something I
want to show you.”
So Little Fire Cloud feeling a warmth toward this great warrior stepped
in and seated himself in the middle of the canoe. Then the great warrior
stepped in and pushed away from shore. The warrior in the stern turned
the canoe toward the middle of the lake and began to paddle steadily,
his blade cutting the water neatly and hardly making a ripple.
The canoe glided softly and smoothly across the water. Up ahead a mist
had settled upon the water, and soon the canoe had entered this mist and
was gliding softly through the water with nothing on any side but the
cloudy white mist. All that Little Fire Cloud could see was water right
next to the canoe.
Little Fire Cloud called to the warrior.
“Where are you taking me, O great warrior of the lake?”
“You shall see, little brave,” said the great warrior without turning in
the canoe.
Soon the mist lifted, and there surrounding the canoe was a beautiful
pool of water with many streams running off in different directions.
The Indian who was paddling guided the canoe into one of these streams,
and as the canoe moved forward the warrior pointed toward the shore.
There along the shore, Little Fire Cloud could see many beaver working
diligently at gathering material for their homes. As the canoe continued
along the stream, Little Fire Cloud saw many beautiful flowers and
plants, and occasionally a deer could be seen drinking at the water’s
edge. Little Fire Cloud was quick to notice that the animals seemed to
pay no attention to the canoe when it sailed past where they stood
except to lift their heads and look at this craft as it moved smoothly
along the stream under the expert hands of the brave in the stern.
Little Fire Cloud noticed that there were no weapons in the canoe.
Soon they had reached a fork in the stream, and again the canoe was
guided into one of the openings and the trip continued. Many more wild
flowers and animals were observed by Little Fire Cloud until suddenly
they were in the mist once again and all the beauty was behind them as
they moved swiftly through the mist.
When they broke from the cloud, Little Fire Cloud could see the shore of
the lake once again and he realized that they must have traveled in a
circle. Soon the canoe scraped the shore and the warrior stepped out and
assisted Little Fire Cloud. When the boy was safely ashore the warrior
said, “Did you enjoy your trip?”
“Oh, yes,” answered Little Fire Cloud. “Everything was so beautiful.
Thank you very much for the nice ride and for showing me all the
beautiful things of nature.”
“Yes, Little Fire Cloud, there are many many beautiful things in nature
that can be seen if one travels quietly and peacefully in a good canoe.
Nature is our friend and, if we remember this, many pleasant hours will
be spent seeing nature. Do not do anything to spoil this picture which
will remain with you always. If you never raise your bow to kill unless
you have need for food or clothing game will always be plentiful. But if
you wasted this beauty which is given to the Indian you yourself and
your people would soon die from hunger and cold. To kill for the sake of
killing is cruel and wasteful. Now I must say good-bye, for I have many
miles to travel. Good-bye, Little Fire Cloud, and remember your trip
into the misty lake.”
With that the warrior stepped into the canoe, and soon the canoe turned
and disappeared into the distance.
Suddenly Little Fire Cloud felt a hand upon his shoulder and someone was
shaking him.
“My son, my son, wake up, you have been dreaming.”
When Little Fire Cloud opened his eyes he was lying on his bed, and his
father was standing over him.
“Oh, father, I had the most beautiful dream. A great warrior came and
took me for a ride in a beautiful canoe and showed me the wonders of
nature in all their splendor.”
And Little Fire Cloud went on to tell his dream in all the beautiful
detail that he could remember. His father was a good father and so he
listened patiently to his son; and when Little Fire Cloud had finished
telling about the dream, his father said, “Yes, my son, it was a
beautiful dream, and in the dream you learned a great lesson concerning
the creatures of the wild which I hope you will always remember.”