With a start Oowikapun awoke from his long sleep, confused and
bewildered. So vivid had been his dream that it was some time before he
could grasp his surroundings and come back to life's realities.
It was a night of intense darkness. Fierce, cold winds came shrieking
out of the dense forest, and shook the little bark tent into which he
had been thrown, and whistled through its many chinks, and made him
shiver. No cheerful fire burned in the centre, and there was not a
person in the wigwam to offer aid. Every bone and muscle in his body
seemed to ache, and his mind was so distracted and his nerves unstrung
that he was thoroughly miserable. He was nearly destitute of clothing,
for he had been carried out from the circle just as he had danced and
fallen, and now here he was nearly naked and shivering with the cold.
Vainly he felt about for his fire bag, in which he carried his flint and
steel, that he might strike a light; but in the inky darkness nothing
could be found. Only a visitor in the village, he felt, with Indian
reserve, that it would be a great breach of decorum and a sign of great
weakness if he were to call out for help, and so, in spite of his aches
and shiverings, he resolved that he would at least be a "brave," and
patiently endure until the morning brought him light and friends.
Very long indeed to Oowikapun seemed that cold, dark night. The
reaction had come, and physically and mentally he was to be pitied. His
dance had carried him very near to the verge of the dance of death. And
then owing to his vivid dream, although as yet he could not interpret
much of it, there was the vague idea, as a haunting fear, that it had
come to chide him for his cowardice in falling back and taking part in
the devil dance, after having heard of the other way. Thus filled with
sorrow there he sat on his rude bed of boughs, hour after hour, with his
locked hands clasping his knees, and his head bowed down upon his
breast.
The few sounds which broke the stillness of those hours or interrupted
the sighing of the winds were not pleasant. A great owl ensconced in a
tree not far away began and maintained for a long time its monotonous
"hoot-a-hoot a-hoo," while away in the distant forest gloom, rising at
times shrill and distinct above the fitful wind, he heard the wail of
the catamount or panther, the saddest and most mournful sound that ever
broke the solitude of forest gloom. A sound at times so like the
shrieking wail of a child in mortal agony, that heard close at hand it
has caused the face of many a brave wife of the backwoods settler, even
when all her loved ones were safe with her within the strong walls of
the log house, to blanch with terror and to cry out with fear. Its
despairing wail seemed to poor Oowikapun as the echo of the feeling of
his saddened heart.
But the longest night has an end, and to the patient watchers day dawn
comes again. As the first rays of light began to enter through the
cracks and crevices of the wigwam Oowikapun rejoiced greatly, and then
fell into a heavy sleep.
When he awoke the camp fire was burning brightly on the ground before
him, a warm blanket was over his shoulders, and food warm and inviting
was ready for him near the fire.
It was very evident that some one had had compassion on him. Oowikapun
rubbed his eyes, rose up and shook himself, and wondered whether this
was a vision or a reality. His keen appetite, sharpened by long
fasting, came to his help and naturally aided in the settling of the
question; so he vigourously attacked the food, and, eating, was
refreshed and comforted.
Just as he was finishing his meal, the deerskin door of his lodge was
partially but noiselessly pulled aside, and his outer garments and
Indian finery, including his prized fire bag, all of which he had thrown
off at the beginning of the dance, were quickly placed inside the door.
The thing was done so speedily and quietly that it nearly escaped his
notice, sharp and quick as he was; but a draught of air coming in
through the partly opened door caused him to turn and look, but he was
only in time to see a hand and shapely arm, on which was a beautifully
wrought bracelet of Indian beadwork, draw close again the curtainlike
door.
It would have been considered a great breach of decorum if he had
manifested any curiosity or had arisen to see who the person was to whom
he was indebted for this kindness. So curbing all curiosity he finished
his breakfast and put on his apparel, and strange to say, seemed anxious
to be as presentable as possible. Then going out, he was soon greeted
by his friends, who all began urging him to accept of their
hospitalities and go and eat with them. When Oowikapun stated that he
had eaten already a hearty meal, they were all astonished and amazed,
and doubly so, when he told them of what had been done for him in the
wigwam while he slept. Their heartless custom had ever been to leave
the unconscious dancer alone and uncared for until he emerged from the
tent, and then offer him their hospitalities; but here had been a
strange innovation, and the question was immediately raised, Who has
done this? But in spite of many inquiries, everybody seemed to be in
ignorance.
Oowikapun's curiosity was now aroused, and he became exceedingly
desirous of finding out who his benefactor was and expressing his
gratitude. Among other plans that were suggested to his mind was to
endeavour to find out who had taken charge of his clothing and fire bag
while he was dancing in the tent. But even here, he failed to get any
clue. Everybody seemed to have become so absorbed in the ceremonies of
the dance, or in watching the endurance of the dancers, that all minor
things were forgotten.
When the conjurers and medicine-men came to congratulate Oowikapun on
his efforts, and called his dances "good medicine," a sudden feeling of
abhorrence and repulsion came into his heart toward these men; and as
quickly as he dared he turned from them in disgust, and resolved to get
out of the village and away from their influence as soon as possible.
His few preparations were soon completed, and saying, "What cheer?" the
Indian farewell, to his relatives, he securely fastened his little bears
with his furs upon his sled, and throwing the strap over his shoulder,
resumed the trail that led to his still distant home. Soon he was out
of the village and in the forest. Snares and traps abounded on each
side of the path, for the game was plentiful. Especially were the
rabbits and white partridges, the beautiful ptarmigan, very abundant
that winter and spring, and hundreds were caught in snares by the boys
and women and girls; and so for a time he had the well-beaten trail over
which these people travelled as they daily visited their snares.
On pushed Oowikapun until nearly every snowshoe track of these hunters
had disappeared, and but few were seen, and the sense of being alone
again in the forest, or nearly so, returned to him with depressing
results. Rapidly and vividly did there pass through his memory the
events of the last few days spent in the village just left behind; and
especially did his singular dream come up before him, and a feeling of
remorse filled his heart that he had yielded to the importunities of his
pagan friends and had been persuaded to take any part in the dance.
Then his thoughts went farther back, and he was with Memotas again, and
the memory of their last walk came up so distinctly, and especially the
loving words about the true way; and then as he recalled the spot where
with him he had bowed in prayer, and then put up his hand on his brow
where the good man's kiss had been imprinted, the very spot seemed to
burn, and Oowikapun could have wept, only he was indignant at his
cowardice.
Thus moodily he strode along on the trail, now nearly destitute of all
evidences of having been used by the hunters, when he was startled and
amazed by an unexpected sound that seemed strangely out of place. It
was a woman's voice he heard; and although the tones were low and
plaintive, yet he could easily make out the words of the song, for he
had heard them over and over again in the wigwam of Memotas. They were:
"Jesus net it a ye-moo-win,
Is pe-mek ka ke it oo-tate,
Weya pi-ko ne mah-me-sin,
Nesta a-we itoo ta-yan."
To our readers who may not be posted in the Cree language of the far
North, we give the English translation of the verse:
"Jesus, my all, to heaven is gone,
He whom I fix my hopes upon;
His track I see, and I'll pursue
The narrow way, till him I view."
This hymn was the first translated into Cree. It is a general
favourite, and is frequently heard not only in the public religious
services and at the family devotions, but often the forest's stillness
is broken by its hopeful, cheering notes, as at his lonely toil the
Christian hunter strides along. Mr Evans printed his first copies of
it in syllabic characters on birch bark.
But how did it get here? and who was the sweet singer? These were
questions now in the mind of Oowikapun as he stood still, uncertain what
to do, but strangely thrilled by the song, which had so quickly carried
him back to the tent of the loving Christian Memotas.