PUKUMAKUN'S STORY CONTINUED--SEARCHING FOR FRIENDS--PATHLESS PRAIRIE--
ANGRY RELATIONS--AVENGERS OF BLOOD UNAPPEASED--RACE FOR LIFE--
OVERTAKEN--FIRST CONFLICT--ARROW AGAINST TOMAHAWK--OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL.
"Thus I travelled on for some days. At times it was I difficult for me
to keep the trail, but my horse was very wise, and somehow he seemed to
know that he was following-up his comrades.
"I was often very hungry, as I had nothing else to depend upon with
which to hunt except my two strings, and then I could only use them when
my horse was resting. However, I caught a few more prairie dogs, and
one night I caught a prairie chicken, which was very good.
"One day, as I rode over a big swell like a hill in the prairie, I saw
not very far away a herd of buffaloes. So I knew I must be near my
friends. While I was pleased at the sight I began to feel very much
alarmed. They would say at once, `Where is your mother?' Then, if they
did not believe my story, what then? So I was much troubled in my mind,
and, while looking for my people, I dreaded to meet them. I felt that
my father would believe my story, but I was afraid of my mother's
brothers, the sons of the chief. They had never had any love for me, or
I much for them. Why this was so I found out one day when they were
upbraiding my mother in the wigwam for marrying my father, instead of a
chief of another village, to whom they had promised her. They thought I
was asleep, or they would not have spoken as they did. I remember that
my mother spoke up, and said that she was the daughter of a chief, who
had given her the right to choose her own husband; and that she was
contented and happy in her choice. Just then their sharp eyes seemed to
know that I was not very sound asleep, and so their strong words ceased;
for Indian men and women do not let their children hear their quarrels.
"So I now remember their words, and was afraid. Not long after I saw
some of the hunters, and when I met one whom I knew, I inquired for my
father. He told me where I would find him, and so I rode on. My father
was resting with some others after a great run, in which they had killed
many buffaloes. When I drew near to him, although I was the grandson of
a chief, I lifted up my voice and wept. At this he was very much
surprised and hurt, for as yet he knew not of our great loss. Others
jeered and laughed at seeing a young Indian weeping. Then my father
arose and led me away and began to upbraid me, for he knew not the cause
of my sorrow, but supposed my mother had joined the other women, who
were very busy cutting up and preserving the meat of the buffalo. But I
could only continue my weeping, and at length was able to cry out: `My
mother! my mother!'
"At this my father quickly ceased his reproofs, and becoming alarmed
cried out: `tell me what is the matter.'
"So I told him all. And as I saw his great sorrow as he listened to my
story I knew how great had been his love for my mother, who, in her love
for him, had preferred him to the chief whom her brothers wished her to
marry. He was crushed to the ground and speechless with sorrow, and as
I saw him so overwhelmed with his grief I wished I had died with my
mother.
"For a time he thus remained, while I, the most miserable, could only
sit by and look at him. No words or tears came from him, but the great
sorrow had taken such a hold upon him that he seemed as one who would
there have died.
"Suddenly, as voices were heard and we both knew that some persons were
coming near, he turned to me and with a great effort said:--
"`My son, you must flee at once. Your mother's brothers, who love us
not, will not believe your story; and as they are the nearest of kin,
the avengers of blood, they will seek your life. You have no witness to
your story, not even the body or a grave to show. When they find your
mother has not arrived, their suspicions will be aroused. I believe
your story, strange as it is. When they demand of me the cause of your
mother's non-arrival I will tell them as you have told me; but they will
not believe it, and so you must not meet them, as in all probability
they will kill you, in spite of all that I can do. So you must flee
away from the avengers. You, my only son of your mother, must not fall
by the hands of her brothers. Meet me here to-night when the moon is at
her brightest, and I will then have decided what you must do. Flee
quickly.'
"It was indeed time for me to go, for hardly had I slipped away, and
hidden in the deep grass, ere I heard angry voices in reply to my
father's quiet words. But I could make out nothing at the time of what
was said. For hours I there remained. The day passed on, and the night
followed, and yet I waited until the old moon came up to its brightest
point. Then, returning to the appointed spot, there I found my father
waiting for me. His great sorrow was still on him, his love for the son
of her whom he had loved so well had shown itself in his acts. He had
with him a good horse and a warrior's bow and quiver of arrows. In
addition he had a supply of food and some other necessary things. He
embraced me more tenderly than I ever remember his having done before,
and then for an instant his strong Indian nature broke, and with one
convulsive sob he said, `Kah-se-ke-at' (`My beloved'), which was his pet
name for my mother. But quickly he regained his composure, and,
pointing to the north star, he said I was to direct my course so much
west of that and try to reach the friendly band of Maskepetoon, the
great chief of the land of the Saskatchewan. He commanded me to ride
fast, as he feared trouble, as my uncles, to whom he had told my story
in the presence of all the relatives, would not be pacified, but had
demanded that I be delivered up. So I was armed and mounted, but ere my
father would let me go he drew me down to him and kissed me, and then
said:--
"`Be brave, my son; never begin a quarrel; but if the story of your
mother's death is true--and I believe you, for you have never deceived
me--then in your innocency, if you are followed and attacked, use your
weapons, and if you must die, fall bravely fighting, as does the true
warrior.'
"In the moonlight there I left him, and dashed away in the direction
pointed out.
"My horse was a good one, and carried me along without any stumbling,
although the prairie was rough and uneven. It was well for me that he
was so steady and true, for I was only a boy, and so crushed by my great
sorrow that I was hardly able to care for myself. With this good horse
I was able to get on rapidly. However, in spite of all the progress I
had made, I discovered about the time the day-dawn was coming that I was
being followed. My pursuers were my fierce uncles, who had never
forgiven my mother for marrying my father; and now that they had heard
that she was dead resolved to take vengeance on me, whom they had always
hated. They knew that, as was the custom of our people, they as the
nearest relatives were the avengers of blood. In vain had my father
pleaded for me, and that I was not guilty of her death. They would not
be appeased, even though he had offered, as gifts, about all of his
possessions. When, in anger and sorrow at their unrelenting spirit, he
left them, they cunningly watched him, that they might find where I was
hidden away.
"But my father was too quick for them, and so was able to get me off, as
I have mentioned, before they found my hiding place. However, they were
soon on my trail, but they had to ride many a mile before they overtook
me, as I had sped on as rapidly as I could. Although I was only a boy I
was able to see, when I detected them following after me, that they were
not coming as friends. Then also my father's words had put me on my
guard. They seemed so sure of being able to easily kill me that they
resorted to no trick or disguise to throw me off my guard. So I
remembered my father, and being conscious that I was innocent of my
mother's death I was resolved to die as a warrior. Carefully stringing
my bow, I fixed my quiver of arrows so that I could draw them easily as
I needed them. Fortunately for me, my father had taught me the trick of
riding on the side of my horse and shooting back from under his neck.
Soon with the yells and warwhoops of my pursuers the arrows began to fly
around me. One of their sharp arrows wounded my horse, but instead of
disabling him it put such life into him that for the next few miles we
were far ahead beyond their arrows. But their horses were more enduring
than mine, and so they gradually gained on me once more. I did not
shoot an arrow until I could hear the heavy breathings of their horses,
which, like mine, were feeling the effects of this fearful race. Then,
swinging quickly to my horse's side, I caused him by the pressure of my
knee to swerve a little to the left, and then, drawing my bow with all
my might, I fired back from under his neck at the horse nearer to me.
Fortunately for me, my arrow struck him in the neck, and so cut some of
the great swollen veins that he was soon out of the race. The uncle on
the other horse stopped for a moment to see if he could be of any
service, but, when he found that the wounded horse would soon bleed to
death, he sprang again upon his own and came on, if possible, more
furiously than ever. His brief halt had given me time to get another
arrow fixed in my bow as on I hurried, but my horse was about exhausted,
and soon again the arrows began to sing about me. One unfortunately
struck my horse in a mortal place and brought him down. I could only
spring to the ground as he fell, and with my bow and arrow quickly turn
and face my pursuer. Very sudden was the end. He drew his tomahawk and
threw it with all the fury of his passionate nature. I did not try to
dodge it, but facing him I drew my bow with all my strength and shot
straight into his face. Our weapons must have crossed each other, for
while he fell dead with the arrow in his brain, I fell senseless with
the blade of the tomahawk, which, cutting clean through my bow, had
buried itself in my face.
"When I returned to consciousness my father was beside me. He had sewed
up the wounds with sinew, and had succeeded in stopping the flowing of
the blood. How he came there seemed strange to me. He told me all
about it when I was better. He had found out that the two uncles, well-
armed and on good horses, had discovered my trail and had started after
me. He was not long in following, and as he had their trail in addition
to mine he was able to push on without any delay, and so caught up to
the one whose horse I had shot in the neck.
"They had no words with each other. They knew that as they joined in
battle it was to be a fight unto the death. My father killed my uncle
and came out of the battle unwounded. Then he hurried on as quickly as
he could, and from a distance saw the fight between my uncle and me.
When he dashed up, at first he thought I was dead, but soon he
discovered that the life was still in me. He at once set to work to
help me, but months passed away ere the great wound made by the tomahawk
healed up.
"This great scar remains with me to this day, and reminds me of that
fierce fight, and tells of how terrible in those days were some of the
doings of our people."