In a remote part of the north lived a man and his only sister who had
never seen human being. Seldom, if ever, had the man any cause to go
from home, for if he wanted food he had only to go a little distance
from the lodge, and there place his arrows with their barbs in the
ground. He would then return to the lodge and tell his sister where
the arrows had been placed, when she would go in search of them, and
never fail to find each struck through the heart of a deer. These she
dragged to the lodge and dressed for food. Thus she lived until she
attained womanhood. One day her brother, who was named Iamo, said to
her--
"Sister, the time is near when you will be ill. Listen to my advice,
for if you do not it will probably be the cause of my death. Take the
implements with which we kindle our fires, go some distance from our
lodge and build a separate fire. When you are in want of food I will
tell you where to find it. You must cook for yourself and I for
myself. When you are ill do not attempt to come near the lodge or
bring to it any of the utensils you use. Be sure to always have
fastened to your belt whatever you will need in your sickness, for
you do not know when the time of your indisposition will come. As for
myself, I must do the best I can." His sister promised to obey him in
all he said.
Shortly after her brother had cause to go from home. His sister was
alone in the lodge combing her hair, and she had just untied and laid
aside the belt to which the implements were fastened when suddenly she
felt unwell. She ran out of the lodge, but in her haste forgot the
belt. Afraid to return she stood some time thinking, and finally she
determined to return to the lodge and get it, for she said to
herself--
"My brother is not at home, and I will stay but a moment to catch hold
of it."
She went back, and, running in, suddenly seized the belt, and was
coming out, when her brother met her. He knew what had happened.
"Did I not tell you," said he, "to take care? Now you have killed me."
His sister would have gone away, but he spoke to her again.
"What can you do now? What I feared has happened. Go in, and stay
where you have always lived. You have killed me."
He then laid aside his hunting dress and accoutrements, and soon after
both his feet began to inflame and turn black, so that he could not
move. He directed his sister where to place his arrows, so that she
might always have food. The inflammation continued to increase, and
had now reached his first rib.
"Sister," said he, "my end is near. You must do as I tell you. You
see my medicine-sack and my war-club tied to it. It contains all my
medicines, my war-plumes, and my paints of all colours. As soon as the
inflammation reaches my chest, you will take my war-club, and with the
sharp point of it cut off my head. When it is free from my body, take
it, place its neck in the sack, which you must open at one end. Then
hang it up in its former place. Do not forget my bow and arrows. One
of the last you will take to procure food. Tie the others to my sack,
and then hang it up so that I can look towards the door. Now and then
I will speak to you, but not often."
His sister again promised to obey.
In a little time his chest became affected.
"Now," cried he, "take the club and strike off my head."
His sister was afraid, but he told her to muster up courage.
"Strike," said he, with a smile upon his face.
Calling up all her courage, his sister struck and cut off the head.
"Now," said the head, "place me where I told you."
Fearful, she obeyed it in all its commands.
Retaining its animation, it looked round the lodge as usual, and it
would command its sister to go to such places where it thought she
could best procure the flesh of the different animals she needed. One
day the head said--
"The time is not distant when I shall be freed from this situation,
but I shall have to undergo many sore evils. So the Superior Manito
decrees, and I must bear all patiently."
In a certain part of the country was a village inhabited by a numerous
and warlike band of Indians. In this village was a family of ten young
men, brothers. In the spring of the year the youngest of these
blackened his face and fasted. His dreams were propitious, and having
ended his fast, he sent secretly for his brothers at night, so that
the people in the village should not be aware of their meeting. He
told them how favourable his dreams had been, and that he had called
them together to ask them if they would accompany him in a war
excursion. They all answered they would. The third son, noted for his
oddities, swinging his war-club when his brother had ceased speaking,
jumped up: "Yes," said he, "I will go, and this will be the way I will
treat those we go to fight with." With those words he struck the post
in the centre of the lodge, and gave a yell. The other brothers spoke
to him, saying--
"Gently, gently, Mudjikewis, when you are in other people's lodges."
So he sat down. Then, in turn, they took the drum, sang their songs,
and closed the meeting with a feast. The youngest told them not to
whisper their intention to their wives, but to prepare secretly for
their journey. They all promised obedience, and Mudjikewis was the
first to do so.
The time for departure drew near. The youngest gave the word for them
to assemble on a certain night, when they would commence their
journey. Mudjikewis was loud in his demands for his moccasins, and his
wife several times demanded the reason of his impatience.
"Besides," said she, "you have a good pair on."
"Quick, quick," replied Mudjikewis; "since you must know, we are going
on a war excursion."
Thus he revealed the secret.
That night they met and started. The snow was on the ground, and they
travelled all night lest others should follow them. When it was
daylight, the leader took snow, made a ball of it, and tossing it up
in the air, said--
"It was in this way I saw snow fall in my dream, so that we could not
be tracked."
Immediately snow began to fall in large flakes, so that the leader
commanded the brothers to keep close together for fear of losing one
another. Close as they walked together it was with difficulty they
could see one another. The snow continued falling all that day and the
next night, so that it was impossible for any one to follow their
track.
They walked for several days, and Mudjikewis was always in the rear.
One day, running suddenly forward, he gave the Saw-saw-quan (war-cry),
and struck a tree with his war-club, breaking the tree in pieces as if
it had been struck by lightning.
"Brothers," said he, "this is the way I will serve those we are going
to fight."