Boys' Book of Indian Warriors and Heroic Indian WomenSabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
History
Boys' Book of Indian Warriors and Heroic Indian Women
Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
Indians of North America -- Biography; Indians of North America -- Wars
He had spent the winter of 1824-1825 in the Pierced Noses' country. Of
course he told them much about the white man's religion. They saw him
frequently reading in his little, black-leather book, which, they said,
must be the White Man's Book of Heaven. He would not sell them the
book, for any amount of horses or beaver skins. When he had left, they
took counsel together and decided that they should get such a book.
Twice they sent into the East for it; and no word came back. But the
Pierced Noses did not give up. They were still without the wonderful
Book of Heaven which, had said Captain Jedediah Smith the trapper,
guided the white men on the straight trail to the Great Spirit above.
In the early part of 1832 they called a council of the nation, and
chose four men, to set out, again, for the big, unknown village where
dwelt the Red Head Chief, and where, they hoped, a copy of the Book of
Heaven might be found.
The snows had scarcely melted when the four men started. Two of them
were old and wise; their names are not written. Two of them were young
and strong; their names were Rabbit-skin Leggins and
No-horns-on-his-head.
A long, long, dangerous road lay before them: three thousand miles,
across the mountains into the Blackfeet country, and across the plains
guarded by the Blackfeet and the Sioux and other hungry people as bad.
But they got through all right, for they were clever and in earnest.
They arrived at St. Louis in the summer.
St. Louis was then nothing like the St. Louis of today; but to the four
strangers from the Columbia River basin it was amazingly large. Never
had they dreamed of seeing so many white people. No one spoke their
tongue; still there were trappers and Missouri River boatmen who
understood signs, and by the sign language they inquired for the Red
Head Chief.
The kind-hearted Governor William Clark was glad to greet them. Their
fathers, almost thirty years before, had helped him and Captain Lewis
the Long Knife; he remembered the two old men when they were young.
The Indians of the West might always depend upon their friend the Red
Head.
So he took charge of the four Pierced Noses, and entertained them. He
showed them the sights of the white man's big village beside the big
rivers. They were entertained by banquets and balls and the theatre.
They went to services in the Roman Catholic church, where the white
people worshipped--for Governor Clark was a Catholic.
And they saw copies of the Book of Heaven--the Roman Catholic
testament, and the Bible: but the books did not speak their language!
In all the white man's village there was no one who might read from the
Book, in their own language.
After a few months they began to despair. The food of the white man
and the close air of the lodges made them ill. The two old men died.
Rabbit-skin Leggins and No-horns-on-his-head were homesick for their
country beyond the mountains. In the winter they prepared to go.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account