How The Raven Died: 1902, From "Wolfville Nights" — John Shaqi
How The Raven Died: 1902, From "Wolfville Nights"Lewis, Alfred Henry
General
How The Raven Died: 1902, From "Wolfville Nights"
Lewis, Alfred Henry
Short stories
"'All night she watched, but the Raven did not go to the secret place
where he had hidden the powder of the whirlwind. Nor the next day,
when the sun went down, did the Raven kill the Giant. But the
Squaw-who-has-dreams took up again the Story-that-never-ends an' told
what the green fish with the yellow wings said; an' she used up
the second bundle of talk. When she ceased for that time, the
Squaw-who-has-dreams was saying: "An' as night fell, _Moh-kwa_, the
Bear, called to me from his canyon, an' said for me to come an' he would
show me where the treasure of fire-water was buried for you who are the
Raven. So I went into the canyon, an' _Moh-kwa_, the Bear, took me by
the hand an' led me to the treasure of fire-water which was greater an'
richer than was ever seen by any Sioux."
"'Then the Squaw-who-has-dreams would tell no more that night, while the
Raven eat his fingers with cur'osity. But he made up a new plan not
to twist the Squaw-who-has-dreams until she showed him the treasure of
fire-water an' told him the end of the Story-that-never-ends. On her
part, however, the Squaw-who-has-dreams, as she went to sleep, wept an'
tore the beads from her hair an' said the Raven did not love her, for
he had not killed the Giant, as he promised. She said she would tell no
more of the Story-that-never-ends until the Giant was dead; nor would
she show to a husband who did not love her the great treasure of
fire-water which _Moh-kwa_, the Bear, had found. At this, the Raven,
who was hot to have the treasure of fire-water an' whose ears rang with
cur'osity to hear the end of the Story-that-never-ends, saw that he must
kill the Giant. Therefore, when the Squaw-who-has-dreams had ceased to
sob and revile him, an' was gone as he thought asleep, the Raven went
to his secret place where he kept the powder of the whirlwind an' took
a little and wrapped it in a leaf an' hid the leaf in the braids of his
long hair. Then the Raven went to sleep.
"'When the Raven was asleep the Squaw-who-has-dreams went also
herself to the secret place an' got also a little of the powder of the
whirlwind. An' the next morning she arose early an' gave the powder
of the whirlwind to the Raven on the roast buffalo, the _Pez-hee-kee_,
which was his food.
"'When the raven had eaten, the Squaw-who-has-dreams went out of the
teepee among the people an' called all the Sioux to come an' see the
Raven die. So the Sioux came gladly, an' the Raven was twisted an'
writhen with the powder of the whirlwind wrenching at his heart; an' his
teeth were tight like a trap; an' no words, but only foam, came from his
mouth; an' at last the Spirit, the _Chee-bee_, was twisted out of the
Raven; an' the Squaw-who-has-dreams was revenged for the death of the
Gray Elk whom she loved an' who always called her _Kee-nee-moo-sha_, the
Sweetheart, because it made her laugh.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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