As we crossed the summit, I saw black clouds coming up across the
western horizon. They had an ominous look, extending into the north
like a great wall; they ascended towards the zenith and were advancing
over the entire sky. There was a strange stillness. The air was sultry
with no wind; birds and insects were silent. Then came a vivid flash of
lightning, a deafening peal of thunder, and after a stillness a second
peal.
Suddenly a strange moan seemed to fill the air. Sinister-looking clouds
swept down from the Divide. I heard a roar like ocean surf and the
tempest burst with hurricane force, bearing masses of rock and shale
and whirling the water of the lake into the air. A canvas pack cover
was caught by the wind and carried towards the sky. It soared over camp
like a monstrous bird, frightening our horses which stampeded through
thickets and snowdrifts. In spite of the gale our tepee held fast. We
anchored it securely by a lariat noosed round the apex of the poles and
made fast to strongly driven stakes; and weighted down the pegs and
sides of the lodge with stones. The bottom, too, was sheltered from the
wind by thickets of gnarled and stunted spruces.
For three days and nights a heavy wind with rain and sleet blew out of
the northwest. But our Indian tepee was a snug shelter. We lay by our
lodge-fire, cosy and comfortable. In my warm blanket-bed, I liked to
listen to the roar of the wind in the spruces, the creaking of the
lodge-poles, and the beating of rain and sleet. We had sumptuous meals
of trout, and tenderloin and heart of a Rocky Mountain ram, which the
scout had killed near the summit. He passed the time telling me about
his home and Indian tribe. He told about their ancient customs and
strange religious beliefs, Indian legends and tribal tales about the
very region where we were camped.
Now an Indian is generally slow to speak his innermost thoughts and to
talk about his religious beliefs. But during that big storm, the scout
was in the mood to talk. He said:
“The Sun is the Great Power. He is in the birds and wild animals, lakes
and streams, prairies and mountains. He brings the leaves in the
spring-time. He makes the grass and berries grow; and upon them the
birds and animals depend for life.
“The Thunder is a great bird. It flies with the clouds, and brings the
rain. From its eyes the lightnings flash.
“The blizzard is a person, who runs before the storm and shoots his
arrows.
“Long ago an Indian, who camped in this valley, saw the Wind Maker rise
from the waters of a lake. He was like a monster bull elk. When he
flapped his ears, the wind blew hard; and when he sank again beneath
the water, the wind went down.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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