Stirring scenes in savage lands : $b An account of the manners, customs, habits and recreations, peaceful and warlike, of the uncivilised worldGreenwood, James
History
Stirring scenes in savage lands : $b An account of the manners, customs, habits and recreations, peaceful and warlike, of the uncivilised world
Greenwood, James
Anthropology
“The sight moved Kitchi-Manitou with compassion in the highest degree,
and as a good thought occurred to him, he immediately stepped into his
canoe and paddled across to the island, which still lies in the centre
of the lake. Here he set to work providing the man the company of a
squaw. He formed her nearly like what he had seen the man to be, and
also covered her body with silver-glistening scales. Then he breathed
life into her, and carried her across in his canoe to the other bank
of the lake, telling her that if she wandered busily along the lake
and looked about her, she would perhaps find something to please her.
For days the squaw wandered about one shore of the lake, while the man
was seeking herbs for food on the other. One day the latter went a
little further, and, to his great surprise, saw footsteps in the sand
much like those he himself made. At once he gave up seeking herbs and
followed these footsteps, as he hoped there were other beings like
himself on the lake. The squaw during her long search had left so many
footsteps that the man at first feared they might belong to a number
of Indians, and they might perhaps be hostile. Hence he crept along
carefully in the bush, but always kept an eye on the trail in the sand.
“At last he found the being he sought sitting on a log near the shore.
Through great fatigue she had fallen asleep. He looked around to the
right and left but she was quite alone. At length he ventured to come
out of the bushes; he approached her with uncertain and hesitating
steps; he seized her and she opened her eyes.
“‘Who art thou?’ he said, for he could now suddenly speak, ‘Who art
thou, what is thy name, and whither dost thou come?’
“‘My name is Mami,’ she replied, ‘and Kitchi-Manitou brought me here
from that island, and told me I should find something here I liked. I
think that thou art the promised one.’
“‘On what dost thou live?’ the man asked the woman.
“‘Up to this time I have eaten nothing, for I was looking for thee. But
now I feel very hungry; hast thou anything to eat?’
“Straightway the man ran into the bushes, and collected some roots and
herbs he had found good to eat, and brought them to the squaw, who
greedily devoured them.
“The sight of this moved Kitchi-Manitou, who had watched the whole
scene from his lodge. He immediately came over in his canoe, and
invited the couple to his island. Here they found a handsome large
house prepared for them, and a splendid garden round it. In the
house were glass windows, and in the rooms tables and chairs and
beds and conveniences of every description. In the garden grew every
possible sort of useful and nourishing fruits, potatoes, strawberries,
apple-trees, cherry and plum trees; and close by were large fine fields
planted with Indian corn and beans.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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