American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, American
When the Lynx struck splashing into the Yellowstone, all the Catfish
people rushed for him with the Big Chief of the Catfish at their head.
Also, Ah-meek, the Beaver, was angry; for Ahmeek was crossing the
Yellowstone with a bundle of bulrushes in his mouth to help build his
winter house on the bank, an’ the Lynx struck so near to Ah-meek that
the waves washed his face an’ whiskers, an’ he was startled an’ lost the
bulrushes out of his mouth an’ they were washed away.
Ah-meek who was angry, an’ the Catfish people who were hungry, charged
on the Lynx; but the Lynx was not far enough from the shore for them,
an’ while the Catfish people pinched him an’ Ah-meek, the Beaver, clawed
him, the Lynx crawled out on the bank an’ was safe.
But Moh-Ivwa met the Lynx when he crawled out of the Yellowstone looking
like Dah-hin-dah, the Bull-frog, an’ Moh-Kwa picked him up with his paws
to throw him back.
But a second new thought came; an’ although the Catfish people screamed
at him an’ Ah-meek who had lost his bulrushes was black with anger,
Moh-Kwa did not throw the Lynx back into the river but stood him on his
feet an’ told him what to do. An’ when Moh-Kwa gave him the orders, the
Lynx promised to obey.
Moh-Kwa killed a fawn; an’ the Lynx took its heart in his hand an’
went with it to Coldheart an’ said it was the heart of Young Wolf. An’
Coldheart roasted it an’ ate it, thinking it was Young Wolf’s heart.
For a day was the Coldheart glad, for he felt strong an’ warm with the
thought that now he was revenged against Openhand; an’ Coldheart longed
to tell Openhand that he had eaten his son’s heart. But Coldheart was
too wise to make this boast; he knew that Openhand whether with knife or
lance or arrow would give him at once to Pau-guk, an’ that would end his
revenge.
Still Coldheart thought he would go to Open-hand’s lodge an’ feed his
eyes an’ ears with Open-hand’s groans an’ mournings when now his son,
the Young Wolf, was gone. But when Coldheart came to the lodge of
Openhand, he was made sore to meet the Young Wolf who was starting forth
to hunt. Coldheart spoke with the Young Wolf to make sure he had been
cheated; an’ then he went back to kill the Lynx.
But Coldheart was too late; the Lynx had not waited; now he was gone
with his squaws an’ his ponies an’ his blankets to become a Pawnee. The
Lynx was tired of being a Sioux.
When the Widow’s sleep was out, Moh-Kwa sent her to hide in the lodge
of Coldheart to hear what next he would plan. The Widow went gladly,
for Moh-Kwa promised four more small young owls just out of the egg. The
Widow lay under the buffalo robe an’ heard the words of Coldheart. In a
week, she came back to Moh-Kwa an’ told him what Coldheart planned.
Coldheart had sent twenty ponies to the Black-foot chief, Dull Knife,
where he lived on the banks of the Little Bighorn. Also, Coldheart sent
these words in the mouth of his runner:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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