American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, American
When the Swallow woke up he missed his knife an’ bear-claws. Also, he
remembered that Moh-Kwa had warned him for the lightness of his spirit
to beware of a cunning squaw. When these thoughts came to the Swallow,
an’ seeing the Robin still sleeping by his side, he knew well that she
had stolen his knife an’ bear-claws.
Now, the Swallow fell into a great anger an’ thought an’ thought what
he should do to make the Robin return the knife an’ bear-claws she had
stolen. Without them the Sioux would laugh at him an’ despise him as
before, an’ many would again call him Shau-goh-dah-wah, the Coward, an’
the name bit into the Swallow’s heart like a rattlesnake an’ poisoned it
with much grief.
While the Swallow thought an’ the Robin still lay sleeping, a plan came
to him; an’ with that, the Swallow seeing he was with the Robin lying
on the medicine robe, sat up an’ wished that both himself an’ the Robin
were in a far land of rocks an’ sand where a great pack of wolves lived.
Like the flash an’ the flight of an arrow, the Swallow with the Robin
still asleep by his side, an’ with the medicine robe still beneath them
on the ground, found himself in a desolate land of rocks an’ sands, an’
all about him came a band of wolves who yelped an’ showed their teeth
with the hunger that gnawed their flanks.
Because the wolves yelped, the Robin waked up; an’ when she saw their
white teeth shining with hunger she fell down from a big fear an’ cried
an’ twisted one hand with the other, thinking Pau-guk, the Death, was on
his way to get her. The Robin wept an’ turned to the Swallow an’ begged
him to put her back before the lodge of Wah-bee-noh, her father.
But the Swallow, with the anger of him who is robbed, spoke hard words
out of his mouth.
“Give me back the knife an’ the bear-claws you have stolen. You are a
bad squaw, full of cunning an’ very crafty; but here I shall keep you
an’ feed you--legs an’ arms an’ head an’ body--to my wolf-friends
who yelp an’ show their teeth out yonder, unless I have my knife an’
bear-claws again.”
This brought more fear on the Robin, an’ she felt that the Swallow’s
words were as a shout for Pau-guk, the Death, to make haste an’ claim
her; yet her cunning was not stampeded but stood firm in her heart.
The Robin said that the Swallow must give her time to grow calm an’
then she would find the knife an’ bear-claws for him. While the Swallow
waited, the Robin still wept an’ sobbed for fear of the white teeth of
the wolves who stood in a circle about them. But little by little, the
crafty Robin turned her sobs softly into Ewah-yeah, the Sleep-song; an’
soon slumber again tied the hands an’ feet an’ stole the eyes of the
Swallow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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