American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, American
When Ugly Elk notices how Running Water will not look on him, he chokes
with anger, for he remembers he is hideous an’ believes that Running
Water laughs as Forked Tongue has told him. An’ he grows so angry his
mind is darkened an’ his heart made as night. He seeks out the Forked
Tongue an’ says:
“Because I am weak with love for him, I cannot kill him with my hands.
What shall I do, for he must die?”
Then Forked Tongue makes a long think an’ as if he is hard at work
inside his head. Then he gives this counsel to Ugly Elk:
“Send to your hunters where they are camped by the river. Say to them by
your runner to seize on him who comes first to them in the morning, an’
tie him to the big peeled pine an’ burn him to death with wood. When the
runner is gone, say to Running Water that he must go to the hunters when
the sun wakes up in the east an’ ask them if they have killed an’ cooked
the deer you sent them. Since he will be the first to come, the hunters
will lay hands on Running Water an’ tie him an’ burn him; an’ that will
put an end to his jests an’ laughter over your ugliness.”
Ugly Elk commands the Antelope, his runner, to hurry with word to
the hunters to burn him to death who shall come first to them in the
morning. Then he makes this word to Running Water that he must go to the
hunters when the sun comes up an’ ask if they have killed an’ cooked
the deer he sent them. Ugly Elk scowls like a cloud while he gives his
directions to Running Water, but the boy does not see since his eyes are
on the ground.
As the sun comes up, Running Water starts with the word of Ugly Elk to
the hunters. But Moh-Kwa, the Wise Bear, is before him for his safety.
Moh-Kwa knows that the way to stop a man is with a woman, so he has
brought a young squaw of the lower Yellowstone who is so beautiful that
her people named her the Firelight. Moh-Kwa makes the Firelight pitch
camp where the trail of Running Water will pass as he goes to the
hunters. An’ the Wise Bear tells her what to say; an’ also to have a
turkey roasted, an’ a pipe an’ a soft blanket ready for Running Water.
When Running Water sees the Firelight, she is so beautiful he thinks it
is a dream. An’ when she asks him to eat, an’ fills the redstone pipe
an’ spreads a blanket for him, the Running Water goes no further.
He smokes an’ rests on the blanket; an’ because the tobacco is big
medicine, Running Water falls asleep with his head in the lap of the
Firelight.
When Forked Tongue knows that Running Water has started for the hunters,
he waits. Then he thinks:
“Now the hunters, because I have waited long, have already burned
Running Water. An’ I will go an’ see an’ bring back one of the
shin-bones to show Ugly Elk that he will never return.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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