American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, American
Strike Axe looked, an’ saw that Yellow Face was wrapping up a log in a
blanket. When he had done this, he belted it with the belts of Strike
Axe; an’ then he put on its head the war-bonnet of Strike Axe which hung
on the lodge pole. An’ now that it was finished, Yellow Face said the
log in the blanket an’ wearing the belts an’ war-bonnet was Strike
Axe--as Strike Axe saw truly in the looking glass--an’ Yellow Face stood
up the log in its blanket an’ belts an’ war-bonnet, an’ made his bow
ready to kill it with an arrow. As Yellow Face did these things, the
Feather stood watching him with a smile on her face while the blood-hope
shone in her eyes; for she had eaten the snake’s heart an’ all her
spirit was black.
Strike Axe saw what went on with the Feather an’ Yellow Face, an’ told
it as the glass told it, word for word to Moh-Kwa, the Wise Bear, who
sat by his side to listen.
Then Moh-Kwa, when he knew that now Yellow Face with three arrows in
his left hand was stringing a bow to shoot against the log which he
had dressed up an’ named “Strike Axe,” said there was little time to be
lost; an’ Moh-Kwa hurried Strike Axe to the round deep spring of clear
water which was in the cavern, an’ told him to stand on the edge of the
spring an’ look hard in the looking glass an’ take sharp notice just as
Yellow Face was to shoot the arrow against the log.
“An’ you must dive in the spring when Yellow Face shoots,” said Moh-Kwa
to Strike Axe; “you must dive like the loon dives when you shoot at him
on the river.”
Strike Axe looked hard in the looking glass like Moh-Kwa said, an’ dived
in the spring when the arrow left the bow of Yellow Face.
When he came up, he looked again in the glass an’ saw that Yellow Face
had missed the log. Yellow Face had a half-fear because he had missed,
an’ Strike Axe looking in Moh-Kwa’s glass could see the half-fear
rising up as a mist in his eyes like a morning fog lifts up from the
Yellowstone. Also, the Feather stood watching Yellow Face, an’ her eyes,
which were grown hard an’ little an’ bright, like a snake’s eyes, showed
that she did not care what happened only so that it was evil.
But Moh-Kwa told Strike Axe to still watch closely, an’ would not let
his mind pull up its pickets an’ stray; because Yellow Face would shoot
twice more with the arrows which were left; an’ he must be quick an’
ready each time to dive like the loon dives, or he would surely die by
the log’s wound.
Strike Axe, because he had eaten the fish an’ smoked, an’ had a full
stomach an’ was bold an’ steady with a heart made brave with much food,
again looked hard in the glass; an’ when the second arrow left the bow
of Yellow Face he dived sharply in the spring like a loon; an’ when he
came up an’ held the looking glass before his eyes he saw that Yellow
Face had missed the log a second time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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