The Heart of the Red Firs: A Story of the Pacific NorthwestAnderson, Ada Woodruff
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The Heart of the Red Firs: A Story of the Pacific Northwest
Anderson, Ada Woodruff
Northwest, Pacific -- Fiction
The young man stopped in the entrance and took off his hat, using it
slowly as a fan. His close-cropped hair clung in damp, blond waves to
his shapely head. The tan of a brief outing had not spoiled his unusual
fairness; his face in the shadows was white, but his black eyes gathered
depth and brilliancy.
"I think you are the young fellow I’m looking for," he said, addressing
the indifferent boy on the couch. "It’s dark to one coming in from the
sunlight, and that blanket and handkerchief hardly tally with the
description I had of you, but you must be Mose."
The boy regarded the trout which the squaw was turning. "Nawitka," he
said.
"You are? Well then, Mose, I want you to guide us to Mt. Rainier." He
paused, but the boy was silent and the old chief continued to draw
deeply at his pipe. "You understand," he went on, "we are going to the
mountain and want you to show us the way. If the weather stays fine I
mean to try for the summit. Nika cumtux?" And he repeated in Chinook
with an elaborate gesture, "Copa si-yah top."
Mose expressed his appreciation of the man’s attempt at the language in
a fleeting smile, but he made no reply. Yelm Jim also was silent, but he
drew yet more furiously at his pipe.
"Let him go with us," continued Kingsley, addressing the chief, "and you
shall have that pair of brown blankets you were so interested in
yesterday, at the camp."
Still another pause. "If he goes with me up the mountain you can have
all my blankets, the tents, the whole outfit, when we come back," added
Kingsley.
Then Clak-la-sum-kah rose from her squatting posture by the fire and
said in her vehement guttural, "Wake, wake. Mose wake clatawa. Wake
clatawa copa si-yah illahee. Tyee Sahgalee hyas solleks. Hy-as
solleks. Mose wake clatawa."
Kingsley looked from her to the boy, puzzled. "What is it she says?"
Mose rose from his lounging position and drew his blanket close.
"Clak-la-sum-kah ees say ’no.’ You mus’ un’stan’ Tyee Sahgalee ees same
you all tam call God. Dat top of Rainier ees His plas. He doan’ lak it
for sure, we go dare. Sacré, dat mountain ees goin’ shake an’ smoke an’
mek mooch fire we go dare, you can beli’ve it. But ya-as, Yelm Jim ees
see it do dat long tam ’go. He ees say Tyee Sahgalee, ees be mad,
because de firs’ white man ees come."
Kingsley threw back his head and laughed. "I see," he said, "I see.
And your Indian God wanted to reserve this country for his favorite
people. But it’s all foolishness, Mose; you ought to know it. That
priest of your father’s, who has been coming out here every month from
Olympia, must have taught you different. You don’t believe any such
heathen nonsense. And you will show us over the trail. You aren’t
afraid to try the summit with me, though I doubt there’s another boy in
the settlement would dare."
"I ees hunt on dat mountain, si-yah, to de red snow," answered the boy
slowly; "no Indian ees go pas’ de red snow."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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