Gift books; Indians of North America -- Literary collections
The Sioux then went to see the body of their venerated chief; on their
return they found their victim firmly secured to the tree. The son was
bound at some little distance from the father, while the daughter was
sitting, hiding her face between her hands, weeping for her father's
situation. Pride had all gone, only affection occupied her heart. The
old Chippeway was convinced now of his immediate sufferings; he had
been tranquil and unmoved until the return of the warriors. Suddenly he
shouted, in a loud voice, the wild notes of his death-song.
There was no failing in his voice; even his daughter turned towards
him with satisfaction as he extolled his life, and expressed pleasure
at the prospect of seeing the hunting-grounds of the Great Spirit.
As he ceased, Chashé told him he must rest from his journey ere he
commenced his long way to the land of souls. "A great many winters
ago," said the young Sioux, "my father was in your country; you took
him prisoner, you bound him, and you told him what a good warm fire he
was to have to die by.
"You said you loved him too well to let him be cold; but while you
were binding him he was too strong for you. Unk-ta-he had made him
brave; he bounded from your grasp in sight of your warriors. He flew;
your bravest men chased him in vain. He came home and lived to an age
greater than yours.
"The old war-chief is gone, or he would tell you how welcome you are
to his village. He was always hospitable and loved to treat brave men
well. But we must eat first, or we cannot enjoy ourselves while you are
so comfortable with your old limbs burning."
Expressions of approbation followed this speech on the part of the
Sioux, but there was no notice taken of it by the Chippeway, who was
now occupied in contemplating his daughter. He had before seemed to be
unconscious of her presence.
No bodily torture could equal the pang of the father, who saw the
utterly helpless and unhappy situation of his child. His own fate was
fixed--that caused him no uneasiness. There was even a feeling of
enthusiasm in the prospect of showing his enemies how slight was their
power over him; how little he cared for any tortures they might inflict.
But his young daughter, who would have been safe now among her own
people, but for her affection for him, which induced her to remain by
his side, refusing the opportunity of escape.
The Sioux saw his concern and rejoiced that this pang was added to the
torture: not only his own fate to bear, but the consciousness that he
had caused the destruction of both his children. His son was surrounded
while endeavouring to protect his father.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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