Virginia -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775 -- Fiction
was dead, they drew their boats from out the reeds, and rowed on down
the broadening river. The next day, at the time of the full sun-power,
they came to this village. Many years before the palefaces came, the
Chickahominies were a great nation, reaching to the foot of the Blue
Mountains, and then were they and the Ricahecrians friends and allies.
When Black Wolf showed them the totem of his tribe upon his breast, they
welcomed him and his young men. That was ten suns ago. Black Wolf and
his young men have seen many things. When they go back to the Blue
Mountains, the Ricahecrians will think they listen to singing birds.
They will tell of the great salt water, of the boats with wings, of the
palefaces, of their fields of maize and tobacco, of the black men who
serve them, of their temples, werowanees and women. They will tell of
the great white father who rules, of his power, his wisdom, his open
hand—"
"I thought it would come at last," quoth the Governor. "What does he
want, Harquip?"
"The Ricahecrian starts for his wigwam in the Blue Mountains to-morrow
as my father commands. He says: ’Shall I not return to my people with a
gift from the great white father in my hand?’"
The Governor laughed. "Let one of your young men go to the court-house.
I will give him an order for beads, for a piece of red cloth, and yes,
rat me! he shall have a mirror! I hope he is satisfied!"
The half king’s eyes gleamed covetously. "My father gives large gifts.
He has indeed an open hand. But the Ricahecrian desires another thing.
He says: ’Seven years ago, at the falls of the Powhatan, Black Wolf saw
his brother fall before the stick-that-speaks of the palefaces. Grey
Wolf was a great chief. The village in the Blue Mountains mourned very
much. Nicotee, his squaw, went wailing into the land of shadows. His
son hath seen but seven moons of corn, but he dreams of the day when he
shall sharpen the hatchet against the slayers of his father.... The
Chickahominies have told Black Wolf that his brother was wounded and not
slain by the palefaces. They brought him captive to their great board
wigwams. There they tied him not to the torture stake; they knew that a
Ricahecrian laughs at the pine splinters. They tortured his spirit.
They made him a woman. The great chief of the Ricahecrians no longer
throws the tomahawk—the guns of the palefaces are about him. He dances
the corn dance no more—his back is bowed with burdens. His arrow brings
not down the fleeing deer, he tracks not the bear to his den—he toils
like a squaw in the fields of the palefaces. Black Wolf says to the
white father: ’Give back the Sagamore to the Ricahecrians, to his son,
to the village by the falling stream in the Blue Mountains. Then will
the Ricahecrians be friends with the palefaces forever. To-morrow Black
Wolf and his young men row towards the sunset; let the captive chief be
in their midst. This is the gift which Black Wolf asks of his white
fathers. He has spoken.’"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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