The Sheep EatersAllen, William A. (William Alonzo)
History
The Sheep Eaters
Allen, William A. (William Alonzo)
Tukuarika Indians
"Tired and breathless the two Sheep Eaters reached the park a few miles
above the village and were met there by the rescuing party. The great
chief, Red Eagle, folded Aggretta in his arms. Then taking his son, he
embraced them both and blessed them with his richest blessings. The
horns were brought forth, and their notes bursting upon the air apprised
the waiting villagers of the finding of Aggretta. When the royal pair
had been escorted from the mountain park to their lodges, the whole
village joined in song and praise for the young chief. Then all the
chiefs assembled, and before them and the young brave, Aggretta
bashfully told the story of how she was driven to the forest by the
storm, lost among the great fir trees, followed by the bear, escaped
into the fir tree, and her rescue by the young papoose when she had
given up all hope. She described his race for life and the courage and
ingenuity with which he outwitted the bear, and of his sending the arrow
to the creature's heart. She told how, when he had pulled the arrow from
the brute's heart all dripping with blood, she had named him Chief Red
Arrow.
"The chiefs, after listening to her story, agreed that the papoose had
won the right to a name; and he was then and there christened Chief Red
Arrow.
"The next day Chief Red Arrow selected a beautiful tepee, made of the
best of lodge poles, cemented together with pine pitch and glue from the
mountain ram's hoofs, and in it he stored his earthly stock of goods. He
carpeted the floor of his new lodge with the skins of the mountain ram,
the cougar, the red deer, the elk, and the bear, while the walls were
hung with robes from the mountain bison, the otter, the beaver, the
mink, and the martin. The villagers watched with interest while he
worked. He drew a rawhide thong across the center of his lodge, facing
the door. On this he hung the prize trophies of the chase, making a
partition for his lodge. In the center he left a door-way, over which he
hung a beautiful spotted elk calf robe for a door. The lodge was located
in an ideal spot, where the green mountain ferns covered the ground and
a spring of clear water sparkled and bubbled close at hand. On either
side stood a large, low, spreading pine, protecting the lodge from the
summer suns and winter storms.
"While Red Arrow was still busy decorating his lodge for his young
bride-to-be, sixteen of the best hunters were sent into the forest and
mountains and directed to bring in the choicest game to be found and the
skin of the great bear that had come so near killing Aggretta.
"All this time Aggretta was nowhere to be seen. It was a custom among
the Sheep Eaters that the prospective bride must seclude herself and
prepare for the coming ceremonies.
"Four days later the lodge was completed and all but three of the
hunters had returned loaded with mountain sheep, elk, and deer. On the
fifth day came the three with the skin of the great bear which had given
Red Arrow his name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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