The Story of Hiawatha, Adapted from Longfellow — John Shaqi
The Story of Hiawatha, Adapted from LongfellowLongfellow, Henry Wadsworth
General
The Story of Hiawatha, Adapted from Longfellow
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth
Hiawatha, active 15th century -- Poetry; Indians of North America -- Poetry; Iroquois Indians -- Kings and rulers -- Poetry
"Carry them to my wigwam yonder," said Pau-Puk-Keewis, "and wait there
until I have need of you;" and he left the tent, followed by the angry
glances of all the other players, who had lost all their fine furs and
wampum belts and even the pipes they had been smoking.
Pau-Puk-Keewis strolled through the sunny morning singing to himself,
for his new wealth made him very happy, and he soon reached the
farthest wigwam of the village, which was the home of Hiawatha.
Nobody was there. Only Kahgahgee, the raven, tied to the ridge-pole,
screamed and flapped his wings, watching Pau-Puk-Keewis with glaring
eyes.
"All are gone," said Pau-Puk-Keewis, thinking of new mischief as he
spoke; "all are gone, and they have left the lodge for me to do with as
I choose."
He seized the raven by the neck and whirled him around in the air like a
rattle, until the bird was strangled, and he left Kahgahgee's dead body
dangling from the ridge-pole as an insult to Hiawatha. Then he went
inside and threw everything into the wildest disorder, piling together
all the kettles and bowls, and all the skins and buffalo-robes that he
could find as an insult to Minnehaha and to Nokomis; and he ran off
through the forest, whistling and singing, much pleased with what he had
done.
He climbed the rocks that overlooked the Big-Sea-Water, and rested
lazily upon his back, gazing up into the sky and listening to the splash
of the waves on the beaches far beneath. The sea-gulls fluttered about
him in great flocks, very curious to know what he was doing, and before
they could get out of his way he had killed them by tens and twenties
and had thrown the dead bodies over the cliff down to the beaches. One
of the sea-gulls, who was perched on a crag above, shouted out: "It is
Pau-Puk-Keewis, and he is killing us by the hundred. Fly quickly and
send a message to our brother! Hasten and bring the news to Hiawatha!"
XVII
THE HUNTING OF PAU-PUK-KEEWIS
WHEN Hiawatha heard of the mischief that Pau-Puk-Keewis had worked among
the gulls he was very angry indeed; but when he discovered the wrecked
wigwam and the dead body of the raven, and heard how Pau-Puk-Keewis had
despoiled Iagoo and his friends of their robes and pipes and wampum, he
swore that he would kill Pau-Puk-Keewis with his own hand.
"The world is not so wide but I will find him!" cried out Hiawatha; "the
way is not so rough but I will reach him with my anger!" and with
several hunters Hiawatha set out upon the trail of Pau-Puk-Keewis.
They followed it to the crags where he had killed the gulls, but by that
time Pau-Puk-Keewis was far away among the lowlands, and turning back he
saw his pursuers on the mountain and waved his arms to mock them.
Hiawatha shouted at him from the mountain top: "The world is not so
rough and wide but I shall catch you, Pau-Puk-Keewis. Hide where you
will, but I shall find you out," and Pau-Puk-Keewis sped forward like an
antelope for Hiawatha's words had made him suddenly afraid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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