Treasury of American Indian TalesRessler, Theodore Whitson
General
Treasury of American Indian Tales
Ressler, Theodore Whitson
Indians of North America -- Folklore; Indians of North America -- Juvenile literature
Little Bear could feel the excitement mounting in his body and,
remembering the words of his father, fought off the tenseness that was
filling his arms and legs. The rise in front of him, which separated the
hunting party from the herd, seemed to be very far away. Just as Little
Bear felt he could not control his pony or himself any longer, the
signal was given. The braves, with shouts rising from their throats,
raced over the rise. Soon there was a mixture of running, frightened
buffalo, and riding, yelling warrior hunters, and clouds of dust that
rose from the hundreds of hoofs churning the prairie.
Little Bear drew an arrow from his quiver. Following the patient
teaching of his father, he calmly placed the arrow to the bow string.
Leaning forward on the neck of his pony, holding tight with his knees
pressed against his pony’s sides, he peered into the dust and quickly
spotted his quarry. A large bull buffalo was lumbering along a little
wide of the herd. Carefully taking aim, Little Bear let go his arrow.
The last thing he saw before the dust welled up again to block his sight
was his arrow protruding from the side of a stumbling buffalo.
Little Bear swerved his pony rapidly away from the herd. When the pony
was able to check his forward speed, pony and rider withdrew to the side
of the battleground to watch the rest of the hunt in safety. As the herd
disappeared across the prairie, the members of the hunting party turned
their horses and began the ride back to where the herd had been grazing.
When the dust had cleared, Little Bear saw scattered across the prairie
the bodies of many buffalo which had fallen before the accurate shooting
of the hunters. Each brave would be able to tell his kill, for each
arrow bore the mark of its owner.
Little Bear galloped toward the spot where he thought his buffalo had
fallen. While he rode, his heart beat very fast. He tried to show little
excitement as he drew near to a group of hunters who stood looking down
at an object upon the ground. As Little Bear drew close, he slowed his
pony. His father turned and smiled. Dismounting, Little Bear walked to
his father’s side. Lying on the ground at the feet of the older braves
was a bull buffalo of tremendous size. And there was the arrow of Little
Bear exactly where the arrow of a good hunter should be. He had hit the
buffalo in a vital spot.
Swift Eagle placed his arm across the shoulders of his son. Amid the
many grunts and exclamations of approval coming from the warrior
hunters, Little Bear heard the deep calm, proud voice of his father.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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