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
“Come, Shining Star,” he said confidently, “we will walk along the shore
until we reach our canoe.”
So taking hands once again, the children started along the shore of the
island. Suddenly, the sky became black, a strong wind came up, and dark
storm clouds started moving in over the lake.
“Hurry, Shining Star!” he said with just a touch of fear in his voice.
“A storm is coming over the lake. We must hurry if we are to reach home
before the waves get so high that we can’t paddle our canoe.”
Shining Star started to run, but stumbled and fell, twisting her ankle.
She cried out in pain and White Eagle knelt by her side.
“Oh, I’ve hurt my ankle,” Shining Star told him, holding back her tears.
White Eagle lifted the young girl in his arms and started carrying her.
Soon they reached the place where the canoe was beached. Placing her
gently into the canoe, White Eagle shoved the canoe into the water and
climbed inside.
The sky had become very dark. They could hear thunder and see flashes of
lightning across the lake. Rain was beginning to fall fast. Now even
White Eagle was afraid, but he tried his best to hide his fear from
Shining Star. Using all the strength he could muster, he paddled
furiously toward home, but the winds now were pounding the light canoe
and seemed to drive him further and further from their village. Shining
Star lay quietly in the bow of the canoe. She was too brave an Indian
girl to cry but her eyes, peering through the driving rain toward White
Eagle’s face, pleaded with him to get them safely home.
And then, without warning, a great gust of wind caught the bow of the
canoe and swung it hard. White Eagle leaned in the opposite direction to
balance the canoe. Suddenly, the wind shifted. Before White Eagle had a
chance to turn the bow into the wind, it caught the canoe again and,
with a loud swish, turned it over into the lake.
Amidst his surprise and confusion White Eagle’s first thought was for
Shining Star. He heard the girl sputtering and coughing. He looked to
see her head just appearing above the water beside the canoe. Reaching
his hand out, he grasped her arm and pulled her to him. Then grasping
the underside of the overturned canoe, he pulled Shining Star so that
her arms rested on the canoe and she was able to grasp the keel.
Thus the two children hung on for what seemed like hours but actually
was only a few minutes. The water was cold. White Eagle began to shiver,
not so much because the water was cold, but because the rain was colder
and the biting wind made it even worse.
And then as quickly as the storm had come, it was gone. White Eagle
tried, but did not have the strength to hold on to Shining Star and turn
the canoe. Just when he was giving up any chance of getting to shore,
strong hands gripped his arms. It was then that White Eagle realized
that he was losing consciousness. Everything went black.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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