[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
when whetted by the apprehensions and wants of savage life,
Pigeonswing was enabled to discover signs which showed that the
excepted were provided with bows and arrows, and spears.
When the bee-hunter and his companion came in sight of the carcase
of the bear, which they did shortly after the last remark which we
have given in the dialogue recorded, the former exclaimed with a
little surprise:
"How's this, Chippewa! You have killed this beast with your bow! Did
you not hunt with the rifle yesterday?"
"Bad fire rifle off now-a-day," answered Pigeonswing, sententiously.
"Make noise--noise no good."
"Noise!" repeated the perfectly unsuspecting bee-hunter. "Little
good or little harm can noise do in these openings, where there is
neither mountain to give back an echo, or ear to be startled. The
crack of my rifle has rung through these groves a hundred times and
no harm come of it."
"Forget war-time now. Bess nebber fire, less can't help him.
Pottawattamie hear great way off."
"Oh! That's it, is it! You're afraid our old friends the
Pottawattamies may find us out, and come to thank us for all that
happened down at the river's mouth. Well," continued le Bourdon,
laughing, "if they wish another whiskey-spring, I have a small jug
left, safely hid against a wet day; a very few drops will answer to
make a tolerable spring. You redskins don't know everything,
Pigeonswing, though you are so keen and quick-witted on a trail."
"Bess not tell Pottawattamie any more 'bout springs," answered the
Chippewa, gravely; for by this time he regarded the state of things
in the openings to be so serious as to feel little disposition to
mirth. "Why you don't go home, eh? Why don't med'cine-man go home,
too? Bess for pale-face to be wid pale-face when red man go on war-
path. Color bess keep wid color."
"I see you want to be rid of us, Pigeonswing; but the parson has no
thought of quitting this part of the world until he has convinced
all the red-skins that they are Jews."
Page 145
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"What he mean, eh?" demanded the Chippewa, with more curiosity than
it was usual for an Indian warrior to betray. "What sort of a man
Jew, eh? Why call red man Jew?"
"I know very little more about it than you do yourself, Pigeonswing;
but such as my poor knowledge is, you're welcome to it. You've heard
of the Bible, I dare say?"
"Sartain--med'cine-man read him Sunday. Good book to read, some
t'ink."
"Yes, it's all that, and a great companion have I found my Bible,
when I've been alone with the bees out here in the openings. It
tells us of our God, Chippewa; and teaches us how we are to please
him, and how we may offend. It's a great loss to you red-skins not
to have such a book among you."
"Med'cine-man bring him--don't do much good, yet; some day, p'r'aps,
do better. How dat make red man Jew?"
"Why, this is a new idea to me, though Parson Amen seems fully
possessed with it. I suppose you know what a Jew is?"
"Don't know anything 'bout him. Sort o' nigger, eh?"
"No, no, Pigeonswing, you're wide of the mark this time. But, that
we may understand each other, we'll begin at the beginning like,
which will let you into the whole history of the pale-face religion.
As we've had a smart walk, however, and here is the bear's meat safe
and sound, just as you left it, let us sit down a bit on this trunk
of a tree, while I give you our tradition from beginning to end, as
it might be. In the first place, Chippewa, the earth was made
without creatures of any sort to live on it--not so much as a
squirrel or a woodchuck."
"Poor country to hunt in, dat," observed the Chippewa quietly, while
le Bourdon was wiping his forehead after removing his cap. "Ojebways
stay in it very little time."
"This, according to our belief, was before any Ojebway lived. At
length, God made a man, out of clay, and fashioned him, as we see
men fashioned and living all around us."
"Yes," answered the Chippewa, nodding his head in assent. "Den
Manitou put plenty blood in him--dat make red warrior. Bible good
book, if tell dat tradition."
"The Bible says nothing about any colors; but we suppose the man
first made to have been a pale-face. At any rate, the pale-faces
have got possession of the best parts of the earth, as it might be,
and I think they mean to keep them. First come, first served, you
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]