Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1844-02-10

ted bluff, overlooking animrnense val
ley of high grass, through which we
were about to lay our course,
dwell, then, you say you have seen
the prairies on fre.?" "Yes." "Iou
have seen the fire on the mountains,
and beheld it feebly creeping over the
grassy hills of the North, where the
toad and the timber snail were pacing
from its approach-all this you have
seen and who has not? But who has
seen the vivid lighlnings, and heard
the roaring thunder of the rolling con-
fagration which sweeps over the deep
clad prairies Of the West? Who has
dashed, on his wild horse, through an
ocean of grass, with the raging tenn
pest at his back, rolling over the land
its waves of liquid fire" What =
"Aye, even so. Ask the red savage
of the wilds what is awful and sublime
ask him where the Great Spirit has
mixed up all elements of death, and if
he does not blow them over the land
in storm Of fire F? Ask him what foe
he has met, that regarded not his fright
ming yells, or his sinewy bow? Ask
these lords Of the land, who Wanting
" challenge the thunder aud Lightning
Of REORGANIZATION there is not one
foe that travels over their land, too
swift for their feet and too mighty for
their stronghold whose approach
their stout hearts sicken, and their
strong earned courage withers to moth
ing Ask him again (if he is sullen,
and his eyes set in their sockets
"Hush !-ah !-ah !'-(he will
tell you, with a soul too proud to con-
fess,-his head sunk on his breast, and
his hand over his mouth) "that's med
icine!"
said to my comrades, as we were
about to descend from the towering
bluffs into the prairie-"we will take
that buffalo trail, where the travelling
herds have slashed down the high grass,
and making for that blue point, rising
as you can just discern above the ocean
of grass, a good days work will bring
US over this vast meadow before sun
set" We entered the trail, and slow
/ ly progressed on our way, being obi
ged to follow the winding paths Of the
bufaloes, for the grass was higher than
the backs of our horses. Soon after
we entered, my Indian guide dismoun-
ted slowly from his horse, and lying
PROSTATE on the ground, with his face
in the dirt, he cried, and was talking
to the Spirits Of the braye-"For,"
said he, cover this beautiful plain
dwells the Spirit of Fire ! he rides in
Wonder cloud-his face blackens with
rage at the sound OF trampling hools-
the fire Jo,c is in his hand-he draws
it across the path of the Indian, and
quicker than lightning, thousand
flames rise to destroy him; such is the
talk of my fathers, and the ground is
whitcncl with their bones. II was
here" said he, "that the brave son OF
Wah-chee-too, and the strong-armed
warriors of his band, just twelve moons
since, licked the fire from the blazing
wand of that great magician. Their
pointed spears were drawn upon the
backs Of the treacherous Sioux, whose
swifter flying horses led them, in vain,
to the midst Of this valley of DEATH
A circular cloud sprang up from the
prairie around them! it was raised,
and their doom was fixed by the Spir-
il Of Fire! it was on this vast plain OF
fre-graSS that waves over our heads,
that the swift foot of Mah-to-ga was
laid. II is here, also, that the fleet
bounding wild horse mingles his bones
with the red man, and the eagles wing
is melted as he darts over its surface.
Friends! it is the season of fire; and |
fear, from the smell of the wind, that
the Spirit is awake
Pah-me-o-ne-qua said no more, but
mounting his wild horse, and waving
his hand, his red shoulders were seen
rapidly vanishing as he glided through
the thick mazes Of waving grass. We
were on his trail, and busily traced him
until midday sun had brought US TO
the ground, with our refreshments
spread out before us. He partook OF
,hem not, but stood like a statue, while
his black eyes, in sullen silence swept
the horizon round; and then, with a
deep-drawn sigh. he gracefully sunk
to the earth, and laid his face to the
ground. Our buffalo tongues and pc