The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-08-01
Indian Legends.
THE LOVER STAR.
a LEGEND OF TIE CIIIPpEWYANs.

LEGEND OF TIE CHIPPEWYANS.
There was once quarrel among the
stars, when one of them was driven
away from its home in the heavens and
descended to the earth. 1t wandered
from one tribe of Indians to another,
and had been seen lowering over tho
canp-fircs of a thousand Indians when
they were preparing themselves to sleep.
1t always attracting themselves to sleep.
cd wonder and admiration. 1t often
lighted upon the heads of little children,
as If for the purpose of playing with
them, but they were invariably fright
cned and drove it away by their loud
crying. Among all the people in the
world only one could be found who was
not afraid Of this beautiful star, and
this was little girl, the daughter of a
Chippcwyan warrior. She was not
afraid Of the star, but rather than this
she loved it with her whole heart and
was very happy in her love. That she
was loved by the star in return there
could be no doubt, for wherever she
travelled with her father through the
wilderness then as the night came on
did the star follow, but it was never
seen i'll the day time. When the girl
awollc at night the star iloated lust
above her head, and, when she was
asleep so constant in its watchfulness
that she never opened her eyes, even
at midnight, without bcholding its bril-
liant light. People wondered at this
strange condition Of things, but how
much more did they wonder when they
found that the father of the girl never
returned from the hunt without an abun.
dance Of game. They therefore con-
cludcd that the star must be the son Of
the Good Spirit, and they ever after
spoke Of it with vcneration.
Time passed on, and it was midsum-
mcr. The Indian girl had gone into
the woods for the purpose of gathering
berries. Those of the wintcrgrcen
were nearly all eaten up by the pig igeons
and the deer, and, as the cranberrics
were beginning to ripcn, she wandered
into a large marsh with view of filing
her willow basket with them. She did
so, and in the tangled thickets of the
swamp she lost her way. She became
frightened and cried aloud for her ia.
ther to come to her assistance. The
only creatures that answered her cries
were the frogs and the lonely bittcrn.
Inc night was rapidly coming, and the
farther she wandered the more intricate
become her path. AT one time she was
compelled to wade into the water even
to her knees, and then again would she
tall INTO deep hole and almost become
drowned among the poisonous slime and
weeds. Night came, and the poor
g'rl looked up at the sky, hoping that
she might see the star that she loved.
n storm had arisen and the rain fell so
RAPIDLY that a star could not live in it,
and therefore was there none to be
seen. The storm continued, the wa
iers OF the country rose, end, i'll rush
tnS INTO the deeper lakes, they destroy
cd tic Indian girl, and washed her
body away SO that it never could be
found.
Many seasons passed away and the
star continued to be seen above the
"atch-fircs Of the Chippewyans; but it
would never remain long in one place,
and its light appeared to have become
dlmmcd. 1t ever seemed to be looking
Tor something that it could not find, and
People knew that it was unhappy on ac-
count Of the untimcly death Of the girl
1t had loved. Additional years passed
on, and, with the leaves of autumn, it
finally disappeared. A cold and long
winter soon followed, and then the hot
test summer that had ever been known.
During this season it SO happened that
hunter Glanced at night to follow
bear into one of the largest swamps of
the land, when to his astonishment he
discovered small light hanging over
the water. 1t was 50 beautiful that he
followed it fora long distance, but led
into such dangerous places that he gave
mp the pursuit, and, returned to tell his
people what he had seen. And then it
was that tie Oldest men Of the tribe told
him that the light he had seen was the
star that had seen was the star that had
been driven from heaven, and that it
now wandering over the earth for the
purpose of finding the beautiful girl had
loved. And that same star is still upon
seen by the hunters as they journey at
night through the wilderness.
knowledge is better than gold.