The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-07-27
LOVERS LEAP,
A ROMANCE OF INDIAN LIFE.

No summer tourist OF romantic torn,
happening TO be near Lansing, Iowa, will
omit seeing the Lovers Leap" as II is
called, Of which this Indian legend is told;
On the whole line Of the Mississippi river
there is not, perhaps, any grander scenery
than that about Lansing, Iowa. "A snort
distance below the town. on the west side
or the river. stands noble bluff, shooting
up almost perpendicular TO the height Of
G,ur hundred teet The base of the bluff,
which is only a few rods from the waters
edge, is fronIed by sloping beach, thick
set by rough, j'gged rocks, among which
Il few stunted trees and shrubs grow.
The summit of the bluff fails off grace
fully into fine level tract of land, covered
In summer with a luxuUiant growth OF
grass and flowers, while the brink OF the
steep ends abruptly in a broad, naked
rock, from which a charming view Of The
river, both above and below, can be had
Upon this rock the Indians used 10 meet
TO recount their deeds of war, engage IN
their wild dances, and view the face OF
nature so pleasantly spread out ia broad
beauty below. Here, lopg ago, band be-
had camped for the night. Among their
number was En-ow>kaw kuw, beautiful
girl, the daughter of Wah-ma -naw-kaw-
kaw, the medicine man of the tribe. -
There were two young men in the COM
pany, Waw kaw chaw-ku kaw, Coming
Thunder, AMI Rob-kaw, the great hunter.
Ibey were both great favorites with the
father of the maiden, and be had often
burned incense 10 the Great Spirit for
victory to the one, and practiced countIess
iucantaiions that the other might return
safe and successful from the hunt
The regard which the father had for
each held him back from even a word or
a sign that could in any way decide the
contest in the maideu's breast as which
of the two she should choose. The
slightest indication from him would have
settled the case, bat he would not do it,
Thus the matter stood on the night when
the band STOOD about the camp, fire on the
broad rock overlooking the great river.
The rivals, sitting in silent gloom at the
fire, eyed each other apart, and though
they never talked together on the subject
of their jealousy, they iustinctively under-
stood the whole difficulty. Ia full view
where the freight dweIt warmest, sat
the lovely En-ow-kaw-kaw on a mat,
weaving necklace of beads She looked
prctier than ever before in the eyes of
the dusky wooers. They glanced at each
other. At last one of them spoke a word
which the other construed into a menace,
when they both sprang to their feet, and
IN the first moment of rage challenged
each other to a test of Courage for the
hand Of The young woman "a TEST no less
hazardous than that of ieapiug over the
I1rJad rock to the level below. In IN
Instant they flung away their blankets,
and, each eager 10 be first, ran to the edge
and leaped off at once into the pale moon
light and The sleep of death
The band went down the winding path
on the side of the bluff, stretched out the
rnapglod bodies of the foolish lovers on the
green grass, and while they stood in
dismal sorrow around them, a Wild weird
strain was heard from the rock above
En-ow-kaw kaw was chanting the death
requiem, which told that she, too, had
determined there to end her life. Her
father, the medicine man, knew the
meaning Of the song, and with a step as
light and swift as a tigers he ascended
the path, stole up behind her, seized her
in his arms and bore her away, La the
morning the bodies were inferred with all
the ancestral rites OF Indian burial the
band went gIoomiy away, and since that
time no camp fire has been lighted upon
the rock but the view from the height is
as grand as ever, and men have agreed
that the place shall always be known as
the Lovers Leap,