The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-06-08
@riainasl .glturg.
BERKLEY HALL.
BY "LA CAROLINE" !"
CHAPTER XXI.

CoHUTTAH.-The sun had sunk behind
darkly massing storm clouds, which had
obscured the radiance of his departing
glory. Day had set in impenetrable
darkness upon Cohuttah's wales and
mountains. The harvest moon had re-
fused its chastened light, and the stars
had withdrawn their shining. In sud-
den, wild and unrestrained fury the
tempest broke over the so recently peace-
full valley. The wind shrieked and
howled through the dense woods of Co.
huttah's forest, bending, creaking and
uprooting gigantic trees in its frantic
rage, and shaking to their foundations
the frail wigwams of the Indian village
lKo'ko'ko'ko' in fair Pleasant Valley.
Peal after peal of loud rattling thunder
in reverberating grandeur rocked Cohut-
tabs mountains with no motherly lula
by, and the fierce, red flashes of the
lightning, so terrible in its sublime and
dazzling beauty, only showed more plain
ly the appalling darkness of the night,
and caused the boldest heart to stand
still with awe under the influence Of that
autumnal gale!
At midnight the storm wrath was
hushed, and naught was heard of it save
the low hoarse mutterings of the exhaus-
ted anne'mee'kee, (thunder.) At that
ghostly hour. in the deep stilling of the
tempest, the plaintire cry of new born
babe, mingling with the Indians wild
wahono'win Qamentation) penetrated
with grief and terror the hearts of the
villagers. The shadow of the dreaded
pauguk (death) had darkened the door
way of Connisauga's wigwam and robbed
it of its light and beauty. A child had
been born to the home of the Chieftain,
but the gentle spirit of Owais'sa, his
bride, his loved and cherished wife had
taken its fight to the beautiful land of
the. Hereafter.
The morning after the tempest dawned
brightly fair, and beneath the wondrous
touches of the life-awakening gheezis
(sun, even the storm-wrecks we're robed
in glittering beauty; but the wrecked
heart of the noble Connisauga was bowed
in dark and hopeless grief.
Under the ferns and moses of Cohut-
tabs vale, they dug grave, and there
they laid to rest the warriors love.
Days and weeks sped by, and still the
Chieftain sat apart from his braves in
gloomy silence which none dared dis
turb, until the grief-stricken mother of
the lamented dead, ventured gently and
timidly to approach the Chieftain, and
laying at his feet the innocent and un-
conscious cause of all his woe, in tremb-
ling questioning accents said: "Is the
babe Owais'sa?"
The loved, familiar name only brought
a darker shade to the Indians brow.
For one moment he gazed sternly upon
his child, then turning abruptly aside,
spoke in voice of touching sadness:
"The child shall be called Cohuttah,
for as yonder mountains are Cohuttah,
because of the mist wreaths which
shadow their lofty SUBMITS, so with the
coming of this babe has the gloom of
gushkewau' (darkness) shrouded my
spirit in sorrow clouds, and robbed of its
pride and its lovelight the home of the
warrior. But showain' meme shin, sho-
vain meme shin! (alas, alas for me y
no more again can the warm light of
love penetrate the darkness of Connisau-
gas soulW
Thus spake the savage Chieftain in his
hearts deep anguish, for his ears had
never heard the echoes Of that sweet
voice, which "spake as never man spake"
on Ga!ilee's far distant shore, in the
stricken home of Bethany, in dark Geth
semane, or on cruel, cruel Calvary. The
gentle call, "Come unto ME and I will
give you rest" had never gladdened
those forest homes.
Days, months and years had passed
away, but none had been found to fill the
place of the loved Owais'sa in the wig
wala or the heart of her faithful brave.
More stern and gloomy grew each day
the Chieftain's brow, until the little Co.
huttah, growing from infancy into child
hoods beauty, in childhood's frolic
moods could sometimes lure smile
into the dark, sad warriors face. But
when the child, maturing into girlhood's
charms, began to wear the tender grace
and loveliness of the lost Owais'sa, the
fathers heart grew fond and proud the
light of parental love pierced through
the gloom of Connisauga's soul, and on
his care-lined brow, and from his dark
eye beamed the mellow light in soft and
reflected beauty. Once again in the
Chieftain's home there was joy and
. gladness. Garlands Of wild flowers, or
autumn leaves lent their gracing beauty
to the forest home. The walls of the
royal wigwam tapestried with feathers of
varied and brilliant hues, the couches of
softest, richest furs spread smoothly and
deity by daughters gentle hands, gave
to the warriors rude hut an aspect of
home beauty and home life which re-
freshcd his weary heart; and sweet upon
his ear as an echo from the beautiful
Islands of the Blessed fell the CAV song