The Portland daily press., 1881-08-20
Piute Astronomy.
Virginia City (Nev.) Enterprise.l

lNlrglnla lily NNoF.J EuUerprlSe.l
About the time the new comet was at Its
brightest we took the occasion of call from
Captain Sam of the Pluto tribe to ask him
about the notions held by his people in regard
to such celestial visitants Sam said he knew
very little about such matters, but would pres
emily bring to US an old man of his tribe who
had the whole dome of heaven by heart, and
knew what was meant by every wink and blink
of any star that ever peeped through the cur
tains of the sky.
A day or two since, Sam made his appear
ance with the Pluto Copernicus following in
his wake. The sage was old, wrinkled and
blear-eyed; evidently, Judging from his raj
ment, philosopher of the Diogenes order.
Sam proffered his services as interpreter, but
having observed that the sage had pretty fair
acquaintance with the English language, we
mysteries poured fresh from the fountain head.
The man of science threw away the stump of
his cigarette, blew last puff of smoke through
his ample nostrils, and without further core
mony proceeded to give us the whole economy
of the celestial realms in nutshell
1.-THE sun rules the heavens. He is the big
chief; the moon is his wife and the stars are his
children. The sun he eat him children whom
ever he can them CATCH They are all the time
afraid when he is passing through the above
When he their father, the sun, gets up in the
morning you see all the stars his children, fly
out of sight-go away into the blue-and they
do not make to be seen again till he, their ia
Their, is about for going to bed.
Down deep under the ground-deep, deep
is a great hole. Here he go into this hole, the
sun, and he crawl and he creep to he come to
his bed; SO then sleeps there all the night. This
hole is SO little and he, the sun, is so big that
he cannot turn around in it, so he must, when
he has had all his sleep, pass then on through,
and we see him next morning come out in the
east. When he so comes out he begins to hunt
up through the sky to catch and eat any that
he can OF the stars, his children. He the sun,
is not all seen. The shape of him it is like
snake or lizard. 1t is not his head that we
can see, but his belly, stuffed with the stars he
has times and times devoured.
His wife, the moon, she goes into the same
hole as her husband to sleep her maps. She
have always the great fear of him. the sun,
that have her for his wife, and when he comes
into the hole to sleep she not long stay there if
he be cross.
She, the moon, have great love for her chill
dren, the stars, and is happy to be travelling up
where they are. And they, her children, feel
safe and smile as she passes along. But she,
their mother, cannot help but that one must 90
every month. 1t is so ordered by Pah-ah, the
Great Spirit that lives above the place of all.
Every month he do swallow one of his chill.
dren. Then the mother moon feel sorrow. She
must mourn. Her face she do paint it black,
for child is gone. But the dark YOU will see
wear away from her face-little, little, little
every day, and after time we see again all the
face bright of the mother moon. But soon he,
the sun, her husband, swallow another child,
and she must put again on her face the pitch
and the black
But how about the comet?' asked we.
well" said the philosopher, sometimes
you see the sun snap at one end of the stars,
his children, and not get good fast hold-only
tear one hole and hurt it. 1t get wild of pain
and go fly away across the sky with great spout
OF blood from it. 1t then very afraid, and as
it fly keep always it head turn to watch the
sun, Its father, and never turn away from him
its face till far out of reach"
Having thus disposed of the whole business
OF the realms above, the sage was inclined to
come down to mundane matters, and suggested
that much talking made men hungry He was
not too proud to accept four bits.