The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-04-10
oW THE PLAGUE WAS CURED.
ehow Knees Story of tie Great MedI-
cine Man, Oh-Zan-a-SayO.


cine Man, Oh-Zan-a-SayO.
One of the finest looking of the spIen-
lid Cheyenne tribe OF Indians-Chief
Yellow Knce-was i'll Chicago one day
for several hours. The chief came up
from Indian territory to visit white
friends living in Evanston. and stopped
on the way to see life in great city.
He is very dignified and quite reserved
in demeanor, but Il fairly good story
teller, nevertheless. lie spent some
time explaining to an admiriug audience
the mysteries of buffalo-hunting and
other prairie sports. AT the close of a
thrilling account of buffalo hunt on
the Platte in 1868, one of his auditors
asked;
Can you tell us anything about In
dian medicine men?"
The Chcyenne's fine face grew very
grave and thoughtful, and he said:
''Perhaps-and yet, perhaps, you
would not believe me. But will tell
you strange tale, and you may judge
of its merit for yourselves.
'"Thirty-five years ago the greatest
medicine man among the Cheyennes
was Ah-zan-a-nayo, The Man of
Power He was wonderful man, but
| will only speak of one of his deeds.
'One summer, long, long ago. there
was a great sickness among the Chey-
ennes and many died. Morn and night
the medicine men worked with the sick
but no human power could check the
ravageS of the disease. One night, when
the sickness was at its height, Kaske-
nan, the chief. dreamed strange
dream. In his sleep he saw a cloud APP
proach the Cheyenne village-a cloud
that seemed to roll over the prairie not
as a cyclone tears its way, but like a
great ball moving slowly. Right oppo-
site the village it burst and from the
center came forth white buffalo, in
whose forehead stood fixed the head of
a Comanchc spear. He seemed in his
dream to see plainly the milk-white
beast as it paved the ground and bel
lowed aloud and he seemed to see the
spear-head-th long blade of the Co.
manchc-firm fixed between the horns.
And the white buffalo came on, below
ing and, right by the chiefs lodge,
dropped dead. Then he awohe.
''Much perplexed by his dream the
chief.sought counsel of the great medi-
cine man, Ah-zan-a-nayo. And the med
icine man heard and bowed his head,
and cried aloud: 1T is the sign of the
Manetau-the great spirit will lift the
plague from our lodges
"Then the medicine man took his
wooden flute and went out of the lodge.
| He walked to the outskirts of the vii
lage and sat down upon the ground.
Then he commenced to play soft,
sweet tune, and gradually raised the
pitch. Louder and louder it sounded,
and from the air above came back an
swering tones, until at last there came
crash of thunder. although it was a
clear and sunny Gay. Then, in the east,
little cloud seemed to form, and il
came rolling on toward the village. in
creasing in size as it came. Then the
medicine man began to sing in Ian
guage that none of us had ever heard
before save a very old man, who said
it was the language of the Paducas, a
tribe long, long since vanished and
almost forgotten. And the cloud burst
and out from its center came a white
buffalo, and between the buifalo's horns
stood the head of long bladed spear,
such as the Comanches use.
"Whllc we all wondered, and many
fell senseless with fear and amazemcnt,
the buffalo ran a short distance forward
and fell dead; and that night all who
were sick of the disease arose well and
strong. But news soon reached us that
the plague had attacked the Comanches
and that hundreds of them had died.
1t is a wonderful story but l saw ii
with my own eyes, and a Cheyenne chief
does not lie. Chicago Globe.