Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-15


the open sky that we never expected to see
again.
l held my candle low to see the path, but the
smoke and foul air extinguished It. ''If that
said.
We had reached the second chamber, and
only the narrow path between ii and the first
great room remained. Not finding the path we
stepped IN the pool. In q moment We were
over our waists, so had to step back After
few moments search we found the path and
reached the first room. Here tho smoke was so
bad that the candles were useless We were
almost exhausted, but round and round the
room we went, striking our uncovered hands
against the lutting rocks, having nsught but
the drip, drip of the water that laved our
smoke-begrimed faces, and thinking that it
was to be the last sound we would ever hear,
whom bark. faint crackle Of our smoldering
bonfire. We located the sound, and by it found
the mouth OF the cave and slowly crept out to
the precious light and air Of heaven.
HARD RIDING
After long rest we went in search of Scar
face. Gone! and gone was the Pluto pony that
he had ridden in the morning-gone was our
food, and alas pretty Navajo blanket that did
not belong TO Scarface.
| We hurriediy dried our clothes. ate the little
food Scarface had missed, saddled our horses
| and started homeward Twenty-Five miles to
go over an almost unknown mountain trail and
night upon u.s. Not the night when stars pin
| back the curtains and lovers sit on a moonlig ht
| lawn and build air castles, but the kind in
which robbers or assassins do their worst.
Dark with mist that soon changed to a driz-
| cling rain that chilled and nearly blinded u.s.
| We missed the ford but concluded to go on
trusting to hnd another, my spirited little bay
| following closely the white ridden by Ernest
Suddenly saw the white rearing and strug-
| Cling and Ernest called .:Don't come, a swamp. :"
After getting out We decided to cross the creek
there. Whips and spurs finally compelled our
horses to leap down bank fully FIVE feet high
| into the deep water below. The white reached
the opposite bank and stopped. dense wood
| OF young cotton wood and box elder was
| ahead. All! Out in the mountains again.
| How fast the horses went We often missed the
trail and much time was lost searching for it,
How those horses did neigh. Surely thew must
have seen the Panapashe. After four hours
| hard riding we saw the agency lights, and SO
| many of them that the plaza looked like an i'm
mense play ground for gigantic firefies. The
wind aud rain prevented the agency people
and then screams of Here they are, ;" They've
come, told us we were the cause of all the COM
motion. Horses stood saddled and bridled, a
| big covered blackboard containing a bed was
ready for use and the agency physician was put
ting up some brandy and other restoratives. The
| first explanation was: "Scarface said the Pana-
pashe set the cave on fire. He saw a mountain
lion come out and we feared something had
happened
| THE OLD LEGEND.
We went next day to see Scarface to ask
about his abrupt departure and also to find the
Navajo blanket
! In response to our inquiry concerning the
latter he said: me no sabe-maybe SO bad
Indian steal i'm"
Our little adventure caused a great deal Of
excitement among the Indians and the revival
I '.NF Ioy 1.Nc% H.
which | will tell you as heard it, simply trans
lating the Indian dialect into languague mean.
ing nearly the same.
Imagine yourself where I was when heard
! it-lying underneath tree. 1.-The green be-
meath and the blue above" near me an old vel
low wicSiup, around me sitting the squaws and
older children of the family listening to the two
Old chieftains, who alternately smoked from the
same pipe and talked. and the two half-naked
papoose, one old enough to toddle near the
steaming kettle Of venison, the other OH its
board Of cedar, interested more in the warm
brown breast of its mother than the old legend
| told by its father or the juicy meat simmering
the fire.
Long, long ago-many snow times-many
flower times gone-in the deep, dark water
near some mountain. under whose overhangng
rocks he could hide. lived Panapashe-a water
devil. Always old, always ugly, always alone
he lived. Not alone from choice, for he had
offered to many chieftains in turn the gifts Of
his wonderful water home. the fishes for food,
the gold and silver pebbles that were hidden
from human eyes, but the most heartless,
/ a7aricious father could not give his happy,
laughing daughter to this old horrible monster,
with his scaly skin, feet like fms and arms like
cells.
.Once one father, tempted by the golden
bait, took his daughter to the water but she
escaped from him and ran affrighted back to
the wickiup. For punishment to this father
the Great Spirit took away the mind of the
girl and forever after she an idiot.
Years went on. Girls were born and grew
up-all were warned from the water devil To
| them his name was used as a threat-for all
feared him. yet, perhaps, hearing his name SO
often the girls grew less careful and were not
their men the bravest ever known? Surely
| they would rescue girl from the Panapashe
did he get her.
PANAPAsHE GETS A BRIDE.
"One day Mama, the most fearless as well as
the fairest girl in all the tribe, was out on the
lake III her canoe. A storm was coming, but
she cared not. Her hands were more accIls-
toned to handling the pad lies than the needles
and beads for her work, SO why need she fear,
and could she not swim well as any OF the
I braves in the tribe? Besides the camp was near
the lake and she was sure the black eyes of her
lover, Wapsock. were watching every motion.
1.-The storm burst suddenly-and she hur-
rledly headed her canoe toward the land but it
was too late. Her paddle was snapped in twain
and the waves were carrying her hither and
thither at their will and ever nearer the ledge
Of rocks where lurked the old Panapashe. Her
lover threw off his blanket and dashed in the
water. All was confusion. Women tore their
hair and screamed. Mama was nearing the
ledge, but Wapsock was near her. Could he
save her? 1t was so dark. Was she gone?
"A flash Of lightning revealed the capsized
canoe with Mama clinging to its side and wap-
sock so nea-, and what else? huge form that
rose from its watery depths to an unearthly
height, two eel-like arms that encircled the fair
Mama, and with scream from Mama and a
horrible laugh from the Panapashe that was
heard across the lake and above the storm, they
disappeared forever from human sight"
My narrator paused. All was quiet The baby
at its mothers breast was calmly sleeping-the
other had toddled after gold-winged butter
fly. Even the grasshopper had ceased to chirp
what elseI" I asked. Ibid Wapsock re-
turn?
"Wapsock's body came back. His heart stay
with Mama. We hunt for Mama and try to
kill the Panapashe, 30 he get heap scared and
take MAMA away to the cave. He make her a
trail down in the water all the same white
mans steps. He gave her gold and silver bead
dresses. shining like the fishes scales. They
eat fish. You see em bones? Maybe SO they
happy. for they have many children. Maybe
so 1t all right to take Mama, for now he no
try to get any more girls"
The story-teller paused and then spoke of the