Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1893-05-25

away into distant forest and left there
to perish, believing that by reason Of his
blindness and his total lack Of skill as q
hunter he must perish, for to what they
supposed had been a curse sent upon him
in the form of blindness they ascribed
the dire sufferings Of the tribe and the
imminence Of its extinction. Well, It is
related that the tribe, some time after
the supposed death of the blind chief,
mustered its energies for final resist
ance against the Nahigonsiks, its ancient
enemies, who. finding that the newly
elected chief of the Wampanoags was
merely a loud braggart, without the true
Isetal of great warrior in him, deter
mined to fall upon the feeble Wampano-
ags and sweep them from the earth
The battle was very unequal one.
for the Nahigonsiks greatly outnumbered
the Wampanoags. But it is related that
in the fiercest part of the fight, when the
arrows of the Nahigonsiks were reaping
the Wampanoags as ripened wheat, and
despair and CONSERVATION sat upon the
weaker tribe. there suddenly sprang
forth stalwart young man Of great size
and strength. who, with commanding
voice and gesture swinging aloft n club
which he had wrenched from tree.
cried. For Your lives, my people, and
leaped to the front.
Il feel constrained to inform your rev.
erencc that, according to the legend, this
visitant dropped from heaven. but your
reverence will understand that believe
nothing Of the kind, having, through the
mercy of the Son Of God, received a
clearer light than that which illumines
the minds Of these lenighted savageS,
and that am constrained to believe that
this savage young chief, left 10y his COM
rades to perish of hunger, suffered men
talasonics So fierce and radical as to have
broken up knottod and tangled places
within him, to the end that the slight
cause which had held his vision in abev-
ance had been removed, but upon this
matter Your reverence, with superior Wis
dom, may be able q pass more intelli-
gent opinion. Ii isIuy function solely TO
report affairs as | have heard them. and
in this pursuit report the following:
The WmnTanoags recognized in this
strange conner the spirit Of Chlkkatabac,
the blind young chief: you and |. Your
reverence, recognized in him Chikkata-
bag himself with sight restored. Be that
rs il may, his superior presence. the
calm majesty Of his bearing, the infinite
ly sad earnestneSs of his glance and the
superb daring If hi, movement inspired
tho Wampauoa-s With al almost for
gotten courage, to the end that they fol
lowed their strange leader, despite tho
frantic warnings Of their newly elected
chief. and moved 10 extraordinary dar-
iuS flung themselves upon the enemy
with incredible fcrucity.
For, most in all their bloody enter
pri,es was the new leader. his great
frame towering above all others. his club
swinging with deadly regularity and
crushing out tine lives Of hapless Nuhi-
Eonsiks with every blow. anu his clear
voice ringing far above the din Of strife.
CRYING. For your lives ani your chill
drer, my couutrymeu.' Your reverence,
trust you VIII not think am too deep
ly stirred by this narration. | give the
legend merely as il has been tod to me.
~ - I'4At'tl Lllht ltt " IlulillbAZS
carried the titll and won tile dav. and
that this was but the beginning Of a
s"rles If victories which restored them
to their ORIGINAL glory and stnt the Ma
higonslks into another part " the world.
That whIcA more directly concerns this
legend l. a matter Of simple record. The
nt~ chief, II IS said, after placing his
trbo upon the old footing by means Of
pumeruus valorous battlcs-maintain
ing always the extraordinary reticencc
and solitude which followed his advent
among his I"ople-kept apart and silent
r.nl all had bcen finished. Then one
evening as the sun was setting lie was
sen upon an efninence with arms out
stretched toward the west and eyes up
lifted to heaven, his lips moving in 81
rltlnvocatiun. And after that he walked
slowly toward the west and was never
heen again by his people. He had faded
forever into the silent mysteries Of the
twilight. L. G. Harton and W. {. Nor
row IN san Francisco Examiner