The Portland daily press., 1893-05-13
TEE BLIND CHIEF.

Wampanoags had won the battle and
were already shouting triumphantly,
when the woods about them suddenly
burst into great blaze. Everything
seemed turned to fire; it crept likereptiles
among the dry grass at their feet and
coiled around the trunks of trees, till,
reaching the topmost branches, it formed
q canopy Of twisting, writhing flames.
Many of the warriors persisted that
night, among them Wahgumacut. The
survivors, after undergoing many hard
ships, reached the little camp where the
BquawB and children had been left for
safety. There they learned that on the
very night Of their misfortune Naanash-
1uaw. wife of their chief, had given
birth to a male child. Instead of the
usual rejoicing over such an event there
were scowls end nutterings among the
warriors A child Of i'll omen they said
he was, and to prevent his evil influence
doing further mischief they determined
10 put him to death. But Naanashquaw
pleaded for the life of her little one and
was permitted under protest to keep
him.
The child grew, but he was blind, and
the Indians were filled with supersti-
Hous fear of him. All sorts of misfor-
tunes were supposed to fall on the I'M
lucky individual on whom his sightlc5s
eyes might appear to rest.
Naanashquaw died, prophesying I'M
limited disaster to the tribe if her sight
fo~e ct, ~ J1a l. /
their hands. So the boy, feared, Stunned
and despised, grew to manhood. He was
about 81. tall, broad shouldered and
straight, when there came a year of fam
inc. The earth was barren, the deer and
game apparently exterminated. Dark
grew the countenances of the red men.
They drew apart from the squaws and
children, who cried piteously for food,
and while whispering together pointed
ominously at Chikkatabac. the blind
young chief.
Then they pretended to have arranged
a hunting trip, and soon the noise and
hustle usually attendant Upon this event
was heard throughout the catup. Before
this Chikkatabac had always been left
with the sQuaws, but now he was in
Nited to accompany the braves, and his
bosom swel;ed with pride. He imagined
they at last had realized he was man.
Dreams Of taxing his inherited right of
being sagGmore Of the tribe came to him.
Fer days they Travelled out of their own
land over hot sandy deserts till, reaching
a dense forest beyond, they pushed their
way through The trees. brush and tangled
vines to It's VERY heart. Here they paused,
and after refreshing themselves pretend
ed to rest. Chikl,a Il ,.a,, rnsuspectingly
lay down and was aco.i asleep.
The bright eyes Of lis enemies could
be seen sparkling tllror I'll the darkness.
The dusky forms ;;.oso noiselessly and
stealthily retracel t:leil' steps homeward.
In his dreams C.4i.ik;1tabac was great
warrior. The place about him echoed
with the cries Of his victims and the war
whoop Of his army. Onward, onward to
triumph he was leading them.
He awol1e A great sense of loneliness
oppressed him. He could hear no sound
Save the sobbing of the wind through the
trees. Was it day or night? AS if IN an
Bwer bird caroled forth its morning
hymn, and thousands of sweet voiced
songsters joined in the melody. One by
one he called the names Of his compan-
ions. but none answered him. What had
happened? Had some terrible disaster
occurred and were their dead bodies ly-
ing around him? Or were they all sitting
near him, grinning at his misfortune?
Angrily he arose and gesticulated wild
BY, walking rapidly around and around,
stretching his arns DAT into space. Then
a feeling Of helplessness and utter de-
spair assailed him. With loud cry he
threw himself to the ground.
Chikkatabac had been reared with the
women Of his tribe; they and the chill
aren had been his companions. Nothing
had arisen in his life before this to de-
Velop the more rugged qualities Of man
hood. But when there broke upon him
now full realization of the enormous
cruelty that had been practiced upon
him the fighting spirit of his ancestors
burst its leash within him, and uncon-
trollable fury ragged in his blood. He
beat his head against the ground; he
tore the sod with his fingers; he sprang
to his feet, and waving his arms cursed
his betrayers, the echoes Of his frantic
Eells hooking him from the depths of
the forest.
Never before had the unrelenting cru-
city of his blindness held him in bonds
30 CALLING. He darted hither and thith-
er, clutching the air for his vanished
foes He tore away great branches of
trees, and with these for clubs he lay
about him with 1nurderous energy, ours
ing and yelling. The stupendous
strength which had lain sleeping in his
muscles was now awake for the first
time in his life, and with thousand
throats it clamored for exercise. This
he furnished. He hurled stones at ran
dom and gleefully listened as they went
tearing through the foliage. He tore up
strong shrubs by the roots, dashed them
to the ground and trampled upon them.
For the MAJ was mad. A scorchilg
fever sent u..accustoned flashes of light
into his sight less eyes and went into his
h,1ooI