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

! about him with murierous 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
'o the ground and trampled upon them.
For the man was mad. A scorchiag
; lever sent unaccustomed flashes Of light
into his sightless eyes and went into his
blood like wine. From cursing and
lighting he fell into laughter and dane
lag. He sprang hither and thither, a
toisy and fantastic figure in the silence
tnd solemnity of the forest.
Then nature asserted herself, crying
aloud for water to Quench his burning
thirst Declaiming himself the chief Of
his trlhe and no longer laughing, he
drew an imaginary robe about his com.
mandlns form. and with naughty inn
pcriousness asserted his authority and
demanded that water be brought. With
flperb dignity he received an imaginary
vessel. drank unsubstantial water from
it and threw it aside. Then, grown elo-
quent, he harangued his tribe on its
achievements in battle and urged his
people to foster the spirit which had led
them TO so many victories At the close
he reeled, his sightless eyes rolled va
cantly. he ciutched at the empty air,
lurched and then sank unconscious to
the ground
Thus he lay until the middle OF the
following night. Consciousness returned
slowly and painfully, and with his face
still buried in his hands he compelled his
memory to apply the tortures it had in
store for him. Pains racked his frame,
and groans forced their way ont from
the depths Of his despair At last he
turned upon his back and opened his
eyehds.
His eyes We're opened to the heavens,
and his stout heart qnailed to discover
strange things. which warned him OF his
madness. for there were numberless
burning points above him, such as never
before had come 10 the visions of his
blindness As he would move his ewes
ton. whereas all the visions that he had
hal before remained fixed whatsoever
direction he might look
He came 70 a sitting posture. and in
stantly the bright points disappeared.
bnt other things. dark. shadowy and
more terrifying arose before him. These
apparently reached from the level Of his
eyes all the way nj 10 the bright. fierce
points above, and they, too. would spring
III a direction opposite to that in which
lac would move his eyes This was mad
ness. he reelected "a strange and distress
ing form of il. H. closed his cyelids
and the. the visions disappeared He
opened them again and they returned as
before. Then he closed his ewes in sim
Pie fear, and thus ....-4cd courage ana
relief. and not daring t. reopen them he
staggered TO his feet and began to groIo
through the forest IN search Of water.
for bitter thirst Wa burning him.
Thus be proceeded with closed eyelids
an hands outstr,tchcd, and his fine in
stinct LED HIM straight toward "a stream
mile away. But 10 keep his eyelids
closed was unnatural and irksome. SO
terrifying visions reappearel and with
far greater distinctness than before.
Strange forms stood all around him.
grotesque and formidable. but wonder
fully fascinating Almost convinced
they We're real, he put out his hand 10
tonch them and was pleased TO find that
they had no substance, for he could not
reach them. But he felt safer with his
eyellds closed. for then he saw no alarm
ing visions.
Before long a seusation--it had been
growing for some time. and il happened
conteinporaneously with the advent q
his knowledge that day was breaking
came upon him. and he halted in dread.
1t seemed more like warmth than any
thing else, and yet not warmth Of the
kind that he had known. 1t was in his
head-no, it was in his eyes, which he
dared not open. He sank TO the ground
IN weak helplessness. Still keeping his
eyes closed, he felt the warmth in them
increase, and then il became so painful
that he opened them. Instantly tire
mendous heat burst forth within his
head. racking all his sensibihties with
excruciating pains. Trembling with fear
and awe, Chikkatabac fell to the ground
and buried his face in his hands. The
sun had riseu
Thus lay the helpless savage, filled
with terror and marvelings. His great
frame quivered, and agonized means is
sued from his burning throat After a
time his courage returned. He clasped
his hands tightly over his eyes, the more
securely TO exclude the burning. blazing.
terrifying vision that had appeared whe.l-
ever he opened them. Onward he went
toward water, and finally the presence
of a mossy sod under foot warned him
that a stream was near.
He now went forward cautiously, and
then dropped to his hands and knees and
crawled toward the stream till he
touched the cool water. Then he eagerly
stretched himself at full length upon the
bank and was about to drink, when un-
guardedly he opened his eyes. SO strange
vision at once appeared to him that he
started back in dismay
\ strange vision indeed and immeas-
urably unlike the others, for that which
he had seen as he bent over the still wa
WI "ds uiuCi llhe the IllTlI OI one ueau,
as he had imagined it. Then a great
comprehension came to his soul, and SO
swift and heavy was the shock it brought
that he was stunned, but after that
gentle peace fell upon him and tears Of
happiness rolled down his cheeks. Ris-
ing to his feet, and with calm courage
opening his eyes to the dazzling visions
which confronted him he raised both
arms to heaven and reverently said:
80 thou Great Spirit. know now that
|, thy child, have died and am now in
the happy hunting ground of my kindred
who died before me. Accept thy humble
child, o Spirit. Teach him to understand
thy will and to bear with courage the
blazing glories of thy habitation"
No sound but the strangely familiar
singing of birds and the rustic of the
trees in the morning breeze came in an
lwer to his prayer. But though oppressed
with a sense of loneliness and wondering
that no other spirits came to greet him,
he faced the new world with a manly
front and open eyes, and turned again to
the stream. Once more the spirit which
he had first seen confronted him, but he
\ls not afraid. As he brought his lips
nearer to the water. the face of the spirit
No. Il L.