The Van Buren press., 1895-06-15

A rumor reached the tribe that the
trio had gone far to the north to de
eide their claims to preferment.
When the medicine man entered the
Fire-Hole basin Of the Yellowstone,
the full moon from mid-heaven was
flooding the cindered waste with wan
radiance. Jets of steam from a
score OF craters hissed and wreathed
around them, leaping and disappear
ing like specters at play. The hot
stones and ashes beneath their feet
trembled at intervals, as If to begin
mimic earthquake, and. then subsidized
amid sharp explosions and sudden
Kisses of steam that seemed to burst
from every pinnacle and projection Of
the whitened area.
Before dark opening that broke
tho surface and seemed to pierce down.
ward to the very bowels of tho earth,
the medicine man stopped. Selling
Washakie by the wrist, he bent for
ward and pointed into the heart of the
crater.
"There. Washakie!" he cried, "there
Is the heart Of the Fire Spirit White
Bull will let thee down by his pony's
hair rope until thy feet touch the
ledge Of rock. Then put thy hands
out and walk straight forward until
they touch q substance that is warm
and smells like powder. That is the
heart OF the Fire Spirit. Then draw
the arrows from thy culver and thrust
them in one by one until they are all
gone. The blood will run forth, soft
and warm. Gather it in thy hands
and flll the quiver. The hot breath of
the spirit will fill thy nostrils, but fear
1t not When all is done, pull on the
rope, and White Bull will draw thee
up and lead thee back over the noun
tains to be war chief of the Shoshones.
This deed has never yet been done by
man. Thou shalt be known as the
bravest warrior that ever led thy peo'
pie in battle"
| The young man hesitated, looking at
the Pickering jets of steam leaping
| from the broken surface of the basin
beyond; then he fell upon his face and
peered earnestly into the darkness of
the hole. Superstition, dread Of the
mysterious Fire Spirit that no man had
ever yet conquered, filled him with un-
certainty. But he believed the words
of the medicine chief of his tribe, who
had shown SO many others the secret
of braveryi and the glory Of leading
his tribe in war was worth an earnest
ness dumb to fear. He had trod the
forest many miles to find his tonsaf,oacos;
his strong heart wouM not fail him
now. In another moment he was glid-
ing over the edge Of the crater with
the moose of the hair rope bound around
him.
The medicine man braced back until
the relaxing strain upon the rope told
him that Washakie's feet had touched
the ledge. Then he coiled the free end
of the lariat fast around projecting
| rock.
Whirlwind, arrayed in paint and war
bonnet, had crept through the forest
and over the mountain as closely as
safety permitted. At night his thrice
repeated cry of cougar had warned
the medicine man Of his presence.
Reaching the edge of the fire basin,
and screening himself behind rock,
he saw the medicine man standing
alone amid the floating wreathes of
steam. He saw him turn and lift a
heavy rock, struggle under its weight
a short distance, and heave 1t apparent
ly into the earth.
Then there was rumbling as II a
| 1o 1,.l hrn OF
once. The medicine man retreated
hastily as dense white cloud burst
from the earth at his feet and lowered
to the very sky. The earth shook, and
there came out of the cloud pro
longed, wailing cry, that was swal
lowed in an explosion as if the bowels
of the earth were rent in sunder. The
white cloud was transformed into
water, that shot upward in one mighty
stream toward the moon, piling volume
on volume, and casting itself in steam
and spray hundred feet on every side
like giant fountain of silver.
When the great geyser had ceased te
play, Whirlwind stood beside the medi
cine man.
Where is Washakiep' he asked
"Where is the would-be war chief?"
"There," answered the medicine
man, pointing to an object lying neal
the mouth Of the crater. "He has
found the tomano,oos; but he pierced the
heart of the Fire Spirit with arrows
and the Fire Spirit has slain him."
The water had subsidized and faller
| back into the earth. Washakie lay
upon his face, crushed and smothered
as far from the CT ater as the length O.
the lariat to which he was bound per
mitted the water to throw him. Ii
his right hand he still clutched the
culver, half filled with red, ochreou'
earth. The medicine man had taker
care that the body should not be lost
"nere is the secret he said, taking
m the culver. ut is the blood OF the
heart Of the Fire Spirit. Whirlwind
shall be war chief of the Shoshones
He shall wear the tonaanosoos in his war
bonnet"
Casting the body of Washakie int
the crater, they turned their back
upon the Fire-Hole basin and crosse;
the mountains into the land of thu
Shoshones. White Bull at the council
fire told of fight between thu
two rivals and the Fire Spirit, II
which Washakie had been slain, bu
Whirlwind had come away victorious
Then the crafty deed OF the medicin
man was rewarded by the election o
Whirlwind as war chief.
That summer, when he led his peopl
against the neighboring tribes, Whirl
wind placed TIE tomaao'oos in the beal
of the eagle which crowned his war
| 1..o4 u,honnh fnremOSt among TIL