The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-03-14

filled with visions Of dead Indians who
Gn her dreamy appeared to be drowned.
"At last she fell into heavy slum-
Der, and when she awoke deep still
ness reigned all around.
"She thought It strange that no noise
or sound of life came from the camp,
but she concluded that they had eaten
so much the previous night that one
and all were still sleeping.
When the day and night had passed,
and yet no sound from the people of
the camp, the poor girl became thor
oughly alarmed. but feared to move or
call out. on account OF the injunction
received from her mother.
Morning came again; and now from
the direction of the camp came q faint
sound. as of a distant, signing wind,
and, as the day grew older, the sound
became more of kissing nature. Dur
ing her last night in her lonely retreat,
that noise was something fearful, and
poor Ne-nah was almost out of her
mind with terror.
Sunlight, blessed sunlight againi
Now Ne-nah's three days and nights
were over, and she was free to 90; but
her mother came not.
''The girl called, hardly above her
breath at first, then louder, but no an
swer came to her ears. She could not
bear 1t longer, and SO she determined
to reconnoiter the camp and see what
had happened.
"As she approached the edge of the
clearing she saw, squirming over the
bark tent, up and over the fish stag
ing, over the canoes on the beach-in
fact, over everything that belonged to
the Indians-snakes, large and small,
in countless numbers. She realized
that her people were either dead or
had fed, and she decided to start on
foot for the fort.
"Ne-nah, Indian-like, had a natural
knowledge of the lay Of the country,
and made her way through the track
one so young. Two days afterward she
came out on the shore of Long lake.
She was seen by one of the servants,
who brought her over in canoe to the
fort.
'The gentleman in charge for the
Nor'west company heard her story, and
although he totally disbelieved It, yet
at her earnest demand and entreaty
for some one to 20 and look for her
parents, he sent his second officer and
party of men to visit the place.
"They returned after four days alb
sence, and reported that they had
found the clothes Of the Indians where
they lay in the camp, with nothing but
bones therein.
"Seeing some of the snakes men,
toned by the girl still moving about,
they set fire to the point before leav-
ing.
"You will notice." said Lag nrde, at
this point Of his story, that the trees
hereabouts are second growth, and by
their size you can see this happened
years ago. The Indians from that
time have never camped by or fished in
this lake. An occasional hunter, who
has been tempted to come to the shores
of the lake to see the home Of the
Manitou Na-mek, is reported to have
seen an immense sturgeon disporting
itself on the surface.
''Hardy would have been the Indian
who would have molested the mon.
ster."
"And what became of Ne-nah2' ]
asked the guide.
"She married Big Marten, Of Albany
district, and was known (after her es
cape from death at Manitou Na-Mek) az
the Snake Woman. She died few
years ago at Fort Henley, and the most
of the Indians now living in that sec
tion are descendants Of hers" con
cluded Lagarde.
Our work for the next few days lay
in sight Of the lake, and although W.
kept bright lookout, we failed to sex
anything of the uncanny fish that haf
been eaten by the Indians, had then beer
turned into deadly serpents, and de
voured the whole band, and finally re
sumed its natural state in the water
of the lake! Such was the Indian le
gend of this grand body Of water
Lagarde told me on a subsequent
evening wonderful story of "Winda
go Woman" This incident happened
in his own young days, and, as he said
must be true."-Martin Hunter, in N
Y. Ledger.