The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1895-07-20

crater.
"There. Washalier' 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 a substance that is warm
and smells like powder. That is the
heart of the Fire Spirit. Then draw
the arrows from thy qniyer 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 fill the CULVER. The hot breath OF
the spirit will gil thy nostrils, but fear
it 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 ieaping
from the broken surface of the basin
beyond; then he fell upon his face and
peered earnestly into the darkness OF
the hole. Superstition, drcad OF the
| mysterious Fire Spirit that no man had
ever yet conquered, filed 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 bravery; 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 tomdno'eos;;
! his strong heart would 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
heavy rock, struggle under its weight
| a short distance, and heave it apparent
~ into the earth.
Then there was rumbling as If a
| hundred thunders had broken loose at
once. The medicine man reiterated
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 q 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 a giant fountain of silver.
When the great geyscr had ceased K
play. Whirlwind stood beside the medi
cine man.
where is Washakie?" he asked
.sWhere is the would-be war chief?'
There" answered the medicine
man, vomiting to an object lying neal
the mouth of the crater. He ha
, found the tonaanoseos; hut he pierced tn
heart of the Fire Spirit with arrows
and the Fire Spirit has slain him."
, THE water had subsidized and fallel
yVoc hul rio a
, upon his face, crushed and smothered
, as far from the CT alter as the length
j the lariat to which he was bound per
mitted the water to throw him. i
r | his right hand he still clutched tn
I culver, half filled with red, ochreou
I earths The medicine man had take
care that the body should not be lost
r "nere is the secret" he said, tahin
M the culver. lit is the blood of tn
a heart of the Fire Spirit. Whirlwin
! shall be war chief of the Shoshone'
. He shall wear the tomanosoos In his wal
v bonnet"
Casting the body of Washable int
!. the crater, they turned their bach
!. upon the Fire-H Hole basin and crosse
). the mountains into the land of tn
9 Shoshones. White Bull at the counc
: fire told of fight between tn
h two rivals and the Fire Spirit,
!, which Washable had been slain, bu
4 Whirlwind had come away victoriou
!. Then the crafty deed of the medicir
4 man was rewarded by the election I
q Whirlwind as war chief.
That summer, when he led his peop
against the neighboring tribes, Whir
= wind placed TIE tonanoseos ia the bea
: Of the eagle which crowned his wa
e bonnet. Though foremost among IL
= falling braves, be received no woun'
bullets struck away the feathers :
A. his war-bonnet. his pony was kille
- the wings of the eagle were tol
II awav. but whirlwind was not touche
= And until the Bad Spirit swept u
. valleys of Idaho with plague twen'
\ Years later, Whirlwind remained Il
: ;nvincible war chief of the Shoshone
! for his people believed the tale whit
n white Bull had told of the power
It his tomaaoseos -Lippincotts Magazir
st italian thought that his Litter
IS turc OF Europe was one OF the mo
t exhaustive trsatIses ever written.