Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-06-21

When the medicine man entered IN,
Fre-llole basin # the Yellowstone
the full moon from mid-heaven wa,
flooding the cindered waste with "A wal
radiance. Jets Of steam from
score of cratcrs Missed and wreatheC
around them, leaping and disappear
ing like specters at play. The ho
stones aud ashes beneath their fee
trembled at intervals, as If 10 begin a
mimic earthquake, and then subsidized
amid sharp explosions and sudder
misses of steam that seemed to burst
from every pinnacle and projection OF
the whitened area.
Before "A dark opening that broke
the surface and seemed To pierce down
ward To the very bowels of the earth
the medicine man stopped. Selling
Washable by the wrist, he bent for
ward and pointed into the heart of the
crater
There. WashalIie" 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 culver and thrust
them in one by one until they are all
gone. The blood will run forth, soft
and warm. Gather il in thy hands
and fill the culver. The hot breath Of
the spirit will fiji thy nostrils, hut fear
II not When all is done. pull ON the
rope, and White Bull will draw thee
up and lead thee back over the noun
tains 10 be war chief Of the Shoshones
This deed has never yet been done 10y
man. Thou shalt be known as the
braveSt warrior that ever led thy peo-
pie in battle"
The young man hesitated, looking at
the fickering 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, filed him with un-
certainty But he believed the words
OF the medicine chief IF 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 10 fear. lie had trod the
forest many miles 20 find his toBtaaotros:
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
Ia ma ilsfF i,
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 a 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 it apparent
ly into The earth.
Then there was rumbling as il a
hpndred thunders had broken loose a.
o6ee The medicine man retreated
hastily as a 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 a 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 TO
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 near
the mouth OF the crater. He has
found the tomanotcos; but he pierced the
heart of the Fire Spirit with arrows,
and the Fire Spirit has slain him"
The water had subsidized and fallen
back into the earth. Washable lay
upon his face. cru she'd and smothered.
As far from the crater as the length Of
the lariat % which he was bound per-
mitted the water To throw him In
his right hand he still clutched the
culver, half filled with re d, ochreous
earth. The medicine man had taken
care that the body should not pe lost.
Here is the secret" he said. taking
up the culver. at is the blood Of the
heart of the Fire Spirit Whirlwind
shall be war chief of the Shoshones.
lie shall wear the t0maaoros in his war
bonnet
Casting the body of Washable into
the crater, they turned their backs
upon the Fire-llole basin and crossed
the mountains into the land of the
Shoshones. White Bull at the council
fire told of a fight between the
two rivals and the Fire Spirit, in
which Washable had been slain, but
Whirlwind had come away victorious
Then the crafty deed of the medicine