The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-03-08
FATE OF THE RIPAS.
A STORY OF THE REVENGE OF THE
GREAT SPIRIT.


GREAT SPIRIT.
A Whole Tribe Wiped Out by Flood a.
Punishment For Legend
of the Indians of Texas Told by an Epi
grammatical Guide.
The Indian had been recommended &c
me as the best hunter in the San Der
nard bottoms. For two days we had
been in pursuit of big game
1t was after the second day of the
hunt that we camped on the banks of o
small creek to the west of Hinkle's fer.
ry. The Indian busted himself with the
coffee, while sat idly by and thought
over the incidents of the day.
had been told my companion was a
Caranchua and that he had more knowl,
edge of the history of his people than
any member of his tribe now living. He
spoke as good English as white man,
but his sentences were generally short
and epigrammatio.
'Rebar, / said, 1.-THE hunting is very
good IN these bottoms when you consider
how long the country has been settled. !"
"No, he replied, game nearly gone
now. Soon no more.
"Was there good hunting here when
You were boyfi | asked.
Much, he replied
81 have heard, - said l, THAT there
is legend among your people that long
ago, before the white man came into
this country, there was one great river
in this land, that it was a mighty
stream, and that its course was through
the bed Of what is now the Caney."
1T is SO, said the-Indian.
"And l have heard, - / continued,
that when the white man digs his
wells he sometimes finds limbs of great
trees and pieces of pottery and bows and
arrows and hints that were used long
years ago by your people.
1T is SO, said the Indian.
"What is the legend that your people
have?'' l inquired.
my father told me, and the great
chief, Mockwilhum, told my father, !"
said the Indian, THAT it is SO. There
was one river. 1t was the Caney. My
people, the Caranchuas, lived to the
east The Lepans, the Tawakanies and
the Ripas lived to the west The Wa
Goes lived to the north. My people hunt
ed but the game. The Ripas were pow
erful They made war ON the Lepans
and drove them far to the west. They
stole the cattle and horses of my people.
There was a great battle, in which
many of my people were killed. The
Ripas drove the Caranchuas far to the
east. They stole the young squaws of
the Caranchuas and killed the boys.
Soon the Caranchuas had to hide away
the squaws that were left. All the coun-
try of my people was held by the Ripas.
The Caranchuas had to flee to the is
lands by the sea. Still the Ripas pur-
sued my people. The Caranchuas were
but few; the Ripas were many.
g 1t was not only my people the Ri
pas murdered and plundered. The Ia
wakanies and the Waooes lost all their
cattle, and their young squaws were
taken by the Ripas until none but the
Ripas were in all this country.
"The Great Spirit was angry with
the Ripas, but the Ripas thought they
were more powerful than the Great
Spirit. The Great Spirit sent a messen-
ger to the Ripas and told them they
must send back the squaws they had
stolen and must make war no more on
my people or on the Tawakanies or the
Lepans or the Wacoes. The Ripas held
council, and they decided to make war
on the Great Spirit. When they went
to tell the messenger that they defied
the Great Spirit and challenged him to
battle, the messenger had disappeared.
They searched the woods and they
searched the great river, they searched
the prairie and they searched the sky,
but they could not find the messenger.
He left no trail.
"Then they had much fear that they
had done wrong, and some chiefs want
ed to make peace with the Great Spirit.
Again they had council, but while they
held talk the heavens opened, the rain
fell, the sky seemed all afre, the thun-
der roared, and the messenger appeared
in flame of lightning. The Ripas fell
upon the earth and begged the Great
Spirit for mercy. But it was too late.
The rain poured down and the lightning
flashed, the ground shook and the thun-
der crashed. Soon all the earth was COW
cred with water The Ripas ran to the
trees Still the water rose. Then the
wind blew down the trees, and many of
the Ripas were killed or drowned. The
waters rose higher and higher, and the
rain and the thunder and the lightning
lasted many days. There was no earth
here All was water.
''Then the Great Spirit smiled, for
the Ripas were no more. They were
gone All had died in the waters. A
messenger came to my people, who were
down on the islands by the great sea,
and told them the Great Spirit had sent
a flood to punish the Ripas and that my
people could return to their lands.
"When the Caranchuas went to their
lands, they found all changed. Where
had been the great river there was but
one small river. That is now the Caney.
What had been the great river is now
two rivers. One you call the Brazos;
that is to the east The other is to the
west; that you call the Colorado. All
the land between these two rivers was
given to my people by the Great Spirit
for q hunting ground. "-Galveston Cor.
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