Smyrna times., 1898-02-02

Punishment For DisObedience-ALe Legend
of the Indians of Texas Told by an Epi-
grammatical Guide.
The Indian had been recommended to |
me as the best hunter in the San Ber-
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 a
small creek to the west of Hinkle's fer
ry The Indian busted himself with the
coffee, while I sat idly by and thought
over the incidents of the day.
l 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 a white man,
but his sentences were generally short
and epigrammatic.
"Rebar, " l said, "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 a boy:'' 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 mighty
stream, and that its course was through
the bed Of what is now the Caney."
ut is so, " said the Indian.
"And l have heard, " l 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 flints that were used long
years ago by your people"
1T is so, " said the Indian.
"What is the legend that your people
have?" 1 inquired.
my father told mo- and the great
chief, Mockwilhum, told my father, 3"
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, i'll 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 Kipas.
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.
"It was not only my people the Ri
pas murdered and plundered. The Ia
wakanies and the Wacoes lost all theil
cattle, and their young squaws were
taken by tho Ripas until none but the
Ripas were in all this country.
1.-THE Great Spirit was angry with
the Ripas, but the Ripas thought they
were more powerful than the Grea
Spirit. The Great Spirit sent a messen
ger to the Ripas and told them the!
must send back the squaws they hat
stolen and must make war no more OF
my people or on the Tawakanies or TIN
Lepans or the Wacoes. The Ripas helC
council, and they decided to make wa
on the Great Spirit. When they Wen
to tell the messenger that they defiet
the Great Spirit and challenged him t.
battle, the messenger had disappeared
They searched the woods and the
searched the great river, they searches
the prairie and they searched the sky
but they could not find the messenger
He left no trail.
''Then they had much fear that the
had done wrong, and some chiefs want
ed to make peace with the Great Spirit
Again they had council, but while the
held talk the heavens opened, the raj
fell, the sky seemed all afire, the thur
der roared, and the messenger appeare
in flame of lightning. The Ripas fe
upon the earth and begged the Grea
Spirit for mercy. But it was too latC
The rain poured down and the lightnin
flashed, the ground shook and the thu
der crashed. Soon all the earth was COY
cred with water. The Ripas ran to I'll
trees Still the water rose. Then I'll
; wind blew down the trees, and many {
the Ripas were killed or drowned. I'll
waters rose higher and higher and tt
rain and the thunder and the lightnin
lasted many days There was no cart
here. All was water.
"Then the Great Spirit smiled, II
the Ripas were no more. They we
gone. All had died in the waters.
messenger came to my people, who we
down on the islands by the great Sc
and told them the Great Spirit had SCI
a flood to punish the Ripas and that II
people could return to their lands.
"When the Caranchuas went to the
lands, they found all changed. Whe
had been the great river there was b
one small river. That is now the Cane
What had been the great river is nc
two rivers. One you call the BrazC
that is to tho east. The other is to t.
west; that you call the Colorado. A
the land between these two rivers W
given to my people by the Great Spil
for hunting ground. '-Galveston CC
Philadelphia Times.