Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-12-15
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10 Teld By he Dakeea lndians = 4
Wisch,s strange Power.

10 Tsld By he Daketa ln1ians : I
Wischs strange Powcr.
This Is the Indian story of thu
echo: The redskins heard the myste
rious echoed answer hundreds o.
years ago, and this is the way the
chiefs Of that day accounted for it
The tale is one Of the traditions told
by fathers to sons about the tepee
eamp-fres these hundreds Of years.
The whoop Of the red.skinned
huntsmen was answered in ravines
and canyons long ago, when the prai
ries Of the West were dotted with
buffalo herds, and when this broad
country had no homes but wigwams
no people but Indians.
The answering halloo grew fainter
and finally died away, leaving the
hunters puzzled to account for it
They asked their chiefs, and this is
the explanation as the generations Of
time have changed it:
Turtle Dove, who lived years ago IN
Bears Gulch, in the Black fills OF
the Dakotas, had one little babe, a
boy. whom she called Sage Cock, and
q girl Of 5 named Ohoteu. II was her
custom when she daily gathered
seeds in the valley to cascy Sage
Cock about on her back, as indians
do, but one day she grew so tired Of
her burden that she laid Sage Cock
who was fast asleep, under a sage.
bush and told Ohoteu TO watch him,
Turtle Dove went farther and farther
down the gulch, and while she was
away an old witch, who had been
watching her chance, came hobbling
up.
"Ohoteu, is the little boy your
brother? she asked in cracked
voice, which she vainly tried to make
pleasant. She knew without asking
that it was Sage Cock, but Ohoteu,
who had been taught that witches
were more likely to carry off boys
than girls, though frightened, an
swered quickly, "No, it is my sister.
Then the witch, although bad enough
herself, scolded the trembling little
maiden for her lie and changed her
self into so terrible a shape that Ohio
ten was so frightened she could not
interfere when the witch ran of
with her little brother, taking him to
her home on the side Of distant
mountain.
This old witch was 50 ugly that no
man would marry her. She had de-
cided that her only course was to
capture husband, and this was her
reason for wanting Sage Cock. When
she reached her cave she began
Transforming the baby into a full
grown man. First she pulled at one
limb, then another, until each was
the size of a mans. Finally Sage
Cock, of mans size and with a
mans strength, stood before her; she
ct last had a husband. But in spite
Of his size, Sage Cock, in his heart
and brain, was still baby and apt
to do the same foolish things a baby
would do. The witch had to teach
him to hunt and fish and to eat dried
buffalo meat, and as it was long
time before his mother found him, he
had then learned to shoot well.
1t was not many moments after the
kidnapping Of Sage Coca before Tur-
tie Dove had all the seeds she could
carry and, returning to the spot
where she had left her children, she
met Ohoteu crying, and was told OF
what had happened. Ohoteu soon had
other reasons for crying.
But furnishing the little girl did moi
lessen the mothers grief for the loss
of her baby. In great sorrow she
started Immediately on the long,
hopeless search for Sage Cock. Her
brother, Eagle, because he was a
great traveller, offered to aid her and,
by flying very swiftly and without
rest, he visited great deal of terri
tory. But it was months before he
spied the witch. He did not then
know that the man with her was
Sage Cock.
But when he told Turtle Dove Of
what, he had seen she started at
once with him for the witch's noun
tain, sure that If the man was her
boy transformed by the wicked magic
Of the witch he would still recognize
her voice. When the two finally
reached the neighborhood where the
witch had previously been seen Tur,
tie Dove climbed into tree and cried
aloud most mournfully while Eagle
from another tree keenly watched
the effect on Sage Cock, who immedi.
ately recognized the voice and cried
repeatedly to the witch, y hear my
mother! hear my mother" But
the witch only laughed AMI told him
to hide in the stomach Of noun.
tain sheep which was lying near, a
trophy Of the boy-man's skill with
the bow and arrow. 0bedient Sage
Cock crawled into the sheep, so the
legend goes, aud the old witch fol.
lowed him.
Turtle and Eagle were puzzled at
the sudden disappearance of the two,
but had no thought Of investigating
the interior workings Of the dead
mountain sheep and were more
wretched in their disappointment
than at any time since the long
search had begun. They wandered
aimlessly about for several days,
when Eagle decided that the missing
pair, and particularly Sage Cock,
who was half a baby, would soon be
so hungry they would have to come
$50, 80 tbn,r h,1inu For find Hp