Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-11

Copyright, 1898, by ". A. Frazer)
Baptiste LEROY told me these tales OF
Wieeahkechack. the Cree Indian God.
As he told them, l tell them; fearful est
I miss the sweet simplicity OF his manner
and putting into more familiar English the
beautiful patois Of the half breed. This that
the reader may not weary himself with q
dialect 1t Is impossible to write In It's easy
naturalness.
H'g do not enter into the vocabulary or
the half breed, but l have put them mere,
for the simplicity Of the telling does not
depend upon the omission OF certain letters
Far away in the northwest, upon the beau-
tiful Saskatchewa wan river, locked In the cold
grasp Of Thule In winter and sunkissed In
summer is Baptiste Lefroy's log shack.
In the corner Of the shack IL . huge nre-
place. "a.
When Baptiste told me these tales that
fireplace was . volcano OF blazing jack
pine.
On the rude floor In front were fur robes,
and on these we sat In the Dreamy, ntfui
light Of the nickering fire and listened to
the tales that had lived long before Hia-
~watha-long before the white man civilized
the Indian out Of existence.
As I nat there with half a dozen breeds"
WleSaQkeCnaCk came uOWh u mum
right through the leaping flames, and talked
to US out Of the mouth Of Baptiste.
'You see,' said Baptiste, introducing me
TO his hero, "Wiesahkechack he lf one
time-he LII now, but we can see him no
moro.
sometime when we 60 close hes place
we hear him beat that big drum. Some peo-
ole call that thunder, but that Wiesahkes
drum.
when wissahke lii here long ago. he al
ways play treek on everybody; he full OF
treek.
FRS I tell you bout wiesahke an the
Fox.
"ons time he's goin' long, an he think
what treek he can play. Then he think
something.
He gather some herbs, IN some roots,
When he is goin' long with that steeks on
his back some geese they meet him.
"'Where you goin', Wiesahke?' the geese
say.
ooh. brothers, say wiesahke. I soin'
make dance
"'What dance you maker says the geese
"I make a bin dance. brothers; you
must tell every bird come that dance. To-
morrow all bird mus com that dance my
place
Then the geese an duck. an all that
bird. they hear Wiesahke make dance FOL
them. we mus all go see that dance hi
make they say. Some old birds they say
Look out for Wieeahke, he play you some
treek.'
But the young birds. they like goin' tha'
dance: they say, 'Wiesahke. he's kind fol
W. We mus co.
"Thsu Wiesahke. he take steeks an built
a corral. He make JUS one little door To-
the birds to come in to that dance.
Mex day the geese an the ducks an
the swans an the snipes an the water hen
an all birds come. When they are all com
Wiesahke say, Now you mus close you ey'
an dance the blin' dance. I sing an 70,
mua' dance. When I touch any bird on tn
back with this steek he can open hes eye
When all f1nis' we will eat something
''Then wiesahke he sing:
"'Hi, hbl HI, hi! Close you eye.
"'An' dance. an dance. Hi. hi! HI, hi!
''Then they goin' on this way some I IN
Wdesahke he sing an the birds dance. Whel
any bird come close Wiesahke he hit hin
on the head with hes steek an Kill him. m
other birds dom know, cause they eyes shu.
1.-THE water hen she 10 bobbing her hea'
an Wiesahke miss 1t an strike her back
that's why water hen always got hump OF
It's back yet. She open her eye an Sc
wiesahke he killing the birds. h make
great noise an they all run away.
"Wiesahke hes build a big fire before til
dance commence, so now he got plen;,
Goals for cook the birds he kill. He put tn
birds In an leave their feet steek up to Iii
them out by.
while Wiesahke waiting for hes dime
he see the fox goin' long, an he's YER lame
Then Wiesahke think, I not hungry for TIL
big dinner. I'll have foot race with the TO
70 maxi me eat
"'Ho. brother!' he call the fox. Come
we'll q foot race
"'You sec. I'm too lame, Wiesahke,' ga
the fox. Il can run fas' today
I'll tie Q stone to one Leg say VIE
sahke; 'thatll make 1t even.' So he tie
stone to hes leg an they start to run 'roun
. big hill and back.
'"The fox, he's YER lame, so Wiesahke &c
Q long way In front. When he out Of sigh
'mong the poplsrs. the fox run back. H
run fas' now. for he only make believe he
lame. And he eat up Wiesahke's dinner.
when he eat each bird he put the lie
back In the coal again. Then he hide behir
big stone to hear Wiesahke make row boz
he's dinner. He'll hear what Wiesahke ga
he goin' do him for eating he's dinner, the
he'll know how to keep out Of Wiesahke
way.
"By-an'-bys Wiesahke come dragging til