The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-20
AN INDIAN ECHO LEGEND.
How the Dakota Accounted for the Mock
ing Voice That Grew Fainter and Fainter.
g.ar, "a. S,o,- CYu Tou-n,t

ing Voice That Grew Fainter and Fainter.
From he SiouB City journal.
The whoop of the red-skinned huntsmen
was answered In ravines and canons long ago
when the prairies OF the West were dotted With
buffalo herds. and whom this broad country
had nc homes but wigwams. no people but In
dians. The answering halloo grew fainter and
finally died away, leaving the hunters puzzled
to account for 1t. They asked their chiefs.
and this is the explanation as the generations
OF time have changed 1t:
Turtle Dove. who lived years ago in Bears
Gulch. in the Black Hills OF the Dakotas. had
one little babe, q boy. whom she called sage
Cock. and a girlof D named Ohoteu. twas her
custom when she daily gathered seeds in the
valley to carry Sage Cock about on her back.
her burden that she laid Sage Cock, who was
to tSS' w 1stesp' him TSrtie Dove sn% went e2Ip f HmfSea
and and turtle. !. Il ad do With the g56 S;s and b while she was
her chance. came hobbiine up.
asked in q cracked voice. which she yainly tried
1t was Sage Cock. but Ohoteu. who had been
taught that witches were more likely TO carry
s sT PS{s o shsR ElFal rho. t Il Is my fl slstsf'R rb an,
the witch. although bad enough herself, scold.
changed herself into 50 terrible a shape pe that fat
Ohoteu was SO frightened she could not inter-
fere when the witch ran on with her little
WY buhihk hibA ~ bOA hShio vi biV olo
OF q distant mountain.
This old witch was SO ugly that no man
only course was to capture a husband. and this
was her reason for wanting sage Cock. When
she r ba61 int her , ee ineIt sne Degn man nranFsiI Tsf sRs
pulled at one limb. then another until each was
the size, of a man,s Finally Sage Cock. Of
before her. She at last had a husband. But,
IN spite OF his size. Sage Cock in his heart and
foolish FOOLS Ht THINKS ssis a I baby A Would ia do DC u? The he w si%S
had to teach him to hunt and fish and to eat
6 belere OR Rfs 2o %Ssi: f fodn as i nai hs 8 l6S sS t {hss
1t was not long after the kidnapping OF Sage
Cock before Turtle Dove had all the seeds she
she had left her children. she met ohoteu
Ohoteu soon had other reasons for crying.
But furnishing the little girl did not lessen
the mothers grief ior the loss OF her baby; In
long, hopeless search for Sage Cock. Her
brother. Eagle, because he was q great travel
~ and WITHOUT rest. he visited a great deal Of
tsrrit9ry; But # was mont b bet9re he spied
But when he told Turtle Dove Of yhat. he had
Sitch's mountain. sure that II the man nah was her
boy transformed by the wicked magic of the
hood where tho witch had previously been seen
Turtle Dove climbed into, a tree and cried
other tree. Eeenly watched the effect on sage
Cock, who Immediately recognized. the voice
nna Sslfd t f1hS saf my @ no the T!''f But t the nsS Wick @GE
only laughed and told him to hide in the stom-
aeh OF a mountain sheep which was lying
bow and arrow. Obedient, Sage Cock crawled
into the sheep. 50 the legend goes. and the old
Turtle and Eagle we're puzzled at the sudden
d,lsa1ppearanfe OF tthhe TIE two: but had no thought
mountain HneeD. ana were more
wretched in their disappointment than at any
time since the long search had begun, They
when Eagle decided that the missing pair. aud
particularly Sage Cock. who was half a baby.
come out Of their hiding for food. He killed
a rabbit and hung it at the top Of a small nine
IT might be next to impossible to climb II. and
then from, the branch of a great tamarack lie
watched developments.
peared. as Eagle had expected. And when shH
saw the rabbit. which was the nearest food al
SO slow was she that Eagle, who had seen her
emerge from the sheep. had time to pull Sage
of. while the witch was granting and hugGing
TIE tree. her eyes fxed on the rabbit above:
stolen. and 80 soon as Sage Cock. now a man.
touched the earth he was instantly trans
he had disappeared. AS Eagles tracks were
washed out by, transforms. when, the witch
him. But she saw some feathers which she
knew were Eagles and at once OWNED what
had happened.
She decided to go to her grandfather. a
rattlesnake. for protection and for his aid in
aycnging herself. The venerable reptile. Rat
with whom she was by no means
on a big, fiat rock. and. vexed that she had
awakened him. he told her roughly. &c away,
l. don't want to see you" But as she stood
there pleading. Eagle appeared. She was
badly frightened. but as she did not lose hex
wits when RattleSnakp priad 'Hida. hide "
she jumped right into the old fellows mouth
and slid down 10 his middle, which gave old
Rattlesnake such a pain that he begged the
his paroxysms If anguish he slipped out OF his
skin, leaving the witch within Il.
When Eagle called ont Where are you. old
witch?' In a threatening tone. she answered
him dersiyely, from, her peculiar quarters.
disturbance In such an abode. she has lived
there ever since. and ~gloryinR in her s~eclusio4
her voice is often heard. always deriding and