The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1900-12-01


The Thunderer was so pleased that
he gave the young Indian white dress
and wings like his own. The young man
few home TO tell his mother he was not
dead; but after he had lived in house
for week he said a fortnight would
be seven days more than he could stand.
So he put on his wings and became
Thunderer himself.
''That was jolly" shouted Rennie.
"ADd did they go about together hunt
ing porcupines?.
Hot" said ossawippi, contemptuous-
ly. 'Porcupines were nothing TO what
they hunted. They would as soon hunt
flies as porcupines, now there were two
of them. Besides, the porcupine was
dead, and the others didn't count. Why,
they hunted the great sea-snake him
self"
.sTell me about It. Tell me about it"
cried Rennie, and he threw himself
down at 0ssawippi's feet and listened
with eyes and ears and mouth to this
story:
Once upon a time there were two
brothers who went off for big hunt
ing and put up wigwam in the for.
est; and one of them was nne and
foolish, but the other was ugly and
wise. Next morning the fine one said;
will you hunt to the east?" "Yes,"
said his brother. "Then / will hunt
to the west" said the fine one, and off
he went. In the evening he came
home with not so much as a squirrel,
and his arrows all clean and dry in
his quiver. He ate some of his broth
er's buck meat and went to sleep
without word. Next day the same
thing happened. So on the third day
his brother only pretended TO go
hunting to the east, and turned round
and followed behind the trees to the
west.
Presently the handsome hunter
came to a lake, and he left his bow
and arrows on the bank and dived in
and swan across; and his brother ran
round the edge calling to him, but
he did not seem to hear. Then he
came out of the water and went on,
running like deer; and his brother
followed his track till It stopped on
the edge of the sweet-water sea, and
there was neither sight of him, nor
sound, nor scent. The wise brother
waited TIL evening, and then the fine
one came out of the sea and began
to run back into the woods. His coat
and leggings were dry, but the sea
was in his eyes. His brother called
him, but he did not turn or answer,
and then caught hold of him; and the
sea went out of his eyes, and he awolxe
and trembled.
"What did you go into the sea for?"
asked his brother.
1.-THE great sea snake invited me;
and he shows me wonderful things,
more beautiful than dreams. Every
day he shows me something fresh, and
feasts me on strange animals that
taste hundred times finer than ven-
ison."
The wise. hunter was going home
very sadly through the woods, when
suddenly he came up to a high white
wigwam, and two white-coated chiefs
were sitting beside fire that burned
without stick Of wood.
-''Sit at the fire." said the tallest
chief. The young man sat down and
wondered, and said nothing. Then the
white chief spoke again. "Your BROTH
err has been caught by the great water
wizard, the sea snake. He sees moth
ing and eats nothing, and in few
days he will starve to death. and the
wizard will pick his bones. You must
help us to kill the monster"
Then one of the chiefs gave the
young man new pipe, carved in the
shape of serpent, of bright red pipe
stone; and the other gave him fresh
tobacco in beautiful buckskin pouch,
with serpent embroidered on the
side in strips of porcupine quill. The
young man took the gifts and laid
them by the edge of the sweet-water
sea and called out: "Where is my
brother?" And his brother put his
head out Of the water and came and
sat on a rock and smoked the to-
bacco, and talked of the wonderful
things the sea snake had shown him
II don't believe there is any sea
snake" said the wise brother. Bring
him up and let me see him."
The foolish brother whistled, like
the kissing of the wind when the
branches are bare. The water began
to rock as If there was a storm blow
ing under the sea. and then broke up,
foaming; and horrible serpent with
three horns came ont of the foam.
"Why do you call me?' asked the
sea snake.
IL want you to tell my brother
about the wonderful things under the
sea-
"Are you sure there are no clouds
in the sky?' said the wizard.
'Not speck," said the brother.
So they sat and listened on the edge
of the wood while the crueI monster
tcld lying tales about the wonderful
sights and feasts; and while he talked
the Thunderers came flying over the
wood.
1T is getting dark" said the wizard.
There is a storm coming" And he
slid through the grass and over the
beach, and was just slipping into the
water when the Thunderers pounced
upon him; and he began to burn and
shrivel, and he leapt up in the air.
burning and wriggling, and fell dead
in the water: and the water boiled
and hissed and smoked when. he
fouched IL and threw hin, M -. ~