The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1900-01-18
I will be prepared" soliloquized

wiz 10 picPaiSus eo1iAodoA<0u
Nanabozho.
Sure enough ct the same hour the
next day Mundahmin returned. He
was not a little surprised at the
alacrity with which Nanabozho ac-
cepted his invitation to wrestie. Long
and arduous was the struggle for the
mastery, the sinewy bodies swayed to
and fro. First one and then the other
seemed to be gaining the ascendency,
when suddenly Nanabozho felt him
SELF possessed of Supernatural strength,
for without apparently any effort he
lifted Mundahmin above his head and
| threw him to the ground, where he lay
perfectly notionless.
Then terror seized tie heart Of
Nanabozho. Was Mundahmin dead,
had he killed him? Kneeling beside
the PROSTATE form he bent his ear to
the heart. Not sound, not move
ment! What a predicament. Here
was one evidently Of tribe of giants,
whom Nanabozho had killed! So
soon as he was missed by his people
they would come in search of him and
make war upon the ChIppewas to
ayenge his death. CHANGING anxiously
around to see that there were no wit
nesses to the tragedy, Nanabozho
threw the lifeless form over his shout
der and wendell his way laboriously
into the depths of the forest. After
traversiug several miles and assuring
himself that he was not followed he
placed his burden upon the ground,
and upon hands and knees he dug out
long, narrow grave. In this he de-
posted the body. covering it with th Q
loose earth and again with dead
leaves and branches, thus obliterating
all traces of the silent dead He next
marked a nearby tree for future
Identification. Then he travelled
YEARLY toward his grandmother 8
wigwam, his days Of penance now
being ended.
The sun was just peeping above the
eastern hills as he raised the covering
and stole quietly within, laying him
self prone upon the ground. But
sleep came not to his excited nerves,
and all day &c listered for the coming
of Mundrhmin's people in search OF
him. But they came not.
Early the next morning, unobserved,
he sought the forest grave to see if ii
been disturbed. No, all was as he had
left it. His mind grew easier, and fol
several days he kept away from his
buried secret At the end of week
he again visited the grave and was
surprised to find growing up from the
center of it stout green blade, abou
u foot in height. He watched tht
, plant carefully, tended it every day
until it had grown to the stature O
Mundahmin, when from out its sides
! grew yellow corncobs! Then Mana
bozho was amazed beyond measure
. "See!" he exclaimed to himself
"Mundahmin. the Yellow Man, ha
come back to life again! I took hin
out OF the animal world and now b.
has come back to life in the vegetable
5 kingdom"
Reluctantly Nanabozho sought ou
: the chief of his tribe and told him tht
i events of the last few weeks. TIL,
old chief saw in the marvellous trans
formation the workings of the Grea
: Spirit, the Kezha Muhnedoo, and q
$ once ordered solemn festival i
honor of Mundahmin. And 50 70
!. years corncobs were held sacred b
I the Indians, and veneratcd in thei
u religious exercises, while even to thi
Q day corn-though now used by ther
8 as by us-is known among the Chippe
e was as "Mundahmin, the Yello'
y Mani"