The suburban citizen., 1901-02-23
HE LEGEND OF LIFThE PANFHEF
A tradition Of the Seneca Indians.
BY EDWARD KEMEYs.


plain; when all wind creatures
thronged the woodland aisles or
roamed the treeless prairies; when the
waters teemed with fish, and the air
was full and sweet with the rush of
wings and songs Of birds, there lived
in the Seneca tribe of the IrOQuois ma
tion n warrior of great fame named
Little Panther He was mighty upon
the warpath and as a hunter. In all
that nation of braves his prowess stood
unequaled. And in the tribe there eX-
listed for a long time a legend regard
ing his birth.
The old chief. his father, whose
name was White Thunder, was 4 man
of ability and a sage counselor, but
while ruling his people with determina-
tion and wisely, his voice was never
for war.
In a tribe like the Senecas this dis
position was almost objectionable The
savage warriors clamorPd against their
chief and longed for a ruler who would
lead them against their enemies and
along the red path; but the Senecas
knew not what they desired; they only
felt their savage instincts surging
within them and the wild desire for
blood grow uppermost in their hearts.
Even the wife of the old chief became
affected by the murmurs about her,
and in her fierce nature uplifted her
voice in supplication to the Great
Spirit, and prayed that the Senecas
might one day have a chief as savage
as a panther 'i1 II
In the beautiful early autumn when
the pepperidge trees were just begin
ming to turn red in the swamps. when
the few leaves lodged in the brooks
changed their clear tinkle to a low
gurgle, which mingled with the first
chirpings of criclets. SOmewa, the old
chiefs wife, strayed off from the vii
lage alone, to wander in the silent
woods, perchance to offer up to the
Great Spirit a prayer; for her heart
was heavy apd the presence OF her
people was irksome to her.
SO, forth she went among the forest
aisles and by the borders of clear
I lakes, where the deer startled by her
approach, went piunging off from
among the lily-pads where they had
been feeding All through the long
day she travelled, unthinking until az
last she noticed by a lone shadow
across her path that the sun was
slowly going down; she also became
aware by the roughening of a small
/ lakes surface that the wind was ris-
| ing, it's voice was making music high
up among the towering pines, and as
it circled downwards it swept 4 wave
Of her black hair across her face and
sent a nameless shudder through her
frame. She wrapped her robe closer
and, looking about, turned her face
homewards.
Through the trackless and sombrG
woods she passed, with the ever-in
creasing movement OF the coming
storm all around her. The great pines
tossed their plumes as that harper
the wind. struck his chords among
them and sent the wailing minor ovei
all the land. On pressed Somewa, hel
mind filed with misgivings, for shc
had passed the day in wild and mys
terious longings which raised within
her breast a strange and weird sens,
of some evil to come, of which tn
impending storm seemed the dreat
forerunner.
The surface of the earth was as We
dry, and there fingered among tn
trees at intervals some belated, slant
ing rays Of sunshine but these toe
were soon absorbed by the oncomin
twilight which slowly enwTapped tn
forest in its darkening pail The dis
tant SUBMITS Of the hills were gon
from sight, and naught remained bu
the unending ranks of the trees whic
seemed, now that they were moved b
the wind, to be endoNe with supei
natural life, and to hang threatening
ly above the hurrying woman as sI
, toiled beneath Darker yet grew I'll
{ sky as she sped along, following, as
were, some few dry leaves which keI
whirling in her advance as if beckol
ing her onwards.
t At length born Of the storm, a bla;
$ of lightning fused a mountain 10
then darting earthwards, fell Just
front Of Somewa with a binding glar
, and shivered a monster pine, who
=, fall was on the instant drowned by Il
pealing thunder. The woman pause
y her Indian instincts almost bewilder,
by the tumult which arose on all sid
y about her as the forest rocked al
>. shouted in the wind and binding raj
.s A vivid fash for a moment illumin
., the scene, and she saw a rocky WI
Il near at hand, to which she ran; a
W feeling uncertainty along its sic
'e iound a cleft, into which she crawlC
l. and crOuching beneath an Overhangi
J., shelf, was protected from the storm
- Weary and Overwrought with ex
IL tion and haunting terror which p,
al sessed her, she yielded to nature a
le sunk into a deep sleep.
no She dreamed, and in her dream 81
into the recesses Of the rocky cave
is wherein she slept She saw hers
le rise and go outwards, but the mou
rs Of the cavity seemed to be guard,