Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-03-08

come back. And we said, If they b.
unafraid of life. these white men, |
is because they have many lives, bu
we be few by the Whitefish, and th'
young men shall go away no more.
But the young men did go away, ant
the young women went also, and W.
were very wroth.
at be true we ate flour and salt porl
and drank tea, which was a great de
light: only when we could not get te;
it was very bad and we became shor
of speech and quick Of anger. So w
grew to hunger for the things th'
white man brought in trade. Trade
trade. all the time it was trade. Un'
winter we sold our meat for clock
that would not 90, and watches will
broken works, and files worn smooth
and pistols without cartridges an
worthless. And then came famine. an
we were without meat. and twoscOr
died ere the break Of spring.
"'Now we are grown weak we said
and the Pcllys will fall upon us an
our bounds be overthrown But as j
Jared with us. so had ii Jared with I'll,
PcllyS. and they were too weak to conc
against us.
My father. Otsbaok, strong man
was now old and wise. And lie Spok,
to the chief, saying: Behold, our do
be worthless. No longer are they thi
furrcd and strong. and they die in tn
froSi and harness. Let Us 20 into tn.
VILLAGE and Kill them. saving only the
| Wolf ag :. and these let us tie out il
the night that they may mate with the
wild wolves of the forest Thus shal
we have dogs warm and strong again
"And his word was hrarkened TO. an(
we Whitcfish became known for oUl
dogs. which were the best i'm the land
| But known we wcr" not for ourselves
The best of 0ur young men and women
| had zone away with the wlite men tC
wander on trail and river to far places
And the yoi'Gg women came back old
and broken. rs Nuda had come. or The
came back not at all. And tile youn
men came back 10 sit 10y our fires fo
a time. full of III speech and roug'
ways. drinking evil drinks and ianr
bling through long nights and dty
with great unrest always in the
hearts. till the call Of the white me-,
came TO them and they went again t.
the unknown places. And they were
without honor and resp. corn. 10
old time customs AMI la. InS in lh"
faces of chief and slanHn".
"As | say. we were become weak
breed. we WhitctiSh. We sold our
warm skins and furs for tobacco anG
whisky and thin cotton things ihat let,
us shivering in the cold. And the
coughing sickness came upon lis. AMI
men and women coughcd and Sweatcd
through the long nights. and the hunt,
ers on trail spat blood upon the SHOW.
And now one and now another b!cd
swiftly from the mouth and died. And
the women bore few children. and
those they bore were weak and given
to sickness. Ana other sicN''''S''S came
10 us from lhe WHi'e men, '!i' me VI
which we had never h'o"h a'i', '"up'
not understand. ShlalipoA' iIh'WIH'
measles. hav" | heard these Sichi"S'r''
named, ana we died oi lii'hl lis ui'
the salmon in the sun cudirS wien III
the fall their eggs are spawned ahU
there is no longer need for them L"
live.
and yet-and here bc the strange
ness of 1.-THE white men come as the
breath of death All their ways lead
to death. Their noStriis are filed with
it, and yet they d" not die. Theirs the
whisky and tobacco and short haired
dogs; theirs the many SlckheSseS' 'h'
smallpox ana measles. the cousHlhi;
and mouth bleeding: theirs the Whl''
skin ana SoitneSs TO Tue iroSt aho
storm, ana theirs the pistols that siioo'