The Savannah morning news., 1904-06-19
Y M. c. A. DEFEATED c. L. A.
IN A ONE-SIDED CONTEST
SNAKE MADE NIAGARA FALLS.
EntertaiDinE Indian Tradition OF
Origin of Cataract includes BIG
Serpent and "A Powerful God
From the Pittsburg Leader.

From the Pittsburg Leader.
Learned men called biologists have
written many pages to tell how Niagara
Falls came to be; but the Iroquois In
dams have their own version or the
formation of the great cataract, ana
this is the story they tell:
Once upon time. long Whlle ago.
there lived in Western New York a
beautiful Indian maiden whose parents
wanted her to marry hideous OLD
chief because he was rich.
The beautiful maiden said that While
she had always made it a rule to obey
her parents in all things, as dutlful
daughter should, in this case she must
politely but firmly decline, unless they
really insisted upon it. They said they
did insist and that she would please
get ready for the wedding at once.
The maiden went out walking in the
woods to think it over and the first she
knew she had walked to the Niagara
river, Just below where it comes out
of Lake Erie. 1t was a great many
miles from her home. but Indian girls
were good walkers, and ten or twenty
miles meant nothing to them when they
wanted a good long stroll and time TO
think.
AS the maiden stood by the river and
thoughts became more and more sad,
and, finally, seeing a canoe hauled up
on the bank, she determined to trust
herself to the mercy of the water rath-
er than to go back and marry the hid
eous old chief.
AT that time there were no great,
high falls where the laundering wa
ters Of Niagara now roar and rave;
but there were fearful rapids there
Whirlinp
rocks. In fact, above the whole place
looked just as the rapids above the
falls look now as you stand on Goat
Island and look up at them.
10 get caught in these rapids was
sure death, and the girl knew it, but
she was so sad and sorrowful that she
ola not care what became of her. Her
only desire was to get away from home
80 she launched the canoe, jumped in
and the swift waters began to hurry
her toward the rapids.
NOW the great Indian thunder god.
Hlnun, he who brought the clouds and
ram and controlled the lightning. had
summer cottage, constructed out of
cave, at the junction of the lake and
river, where he used to spend his lefs-
ure time fishing, and it was his canoe
Whlch the maiden had launched forth
upon the turbulent waters of Niagara
river. Sitting in the mouth of the
cave, getting his fishing tackle ready
Tor the next day and thinking where
ne could get the best ground worms
for bait, the thunder god looked up
ana saw the girl sailing away in his
best canoe.
AT first he was angry, but when he
saw now beautiful the girl was and
that she was drifting to certain death.
ne was sorry for her, and called to her
10 come back Then he saw that she
had left the paddle on the bank and
was helpless.
Spreading his wings, for Hinum had
wings, and could fly much better than
Mr.. Santos-Dumont, he flew to the res
cue and caught the maiden Just as
the canoe was being dashed against
the horrid rocks of the rapids. He
look her back TO the cave and asked
her to tell him why she did such a.
1oolsh thing as to venture out on the
river without a paddle-he would saw
nothing about her taking the canoe
without asking for it.
The maiden told him all, and he said:
We'll, perhaps you would better stay
mere awhile, as I happen to know that
the hldeous old chief you speak of will
Ole IN few days, and then you can
go home in safety. But while YOU are
here, added Hmm, you might as well
learn something, and l will be your
teacher
So the girl stayed on the shores of
the river for several DAYS, and the
thunder god taught her many things.
Why" asked the maiden one day.
do people in my village die in such
ness there?"
Il will tell you," replied Hmm.
and you must tell the people and
make them move the village nearer 70
the shores of the lake.
Then he told her how under the
ground on which the village stood there
lived an enormous snake, who delight
ed IN killing people, and who crept out
at night and poisoned the springs from
which they drank.
Finally Hmm told the maiden that n
was time to go home; that the old
chief was dead, and she need fear
nothing
So she returned to the village. and
very glad her parents were to see her.
Tor they had believed that she had been
eaten by bears.
She told them all that had happen
ed to her and all that she had learn
ed from the thunder god Hmm.
A council of the tribe was called. and
1t was decided to do as the thunder
god had directed and move the vii
lage nearer to the lake. This was
done, and for a long time there was
hardly any sickness and death among
the people, but by and by things be-
gan to be as bad as they were before:
80 the maiden went to Hmm and ask
ed him what was the matter now
He told her that the big snake had
followed the village, dragging himself
along under ground, and was now
poisoning the water of the creek from