Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1905-02-23

with three belts md my words We.
earnest and piutgl FOR my heart
fun 81 teuderncs for Sir William lua
Cor these patient children of bis.
lost ones. So far from the doors of Che
Long House
The last belt was passed, lashin-
through tie su5se The chief eaetel
of the CayHeas rose % receive IT. 4
tail. withered man OF the Wolf Ebn
painted ana drapeI in scarlet His
+ dim wrinked eyes peared Mt ns
through the smoke
( For long time the silence was bro.
ken only b. tie FGstIla flames LEI
tween us. THEN the Old man placed iha
belt ut his feet, Strengthened up aal
spoke fee6ly
brother. 1t Is to be known that tle
Six Nations never meet in council
when mourning until some brotlcs'
speaks as you have spoken.
Brother, we mourn great men dead
Our father. through you, our eide
brother, has purified our fires. our
Threats. our eyes. Where the dead sat
among US three tribes have you raise
up.
Brother. listen attentively"
Behind him from the great painted
lodge nine Indian boys entered the FIRE
circle and stood proudly with folded
arms and heads erect. And the oil
sachem. In his scarlet robes, laid his
shaking hand on each youth as he pass
ed, always turning his aged eyes t.
peer at me as he repeated In his feeble
cracked veice Of child:
We acqualnt you that one of on
sachems called Quider. Is dead We
raise up this boy in his place and civ
him the same name"
And after each boy had been name
from one OF tile dead Cayugas he gave
me a string or wampum to confirm It.
while the chant Of coincidence rosa
from the seated chiefs and sachems, y
never ending repetition Of brave bis
tories ana prophecy Of brave deeds
from the beginning of all things
through the stilled centuries into tie
far future locked in silence.
Hour after hour / stood with bent
head and arms folded on my breast
Sometimes l prayed as / stood that
evil be averted FROM these wards OF
our king Sometimes | grew hot with
anger at the men who could so vilely
misuse them.
The sun hung above the pines. A
slender purple cloud belted IL a ceIes-
tial belt In pledge OF promised storms.
gathering somewhere beyond the
worlds green rim.
watched the cloud growing. The
sun died out through a golden smother
from which plumes of vapor swept
over the heavens. thickenIng till all
the sky was covered with painted
fleece. And as / watched the storms
banners hanging from midheaven the
chant ended. and in silence three chiefs
arose and moved toward me through
the smoke, One by one they spoke to
me, naming themselves: Yellow Hand.
Tamarack. the ancient sachem robed
In scarlet. and lastly the war chief.
Eowanowane.
II WAS Tamarack who continued.
Brother, we have beard. The three
ensigns of our nation have heard.
Brother, we All bear patiently this
great wrong done 1s by Colonel Ores
ap We are patient because Sir VII
liam asks it Of us. But under these tall
pines around Us lie hatchets buried
deep among the pine trees roots. See.
brother! Our hands are clean. We have
not dug In the earth for hatchets.
Brother. we pray that our elder
cousin, Lord Dunmore. win remove
from us his agent Greathouse. We
pray that no more spirits be sold to the
cayugas. We pray this because we
cannot resist an offered cup. We pray