The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-11-06
; The Son Of Big Mountain

By Frankie Welles caIkIrs

MY boy, | am going 70 leaFS ~"
now to 60 on the other side OF thls
hill. Look we'll to Plenty Boy TIL !
/ get back. Remember you are a
Sans Arc and the son Of Big NOUN
tain"
Such, or something like it, was the
dialy admonition Of Yellow Belts
mother during the berry-picking sea-
son. Among the rough lands OF the
Powderhorn, the red raspberry was
wonderfully plenty. The Sans ARC
women gathered great quantities, not
only to meet the enormous daily ca
pacity Of their families, but to dry Tor
future use.
The berry range extended on all
sides of their village, so the women
became scattered in all directions.
The children were usually taken with
their mothers, because a herd Oh
them, left at the deserted teepees,
were too likely to get into mischief.
And older children were put 20 guard
younger children, because they were
Of no account in picking berries.
Yellow Belts case was very trying
10 a twelve-yearold boy He had no
sisters to relieve him, and his charge
was mischievous and freakish three
year-old child. However, the older
brother was very faithful for a NUM-
Der Of days He kept one eye on
Plenty Boy and the other on the look
out for small game.
Sometimes chipmunk or small
bird came within reach Of his blunt
end arrows, and the excitement OF the
affair would occupy his mind for
long time. And when a bush rabbit
ran by, and was actually hit by one
OF two arrows, the lad elaborated a
story which he carried home to his
playfellows.
When there was no game to be seen
Yellow Belt would divide his time In
admiration of two war arrows which
his uncle, Gray Bull, had given him,
and which he did not trust himself to
shoot among the bushes. One OF these
was somewhat worm-eaten in the
shaft, and its iron teeth played loose
on its rivet for want of real sinews to
bind. The other had bone tooth,
and was not q weapon for the buffalo
Yet these arrows and his confidence
In them were to bring him out Of the
greatest adventure of his life, one
which, after forty years, furnished
him with his most thrilling tale Of
personal encounter.
On the day when his mother left
him to go behind the big hill, she
had spread her blanket for Plenty
Boy, who was sound asleep. Yellow
Belt did not mean to go to sleep when
he lay beside the young one, but he
had eaten to repletion, and despite
some lighting, his drowsy eyes closed.
He awoke because the sun had shift
ed so that its hot rays were beating
directly upon his face. He rose, dig
ging at his heavy, burning lids, and
was reminded of his charge by hear
ing the voice of Plenty Boy, sounding
faint and far away, but with a fierce
accent which spoke of infantile wrath.
AT first yellow Belt believed that
his mother had come and had carried
Plenty Boy away as a rebuke to his
own remissness, and that the child
was angry at leaving him behind.
Feeling very crestfallen, he gathered
his bow and arrows and made his
way among bushes and rocks at the
foot of the ledge, toward the sound
of Plenty Boys scolding
For some hundred steps or more he
heard nothing Of the small brother;
then, nearer than he had expected, he
heard the young voice in an explo-
sive shout. repeated two or three
times Plenty Boy had evidently wan
dered off alone, and was shouting-a as
he often did at the village-at some
crow, buzzard, or other live object
which had attracted his attention.
Yellow Belt hurried along the face
of the ledge, not daring to call, for
it was trick of the mischievous lad
to scamper Off and hide when any
one was thus seeking him. So the
elder boy ram softly forward, and
turning an angle of the rocks, again
heard the voice of the youngster
scolding in sharp tones of infantile
bravado:
Here! Ya-drS! Come-come down
here, sunlila!'
So! the young brother was calling,
and to little dog" Yellow Belt
climbed to the top of boulder, end
looked about among the rocks and