Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-08-11
STORY or THE FLOOD
One Of the Strange Legends Of
the Yuma indians.
CAUSE OF THE GREAT sToRM.

World-The Mysterious Ark and the
Eseaps u the chesaa Few.
TO this day the great delugs recorded
In the Bible Ii q mystery to the North ]
American Indian He will not be I'D
to believe that the Good was broughs
about by the sins Of man. Heels
equally unwilling to believe that IL was
the work Of an angry God, as he could
not zee how the Almighty should be 30
unjust rs to punish tho Indians Of
America for the naughty things OF o
race Of people across the ocean. An
other reason which makes It still more
dlficult for the Indian to believe that
the food was a punishment to the
world Is the fact that with him there
Is no sin. In his language there is no
such word nor does be expect to be
punished for any OF bis acts.
But though there Ii no equivalent TO
the word sin In the Indian language
(nor In the Indian mind until the
Christians camel, the Indians have
their philosophy In regard to what Ia
commonly 30 termed. Some Of their
teachers (most Of whom claimed to
have been taught the philosophy Of
life and its laws directly by disem.
bodied spirits or by ethereal beings
from other pIanets) taught that as
man lives here so IL his life hereafter.
II he is quarrelsome or warlIke here.
20 he win be In the more spiritual life.
IL be IL serene and contented here, so
he will be there, etc.
The deluge, as described by the few
who were INTERNATIONALLY saved, was the
more grandly terrible in that It came
on suddenly. From the highlands oc-
cupied by the Indians they saw the
waves Of the sea sweep in upon the
land and recede. only to advance with
immensely increased volume and stu,
pendously huge breakers. Then there
came a terrific storm that seemed to
blow from all and IN all directions.
The storm caused huge waterspouts
which appeared over the wild ocean
as far as the eye could see. The terri
dod people ded to the mountains. but
these were all soon to be submerged
with the exception Of one. This noun.
tain which alone remained uncovered
by the food Il called Avee-heilah
Mountain Of the Moonl, yet today 1t Is
not very high mountain.
For awhile before the mountains be-
came submerged there was great
calm, and dense fog covered the
earth. Then suddenly a mighty boat
appeared to the awed view OF the In.
dams. It approached and stopped at
the several mountains still uncovered
by the waters. and at each point where
Il touched, as II guided by invisible In
telligenee. the Indians, as II obeying
an unspoken but potent command. en-
tered the boat
The boat rested flrst at a place called
Ayee.Qua-lul (mOuntaln peakl, now Pi-
lot Knob, on the border Of Mexico.
There was a mesa on the top OF this
mountain. though at this day 1t does
not exist, and ON this mesa the Indians
hrst celebrated their delivery. This
they did by playing sacred games.
chanting sacred songs, etc On rocks
nc the foot Of this peak there are hero.
glyphics In an unknown language,
which some OF the Indians believe were
made by those who survived the food.
Petrified driftwOod Ia stlll to be seen
two-thirds the distance up the sides OF
Avee-hellah. which drift. the Indians
say, was deposited by the waves Of the
great fiood.
The Indians, having rested for time
on the mountain peak. again entered
the boat and were carried eastward
eventually to a small valley. Here
they again rested. and then, leaving
the boat, they wandered from one place
to another after q time returning t.
the valley. To their surprise. the boai
was gone. 1t could not have noated
away, for tho land was dry where's
they had left IL. the food having sub
sided after great calm Of it, waters
The boat could not have crumbled x
pieces, for there had not been time fol
its decay. They could only cOneluds
that the mysterious boat. having ful
Oiled lts mission Of preserving . few
Of their race. had disappeared a. nj
raculously as Il had appeared.
The spot whore the mysterious boat
I
or ark. had rested was marked By th.
Indians placing there huge log. The.
called the place Qual-jo-para (boat'i
resting place. This SPOT o. held sacFot
hy th0 Indiamss who win seldom poin
Il out to strangers. Not many hundret
yeara ago. Il II said. some Indian war
Vi6rs were passing the spot. and one q
them 10 show hls skepticlsm shot 81
arrow into the side Of the great los
Immediately 4 stream Of blood gushel
from the spot pierced. ana the skepti
tell dead. TIE story % the event wa
carried 20 all the naaR tribes. ana sine
then Indians passing the place fear d
even look lelsurely lt the log.
A reason given by the Indians a. e.
probable cause % the noOd was tia
. there was q tribe Of Indians who. IN
L fNMNs4.,st,ssa kssssAea.asa that eka earth yEn