The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-27

moonlight talking over the strange
thing Ia piercing scream from the
canyon"l. when some one noticed that
Quohahles. the medicine man, was
absent. The next day he came in. He
had visited the silent village. He
round the body OF a horse which had
fallen over n cliff. He said the scream
which had brought terror to our hearts
must have been the animals death
cry: that once before he had
heard the same kind of a cry.
and il came from a dying horse"
The effect of such a sound upon tn"
nerves of red skinned warriors has
additional testimony in Cooper. Even
Hawkcye. walled up in the cave at
Glens Falls, was so,emnly impressed
and oppressed by 1t, nc less than Chin
gachgook and tncas, until the WHITE
soldier explained II. But the pony
riding Indians of the West might
have been expected to he better ac-
uuainted with the sound than the
n bic red men in THE Last Of the
Mohicans."
Tahan's FIRST recollections Of life
with the Indians fall in the year VI the
DIX bhI tlil-, "ht' b'"''' N
caused famine and many, many Of our
peop,e went on the Long Trail and
OF the Big Long Cold" His foster
father. Iepkhoeete. or Big Bow. trained
him as indian boys were trained: He
pinChed my ear. I thought his nails
would go clear through the o | did
not cry out. | did not make a sound. !
did not dare. I was learning to be "A
man. ! set my teeth and listened to
father saying: This is not to punish
YOU. II is to make you remember. AL
ways make your eyes big. Not only
look at things. but see them. Make
your ears wide. Not only hear things.
but listen to them" Good teaching.
excellent mnemonics: a thumbnail
classic Of pedagogy.
We have not seen n more lifelike
recount of the customs of Ind an daily
life. of their character, their morals,
their system Of training the young
for the business of living. than this OF
Tahan's. without making demigods
of them. even as they were before
the white man began spelling and de-
spelling them, he does state admirably
the admirable qualities of the saw
age" nature of the native American.
His later white associations clarity
his view without erasing the original
first hand impression. That Is strong
enough to inspire this utterance In
connection with the massacre OF the
Washita." when Cheyennes. Arapa-
hoes, Kiowas. Comanchcs and Apaches
were SHOT down or taken captive by
Uncle Sans soldiers: I'm history.
the white mans history. the battle of
the Washita' is called a great victory.
But that is always the way. White
men's massaCres OF Indians are al
ways victories: indian victories over
white men always massacres. indian
strategy is t%reachery: white mems
treachery. strategy. II ever
there was a massacre of human beings
under heaven 1t was in our camp on
the Wash!ta November -. 1865. when
100 men. women and children we're
ki!led-after being promised peace and
safety" But the history is outdone
BY the dramatic touch Of personal en-
p%erience: My own father. Cali
fornia Joe. was Gen. Clusters chief
Of scouts in that fight. and | believe
it was he who drove us" in after the
shooting.
Tahan married an Indian woman,
N~acoomee. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.:
The days that followed were dream
days.
Birds. like flowers made alive by the
breath Of the prairie. darted about In the
sunshine and among the Following leaves:
or swung In the tops OF the tail cotton
woods TO sing their feast songs ana chr
rup to us their welcome.
Great eagles stretched their arms and
swan in the blue. FAR overhead.
And over all came floating now and then
a snow white feather cloud from the Spirit
OF Peace.
The nights came and brought cool
breezes. hut no darkness.
;. owls called and answered one another
in stately voice through the starlight.
our brother wolves sat on the hills and
sang US their night songs. The horses
cropped the rich pasture. And all was
contentment.
When a son was horn they called
him Tapahyeete. observation-disclosures.
, Nacoomee died in n river quicksand
bringing horses to help her husband
and his friend in their escape from
the guardhouse where they were con-
fined after being captured as desert
I ers; Tahan had taken matters into his
: own hands on failing to get leave OF
absence after learning that an officer
p had insulted the Indian wife. Tapah-
yeete. found by his father after long
, separation, refused to join him in the
' white mans life: he lived with a band
? of ties in Colorado.
AS told by the Rev. Joseph X. Grit
D fs the story OF Chief Tahan-Texas
Joe is a mighty moving" narrative.
L.