The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-09-29
rode north, getting off at dilapidated
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rode north, getting off at dilapidated
wooden station marked "Mauvilla."
There were a few farming cottages,
not many. All day we spent in the
woods, coming, every few minutes,
upon some enhancing new turn of the
| brown creek, almost a river, called
Chickasaw-bogue. The term
"bogue," so often found in the nam
ing of small Southern waterways, was
corruption, my father told me, of
the original Indian word "bok," mean
ing creek. The Chicasaws, he said,
were one of three great tribes of In
dians, the Cherokees and Choctaws
being the other two. In long ago
ages, when perhaps the great magno-
liza under which we were seated was
no taller than low-bush huckleber-
ry, all the country about US was
theirs. Somewhere near the location
of the present Mauvilla had been their
chief capital, Maubilia, a name mean
ing "the paddlers." For a totem
they had taken the small river tur-
tie, or terrapin.
Farther on in our stroll we came
to some half-demolished Indian she'll
mounds, and l had my first adven-
turous digging for flint arrowheads
and red shards.
Before long the little brother next
me in age could be our companion on
these wonderland excursions. I shall
never forget our rapture and awe-it
takes little to awe an imaginative
child-when one day in the woods we
encountered an old Choctaw "brave."
He was skulking along, his head
hanging, his lean body clad in cast
off rags of the conquering white men.
We would much have preferred feath-
ers and a naughty demeaner, but the
slow, hostile look he turned at our
exclamation would have done credit to
the most blood thirsty of warriors.
We caught in our breath as our
father stepped close to him. 1t SEEM
ed reckless, intrepid, even dangerous.
Low words were exchanged. On the
Indians part the conversation was
merely succession of grunts. The
sound stirred and thrilled US. In our
story-books all Indians grunted. Now
suddenly father smiled and nodded his
head backwards to where we were
covering. The flash of small sill.
yer coin passed from the white hand
to very dirty brown one. The red
mans sullen face lightened. He gave
two loud, gutteral grunts, meant by
way of acquiescence, and, squatting,
let us examine with round, childish
eyes, the totem tattooed on his ma
hogany-colored chest. 1t was clear
ly the outline of turtle, feet, head,
tail and the squares on its back, all
complete.
My brother and I could scarcely
wait to reach home before attempting /
duplication on our own tender
skins. For implements we had onlv |
a steel pen and a bottle of school |
ink. Fortunately our efforts were
discovered and frustrated in time to |
save US from blood-poisoning.
My mother, adored by all her chill
dren, could never be persuaded to Join
us on these sylvan excursions. Hav-
ING been brought up on a plantation,
where slaves and saddle horses stood
about awaiting ones nod, she frankly
detested walking. All of our Indian
lore. the knowledge we gained of tree,
bird and flower, our first breathless
heart-catching initiation into the Sc
crets of nature, all of these came
through our "Dad" 1t has proved
heritage that has grown the more
precious with using.
But at home there were things to
learn, too. Looking back on that
happy time, I cannot recall one sin
glle item gained at school that stayed
with me clearly. Of course 7 must
have learned something-th alpha
bet, the multiplication table, and some
rudimentary facts of grammar. his