The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1918-01-24
choice meat at the killing.
ravenS are left the leaVingS.

t1lAy OuL OAO VI NAS "OAAA~~'
who was cripple. 'Her legs are bent
| like the ribs of a birch canoe. She
| cannot gather wood nor carry the meat
| of the hunters. Did the wolves choose
herr"
"Ai! al" vociferated his tribesmen.
'There is Moyri, whose eyes are
crossed by the evil spirit. Even the
babes are affrighted when they gaze
upon her, and it is said the bald-face
gives her the trail. Was she chosen?"
Again the cruel applause rang out.
"And there sits Pischet. She does
not hearken to my words. Never has
she heard the cry of the chit-chat, the
| voice of her husband, the babble of her
child. She lives in the white silence.
Cared the wolves aught for her? No!
Theirs is the choice of the kill; ours
| the leavings.
'Brothers, it shall not be-! No more
| shall the wolves stink among our camp
fires. The time is come"
A great streamer of fire, the aurora
borealis, purple, green and yellow, shot
| across the zenith, bridging horizon to
horizon. With head thrown back and
arms extended, he swayed to his
climax.
'Behold! The spirits Of our fathers
| have arisen and great deeds are afoot
this night!"
He stepped back, and another young
man somewhat efficiently came for
| ward, pushed on by his comrades. He
lowered a full head above them, his
broad chest defiantly barred to the
frost. He swung tentatively from one
foot to the other. Words halted upon
his tongue, and he was i'll at ease. His
face was horrible to look upon, for it
| had at one time been half torn away
by some terrific blow. At last he struck
his breast with his clenched fist, draw
ing sound as from drum, and his
| voice rumbled forth as the surf from
an ocean cavern.
IT am the Bear-the Silver-Tip and
the Son Of the Silver-Tip! When my
| voice was yet as girls, slew the
lynx, the moose, and the cariboo; when
it whfstled like the wolverines from
under a cache, crossed the Mountains
! Of the South and slew three of the
! White Rivers; when it became as the
| roar Of the Chinook, I met the bald
faced grizzly, but gave no TRAIL"
At this he paused, his hand signif1-
cantly sweeping across his hideous
scars.
II am not as the Fox. My tongue is
frozen like the river. cannot make
great talk. My words are few. The
Fox says great deeds are afoot this
night. Good! Talk flows from his
tongue like the freshets Of the spring,
but he Is chary Of deeds. This night
! shall I do battle with the Wolf. I
shall STAY him, and Zarinska shall sit
by my fire. The Bear has spoken"
Though pandemonium ragged about
him, Scruff Mackenzie held his ground.
brothers! The White Man. whom
ye have chosen to call the Wolf, came
among you with fair words. He was
not like the Innuit; he spoke not lies.
He came as friend, as one who would
be brother. But your men have had
their say, and the time for soft words
is past. First, I will tell you that the
Shaman has an evil tongue and is
false prophet, that the messages he
spake are not those Of the Fire Bring
er. His ears are locked to the voice of
the raven, and out of his own head he
| weaves cunning fancies, and he has
made fools Of you. He has no power.
When the dogs were killed and eaten,
and your stomachs were heavy with
mtanned hide and strips of moccasins;
when the old men died, and the old
women died, and the babes at the dry
dugs of the mothers died; when the
land was dark, and ye persisted as do
the salmon in the fall; ay, when the
famine was upon you, did the Shaman
bring reward to your hunters? Did
the Shaman put meat in your bellies7
Again I say, the Shaman is without
power. Thus! spit upon his facet"
Though taken aback by the sacri-
lege, there was no uproar. Some Of
the women were even frightened, but
among the men there was an uplifting,
as though in preparation or anticipa-
ton of the miracle. All eyes were
turned upon the two central figures.
The priest realized the crucial mo.
ment, felt his power tottertng, opened
his mouth in denunciation, but fled
backward before the truculent advance,
appraised fist, and flashing eyes Of
Mackenzie. He sneered and resumed.
~Was stricken dead? Did the light
ming burn met Did the stars fall from
the sky and crush met Pish! have
done with the dog. Now will I tell you
Of my people, who are the mightiest Of
all the peoples, who rule In all the
lands. At first we hunt as I hunt, alone.
After that we hunt In packs; and at
last, like the cariboo-run, we sweep
across all the land. Those whom we
take into our lodges live; those who
win not come die. Zarinska is come
" maiden, full and strong, 11t to be-
come the mother Of wolves. Though I
die, such shall she become; for my
brothers are many. and they will fol-