The Elk Mountain pilot., 1923-04-26
Observation-Disclosures
Lodge Tales
By
Ford C. Frick
THE BOILING SPRINGS


A FTER the wise men of the tribe
had gone to counsel with Manltou
his wrath endured for many days.
And the storms came and the light
ming flashed and the thunders rolled.
and the tribesmen were much afraid.
Then when the storms finally had
ceased, the face Of ManitOu frOwned
ON the world for many weeks.
The sky was overcast and the cold
sun shown dimly through the clouds.
The streams that had one time danced
and sparkled In the sun NO longer
flowed, but the waters stood still and
the fishes died and the water was foul
80 foul that the Indians dared not
drink it.
Out of the east came cold winds
bringing grasshOppers which devoured
the grass and blossoms and plants,
and even the trees, until no green
thing remained. And man and beast
alike were without food, and the
world was filed with pestilence and
disease and the chosen people were
helpless and forlorn and children
ceased to smile and play.
Bad grew worse, until the chosen
people, troubled and afraid knew not
whence to turn. So their hearts were
filed with repentance, and with hum
BILE contrite hearts they besOught the
Manitou that he might save them from
death. And SO they prayed and fast
ed week by week and called upon the
Manitou to pardon their transgres-
sions and to stay the deadly plaques.
Hearing them, the Manitou took
pity ul.~n the puny frightened people
and sent lesser god from out the
sky, who Travelled down the Holy
Mount at night until he reached a
spot where plain and mountain met.
and there he smote rock. And
where he struck there gushed forth a
| fountain of water. 1t was very fair,
| but when the bravest of the people
tasted it, it was too bitter to drink
so bitter that no living man could
drink 1t unless his mind be pure and
his body strong.
Three times he smOte, and each time
brought a spring, each sweeter than
the other and more fair. And then.
STOPPING, he breathed the breath of
life into the bubbling waters that all
who drank should be made whole and
cleansed of all disease
But first he taught that those who
drank must come cleanpurged and
repentant of their sins. And he gave
to all the chosen ones a prayer, which
they must say before they stopped to
drink. And ere he left he cast into
and beautiful-as a gift to Manitou.
SO the Chosen People, saved from
plague, drank at the spring and pros
pered through the years. Yet each
before he drank gave praise to Mani
ton and at the spring gave of his
choicest wealth-his wampum and his
beads and arrowheads Manitou
might know that he held sacred the
boiling waters which the god had
given.
Through the years the boiling
springs remain, though the tribesmen
long since have gone. And now the
tribes unite in giving praise to him
who gave the springs, and in his
honor they call them Manitou, and So
they now are called to this day.
Note.-The ManitOu springs now
are famous the world over, but they
were known to the Indians for hun
dreds of years before they were dis
covered by the whites. Even now ii
is not uncommon to find arrOwheads.
beads and even bits Of pottery aboui
the springs where they were thrown
by the Indians as gifts to Manitou.