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14 - Red Robe's Dream · Blackfeet Native American Stories

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  Speaker 1: Chapter fourteen of Blackfeet Indians Stories. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
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  Speaker 1: by Lucy LaFaro, New South Wales, Australia. Blackfeet Indian Stories
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  Speaker 1: by George B. Grinnell, Chapter fourteen, Red Robes's Dream, Long
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  Speaker 1: Long Ago. Red Robe and Talking Rock were young men
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  Speaker 1: in the Blackfeet camp. In their childhood days and early youth,
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  Speaker 1: their life had been hard. Talking Rock was an orphan
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  Speaker 1: without a single relation, and Red Robe had only his
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  Speaker 1: old grandmother. This old woman, by hard work and sacrifice,
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  Speaker 1: had managed to rear the boys. She tanned robes for
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  Speaker 1: the hunters, made them moccasins, worked with porcupine quills, and
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  Speaker 1: did everything she could to get a little food or
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  Speaker 1: worn out robes and hide from which she made clothes
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  Speaker 1: for her boys. They never had new, brightly painted calf robes.
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  Speaker 1: Like other children. They went barefoot in summer and in winter.
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  Speaker 1: Their toes often showed through the worn out skin of
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  Speaker 1: their mocksins. They had no flesh, Their ribs could be
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  Speaker 1: counted beneath the skin. Their cheeks were hollow. They looked
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  Speaker 1: always hungry. When they grew to be twelve or fifteen
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  Speaker 1: years old, they began to do better. For now they
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  Speaker 1: could do more and more for themselves. They herded horses
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  Speaker 1: and performed small services for the wealthy men. Then two
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  Speaker 1: they hunted and killed a little meat. Now for their work,
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  Speaker 1: three or four dogs were given them. So with the
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  Speaker 1: two the old women owned, they were able to pack
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  Speaker 1: their small lodge and other possessions when the camp moved,
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  Speaker 1: instead of carrying everything on their backs. Now they began
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  Speaker 1: to do their best to make life easier for the
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  Speaker 1: good old woman who had worked so hard to keep
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  Speaker 1: them from starving and freezing. Time passed, the boys grew
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  Speaker 1: old enough to go out and fast. They had their dreams.
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  Speaker 1: Each found his secret helper of mysterious power, and each
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  Speaker 1: became a warrior. Still, they were very poor compared with
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  Speaker 1: other young men of their age. They had bows, but
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  Speaker 1: only a few arrows. They were not able to pay
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  Speaker 1: some great medicine man to make shields for them. As yet,
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  Speaker 1: they went to war only as servants. About this time
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  Speaker 1: red Robe fell in love. In the camp was a
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  Speaker 1: beautiful girl named Maya min the wing, whom all the
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  Speaker 1: young men wished to marry, but perhaps red Road loved
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  Speaker 1: her more than all the rest. Her father was a rich,
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  Speaker 1: old medicine man who never invited any except chiefs and
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  Speaker 1: great warriors to feast with him, and red Robe seldom
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  Speaker 1: entered his lodge. He used to dress as well as
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  Speaker 1: he could, to braid his hair carefully, to paint his
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  Speaker 1: face nicely, and to stand for a long time near
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  Speaker 1: the lodge, looking entreatingly at her as she came and
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  Speaker 1: went about her work, or fleshed a robe under the
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  Speaker 1: shelter of some trevoi over which a hide was spread.
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  Speaker 1: Then whenever they met, he thought the look she gave
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  Speaker 1: him in passing was friendly, perhaps more than that. Wherever
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  Speaker 1: Maemn went, her mother or some woman of the family
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  Speaker 1: went with her, so red Robe could never speak to her,
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  Speaker 1: but he was often near by. One day, when she
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  Speaker 1: was gathering wood for the lodge, and her companion was
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  Speaker 1: out of sight behind some willow bushes some distance away,
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  Speaker 1: red Robe had a chance to tell Maimon what was
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  Speaker 1: in his heart. He walked up to her and took
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  Speaker 1: her hands in his, and she did not try to
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  Speaker 1: draw them away. He said to her, I love you.
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  Speaker 1: I cannot remember a time when I saw you that
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  Speaker 1: my heart did not beat faster. I am poor, very poor,
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  Speaker 1: and it is useless to ask your father to let
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  Speaker 1: me marry you, for he will not consent. But there
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  Speaker 1: is another way, and if you love me, you will
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  Speaker 1: do what I ask. Let us go from here far away.
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  Speaker 1: We will find some tribe that will be kind to us,
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  Speaker 1: and even if we fail in that, we can live
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  Speaker 1: in some way. Now, if you love me, and I
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  Speaker 1: hope you do, you will come, Aye, replied Mami. I
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  Speaker 1: do love you, only you. All the other young men
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  Speaker 1: passed before me as shadows. I scarcely see them. But
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  Speaker 1: I cannot do what you ask. I cannot go away
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  Speaker 1: and leave my mother to mourn she who loves me
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  Speaker 1: so well. Let us wait a little, go to war,
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  Speaker 1: do something great and brave. Then perhaps you will not
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  Speaker 1: uselessly ask my father to give me to you. In vain,
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  Speaker 1: red Robe tried to persuade the girl to do as
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  Speaker 1: he wished. She was kind, She threw her arms about
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  Speaker 1: him and kissed him and cried, but she would not
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  Speaker 1: run away to leave her mother to sorrow, to be
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  Speaker 1: beaten by her father, who would blame the poor woman
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  Speaker 1: for all the disgrace, And so too soon they parted,
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  Speaker 1: for they heard her companion coming, the sound of her
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  Speaker 1: heavy footsteps. Three Bulls, chief of the camp, was a
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  Speaker 1: great man. He had a fierce temper, and when he spoke,
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  Speaker 1: people hurried to do what he ordered, for they feared him.
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  Speaker 1: He never talked loud, nor called any one by an
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  Speaker 1: ill name. When any one displeased him or refused to
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  Speaker 1: do what he said, he just smiled and then killed
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  Speaker 1: the person. He was in battle with enemies, he was
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  Speaker 1: the equal of twenty men, rushing here there into the
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  Speaker 1: thickest of the fights and killing, always with that silent,
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  Speaker 1: terrible smile on his face. Because he was such a
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  Speaker 1: great warrior, and also because he was generous, helping the poor,
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  Speaker 1: feasting any who came to his lodge, he was the
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  Speaker 1: head chief of the Blackfeet. Three Bulls had several wives
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  Speaker 1: and many children, some of them grown and married. Gray
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  Speaker 1: hairs were now many in his head. His face srinkles
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  Speaker 1: showed that old age was not far distant. No one
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  Speaker 1: supposed that he would ever take another wife. So when
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  Speaker 1: the news spread through the camp that he had asked
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  Speaker 1: old medicine man for his daughter, Maimon everyone was surprised.
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  Speaker 1: When red Robe heard the news, his heart nearly broke.
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  Speaker 1: The old medicine man agreed to let the chief have
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  Speaker 1: the girl. He dared not refuse us, nor did he
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  Speaker 1: wish to, for many good presents were to be given
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  Speaker 1: him in three days time. When that was done, he
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  Speaker 1: told his daughter she would be taken to the chief's lodge.
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  Speaker 1: Let her prepare for the change. That day, red Robe
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  Speaker 1: had planned to start with the party to war, but
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  Speaker 1: when he heard this news, he asked his friend Talking
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  Speaker 1: Rock to take word to the leader that he had
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  Speaker 1: changed his mind and would not go. He asked his
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  Speaker 1: friend to stay with him instead of joining the war party,
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  Speaker 1: and Talking Roc agreed to do so. Out in front
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  Speaker 1: of the camp was a large spring, and to that
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  Speaker 1: place red Robe went and stood, leaning against a large
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  Speaker 1: stone and looking sadly down into the blue water. Soon
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  Speaker 1: as he had thought, ma'amon came to the spring for
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  Speaker 1: a skin of water. He took her hands as he
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  Speaker 1: had done before, and began to beg her to go
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  Speaker 1: away with him that very night, before it was too late.
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  Speaker 1: The girl cried bitterly, but at first she did not speak.
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  Speaker 1: The two were standing in plain sight of the camp
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  Speaker 1: and the people in it, and some one went to
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  Speaker 1: the chief's lodge and told him what was taking place.
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  Speaker 1: Go to the spring, said the chief, and tell that
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  Speaker 1: young man to let the girl go. She is to
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  Speaker 1: be my wife. The person did as he was told,
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  Speaker 1: but the two young people paid no attention to him.
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  Speaker 1: They did not care what any one said, nor if
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  Speaker 1: the whole camp saw them there together. All they could
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  Speaker 1: think about was this terrible thing, which would make them
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  Speaker 1: unhappy so long as they lived. Red Rope kept asking
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  Speaker 1: the girl to go, and at last she consented to
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  Speaker 1: do as he wished. They had their arms about each other,
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  Speaker 1: not thinking of the crowd that was watching them, and
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  Speaker 1: were quickly for their meeting and for their going away
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  Speaker 1: that night, when three bulls quietly walked up to them
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  Speaker 1: and stabbed the young man with a flint point lance,
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  Speaker 1: Red Robes sank down, dying at the young girl's feet,
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  Speaker 1: and she, looking down for an instant at her lover,
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  Speaker 1: turned and ran to her father's lodge. Bring wood. The
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  Speaker 1: chief called out. Let everyone bring some wood. All you
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  Speaker 1: have at your lodgers. Those who have none, let them
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  Speaker 1: go quickly and bring some from the timber. All the
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  Speaker 1: people hurried to obey what three bulls ordered. Were soon
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  Speaker 1: done for the people feared him, and soon a great
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  Speaker 1: pile of wood was heaped beside the dead man. The
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  Speaker 1: chief lifted the slender young form, placed it on the
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  Speaker 1: pile of wood, and told a woman to bring coals
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  Speaker 1: and set fire to the pile. When this had been done,
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  Speaker 1: all left the place except three bulls, whose stayed there,
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  Speaker 1: tending the fire and poking it here and there until
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  Speaker 1: it was burnt out, and no wood or trace of
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  Speaker 1: a human body was left. Nothing remained except the little
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  Speaker 1: pile of ashes. These he scattered. Still, he was not satisfied.
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  Speaker 1: His medicine was strong. Perhaps his dream had warned him.
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  Speaker 1: Now he ordered that the lodges be taken down, that
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  Speaker 1: everything be packed up, and that the trail of the
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  Speaker 1: moving camp should pass over the heap of ashes. Some
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  Speaker 1: time before this, after Red Robe had made his long fasting,
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  Speaker 1: and his dream had come to him, and he had
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  Speaker 1: returned to his grandmother's lodge, he had told his true
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  Speaker 1: friend something of what had been said to him by
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  Speaker 1: his dream. If I should die, he said, and you
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  Speaker 1: are near, do not desert me. Go to the place
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  Speaker 1: where I fell. And if my body should have been destroyed.
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  Speaker 1: Look carefully around the place. If you can find even
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  Speaker 1: a shred of my flesh or a bit of my bone,
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  Speaker 1: it will be well, so said my dream. Here are
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  Speaker 1: four arrows which the dream told me to make. If
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  Speaker 1: you can find a bit of my body, flesh or bone,
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  Speaker 1: or even hair, cover it with a robe, and standing
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  Speaker 1: over it, shoot three arrows, one after another up into
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  Speaker 1: the air, crying as each one leaves the bow. Look out.
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  Speaker 1: When you fit the fourth arrow on the bowstring and
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  Speaker 1: shoot it upward, cry look out, red robe. The arrow
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  Speaker 1: will strike you. And as you say this, turn and
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  Speaker 1: run away from the place, not looking back as you go.
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  Speaker 1: If you do this, my friend, just as I have
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  Speaker 1: told you, I shall live again. As the camp moved,
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  Speaker 1: three bulls stood and watched it, filing over the place
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  Speaker 1: of the fire, and saw the ashes scattered by the
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  Speaker 1: trailing ends of lodge poles and trevoi, and by the
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  Speaker 1: feet of hundreds of people and dogs. Still he was
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  Speaker 1: not satisfied, and for a long time, after the last
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  Speaker 1: of the people had passed, he remained there. Then he
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  Speaker 1: went on across the flat and up and over the ridge.
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  Speaker 1: But presently he returned once twice four times to the
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  Speaker 1: crest of the hill, and looked back at the place
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  Speaker 1: where the camp had been. But at last he felt
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  Speaker 1: sure that no one remained at the place, and went on.
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  Speaker 1: Yet Talking Rock was there. He had been hidden in
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  Speaker 1: the brush all the time, watching the chief. Even after
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  Speaker 1: three bulls had passed over the ridge, he remained crouched
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  Speaker 1: in the bushes, and saw him back again and again
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  Speaker 1: to peer over its crest. Still further on there was
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  Speaker 1: another higher ridge, And when the young man saw three
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  Speaker 1: bulls climb that and disappear on the trail of the camp,
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  Speaker 1: he came forth, going to the place where his friend
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  Speaker 1: had lain. Talking Rocks sat down and mourned, wailing long
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  Speaker 1: and loud. Back on the hills. The wolves and coyotes
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  Speaker 1: heard him, and they too became sorrowful, adding their cries
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  Speaker 1: to his. The young man had little faith in the
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  Speaker 1: power of the four arrows that he kept so carefully
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  Speaker 1: wrapped in a separate bundle in his quiver. He looked
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  Speaker 1: at the place where Red Robes's body had been burnt.
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  Speaker 1: It was like any other place on the great trail
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  Speaker 1: that had been made dust and grass, blades mingled together,
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  Speaker 1: and scratches made by the dragging poles. It did not
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  Speaker 1: seem possible that anything of his friend's body remained, Yet
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  Speaker 1: he must search, and breaking a green willow twig, he
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  Speaker 1: began carefully to work over the dust, stopping his crying,
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  Speaker 1: for the tears blinded his eyes, so that he could
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  Speaker 1: not see. All the morning long, and far into the afternoon.
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  Speaker 1: Talking Rock swept the dust this way and that, turning
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  Speaker 1: it over and over in a circle that grew always wider.
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  Speaker 1: And just as he was about to give up the search,
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  Speaker 1: he found a bit of charred and blackened bone. Was
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  Speaker 1: this a part of his friend's frame? Was it not
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  Speaker 1: more likely a bit of bone of buffalo or elk,
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  Speaker 1: which some dog had carried from one of the fireplaces
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  Speaker 1: of the camp and dropped here. Now for the test,
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  Speaker 1: Talking Rock covered the bit of bone with his robe,
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  Speaker 1: as he had been told to do so. He even
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  Speaker 1: raised the robe along its middle, making it look as
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  Speaker 1: if it really covered a person lying there. Then he
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  Speaker 1: shot three of the arrows up in the air, each
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  Speaker 1: time crying look out. Then, with a hand that trembled
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  Speaker 1: a little, he drew the fourth arrow from the quiver,
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  Speaker 1: shot it and cried, look out, Red robe. The arrow
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  Speaker 1: will strike you, And turning, ran from the place with
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  Speaker 1: all his speed. How he wanted to look back, how
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  Speaker 1: he longed to see his friend was really rising from
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  Speaker 1: that bit of blackened bone. But talking Roc was strong hearted,
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  Speaker 1: he controlled his desires. On and on he ran, and
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  Speaker 1: then behind him the light tread of running feet. A
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  Speaker 1: firm hand gripped his shoulder, and a loved voice said,
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  Speaker 1: why so fast, my friend, And stopping and turning talking,
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  Speaker 1: Roc found himself face to face with red robe. He
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  Speaker 1: could not believe what he saw, and had to pinch
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  Speaker 1: himself and to hold his friend hard in his arms
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  Speaker 1: to believe that all this was real. The camp had
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  Speaker 1: not moved far, and the lodges were pitched on the
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  Speaker 1: next stream to the south. Soon after dark, the two
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  Speaker 1: friends entered it and went to their lodge. The poor
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  Speaker 1: old grandmother could not believe her eyes when she saw
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  Speaker 1: the young man she had reared and loved so dearly.
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  Speaker 1: But when he spoke, she knew that it was he, and,
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  Speaker 1: running over to him, held him in her arms and
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  Speaker 1: kissed him, crying from joy. After a little time, the
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  Speaker 1: young man said to her grandmother, go to the chief's
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  Speaker 1: lodge and say to him that I red Robe need
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  Speaker 1: some dried meat. The old woman hesitated at this strange request,
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  Speaker 1: but red Robe said, go, do not fear him. Three
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  Speaker 1: bulls is now the one to no fear. When the
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  Speaker 1: old woman entered the great lodge, and in reply to
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  Speaker 1: the chief's look, said red Robe sent me here. He
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  Speaker 1: wants some dried meat. Only three bulls of all who
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  Speaker 1: were in the lodge showed no surprise. It is what
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  Speaker 1: I expected, he said. In spite of all my care,
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  Speaker 1: he lives again, and I can do nothing. Turning to
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  Speaker 1: his wives, he said, give her meat. Did you see
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  Speaker 1: ma Min, asked Rederobe, when his grandmother had returned with
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  Speaker 1: the meat and had told him what the chief had said. No,
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  Speaker 1: she was not in the lodge, but two women were
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  Speaker 1: approaching as I left it. I think they were the
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  Speaker 1: girl and her mother. Go back once more, said the
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  Speaker 1: young man, and tell three bulls to send me that
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  Speaker 1: young woman. But now the poor old grandmother was afraid.
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  Speaker 1: I dare not tell him that, she exclaimed, he would
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  Speaker 1: kill me and you. His anger would be fearful. Do
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  Speaker 1: not fear, said red Robe. Do not fear my mother,
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  Speaker 1: his anger and his power. I no longer to be feared.
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  Speaker 1: He is as feeble and as helpless as one of
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  Speaker 1: those old bulls one sees on the sunny side of
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  Speaker 1: the coolie, spending his last days before the wolves pull
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  Speaker 1: him down. The old woman went to the lodge and
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  Speaker 1: told the chief what Red Robe further wished. Mae Min
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  Speaker 1: was there, her head covered with her robe, crying quietly,
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  Speaker 1: and three bulls told her to arise and go with
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  Speaker 1: the messenger. Timidly at first, and then with steps that
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  Speaker 1: broke into a run, Mamin hurried toward the lodge of
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  Speaker 1: her sweetheart and entered it with a cry of joy.
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  Speaker 1: She threw herself into his arms, and talking, Roc went
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  Speaker 1: out and left them alone. Great now was the happiness
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  Speaker 1: of these young couple. Long was their life, full of
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  Speaker 1: plenty and of great honor. Red Robe became a chief,
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  Speaker 1: respected and loved by all the people. Mae Min bore
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  Speaker 1: him many children who grew up to be the support
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  Speaker 1: of their old age. End of chapter fourteen.