Oonomoo the Huron
untain
gleams of light a
ine spreads in mel
its hoary breast,
many a turn, no
revealed, winds
n the early
uds float in th
ealed in the cl
pon its breas
guided by a
ens, three eagle
mountain eyrie
flight has born
which beetles
eering from th
udy dress thei
blue and scarlet
n with the la
gwam stands-
uddy glow-and
spiral wreath o
though deepe
with red-men
e, and wakens s
ace who once we
mn leaves, are dyi
anderbum, growing red in the face with fury, because h
ng hither and thither, like so many bees. The time was early in the morning of a radiant spring, when the atmosphere was still and charming; the dew lingered upon the grass and undergrowth; birds were singing in eve
h an eye to comfort rather than beauty. One at the extreme northern edge of the village is that with which
re placed in a sort of circle, while the tops were intersected, leaving a small opening, through which the smoke reached the clear air above. Unsightly and repul
ans-a huge, plethoric, stolid, lazy Dutchman, who had "married" an Indian widow several years before. At the time of her marriage this squaw had a boy some three or four years of age, while a second one, the son of the Dutchman, was now just large enough to be as mischievous as a kitten. They were a coup
at peculiar rattling of the glottis, which might be mistaken for suffocation. The boys certainly would have been outside, basking in the genial sunshine, had not their mother, Keewaygooshturku
" repeated Hans, raising his head
irst time. As it was, the two boys suddenly straightened their faces, and assumed an air of meek penitence, as if suffering the most harrowing remorse for what they had done; and th
ing from ear to ear with delight, and, summoning all his strength, he poised him over the prostrate form of his father for a moment, and then dropped him! The prolonged snore which was steadily issuing from
hturbin' your poor old dad dat is wearing his life o
er. He rose to the sitting position, and, digging both hands into his he
g your parents in this manner? You oughter be pounded to death to treat your poor old fader in this manner, who is working of himself away to bring you up in the w
kawandock were too
ere he is working himself to skin and bone-Keeway
oshturkumkankangewock, a
stir yourself! You don't do anything but sleep and smoke
expeditions; in short, he contributed nothing toward the support of his interesting family. The first husband of Keewaygooshturkumkankangewock had been an Indian, with all the characteristics of his race-indolent, selfish and savage; and her life with him had been that of the usual servitude and drudgery. Accordingly, when she ventured a second time upon the sea of matrimony, she naturally fell into the same routine of labor, planting and cultivating what little corn, beans and vegetables were raised for the family, and doin
the morning meal. Hoping to mollify her, he commenced flattering her, speaking in a low tone as if it were not
d love her, and dat Hans Vanderbum gots her at last. Jis' look at dat foot! long and flat like a board, and
imple vegetables, was spread upon a rude table which had no legs. Quanonshet and Madokawandock were not behind-hand in
our lessons," said the father, lighting his pipe
ngewock busied herself about her household duties. Quanonshet and Madokawandock rollicked and frisked awhile before they were
German alphabet, and then, straightening himself up, demanded in a thundering tone "vot dat was." His two sons looked mute and dumbfounded. They had not the remotest idea in the world of its name and significance. For over three months the patient
ly. Repeating its name, he again demanded "vot dat was." This t
pprovingly. "You learns w
explosion of his pipe, the bowl being shattered in a hundr
andock indulged in one short scream of laughter, then instantly straightened their faces and looked as meek and innocent as lamb
er in mine meerschaum, eh?
y hanging their heads and
more, and dis i
circumstances, he concluded the safest plan was to believe both guilty. Accordingly he made a sudden dash and commenced whacking them soundly with t
ything to fix it mit. It ish wonderful what mischief gets into dem boys; dere ain't no time when dey ain't doin' notting what dey hadn't not
se of tobacco, her husband was not deprived entirely of his solace. Going into th
r in dat," he remarked, glan
ouse, in her native tongue, "unless
up to all kinds of such tricks, and some dese days dey will blow deir poor fader's brai
r voice rising higher and higher at each word. "Who is it that support
't do nottings-I doesn't do nottings; it's my wife, my good Keewaygooshturkumkanka
ly soothed the feelings of the incensed
frau?" he asked, in a voice as
o get food for you and Quanonshet an
good frau is mine Keeway
?" asked the wife, as the
te-meditate hard," replied
k as well while
Keewaygooshturkumkankan
she thi
. He manifested no unwillingness or reluctance in obeying. Accordingly, h
e women were mostly toiling in the field, their pappooses hanging from the trees or leaning against their trunks. The older children were frolicking through the woo
man found a considerable number already there. They were not engaged in fishing, but lay close to the edge of the water, as if they expected the appearance of something upon its surface. Had he been a little more observant, there was something else which would have attracted his attention, on his passage through the woods. Fully a dozen times a peculiar sound, like the whistl
e let go, when it spun far out in the river, and he commenced cautiously following it by means of a projecting tree-trunk. This latter extended a dozen feet out over the surface of the water, and had been used as a seat a great many times by him. Passing out to the extremity, he was afforded a comfortable resting-place where he could sit hour after
lances which the Shawnees along the bank bestowed upon his operations. After the space of a few minutes, he felt so
more, and my Keewaygooshturkumkankangewock will feel goot
ped into the river out of sight. But such a ponderous body as his could n
death of deir old fader afore long. Dat is deir work. I knows
to continue his labor. But, before going out upon the tree he examined the roots to satisfy himself that no further mischief had been perpetrated by his hopeful sons. Feeling assured upon
wam. He was debating with himself whether it would not be better to return, especially as his pipe had bee
arcely a minute had elapsed before a second and a third piece of bark, precisely like the first, lodged against hi
rrant such a supposition. He turned elsewhere for the cause. Resuming his attention to his line, he found several other pieces passing beneath him, and he began now to feel really provoked at this repeated annoyance. He was about to break out into some exclamation, when the appearance of these floati
aimed Hans, decidedly, "and
no difficult matter to determine their starting point. Some two hundred yards above, another tree projected out over the water very much the same as that upon which Hans was seated, so similar
er. Dey're too big Dutchmen to build such boats, and dey wouldn't know how to make 'em float under me if dey did. No
ed that he saw one of the limbs sway gently backward and forward in a manner that could hardly be caused by the wind. Gradually it began to dawn upon him that if there was an
eye. The water directly beneath it flashed and sparkled as if it was disturbed by some object. Str
s somebody dere dat wants to see me, and is afe
e looked at the Shawnees and was gratified to see that their suspicions had not been aroused by his movements. Proceedin
t taken aback by not finding any one at all.
r poor old fader again," said he. "I'm purty sure I seen some on
ian standing a few yards away. The eyes of both lit up as they encountere
nomoo?" inquired
is name somewhat differently from the Dutchman, (an
u on de tre
nomoo out d
pieces of bark to come
me mad
ater wid yer hand
nomoo do
you wanted
tate to do so, as he had perfect faith in his honesty, knowing much of his history. The savage led the way some dista
from, Oonomoo?"
hawnees," replied t
m in de war-paint.
ashing fire and his breast heaving at the remembrance of his exploits. This reply was made in the Shawnee language, as he sp
n last?" inquired the Dutchman
he sun was in the woods an
that rascally Fer
eplied th
their ba
have two
rbum, and then resuming the English langu
ted to marry
Oonomoo, also coming back t
oshturkumkankangewock, dat is de same shape all de way down
at this remark. Whatever his business was, it was manifest he was in no hur
nk de baby will
't git her now-don't live off in
it once-dat time, you remember, when we was all in de HUNTER'S CABIN in de
that he remembered t
to de cabin to help dem poor folks. We had mighty hard times. I catched a cold and couldn't shtop my dunderin' nose one night when it wanted to shneeze, and dat's d
o back?" as
llage, do
eh
so Keewaygooshturkumkankangewo
g up at the sky, "den sun git dere," poi
don't care if dey does, no
won't co
moo, you need
"Oonomoo never run afore one-two-t'ree-dozen Shawnees.
eave too, and I t'inks you know how to use dem legs dat yo
replied the Ind
m Shawnees would like to
omoo's scalp-nebber git him-Oonomee die in his l
o; hopes I
. It assumed a dark, earnest appearance. He was
n'?" he asked, in
rbum, in turn, completely a
ga
king about-Keewaygoo
nees got in
he did not comprehend what the Huron was ref
ight men-burn houses toder day-run off wid gal-got her now in
ron's. It was for the purpose of learning something regarding her that he had signaled the fisherman to leave his hook and line and come to him. The ca
ook her?" asked
replied the Indian, pointing
nt to know
eh
goes fi
away through the forest in the