uttering nought save only the great inarticulate need of his heart: that the mystery, Wakonda, make known unto him His will! Wherefore also doth Wakonda stoop unto him, and for pity favoreth him comforting him with a vision according with his need: a vision of the heaven, of the clouds, of the sun, of the water, of the earth, of the fire, of some brother in wood or stream or sky whatso He listeth to bestow on him; and the youth rejoiceth exceedingly, and cherisheth secretly the vision in his heart, and donneth the token thereof in the lock of his name: for lo, the youth hath beheld the will for him of Wakonda! VII (page 131) All they that went before us have said, the aged, the wise, our fathers: "Lo, Wakonda causeth the day to follow the night without veer of mind or wavering of will, and likewise summer followeth winter, that we may order ever our lives in accord therewith; and so hath He bidden us also, that our words and deeds stand fast as His! Then shall we, starting not to right or left nor falling backward, fare ever in peace all the days of our life, and in goodly happiness one with another! Yea, our fathers pondered upon these things long and long, till they discerned the deep hidden ways of the Wondrous One, and their hallowed words have come down unto us; they fail not-for so we hearken, and we heed. (page 598) VIII Wherefore it is Wakonda who loveth his people, it is He that biddeth the scout set forth the truth when perils threaten. He overheareth unseen the sincere report, and woe unto the scout if he departed from one tittle of the truth; for the thoughtless, the feigning fool, the liar shall be struck of the zigzag lightning, a poisonous snake shall lie in wait for him, he shall dash his foot against a stone, or yield his scalp-lock-the lock of his name, of his vision, of his selfhood-to the avenging foe! It is Wakonda, who loveth his people, that ordereth the camp for rest at night: the sacred tents where each should be crosswise, east and west and north and south-- (page 425) nigh unto the chuckling runnel, or the mist-wreathing sheen of a lake, each tent aglow with the crackling hearth-fire within, with the basking love of friends, the tethered horses pasturing nearby, silence enfolding them and the soothing dark, the vault of stars, aquiver, spread far above all. It is Wakonda giveth charge to the speedy runner:'Come, go far and spy out the land, for my people crave their rightful sustenance." And he flyeth and spyeth, hither and thither, and returneth to the sacred tent whispering a true tale of the wild herd, allotted of Wakonda to His people for food. And the chief straightway sendeth out the heralds crying:"Clouds of dust arise from the earth as far as the eye may reach! Wakonda it is hath blessed us with plenty!" Then boldly, yet with care, recking of the good that befalleth all his people, not of himself alone, nor of his dear ones only, each brave advanceth under the stern restraint of the leader, who admonisheth all alike by the herald: "Pity me, O my people, for do I not belong to you? Am I not he whose fate is altogether in your hands? If any be careless or guilty must not I suffer in his stead? If we fail, who but I must bear the fault of each and all?” (page 279) IX Ha, Wakonda, Ha, Mysterious One, Ha, Rock in the great waters in the midst of the four winds of heaven! Ha, many and many be the Wakondas, named by thy name, the wondrous haunting Mysteries, for that they be like unto Thee, yea, all things whatever be wrapped about for man with mystery. So the white-ribbed shell, and the black likewise, dieth no more, once formed of a life departed hence, which forsook it on the shore of the great water for a token to comfort the bereaved, where he and she, hand in hand, find it, weeping, in the sand, and laugh, for they have heard its hidden speech; So the smooth stone also that is hard and shining, in whom the lightning slumbereth, (page 509) which telleth of the Primal, the Eternal One, who standeth fast forever; So the thunder in the sky, that cracketh and rumbleth from horizon even to horizon, full of majesty, fury and terror, (page 570) shaking the earth unto the inmost heart of the gloom; (page 599) Ha, verily these be Wakondas godlike, marvelous, but not Thyself, thy Self, Wakonda! So also man's elder brother, the eagle, the owl, the buffalo, the grey wolf, the bear, the elk, the deer, the otter, the squirrel, the swan, ay, many and many, and many in the waters, in the air, on the land, in the wilderness and in the forest, each one hath his several gift of Wakonda, diverse, single, precious, a man may rightly covet and win for himself, if his elder brother stoop to him, in kinship, in fellowship; But One, one alone, one forever is Wakonda, unchangeable, exalted, very near. (page 600) Ha, we hang on Him, ha, we cry to Him above, yea, and with tears! And of Him if we live or die, in childhood or old age, we say as said our fathers before us and their fathers before them: "It is Wakonda willeth it from the beginning, It is good, so be it unto us!" THE PAWNEE RITUAL OF THE HEROIC CHANGE OF NAME I THE GOODLY CUSTOM OF THE NEW NAME ASSUMED BY THE HERO Hearken! 1 It was the manner of our forefathers In the ancient days when it befell a Man of men To be born anew from above, By deeds of valor, That he cast behind him for all time the name he bore till then, Lo, even he who of yore to some unknown place, Divinely appointed, strange and full of awe, A consecrated Leader of war strode boldly forth Over the waste earth spanned of the vast heaven, The distant abode where dwell the mysterious powers of the Most A great and goodly company were they Who, following their consecrated Leader, Brought back joy of blood to their kindred and pride of prowess With the song of victory they sang! Wouldest thou then do likewise? Fear not then to go forth as they of yore Unto the unknown hour, God-appointed, Sacred, awful. Unto thy trysting place of fate Go forth, go forth as they, Whosoever thou be Who wouldest follow in their footsteps! 3 Hearken! Two bands of our people throng The one homeward bound, they that went forth Hazarding their lives; The other band, the folk of the village, young and old, flocking to greet them, Hailing with joy their triumph! Behold the consecrated Leader of the war, He who hath brought from afar unto all alike a great gladness,— They sing the song of victory, he and his mighty men of valor, On the crest of the hill that standeth on guard before our village, Sacred, awful, the trysting place of fate, II HOW THE HERO COMPASSED HIS HEROIC PURPOSE "How might such things betide?" 1 Inquirest thou. "Who might enable even such a man thereto?" Can great deeds come to pass: The brave man went aloof into the wilderness alone and fastedCommuning with his own heart, he stood still, and fainted not, He sent forth his mighty prayer to journey afar; Eagerly, insistently he urged it on Until it reached forth even to where aloft the powers hold council, Under yon vast heaven: Lift up thine eyes If indeed thou mayest as he behold them seated yonder on high! "How might such things betide?" 2 Inquirest thou, "Who might enable even such a man thereto?" Can great deeds come to pass! The brave man stood alone, and sent forth, and urged far And farther still his heart's desire, till it sped on to the abodes Of holy gods, who gather on high-hearken! and over them Tirawa Atius dwelleth, the Father in Heaven Bow thee in reverent fear, for lo, yonder he throneth |