| |
| YOU shall hear how Pau-Puk-Keewis, | |
| He, the handsome Yenadizze, | |
| Whom the people called the Storm-Fool, | |
| Vexed the village with disturbance; | |
| You shall hear of all his mischief, | 5 |
| And his flight from Hiawatha, | |
| And his wondrous transmigrations, | |
| And the end of his adventures. | |
| On the shores of Gitche Gumee, | |
| On the dunes of Nagow Wudjoo, | 10 |
| By the shining Big-Sea-Water | |
| Stood the lodge of Pau-Puk-Keewis. | |
| It was he who in his frenzy | |
| Whirled these drifting sands together, | |
| On the dunes of Nagow Wudjoo, | 15 |
| When, among the guests assembled, | |
| He so merrily and madly | |
| Danced at Hiawatha’s wedding, | |
| Danced the Beggar’s Dance to please them. | |
| Now, in search of new adventures, | 20 |
| From his lodge went Pau-Puk-Keewis, | |
| Came with speed into the village, | |
| Found the young men all assembled | |
| In the lodge of old Iagoo, | |
| Listening to his monstrous stories, | 25 |
| To his wonderful adventures. | |
| He was telling them the story | |
| Of Ojeeg, the Summer-Maker, | |
| How he made a hole in heaven, | |
| How he climbed up into heaven, | 30 |
| And let out the summer-weather, | |
| The perpetual, pleasant Summer; | |
| How the Otter first essayed it; | |
| How the Beaver, Lynx, and Badger | |
| Tried in turn the great achievement, | 35 |
| From the summit of the mountain | |
| Smote their fists against the heavens, | |
| Smote against the sky their foreheads, | |
| Cracked the sky, but could not break it; | |
| How the Wolverine, uprising, | 40 |
| Made him ready for the encounter, | |
| Bent his knees down, like a squirrel, | |
| Drew his arms back, like a cricket. | |
| “Once he leaped,” said old Iagoo, | |
| “Once he leaped, and lo! above him | 45 |
| Bent the sky, as ice in rivers | |
| When the waters rise beneath it; | |
| Twice he leaped, and lo! above him | |
| Cracked the sky, as ice in rivers | |
| When the freshet is at highest! | 50 |
| Thrice he leaped, and lo! above him | |
| Broke the shattered sky asunder, | |
| And he disappeared within it, | |
| And Ojeeg, the Fisher Weasel, | |
| With a bound went in behind him!” | 55 |
| “Hark you!” shouted Pau-Puk-Keewis | |
| As he entered at the doorway; | |
| “I am tired of all this talking, | |
| Tired of old Iagoo’s stories, | |
| Tired of Hiawatha’s wisdom. | 60 |
| Here is something to amuse you, | |
| Better than this endless talking.” | |
| Then from out his pouch of wolf-skin | |
| Forth he drew, with solemn manner, | |
| All the game of Bowl and Counters, | 65 |
| Pugasaing, with thirteen pieces. | |
| White on one side were they painted, | |
| And vermilion on the other; | |
| Two Kenabeeks or great serpents, | |
| Two Ininewug or wedge-men, | 70 |
| One great war-club, Pugamaugun, | |
| And one slender fish, the Keego, | |
| Four round pieces, Ozawabeeks, | |
| And three Sheshebwug or ducklings. | |
| All were made of bone and painted, | 75 |
| All except the Ozawabeeks; | |
| These were brass, on one side burnished, | |
| And were black upon the other. | |
| In a wooden bowl he placed them, | |
| Shook and jostled them together, | 80 |
| Threw them on the ground before him, | |
| Thus exclaiming and explaining: | |
| “Red side up are all the pieces, | |
| And one great Kenabeek standing | |
| On the bright side of a brass piece, | 85 |
| On a burnished Ozawabeek; | |
| Thirteen tens and eight are counted.” | |
| Then again he shook the pieces, | |
| Shook and jostled them together, | |
| Threw them on the ground before him, | 90 |
| Still exclaiming and explaining: | |
| “White are both the great Kenabeeks, | |
| White the Ininewug, the wedge-men, | |
| Red are all the other pieces; | |
| Five tens and an eight are counted.” | 95 |
| Thus he taught the game of hazard, | |
| Thus displayed it and explained it, | |
| Running through its various chances, | |
| Various changes, various meanings: | |
| Twenty curious eyes stared at him, | 100 |
| Full of eagerness stared at him. | |
| “Many games,” said old Iagoo, | |
| “Many games of skill and hazard | |
| Have I seen in different nations, | |
| Have I played in different countries. | 105 |
| He who plays with old Iagoo | |
| Must have very nimble fingers; | |
| Though you think yourself so skilful, | |
| I can beat you, Pau-Puk-Keewis, | |
| I can even give you lessons | 110 |
| In your game of Bowl and Counters!” | |
| So they sat and played together, | |
| All the old men and the young men, | |
| Played for dresses, weapons, wampum, | |
| Played till midnight, played till morning, | 115 |
| Played until the Yenadizze, | |
| Till the cunning Pau-Puk-Keewis, | |
| Of their treasures had despoiled them, | |
| Of the best of all their dresses, | |
| Shirts of deer-skin, robes of ermine, | 120 |
| Belts of wampum, crests of feathers, | |
| Warlike weapons, pipes and pouches. | |
| Twenty eyes glared wildly at him, | |
| Like the eyes of wolves glared at him. | |
| Said the lucky Pau-Puk-Keewis: | 125 |
| “In my wigwam I am lonely, | |
| In my wanderings and adventures | |
| I have need of a companion, | |
| Fain would have a Meshinauwa, | |
| An attendant and pipe-bearer. | 130 |
| I will venture all these winnings, | |
| All these garments heaped about me, | |
| All this wampum, all these feathers, | |
| On a single throw will venture | |
| All against the young man yonder!” | 135 |
| ’T was a youth of sixteen summers, | |
| ’T was a nephew of Iagoo; | |
| Face-in-a-Mist, the people called him. | |
| As the fire burns in a pipe-head | |
| Dusky red beneath the ashes, | 140 |
| So beneath his shaggy eyebrows | |
| Glowed the eyes of old Iagoo. | |
| “Ugh!” he answered very fiercely; | |
| “Ugh!” they answered all and each one. | |
| Seized the wooden bowl the old man, | 145 |
| Closely in his bony fingers | |
| Clutched the fatal bowl, Onagon, | |
| Shook it fiercely and with fury, | |
| Made the pieces ring together | |
| As he threw them down before him. | 150 |
| Red were both the great Kenabeeks, | |
| Red the Ininewug, the wedge-men, | |
| Red the Sheshebwug, the ducklings, | |
| Black the four brass Ozawabeeks, | |
| White alone the fish, the Keego; | 155 |
| Only five the pieces counted! | |
| Then the smiling Pau-Puk-Keewis | |
| Shook the bowl and threw the pieces; | |
| Lightly in the air he tossed them, | |
| And they fell about him scattered; | 160 |
| Dark and bright the Ozawabeeks, | |
| Red and white the other pieces, | |
| And upright among the others | |
| One Ininewug was standing, | |
| Even as crafty Pau-Puk-Keewis | 165 |
| Stood alone among the players, | |
| Saying, “Five tens! mine the game is!” | |
| Twenty eyes glared at him fiercely, | |
| Like the eyes of wolves glared at him, | |
| As he turned and left the wigwam, | 170 |
| Followed by his Meshinauwa, | |
| By the nephew of Iagoo, | |
| By the tall and graceful stripling, | |
| Bearing in his arms the winnings, | |
| Shirts of deer-skin, robes of ermine, | 175 |
| Belts of wampum, pipes and weapons. | |
| “Carry them,” said Pau-Puk-Keewis, | |
| Pointing with his fan of feathers, | |
| “To my wigwam far to eastward, | |
| On the dunes of Nagow Wudjoo!” | 180 |
| Hot and red with smoke and gambling | |
| Were the eyes of Pau-Puk-Keewis | |
| As he came forth to the freshness | |
| Of the pleasant Summer morning. | |
| All the birds were singing gayly, | 185 |
| All the streamlets flowing swiftly, | |
| And the heart of Pau-Puk-Keewis | |
| Sang with pleasure as the birds sing, | |
| Beat with triumph like the streamlets, | |
| As he wandered through the village, | 190 |
| In the early gray of morning, | |
| With his fan of turkey-feathers, | |
| With his plumes and tufts of swan’s down, | |
| Till he reached the farthest wigwam, | |
| Reached the lodge of Hiawatha. | 195 |
| Silent was it and deserted; | |
| No one met him at the doorway, | |
| No one came to bid him welcome; | |
| But the birds were singing round it, | |
| In and out and round the doorway, | 200 |
| Hopping, singing, fluttering, feeding, | |
| And aloft upon the ridge-pole | |
| Kahgahgee, the King of Ravens, | |
| Sat with fiery eyes, and, screaming, | |
| Flapped his wings at Pau-Puk-Keewis. | 205 |
| “All are gone! the lodge is empty!” | |
| Thus it was spake Pau-Puk-Keewis, | |
| In his heart resolving mischief;— | |
| “Gone is wary Hiawatha, | |
| Gone the silly Laughing Water, | 210 |
| Gone Nokomis, the old woman, | |
| And the lodge is left unguarded!” | |
| By the neck he seized the raven, | |
| Whirled it round him like a rattle, | |
| Like a medicine-pouch he shook it, | 215 |
| Strangled Kahgahgee, the raven, | |
| From the ridge-pole of the wigwam | |
| Left its lifeless body hanging, | |
| As an insult to its master, | |
| As a taunt to Hiawatha. | 220 |
| With a stealthy step he entered, | |
| Round the lodge in wild disorder | |
| Threw the household things about him, | |
| Piled together in confusion | |
| Bowls of wood and earthen kettles, | 225 |
| Robes of buffalo and beaver, | |
| Skins of otter, lynx, and ermine, | |
| As an insult to Nokomis, | |
| As a taunt to Minnehaha. | |
| Then departed Pau-Puk-Keewis, | 230 |
| Whistling, singing through the forest, | |
| Whistling gayly to the squirrels, | |
| Who from hollow boughs above him | |
| Dropped their acorn-shells upon him, | |
| Singing gayly to the wood birds, | 235 |
| Who from out the leafy darkness | |
| Answered with a song as merry. | |
| Then he climbed the rocky headlands, | |
| Looking o’er the Gitche Gumee, | |
| Perched himself upon their summit, | 240 |
| Waiting full of mirth and mischief, | |
| The return of Hiawatha. | |
| Stretched upon his back he lay there; | |
| Far below him plashed the waters, | |
| Plashed and washed the dreamy waters; | 245 |
| Far above him swam the heavens, | |
| Swam the dizzy, dreamy heavens; | |
| Round him hovered, fluttered, rustled | |
| Hiawatha’s mountain chickens, | |
| Flock-wise swept and wheeled about him, | 250 |
| Almost brushed him with their pinions. | |
| And he killed them as he lay there, | |
| Slaughtered them by tens and twenties, | |
| Threw their bodies down the headland, | |
| Threw them on the beach below him, | 255 |
| Till at length Kayoshk, the sea-gull, | |
| Perched upon a crag above them, | |
| Shouted: “It is Pau-Puk-Keewis! | |
| He is slaying us by hundreds! | |
| Send a message to our brother, | 260 |
| Tidings send to Hiawatha!” | |
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