12 - Snana's Fawn

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Episode Transcript

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Chapter twelve of Indian Child Life.This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
recordings are in the public domain.For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Indian childLife by Charles Eastman, Chapter twelve Snana's
fawn. The little Missouri was inher spring fulness, and the hills among
which she found her way to agreat muddy were profusely adorned with colors,

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much like those worn by the wildred man upon a holiday. Between the
gorgeous buttes and the rainbow tinted ridges, there were narrow plains broken here and
there by dry creeks or gulches,and these again were clothed scantily with poplars
and sad colored bulberry bushes, whilethe bare spots were purple with the wild
Dakota crocuses. Upon the lowest ofa series of natural terraces, there stood

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on this May morning a young Siouxgirl, whose graceful movements were not unlike
those of a doe, which chancedto be lurking in a neighboring gulch on
the upper plains. Not far awaywere her young companions, all busily employed
with the weioptae, as it iscalled, the sharp pointed stick with which
the Sioux women dig wild turnips.They were gaily gossiping together, or each

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humming a love song. As sheworked. Only Snana stood somewhat apart from
the rest, in fact, concealedby the crest of the ridge. It
was now full born day. Thesun shone hot upon the bare ground,
and the drops stood upon Snana's foreheadas she plied her long pole. There
was a cool spring in the drycreek bed near by, well hidden by

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a clump of choke cherry bushes,and she turned thither to cool her thirsty
throat. In the depths of theravine, her eye caught a familiar footprint,
the track of a doe, withthe young fawn beside it. The
hunting instinct arose within. It willbe a great feat if I can find
and take from her, the babe. The little tawny skin shall be beautifully

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dressed by my mother. The legsand the nose shall be embossed with porcupine
quills. It will be my workbag, she said to herself. As
she stole forward on the fresh trail. She scanned every nook, every clump
of bushes. There was a suddenrustle from within a grove of wild plum
trees thickly festooned with grapes and clematis, and the doe mother bounded away as

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carelessly as if she were never toreturn. Ah a mother's ruse. Snana
entered the thorny enclosure, which wasalmost a rude teepee, and tucked away
in the further most corner lay somethingwith a trout like speckled tawny coat.
She bent over it. The fawnwas apparently sleeping presently, its eye moved

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a bit, and a shiver passedthrough its subtle body. Thou shalt not
die. Thy skin shall not becomemy work bag. Unconsciously, the maiden
spoke. The mother's sympathy had takenhold on her mind. She picked the
fawn up, tenderly bound its legs, and put it on her back to
carry like an Indian babe in thefolds of her robe. I could not

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leave you alone, Tachinchala. Yourmother is not here. Our hunters will
soon return by this road, andyour mother has left behind her two plane
tracks leading to this thicket, shemurmured. The wild creature struggled vigorously for
a minute, and then became quiet. Its graceful head protruded from the elk
skin robe just over Snana's shoulder.She was slowly climbing the slope with her

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burden, when suddenly, like anapparition, the Doe mother stood before her.
The fawn called loudly when it wasfirst seized, and the mother was
not too far away to hear.Now she called frantically for her child,
at the same time stamping with herdelicate fore feet. Yes, sister,
you are right, she is yours, but you cannot save her to day,
the hunters will soon be here.Let me keep her for you.

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I will return her to you safely. And hear me, o, sister
of the woods, that some dayI may become the mother of a noble
race of warriors and of fine womenas handsome as you are. At this
moment, the quick eyes of theIndian girl detected something strange in the Doe's
actions. She glanced in every direction, and a grizzly bear was cautiously approaching
the group from a considerable distance.Run run, sister, I shall save

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your child if I can, shecried, and flew for the nearest scrub
oak on the edge of the bank. Up the tree, she scrambled,
with the fawn still securely bound toher back. The grizzly came on with
teeth exposed, and the doe mother, in her flight, came between him
and the tree, giving a seriesof indignant snorts as she ran, and

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so distracted Mato from his object ofattack, but only for a few seconds.
Then on he came desist o,brave Mato, it does not become
a great medicine man to attack ahelpless woman with a burden upon her back.
Snana spoke as if the huge brutecould understand her, and indeed the
Indians hold that wild animals understand intuitivelywhen appealed to by human beings in distress.

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Yet he replied only with a hoarsegrowl, as rising upon his hind
legs, he shook the little treevigorously. Hey uppee, Snana called loudly
to her companion, turn up diggers. Her cry soon brought all the women
into sight upon a nearby ridge,and they immediately gave a general alarm.

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Mato saw them, but appeared notat all concerned, and was still intent
upon dislodging the girl, who clungfrantically to her perch. Presently there appeared
upon the little knoll several warriors mountedand uttering the usual war whoop, as
if they were about to swoop downupon a human enemy. This touched the
dignity of Mato, and he immediatelyprepared to accept the challenge. Every Indian

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was alive to the possibilities of theoccasion, for it is well known that
Mato or grizzly bear, alone amonganimals, is given the rank of a
warrior, so that whoever conquers himmay wear an eagle feather. Ooo Ooo,
the warrior shouted, as they maneuveredto draw him into the open plain.
He answered with hoarse growls, threateninga rider who had ventured too near.

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But arrows were any and well aimed, and in a few minutes the
great and warlike Mato lay dead atthe foot of the tree. The men
ran forward and counted their coups onhim, just as when an enemy has
fallen. Then they looked at oneanother and placed their hands over their mouths.
As the young girl descended the treewith a fawn bound upon her back.
So that was the bait, theycried, And will you not make

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a feast with that fawn for uswho came to your rescue. The fawn
is young and tender, and wehave not eaten meat for two days.
It will be a generous thing todo, added her father, who was
among them. Ee, she criedout, in distress, Do not ask
it. I have seen this fawn'smother. I have promised to keep her
child safe. See I have savedits life, even when my own was

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in danger. Ho ho wankan yelow yes, yes, tis holy or
mysterious, they exclaimed approvingly. Itwas no small trouble for Snana to keep
her trust. As may well besupposed, all the dogs of the Teepee
village must be watched and kept ata distance. Neither was it easy to
feed the little captive. But ingaining its confidence, the girl was an

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adept. The fawn soon followed hereverywhere and called to her when hungry,
exactly as she had called to herown mother. After several days, when
her fright at the encounter with thebear had somewhat worn off, Snana took
her pet into the woods and backto the very spot in which she had
found it. In the furthest cornerof the wild plum grove. She laid

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it down, gently, stroked itssoft forehead, and smoothed the leaflike ears.
The little thing closed its eyes oncemore. The Sioux girl bent over
and laid her cheek against the fawn'shead. Then, reluctantly she moved away,
hoping and yet dreading that the motherwould return. She crouched under a
clump of bushes near by and gavethe doe call. It was a reckless

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thing for her to do, forsuch a call might bring upon her a
mountain lion or ever watchful silver tip, but Snana did not think of that.
In a few minutes, she hearda light patter of hoofs and caught
a glimpse of a doe running straighttoward the fawn's hiding place. When she
stole are enough to see, thedoe and the fawn were examining one another
carefully, as if fearing some treachery. At last, both were apparently satisfied.

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The doe caressed her natural child,and the little one accepted the milk
she offered. In the Sioux maiden'smind there was turmoil. A close attachment
to the little wild creature had alreadytaken root. There contending with the sense
of justice that was strong within her. Now womanly sympathy for the mother was
in control, and now a desireto possess and protect her helpless pet.

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I can take care of her againstall hunters, both animal and human.
They are ever ready to seize thehelpless fawn for food. Her life will
be often exposed. You cannot saveher from disaster. Otaka, my sister,
let me still keep her for you, She finally appealed to the poor
Doe, who was nervously watching theintruder and apparently thinking how she might best

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escape with the fawn. Just atthis moment, there came a low call
from the wood. It was aDoe call, but the wild mother and
her new friend both knew that itwas not the all of a real dough.
It is a Sioux hunter, whisperedthe girl. You must go,
my sister, be off. Iwill take your child to safety. While
she was yet speaking, the Doeseemed to realize the danger. She stopped

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only an instant to lick fondly thetawny coat of the little one. Then
she bounded away. As Snana emergedfrom the bushes with her charge, a
young hunter met her face to faceand stared at her curiously. He was
not of her father's camp, buta stranger. Augh, you have my
game, gosh, she replied coquettishly. It was so often set among the

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Indians that the doe was wont toput on human form to mislead the hunter,
that it looked strange to see awoman with a fawn, and the
young man could not forbear to gazeupon Snana. You are not the real
mother and maiden's guise. Tell metruly if you are of human blood,
he demanded rudely. I am aSioux maiden. Do you not know my
father? She replied? Ah,but who is your father? What is

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his name? Insisted nervously, fingeringhis arrows. Do not be a coward,
surely you should know a maid ofyour own race, she replied,
reproachfully, Ah, you know thetricks of the dough. What is thy
name? Hast thou forgotten the etiquetteof thy people and wouldst compel me to
pronounce my own name? I refusethou art jesting, she retorted, with

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a smile. Thou dost give thetricky answers of a dough. I cannot
wait. I must act before Ilose my natural mind. But already I
am yours. Whatever purpose you mayhave in thus charming a poor hunter,
be merciful, and throwing aside hisquiver, he sat down. The maiden
stole a glance at his face,and then another. He was handsome.
Softly, she re entered the thicketand laid down the little fawn. Promise

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me never to hunt here again,she said earnestly, as she came forth
without her pretty burden, and heexacted another promise in return. Thus Snana
lost her fawn and found a loverof Chapter twelve, It's non us fun