AN ARROW MESSAGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 203, 16 November 1927, Page 6

AN ARROW MESSAGE

Hist! Children of the Wigwam. Gather near the fire ... Flying Cloud has a story to tell. See the spark? fly as our Chief throws a pine log in the flames! The tang of forests—of clear, cool air, seems to emanate from the stilly night. ’Twas the hour of sunset. Slowly the great sun sank into oblivion; softtfy rose curtain closed over the Western sky. Dusk stepped softly over the earth, and a golden moon rose. Cold and slender she poised in the east, her silvery moonbeams laughing round the darkened world. Over my tepee an owl hooted, then all was still. A little breeze ruffled the trees Spang! An arrow alighted above my head. With a sigh, it fastened in the flap of my tepee. Eagerly my hands drew forth a message—a token from the hands of Red Star—the shining one. faithful Brave of the Wigwam. As I lifted my eyes to the heavens, a little red star gleamed. Children of the Wigwam—as you lift your eyes to the twilight heavens, you too will see a r€‘d star, twinkiint brightly, and its warm beams thai touch the earth say, “Friend—l gree: thee!” —FLYING CLOUD.

The next creature to suffer lctinike’s unwelcome presence was th€: Kingfisher, who put a good face on the matter, and plunged into the stream bringing up a fish. “This is easy enough,” thought the boaster, and he tried to repeat the Kingfisher’s feat when the bird came to see him. But Ictinike did not come to the surface again, and when the Kingfisher dived in to the rescue he found the stupid fellow lying at the bottom, halfstunned. At last Ictinike went to visit, the Flying Squirrel. The Squirrel had nothing in his larder, so he resorted to magic. He climbed on to the roof of his lodge, and presently came down with his pockets full of walnuts. “That is an easy way of getting a meal,” thought Ictinike, but when he tried it at home he fell off the roof and got bruised. You have seen the boastful side of Ictinike’s character. I will now show you the cunning side. One day b* met the Rabbit, in full war-paint, and carrying his bows and arrows. Ictinike exclaimed: “Oh, Rabbit! i hear you are a wonderful shot; do bring down that bird!” “I will try,” said Rabbit modestly, drawing his bow. The bird fell dead into the branches of a tree nearby. Ictinike urged the Rabbit to fetch Jt down. The Rabbit did not want to. for the tree oozed with gum, but at length he was persuaded, and after undressing he climbed up. He was soon entangled in the sticky t,^ 1 I nc *l es . Then Ictinike put on the Rabbit s nn clothes and took his bow and jlitow?. and went off laughing. The Rabbit must have starved death if an Indian maiden had n wandered through the woods anu his lamentations. She cut down tree, and lit a fire that melted t*-®*}* i and at last the Rabbit was freeshe heard his story she exclaim*-# * the man who had treated the rla so badly must be the stranger had just joined h€*r father’s tribe, should be punished. _ . _. or . The madden told all her fathers riors to go into the woods al * d their drums. Ictinike had never it the sound before. It terrified and, every beat he leaped into the• * he * as they drew nearer and loua jumped higher, until at last he -T y me to such a height that when h down he broke his neck.