Sacred Texts Native American Southeast Index Previous Next
A man heard shouting and, thinking to himself, "It is some of our people," he called back, but the noise was not made by human beings. Two creatures came to the place where he was and followed him. When he started on they followed him without ceasing. When he tried to go on they started on walking backward. After they had gone for a short distance, he ran, but they pursued him, and when he ran again they caught him. They kept following him. One of the beings that went along with him wiped one of his eyes so that he could not see and stood for some time wailing. The other wiped the other eye, and he stood still for a while completely blind. When he could begin to see he went on again and they followed without stopping. Then he walked on backward and the others started on backward also. They went along backward some distance apart. When he got some distance away he turned about and ran and those two ran after him. When they had nearly caught up with him Children-holding-to-each-other 1 sitting on the top of a tree said to him,
[paragraph continues] "Cut that one off." So he jumped up and brought down the one hanging lowest. When his pursuers reached him they took the creature from him and went on.
Then that man could see through four hills and trace the numerous roots in the ground. He went on and got home. After he had lived there for a while the Indians and English (Virginians) fought, and that man fought the whites and beat them. The whites were very desirous to get the land of the Indians but the Indians defeated them. When the white people sat down to eat the Indians scared them. Taking knives, they knocked them down where they sat and killed them. They scalped them all.
After that a poor orphan without father or mother lay down and wrapped himself up in the bedclothes and a long Snake came and wrapped itself about him and carried him into the water. When it got there it dropped him without eating him. Then the Snakes said, "The man is good. Carry him back." So the same one that wrapped itself about him brought him back. But before he was taken away they said to him, "This is our water. It shall be yours also." The Snake went on with its tail wrapped about him and when it came out of the water it said, "Are you out?" "No," he answered. It came on again and said "Are you out?" "No," he answered. It came on again and said, "Are you out?" "Yes." Then the Snake said, "Don't look at me." When he had let him out, the man said, "Yohaiho', it is the tail of a snake-crawfish." "Bō," the creature sounded (jumping into the water with a splash), and he was gone.
After that the man would dive out of sight into some witching water, seize a turtle and bring it out. He would dive into another witching water out of sight, seize a little alligator and bring it out. By and by he seized a Red Panther (which always lives in the water) and fought with it, endeavoring to carry it out, but he could in no way succeed. And after he had tried for a while he became scared and went out.
147:1 Small beings like children who stood on one another's shoulders and were supported by the one at the top, who hold on by a branch.