Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 July 1901 — BRIGHT EACLE EART EYES ANS THE MONSTER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BRIGHT EACLE EART EYES ANS THE MONSTER

-1 —v EIGHT EYES was a little InI—dian girl of the Pima tribe, in Arizona, and Eagle Heart, £ who was but a few years oldtr, was her brother. They lived on a reservation about a dozen miles from (the city of Phoenix. 1 The Indians derive names for their (children from circumstances, personal or otherwise, which seem to suggest them at the time of birth. For Instance, the father of Bright Eyes and Eagle Heart was called Thunder Cloud, and It is probable that there was a storm, or that one was portending at the time he was born. So, too, the bright eyes of bis little daughter suggested her name, and something of a dauntless nature must early have manifested itself in his son to lead to his appellation. At any rate, fanciful as all this might seem in young children, Bright Eyes and Eagle Heart Were well named. The home of this little sister and brother was a peculiar structure made of poles and withes and plastered with mud. It locked very much like the half of a sphere set flat on the ground, and had no window and only two openings. One opening was in the roof, to let out the smoke of the household fire, and the other was at the side, hung with a piece of canvas and nsed as a door. , The mother of Bright Eyes and Eagle Heart was dead, and their fath-

«”s sister, Singing Bird, lived with them and managed the domestic affairs. Singing Bird was a very old Woman, and so completely saturated With the wonder tales and fo]J(lore of her tribe that she had believe In the legends and was constantly repealing them to her nieco and nephew 1 With a very plausible air. j The children, having no one who teared enough to teach them better, accepted fully all that their aunt told Ithem, and Eagle Heart would take his ibow and arrows—each of the latter “tipped with flint and winged with feathers” and, accompanied by his ■lster, would make forays into the chapparal and down along the river through thickets of greasewood and mesqulte. They went In search of adventure, seeking mythical monsters in Whose existence they both had implicit faith, and Eagle Heart would pretend that he was a mighty hunter. Bright Eyes always entered heartily into the spirit of these excursions, and although they never met With any very startling experiences save the one about which I am going to tell you yet she looked upon Eagle Heart with the profoundest admiration and declared that there was never another brave like him in all the tribe.

One day, however, when they were returning from a long and as usual fruitless excursion, they came suddenly upon a monster which appeared to answer the description of one about Which Singing Bird had once told them. It was a lithe and glittering creature, the sun striking fire from Its gleaming sides. It had two horns, nlso. which branched out in curved lines like those of a mountain goat. The children came upon this demon when within a stone’s throw of their home, and so suddenly that Bright Eyes screamed and Eagle Heart gave an Involuntary gasp. In the terror of the moment they both started to run, hut the sterner stuff of which the boy was made caused him to halt his flying feet before be had gone far and face about, clutching his bow firmly with one hand while he reached for an arrow with the other. Bright Eyes came to a stop a few paces further on and turned and watched her brother fearful!/.

“Be careful. Eagle ncart!” she called, warulngly. “The monster may charge on us. Don’t go too near!’* “Sb-h-h-h!” returned her brother, "Can’t you see that the monster la leaning against the tree? It must be asleep. Don’t make any noise and I’ll kill it before it wakes up. Then we’ll drag it into the house and show It to father and Singing Bird. They’ll both be proud of me and all the tribe will think I’m a mighty warrior.” Then, while Eagle Heart fitted an arrow to his bowstring, his sister watched him in the greatest excitement. The lad was a splendid marksman. and his steady nerves at that critical moment proved that he had not been misnamed, and had a heart of the same dauntless nature as the eagle’s. His aiTow pierced a lightish band that Inclosed in a circle the forward part of the monster’s body. The sleeping creature was aroused at once and began to hiss at Eagle Heart Not 4t all frightened, the boy launched another shaft which struck the creature so sharply between the horns that It fell to the earth and lay prostrate. A moment later the hissing ceased, and there was no doubt In the mind of Eagle Heart that he had killed the monster or wounded it to the death. In order to make assurance doubly sure, however, he picked up a stout stick, and uttering a quavering war-

whoop rushed upon the demon and never ceased dealing blow after blow until ho had crushed It out of all resemblance to Its former shape. “Am I not a great hunter?” cried Eagle Heart, flushed with his victory and striking his breast with his clinched hand. “Oh, what a wonderful thing you have done. Eagle Heart!” cried the ecstatic little Bright Eyes, clapping her hands and dancing for Joy. “Perhaps the wise men of thp tribe will admit you to their councils after this. My brother Is the bravest young warrior among all the Plmas!” “And my sister Is the bravest girl!” declared Eagle Heart, generously. “You faced the danger with me. Bright Eyes, and are entitled to as much credit as I am. But, cornel Let us drag the dead monster to the door of the house and call father and Singing Bltd to come out and look.” This suggestion they started Immediately to carry out Each caught one of the deqd creature’s horns and they had begun to drag it across tho open space when a white man camo> suddenly through the door of the house. He was followed closely by Singing Bird and Thunder Cloud.

The boy’s heart began to swell with pride. He was glad to have a white man see him at a time when he had so greatly distinguished himself. He tried to look less self-conscious and more stoical and haughty, just as he had seen others of bis people look when they bad distinguished themselves. He and his sister dropped the monster’s horns and Bright Eyes drew closer to her brother and looked proud and happy. But tho white man was not at all Impressed with Eagle Heart's deed of valor. He uttered a cry of dismay and Thunder Cloud frowned and looked vexed and Singing Bird threw up her hands with a walling cry. “I did this!" cried Eagle Heart, striking his breast again. “The monster was leaning against aN mesqulte sleeping and I killed It I. Eagle Heart the son of Thunder Cloud. I will go to the chief with this, father, I—” 1 Eagle Heart had been talking >

ble own 1 tongue and the white man Interrupted him with the words: “You little rascal 1 You have mined my bicycle—ruined It beyond all hope of repair. What do you mean, you young vandal, by doing such a thing?” Neither the boy nor his sister could understand English very well, and their father explained that the paleface was superintendent of the Indian school near Phoenix and a friend of' the Great Father at Washington. The superintendent had come to the reservation on very Important business, and, so far from being a monster the creature that had been slain was at steel horse which palefaces made use of and of which there were a large number In Thoenix. What Eagle Heart and Brlgbt Eyes had thought to be horns were only handle bars, with which the rider guided the steel horse when once on Its back, and the band through which Eagle Heart had sent an arrow was merely a tube filled with air, which made the steel horse move easier. Yes, truly. Eagle Heart had done a terrible thing, and who could tell what vengeance the pale-; face might take? Never before had Eagle Heart felt so humiliated. All the glory with which he thought he bad covered himself turned to shame,and contrition, and he hung his head ‘and wished that the ground might open and swallow him from sight. Bright Eyes, the Instant she discovered what a woeful mistake they had made, had hurried away. A few minutes later she returned leading her little brown pony. Tears suffused her eyes and dripped down her cheeks as she walked silently to the white man and placed the rope of the pony’s halter In his hand. Then she turned to Thunder Cloud. “Tell the paleface, father,” she said, “that we thought his steel horse was one of the monsters Singing Bird had told us about I was as much to blame as Eagle Heart, and It Is right that the paleface should have another horse in place of the one he has lost. Let him take my pony and ask him to forgive us.” Thunder Cloud, who could talk English very well, explained matters to the white man. The latter had a kind face, and when he had heard Thunder: Cloud through he burst Into a hearty laugh, which was something that Thunder Cloud and his family could not understand at all. When he had done laughing the white man pressed the pony’s halter rope back Into the hand of Bright Eyes, laid a gentle hand on her head and said something which Thunder Ctodd afterward told her meant in their tongue: '“You are a good little girl, and I shall not forget you, or your brother, either. You made a mistake, but you could not help it. There are no such things as monsters like those Singing Bird has been telling you about, and I think the palefaces are to blame for; allowing such bright little children as you and your brother to grow up in Ignorance. You will hear from he soon.” After that Thunder Cloud brought two of his own horses, all saddled and bridled, and he and the paleface rode away together. That night Thunder Cloud returned leading one horse and he brought a request from the superintendent that Bright Eyes and Engle Heart should come to the Indian school at once and receive an education under his personal charge. So, after all, the mistake which Engle Heart and his sister had made was instrumental In bringing a lasting benefit to themselves, and It was not many months before the Illusion regarding Singing Bird’s monsters had been driven from their minds, and they were able to laugh over their ad.venture as heartily as had their new friend, the superintendent of the school —W. W. Cook, in the Chicago Record-Herald.

"EAGLE HEART FITTED AN ARROW TO HIS BOWSTRING."