Warpath of the Mountain Man by Johnstone William W

Author:Johnstone, William W. [Johnstone, William W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-07-01T19:04:48+00:00

a worm,' the voice in the wind said. `You are a blade of grass. You are

an ant, a mote of dust. You are nothing. You cannot fly, you cannot run

swiftly, you have no strength. Climb to the top of the mountain.'

" `Why should I climb to the top of the mountain?' the young man

asked.

" `You will know why when you get there,' the voice in the wind

answered.

"The young man began to do as he was instructed, but he did so

with a heavy heart. He believed that the voice had instructed him to

climb the mountain so he could jump off and kill himself. He was

frightened and sad, but he felt that he must do what the voice told

him to do."

"And did he climb to the top of the mountain and jump off,

Grandpa?"

Stone Eagle held up a finger, as if to caution the young questioner

against impatience, then went on with his story. "As the young man

climbed, a strange thing happened. He grew hungry and, looking for

something to eat, he saw the buds of the peyote cactus. He ate the pey-

ote buds and as he did, he began to see things he could not see before.

He was no longer frightened, or confused, or ashamed. Only truth

remained in his body, and with truth, he understood all.

"It was true, he thought, he could not fly like an eagle, but an eagle

could not use his wings as hands. It was true he could not run as

swiftly as a coyote, but a coyote could not walk upright. It was true he

did not have the strength of the bear, but the bear could not make

poems or music or dance to the rhythm of the drums. When the young

man reached the top of the mountain, he thought of all this and he

spread his arms wide and looked over the valley, far below.

" `Why don't you jump?' a voice asked, and the young man looked

around and there he saw a warrior, wearing many feathers and shin-

ing as bright as the sun."

"Who was the warrior, Grandpa?"

"Some say it was he who is called Shining Warrior, a messenger

from the Great Spirit, and that is what I believe," Stone Eagle replied.

"And did the young man jump?"

Again, Stone Eagle held up a finger, calling for quiet.

" `No,' the young man said. `I will not jump. I am not a worm, I am

not a blade of grass, I am not an ant or a mote of dust. I am a man!'

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