Analy High School - Azalea Yearbook (Sebastopol, CA)

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How Malabeam Saved Her People By GRACE STILLINGS Second Prize M ANY years ago the St. Johns river, in eastern Canada, was known as the Owengondee. For many miles the river flows quietly, but near the present city of Grand Falls it leaps noisily down for eighty feet or more, forming the falls, from which the city gets its name. A few miles above the falls a small stream, known as the Ouishy, joins the rivet. Upon the hanks of this stream there was once an Indian village. Here dwelt the Melesecks with their hrave chief, Nacotes, and his beautiful daughter, Malabeam. For many years this tribe had been at war with the Iroquis Indians and several smaller tribes. But now the hatchet was buried and the Melesecks were at peace with all the tribes, except the great Mohawk tribe, which lived further south. One lovely summer evening Nacotes and his daughter paddled away up the river in their bark-canoe. The sun was setting, but the light which shown so brightly over the meadows along the river, was shut off from the river by large butter-nut trees, which thickly lined the banks. So as the canoe glided softly and swiftly along, darkness settled over the water. When they were many miles from home they came to an island in the river. It was only a small island of a few acres, and was cov¬ ered with alder-hushes and sand-plum vines. It seemed a dismal place to spend a night, but here Nacotes and Malabeam decided to stop and rest until morning. All was quiet save for the rippling and splashing of the water on the bank. Tired and worn out, and fearing no enemies in this part of the country, Nacotes soon lay down and went to sleep. But Malabeam was not sleepy, and seating herself on the river bank, she listened to the sounds of the water. However, her thoughts were far away, for she was thinking of her home and of the brave young warrior who had won her love. She smiled to herself as she happily thought of the morrow, when many festivities were to celebrate her marriage to the brave. Her mind occupied with these pleasant thoughts, the time slip- 15

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gwancl favver. I never saw him, but muvver says he doesn’t like little boys. Are you wealy a goblin-man ? I came to bring you back vis, ’cause goblin-men like sparkly stones, and little childwen, and vis has sparkly stones and a little gwil inside. An’ I corned to tell you you musn’t make my muvver cry any more. My muvver says you only make big people cry. My muvver—I want my muvver !” It was a long speech, but Little Boy kept on bravely until the end, and then he dropped the locket and burst into tears. The gob¬ lin-man was so unfriendly, and mother was so far off. He was hungry, too, and he wanted to play with those fishes. And after he had come all this way the goblin-man was angry. He sobbed on broken-heartedly, and wished his mother would come. The old man picked up the locket and gazed at it. He opened it. Slowly his face grew less stern. He made a movement to pick up the sobbing child, then hesitated. “No,” he said, after a pause, “it is no ruse, she couldn ' t have sent him. He must have found the locket and came as he said.” Then he stooped down gently and tenderly lifted the sobbing, dilapidated little chief to his knee. “There, there,” he said, and there was only softness in his voice. “Don’t cry so. I ' m not a goblin, and I won ' t make your mother cry any more. I’m—I ' m your grandfather. Little Roy Big Chief,” and he caressed the locket softly. If the child’s mother would only come. He had been harsh. She must have put the stage and its ways out of her life. He gathered the soft little body close to him. The brushes parted. Little Boy Big Chief ' s mother stood be¬ fore them, and held out her arms. “Little son,” she cried, “little son, come to mother.” The old man gazed dumbly at her. His lips trembled. She looked at him and at the locket with his dead child ' s picture, and she understood. “Father,” she whispered. “Father,” and he gathered them both in his arms. “You will stay,” he said huskily. “You will come and stay always?” Yeth,” murmured Little Boy Big Chief, “ve vill come and ve must tell daddy to come, and ven I won’t have to come down the path no more. We ' ll all be here—and I can play wif ze fishes.” 14

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ped by unnoticed, and still she did not go to the place where her lather lay. Suddenly, she heard a sound as of someone moving through the bushes behind her. Jumping lightly up she peered about, but seeing no one in the darkness, she noiselessly made her way to her father. But she was too late for, before she could reach his side, a dark figure sprang through the darkness, bent over her father and then disappeared. Springing cjuickly to his side she found a dagger through his heart. In vain she sought some sign of life in Nacotes. It had all happened in an instant, and before she cotild rise to escape she was caught and bound tightly. Whom her captors could be, she had not the slightest idea, as her father had no enemies within a great distance. Without a word she was led away through the brush to the river bank. Here several canoes awaited them, and soon they were mak¬ ing their way up the river. Finally the canoes stopped and then a march through a forest commenced. Just as a faint glimmer of light began to show through the trees they reached an Indian encamp¬ ment. She was turned over to an old scjuaw who gave her breakfast. I he Indian men gathered in a group and seemed to be holding a council of war. At first she could make nothing out of what thev were saying, but suddenly she caught a few words in her own lan¬ guage. Though apparently unconscious of the council, she was anx¬ iously listening to every word. Finally she managed to catch enough of the conversation to know that they were planning an attack on her people. Though thoroughly frightened, she knew she must not let anyone know that she had understood any of the plans. After a short time, the one who had spoken in her language ap¬ proached, and said to her, “Before the sun goes down tonight your bark-canoe must guide us to your father’s village. If you do this, your life will be spared and you will marry one of our Mohawk braves; if you do not obey, death will be your lot!” Hearing his words, the Indian girl trembled, for she now knew that these were the Mohawks, her father’s deadliest enemies. But thinking that she must save her people in some way, if it were at all possible, she replied: “I will do as you ask Bind your canoes together and I will guide you to my home. But as you have slain mv father never will I be your slave!” Satisfied with her answer the Indians returned to the council, and she was left alone. Her thoughts were busy trying to plan some means of escape. Then the thought of loved ones in her home vil¬ lage recalled to her their danger. Save them, she must, even at the peril of her own life. Suddenly an idea fla hed through her mind. 16