16/11/2024
Dakota - Little Brave & the Medicine WomanA village of Natives moved out of winter camp and pitched their tents in a circle on high land overlooking a lake. A little way down the declivity was a grave. Chokecherries had grown up, hiding the grave from view. But as the ground had sunk somewhat, the grave was marked by a slight hollow.
One of the villagers going out to hunt took a shortcut through the chokecherry bushes. As he pushed them aside he saw the hollow grave but thought it was a washout made by the rain. But as he essayed to step over it, to his great surprise he stumbled and fell. Made curious by his mishap, he drew back and tried again, but again he fell. When he came back to the village he told the old men what had happened to him. They remembered then that a long time before there had been buried there was a medicine woman or conjurer. Doubtless, it was her medicine that made him stumble.
The story of the villager’s adventure spread through the camp and made many curious to see the grave. Among others were six little boys who were, however, rather timid, for they were in great awe of the dead medicine woman. But they had a little playmate named Brave, a mischievous little rogue, whose hair was always unkempt and tossed about and who was never quiet for a moment.
“Let us ask Brave to go with us,” they said; and they went in a body to see him.
“All right,” said Brave; “I will go with you. But I have something to do first. You go on around the hill that way, and I will hasten around this way, and meet you a little later near the grave.”
So the six little boys went on as bidden until they came to a place near the grave. There they halted.
“Where is Brave?” they asked.
Now Brave, full of mischief, had thought to play a jest on his little friends. As soon as they were well out of sight he had sped around the hill to the shore of the lake and sticking his hands in the mud rubbed it over his face, plastered it in his hair, and soiled his hands until he looked l
