﻿320 
  SACRED 
  FORMULAS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CHEROKEES. 
  

  

  sided. 
  After 
  each 
  in 
  turn 
  had 
  made 
  complaint 
  against 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  

   which 
  man 
  killed 
  their 
  friends, 
  devoured 
  their 
  flesh 
  and 
  used 
  their 
  

   skins 
  for 
  his 
  own 
  adornment, 
  it 
  was 
  unanimously 
  decided 
  to 
  begin 
  

   war 
  at 
  once 
  against 
  the 
  human 
  race. 
  Someone 
  asked 
  what 
  weapons 
  

   man 
  used 
  to 
  accomplish 
  their 
  destruction. 
  "Bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  of 
  

   course," 
  cried 
  all 
  the 
  bears 
  in 
  chorus. 
  "And 
  what 
  are 
  1 
  1 
  icy 
  made 
  

   of 
  ?" 
  was 
  the 
  next 
  question. 
  " 
  The 
  bow 
  of 
  wood 
  and 
  the 
  string 
  of 
  

   our 
  own 
  entrails." 
  replied 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  bears. 
  It 
  was 
  then 
  proposed 
  

   that 
  they 
  make 
  a 
  bow 
  and 
  some 
  arrows 
  and 
  see 
  if 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  

   turn 
  man's 
  weapons 
  against 
  himself. 
  So 
  one 
  bear 
  got 
  anice 
  piece 
  of 
  

   locust 
  wood 
  and 
  another 
  sacrificed 
  himself 
  for 
  the 
  good 
  of 
  the 
  rest 
  in 
  

   order 
  to 
  furnish 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  his 
  entrails 
  for 
  the 
  string. 
  But 
  when 
  

   everything 
  was 
  ready 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  bear 
  stepped 
  up 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  

   trial 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  in 
  letting 
  the 
  arrow 
  fly 
  after 
  drawing 
  back 
  

   the 
  bow. 
  his 
  long 
  claws 
  caught 
  the 
  string 
  and 
  spoiled 
  the 
  shot. 
  This 
  

   was 
  annoying, 
  but 
  another 
  suggested 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  overcome 
  the 
  

   difficulty 
  by 
  cutting 
  his 
  claws, 
  which 
  was 
  accordingly 
  done, 
  and 
  on 
  

   a 
  second 
  trial 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  arrow 
  went 
  straight 
  to 
  the 
  mark. 
  

   But 
  here 
  the 
  chief, 
  the 
  old 
  White 
  Bear, 
  interposed 
  and 
  said 
  that 
  it 
  

   was 
  necessary 
  that 
  they 
  should 
  have 
  long 
  claws 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  

   to 
  climb 
  trees. 
  "One 
  of 
  us 
  has 
  already 
  died 
  to 
  furnish 
  the 
  bow- 
  

   string, 
  and 
  if 
  we 
  now 
  cut 
  off 
  our 
  claws 
  we 
  shall 
  all 
  have 
  to 
  starve 
  

   together. 
  It 
  is 
  better 
  to 
  trust 
  to 
  the 
  teeth 
  and 
  claws 
  which 
  nature 
  

   has 
  given 
  us, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  man's 
  weapons 
  were 
  not 
  intended 
  

   for 
  us." 
  

  

  No 
  one 
  could 
  suggest 
  any 
  1 
  letter 
  plan, 
  so 
  the 
  old 
  chief 
  dismissed 
  

   the 
  council 
  and 
  the 
  bears 
  dispersed 
  to 
  their 
  forest 
  haunts 
  without 
  

   having 
  concerted 
  any 
  means 
  for 
  preventing 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  hu- 
  

   man 
  race. 
  Had 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  council 
  been 
  otherwise, 
  we 
  should 
  

   now 
  be 
  at 
  war 
  with 
  the 
  bears, 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  hunter 
  does 
  not 
  even 
  

   ask 
  the 
  bear's 
  pardon 
  when 
  he 
  kills 
  one. 
  

  

  The 
  deer 
  next 
  held 
  a 
  council 
  under 
  their 
  chief, 
  the 
  Little 
  Deer, 
  

   and 
  after 
  some 
  deliberation 
  resolved 
  to 
  inflict 
  rheumatism 
  upon 
  every 
  

   hunter 
  who 
  should 
  kill 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  number, 
  unless 
  he 
  took 
  care 
  to 
  

   ask 
  their 
  pardon 
  for 
  the 
  offense. 
  They 
  sent 
  notice 
  of 
  their 
  decision 
  

   to 
  the 
  nearest 
  settlement 
  of 
  Indians 
  and 
  told 
  them 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  

   how 
  to 
  make 
  propitiation 
  when 
  necessity 
  forced 
  them 
  to 
  kill 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  deer 
  tribe. 
  Now, 
  whenever 
  the 
  hunter 
  brings 
  down 
  a 
  deer, 
  the 
  

   Little 
  Deer, 
  who 
  is 
  swift 
  as 
  the 
  wind 
  and 
  cannot 
  be 
  wounded, 
  runs 
  

   quickly 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  spot 
  and 
  bending 
  over 
  the 
  blood 
  stains 
  asks 
  the 
  

   spirit 
  of 
  the 
  deer 
  if 
  it 
  has 
  heard 
  the 
  prayer 
  of 
  the 
  hunter 
  for 
  par- 
  

   don. 
  If 
  the 
  reply 
  be 
  "Yes" 
  all 
  is 
  well 
  and 
  the 
  Little 
  Deer 
  goes 
  on 
  

   his 
  way, 
  but 
  if 
  the 
  reply 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  negative 
  he 
  follows 
  on 
  the 
  trail 
  

   of 
  the 
  hunter, 
  guided 
  by 
  the 
  drops 
  of 
  blood 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  until 
  lie 
  

   arrives 
  at 
  the 
  cabin 
  in 
  the 
  settlement, 
  when 
  the 
  Little 
  Deer 
  enters 
  

   invisibly 
  and 
  strikes 
  the 
  neglectful 
  hunter 
  with 
  rheumatism, 
  so 
  that 
  

  

  