﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  flesche] 
  ENVIRONMENT; 
  RESULTANT 
  INFLUENCES 
  77 
  

  

  and 
  that 
  he, 
  aa 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  was 
  controlled 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  influence. 
  Darkness 
  

   came 
  upon 
  him 
  again 
  with 
  the 
  animal 
  still 
  standing 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  position. 
  The 
  hunter 
  

   returned 
  to 
  his 
  home 
  and 
  lay 
  awake 
  all 
  night, 
  wondering 
  what 
  would 
  come 
  of 
  this 
  

   strange 
  experience. 
  He 
  arose 
  before 
  dawn 
  and 
  again 
  hurried 
  to 
  the 
  mysterious 
  

   scene. 
  As 
  he 
  reached 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  day 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  land. 
  

   The 
  buffalo 
  had 
  gone. 
  But 
  in 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  standing 
  there 
  stood 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  like 
  a 
  small 
  bush. 
  The 
  young 
  man 
  approached 
  the 
  place 
  with 
  a 
  feeling 
  of 
  

   curiosity 
  and 
  disappointment. 
  He 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  object 
  that 
  from 
  the 
  distance 
  appeared 
  

   like 
  a 
  small 
  bush 
  and 
  saw 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  strange 
  plant. 
  He 
  looked 
  upon 
  the 
  ground 
  

   and 
  saw 
  the 
  tracks 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  and 
  followed 
  them 
  as 
  they 
  had 
  turned 
  from 
  the 
  

   north 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  there 
  was 
  but 
  

   one 
  buffalo 
  track, 
  and 
  out 
  of 
  that 
  had 
  sprung 
  this 
  strange 
  plant. 
  He 
  examined 
  the 
  

   ground 
  near 
  this 
  plant 
  to 
  find 
  where 
  the 
  buffalo 
  had 
  left 
  the 
  place, 
  but 
  there 
  were 
  

   no 
  other 
  footprints 
  besides 
  those 
  near 
  the 
  plant. 
  The 
  hunter 
  hurried 
  home 
  and 
  told 
  

   of 
  his 
  strange 
  experience 
  to 
  the 
  chiefs 
  and 
  the 
  prominent 
  men 
  of 
  his 
  people. 
  The 
  

   men, 
  led 
  by 
  the 
  hunter, 
  proceeded 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  and 
  examined 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  what 
  he 
  had 
  told 
  them 
  was 
  true. 
  They 
  saw 
  the 
  tracks 
  of 
  

   the 
  buffalo 
  where 
  he 
  had 
  turned 
  and 
  stood, 
  but 
  could 
  find 
  no 
  tracks 
  of 
  his 
  coming 
  

   to 
  the 
  place 
  or 
  leaving 
  it. 
  While 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  men 
  believed 
  that 
  this 
  plant 
  was 
  

   given 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  in 
  this 
  mysterious 
  manner 
  by 
  Wako 
  u/ 
  da, 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  sure 
  

   how 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  used. 
  The 
  people 
  knew 
  of 
  other 
  plants 
  that 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  food, 
  and 
  

   the 
  season 
  for 
  their 
  ripening, 
  and, 
  believing 
  that 
  the 
  fruit 
  of 
  this 
  strange 
  plant 
  

   would 
  ripen 
  at 
  its 
  own 
  proper 
  time, 
  they 
  arranged 
  to 
  guard 
  and 
  protect 
  it 
  carefully, 
  

   awaiting 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  its 
  ripening. 
  

  

  The 
  plant 
  blossomed, 
  but 
  from 
  their 
  knowledge 
  of 
  other 
  plants 
  they 
  knew 
  that 
  

   the 
  blossom 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  was 
  but 
  the 
  flower 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  fruit. 
  When 
  they 
  were 
  

   watching 
  the 
  blossom 
  to 
  develop 
  into 
  fruit, 
  as 
  they 
  expected 
  it 
  would, 
  a 
  new 
  growth 
  

   appeared 
  from 
  the 
  joints 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  Their 
  attention 
  was 
  now 
  diverted 
  from 
  the 
  

   blossom 
  to 
  this 
  growth. 
  It 
  grew 
  larger 
  and 
  larger, 
  until 
  there 
  appeared 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  

   something 
  that 
  looked 
  like 
  hair. 
  This, 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  time, 
  turned 
  from 
  pale 
  green 
  

   to 
  a 
  dark 
  brown, 
  and 
  after 
  much 
  discussion 
  the 
  people 
  believed 
  that 
  this 
  growth 
  

   was 
  the 
  fruit 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  ripened. 
  Up 
  to 
  this 
  time 
  no 
  one 
  had 
  dared 
  

   to 
  approach 
  within 
  touch 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  Although 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  anxious 
  to 
  know 
  

   the 
  use 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  plant 
  could 
  be 
  put 
  or 
  for 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  intended, 
  no 
  one 
  dared 
  

   to 
  touch 
  it. 
  As 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  assembled 
  around 
  the 
  plant 
  undetermined 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  manner 
  of 
  examining 
  it, 
  a 
  youth 
  stepped 
  forward 
  and 
  spoke: 
  

  

  "Everyone 
  knows 
  how 
  my 
  life 
  from 
  my 
  childhood 
  has 
  been 
  worse 
  than 
  worth- 
  

   less, 
  that 
  my 
  life 
  among 
  you 
  has 
  been 
  more 
  for 
  evil 
  than 
  for 
  good. 
  Since 
  no 
  one 
  

   would 
  regret, 
  should 
  any 
  evil 
  befall 
  me, 
  let 
  me 
  be 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  touch 
  this 
  plant 
  and 
  

   taste 
  of 
  its 
  fruit 
  so 
  that 
  you 
  may 
  know 
  of 
  its 
  qualities 
  whether 
  they 
  be 
  good 
  or 
  

   bad." 
  The 
  people 
  having 
  given 
  their 
  assent, 
  the 
  youth 
  stepped 
  boldly 
  forward 
  and 
  

   placed 
  his 
  right 
  hand 
  on 
  the 
  blossoms 
  of 
  the 
  plant, 
  and 
  brought 
  his 
  hand 
  with 
  a 
  down- 
  

   ward 
  motion 
  to 
  the 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  as 
  though 
  blessing 
  it. 
  He 
  then 
  grasped 
  the 
  

   fruit 
  and, 
  turning 
  to 
  the 
  people, 
  said: 
  "It 
  is 
  solid, 
  it 
  is 
  ripe." 
  He 
  then 
  parted 
  the 
  

   husks 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  very 
  gently 
  and, 
  again 
  turning 
  to 
  the 
  people, 
  he 
  said: 
  "The 
  fruit 
  

   is 
  red." 
  He 
  took 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  grains, 
  showed 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  people, 
  then 
  ate 
  of 
  them, 
  

   and 
  replaced 
  the 
  husks. 
  The 
  youth 
  suffered 
  no 
  ill 
  effects, 
  and 
  the 
  people 
  became 
  

   convinced 
  that 
  this 
  plant 
  was 
  given 
  them 
  for 
  food. 
  In 
  the 
  fall, 
  when 
  the 
  prairie 
  

   grass 
  had 
  turned 
  brown, 
  the 
  stalk 
  and 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  this 
  plant 
  turned 
  brown 
  also. 
  

   The 
  fruit 
  was 
  plucked 
  and 
  put 
  carefully 
  away. 
  In 
  the 
  following 
  spring 
  the 
  kernels 
  

   were 
  divided 
  among 
  the 
  people, 
  four 
  to 
  each 
  family. 
  The 
  people 
  removed 
  to 
  the 
  

   spot 
  where 
  the 
  strange 
  apparition 
  had 
  taken 
  place, 
  and 
  there 
  they 
  built 
  their 
  bark 
  

   huts 
  along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  rivers. 
  As 
  the 
  hills 
  began 
  to 
  take 
  on 
  a 
  green 
  tinge 
  

  

  