﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  

  

  SOCIETIES 
  

  

  515 
  

  

  time 
  you 
  will 
  be 
  coming 
  and 
  then 
  you 
  will 
  know 
  for 
  yourselves." 
  And 
  as 
  their 
  voices 
  

   died 
  away 
  the 
  mist 
  closed 
  the 
  path 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  seen 
  no 
  more 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  mist, 
  as 
  

   through 
  a 
  veil, 
  they 
  saw 
  the 
  outline 
  of 
  a 
  strange 
  animal 
  (fig. 
  107). 
  It 
  seemed 
  as 
  big 
  as 
  

   the 
  great 
  lake. 
  Its 
  skin 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  hair 
  and 
  was 
  brown 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  deer. 
  

   The 
  ridge 
  of 
  its 
  back 
  was 
  serrated 
  with 
  tufts 
  of 
  hair. 
  It 
  had 
  branching 
  horns 
  and 
  hoofs 
  

   like 
  the 
  deer, 
  and 
  a 
  slender 
  tail 
  with 
  a 
  tuft 
  at 
  the 
  end, 
  which 
  swept 
  toward 
  the 
  sky 
  to 
  

   the 
  farthest 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  lake. 
  At 
  last 
  this 
  mysterious 
  shadowy 
  figure 
  melted 
  away 
  and 
  

   the 
  lake 
  lay 
  quiet 
  before 
  the 
  astonished 
  couple. 
  Then 
  the 
  man 
  said 
  to 
  the 
  woman: 
  

   "We 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  mystery, 
  let 
  us 
  go 
  home." 
  His 
  wife 
  consented; 
  she 
  was 
  now 
  

   content. 
  She 
  had 
  seen 
  the 
  children 
  and 
  what 
  they 
  had 
  said 
  dwelt 
  in 
  her 
  mind. 
  So 
  

   they 
  returned 
  to 
  their 
  tent 
  to 
  abide 
  there 
  as 
  the 
  stranger 
  had 
  said. 
  The 
  man 
  went 
  out 
  

   to 
  hunt. 
  He 
  knew 
  where 
  to 
  find 
  game 
  and 
  they 
  had 
  a 
  large 
  store 
  of 
  meat 
  and 
  many 
  

   pelts. 
  While 
  they 
  were 
  still 
  camped 
  beside 
  the 
  lake 
  there 
  came 
  to 
  their 
  tent 
  a 
  mes- 
  

   senger 
  from 
  their 
  tribe. 
  He 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  sent 
  by 
  their 
  people 
  to 
  seek 
  for 
  

   them. 
  They 
  had 
  remained 
  behind 
  the 
  others 
  with 
  a 
  stranger 
  and 
  their 
  kindred 
  

  

  . 
  

  

  

  

  

  ^3>- 
  

  

  

  

  

  

  Fig. 
  1U7. 
  Mythic 
  unimul 
  in 
  legend 
  of 
  Shell 
  society 
  (native 
  drawing). 
  

  

  feared 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  lured 
  into 
  danger 
  and 
  some 
  ill 
  befallen 
  them. 
  

   "Where 
  are 
  your 
  children'?" 
  the 
  messenger 
  asked. 
  "They 
  are 
  dead." 
  "Where 
  is 
  

   the 
  stranger'.'" 
  "He 
  has 
  gone 
  away, 
  but 
  he 
  has 
  given 
  us 
  all 
  that 
  you 
  see, 
  and 
  he 
  has 
  

   promised 
  to 
  give 
  us 
  more 
  when 
  this 
  supply 
  is 
  gone. 
  Go 
  back 
  and 
  tell 
  the 
  people 
  what 
  

   the 
  stranger 
  has 
  done 
  for 
  us. 
  " 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  messenger 
  saw 
  the 
  great 
  store 
  of 
  meat 
  and 
  the 
  many 
  caches 
  filled 
  with 
  

   dried 
  meat, 
  the 
  pelts, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  wealth 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  man 
  and 
  his 
  wife, 
  he 
  was 
  aston- 
  

   ished 
  and 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  tribe 
  to 
  tell 
  what 
  he 
  had 
  seen 
  and 
  heard. 
  Then 
  the 
  man 
  

   and 
  his 
  wife 
  left 
  their 
  camp, 
  and, 
  taking 
  all 
  they 
  could 
  with 
  them 
  and 
  caching 
  the 
  rest 
  

   until 
  such 
  time 
  as 
  they 
  could 
  return 
  for 
  it, 
  they 
  started 
  back 
  to 
  rejoin 
  their 
  tribe. 
  

   When 
  they 
  were 
  once 
  more 
  with 
  their 
  people 
  they 
  determined 
  to 
  organize 
  a 
  society, 
  

   as 
  the 
  stranger 
  had 
  told 
  them 
  to 
  do, 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  give 
  to 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  magic 
  

   power 
  which 
  they 
  had 
  received. 
  The 
  first 
  lodge 
  was 
  composed 
  of 
  seven, 
  the 
  man 
  and 
  

   his 
  wife 
  and 
  the 
  four 
  children, 
  under 
  the 
  leadership 
  of 
  the 
  mysterious 
  stranger 
  with 
  the 
  

  

  