The lost giant and other American Indian tales retold; . tforth all his strength and threw his foeto earth. The stranger murmured faint-ly: Your promise—remember, and spokeno more. Gently, tenderly, with tears streamingdown his cheeks, Waso obeyed the in-structions. Drawing off the beautiful greenand yellow garments, he buried hisstrange friend in the soft black soil. 54 AMERICAN INDIAN TALES Then he returned to his fathers every dav he visited the lonelvgrave far away at the ed^e of the for-est Carefully he pulled away the weedsand in the dry season he carried waterin gourds to keep
The lost giant and other American Indian tales retold; . tforth all his strength and threw his foeto earth. The stranger murmured faint-ly: Your promise—remember, and spokeno more. Gently, tenderly, with tears streamingdown his cheeks, Waso obeyed the in-structions. Drawing off the beautiful greenand yellow garments, he buried hisstrange friend in the soft black soil. 54 AMERICAN INDIAN TALES Then he returned to his fathers every dav he visited the lonelvgrave far away at the ed^e of the for-est Carefully he pulled away the weedsand in the dry season he carried waterin gourds to keep the earth soft andmoist. Then one dav. to his joy, hesaw that the green plumes of thestrangers head-dress were pushing throughthe soil. His friend was coming backto him. All this tune Waso had kept thesethings a secret, but as the summerdrew to a close, he led his father tothe distant grave. He told the chief-tain the strange story, and. when hehad finished, pointed to where thererose from the center of the strangersgrave a plant whose like had never. HE CARRIED WATER IN GOURDS 56 AMERICAN INDIAN TALES been seen before by the chieftain. Astall as a man it stood, straight and green,with broad shining leaves waving in theautumn breeze, topped by silky brightbrown hair and nodding green either side grew long green husksfull of pearly white grains, sweet andjuicy to the taste. It is my friend come back to me,cried Waso. It is Mandowmin, the In-dian corn. It is the gift of the GreatSpirit, and so long as we renew it fromyear to year, and watch and tend it, we neednever fear the famine. That night, round the grave of Mon-dawm in, the members of the tribe helda feast and thanked the Great Spiritfor his goodness. Awahnee and the Giant Awahnee and the Giant V^EARS and years ago, when there wereno white men in all the great landwe now call North America and theIndians were free to roam the woods,living by the fish they speared and thedeer they shot, men knew very littleabou
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade191, booksubjectindiansofnorthamerica
