Native American Legends
The Brave who went on the warpath alone and won the name of The Lone Warrior
An American Indian Legend - Nation Unknown
There was once a young man whose parents were not overburdened
with the riches of this world, and consequently could not dress
their only son in as rich a costume as the other young men of the
tribe, and on account of not being so richly clad as they, he was
looked down upon and shunned by them. He was never invited to take
part in any of their sports; nor was he ever asked to join any of
the war parties.
In the village lived an old man with an only daughter. Like the
other family, they were poor, but the daughter was the belle of
the tribe. She was the most sought after by the young men of the
village, and warriors from tribes far distant came to press their
suit at winning her for their bride. All to no purpose; she had
the same answer for them as she had for the young men of the village.
The poor young man was also very handsome despite his poor clothes,
but having never killed an enemy nor brought home any enemies' horses
he was not allowed to make love to any young or old woman. He tried
in vain to join some of the war parties, that he might get the chance
to win his spurs as a warrior. To all his pleadings, came the same
answer.
"You are not fit to join a war party. You have no horses,
and if you should get killed our tribe would be laughed at and be
made fun of as you have such poor clothes, and we don't want the
enemy to know that we have any one of our tribe who dresses so poorly
as you do."
Again, and again, he tried different parties, only to be made fun
of and insulted.
One night he sat in the poor tepee of his parents. He was in deep
study and had nothing to say. His father, noticing his melancholy
mood, asked him what had happened to cause him to be so quiet, as
he was always of a jolly disposition. The son answered and said:
"Father, I am going on the warpath alone. In vain I have tried
to be a member of one of the war parties. To all of my pleadings
I have got nothing but insults in return."
"But my son, you have no gun nor ammunition. Where can you
get any and how can you get it? We have nothing to buy one for you
with," said the father.
"I don't need any weapons. I am going to bring back some of
the enemies' horses, and I don't need a gun for that."
Early the next morning (regardless of the old couple's pleadings
not to go unarmed) the young man left the village and headed northwest,
the direction always taken by the war parties.
For ten days he traveled without seeing any signs of a camp. The
evening of the tenth day, he reached a very high butte, thickly
wooded at the summit. He ascended this butte, and as he sat there
between two large boulders, watching the beautiful rays of the setting
sun, he was suddenly startled to hear the neigh of a horse.
Looking down into the beautiful valley which was threaded by a
beautiful creek fringed with timber, he noticed close to the base
of the butte upon which he sat, a large drove of horses grazing
peacefully and quietly. Looking closer, he noticed at a little distance
from the main drove, a horse with a saddle on his back. This was
the one that had neighed, as the drove drifted further away from
him. He was tied by a long lariat to a large sage bush.
Where could the rider be, he said to himself. As if in answer to
his question, there appeared not more than twenty paces from him
a middle aged man coming up through a deep ravine. The man was evidently
in search of some kind of game, as he held his gun in readiness
for instant use, and kept his eyes directed at every crevice and
clump of bush.
So intent was he on locating the game he was trailing, that he
never noticed the young man who sat like a statue not twenty paces
away. Slowly and cautiously the man approached, and when he had
advanced to within a few paces of the young man he stopped and turning
around, stood looking down into the valley. This was the only chance
that our brave young friend had.
Being unarmed, he would stand no show if the enemy ever got a glimpse
of him. Slowly and noiselessly he drew his skinning knife (Having
a gun is armed, having a knife, is to have a tool) holding it securely
in his right hand, he gathered himself and gave a leap which landed
him upon the unsuspecting enemy's shoulders. The force with which
he landed on the enemy caused him (the enemy) to lose his hold on
his gun, and it went rattling down into the chasm, forty feet below.
Down they came together, the young man on top. No sooner had they
struck the ground than the enemy had out his knife, and then commenced
a hand to hand duel. The enemy, having more experience, was getting
the best of our young friend. Already our young friend had two ugly
cuts, one across his chest and the other through his forearm.
He was becoming weak from the loss of blood, and could not stand
the killing pace much longer. Summoning all his strength for one
more trial to overcome his antagonist, he rushed him toward the
chasm, and in his hurry to get away from this fierce attack, the
enemy stepped back one step too far, and down they both went into
the chasm. Interlocked in each other's arms, the young man drove
his knife into the enemy's side and when they struck the bottom
the enemy relaxed his hold and straightened out stiff and dead.
Securing his enemy's scalp and gun, the young man proceeded down
to where the horse was tied to the sage bush, and then gathering
the drove of horses proceeded on his return to his own village.
Being wounded severely he had to ride very slowly. All the long
hours of the night he drove the horses towards his home village.
In the meantime, those at the enemies' camp wondered at the long
absence of the herder who was watching their drove of horses, and
finally seven young men went to search for the missing herder. All
night long they searched the hillsides for the horses and herder,
and when it had grown light enough in the morning they saw by the
ground where there had been a fierce struggle.
Following the tracks in the sand and leaves, they came to the chasm
where the combatants had fallen over, and there, lying on his back
staring up at them in death, was their herder. They hastened to
the camp and told what they had found. Immediately the warriors
mounted their war ponies (these ponies are never turned loose, but
kept tied close to the tepee of the owner), and striking the trail
of the herd driven off by our young friend, they urged forth their
ponies and were soon far from their camp on the trail of our young
friend. All day long they traveled on his trail, and just as the
sun was sinking they caught sight of him driving the drove ahead
over a high hill. Again they urged forth their tired ponies.
The young man, looking back along the trail, saw some dark objects
coming along, and, catching a fresh horse, drove the rest ahead
at a great rate. Again all night he drove them, and when daylight
came he looked back (from a hill) over his trail and saw coming
over a distant raise, two horsemen. These two undoubtedly rode the
best ponies, as he saw nothing of the others.
Driving the horses into a thick belt of timber, he concealed himself
close to the trail made by the drove of horses, and lay in ambush
for the two daring horsemen who had followed him so far. Finally
they appeared on the butte from where he had looked back and saw
them following him. For a long time they sat there scouring the
country before them in hopes that they might see some signs of their
stolen horses. Nothing could they see. Had they but known, their
horses were but a few hundred yards from them, but the thick timber
securely hid them from view.
Finally one of them arose and pointed to the timber. Then leaving
his horse in charge of his friend, he descended the butte and followed
the trail of the drove to where they had entered the timber. Little
did he think that he was standing on the brink of eternity.
The young man hiding not more than a hundred yards from him could
have shot him there where he stood, but wanting to play fair, he
stepped into sight. When he did, the enemy took quick aim and fired.
He was too hasty. Had he taken more careful aim he might have killed
our young friend, but his bullet whizzed harmlessly over the young
man's head and buried itself in a tree.
The young man took good aim and fired. The enemy threw up both
hands and fell forward on his face. The other one on the hill, seeing
his friend killed, hastily mounted his horse and leading his friend's
horse, made rapidly off down the butte in the direction from whence
he had come.
Waiting for some time to be sure the one who was alive did not
come up and take a shot at him, he finally advanced upon the fallen
enemy and securing his gun, ammunition and scalp, went to his horse
and drove the herd on through the woods and crossing a long flat
prairie, ascended a long chain of hills and sat looking back along
his trail in search of any of the enemy who might continue to follow
him.
Thus he sat until the long shadows of the hills reminded him that
it would soon be sunset, and as he must get some sleep, he wanted
to find some creek bend where he could drive the bunch of ponies
and feel safe as to their not straying off during the night. He
found a good place for the herd, and catching a fresh horse, he
picketed him close to where he was going to sleep, and wrapping
himself in his blanket, was soon fast asleep. So tired and sleepy
was he that a heavy rain which had come up, during the night, soaked
him through and through, but he never awakened until the sun was
high in the east.
He awoke and going to the place where he had left the herd, he
was glad to find them all there. He mounted his horse and started
his herd homeward again. For two days he drove them, and on the
evening of the second day he came in sight of the village.
The older warriors, hearing of the young man going on this trip
alone and unarmed, told the parents to go in mourning for their
son, as he would never come back alive. When the people of the village
saw this large drove of horses advancing towards them, they at first
thought it was a war party of the enemy, and so the head men called
the young warriors together and fully prepared for a great battle.
They advanced upon the supposed enemy. When they got close enough
to discern a lone horseman driving this large herd, they surrounded
the horses and lone warrior, and brought him triumphantly into village.
On arriving in the village, the horses were counted and the number
counted up to one hundred and ten head.
The chief announced through the whole village that there would
be a great war dance given in honor of the Lone Warrior.
The whole village turned out and had a great war dance that was
kept up three days and three nights. The two scalps which the young
man had taken were tied to a pole which was placed in the center
of the dance circle. At this dance, the Lone Warrior gave to each
poor family five head of horses.
Being considered eligible now to pay his respects to any girl who
took his fancy, he at once went to the camp of the beautiful girl
of the tribe, and as he was always her choice, she at once consented
to marry him.
The news spread through the village that Lone Warrior had won the
belle of the nation for his bride. And many times he had to tell
his grandchildren the story of how he got the name of the Lone Warrior.
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