Book 2 18. THE TALL INDIAN Little House On The Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder
[Music]
the tall indian
in those three days the northern had
held and screeched across the prairie
till it blew itself out
now the sun was warm and the wind was
mild
but there was a feeling of autumn in the
air
indians came riding on the path that
passed close to the house
they went by as though it were not there
they were thin and brown and bare they
rode their little ponies without saddle
or bridle
they sat up straight on the naked ponies
and did not look to right or left
but their black eyes glittered laura and
mary backed against the house and looked
up at them
and they saw red brown skin bright
against the blue sky
and scalp locks wound with colored
string
and feathers quivering the indians faces
were like the red brown wood the paw had
carved to make a bracket for ma
i thought that trail was an old one they
didn’t use anymore
paw said i wouldn’t have built the house
so close to it if i’d known it’s a high
road
jack hated indians and ma said she
didn’t blame him
she said i declare indians are getting
so thick around here i can’t look up
without seeing one
as she spoke she looked up and there
stood an indian
he stood in the doorway looking at them
and they had not heard a sound
goodness mark gasped
silently jack jumped at the indian park
caught him by the collar just in time
the indian hadn’t moved he stood as
still as if jack hadn’t been there at
all
how he said to paul paul held on to jack
and replied
how he dragged jack to the bed post
and tied him there while he was doing it
the indian came in
and squatted down by the fire then paul
squatted down by the indian and they sat
there
friendly but not saying a word while ma
finished cooking dinner
laura and mary were close together and
quiet on their bed in the corner
they couldn’t take their eyes from that
indian he was so still
that the beautiful eagle feathers in his
scalp lock didn’t
stir only his bare chest and the
leanness under his ribs moved a little
to his breathing
he wore fringed leather leggings and his
moccasins were covered with
beads ma gave pawn the indian their
dinners on two tin plates
and they ate silently then paw gave the
indians some tobacco for his pipe
they filled their pipes and they lighted
the tobacco with coals from the fire
and they silently smoked until the pipes
were empty
all this time nobody had said anything
but now the indian said something to
paul
paul shook his head and said no
speak a while longer they all sat silent
then the indian rose up and went away
without a sound
my goodness gracious ma said
laura and mary ran to the window they
saw the indian straight back
riding away on a pony he held a gun
across his knees
its end stuck out on either side of him
paw said that indium was no common trash
he guessed by the scalp lock that he was
an osage
unless i miss my guess paw said that was
french he spoke
i wish i’d picked up some of that lingo
let indians keep themselves to
themselves
said ma and we will do the same i don’t
like indians around
underfoot pot told her not to worry
that indian was perfectly friendly he
said
and their camps down among the bluffs
are peaceable enough
if we treat them well and watch jack we
won’t have any trouble
the very next morning when paul opened
the door to go to the stable
laura saw jack standing in the indian
trail
he stood stiff his back bristled
and all his teeth showed before him in
the path
the tall indian sat on his pony
indian and pony were still as still
jack was telling them plainly that he
would spring if they moved
only the eagle feathers that stood up
from the indian scalp lock were waving
and spinning in the wind
when the indian saw paw he lifted his
gun and pointed it straight at jack
laura ran to the door but paul was
quicker he stepped between jack and that
gun
and he reached down and grabbed jack by
the collar
he dragged jack out of the indians way
and the indian rode on along the trail
paul stood with his feet wide apart his
hands in his pockets
and watched the indian riding farther
and farther away across the prairie
that was a darn close call paul said
well it’s his path an indian trail long
before we came
he drove an iron ring into a log of the
house wall
and he chained jack to it after that
jack was always chained he was chained
to the house in the daytime and at night
he was chained to the stable door
because horse thieves were in the
country now they’d stolen mr edwards
horses
jack grew crosser and crosser because he
was chained
but it could not be helped he would not
admit that the trail was the indian’s
trail
he thought it belonged to paw and laura
knew that something terrible would
happen if jack heard an indian
winter was coming now the grasses were a
dull color under a dull sky
the winds wailed as if they were looking
for something they could not find
wild animals were wearing their thick
winter fur
and paw set his traps in the creek
bottoms
every day he visited them and every day
he went hunting
now that the nights were freezing cold
he shot deer for meat
he shot wolves and foxes for their fur
and his traps caught beaver and muskrat
and mink
he stretched the skins on the outside of
the house and carefully tacked them
there to dry
in the evenings he worked the dried
skins between his hands to make them
soft
and he added them to the bundle in the
corner
every day the bundle of furs grew bigger
laura loved to stroke the thick fur of
red foxes
she liked the brown soft fur of beaver
too
and the shaggy wolf’s fur but best of
all
she loved the silky mink those were all
furs that paw saved to trade next spring
in independence
laura and mary had rabbit skin caps
and paws cap was muskrat
one day when paul was hunting two
indians came
they came into the house because jack
was chained
those indians were dirty and scowling
and mean
they acted as if the house belonged to
them
one of them looked through ma’s cupboard
and took all the cornbread
the other took pau’s tobacco pouch
they looked at the pegs where pau’s gun
belonged
then one of them picked up the bundle of
furs
ma held baby carrie in her arms and mary
and laura stood close to her
they looked at that indian taking pause
first they couldn’t do anything to stop
him
he carried them as far as the door then
the other indian said something to him
they made harsh sounds at each other in
their throats
and he dropped the furs they went away
ma sat down she hugged mary and laura
close to her and laura felt ma’s heart
beating
well moss said smiling i’m thankful they
didn’t take the plow in seats
laura was surprised she asked what plow
the plow and all our seeds for next year
are in that bundle of furs
said ma when paul came home they told
him about those indians
and he looked sober but he said that all
was well that ended well
that evening when mary and laura were in
bed paul played his fiddle
maul was rocking in the rocking chair
holding baby carrie against her breast
and she began to sing softly with the
fiddle
wild wrote an indian-made bright
alpharata
whereflow the waters of the blue juniata
strong and true my arrows are in my
painted quiver
swift goes my light canoe down the rapid
river
bold is my warrior good the love of al
farada
proud wave his son he plumes along the
juniata
soft and low he speaks to me and then
his boy cry sounding
rings his voice and thunder loud from
height to height resounding
[Music]
so sang the indian-made bright alpharata
where sweep the waters of the blue
juniata
fleeting ears have borne away the voice
of alpharata
still flow the waters of the blue
juniata
ma’s voice in the fiddle’s music softly
died away
and laura asked where did the voice of
alpharada go ma
goodness mars said aren’t you asleep yet
i’m going to sleep laura said but please
tell me where the voice of alpharada
went
oh i suppose she went west ma
answered that’s what the indians do
why do they do that more laura asked
why do they go west
they have to ma said why do they have to
the government makes them laura said paw
now go to sleep
he played the fiddle softly for a while
then laura asked
please pau can i ask just one more
question
may i said ma laura began again
paw please may i what is it
paul asked it was not polite for little
girls to interrupt but of course paul
could do it
will the government make these indians
go west
yes paul said when white settlers come
into a country
the indians have to move on the
government’s going to move these indians
farther west any time now
that’s why we’re here laura white people
are going to settle all this country and
we get the best land because we get here
first and take our pick
now do you understand yes paw
laura said but paw i thought this was
indian territory won’t it make the
indians mad to have to
no more questions laura paul said firmly
go to sleep