And ahead of me was a road with many flowers, and a butterfly that beautifully spread itself open and led the way, and I followed.
And I brought the dead enemy home, and from there the news spread all over my country.
So, my relatives, think of this, that there will be victory.
And you may not like the sound of our rejoicing, but it is only for a short time that we rejoice over our enemy.”
Notes on the Story of the Gambler’s War
In this we are given wonderful glimpses into the strange, fierce, sad, extravagant poetry of the Indian speeches, which seem oftenest inspired by the passion of revenge. Notice that in these stories, if several speeches are given in any one story, they generally have a quite similar ending, a sort of refrain: “So, my relatives,” etc.
This story ends abruptly, and is, I think, manifestly only a fragment. Following the speeches, which were mere boastful prophecies, should have been an account in detail of the actual campaign, as in the story of Pahtahnkum’s war.