“Long Bow has lost the race this day, but let no man say that he is not a good man with the canoe; for there are none among us who to this day have been able to defeat him. I shake the hand of my brother Long Bow and to him I say, it was a great race and I have won, but it was a close race and if we raced again I might not be so lucky.”
“No, Black Rock, it was not luck this day that won the race, but rather a strong back being helped by a true loyal heart. I know now why you challenged me and I could not have won if you had tied one hand behind your back. I have been selfish and ungrateful for the many friends and good things that have been showered upon me. I have lost this battle of the canoes, but it has helped me win a battle with myself. I thank you, Black Rock, for bringing a straying warrior once again into the camp of good Ottawas.”
STANDING FAWN MAKES A DOLL
When the excitement was over in Flying Arrow’s wigwam and all the Shawnee had returned to their own homes to sit and talk of the birth of a new son to Flying Arrow, Standing Fawn, daughter to Flying Arrow, wandered off from the wickiup to think about this thing that had happened.
Until this day, little Standing Fawn had been the center of attention in the home of her mother and father and also when they went to visit friends; but now a new baby boy had been born, and everyone was very excited. When Standing Fawn had come running to tell her mother how she had helped her grandmother to dry rabbit skins and to make furry ropes for blankets her mother had said how nice that was, but went right back to taking care of the little boy Indian that now held the place of honor in the home of Flying Arrow.
This Standing Fawn could not understand, but for the time being she did not think about it any more but went to join the other girls that were gathering nuts. The girls had to hurry so that they gathered enough nuts for the tribal families before the squirrels got them all.
The walnut and butternut hulls were used for dyeing quills and so many, many nuts had to be gathered that soon the baskets were bulging with these and beechnuts, hazelnuts, and hickory nuts. When the task was over Standing Fawn returned home to her father and mother and her little brother.
As she entered the wickiup she could hear her mother singing softly to the new baby. There against the wall was the carrying case for the baby which Standing Fawn had helped her mother to make. That was fun working with her mother, but now mother was busy with the new baby and so Standing Fawn felt that she was no longer loved.
After supper, she crawled into her warm blankets and was soon asleep, but she awakened a short time later as the new baby cried for food. The crying continued until he was fed and then Standing Fawn was asleep once again.
For many weeks there was a great deal of work to be done with the new baby in the house, and Standing Fawn found that more and more she was asked to carry on the duties that her mother had done before this time.