And here, also, the peace-breathing calumet was born,
and fringed with the eagle's quills, which has shed its thrilling
fumes over the land, and soothed the fury of the relentless savage.
"The Great Spirit at an ancient period here called the Indian
nations together, and, standing on the precipice of the red pipe-
stone rock, broke from its wall a piece, and made a huge pipe by
turning it in his hand, which he smoked over them, and to the North,
the South, the East, and the West, and told them that this stone was
red,--that it was their flesh,--that they must use it for their
pipes of peace,--that it belonged to them all, and that the war-club
and scalping-knife must not be raised on its ground. At the last
whiff of his pipe his head went into a great cloud, and the whole
surface of the rock for several miles was melted and glazed; two
great ovens were opened beneath, and two women (guardian spirits of
the place) entered them in a blaze of fire; and they are heard there
yet (Tso-mec-cos-tee aud Tso-me-cos-te-won-dee), answering to the
invocations of the high-priests or medicine-men, who consult them
when they are visitors to this sacred place."
Hark you, Bear! you are a coward.
This anecdote is from Heckewelder.
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