And arrow quiver; in his belt
Placed tomahawk and battle-ax
And lance; to westward sallied forth,
Nor of his purpose spoke.

Three times the sun went round
Its course and still he tarried from
His home, while in the Chippeway camp
Anxiety grew alarm at his
Extended stay, and laggard seemed
Each tiny fleeting moment to
The last, until, when three times three
The days had rolled into the past.
A shout was heard, and sound of life
And roll of drum and tramp of feet
And happy, joyous song proclaimed
The sachem's safe return.

He came
With flowing locks and steady step,
And form erect, his people round
About him flocking, wild with joy,
And full of eager questions, put,
Of where he'd been and what he'd seen;
To which his only answer was:
"Up Wey-do-dosh-she-ma-de-nog."
As one possessed by purpose stern,
He passed along, nor paused until
The halt was made his wigwam door
Before, where his aged mother stood
To give him greeting. Something more
Than sweetness beamed in welcome from
His smile the while he took her hand
In his and spoke that blessed name
Of "Mother."

Then, most sudden end
Of joy!--into her outstretched arms
He sank, as tho' he lent himself
To gentle sleep, upon his lips
The seal of Gezha Manitou;
Else had they told the tale, the which
To tell, had given him strength to bear
A deep and mortal arrow wound
A long march: How Janishkisgan
Lingered from her father's tent
To nurse the water Medicine Sioux,
"Chief Minnepazuka" called, who, though
For healing arts renowned, had down
Been stricken with the plague upon
The mountain top, his wisdom shorn
Of power through lack of body strength
With which to put it into use.
The dead Chief's sense of justice craved
The gift of further speech, to tell
The facts that lead thereto as all
Sufficient in themselves to plead
Her pardon. How Janishkisgan
Found the Sioux, near the jaws of death,
And in her sympathy forgot
That she a Chippeway was and he
Of hostile stem. She took from him
The secret he had wrested from
The waves, and mixed a cure thereby
With which his life she saved. She kept
The fires burning, while waiting on
His needs, nor gave him but the time
That they required; yet both had learned
A lesson, dear as life itself--
Each to the other had taught it,
And both had learned the same--learned to love
With a love so holy, that they
Must needs a union plan, in which
There, too, should be united a