ars
When mortals go in clay(5)

The Master sat on the crest of the world[F],
Sat at the door of his mighty lodge,
Tossing bright stars at the waning moon[G],
When there came on the winds the woes of the pair,
And pity filled his soul,
And grief weighed down his heart.
He called to his side the spirit that guards
The warlike Indian race,
The spirit of courage, and wisdom, and strength,
And the fearless spirit came.
"Dost thou see," said he, "the Ricara pair,
Caltacotah and Miskwa, the Red,
They have married themselves in the wilderness,
And now they die for food.
Look at the husband, note him well?
He hath never dared to look on a foe,
Nor paints his face as a warrior paints,
Nor wears the gallant scalp-lock,
Nor hath he a hunter's eye;
Unable is he to strike a deer:
The white and fringed skin of the goat,
Which covers the breast of the maiden, conceals
A manlier heart than his.
Go, and end their woes."
The spirit answered, "I hear."

The shadows of evening fell on the earth,
And the mists were out,
And the bat was abroad.
The Ricara pair were joyful now,
For they had found a vine of grapes.
On the willow bank that o'erlooks the stream,
The shallow and turbid stream,
And, though the grapes were shrivell'd and sour,
These two were joyful now,
When all at once, ere their lips had touch'd,
The Manitou stood at their side,
And trembling shook their limbs.
He saw the woes of the pair,
And he bade them cease to be;
He bade them become a thing to show
The mercy and goodness of Him that rules--
The flintiness of her father's heart--
Their own tried constancy;
And he bade them remain in the wilderness,
Till the rivers should cease to flow,
And the stars should cease to shine.

And they became the Idols,
The Man, and Woman, and Dog of Stone,
That stood on the willow bank.
'Tis thither the tribes of the land resort,
To make their offerings;
Thither the warrior carries his bow,
His arrow, and his spear,
And the hunter, the juicy flesh of the elk;
The priest, the shaggy skins of the bear,
And she of the fair and youthful form,
The gifts of the favour'd Brave.
All bear thither a valued gift,
And lay it at their feet;
No Ricara takes his bow, till he
Has oft besoug