Page:The Prairie Flower; Or, Adventures In the Far West.djvu/90



THE PRAIRIE FLOWER; OR

and the Old-Man-of-the-Mountains made his appearance, bearing in one hand a long staff, and in the other a horn cup of smoking incense, which he waved to and fro. Approaching the bride and groom, he held it between them, and lay ing his staff on their heads, and bidding them again join hands, he proceeded to tjh.'int, in a feeble, cracked voice, the

CLOSING MARRIAGE STRAIN.

As this incense to Heaven,

So your vows here are given, And written by angels above,

On the ponderous pages,

Of the great Book of Ages, And stamped with His great seal of Love.

By earth and by air,

By water and fire, By everything under the sun

By your own plighted faith,

To he true unto death, In God's name I pronounce you twain one.

Waving his stick once more above their Heads, and uttering his usual word " Onh- chi," Great Medicine retraced his steps to his lodge. On his departure, the friends of the newly married pair stepped forward in the order of relation, and greeted both with a hearty shaking of hands, and 'invo cations of blessings from the Great Spirit Then followed a feast prepared for the occasion, consisting principally of buffalo, bear and deer meat, together with that of v^ious wild fowls. This was eaten seat ed upon buffalo skins, and was served to the larger party by four waiters, two of both sexes. After this came one or two more songs, in which all joined, and a general dance closed the festivities of the day.

The funeral which I witnessed, was that of a young man greatly beloved by his tribe. The day succeeding his death, was the one appointed for the solemn ceremony of sepulture. Meantime the body remain ed in the lodge where the vital spark had been extinguished, and, locked up with it from all intrusion, remained also the near relatives of the deceased, fasting and em ploying their moments in prayer.

When the time for the funeral service ad arrived, four Indian youths who had been companions of the deceased, entered the lodge, and wrapping the body in a buf falo-hide, bore it to that of Great Medi- Wn-:, and deposited it on the ground, out

side. Hither followed tKe relatives, theii heads bound with withered flowers, and leaves, emblematical of tho decay of every thing earthly, however fair and beautiful. Forming a narrow circle round the body, they kneeled upon the earth, and placing their right hands upon the breast of tho departed, and their left upon their hearts, uttered low and plaintive moans the sig nal that all was ready for the mournful rite. Next appeared Prairie Flower, with three other maidens, and approaching the youths, all clasped hands and formed a ring outside the circle of kneeling and weeping relatives. Then they commenced walking round the living and dead, and as they passed the head of the latter, each uttered a short prayer that his noble spirit might find eternal rest beyond the grave. When this was concluded, Great Medicine appeared, holding in his hand a drum, which he beat rapidly a few times, where upon the remainder of the villagers came forth from their lodges, and formed a third circle outside of all. The second circl j now fell back to the largest, leaving a wid ) space between it and the mourners, wh i still remained kneeling as before. A short silence followed, when the leader of thj corpse bearers stepped forward and set forth, in a clear, musical tone, the manT virtues of the dead, and pronounced u eloquent eulogy over his remains.

On the conclusion of this, the speakei took his place among the rest, when aQ broke forth in the following

FUNERAL DIRGE.

Gone! gone! gone! From earth gone forever :

No more here we'll meet him, No more here we'll greet him,

No more, nevermore

All is o'er, evermore

Forever! forever! He's gone from the mortal He's passed Death's great portal-

And now will his spirit

Forever inherit,

In regions of bliss,

What it could not in this. Passed from all sorrow,

Vexation and care, Gone to the regions

That bright angels share, In yon golden Heaven

His spirit will rest, \Vith joys the most holy

Forever be bl