File:Old settler stories (1917) (14801742983).jpg

Identifier: oldsettlerstorie00flet (find matches)
Title: Old settler stories
Year: 1917 (1910s)
Authors: Fletcher, Mabel Elizabeth Billings, 1886-
Subjects: Frontier and pioneer life
Publisher: New York, The Macmillan Company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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ountrv. On this bluff were K I2Q I30 OLD SETTLER STORIES two painted monsters about the size of a calf.These horrible creatures, on which the bold-est savage would gaze but a moment or so,were painted in red, green, and black, andwere so carefully drawn that Joliet and Mar-quette felt sure that no Indian could havepal-nted them. Besides, what human beingcould reach a place so high as that rock topaint them ? These beings each had a face somewhatlike a mans, only it was covered with scales.The horns on their heads were like those of adeer, and each had a beard like a tigers.The wings were those of a monstrous bird,and the slimy tail was so long that it passedaround the body, went up over the head andthen back between the legs, ending in thetail of a fish. Marquette made a drawing of one of thesestrange birds, but later, unfortunately, thiswas lost. He and Joliet went on down theriver, and it remained for another man. Dr.John Russell, to tell the meaning of the paint- THE PIASA BIRD 131
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The Piasa Bird. 132 OLD SETTLER STORIES ing on the rock. He interpreted the name,*^Piasa as being the bird that devoursmen. Then he discovered the followingIndian tradition. Many, many moons before the palefacescame to the green prairie, there lived a birdso big that he could easily carry off in histalons a large deer. One day when huntingwas bad, he flew dow^n upon an Indian, andcarried him off. From that day on, this ter-rible bird scorned deer flesh, and ahvayshunted men. No Indian w^as wily enoughto escape his keen red eyes ; he would dartsuddenly down upon the strongest brave andcarry him off to a lonely cave to eat him.Hundreds and hundreds of mighty warriorstried to destroy this bird, but all their shoot-ing, all their snaring, failed. Sometimes everysoul in a village was eaten. Then all thetribes of the Illini began crying, What shallwe do.? Up then rose Ouatogo, their great chief.His fame extended clear beyond the great lakes. THE PIASA BIRD 133 ^I will go apart from my tribe

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