The Indian Fairy Book | Page 8

the
countenance, and more especially the eyes, are beyond a doubt those of
a man. Her husband rejected her suspicions, and rebuked her severely
for entertaining such notions of her own daughter-in-law. She still
urged her doubts, which so vexed the husband that he broke his
pipe-stem in her face, and called her an owl.
This act astonished the company, who sought an explanation; and it

was no sooner given, than the mock bride, rising with an air of
offended dignity, informed the Red Head that after receiving so gross
an affront from his relatives she could not think of remaining with him
as his wife, but should forthwith return to her own friends.
With a toss of the head, like that of an angry female, Strong Desire left
the lodge, followed by Red Head, and walked away until he came to the
beach of the island, near the spot where they had first landed. Red Head
entreated him to remain, urging every motive, and making all sorts of
magnificent promises--none of which seemed to make the least
impression. Strong Desire, Red Head thought, was very hard-hearted.
During these appeals they had seated themselves upon the ground, and
Red Head, in great affliction, reclined his head upon his fancied wife's
lap. Strong Desire now changed his manner, was very kind and
soothing, and suggested in the most winning accent that if Red Head
would sleep soundly for awhile he might possibly dream himself out of
all his troubles. Red Head, delighted at so happy a prospect, said that he
would fall asleep immediately.
"You have killed a good many men in your time, Red Head," said
Strong Desire, by way of suggesting an agreeable train of ideas to the
sorcerer.
"Hundreds," answered Red Head; "and what is better, now that I am
fairly settled in life by this happy marriage, I shall be able to give my
whole attention to massacre."
"And you will kill hundreds more," interposed Strong Desire, in the
most insinuating manner imaginable.
"Just so, my dear," Red Head replied, with a great leer; "thousands.
There will be no end to my delicious murders. I love dearly to kill
people. I would like to kill you if you were not my wife."
"There, there," said Strong Desire, with the coaxing air of a little
coquette, "go to sleep; that's a good Red Head."
No other subject of conversation occurring to the chief, now that he had

exhausted the delightful topic of wholesale murder, he straightway fell
into a deep sleep.
The chance so anxiously sought for had come; and Strong Desire, with
a smiling eye, drawing his blade of grass with lightning swiftness once
across the neck of the Red Head, severed the huge and wicked head
from the body.
In a moment, stripping off his woman's dress, underneath which he had
all along worn his male attire, Strong Desire seized the bleeding trophy,
plunged into the lake, and swam safely over to the main shore. He had
scarcely reached it, when, looking back, he saw amid the darkness the
torches of persons come out in search of the new married couple. He
listened until they had found the headless body, and he heard their
piercing shrieks of rage and sorrow as he took his way to the lodge of
his kind adviser.
The little old woman who makes war was in an excellent humor, and
she received Strong Desire with rejoicing. She admired his prudence,
and assured him his bravery should never be questioned again. Lifting
up the head, which she gazed upon with vast delight, she said he need
only have brought the scalp. Cutting off a lock of the hair for herself,
she told him he might now return with the head, which would be
evidence of an achievement that would cause his own people to respect
him.
"In your way home," added the little old woman, "you will meet with
but one difficulty. Maunkahkeesh, the Spirit of the Earth, requires an
offering or sacrifice from all of her sons who perform extraordinary
deeds. As you walk along in a prairie there will be an earthquake; the
earth will open and divide the prairie in the middle. Take this partridge
and throw it into the opening, and instantly spring over it."
With many thanks to the little old witch, who had so faithfully
befriended him, Strong Desire took leave of her, and having, by the
course pointed out, safely passed the earthquake, he arrived near his
own village. He secretly hid his precious trophy.

On entering the village, he found that his parents had returned from the
place of their spring encampment by the wood-side, and that they were
in heavy sorrowing for their son, whom they supposed to be lost. One
and another of the young