Waltey
Cloudyjev duh
199 The Spirit of Cloudy
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land · Charles M. SkinnerO besedilu
Cloudyjev duh
- Vir
- Myths and Legends of Our Own Land
- Avtor
- Charles M. Skinner
- Jezik branja
- Slovenščina
- Jezik izvirnika
- English
- Čas branja
- 2 min branja
- Obseg
- 2 strani
- Naslov izvirnika
- 199 The Spirit of Cloudy
O izvirniku
Myths and Legends of Our Own Land
Obsežna zgodovinska zbirka ameriških legend, ki jih je Skinner zbral in avtorsko rekonstruiral. Bralni jezik je Slovenščina, izvirnik pa prihaja iz vira Myths and Legends of Our Own Land v jeziku English.
Besedilo
Cloudyjev duh
Med gozdnimi delavci v Algerju v Michiganu je bil tudi William Cloud, Indijanec, ki so mu navadno pravili Cloudy in je pogosto delal pri drči, miljo in pol od vasi. Neko pomlad je močno deževalo in po vodi so do drče priplavili velik splav hlodov. Tam jih je zadrževala zapornica, dokler ni napočil čas, da jih vse naenkrat spustijo skoznjo. Ko je potok dosegel najvišji vodostaj, je delovodja splavarjem naročil, naj spustijo zapornico in poženejo les po vodi. Ukaz je prišel neke mrzle aprilske noči. Ker je bila tema kot v rogu in je dež lilo v gostih zavesah, so se delavci dogovorili, da bodo žrebali, kdo si bo upal ven in sprostil hlode. Usodni listek je izvlekel Cloudy. Bil je tih mož in brez besede je odprl vrata, se sključil proti neurju in izginil v temi. Minila je ura in možje v koči so se smejali, ko so si predstavljali, kakšen bo njihov tovariš ob vrnitvi, premočen do kože. Spraševali so se tudi, ali nemara čaka v kakem zavetju ob poti, da mine polnoč, kajti Indijanci so verjeli, da zli duh vsako noč zapusti potok in se do te ure potika naokrog.
Ko se je čakanje zavleklo, so šale in pogovor zamrli in zavladala je mračna tišina. Nazadnje je eden izmed mož sklenil, da pojde ven pogledat, ali se je Indijancu kaj pripetilo. Pridružili so se mu še trije in skupaj so se odpravili k potoku. Nad drčo so opazili, da se zapornica — sprostili so jo tako, da so izvlekli železne zatiče, nato pa se je spustila pod lastno težo — ni povsem usedla na svoje mesto. V soju svetilke, ki so jo pridržali tik nad površino deroče vode, so medlo razločili nekaj, kar jo je oviralo. Zapornico so nekoliko dvignili in oviro izvlekli s kavlji na dolgih drogovih. Bilo je Cloudyjevo izmaličeno truplo. Pokopali so ga ob potoku, toda tabor so kmalu opustili in drča zdaj propada, kajti vsako noč med deseto in dvanajsto uro Indijančeva prikazen v spremstvu zlega duha potoka blodi po gozdu. Njena postava v temi modrikasto žari, njeno ječanje pa preglasi šumenje in pljuskanje vode.
Izvirnik
199 The Spirit of Cloudy
Naslednje strani prikazujejo izvirno besedilo za primerjavo.
Among the lumbermen of Alger, Michigan, was William Cloud, an Indian, usually called Cloudy, who was much employed on a chute a mile and a half out of the village. The rains were heavy one spring, and a large raft of logs had been floated down to the chute, where they were held back by a gate until it was time to send them through in a mass. When the creek had reached its maximum height the foreman gave word to the log-drivers to lower the gate and let the timber down. This order came on a chilly April night, and, as it was pitchy dark and rain was falling in sheets, the lumbermen agreed to draw cuts to decide which of them should venture out and start the logs. Cloudy drew the fatal slip. He was a quiet fellow, and without a word he opened the door, bent against the storm, and passed into the darkness. An hour went by, and the men in the cabin laughed as they described the probable appearance of their comrade when he should return, soaked through and through, and they wondered if he was waiting in some shelter beside the path for the middle of the night to pass, for the Indians believed that an evil spirit left the stream every night and was abroad until that hour.
As time lengthened the jest and talk subsided and a moody silence supervened. At length one of the number resolved to sally out and see if any mishap had fallen to the Indian. He was joined by three others, and the party repaired to the creek. Above the chute it was seen that the gate--which was released by the withdrawal of iron pins and sank of its own weight-had not quite settled into place, and by the light of a lantern held near the surface of the rushing current an obstruction could be dimly seen. The gate was slightly raised and the object drawn up with pike-poles. It was the mangled body of Cloudy. He was buried beside the creek; but the camp was soon abandoned and the chute is in decay, for between the hours of ten and twelve each night the wraith of the Indian, accompanied by the bad spirit of the stream, ranges through the wood, his form shining blue in the gloom, his groans sounding above the swish and lap of the waters.
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