Waltey

Prevod

Severna plemena so veličastne reke in samotna jezera Wisconsina spoštovala ali se jih bala; z njimi povezani, danes že pozabljeni dogodki in vraže so prav toliko kot obmejna naklonjenost udarnim imenom prispevali k temu, da so deli te pokrajine dobili mračna, peklenska poimenovanja. Tako so se ohranili spomini na hudiče, čarovnice, čarovnike in manituje, Indijanci, katerih junaštvo je veljalo za nadnaravno, pa so tu in tam zapustili zabrisane sledove o sebi — denimo blizu sotesk reke Wisconsin, kjer kažejo petdeset čevljev široko brezno, ki naj bi ga poglavar Black Hawk preskočil med begom pred belci. Jezero Devil's Lake je bilo dom manituja, ki, kot kaže, ni bil posebno zloben duh, čeprav je imel nenavadno moč. Jezero zapolnjuje kotanjo, ki jo domačini imajo za krater ugaslega ognjenika, in hladnost ter čistost vode, ki se ohranjata kljub temu, da ni videti ne pritokov ne odtokov, sta bili eden od razlogov, da so ga imeli za skrivnostno in srhljivo.

Ta manitu je nakopičil težke skalne klade, imenovane Devil's Door-Way, ter postavil Black Monument in Pedestalled Bowlder kot prestola, na katerih je lahko podnevi sedel in opazoval pokrajino — saj so Indijanci cenili lepoto narave in domnevali, da jo cenijo tudi njihovi bogovi — ponoči pa je lahko gledal ples duhov mraza, severni sij. Cleft Rock je razklal z eno svojih puščic, ki jo je izstrelil proti Indijancu, ker se mu je ta zameril; ta je svoje življenje dolgoval manitujevemu slabemu merjenju. Kažejo tudi Sacrifice Stone, kjer so ob neki drugi priložnosti žrtvovali dekle, da bi pomirili njegovo jezo. Cleopatra's Needle, kakor skalo imenujejo danes, je telo starodavnega poglavarja, ki so ga za kazen spremenili v kamen, ker je radovedno brskal po skrivnostih jezera; kamen na East Mountain pa je ostanek Indijanke, ki se je pregrešila na podoben način. Ob reki St. Croix kažejo Devil's Chair, kjer je manitu sedel v vsej svoji veličini. Tudi igrivost ga je včasih obšla, kakor lahko sklepate, ko vidite njegovo sankališče v kanjonu Weber v Utahu; goro Cinnabar v pokrajini Yellowstone pa je med spustom po njej ožgal do rdečega.

Lovec, ki je taval po tej wisconsinski divjini, je obstal, ko je zagledal jezero, kajti vsa divjad v njegovi okolici je bila pod manitujevim varstvom; ni bilo dovoljeno ujeti niti ene ribe, niti zajeti kapljice vode, da bi si popotnik osvežil ustnice. Strah, da bi užalili manituja, je bil tako močan, da Indijanci, ki so umirali zaradi ran ali bolezni in hrepeneli po požirku vode, niso hoteli oskruniti jezera s tem, da bi se ga dotaknili z ustnicami.

Izvirnik

Any of the noble rivers and secluded lakes of Wisconsin were held in esteem or fear by the northern tribes, and it was the now-forgotten events and superstitions connected with them, not less than the frontier tendency for strong names, that gave a lurid and diabolical nomenclature to parts of this region. Devils, witches, magicians, and manitous were perpetuated, and Indians whose prowess was thought to be supernatural left dim records of themselves here and there--as near the dells of the Wisconsin, where a chasm fifty feet wide is shown as the ravine leaped by chief Black Hawk when flying from the whites. Devil's Lake was the home of a manitou who does not seem to have been a particularly evil genius, though he had unusual power. The lake fills what is locally regarded as the crater of an extinct volcano, and the coldness and purity kept by the water, in spite of its lacking visible inlets or outlets, was one cause for thinking it uncanny.

This manitou piled the heavy blocks of Devil's Door-Way and set up Black Monument and the Pedestalled Bowlder as thrones where he might sit and view the landscape by day--for the Indians appreciated the beautiful in nature and supposed their gods did, too--while at night he could watch the dance of the frost spirits, the aurora borealis. Cleft Rock was sundered by one of his darts aimed at an offending Indian, who owed his life to the manitou's bad aim. The Sacrifice Stone is shown where, at another time, a girl was immolated to appease his anger. Cleopatra's Needle, as it is now called, is the body of an ancient chief, who was turned into stone as a punishment for prying into the mysteries of the lake, a stone on East Mountain being the remains of a squaw who had similarly offended. On the St. Croix the Devil's Chair is pointed out where he sat in state. He had his play spells, too, as you may guess when you see his toboggan slide in Weber Canon, Utah, while Cinnabar Mountain, in the Yellowstone country, he scorched red as he coasted down.

The hunter wandering through this Wisconsin wilderness paused when he came within sight of the lake, for all game within its precincts was in the manitou's protection; not a fish might be taken, and not even a drop of water could be dipped to cool the lips of the traveller. So strong was this fear of giving offence to the manitou that Indians who were dying of wounds or illness, and were longing for a swallow of water, would refuse to profane the lake by touching their lips to it.

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