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For Woman’s Work.
INDIAN LEGENDS.
IWASSEE VALLEY lies like
a jewel among the rugged
peaks of the Blue Ridge in
North Georgia, which in this
vicinity shows scenery un-
H
surpassed for beauty. The following charm
ing legend explains how this romantic
spot received its name :
About a hundred and forty years ago a
bitter war raged between the Catawba and
Cherokee Indians. In one of those fre
quent and bold excursions so common
among those wild denizens of the forest,
the son of the principal Cherokee chief sur
prised and captured a large town belong-
ing to the Catawba tribe. Among
the captives was Hiwassee,
(pretty fawn) the daughter of
the head chief of the Catawbas.
A youthful warrior of the Chero
kees, whose name was Notley
(daring horseman) instantly be
came captivated with the beauti
ful, graceful manners of the
royal captive; and was over
whelmed with delight, upon find
ing that his love was returned by
the object of his heart’s adora
tion .
Taking two attendants with
him, Notley presented himself
before the Catawba chief, who
happened to be absent when his
town was captured, and gave him
a brief account of the recent oc
currences, and then demanded his
daughter in marriage. The proud
Catawba, lifting high his war
club, knitting his brow and curl
ing his lips with scorn, declared
that as the Catawbas drank the
waters of the east and the Chero
kees the waters of the west, when
that insolent and daring lad
could find where these waters
united, then, and not until then,
might the hateful Cherokee unite
with the daughter of the great
Catawba.
Discouraged, but not despair
ing, Notley turned away from
the presence of the haughty and
unfeeling father of the beautiful
Hiwassee, firmly resolved to
search for a union of the eastern
with the western waters, which
was then considered an impossi
bility. Many a mile he walked
through the trackless forest, and
ascending the pinnacle of the
Blue Ridge which divides the
waters of the Atlantic from
those which flow west, he tra
versed their devious and winding
courses, and could frequently
find springs running each way,
and having their source within
a few paces of each other; but
this was not what he desired.
Day after day was spent in
this love’s labor, and there ap- •
peared no hope that his energy
and perseverance would be re
warded. One day when he was ’
almost exhausted with hunger
and fatigue, he came to a lovely
spot on the summit of the ridge,
broadening into a delightful
plain. Here he resolved to rest
and refresh himself during the
sultry portion of the day. As
he reclined upon the ground,
thinking of Hiwassee, he saw three young
lawns moving towards a small lake, the
stream of which was rippling at his feet.
Notley almbst unconsciously began to
creep towards them as they stopped to
drink. Untaught in the wiles of danger,
the fawns showed no indication whatever
of running, and he had now approached so
near that he expected in a moment, by one
leap, to lay hold of and capture one, at
least, of the spotted beauties ; when to his
great surprise, he saw another stream run
ning out of the beautiful lake down the
western side of the mountain. Springing
forward with the bound of a deer, half
frantic with joy, he exclaimed :
“Hiwassee! O, Hiwassee! I have
found it!”
Having thus accomplished his object, he
set out for the residence of Hiwassee’s
father, accompanied only by one warrior.
Fortunately for the success of his enter
prise, he met the beautiful maiden with
her attendants, half a mile from her
father’s house. She told him that her
father was still indignant at his proposal,
and would never keep his promise.
“ I will fly with you to the mountains,”
said Hiwassee, “ but my father will never
consent to our marriage.”
So Notley pointed out to her a mountain
in the distance, and said if he found her
there, they should drink of the waters that
flowed from the beautiful lake.
A few moments afterwards, our hero met
the Catawba chief near the town, and, at
once informed him of the wonderful dis
covery, and offered to conduct him to the
place. He, half-choked with rage, accused
Notley with the intention of deceiving
him, in order to get near the line of terri
tory, where the Cherokee army were wait
ing to kill him.
“ But,” he said, “ as you have spared my
daughter, so will I spare you, and permit
you at once to depart; but I have sworn
you shall never marry my daughter, and I
cannot swear false.”
“ You cannot swear false 1” exclaimed
Notley; “then, by the Great Spirit, she is
mine 1” and the next moment he disap
peared in a thick forest.
That night brought no sleep to the Ca
tawba chief, for Hiwassee did not return.
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Pursuit was made in vain. The fierce and
haughty chief saw his daughter never
again.
Notley, bounding through the mountains,
soon met his beloved Hiwassee. Their
marriage was solemnized according to the
custom of their country, and they led a
retired life in those wild regions for three
years.
About that time, having heard of the
death of his father-in-law, he settled in the
lovely valley of the river on the western
side of the mountain, and called it Hiwas
see, after his beautiful wife.
In process of time he was unanimously
chosen head chief of the Cherokees, and
was the instrument of making perpetual
peace between his tribe and the Catawbas.
THE 810 SWAMP.
Okeflnokee is one of the largest swamps
in the United States, being thirty miles
long and about seventeen broad. It was
called by the Creek Indians, E-cun-fl-no
cau (quivering earth], because a little
motion will make the mud and water of
the swamp quiver.
Several rivers have their head waters in
it, and it contains many lakes, islands and
forests of heavy timber. It is the home of
countless rattlesnakes, moccasins and alli-
WOMAN’S WORK.
gators, besides many species of game birds.
The Creeks never being able to pene
trate this vast swamp, and therefore know
ing little of its nature, wonderingly
regarded it as an abode of mystery. They
believed that it contained an island that
was one of the most blissful spots in the
world. It was inhabited by a peculiar
race of Indians, whose women were incom
parably beautiful. On one occasion only,
had this island been seen by some of their
hunters. In the too eager pursuit of game,
they became lost in inextricable swamps
and bogs, and were on the point of per
ishing, when they were unexpectedly
relieved by a company of fair women,
whom they called “ daughters of the sun,”
who kindly gave them such provisions as
they had, chiefly oranges, dates, and a few
corn cases. When they had strengthened
and refreshed themselves with food, the
women begged them to return instantly to
their homes, as their husbands were fierce
men, and cruel to strangers.
The hunters had a view of their settle
ments, situated on the elevated banks of
an island or promontory in a beautiful
lake. Heedless of the warning of their
entertainers, they made every effort to
approach it, but in vain, for they became
involved in perpetual labyrinths; and like
enchanted land, when they imagined they
had just gained it, it seemed to fly before
them, alternately appearing and disap
pearing. They resolved at length to
leave the delusive pursuit and return,
which, after great difficulty, they effected,
arriving safely at their homes.
When the hunters reported their adven
tures to their countrymen, the imagina
tion of the young warriors took fire, and
they determined to invade and conquer so
charming a country. Many were the
attempts they made—each one more unsuc
cessful than the other—to reach that
enchanted isle; but never again were they
able to find it, nor even any road to it.
So strong an impression did the story of
the hunters make, that as the years rolled
by, the existence of an enchanted island in
Okeflnokee Swamp became a part of the
legendary lore of the Creek Indians.
F. L. M.
For Woman’s Work.
THE FIRST NORSEMAN.
BY SHILOH PAYNK LANGFORD.
________ •
Almost 1900 years ago was born, over
in a far off corner ot Asia, a little boy.
They called the place where he was born,
Bethlehem; and the boy, Christ; and then
they began to number the years 1,2, 3, &c.
And the years went by, one after another,
till they numbered 985, many great and
wonderful things happening in each year
as they passed. In this year (985) a man
who lived in Iceland, and was named
Heriulf, sailed in a ship with another man,
Eirek, for Greenland.
Heriulf had a son named Biarni Heriulf
son who was in Norway when he sailed
away. When Biarni Heriulfson came
home, and found his father gone, he would
not land. He had been used to being with
his father every winter; and he
said he would spend this one
with him, too. So he and his
sailors sailed away from Iceland
on the dangerous venture of
finding the little settlement on
the vast, lonely and unexplored
shores of Greenland. He was
hardly out of sight of land, when
a strong northeast wind arose.
This wind, aided by thick fogs,
blew him out of his course and
drove him straight before it
several days. At last the fog
cleared off, and land was seen to
the west. It was woody, with
some rising ground, but no moun
tains. It was probably Long
Island, Nantucket or Cape Cod.
They put the ship about, and
leaving the land to the left, steer
ed north for two days, with a
favorable wind. They then came
upon land, which was low and
level, and overgrown with woods.
Probably this was Cape Sable,
Nova Scotia, which is only two
hundred miles from the first
point seen, and with a good wind,
could be easily accomplished in
the two days. The sailors asked
if this was the land. He answer
ed—“No, for they told me that
there are great mountains of ice
in Greenland.”
The sailors wanted to land, but
he refused to, and sailed on three
days longer with a southwest
wind; then he found a great
island, high, mountainous, and
covered with ice. Probably New
Foundland, as a wind such as
they had would readily carry the
vessel between the two points in
three days. They were afraid of
this island; so sailed on four days
longer, with a furious southwest
wind, and the keel pointed in a
northerly direction. At the end
of the four days, by rare good luck,
Biarni came upon the promon
tory, (Heriulfson) in Greenland,
where his father had fixed his
home. The 600 miles between
New Foundland and the south
ern end of Greenland, could easily
be passed over by a vessel run
ning before a strong wind. So,
it seems that American shores
were first seen in 985, by Biarni
Heriulfson and his crew, on their
accidental voyage. About 995
Heriulfson made a visit to Nor
way, where the story he told
of his queer voyage, caused a
great deal of excitement.
BUTTERFLY LACE.
Make a chain of 16 stitches.
Ist Row. Isc in 10th st from hook, sch,
Isc in 6th st, 6ch, turn.
2nd Row. * 3tc under Ist ch (keep the
last loop of each tc on the hook, making 4
in all on the hook, thread over and draw
all through all the loops at once) sch, re
peat from • 4 times under the next ch,
3ch, making Bch with the sch; turn.
3rd Row. Isc under Ist sch (6ch, Isc
under next sch) repeat part in parenthesis
4 times; sch, turn.
Begin again at the 2nd row.
FOR THE HEADING.
Ist Row. * Isc under sch, 3ch, Ide un
der the next chs, ch 4, repeat * the length
required.
2nd Row. Begin at same end as Ist
row, fasten the thread ; Ide into every st
of last row.
As I grow in years I grow more chari
table, because I see no fault committed by
others that I have not committed myself.
—Goethe.
9