Читать книгу Nature Power - Harry Robinson - Страница 7

YOU THINK IT’S A STUMP, BUT THAT’S MY GRANDFATHER

Left alone by his father, his uncles and the other hunters, a boy finds himself singing with another young boy and his grandfather beside a smooth stump.

Sash-AP-kin.

That’s his Indian name.

White people call is Shash-ap-KANE.

That means “Smooth Stump.”

Supposing if—now here’s this—

that’s the stump right there.

And underneath the stump was washed out

and washed out,

and then there’s kind of hole underneath.

The roots look like that.

And it’s kind of—the chipmunk or anything can get under that.

And this stump was a standing in the place

where this snow slide at every year.

But, they must’ve grow there a long, long time.

But maybe not sliding place at that time.

But somehow, when the earthquake and the rocks was sliding,

and they open up like—

and when the snow comes

and after that slide every year.

But this tree was growing there right where the slide goes.

But hit by a big stone and broke.

But only stump—so high.

The stump is still there.

It turn into a hard wood, more like a pitch.

Then everytime when they had a snowslide,

it was always mixed with rocks and things, you know.

Then the rocks, the small rocks, they hit them

and—just like they resting or something.

And they smooth.

Just smooth, but stump.

And underneath, they kind of washed.

And there was kind of hole underneath.

But right in the steep hill

and the place was like that.

That’s where the snow slide every year.

And Sash-AP-kin, he was just a young,

about ten years old, eleven years old,

something like that.

And he was left there by the hunter.

His dad, and the other hunters, they tell ’em,

“You stay here.

You wait here.

It’s too far for you to walk.

You stay ’round here.

We can hunt that way, make a turn

and a circle,

and then we come back.

Towards evening we come by

and then you can go back with us to the camp.”

You know, they tell ’em lies to leave ’em there.

Just like George Jim.

Yeah.

So the older people, his dad and his uncle and the others,

they thought they going to leave him there by himself.

Maybe some animal, maybe bird or something,

they might met them.

And talk to ’em.

So he can be power man.

They think—but they didn’t tell ’em.

They just tell ’em,

“You, you might get tired if you go along.

You too young.

You going to get tired.

You stay here and we hunt.

We come back and then you can go back with us to the camp.”

So he thinks,

“Well, that’s good enough,

because that’s too far.

I get tired if I go along.”

So he satisfied to be there alone.

So these other people went.

But he’s left there all by himself.

So finally, he looked around and he go down that way

where he could see that the nice and smooth.

Quite a ways.

Where the snow slide.

But this was in the summer—no snow.

So he looked that place

and then he could see that stump,

quite a ways down.

So he thought,

“Maybe I go and see that.

Looks like a rock or looks like a stump or something.

Maybe I go down there and take a look.”

So he went down and he come to this stump.

Before he get too close,

and he looked.

By God, that stump was just as smooth,

just like somebody rub it nice and smooth.

And they go little ways.

Looked around.

Then they see the chipmunk.

Running from little ways.

And they run to get under that stump.

Because it’s high from the ground

and they get under that.

He pick up a stick,

and he thought he go over there

and is going to make a fun with that chipmunk.

He put the stick underneath, you know.

He going to scare ’em out of there

and then he’s going to make ’em run away.

Or else, he’s going to make fun.

When he get there,

and he get the stick,

and they puts the stick under the stump, you know,

to try to get the chipmunk out of that.

But, the first thing they do,

the chipmunk, it get out of that stump on the other side.

But he get up.

And there was another boy, like him.

Just a boy, just like him.

Get out of the stump and he stand up.

Was another boy.

And told ’em,

“Well, boy, you’re here.”

“Yeah.”

“You think you’re going to make a fun out of me.”

“Well,” he says.

“That’s what I think.”

“You do not think of that.

You my friend.

You boy, and I’m a boy.

We both boy.

So, it’s better to be friends

instead of making fun out of me.

Now, I’m going to tell you something.

This stump—you think it’s a stump—

but that’s my grandfather.

He’s very, very old man.

Old, old man.

He can talk to you.

He can tell you what you going to be

when you get to be middle aged, or more.

But you’re not going to be like that now,

right away.

Later on.

When you get to be middle aged.

My grandfather that will tell you … ”

Then, just in a second, then he could see,

supposed to be the son

but he was an old, old man.

He setting there.

And he talked.

And told ’em,

“You see me.

You see my body.

It was hit by the bullet for many, many years.

Hit by the bullet.

That’s why you could see, all smooth.

That’s bullet marks.

And the bullet, when they hit me—the bullet—

they never go through my skin.

They never go through my body.

For a long, long time.

You look how old I was.

I been hit with a bullet for many years.

I never get killed.

The bullet never go in through my body.

So now, that’s the way you going to be.

When you get to be a man.

If somebody shoots you,

with the bow and arrow, or gun.”

At those days, they had the gun,

like the first gun like they have.

“Then, if anybody shoot you,

you going to be just like me.

The bullet never will go into your skin.

And that’s going to be your power.”

And he started to sing.

He sing the song,

that old man.

And the chipmunk was a boy,

turn to be a boy.

He sing the song.

The both of ’em talked to him.

And he’s got two power.

And he sing the song.

The three of ’em sing the song,

for a while.

Then told ’em that, that would be enough.

Then, in the same way, he don’t know what happened

and he went to sleep.

First thing he know, he was WAY down.

He must’ve rolled, or sliding, or somehow,

but WAY down.

When he wake up.

And he wake up and then his people were around,

way up there, looking for him.

They couldn’t find ’em.

But he get up and he could see his people WAY up.

And then he got up and they holler.

Then, these other people,

“My God!” they holler way down.

They must’ve go down that way.

But the last he knew, right by that stump.

No more.

But he might’ve walked down or might’ve rolled.

Nobody know.

But he was WAY down when they come to him.

But he knows already what he’s going to be

when he get to be a man.

So, that’s the way he get his power.

Then, when he get to be a man,

’bout middle age or more,

and told him again,

“Now is his time. For you.

You’re not going to use your power for anybody.

Just for you.”

So that’s Sash-AP-kin is a power man

but his power, never use for anybody,

you know, just for himself.

Then, one time, just so they could show, I think,

somehow that they had trouble with the white people.

And finally these white people,

those days, all the white people that comes,

they all bad, you know.

They mean.

They tough.

So they—they shoot him.

He shoot him with a rifle.

But they never get him.

They never kill him.

Those days, there’s different rifles they use.

They got the powder they put right in the rifle.

Then put the lead in there

and put the rag in there

and put powder to the rag.

Then put some more rags.

Then they put the lead in.

And then they put some more rags on top of the lead,

to keep the lead in place.

Then—they got the hammer just like the other gun.

Then they pull the trigger.

Then this is expired or exploded.

Then the bullet went, “Bang!”

Then they smoke.

They fired two shots.

They got two bar, you know, more like a shotgun.

Fire the both of ’em.

Quite the smoke.

When they shoots him with that.

When the smoke was all over,

he still there.

He never gots hurt.

The bullet never go in.

But they know, they shoot him not far.

They hit it all right.

But the bullet never go through on his body.

And that’s just to show to the white,

or to the other Indians.

So that’s how they know he’s a power man.

Just for himself.

So he live ’til he get old.

Very old—can be about seventy or more.