兒童英語讀物《神奇樹屋》第十八冊 Buffalo Before Breakfast 08 Sacred Circle
The sun was going down as the three ponies galloped forhome. The deep blue sky was streaked with golden red light.
Back at the Lakota camp, the circle of tepees glowed in thesetting sun. People were gathered around a large fire.
Black Hawk led Jack and Annie to the camp. They got offtheir ponies and went over to the fire.
Grandmother rose to greet them.
"You have been gone a long time," she said.
Black Hawk looked her bravely in the eye.
"Grandmother, I tried to hunt the buffalo alone," he said. "Onecharged at me, but Jack saved my life. Then Annie and WhiteBuffalo Woman stopped all the other buffalo from a stampede.""Let this be a lesson to you," Grandmother said sternly. "Your'pride led you to show off. Showing off made you behavefoolishly. Your foolishness frightened a buffalo. He frightenedothers. One thing always leads to another. Everything isrelated.""I am sorry," said Black Hawk. He hung his head. "I havelearned."Jack felt sorry for Black Hawk.
"I make mistakes sometimes, too," he said softly.
"Me too," said Annie.
Grandmother looked at Jack and Annie.
"Buffalo Girl and Rides-Like-Wind showed great couragetoday," she said.
Jack smiled. He loved his new Lakota name: Rides-Like-Wind.
"We welcome you to our family," said Grandmother.
The evening shadows spread over the camp. Someone beganbeating a drum. it sounded like a heartbeat"Come, sit with us in our circle," said Grandmother.
They sat with her near the warm fire. A cool breeze blewsparks into the gray twilight.
An old man held a long pipe up to the sky. He pointed it tothe east, the south, the west, and the north.
Then he passed the pipe to the next man in circle. The manput the pipe to his lips and blew smoke into the golden firelight.
Then he passed it on.
"The smoke from the sacred pipe joins all to the Great Spirit,"Grandmother said to Jack and Annie.
"The Great Spirit?" asked Annie.
"The Great Spirit is the source of all things in the sacred circleof life," said Grand-mother. "It is the source of all spirits.""What spirits?" asked Jack.
"There are many," said Grandmother. "Wind spirits, treespirits, bird spirits. Some-times they can be seen. Sometimesnot.""What about the White Buffalo Woman?" said Jack. "Who isshe?""She is a messenger of the Great Spirit," said Grandmother.
"He sent her when the people were starving.
She brought the sacred pipe so that our prayers could rise tothe Great Spirit. He answers by sending us the buffalo.""Why do you think White Buffalo Woman came to me?"asked Annie.
"Sometimes courage can summon help from the beyond,"Grandmother said.
She pulled a brown-and-white feather from a small buckskinbag.
She put the feather on the ground in front of Jack and Annie.
"This is a gift for you," she said. "An eagle's feather for yourcourage."Arf! Atf! Teddy wagged his tail.
Jack and Annie smiled at each other. The eagle's feather wastheir "gift from the prairie blue."Their mission was complete.
The chanting and drumbeats grew louder and louder. Thenthey stopped.
The old man held the pipe up to the sky.
"All things are related," he said.
The pipe-smoking ceremony was over.
The sky was dark and filled with stars.
One by one, people rose from the circle and went to theirtepees.
Jack put the eagle's feather in his bag and yawned.
"We better go home now," he said.
"You must rest first," said Grandmother. "You can leave in thedawn.""Good plan," said Annie. She was yawning, too.
They went with Grandmother and Black Hawk to their tepee.
Grandmother pointed to two buffalo robes that lay to one sideof the still-burning fire. Jack and Annie stretched out on them.
Teddy snuggled between them.
Grandmother and Black Hawk lay on robes across from them.
Jack watched as the bluish white smoke rose from the fire. Itwent up through the tepee hole and into the endless starry sky.
Jack listened to the wind blowing through the grass: Shh-shh--shh.
It's the voice of the Great Plains, he thought. Then he driftedoff to sleep.
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