🧚 The Accursed Lake

AWAY to the southeast of the Manzano Mountains, two days’ journey from my pueblo of Isleta, are the shallow salt lakes.1 For scores of miles their dazzling sheen is visible--a strange patch of silver on the vast brown plains.2 They are near the noblest ruins in our North America--the wondrous piles of massive masonry of Abó, Cuaray, and the so-called “Gran Quivira”--the latter the home of the silliest delusion that ever lured treasure-hunters to their death.3 The whole region has a romantic history, and is important to the scientific student.4 From that locality came, centuries ago, part of the people who then founded Isleta, and whose descendants dwell here to this day.5 Perhaps you would like to know _why_ those lakes are salt now--for my Indian neighbors say that once they were fresh and full of fish, and that the deer and buffalo came from all the country round to drink there.6 The story is very important ethnologically, for it tells much of the strange secret religion of the Pueblos, and more concerning the method of initiating a young Indian into one of the orders of medicine-men--both matters which men of science have found extremely difficult to be learned.7 Here is the story as it is believed by the Tée-wahn, and as it was related to me by one of them.8

Long ago there was still a village east of Shoo-paht-hóo-eh, the Eagle-Feather (Manzano) Mountains, and in it lived a famous hunter.9 One day, going out on the plains to the east, he stalked a herd of antelopes, and wounded one with his arrows.10 It fled eastward, while the herd went south; and the hunter began to trail it by the drops of blood.11 Presently he came to the largest lake, into which the trail led.12 As he stood on the bank, wondering what to do, a fish thrust its head from the water and said:13

“Friend Hunter, you are on dangerous ground!” and off it went swimming.14 Before the Hunter could recover from his surprise, a Lake-Man came up out of the water and said:15

“How is it that you are here, where no human ever came?”16

The Hunter told his story, and the Lake-Man invited him to come in.17 When he had entered the lake, he came to a house with doors to the east, north, west, and south, and a trap-door in the roof, with a ladder; and by the latter door they entered.18 In their talk together the Lake-Man learned that the Hunter had a wife and little son at home.19

“If that is so,” said he, “why do you not come and live with me?20 I am here alone, and have plenty of other food, but I am no hunter.21 We could live very well here together.”22 And opening doors on four sides of the room he showed the Hunter four other huge rooms, all piled from floor to ceiling with corn and wheat and dried squash and the like.23

“That is a very good offer,” said the astonished Hunter.24 “I will come again in four days; and if my Cacique will let me, I will bring my family and stay.”25

So the Hunter went home--killing an antelope on the way--and told his wife all.26 She thought very well of the offer; and he went to ask permission of the Cacique.27 The Cacique demurred, for this was the best hunter in all the pueblo,[63] but at last consented and gave him his blessing.28

[63] All hunters give the Cacique a tenth of their game, for his support.29

So on the fourth day the Hunter and his wife and little boy came to the lake with all their property.30 The Lake-Man met them cordially, and gave the house and all its contents into the charge of the woman.31 [64]32

[64] As is the custom among all Pueblo Indians.33

Some time passed very pleasantly, the Hunter going out daily and bringing back great quantities of game.34 At last the Lake-Man, who was of an evil heart, pretended to show the Hunter something in the east room; and pushing him in, locked the great door and left him there to starve--for the room was full of the bones of men whom he had already entrapped in the same way.35

The boy was now big enough to use his bow and arrows so well that he brought home many rabbits; and the witch-hearted Lake-Man began to plot to get him, too, out of the way.36

So one morning when the boy was about to start for a hunt, he heard his mother groaning as if about to die; and the Lake-Man said to him:37

“My boy, your mother has a terrible pain, and the only thing that will cure her is some ice from T’hoor-p’ah-whée-ai [Lake of the Sun],[65] the water from which the sun rises.”38

[65] Located “somewhere to the east”; perhaps the ocean.39

“Then,” said the boy, straightway, “if that is so, I will take the heart of a man [that is, be brave] and go and get the ice for my little mother.”40 And away he started toward the unknown east.41

Far out over the endless brown plains he trudged bravely; until at last he came to the house of Shee-chóo-hlee-oh, the Old-Woman-Mole, who was there all alone--for her husband had gone to hunt.42 They were dreadfully poor, and the house was almost falling down, and the poor, wrinkled Old-Woman-Mole sat huddled in the corner by the fireplace, trying to keep warm by a few dying coals.43 But when the boy knocked, she rose and welcomed him kindly and gave him all there was in the house to eat--a wee bowl of soup with a patched-up snowbird in it.44 The boy was very hungry, and picking up the snowbird bit a big piece out of it.45

“Oh, my child!” cried the old woman, beginning to weep.46 “You have ruined me!47 For my husband trapped that bird these many years ago, but we could never get another; and that is all we have had to eat ever since.48 So we never bit it, but cooked it over and over and drank the broth.49 And now not even that is left.”50 And she wept bitterly.51

“Nay, Grandmother, do not worry,” said the boy.52 “Have you any long hairs?”--for he saw many snowbirds lighting near by.53

“No, my child,” said the old woman sadly.54 “There is no other living animal here, and you are the first human that ever came here.”55

But the boy pulled out some of his own long hair and made snares, and soon caught many birds.56 Then the Old-Woman-Mole was full of joy; and having learned his errand, she said:57

“My son, fear not, for I will be the one that shall help you.58 When you come into the house of the Trues, they will tempt you with a seat; but you must sit down only on what you have.59 [66] Then they will try you with smoking the _weer_, but I will help you.”60

[66] That is, upon his blanket and moccasins, the unvarying etiquette of the Medicine House.61

Then she gave him her blessing, and the boy started away to the east.62 At last, after a weary, weary way, he came so near the Sun Lake, that the _Whit-lah-wíd-deh_[67] of the Trues saw him coming, and went in to report.63

[67] One of an order of medicine-men, who among other duties, act as guards of the Medicine House.64

“Let him be brought in,” said the Trues; and the Whit-lah-wíd-deh took the boy in and in through eight rooms, until he stood in the presence of all the gods, in a vast room.65 There were all the gods of the East, whose color is white, and the blue gods of the North, the yellow gods of the West, the red gods of the South, and the rainbow-colored gods of the Up, the Down, and the Center, all in human shape.66 Beyond their seats were all the sacred animals--the buffalo, the bear, the eagle, the badger, the mountain lion, the rattlesnake, and all the others that are powerful in medicine.67