THE NEW CHIEF CALLS FOR THE CIRCLE TO BE MADE

The wind blew hard from the north of our village at the head waters of Shooting Creek. My father went northwest, towards Yellow Creek, with only a handful of young braves. The white eyes are pushing hard now for our lands. They hide in the trees and take potshots at the Indians. My father, Running Fox, should have been back by now. My friend Big Bear said, "Red Wolf, why don't we take our braves and go look for the chief and his braves?" I, Red Wolf say, "No, we will wait, my father is the best of all the trail's men and no one knows the forest and sees the signs like him". "But Red Wolf, he has been gone way too long to have just gone to Yellow Creek. He should have been there and back by now. There have been more and more attacks by the white eyes on the Cherokees". "Big Bear, I will give them till dawns light, if they do not return by then, we will go looking for them".

The night was cold and the priest of the cold, from the north, was here making himself known, making us cold to the bone. Morning finally came but Chief Running Fox and his braves did not return.

Young Red Wolf said to Big Bear, "Call all our warriors; we will go now to find the chief and his braves. Send our scouts northwest towards Yellow Creek to look for the chief. Tell them no more than the time running of our brother, the Rabbit. I do not wish them to go very far ahead. The white eyes hide and wait, behind every tree and bush". "Where could they be", said big Bear. "My father is the best of the trail men; he would not be found sleeping like a child in its mothers arms". Big Bear replied, "Wait, I hear sounds from over there. It is your father, the chief, and his braves. Their spirits have gone from them, now in the land of the dark rim. "We must call the spirits," Red Wolf said. "Bring the bodies of my father and the braves." Have our scouts look for trails of the white eyes that did this and then you return to the village with me. We must make the circle and call for the spirits of the shadow dancers to carry the spirits of the chief and the braves to their tombs before they are lost to the dark spirits. You will become the new chief. I will go find the Conjuror of the Horn to make the circle as you said to take the chief and braves to the lands of the Totem, to be blessed by the priest and be protected by the shadow dancers".

Red Wolf said, "Conjuror of the Horn, make your circle to call for the blessing of the priest, to protect their spirits in the lands of the Totem". Then Big Bear said, "We want the blessing of the spirits for our new chief. All of us in this village want Red Wolf as our new chief. The village people called out in war calls, the Conjuror of the Horn; bless the circle around the totem in the center of the village". The ceremonies began and the Conjuror said, "Bring all the elders to the circle of fire". Then he asked, "Do you, the elders of the village, agree with the people that Red Wolf should be our new chief?" They agreed and then the Conjuror said, "Mothers of the longhouse, do you agree that Red Wolf should be our new chief?" and the mother over all the mothers of the longhouse stood up and said, "Red Wolf is young but so was his father when he became chief, many next

105