The Captive

: PIMA TALES
: Indian Legends Retold

There was once a little boy who was brought up by his grandmother.

While he was yet very young, his mother had been taken captive by the

warlike Apaches. He thought about her a great deal, for he had heard

that they treat their prisoners cruelly.



One day he made up his mind to run away and find her. The way was long

and hard, but at last he descried the enemy's camp upon the plain, and

when he came nearer he could see a woman standing, looking toward the

mesa and her old home. He knew her at once by the white scars which

covered her arms, showing where she had been tortured with fire. The

child turned himself into a dove and flew straight to his mother, who

took him in her hands, and recognized him as her son.



She caressed and fondled him, but told him that he must fly home

again before the Apache chief returned, as it would not be safe for

him to stay. While they were talking together, the chief entered

suddenly.



"What do you mean by whispering to that dove?" he demanded fiercely.

"There is sorcery here." And he took the bird in his powerful hands

and squeezed it so that the delicate flesh and bones oozed out between

his fingers.



The woman screamed, and the murdered dove instantly became a whole

flock of hawks, which beat the chief down with their wings and pecked

out his eyes. While they attacked him, the captive escaped, and

returned to her own people.