The Legend Of Blackwater
: STORIES OF THE FOURTH NIGHT: Aw-aw-tam Indian Nights
A little off from the road between Sacaton, and Casa Grande Ruins
there is, or was in the old days, a mysterious pool of dark water,
which the Indians regarded with superstitious awe.
They said it was of fathomless depth, that it communicated with
the ocean, and that strange, monstrous animals at times appeared in
it. There are Indians still living who declare they have seen them
with their own eyes.
I visited this famous place once with my interpreter, Mr Wood. After
galloping a while thru a mezquite forest we suddenly emerged upon
its legendary shores. Alas, for the prosaic quality of fact! It was
but a common-place water-hole, or spring-pond, a few rods across,
with bogs and bulrushes in its center.
The unkindness of irrigation ditches, withdrawing its waters, revealed
that like most bottomless pools of story it was very shallow indeed.
It was nearly dry.
Its name of Blackwater has been given to the nearby surrounding
district.
This was the only trace of the common Indian superstition of water
monsters I found among the Pimas.
Koo-a Kutch
The End
More
-
The Knighting Of Cuculain
BY STANDISH O'GRADY One night in the month of the fires of Bel, Cathvah, the Druid and star-gazer, was observing the heavens through his astrological instruments. Beside him was Cuculain, just then completing his sixteenth year. Since the exile... The Koeri And The Barber
There was a well-to-do man of the Koeri (cultivating) caste and opposite his house lived a barber who was very poor; and the barber thought that if he carried on his cultivation just as the Koeri did he might get better results; so every day he made... The Korils Of Plauden
There dwelt formerly in the land of White-Wheat, as well as in Cornouaille, a race of dwarfs, or Korigans, who, being divided into four nations or tribes, inhabited the woods, the commons, the valleys, and the farms. Those dwelling in the woods we... The Labors Of Hercules
Before the birth of Hercules Jupiter had explained in the council of the gods that the first descendant of Perseus should be the ruler of all the others of his race. This honor was intended for the son of Perseus and Alcmene; but Juno was jealous ... The Ladrones
The taking of Guam during the war with Spain was one of the comedies of that disagreement. When its rickety fort was fired upon by one of our ships, the Spanish governor hastened down to the shore to greet the American officers, and apologized bec... The Lady Of Gollerus
BY CROFTON CROKER On the shore of Smerwick harbour, one fine summer's morning, just at daybreak, stood Dick Fitzgerald 'shoghing the dudeen,' which may be translated, smoking his pipe. The sun was gradually rising behind the lofty Brandon, the ... The Lady Of The Twilight
In Koolauloa, Oahu, is a natural well, of unknown depth and thirty yards in diameter, that is believed to be connected with the ocean. Bodies drowned in this crater are said to have been found afterward floating in the sea. This pond, known as Wai... The Lady Ursula
In 1690 a stately house stood in Kittery, Maine, a strongly guarded place with moat and drawbridge (which was raised at night) and a moated grange adjacent where were cattle, sheep, and horses. Here, in lonely dignity, lived Lady Ursula, daughter of... The Laird O' Co'
In the days of yore, the proprietors of Colzean, in Ayrshire (ancestors of the Marquis of Ailsa), were known in that country by the title of Lairds o' Co', a name bestowed on Colzean from some co's (or coves) in the rock beneath the castle. One... The Laird Of Balmachie's Wife
In the olden times, when it was the fashion for gentlemen to wear swords, the Laird of Balmachie went one day to Dundee, leaving his wife at home ill in bed. Riding home in the twilight, he had occasion to leave the high road, and when crossing b... The Lake Of The Lute And The Matchless Mountain
Of all the beautiful objects in "the land of the holy gods," as the Japanese call their country, none are more beautiful than Fuji Mountain and Lake Biwa. The one is a great cone of white snow, the other is a sheet of heaven-blue water, in shape l... The Lamb Of Sacrifice
The Revolution was beginning, homes were empty, farms were deserted, industries were checked, and the levies of a foreign army had consumed the stores of the people. A messenger rode into the Connecticut Valley with tidings of the distress that was ... The Lamb With The Golden Fleece
There was once a poor man who had a son, and as the son grew up his father sent him out to look for work. The son travelled about looking for a place, and at last met with a man who arranged to take him as a shepherd. Next day his master gave him ... The Lantern And The Fan
In a Japanese village there once lived a man who had two sons. When the sons were grown up, each brought home a wife from another village a long distance away. The father was greatly pleased with his two daughters-in-law, and for many months they ... The Last Revel In Printz Hall
Young man, I'll give thee five dollars a week to be care-taker in Printz Hall, said Quaker Quidd to fiddler Matthews, on an autumn evening. Young Matthews had just been taunting the old gentleman with being afraid to sleep on his own domain, and a... The Last Shot At Germantown
Many are the tales of prophecy that have been preserved to us from war times. In the beginning of King Philip's war in Connecticut, in 1675, it was reported that the firing of the first gun was heard all over the State, while the drumbeats calling s... The Laughing Fish
There was once a merchant who prospered in his business and in the course of time became very rich. He had five sons but none of them was married. In the village where he lived was an old tank which was half silted up and he resolved to clean it out... The Lazy Cat
A lad married a lazy rich girl, and he made a vow that he would never beat her. The missis never did any work but went about from house to house gossiping and making all kinds of mischief, but still her husband never beat her. One morning as he wa... The Lazy Man
Once upon a time three brothers lived together: the youngest of them was named Kora and he was the laziest man alive: he was never willing to do any work but at meal times he was always first on the spot. His laziness began to drag the family down i... The Lazy Spinning-girl Who Became A Queen
A common woman had a daughter who was a very good worker, but she did not like spinning; for this her mother very often scolded her, and one day got so vexed that she chased her down the road with the distaff. As they were running a prince passed ... The Leader And The Man
In the unsettled state of the Holy Land, where its brave sons had to maintain a kind of guerrilla warfare against the powerful enemy who held its strongholds and ruled in its capital--where communication between places not far remote from each other... The Leap Of Ka Likai
"The Leap of Ka Likai" is the name given to a beautiful waterfall on the Khasi Hills, a few miles to the west of Cherrapoonjee, which, at certain points, is visible from great distances, while the roar and the echoes of its waters are to be heard ... The Legend Of Blackwater
A little off from the road between Sacaton, and Casa Grande Ruins there is, or was in the old days, a mysterious pool of dark water, which the Indians regarded with superstitious awe. They said it was of fathomless depth, that it communicated wi... The Legend Of Dhruva
Sprung from great Brahma, Manu had two sons, Heroic and devout, as I have said, Pryavrata and Uttanapado,--names Known in legends; and of these the last Married two wives, Suruchee, his adored, The mother of a handsome ... The Legend Of Ka Panshandi The Lazy Tortoise
Once upon a time there lived a young tortoise near a large pool. She was very ill-favoured and ugly in appearance and very foolish, as well as being of a lazy disposition, and, like all lazy people, she was slovenly and dirty in her habits. Her na... The Legend Of Llyn Y Ddau Ychain
The speckled cow had two calves, which, when they grew up, became strong oxen. In those days there was a wicked spirit that troubled Cerrig-y-drudion Church, and the people greatly feared this spirit, and everybody was afraid, even in the day-tim... The Legend Of Mackinac Island
Many years ago, a party of wild Ojibwa Indians were resting on the shore of Lake Huron. The story-tellers of the tribe were telling many of their magic tales. One of them spoke, and said, "A wigwam stands in the deep. At the bottom of the lake a ... The Legend Of Mount Sophet Bneng
Sophet Bneng is a bare dome-like hill, about thirteen miles to the north of Shillong, and not far from the Shillong-Gauhati highroad to the East, from which it is plainly visible. Its name signifies the centre of heaven. From the time of the cr... The Legend Of O-na-wut-a-qut-o
A long time ago there lived an aged Odjibwa and his wife on the shores of Lake Huron. They had an only son, a very beautiful boy, named O-na-wut-a-qut-o, or He that catches the clouds. The family were of the totem of the beaver. The parents were v... The Legend Of Paracelsus
It once happened that Paracelsus was walking through a forest, when he heard a voice calling to him by name. He looked around, and at length discovered that it proceeded from a fir-tree, in the trunk of which there was a spirit enclosed by a small... The Legend Of Rheineck
Graf Ulric Von Rheineck was a very wild youth. Recklessly and without consideration did he plunge into every excess. Dissipation grew to be the habit of his life, and no sensual indulgence did he deny himself which could be procured by any means w... The Legend Of Saint Galonnek
Saint Galonnek was a native of Ireland, as, indeed, were almost all the teachers in Brittany of those days, and called himself Galonnus, being evidently of Roman origin. But after he had left his native land, and the fame of his good deeds had spr... The Legend Of The Iei Tree
Some eight or ten miles to the west of the town of Shillong is seen a prominent hill range, a place much renowned in Khasi folk-lore. It is known as the Mountain of the Iei Tree, and is a very romantic spot even in the present day, although divest... The Legend Of The Rice
In the days when the earth was young and all things were better than they now are, when men and women were stronger and of greater beauty, and the fruit of the trees was larger and sweeter than that which we now eat, rice, the food of the people, wa... The Legend Of Thorgunna
A ship from Iceland chanced to winter in a haven near Helgafels. Among the passengers was a woman named Thorgunna, a native of the Hebrides, who was reported by the sailors to possess garments and household furniture of a fashion far surpassing th... The Legend Of U Raitong The Khasi Orpheus
A few miles to the north of Shillong, the chief town of the Province of Assam, there is a fertile and pleasant hill known as the Hill of Raitong, which is one of the most famous spots in ancient folk-lore, and for which is claimed the distinction ... The Leopard Outwitted
There was once a man-eating leopard, whose depredations became so serious, that the whole neighbouring population decided to have a great hunt and kill it. On the day fixed a great crowd of beaters collected, and their drums made a noise as if the w... The Lewiston Hermit
On an island above the falls of the Androscoggin, at Lewiston, Maine, lived a white recluse at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The natives, having had good reason to mistrust all palefaces, could think no good of the man who lived thus amon... The Light Of The Fly
The firefly abounds everywhere in the Islands. I The King of the Air was in terrible rage, For some one had stolen his ring; And every one wondered whoever could dare To do such a terrible thing. He called all his subjects together and sa... The Lion And Jackal
Not because he was exactly the most capable or progressive fellow in the neighborhood, but because he always gave that idea--that is why Jackal slowly acquired among the neighbors the name of a "progressive man." The truly well-bred people around ... The Lion And Jackal 2
Lion had now caught a large eland which lay dead on the top of a high bank. Lion was thirsty and wanted to go and drink water. "Jackal, look after my eland, I am going to get a drink. Don't you eat any." "Very well, Uncle Lion." Lion went to ... The Lion And The Ass Hunting
The king of animals, with royal grace, Would celebrate his birthday in the chase. 'Twas not with bow and arrows, To slay some wretched sparrows; The lion hunts the wild boar of the wood, The antlered dee... The Lion And The Gnat
"Go, paltry insect, nature's meanest brat!" Thus said the royal lion to the gnat. The gnat declared immediate war. "Think you," said he, "your royal name To me worth caring for? Think you I tremb... The Lion And The Hunter
A braggart, lover of the chase, Had lost a dog of valued race, And thought him in a lion's maw. He ask'd a shepherd whom he saw, "Pray show me, man, the robber's place, And I'll have justice in the case." ...