The Comrades Native American Lore
Mashtinna, the Rabbit, was a handsome young man, and,
moreover, of a kind disposition. One day, when he was
hunting, he heard a child crying bitterly, and made all
haste in the direction of the sound. On the further side
of the wood he found one tormenting a baby boy with whips
and pinches, laughing heartily meanwhile and humming a
mother's lullaby. "What do you mean by abusing this innocent
child?" demanded the Rabbit; but the other showed a smiling
face and replied pleasantly: "You do not know what you
are talking about! The child is fretful, and I am merely
trying to quiet him." Mashtinna was not deceived, for
he had guessed that this was Double-Face, who delights
in teasing the helpless ones. "Give the boy to me!" he
insisted; so that Double-Face became angry, and showed
the other side of his face, which was black and scowling.
"The boy is mine," he declared, "and if you say another
word I shall treat you as I have treated him!" Upon this,
Mashtinna fitted an arrow to the string, and shot the
wicked one through the heart.
He then took the child on his arm and followed the trail
to a small and poor teepee. There lived an old man and
his wife, both of them blind and nearly helpless, for
all of their children and grand- children, even to the
smallest and last, had been lured away by wicked Double-Face.
"Ho, grandfather, grandmother! have brought you back the
child!" exclaimed the Rabbit, as he stood in the doorway.
But the poor, blind old people had so often been deceived
by that heartless Double-Face that they no longer believed
anything; therefore they both cried out: "You liar! we
don't believe a word you say! Get away with you, do!"
Since they refused to take the child, and it was now almost
night, the kind-hearted young man wrapped the boy in his
own blanket and lay down with him to sleep. The next morning,
when he awoke, he found to his surprise that the child
had grown up during the night and was now a handsome young
man, so much like him that they might have been twin brothers.
"My friend, we are now comrades for life!" exclaimed the
strange youth. "We shall each go different ways in the
world, doing all the good we can; but if either is ever
in need of help let him call upon the other and he will
come instantly to his aid!" The other agreed, and they
set out in opposite directions.
Not long after, the Rabbit heard a loud groaning and
crying as of some person in great pain. When he reached
the spot, he found a man with his body wedged tightly
in the forks of a tree, which the wind swayed to and fro.
He could not by any means get away, and was in great misery.
"I will take your place, brother!" exclaimed the generous
young man, upon which the tree immediately parted, and
the tree-bound was free. Mashtinna took his place and
the tree closed upon him like a vise and pinched him severely.
The pain was worse than he had supposed, but he bore it
as long as he could without crying out. Sweat beaded his
forehead and his veins swelled to bursting; at last he
could endure it no longer and called loudly upon his comrade
to help him. At once the young man appeared and struck
the tree so that it parted and Mashtinna was free. He
kept on his journey until he spied a small wigwam quite
by itself on the edge of a wood. Lifting thedoor-flap,
he saw no one but an old blind man, who greeted him thankfully.
"Ho, my grandson! you see me, I am old and poor. All the
day I see no one. When I wish to drink, this raw-hide
lariat leads me to the stream near by. When I need dry
sticks for my fire, I follow this other rope and feel
my way among the trees. I have food enough, for these
bags are packed with dried meat for my use. But alas,
my grandson, I am all alone here, and I am blind!" "Take
my eyes, grandfather!" at once exclaimed the kind-hearted
young man. "You shall go where you will, and I will remain
here in your place." "Ho, ho, my grandson, you are very
good!" replied the old man, and he gladly took the eyes
of the Rabbit and went out into the world. The youth stayed
behind, and as he was hungry, he ate of the dried meat
in the bags.
This made him very thirsty, so he took hold of the raw-hide
rope and followed it to the stream; but as he stooped
to the brink, the rope broke and Mashtinna fell in. The
water was cold and the bank slippery, but after a hard
struggle he got out again and made his way back to the
teepee, dripping wet and very miserable. Wishing to make
a fire and dry his clothes, he seized the other rope and
went to the wood for sticks. However, when he began to
gather the sticks he lost the rope, and being quite blind
he did nothing but stumble over fallen logs, and bruise
himself against the trunks of trees, and scratch his face
among the briers and brambles, until at last he could
bear it no longer, and cried out to his comrade to come
to his aid. Instantly the youth appeared and gave him
back his eyes, saying at the same time: "Friend, be not
so rash in future! It is right to help those who are in
trouble, but you must also consider whether you are able
to hold out to the end."
