石舟

nce a beautiful 1）Chippewa maiden died on the day she was to have married a brave， young warrior. He was very brave， but this sorrow was almost too great for him to bear. He sat down at the door of his cabin and would not go hunting with the other Indians.

All that he could think of was the dead maiden， and he wished and wished that he could go to the Land of Souls， where he knew she now lived. But he did not know where this land was. All that the old people could tell him was that it lay to the south. So， after grieving for many days， he made up his mind to try to find it. He put some food in a bag， gathered up his arrows and bow， and calling his dog to him， started off. On he went for many days， and everything looked the same as in the land he had left—forests， hills， and valleys， with snow lying thick on the ground and in the trees. Then gradually the snow began to vanish， and as he went on he saw trees with leaves budding on them， and could hear the songs of birds. At the end of a few more days， he had reached the southern land， where all is warm and bright. There he saw a narrow path leading through a forest and up a hill.

He followed this path， and at the top of the hill found a cabin. At the door of the cabin stood an Indian， dressed in a robe of bearskins. He was a very old man， but his eyes were bright and soft.

“Come in， my grandson，” he said. “I have been expecting you. The maiden whom you seek passed here a few days ago. You may follow her and enter the Land of Souls， but you must leave your body behind with me. My cabin is the gateway into that beautiful land， and you do not need your body there， nor your arrows， nor your bow. Leave them with me and I shall keep them safe for you. Look over there！ Do you see that deep 2）gorge and the beautiful plain beyond？ That is the Land of Souls， and the one you seek is already there.”

Suddenly the young man felt himself grow very light， and his feet began to run as though they were winged. Everything looked the same to him， only more beautiful， and the little animals did not seem afraid. They seemed to know that he would not kill them. As he went on swiftly through the forest， he noticed that the trees did not stop him. He seemed to pass right through them， and he saw then that they were only images of trees.

At last he came to a beautiful lake， whose waters were clear and sparkling. In the centre of this lake was an island， with green grass and flowers and birds. Then， to his joy， he noticed a canoe tied to the shore of the lake. It was made of shining， white stone and had paddles that shone， also. He climbed in and pushed away from the shore， and， to his surprise， he saw the maiden whom he loved， in a canoe exactly like his， floating beside him. They kept close together and began to cross the lake. Its waves seemed to be rising， and at a distance looked ready to swallow them up. But when the huge waves drew close， they passed by and left them unharmed， and the maiden and her lover saw that they were only the shapes of waves. But another thing frightened them. It was the clearness of the water， for as they looked down， they could see the bodies of people who had been drowned. And in the water all along， there were men and women of all ages struggling and sinking in the waves. Only the canoes of the little children floated on in safety.

At last their canoes reached the shore of the island， and jumping out， they roamed joyfully over the soft grass. They felt that the very air was food， and thought only of pleasant things. For there was nothing that was sad here in this land， no cold winds， no hunger—only brightness and joy.

As the warrior wandered by the maiden’s side， he heard the voice of the Master of Life speaking to him. “Go back，” he said，“to the land you came from. Your work is not completed yet. Go back and be a good man， and do all the work that I send to you. You must leave the spirit whom you love， but she shall wait here for you， for she is accepted， and shall always remain young and happy. When your work is finished， I shall call you also from the land of hunger and tears， to come to this beautiful Land of Souls.”

So the young man said farewell to the maiden， and getting into the canoe， he was carried across the lake. In a few minutes， he was at the cabin of the old man. The Indian smiled when he saw him.

“Enter， my grandson，” he said， “and you will find your body inside.”

The young man obeyed， and when he came out he felt as when he had first arrived. But his heart was brave now. The Indian smiled again at him.

“I see how brave and strong you are，” he said， “and my message to you is， always remain cheerful and brighten every sad life that you see.”

The young man promised to obey the message， and， with one long look at the Land of Souls， he turned and began his journey towards his home.

從前有個美麗的齊佩瓦族女子，就在她要嫁給一個勇敢的年輕戰士的那天，她去世了。戰士很勇敢，但這巨大的悲傷幾乎使他崩潰。他在自家小屋門前坐著，無心與其他印第安人外出打獵。

他腦海中全是那死去的女子，他非常希望可以去靈魂之國，他知道她現在就在那兒。但他不知道那個國度在何處。老人們能告知他的就是那個國度在南方。因此，他悲傷地度過了許多天后，決定設法尋找那個國度。他裝好食物，帶上弓箭，叫上他的狗，出發了。他連續走了很多天，但周圍看起來與他離開的地方無異——森林、山、峽谷，地面上和樹上都積了厚厚的一層雪。漸漸地，積雪開始不見了，他繼續前行，看到樹上長著嫩葉，還聽到小鳥的歌聲。幾天后，他到了南方，那里溫暖而明亮。他在那兒看到一條穿過森林延伸到山上的小路。

他沿著小路前行，在山頂上發現了一個小屋。一個印第安人站在小屋門前，穿著一件熊毛皮做的長袍。他雖然很老了，但眼睛明亮，眼神柔和。

“進來吧，小伙子，”他說。“我一直在等你啊。你尋找的女子幾天前經過這兒。你可以跟隨她進入靈魂之國，但你必須把你的肉身留給我。我的小屋是通往那個美麗國度的入口，在那兒你不需要肉身，也不需要弓箭。把這些東西放在我這兒，我會替你好好保管的。看那邊，你看到那個深深的峽谷和旁邊那個美麗的平原了嗎？那就是靈魂之國，你要找的人已經在那兒了。”

突然，這個年輕人感覺自己變得很輕盈，他的雙腳跑起來就像長了翅膀一樣。……