New Yesterdays by Jim L Wright - HTML preview

Chapter 15

When the council meeting was finished Adahy came back to find Jim and Dustu lying before the fire talking in quiet, serious tones. He slowly lowered himself to sit with them and gaze into the embers. “Why are you two boys still awake so late in the night?” Dustu raised himself to a sitting position, “We were waiting for you to come tell us what was decided at the council.”

Adahy looked at the boys for a moment before answering. “We have decided to act on Jim’s information and have already begun to form our battle plans.” Naturally the boys were both excited and a bit nervous on hearing the news and fell quiet as they digested it. After a moment or two, Jim looked into Adahy’s rugged, worn face. “Adahy, this afternoon Chief Ross said you had consulted Ulum’suti about the battles. What did he mean by that? Who is Ulum’suti? The old man smiled gently at him. “Ulum’suti is not a man as you are supposing. Hear the story of Ulum’suti and you will understand what the Principal Chief meant this afternoon.

“The old ones talk about Uhktena whose name means ‘keen-eyed’. Hilahiyu, the Sun became angry at the people on Earth. She sent a sickness to kill them. The little men changed a man into a monster snake that they called Uhktena and sent him to kill her. He was not successful so the people sent the rattlesnake to do the job. Uhktena was so jealous and angry that the people began to fear him so they took him up to Galunlati to stay with the other dangerous things. He left others behind though, almost as large and dangerous as him. They live in rivers in the deep pools and in lonesome passes in the mountains; the places the Cherokee call ‘Where the Uhktena Stays’.

“Uhktena is a great snake, as large as a tree trunk, with horns on his head and a jewel like a diamond on his forehead. His scales glow like the sparks of fire. There are rings or spots of color the length of his body and he can only be injured by shooting in the seventh spot from the head. It is under this spot that his heart and life live. The blazing jewel is called Ulum’suti, meaning transparent and the one who can take it may become the greatest wonderworker of the tribe. But, attempting to take it may cost the man his life because anyone seen by Uhktena is so dazzled by the light that he runs toward it instead of trying to escape. Even seeing Uhktena asleep is death, not to the hunter himself, but to his family.

“Many brave warriors have gone in search of Ulum’suti, but only Aganunitsi was able to bring it back. The Cherokee still keep it to this day. It is a large, clear crystal similar in shape to a rifle bullet. It has a red streak through the center from top to bottom. It is kept wrapped in a whole deer skin in an earthen jar and hidden in a secret cave in the mountains. Every seven days it must be fed with the blood of a small animal by rubbing the blood all over the stone the moment the animal is killed. Two times a year it must have the blood of a deer or other large animal. If the Medicine Man should forget to feed the stone at the proper time it will fly from its cave like a flame and feed on the blood of the Medicine Man or some of his people.

“The Medicine Man can eliminate this danger by telling the stone, when he puts it away, that he won’t have need of him for some time. The stone will go quietly to sleep and will not feel any hunger until it is consulted again. After a long period of sleep, it must be fed with blood before it can be used.

“No white man must ever see the Ulum’suti. No Cherokee will dare to go near it for fear of sudden death. Even the Medicine Man is afraid of it and changes his hiding place from time to time so it can’t learn the way out. The holder of Ulum’suti is given success in hunting, love and rainmaking, and every other endeavor. But, the greatest gift of the stone is prophecy. When the Medicine Man consults the stone, he will see the future reflected as a calm lake reflects the forest around it. This way he can know whether there will be success in battle, if the sick will recover or if the young man will live to see old age. But the stone doesn’t show the future only, it will also show the past.”

“That is an amazing story.” Jim’s voice was filled with quiet awe. “So, we can be sure we will win in the war against the settlers?” The Medicine Man stroked Jim’s cheek and held his head in his giant hand. “It means exactly that. But it won’t happen just because Ulum’suti showed that it will. We still must make plans and execute them perfectly to make sure everything happens as it should. As you, especially should know the future can be changed by a single word or act by one man… or boy!” With that, Adahy kissed both boys on top of the head and wished them a goodnight before moving to lie next to Hiawassee to get some rest. He was greeted by her warm smile. “No man in the village tells a story the way you do my husband!” she whispered.

****