“My sons have fallen by the tomahawk of their enemies; my daughter sleeps under the foaming waters of the Falls.

“Twenty winters were added to my life on that day.  We had encamped at some distance above the Falls, and our hunters had killed many deer.  Before we left our village to go on the hunt, we sacrificed to the Spirit of the woods, and we prayed to the Great Spirit.  We lifted up our hands and said, ‘Father, Great Spirit, help us to kill deer.’  The arrows of our hunters never missed, and as we made ready for our return we were happy, for we knew we should not want for food.  My daughter’s heart was light, for Haparm was with her, and she never was sad but when he was away.

“Just before we arrived at the Falls, she became sick; her hands were burning hot, she refused to eat.  As the canoe passed over the Mississippi, she would fill her cup with its waters, to drink and throw over her brow.  The medicine men were always at her side, but they said some evil spirit hated her, and prevented their spells from doing her good.

“When we reached the Falls, she was worse; the women left their canoes, and prepared to carry them and the rest of the baggage round the Falls.

“But what should we do with We-no-nah? the flush of fever was on her cheek; she did not know me when I spoke to her; but she kept her eyes fixed upon her lover.

“‘We will leave her in the canoe,’ said her father; ’and with a line we can carry her gently over the Rapids.’  I was afraid, but with her brothers holding the line she must be safe.  So I left my child in her canoe, and paddled with the others to the shore.

“As we left her, she turned her eyes towards us, as if anxious to know what we were about to do.  The men held the line steadily, and the canoe floated so gently that I began to feel less anxious—­but as we approached the rapids, my heart beat quickly at the sound of the waters.  Carefully did her brothers hold the line, and I never moved my eyes from the canoe in which she lay.  Now the roaring of the waters grew louder, and as they hastened to the rocks over which they would fall they bore with them my child—­I saw her raise herself in the canoe, I saw her long hair as it fell on her bosom—­I saw no more!

“My sons bore me in their arms to the rest of the party.  The hunters had delayed their return that they might seek for the body of my child.  Her lover called to her, his voice could be heard above the sound of the waters.  ’Return to me, Wenonah, I will never love maiden but you; did you not promise to light the fires in my wigwam?’ He would have thrown himself after her, had not the young men prevented him.  The body rests not in the cold waters; we found it and buried it, and her spirit calls to me in the silence of the night!  Her lover said he would not remain long on the earth; he turned from the Dahcotah maidens as they smiled upon him.  He died as a warrior should die!