Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas are experiencing a devastating flood, and I want everybody to know that I had nothing to do with it. I give up dabbling in the occult arts, many years ago. After more than a half century of silence, I feel that it is to admit that I was partly responsible for the flooding of great Arkansas-Missouri l938 safely.
But, above all, it is the fault of Chief Kow Tow and Cousin Charley. Chief Kow Tow claimed to be of noble blood Choctaw, whose ancestors were forced Oklahoma territory booking many moons ago. He has avoided the white devils and remained on the spot of the Missouri "do big medicine" for the ancestral spirits still haunts the shores of the St. Francis.
His real name of the Chief was unpronounceable. Kow Tow was as close to that folks could get the audio band. He said that his name means singing In the clouds. Towing Koe stressed the fact that he was 100 years old. He has been touted as a young brave, he took 99 scalps and promised by his guide the spirit, the Hawk, a year of life for each trophy. After having exceeded its allocation of the years, said Chief that he felt obliged to account even taking a more White Devil of the scalp, before his death.
Folks pooh-poohed threatens the Kow Tow head as showmanship for his company of wooden spoons. Four notches on the handle and pokeberry on the Bowl spot was secured to ward off public poison. RI people, but bombed by a dollar for a magic spoon just in case.
Charley was not a character as colorful as the Kow Tow. Nevertheless, my older cousin had managed to become a legend in his time. During a visit of the summer at his house, it is that he introduced me to the main celebrity of the town.
The old Indian lived alone in a tin-roof shack a room in a canebrake. Mosquitoes have been fierce but does not seem to bother him. Towing tolerated Koe visitors if they brought a bit of sugar, coffee, tobacco or whiskey - the only necessities, it did not grow in his garden or find in nature. It reminds those who do not have to make a donation by the head of its debt to the nozzle.
Missouri and Arkansas suffer drought. Cotton was drying fruit. It was inspiration for the Cousin Charley that we ask Chief Kow Tow to perform a rain dance. Incitement, we have invested in a bag of Bull Durham and Peppermint stick, feast of the old man (my money).
The Chief received us cordially enough and heard our request. It thoughtfully taken on Peppermint before responding. This powerful medicine. Value most. What else you got After negotiating, we laid in a jack knife, a red bandana and a badge of catechesis gave me 13 weeks perfect attendance my all- ime.
Collection of his booty, Kow Tow withdrew in his cabin. Bye and bye that he reappears dressed in a silk top hat surrounded by feathers, a frock coat and a red tie on her dress typical of the flannel shirt and faded Levis. Over his shoulder, he was wearing a fringed bag, buckskin decorated with mysterious paintings of birds and symbols. It Kow Tow took four arrows tipped with beautiful pink and white stone that I know now came from Flint Ridge, Ohio, and was widely traded between Indian ceremonies.
Chief has attracted a place on the field and blocked its arrows point in the corners. At the Centre, it establishes a bowl of decorated pottery. In the bowl, he collapsed sumac leaves, Willow bark and some of its newly acquired tobacco bag of Bull Durham pinching. explains. "Sacred smoke doing." Towing Koe begins striking sparks of two stones on the grapes. Currently a think smoke curled upwards, and it the inflamed with a hawk wing. He considered the slow mixing and breathed in fumes.
you, too, he commanded. Charley and I've sniffed the acrid smoke. It was in our eyes burn and our heads swim a little. Then the old Chief took two, gourd rattles his medicine bag and started dancing around the arrows. "Hein yuh, Hein yuh,"he sang as he shook rattles vigorously."." I felt goose bumps rising on my arm. Definitely, whispers Cousin Charley. Ain this sumthin
After about ten minutes of trampling and chanting, Chief Kow Tow stopped suddenly. It's a lot, he said flatly that he gathered up his gear. We thanked and left, confident that the long drought would be soon on.
By golly, the next day it began to rain hard Regularly, it rained for two days and two nights. Off the coast of the distance, we hear a faint, continuous rumble. "Rising water," adult with whisper worried said the other. cousin Charley and I were afraid. It was more that we had negotiated. In the dark early in the third morning rain, he had a hit on the front door. It is obvious that of bad news.
Uncle Ruppert gushes out of bed, remote sensing already the problem. The lifting of New Madrid broke, exclaimed the Messenger. They need all the help they can get.Aunt Thelma fixed two sandwiches for Uncle Ruppert and kissed it leaves to join a scattered line of other men Puttering along the railway, the higher ground. "Be careful Rup!
Cousin Charley and I trembled. In the afternoon we oath a mighty sealed with blood nose our thumbs never to say about our visit senior Kow Tow. Uncle Ruppert came home two days later reintes and Haggard. He had not slept for 36 hours. It was tragic news.
The main lifting of Mississippi had broken, but held secondary dam. Men were conveyed by barge through the flood of heaving sandbags into the breach. On one of the routes, the barge overturned. Twenty men drowned! There was a score of sad funerals this week of Missouri, one in our city. My guilt was overwhelming.
Cousin Charley came to visit me a year later and told me that he had already obtained in a debate with Chief Kow Tow on the possession of a dog. This hound resumed with me, but old Kow Tow said that it was him. I began to dispute, but he said, does not bother me or I'll make it rain l saw his point immediately said Charley. This mangy dog not much of a Hunter anyway.
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