they tried to harm us or our friends. I shook my bow and showed him my arrows. That made him look sad. In their Council, the Shining People had divided into many bands. Most had resolved to stay where they were and keep to the old ways. They would continue to dwell in the hills, forests, and waters around the land, but would hide themselves so well that they would never more be seen. Of course, the Yar-Ons all laughed at this and said it could not be so. But it was so. Other bands said they would go far into the West, or North, or South, away from the Men who were coming. Now, in those days, I myself was always looking for an adventure. I decided I would go West with some of them. The Shining Ones took with them their Treasures, which were stones like glass with fire inside it. No one knows, to this day, what became of those stones. Not even I know. The Yar-Ons were sorry to lose their friends and could not understand why they had run away, until several years had passed–and they themselves had experience of the Whitemen from the Old World. Then they also knew that the Whitemen were com- pletely crazy, because their dreams are impossible and cruel and their chiefs are bad.** For more than a hundred moons, I travelled West in the company of the Shining Ones. We saw some strange tribes, who were slaves to big animals with horns. We forded rivers and came to a land where the ground was smoking. We met people who lived in caves in the air. I might have been killed many times, *This seems to be a reference to Jacques Cartier’s landing in 1534. **The Hurons competed with the Iroquois for the Dutch and French fur trade. In 1649, in a, single night, an Iroquois war party exterminated the Huron nation.’ 27
とどまって、むかしからの習慣をまもってい
くことになった。 つまり、 山や森や川に住み
つづけるというわけだが、けっして人間に見
られないように姿を消してしまうというんだ。
むろん、ヤーロン族のものは笑って、 そ
んなことはできるわけがない、といったんだ
が、ほんとうにそうなってしまった。
ほかのグループは、やってくる人間から逃
れて、それぞれもっと西や南へ移るといって
いた。 そのころ、いつも冒険を求めていたわ
しは、西へ行くグループについていくことに
したんじゃ。
ところで、 輝く人びとはなかで炎が燃えて
いるようなガラスに似た石の財宝をもってい
たんだが、 それがどうなったか、いまではだ
れにもわからんのじゃ。 もちろん、このわし
でさえな。
ヤーロン族のものは友人を失うことをひ
どく悲しがり、 何年かたつまで、 なぜ彼らが
逃げていってしまったのかまるでわからなか
つた。 つまり、 ヤーロン族のものが旧世界
48
からきた白人たちを知るまではな。 そして、
ようやくヤーロン族にも白人というものが
まったくのきちがいだということがわかった
のさ。 とにかく、 連中の夢ときたら信じがた
いもので、 残酷このうえないものだった。 連
中の酋長たちも悪いやつらだったしな。
ところで、 わしのほうは、月を100回以上見
るほど長いあいだ、 輝く人びとといっしょに
西に向かって旅をした。 その旅のあいだに、
いろんなものを見た。
つの
角をもった大きな動物に夢中になっている
奇妙な部族がいた。 それから、いくつも川を
渡って、地面から煙りがくすぶっている土地
も通った。 空の洞窟に住む人びとにも会った。
わしは何度命を落としそうになったかわから
んほどだったが、 そのたびに友人の輝く人び
とがまもってくれたもんじゃ。
砂漠もいくつか越えた。 カラカラに乾きき
っていて、 サボテンしかはえていなかった。
わしらは山のなかで冬を過ごしたんだが、 あ
まりの高さに指で月に触れられるほどだった。
おしゃべりのできる熊と、 それをからかう大
ガラスも見た。
49
Most would stay where they were and continue following the old ways. That is — they would go on living in the mountains, forests, and rivers, but would make themselves invisible so that humans could never see them.
Of course the Yar-On people all laughed and said that was impossible — but it truly came to pass.
The other groups said they would move further west or south to escape the coming humans. At that time, always seeking adventure, I decided to go with the group heading west.
Now, the Shining People possessed treasures of glass-like stones with flames burning inside them — but what became of those stones, nobody knows to this day. Not even I.
The Yar-On people were deeply saddened to lose their friends, and for many years had no idea why they had fled. That is — until the Yar-On people came to know the white men from the Old World for themselves. And at last the Yar-On people understood that white men were completely mad. Their dreams were simply unbelievable — and unspeakably cruel. Their chiefs were bad people too.
As for me — I traveled west with the Shining People for more than a hundred moons. During that journey I saw many things.
There was a strange tribe obsessed with large horned animals. We crossed many rivers and passed through land where smoke rose from the ground. We met people who lived in caves in the sky. I nearly lost my life more times than I can count — but each time my friends the Shining People protected me.
We crossed several deserts too — bone dry, with nothing growing but cactus. We spent winter in mountains so high you could touch the moon with your fingertips. I saw bears who could talk, and ravens who mocked them for it.
48-49
