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vol. title: Miscellaneous Scraps from January 1st 1878 vol. period: 1875-1878 pages in vol.: 153 |
< The Prince of Wales Among the Indian Jugglers (continued from page 5-61) >
work. The basket was empty! Then there came a voice as of the lad who had been inside, and lo, there was just such a youth upon one of the trees. It was certainly a very clever trick and very well done with the most simple adjuncts. The mango tree when next uncovered appeared hung with tiny fruit.—The Times, Dec. 28th.
Coacoochee`s Vision
Coacoochee, or Wild Cat, was a friend of Osceola in the old Seminole war. He appears to have been one of the aboriginal Spiritualists, for he claimed communication with all the dead of his tribe, and especially with his twin sister, who preceded him to the spirit-world. The following is from the lips of Coacoochee:—
“She died suddenly. I was on a bear hunt, and seated by my camp-fire alone. I heard a strange noise. It was something like a voice which told me to go to her. The camp was some distance, but I took my rifle and started. The night was dark and gloomy. The wolves howled around me as I went from hammock to hammock. Sounds often came to my ear; I thought she was speaking to me. At daylight I reached her camp; she was dead.
“When hunting some time after with my brother Otulkee, I sat alone by the side of a large oak. In the moss hanging over me I heard strange sounds. I tried to sleep, but could not. I felt myself moving, and thought I went far above to a new country, where all was bright and happy. I saw clear water, ponds, rivers, and prairies, on which the sun never sets. All was green; the grass grew high and the deer stood in the midst of it looking at me. I then saw a small, white cloud approaching, and when just before me, out of it came my twin sister, dressed in white and covered with bright silver ornaments. Her black hair, which I had often braided, hung down her back. She clasped me around the neck and said, ‘Coacoochee, Coacoochee.’ I shook with fear. I knew her voice, but could not speak. With one hand she gave me a string of white beads; in the other she held a cup sparkling with pure water, which she said came from the spring of the Great Spirit, and if I would drink from it, I should return and live with her for ever.
“As I drank she sang the peace song of the Seminoles and danced around me. She had silver bells on her feet, which made a loud noise. Taking from her bosom something, I know not what, she laid it before me, when a bright light streamed far above us. She then took me by the hand and said, ‘All is peace.’ I wanted to ask for others, but she shook her head, moved her hand, stepped into the cloud, and was gone. The fire she had made had not gone out. All was silent. I was sorry that I could not have said more to her. I felt myself sinking until I came to the earth, where I met my brother Otulkee. He had been seeking me, and was alarmed at my absence, having found my rifle where he last saw me asleep. I told him where I had been, and showed him the beads. These beads were stolen from me when I was in prison at St. Augustine. At certain periods of the moon, when I had these beads, I could see the spirit of my sister. I may be buried in the earth, or sunk in the water, but I shall go to her and live with her. Game is abundant there, and there the white man is never seen.”
A Brahmin on the Immortality of the Soul
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Human Sacrifice in India
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Editor's notes