The Acorn-Planter

On our trail to farthest lands;
Our brothers will come after
With the thunder in their hands.
Loud will be the weeping,
Red will be the reaping,
High will be the heaping
Of the slain their law commands.

Sun Man     Mighty men are our brothers,
Quick to forgive and to wrath,
Sailing the seas, our brothers
Will follow us on our path.

Sun Men     Our brothers will come after,
On our trail to farthest lands;
Our brothers will come after
With the thunder in their hands.
Loud will be the weeping,
Red will be the reaping,
High will be the heaping
Of the slain their law commands.

(At signal from War Chief the arrows
are discharged, and repeatedly
discharged. The Sun Men fall. The War
Chief himself kills the Sun Man.)

(In what follows, Red Cloud and Dew-
Woman stand aside, taking no part.
Red Cloud is depressed, and at the
same time is overcome with the wonder
of the knife which he still holds.)
War Chief     (Brandishing musket and drifting stiff-
legged, as he sings, into the beginning
of a war dance of victory.)     Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
I have slain the Sun Man!
Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
I hold his thunder in my hand!
Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
Greatest of War Chiefs am I!
Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
I have slain the Sun Man!

(The dance grows wilder.)
(After a time the hillside begins to darken)
Dew-Woman     (Pointing to the moon entering eclipse)     Lo! The Wolf of Darkness eats the Moon!

(In consternation the dance is broken off
for the moment)
Shaman     (Reassuringly)     It is a sign.
The Sun Man is dead.

War Chief     (Recovering courage and resuming dance.)     Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
The Sun Man is dead!

People     (Resuming dance.)     Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
The Sun Man is dead!

(As darkness increases the dance grows
into a saturnalia, until complete darkness
settles down and hides the hillside.)

ACT II

(A hundred years have passed, when the
hillside and the Nishinam in their
temporary camp are revealed. The spring
is flowing, and Women are filling gourds
with water. Red Cloud and Dew-
Woman stand apart from their people.)
Shaman     (Pointing.)     There is a sign.
The spring lives.
The water flows from the spring
And all is well with the Nishinam.

People     There is a sign.
The spring lives.
The water flows from the spring.

War Chief     (Boastingly.)     Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
All is well with the Nishinam.
Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
It is I who have made all well with the Nishinam.
Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
I led our young men against the Napa.
Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!
We left no man living of the camp.
Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!

Shaman     Great is our War Chief!
Good is war!
No more will the Napa hunt our meat.
No more will the Napa pick our berries.
No more will the Napa catch our fish.

People     No more will the Napa hunt our meat.
No more will the Napa pick our berries.
No more will the Napa catch our fish.

War Chief     Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!