Frederic Remington characters using Jargon

[Scott Tyler]

Nice use of Wawa in a western story.
Scott
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Robertson" <ddr11 at UVIC.CA>
To: <CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
Sent: Friday, June 15, 2007 10:19 PM
Subject: Frederic Remington characters using Jargon


> John Ermine of the Yellowstone
> Frederic Remington
> Part 1: Chapters I - X
> Continued in Part 2
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> Author(s)
> Frederic Remington (1861-1909): Born in Canton, N.Y. in 1861, he studied
> at the Yale School of Fine Arts from 1878-80. After the death of his
> father he went west and worked as a sheep-herder, cow-puncher,
> storekeeper, cook and stockman, and sketched in his free time. Returning
> to New York he began an illustrious career as artist and illustrator that
> took him to Russia, Germany and North Africa, and to Cuba, as a war
> correspondent during the Spanish-American War. He died suddenly in
> Ridgefield, Conn. in 1909, of complications arising from appendicitis.
> More about Remington here
> Link to Tarzan of the Apes
> This story tells of a white male infant raised by Native Americans, who
> returns to civilization but ultimately is neither at home among 'whites'
> or Indians. As an archetype of the wild-man in civilised society, John
> Ermine is mentioned as a thematic precursor of Tarzan by
> John Seelye. 1990. "Introduction" p. vii-xxviii, In Tarzan of the Apes New
> York: Penguin Books.
> Edition(s) used
> Frederic Remington. 1902. John Ermine of the Yellowstone. New York:
> Macmillan.
> Text converted to HTML from Internet Archive
> illustrations by the author from 1967 Gregg Press (Ridgewood, NJ) rpt.
>
>
> http://www.erbzine.com/mag18/ermine.htm
>
> "Klat-a-way! Klat-a-way!" shouted the men as they whipped and spurred up
> the steeps. The road narrowed near the top, and here the surging horsemen
> were stopped by a few men who stood in the middle waving and
> howling "Halt!" The crowd had no definite scheme of procedure at any time,
> it was simply impelled forward by the ancient war-shout of A rescue! A
> rescue! The blood of the mob had mounted high, but it drew restive rein
> before a big man who had forced his pony up on the steep hillside and was
> speaking in a loud, measured, and authoritative voice.
>
> The riders felt the desire for council; the ancient spirit of the
> witenagemote came over them. The American town meeting, bred in their
> bones and burned into their brains, made them listen to the big temporary
> chairman with the yellow lion's mane blowing about his head in the breeze.
> His horse did not want to stand still on the perilous hillside, but he
> held him there and opened.
>
>
> "Gentlemen, if this yar outfit goes a-chargin' into that bunch of Injuns,
> them Injuns aforesaid is sure goin' to shoot at us, and we are naturally
> goin' to shoot back at them. Then, gentlemen, there will be a fight, they
> will get a bunch of us, and we will wipe them out. Now, our esteemed
> friend yer, Mr. Chick-chick, savvies Injuns, as you know, he bein'
> somewhat their way hisself -- allows that they will chill that poor little
> boy with a knife the first rattle out of the box. So, gentlemen, what good
> does it all do? Now, gentlemen, I allows if you all will keep down yer
> under the hill and back our play, Chick-chick and me will go into that
> camp and get the boy alive. If these Injuns rub us out, it's your move.
> All what agrees' to this motion will signify it by gettin' down off'en
> their horses."
>
> Slowly man after man swung to the ground. Some did not so readily agree,
> but they were finally argued off their horses. Whereat the big chairman
> sang out: "The ayes have it. Come on, Mr. Chick-chick."
>
> These two rode up the hill and over the mesa, trotting along as they
> talked. "Now, Chick-chick, I don't know a heap about Injuns. The most that
> I have seen of them was over the sights of a rifle. How are we goin' at
> this? Do you habla Crow lingo, Señor?"
>
> "No," replied that much mixed-blooded man, "I no cumtux Crow, but I make
> the hand talk, and I can clean up a ten-ass Chinook; all you do is to do
> nothing, you no shake hands, you say nothing, until we smoke the pipe,
> then you say 'How?' and shake hands all same white man. You hang on to
> your gun -- suppose they try take it away -- well, den, icta-nica-ticki,
> you shoot! Then we are dead." Having laid his plan of campaign before his
> brother in arms, no more was said. History does not relate what was
> thought about it.
>
> They arrived in due course among the tepees of a small band of Crows.
> There were not probably a hundred warriors present, but they were all
> armed, horsed, and under considerable excitement. These Crows were at war
> with all the other tribes of the northern plains, but maintained a truce
> with the white man. They had very naturally been warned of the unusual
> storm of horsemen bearing in their direction, and were apprehensive
> concerning it. They scowled at the chairman and Mr. Chick-chick, who was
> an Oregon product, as they drew up. The latter began his hand-language,
> which was answered at great length. He did not at once calm the situation,
> but was finally invited to smoke in the council lodge. The squaws were
> pulling down the tepees; roping, bundling, screaming, hustling ponies,
> children, and dogs about, unsettling the statesmen's nerves mightily as
> they passed the pipe. The big chairman began to fancy the Indians he had
> seen through the sights more than these he was regarding over the pipe of
> peace. Chick-chick gesticulated the proposition that the white papoose be
> brought into the tent, where he could be seen.
>
> The Indians demurred, saying there was no white boy -- that all in the
> camp were Crows. A young warrior from outside broke into their presence,
> talking in a loud tone. An old chief looked out through the entrance-flap,
> across the yellow plains. Turning, he inquired what the white horsemen
> were doing outside.
>
> He was told that they wanted the white boy; that the two white chiefs
> among them would take the boy and go in peace, or that the others would
> come and take him in war. Also, Chick-chick intimated that he must klat-a-
> way. The Indians made it plain that he was not going to klat-a-way; but
> looking abroad, they became more alarmed and excited by the cordon of
> whites about them.
>
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