An old Cherokee Indian refuses to leave his wife's grave and be moved west with the other Cherokees!
By Laveral Rogers
Copyright
The old Cherokee Indian slowly made his way up the winding trail that he had walked many times before, except now, he had to stop every now and then to rest and catch his breath. Time had taken it's toll on his body. He thought that he was 70 winters old, but wasn't really for sure.
He and a friend had found the secret place back when they were youngsters. They had both taken an oath that they wouldn't tell anyone else about the place except their
future sweetheart and wives. At the time either boy didn't have a sweetheart or wife.
As fate would have it, his young friend died soon after from a fall from a galloping pony. In his grief for his friend, John 'tsa-ni' went up to his secret place to grieve for his dead friend. He stayed there for several days because he felt close to his friend there in their secret place.
Later, John 'tsa-ni' took his young Cherokee bride, Sara 'se-gi' up to the secret hideout and as John 'tsa-ni' already knew, she would love it as well as her young brave.
As the old Cherokee finally reached the top, he sat down on the bench that was formed from a tree, as he and Sara 'se-gi' had done for many years. This was their secret hideout that both had enjoyed tremendously.
John looked out across the mountains with their different shades of tree colors and was struck with awe as he was many years ago, when he saw it for the first time.
Sara 'se-gi', my love, I've been putting off telling you this for as long as I could, the white man's government has won, in the white man's court, the rights to our homeland. The house that we built and the land that we farmed for so long, is no longer ours. I cannot understand how they can do this to our people, we have lived beside the white people and have been their friends for all of these years, but now, they've turned their backs on us. I have been deeply grieved by this and I find it hard to sleep at night, because of worry for our people.
We have been ordered to leave our homes tomorrow for the trek to the land that they have set aside for us in the place they call 'Indian Territory'. A man by the name of John Benge has been assigned to lead our group. Sara 'se-gi', my love, I cannot make that long of journey. I have no strength any more in my body, my spirit is weak and my will to live has gone from me, as a mist that is driven away by the Sun.
I cannot leave you here by yourself, all alone. I have decided to stay here with you, in our secret haven. Yes, tomorrow, they will be looking for me but they cannot find me up here with you. This place with you, is where I want to be forever!
The old Cherokee Indian walked slowly over to Sara's 'se-gi' grave and gently knelt down beside it, looking towards the heavens he spoke: ga-lv-quo-do-di ga-lu-hlo yi-ho-wa ho-wa-tsu u-ne-la-gia-da-de-li-se-di a-'ya na-s-gi-ha-i a-yo-hu-hi-s-di
gali 'eli 'ga yv u-ye-h-l-di yv a-yo-hu-hi-s-di na-s-gi-ha-i u-ye-h-l-di.
ho-wa-tsu u-ne-la-gia-da-de-li-se-di a-'ya.
Purposely falling forward, John 'tsa-ni' drove the long hunting knife deep into his chest. Old Cherokee John 'tsa-ni and his bride, Sara 'se-gi, is once again together, in the Great Hunting Grounds of yi-ho-wa !
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Autumn 1940. Germany invades Britain. Newport is blitzed. Danny O’Shea’s house is bombed, his wife is killed. While taking his young son Adam to neutral Ireland, they witness an attack on a German convoy. The result is brutal.
Fourth Book in the Southern Swallow Series finds the Academician Li K'ai-men in exile on Hai-nan Island. China has a new invasion threat. A showdown between ingenuity and technology explodes as the Sung Dynasty tries to preserve itself.
