"The grief of the princess was very great, and she
refused to be comforted, but spent her days roaming
by the streams. Whole nights she was upon the trails
or by the cliffs, silent and gloomy. When questioned
by her parents, she replied that upon these lonely
rambles she communed with the spirit of her lover,
and that she could hear his steps in the pines.
20



KINDRED SPIRITS

"Once, when she had gone farther than usual from
the village, she came upon a wide lake surrounded by
high mountains, where there were many snow-white
sheep and goats on the cliffs. There she heard the
voice of War Eagle calling her from the twilight of
the farther shore. Springing to follow the voice, she
sank and was drowned.
"The strong swimmers of her people brought up the
body, and bore it mournfully to the village in the
valley. But the fish in that lake are red, and the
tribesmen are wont to say that they are stained with
the blood of Tonita's broken heart. They buried her
at the top of that hill, and once each year the maidens
of her people visit the place with flowers and strange
offerings.
