Straight Arrow 54

Straight Arrow- Captured by the Osages

Characters
Straight arrow: Steve Adams
The fawn: daughter of Comanche chief
            The fawn was the finest needle worker in the whole Comanche village. She made herself a pretty pair of moccasins while straight arrow was making a new gold colored bow for himself. One day the fawn went put for collecting berries and later to the flint where she slipped and became unconscious. When she didn’t arrive back to village, the news spread that she was missing. Straight arrow went after her to bring her as he knew she was going to flint after collecting berries. When straight arrow reached the flint he got trapped and was caught by the Osages who took them away to their village. When the fawn revived she realized straight arrow had come to save her and caught. She followed the trail to see where he had gone so she could bring Comanche warriors there for help. On the other hand Straight arrow freed himself and escaped. Unfortunately the Osages caught the fawn when they saw her coming after straight arrow. The Osages knew straight arrow would come after the fawn. They were right. When straight arrow came to know the fawn had been caught, he silently went back to the Osage village and saved her with the help of his lariat. Then they escaped and reached back to Comanche village. The fawn had lost her pair of moccasins in this all hurry so she started working on her new pair of moccasin while straight arrow was busy in making more bows for himself.

Straight Arrow- Danger in the Cards

Characters
Straight arrow: Steve Adams
Rick Harmon: friend of straight arrow
Jeb Morris: white man
            Rick Harmon’s father lost his diamond lo ranch in a poker. Now it was the day when after so many years rick Harmon had won the same ranch from Jeb Morris. Rick took those lucky cards and framed them in his ranch for good luck. Jeb was very furious. He wanted to get his ranch back. He took the poker cards and was marking them to play a trick. Steve Adams saw him marking the cards so Jeb followed him to shoot him. Luckily the shot was missed and Steve Adams was fine. After another shot missed on another day Steve Adams decided to transform into straight arrow to ensure his safety. Soon he heard of a robbery in the diamond lo ranch, followed by the robbery of Rick’s payroll. Straight arrow went to rick and asked the matter. Straight arrow suspected Jeb but had no clue so he asked Rick to withdraw some more money to catch the culprit. When rick did so, he was robbed again just as straight arrow had thought. Unfortunately straight arrow couldn’t get the robber but analyzing the bitterbrush he went to south. There he caught the man, Jeb. He took him to sheriff but Jeb claimed he was cheated by rick who used marked cards. Straight arrow told sheriff that Jeb is not saying the truth as Steve himself saw him marking the cards and the cards used by jeb are framed in his house. This proved Jeb to be guilty and sheriff took him under arrest.

Smoke Signals

The Sun Dance

            It was a special kind of dance in which the sun dance women fast in a tepee. The men brought raw hides. The medicine man was lifted and placed on a pole which was then placed into a hole.  The dance continued until the medicine man doesn’t fall from the pole. The people were tied with raw hides and the other end of the raw hide was tied to the pole. The dancers danced around the pole until their rawhides pulled off their chest. This was one way of testing the warriors too.

The Ghost Dance

            The ghost dance was another type of dance which was thought to unite people of all tribes to causes a Great War among them. The ghost dancers wore special type of clothes and painted their bodies, then joined hands and moved monotonously in a trance like state towards sun and eventually fall, after which they were chanted over by the medicine man.

Kiowa Societies

            Kiowa had six dancing societies for grown men only. Younger ones were gathered in rabbits and automatically shifted into herders when they grew up. There were religious societies too. Crazy dogs was a society for warriors, buffalo doctors for men related to medicine, owl doctors consisted of people who were religious and made prophecies and sun dance shields consisted of people who guarded sacred images of tribes.

Indian Sign Language

            The plains Indians used their fingers and hands to communicate with others like they joined their palms and lowered head towards it to signal sleep. The white men also learned these signs from them and became expert.

Indian Hats

            Skull caps shaped caps with feather on them, hair roach, feather crown like cap, the war bonnet of Sioux, horn bonnet worn by medicine man, and a red funnel head band used by apache are some examples of Indian hats.

Indian Fires

            Since there were no stoves so the Indians set fire and with the help of two sticks they lifted their cooking pots over the fire. Sometimes a small log was used as a crude reflector helpful in roasting meat. Council fires were also of very much importance as they were lit when important decisions were being made.

Straight Arrow- The Golden Peril

Characters
Straight arrow: Steve Adams
Tonnay: apache renegade
Thag: golden panther
Tioga: Comanche young
Spotted eagle: chief
Hurling stone: Comanche man

            A complaint was brought to spotted eagle that an Arapaho and a panther were stealing the possessions of Comanche. Spotted eagle announced a list of gifts for the one who brings these culprits. Tioga thought it would be a good chance to become rich, so he rode on his pony to find the Arapaho renegade, Tonnay. On the other hand Straight arrow made a scarecrow with a piece of meat hanging in his neck, so he could catch the panther. Tonnay was seeing it all. He thought of playing this trick back on straight arrow. He caught Tioga and tied him at the place of scarecrow. When straight arrow follows Tonnay’s trail and found him, he told him in what danger he had pushed Tioga into. Straight arrow swiftly rode to Tioga. He took out his arrow, lit fire on it and stroked it down the chasm. The fire frightened the panther that drew back and hid somewhere. Then straight arrow came down and untied Tioga. A little far, Tonnay was finding a chance of killing straight arrow. Suddenly the panther that was hiding nearby jumped over Tonnay and they both fell down. Straight arrow warned Tioga of going on hunting alone again. Then both of them caught Tonnay and panther to show them to spotted eagle as a proof of the completion of the task. The reward was divided among straight arrow and Tioga, who was very happy to get it.