Incident at Seeghum's Bay

They said that Ishte- Monda - Koos Made him what he was, a dark rider on a dark horse.

The Seeghums Bay Sandeyachee Indians tell of a white man, a farmer who, with a party of twenty or so settlers came to settle the lush bottomlands along Seeghums Bay.

They traveled from the eastern regions to get there and as such, came to a stretch of forest the Sandeyachee called, "Midna-licha" or simply, "The dark wood".

A young Sandeyachee boy was with the group as an interpreter. Two years before, James Seeghum came to these lands and scouted them, took the young boy back with him to Philadelphia and taught him English.

As the party reached the border of the dark wood, the lead rider heard a rustling in the brush off to his right.

"Pickett riders, muskets at the ready!"

Six men immediately drew their rifles and cocked the hammers. The tell tale ratcheting and clicking, polluting the silence of the spring meadow they were in.

"Lupo, get up here boy in case I need you!

The young interpreter rode up to him and with head down said,

"Yes Ranger, Lupo here."

"What do you make of this Lupo? Look up at me when I am talking to you, a man should never look down or away from another man."

In that moment out of the brush came another Sandeyachee, a weathered old woman with shock white hair that hung in thin wispy streams over her shoulders, a thin wrinkled arm waving the party off.

"Neesho, neesho, Midna-licha, Ishte-Monda-Koos, Ishte-Monda-Koos!"

"Lupo, what is she saying?"

"She says you no go dark wood, Koockaroo live there, Koockaroo live in dark wood, you no go."

Ranger looked at the old woman and looked at Lupo. He motioned for the six muskets to move up the ranks and form a line on him "Lupo who is she and what is a Koockaroo?

"She shamashi woman, she a see'er of spirit world. Koockaroo is evil spirit in the dark wood, we no go Ranger!"

Ranger looked at the other men and saw disbelief in their eyes, some were even laughing at the old woman and boy.

This party had traveled for seven months to reach this land; the journey had been long and full of hardships. Now, before them stood an old woman telling them not to venture any further, when their prize lay just over the next mountain through those woods. "Send this crazy loon on her way Ranger." Came a voice from behind him.

"We're not going to turn back now, we've come too far!" came another voice.

The rest of the party began grumbling and voicing their opinions as well. "Alright, alright, ya'll settle down, Lupo do you believe this, I mean, what she's saying?"

The young boy looked ranger straight in the eye and said,

"Yes Ranger, Lupo believe, neesho, we no go!"

Ranger looked back at the party, he surveyed this band of pioneers who had come all this way to make a better life, The men at his side, their wives and children in the wagons, The flocks of sheep and goats that they painstakingly brought this far.

"Lupo, is there another trail that will take us into Seeghums Bay?"

Lupo smiled and said,

"Yes Ranger, we take southeast trail and be at bay in two weeks."

Once again, the party began complaining,

"Ranger, we don't have the supplies for another two weeks of travel, the teams are worn and the flocks need grass! We are only a day away from the bay as the crow flies now."

The old woman, still flailing her arms began to sing.

"Now what?" Ranger asked.

Lupo replied, "Shamashi, singing song of protection for us, she knows we go through Midna-licha, She is asking the Great Spirit to follow and protect us."

The old woman chanting motioned to Ranger to bend down towards her, as he did so, she placed a small leather bag around his neck and around Lupo's neck as well. In broken English she said,

"You safe now, you no sleep ever, Shamashi say you and Koockaroo are same.

But you go Bay alone, you and boy."

Ranger looked at Lupo and told him to translate, He had almost thirty people that he was responsible for and that he was not going to leave them here to fend for themselves. He was taking them all through to Seeghums Bay.

The Shamashi woman listened intently to what Lupo had to say, nodding her head. And again she looked at Ranger and said.

"Yes, you and Boy go bay alone, yes, alone and she began to laugh muttering as she left, "Shinoswee, shinoswee,"

Laughing and muttering as she disappeared back into the brush. Ranger asked,

"Lupo, what is Shinoswee?" Lupo replied, "She say walking dead ranger." (to be continued)