Read Online The Incredible Escape. The Adventures of Radisson 3 by Martin Fournier - Free Book Online
Authors: Martin Fournier
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him.
The shaman had stopped tending to the fire. To better communicate with the spirit of the eagle, he wore a headdress of eagle feathers long enough to reach his shoulders, a head and beak attached to his forehead. They were both sweating from the heat of the tent, even though they were bare chested. Smoke began to escape from the top of the teepee. It no longer stung Radissonâs eyes. They sat cross-legged facing each other on either side of the fire. Ononta threw a few more handfuls of tobacco, sage, and sweetgrass onto it. Radisson was holding the three feathers the shaman had given him in one hand, the handle of his eagle-head knife in the other.
âHow did this knife come into your possession?â Ononta asked him.
âIt was in a house in a Dutch village surrounding Fort Orange. I was there trading with my brother Ganaha two years ago. A young Dutch woman had been using it to chop vegetables. It was lying on a table. As soon as I saw it, I had to have it. Once it was in my hand, I felt a great surge of energy run through me. I could no longer let go.â
Ononta nodded. All the signs were in agreement. His intuition had been right. His teaching could begin.
âYour knife is not the source of this energy,â he said. âYou are contacting the spirit of the eagle through the knife. The eagle is your totemic animal. It is calling out to you. You must answer.â
âWhat can I do?â
âYou have lived long enough among us to know that the spirits give life to everything. But you did not learn to listen to them as attentively as you must. You do not know how to make allies. The spirit of the eagle is calling you with all its might. This is an opportunity for you: it is calling out to you like this because you have its qualities, exceptional qualities that you have not yet learned to develop. The eagle is your brother. You must listen to it, follow it, honour it. It will help you grow. It will guide you.â
âWhat is it telling me? Where is it taking me?â
Ononta tried to calm the young man who was in such a hurry.
âThe eagle flies so high,â the shaman continued, âthat sometimes it disappears behind the clouds. It reaches the sun. At the same time, it feeds on animals on this earth. It belongs to both worlds. It lives in the sky and on the ground. It is the bridge between humankind and the spirits, between dreams and reality. It is like you: you are half-Iroquois, half-Frenchman. The eagle teaches us that all is linked, that we depend on each other, like the sun allows seeds planted in the soil to grow.â
Radisson could now see what the eagle could bring him. He had one hundred questions. But Ononta wanted him to stay quiet. He still had much to say about the animal his people venerated. Radisson understood that he must listen to him.
âWhen the eagle soars so high that we lose sight of it, it flies off in all directions. It flies over obstacles that blind us. If you look with your eyes, the eagle will show you what you cannot see today. You will learn how to see in every direction, to make out what others do not see. From such a great height, it swoops down low to capture the hare or salmon that did not see it. It is the ultimate hunter. It strikes like lightning. It is as powerful as thunder. Admire it. Honour it. If you draw inspiration from its superior powers, the eagle will teach you the power of the warrior and the perceptiveness of the sage. The feathers I gave you will help you reach out to it. Its spirit is giving you the energy you can feel. If you are receptive to it, if you watch closely, you will be able to acquire its qualities. These feathers are light and fragile and yet they are powerful. They enable the eagle to fly faster and higher than any other animal. They enable it to strike at the best moment, from the best angle. They will help you acquire these qualities.â
Carried away by the admiration he felt for the master of
The shaman had stopped tending to the fire. To better communicate with the spirit of the eagle, he wore a headdress of eagle feathers long enough to reach his shoulders, a head and beak attached to his forehead. They were both sweating from the heat of the tent, even though they were bare chested. Smoke began to escape from the top of the teepee. It no longer stung Radissonâs eyes. They sat cross-legged facing each other on either side of the fire. Ononta threw a few more handfuls of tobacco, sage, and sweetgrass onto it. Radisson was holding the three feathers the shaman had given him in one hand, the handle of his eagle-head knife in the other.
âHow did this knife come into your possession?â Ononta asked him.
âIt was in a house in a Dutch village surrounding Fort Orange. I was there trading with my brother Ganaha two years ago. A young Dutch woman had been using it to chop vegetables. It was lying on a table. As soon as I saw it, I had to have it. Once it was in my hand, I felt a great surge of energy run through me. I could no longer let go.â
Ononta nodded. All the signs were in agreement. His intuition had been right. His teaching could begin.
âYour knife is not the source of this energy,â he said. âYou are contacting the spirit of the eagle through the knife. The eagle is your totemic animal. It is calling out to you. You must answer.â
âWhat can I do?â
âYou have lived long enough among us to know that the spirits give life to everything. But you did not learn to listen to them as attentively as you must. You do not know how to make allies. The spirit of the eagle is calling you with all its might. This is an opportunity for you: it is calling out to you like this because you have its qualities, exceptional qualities that you have not yet learned to develop. The eagle is your brother. You must listen to it, follow it, honour it. It will help you grow. It will guide you.â
âWhat is it telling me? Where is it taking me?â
Ononta tried to calm the young man who was in such a hurry.
âThe eagle flies so high,â the shaman continued, âthat sometimes it disappears behind the clouds. It reaches the sun. At the same time, it feeds on animals on this earth. It belongs to both worlds. It lives in the sky and on the ground. It is the bridge between humankind and the spirits, between dreams and reality. It is like you: you are half-Iroquois, half-Frenchman. The eagle teaches us that all is linked, that we depend on each other, like the sun allows seeds planted in the soil to grow.â
Radisson could now see what the eagle could bring him. He had one hundred questions. But Ononta wanted him to stay quiet. He still had much to say about the animal his people venerated. Radisson understood that he must listen to him.
âWhen the eagle soars so high that we lose sight of it, it flies off in all directions. It flies over obstacles that blind us. If you look with your eyes, the eagle will show you what you cannot see today. You will learn how to see in every direction, to make out what others do not see. From such a great height, it swoops down low to capture the hare or salmon that did not see it. It is the ultimate hunter. It strikes like lightning. It is as powerful as thunder. Admire it. Honour it. If you draw inspiration from its superior powers, the eagle will teach you the power of the warrior and the perceptiveness of the sage. The feathers I gave you will help you reach out to it. Its spirit is giving you the energy you can feel. If you are receptive to it, if you watch closely, you will be able to acquire its qualities. These feathers are light and fragile and yet they are powerful. They enable the eagle to fly faster and higher than any other animal. They enable it to strike at the best moment, from the best angle. They will help you acquire these qualities.â
Carried away by the admiration he felt for the master of