A young Indian boy by the name of Chayton was always curious about the so-called Westerners with whom his people traded. Despite his parents' misgivings, he would often follow them around when they came to the area, asking them countless questions and listening to their stories. It was difficult to communicate with them at first, but as he got used to the harsh tongue of these men, he was able to get his thoughts across more easily.
In time he formed a strong friendship with a man named John. Chayton was always intrigued by John's moustache. Chayton hoped to one day have a moustache of his own.
He once expressed this desire to his tribe's elders, but the glare he received from Knoton told him that this was not to be. They in turn told him stories of battles between the Indians and the Westerners in the past, intending to scare him off. Instead the stories only served to strengthen his curiosity.
The children of the tribe would often take turns in putting up and maintaining scarecrows to prevent the birds from eating their corn. Chayton added a twist to his scarecrow when his turn came. Moustaches had come to be associated with the Westerners, and based on the tales he heard, he thought it would be more effective to have his scarecrow with a moustache. As it so happened, his scarecrow seemed to be the most effective in keeping the birds away from the corn. Other children started copying this. In time, Chayton's tribe became the biggest producer of corn, which put them at a huge advantage. Not only did they secure trade with John's people but they even began to supply local tribes, particularly during times of hardship.
As a reward for Chayton's efforts, he became a diplomat of some kind for his tribe, often negotiating trades between other tribes and as he became older, he gradually became more involved in discussing treaties. Eventually he was recognized as an elder. Some were skeptical about the decision, especially those who remembered him from his youth, however, he proved to be a rather wise man for he acknowledged the customs of John and his people but still retained his own people's traditions.
In time he formed a strong friendship with a man named John. Chayton was always intrigued by John's moustache. Chayton hoped to one day have a moustache of his own.
He once expressed this desire to his tribe's elders, but the glare he received from Knoton told him that this was not to be. They in turn told him stories of battles between the Indians and the Westerners in the past, intending to scare him off. Instead the stories only served to strengthen his curiosity.
The children of the tribe would often take turns in putting up and maintaining scarecrows to prevent the birds from eating their corn. Chayton added a twist to his scarecrow when his turn came. Moustaches had come to be associated with the Westerners, and based on the tales he heard, he thought it would be more effective to have his scarecrow with a moustache. As it so happened, his scarecrow seemed to be the most effective in keeping the birds away from the corn. Other children started copying this. In time, Chayton's tribe became the biggest producer of corn, which put them at a huge advantage. Not only did they secure trade with John's people but they even began to supply local tribes, particularly during times of hardship.
As a reward for Chayton's efforts, he became a diplomat of some kind for his tribe, often negotiating trades between other tribes and as he became older, he gradually became more involved in discussing treaties. Eventually he was recognized as an elder. Some were skeptical about the decision, especially those who remembered him from his youth, however, he proved to be a rather wise man for he acknowledged the customs of John and his people but still retained his own people's traditions.