10 THE ACORN An Indian Legend Why Utah's Natural Bridges were made. The Indians of Southern Utah and surrounding country believe in a legend that relates why the Natural Bridges were made. The story is of a very beautiful maiden, the daughter of a chief. She was so beautiful and kind that every one who came near her loved her and even the wild animals seemed to know that she would not injure them. It was the custom of this certain tribe for its members to marry some one of their own number and to enforce this they placed the penalty of death on anyone who should violate it. One day while the maiden was rowing in her canoe on a near by lake, a young hunter of another tribe chanced to see her. He at once noticed her beauty and fell desperately in love with her; but how to get her was a problem to him for he knew of the customs of her tribe and also that it was sure death if they were caught. So he sat down in the reeds and willows and tried to solve the problem; but night came on and the maiden rowed across the lake and disappeared. The young hunter was so charmed by her beauty that he determined to stay long enough to see her at least once more; so he retired to the forest to spend the night. The next morning he quietly went to the lake where he thought he would be most apt to find her alone, as he had the day before. He hid himself in a thicket of reeds and watched for the beautiful maiden. As he was waiting and watching he saw her launch her canoe on the opposite side and row to the cove where she had been the day before. The hunter could not sit at ease so he carefully made his way through the reeds and willows to a sport a short distance from where she sat in the canoe weaving a small mat with grass. He did not dare approach so near that she could see him and yet he wanted to speak to her; but just how to draw her attention without frightening her was a question to him. But after thinking a short time he began to sing softly and when the mellow strains of his voice caught the maiden's ear she raised her head, looked quickly, saw no one near, and went on with her work. The hunter then sang a song of his beautiful southern home and as he sang he crept nearer the water's edge. Again the maiden raised her head and listened with determination to locate the singer and as he sang THE ACORN 11 on she listened more intently and finally became anxious to know who the sweet-voiced singer was. As he sang of love her soul became absorbed in the song. By this time the hunter had reached the water and had come in sight of the maiden. She at once admired his countenance as much as she had his song, so she pushed her boat toward him but as she came closer she saw that he was not of her tribe. But the love songs had touched her soul and she could not leave him without speaking. As they conversed he told her of his beautiful home in the south and of his love for her and she in turn assured him that his love was returned. As night came on they parted, she promising to return on the morrow. She came as she had promised and they spent another happy day together. This was repeated daily until the friends of the maid became curious to know where she went; so one day one of her suitors followed her. She met her lover as usual and they rowed out on the lake. The unexpected spectator became very jealous and returned to the village with the report that a stranger from another tribe was stealing the chief's daughter. This angered the chief so much that he ordered his warriors to go and bring both of the lovers to him. Now the fairies of the lake were interested in the lovers and decided that they should not be separated and when the warriors came the fairies took the two into the bosom of the lake where no one could harm them. Night came on and still the warriors waited and watched for them. The chief came and called to his daughter but she did not answer, so Shards were placed around the lake so that they could not escape in the night. The fairies knew that the lovers would not be happy in the bottom of the lake so they decided they would get them out and take them to the beautiful South; but they could not take them upon the land because of the guards, they made a water channel to the sea and took them to the South by way of water. Now when they came to make this water channel there were mountains in the way, and they commenced cutting through them but the Great Spirit told them that if they cut through and made this channel