ocahontas had every reason to be happy. It was the<br >budding time of the year; who would not be happy?<br >The world was new-green， cherry trees were afroth， and<br >strawberries， like sweet red secrets， fattened on the ground.<br >At first birdcall， Pocahontas would run splashing into the<br >river， and along with the others in the village she would<br >wait to greet the Sun as it rose.<br > Together they would watch the sky turn from gray to<br >pink， to gold. Then suddenly they would shout. There it<br >came! And was it not a wonder that always it returned<br >again and yet again? All the people welcomed it， scattering<br >sacred tobacco into a circle， lifting up their hands and<br >singing to please their god， Okee， in the way their priests<br >had taught them. One must never forget Okee， for it was<br >He who held danger in his hands--lightning， floods，<br >drought， sickness， war.<br > Indeed， Pocahontas could hardly help but be happy. At<br >eleven， she was the right age for happiness. Still young<br >enough to romp with the children， yet old enough to join<br >the dance of unmarried girls. And how she danced--<br >whirling and stamping and shouting until her breath was<br >whisked into the wind， until she had grown wings like a<br >bird， until she had become sister to the trees， until she was<br >at one with everything that lived and grew. With the world<br >itself， round like a plate under the sky. And in the center of<br >the plate， there was her father， the great Chief Powhatan，<br >seated high， twelve mats under him， raccoon robe around<br >him with tails dangling. And beside him， there was Poca-<br >A9A<br >"