White

. On returning to his own country Chonesta breathed revenge against Kostoyeak and threatened that if he succeeded at the hand of the Yemassee beauty the Cherokee tribe would suffer extermination. But the merits of all four rival chiefs were equal, and the Yemassee chief could not decide upon which to bestow his daughter. Kostoyeak was her favorite, and in order to secure a marriage with him, she proposed to her father that she should accept that warrior who could discover where the waters of the Savannah and those of Tennessee took their rise in the mountains. Supposing that no such place existed the father gave his consent, and the great hunt commenced. At the end of the first noon, Kostoyeak returned to say that he had discovered a gorge now called the gap of the Blue Ridge as well as Rabun Gap; where the two great rivers ” shake hands and commence their several journeys, each singing a song of gladness and freedom.” Finally, the Yemassee chief was convinced that Kostoyeak told a true story, and he was, therefore, married to Yemassee. Enraged at the news, Chonesta assembled his warriors and made war upon the whole tribe of Cherokee. But it seems that the Great Spirit was the friend of Kostoyeak, and he slew Chonesta with his own hand, thus eliminating his bravest warriors, and finally became the possessor of half the entire Tennessee Valley. Years rolled on and Kostoyeak, as well as his wife, were buried with every Indian honor in the valley of Nacoochee, and, to perpetuate their many virtues in after years, their several nations erected over their remains the mounds which now adorn a portion of the valley where they lived.