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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Myth of Hiawatha, and Other Oral
+Legends, Mythologic and Allegoric, of the North American Indians, by Henry R. Schoolcraft
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Myth of Hiawatha, and Other Oral Legends, Mythologic and Allegoric, of the North American Indians
+
+Author: Henry R. Schoolcraft
+
+Release Date: May 27, 2007 [EBook #21620]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MYTH OF HIAWATHA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Julia Miller and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from scans of public domain material produced by
+Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE MYTH OF HIAWATHA,
+
+
+AND
+
+
+OTHER ORAL LEGENDS, MYTHOLOGIC AND ALLEGORIC,
+
+OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
+
+
+
+BY
+
+HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT, LL.D.
+
+
+PHILADELPHIA:
+J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
+
+LONDON:
+TRUeBNER & CO.
+
+1856.
+
+
+
+
+Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by
+
+HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT,
+
+in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States in and
+for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
+
+
+
+
+    TO PROF. HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW.
+
+
+    SIR:--
+
+    Permit me to dedicate to you, this volume of Indian myths and
+    legends, derived from the story-telling circle of the native
+    wigwams. That they indicate the possession, by the Vesperic tribes,
+    of mental resources of a very characteristic kind--furnishing, in
+    fact, a new point from which to judge the race, and to excite
+    intellectual sympathies, you have most felicitously shown in your
+    poem of Hiawatha. Not only so, but you have demonstrated, by this
+    pleasing series of pictures of Indian life, sentiment, and
+    invention, that the theme of the native lore reveals one of the
+    true sources of our literary independence. Greece and Rome, England
+    and Italy, have so long furnished, if they have not exhausted, the
+    field of poetic culture, that it is, at least, refreshing to find
+    both in theme and metre, something new.
+
+    Very truly yours,
+
+    HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+
+There is but one consideration of much moment necessary to be premised
+respecting these legends and myths. It is this: they are versions of
+oral relations from the lips of the Indians, and are transcripts of the
+thought and invention of the aboriginal mind. As such, they furnish
+illustrations of Indian character and opinions on subjects which the
+ever-cautious and suspicious minds of this people have, heretofore,
+concealed. They place the man altogether in a new phasis. They reflect
+him as he is. They show us what he believes, hopes, fears, wishes,
+expects, worships, lives for, dies for. They are always true to the
+Indian manners and customs, opinions and theories. They never rise
+above them; they never sink below them. Placing him in almost every
+possible position, as a hunter, a warrior, a magician, a pow-wow, a
+medicine man, a meda, a husband, a father, a friend, a foe, a stranger,
+a wild singer of songs to monedos or fetishes, a trembler in terror of
+demons and wood genii, and of ghosts, witches, and sorcerers--now in
+the enjoyment of plenty in feasts--now pale and weak with abstinence in
+fasts; now transforming beasts and birds, or plants and trees into men,
+or men into beasts by necromancy; it is impossible not to perceive what
+he perpetually thinks, believes, and feels. The very language of the
+man is employed, and his vocabulary is not enlarged by words and
+phrases foreign to it. Other sources of information depict his exterior
+habits and outer garb and deportment; but in these legends and myths,
+we perceive the interior man, and are made cognizant of the secret
+workings of his mind, and heart, and soul.
+
+To make these collections, of which the portions now submitted are but
+a part, the leisure hours of many seasons, passed in an official
+capacity in the solitude of the wilderness far away from society, have
+been employed, with the study of the languages, and with the very best
+interpreters. They have been carefully translated, written, and
+rewritten, to obtain their true spirit and meaning, expunging passages,
+where it was necessary to avoid tediousness of narration, triviality of
+circumstance, tautologies, gross incongruities, and vulgarities; but
+adding no incident and drawing no conclusion, which the verbal
+narration did not imperatively require or sanction. It was impossible
+to mistake the import of terms and phrases where the means of their
+analysis were ample. If the style is sometimes found to be bald, and of
+jejune simplicity, the original is characteristically so. Few
+adjectives are employed, because there are few in the original.[1] The
+Indian effects his purposes, almost entirely, by changes of the verb
+and demonstrative pronoun, or by adjective inflections of the
+substantive. Good and bad, high and low, black and white, are in all
+cases employed in a transitive sense, and with strict relation to the
+objects characterized. The Indian compound terms are so descriptive, so
+graphic, so local, so characterizing, yet so flexible and transpositive,
+that the legends derive no little of their characteristic features as
+well as melody of utterance from these traits. Sometimes these terms
+cannot be literally translated, and they cannot, in these cases, be
+left out without damaging the stories.
+
+With regard to the thought-work of the legends, those who have deemed
+the Indians exclusively a cruel and blood-thirsty race, always seeking
+revenge, always invoking evil powers, will not be disappointed that
+giants, enchanters, demons, and dark supernatural agencies, should form
+so large a part of the dramatis personae. Surprise has been
+expressed,[2] that the kindlier affections come in for notice at all,
+and particularly at the occurrence of such refined and terse allegories
+as the origin of Indian Corn, Winter and Spring, and the poetic
+conception of the Celestial Sisters, &c. I can only add, that my own
+surprise was as great when these traits were first revealed. And the
+trait may be quoted to show how deeply the tribes have wandered away
+from the type of the human race in which love and affection absorb the
+heart;[3] and how little, indeed, we know of their mental character.
+
+These legends have been out of print several years. They are now
+reproduced, with additional legendary lore of this description from the
+portfolios of the author, in a revised, and, it is believed, a more
+terse, condensed, and acceptable form, both in a literary and business
+garb.[4]
+
+HENRY R. SCHOOLCRAFT.
+
+Washington, D.C., _April 28, 1856_.
+
+      [1] If Edwards the younger, to whom the Mohican was familiar from
+      his childhood, could say, that he doubted whether there were any
+      true adjectives in that language, it can easily be imagined that
+      the subtlety of the transitive principle had not been
+      sufficiently analyzed; but the remark is here quoted in relation
+      to the paucity of adjectives.
+
+      [2] _Vide_ Criterion.
+
+      [3] When the volumes of Algic Researches, in 1839, were
+      published, the book-trade had hardly awakened to that wide and
+      diffusive impulse which it has since received. No attention had
+      been given to topics so obscure as inquiries into the character
+      of the Indian mind--if, indeed, it was thought the Indian had any
+      mind at all. It was still supposed that the Indian was, at all
+      times and in all places, "a stoic of the woods," always
+      statuesque, always formal, always passionless, always on stilts,
+      always speaking in metaphors, a cold embodiment of bravery,
+      endurance, and savage heroism. Writers depicted him as a man who
+      uttered nothing but high principles of natural right, who always
+      harangued eloquently, and was ready, with unmoved philosophy on
+      all occasions, to sing his death song at the stake to show the
+      world how a warrior should die.
+
+      [4] The songs and chants which form so striking a part of the
+      original legends, and also the poetic use of aboriginal ideas,
+      are transferred to the end of the volume, and will thus, it is
+      apprehended, relieve and simplify the text.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+                                                                 Page
+
+Hiawatha; or, Manabozho                                            13
+
+Paup-puk-keewiss                                                   52
+
+Osseo; or, the Son of the Evening Star                             71
+
+Kwasind; or, the fearfully Strong Man                              77
+
+The Jeebi; or, Two Ghosts                                          81
+
+Iagoo                                                              85
+
+Shawondasee                                                        88
+
+Puck Wudj Ininees; or, the Vanishing Little Men                    90
+
+Pezhiu and Wabose; or, the Lynx and Hare                           95
+
+Peboan and Seegwun. An Allegory of Winter and Spring               96
+
+Mon-daw-min; or, the Origin of Indian Corn                         99
+
+Nezhik-e-wa-wa-sun; or, the Lone Lightning                        105
+
+The Ak Uk O Jeesh; or, the Groundhog Family                       107
+
+Opeechee; or, the Origin of the Robin                             109
+
+Shingebiss. An Allegory of Self-reliance                          113
+
+The Star Family; or, the Celestial Sisters                        116
+
+Ojeeg Annung; or, the Summer-Maker                                121
+
+Chileeli; or, the Red Lover                                       129
+
+Sheem, the forsaken Boy, or Wolf Brother                          136
+
+Mishemokwa; or, the War with the Gigantic Bear wearing
+the precious prize of the Necklace of Wampum, or the
+Origin of the Small Black Bear                                    142
+
+The Red Swan                                                      161
+
+Tau-wau-chee-hezkaw; or, the White Feather                        180
+
+Pauguk, and the mythological interpretation of Hiawatha           188
+
+Iena, the Wanderer; or, Magic Bundle                              194
+
+Mishosha; or, the Magician of Lake Superior                       202
+
+Peeta Kway, the Foam-Woman                                        213
+
+Pah-hah-undootah, the Red Head                                    216
+
+The White Stone Canoe                                             223
+
+Onaiazo, the Sky-Walker. A Legend of a Visit to the Sun           228
+
+Bosh-kwa-dosh; or, the Mastodon                                   233
+
+The Sun-Catcher; or, the Boy who set a Snare for the Sun.
+A Myth of the Origin of the Dormouse                              239
+
+Wa-wa-be-zo-win; or, the Swing on the Pictured Rocks of
+Lake Superior                                                     243
+
+Mukakee Mindemoea; or, the Toad-Woman                             246
+
+Eroneniera; or, an Indian Visit to the Great Spirit               251
+
+The Six Hawks; or, Broken Wing                                    258
+
+Weeng, the Spirit of Sleep                                        262
+
+Addik Kum Maig; or, the Origin of the White Fish                  265
+
+Bokwewa; or, the Humpback Magician                                269
+
+Aggodagauda and his Daughter; or, the Man with his Leg
+tied up                                                           274
+
+Iosco; or, the Prairie Boys' Visit to the Sun and Moon            278
+
+The Enchanted Moccasins                                           293
+
+Leelinau. A Chippewa Tale                                         299
+
+                    *      *      *      *      *
+
+Wild Notes of the Pibbigwun                                       303
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION.
+
+
+Hitherto, Indian opinion, on abstract subjects, has been a sealed book.
+It has been impossible to extract the truth from his evasive replies.
+If asked his opinion of religion in the abstract, he knows not the true
+meaning of the term. His ideas of the existence of a Deity are vague,
+at best; and the lines of separation between it and necromancy, medical
+magic, and demonology are too faintly separated to allow him to speak
+with discrimination. The best reply, as to his religious views, his
+mythology, his cosmogony, and his general views as to the mode and
+manifestations of the government and providences of God, are to be
+found in his myths and legends. When he assembles his lodge-circle, to
+hear stories, in seasons of leisure and retirement in the depths of the
+forest, he recites precisely what he believes on these subjects. That
+restlessness, suspicion, and mistrust of motive, which has closed his
+mind to inquiry, is at rest here. If he mingles fiction with history,
+there is little of the latter, and it is very easy to see where history
+ends and fiction begins. While he amuses his hearers with tales of the
+adventures of giants and dwarfs, and the conflicts of Manito with
+Manito, fairies and enchanters, monsters and demons, he also throws in
+some few grains of instruction, in the form of allegory and fable,
+which enable us to perceive glimpses of the heart and its affections.
+
+It is also by his myths that we are able to trace connections with the
+human family in other parts of the world. Yet, where the analogies are
+so general, there is a constant liability to mistakes. Of these foreign
+analogies of myth lore, the least tangible, it is believed, is that
+which has been suggested with the Scandinavian mythology. That
+mythology is of so marked and peculiar a character, that it has not
+been distinctly traced out of the great circle of tribes of the
+Indo-Germanic family. Odin, and his terrific pantheon of war-gods and
+social deities, could only exist in the dreary latitudes of storms and
+fire, which produce a Hecla and a Maelstrom. These latitudes have
+invariably produced nations, whose influence has been felt in an
+elevating power over the world; and whose tracks have everywhere been
+marked by the highest evidences of inductive intellect, centralizing
+energy, and practical wisdom and forecast. From such a source the
+Indian could have derived none of his vague symbolisms and mental
+idiosyncrasies, which have left him, as he is found to-day, without a
+government and without a God. Far more probable is it, in seeking for
+analogies to his mythology and cosmogony, to resort to the era of that
+primal reconstruction of the theory of a Deity, when the human
+philosophy in the oriental world ascribed the godship of the universe
+to the subtile, ineffable, and indestructible essences of fire and
+light, as revealed in the sun. Such were the errors of the search for
+divine truth, power, and a controllable Deity, which early developed
+themselves in the dogmas of the Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, and
+wandering hordes of Northern Asia.
+
+Authors inform us that the worship of the sun lies at the foundation of
+all the ancient mythologies, deeply enveloped as they are, when
+followed over Asia Minor and Europe, in symbolic and linguistical
+subtleties and refinements. The symbolical fires erected on temples and
+altars to Baal, Chemosh, and Moloch, burned brightly in the valley of
+the Euphrates,[5] long before the pyramids of Egypt were erected, or
+its priestly-hoarded hieroglyphic wisdom resulted in a phonetic
+alphabet. In Persia, these altars were guarded and religiously fed by a
+consecrated body of magical priesthood, who recognized a Deity in the
+essence of an eternal fire and a world-pervading light.
+
+The same dogma, derived eastwardly and not westwardly through Europe,
+was fully installed at Atacama and Cuzco, in Peru, at Cholulu, on the
+magnificent and volcano-lighted peaks of Mexico; and along the fertile
+deltas of the Mississippi valley. Altar-beds for a sacred fire, lit to
+the Great Spirit, under the name and symbolic form of Ceezis, or the
+sun, where the frankincense of the nicotiana was offered, with hymns
+and genuflections, have been discovered, in many instances, under the
+earth-heaps and artificial mounds and places of sepulture of the
+ancient inhabitants. Intelligent Indians yet living, among the North
+American tribes, point out the symbol of the sun, in their ancient
+muzzinabikons, or rock-inscriptions, and also amid the idiographic
+tracery and bark-scrolls of the hieratic and magical medicine songs.
+
+With a cosmogony which ascribes the creation of the Geezha Monedo, who
+is symbolized by the sun, the myth of Hiawatha is almost a necessary
+consequence in carrying out his mundane intentions to the tribes, who
+believed themselves to be peculiar objects of his love and benevolence.
+This myth is noticed by the earliest explorers of this continent, who
+have bestowed attention on the subject, under the various names of
+Inigorio, Yoskika, Taren-Yawagon, Atahentsic, Manabozho, and Micabo. A
+mythology appears indispensable to a rude and ignorant race like the
+Indians. Their vocabulary is nearly limited to objects which can be
+seen and handled. Abstractions are only reached by the introduction of
+some term which restores the idea. The Deity is a mystery, of whose
+power they must chiefly judge by the phenomena before them. Everything
+is mysterious which is not understood; and, unluckily, they understand
+little or nothing. If any phenomenon, or existence not before them, is
+to be described, the language must be symbolic. The result is, that the
+Indian languages are peculiarly the languages of symbols, metaphors,
+and figures. Without this feature, everything not in the departments of
+eating, drinking, and living, and the ordinary transactions of the
+chase and forest, would not be capable of description.
+
+When the Great Sacred White Hare of Heaven, the Manabozho of the
+Algrics, and Hiawatha of the Iroquois, kills the Great Misshikinabik,
+or prince of serpents, it is understood that he destroys the great
+power of evil. It is a deity whom he destroys, a sort of Typhon or
+Ahriman in the system. It is immediately found, on going to his lodge,
+that it is a man, a hero, a chief, who is sick, and he must be cured by
+simples and magic songs like the rest of the Indians. He is surrounded
+with Indian doctors, who sing magic songs. He has all the powers of a
+deity, and, when he dies, the land is subjected to a flood; from which
+Hiawatha alone escapes. This play between the zoonic and mortal shapes
+of heroes must constantly be observed, in high as well as in ordinary
+characters. To have the name of an animal, or bird, or reptile, is to
+have his powers. When Pena runs, on a wager of life, with the Great
+Sorcerer, he changes himself sometimes into a partridge, and sometimes
+into a wolf, to outrun him.
+
+The Indian's necessities of language at all times require
+personifications and linguistic creations. He cannot talk on abstract
+topics without them. Myths and spiritual agencies are constantly
+required. The ordinary domestic life of the Indian is described in
+plain words and phrases, but whatever is mysterious or abstract must be
+brought under mythological figures and influences. Birds and quadrupeds
+must be made to talk. Weeng is the spirit of somnolency in the lodge
+stories. He is provided with a class of little invisible emissaries,
+who ascend the forehead, armed with tiny war-clubs, with which they
+strike the temples, producing sleep. Pauguk is the personification of
+death. He is armed with a bow and arrows, to execute his mortal
+functions. Hosts of a small fairy-like creation, called Ininees, little
+men, or Pukwudj Ininees, vanishing little men, inhabit cliffs, and
+picturesque and romantic scenes. Another class of marine or water
+spirits, called Nebunabaigs, occupy the rivers and lakes. There is an
+articulate voice in all the varied sounds of the forest--the groaning
+of its branches, and the whispering of its leaves. Local Manitos, or
+fetishes, inhabit every grove; and hence he is never alone.
+
+To facilitate allusion to the braggadocio, or the extravagant in
+observation, the mythos of Iagoo is added to his vocabulary. The North
+and the South, the East and the West, are prefigured as the brothers of
+Hiawatha, or the laughter-provoking Manubozho. It is impossible to
+peruse the Indian myths and legends without perceiving the governing
+motives of his reasons, hopes, wishes, and fears, the principles of his
+actions, and his general belief in life, death, and immortality. He is
+no longer an enigma. They completely unmask the man. They lay open his
+most secret theories of the phenomena of spirit life; of necromancy,
+witchcraft, and demonology; and, in a special manner, of the deep and
+wide-spread prevalence throughout the world of Indian opinion, of the
+theory and power of local Manitos. It is here that the Indian prophet,
+powwow, or jossakeed, throws off his mask, and the Indian religionist
+discloses to us the secrets of his fasts and dreams. His mind
+completely unbends itself, and the man lives over, in imagination, both
+the sweet and the bitter scenes of a hunter's life. To him the clouds,
+which chase each other, in brilliant hues and constantly changing
+forms, in the heavens, constitute a species of wild pictography, which
+he can interpret. The phenomena of storms and meteorological changes
+connect themselves, in the superstitious mind, with some engrossing
+mythos or symbol. The eagle, the kite, and the hawk, who fly to great
+heights, are deemed to be conversant with the aerial powers, who are
+believed to have an influence over men, and hence the great regard
+which is paid to the flight of these birds in their war and hieratic
+songs.
+
+Fictitious tales of imaginary Indian life, and poems on the aboriginal
+model, have been in vogue almost from the days of the discovery. But
+what has been fancied as life in the forest, has had no little
+resemblance to those Utopian schemes of government and happiness which
+rather denote the human mind run mad, than supply models to guide
+judgment or please philosophy. In general, these attempts have held up
+high principles of thought and action in a people, against truth,
+observation, and common sense. High heroic action, in the Indian, is
+the result of personal education in endurance, supported by pride of
+character; and if he can ever be said to rejoice in suffering, it is in
+the spirit of a taunt to his enemy. This error had been so long
+prevalent, that when, in 1839, the author submitted a veritable
+collection of legends and myths from the Indian wigwams, which
+reflected the Indian life as it is, it was difficult, and almost
+impossible, to excite interest in the theme, in the trade. He went to
+England and the continent, in hopes of better success. But, although
+philanthropists and men of letters and science appreciated the subject,
+as historical elements in the history of the human mind, the
+booksellers of London, Paris, Leipsic, and Frankfort-on-the-Main, to
+whose notice the subject was brought, exhibited very nearly the same
+nonchalant tone; and had it not been for the attractive poetic form in
+which one of our most popular and successful bards has clothed some of
+these wild myths, the period of their reproduction is likely to have
+been still further postponed.
+
+In now submitting so large a body of matter, respecting the mental
+garniture of a people whose fate and fortunes have excited so much
+interest, the surprise is not that we know so little of their mental
+traits, but that, with so little research and inquiry, we should know
+anything at all. They have only been regarded as the geologist regards
+boulders, being not only out of place, but with not half the sure
+guides and principles of determining where they came from, and where
+the undisturbed original strata remain. The wonder is not that, as
+boulder-tribes, they have not adopted our industry and Christianity,
+and stoutly resisted civilization, in all its phases, but that, in
+spite of such vital truths, held up by all the Colonies and States, and
+by every family of them, they have not long since died out and become
+extinguished. No English colony could live three or four centuries, in
+any isolated part of the world, without the plough, the school-book,
+and the Bible; it would die out, of idleness and ignorance. If one
+century has kicked the Indian in America harder than another, it is
+because the kicks of labor, art, and knowledge are always the hardest,
+and in the precise proportion to the contiguity of the object.
+
+By obtaining--what these legends give--a sight of the inner man, we are
+better able to set a just estimate on his character, and to tell what
+means of treatment are best suited for his reclamation. That
+forbearance, kindness, and teaching are best adapted to the object,
+there is no doubt. We are counselled to forgive an erring brother
+seventy and seven times. If, as some maintain, wrongfully, we believe,
+the Indian is not, in a genealogical sense, of the same stock, yet is
+he not, in a moral sense, a brother? If the knowledge of his
+story-telling faculty has had any tendency to correct the evils of
+false popular opinion respecting him, it has been to show that the man
+talks and laughs like the rest of the human family; that it is fear
+that makes him suspicious, and ignorance superstitious; that he is
+himself the dupe of an artful forest priesthood; and that his cruelty
+and sanguinary fury are the effects of false notions of fame, honor,
+and glory. He is always, and at all times and places, under the strong
+influence of hopes and fears, true or false, by which he is carried
+forward in the changing scenes of war and peace. Kindness never fails
+to soften and meliorate his feelings, and harshness, injury, and
+contempt to harden and blunt them. Above all, it is shown that, in the
+recesses of the forest, he devotes a portion of his time to domestic
+and social enjoyment, in which the leading feature is the relation of
+traditionary legends and tales. Heroes and heroines, giants and dwarfs,
+spirits, Monetos or local gods, demons, and deities pass in review. It
+is chiefly by their misadventures and violations of the Indian
+theories, that the laugh is sought to be raised. The _dramatis personae_
+are true transcripts of Indian life; they never rise above it, or
+express a sentiment or opinion which is not true to Indian society; nor
+do they employ words which are not known to their vocabulary. It is in
+these legends that we obtain their true views of life and death, their
+religion, their theory of the state of the dead, their mythology, their
+cosmogony, their notions of astrology, and often of their biography and
+history--for the boundaries between history and fiction are vaguely
+defined. These stories are often told, in seasons of great severity in
+the depth of the winter, to an eagerly listening group, to while away
+the hour, and divert attention from the pressing claims of hunger.
+Under such circumstances to dole away time which has no value to him,
+and to cheat hunger and want, is esteemed a trait of philosophy. If
+there is a morsel to eat in the lodge, it is given to the children. The
+women imitate this stoicism and devotion of the men. Not a tone in the
+narration tells of dismay in their domestic circumstances, not an eye
+acknowledges the influence of grief. Tell me whether the dignity of
+this position is not worthy of remembrance. The man, it may be, shall
+pass away from the earth, but these tributes to the best feelings of
+the heart will remain, while these simple tales and legendary creations
+constitute a new point of character by which he should be judged. They
+are, at least, calculated to modify our views of the man, who is not
+always a savage, not always a fiend.
+
+      [5] Gross.
+
+
+
+
+HIAWATHA;
+
+OR,
+
+MANABOZHO.
+
+
+The myth of the Indians of a remarkable personage, who is called
+Manabozho by the Algonquins, and Hiawatha by the Iroquois, who was the
+instructor of the tribes in arts and knowledge, was first related to me
+in 1822, by the Chippewas of Lake Superior. He is regarded as the
+messenger of the Great Spirit, sent down to them in the character of a
+wise man, and a prophet. But he comes clothed with all the attributes
+of humanity, as well as the power of performing miraculous deeds. He
+adapts himself perfectly to their manners, and customs, and ideas. He
+is brought up from a child among them. He is made to learn their mode
+of life. He takes a wife, builds a lodge, hunts and fishes like the
+rest of them, sings his war songs and medicine songs, goes to war, has
+his triumphs, has his friends and foes, suffers, wants, hungers, is in
+dread or joy--and, in fine, undergoes all the vicissitudes of his
+fellows. His miraculous gifts and powers are always adapted to his
+situation. When he is swallowed by a great fish, with his canoe, he
+escapes by the exertion of these powers, but always, as much as
+possible, in accordance with Indian maxims and means. He is provided
+with a magic canoe, which goes where it is bid; yet, in his fight with
+the great wampum prince, he is counselled by a woodpecker to know where
+the vulnerable point of his antagonist lies. He rids the earth of
+monsters and giants, and clears away windfalls, and obstructions to the
+navigation of streams. But he does not do these feats by miracles; he
+employs strong men to help him. When he means to destroy the great
+serpents, he changes himself into an old tree, and stands on the beach
+till they come out of the water to bask in the sun. Whatever man could
+do, in strength or wisdom, he could do. But he never does things above
+the comprehension or belief of his people; and whatever else he is, he
+is always true to the character of an Indian.
+
+This myth is one of the most general in the Indian country. It is the
+prime legend of their mythology. He is talked of in every winter
+lodge--for the winter season is the only time devoted to such
+narrations. The moment the leaves come out, stories cease in the lodge.
+The revival of spring in the botanical world opens, as it were, so many
+eyes and ears to listen to the tales of men; and the Indian is far too
+shrewd a man, and too firm a believer in the system of invisible
+spirits by which he is surrounded, to commit himself by saying a word
+which they, with their acute senses on the opening of the spring, can
+be offended at.
+
+He leaps over extensive regions of country like an ignis fatuus. He
+appears suddenly like an avatar, or saunters over weary wastes a poor
+and starving hunter. His voice is at one moment deep and sonorous as a
+thunder-clap, and at another clothed with the softness of feminine
+supplication. Scarcely any two persons agree in all the minor
+circumstances of the story, and scarcely any omit the leading traits.
+The several tribes who speak dialects of the mother language from which
+the narration is taken, differ, in like manner, from each other in the
+particulars of his exploits. His birth and parentage are mysterious.
+Story says his grandmother was the daughter of the moon. Having been
+married but a short time, her rival attracted her to a grape-vine swing
+on the banks of a lake, and by one bold exertion pitched her into its
+centre, from which she fell through to the earth. Having a daughter,
+the fruit of her lunar marriage, she was very careful in instructing
+her, from early infancy, to beware of the west wind, and never, in
+stooping, to expose herself to its influence. In some unguarded moment
+this precaution was neglected. In an instant, the gale accomplished its
+Tarquinic purpose.
+
+Very little is told of his early boyhood. We take him up in the
+following legend at a period of advanced youth, when we find him living
+with his grandmother. And at this time he possessed, although he had not
+yet _exercised_, all the anomalous and contradictory powers of body and
+mind, of manship and divinity, which he afterward evinced. The timidity
+and rawness of the boy quickly gave way in the courageous developments
+of the man. He soon evinced the sagacity, cunning, perseverance, and
+heroic courage which constitute the admiration of the Indians. And he
+relied largely upon these in the gratification of an ambitious,
+vainglorious, and mischief-loving disposition. In wisdom and energy he
+was superior to any one who had ever lived before. Yet he was simple
+when circumstances required it, and was ever the object of tricks and
+ridicule in others. He could transform himself into any animal he
+pleased, being man or manito, as circumstances rendered necessary. He
+often conversed with animals, fowls, reptiles, and fishes. He deemed
+himself related to them, and invariably addressed them by the term "my
+brother;" and one of his greatest resources, when hard pressed, was to
+change himself into their shapes.
+
+Manitoes constitute the great power and absorbing topic of Indian lore.
+Their agency is at once the groundwork of their mythology and
+demonology. They supply the machinery of their poetic inventions, and
+the belief in their multitudinous existence exerts a powerful influence
+upon the lives and character of individuals. As their manitoes are of
+all imaginary kinds, grades, and powers, benign and malicious, it seems
+a grand conception among the Indians to create a personage strong
+enough in his necromantic and spiritual powers to baffle the most
+malicious, beat the stoutest, and overreach the most cunning. In
+carrying out this conception in the following myth, they have, however,
+rather exhibited an incarnation of the power of Evil than of the genius
+of Benevolence.
+
+Manabozho was living with his grandmother near the edge of a wide
+prairie. On this prairie he first saw animals and birds of every kind.
+He there also saw exhibitions of divine power in the sweeping tempests,
+in the thunder and lightning, and the various shades of light and
+darkness, which form a never-ending scene of observation. Every new
+sight he beheld in the heavens was a subject of remark; every new
+animal or bird an object of deep interest; and every sound uttered by
+the animal creation a new lesson, which he was expected to learn. He
+often trembled at what he heard and saw. To this scene his grandmother
+sent him at an early age to watch. The first sound he heard was that of
+the owl, at which he was greatly terrified, and, quickly descending the
+tree he had climbed, he ran with alarm to the lodge. "Noko! Noko!"[6]
+he cried, "I have heard a monedo." She laughed at his fears, and asked
+him what kind of a noise it made. He answered, "It makes a noise like
+this: Ko-ko-ko-ho." She told him that he was young and foolish; that
+what he had heard was only a bird, deriving its name from the noise it
+made.
+
+He went back and continued his watch. While there, he thought to
+himself, "It is singular that I am so simple, and my grandmother so
+wise, and that I have neither father nor mother. I have never heard a
+word about them. I must ask and find out." He went home and sat down
+silent and dejected. At length his grandmother asked him, "Manabozho,
+what is the matter with you?" He answered, "I wish you would tell me
+whether I have any parents living, and who my relatives are." Knowing
+that he was of a wicked and revengeful disposition, she dreaded telling
+him the story of his parentage, but he insisted on her compliance.
+"Yes," she said, "you have a father and three brothers living. Your
+mother is dead. She was taken without the consent of her parents by
+your father the West. Your brothers are the North, East, and South,
+and, being older than yourself, your father has given them great power
+with the winds, according to their names. You are the youngest of his
+children. I have nourished you from your infancy, for your mother died
+in giving you birth, owing to the ill treatment of your father. I have
+no relations besides you this side of the planet in which I was born,
+and from which I was precipitated by female jealousy. Your mother was
+my only child, and you are my only hope."
+
+He appeared to be rejoiced to hear that his father was living, for he
+had already thought in his heart to try and kill him. He told his
+grandmother he should set out in the morning to visit him. She said it
+was a long distance to the place where Ningabiun[7] lived. But that had
+no effect to stop him, for he had now attained manhood, possessed a
+giant's height, and was endowed by nature with a giant's strength and
+power. He set out and soon reached the place, for every step he took
+covered a large surface of ground. The meeting took place on a high
+mountain in the West. His father was very happy to see him. He also
+appeared pleased. They spent some days in talking with each other. One
+evening Manabozho asked his father what he was most afraid of on earth.
+He replied, "Nothing." "But is there not something you dread here? tell
+me." At last his father said, yielding, "Yes, there is a black stone
+found in such a place. It is the only thing earthly I am afraid of; for
+if it should hit me or any part of my body, it would injure me very
+much." He said this as a secret, and in return asked his son the same
+question. Knowing each other's power, although the son's was limited,
+the father feared him on account of his great strength. Manabozho
+answered, "Nothing!" intending to avoid the question, or to refer to
+some harmless object as the one of which he was afraid. He was asked
+again and again, and answered, "Nothing!" But the West said, "There must
+be something you are afraid of." "Well! I will tell you," says
+Manabozho, "what it is." But, before he would pronounce the word, he
+affected great dread. "_Ie-ee_--_Ie-ee_--it is--it is," said he, "yeo!
+yeo![8] I cannot name it; I am seized with a dread." The West told him
+to banish his fears. He commenced again, in a strain of mock
+sensitiveness repeating the same words; at last he cried out, "It is the
+root of the _apukwa_."[9] He appeared to be exhausted by the effort of
+pronouncing the word, in all this skilfully acting a studied part.
+
+Some time after he observed, "I will get some of the black rock." The
+West said, "Far be it from you; do not do so, my son." He still
+persisted. "Well," said the father, "I will also get the apukwa root."
+Manabozho immediately cried out, "_Kago! Kago!_"[10] affecting, as
+before, to be in great dread of it, but really wishing, by this course,
+to urge on the West to procure it, that he might draw him into combat.
+He went out and got a large piece of the black rock, and brought it
+home. The West also took care to bring the dreaded root.
+
+In the course of conversation he asked his father whether he had been
+the cause of his mother's death. The answer was "Yes!" He then took up
+the rock and struck him. Blow led to blow, and here commenced an
+obstinate and furious combat, which continued several days. Fragments
+of the rock, broken off under Manabozho's blows, can be seen in various
+places to this day."[11] The root did not prove as mortal a weapon as
+his well-acted fears had led his father to expect, although he suffered
+severely from the blows. This battle commenced on the mountains. The
+West was forced to give ground. Manabozho drove him across rivers, and
+over mountains and lakes, and at last he came to the brink of this
+world.
+
+"Hold!" cried he, "my son; you know my power, and that it is impossible
+to kill me. Desist, and I will also portion you out with as much power
+as your brothers. The four quarters of the globe are already occupied;
+but you can go and do a great deal of good to the people of this earth,
+which is infested with large serpents, beasts, and monsters,[12] who
+make great havoc among the inhabitants. Go and do good. You have the
+power now to do so, and your fame with the beings of this earth will
+last forever. When you have finished your work, I will have a place
+provided for you. You will then go and sit with your brother
+Kabibboonocca in the north."
+
+Manabozho was pacified. He returned to his lodge, where he was confined
+by the wounds he had received. But from his grandmother's skill in
+medicines he was soon recovered. She told him that his grandfather,
+who had come to the earth in search of her, had been killed by
+Megissogwon,[13] who lived on the opposite side of the great lake. "When
+he was alive," she continued, "I was never without oil to put on my
+head, but now my hair is fast falling off for the want of it." "Well!"
+said he, "Noko, get cedar bark and make me a line, whilst I make a
+canoe." When all was ready, he went out to the middle of the lake to
+fish. He put his line down, saying, "Me-she-nah-ma-gwai (the name of the
+kingfish), take hold of my bait." He kept repeating this for some time.
+At last the king of the fishes said, "Manabozho troubles me. Here,
+Trout, take hold of his line." The trout did so. He then commenced
+drawing up his line, which was very heavy, so that his canoe stood
+nearly perpendicular; but he kept crying out, "Wha-ee-he! wha-ee-he!"
+till he could see the trout. As soon as he saw him, he spoke to him.
+"Why did you take hold of my hook? Esa! esa![14] you ugly fish." The
+trout, being thus rebuked, let go.
+
+Manabozho put his line again in the water, saying, "King of fishes,
+take hold of my line." But the king of the fishes told a monstrous
+sunfish to take hold of it; for Manabozho was tiring him with his
+incessant calls. He again drew up his line with difficulty, saying as
+before, "Wha-ee-he! wha-ee-he!" while his canoe was turning in swift
+circles. When he saw the sunfish, he cried, "Esa! esa! you odious fish!
+why did you dirty my hook by taking it in your mouth? Let go, I say,
+let go." The sunfish did so, and told the king of fishes what Manabozho
+said. Just at that moment the bait came near the king, and hearing
+Manabozho continually crying out, "Me-she nah-ma-gwai, take hold of my
+hook," at last he did so, and allowed himself to be drawn up to the
+surface, which he had no sooner reached than, at one mouthful, he took
+Manabozho and his canoe down. When he came to himself, he found that he
+was in the fish's belly, and also his canoe. He now turned his thoughts
+to the way of making his escape. Looking in his canoe, he saw his
+war-club, with which he immediately struck the heart of the fish. He
+then felt a sudden motion, as if he were moving with great velocity.
+The fish observed to the others, "I am sick at stomach for having
+swallowed this dirty fellow Manabozho." Just at this moment he received
+another severe blow on the heart. Manabozho thought, "If I am thrown up
+in the middle of the lake, I shall be drowned; so I must prevent it."
+He drew his canoe and placed it across the fish's throat, and just as
+he had finished the fish commenced vomiting, but to no effect. In this
+he was aided by a squirrel, who had accompanied him unperceived until
+that moment. This animal had taken an active part in helping him to
+place his canoe across the fish's throat. For this act he named him,
+saying, "For the future, boys shall always call you Ajidaumo."[15]
+
+He then renewed his attack upon the fish's heart, and succeeded, by
+repeated blows, in killing him, which he first knew by the loss of
+motion, and by the sound of the beating of the body against the shore.
+He waited a day longer to see what would happen. He heard birds
+scratching on the body, and all at once the rays of light broke in. He
+could see the heads of gulls, who were looking in by the opening they
+had made. "Oh!" cried Manabozho, "my younger brothers, make the opening
+larger, so that I can get out." They told each other that their brother
+Manabozho was inside of the fish. They immediately set about enlarging
+the orifice, and in a short time liberated him. After he got out he
+said to the gulls, "For the future you shall be called Kayoshk[16] for
+your kindness to me."
+
+The spot where the fish happened to be driven ashore was near his
+lodge. He went up and told his grandmother to go and prepare as much
+oil as she wanted. All besides, he informed her, he should keep for
+himself.
+
+Some time after this, he commenced making preparations for a war
+excursion against the Pearl Feather, the Manito who lived on the
+opposite side of the great lake, who had killed his grandfather. The
+abode of this spirit was defended, first, by fiery serpents, who hissed
+fire so that no one could pass them; and, in the second place, by a
+large mass of gummy matter lying on the water, so soft and adhesive,
+that whoever attempted to pass, or whatever came in contact with it,
+was sure to stick there.
+
+He continued making bows and arrows without number, but he had no heads
+for his arrows. At last Noko told him that an old man who lived at some
+distance could make them. He sent her to get some. She soon returned
+with her conaus or wrapper full.[17] Still he told her he had not
+enough, and sent her again. She returned with as much more. He thought
+to himself, "I must find out the way of making these heads." Cunning and
+curiosity prompted him to make the discovery. But he deemed it necessary
+to deceive his grandmother in so doing. "Noko," said he, "while I take
+my drum and rattle, and sing my war songs, go and try to get me some
+_larger_ heads for my arrows, for those you brought me are all of the
+same size. Go and see whether the old man cannot make some a little
+larger." He followed her as she went, keeping at a distance, and saw the
+old artificer at work, and so discovered his process. He also beheld the
+old man's daughter, and perceived that she was very beautiful. He felt
+his breast beat with a new emotion, but said nothing. He took care to
+get home before his grandmother, and commenced singing as if he had
+never left his lodge. When the old woman came near, she heard his drum
+and rattle, without any suspicion that he had followed her. She
+delivered him the arrow-heads.
+
+One evening the old woman said, "My son, you ought to _fast_ before you
+go to war, as your brothers frequently do, to find out whether you will
+be successful or not."[18] He said he had no objection, and immediately
+commenced a fast for several days. He would retire every day from the
+lodge so far as to be out of reach of his grandmother's voice. It seems
+she had indicated this spot, and was very anxious he should fast there,
+and not at another place. She had a secret motive, which she carefully
+hid from him. Deception always begets suspicion. After a while he
+thought to himself, "I must find out why my grandmother is so anxious
+for me to fast at this spot." Next evening he went but a short distance.
+She cried out, "A little farther off;" but he came nearer to the lodge,
+and cried out in a low, counterfeited voice, to make it appear that he
+was distant. She then replied, "That is far enough." He had got so near
+that he could see all that passed in the lodge. He had not been long in
+his place of concealment, when a paramour in the shape of a bear entered
+the lodge. He had very long hair. They commenced talking about him, and
+appeared to be improperly familiar. At that time people lived to a very
+great age, and he perceived, from the marked attentions of this visitor,
+that he did not think a grandmother too old to be pleased with such
+attentions. He listened to their conversation some time. At last he
+determined to play the visitor a trick. He took some fire, and when the
+bear had turned his back, touched his long hair. When the animal felt
+the flame, he jumped out, but the open air only made it burn the
+fiercer, and he was seen running off in a full blaze.
+
+Manabozho ran to his customary place of fasting, and assuming a tone of
+simplicity, began to cry out, "Noko! Noko! is it time for me to come
+home?" "Yes," she cried. When he came in she told him what had taken
+place, at which he appeared to be very much surprised.
+
+After having finished his term of fasting and sung his war-song--from
+which the Indians of the present day derive the custom--he embarked in
+his canoe, fully prepared for war. In addition to the usual implements,
+he had a plentiful supply of oil. He travelled rapidly night and day,
+for he had only to will or speak, and the canoe went. At length he
+arrived in sight of the fiery serpents. He stopped to view them. He saw
+they were some distance apart, and that the flame only which issued
+from them reached across the pass. He commenced talking as a friend to
+them; but they answered, "We know you, Manabozho, you cannot pass." He
+then thought of some expedient to deceive them, and hit upon this. He
+pushed his canoe as near as possible. All at once he cried out, with a
+loud and terrified voice, "What is that behind you?" The serpents
+instantly turned their heads, when, at a single word, he passed them.
+"Well!" said he, placidly, after he had got by, "how do you like my
+exploit?" He then took up his bow and arrows, and with deliberate aim
+shot them, which was easily done, for the serpents were stationary, and
+could not move beyond a certain spot. They were of enormous length and
+of a bright color.
+
+Having overcome the sentinel serpents, he went on in his magic canoe
+till he came to a soft gummy portion of the lake, called Pigiu-wagumee
+or Pitchwater. He took the oil and rubbed it on his canoe, and then
+pushed into it. The oil softened the surface and enabled him to slip
+through it with ease, although it required frequent rubbing, and a
+constant reapplication of the oil. Just as his oil failed, he extricated
+himself from this impediment, and was the first person who ever
+succeeded in overcoming it.
+
+He now came in view of land, on which he debarked in safety, and could
+see the lodge of the Shining Manito, situated on a hill. He commenced
+preparing for the fight, putting his arrows and clubs in order, and
+just at the dawn of day began his attack, yelling and shouting, and
+crying with triple voices, "Surround him! surround him! run up! run
+up!" making it appear that he had many followers. He advanced crying
+out, "It was you that killed my grandfather," and with this shot his
+arrows. The combat continued all day. Manabozho's arrows had no effect,
+for his antagonist was clothed with pure wampum. He was now reduced to
+three arrows, and it was only by extraordinary agility that he could
+escape the blows which the Manito kept making at him. At that moment a
+large woodpecker (the ma-ma) flew past, and lit on a tree. "Manabozho,"
+he cried, "your adversary has a vulnerable point; shoot at the lock of
+hair on the crown of his head." He shot his first arrow so as only to
+draw blood from that part. The Manito made one or two unsteady steps,
+but recovered himself. He began to parley, but, in the act, received a
+second arrow, which brought him to his knees. But he again recovered.
+In so doing, however, he exposed his head, and gave his adversary a
+chance to fire his third arrow, which penetrated deep, and brought him
+a lifeless corpse to the ground. Manabozho uttered his saw-saw-quan,
+and taking his scalp as a trophy, he called the woodpecker to come and
+receive a reward for his information. He took the blood of the Manito
+and rubbed it on the woodpecker's[19] head, the feathers of which are
+red to this day.
+
+After this victory he returned home, singing songs of triumph and
+beating his drum. When his grandmother heard him, she came to the shore
+and welcomed him with songs and dancing. Glory fired his mind. He
+displayed the trophies he had brought in the most conspicuous manner,
+and felt an unconquerable desire for other adventures. He felt himself
+urged by the consciousness of his power to new trials of bravery, skill,
+and necromantic prowess. He had destroyed the Manito of Wealth, and
+killed his guardian serpents, and eluded all his charms. He did not long
+remain inactive. His next adventure was upon the water, and proved him
+the prince of fishermen. He captured a fish of such monstrous size, that
+the fat and oil he obtained from it formed a small lake. He therefore
+invited all the animals and fowls to a banquet, and he made the order in
+which they partook of this repast the measure of their fatness. As fast
+as they arrived, he told them to plunge in. The bear came first, and was
+followed by the deer, opossum, and such other animals as are noted for
+their peculiar fatness at certain seasons. The moose and bison came
+tardily. The partridge looked on till the reservoir was nearly
+exhausted. The hare and marten came last, and these animals have,
+consequently, no fat. When this ceremony was over, he told the assembled
+animals and birds to dance, taking up his drum and crying, "New songs
+from the south, come, brothers, dance." He directed them to pass in a
+circle around him, and to shut their eyes. They did so. When he saw a
+fat fowl pass by him, he adroitly wrung off its head, at the same time
+beating his drum and singing with greater vehemence, to drown the noise
+of the fluttering, and crying out, in a tone of admiration, "That's the
+way, my brothers, _that's_ the way." At last a small duck (the diver),
+thinking there was something wrong, opened one eye and saw what he was
+doing. Giving a spring, and crying "Ha-ha-a! Manabozho is killing us,"
+he made for the water. Manabozho followed him, and, just as the duck was
+getting into the water, gave him a kick, which is the cause of his back
+being flattened and his legs being straightened out backward, so that
+when he gets on land he cannot walk, and his tail feathers are few.
+Meantime the other birds flew off, and the animals ran into the woods.
+
+After this Manabozho set out to travel. He wished to outdo all others,
+and to see new countries. But after walking over America and
+encountering many adventures, he became satisfied as well as fatigued.
+He had heard of great feats in hunting, and felt a desire to try his
+power in that way. One evening, as he was walking along the shores of a
+great lake, weary and hungry, he encountered a great magician in the
+form of an old wolf, with six young ones, coming towards him. The wolf,
+as soon as he saw him, told his whelps to keep out of the way of
+Manabozho, "for I know," continued he, "that it is him that we see
+yonder." The young wolves were in the act of running off, when
+Manabozho cried out, "My grandchildren, where are you going? Stop, and
+I will go with you." He appeared rejoiced to see the old wolf, and
+asked him whither he was journeying. Being told that they were looking
+out for a place, where they could find most game, to pass the winter,
+he said he should like to go with them, and addressed the old wolf in
+the following words: "Brother, I have a passion for the chase; are you
+willing to change me into a wolf?" He was answered favorably, and his
+transformation immediately effected.
+
+Manabozho was fond of novelty. He found himself a wolf corresponding in
+size with the others, but he was not quite satisfied with the change,
+crying out, "Oh, make me a little larger." They did so. "A little larger
+still," he exclaimed. They said, "Let us humor him," and granted his
+request. "Well," said he, "_that_ will do." He looked at his tail. "Oh!"
+cried he, "do make my tail a little longer and more bushy." They did so.
+They then all started off in company, dashing up a ravine. After getting
+into the woods some distance, they fell in with the tracks of moose. The
+young ones went after them, Manabozho and the old wolf following at
+their leisure. "Well," said the wolf, "who do you think is the fastest
+of the boys? can you tell by the jumps they take?" "Why," he replied,
+"that one that takes such long jumps, he is the fastest, to be sure."
+"Ha! ha! you are mistaken," said the old wolf. "He makes a good start,
+but he will be the first to tire out; this one, who appears to be
+behind, will be the one to kill the game." They then came to the place
+where the boys had started in chase. One had dropped his small bundle.
+"Take that, Manabozho," said the old wolf. "Esa," he replied, "what will
+I do with a dirty dogskin?" The wolf took it up; it was a beautiful
+robe. "Oh, I will carry it now," said Manabozho. "Oh no," replied the
+wolf, who at the moment exerted his magic power; "it is a robe of
+pearls!" And from this moment he omitted no occasion to display his
+superiority, both in the hunter's and magician's art, above his
+conceited companion. Coming to a place where the moose had lain down,
+they saw that the young wolves had made a fresh start after their prey.
+"Why," said the wolf, "this moose is poor. I know by the tracks, for I
+can always tell whether they are fat or not." They next came to a place
+where one of the wolves had bit at the moose, and had broken one of his
+teeth on a tree. "Manabozho," said the wolf, "one of your grandchildren
+has shot at the game. Take his arrow; there it is." "No," he replied;
+"what will I do with a dirty dog's tooth!" The old man took it up, and
+behold! it was a beautiful silver arrow. When they overtook the
+youngsters, they had killed a very fat moose. Manabozho was very hungry;
+but, alas! such is the power of enchantment, he saw nothing but the
+bones picked quite clean. He thought to himself, "Just as I expected,
+dirty, greedy fellows!" However, he sat down without saying a word. At
+length the old wolf spoke to one of the young ones, saying, "Give some
+meat to your grandfather." One of them obeyed, and, coming near to
+Manabozho, opened his mouth as if he was about to vomit. He jumped up,
+saying, "You filthy dog, you have eaten so much that your stomach
+refuses to hold it. Get you gone into some other place." The old wolf,
+hearing the abuse, went a little to one side to see, and behold, a heap
+of fresh ruddy meat, with the fat, lying all ready prepared. He was
+followed by Manabozho, who, having the enchantment instantly removed,
+put on a smiling face. "Amazement!" said he; "how fine the meat is."
+"Yes," replied the wolf; "it is always so with us; we know our work, and
+always get the best. It is not a long tail that makes a hunter."
+Manabozho bit his lip.
+
+They then commenced fixing their winter quarters, while the youngsters
+went out in search of game, and soon brought in a large supply. One day,
+during the absence of the young wolves, the old one amused himself in
+cracking the large bones of a moose. "Manabozho," said he, "cover your
+head with the robe, and do not look at me while I am at these bones, for
+a piece may fly in your eye." He did as he was told; but, looking
+through a rent that was in the robe, he saw what the other was about.
+Just at that moment a piece flew off and hit him on the eye. He cried
+out, "Tyau, why do you strike me, you old dog?" The wolf said, "You must
+have been looking at me." But deception commonly leads to falsehood.
+"No, no," he said, "why should I want to look at you?" "Manabozho," said
+the wolf, "you _must_ have been looking, or you would not have got
+hurt." "No, no," he replied again, "I was not. I will repay the saucy
+wolf this," thought he to himself. So, next day, taking up a bone to
+obtain the marrow, he said to the wolf, "Cover your head and don't look
+at me, for I fear a piece may fly in your eye." The wolf did so. He then
+took the leg-bone of the moose, and looking first to see if the wolf was
+well covered, he hit him a blow with all his might. The wolf jumped up,
+cried out, and fell prostrate from the effects of the blow. "Why," said
+he, "do you strike me so?" "Strike you!" he replied; "no, you must have
+been looking at me." "No," answered the wolf, "I say I have not." But he
+persisted in the assertion, and the poor magician had to give up.
+
+Manabozho was an expert hunter when he earnestly undertook it. He went
+out one day and killed a fat moose. He was very hungry, and sat down to
+eat. But immediately he fell into great doubts as to the proper point to
+begin. "Well," said he, "I do not know where to commence. At the head?
+No! People will laugh, and say 'he ate him backward.'" He went to the
+side. "No!" said he, "they will say I ate sideways." He then went to the
+hind-quarter. "No!" said he, "they will say I ate him forward. I will
+commence _here_, say what they will." He took a delicate piece from the
+rump, and was just ready to put it in his mouth, when a tree close by
+made a creaking noise, caused by the rubbing of one large branch against
+another. This annoyed him. "Why!" he exclaimed, "I cannot eat when I
+hear such a noise. Stop! stop!" said he to the tree. He was putting the
+morsel again to his mouth, when the noise was repeated. He put it down,
+exclaiming, "I _cannot eat_ with such a noise;" and immediately left
+the meat, although very hungry, to go and put a stop to the noise. He
+climbed the tree and was pulling at the limb, when his arm was caught
+between the two branches so that he could not extricate himself. While
+thus held fast, he saw a pack of wolves coming in the direction towards
+his meat. "Go that way! go that way!" he cried out; "what would you come
+to get here?" The wolves talked among themselves and said, "Manabozho
+must have something there, or he would not tell us to go another way."
+"I begin to know him," said an old wolf, "and all his tricks. Let us go
+forward and see." They came on, and finding the moose, soon made way
+with the whole carcass. Manabozho looked on wishfully to see them eat
+till they were fully satisfied, and they left him nothing but the bare
+bones. The next heavy blast of wind opened the branches and liberated
+him. He went home, thinking to himself, "See the effect of meddling with
+frivolous things when I had certain good in my possession."
+
+Next day the old wolf addressed him thus: "My brother, I am going to
+separate from you, but I will leave behind me one of the young wolves to
+be your hunter." He then departed. In the act Manabozho was
+disenchanted, and again resumed his mortal shape. He was sorrowful and
+dejected, but soon resumed his wonted air of cheerfulness. The young
+wolf who was left with him was a good hunter, and never failed to keep
+the lodge well supplied with meat. One day he addressed him as follows:
+"My grandson, I had a dream last night, and it does not portend good. It
+is of the large lake which lies in _that_ direction (pointing). You must
+be careful never to cross it, even if the ice should appear good. If you
+should come to it at night weary or hungry, you must make the circuit of
+it." Spring commenced, and the snow was melting fast before the rays of
+the sun, when one evening the wolf came to this lake, weary with the
+day's chase. He disliked to go so far to make the circuit of it.
+"Hwooh!" he exclaimed, "there can be no great harm in trying the ice, as
+it appears to be sound. Nesho[20] is over cautious on this point." But
+he had not got half way across when the ice gave way and he fell in, and
+was immediately seized by the serpents, who knew it was Manabozho's
+grandson, and were thirsting for revenge upon him. Manabozho sat
+pensively in his lodge.
+
+Night came on, but no son returned. The second and third night passed,
+but he did not appear. He became very desolate and sorrowful. "Ah!"
+said he, "he must have disobeyed me, and has lost his life in that lake
+I told him of. Well!" said he at last, "I must mourn for him." So he
+took coal and blackened his face. But he was much perplexed as to the
+right mode. "I wonder," said he, "how I must do it? I will cry 'Oh! my
+grandson! Oh! my grandson!'" He burst out a laughing. "No! no! that
+won't do. I will try so--'Oh! my heart! Oh! my heart! ha! ha! ha!'.
+That won't do either. I will cry, 'Oh my grandson _obiquadj_!'"[21]
+This satisfied him, and he remained in his lodge and fasted, till his
+days of mourning were over. "Now," said he, "I will go in search of
+him." He set out and travelled some time. At last he came to a great
+lake. He then raised the same cries of lamentation for his grandson
+which had pleased him. He sat down near a small brook that emptied
+itself into the lake, and repeated his cries. Soon a bird called
+_Ke-ske-mun-i-see_[22] came near to him. The bird inquired, "What are
+you doing here?" "Nothing," he replied; "but can you tell me whether
+any one lives in this lake, and what brings you here yourself?" "Yes!"
+responded the bird; "the Prince of Serpents lives here, and I am
+watching to see whether the obiquadj of Manabozho's grandson will not
+drift ashore, for he was killed by the serpents last spring. But are
+you not Manabozho himself?" "No," he answered, with his usual deceit;
+"how do you think _he_ could get to this place? But tell me, do the
+serpents ever appear? when? and where? Tell me all about their habits."
+"Do you see that beautiful white sandy beach?" said the bird. "Yes!" he
+answered. "It is there," continued the Kingfisher, "that they bask in
+the sun. Before they come out, the lake will appear perfectly calm; not
+even a ripple will appear. After midday (na-wi-qua) you will see them."
+
+"Thank you," he replied; "I am Manabozho himself. I have come in search
+of the body of my son, and to seek my revenge. Come near me that I may
+put a medal round your neck as a reward for your information." The bird
+unsuspectingly came near, and received a white medal, which can be seen
+to this day.[23] While bestowing the medal, he attempted slyly to wring
+the bird's head off, but it escaped him, with only a disturbance of the
+crown feathers of its head, which are rumpled backward. He had found
+out all he wanted to know, and then desired to conceal the knowledge of
+his purposes by killing his informant.
+
+He went to the sandy beach indicated, and transformed himself into an
+oak stump. He had not been there long before he saw the lake perfectly
+calm. Soon hundreds of monstrous serpents came crawling on the beach.
+One of the number was beautifully white. He was the prince. The others
+were red and yellow. The prince spoke to those about him as follows: "I
+never saw that black stump standing there before. It may be Manabozho.
+There is no knowing but he may be somewhere about here. He has the
+power of an evil genius, and we should be on our guard against his
+wiles." One of the large serpents immediately went and twisted himself
+around it to the top, and pressed it very hard. The greatest pressure
+happened to be on his throat; he was just ready to cry out when the
+serpent let go. Eight of them went in succession and did the like, but
+always let go at the moment he was ready to cry out. "It cannot be
+him," they said. "He is too great a weak-heart[24] for that." They then
+coiled themselves in a circle about their prince. It was a long time
+before they fell asleep. When they did so, Manabozho took his bow and
+arrows, and cautiously stepping over the serpents till he came to the
+prince, drew up his arrow with the full strength of his arm, and shot
+him in the left side. He then gave a saw-saw-quan,[25] and ran off at
+full speed. The sound uttered by the snakes on seeing their prince
+mortally wounded, was horrible. They cried, "Manabozho has killed our
+prince; go in chase of him." Meantime he ran over hill and valley, to
+gain the interior of the country, with all his strength and speed,
+treading a mile at a step. But his pursuers were also spirits, and he
+could hear that something was approaching him fast. He made for the
+highest mountain, and climbed the highest tree on its summit, when,
+dreadful to behold, the whole lower country was seen to be overflowed,
+and the water was gaining rapidly on the high lands. He saw it reach to
+the foot of the mountain, and at length it came up to the foot of the
+tree, but there was no abatement. The flood rose steadily and
+perceptibly. He soon felt the lower part of his body to be immersed in
+it. He addressed the tree: "Grandfather, stretch yourself." The tree
+did so. But the waters still rose. He repeated his request, and was
+again obeyed. He asked a third time, and was again obeyed; but the tree
+replied, "It is the last time; I cannot get any higher." The waters
+continued to rise till they reached up to his chin, at which point they
+stood, and soon began to abate. Hope revived in his heart. He then cast
+his eyes around the illimitable expanse, and spied a loon. "Dive down,
+my brother," he said to him, "and fetch up some earth, so that I can
+make a new earth." The bird obeyed, but rose up to the surface a
+lifeless form. He then saw a muskrat. "Dive!" said he, "and if you
+succeed, you may hereafter live either on land or water, as you please;
+or I will give you a chain of beautiful little lakes, surrounded with
+rushes, to inhabit." He dove down, but he floated up senseless. He took
+the body and breathed in his nostrils, which restored him to life. "Try
+again," said he. The muskrat did so. He came up senseless the second
+time, but clutched a little earth in one of his paws, from which,
+together with the carcass of the dead loon, he created a new earth as
+large as the former had been, with all living animals, fowls, and
+plants.
+
+As he was walking to survey the new earth, he heard some one singing.
+He went to the place, and found a female spirit, in the disguise of an
+old woman, singing these words, and crying at every pause:--
+
+    "Ma nau bo sho, O do zheem un,
+    Ogeem' au wun, Onis' sa waun,
+    Hee-Ub bub ub bub (crying).
+    Dread Manabozho in revenge,
+    For his grandson lost--
+    Has killed the chief--the king."
+
+"Noko," said he, "what is the matter?" "Matter!" said she, "where have
+you been, not to have heard how Manabozho shot my son, the prince of
+serpents, in revenge for the loss of his nephew, and how the earth was
+overflowed, and created anew? So I brought my son here, that he might
+kill and destroy the inhabitants, as he did on the former earth. But,"
+she continued, casting a scrutinizing glance, "N'yau! indego Manabozho!
+hub! ub! ub! ub! Oh, I am afraid you are Manabozho!" He burst out into
+a laugh to quiet her fears. "Ha! ha! ha! how can that be? Has not the
+old earth perished, and all that was in it?" "Impossible! impossible!"
+"But, Noko," he continued, "what do you intend doing with all that
+cedar cord on your back?" "Why," said she, "I am fixing a snare for
+Manabozho, if he should be on this earth; and, in the mean time, I am
+looking for herbs to heal my son. I am the only person that can do him
+any good. He always gets better when I sing--
+
+    "'Manabozho a ne we guawk,
+    Koan dan mau wah, ne we guawk,
+    Koan dan mau wah, ne we guawk.'
+        It is Manabozho's dart,
+    I try my magic power to withdraw."
+
+Having found out, by conversation with her, all he wished, he put her
+to death. He then took off her skin, and assuming this disguise, took
+the cedar cord on his back, and limped away singing her songs. He
+completely aped the gait and voice of the old woman. He was met by one
+who told him to make haste; that the prince was worse. At the lodge,
+limping and muttering, he took notice that they had his grandson's hide
+to hang over the door. "Oh dogs!" said he; "the evil dogs!" He sat down
+near the door, and commenced sobbing like an aged woman. One observed,
+"Why don't you attend the sick, and not set there making such a noise?"
+He took up the poker and laid it on them, mimicking the voice of the
+old woman. "Dogs that you are! why do you laugh at me? You know very
+well that I am so sorry that I am nearly out of my head." With that he
+approached the prince, singing the songs of the old woman, without
+exciting any suspicion. He saw that his arrow had gone in about one
+half its length. He pretended to make preparations for extracting it,
+but only made ready to finish his victim; and giving the dart a sudden
+thrust, he put a period to the prince's life. He performed this act
+with the power of a giant, bursting the old woman's skin, and at the
+same moment rushing through the door, the serpents following him,
+hissing and crying out, "Perfidy! murder! vengeance! it is Manabozho."
+He immediately transformed himself into a wolf, and ran over the plain
+with all his speed, aided by his father the West Wind. When he got to
+the mountains he saw a badger. "Brother," said he, "make a hole quick,
+for the serpents are after me." The badger obeyed. They both went in,
+and the badger threw all the earth backward, so that it filled up the
+way behind.
+
+The serpents came to the badger's wauzh,[26] and decided to watch. "We
+will starve him out," said they; so they continued watching. Manabozho
+told the badger to make an opening on the other side of the mountain,
+from which he could go out and hunt, and bring meat in. Thus they lived
+some time. One day the badger came in his way and displeased him. He
+immediately put him to death, and threw out his carcass, saying, "I
+don't like you to be getting in my way so often."
+
+After living in this confinement for some time alone, he decided to go
+out. He immediately did so; and after making the circuit of the
+mountain, came to the corpse of the prince, who had been deserted by
+the serpents to pursue his destroyer. He went to work and skinned him.
+He then drew on his skin, in which there were great virtues, took up
+his war-club, and set out for the place where he first went in the
+ground. He found the serpents still watching. When they saw the form of
+their dead prince advancing towards them, fear and dread took hold of
+them. Some fled. Those who remained Manabozho killed. Those who fled
+went towards the South.
+
+Having accomplished the victory over the reptiles, Manabozho returned
+to his former place of dwelling, and married the arrow-maker's
+daughter.
+
+After Manabozho had killed the Prince of Serpents, he was living in a
+state of great want, completely deserted by his powers, as a deity, and
+not able to procure the ordinary means of subsistence. He was at this
+time living with his wife and children, in a remote part of the
+country, where he could get no game. He was miserably poor. It was
+winter, and he had not the common Indian comforts.
+
+He said to his wife, one day, "I will go out a walking, and see if I
+cannot find some lodges." After walking some time he saw a lodge at a
+distance. The children were playing at the door. When they saw him
+approaching they ran into the lodge, and told their parents that
+Manabozho was coming. It was the residence of the large redheaded
+Woodpecker. He came to the lodge door and asked him to enter. He did
+so. After some time, the Woodpecker, who was a magician, said to his
+wife, "Have you nothing to give Manabozho? he must be hungry." She
+answered, "No." In the centre of the lodge stood a large white
+tamarack-tree. The Woodpecker flew on to it, and commenced going up,
+turning his head on each side of the tree, and every now and then
+driving in his bill. At last he drew something out of the tree, and
+threw it down, when, behold! a fine, fat raccoon on the ground. He drew
+out six or seven more. He then descended, and told his wife to prepare
+them. "Manabozho," he said, "this is the only thing we eat. What else
+can we give you?" "It is very good," replied Manabozho. They smoked
+their pipes and conversed with each other. After eating, the great
+spirit-chief got ready to go home. The Woodpecker said to his wife,
+"Give him what remains of the raccoons to take home for his children."
+In the act of leaving the lodge he dropped intentionally one of his
+mittens, which was soon after observed. "Run," said the Woodpecker to
+his eldest son, "and give it to him. But don't give it into his hand;
+throw it at him, for there is no knowing him, he acts so curiously."
+The boy did as he was bid. "Nemesho" (my grandfather), said he, as he
+came up to him, "you have left one of your mittens--here it is." "Yes,"
+said he, affecting to be ignorant of the circumstance, "it is so. But
+don't throw it, you will soil it on the snow." The lad, however, threw
+it, and was about to return. "List," said Manabozho, "is that all you
+eat--do you eat nothing else with the raccoon?" "No," replied the young
+Woodpecker. "Tell your father," he answered, "to come and visit me, and
+let him bring a sack. I will give him what he shall eat with his
+raccoon meat." When the young one reported this to his father, the old
+man turned up his nose at the invitation. "What does the old fellow
+think he has got!" exclaimed he.
+
+Some time after the Woodpecker went to pay a visit to Manabozho. He was
+received with the usual attention. It had been the boast of Manabozho,
+in former days, that he could do what any other being in the creation
+could, whether man or animals. He affected to have the sagacity of all
+animals, to understand their language, and to be capable of exactly
+imitating it. And in his visits to men, it was his custom to return,
+exactly, the treatment he had received. He was very ceremonious in
+following the very voice and manner of his entertainers. The Woodpecker
+had no sooner entered his lodge, therefore, than he commenced playing
+the mimic. He had previously directed his wife to change his lodge, so
+as to inclose a large dry tamarack-tree. "What can I give you?" said he
+to the Woodpecker; "but as we eat, so shall you eat." He then put a long
+piece of bone in his nose, in imitation of the bill of this bird, and
+jumping on the tamarack-tree, attempted to climb it, doing as he had
+seen the Woodpecker do. He turned his head first on one side, then on
+the other. He made awkward efforts to ascend, but continually slipped
+down. He struck the tree with the bone in his nose, until at last he
+drove it so far up his nostrils that the blood began to flow, and he
+fell down senseless at the foot of the tree. The Woodpecker started
+after his drum and rattle to restore him, and having got them, succeeded
+in bringing him to. As soon as he came to his senses, he began to lay
+the blame of his failure to his wife, saying to his guest, "Nemesho, it
+is this woman relation of yours--_she_ is the cause of my not
+succeeding. She has rendered me a worthless fellow. Before I took her I
+could also get raccoons." The Woodpecker said nothing, but flying on the
+tree, drew out several fine raccoons. "Here," said he, "this is the way
+we do," and left him with apparent contempt.
+
+Severe weather continued, and Manabozho still suffered for the want of
+food. One day he walked out, and came to a lodge, which was occupied by
+the Moose (Moez). The young Mozonsug[27] saw him and told their father
+Manabozho was at the door. He told them to invite him in. Being seated,
+they entered into conversation. At last the Moose, who was a Meeta,
+said, "What shall we give Manabozho to eat? We have nothing." His wife
+was seated with her back toward him, making garters. He walked up to
+her, and untying the covering of the armlet from her back, cut off a
+large piece of flesh from the square of her shoulder.[28] He then put
+some medicine on it, which immediately healed the wound. The skin did
+not even appear to have been broken, and his wife was so little
+affected by it, that she did not so much as leave off her work, till he
+told her to prepare the flesh for eating. "Manabozho," said he, "this
+is all we eat, and it is all we can give you."
+
+After they had finished eating, Manabozho set out for home, but
+intentionally, as before, dropped one of his _minjekawun_, or mittens.
+One of the young Moose took it to him, telling him that his father had
+sent him with it. He had been cautioned not to hand it to him, but to
+throw it at him. Having done so, contrary to the remonstrance of
+Manabozho, he was going back, when the latter cried out, "Bakah!
+Bakah![29] Is _that_[30] the only kind of meat you eat? Tell me." "Yes,"
+answered the young man, "that is all; we have nothing else." "Tell your
+father," he replied, "to come and visit me, and I will give him what you
+shall eat with your meat." The old Moose listened to this message with
+indignity. "I wonder what he thinks he has got, poor fellow!"
+
+He was bound, however, to obey the invitation, and went accordingly,
+taking along a cedar sack, for he had been told to bring one. Manabozho
+received him in the same manner he had himself been received--repeating
+the same remarks, and attempted to supply the lack of food in the same
+manner. To this end he had requested his wife to busy herself in making
+garters. He arose and untied the covering of her back as he had seen
+the Moose do. He then cut her back shockingly, paying no attention to
+her cries or resistance, until he saw her fall down, from the loss of
+blood. "Manabozho," said the Moose, "you are killing your wife." He
+immediately ran for his drum and rattle, and restored her to life by
+his skill. He had no sooner done this than Manabozho began to lay the
+blame of his ill success on his wife. "Why, Nemesho," said he, "this
+woman, this relation of yours--she is making me a most worthless
+fellow. Formerly, I procured my meat in this way. But now I can
+accomplish nothing."
+
+The Moose then cut large pieces of flesh off his own thighs, without the
+least injury to himself, and gave them to Manabozho, saying, with a
+contemptuous air, "This is the way _we_ do." He then left the lodge.
+
+After these visits Manabozho was sitting pensively in his lodge one
+day, with his head down. He heard the wind whistling around it, and
+thought, by attentively listening, he could hear the voice of some one
+speaking to him. It seemed to say to him: "Great chief, why are you
+sorrowful? Am not I your friend--your guardian Spirit?" He immediately
+took up his rattle, and without leaving his sitting posture, began to
+sing the chant which at the close of every stanza has the chorus of
+"Whaw Lay Le Aw." When he had devoted a long time to this chant, he laid
+his rattle aside, and determined to fast. For this purpose he went to a
+cave, and built a very small fire, near which he laid down, first
+telling his wife that neither she nor the children must come near him
+till he had finished his fast. At the end of seven days he came back to
+the lodge, pale and emaciated. His wife in the mean time had dug through
+the snow, and got a small quantity of the root called truffles. These
+she boiled and set before him. When he had finished his repast, he took
+his large bow and bent it. Then placing a strong arrow to the string, he
+drew it back, and sent the arrow, with the strength of a giant, through
+the side of his bark lodge. "There," said he to his wife, "go to the
+outside, and you will find a large bear, shot through the heart." She
+did so, and found one as he had predicted.
+
+He then sent the children out to get red willow sticks. Of these he cut
+off as many pieces, of equal length, as would serve to invite his
+friends to a feast. A red stick was sent to each one, not forgetting
+the Moose and the Woodpecker.
+
+When they arrived, they were astonished to see such a profusion of meat
+cooked for them, at such a time of scarcity. Manabozho understood their
+glances, and felt a conscious pride in making such a display. "Akewazi,"
+said he, to one of the oldest of the party, "the weather is very cold,
+and the snow lasts a long time. We can kill nothing now but small
+squirrels. And I have sent for you to help me eat some of them." The
+Woodpecker was the first to put a mouthful of the bear's meat to his
+mouth, but he had no sooner begun to taste it, than it changed into a
+dry powder, and set him coughing. It appeared as bitter as ashes. The
+Moose felt the same effect, and began to cough. Each one, in turn, was
+added to the number of coughers. But they had too much sense of decorum,
+and respect for their entertainer, to say anything. The meat looked very
+fine. They thought they would try more of it. But the more they ate the
+faster they coughed and the louder became the uproar, until Manabozho,
+exerting his former power, which he now felt to be renewed, transformed
+them all into the Adjidamo, or squirrel, an animal which is still found
+to have the habit of barking, or coughing, whenever it sees any one
+approach its nest.
+
+                    *      *      *      *      *
+
+The story of this chief of northern myths is dropped in my notes at
+this point of his triumph over the strongest of the reptile race. But
+his feats and adventures by land and sea do not terminate here. There
+is scarcely a prominent lake, mountain, precipice, or stream in the
+northern part of America, which is not hallowed in Indian story by his
+fabled deeds. Further accounts will be found in several of the
+subsequent tales, which are narrated by the Indians in an independent
+form, and may be now appropriately left as they were found, as
+episodes, detached from the original story. To collect all these and
+arrange them in order would be an arduous labor; and, after all, such
+an arrangement would lack consistency and keeping, unless much of the
+thread necessary to present them in an English dress were supplied by
+alteration, and transposition. The portions above narrated present a
+beginning and an end, which could hardly be said of the loose and
+disjointed fragmentary tales referred to. How long Manabozho lived on
+earth is not related. We hear nothing more of his grandmother; every
+mouth is filled with his queer adventures, tricks, and sufferings. He
+was everywhere present where danger presented itself, power was
+required, or mischief was going forward. Nothing was too low or trivial
+for him to engage in, nor too high or difficult for him to attempt. He
+affected to be influenced by the spirit of a god, and was really
+actuated by the malignity of a devil. The period of his labors and
+adventures having expired, he withdrew to dwell with his brother in the
+North, where he is understood to direct those storms which proceed from
+the points west of the pole. He is regarded as the spirit of the
+northwest tempests, but receives no worship from the present race of
+Indians. It is believed by them that he is again to appear, and to
+exercise an important power in the final disposition of the human race.
+
+In this singular tissue of incongruities may be perceived some ideas
+probably derived from Asiatic sources. It will be found in the legends
+of the visitors to the Sun and Moon, and of the white stone canoe, that
+Manabozho was met on the way, and he is represented as expressing a
+deep repentance for the bad acts he had committed while on earth. He
+is, however, found exercising the vocation of a necromancer; has a
+jossakeed's lodge, from which he utters oracles; and finally transforms
+on the spot two of the party, who had consulted him, and asked the gift
+of immortality, the one into a cedar-tree, and the other into a block
+of granite.
+
+Manabozho is regarded by the Indians as a divine benefactor, and is
+admired and extolled as the personification of strength and wisdom. Yet
+he constantly presents the paradox of being a mere mortal; is driven to
+low and common expedients; and never utters a sentiment wiser or better
+than the people among whom he appears. The conception of a divinity,
+pure, changeless, and just, as well as benevolent, in the distribution
+of its providences, has not been reached by any traits exhibited in the
+character of this personage. And if such notions had ever been
+conceived by the ancestors of the present race of Indians in the East,
+they have been obliterated, in the course of their long, dark, and
+hopeless pilgrimage in the forests of America. The prevalence of this
+legend, among the Indian tribes, is extensive.
+
+The character, the place, which he holds in the Indian mythology are
+further denoted in the 5th vol. of my _Hist._, p. 417, where he is
+represented as giving passage to souls on their way through the regions
+of space, to the Indian paradise; and also in the legend of the White
+Stone Canoe. The general myth, is recognized in the legend of the
+Iroquois, under the name of Hiawatha, and Tarenyawazon. See _Notes on
+the Iroquois_, page 270 (1846), and also in the 3d vol. _Hist._, p. 314.
+Mr. Longfellow has given prominence to it, and to its chief episodes, by
+selecting and generalizing such traits as appeared best susceptible of
+poetic uses.
+
+       [6] An abbreviated term for "my grandmother," derived from
+       no-ko-miss.
+
+       [7] This is a term for the west wind. It is a derivative from
+       _Kabian-oong_, the proper appellation for the occident.
+
+       [8] An interjection indicating pain.
+
+       [9] The scirpus, or bulrush.
+
+      [10] Do not--do not.
+
+      [11] The Northern Indians, when travelling in company with each
+      other, or with white persons who possess their confidence, so as
+      to put them at ease, are in the habit of making frequent
+      allusions to Manabozho and his exploits. "There," said a young
+      Chippewa, pointing to some huge boulders of greenstone, "are
+      pieces of the rock broken off in Manabozho's combat with his
+      father." "This is the duck," said an Indian interpreter on the
+      sources of the Mississippi, "that Manabozho kicked." "Under that
+      island," said a friend conversant with their language, "under
+      that island Manabozho lost a beaver."
+
+      [12] The term weendigo, translated here monster, is commonly
+      applied, at this time, by the Indians, to cannibals. Its ancient
+      use appears, however, to have embraced giants and anomalous
+      voracious beasts of the land, to the former existence of which,
+      on this Continent, their traditions refer.
+
+      The word genabik, rendered serpent, appears likewise to have been
+      used in a generic sense for amphibious animals of large and
+      venomous character. When applied to existing species of serpents,
+      it requires an adjective prefix or qualifying term.
+
+      [13] The wampum or pearl feather.
+
+      [14] An interjection equivalent to shame! shame!
+
+      [15] Animal tail, or bottom upward.
+
+      [16] A free translation of this expression might be rendered,
+      noble scratchers, or grabbers.
+
+      [17] The conaus is the most ancient garment known to these
+      tribes, being a simple extended single piece, without folds. The
+      word is the apparent root of godaus, a female garment.
+      Waub-e-wion, a blanket, is a comparatively modern phrase for a
+      wrapper, signifying, literally, a white skin with the wool on.
+
+      [18] Fasts. The rite of fasting is one of the most deep-seated and
+      universal in the Indian ritual. It is practised among all the
+      American tribes, and is deemed by them essential to their success
+      in life in every situation. No young man is fitted and prepared to
+      begin the career of life until he has accomplished his great fast.
+      Seven days appear to have been the ancient maximum limit of
+      endurance, and the success of the devotee is inferred from the
+      length of continued abstinence to which he is known to have
+      attained. These fasts are anticipated by youth as one of the most
+      important events of life. They are awaited with interest, prepared
+      for with solemnity, and endured with a self-devotion bordering on
+      the heroic. Character is thought to be fixed from this period, and
+      the primary fast, thus prepared for and successfully established,
+      seems to hold that relative importance to subsequent years that is
+      attached to a public profession of religious faith in civilized
+      communities. It is at this period that the young men and the young
+      women "see visions and dream dreams," and fortune or misfortune is
+      predicted from the guardian spirit chosen during this, to them,
+      religious ordeal. The hallucinations of the mind are taken for
+      divine inspiration. The effect is deeply felt and strongly
+      impressed on the mind; too deeply, indeed, to be ever obliterated
+      in after life. The father in the circle of his lodge, the hunter
+      in the pursuit of the chase, and the warrior in the field of
+      battle, think of the guardian genius which they fancy to accompany
+      them, and trust to his power and benign influence under every
+      circumstance. This genius is the absorbing theme of their silent
+      meditations, and stands to them in all respects in place of the
+      Christian's hope, with the single difference that, however deeply
+      mused upon, the _name_ is never uttered, and every circumstance
+      connected with its selection, and the devotion paid to it, is most
+      studiously and professedly concealed even from their nearest
+      friends.
+
+      Fasts in subsequent life appear to have for their object a
+      renewal of the powers and virtues which they attribute to the
+      rite. And they are observed more frequently by those who strive
+      to preserve unaltered the ancient state of society among them, or
+      by men who assume austere habits for the purpose of acquiring
+      influence in the tribe, or as preparatives for war or some
+      extraordinary feat. It is not known that there is any fixed day
+      observed as a general fast. So far as a rule is followed, a
+      general fast seems to have been observed in the spring, and to
+      have _preceded_ the general and customary feasts at that season.
+
+      It will be inferred from these facts, that the Indians believe
+      fasts to be very meritorious. They are deemed most acceptable to
+      the Manitoes or spirits whose influence and protection they wish
+      to engage or preserve. And it is thus clearly deducible, that a
+      very large proportion of the time devoted by the Indians to
+      secret worship, so to say, is devoted to these guardian or
+      intermediate spirits, and not to the Great Spirit or Creator.
+
+      [19] The tuft feathers of the red-headed woodpecker are used to
+      ornament the stems of the Indian pipe, and are symbolical of
+      valor.
+
+      [20] Abbreviated from Neshomiss, my grandfather.
+
+      [21] That part of the intestines of a fish, which by its
+      expansion from air in the first stage of decomposition, causes
+      the body to rise and float. The expression here means float.
+
+      [22] The Alcedo or Kingfisher.
+
+      [23] This bird has a white spot on the breast, and a tufted head.
+
+      [24] Shau-go-dai-a, _i.e._, a Coward.
+
+      [25] The war-cry.
+
+      [26] A burrow.
+
+      [27] Diminutive form, plural number, of the noun Moez.
+
+      [28] The dress of the females in the Odjibwa nation, consists of
+      sleeves, open on the inner side of the arm from the elbow up, and
+      terminating in large square folds, falling from the shoulders,
+      which are tied at the back of the neck with ribbon or binding.
+      The sleeves are separately made, and not attached to the breast
+      garment, which consists of square folds of cloth, ornamented and
+      sustained by shoulder straps. To untie the sleeves or armlets, as
+      is here described, is therefore to expose the shoulders, but not
+      the back--a simple device, quickly accomplished, by which the
+      magician could readily exercise his art almost imperceptibly to
+      the object.
+
+      [29] Stop! stop!
+
+      [30] It is difficult to throw into the English pronoun the whole
+      of the meaning of the Indian. Pronouns in this language being,
+      like other parts of speech, transitive; they are at once
+      indicative both of the actor, personal, and relative, and the
+      nature of the object, or subject of the action, or relation.
+      This, and that, are not used in the elementary form these
+      pronouns invariably possess in the English. Inflections are put
+      to them indicating the class of natural objects to which they
+      refer. A noun masculine or feminine, requiring an animate
+      pronoun, a noun inanimate, a pronoun inanimate.
+
+
+
+
+PAUP-PUK-KEEWISS.
+
+
+The vernal equinox in the north, generally takes place while the ground
+is covered with snow, and winter still wears a polar aspect. Storms of
+wind and light drifting snow, expressively called _poudre_ by the
+French, and peewun by the Indians, fill the atmosphere, and render it
+impossible to distinguish objects at a short distance. The fine powdery
+flakes of snow are driven into the smallest crannies of buildings and
+fixtures, and seem to be endowed with a subtle power of insinuation,
+which renders northern joinerwork but a poor defence. It is not
+uncommon for the sleeper, on waking up in the morning, to find heaps of
+snow, where he had supposed himself quite secure on lying down.
+
+Such seasons are, almost invariably, times of scarcity and hunger with
+the Indians, for the light snows have buried up the traps of the
+hunters, and the fishermen are deterred from exercising their customary
+skill in decoying fish through orifices cut in the ice. They are often
+reduced to the greatest straits, and compelled to exercise their utmost
+ingenuity to keep their children from starving. Abstinence, on the part
+of the elder members of the family, is regarded both as a duty and a
+merit. Every effort is made to satisfy the importunity of the little
+ones for food, and if there be a story-teller in the lodge, he is sure
+to draw upon his cabin lore, to amuse their minds, and beguile the
+time.
+
+In these storms, when each inmate of the lodge has his _conaus_, or
+wrapper, tightly drawn around him, and all are cowering around the
+cabin fire, should some sudden puff of wind drive a volume of light
+snow into the lodge, it would scarcely happen, but that some one of the
+group would cry out, "Ah, Pauppukkeewiss is now gathering his harvest,"
+an expression which has the effect to put them all into good humor.
+
+Pauppukkeewiss was a crazy brain, who played many queer tricks, but
+took care, nevertheless, to supply his family and children with food.
+But, in this, he was not always successful. Many winters have passed
+since he was overtaken; at this very season of the year, with great
+want, and he, with his whole family, was on the point of starvation.
+Every resource seemed to have failed. The snow was so deep, and the
+storm continued so long, that he could not even find a partridge or a
+hare. And his usual resource of fish had entirely failed. His lodge
+stood in a point of woods, not far back from the shores of the
+Gitchiguma, or great water, where the autumnal storms had piled up the
+ice into high pinnacles, resembling castles.
+
+"I will go," said he to his family one morning, "to these castles, and
+solicit the pity of the spirits who inhabit them, for I know that they
+are the residence of some of the spirits of Kabiboonoka." He did so,
+and found that his petition was not disregarded. They told him to fill
+his mushkemoot, or sack, with the ice and snow, and pass on toward his
+lodge, without looking back, until he came to a certain hill. He must
+then drop it and leave it till morning, when he would find it filled
+with fish.
+
+They cautioned him, that he must by no means look back, although he
+would hear a great many voices crying out to him, in abusive terms, for
+these voices were nothing but the wind playing through the branches of
+the trees. He faithfully obeyed the injunction, although he found it
+hard to avoid turning round, to see who was calling out to him. And
+when he visited his sack in the morning, he found it filled with fish.
+
+It chanced that Manabozho visited him on the morning that he brought
+home the sack of fish. He was invited to partake of a feast, which
+Pauppukkeewiss ordered to be prepared for him. While they were eating,
+Manabozho could not help asking him, by what means he had procured such
+an abundance of food, at a time when they were all in a state of
+starvation.
+
+Pauppukkeewiss frankly told him the secret, and repeated the
+precautions which were necessary to insure success. Manabozho
+determined to profit by his information, and as soon as he could, he
+set out to visit the icy castles. All things happened as he had been
+told. The spirits seemed propitious, and told him to fill and carry. He
+accordingly filled his sacks with ice and snow, and proceeded rapidly
+toward the hill of transmutation. But as he ran he heard voices calling
+out behind him, "Thief! thief! He has stolen fish from Kabiboonoka,"
+cried one. "Mukumik! mukumik! Take it away! Take it away!" cried
+another.
+
+In fine, his ears were so assailed by all manner of opprobrious terms,
+that he could not avoid turning his head, to see who it was that thus
+abused him. But his curiosity dissolved the charm. When he came to
+visit his bags next morning, he found them filled with ice and snow. A
+high drifting snow storm never fails to bring up this story. The origin
+of this queer character is as queer as his acts are phantastic. The
+myth asserts, that a man of large stature, and great activity of mind
+and body, found himself standing alone on a prairie. He thought to
+himself, "How came I here? Are there no beings on this earth but
+myself? I must travel and see. I must walk till I find the abodes of
+men." So soon as his mind was made up, he set out, he knew not where,
+in search of habitations. No obstacles could divert him from his
+purpose. Neither prairies, rivers, woods, nor storms had the effect to
+daunt his courage or turn him back. After travelling a long time he
+came to a wood, in which he saw decayed stumps of trees, as if they had
+been cut in ancient times, but no other traces of men. Pursuing his
+journey, he found more recent marks of the same kind; and after this,
+he came to fresh traces of human beings; first their footsteps, and
+then the wood they had cut, lying in heaps. Continuing on, he emerged
+towards dusk from the forest, and beheld at a distance a large village
+of high lodges, standing on rising ground. He said to himself, "I will
+arrive there on a run." Off he started with all his speed; on coming to
+the first large lodge, he jumped over it. Those within saw something
+pass over the opening, and then heard a thump on the ground.
+
+"What is that?" they all said.
+
+One came out to see, and invited him in. He found himself in company
+with an old chief and several men, who were seated in the lodge. Meat
+was set before him, after which the chief asked him where he was going
+and what his name was. He answered, that he was in search of
+adventures, and his name was Paup-Puk-Keewiss. A stare followed.
+
+"Paup-Puk-Keewiss!"[31] said one to another, and a general titter went
+round.
+
+He was not easy in his new position; the village was too small to give
+him full scope for his powers, and after a short stay he made up his
+mind to go farther, taking with him a young man who had formed a strong
+attachment for him, and might serve him as his mesh-in-au-wa.[32] They
+set out together, and when his companion was fatigued with walking, he
+would show him a few tricks, such as leaping over trees, and turning
+round on one leg till he made the dust fly, by which he was mightily
+pleased, although it sometimes happened that the character of these
+tricks frightened him.
+
+One day they came to a very large village, where they were well
+received. After staying in it some time, they were informed of a number
+of manitoes who lived at a distance, and who made it a practice to kill
+all who came to their lodge. Attempts had been made to extirpate them,
+but the war-parties who went out for this purpose were always
+unsuccessful. Paup-Puk-Keewiss determined to visit them, although he
+was advised not to do so. The chief warned him of the danger of the
+visit; but, finding him resolved,
+
+"Well," said he, "if you will go, being my guest, I will send twenty
+warriors to serve you."
+
+He thanked him for the offer. Twenty young men were ready at the
+instant, and they went forward, and in due time described the lodge of
+the manitoes. He placed his friend and the warriors near enough to see
+all that passed, while he went alone to the lodge. As he entered he saw
+five horrid-looking manitoes in the act of eating. It was the father
+and his four sons. They looked hideous; their eyes were swimming low in
+their heads, as if half starved. They offered him something to eat,
+which he refused.
+
+"What have you come for?" said the old one.
+
+"Nothing," Paup-Puk-Keewiss answered.
+
+They all stared at him.
+
+"Do you not wish to wrestle?" they all asked.
+
+"Yes," he replied.
+
+A hideous smile came over their faces.
+
+"_You_ go," they said to the eldest brother.
+
+They got ready, and were soon clinched in each other's arms for a
+deadly throw. He knew their object--his death--his _flesh_ was all they
+wanted, but he was prepared for them.
+
+"Haw! haw!"[33] they cried, and soon the dust and dry leaves flew about
+as if driven by a strong wind.
+
+The manito was strong, but Paup-Puk-Keewiss soon found that he could
+master him; and, giving him a trip, he threw him with a giant's force
+head foremost on a stone, and he fell like a puffed thing.
+
+The brothers stepped up in quick succession, but he put a number of
+tricks in force, and soon the whole four lay bleeding on the ground.
+The old manito got frightened and ran for his life. Paup-Puk-Keewiss
+pursued him for sport; sometimes he was before him, sometimes flying
+over his head. He would now give him a kick, then a push or a trip,
+till he was almost exhausted. Meantime his friend and the warriors
+cried out, "Ha! ha! a! ha! ha! a! Paup-Puk-Keewiss is driving him
+before him." The manito only turned his head now and then to look back;
+at last, Paup-Puk-Keewiss gave him a kick on his back, and broke his
+back bone; down he fell, and the blood gushing out of his mouth
+prevented him from saying a word. The warriors piled all the bodies
+together in the lodge, and then took fire and burned them. They all
+looked with deep interest at the quantity of human bones scattered
+around.
+
+Paup-Puk-Keewiss then took three arrows, and after having performed a
+ceremony to the Great Spirit, he shot one into the air, crying, with a
+loud voice,
+
+"_You_ who are lying down, rise up, or you will be hit!" The bones all
+moved to one place. He shot the second arrow, repeating the same words,
+when each bone drew towards its fellow-bone; the third arrow brought
+forth to life the whole multitude of people who had been killed by the
+manitoes. Paup-Puk-Keewiss then led them to the chief of the village
+who had proved his friend, and gave them up to him. Soon after the
+chief came with his counsellors.
+
+"Who is more worthy," said he, "to rule than you? _You_ alone can
+defend them."
+
+Paup-Puk-Keewiss thanked him, and told him he was in search of more
+adventures. The chief insisted. Paup-Puk-Keewiss told him to confer the
+chieftainship on his friend, who, he said, would remain while he went
+on his travels. He told them that he would, some time or other, come
+back and see them.
+
+"Ho! ho! ho!" they all cried, "come back again and see us," insisting
+on it. He promised them he would, and then set out alone.
+
+After travelling some time he came to a large lake; on looking about,
+he discovered a very large otter on an island. He thought to himself,
+"His skin will make me a fine pouch," and immediately drew up, at long
+shots, and drove an arrow into his side. He waded into the lake, and
+with some difficulty dragged him ashore. He took out the entrails, and
+even then the carcass was so heavy that it was as much as he could do
+to drag it up a hill overlooking the lake. As soon as he got him up
+into the sunshine, where it was warm, he skinned him, and threw the
+carcass some distance, thinking the war-eagle would come, and he should
+have a chance to get his skin and feathers as head ornaments. He soon
+heard a rushing noise in the air, but could see nothing; by and by, a
+large eagle dropped, as if from the air, on the otter's carcass. He
+drew his bow, and the arrow passed through under both his wings. The
+bird made a convulsive flight upwards with such force, that the heavy
+carcass (which was nearly as big as a moose) was borne up several feet.
+Fortunately, both claws were fastened deeply into the meat, the weight
+of which soon brought the bird down. He skinned him, crowned his head
+with the trophy, and next day was on his way, on the lookout for
+something new.
+
+After walking a while he came to a lake, which flooded the trees on its
+banks; he found it was only a lake made by beavers. He took his station
+on the elevated dam, where the stream escaped, to see whether any of
+the beavers would show themselves. He soon saw the head of one peeping
+out of the water to see who disturbed them.
+
+"My friend," said Paup-Puk-Keewiss, "could you not turn me into a
+beaver like yourself?" for he thought, if he could become a beaver, he
+would see and know how these animals lived.
+
+"I do not know," replied the beaver; "I will go and ask the others."
+
+Soon all the beavers showed their heads above the water, and looked to
+see if he was armed; but he had left his bow and arrows in a hollow
+tree at a short distance. When they were satisfied, they all came near.
+
+"Can you not, with all your united power," said he, "turn me into a
+beaver? I wish to live among you."
+
+"Yes," answered their chief; "lay down;" and he soon found himself
+changed into one of them.
+
+"You must make me _large_," said he; "_larger_ than any of you."
+
+"Yes, yes!" said they. "By and by, when we get into the lodge, it shall
+be done."
+
+In they all dove into the lake; and, in passing large heaps of limbs
+and logs at the bottom, he asked the use of them; they answered, "It is
+for our winter's provisions."[34] When they all got into the lodge,
+their number was about one hundred. The lodge was large and warm.
+
+"Now we will make you large," said they. "Will _that_ do?" exerting
+their power.
+
+"Yes," he answered, for he found he was ten times the size of the
+largest.
+
+"You need not go out," said they. "We will bring your food into the
+lodge, and you will be our chief."
+
+"Very well," Paup-Puk-Keewiss answered. He thought, "I will stay here
+and grow fat at their expense." But, soon after, one ran into the lodge
+out of breath, saying, "We are visited by Indians." All huddled
+together in great fear. The water began to _lower_, for the hunters had
+broken down the dam, and they soon heard them on the roof of the lodge
+breaking it up. Out jumped all the beavers into the water, and so
+escaped. Paup-Puk-Keewiss tried to follow them; but, alas! they had
+made him so large that he could not creep out of the hole. He tried to
+call them back, but to no effect; he worried himself so much in trying
+to escape, that he looked like a bladder. He could not turn himself
+back into a man, although he heard and understood all the hunters said.
+One of them put his head in at the top of the lodge.
+
+"_Ty-au!_" cried he; "_Tut Ty-au!_ Me-shau-mik--king of the beavers is
+in." They all got at him, and knocked his skull till it was as soft as
+his brains. He thought, as well as ever he did, although he was a
+beaver. Seven or eight of them then placed his body on poles and
+carried him home. As they went, he reflected in this manner: "What will
+become of me? my ghost or shadow will not die after they get me to
+their lodges." Invitations were immediately sent out for a grand feast.
+The women took him out into the snow to skin him; but, as soon as his
+flesh got cold, his _Jee-bi_ went off.
+
+Paup-Puk-Keewiss found himself standing near a prairie, having
+reassumed his mortal shape. After walking a distance, he saw a herd of
+elk feeding. He admired the apparent ease and enjoyment of their life,
+and thought there could be nothing pleasanter than the liberty of
+running about and feeding on the prairies. He asked them if they could
+not turn him into their shape.
+
+"Yes," they answered, after a pause. "Get down on your hands and feet."
+And he soon found himself an elk.
+
+"I want big horns, big feet," said he; "I wish to be very large."
+
+"Yes! yes!" they said.
+
+"There!" exerting their power; "are you big enough?"
+
+"Yes!" he answered, for he saw that he was very large. They spent a
+good time in grazing and running. Being rather cold one day, he went
+into a thick wood for shelter, and was followed by most of the herd.
+They had not been long there before some elks from behind passed the
+others like a strong wind. All took the alarm, and off they ran, he
+with the rest.
+
+"Keep out on the plains," they said.
+
+But he found it was too late, as they had already got entangled in the
+thick woods. Paup-Puk-Keewiss soon smelt the hunters, who were closely
+following his trail, for they had left all the others and followed him.
+He jumped furiously, and broke down saplings in his flight, but it only
+served to retard his progress. He soon felt an arrow in his side; he
+jumped over trees in his agony, but the arrows clattered thicker and
+thicker upon his sides, and at last one entered his heart. He fell to
+the ground, and heard the whoop of triumph sounded by the hunters. On
+coming up, they looked on the carcass with astonishment, and with their
+hands up to their mouths exclaimed Ty-au! Ty-au! There were about sixty
+in the party, who had come out on a special hunt, as one of their
+number had, the day before, observed his _large tracks_ on the plains.
+After skinning him and his flesh getting cold, his _Jee-bi_ took its
+flight from the carcass, and he again found himself in human shape,
+with a bow and arrows.
+
+But his passion for adventure was not yet cooled; for, on coming to a
+large lake with a sandy beach, he saw a large flock of brant, and,
+speaking to them, asked them to turn him into a brant.
+
+"Yes," they replied.
+
+"But I want to be very large," he said.
+
+"Very well," they answered; and he soon found himself a large brant,
+all the others standing gazing in astonishment at his large size.
+
+"You must fly as leader," they said.
+
+"No," answered Paup-Puk-Keewiss, "I will fly behind."
+
+"Very well," they said. "One thing more we have to say to you. You must
+be careful, in flying, not to look _down_, for something may happen to
+you."
+
+"Well! it is so," said he; and soon the flock rose up into the air, for
+they were bound north. They flew very fast, he behind. One day, while
+going with a strong wind, and as swift as their wings could flap, while
+passing over a large village, the Indians raised a great shout on
+seeing them, particularly on Paup-Puk-Keewiss's account, for his wings
+were broader than two large aupukwa.[35] They made such a noise, that
+he forgot what had been told him, about looking down. They were now
+going as swift as arrows; and, as soon as he brought his neck in and
+stretched it down to look at the shouters, his tail was caught by the
+wind, and over and over he was blown. He tried to right himself, but
+without success. Down, down he went, making more turns than he wished
+for, from a height of several miles. The first thing he knew was, that
+he was jammed into a large hollow tree. To get back or forward was out
+of the question, and there he remained till his brant life was ended by
+starvation. His _Jee-bi_ again left the carcass, and he once more found
+himself in the shape of a human being.
+
+Travelling was still his passion; and, while travelling, he came to a
+lodge in which were two old men with heads white from age. They treated
+him well, and he told them that he was going back to his village to see
+his friends and people. They said they would aid him, and pointed out
+the direction he should go; but they were deceivers. After walking all
+day, he came to a lodge looking very much like the first, with two old
+men in it with white heads. It was, in fact, the very same lodge, and
+he had been walking in a circle; but they did not undeceive him,
+pretending to be strangers, and saying, in a kind voice, "We will show
+you the way." After walking the third day, and coming back to the same
+place, he found them out in their tricks, for he had cut a notch on the
+doorpost.
+
+"Who are you," said he to them, "to treat me so?" and he gave one a
+kick and the other a slap, which killed them. Their blood flew against
+the rocks near the lodge, and this is the reason there are red streaks
+in them to this day. He then burned their lodge down, and freed the
+earth of two pretended good men, who were manitoes.
+
+He then continued his journey, not knowing exactly which way to go. At
+last he came to a big lake. He got on the highest hill to try and see
+the opposite side, but he could not. He then made a canoe, and took a
+sail into the lake. On looking into the water, which was very clear,
+before he got to the abrupt depth, he saw the bottom covered with dark
+fishes, numbers of which he caught. This inspired him with a wish to
+return to his village and to bring his people to live near this lake.
+He went on, and towards evening came to a large island, where he
+encamped and ate the fish he had speared.
+
+Next day he returned to the main land, and, in wandering along the
+shore, he encountered a more powerful manito than himself, called
+Manabozho. He thought best, after playing him a trick, to keep out of
+his way. He again thought of returning to his village; and,
+transforming himself into a partridge, took his flight towards it. In a
+short time he reached it, and his return was welcomed with feastings
+and songs. He told them of the lake and the fish, and persuaded them
+all to remove to it, as it would be easier for them to live there. He
+immediately began to remove them by short encampments, and all things
+turned out as he had said. They caught abundance of fish. After this, a
+messenger came for him in the shape of a bear, who said that their king
+wished to see him immediately at his village. Paup-Puk-Keewiss was
+ready in an instant; and, getting on to the messenger's back, off he
+ran. Towards evening they went up a high mountain, and came to a cave
+where the bear-king lived. He was a very large person, and made him
+welcome by inviting him into his lodge. As soon as propriety allowed,
+he spoke, and said that he had sent for him on hearing that he was the
+chief who was moving a large party towards his hunting-grounds.
+
+"You must know," said he, "that you have no right there. And I wish you
+would leave the country with your party, or else the strongest force
+will take possession."
+
+"Very well," replied Paup-Puk-Keewiss. "So be it." He did not wish to
+do anything without consulting his people; and besides, he saw that the
+bear-king was raising a war party. He then told him he would go back
+that night. The bear-king left him to do as he wished, but told him
+that one of his young men was ready at his command; and, immediately
+jumping on his back, Paup-Puk-Keewiss rode home. He assembled the
+village, and told the young men to kill the bear, make a feast of it,
+and hang the head outside the village, for he knew the bear spies would
+soon see it, and carry the news to their chief.
+
+Next morning Paup-Puk-Keewiss got all his young warriors ready for a
+fight. After waiting one day, the bear war-party came in sight, making
+a tremendous noise. The bear-chief advanced, and said that he did not
+wish to shed the blood of the young warriors; but that if he,
+Paup-Puk-Keewiss, consented, they two would have a race, and the winner
+should kill the losing chief, and all his young men should be slaves to
+the other. Paup-Puk-Keewiss agreed, and they ran before all the
+warriors. He was victor, and came in first; but, not to terminate the
+race too soon, he gave the bear-chief some specimens of his skill and
+swiftness by forming eddies and whirlwinds with the sand, as he leaped
+and turned about him. As the bear-chief came up, he drove an arrow
+through him, and a great chief fell. Having done this, he told his
+young men to take all those blackfish (meaning the bears), and tie them
+at the door of each lodge, that they might remain in future to serve as
+servants.
+
+After seeing that all was quiet and prosperous in the village,
+Paup-Puk-Keewiss felt his desire for adventure returning. He took a
+kind leave of his friends and people, and started off again. After
+wandering a long time, he came to the lodge of Manabozho, who was
+absent. He thought he would play him a trick, and so turned everything
+in the lodge upside down, and killed his chickens. Now Manabozho calls
+all the fowls of the air his chickens; and among the number was a
+raven, the meanest of birds, which Paup-Puk-Keewiss killed and hung up
+by the neck to insult him. He then went on till he came to a very high
+point of rocks running out into the lake, from the top of which he
+could see the country back as far as the eye could reach. While sitting
+there, Manabozho's mountain chickens flew round and past him in great
+numbers. So, out of spite, he shot them in great numbers, for his
+arrows were sure and the birds very plenty, and he amused himself by
+throwing the birds down the rocky precipice. At length a wary bird
+cried out, "Paup-Puk-Keewiss is killing us. Go and tell our father."
+Away flew a delegation of them, and Manabozho soon made his appearance
+on the plain below. Paup-Puk-Keewiss made his escape on the opposite
+side. Manabozho cried out from the mountain--
+
+"The earth is not so large but I can get up to you." Off
+Paup-Puk-Keewiss ran, and Manabozho after him. He ran over hills and
+prairies with all his speed, but still saw his pursuer hard after him.
+He thought of this expedient. He stopped and climbed a large pine-tree,
+stripped it of all its green foliage, and threw it to the winds, and
+then went on. When Manabozho reached the spot, the tree addressed him.
+
+"Great chief," said the tree, "will you give me my life again?
+Paup-Puk-Keewiss has killed me."
+
+"Yes," replied Manabozho; and it took him some time to gather the
+scattered foliage, and then renewed the pursuit. Paup-Puk-Keewiss
+repeated the same thing with the hemlock, and with various other trees,
+for Manabozho would always stop to restore what he had destroyed. By
+this means he got in advance; but Manabozho persevered, and was fast
+overtaking him, when Paup-Puk-Keewiss happened to see an elk. He asked
+him to take him on his back, which the elk did, and for some time he
+made great progress, but still Manabozho was in sight. Paup-Puk-Keewiss
+dismounted, and, coming to a large sandstone rock, he broke it in
+pieces and scattered the grains. Manabozho was so close upon him at
+this place that he had almost caught him; but the foundation of the
+rock cried out,
+
+"Haye! Ne-me-sho, Paup-Puk-Keewiss has spoiled me. Will you not restore
+me to life?"
+
+"Yes," replied Manabozho; and he restored the rock to its previous
+shape. He then pushed on in the pursuit of Paup-Puk-Keewiss, and had
+got so near as to put out his arm to seize him; but Paup-Puk-Keewiss
+dodged him, and immediately raised such a dust and commotion by
+whirlwinds as made the trees break, and the sand and leaves dance in
+the air. Again and again Manabozho's hand was put out to catch him; but
+he dodged him at every turn, and kept up such a tumult of dust, that in
+the thickest of it, he dashed into a hollow tree which had been blown
+down, and changed himself into a snake, and crept out at the roots.
+Well that he did; for at the moment he had got out, Manabozho, who is
+Ogee-bau-ge-mon,[36] struck it with his power, and it was in fragments.
+Paup-Puk-Keewiss was again in human shape; again Manabozho pressed him
+hard. At a distance he saw a very high bluff of rock jutting out into
+the lake, and ran for the foot of the precipice, which was abrupt and
+elevated. As he came near, the local manito of the rock opened his door
+and told him to come in. The door was no sooner closed than Manabozho
+knocked.
+
+"Open it!" he cried, with a loud voice.
+
+The manito was afraid of him, but he said to his guest--
+
+"Since I have sheltered you, I would sooner die with you than open the
+door.
+
+"Open it!" Manabozho again cried.
+
+The manito kept silent. Manabozho, however, made no attempt to open it
+by force. He waited a few moments. "Very well," he said; "I give you
+only till night to live." The manito trembled, for he knew he would be
+shut up under the earth.
+
+Night came. The clouds hung low and black, and every moment the forked
+lightning would flash from them. The black clouds advanced slowly, and
+threw their dark shadows afar, and behind there was heard the rumbling
+noise of the coming thunder. As they came near to the precipice, the
+thunders broke, the lightning flashed, the ground shook, and the solid
+rocks split, tottered, and fell. And under their ruins where crushed
+the mortal bodies of Paup-Puk-Keewiss and the manito.
+
+It was only then that Paup-Puk-Keewiss found he was really dead. He had
+been killed in different animal shapes; but now his body, in human
+shape, was crushed. Manabozho came and took their Jee-bi-ug, or
+spirits.
+
+"You," said he to Paup-Puk-Keewiss, "shall not be again permitted to
+live on the earth. I will give you the shape of the war-eagle, and you
+will be the chief of all fowls, and your duty shall be to watch over
+their destinies."
+
+      [31] This word appears to be derived from the same root as
+      _Paup-puk-ke-nay_, a grasshopper, the inflection iss making
+      it personal. The Indian idea is that of harum scarum. He is
+      regarded as a foil to Manabozho, with whom he is frequently
+      brought in contact in aboriginal story craft.
+
+      [32] This is an official who bears the pipe for the ruling chief,
+      and is an inferior dignity in councils.
+
+      [33] This is a studied perversion of the interjection _Ho_. In
+      another instance (vide Wassamo) it is rendered _Hoke_.
+
+      [34] We may mention, for the youth who may read these tales, that
+      beavers live by gnawing the bark of trees.
+
+      [35] Mats.
+
+      [36] A species of lightning.
+
+
+
+
+OSSEO,
+
+OR
+
+THE SON OF THE EVENING STAR.
+
+ALGONQUIN LEGEND.
+
+
+There once lived an Indian in the north, who had ten daughters, all of
+whom grew up to womanhood. They were noted for their beauty, but
+especially Oweenee, the youngest, who was very independent in her way
+of thinking. She was a great admirer of romantic places, and paid very
+little attention to the numerous young men who came to her father's
+lodge for the purpose of seeing her. Her elder sisters were all
+solicited in marriage from their parents, and one after another, went
+off to dwell in the lodges of their husbands, or mothers-in-law, but
+she would listen to no proposals of the kind. At last she married an
+old man called OSSEO, who was scarcely able to walk, and was too poor
+to have things like others. They jeered and laughed at her, on all
+sides, but she seemed to be quite happy, and said to them, "It is my
+choice, and you will see in the end, who has acted the wisest." Soon
+after, the sisters and their husbands and their parents were all
+invited to a feast, and as they walked along the path, they could not
+help pitying their young and handsome sister, who had such an
+unsuitable mate. Osseo often stopped and gazed upwards, but they could
+perceive nothing in the direction he looked, unless it was the faint
+glimmering of the evening star. They heard him muttering to himself as
+they went along, and one of the elder sisters caught the words,
+"Sho-wain-ne-me-shin nosa."[37] "Poor old man," said she, "he is talking
+to his father, what a pity it is, that he would not fall and break his
+neck, that our sister might have a handsome young husband." Presently
+they passed a large hollow log, lying with one end toward the path. The
+moment Osseo, who was of the turtle totem, came to it, he stopped
+short, uttered a loud and peculiar yell, and then dashing into one end
+of the log, he came out at the other, a most beautiful young man, and
+springing back to the road, he led off the party with steps as light as
+the reindeer.[38] But on turning round to look for his wife, behold, she
+had been changed into an old, decrepit woman, who was bent almost
+double, and walked with a cane. The husband, however, treated her very
+kindly, as she had done him during the time of his enchantment, and
+constantly addressed her by the term of ne-ne-moosh-a, or my sweetheart.
+
+When they came to the hunter's lodge with whom they were to feast, they
+found the feast ready prepared, and as soon as their entertainer had
+finished his harangue (in which he told them his feasting was in honor
+of the Evening or Woman's Star), they began to partake of the portion
+dealt out, according to age and character, to each one. The food was
+very delicious, and they were all happy but Osseo, who looked at his
+wife and then gazed upward, as if he was looking into the substance of
+the sky. Sounds were soon heard, as if from far-off voices in the air,
+and they became plainer and plainer, till he could clearly distinguish
+some of the words.
+
+"My son--my son," said the voice, "I have seen your afflictions and
+pity your wants. I come to call you away from a scene that is stained
+with blood and tears. The earth is full of sorrows. Giants and
+sorcerers, the enemies of mankind, walk abroad in it, and are scattered
+throughout its length. Every night they are lifting their voices to the
+Power of Evil, and every day they make themselves busy in casting evil
+in the hunter's path. You have long been their victim, but shall be
+their victim no more. The spell you were under is broken. Your evil
+genius is overcome. I have cast him down by my superior strength, and
+it is this strength I now exert for your happiness. Ascend, my
+son--ascend into the skies, and partake of the feast I have prepared
+for you in the stars, and bring with you those you love.
+
+"The food set before you is enchanted and blessed. Fear not to partake
+of it. It is endowed with magic power to give immortality to mortals,
+and to change men to spirits. Your bowls and kettles shall be no longer
+wood and earth. The one shall become silver, and the other wampum. They
+shall shine like fire, and glisten like the most beautiful scarlet.
+Every female shall also change her state and looks, and no longer be
+doomed to laborious tasks. She shall put on the beauty of the
+starlight, and become a shining bird of the air, clothed with shining
+feathers. She shall dance and not work--she shall sing and not cry."
+
+"My beams," continued the voice, "shine faintly on your lodge, but they
+have a power to transform it into the lightness of the skies, and
+decorate it with the colors of the clouds. Come, Osseo, my son, and
+dwell no longer on earth. Think strongly on my words, and look
+steadfastly at my beams. My power is now at its height. Doubt
+not--delay not. It is the voice of the Spirit of the stars that calls
+you away to happiness and celestial rest."
+
+The words were intelligible to Osseo, but his companions thought them
+some far-off sounds of music, or birds singing in the woods. Very soon
+the lodge began to shake and tremble, and they felt it rising into the
+air. It was too late to run out, for they were already as high as the
+tops of the trees. Osseo looked around him as the lodge passed through
+the topmost boughs, and behold! their wooden dishes were changed into
+shells of a scarlet color, the poles of the lodge to glittering wires of
+silver, and the bark that covered them into the gorgeous wings of
+insects. A moment more, and his brothers and sisters, and their parents
+and friends, were transformed into birds of various plumage. Some were
+jays, some partridges and pigeons, and others gay singing birds, who
+hopped about displaying their glittering feathers, and singing their
+song. But Oweenee still kept her earthly garb, and exhibited all the
+indications of extreme age. He again cast his eyes in the direction of
+the clouds, and uttered that peculiar yell, which had given him the
+victory at the hollow log. In a moment the youth and beauty of his wife
+returned; her dingy garments assumed the shining appearance of green
+silk, and her cane was changed into a silver feather. The lodge again
+shook and trembled, for they were now passing through the uppermost
+clouds, and they immediately after found themselves in the Evening Star,
+the residence of Osseo's father.
+
+"My son," said the old man, "hang that cage of birds, which you have
+brought along in your hand, at the door, and I will inform you why you
+and your wife have been sent for." Osseo obeyed the directions, and
+then took his seat in the lodge. "Pity was shown to you," resumed the
+king of the star, "on account of the contempt of your wife's sister,
+who laughed at her ill fortune, and ridiculed you while you were under
+the power of that wicked spirit, whom you overcame at the log. That
+spirit lives in the next lodge, being a small star you see on the left
+of mine, and he has always felt envious of my family, because we had
+greater power than he had, and especially on account of our having had
+the care committed to us of the female world. He failed in several
+attempts to destroy your brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, but
+succeeded at last in transforming yourself and your wife into decrepit
+old persons. You must be careful and not let the light of his beams
+fall on you, while you are here, for therein is the power of his
+enchantment; a ray of light is the bow and arrows he uses."
+
+Osseo lived happy and contented in the parental lodge, and in due time
+his wife presented him with a son, who grew up rapidly, and was the
+image of his father. He was very quick and ready in learning everything
+that was done in his grandfather's dominions, but he wished also to
+learn the art of hunting, for he had heard that this was a favorite
+pursuit below. To gratify him, his father made him a bow and arrows,
+and he then let the birds out of the cage that he might practise in
+shooting. He soon became expert, and the very first day brought down a
+bird, but when he went to pick it up, to his amazement, it was a
+beautiful young woman with the arrow sticking in her breast. It was one
+of his younger _aunts_. The moment her blood fell upon the surface of
+that pure and spotless planet, the charm was dissolved. The boy
+immediately found himself sinking, but was partly upheld, by something
+like wings, till he passed through the lower clouds, and he then
+suddenly dropped upon a high, romantic island in a large lake. He was
+pleased on looking up, to see all his aunts and uncles following him in
+the form of birds, and he soon discovered the silver lodge, with his
+father and mother, descending with its waving barks looking like so
+many insects' gilded wings. It rested on the highest cliffs of the
+island, and here they fixed their residence. They all resumed their
+natural _shapes_, but were diminished to the _size_ of fairies; as a
+mark of homage to the King of the Evening Star, they never failed, on
+every pleasant evening, during the summer season, to join hands, and
+dance upon the top of the rocks. These rocks were quickly observed by
+the Indians to be covered, in moonlight evenings, with a larger sort of
+Puk Wudj Ininees, or little men, and were called Mish-in-e-mok-in-ok-ong,
+or turtle spirits, and the island is named from them to this day.[39]
+Their shining lodge can be seen in the summer evenings when the moon
+shines strongly on the pinnacles of the rocks, and the fishermen, who
+go near those high cliffs at night, have even heard the voices of the
+happy little dancers.
+
+      [37] Pity me, my father.
+
+      [38] The C. Sylvestris inhabits North America, north of latitude
+      46 deg..
+
+      [39] Michilimackinac, the term alluded to, is the original French
+      orthography of Mish En I Mok In Ong, the _local_ form (sing. and
+      plu.), of Turtle Spirits.
+
+
+
+
+KWASIND,
+
+OR
+
+THE FEARFULLY STRONG MAN.
+
+
+Pauwating[40] was a village where the young men amused themselves very
+much in ancient times, in sports and ball-playing.
+
+One day, as they were engaged in their sports, one of the strongest and
+most active, at the moment he was about to succeed in a trial of
+lifting, slipped and fell upon his back. "Ha! ha! ha!" cried the
+lookers-on, "you will never rival Kwasind." He was deeply mortified,
+and when the sport was over, these words came to his mind. He could not
+recollect any man of this name. He thought he would ask the old man,
+the story-teller of the village, the next time he came to the lodge.
+The opportunity soon occurred.
+
+"My grandfather," said he, "who was Kwasind? I am very anxious to know
+what he could do."
+
+"Kwasind," the old man replied, "was a listless idle boy. He would not
+play when the other boys played, and his parents could never get him to
+do any kind of labor. He was always making excuses. His parents took
+notice, however, that he fasted for days together, but they could not
+learn what spirit he supplicated, or had chosen as the guardian spirit
+to attend him through life. He was so inattentive to his parents'
+requests, that he, at last, became a subject of reproach.
+
+"'Ah,' said his mother to him one day, 'is there any young man of your
+age, in all the village, who does so little for his parents? You
+neither hunt nor fish. You take no interest in anything, whether labor
+or amusement, which engages the attention of your equals in years. I
+have often set my nets[41] in the coldest days of winter, without any
+assistance from you. And I have taken them up again, while you remained
+inactive at the lodge fire. Are you not ashamed of such idleness? Go, I
+bid you, and wring out that net, which I have just taken from the
+water.'
+
+"Kwasind saw that there was a determination to make him obey. He did
+not, therefore, make any excuses, but went out and took up the net. He
+carefully folded it, doubled and redoubled it, forming it into a roll,
+and then with an easy twist of his hands wrung it short off, with as
+much ease as if every twine had been a thin brittle fibre. Here they at
+once saw the secret of his reluctance. He possessed supernatural
+strength.
+
+"After this, the young men were playing one day on the plain, where
+there was lying one of those large, heavy, black pieces of rock, which
+Manabozho is said to have cast at his father. Kwasind took it up with
+much ease, and threw it into the river. After this, he accompanied his
+father on a hunting excursion into a remote forest. They came to a
+place where the wind had thrown a great many trees into a narrow pass.
+'We must go the other way,' said the old man, 'it is impossible to get
+the burdens through this place.' He sat down to rest himself, took out
+his smoking apparatus, and gave a short time to reflection. When he had
+finished, Kwasind had lifted away the largest pine trees, and pulled
+them out of the path.
+
+"Sailing one day in his canoe, Kwasind saw a large furred animal, which
+he immediately recognized to be the king of beavers. He plunged into
+the water in pursuit of it. His companions were in the greatest
+astonishment and alarm, supposing he would perish. He often dove down
+and remained a long time under water, pursuing the animal from island
+to island; and at last returned with the kingly prize. After this, his
+fame spread far and wide, and no hunter would presume to compete with
+him.
+
+"He helped Manabozho to clear away the obstructions in the streams, and
+to remove the great wind-falls of trees from the valleys, the better to
+fit them for the residence of man.
+
+"He performed so many feats of strength and skill, that he excited the
+envy of the Puck-wudj In-in-ee-sug, or fairies, who conspired against
+his life. 'For,' said they, 'if this man is suffered to go on, in his
+career of strength and exploits, we shall presently have no work to
+perform. Our agency in the affairs of men must cease. He will undermine
+our power, and drive us, at last, into the water, where we must all
+perish, or be devoured by the wicked Neebanawbaig.'[42]
+
+"The strength of Kwasind was all concentrated in the crown of his head.
+This was, at the same time, the only vulnerable part of his body; and
+there was but one species of weapon which could be successfully
+employed in making any impression upon it. The fairies carefully hunted
+through the woods to find this weapon. It was the burr or seed vessel
+of the white pine. They gathered a quantity of this article, and
+waylaid Kwasind at a point on the river, where the red rocks jut into
+the water, forming rude castles--a point which he was accustomed to
+pass in his canoe. They waited a long time, making merry upon these
+rocks, for it was a highly romantic spot. At last the wished-for object
+appeared; Kwasind came floating calmly down the stream, on the
+afternoon of a summer's day, languid with the heat of the weather, and
+almost asleep. When his canoe came directly beneath the cliff, the
+tallest and stoutest fairy began the attack. Others followed his
+example. It was a long time before they could hit the vulnerable part,
+but success at length crowned their efforts, and Kwasind sunk, never to
+rise more.
+
+"Ever since this victory, the Puck Wudj Ininee have made that point of
+rock a favorite resort. The hunters often hear them laugh, and see
+their little plumes shake as they pass this scene on light summer
+evenings.
+
+"My son," continued the old man, "take care that you do not imitate the
+faults of Kwasind. If he had not so often exerted his strength merely
+for the sake of _boasting_, he would not, perhaps, have made the
+fairies feel jealous of him. It is better to use the strength you have,
+in a quiet useful way, than to sigh after the possession of a giant's
+power. For if you run, or wrestle, or jump, or fire at a mark, only as
+well as your equals in years, nobody will envy you. But if you would
+needs be a Kwasind, you must expect a Kwasind's fate."
+
+      [40] _i.e._ Place of shallow cataract, named _Sault de Ste.
+      Marie_ on the arrival of the French. This is the _local_ form of
+      the word, the substantive proper terminates in Eeg.
+
+      [41] Nets are set in winter, in high northern latitudes, through
+      orifices cut in the ice.
+
+      [42] A kind of water spirits.
+
+
+
+
+THE JEEBI,
+
+OR
+
+TWO GHOSTS.
+
+FROM THE ODJIBWA.
+
+
+There lived a hunter in the north who had a wife and one child. His
+lodge stood far off in the forest, several days' journey from any
+other. He spent his days in hunting, and his evenings in relating to
+his wife the incidents that had befallen him. As game was very
+abundant, he found no difficulty in killing as much as they wanted.
+Just in all his acts, he lived a peaceful and happy life.
+
+One evening during the winter season, it chanced that he remained out
+later than usual, and his wife began to feel uneasy, for fear some
+accident had befallen him. It was already dark. She listened
+attentively, and at last heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Not
+doubting it was her husband, she went to the door and beheld two
+strange females. She bade them enter, and invited them to remain.
+
+She observed that they were total strangers in the country. There was
+something so peculiar in their looks, air, and manner, that she was
+uneasy in their company. They would not come near the fire; they sat in
+a remote part of the lodge, were shy and taciturn, and drew their
+garments about them in such a manner as nearly to hide their faces. So
+far as she could judge, they were pale, hollow-eyed, and long-visaged,
+very thin and emaciated. There was but little light in the lodge, as
+the fire was low, and served by its fitful flashes, rather to increase
+than dispel their fears. "Merciful spirit!" cried a voice from the
+opposite part of the lodge, "there are two corpses clothed with
+garments." The hunter's wife turned around, but seeing nobody, she
+concluded the sounds were but gusts of wind. She trembled, and was
+ready to sink to the earth.
+
+Her husband at this moment entered and dispelled her fears. He threw
+down the carcass of a large fat deer. "Behold what a fine and fat
+animal," cried the mysterious females, and they immediately ran and
+pulled off pieces of the whitest fat,[43] which they ate with
+greediness. The hunter and his wife looked on with astonishment, but
+remained silent. They supposed their guests might have been famished.
+Next day, however, the same unusual conduct was repeated. The strange
+females tore off the fat and devoured it with eagerness. The third day
+the hunter thought he would anticipate their wants by tying up a
+portion of the fattest pieces for them, which he placed on the top of
+his load. They accepted it, but still appeared dissatisfied, and went
+to the wife's portion and tore off more. The man and his wife felt
+surprised at such rude and unaccountable conduct, but they remained
+silent, for they respected their guests, and had observed that they had
+been attended with marked good luck during the residence of these
+mysterious visitors.
+
+In other respects, the deportment of the females was strictly
+unexceptionable. They were modest, distant, and silent. They never
+uttered a word during the day. At night they would occupy themselves in
+procuring wood, which they carried to the lodge, and then returning the
+implements exactly to the places in which they had found them, resume
+their places without speaking. They were never known to stay out until
+daylight. They never laughed or jested.
+
+The winter had nearly passed away, without anything uncommon happening,
+when, one evening, the hunter stayed out very late. The moment he
+entered and laid down his day's hunt as usual before his wife, the two
+females began to tear off the fat, in so unceremonious a way, that her
+anger was excited. She constrained herself, however, in a measure, but
+did not conceal her feelings, although she said but little. The guests
+observed the excited state of her mind, and became unusually reserved
+and uneasy. The good hunter saw the change, and carefully inquired into
+the cause, but his wife denied having used any hard words. They retired
+to their couches, and he tried to compose himself to sleep, but could
+not, for the sobs and sighs of the two females were incessant. He arose
+on his couch and addressed them as follows:--
+
+"Tell me," said he, "what is it that gives you pain of mind, and causes
+you to utter those sighs. Has my wife given you offence, or trespassed
+on the rights of hospitality?"
+
+They replied in the negative. "We have been treated by you with
+kindness and affection. It is not for any slight we have received that
+we weep. Our mission is not to you only. We come from the land of the
+dead to test mankind, and to try the sincerity of the living. Often we
+have heard the bereaved by death say that if the dead could be
+restored, they would devote their lives to make them happy. We have
+been moved by the bitter lamentations which have reached the place of
+the dead, and have come to make proof of the sincerity of those who
+have lost friends. Three moons were allotted us by the Master of Life
+to make the trial. More than half the time had been successfully past,
+when the angry feelings of your wife indicated the irksomeness you felt
+at our presence, and has made us resolve on our departure."
+
+They continued to talk to the hunter and his wife, gave them
+instructions as to a future life, and pronounced a blessing upon them.
+
+"There is one point," they added, "of which we wish to speak. You have
+thought our conduct very strange in rudely possessing ourselves of the
+choicest parts of your hunt. _That_ was the point of trial selected to
+put you to. It is the wife's peculiar privilege. For another to usurp
+it, we knew to be the severest trial of her, and consequently of your
+temper and feelings. We know your manners and customs, but we came to
+prove you, not by a compliance with them, but a violation of them.
+Pardon us. We are the agents of him who sent us. Peace to your
+dwelling, adieu!"
+
+When they ceased, total darkness filled the lodge. No object could be
+seen. The inmates heard the door open and shut, but they never saw more
+of the two Jeebi-ug.
+
+The hunter found the success which they had promised. He became
+celebrated in the chase, and never wanted for anything. He had many
+children, all of whom grew up to manhood, and health; peace, and long
+life were the rewards of his hospitality.
+
+      [43] The fat of animals is esteemed by the N.A. Indians among
+      the choicest parts.
+
+
+
+
+IAGOO.
+
+CHIPPEWA.
+
+
+Iagoo is the name of a personage noted in Indian lore for having given
+extravagant narrations of whatever he had seen, heard, or accomplished.
+It seems that he always saw extraordinary things, made extraordinary
+journeys, and performed extraordinary feats. He could not look out of
+his lodge and see things as other men did. If he described a bird, it
+had a most singular variety of brilliant plumage. The animals he met
+with were all of the monstrous kind; they had eyes like orbs of fire,
+and claws like hooks of steel, and could step over the top of an Indian
+lodge. He told of a serpent he had seen, which had hair on its neck
+like a mane, and feet resembling a quadruped; and if one were to take
+his own account of his exploits and observations, it would be difficult
+to decide whether his strength, his activity, or his wisdom should be
+most admired.
+
+Iagoo did not appear to have been endowed with the ordinary faculties
+of other men. His eyes appeared to be magnifiers, and the tympanum of
+his ears so constructed that what appeared to common observers to be
+but the sound of a zephyr, to him had a far closer resemblance to the
+noise of thunder. His imagination appeared to be of so exuberant a
+character, that he scarcely required more than a drop of water to
+construct an ocean, or a grain of sand to form the earth. And he had so
+happy an exemption from both the restraints of judgment and moral
+accountability, that he never found the slightest difficulty in
+accommodating his facts to the most enlarged credulity. Nor was his
+ample thirst for the marvellous ever quenched by attempts to reconcile
+statements the most strange, unaccountable, and preposterous.
+
+Such was Iagoo, the Indian story-teller, whose name is associated with
+all that is extravagant and marvellous, and has long been established
+in the hunter's vocabulary as a perfect synonym for liar, and is
+bandied about as a familiar proverb. If a hunter or warrior, in telling
+his exploits, undertakes to embellish them; to overrate his merits, or
+in any other way to excite the incredulity of his hearers, he is liable
+to be rebuked with the remark, "So here we have Iagoo come again." And
+he seems to hold the relative rank in oral narration which our written
+literature awards to Baron Munchausen, Jack Falstaff, and Captain
+Lemuel Gulliver.
+
+Notwithstanding all this, there are but a few scraps of his actual
+stories to be found. He first attracted notice by giving an account of
+a water lily, a single leaf of which, he averred, was sufficient to
+make a petticoat and upper garments for his wife and daughter. One
+evening he was sitting in his lodge, on the banks of a river, and
+hearing the quacking of ducks on the stream, he fired through the lodge
+door at a venture. He killed a swan that happened to be flying by, and
+twenty brace of ducks in the stream. But this did not check the force
+of his shot; they passed on, and struck the heads of two loons, at the
+moment they were coming up from beneath the water, and even went beyond
+and killed a most extraordinary large fish called Moshkeenozha.[44] On
+another occasion he had killed a deer, and after skinning it, was
+carrying the carcass on his shoulders, when he spied some stately elks
+on the plain before him. He immediately gave them chase, and had run,
+over hill and dale, a distance of half a day's travel, before he
+recollected that he had the deer's carcass on his shoulders.
+
+One day, as he was passing over a tract of _mushkeeg_ or bog-land, he
+saw musquitoes of such enormous size, that he staked his reputation on
+the fact that a single wing of one of the insects was sufficient for a
+sail to his canoe, and the proboscis as big as his wife's shovel. But
+he was favored with a still more extraordinary sight, in a gigantic
+ant, which passed him, as he was watching a beaver's lodge, dragging
+the entire carcass of a hare.
+
+At another time, for he was ever seeing or doing something wonderful,
+he got out of smoking weed, and in going into the woods in search of
+some, he discovered a bunch of the red willow, or maple bush, of such a
+luxuriant growth, that he was industriously occupied half a day walking
+round it.
+
+      [44] The muscalunge.
+
+
+
+
+SHAWONDASEE.
+
+FROM THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE ODJIBWAS.
+
+
+Mudjekewis and nine brothers conquered the Mammoth Bear, and obtained
+the Sacred Belt of Wampum, the great object of previous warlike
+enterprise, and the great means of happiness to men. The chief honor of
+this achievement was awarded to Mudjekewis, the youngest of the ten, who
+received the government of the West Winds. He is therefore called
+Kabeyun, the father of the winds. To his son, Wabun, he gave the East;
+to Shawondasee, the south, and to Kabibonokka, the north. Manabozho
+being an illegitimate son, was left unprovided. When he grew up, and
+obtained the secret of his birth, he went to war against his father,
+Kabeyun, and having brought the latter to terms, he received the
+government of the Northwest Winds, ruling jointly with his brother
+Kabibonokka the tempests from that quarter of the heavens.
+
+Shawondasee is represented as an affluent, plethoric old man, who has
+grown unwieldy from repletion, and seldom moves. He keeps his eyes
+steadfastly fixed on the north. When he sighs, in autumn, we have those
+balmy southern airs, which communicate warmth and delight over the
+northern hemisphere, and make the _Indian Summer_.
+
+One day, while gazing toward the north, he beheld a beautiful young
+woman of slender and majestic form, standing on the plains. She
+appeared in the same place for several days, but what most attracted
+his admiration, was her bright and flowing locks of yellow hair. Ever
+dilatory, however, he contented himself with gazing. At length he saw,
+or fancied he saw, her head enveloped in a pure white mass like snow.
+This excited his jealousy toward his brother Kabibonokka, and he threw
+out a succession of short and rapid sighs--when lo! the air was filled
+with light filaments of a silvery hue, but the object of his affections
+had for ever vanished. In reality, the southern airs had blown off the
+fine-winged seed-vessels of the prairie dandelion.
+
+"My son," said the narrator, "it is not wise to differ in our tastes
+from other people; nor ought we to put off, through slothfulness, what
+is best done at once. Had Shawondasee conformed to the tastes of his
+countrymen, he would not have been an admirer of _yellow_ hair; and if
+he had evinced a proper activity in his youth, his mind would not have
+run flower-gathering in his age."
+
+
+
+
+PUCK WUDJ ININEES,
+
+OR
+
+THE VANISHING LITTLE MEN.
+
+AN ODJIBWA MYTH OF FAIRIES.
+
+
+There was a time when all the inhabitants of the earth had died,
+excepting two helpless children, a baby boy and a little girl. When
+their parents died, these children were asleep. The little girl, who
+was the elder, was the first to wake. She looked around her, but seeing
+nobody besides her little brother, who lay asleep, she quietly resumed
+her bed. At the end of ten days her brother moved without opening his
+eyes. At the end of ten days more he changed his position, lying on the
+other side.
+
+The girl soon grew up to woman's estate, but the boy increased in
+stature very slowly. It was a long time before he could even creep. When
+he was able to walk, his sister made him a little bow and arrows, and
+suspended around his neck a small shell, saying, you shall be called
+Wa-Dais-Ais-Imid, or He of the Little Shell. Every day he would go out
+with his little bow, shooting at the small birds. The first bird he
+killed was a tomtit. His sister was highly pleased when he took it to
+her. She carefully skinned and stuffed it, and put it away for him. The
+next day he killed a red squirrel. His sister preserved this too. The
+third day he killed a partridge (Peena), which she stuffed and set up.
+After this, he acquired more courage, and would venture some distance
+from home. His skill and success as a hunter daily increased, and he
+killed the deer, bear, moose, and other large animals inhabiting the
+forest. In fine he became a great hunter.
+
+He had now arrived to maturity of years, but remained a perfect infant
+in stature. One day, walking about, he came to a small lake. It was in
+the winter season. He saw a man on the ice killing beavers. He appeared
+to be a giant. Comparing himself to this great man he appeared no
+bigger than an insect. He seated himself on the shore, and watched his
+movements. When the large man had killed many beavers, he put them on a
+hand sled which he had, and pursued his way home. When he saw him
+retire, he followed him, and wielding his magic shell, cut off the tail
+of one of the beavers, and ran home with his trophy. When the tall
+stranger reached his lodge, with his sled load of beavers, he was
+surprised to find the tail of one of them gone, for he had not observed
+the movements of the little hero of the shell.
+
+The next day Wa-Dis-Ais-Imid, went to the same lake. The man had
+already fixed his load of beavers on his _odaw'bon_, or sled, and
+commenced his return. But he nimbly ran forward, and overtaking him,
+succeeded, by the same means, in securing another of the beaver's
+tails. When the man saw that he had lost another of this most esteemed
+part of the animal, he was very angry. I wonder, said he, what dog it
+is, that has thus cheated me. Could I meet him, I would make his flesh
+quiver at the point of my lance. Next day he pursued his hunting at the
+beaver dam near the lake, and was followed again by the little man of
+the shell. On this occasion the hunter had used so much expedition,
+that he had accomplished his object, and nearly reached his home,
+before our tiny hero could overtake him. He nimbly drew his shell and
+cut off another beaver's tail. In all these pranks, he availed himself
+of his power of invisibility, and thus escaped observation. When the
+man saw that the trick had been so often repeated, his anger was
+greater than ever. He gave vent to his feelings in words. He looked
+carefully around to see whether he could discover any tracks. But he
+could find none. His unknown visitor had stepped so lightly as to leave
+no track.
+
+Next day he resolved to disappoint him by going to his beaver pond very
+early. When Wa-Dais-Ais-Imid reached the place, he found the fresh
+traces of his work, but he had already returned. He followed his tracks,
+but failed to overtake him. When he came in sight of the lodge the
+stranger was in front of it, employed in skinning his beavers. As he
+stood looking at him, he thought, I will let him see me. Presently the
+man, who proved to be no less a personage than Manabozho, looked up and
+saw him. After regarding him with attention, "Who are you, little man,"
+said Manabozho. "I have a mind to kill you." The little hero of the
+shell replied, "If you were to try to kill me you could not do it."
+
+When he returned home he told his sister that they must separate. "I
+must go away," said he, "it is my fate. You too," he added, "must go
+away soon. Tell me where you would wish to dwell." She said, "I would
+like to go to the place of the breaking of daylight. I have always
+loved the east. The earliest glimpses of light are from that quarter,
+and it is, to my mind, the most beautiful part of the heavens. After I
+get there, my brother, whenever you see the clouds in that direction of
+various colors, you may think that your sister is painting her face."
+
+"And I," said he, "my sister, shall live on the mountains and rocks.
+There I can see you at the earliest hour, and there the streams of water
+are clear, and the air pure. And I shall ever be called Puck Wudj
+Ininee, or the little wild man of the mountains."
+
+"But," he resumed, "before we part forever, I must go and try to find
+some Manitoes." He left her, and travelled over the surface of the
+globe, and then went far down into the earth. He had been treated well
+wherever he went. At last he found a giant Manito, who had a large
+kettle which was forever boiling. The giant regarded him with a stern
+look, and then took him up in his hand, and threw him unceremoniously
+into the kettle. But by the protection of his personal spirit, he was
+shielded from harm, and with much ado got out of it and escaped. He
+returned to his sister, and related his rovings and misadventures. He
+finished his story by addressing her thus: "My sister, there is a
+Manito, at each of the four corners of the earth.[45] There is also one
+above them, far in the sky; and last," continued he, "there is another,
+and wicked one, who lives deep down in the earth. We must now separate.
+When the winds blow from the four corners of the earth you must then
+go. They will carry you to the place you wish. I go to the rocks and
+mountains, where my kindred will ever delight to dwell." He then took
+his ball stick, and commenced running up a high mountain, whooping as
+he went. Presently the winds blew, and, as he predicted, his sister was
+borne by them to the eastern sky, where she has ever since been, and
+her name is the Morning Star.
+
+    Blow, winds, blow! my sister lingers
+      For her dwelling in the sky,
+    Where the morn, with rosy fingers,
+      Shall her cheeks with vermil dye.
+
+    There, my earliest views directed,
+      Shall from her their color take,
+    And her smiles, through clouds reflected,
+      Guide me on, by wood or lake.
+
+    While I range the highest mountains,
+      Sport in valleys green and low,
+    Or beside our Indian fountains
+      Raise my tiny hip holla.
+
+      [45] The opinion that the earth is a square and level plain, and
+      that the winds blow from its four corners, is a very ancient
+      eastern opinion.
+
+
+
+
+PEZHIU AND WABOSE,
+
+OR
+
+THE LYNX AND HARE.
+
+A CHIPPEWA FABLE.
+
+
+A lynx almost famished, met a hare one day in the woods, in the winter
+season, when food was very scarce. The hare, however, stood up on a
+rock, and was safe from its enemy.
+
+"Wabose," said the lynx, in a very kind manner, "come here, my little
+white one,[46] I wish to talk to you."
+
+"Oh no," replied the hare, "I am afraid of you, and my mother told me
+never to go and talk to strangers."
+
+"You are very pretty," answered the lynx, "and a very obedient child to
+your parents, but you must know that I am a relative of yours. I wish
+to send some word to your lodge. Come down and see me."
+
+The hare was pleased to be called pretty, and when she heard that it
+was a relative, she jumped down from the place where she stood, and was
+immediately torn in pieces by the lynx.[47]
+
+       [46] Such is the meaning of Wabose.
+
+       [47] Oneota.
+
+
+
+
+PEBOAN AND SEEGWUN.
+
+AN ALLEGORY OF WINTER AND SPRING.
+
+ODJIBWA.
+
+
+An old man was sitting in his lodge, by the side of a frozen stream. It
+was the close of winter, and his fire was almost out. He appeared very
+old and very desolate. His locks were white with age, and he trembled
+in every joint. Day after day passed in solitude, and he heard nothing
+but the sounds of the tempest, sweeping before it the new-fallen snow.
+
+One day, as his fire was just dying, a handsome young man approached
+and entered his dwelling. His cheeks were red with the blood of youth,
+his eyes sparkled with animation, and a smile played upon his lips. He
+walked with a light and quick step. His forehead was bound with a
+wreath of sweet grass, in place of a warrior's frontlet, and he carried
+a bunch of flowers in his hand.
+
+"Ah, my son," said the old man, "I am happy to see you. Come in. Come,
+tell me of your adventures, and what strange lands you have been to
+see. Let us pass the night together. I will tell you of my prowess and
+exploits, and what I can perform. You shall do the same, and we will
+amuse ourselves."
+
+He then drew from his sack a curiously-wrought antique pipe, and having
+filled it with tobacco, rendered mild by an admixture of certain
+leaves, handed it to his guest. When this ceremony was concluded they
+began to speak.
+
+"I blow my breath," said the old man, "and the streams stand still. The
+water becomes stiff and hard as clear stone."
+
+"I breathe," said the young man, "and flowers spring up all over the
+plains."
+
+"I shake my locks," retorted the old man, "and snow covers the land.
+The leaves fall from the trees at my command, and my breath blows them
+away. The birds get up from the water, and fly to a distant land. The
+animals hide themselves from my breath, and the very ground becomes as
+hard as flint."
+
+"I shake my ringlets," rejoined the young man, "and warm showers of
+soft rain fall upon the earth. The plants lift up their heads out of
+the earth, like the eyes of children glistening with delight. My voice
+recalls the birds. The warmth of my breath unlocks the streams. Music
+fills the groves wherever I walk, and all nature rejoices."
+
+At length the sun began to rise. A gentle warmth came over the place.
+The tongue of the old man became silent. The robin and bluebird began
+to sing on the top of the lodge. The stream began to murmur by the
+door, and the fragrance of growing herbs and flowers came softly on the
+vernal breeze.
+
+Daylight fully revealed to the young man the character of his
+entertainer. When he looked upon him, he had the icy visage of
+Peboan.[48] Streams began to flow from his eyes. As the sun increased,
+he grew less and less in stature, and anon had melted completely away.
+Nothing remained on the place of his lodge fire but the miskodeed,[49] a
+small white flower, with a pink border, which is one of the earliest
+species of northern plants.
+
+      [48] Winter.
+
+      [49] The Claytonia Virginica.
+
+
+
+
+MON-DAW-MIN,
+
+OR
+
+THE ORIGIN OF INDIAN CORN.
+
+ODJIBWA.
+
+
+In times past, a poor Indian was living with his wife and children in a
+beautiful part of the country. He was not only poor, but inexpert in
+procuring food for his family, and his children were all too young to
+give him assistance. Although poor, he was a man of a kind and
+contented disposition. He was always thankful to the Great Spirit for
+everything he received. The same disposition was inherited by his
+eldest son, who had now arrived at the proper age to undertake the
+ceremony of the Ke-ig-uish-im-o-win, or fast, to see what kind of a
+spirit would be his guide and guardian through life. Wunzh, for this
+was his name, had been an obedient boy from his infancy, and was of a
+pensive, thoughtful, and mild disposition, so that he was beloved by
+the whole family. As soon as the first indications of spring appeared,
+they built him the customary little lodge at a retired spot, some
+distance from their own, where he would not be disturbed during this
+solemn rite. In the mean time he prepared himself, and immediately went
+into it, and commenced his fast. The first few days, he amused himself,
+in the mornings, by walking in the woods and over the mountains,
+examining the early plants and flowers, and in this way prepared
+himself to enjoy his sleep, and, at the same time, stored his mind with
+pleasant ideas for his dreams. While he rambled through the woods, he
+felt a strong desire to know how the plants, herbs, and berries grew,
+without any aid from man, and why it was that some species were good to
+eat, and others possessed medicinal or poisonous juices. He recalled
+these thoughts to mind after he became too languid to walk about, and
+had confined himself strictly to the lodge; he wished he could dream of
+something that would prove a benefit to his father and family, and to
+all others. "True!" he thought, "the Great Spirit made all things, and
+it is to him that we owe our lives. But could he not make it easier for
+us to get our food, than by hunting animals and taking fish? I must try
+to find out this in my visions."
+
+On the third day he became weak and faint, and kept his bed. He
+fancied, while thus lying, that he saw a handsome young man coming down
+from the sky and advancing towards him. He was richly and gayly
+dressed, having on a great many garments of green and yellow colors,
+but differing in their deeper or lighter shades. He had a plume of
+waving feathers on his head, and all his motions were graceful.
+
+"I am sent to you, my friend," said the celestial visitor, "by that
+Great Spirit who made all things in the sky and on the earth. He has
+seen and knows your motives in fasting. He sees that it is from a kind
+and benevolent wish to do good to your people, and to procure a benefit
+for them, and that you do not seek for strength in war or the praise of
+warriors. I am sent to instruct you, and show you how you can do your
+kindred good." He then told the young man to arise, and prepare to
+wrestle with him, as it was only by this means that he could hope to
+succeed in his wishes. Wunzh knew he was weak from fasting, but he felt
+his courage rising in his heart, and immediately got up, determined to
+die rather than fail. He commenced the trial, and after a protracted
+effort, was almost exhausted, when the beautiful stranger said, "My
+friend, it is enough for once; I will come again to try you;" and,
+smiling on him, he ascended in the air in the same direction from which
+he came. The next day the celestial visitor reappeared at the same hour
+and renewed the trial. Wunzh felt that his strength was even less than
+the day before, but the courage of his mind seemed to increase in
+proportion as his body became weaker. Seeing this, the stranger again
+spoke to him in the same words he used before, adding, "Tomorrow will
+be your last trial. Be strong, my friend, for this is the only way you
+can overcome me, and obtain the boon you seek." On the third day he
+again appeared at the same time and renewed the struggle. The poor
+youth was very faint in body, but grew stronger in mind at every
+contest, and was determined to prevail or perish in the attempt. He
+exerted his utmost powers, and after the contest had been continued the
+usual time, the stranger ceased his efforts and declared himself
+conquered. For the first time he entered the lodge, and sitting down
+beside the youth, he began to deliver his instructions to him, telling
+him in what manner he should proceed to take advantage of his victory.
+
+"You have won your desires of the Great Spirit," said the stranger.
+"You have wrestled manfully. To-morrow will be the seventh day of your
+fasting. Your father will give you food to strengthen you, and as it is
+the last day of trial, you will prevail. I know this, and now tell you
+what you must do to benefit your family and your tribe. To-morrow," he
+repeated, "I shall meet you and wrestle with you for the last time;
+and, as soon as you have prevailed against me, you will strip off my
+garments and throw me down, clean the earth of roots and weeds, make it
+soft, and bury me in the spot. When you have done this, leave my body
+in the earth, and do not disturb it, but come occasionally to visit the
+place, to see whether I have come to life, and be careful never to let
+the grass or weeds grow on my grave. Once a month cover me with fresh
+earth. If you follow my instructions, you will accomplish your object
+of doing good to your fellow-creatures by teaching them the knowledge I
+now teach you." He then shook him by the hand and disappeared.
+
+In the morning the youth's father came with some slight refreshments,
+saying, "My son, you have fasted long enough. If the Great Spirit will
+favor you, he will do it now. It is seven days since you have tasted
+food, and you must not sacrifice your life. The Master of Life does not
+require that." "My father," replied the youth, "wait till the sun goes
+down. I have a particular reason for extending my fast to that hour."
+"Very well," said the old man, "I shall wait till the hour arrives, and
+you feel inclined to eat."
+
+At the usual hour of the day the sky-visitor returned, and the trial of
+strength was renewed. Although the youth had not availed himself of his
+father's offer of food, he felt that new strength had been given to
+him, and that exertion had renewed his strength and fortified his
+courage. He grasped his angelic antagonist with supernatural strength,
+threw him down, took from him his beautiful garments and plume, and
+finding him dead, immediately buried him on the spot, taking all the
+precautions he had been told of, and being very confident, at the same
+time, that his friend would again come to life. He then returned to his
+father's lodge, and partook sparingly of the meal that had been
+prepared for him. But he never for a moment forgot the grave of his
+friend. He carefully visited it throughout the spring, and weeded out
+the grass, and kept the ground in a soft and pliant state. Very soon he
+saw the tops of the green plumes coming through the ground; and the
+more careful he was to obey his instructions in keeping the ground in
+order, the faster they grew. He was, however, careful to conceal the
+exploit from his father. Days and weeks had passed in this way. The
+summer was now drawing towards a close, when one day, after a long
+absence in hunting, Wunzh invited his father to follow him to the quiet
+and lonesome spot of his former fast. The lodge had been removed, and
+the weeds kept from growing on the circle where it stood, but in its
+place stood a tall and graceful plant, with bright-colored silken hair,
+surmounted with nodding plumes and stately leaves, and golden clusters
+on each side. "It is my friend," shouted the lad; "it is the friend of
+all mankind. It is _Mondawmin_.[50] We need no longer rely on hunting
+alone; for, as long as this gift is cherished and taken care of, the
+ground itself will give us a living." He then pulled an ear. "See, my
+father," said he, "this is what I fasted for. The great Spirit has
+listened to my voice, and sent us something new,[51] and henceforth our
+people will not alone depend upon the chase or upon the waters."
+
+He then communicated to his father the instructions given him by the
+stranger. He told him that the broad husks must be torn away, as he had
+pulled off the garments in his wrestling; and having done this,
+directed him how the ear must be held before the fire till the outer
+skin became brown, while all the milk was retained in the grain. The
+whole family then united in a feast on the newly-grown ears, expressing
+gratitude to the Merciful Spirit who gave it. So corn came into the
+world.
+
+      [50] The Algic name for corn. The word is manifestly a trinary
+      compound from _monedo_, spirit; _min_, a grain or berry; and
+      _iaw_, the verb substantive.
+
+      [51] The Zea mays, it will be recollected, is indigenous to
+      America, and was unknown in Europe before 1495.
+
+
+
+
+NEZHIK-E-WA-WA-SUN,
+
+OR
+
+THE LONE LIGHTNING.
+
+ODJIBWA.
+
+
+A little orphan boy who had no one to care for him, was once living
+with his uncle, who treated him very badly, making him do hard things
+and giving him very little to eat; so that the boy pined away, he never
+grew much, and became, through hard usage, very thin and light. At last
+the uncle felt ashamed of this treatment, and determined to make amends
+for it, by fattening him up, but his real object was, to kill him by
+over-feeding. He told his wife to give the boy plenty of bear's meat,
+and let him have the fat, which is thought to be the best part. They
+were both very assiduous in cramming him, and one day came near choking
+him to death, by forcing the fat down his throat. The boy escaped and
+fled from the lodge. He knew not where to go, but wandered about. When
+night came on, he was afraid the wild beasts would eat him, so he
+climbed up into the forks of a high pine tree, and there he fell asleep
+in the branches, and had an aupoway, or ominous dream.
+
+A person appeared to him from the upper sky, and said, "My poor little
+lad, I pity you, and the bad usage you have received from your uncle
+has led me to visit you: follow me, and step in my tracks." Immediately
+his sleep left him, and he rose up and followed his guide, mounting up
+higher and higher into the air, until he reached the upper sky. Here
+twelve arrows were put into his hands, and he was told that there were
+a great many manitoes in the northern sky, against whom he must go to
+war, and try to waylay and shoot them. Accordingly he went to that part
+of the sky, and, at long intervals, shot arrow after arrow, until he
+had expended eleven, in vain attempt to kill the manitoes. At the
+flight of each arrow, there was a long and solitary streak of lightning
+in the sky--then all was clear again, and not a cloud or spot could be
+seen. The twelfth arrow he held a long time in his hands, and looked
+around keenly on every side to spy the manitoes he was after. But these
+manitoes were very cunning, and could change their form in a moment.
+All they feared was the boy's arrows, for these were magic arrows,
+which had been given to him by a good spirit, and had power to kill
+them, if aimed aright. At length, the boy drew up his last arrow,
+settled in his aim, and let fly, as he thought, into the very heart of
+the chief of the manitoes; but before the arrow reached him, the manito
+changed himself into a rock. Into this rock, the head of the arrow sank
+deep and stuck fast.
+
+"Now your gifts are all expended," cried the enraged manito, "and I
+will make an example of your audacity and pride of heart, for lifting
+your bow against me"--and so saying, he transformed the boy into the
+Nezhik-e-wae wae sun, or Lone Lightning, which may be observed in the
+northern sky, to this day.
+
+
+
+
+THE AK UK O JEESH,
+
+OR
+
+THE GROUNDHOG FAMILY.
+
+AN ODJIBWA FABLE.
+
+
+A female akukojeesh, or groundhog, with a numerous family of young
+ones, was burrowing in her wauzh, or hole in the ground, one long
+winter, in the north, when the young ones became impatient for spring.
+Every day the mother would go out and get roots and other things, which
+she brought in to them to eat; and she always told them to lie close
+and keep warm, and never to venture towards the mouth of the wauzh. But
+they became very impatient at last to see the light and the green
+woods. "Mother," said they, "is it not almost spring?" "No! no!" said
+she, in a cross humor, "keep still and wait patiently; it hails, it
+snows, it is cold--it is windy. Why should you wish to go out?" This
+she told them so often, and said it in such a bad temper, that they at
+last suspected some deception. One day she came in, after having been a
+long while absent, and fell asleep, with her mouth open. The little
+ones peeped in slily, and saw on her teeth the remains of the nice
+white bulbous roots of the mo-na-wing, or adder's tongue violet. They
+at once knew it was spring, and without disturbing the old one, who
+only wanted to keep them in till they were full grown, away they
+scampered, out of the hole, and dispersed themselves about the forest,
+and so the family were all scattered.
+
+
+
+
+OPEECHEE,
+
+OR
+
+THE ORIGIN OF THE ROBIN.
+
+FROM THE ODJIBWA.
+
+
+An old man had an only son named Opeechee, who had come to that age
+which is thought to be most proper to make the long and final fast,
+that is to secure through life a guardian genius or spirit. In the
+influence of this choice, it is well known, our people have relied for
+their prosperity in after life; it was, therefore, an event of deep
+importance.
+
+The old man was ambitious that his son should surpass all others in
+whatever was deemed most wise and great among his tribe; and, to fulfil
+his wishes, he thought it necessary that he should fast a much longer
+time than any of those persons, renowned for their prowess or wisdom,
+whose fame he coveted. He therefore directed his son to prepare, with
+great ceremony, for the important event. After he had been in the
+sweating lodge and bath several times, he ordered him to lie down upon
+a clean mat, in a little lodge expressly prepared for him; telling him,
+at the same time, to endure his fast like a man, and that, at the
+expiration of _twelve_ days, he should receive food and the blessing of
+his father.
+
+The lad carefully observed this injunction, lying with perfect
+composure, with his face covered, awaiting those mystic visitations
+which were to seal his good or evil fortune. His father visited him
+regularly every morning, to encourage him to perseverance, expatiating
+at length on the honor and renown that would attend him through life if
+he accomplished the full term prescribed. To these admonitions and
+encouragements the boy never replied, but lay, without the least sign
+of discontent or murmuring, until the ninth day, when he addressed his
+father as follows:--
+
+"My father, my dreams forebode evil. May I break my fast now, and at a
+more propitious time make a new fast?" The father answered--
+
+"My son, you know not what you ask. If you get up now, all your glory
+will depart. Wait patiently a little longer. You have but three days
+yet to accomplish your desire. You know it is for your own good, and I
+encourage you to persevere."
+
+The son assented; and, covering himself closer, he lay till the
+eleventh day, when he repeated his request. Very nearly the same answer
+was given him by his father, who added that the next day he would
+himself prepare his first meal, and bring it to him. The boy remained
+silent, but lay as motionless as a corpse. No one would have known he
+was living but by the gentle heaving of his breast.
+
+The next morning, the father, elated at having gained his end, prepared
+a repast for his son, and hastened to set it before him. On coming to
+the door, he was surprised to hear his son talking to himself. He
+stooped to listen; and, looking through a small aperture, was more
+astonished when he beheld his son painted with vermilion over all his
+breast, and in the act of finishing his work by laying on the paint as
+far back on his shoulders as he could reach with his hands, saying, at
+the same time, to himself, "My father has destroyed my fortune as a
+man. He would not listen to my requests. He will be the loser. I shall
+be forever happy in my new state, for I have been obedient to my
+parent; he alone will be the sufferer, for my guardian spirit is a just
+one; though not propitious to me in the manner I desired, he has shown
+me pity in another way; he has given me another shape; and now I must
+go."
+
+At this moment the old man broke in, exclaiming, "My son! my son! I
+pray you leave me not." But the young man, with the quickness of a
+bird, had flown to the top of the lodge, and perched himself on the
+highest pole, having been changed into a beautiful robin redbreast.
+
+He looked down upon his father with pity beaming in his eyes, and
+addressed him as follows: "Regret not, my father, the change you
+behold. I shall be happier in my present state than I could have been
+as a man. I shall always be the friend of men, and keep near their
+dwellings. I shall ever be happy and contented; and although I could
+not gratify your wishes as a warrior, it will be my daily aim to make
+you amends for it as a harbinger of peace and joy. I will cheer you by
+my songs, and strive to inspire in others the joy and lightsomeness I
+feel in my present state. This will be some compensation to you for the
+loss of the glory you expected. I am now free from the cares and pains
+of human life. My food is spontaneously furnished by the mountains and
+fields, and my pathway of life is in the bright air." Then stretching
+himself on his toes, as if delighted with the gift of wings, he
+carolled one of his sweetest songs, and flew away into a neighboring
+grove.[52]
+
+      [52] See Notes of the Pibbigwun.
+
+
+
+
+SHINGEBISS.
+
+AN ALLEGORY OF SELF-RELIANCE.
+
+FROM THE ODJIBWA.
+
+
+There was once a Shingebiss, the name of the fall duck living alone, in
+a solitary lodge, on the shores of the deep bay of a lake, in the
+coldest winter weather. The ice had formed on the water, and he had but
+four logs of wood to keep his fire. Each of these would, however, burn
+a month, and as there were but four cold winter months, they were
+sufficient to carry him through till spring.
+
+Shingebiss was hardy and fearless, and cared for no one. He would go
+out during the coldest day, and seek for places where flags and rushes
+grew through the ice, and plucking them up with his bill, would dive
+through the openings, in quest of fish. In this way he found plenty of
+food, while others were starving, and he went home daily to his lodge,
+dragging strings of fish after him, on the ice.
+
+Kabebonicca[53] observed him, and felt a little piqued at his
+perseverance and good luck in defiance of the severest blasts of wind
+he could send from the northwest. "Why! this is a wonderful man," said
+he; "he does not mind the cold, and appears as happy and contented as
+if it were the month of June. I will try whether he cannot be
+mastered." He poured forth tenfold colder blasts, and drifts of snow,
+so that it was next to impossible to live in the open air. Still, the
+fire of Shingebiss did not go out: he wore but a single strip of
+leather around his body, and he was seen, in the worst weather,
+searching the shores for rushes, and carrying home fish.
+
+"I shall go and visit him," said Kabebonicca, one day, as he saw
+Shingebiss dragging along a quantity of fish. And, accordingly, that
+very night, he went to the door of his lodge. Meantime Shingebiss had
+cooked his fish, and finished his meal, and was lying, partly on his
+side, before the fire, singing his songs. After Kabebonicca had come to
+the door, and stood listening there, he sang as follows:--
+
+    Ka       Neej       Ka       Neej
+    Be       In         Be       In
+    Bon      In         Bon      In
+    Oc       Ee.        Oc       Ee.
+    Ca       We-ya!     Ca       We-ya!
+
+The number of words, in this song, are few and simple, but they are
+made up from compounds which carry the whole of their original
+meanings, and are rather suggestive of the ideas floating in the mind
+than actual expressions of those ideas. Literally, he sings:--
+
+    Spirit of the Northwest--you are but my fellow man.
+
+By being broken into syllables, to correspond with a simple chant, and
+by the power of intonation and repetition, with a chorus, these words
+are expanded into melodious utterance, if we may be allowed the term,
+and may be thus rendered:--
+
+    Windy god, I know your plan,
+    You are but my fellow man;
+    Blow you may your coldest breeze,
+    Shingebiss you cannot freeze.
+    Sweep the strongest wind you can,
+    Shingebiss is still your man;
+    Heigh! for life--and ho! for bliss,
+    Who so free as Shingebiss?
+
+The hunter knew that Kabebonicca was at his door, for he felt his cold
+and strong breath; but he kept on singing his songs, and affected utter
+indifference. At length Kabebonicca entered, and took his seat on the
+opposite side of the lodge. But Shingebiss did not regard, or notice
+him. He got up, as if nobody were present, and taking his poker, pushed
+the log, which made his fire burn brighter, repeating, as he sat down
+again:--
+
+    You are but my fellow man.
+
+Very soon the tears began to flow down Kabebonicca's cheeks, which
+increased so fast, that, presently, he said to himself: "I cannot stand
+this--I must go out." He did so, and left Shingebiss to his songs; but
+resolved to freeze up all the flag orifices, and make the ice thick, so
+that he could not get any more fish. Still, Shingebiss, by dint of
+great diligence, found means to pull up new roots, and dive under for
+fish. At last, Kabebonicca was compelled to give up the contest. "He
+must be aided by some Monedo," said he. "I can neither freeze him nor
+starve him; he is a very singular being--I will let him alone."
+
+      [53] A personification of the Northwest.
+
+
+
+
+THE STAR FAMILY,
+
+OR
+
+CELESTIAL SISTERS.
+
+SHAWNEE.
+
+
+Waupee, or the White Hawk, lived in a remote part of the forest, where
+animals and birds were abundant. Every day he returned from the chase
+with the reward of his toil, for he was one of the most skilful and
+celebrated hunters of his tribe. With a tall, manly form, and the fire
+of youth beaming from his eye, there was no forest too gloomy for him
+to penetrate, and no track made by the numerous kinds of birds and
+beasts which he could not follow.
+
+One day he penetrated beyond any point which he had before visited. He
+travelled through an open forest, which enabled him to see a great
+distance. At length he beheld a light breaking through the foliage,
+which made him sure that he was on the borders of a prairie. It was a
+wide plain covered with grass and flowers. After walking some time
+without a path, he suddenly came to a ring worn through the sod, as if
+it had been made by footsteps following a circle. But what excited his
+surprise was, that there was no path leading to or from it. Not the
+least trace of footsteps could be found, even in a crushed leaf or
+broken twig. He thought he would hide himself, and lie in wait to see
+what this circle meant. Presently he heard the faint sounds of music in
+the air. He looked up in the direction they came from, and saw a small
+object descending from above. At first it looked like a mere speck, but
+rapidly increased, and, as it came down, the music became plainer and
+sweeter. It assumed the form of a basket, and was filled with twelve
+sisters of the most lovely forms and enchanting beauty. As soon as the
+basket touched the ground, they leaped out, and began to dance round
+the magic ring, striking, as they did so, a shining ball as we strike
+the drum. Waupee gazed upon their graceful forms and motions from his
+place of concealment. He admired them all, but was most pleased with
+the youngest. Unable longer to restrain his admiration, he rushed out
+and endeavored to seize her. But the sisters, with the quickness of
+birds, the moment they descried the form of a man, leaped back into the
+basket and were drawn up into the sky.
+
+Regretting his ill luck and indiscretion, he gazed till he saw them
+disappear, and then said, "They are gone, and I shall see them no
+more." He returned to his solitary lodge, but found no relief to his
+mind. Next day he went back to the prairie, and took his station near
+the ring; but in order to deceive the sisters, he assumed the form of
+an opossum. He had not waited long, when he saw the wicker car descend,
+and heard the same sweet music. They commenced the same sportive dance,
+and seemed even more beautiful and graceful than before. He crept
+slowly towards the ring, but the instant the sisters saw him they were
+startled, and sprang into their car. It rose but a short distance, when
+one of the elder sisters spoke. "Perhaps," said she, "it is come to
+show us how the game is played by mortals." "Oh no!" the youngest
+replied; "quick, let us ascend." And all joining in a chant, they rose
+out of sight.
+
+Waupee returned to his own form again, and walked sorrowfully back to
+his lodge. But the night seemed a very long one, and he went back
+betimes the next day. He reflected upon the sort of plan to follow to
+secure success. He found an old stump near by, in which there were a
+number of mice. He thought their small form would not create alarm, and
+accordingly assumed it. He brought the stump and sat it up near the
+ring. The sisters came down and resumed their sport. "But see," cried
+the younger sister, "that stump was not there before." She ran
+affrighted towards the car. They only smiled, and gathering round the
+stump, struck it in jest, when out ran the mice, and Waupee among the
+rest. They killed them all but one, which was pursued by the youngest
+sister; but just as she had raised her stick to kill it, the form of
+Waupee arose, and he clasped his prize in his arms. The other eleven
+sprang to their basket and were drawn up to the skies.
+
+He exerted all his skill to please his bride and win her affections. He
+wiped the tears from her eyes. He related his adventures in the chase.
+He dwelt upon the charms of life on the earth. He was incessant in his
+attentions, and picked out the way for her to walk as he led her gently
+towards his lodge. He felt his heart glow with joy as she entered it,
+and from that moment he was one of the happiest of men. Winter and
+summer passed rapidly away, and their happiness was increased by the
+addition of a beautiful boy to their lodge. She was a daughter of one
+the stars, and as the scenes of earth began to pall her sight, she
+sighed to revisit her father. But she was obliged to hide these
+feelings from her husband. She remembered the charm that would carry
+her up, and took occasion, while Waupee was engaged in the chase, to
+construct a wicker basket, which she kept concealed. In the mean time
+she collected such rarities from the earth as she thought would please
+her father, as well as the most dainty kinds of food. When all was in
+readiness, she went out one day, while Waupee was absent, to the
+charmed ring, taking her little son with her. As soon as they got into
+the car, she commenced her song and the basket rose. As the song was
+wafted by the wind, it caught her husband's ear. It was a voice which
+he well knew, and he instantly ran to the prairie. But he could not
+reach the ring before he saw his wife and child ascend. He lifted up
+his voice in loud appeals, but they were unavailing. The basket still
+went up. He watched it till it became a small speck, and finally it
+vanished in the sky. He then bent his head down to the ground, and was
+miserable.
+
+Waupee bewailed his loss through a long winter and a long summer. But
+he found no relief. He mourned his wife's loss sorely, but his son's
+still more. In the mean time his wife had reached her home in the
+stars, and almost forgot, in the blissful employments there, that she
+had left a husband on the earth. She was reminded of this by the
+presence of her son, who, as he grew up, became anxious to visit the
+scene of his birth. His grandfather said to his daughter one day, "Go,
+my child, and take your son down to his father, and ask him to come up
+and live with us. But tell him to bring along a specimen of each kind
+of bird and animal he kills in the chase." She accordingly took the boy
+and descended. Waupee, who was ever near the enchanted spot, heard her
+voice as she came down the sky. His heart beat with impatience as he
+saw her form and that of his son, and they were soon clasped in his
+arms.
+
+He heard the message of the Star, and began to hunt with the greatest
+activity, that he might collect the present. He spent whole nights, as
+well as days, in searching for every curious and beautiful bird or
+animal. He only preserved a tail, foot, or wing of each, to identify
+the species; and, when all was ready, they went to the circle and were
+carried up.
+
+Great joy was manifested on their arrival at the starry plains. The
+Star Chief invited all his people to a feast, and, when they had
+assembled, he proclaimed aloud, that each one might take of the earthly
+gifts such as he liked best. A very strange confusion immediately
+arose. Some chose a foot, some a wing, some a tail, and some a claw.
+Those who selected tails or claws were changed into animals, and ran
+off; the others assumed the form of birds, and flew away. Waupee chose
+a white hawk's feather. His wife and son followed his example, when
+each one became a white hawk. Pleased with his transformation, and new
+vitality, the chief spread out gracefully his white wings, and followed
+by his wife and son, descended to the earth, where the species are
+still to be found.
+
+
+
+
+OJEEG ANNUNG,[54]
+
+OR
+
+THE SUMMER-MAKER.
+
+ODJIBWA.
+
+
+There lived a celebrated hunter on the southern shores of Lake
+Superior, who was considered a Manito by some, for there was nothing
+but what he could accomplish. He lived off the path, in a wild,
+lonesome, place, with a wife whom he loved, and they were blessed with
+a son, who had attained his thirteenth year. The hunter's name was
+Ojeeg, or the Fisher, which is the name of an expert, sprightly little
+animal common to the region. He was so successful in the chase, that he
+seldom returned without bringing his wife and son a plentiful supply of
+venison, or other dainties of the woods. As hunting formed his constant
+occupation, his son began early to emulate his father in the same
+employment, and would take his bow and arrows, and exert his skill in
+trying to kill birds and squirrels. The greatest impediment he met
+with, was the coldness and severity of the climate. He often returned
+home, his little fingers benumbed with cold, and crying with vexation
+at his disappointment. Days, and months, and years passed away, but
+still the same perpetual depth of snow was seen, covering all the
+country as with a white cloak.
+
+One day, after a fruitless trial of his forest skill, the little boy
+was returning homeward with a heavy heart, when he saw a small red
+squirrel gnawing the top of a pine bur. He had approached within a
+proper distance to shoot, when the squirrel sat up on its hind legs and
+thus addressed him:--
+
+"My grandchild, put up your arrows, and listen to what I have to tell
+you." The boy complied rather reluctantly, when the squirrel continued:
+"My son, I see you pass frequently, with your fingers benumbed with
+cold, and crying with vexation for not having killed any birds. Now, if
+you will follow my advice, we will see if you cannot accomplish your
+wishes. If you will strictly pursue my advice, we will have perpetual
+summer, and you will then have the pleasure of killing as many birds as
+you please; and I will also have something to eat, as I am now myself
+on the point of starvation.
+
+"Listen to me. As soon as you get home you must commence crying. You
+must throw away your bow and arrows in discontent. If your mother asks
+you what is the matter, you must not answer her, but continue crying
+and sobbing. If she offers you anything to eat, you must push it away
+with apparent discontent, and continue crying. In the evening, when
+your father returns from hunting, he will inquire of your mother what
+is the matter with you. She will answer that you came home crying, and
+would not so much as mention the cause to her. All this while you must
+not leave off sobbing. At last your father will say, 'My son, why is
+this unnecessary grief? Tell me the cause. You know I am a spirit, and
+that nothing is impossible for me to perform.' You must then answer
+him, and say that you are sorry to see the snow continually on the
+ground, and ask him if he could not cause it to melt, so that we might
+have perpetual summer. Say it in a supplicating way, and tell him this
+is the cause of your grief. Your father will reply, 'It is very hard to
+accomplish your request, but for your sake, and for my love for you, I
+will use my utmost endeavors.' He will tell you to be still, and cease
+crying. He will try to bring summer with all its loveliness. You must
+then be quiet, and eat that which is set before you."
+
+The squirrel ceased. The boy promised obedience to his advice, and
+departed. When he reached home, he did as he had been instructed, and
+all was exactly fulfilled, as it had been predicted by the squirrel.
+
+Ojeeg told him that it was a great undertaking. He must first make a
+feast, and invite some of his friends to accompany him on a journey.
+Next day he had a bear roasted whole. All who had been invited to the
+feast came punctually to the appointment. There were the Otter, Beaver,
+Lynx, Badger, and Wolverine. After the feast, they arranged it among
+themselves to set out on the contemplated journey in three days. When
+the time arrived, the Fisher took leave of his wife and son, as he
+foresaw that it was for the last time. He and his companions travelled
+in company day after day, meeting with nothing but the ordinary
+incidents. On the twentieth day they arrived at the foot of a high
+mountain, where they saw the tracks of some person who had recently
+killed an animal, which they knew by the blood that marked the way. The
+Fisher told his friends that they ought to follow the track, and see if
+they could not procure something to eat. They followed it for some
+time; at last they arrived at a lodge, which had been hidden from their
+view by a hollow in the mountain. Ojeeg told his friends to be very
+sedate, and not to laugh on any account. The first object that they saw
+was a man standing at the door of the lodge, but of so deformed a shape
+that they could not possibly make out who or what sort of a man it
+could be. His head was enormously large; he had such a queer set of
+teeth, and no arms. They wondered how he could kill animals. But the
+secret was soon revealed. He was a great Manito. He invited them to
+pass the night, to which they consented.
+
+He boiled his meat in a hollow vessel made of wood, and took it out of
+this singular kettle in some way unknown to his guests. He carefully
+gave each their portion to eat, but made so many odd movements that the
+Otter could not refrain from laughing, for he is the only one who is
+spoken of as a jester. The Manito looked at him with a terrible look,
+and then made a spring at him, and got on him to smother him, for that
+was his mode of killing animals. But the Otter, when he felt him on his
+neck, slipped his head back and made for the door, which he passed in
+safety; but went out with the curse of the Manito. The others passed
+the night, and they conversed on different subjects. The Manito told
+the Fisher that he would accomplish his object, but that it would
+probably cost him his life. He gave them his advice, directed them how
+to act, and described a certain road which they must follow, and they
+would thereby be led to the place of action.
+
+They set off in the morning, and met their friend, the Otter, shivering
+with cold; but Ojeeg had taken care to bring along some of the meat
+that had been given him, which he presented to his friend. They pursued
+their way, and travelled twenty days more before they got to the place
+which the Manito had told them of. It was a most lofty mountain. They
+rested on its highest peak to fill their pipes and refresh themselves.
+Before smoking, they made the customary ceremony, pointing to the
+heavens, the four winds, the earth, and the zenith; in the mean time,
+speaking in a loud voice, addressed the Great Spirit, hoping that their
+object would be accomplished. They then commenced smoking.
+
+They gazed on the sky in silent admiration and astonishment, for they
+were on so elevated a point, that it appeared to be only a short
+distance above their heads. After they had finished smoking, they
+prepared themselves. Ojeeg told the Otter to make the first attempt to
+try and make a hole in the sky. He consented with a grin. He made a
+leap, but fell down the hill stunned by the force of his fall; and the
+snow being moist, and falling on his back, he slid with velocity down
+the side of the mountain. When he found himself at the bottom, he
+thought to himself, it is the last time I make such another jump, so I
+will make the best of my way home. Then it was the turn of the Beaver,
+who made the attempt, but fell down senseless; then of the Lynx and
+Badger, who had no better success.
+
+"Now," says Fisher to the Wolverine, "try your skill; your ancestors
+were celebrated for their activity, hardihood, and perseverance, and I
+depend on you for success. Now make the attempt." He did so, but also
+without success. He leaped the second time, but now they could see that
+the sky was giving way to their repeated attempts. Mustering strength,
+he made the third leap, and went in. The Fisher nimbly followed him.
+
+They found themselves in a beautiful plain, extending as far as the eye
+could reach, covered with flowers of a thousand different hues and
+fragrance. Here and there were clusters of tall, shady trees, separated
+by innumerable streams of the purest water, which wound around their
+courses under the cooling shades, and filled the plain with countless
+beautiful lakes, whose banks and bosom were covered with water-fowl,
+basking and sporting in the sun. The trees were alive with birds of
+different plumage, warbling their sweet notes, and delighted with
+perpetual spring.
+
+The Fisher and his friend beheld very long lodges, and the celestial
+inhabitants amusing themselves at a distance. Words cannot express the
+beauty and charms of the place. The lodges were empty of inhabitants,
+but they saw them lined with mocuks[55] of different sizes, filled with
+birds and fowls of different plumage. Ojeeg thought of his son, and
+immediately commenced cutting open the mocuks and letting out the
+birds, who descended in whole flocks through the opening which they had
+made. The warm air of those regions also rushed down through the
+opening, and spread its genial influence over the north.
+
+When the celestial inhabitants saw the birds let loose, and the warm
+gales descending, they raised a shout like thunder, and ran for their
+lodges. But it was too late. Spring, summer, and autumn had gone; even
+perpetual summer had almost all gone; but they separated it with a
+blow, and only a part descended; but the ends were so mangled, that,
+wherever it prevails among the lower inhabitants, it is always
+sickly.[56]
+
+When the Wolverine heard the noise, he made for the opening and safely
+descended. Not so the Fisher. Anxious to fulfil his son's wishes, he
+continued to break open the mocuks. He was, at last, obliged to run
+also, but the opening was now closed by the inhabitants. He ran with
+all his might over the plains of heaven, and, it would appear, took a
+northerly direction. He saw his pursuers so close that he had to climb
+the first large tree he came to. They commenced shooting at him with
+their arrows, but without effect, for all his body was invulnerable
+except the space of about an inch near the tip of his tail. At last one
+of the arrows hit the spot, for he had in this chase assumed the shape
+of the Fisher after whom he was named.
+
+He looked down from the tree, and saw some among his assailants with
+the totems[57] of his ancestors. He claimed relationship, and told them
+to desist, which they only did at the approach of night. He then came
+down to try and find an opening in the celestial plain, by which he
+might descend to the earth. But he could find none. At last, becoming
+faint from the loss of blood from the wound on his tail, he laid
+himself down towards the north of the plain, and, stretching out his
+limbs, said, "I have fulfilled my promise to my son, though it has cost
+me my life; but I die satisfied in the idea that I have done so much
+good, not only for him, but for my fellow-beings. Hereafter I will be a
+sign to the inhabitants below for ages to come, who will venerate my
+name for having succeeded in procuring the varying seasons. They will
+now have from eight to ten moons without snow."
+
+He was found dead next morning, but they left him as they found him,
+with the arrow sticking in his tail, as it can be plainly seen, at this
+time, in the heavens.
+
+      [54] There is a group of stars in the Northern hemisphere which
+      the Odjibwas call _Ojeeg Annung_, or the Fisher Stars. It is
+      believed to be identical with the group of the Plough. They
+      relate the following tale respecting it.
+
+      [55] Baskets, or cages.
+
+      [56] The idea here indicated is among the peculiar notions of
+      these tribes, and is grafted in the forms of their language,
+      which will be pointed out in the progress of these researches.
+
+      [57] Family arms, or armorial mark.
+
+
+
+
+CHILEELI,
+
+OR
+
+THE RED LOVER.
+
+ODJIBWA.
+
+
+Many years ago there lived a warrior on the banks of Lake Superior,
+whose name was Wawanosh. He was the chief of an ancient family of his
+tribe, who had preserved the line of chieftainship unbroken from a
+remote time, and he consequently cherished a pride of ancestry. To the
+reputation of birth he added the advantages of a tall and commanding
+person, and the dazzling qualities of personal strength, courage, and
+activity. His bow was noted for its size, and the feats he had
+performed with it. His counsel was sought as much as his strength was
+feared, so that he came to be equally regarded as a hunter, a warrior,
+and a counsellor. He had now passed the meridian of his days, and the
+term Akkee-waizee, _i.e._, one who has been long on the earth, was
+applied to him.
+
+Such was Wawanosh, to whom the united voice of the nation awarded the
+first place in their esteem, and the highest authority in council. But
+distinction, it seems, is apt to engender haughtiness in the hunter
+state as well as civilized life. Pride was his ruling passion, and he
+clung with tenacity to the distinctions which he regarded as an
+inheritance.
+
+Wawanosh had an only daughter, who had now lived to witness the budding
+of the leaves of the eighteenth spring. Her father was not more
+celebrated for his deeds of strength than she for her gentle virtues,
+her slender form, her full beaming hazel eyes, and her dark and flowing
+hair.
+
+                            "And through her cheek
+    The blush would make its way, and all but speak.
+    The sunborn blood suffused her neck, and threw
+    O'er her clear brown skin a lucid hue,
+    Like coral reddening through the darken'd wave,
+    Which draws the diver to the crimson cave."
+
+Her hand was sought by a young man of humble parentage, who had no
+other merits to recommend him but such as might arise from a tall and
+commanding person, a manly step, and an eye beaming with the tropical
+fires of youth and love. These were sufficient to attract the favorable
+notice of the daughter, but were by no means satisfactory to the
+father, who sought an alliance more suitable to the rank and the high
+pretensions of his family.
+
+"Listen to me, young man," he replied to the trembling hunter, who had
+sought the interview, "and be attentive to my words. You ask me to
+bestow upon you my daughter, the chief solace of my age, and my
+choicest gift from the Master of Life. Others have asked of me this
+boon, who were as young, as active, and as ardent as yourself. Some of
+these persons have had better claims to become my son-in-law. Have you
+reflected upon the deeds which have raised me in authority, and made my
+name known to the enemies of my nation? Where is there a chief who is
+not proud to be considered the friend of Wawanosh? Where, in all the
+land, is there a hunter who has excelled Wawanosh? Where is there a
+warrior who can boast the taking of an equal number of scalps? Besides,
+have you not heard that my fathers came from the East, bearing the
+marks of chieftaincy?
+
+"And what, young man, have _you_ to boast? Have _you_ ever met your
+enemies in the field of battle? Have _you_ ever brought home a trophy
+of victory? Have _you_ ever proved your fortitude by suffering
+protracted pain, enduring continued hunger, or sustaining great
+fatigue? Is your _name_ known beyond the humble limits of your native
+village? Go, then, young man, and earn a name for yourself. It is none
+but the brave that can ever hope to claim an alliance with the house of
+Wawanosh. Think not my warrior blood shall mingle with the humble mark
+of the Awasees[58]--fit totem for fishermen!"
+
+The intimidated lover departed, but he resolved to do a deed that
+should render him worthy of the daughter of Wawanosh, or die in the
+attempt. He called together several of his young companions and equals
+in years, and imparted to them his design of conducting an expedition
+against the enemy, and requested their assistance. Several embraced the
+proposal immediately; others were soon brought to acquiesce; and,
+before ten suns set, he saw himself at the head of a formidable party
+of young warriors, all eager, like himself, to distinguish themselves
+in battle. Each warrior was armed, according to the custom of the
+period, with a bow and a quiver of arrows, tipped with flint or jasper.
+He carried a sack or wallet, provided with a small quantity of parched
+and pounded corn, mixed with pemmican or maple sugar. He was furnished
+with a Puggamaugun, or war-club of hard wood, fastened to a girdle of
+deer skin, and a stone or copper knife. In addition to this, some
+carried the ancient _shemagun_, or lance, a smooth pole about a fathom
+in length, with a javelin of flint, firmly tied on with deer's sinews.
+Thus equipped, and each warrior painted in a manner to suit his fancy,
+and ornamented with appropriate feathers, they repaired to the spot
+appointed for the war-dance.
+
+A level, grassy plain extended for nearly a mile from the lodge of
+Wawanosh along the lake shore. Lodges of bark were promiscuously
+interspersed over this green, and here and there a cluster of trees, or
+a solitary tall pine. A belt of yellow sand skirted the lake shore in
+front, and a tall, thick forest formed the background. In the centre of
+this plain stood a high shattered pine, with a clear space about,
+renowned as the scene of the war-dance time out of mind. Here the
+youths assembled, with their tall and graceful leader, distinguished by
+the feathers of the bald eagle, which he wore on his head. A bright
+fire of pine wood blazed upon the green. He led his men several times
+around this fire, with a measured and solemn chant.[59] Then suddenly
+halting, the war-whoop was raised, and the dance immediately began. An
+old man, sitting at the head of the ring, beat time upon the drum,
+while several of the elder warriors shook their rattles, and "ever and
+anon" made the woods re-echo with their yells. Each warrior chanted
+alternately the verse of a song, of which the words generally embraced
+some prominent idea, often repeated.
+
+    The eagles scream on high,
+      They whet their forked beaks:
+    Raise--raise the battle cry,
+      'Tis fame our leader seeks.
+
+Thus they continued the dance, till each had introduced his verse, with
+short intermissions, for two successive days and nights. Sometimes the
+village seer, who led the ceremony, would embrace the occasion of a
+pause to address them with words of encouragement, in a prophetic voice
+and air, suited to raise their voices.
+
+    In the dreamy hours of night
+    I beheld the bloody fight.
+    As reclined upon my bed,
+    Holy visions crowned my head;
+    High our guardian spirit bright
+    Stood above the dreadful fight;
+    Beaming eye and dazzling brand
+    Gleamed upon my chosen band,
+    While a black and awful shade
+    O'er the faithless foeman spread.
+    Soon they wavered, sunk, and fled,
+    Leaving wounded, dying, dead,
+    While my gallant warriors high
+    Waved their trophies in the sky.
+
+At every recurrence of this kind, new energy was infused into the
+dance, and the warriors renewed their gesticulations, and stamped upon
+the ground as if they were trampling their enemies under their feet.
+
+At length the prophet uttered his final prediction of success; and the
+warriors dropping off, one by one, from the fire, took their way to the
+place appointed for the rendezvous, on the confines of the enemy's
+country. Their leader was not among the last to depart, but he did not
+leave the village without seeking an interview with the daughter of
+Wawanosh. He disclosed to her his firm determination never to return,
+unless he could establish his name as a warrior. He told her of the
+pangs he had felt at the bitter reproaches of her father, and declared
+that his soul spurned the imputation of effeminacy and cowardice
+implied by his language. He averred that he could never be happy until
+he had proved to the whole tribe the strength of his heart, which is
+the Indian term for courage. He said that his dreams had not been
+propitious, but he should not cease to invoke the power of the Great
+Spirit. He repeated his protestations of inviolable attachment, which
+she returned, and, pledging vows of mutual fidelity, they parted.
+
+That parting proved final. All she ever heard from her lover after this
+interview was brought by one of his successful warriors, who said that
+he had distinguished himself by the most heroic bravery, but, at the
+close of the fight, he had received an arrow in his breast. The enemy
+fled, leaving many of their warriors dead on the field. On examining
+the wound, it was perceived to be beyond their power to cure. They
+carried him towards home a day's journey, but he languished and expired
+in the arms of his friends. From the moment the report was received, no
+smile was ever seen in the once happy lodge of Wawanosh. His daughter
+pined away by day and by night. Tears, sighs, and lamentation, were
+heard continually. Nothing could restore her lost serenity of mind.
+Persuasives and reproofs were alternately employed, but employed in
+vain. She would seek a sequestered spot, where she would sit under a
+shady tree, and sing her mournful laments for hours together. Passages
+of these are yet repeated by tradition.
+
+It was not long before a small bird of beautiful plumage flew upon the
+tree under which she usually sat. This mysterious visitor, which, from
+its sweet and artless notes, is called Chileeli, seemed to respond in
+sympathy to her plaintive voice. It was a strange bird, such as had not
+before been observed. It came every day and remained chanting its notes
+till nightfall; and when it left its perch on the tree, it seemed, from
+the delicate play of the colors of its plumage, as if it had taken its
+hues from the rainbow. Her fond imagination soon led her to suppose it
+was the spirit of her lover, and her visits to the sequestered spot
+were repeated more frequently. She passed much of her time in fasting
+and singing her plaintive songs. There she pined away, taking little
+nourishment, and constantly desiring to pass away to that land of
+expected bliss and freedom from care, where it is believed that the
+spirits of men will be again reunited, and tread over fields of flowery
+enjoyment. And when death came to her, it was not as the bearer of
+gloom and regrets, but as the herald of happiness. After her decease,
+the mysterious bird was never more seen, and it became a popular
+opinion that the mysterious visitor had flown away with her spirit.[60]
+
+      [58] Catfish.
+
+      [59] Notes of the Pibbigwun.
+
+      [60] Notes of the Pibbigwun.
+
+
+
+
+SHEEM,
+
+THE FORSAKEN BOY OR WOLF BROTHER.
+
+AN ODJIBWA ALLEGORY OF FRATERNAL AFFECTION.
+
+
+A solitary lodge stood on the banks of a remote lake. It was near the
+hour of sunset. Silence reigned within and without. Not a sound was
+heard but the low breathing of the dying inmate and head of this poor
+family. His wife and three children surrounded his bed. Two of the
+latter were almost grown up: the other was a mere child. All their
+simple skill in medicine had been exhausted to no effect. They moved
+about the lodge in whispers, and were waiting the departure of the
+spirit. As one of the last acts of kindness, the skin door of the lodge
+had been thrown back to admit the fresh air. The poor man felt a
+momentary return of strength, and, raising himself a little, addressed
+his family.
+
+"I leave you in a world of care, in which it has required all my
+strength and skill to supply you food, and protect you from the storms
+and cold of a severe climate. For you, my partner in life, I have less
+sorrow in parting, because I am persuaded you will not remain long
+behind me, and will therefore find the period of your sufferings
+shortened. But you, my children! my poor and forsaken children, who
+have just commenced the career of life, who will protect you from its
+evils? Listen to my words! Unkindness, ingratitude, and every
+wickedness is in the scene before you. It is for this cause that, years
+ago, I withdrew from my kindred and my tribe, to spend my days in this
+lonely spot. I have contented myself with the company of your mother
+and yourselves during seasons of very frequent scarcity and want, while
+your kindred, feasting in a scene where food is plenty, have caused the
+forests to echo with the shouts of successful war. I gave up these
+things for the enjoyment of peace. I wished to shield you from the bad
+examples you would inevitably have followed. I have seen you, thus far,
+grow up in innocence. If we have sometimes suffered bodily want, we
+have escaped pain of mind.[61] We have been kept from scenes of rioting
+and bloodshed.
+
+"My career is now at its close. I will shut my eyes in peace, if you,
+my children, will promise me to cherish each other. Let not your mother
+suffer during the few days that are left to her; and I charge you, on
+no account, to forsake your youngest brother. Of him I give you both my
+dying charge to take a tender care." He sank exhausted on his pallet.
+The family waited a moment, as if expecting to hear something further;
+but, when they came to his side, the spirit had taken its flight.
+
+The mother and daughter gave vent to their feelings in lamentations.
+The elder son witnessed the scene in silence. He soon exerted himself
+to supply, with the bow and net, his father's place. Time, however,
+wore away heavily. Five moons had filled and waned, and the sixth was
+near its full, when the mother also died. In her last moments she
+pressed the fulfilment of their promise to their father, which the
+children readily renewed, because they were yet free from selfish
+motives.
+
+The winter passed; and the spring, with its enlivening effects in a
+northern hemisphere, cheered the drooping spirits of the bereft little
+family. The girl, being the eldest, dictated to her brothers, and
+seemed to feel a tender and sisterly affection for the youngest, who
+was rather sickly and delicate. The other boy soon showed symptoms of
+restlessness and ambition, and addressed the sister as follows: "My
+sister, are we always to live as if there were no other human beings in
+the world? Must I deprive myself of the pleasure of associating with my
+own kind? I have determined this question for myself. I shall seek the
+villages of men, and you cannot prevent me."
+
+The sister replied: "I do not say no, my brother, to what you desire.
+We are not prohibited the society of our fellow-mortals; but we are
+told to cherish each other, and to do nothing independent of each
+other. Neither pleasure nor pain ought, therefore, to separate us,
+especially from our younger brother, who being but a child, and weakly
+withal, is entitled to a double share of our affection. If we follow
+our separate gratifications, it will surely make us neglect him, whom
+we are bound by vows, both to our father and mother, to support." The
+young man received this address in silence. He appeared daily to grow
+more restive and moody, and one day, taking his bow and arrows, left
+the lodge and never returned.
+
+Affection nerved the sister's arm. She was not so ignorant of the
+forest arts as to let her brother want. For a long time she
+administered to his necessities, and supplied a mother's cares. At
+length, however, she began to be weary of solitude and of her charge.
+No one came to be a witness of her assiduity, or to let fall a single
+word in her native language. Years, which added to her strength and
+capability of directing the affairs of the household, brought with them
+the irrepressible desire of society, and made solitude irksome. At this
+point, selfishness gained the ascendency of her heart; for, in
+meditating a change in her mode of life, she lost sight of her younger
+brother, and left him to be provided for by contingencies.
+
+One day, after collecting all the provisions she had been able to save
+for emergencies, after bringing a quantity of wood to the door, she
+said to her little brother: "My brother, you must not stray from the
+lodge. I am going to seek our elder brother. I shall be back soon."
+Then, taking her bundle, she set off in search of habitations. She soon
+found them, and was so much taken up with the pleasures and amusements
+of social life, that the thought of her brother was almost entirely
+obliterated. She accepted proposals of marriage; and, after that,
+thought still less of her hapless and abandoned relative.
+
+Meantime her elder brother had also married, and lived on the shores of
+the same lake whose ample circuit contained the abandoned lodge of his
+father and his forsaken brother. The latter was soon brought to the
+pinching turn of his fate. As soon as he had eaten all the food left by
+his sister, he was obliged to pick berries and dig up roots. These were
+finally covered by the snow. Winter came on with all its rigors. He was
+obliged to quit the lodge in search of other food. Sometimes he passed
+the night in the clefts of old trees or caverns, and ate the refuse
+meals of the wolves. The latter, at last, became his only resource; and
+he became so fearless of these animals that he would sit close by them
+while they devoured their prey. The wolves, on the other hand, became
+so familiar with his face and form, that they were undisturbed by his
+approach; and, appearing to sympathize with him in his outcast
+condition, would always leave something for his repast. In this way he
+lived till spring. As soon as the lake was free from ice, he followed
+his new-found friends themselves to the shore. It happened, the same
+day, that his elder brother was fishing in his canoe, a considerable
+distance out in the lake, when he thought he heard the cries of a child
+on the shore, and wondered how any could exist on so bleak and barren a
+part of the coast. He listened again attentively, and distinctly heard
+the cry repeated. He made for shore as quick as possible, and, as he
+approached land, discovered and recognized his little brother, and
+heard him singing, in a plaintive voice--
+
+      Neesia--neesia,
+      Shyegwuh goosuh!
+      Ni my een gwun iewh!
+      Ni my een gwun iewh!
+                Heo hwooh.
+
+    My brother--my brother,
+    Ah! see, I am turning into a wolf.[62]
+
+At the termination of his song, which was drawn out with a peculiar
+cadence, he howled like a wolf. The elder brother was still more
+astonished, when, getting nearer shore, he perceived his poor brother
+partly transformed into that animal. He immediately leaped on shore,
+and strove to catch him in his arms, soothingly saying, "My brother, my
+brother, come to me." But the boy eluded his grasp, crying as he fled,
+"Neesia, neesia," &c., and howling in the intervals.
+
+The elder brother, conscience stricken, and feeling his brotherly
+affection strongly return, with redoubled force exclaimed, in great
+anguish, "My brother! my brother! my brother!"
+
+But, the nearer he approached, the more rapidly the transformation went
+on; the boy alternately singing and howling, and calling out the name,
+first of his brother, and then of his sister, till the change was
+completely accomplished, when he exclaimed, "I am a wolf!" and bounded
+out of sight.
+
+      [61] Wesugaindum, meaning pain or bitterness of mind, is a single
+      expression in the original. It is a trinary compound.
+
+      [62] Notes of the Pibbigwun.
+
+
+
+
+MISHEMOKWA,
+
+OR
+
+THE WAR WITH THE GIGANTIC BEAR WEARING THE PRECIOUS PRIZE OF THE
+NECKLACE OF WAMPUM,
+
+OR
+
+THE ORIGIN OF THE SMALL BLACK BEAR.
+
+AN OTTOWA LEGEND.
+
+
+In a remote part of the north lived a great magician called Iamo, and
+his only sister, who had never seen a human being. Seldom, if ever, had
+the man any cause to go from home; for, as his wants demanded food, he
+had only to go a little distance from the lodge, and there, in some
+particular spot, place his arrows, with their barbs in the ground.
+Telling his sister where they had been placed, every morning she would
+go in search, and never fail of finding each struck through the heart of
+a deer. She had then only to drag them into the lodge and prepare their
+food. Thus she lived till she attained womanhood, when one day her
+brother said to her, "Sister, the time is near at hand when you will be
+ill. Listen to my advice. If you do not, it will probably be the cause
+of my death. Take the implements with which we kindle our fires. Go some
+distance from our lodge, and build a separate fire. When you are in want
+of food, I will tell you where to find it. You must cook for yourself,
+and I will for myself. When you are ill, do not attempt to come near the
+lodge, or bring any of the utensils you use. Be sure always to fasten to
+your belt the implements you need, for you do not know when the time
+will come. As for myself, I must do the best I can." His sister promised
+to obey him in all he had said.
+
+Shortly after, her brother had cause to go from home. She was alone in
+her lodge, combing her hair. She had just untied the belt to which the
+implements were fastened, when suddenly the event, to which her brother
+had alluded, occurred. She ran out of the lodge, but in her haste
+forgot the belt. Afraid to return, she stood for some time thinking.
+Finally she decided to enter the lodge and get it. For, thought she, my
+brother is not at home, and I will stay but a moment to catch hold of
+it. She went back. Running in suddenly, she caught hold of it, and was
+coming out when her brother came in sight. He knew what was the matter.
+"Oh," he said, "did I not tell you to take care? But now you have
+killed me." She was going on her way, but her brother said to her,
+"What can you do there now? the accident has happened. Go in, and stay
+where you have always stayed. And what will become of you? You have
+killed me."
+
+He then laid aside his hunting dress and accoutrements, and soon after
+both his feet began to inflame and turn black, so that he could not
+move. Still he directed his sister where to place the arrows, that she
+might always have food. The inflammation continued to increase, and had
+now reached his first rib; and he said, "Sister, my end is near. You
+must do as I tell you. You see my medicine-sack, and my war-club tied
+to it. It contains all my medicines, and my war-plumes, and my paints
+of all colors. As soon as the inflammation reaches my breast, you will
+take my war-club. It has a sharp point, and you will cut off my head.
+When it is free from my body, take it, place its neck in the sack,
+which you must open at one end. Then hang it up in its former place. Do
+not forget my bow and arrows. One of the last you will take to procure
+food. The remainder tie to my sack, and then hang it up, so that I can
+look towards the door. Now and then I will speak to you, but not
+often." His sister again promised to obey.
+
+In a little time his breast was affected. "Now," said he, "take the
+club and strike off my head." She was afraid, but he told her to muster
+courage. "_Strike_," said he, and a smile was on his face. Mustering
+all her courage, she gave the blow and cut off the head. "Now," said
+the head, "place me where I told you." And fearfully she obeyed it in
+all its commands. Retaining its animation, it looked around the lodge
+as usual, and it would command its sister to go to such places as it
+thought would procure for her the flesh of different animals she
+needed. One day the head said, "The time is not distant when I shall be
+freed from this situation, but I shall have to undergo many sore evils.
+So the Superior Manito decrees, and I must bear all patiently." In this
+situation we must leave the head.
+
+In a certain part of the country was a village inhabited by a numerous
+and warlike band of Indians. In this village was a family of ten young
+men--brothers. It was in the spring of the year that the youngest of
+these blackened his face and fasted. His dreams were propitious. Having
+ended his fast, he sent secretly for his brothers at night, so that
+none in the village could overhear or find out the direction they
+intended to go. Though their drum was heard, yet that was a common
+occurrence. Having ended the usual formalities, he told them how
+favorable his dreams were, and that he had called them together to know
+if they would accompany him in a war excursion. They all answered they
+would. The third brother from the eldest, noted for his oddities,
+coming up with his war-club when his brother had ceased speaking,
+jumped up, "Yes," said he, "_I_ will go, and this will be the way I
+will treat those we are going to fight;" and he struck the post in the
+centre of the lodge, and gave a yell. The others spoke to him, saying,
+"Slow, slow, Mudjikewis, when you are in other people's lodges." So he
+sat down. Then, in turn, they took the drum, and sang their songs, and
+closed with a feast. The youngest told them not to whisper their
+intention even to their wives, but secretly to prepare for their
+journey. They all promised obedience, and Mudjikewis was the first to
+say so.
+
+The time for their departure drew near. Word was given to assemble on a
+certain night, when they would depart immediately. Mudjikewis was loud
+in his demands for his moccasins. Several times his wife asked him the
+reason. "Besides," said she, "you have a good pair on." "Quick, quick,"
+he said, "since you must know, we are going on a war excursion. So be
+quick." He thus revealed the secret. That night they met and started.
+The snow was on the ground, and they travelled all night, lest others
+should follow them. When it was daylight, the leader took snow and made
+a ball of it; then tossing it into the air, he said, "It was in this
+way I saw snow fall in my dream, so that I could not be tracked." And
+he told them to keep close to each other for fear of losing themselves,
+as the snow began to fall in very large flakes. Near as they walked, it
+was with difficulty they could see each other. The snow continued
+falling all that day and the following night. So it was impossible to
+track them.
+
+They had now walked for several days, and Mudjikewis was always in the
+rear. One day, running suddenly forward, he gave the _Saw-saw-quan_,[63]
+and struck a tree with his war-club, which broke into pieces as if
+struck with lightning. "Brothers," said he, "this will be the way I
+will serve those whom we are going to fight." The leader answered,
+"Slow, slow, Mudjikewis. The one I lead you to is not to be thought of
+so lightly." Again he fell back and thought to himself, "What, what:
+Who can this be he is leading us to?" He felt fearful, and was silent.
+Day after day they travelled on, till they came to an extensive plain,
+on the borders of which human bones were bleaching in the sun. The
+leader spoke. "They are the bones of those who have gone before us.
+None has ever yet returned to tell the sad tale of their fate." Again
+Mudjikewis became restless, and, running forward, gave the accustomed
+yell. Advancing to a large rock which stood above the ground, he struck
+it, and it fell to pieces. "See, brothers," said he, "thus will I treat
+those whom we are going to fight." "Still, still," once more said the
+leader; "he to whom I am leading you is not to be compared to that
+rock."
+
+Mudjikewis fell back quite thoughtful, saying to himself, "I wonder who
+this can be that he is going to attack." And he was afraid. Still they
+continued to see the remains of former warriors, who had been to the
+place where _they_ were now going, some of whom had retreated as far
+back as the place where they first saw the bones, beyond which no one
+had ever escaped. At last they came to a piece of rising ground, from
+which they plainly distinguished, sleeping on a distant mountain, a
+mammoth bear.
+
+The distance between them was great, but the size of the animal caused
+him plainly to be seen. "There," said the leader, "it is he to whom I
+am leading you; here our troubles only will commence, for he is a
+Mishemokwa[64] and a Manito. It is he who has that we prize so dearly
+(i.e., _wampum_), to obtain which, the warriors whose bones we saw
+sacrificed their lives. You must not be fearful. Be manly. We shall
+find him asleep." They advanced boldly till they came near, when they
+stopped to view him more closely. He was asleep. Then the leader went
+forward and touched the belt around the animal's neck. "This," he said,
+"is what we must get. It contains the wampum." They then requested the
+eldest to try and slip the belt over the bear's head, who appeared to
+be fast asleep, as he was not in the least disturbed by the attempt to
+obtain it. All their efforts were in vain, till it came to the one next
+the youngest. He tried, and the belt moved nearly over the monster's
+head, but he could get it no further. Then the youngest one and leader
+made his attempt, and succeeded. Placing it on the back of the oldest,
+he said, "Now we must run," and off they started. When one became
+fatigued with its weight, another would relieve him. Thus they ran till
+they had passed the bones of all former warriors, and were some
+distance beyond, when, looking back, they saw the monster slowly
+rising. He stood some time before he missed his wampum. Soon they heard
+his tremendous howl, like distant thunder, slowly filling all the sky;
+and then they heard him speak and say, "Who can it be that has dared to
+steal my wampum? Earth is not so large but that I can find them." And
+he descended from the hill in pursuit. As if convulsed, the earth shook
+with every jump he made. Very soon he approached the party. They
+however kept the belt, exchanging it from one to another, and
+encouraging each other. But he gained on them fast. "Brothers," said
+the leader, "has never any one of you, when fasting, dreamed of some
+friendly spirit who would aid you as a guardian?" A dead silence
+followed. "Well," said he, "fasting, I dreamed of being in danger of
+instant death, when I saw a small lodge, with smoke curling from its
+top. An old man lived in it, and I dreamed he helped me. And may it be
+verified soon," he said, running forward and giving the peculiar yell,
+and a howl as if the sounds came from the depths of his stomach, and
+which is called _Checau-dum_. Getting upon a piece of rising ground,
+behold! a lodge, with smoke curling from its top, appeared. This gave
+them all new strength, and they ran forward and entered it. The leader
+spoke to the old man who sat in the lodge saying, "_Nemesho_,[65] help
+us. We claim your protection, for the great bear will kill us." "Sit
+down and eat, my grandchildren," said the old man. "Who is a great
+Manito?" said he, "there is none but me; but let me look," and he
+opened the door of the lodge, when lo! at a little distance he saw the
+enraged animal coming on, with slow but powerful leaps. He closed the
+door. "Yes," said he, "_he_ is indeed a great Manito. My grandchildren,
+you will be the cause of my losing my life. You asked my protection,
+and I granted it; so now come what may, I will protect you. When the
+bear arrives at the door, you must run out of the other end of the
+lodge." Then putting his hand to the side of the lodge where he sat, he
+brought out a bag, which he opened. Taking out two small black dogs, he
+placed them before him. "These are the ones I use when I fight," said
+he; and he commenced patting, with both hands, the sides of one of
+them, and they began to swell out, so that he soon filled the lodge by
+his bulk. And he had great strong teeth. When he attained his full size
+he growled, and from that moment, as from instinct, he jumped out at
+the door and met the bear, who in another leap would have reached the
+lodge. A terrible combat ensued. The skies rang with the howls of the
+fierce monsters. The remaining dog soon took the field. The brothers,
+at the onset, took the advice of the old man, and escaped through the
+opposite side of the lodge. They had not proceeded far before they
+heard the dying cry of one of the dogs, and soon after of the other.
+"Well," said the leader, "the old man will share their fate; so run,
+run, he will soon be after us." They started with fresh vigor, for they
+had received food from the old man; but very soon the bear came in
+sight, and again was fast gaining upon them. Again the leader asked the
+brothers if they could do nothing for their safety. All were silent.
+The leader, running forward, did as before. "I dreamed," he cried,
+"that, being in great trouble, an old man helped me who was a Manito.
+We shall soon see his lodge." Taking courage, they still went on. After
+going a short distance they saw the lodge of the old Manito. They
+entered immediately and claimed his protection, telling him a Manito
+was after them. The old man, setting meat before them, said, "Eat. Who
+is a Manito? there is no Manito but me. There is none whom I fear." And
+the earth trembled as the monster advanced. The old man opened the door
+and saw him coming. He shut it slowly, and said, "Yes, my
+grandchildren, you have brought trouble upon me." Procuring his
+medicine sack, he took out his small war-clubs of black stone, and told
+the young men to run through the other side of the lodge. As he handled
+the clubs they became very large, and the old man stepped out just as
+the bear reached the door. Then striking him with one of the clubs, it
+broke in pieces. The bear stumbled. Renewing the attempt with the other
+war-club, that also was broken, but the bear fell senseless. Each blow
+the old man gave him sounded like a clap of thunder, and the howls of
+the bear ran along till they filled the heavens.
+
+The young men had now ran some distance, when they looked back. They
+could see that the bear was recovering from the blows. First he moved
+his paws, and soon they saw him rise on his feet. The old man shared
+the fate of the first, for they now heard his cries as he was torn in
+pieces. Again the monster was in pursuit, and fast overtaking them. Not
+yet discouraged, the young men kept on their way; but the bear was now
+so close, that the leader once more applied to his brothers, but they
+could do nothing. "Well," said he, "my dreams will soon be exhausted.
+After this I have but one more." He advanced, invoking his guardian
+spirit to aid him. "Once," said he, "I dreamed that, being sorely
+pressed, I came to a large lake, on the shore of which was a canoe,
+partly out of water, having ten paddles all in readiness. Do not fear,"
+he cried, "we shall soon get to it." And so it was, even as he had
+said. Coming to the lake, they saw the canoe with ten paddles, and
+immediately they embarked. Scarcely had they reached the centre of the
+lake, when they saw the bear arrive at its borders. Lifting himself on
+his hind legs, he looked all around. Then he waded into the water; then
+losing his footing, he turned back, and commenced making the circuit of
+the lake. Meanwhile, the party remained stationary in the centre to
+watch his movements. He travelled around, till at last he came to the
+place from whence he started. Then he commenced drinking up the water,
+and they saw the current fast setting in towards his open mouth. The
+leader encouraged them to paddle hard for the opposite shore. When only
+a short distance from land, the current had increased so much, that
+they were drawn back by it, and all their efforts to reach it were
+vain.
+
+Then the leader again spoke, telling them to meet their fates manfully.
+"Now is the time, Mudjikewis," said he, "to show your prowess. Take
+courage, and sit in the bow of the canoe; and when it approaches his
+mouth, try what effect your club will have on his head." He obeyed, and
+stood ready to give the blow; while the leader, who steered, directed
+the canoe for the open mouth of the monster.
+
+Rapidly advancing, they were just about to enter his mouth, when
+Mudjikewis struck him a tremendous blow on the head, and gave the
+saw-saw-quan. The bear's limbs doubled under him, and he fell stunned
+by the blow. But before Mudjikewis could renew it the monster disgorged
+all the water he had drank, with a force which sent the canoe with
+great velocity to the opposite shore. Instantly leaving the canoe,
+again they fled, and on they went till they were completely exhausted.
+The earth again shook, and soon they saw the monster hard after them.
+Their spirits drooped, and they felt discouraged. The leader exerted
+himself, by actions and words, to cheer them up; and once more he asked
+them if they thought of nothing, or could do nothing for their rescue;
+and, as before, all were silent. "Then," he said, "this is the last
+time I can apply to my guardian spirit. Now if we do not succeed, our
+fates are decided." He ran forward, invoking his spirit with great
+earnestness, and gave the yell. "We shall soon arrive," said he to his
+brothers, "to the place where my last guardian spirit dwells. In him I
+place great confidence. Do not, do not be afraid, or your limbs will be
+fear-bound. We shall soon reach his lodge. Run, run," he cried.
+
+They were now in sight of the lodge of Iamo, the magician of the
+undying head--of that great magician whose life had been the forfeit of
+the kind of necromantic leprosy caused by the careless steps of the
+fatal curse of uncleanliness in his sister. This lodge was the sacred
+spot of expected relief to which they had been fleeing, from the
+furious rage of the giant Bear, who had been robbed of her precious
+boon, the _magis-sauniqua_. For it had been the design of many previous
+war parties to obtain this boon.
+
+In the mean time, the undying head of Iamo had remained in the medicine
+sack, suspended on the sides of his wigwam, where his sister had placed
+it, with its mystic charms, and feathers, and arrows. This head
+retained all life and vitality, keeping its eyes open, and directing
+its sister, in order to procure food, where to place the magic arrows,
+and speaking at long intervals. One day the sister saw the eyes of the
+head brighten, as if through pleasure. At last it spoke. "Oh! sister,"
+it said, "in what a pitiful situation you have been the cause of
+placing me. Soon, very soon, a party of young men will arrive and apply
+to me for aid; but, alas! how can I give what I _would_ have done with
+so much pleasure. Nevertheless, take two arrows, and place them where
+you have been in the habit of placing the others, and have meat
+prepared and cooked before they arrive. When you hear them coming and
+calling on my name, go out and say, 'Alas! it is long ago that an
+accident befell him; I was the cause of it.' If they still come near,
+ask them in and set meat before them. And now you must follow my
+directions strictly. When the bear is near, go out and meet him. You
+will take my medicine sack, bows and arrows, and my head. You must then
+untie the sack, and spread out before you my paints of all colors, my
+war eagle feathers, my tufts of dried hair, and whatever else it
+contains. As the bear approaches, you will take all these articles, one
+by one, and say to him, 'This is my deceased brother's paint,' and so
+on with all the other articles, throwing each of them as far from you
+as you can. The virtues contained in them will cause him to totter;
+and, to complete his destruction, you will take my head, and that too
+you will cast as far off as you can, crying aloud, 'See, this is my
+deceased brother's head.' He will then fall senseless. By this time the
+young men will have eaten, and you will call them to your assistance.
+You must then cut the carcass into pieces, yes, into _small_ pieces,
+and scatter them to the four winds; for, unless you do this, he will
+again revive." She promised that all should be done as he said. She had
+only time to prepare the meat, when the voice of the leader was heard
+calling upon Iamo for aid. The woman went out and invited them in as
+her brother had directed. But the war party, being closely pursued,
+came promptly up to the lodge. She invited them in, and placed the meat
+before them. While they were eating they heard the bear approaching.
+Untying the medicine sack and taking the head, she had all in readiness
+for his approach. When he came up, she did as she had been told.
+"Behold, Mishemokwa," she cried, "this is the meda sack of Iamo. These
+are war eagle's feathers of Iamo (casting them aside). These are magic
+arrows of Iamo (casting them down). These are the sacred paints and
+magic charms of Iamo. These are dried tufts of the hair of furious
+beasts. And this (swinging it with all her might) is his undying head."
+The monster began to totter, as she cast one thing after the other on
+the ground, but still recovering strength, came close up to the woman
+till she flung the head. As it rolled along the ground, the blood,
+excited by the feelings of the head in this terrible scene, gushed from
+the nose and mouth. The bear, tottering, soon fell with a tremendous
+noise. Then she cried for help, and the young men came rushing out,
+having partially regained their strength and spirits.
+
+Mudjikewis, stepping up, gave a yell, and struck the monster a blow
+upon the head. This he repeated till it seemed like a mass of brains;
+while the others, as quick as possible, cut him into very small pieces,
+which they then scattered in every direction. While thus employed,
+happening to look around where they had thrown the meat, wonderful to
+behold! they saw, starting up and running off in every direction, small
+black bears, such as are seen at the present day. The country was soon
+overspread with these black animals. And it was from this monster that
+the present race of bears, the mukwahs, derived their origin.
+
+Having thus overcome their pursuer, they returned to the lodge. In the
+mean time, the woman, gathering the implements she had scattered, and
+the head, placed them again in the sack. But the head did not speak
+again.
+
+The war party were now triumphant, but they did not know what use to
+make of their triumph. Having spent so much time, and traversed so vast
+a country in their flight, the young men gave up the idea of ever
+returning to their own country, and game being plenty, they determined
+to remain where they now were, and make this their home. One day they
+moved off some distance from the lodge for the purpose of hunting,
+having left the wampum captured with the woman. They were very
+successful, and amused themselves, as all young men do when alone, by
+talking and jesting with each other. One of them spoke and said, "We
+have all this sport to ourselves; let us go and ask our sister if she
+will not let us bring the head to this place, as it is still alive. It
+may be pleased to hear us talk and be in our company. In the mean time,
+we will take food to our sister." They went, and requested the head.
+She told them to take it, and they took it to their hunting-grounds,
+and tried to amuse it, but only at times did they see its eyes beam
+with pleasure. One day, while busy in their encampment, they were
+unexpectedly attacked by unknown Indians. The skirmish was long
+contested and bloody. Many of their foes were slain, but still they
+were thirty to one. The young men fought desperately till they were all
+killed. The attacking party then retreated to a height of ground, to
+muster their men, and to count the number of missing and slain. One of
+their young men had strayed away, and, in endeavoring to overtake them,
+came to the place where the undying head was hung up. Seeing that alone
+retain animation, he eyed it for some time with fear and surprise.
+However, he took it down and opened the sack, and was much pleased to
+see the beautiful feathers, one of which he placed on his head.
+
+Starting off, it waved gracefully over him till he reached his party,
+when he threw down the head and sack, and told them how he had found
+it, and that the sack was full of paints and feathers. They all looked
+at the head and made sport of it. Numbers of the young men took up the
+paint and painted themselves, and one of the party took the head by the
+hair and said, "Look, you ugly thing, and see your paints on the faces
+of warriors." But the feathers were so beautiful, that numbers of them
+also placed _them_ on their heads. Then again they used all kinds of
+indignity to the head, for which they were in turn repaid by the death
+of those who had used the feathers. Then the chief commanded them to
+throw all away except the head. "We will see," said he, "when we get
+home, what we can do to it. We will try to make it shut its eyes."
+
+When they reached their homes they took it to the council lodge, and
+hung it up before the fire, fastening it with raw hide soaked, which
+would shrink and become tightened by the action of the fire. "We will
+then see," they said, "if we cannot make it shut its eyes."
+
+Meanwhile, for several days, the sister of Iamo had been waiting for
+the young men to bring back the head; till at last, getting impatient,
+she went in search of it. The young men she found lying within short
+distances of each other, dead, and covered with wounds. Various other
+bodies lay scattered in different directions around them. She searched
+for the head and sack, but they were nowhere to be found. She raised
+her voice and wept, and blackened her face. Then she walked in
+different directions, till she came to the place from whence the head
+had been taken. There she found the magic bow and arrows, where the
+young men, ignorant of their qualities, had left them. She thought to
+herself that she would find her brother's head, and came to a piece of
+rising ground, and there saw some of his paints and feathers. These she
+carefully put up, and hung upon the branch of a tree till her return.
+
+At dusk she arrived at the first lodge of the enemy, in a very
+extensive village. Here she used a charm, common among Indians when
+they wish to meet with a kind reception. On applying to the old man and
+woman of the lodge, she was kindly received. She made known her errand.
+The old man promised to aid her, and told her that the head was hung up
+before the council fire, and that the chiefs of the village, with their
+young men, kept watch over it continually. The former are considered as
+Manitoes. She said she only wished to see it, and would be satisfied if
+she could only get to the door of the lodge. She knew she had not
+sufficient power to take it by force. "Come with me," said the Indian,
+"I will take you there." They went, and they took their seats near the
+door. The council lodge was filled with warriors, amusing themselves
+with games, and constantly keeping up a fire to smoke the head, as they
+said, to make dry meat. They saw the eyes move, and not knowing what to
+make of it, one spoke and said, "Ha! ha! it is beginning to feel the
+effects of the smoke." The sister looked up from the door, and as her
+eyes met those of her brother, tears rolled down the cheeks of the
+undying head. "Well," said the chief, "I thought we would make you do
+something at last. Look! look at it--shedding tears," said he to those
+around him; and they all laughed and passed their jokes upon it. The
+chief, looking around and observing the woman, after some time said to
+the old man who came with her, "Who have you got there? I have never
+seen that woman before in our village." "Yes," replied the man, "you
+have seen her; she is a relation of mine, and seldom goes out. She
+stays in my lodge, and asked me to allow her to come with me to this
+place." In the centre of the lodge sat one of those vain young men who
+are always forward, and fond of boasting and displaying themselves
+before others. "Why," said he, "I have seen her often, and it is to his
+lodge I go almost every night to court her." All the others laughed and
+continued their games. The young man did not know he was telling a lie
+to the woman's advantage, who by that means escaped scrutiny.
+
+She returned to the old man's lodge, and immediately set out for her
+own country. Coming to the spot where the bodies of her adopted
+brothers lay, she placed them together, their feet toward _the east_.
+Then taking an axe which she had, she cast it up into the air, crying
+out, "Brothers, get up from under it, or it will fall on you." This she
+repeated three times, and the third time the brothers all arose and
+stood on their feet.
+
+Mudjikewis commenced rubbing his eyes and stretching himself. "Why,"
+said he, "I have overslept myself." "No, indeed," said one of the
+others, "do you not know we were all killed, and that is our sister who
+has brought us to life?" The young men took the bodies of their enemies
+and _burned_ them. Soon after, the woman went to procure wives for
+them, in a distant country, they knew not where; but she returned with
+ten young females, which she gave to the young men, beginning with the
+eldest. Mudjikewis stepped to and fro, uneasy lest he should not get
+the one he liked. But he was not disappointed, for she fell to his lot.
+And they were well matched, for she was a female magician. They then
+all moved into a very large lodge, and their sister Iamoqua told them
+that the women must now take turns in going to her brother's head every
+night, trying to untie it. They all said they would do so with
+pleasure. The eldest made the first attempt, and with a rushing noise
+she fled through the air.
+
+Towards daylight she returned. She had been unsuccessful, as she
+succeeded in untying only one of the knots. All took their turns
+regularly, and each one succeeded in untying only one knot each time.
+But when the youngest went, she commenced the work as soon as she
+reached the lodge; although it had always been occupied, still the
+Indians never could see any one, for they all possessed invisibility.
+For ten nights now, the smoke had not ascended, but filled the lodge
+and drove them out. This last night they were all driven out, and the
+young woman carried off the head.
+
+The young people and the sister heard the young woman coming high
+through the air, and they heard her saying, "Prepare the body of our
+brother." And as soon as they heard it, they went to a small lodge
+where the black body of Iamo lay. His sister commenced cutting the neck
+part, from which the head had been severed. She cut so deep as to cause
+it to bleed; and the others who were present, by rubbing the body and
+applying medicines, expelled the blackness. In the mean time, the one
+who brought it, by cutting the neck of the head, caused that also to
+bleed.
+
+As soon as she arrived, they placed that close to the body, and by the
+aid of medicines and various other means, succeeded in restoring Iamo
+to all his former beauty and manliness. All rejoiced in the happy
+termination of their troubles, and they had spent some time joyfully
+together, when Iamo said, "Now I will divide the wampum;" and getting
+the belt which contained it, he commenced with the eldest, giving it in
+equal proportions. But the youngest got the most splendid and
+beautiful, as the bottom of the belt held the richest and rarest.
+
+They were told that, since they had all once died, and were restored to
+life, they were no longer mortals, but _spirits_, and they were
+assigned different stations in the invisible world. Only Mudjikewis's
+place was, however, named. He was to direct the _west wind_, hence
+generally called Kabeyun, the father of Manabozho, there to remain
+forever. They were commanded, as they had it in their power, to do good
+to the inhabitants of the earth; and forgetting their sufferings in
+procuring the wampum, to give all things with a liberal hand. And they
+were also commanded that it should also be held by them _sacred_;
+those grains or shells of the pale hue to be emblematic of peace, while
+those of the darker hue would lead to evil and to war.
+
+The spirits, then, amid songs and shouts, took their flight to their
+respective abodes on high; while Iamo, with his sister Iamoqua,
+descended into the depths below.
+
+      [63] War-cry.
+
+      [64] A gigantic she bear wearing the sacred necklace of wampum.
+
+      [65] My grandfather.
+
+
+
+
+THE RED SWAN.
+
+
+Three brothers were left destitute, by the death of their parents, at
+an early age. The eldest was not yet able to provide fully for their
+support, but did all he could in hunting, and with his aid, and the
+stock of provisions left by their father, they were preserved and kept
+alive, rather, it seems, by miraculous interposition, than the adequacy
+of their own exertions. For the father had been a hermit,[66] having
+removed far away from the body of the tribe, so that when he and his
+wife died they left their children without neighbors and friends, and
+the lads had no idea that there was a human being near them. They did
+not even know who their parents had been, for the eldest was too young,
+at the time of their death, to remember it. Forlorn as they were, they
+did not, however, give up to despondency, but made use of every
+exertion they could, and in process of time, learned the art of hunting
+and killing animals. The eldest soon became an expert hunter, and was
+very successful in procuring food. He was noted for his skill in
+killing buffalo, elk, and moose, and he instructed his brothers in the
+arts of the forest as soon as they became old enough to follow him.
+After they had become able to hunt and take care of themselves, the
+elder proposed to leave them, and go in search of habitations,
+promising to return as soon as he could procure them wives. In this
+project he was overruled by his brothers, who said they could not part
+with him. Maujeekewis, the second eldest, was loud in his disapproval,
+saying, "What will you do with _those you propose to get_--we have
+lived so long without them, and we can still do without them." His
+words prevailed, and the three brothers continued together for a time.
+
+One day they agreed to kill each, a male of those kind of animals each
+was most expert in hunting, for the purpose of making quivers from
+their skins. They did so, and immediately commenced making arrows to
+fill their quivers, that they might be prepared for any emergency. Soon
+after, they hunted on a wager, to see who should come in first with
+game, and prepare it so as to regale the others. They were to shoot no
+other animal, but such as each was in the habit of killing. They set
+out different ways; Odjibwa, the youngest, had not gone far before he
+saw a bear, an animal he was not to kill, by the agreement. He followed
+him close, and drove an arrow through him, which brought him to the
+ground. Although contrary to the bet, he immediately commenced skinning
+him, when suddenly something red tinged all the air around him. He
+rubbed his eyes, thinking he was perhaps deceived, but without effect,
+for the red hue continued. At length he heard a strange noise at a
+distance. It first appeared like a human voice, but after following the
+sound for some distance, he reached the shores of a lake, and soon saw
+the object he was looking for. At a distance out in the lake, sat a
+most beautiful Red Swan, whose plumage glittered in the sun, and who
+would now and then make the same noise he had heard. He was within long
+bow shot, and pulling the arrow from the bow-string up to his ear, took
+deliberate aim and shot. The arrow took no effect; and he shot and shot
+again till his quiver was empty. Still the swan remained, moving around
+and around, stretching its long neck and dipping its bill into the
+water, as if heedless of the arrows shot at it. Odjibwa ran home, and
+got all his own and his brothers' arrows, and shot them all away. He
+then stood and gazed at the beautiful bird. While standing, he
+remembered his brothers' saying that in their deceased father's
+medicine sack were three magic arrows. Off he started, his anxiety to
+kill the swan overcoming all scruples. At any other time, he would have
+deemed it sacrilege to open his father's medicine sack, but now he
+hastily seized the three arrows and ran back, leaving the other
+contents of the sack scattered over the lodge. The swan was still
+there. He shot the first arrow with great precision, and came very near
+to it. The second came still closer; as he took the last arrow, he felt
+his arm firmer, and drawing it up with vigor, saw it pass through the
+neck of the swan a little above the breast. Still it did not prevent
+the bird from flying off, which it did, however, at first slowly,
+flapping its wings and rising gradually into the air, and then flying
+off toward the sinking of the sun.[67] Odjibwa was disappointed; he knew
+that his brothers would be displeased with him; he rushed into the
+water and rescued the two magic arrows, the third was carried off by
+the swan; but he thought that it could not fly very far with it, and
+let the consequences be what they might, he was bent on following it.
+
+Off he started on the run; he was noted for speed, for he would shoot
+an arrow, and then run so fast that the arrow always fell behind him. I
+can run fast, he thought, and I can get up with the swan some time or
+other. He thus ran over hills and prairies, toward the west, till near
+night, and was only going to take one more run, and then seek a place
+to sleep for the night, when suddenly he heard noises at a distance,
+which he knew were from people; for some were cutting trees, and the
+strokes of their axes echoed through the woods. When he emerged from
+the forest, the sun was just falling below the horizon, and he felt
+pleased to find a place to sleep in, and get something to eat, as he
+had left home without a mouthful. All these circumstances could not
+damp his ardor for the accomplishment of his object, and he felt that
+if he only persevered, he would succeed. At a distance, on a rising
+piece of ground, he could see an extensive town. He went toward it, but
+soon heard the watchman, Mudjee-Kokokoho, who was placed on some height
+to overlook the place, and give notice of the approach of friends or
+foes--crying out, "We are visited;" and a loud holla indicated that they
+all heard it. The young man advanced, and was pointed by the watchman to
+the lodge of the chief, "It is there you must go in," he said, and left
+him. "Come in, come in," said the chief, "take a seat there," pointing
+to the side where his daughter sat. "It is there you must sit." Soon
+they gave him something to eat, and very few questions were asked him,
+being a stranger. It was only when he spoke, that the others answered
+him. "Daughter," said the chief, after dark, "take our son-in-law's
+moccasins, and see if they be torn; if so, mend them for him, and bring
+in his bundle." The young man thought it strange that he should be so
+warmly received, and married instantly, without his wishing it, although
+the young girl was pretty. It was some time before she would take his
+moccasins, which he had taken off. It displeased him to see her so
+reluctant to do so, and when she did reach them, he snatched them out of
+her hand and hung them up himself. He laid down and thought of the swan,
+and made up his mind to be off by dawn. He awoke early, and spoke to the
+young woman, but she gave no answer. He slightly touched her. "What do
+you want?" she said, and turned her back toward him. "Tell me," he said,
+"what time the swan passed. I am following it, and come out and point
+the direction." "Do you think you can catch up to it?" she said. "Yes,"
+he answered. "Naubesah" (foolishness), she said. She, however, went out
+and pointed in the direction he should go. The young man went slowly
+till the sun arose, when he commenced travelling at his accustomed
+speed. He passed the day in running, and when night came, he was
+unexpectedly pleased to find himself near another town; and when at a
+distance, he heard the watchman crying out, "We are visited;" and soon
+the men of the village stood out to see the stranger. He was again told
+to enter the lodge of the chief, and his reception was, in every
+respect, the same as he met the previous night; only that the young
+woman was more beautiful, and received him very kindly, but although
+urged to stay, his mind was fixed on the object of his journey. Before
+daylight he asked the young woman what time the Red Swan passed, and to
+point out the way. She did so, and said it passed yesterday when the sun
+was between midday and _pungishemoo_--its falling place. He again
+set out rather slowly, but when the sun had arisen he tried his speed by
+shooting an arrow ahead, and running after it; but it fell behind him.
+Nothing remarkable happened in the course of the day, and he went on
+leisurely. Toward night, he came to the lodge of an old man. Some time
+after dark he saw a light emitted from a small low lodge. He went up to
+it very slyly, and peeping through the door, saw an old man alone,
+warming his back before the fire, with his head down on his breast. He
+thought the old man did not know that he was standing near the door, but
+in this he was disappointed; for so soon as he looked in, "Walk in,
+Nosis,"[68] he said, "take a seat opposite to me, and take off your
+things and dry them, for you must be fatigued; and I will prepare you
+something to eat." Odjibwa did as he was requested. The old man, whom he
+perceived to be a magician, then said: "My kettle with water stands near
+the fire;" and immediately a small earthen or a kind of metallic pot
+with legs appeared by the fire. He then took one grain of corn, also one
+whortleberry, and put them in the pot. As the young man was very hungry,
+he thought that his chance for a supper was but small. Not a word or a
+look, however, revealed his feelings. The pot soon boiled, when the old
+man spoke, commanding it to stand some distance from the fire; "Nosis,"
+said he, "feed yourself," and he handed him a dish and ladle made out of
+the same metal as the pot. The young man helped himself to all that was
+in the pot; he felt ashamed to think of his having done so, but before
+he could speak, the old man said, "Nosis, eat, eat;" and soon after he
+again said, "Help yourself from the pot." Odjibwa was surprised on
+looking into it to see it full; he kept on taking _all out_, and as
+soon as it was done, it was again filled, till he had amply satisfied
+his hunger. The magician then spoke, and the pot occupied its accustomed
+place in one part of the lodge. The young man then leisurely reclined
+back, and listened to the predictions of his entertainer, who told him
+to keep on, and he would obtain his object. "To tell you more," said he,
+"I am not permitted; but go on as you have commenced, and you will not
+be disappointed; to-morrow you will again reach one of my fellow old
+men; but the one you will see after him will tell you all, and the
+manner in which you will proceed to accomplish your journey. Often has
+this Red Swan passed, and those who have followed it have never
+returned: but you must be firm in your resolution, and be prepared for
+all events." "So will it be," answered Odjibwa, and they both laid down
+to sleep. Early in the morning, the old man had his magic kettle
+prepared, so that his guest should eat before leaving. When leaving, the
+old man gave him his parting advice.
+
+Odjibwa set out in better spirits than he had done since leaving home.
+Night again found him in company with an old man, who received him
+kindly, and directed him on his way in the morning. He travelled with a
+light heart, expecting to meet the one who was to give him directions
+how to proceed to get the Red Swan. Toward nightfall, he reached the
+third old man's lodge. Before coming to the door, he heard him saying,
+"Nosis, come in," and going in immediately, he felt quite at home. The
+old man prepared him something to eat, acting as the other magicians
+had done, and his kettle was of the same dimensions and material. The
+old man waited till he had done eating, when he commenced addressing
+him. "Young man, the errand you are on is very difficult. Numbers of
+young men have passed with the same purpose, but never returned. Be
+careful, and if your guardian spirits are powerful, you may succeed.
+This Red Swan you are following, is the daughter of a magician, who has
+plenty of everything, but he values his daughter but little less than
+wampum. He wore a cap of wampum, which was attached to his scalp; but
+powerful Indians--warriors of a distant chief, came and told him, that
+their chief's daughter was on the brink of the grave, and she herself
+requested his scalp of wampum to effect a cure. 'If I can only see it,
+I will recover,' she said, and it was for this reason they came, and
+after long urging the magician, he at last consented to part with it,
+only from the idea of restoring the young woman to health; although
+when he took it off, it left his head bare and bloody. Several years
+have passed since, and it has not healed. The warriors' coming for it,
+was only a cheat, and they now are constantly making sport of it,
+dancing it about from village to village; and on every insult it
+receives, the old man groans from pain. Those Indians are too powerful
+for the magician, and numbers have sacrificed themselves to recover it
+for him, but without success. The Red Swan has enticed many a young
+man, as she has done you, in order to get them to procure it, and
+whoever is the fortunate one that succeeds, will receive the Red Swan
+as his reward. In the morning you will proceed on your way, and toward
+evening you will come to the magician's lodge, but before you enter you
+will hear his groans; he will immediately ask you in, and you will see
+no one but himself; he will make inquiries of you, as regards your
+dreams, and the powers of your guardian spirits; he will then ask you
+to attempt the recovery of his scalp; he will show you the direction,
+and if you feel inclined, as I dare say you do, go forward, my son,
+with a strong heart, persevere, and I have a presentiment you will
+succeed." The young man answered, "I will try." Early next morning,
+after having eaten from the magic kettle, he started off on his
+journey. Toward evening he came to the lodge as he was told, and soon
+heard the groans of the magician. "Come in," he said, even before the
+young man reached the door. On entering he saw his head all bloody, and
+he was groaning most terribly. "Sit down, sit down," he said, "while I
+prepare you something to eat," at the same time doing as the other
+magicians had done, in preparing food--"You see," he said, "how poor I
+am; I have to attend to all my wants." He said this to conceal the fact
+that the Red Swan was there, but Odjibwa perceived that the lodge was
+partitioned, and he heard a rustling noise, now and then, in that
+quarter, which satisfied him that it was occupied. After having taken
+his leggings and moccasins off, and eaten, the old magician commenced
+telling him how he had lost his scalp--the insults it was
+receiving--the pain he was suffering in consequence--his wishes to
+regain it--the unsuccessful attempts that had already been made, and
+the numbers and power of those who detained it; stated the best and
+most probable way of getting it; touching the young man on his pride
+and ambition, by the proposed adventure, and last, he spoke of such
+things as would make an Indian rich. He would interrupt his discourse
+by now and then groaning, and saying, "Oh, how shamefully they are
+treating it." Odjibwa listened with solemn attention. The old man then
+asked him about his dreams--his dreams (or _as he saw when asleep_[69])
+at the particular time he had fasted and blackened his face to procure
+guardian spirits.
+
+The young man then told him one dream; the magician groaned; "No, that
+is not it," he said. The young man told him another. He groaned again;
+"That is not it," he said. The young man told him of two or three
+others. The magician groaned at each recital, and said, rather
+peevishly, "No, those are not them." The young man then thought to
+himself, Who are you? you may groan as much as you please; I am
+inclined not to tell you any more dreams. The magician then spoke in
+rather a supplicating tone. "Have you no more dreams of another kind?"
+"Yes," said the young man, and told him one. "That is it, that is it,"
+he cried; "you will cause me to live. That was what I was wishing you
+to say;" and he rejoiced greatly. "Will you then go and see if you
+cannot procure my scalp?" "Yes," said the young man, "I will go; and
+the day after to-morrow,[70] when you hear the cries of the Kakak,[71]
+you will know, by this sign, that I am successful, and you must prepare
+your head, and lean it out through the door, so that the moment I
+arrive, I may place your scalp on." "Yes, yes," said the magician; "as
+you say, it will be done." Early next morning, he set out on his
+perilous adventure, and about the time that the sun hangs toward home,
+(afternoon) he heard the shouts of a great many people. He was in a
+wood at the time, and saw, as he thought, only a few men; but the
+further he went, the more numerous they appeared. On emerging into a
+plain, their heads appeared like the hanging leaves for number. In the
+centre he perceived a post, and something waving on it, which was the
+scalp. Now and then the air was rent with the _Sau-sau-quan_, for they
+were dancing the war dance around it. Before he could be perceived, he
+turned himself into a No-noskau-see (hummingbird), and flew toward the
+scalp.
+
+As he passed some of those who were standing by, he flew close to their
+ears, making the humming noise which this bird does when it flies. They
+jumped on one side, and asked each other what it could be. By this time
+he had nearly reached the scalp, but fearing he should be perceived
+while untying it, he changed himself into a Me-sau-be-wau-aun (the down
+of anything that floats lightly on the air), and then floated slowly
+and lightly on to the scalp. He untied it, and moved off slowly, as the
+weight was almost too great. It was as much as he could do to keep it
+up, and prevent the Indians from snatching it away. The moment they saw
+it was moving, they filled the air with their cries of "It is taken
+from us; it is taken from us." He continued moving a few feet above
+them; the rush and hum of the people was like the dead beating surges
+after a storm. He soon gained on them, and they gave up the pursuit.
+After going a little further he changed himself into a Kakak, and flew
+off with his prize, making that peculiar noise which this bird makes.
+
+In the mean time, the magician had followed his instructions, placing
+his head outside of the lodge, as soon as he heard the cry of the
+Kakak, and soon after he heard the rustling of its wings. In a moment
+Odjibwa stood before him. He immediately gave the magician a severe
+blow on the head with the wampum scalp: his limbs extended and quivered
+in agony from the effects of the blow: the scalp adhered, and the young
+man walked in and sat down, feeling perfectly at home. The magician was
+so long in recovering from the stunning blow, that the young man feared
+he had killed him. He was however pleased to see him show signs of
+life; he first commenced moving, and soon sat up. But how surprised was
+Odjibwa to see, not an aged man, far in years and decrepitude, but one
+of the handsomest young men he ever saw stand up before him.
+
+"Thank you, my _friend_," he said; "you see that your kindness and
+bravery have restored me to my former shape. It was so ordained, and
+you have now accomplished the victory." The young magician urged the
+stay of his deliverer for a few days; and they soon formed a warm
+attachment for each other. The magician never alluded to the Red Swan
+in their conversations.
+
+At last, the day arrived when Odjibwa made preparations to return. The
+young magician amply repaid him for his kindness and bravery, by
+various kinds of wampum, robes, and all such things as he had need of
+to make him an influential man. But though the young man's curiosity
+was at its height about the Red Swan, he controlled his feelings, and
+never so much as even hinted of her; feeling that he would surrender a
+point of propriety in so doing; while the one he had rendered such
+service to, whose hospitality he was now enjoying, and who had richly
+rewarded him, had never so much as even mentioned anything about her,
+but studiously concealed her.
+
+Odjibwa's pack for travelling was ready, and he was taking his farewell
+smoke, when the young magician thus addressed him: "Friend, you know
+for what cause you came thus far. You have accomplished your object,
+and conferred a lasting obligation on me. Your perseverance shall not
+go unrewarded; and if you undertake other things with the same spirit
+you have this, you will never fail to accomplish them. My duty renders
+it necessary for me to remain where I am, although I should feel happy
+to go with you. I have given you all you will need as long as you live;
+but I see you feel backward to speak about the Red Swan. I vowed that
+whoever procured me my scalp, should be rewarded by possessing the Red
+Swan." He then spoke, and knocked on the partition. The door
+immediately opened, and the Red Swan met his eager gaze. She was a most
+beautiful female, and as she stood majestically before him, it would be
+impossible to describe her charms, for she looked as if she did not
+belong to earth. "Take her," the young magician said; "she is my
+sister, treat her well; she is worthy of you, and what you have done
+for me merits more. She is ready to go with you to your kindred and
+friends, and has been so ever since your arrival, and my good wishes go
+with you both." She then looked very kindly on her husband, who now bid
+farewell to his friend indeed, and accompanied by the object of his
+wishes, he commenced retracing his footsteps.
+
+They travelled slowly, and after two or three days reached the lodge of
+the third old man, who had fed him from his small magic pot. He was
+very kind, and said, "You see what your perseverance has procured you;
+do so always and you will succeed in all things you undertake."
+
+On the following morning when they were going to start, he pulled from
+the side of the lodge a bag, which he presented to the young man,
+saying, "Nosis, I give you this; it contains a present for you; and I
+hope you will live happily till old age." They then bid farewell to him
+and proceeded on.
+
+They soon reached the second old man's lodge. Their reception there was
+the same as at the first; he also gave them a present, with the old
+man's wishes that they would be happy. They went on and reached the
+first town, which the young man had passed in his pursuit. The watchman
+gave notice, and he was shown into the chief's lodge. "Sit down there,
+son-in-law," said the chief, pointing to a place near his daughter.
+"And you also," he said to the Red Swan.
+
+The young woman of the lodge was busy in making something, but she
+tried to show her indifference about what was taking place, for she did
+not even raise her head to see who was come. Soon the chief said, "Let
+some one bring in the bundle of our son-in-law." When it was brought
+in, the young man opened one of the bags, which he had received from
+one of the old men; it contained wampum, robes, and various other
+articles; he presented them to his father-in-law, and all expressed
+their surprise at the value and richness of the gift. The chief's
+daughter then only stole a glance at the present, then at Odjibwa and
+his beautiful wife; she stopped working, and remained silent and
+thoughtful all the evening. They conversed about his adventures; after
+this the chief told him that he should take his daughter along with him
+in the morning; the young man said "Yes." The chief then spoke out,
+saying, "Daughter, be ready to go with him in the morning."
+
+There was a Maujeekewis in the lodge, who thought to have got the young
+woman to wife; he jumped up, saying, "Who is he (meaning the young
+man), that he should take her for a few presents. I will kill him," and
+he raised a knife which he had in his hand. But he only waited till
+some one held him back, and then sat down, for he was too great a
+coward to do as he had threatened. Early they took their departure,
+amid the greetings of their new friends, and toward evening reached the
+other town. The watchman gave the signal, and numbers of men, women,
+and children stood out to see them. They were again shown into the
+chief's lodge, who welcomed them by saying, "Son-in-law, you are
+welcome," and requested him to take a seat by his daughter; and the two
+women did the same.
+
+After the usual formalities of smoking and eating, the chief requested
+the young man to relate his travels in the hearing of all the inmates
+of the lodge, and those who came to see. They looked with admiration
+and astonishment at the Red Swan, for she was so beautiful. Odjibwa
+gave them his whole history. The chief then told him that his brothers
+had been to their town in search of him, but had returned, and given up
+all hopes of ever seeing him again. He concluded by saying that since
+he had been so fortunate and so manly, he should take his daughter with
+him; "for although your brothers," said he, "were here, they were too
+timid to enter any of our lodges, and merely inquired for you and
+returned. You will take my daughter, treat her well, and that will bind
+us more closely together."
+
+It is always the case in towns, that some one in it is foolish or
+clownish. It happened to be so here; for a Maujeekewis was in the
+lodge; and after the young man had given his father-in-law presents, as
+he did to the first, this Maujeekewis jumped up in a passion, saying,
+"Who is this stranger, that he should have her? I want her myself." The
+chief told him to be quiet, and not to disturb or quarrel with one who
+was enjoying their hospitality. "No, no," he boisterously cried, and
+made an attempt to strike the stranger. Odjibwa was above fearing his
+threats, and paid no attention to him. He cried the louder, "I will
+have her; I will have her." In an instant he was laid flat on the
+ground from a blow of a war club given by the chief. After he came to
+himself, the chief upbraided him for his foolishness, and told him to
+go out and tell stories to the old women.
+
+Their arrangements were then made, and the stranger invited a number of
+families to go and visit their hunting grounds, as there was plenty of
+game. They consented, and in the morning a large party were assembled
+to accompany the young man; and the chief with a large party of
+warriors escorted them a long distance. When ready to return the chief
+made a speech, and invoked the blessing of the great good Spirit on his
+son-in-law and party.
+
+After a number of days' travel, Odjibwa and his party came in sight of
+his home. The party rested while he went alone in advance to see his
+brothers. When he entered the lodge he found it all dirty and covered
+with ashes: on one side was his eldest brother, with his face
+blackened, and sitting amid ashes, crying aloud. On the other side was
+Maujeekewis, his other brother; his face was also blackened, but his
+head was covered with feathers and swan's down; he looked so odd, that
+the young man could not keep from laughing, for he appeared and
+pretended to be so absorbed with grief that he did not notice his
+brother's arrival. The eldest jumped up and shook hands with him, and
+kissed him, and felt very happy to see him again.
+
+Odjibwa, after seeing all things put to rights, told them that he had
+brought each of them a wife. When Maujeekewis heard about the wife, he
+jumped up and said, "Why is it just now that you have come?" and made
+for the door and peeped out to see the woman. He then commenced jumping
+and laughing, saying, "Women! women!" That was the only reception he
+gave his brother. Odjibwa then told them to wash themselves and
+prepare, for he would go and fetch them in. Maujeekewis jumped and
+washed himself, but would every now and then go and peep out to see the
+women. When they came near, he said, "I will have this one, and that
+one;" he did not exactly know which--he would go and sit down for an
+instant, and then go and peep and laugh; he acted like a madman.
+
+As soon as order was restored, and all seated, Odjibwa presented one of
+the women to his eldest brother, saying, "These women were given to me;
+I now give one to each; I intended so from the first." Maujeekewis
+spoke, and said, "I think three wives would have been _enough_ for
+you." The young man led one to Maujeekewis, saying, "My brother, here
+is one for you, and live happily." Maujeekewis hung down his head as if
+he was ashamed, but would every now and then steal a glance at his
+wife, and also at the other women. By and by he turned toward his wife,
+and acted as if he had been married for years. "Wife," he said, "I will
+go and hunt," and off he started.
+
+All lived peaceably for some time, and their town prospered, the
+inhabitants increased, and everything was abundant among them. One day
+dissatisfaction was manifested in the conduct of the two elder
+brothers, on account of Odjibwa's having taken their deceased father's
+magic arrows: they upbraided and urged him to procure others if he
+could. Their object was to get him away, so that one of them might
+afterward get his wife. One day, after listening to them, he told them
+he would go. Maujeekewis and himself went together into a sweating
+lodge to purify themselves. Even there, although it was held sacred,
+Maujeekewis upbraided him for the arrows. He told him again he would
+go; and next day, true to his word, he left them. After travelling a
+long way he came to an opening in the earth, and descending, it led him
+to the abode of departed spirits. The country appeared beautiful, the
+extent of it was lost in the distance: he saw animals of various kinds
+in abundance. The first he came near to were buffalo; his surprise was
+great when these animals addressed him as human beings. They asked him
+what he came for, how he descended, why he was so bold as to visit the
+abode of the dead. He told them he was in search of magic arrows to
+appease his brothers. "Very well," said the leader of the buffaloes,
+whose whole form was nothing but bone. "Yes, we know it," and he and
+his followers moved off a little space as if they were afraid of him.
+"You have come," resumed the Buffalo Spirit, "to a place where a living
+man has never before been. You will return immediately to your tribe,
+for your brothers are trying to dishonor your wife; and you will live
+to a very old age, and live and die happily; you can go no further in
+these abodes of ours." Odjibwa looked, as he thought to the west, and
+saw a bright light, as if the sun was shining in its splendor, but he
+saw no sun. "What light is that I see yonder?" he asked. The all-boned
+buffalo answered, "It is the place where those who were good dwell."
+"And that dark cloud?" Odjibwa again asked. "Mud-jee-izzhi-wabezewin,"
+(wickedness) answered the buffalo. He asked no more questions, and,
+with the aid of his guardian spirits, again stood on this earth and saw
+the sun giving light as usual, and breathed the pure air. All else he
+saw in the abodes of the dead, and his travels and actions previous to
+his return, are unknown. After wandering a long time in quest of
+information to make his people happy, he one evening drew near to his
+village or town; passing all the other lodges and coming to his own, he
+heard his brothers at high words with each other; they were quarrelling
+for the possession of his wife. She had, however, remained constant,
+and mourned the absence and probable loss of her husband; but she had
+mourned him with the dignity of virtue. The noble youth listened till
+he was satisfied of the base principles of his brothers. He then
+entered the lodge, with the stern air and conscious dignity of a brave
+and honest man. He spoke not a word, but placing the magic arrows to
+his bow, drew them to their length and laid the brothers dead at his
+feet. Thus ended the contest between the hermit's sons, and a firm and
+happy union was consummated between Odjibwa, or him of the primitive or
+intonated voice, and the Red Swan.
+
+      [66] Pai-gwud-aw-diz-zid.
+
+      [67] Pungish-e-moo, falling or sinking to a position of repose.
+
+      [68] My grandchild.
+
+      [69] Enaw-baundum.
+
+      [70] The Indian expression is, Awuss-Waubung--the day _beyond_
+      to-morrow.
+
+      [71] A species of hawk.
+
+
+
+
+TAU-WAU-CHEE-HEZKAW,
+
+OR
+
+THE WHITE FEATHER.
+
+A DACOTAH LEGEND.
+
+
+There was an old man living in the centre of a forest, with his
+grandson, whom he had taken when quite an infant. The child had no
+parents, brothers, or sisters; they had all been destroyed by six large
+giants, and he had been informed that he had no other relative living
+besides his grandfather. The band to whom he belonged had put up their
+children on a wager in a race against those of the giants, and had thus
+lost them. There was an old tradition in the band, that it would
+produce a great man, who would wear a white feather, and who would
+astonish every one with his skill and feats of bravery.
+
+The grandfather, as soon as the child could play about, gave him a bow
+and arrows to amuse himself. He went into the edge of the woods one
+day, and saw a rabbit; but not knowing what it was, he ran home and
+described it to his grandfather. He told him what it was, that its
+flesh was good to eat, and that if he would shoot one of his arrows
+into its body, he would kill it. He did so, and brought the little
+animal home, which he asked his grandfather to boil, that they might
+feast on it. He humored the boy in this, and encouraged him to go on in
+acquiring the knowledge of hunting, until he could kill deer and larger
+animals; and he became, as he grew up, an expert hunter. As they lived
+alone, and away from other Indians, his curiosity was excited to know
+what was passing in the world. One day he came to the edge of a
+prairie, where he saw ashes like those at his grandfather's lodge, and
+lodge-poles left standing. He returned and inquired whether his
+grandfather put up the poles and made the fire. He was answered no, nor
+did he believe that he had seen anything of the kind. It was all
+imagination.
+
+Another day he went out to see what there was curious; and, on entering
+the woods, he heard a voice calling out to him, "Come here, you
+destined wearer of the White Feather. You do not yet wear it, but you
+are worthy of it. Return home and take a short nap. You will dream of
+hearing a voice, which will tell you to rise and smoke. You will see in
+your dream a pipe, smoking sack, and a large white feather. When you
+awake you will find these articles. Put the feather on your head, and
+you will become a great hunter, a great warrior, and a great man,
+capable of doing anything. As a proof that you will become a great
+hunter, when you smoke, the smoke will turn into pigeons." The voice
+then informed him who he was, and disclosed the true character of his
+grandfather, who had imposed upon him. The voice-spirit then gave him a
+_vine_, and told him he was of an age to revenge the injuries of his
+relations. "When you meet your enemy," continued the spirit, "you will
+run a race with him. He will not see the vine, because it is enchanted.
+While you are running, you will throw it over his head and entangle
+him, so that you will win the race."
+
+Long ere this speech was ended, he had turned to the quarter from which
+the voice proceeded, and was astonished to behold a man, for as yet he
+had never seen any man besides his grandfather, whose object it was to
+keep him in ignorance. But the circumstance that gave him the most
+surprise was, that this man, who had the looks of great age, was
+composed of _wood_ from his breast downward, and appeared to be fixed
+in the earth.
+
+He returned home, slept, heard the voice, awoke, and found the promised
+articles. His grandfather was greatly surprised to find him with a
+white feather on his forehead, and to see flocks of pigeons flying out
+of his lodge. He then recollected what had been predicted, and began to
+weep at the prospect of losing his charge.
+
+Invested with these honors, the young man departed the next morning to
+seek his enemies and gratify his revenge. The giants lived in a very
+high lodge in the middle of a wood. He travelled on till he came to
+this lodge, where he found that his coming had been made known by _the
+little spirits who carry the news_. The giants came out, and gave a cry
+of joy as they saw him coming. When he approached nearer, they began to
+make sport of him, saying, "Here comes the little man with the white
+feather, who is to achieve such wonders." They, however, spoke very
+fair to him when he came up, saying he was a brave man, and would do
+brave things. This they said to encourage, and the more surely to
+deceive him. He, however, understood the object.
+
+He went fearlessly up to the lodge. They told him to commence the race
+with the smallest of their number. The point to which they were to run
+was a peeled tree towards the rising sun, and then back to the
+starting-place, which was marked by a Chaunkahpee, or war-club, made of
+iron. This club was the stake, and whoever won it was to use it in
+beating the other's brains out. If he beat the first giant, he was to
+try the second, and so on until they had all measured speed with him.
+He won the first race by a dexterous use of the vine, and immediately
+despatched his competitor, and cut off his head. Next morning he ran
+with the second giant, whom he also outran, killed, and decapitated. He
+proceeded in this way for five successive mornings, always conquering
+by the use of his vine, cutting off the heads of the vanquished. The
+survivor acknowledged his power, but prepared secretly to deceive him.
+He wished him to leave the heads he had cut off, as he believed he
+could again reunite them with the bodies, by means of one of their
+_medicines_. White Feather insisted, however, in carrying all the heads
+to his grandfather. One more contest was to be tried, which would
+decide the victory; but, before going to the giant's lodge on the sixth
+morning, he met his old counsellor in the woods, who was stationary. He
+told him that he was about to be deceived. That he had never known any
+other sex but his own; but that, as he went on his way to the lodge, he
+would meet the most beautiful woman in the world. He must pay no
+attention to her, but, on meeting her, he must wish himself changed
+into a male elk. The transformation would take place immediately, when
+he must go to feeding and not regard her.
+
+He proceeded towards the lodge, met the female, and became an elk. She
+reproached him for having turned himself into an elk on seeing her;
+said she had travelled a great distance for the purpose of seeing him,
+and becoming his wife. Now this woman was the sixth giant, who had
+assumed this disguise; but Tau-Wau-Chee-Hezkaw remained in ignorance of
+it. Her reproaches and her beauty affected him so much, that he wished
+himself a man again, and he at once resumed his natural shape. They sat
+down together, and he began to caress her, and make love to her. He
+finally ventured to lay his head on her lap, and went to sleep. She
+pushed his head aside at first, for the purpose of trying if he was
+really asleep; and when she was satisfied he was, she took her axe and
+broke his back. She then assumed her natural shape, which was in the
+form of the sixth giant, and afterwards changed him into a dog, in
+which degraded form he followed his enemy to the lodge. He took the
+white feather from his brow, and wore it as a trophy on his own head.
+
+There was an Indian village at some distance, in which there lived two
+girls, who were rival sisters, the daughters of a chief. They were
+fasting to acquire power for the purpose of enticing the wearer of the
+white feather to visit their village. They each secretly hoped to
+engage his affections. Each one built herself a lodge at a short
+distance from the village. The giant knowing this, and having now
+obtained the valued plume, went immediately to visit them. As he
+approached, the girls saw and recognized the feather. The eldest sister
+prepared her lodge with great care and parade, so as to attract the
+eye. The younger, supposing that he was a man of sense, and would not
+be enticed by mere parade, touched nothing in her lodge, but left it as
+it ordinarily was. The eldest went out to meet him, and invited him in.
+He accepted her invitation, and made her his wife. The younger invited
+the enchanted dog into her lodge, and made him a good bed, and treated
+him with as much attention as if he were her husband.
+
+The giant, supposing that whoever possessed the white feather possessed
+also all its virtues, went out upon the prairie to hunt, but returned
+unsuccessful. The dog went out the same day a hunting upon the banks of
+a river. He drew a stone out of the water, which immediately became a
+beaver. The next day the giant followed the dog, and hiding behind a
+tree, saw the manner in which the dog went into the river and drew out
+a stone, which at once turned into a beaver. As soon as the dog left
+the place, the giant went to the river, and observing the same manner,
+drew out a stone, and had the satisfaction of seeing it transformed
+into a beaver. Tying it to his belt, he carried it home, and, as is
+customary, threw it down at the door of the lodge before he entered.
+After being seated a short time, he told his wife to bring in his belt
+or hunting girdle. She did so, and returned with it, with nothing tied
+to it but a _stone_.
+
+The next day, the dog, finding his method of catching beavers had been
+discovered, went to a wood at some distance, and broke off a charred
+limb from a burned tree, which instantly became a bear. The giant, who
+had again watched him, did the same, and carried a bear home; but his
+wife, when she came to go out for it, found nothing but a black stick
+tied to his belt.
+
+The giant's wife determined she would go to her father, and tell him
+what a valuable husband she had, who furnished her lodge with
+abundance. She set out while her husband went to hunt. As soon as they
+had departed, the dog made signs to his mistress to sweat him after the
+manner of the Indians. She accordingly made a lodge just large enough
+for him to creep in. She then put in heated stones, and poured on
+water. After this had been continued the usual time, he came out a very
+handsome young man, but had not the power of speech.
+
+Meantime, the elder daughter had reached her father's, and told him of
+the manner in which her sister supported a dog, treating him as her
+husband, and of the singular skill this animal had in hunting. The old
+man, suspecting there was some magic in it, sent a deputation of young
+men and women to ask her to come to him, and bring her dog along. When
+this deputation arrived, they were surprised to find, in the place of
+the dog, so fine a young man. They both accompanied the messengers to
+the father, who was no less astonished. He assembled all the old and
+wise men of the nation to see the exploits which, it was reported, the
+young man could perform. The giant was among the number. He took his
+pipe and filled it, and passed it to the Indians, to see if anything
+would happen when they smoked. It was passed around to the dog, who
+made a sign to hand it to the giant first, which was done, but nothing
+affected. He then took it himself. He made a sign to them to put the
+white feather upon his head. This was done, and immediately he regained
+his speech. He then commenced smoking, and behold! immense flocks of
+white and blue pigeons rushed from the smoke.
+
+The chief demanded of him his history, which he faithfully recounted.
+When it was finished, the chief ordered that the giant should be
+transformed into a dog, and turned into the middle of the village,
+where the boys should pelt him to death with clubs. This sentence was
+executed.
+
+The chief then ordered, on the request of the White Feather, that all
+the young men should employ themselves four days in making arrows. He
+also asked for a buffalo robe. This robe he cut into thin shreds, and
+sowed in the prairie. At the end of the four days he invited them to
+gather together all their arrows, and accompany him to a buffalo hunt.
+They found that these shreds of skin had grown into a very large herd
+of buffalo. They killed as many as they pleased, and enjoyed a grand
+festival, in honor of his triumph over the giants.
+
+Having accomplished their labor, the White Feather got his wife to ask
+her father's permission to go with him on a visit to his grandfather.
+He replied to this solicitation, that a woman must follow her husband
+into whatever quarter of the world he may choose to go.
+
+The young men then placed the white feather in his frontlet, and,
+taking his war-club in his hand, led the way into the forest, followed
+by his faithful wife.
+
+
+
+
+PAUGUK,
+
+AND
+
+THE MYTHOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF HIAWATHA.
+
+
+In a class of languages, where the personification of ideas, or
+sentiments, frequently compensates for the paucity of expression, it
+could hardly be expected that death should be omitted. The soul, or
+spirit, deemed to be an invisible essence, is denominated _Ochichaug_;
+this is the term translators employ for the Holy Ghost. There is
+believed to be the spirit of a vital and personal animus, distinct from
+this, to which they apply the term Jeebi or _Ghost_. Death, or the
+mythos of the condition of the human frame, deprived of even the
+semblance of blood, and muscle, and life, is represented by the word
+Pauguk. Pauguk is a horrible phantom of human bones, without muscular
+tissue or voice, the appearance of which presages speedy dissolution.
+Of all the myths of the Indians, this is the most gloomy and fearful.
+
+In strict accordance, however, with aboriginal tastes and notions,
+Pauguk is represented as a hunter. He is armed with a bow and arrows,
+or a pug-gamagan, or war-club. Instead of objects of the chase, men,
+women, and children are substituted as the objects of pursuit. To see
+him is indicative of death. Some accounts represent him as covered with
+a thin transparent skin, with the sockets of his eyes filled with balls
+of fire.
+
+Pauguk never speaks. Unlike the _Jeebi_ or ghost, his limbs never
+assume the rotundity of life. Neither is he confounded in form with the
+numerous class of Monedoes, or of demons. He does not possess the power
+of metamorphosis, or of transforming himself into the shapes of
+animals. Unvaried in repulsiveness, he is ever an object of fear; but
+unlike every other kind or class of creation of the Indian mind, Pauguk
+never disguises himself, or affects the cunning of concealment--never
+effects to be what he is not.
+
+Manabozho alone had power to invoke him unharmed. When he had expended
+all his arts to overcome Paup-Puk-Keewiss, who could at will transform
+himself, directly or indirectly, into any class or species of the
+animal creation, going often, as he did, as a jeebi, from one carcass
+into another, at last, at the final conflict at the rock, he dispatched
+him with the real power of death, after summoning the elements of
+thunder and lightning to his aid. And when thus deprived of all
+sublunary power, the enraged Great Hare, Manito (such seems the meaning
+of Manabozho), changed the dead carcass of his enemy into the great
+_caniew_, or war eagle. Nothing had given Manabozho half the trouble
+and vexation of the flighty, defying, changeable and mischievous
+Paup-Puk-Keewiss, who eluded him by jumping from one end of the
+continent to the other. He had killed the great power of evil in the
+prince of serpents, who had destroyed Chebizbos his grandson--he had
+survived the flood produced by the great Serpent, and overcome, in
+combat, the mysterious power held by the Pearl, or sea shell Feather,
+and the Mishemokwa, or great Bear with the wampum necklace, but
+Paup-Puk-Keewiss put him to the exercise of his reserved powers of
+death and annihilation. And it is by this act that we perceive that
+Hiawatha, or Manabozho, was a divinity. Manabozho had been a hunter, a
+fisherman, a warrior, a suppliant, a poor man, a starveling, a laughing
+stock and a mere beggar; he now shows himself a god, and as such we
+must regard him as the prime Indian myth.
+
+This myth, the more it is examined, the more extensive does it appear
+to be incorporated in some shape in the Indian mythology. If
+interpreted agreeably to the metaphysical symbols of the old world, it
+would appear to be distilled from the same oriental symbolical
+crucible, which produced an Osiris and a Typhon--for the American
+Typhon is represented by the Mishikinabik, or serpent, and the American
+Osiris by a Hiawatha, Manabozho, Micabo, or great Hare-God, or Ghost.
+
+This myth, as it is recognized under the name of Hiawatha by the
+Iroquois, is without the misadventures over which, in the person of
+Manabozho, the Algonquins laugh so heartily, and the particular
+recitals of which, as given in prior pages, afford so much amusement to
+their lodge circles. According to the Iroquois version, Tarenyawagon
+was deputed by the Master of Life, who is also called the Holder of
+Heaven, to the earth, the better to prepare it for the residence of
+man, and to teach the tribes the knowledge necessary to their
+condition, as well as to rid the land of giants and monsters. Having
+accomplished this benevolent labor, he laid aside his heavenly
+character and name, assuming that of Hiawatha; took a wife, and settled
+in a beautiful part of the country. Hiawatha having set himself down to
+live as one of them, it was his care to hold up, at all times, the best
+examples of prudential wisdom. All things, hard or wondrous, were
+possible for him to do, as in the case of the hero of the Algonquin
+legend, and he had, like him, a magic canoe to sail up and down the
+waters wherever he wished.
+
+Hiawatha, after he had performed the higher functions appertaining to
+his character, settled down in the Iroquois country, and was
+universally regarded as a sage. He instructed the tribes how to repel
+savage invaders, who were in the habit of scourging the country, and
+was ever ready to give them wise counsels. The chief things of these
+good counsels to the tribes were to attend to their proper vocation, as
+hunters and fishermen, to cultivate corn, and to cease dissensions and
+bickerings among themselves. He finally instructed them to form a
+general league and confederacy against their common enemies. These
+maxims were enforced at a general council of the Iroquois tribe, held
+at Onondaga, which place became the seat of their council fire, and
+first government. This normal council of Iroquois sages resulted in
+placing the tribes in their assembled, not tribal capacity, under the
+care of a moderator, or chief magistrate of the assembled cantons,
+called Atatarho.[72]
+
+Tradition recites many particulars of the acts of Hiawatha. It is
+preserved in their recitals, that after his mission was virtually
+ended, or, rather, drawing to a close, how he proceeded, in great
+state, to the council, in his magic canoe, taking with him his favorite
+daughter. With her he landed on the shore of the lake of Onondaga, and
+was proceeding to the elevated grounds appointed for the council, when
+a remarkable phenomenon appeared in the heavens, which seemed, in its
+symbolical import, to say to Hiawatha: "Thy work is near its close." A
+white bird, the bird of Heaven, appeared to come as a special messenger
+to him and to his daughter, appearing as a small speck high in the
+higher atmosphere. As it descended and revealed its character, its
+flight was attended with the greatest swiftness and force, and with no
+little of the impetuosity of a stroke of lightning. To the dismay of
+all, it struck the daughter of Hiawatha with such force as to drive her
+remains into the earth, completely annihilating her. The bird itself
+was annihilated in annihilating Hiawatha's daughter. All that remained
+of it were its scattered white plumes, purely white as silver clouds,
+and these plumes the warriors eagerly gathered as the chief tokens, to
+be worn on their heads as symbols of their bravery in war--a custom
+maintained to this day. Hiawatha stood aghast. He did not know how to
+interpret the terrible token. He deeply mourned his daughter's fate;
+for a long time he was inconsolable, and sat with his head down. But,
+in the end, and by persuasion, he roused himself from his reverie. His
+thoughts revolved on his original mission to the Indian tribes. The
+Great Spirit perhaps tells me, he said to himself, that my work here
+below is finished, and I must return to him. For a while, he had not
+heeded the invitations to attend the largely gathered council which
+waited for him, but as soon as his grief would enable him to attend, he
+roused himself for the task. After tasting food, he assumed his usual
+manly dignity of character, and assumed the oratorical attitude.
+Waiting till the other speakers had finished, he addressed his last
+counsels to the listening tribes. By his wisdom and eloquent appeal, he
+entranced them. By this valedictory address, replete with political
+wisdom, he closed his career. Having done this, he announced the
+termination of his mission; then, entering his magic canoe, he began to
+rise in the air--sweet strains of music were heard to arise as he
+mounted, and these could be heard till he was carried up beyond human
+sight.
+
+      [72] Cusic tells us there were thirteen of these magistrates
+      before America was discovered. Here mythology takes the shape of
+      historical tradition.
+
+
+
+
+IENA, THE WANDERER,
+
+OR
+
+MAGIC BUNDLE.
+
+A CHIPPEWA ALLEGORY.
+
+
+There was once a poor man called Iena,[73] who was in the habit of
+wandering about from place to place, forlorn, without relations and
+almost helpless. One day, as he went on a hunting excursion, he hung up
+his bundle on the branch of a tree, to relieve himself from the burden
+of carrying it, and then went in quest of game. On returning to the
+spot in the evening, he was surprised to find a small but neat lodge
+built in the place where he had left his bundle; and on looking in, he
+beheld a beautiful female sitting in the lodge, with his blanket lying
+beside her. During the day he had been fortunate in killing a deer,
+which he had laid down at the lodge door. But, to his surprise, the
+woman, in her attempt to bring it in, broke both her legs. He looked at
+her with astonishment, and thought to himself, "I supposed I was
+blessed, but I find my mistake. Gweengweeshee,"[74] said he, "I will
+leave my game with you, that you may feast on it."
+
+He then took up his bundle and departed. After walking some time he
+came to another tree, on which he suspended his bundle as before, and
+went in search of game. Success again rewarded his efforts, and he
+returned bringing a deer, but found, as before, that a lodge had sprung
+up in the place where he had suspended his bundle. He looked in, and
+saw, as before, a beautiful female sitting alone, with his bundle by
+her side. She arose, and came out to bring in the deer, which he had
+deposited at the door, and he immediately went into the lodge and sat
+by the fire, as he felt fatigued with the day's labors. Wondering, at
+last, at the delay of the woman, he arose, and peeping through the door
+of the lodge, beheld her eating all the fat of the deer. He exclaimed,
+"I thought I was blessed, but I find I am mistaken." Then addressing
+the woman, "Poor Wabizhas,"[75] said he, "feast on the game that I have
+brought." He again took up his bundle and departed, and as usual, hung
+it up on the branch of a tree, and wandered off in quest of game. In
+the evening he returned with his customary good luck, bringing in a
+fine deer, and again found a lodge occupying the place of his bundle.
+He gazed through an aperture in the side of the lodge, and saw a
+beautiful woman sitting alone, with a bundle by her side. As soon as he
+entered the lodge, she arose with alacrity, brought in the carcass, cut
+it up, and hung up the meat to dry. After this, she prepared a portion
+of it for the supper of the weary hunter. The man thought to himself,
+"Now I am certainly blessed." He continued his practice of hunting
+every day, and the woman, on his return, always readily took care of
+the meat, and prepared his meals for him. One thing, however,
+astonished him; he had never, as yet, seen her eat anything, and kindly
+said to her, "Why do you not eat?" She replied, "I have food of my own,
+which I eat."
+
+On the fourth day he brought home with him a branch of uzadi[76] as a
+cane, which he placed, with his game, at the door of the lodge. His
+wife, as usual, went out to prepare and bring in the meat. While thus
+engaged, he heard her laughing to herself, and saying, "This is very
+acceptable." The man, in peeping out to see the cause of her joy, saw
+her, with astonishment, eating the bark of the poplar cane in the same
+manner that beavers gnaw. He then exclaimed, "Ho, ho! Ho, ho! this is
+Amik;"[77] and ever afterward he was careful at evening to bring in a
+bough of the poplar or the red willow, when she would exclaim, "Oh,
+this is very acceptable; this is a change, for one gets tired eating
+white fish always (meaning the poplar); but the carp (meaning the red
+willow) is a pleasant change."
+
+On the whole, Iena was much pleased with his wife for her neatness and
+attention to the things in the lodge, and he lived a contented and
+happy man. Being industrious, she made him beautiful bags from the bark
+of trees, and dressed the skins of the animals he killed in the most
+skilful manner. When spring opened, they found themselves blessed with
+two children, one of them resembling the father and the other the
+mother. One day the father made a bow and arrows for the child that
+resembled him, who was a son, saying, "My son, you will use these
+arrows to shoot at the little beavers when they begin to swim about the
+rivers." The mother, as soon as she heard this, was highly displeased;
+and taking her children, unknown to her husband, left the lodge in the
+night. A small river ran near the lodge, which the woman approached
+with her children. She built a dam across the stream, erected a lodge
+of earth, and lived after the manner of the beavers.
+
+When the hunter awoke, he found himself alone in his lodge, and his
+wife and children absent. He immediately made diligent search after
+them, and at last discovered their retreat on the river. He approached
+the place of their habitation, and throwing himself prostrate on the
+top of the lodge, exclaimed, "Shingisshenaun tshee neeboyaun."[78] The
+woman allowed the children to go close to their father, but not to
+touch him; for, as soon as they came very near, she would draw them
+away again, and in this manner she continued to torment him a long
+time. The husband lay in this situation until he was almost starved,
+when a young female approached him, and thus accosted him: "Look here;
+why are you keeping yourself in misery, and thus starving yourself? Eat
+this," reaching him a little mokuk containing fresh raspberries which
+she had just gathered. As soon as the beaveress, his former wife,
+beheld this, she began to abuse the young woman, and said to her, "Why
+do you wish to show any kindness to that _animal_ that has but two
+legs? you will soon repent it." She also made sport of the young woman,
+saying, "Look at her; she has a long nose, and she is just like a
+bear." The young woman, who was all the time a bear in disguise,
+hearing herself thus reproached, broke down the dam of the beaver, let
+the water run out, and nearly killed the beaver herself. Then turning
+to the man, she thus addressed him: "Follow me; I will be kind to you.
+Follow me closely. You must be courageous, for there are three persons
+who are desirous of marrying me, and will oppose you. Be careful of
+yourself. Follow me nimbly, and, just as we approach the lodge, put
+your feet in the prints of mine, for I have eight sisters who will do
+their utmost to divert your attention and make you lose the way. Look
+neither to the right nor the left, but enter the lodge just as I do,
+and take your seat where I do." As they proceeded they came in sight of
+a large lodge, when he did as he had been directed, stepping in her
+tracks. As they entered the lodge the eight sisters clamorously
+addressed him. "Oh, Ogidahkumigo[79] has lost his way," and each one
+invited him to take his seat with her, desiring to draw him from their
+sister. The old people also addressed him as he entered, and said, "Oh,
+make room for our son-in-law." The man, however, took his seat by the
+side of his protectress, and was not farther importuned.
+
+As they sat in the lodge, a great rushing of waters, as of a swollen
+river, came through the centre of it, which also brought in its course a
+large stone, and left it before the man. When the water subsided, a
+large white bear came in, and taking up the stone, bit it, and scratched
+it with his paws, saying, "This is the manner in which I would handle
+Ogidahkumigo if I was jealous." A yellow bear also entered the lodge and
+did the same. A black bear followed and did the same. At length the man
+took up his bow and arrows, and prepared to shoot at the stone, saying,
+"This is the way I would treat Odanamekumigo[80] if I was jealous." He
+then drew up his bow and drove his arrow into the stone. Seeing this,
+the bears turned around, and with their eyes fixed on him, stepped
+backward and left the lodge, which highly delighted the woman. She
+exulted to think that her husband had conquered them.
+
+Finally, one of the old folks made a cry, and said, "Come, come! there
+must be a gathering of provisions for the winter." So they all took
+their _cossoes_, or bark dishes, and departed to gather acorns for
+the winter. As they departed, the old man said to his daughter, "Tell
+Ogidahkumigo to go to the place where your sisters have gone and let
+him select one of them, so that, through her aid, he may have some food
+for himself during the winter; but be sure to caution him to be very
+careful, when he is taking the skin from the animal, that he does not
+cut the flesh." No sooner had the man heard this message, than he
+selected one of his sisters-in-law; and when he was taking the skin
+from her, for she was all the while an enchanted female bear, although
+careful, he cut her a little upon one of her arms, when she jumped up,
+assumed her natural form, and ran home. The man also went home, and
+found her with her arm bound up, and quite unwell.
+
+A second cry was then made by the master of the lodge: "Come come! seek
+for winter quarters;" and they all got ready to separate for the
+season. By this time the man had two children, one resembling himself
+and the other his wife. When the cry was made, the little boy who
+resembled his father was in such a hurry in putting on his moccasins,
+that he misplaced them, putting the moccasin of the right foot upon the
+left. And this is the reason why the foot of the bear is turned in.
+
+They proceeded to seek their winter quarters, the wife going before to
+point the way. She always selected the _thickest_ part of the forest,
+where the child resembling the father found it difficult to get along;
+and he never failed to cry out and complain. Iena then went in advance,
+and sought the open plain, whereupon the child resembling the mother
+would cry out and complain, because she disliked an _open_ path. As
+they were encamping, the woman said to her husband, "Go and break
+branches for the lodge for the night." He did so; but when she looked
+at the _manner_ in which her husband broke the branches, she was very
+much offended, for he broke them _upward_ instead of _downward_. "It is
+not only very awkward," said she, "but we will be found out; for the
+Ogidahkumigoes[81] will see where we have passed by the branches we
+have broken:" to avoid this, they agreed to change their route, and
+were finally well established in their winter quarters. The wife had
+sufficient food for her child, and would now and then give the dry
+berries she had gathered in the summer to her husband.
+
+One day, as spring drew on, she said to her husband, "I must boil you
+some meat," meaning her own paws, which bears suck in the month of
+April. She had all along told him, during the winter, that she meant to
+resume her real shape of a female bear, and to give herself up to the
+Ogidahkumigoes, to be killed by them, and that the time of their coming
+was near at hand. It came to pass, soon afterward, that a hunter
+discovered her retreat. She told her husband to move aside, "for," she
+added, "I am now giving myself up." The hunter fired and killed her.
+
+Iena then came out from his hiding-place, and went home with the
+hunter. As they went, he instructed him what he must hereafter do when
+he killed bears. "You must," said he, "never cut the flesh in taking
+off the skin, nor hang up the feet with the flesh when drying it. But
+you must take the head and feet, and decorate them handsomely, and
+place tobacco on the head, for these animals are very fond of this
+article, and on the _fourth day_ they come to life again."
+
+      [73] From Ienawdizzi, a wanderer.
+
+      [74] The night-hawk.
+
+      [75] A marten.
+
+      [76] The common poplar, or P. tremuloides.
+
+      [77] The beaver.
+
+      [78] Here I will lie until I die.
+
+      [79] This term means a man that lives on the surface of the
+      earth, as contradistinguished from beings living underground.
+
+      [80] He who lives in the city under ground.
+
+      [81] People who live above ground.
+
+
+
+
+MISHOSHA,
+
+OR
+
+THE MAGICIAN OF LAKE SUPERIOR.
+
+
+In an early age of the world, when there were fewer inhabitants than
+there now are, there lived an Indian, in a remote place, who had a wife
+and two children. They seldom saw any one out of the circle of their
+own lodge. Animals were abundant in so secluded a situation, and the
+man found no difficulty in supplying his family with food.
+
+In this way they lived in peace and happiness, which might have
+continued if the hunter had not found cause to suspect his wife. She
+secretly cherished an attachment for a young man whom she accidentally
+met one day in the woods. She even planned the death of her husband for
+his sake, for she knew if she did not kill her husband, her husband,
+the moment he detected her crime, would kill her.
+
+The husband, however, eluded her project by his readiness and decision.
+He narrowly watched her movements. One day he secretly followed her
+footsteps into the forest, and having concealed himself behind a tree,
+he soon beheld a tall young man approach and lead away his wife. His
+arrows were in his hands, but he did not use them. He thought he would
+kill her the moment she returned.
+
+Meantime, he went home and sat down to think. At last he came to the
+determination of quitting her forever, thinking that her own conscience
+would punish her sufficiently, and relying on her maternal feelings to
+take care of the two children, who were boys, he immediately took up
+his arms and departed.
+
+When the wife returned she was disappointed in not finding her husband,
+for she had now concerted her plan, and intended to have dispatched
+him. She waited several days, thinking he might have been led away by
+the chase, but finding he did not return, she suspected the true cause.
+Leaving her two children in the lodge, she told them she was going a
+short distance and would return. She then fled to her paramour and came
+back no more.
+
+The children, thus abandoned, soon made way with the food left in the
+lodge, and were compelled to quit it in search of more. The eldest boy,
+who was of an intrepid temper, was strongly attached to his brother,
+frequently carrying him when he became weary, and gathering all the
+wild fruit he saw. They wandered deeper and deeper into the forest,
+losing all traces of their former habitation, until they were
+completely lost in its mazes.
+
+The eldest boy had a knife, with which he made a bow and arrows, and was
+thus enabled to kill a few birds for himself and brother. In this manner
+they continued to pass on, from one piece of forest to another, not
+knowing whither they were going. At length they saw an opening through
+the woods, and were shortly afterward delighted to find themselves on
+the borders of a large lake. Here the elder brother busied himself in
+picking the seed pods of the wild rose, which he reserved as food. In
+the mean time, the younger brother amused himself by shooting arrows in
+the sand, one of which happened to fall into the lake. Panigwun,[82] the
+elder brother, not willing to lose the arrow, waded in the water to
+reach it. Just as he was about to grasp the arrow, a canoe passed up to
+him with great rapidity. An old man, sitting in the centre, seized the
+affrighted youth and placed him in the canoe. In vain the boy addressed
+him--"My grandfather (a term of respect for old people), pray take my
+little brother also. Alone, I cannot go with you; he will starve if I
+leave him." Mishosha (the old man) only laughed at him. Then uttering
+the charm, Chemaun Poll, and giving his canoe a slap, it glided through
+the water with inconceivable swiftness. In a few moments they reached
+the habitation of the magician, standing on an island in the centre of
+the lake. Here he lived with his two daughters, who managed the affairs
+of his household. Leading the young man up to the lodge, he addressed
+his eldest daughter. "Here," said he, "my daughter, I have brought a
+young man to be your husband." Husband! thought the young woman; rather
+another victim of your bad arts, and your insatiate enmity to the human
+race. But she made no reply, seeming thereby to acquiesce in her
+father's will.
+
+The young man thought he saw surprise depicted in the eyes of the
+daughter, during the scene of this introduction, and determined to
+watch events narrowly. In the evening he overheard the two daughters in
+conversation. "There," said the eldest daughter, "I told you he would
+not be satisfied with his last sacrifice. He has brought another
+victim, under the pretence of providing me a husband. Husband, indeed!
+the poor youth will be in some horrible predicament before another sun
+has set. When shall we be spared the scenes of vice and wickedness
+which are daily taking place before our eyes?"
+
+Panigwun took the first opportunity of acquainting the daughters how he
+had been carried off, and been compelled to leave his little brother on
+the shore. They told him to wait until their father was asleep, then to
+get up and take his canoe, and using the charm he had obtained, it
+would carry him quickly to his brother. That he could carry him food,
+prepare a lodge for him, and be back before daybreak. He did, in every
+respect, as he had been directed--the canoe obeyed the charm, and
+carried him safely over, and after providing for the subsistence of his
+brother, he told him that in a short time he should come for him. Then
+returning to the enchanted island, he resumed his place in the lodge,
+before the magician awoke. Once, during the night, Mishosha awoke, and
+not seeing his destined son-in-law, asked his daughter what had become
+of him. She replied that he had merely stepped out, and would be back
+soon. This satisfied him. In the morning, finding the young man in the
+lodge, his suspicions were completely lulled. "I see, my daughter,"
+said he, "you have told the truth."
+
+As soon as the sun arose, Mishosha thus addressed the young man. "Come,
+my son, I have a mind to gather gulls' eggs. I know an island where
+there are great quantities, and I wish your aid in getting them." The
+young man saw no reasonable excuse; and getting into the canoe, the
+magician gave it a slap, and uttering a command, they were in an
+instant at the island. They found the shores strown with gulls' eggs,
+and the island full of birds of this species. "Go, my son," said the
+old man, "and gather the eggs, while I remain in the canoe."
+
+But Panigwun had no sooner got ashore, than Mishosha pushed his canoe a
+little from the land, and exclaimed--"Listen, ye gulls! you have long
+expected an offering from me. I now give you a victim. Fly down and
+devour him." Then striking his canoe, he left the young man to his
+fate.
+
+The birds immediately came in clouds around their victim, darkening the
+air with their numbers. But the youth seizing the first that came near
+him, and drawing his knife, cut off its head. He immediately skinned
+the bird and hung the feathers as a trophy on his breast. "Thus," he
+exclaimed, "will I treat every one of you who approaches me. Forbear,
+therefore, and listen to my words. It is not for you to eat human
+flesh. You have been given by the Great Spirit as food for man. Neither
+is it in the power of that old magician to do you any good. Take me on
+your backs and carry me to his lodge, and you shall see that I am not
+ungrateful." The gulls obeyed; collecting in a cloud for him to rest
+upon, and quickly flew to the lodge, where they arrived before the
+magician. The daughters were surprised at his return, but Mishosha, on
+entering the lodge, conducted himself as if nothing extraordinary had
+taken place.
+
+The next day he again addressed the youth: "Come, my son," said he, "I
+will take you to an island covered with the most beautiful stones and
+pebbles, looking like silver. I wish you to assist me in gathering some
+of them. They will make handsome ornaments, and possess great medicinal
+virtues." Entering the canoe, the magician made use of his charm, and
+they were carried in a few moments to a solitary bay in an island,
+where there was a smooth sandy beach. The young man went ashore as
+usual, and began to search. "A little further, a little further," cried
+the old man. "Upon that rock you will get some fine ones." Then pushing
+his canoe from land--"Come, thou great king of fishes," cried the old
+man; "you have long expected an offering from me. Come, and eat the
+stranger whom I have just put ashore on your island." So saying, he
+commanded his canoe to return, and it was soon out of sight.
+
+Immediately a monstrous fish thrust his long snout from the water,
+crawling partially on the beach, and opening wide his jaws to receive
+his victim. "When!" exclaimed the young man, drawing his knife and
+putting himself in a threatening attitude, "when did you ever taste
+human flesh? Have a care of yourself. You were given by the Great
+Spirit to man, and if you, or any of your tribe eat human flesh you
+will fall sick and die. Listen not to the words of that wicked man, but
+carry me back to his island, in return for which I will present you a
+piece of red cloth." The fish complied, raising his back out of the
+water, to allow the young man to get on. Then taking his way through
+the lake, he landed his charge safely on the island before the return
+of the magician. The daughters were still more surprised to see that he
+had escaped the arts of their father the second time. But the old man
+on his return maintained his taciturnity and self-composure. He could
+not, however, help saying to himself--"What manner of boy is this, who
+is ever escaping from my power? But his spirit shall not save him. I
+will entrap him to-morrow. Ha, ha, ha!"
+
+Next day the magician addressed the young man as follows: "Come, my
+son," said he, "you must go with me to procure some young eagles. I
+wish to tame them. I have discovered an island where they are in great
+abundance." When they had reached the island, Mishosha led him inland
+until they came to the foot of a tall pine, upon which the nests were.
+"Now, my son," said he, "climb up this tree and bring down the birds."
+The young man obeyed. When he had with great difficulty got near the
+nest, "Now," exclaimed the magician, addressing the tree, "stretch
+yourself up and be very tall." The tree rose up at the command.
+"Listen, ye eagles," continued the old man, "you have long expected a
+gift from me. I now present you this boy, who has had the presumption
+to molest your young. Stretch forth your claws and seize him." So
+saying, he left the young man to his fate, and returned.
+
+But the intrepid youth, drawing his knife, and cutting off the head of
+the first eagle that menaced him, raised his voice and exclaimed, "Thus
+will I deal with all who come near me. What right have you, ye ravenous
+birds, who were made to feed on beasts, to eat human flesh? Is it
+because that cowardly old canoe-man has bid you do so? He is an old
+woman. He can neither do you good nor harm. See, I have already slain
+one of your number. Respect my bravery, and carry me back that I may
+show you how I shall treat you."
+
+The eagles, pleased with his spirit, assented, and clustering thick
+around him formed a seat with their backs, and flew toward the
+enchanted island. As they crossed the water they passed over the
+magician, lying half asleep in his canoe.
+
+The return of the young man was hailed with joy by the daughters, who
+now plainly saw that he was under the guidance of a strong spirit. But
+the ire of the old man was excited, although he kept his temper under
+subjection. He taxed his wits for some new mode of ridding himself of
+the youth, who had so successfully baffled his skill. He next invited
+him to go a hunting.
+
+Taking his canoe, they proceeded to an island and built a lodge to
+shelter themselves during the night. In the mean while the magician
+caused a deep fall of snow, with a storm of wind and severe cold.
+According to custom, the young man pulled off his moccasins and
+leggings, and hung them before the fire to dry. After he had gone to
+sleep, the magician, watching his opportunity, got up, and taking one
+moccasin and one legging, threw them into the fire. He then went to
+sleep. In the morning, stretching himself as he arose and uttering an
+exclamation of surprise, "My son," said he, "what has become of your
+moccasin and legging? I believe this is the moon in which fire
+attracts, and I fear they have been drawn in." The young man suspected
+the true cause of his loss, and rightly attributed it to a design of
+the magician to freeze him to death on the march. But he maintained the
+strictest silence, and drawing his conaus over his head, thus communed
+with himself: "I have full faith in the Manito who has preserved me
+thus far, I do not fear that he will forsake me in this cruel
+emergency. Great is his power, and I invoke it now that he may enable
+me to prevail over this wicked enemy of mankind."
+
+He then drew on the remaining moccasin and legging, and taking a dead
+coal from the fireplace, invoked his spirit to give it efficacy, and
+blackened his foot and leg as far as the lost garment usually reached.
+He then got up and announced himself ready for the march. In vain
+Mishosha led him through snows and over morasses, hoping to see the lad
+sink at every moment. But in this he was disappointed, and for the
+first time they returned home together.
+
+Taking courage from this success, the young man now determined to try
+his own power, having previously consulted with the daughters. They all
+agreed that the life the old man led was detestable, and that whoever
+would rid the world of him, would entitle himself to the thanks of the
+human race.
+
+On the following day the young man thus addressed his hoary captor: "My
+grandfather, I have often gone with you on perilous excursions, and
+never murmured. I must now request that you will accompany me. I wish to
+visit my little brother, and to bring him home with me." They
+accordingly went on a visit to the main land, and found the little lad
+in the spot where he had been left. After taking him into the canoe, the
+young man again addressed the magician: "My grandfather, will you go and
+cut me a few of those red willows on the bank, I wish to prepare some
+smoking mixture." "Certainly, my son," replied the old man; "what you
+wish is not very hard. Ha, ha, ha! do you think me too old to get up
+there?" No sooner was Mishosha ashore, than the young man, placing
+himself in the proper position struck the canoe with his hand, and
+pronouncing the charm, N'chimaun Poll, the canoe immediately flew
+through the water on its return to the island. It was evening when the
+two brothers arrived, and carried the canoe ashore. But the elder
+daughter informed the young man that unless he sat up and watched the
+canoe, and kept his hand upon it, such was the power of their father, it
+would slip off and return to him. Panigwun watched faithfully till near
+the dawn of day, when he could no longer resist the drowsiness which
+oppressed him, and he fell into a short doze. In the mean time, the
+canoe slipped off and sought its master, who soon returned in high glee.
+"Ha, ha, ha! my son," said he; "you thought to play me a trick. It was
+very clever. But you see I am too old for you."
+
+A short time after, the youth again addressed the magician. "My
+grandfather, I wish to try my skill in hunting. It is said there is
+plenty of game on an island not far off, and I have to request that you
+will take me there in your canoe." They accordingly went to the island
+and spent the day in hunting. Night coming on they put up a temporary
+lodge. When the magician had sunk into a profound sleep, the young man
+got up, and taking one of Mishosha's leggings and moccasins from the
+place where they hung, threw them into the fire, thus retaliating the
+artifice before played upon himself. He had discovered that the foot
+and leg were the only vulnerable parts of the magician's body. Having
+committed these articles to the fire, he besought his Manito that he
+would raise a great storm of snow, wind, and hail, and then laid
+himself down beside the old man. Consternation was depicted on the
+countenance of the latter, when he awoke in the morning and found his
+moccasin and legging missing. "I believe, my grandfather," said the
+young man, "that this is the moon in which fire attracts, and I fear
+your foot and leg garments have been drawn in." Then rising and bidding
+the old man follow him, he began the morning's hunt, frequently turning
+to see how Mishosha kept up. He saw him faltering at every step, and
+almost benumbed with cold, but encouraged him to follow, saying, we
+shall soon get through and reach the shore; although he took pains, at
+the same time, to lead him in roundabout ways, so as to let the frost
+take complete effect. At length the old man reached the brink of the
+island where the woods are succeeded by a border of smooth sand. But he
+could go no farther; his legs became stiff and refused motion, and he
+found himself fixed to the spot. But he still kept stretching out his
+arms and swinging his body to and fro. Every moment he found the
+numbness creeping higher. He felt his legs growing downward like roots,
+the feathers of his head turned to leaves, and in a few seconds he
+stood a tall and stiff sycamore, leaning toward the water.
+
+Panigwun leaped into the canoe, and pronouncing the charm, was soon
+transported to the island, where he related his victory to the
+daughters. They applauded the deed, agreed to put on mortal shapes,
+become wives to the two young men, and forever quit the enchanted
+island. And passing immediately over to the main land, they lived lives
+of happiness and peace.
+
+      [82] The end wing feather.
+
+
+
+
+PEETA KWAY,
+
+THE FOAM-WOMAN.
+
+AN OTTOWA LEGEND.
+
+
+There once lived a woman called Monedo Kway[83] on the sand mountains
+called "the Sleeping Bear," of Lake Michigan, who had a daughter as
+beautiful as she was modest and discreet. Everybody spoke of the beauty
+of this daughter. She was so handsome that her mother feared she would
+be carried off, and to prevent it she put her in a box on the lake,
+which was tied by a long string to a stake on the shore. Every morning
+the mother pulled the box ashore, and combed her daughter's long,
+shining hair, gave her food, and then put her out again on the lake.
+
+One day a handsome young man chanced to come to the spot at the moment
+she was receiving her morning's attentions from her mother. He was
+struck with her beauty, and immediately went home and told his feelings
+to his uncle, who was a great chief and a powerful magician. "My
+nephew," replied the old man, "go to the mother's lodge, and sit down
+in a modest manner, without saying a word. You need not ask her the
+question. But whatever _you think_ she will understand, and what _she
+thinks_ in answer you will also understand." The young man did so. He
+sat down, with his head dropped in a thoughtful manner, without
+uttering a word. He then thought, "I wish she would give me her
+daughter." Very soon he understood the mother's thoughts in reply.
+"Give you my daughter?" thought she; "_you_! No, indeed, my daughter
+shall never marry _you_." The young man went away and reported the
+result to his uncle. "Woman without good sense;" said he, "who is she
+keeping her daughter for? Does she think she will marry the
+Mudjikewis?[84] Proud heart! we will try her magic skill, and see
+whether she can withstand our power." The pride and haughtiness of the
+mother was talked of by the spirits living on that part of the lake.
+They met together and determined to exert their power in humbling her.
+For this purpose they resolved to raise a great storm on the lake. The
+water began to toss and roar, and the tempest became so severe, that
+the string broke, and the box floated off through the straits down Lake
+Huron, and struck against the sandy shores at its outlet. The place
+where it struck was near the lodge of a superannuated old spirit called
+Ishkwon Daimeka, or the keeper of the gate of the lakes. He opened the
+box and let out the beautiful daughter, took her into his lodge, and
+married her.
+
+When the mother found that her daughter had been blown off by the
+storm, she raised very loud cries and lamented exceedingly. This she
+continued to do for a long time, and would not be comforted. At length,
+after two or three years, the spirits had pity on her, and determined
+to raise another storm and bring her back. It was even a greater storm
+than the first; and when it began to wash away the ground and encroach
+on the lodge of Ishkwon Daimeka, she leaped into the box, and the waves
+carried her back to the very spot of her mother's lodge on the shore.
+Monedo Equa was overjoyed; but when she opened the box, she found that
+her daughter's beauty had almost all departed. However, she loved her
+still because she was her daughter, and now thought of the young man
+who had made her the offer of marriage. She sent a formal message to
+him, but he had altered his mind, for he knew that she had been the
+wife of another: "_I_ marry your daughter?" said he; "_your_ daughter!
+No, indeed! I shall never marry her."
+
+The storm that brought her back was so strong and powerful, that it
+tore away a large part of the shore of the lake, and swept off Ishkwon
+Daimeka's lodge, the fragments of which, lodging in the straits, formed
+those beautiful islands which are scattered in the St. Clair and
+Detroit rivers. The old man himself was drowned, and his bones are
+buried under them. They heard him singing his songs of lamentation as
+he was driven off on a portion of his lodge; as if he had been called
+to testify his bravery and sing his war song at the stake.
+
+    I ride the waters like the winds;
+    No storms can blench my heart.
+
+      [83] Female spirit or prophetess.
+
+      [84] A term indicative of the heir or successor to the first
+      place in power.
+
+
+
+
+PAH-HAH-UNDOOTAH,
+
+THE RED HEAD.
+
+A DACOTAH LEGEND.
+
+
+As spring approaches, the Indians return from their wintering grounds
+to their villages, engage in feasting, soon exhaust their stock of
+provisions, and begin to suffer for the want of food. Such of the
+hunters as are of an active and enterprising cast of character, take
+the occasion to separate from the mass of the population, and remove to
+some neighboring locality in the forest, which promises the means of
+subsistence during this season of general lassitude and enjoyment.
+
+Among the families who thus separated themselves, on a certain occasion,
+there was a man called Odshedoph Waucheentongah, or the Child of Strong
+Desires, who had a wife and one son. After a day's travel he reached an
+ample wood with his family, which was thought to be a suitable place to
+encamp. The wife fixed the lodge, while the husband went out to hunt.
+Early in the evening he returned with a deer. Being tired and thirsty he
+asked his son to go to the river for some water. The son replied that it
+was dark and he was afraid. He urged him to go, saying that his mother,
+as well as himself, was tired, and the distance to the water was very
+short. But no persuasion was of any avail. He refused to go. "Ah, my
+son," said the father, at last, "if you are afraid to go to the river,
+you will never kill the Red Head."
+
+The boy was deeply mortified by this observation. It seemed to call up
+all his latent energies. He mused in silence. He refused to eat, and
+made no reply when spoken to.
+
+The next day he asked his mother to dress the skin of the deer, and make
+it into moccasins for him, while he busied himself in preparing a bow
+and arrows. As soon as these things were done, he left the lodge one
+morning at sunrise, without saying a word to his father or mother. He
+fired one of his arrows into the air, which fell westward. He took that
+course, and at night coming to the spot where the arrow had fallen, was
+rejoiced to find it piercing the heart of a deer. He refreshed himself
+with a meal of the venison, and the next morning fired another arrow.
+After travelling all day, he found it also in another deer. In this
+manner he fired four arrows, and every evening found that he had killed
+a deer. What was very singular, however, was, that he left the arrows
+sticking in the carcasses, and passed on without withdrawing them. In
+consequence of this, he had no arrow for the fifth day, and was in great
+distress at night for the want of food. At last he threw himself upon
+the ground in despair, concluding that he might as well perish there as
+go further. But he had not lain long before he heard a hollow, rumbling
+noise, in the ground beneath him. He sprang up, and discovered at a
+distance the figure of a human being, walking with a stick. He looked
+attentively and saw that the figure was walking in a wide beaten path,
+in a prairie, leading from a lodge to a lake. To his surprise, this
+lodge was at no great distance. He approached a little nearer and
+concealed himself. He soon discovered that the figure was no other than
+that of the terrible witch, Wok-on-kahtohn-zooeyah-pee-kah-haitchee, or
+the little old woman who makes war. Her path to the lake was perfectly
+smooth and solid, and the noise our adventurer had heard, was caused by
+the striking of her walking staff upon the ground. The top of this staff
+was decorated with a string of the toes and bills of birds of every
+kind, who at every stroke of the stick, fluttered and sung their various
+notes in concert.
+
+She entered her lodge and laid off her mantle, which was entirely
+composed of the scalps of women. Before folding it, she shook it
+several times, and at every shake the scalps uttered loud shouts of
+laughter, in which the old hag joined. Nothing could have frightened
+him more than this horrific exhibition. After laying by the cloak she
+came directly to him. She informed him that she had known him from the
+time he left his father's lodge, and watched his movements. She told
+him not to fear or despair, for she would be his friend and protector.
+She invited him into her lodge, and gave him a supper. During the
+repast, she inquired of him his motives for visiting her. He related
+his history, stated the manner in which he had been disgraced, and the
+difficulties he labored under. She cheered him with the assurance of
+her friendship, and told him he would be a brave man yet.
+
+She then commenced the exercise of her power upon him. His hair being
+very short, she took a large leaden comb, and after drawing it through
+his hair several times, it became of a handsome feminine length. She
+then proceeded to dress him as a female, furnishing him with the
+necessary garments, and decorated his face with paints of the most
+beautiful dye. She gave him a bowl of shining metal. She directed him to
+put in his girdle a blade of scented sword-grass, and to proceed the
+next morning to the banks of the lake, which was no other than that over
+which the Red Head reigned. Now Pah-hah-undootah, or the Red Head, was a
+most powerful sorcerer and the terror of all the country, living upon an
+island in the centre of the lake.
+
+She informed him that there would be many Indians on the island, who,
+as soon as they saw him use the shining bowl to drink with, would come
+and solicit him to be their wife, and to take him over to the island.
+These offers he was to refuse, and say that he had come a great
+distance to be the wife of the Red Head, and that if the chief could
+not come for her in his own canoe, she should return to her village.
+She said that as soon as the Red Head heard of this, he would come for
+her in his own canoe, in which she must embark. On reaching the island
+he must consent to be his wife, and in the evening induce him to take a
+walk out of the village, when he was to take the first opportunity to
+cut off his head with the blade of grass. She also gave him general
+advice how he was to conduct himself to sustain his assumed character
+of a woman. His fear would scarcely permit him to accede to this plan,
+but the recollection of his father's words and looks decided him.
+
+Early in the morning, he left the witch's lodge, and took the hard
+beaten path to the banks of the lake. He reached the water at a point
+directly opposite the Red Head's village. It was a beautiful day. The
+heavens were clear, and the sun shone out in the greatest effulgence.
+He had not been long there, having sauntered along the beach, when he
+displayed the glittering bowl, by dipping water from the lake. Very
+soon a number of canoes came off from the island. The men admired his
+dress, and were charmed with his beauty, and a great number made
+proposals of marriage. These he promptly declined, agreeably to the
+concerted plan. When the facts were reported to the Red Head, he
+ordered his canoe to be put in the water by his chosen men, and crossed
+over to see this wonderful girl. As he came near the shore, he saw that
+the ribs of the sorcerer's canoe were formed of living rattlesnakes,
+whose heads pointed outward to guard him from enemies. Our adventurer
+had no sooner stepped into the canoe than they began to hiss and
+rattle, which put him in a great fright. But the magician spoke to
+them, after which they became pacified and quiet, and all at once they
+were at the landing upon the island. The marriage immediately took
+place, and the bride made presents of various valuables which had been
+furnished by the old witch.
+
+As they were sitting in the lodge surrounded by friends and relatives,
+the mother of the Red Head regarded the face of her new daughter-in-law
+for a long time with fixed attention. From this scrutiny she was
+convinced that this singular and hasty marriage augured no good to her
+son. She drew her husband aside and disclosed to him her suspicions:
+"This can be no female," said she; "the figure and manners, the
+countenance, and more especially the expression of the eyes, are,
+beyond a doubt, those of a man." Her husband immediately rejected her
+suspicions, and rebuked her severely for the indignity offered to her
+daughter-in-law. He became so angry, that seizing the first thing that
+came to hand, which happened to be his pipe stem, he beat her
+unmercifully. This act requiring to be explained to the spectators, the
+mock bride immediately rose up, and assuming an air of offended
+dignity, told the Red Head that after receiving so gross an insult from
+his relatives he could not think of remaining with him as his wife, but
+should forthwith return to his village and friends. He left the lodge
+followed by the Red Head, and walked until he came upon the beach of
+the island, near the spot where they had first landed. Red Head
+entreated him to remain. He pressed him by every motive which he
+thought might have weight, but they were all rejected. During this
+conference they had seated themselves upon the ground, and Red Head, in
+great affliction, reclined his head upon his fancied wife's lap. This
+was the opportunity ardently sought for, and it was improved to the
+best advantage. Every means was taken to lull him to sleep, and partly
+by a soothing manner, and partly by a seeming compliance with his
+request, the object was at last attained. Red Head fell into a sound
+sleep. Our aspirant for the glory of a brave man then drew his blade of
+grass, and drawing it once across the neck of the Red Head completely
+severed the head from the body.
+
+He immediately stripped off his dress, seized the bleeding head, and
+plunging into the lake, swam safely over to the main shore. He had
+scarcely reached it, when, looking back, he saw amid the darkness the
+torches of persons come out in search of the new-married couple. He
+listened till they had found the headless body, and he heard their
+piercing shrieks of sorrow, as he took his way to the lodge of his kind
+adviser.
+
+She received him with rejoicing. She admired his prudence, and told him
+his bravery could never be questioned again. Lifting up the head, she
+said he need only have brought the scalp. She cut off a small piece for
+herself, and told him he might now return with the head, which would be
+evidence of an achievement that would cause the Indians to respect him.
+In your way home, she said, you will meet with but one difficulty.
+Maunkah Keesh Woccaung, or the spirit of the Earth, requires an offering
+from those who perform extraordinary achievements. As you walk along in
+a prairie, there will be an earthquake. The earth will open and divide
+the prairie in the middle. Take this partridge and throw it into the
+opening, and instantly spring over it. All this happened precisely as it
+had been foretold. He cast the partridge into the crevice and leapt over
+it. He then proceeded without obstruction to a place near his village,
+where he secreted his trophy. On entering the village he found his
+parents had returned from the place of their spring encampment, and were
+in great sorrow for their son, whom they supposed to be lost. One and
+another of the young men had presented themselves to the disconsolate
+parents, and said, "Look up, I am your son." Having been often deceived
+in this manner, when their own son actually presented himself, they sat
+with their heads down, and with their eyes nearly blinded with weeping.
+It was some time before they could be prevailed upon to bestow a glance
+upon him. It was still longer before they recognized him for their son;
+when he recounted his adventures they believed him mad. The young men
+laughed at him. He left the lodge and soon returned with his trophy. It
+was soon recognized. All doubts of the reality of his adventures now
+vanished. He was greeted with joy and placed among the first warriors of
+the nation. He finally became a chief, and his family were ever after
+respected and esteemed.
+
+
+
+
+THE WHITE STONE CANOE.
+
+
+There was once a very beautiful young girl, who died suddenly on the
+day she was to have been married to a handsome young man. He was also
+brave, but his heart was not proof against this loss. From the hour she
+was buried, there was no more joy or peace for him. He went often to
+visit the spot where the women had buried her, and sat musing there,
+when, it was thought, by some of his friends, he would have done better
+to try to amuse himself in the chase, or by diverting his thoughts in
+the war-path. But war and hunting had both lost their charms for him.
+His heart was already dead within him. He pushed aside both his
+war-club and his bow and arrows.
+
+He had heard the old people say, that there was a path that led to the
+land of souls, and he determined to follow it. He accordingly set out,
+one morning, after having completed his preparations for the journey.
+At first he hardly knew which way to go. He was only guided by the
+tradition that he must go south. For a while he could see no change in
+the face of the country. Forests, and hills, and valleys, and streams
+had the same looks which they wore in his native place. There was snow
+on the ground, when he set out, and it was sometimes seen to be piled
+and matted on the thick trees and bushes. At length it began to
+diminish, and finally disappeared. The forest assumed a more cheerful
+appearance, and the leaves put forth their buds, and before he was
+aware of the completeness of the change, he found himself surrounded by
+spring. He had left behind him the land of snow and ice. The air became
+mild; the dark clouds of winter had rolled away from the sky; a pure
+field of blue was above him, and as he went he saw flowers beside his
+path, and heard the songs of birds. By these signs he knew that he was
+going the right way, for they agreed with the traditions of his tribe.
+At length he spied a path. It led him through a grove, then up a long
+and elevated ridge, on the very top of which he came to a lodge. At the
+door stood an old man, with white hair, whose eyes, though deeply sunk,
+had a fiery brilliancy. He had a long robe of skins thrown loosely
+around his shoulders, and a staff in his hands. It was Chebiabos.
+
+The young Chippewa began to tell his story; but the venerable chief
+arrested him, before he had proceeded to speak ten words. "I have
+expected you," he replied, "and had just risen to bid you welcome to my
+abode. She whom you seek, passed here but a few days since, and being
+fatigued with her journey, rested herself here. Enter my lodge and be
+seated, and I will then satisfy your inquiries, and give you directions
+for your journey from this point." Having done this, they both issued
+forth to the lodge door. "You see yonder gulf," said he, "and the wide
+stretching blue plains beyond. It is the land of souls. You stand upon
+its borders, and my lodge is the gate of entrance. But you cannot take
+your body along. Leave it here with your bow and arrows, your bundle,
+and your dog. You will find them safe on your return." So saying, he
+re-entered the lodge, and the freed traveller bounded forward, as if
+his feet had suddenly been endowed with the power of wings. But all
+things retained their natural colors and shapes. The woods and leaves,
+and streams and lakes, were only more bright and comely than he had
+ever witnessed. Animals bounded across his path, with a freedom and a
+confidence which seemed to tell him, there was no blood shed here.
+Birds of beautiful plumage inhabited the groves, and sported in the
+waters. There was but one thing, in which he saw a very unusual effect.
+He noticed that his passage was not stopped by trees or other objects.
+He appeared to walk directly through them. They were, in fact, but the
+souls or shadows of material trees. He became sensible that he was in a
+land of shadows. When he had travelled half a day's journey, through a
+country which was continually becoming more attractive, he came to the
+banks of a broad lake, in the centre of which was a large and beautiful
+island. He found a canoe of shining white stone, tied to the shore. He
+was now sure that he had come the right path, for the aged man had told
+him of this. There were also shining paddles. He immediately entered
+the canoe, and took the paddles in his hands, when to his joy and
+surprise, on turning round, he beheld the object of his search in
+another canoe, exactly its counterpart in everything. She had exactly
+imitated his motions, and they were side by side. They at once pushed
+out from shore and began to cross the lake. Its waves seemed to be
+rising, and at a distance looked ready to swallow them up; but just as
+they entered the whitened edge of them they seemed to melt away, as if
+they were but the images of waves. But no sooner was one wreath of foam
+passed, than another, more threatening still, rose up. Thus they were
+in perpetual fear; and what added to it, was the _clearness of the
+water_, through which they could see heaps of beings who had perished
+before, and whose bones lay strewed on the bottom of the lake. The
+Master of Life had, however, decreed to let them pass, for the actions
+of neither of them had been bad. But they saw many others struggling
+and sinking in the waves. Old men and young men, males and females of
+all ages and ranks, were there; some passed, and some sank. It was only
+the little children whose canoes seemed to meet no waves. At length,
+every difficulty was gone, as in a moment, and they both leaped out on
+the happy island. They felt that the very air was food. It strengthened
+and nourished them. They wandered together over the blissful fields,
+where everything was formed to please the eye and the ear. There were
+no tempests--there was no ice, no chilly winds--no one shivered for the
+want of warm clothes: no one suffered for hunger--no one mourned the
+dead. They saw no graves. They heard of no wars. There was no hunting
+of animals; for the air itself was their food. Gladly would the young
+warrior have remained there forever, but he was obliged to go back for
+his body. He did not see the Master of Life, but he heard his voice in
+a soft breeze. "Go back," said this voice, "to the land from whence you
+come. Your time has not yet come. The duties for which I made you, and
+which you are to perform, are not yet finished. Return to your people
+and accomplish the duties of a good man. You will be the ruler of your
+tribe for many days. The rules you must observe will be told you by my
+messenger, who keeps the gate. When he surrenders back your body, he
+will tell you what to do. Listen to him, and you shall afterwards
+rejoin the spirit, which you must now leave behind. She is accepted,
+and will be ever here, as young and as happy as she was when I first
+called her from the land of snows." When this voice ceased, the
+narrator awoke. It was the fancy work of a dream, and he was still in
+the bitter land of snows, and hunger, and tears.
+
+
+
+
+ONAIAZO, THE SKY-WALKER.
+
+A LEGEND OF A VISIT TO THE SUN.
+
+AN OTTOWA MYTH.
+
+
+A long time ago, there lived an aged Odjibwa and his wife, on the
+Shores of Lake Huron. They had an only son, a very beautiful boy, whose
+name was O-na-wut-a-qut-o, or he that catches the clouds. The family
+were of the totem of the beaver. The parents were very proud of him,
+and thought to make him a celebrated man, but when he reached the
+proper age, he would not submit to the We-koon-de-win, or fast. When
+this time arrived, they gave him charcoal, instead of his breakfast,
+but he would not blacken his face. If they denied him food, he would
+seek for birds' eggs, along the shores, or pick up the heads of fish
+that had been cast away, and broil them. One day, they took away
+violently the food he had thus prepared, and cast him some coals in
+place of it. This act brought him to a decision. He took the coals and
+blackened his face, and went out of the lodge. He did not return, but
+slept without; and during the night, he had a dream. He dreamed that he
+saw a very beautiful female come down from the clouds and stand by his
+side. "O-no-wut-a-qut-o," said she, "I am come for you--step in my
+tracks." The young man did so, and presently felt himself ascending
+above the tops of the trees--he mounted up, step by step, into the air,
+and through the clouds. His guide, at length, passed through an
+orifice, and he, following her, found himself standing on a beautiful
+plain.
+
+A path led to a splendid lodge. He followed her into it. It was large,
+and divided into two parts. On one end he saw bows and arrows, clubs
+and spears, and various warlike implements tipped with silver. On the
+other end were things exclusively belonging to females. This was the
+home of his fair guide, and he saw that she had, on the frame, a broad
+rich belt, of many colors, which she was weaving. She said to him: "My
+brother is coming and I must hide you." Putting him in one corner, she
+spread the belt over him. Presently the brother came in, very richly
+dressed, and shining as if he had points of silver all over him. He
+took down from the wall a splendid pipe, together with his sack of
+a-pa-ko-ze-gun, or smoking mixture. When he had finished regaling
+himself in this way, and laid his pipe aside, he said to his sister:
+"Nemissa" (which is, my elder sister), "when will you quit these
+practices? Do you forget that the Greatest of the Spirits had commanded
+that you should not take away the child from below? Perhaps you suppose
+that you have concealed O-no-wut-a-qut-o, but do I not know of his
+coming? If you would not offend me, send him back immediately." But
+this address did not alter her purpose. She would not send him back.
+Finding that she was purposed in her mind, he then spoke to the young
+lad, and called him from his hiding-place. "Come out of your
+concealment," said he, "and walk about and amuse yourself. You will
+grow hungry if you remain there." He then presented him a bow and
+arrows, and a pipe of red stone, richly ornamented. This was taken as
+the word of consent to his marriage; so the two were considered husband
+and wife from that time.
+
+O-no-wut-a-qut-o found everything exceedingly fair and beautiful around
+him, but he found no inhabitants except her brother. There were flowers
+on the plains. There were bright and sparkling streams. There were
+green valleys and pleasant trees. There were gay birds and beautiful
+animals, but they were not such as he had been accustomed to see. There
+was also day and night, as on the earth; but he observed that every
+morning the brother regularly left the lodge, and remained absent all
+day; and every evening the sister departed, though it was commonly but
+for a part of the night.
+
+His curiosity was aroused to solve this mystery. He obtained the
+brother's consent to accompany him in one of his daily journeys. They
+travelled over a smooth plain, without boundaries, until
+O-no-wut-a-qut-o felt the gnawings of appetite, and asked his companion
+if there were no game. "Patience! my brother," said he, "we shall soon
+reach the spot where I eat my dinner, and you will then see how I am
+provided." After walking on a long time, they came to a place which was
+spread over with fine mats, where they sat down to refresh themselves.
+There was, at this place, a hole through the sky; and O-no-wut-a-qut-o,
+looked down, at the bidding of his companion, upon the earth. He saw
+below the great lakes, and the villages of the Indians. In one place,
+he saw a war party stealing on the camp of their enemies. In another,
+he saw feasting and dancing. On a green plain, young men were engaged
+at ball. Along a stream, women were employed in gathering the a-puk-wa
+for mats.
+
+"Do you see," said the brother, "that group of children playing beside
+a lodge? Observe that beautiful and active boy," said he, at the same
+time darting something at him, from his hand. The child immediately
+fell, and was carried into the lodge.
+
+They looked again, and saw the people gathering about the lodge. They
+heard the she-she-gwun, of the meeta, and the song he sung, asking that
+the child's life might be spared. To this request, the companion of
+O-no-wut-a-qut-o made answer: "Send me up the sacrifice of a white
+dog." Immediately a feast was ordered by the parents of the child, the
+white dog was killed, his carcass was roasted, and all the wise men and
+medicine men of the village assembled to witness the ceremony. "There
+are many below," continued the voice of the brother, "whom you call
+great in medical skill, but it is because their ears are open, and they
+listen to my voice, that they are able to succeed. When I have struck
+one with sickness, they direct the people to look to me; and when they
+send me the offering I ask, I remove my hand from off them, and they
+are well." After he had said this, they saw the sacrifice parcelled out
+in dishes, for those who were at the feast. The master of the feast
+then said, "We send this to thee, great Manito," and immediately the
+roasted animal came up. Thus their dinner was supplied, and after they
+had eaten, they returned to the lodge by another way.
+
+After this manner they lived for some time; but the place became
+wearisome at last. O-no-wut-a-qut-o thought of his friends, and wished
+to go back to them. He had not forgotten his native village, and his
+father's lodge; and he asked leave of his wife to return. At length she
+consented. "Since you are better pleased," she replied, "with the cares
+and the ills, and the poverty of the world, than with the peaceful
+delights of the sky, and its boundless prairies, go! I give you
+permission, and since I have brought you hither, I will conduct you
+back; but, remember, you are still my husband, I hold a chain in my
+hand by which I can draw you back whenever I will. My power over you is
+not, in any manner, diminished. Beware, therefore, how you venture to
+take a wife among the people below. Should you ever do so, it is then
+that you shall feel the force of my displeasure."
+
+As she said this, her eyes sparkled--she raised herself slightly on her
+toes, and stretched herself up, with a majestic air; and at that
+moment, O-no-wut-a-qut-o awoke from his dream. He found himself on the
+ground, near his father's lodge, at the very spot where he had laid
+himself down to fast. Instead of the bright beings of a higher world,
+he found himself surrounded by his parents and relatives. His mother
+told him he had been absent a year. The change was so great, that he
+remained for some time moody and abstracted, but by degrees he
+recovered his spirits. He began to doubt the reality of all he had
+heard and seen above. At last, he forgot the admonitions of his spouse,
+and married a beautiful young woman of his own tribe. But within four
+days, she was a corpse. Even this fearful admonition was lost, and he
+repeated the offence by a second marriage. Soon afterwards, he went out
+of the lodge, one night, but never returned. It was believed that his
+Sun-wife had recalled him to the region of the clouds, where, the
+tradition asserts, he still dwells, and walks on the daily rounds,
+which he once witnessed.
+
+
+
+
+BOSH-KWA-DOSH,
+
+OR
+
+THE MASTODON.
+
+
+There was once a man who found himself alone in the world. He knew not
+whence he came, nor who were his parents, and he wandered about from
+place to place, in search of something. At last he became wearied and
+fell asleep. He dreamed that he heard a voice saying, "Nosis," that is,
+my grandchild. When he awoke, he actually heard the word repeated, and
+looking around, he saw a tiny little animal hardly big enough to be
+seen on the plain. While doubting whether the voice could come from
+such a diminutive source, the little animal said to him, "My grandson,
+you will call me Bosh-kwa-dosh. Why are you so desolate? Listen to me,
+and you shall find friends and be happy. You must take me up and bind
+me to your body, and never put me aside, and success in life shall
+attend you." He obeyed the voice, sewing up the little animal in the
+folds of a string, or narrow belt, which he tied around his body, at
+his navel. He then set out in search of some one like himself, or other
+object. He walked a long time in the woods without seeing man or
+animal. He seemed all alone in the world. At length he came to a place
+where a stump was cut, and on going over a hill he descried a large
+town in a plain. A wide road led through the middle of it; but what
+seemed strange was, that on one side there were no inhabitants in the
+lodges, while the other side was thickly inhabited. He walked boldly
+into the town.
+
+The inhabitants came out and said: "Why here is the being we have heard
+so much of--here is Anish-in-a-ba. See his eyes, and his teeth in a
+half circle--see the Wyaukenawbedaid! See his bowels, how they are
+formed;"--for it seems they could look through him. The king's son, the
+Mudjekewis, was particularly kind to him, and calling him
+brother-in-law, commanded that he should be taken to his father's lodge
+and received with attention. The king gave him one of his daughters.
+These people (who are supposed to be human, but whose rank in the scale
+of being is left equivocal) passed much of their time in play and
+sports and trials of various, kinds. When some time had passed, and he
+become refreshed and rested, he was invited to join in these sports.
+The first test which they put him to, was the trial of frost. At some
+distance was a large body of frozen water, and the trial consisted in
+lying down naked on the ice, and seeing who could endure the longest.
+He went out with two young men, who began, by pulling off their
+garments, and lying down on their faces. He did likewise, only keeping
+on the narrow magic belt with the tiny little animal sewed in it; for
+he felt that in this alone was to be his reliance and preservation. His
+competitors laughed and tittered during the early part of the night,
+and amused themselves by thoughts of his fate. Once they called out to
+him, but he made no reply. He felt a manifest warmth given out by his
+belt. About midnight, finding they were still, he called out to them,
+in return, "What!" said he, "are you benumbed already? I am but just
+beginning to feel a little cold." All was silence. He, however, kept
+his position till early day break, when he got up and went to them.
+They were both quite dead, and frozen so hard, that the flesh had
+bursted out under their finger nails, and their teeth stood out. As he
+looked more closely, what was his surprise to find them both
+transformed into buffalo cows. He tied them together, and carried them
+towards the village. As he came in sight, those who had wished his
+death were disappointed, but the Mudjekewis, who was really his friend,
+rejoiced. "See!" said he, "but one person approaches--it is my
+brother-in-law." He then threw down the carcasses in triumph, but it
+was found that by their death he had restored two inhabitants to the
+before empty lodges, and he afterwards perceived that every one of
+these beings, whom he killed, had the like effect, so that the
+depopulated part of the village soon became filled with people.
+
+The next test they put him to, was the trial of speed. He was
+challenged to the race ground, and began his career with one whom he
+thought to be a man; but everything was enchanted here, for he soon
+discovered that his competitor was a large black bear. The animal
+outran him, tore up the ground, and sported before him, and put out its
+large claws as if to frighten him. He thought of his little guardian
+spirit in the belt, and wishing to have the swiftness of the Kakake,
+_i.e._ sparrowhawk, he found himself rising from the ground, and with
+the speed of this bird he outwent his rival, and won the race, while
+the bear came up exhausted and lolling out his tongue. His friend the
+Mudjekewis stood ready, with his war-club, at the goal, and the moment
+the bear came up, dispatched him. He then turned to the assembly, who
+had wished his friend and brother's death, and after reproaching them,
+he lifted up his club and began to slay them on every side. They fell
+in heaps on all sides; but it was plain to be seen, the moment they
+fell, that they were not men, but animals--foxes, wolves, tigers,
+lynxes, and other kinds, lay thick around the Mudjekewis.
+
+Still the villagers were not satisfied. They thought the trial of frost
+had not been fairly accomplished, and wished it repeated. He agreed to
+repeat it, but being fatigued with the race, he undid his guardian
+belt, and laying it under his head, fell asleep. When he awoke, he felt
+refreshed, and feeling strong in his own strength, he went forward to
+renew the trial on the ice, but quite forgot the belt, nor did it at
+all occur to him when he awoke, or when he lay down to repeat the
+trial. About midnight his limbs became stiff, the blood soon ceased to
+circulate, and he was found in the morning a stiff corpse. The victors
+took him up and carried him to the village, where the loudest tumult of
+victorious joy was made, and they cut his body into a thousand pieces,
+that each one might eat a piece.
+
+The Mudjekewis bemoaned his fate, but his wife was inconsolable. She
+lay in a state of partial distraction, in the lodge. As she lay here,
+she thought she heard some one groaning. It was repeated through the
+night, and in the morning she carefully scanned the place, and running
+her fingers through the grass, she discovered the secret belt, on the
+spot where her husband had last reposed. "Aubishin!" cried the
+belt--that is, untie me, or unloose me. Looking carefully, she found
+the small seam which inclosed the tiny little animal. It cried out the
+more earnestly, "Aubishin!" and when she had carefully ripped the
+seams, she beheld, to her surprise, a minute, naked little beast,
+smaller than the smallest new-born mouse, without any vestige of hair,
+except at the tip of its tail; it could crawl a few inches, but reposed
+from fatigue. It then went forward again. At each movement it would
+_pupowee_, that is to say, shake itself like a dog, and at each shake
+it became larger. This it continued until it acquired the strength and
+size of a middle sized dog, when it ran off.
+
+The mysterious dog ran to the lodges, about the village, looking for
+the bones of his friend, which he carried to a secret place, and as
+fast as he found them arranged all in their natural order. At length he
+had formed all the skeleton complete, except the heel bone of one foot.
+It so happened that two sisters were out of camp, according to custom,
+at the time the body was cut up, and this heel was sent out to them.
+The dog hunted every lodge, and being satisfied that it was not to be
+found in the camp, he sought it outside of it, and found the lodge of
+the two sisters. The younger sister was pleased to see him, and admired
+and patted the pretty dog, but the elder sat mumbling the very
+heel-bone he was seeking, and was surly and sour, and repelled the dog,
+although he looked most wistfully up in her face, while she sucked the
+bone from one side of her mouth to the other. At last she held it in
+such a manner that it made her cheek stick out, when the dog, by a
+quick spring, seized the cheek, and tore cheek and bone away and fled.
+
+He now completed the skeleton, and placing himself before it, uttered a
+hollow, low, long-drawn-out howl, when the bones came compactly
+together. He then modulated his howl, when the bones knit together and
+became tense. The third howl brought sinews upon them, and the fourth,
+flesh. He then turned his head upwards, looking into the sky, and gave
+a howl, which caused every one in the village to startle, and the
+ground itself to tremble, at which the breath entered into his body,
+and he first breathed and then arose. "Hy kow!" I have overslept
+myself, he exclaimed; "I will be too late for the trial." "Trial!" said
+Bosh-kwa-dosh, "I told you never to let me be separate from your body,
+you have neglected this. You were defeated, and your frozen body cut
+into a thousand pieces, and scattered over the village; but my skill
+has restored you. Now I will declare myself to you, and show who and
+what I am!"
+
+He then began to Pupowee, or shake himself, and at every shake, he grew.
+His body became heavy and massy, his legs thick and long, with big
+clumsy ends, or feet. He still shook himself, and rose and swelled. A
+long snout grew from his head, and two great shining teeth out of his
+mouth. His skin remained as it was, naked, and only a tuft of hair grew
+on his tail. He rose up as high as the trees. He was enormous. "I should
+fill the earth," said he, "were I to exert my utmost power, and all
+there is on the earth would not satisfy me to eat. Neither could it
+fatten me or do me good. I should want more. The Great Spirit created me
+to show his power when there were nothing but animals on the earth. But
+were all animals as large as myself, there would not be grass enough for
+food. But the earth was made for man, and not for beasts. I give some of
+those great gifts which I possess. All the animals shall be your food,
+and you are no longer to flee before them, and be their sport and food."
+So saying, he walked off with heavy steps and with fierce looks, at
+which all the little animals trembled.
+
+
+
+
+THE SUN-CATCHER,
+
+OR
+
+BOY WHO SET A SNARE FOR THE SUN.
+
+A MYTH OF THE ORIGIN OF THE DORMOUSE.
+
+FROM THE ODJIBWA.
+
+
+At the time when the animals reigned in the earth, they had killed all
+but a girl, and her little brother, and these two were living in fear
+and seclusion. The boy was a perfect pigmy, and never grew beyond the
+stature of a small infant, but the girl increased with her years, so
+that the labor of providing food and lodging devolved wholly on her.
+She went out daily to get wood for their lodge-fire, and took her
+little brother along that no accident might happen to him; for he was
+too little to leave alone. A big bird might have flown away with him.
+She made him a bow and arrows, and said to him one day, "I will leave
+you behind where I have been chopping--you must hide yourself, and you
+will soon see the Gitshee-gitshee-gaun-ia-see-ug, or snow birds, come
+and pick the worms out of the wood, where I have been chopping" (for it
+was in the winter). "Shoot one of them and bring it home." He obeyed
+her, and tried his best to kill one, but came home unsuccessful. She
+told him he must not despair, but try again the next day. She
+accordingly left him at the place she got wood, and returned. Towards
+nightfall, she heard his little footsteps on the snow, and he came in
+exultingly, and threw down one of the birds which he had killed. "My
+sister," said he, "I wish you to skin it and stretch the skin, and when
+I have killed more, I will have a coat made out of them." "But what
+shall we do with the body?" said she, for as yet men had not begun to
+eat animal food, but lived on vegetables alone. "Cut it in two," he
+answered, "and season our pottage with one half of it at a time." She
+did so. The boy, who was of a very small stature, continued his
+efforts, and succeeded in killing ten birds, out of the skins of which
+his sister made him a little coat.
+
+"Sister," said he one day, "are we all alone in the world? Is there
+nobody else living?" She told him that those they feared and who had
+destroyed their relatives lived in a certain quarter, and that he must
+by no means go in that direction. This only served to inflame his
+curiosity and raise his ambition, and he soon after took his bow and
+arrows and went in that direction. After walking a long time and
+meeting nothing, he became tired, and lay down on a knoll, where the
+sun had melted the snow. He fell fast asleep; and while sleeping, the
+sun beat so hot upon him, that it singed and drew up his bird-skin
+coat, so that when he awoke and stretched himself, he felt bound in it,
+as it were. He looked down and saw the damage done to his coat. He flew
+into a passion, and upbraided the sun, and vowed vengeance against it.
+"Do not think you are too high," said he, "I shall revenge myself."
+
+On coming home, he related his disaster to his sister, and lamented
+bitterly the spoiling of his coat. He would not eat. He lay down as one
+that fasts, and, did not stir, or move his position for ten days,
+though she tried all she could to arouse him. At the end of ten days,
+he turned over, and then lay ten days on the other side. When he got
+up, he told his sister to make him a snare, for he meant to catch the
+sun. She said she had nothing; but finally recollected a little piece
+of dried deer's sinew, that her father had left, which she soon made
+into a string suitable for a noose. But the moment she showed it to
+him, he told her it would not do, and bid her get something else. She
+said she had nothing--nothing at all. At last she thought of her hair,
+and pulling some of it out of her head, made a string. But he instantly
+said it would not answer, and bid her, pettishly, and with authority,
+make him a noose. She told him there was nothing to make it of, and
+went out of the lodge. She said to herself, when she had got without
+the lodge, and while she was all alone, "neow obewy indapin." From my
+body, some sinews will I take. This she did, and twisting them into a
+tiny cord, she handed it to her brother. The moment he saw this curious
+braid, he was delighted. "This will do," he said, and immediately put
+it to his mouth and began pulling it through his lips; and as fast as
+he drew it changed it into a red metal cord, which he wound around his
+body and shoulders, till he had a large quantity. He then prepared
+himself, and set out a little after midnight, that he might catch the
+sun before it rose. He fixed his snare on a spot just where the sun
+would strike the land, as it rose above the earth's disk; and sure
+enough, he caught the sun, so that it was held fast in the cord, and
+did not rise.
+
+The animals who ruled the earth were immediately put into a great
+commotion. They had no light. They called a council to debate upon the
+matter, and to appoint some one to go and cut the cord--for this was a
+very hazardous enterprise, as the rays of the sun would burn whoever
+came so near to them. At last the dormouse undertook it--for at this
+time the dormouse was the largest animal in the world. When it stood up
+it looked like a mountain. When it got to the place where the sun was
+snared, its back began to smoke and burn with the intensity of the
+heat, and the top of its carcass was reduced to enormous heaps of
+ashes. It succeeded, however, in cutting the cord with its teeth, and
+freeing the sun, but it was reduced to a very small size, and has
+remained so ever since. Men call it the Kug-e-been-gwa-kwa--the blind
+woman.
+
+
+
+
+WA-WA-BE-ZO-WIN,
+
+OR
+
+THE SWING ON THE PICTURED ROCKS OF LAKE SUPERIOR.
+
+A TRADITION OF THE ODJIBWAS.
+
+
+There was an old hag of a woman living with her daughter-in-law, and
+son, and a little orphan boy, whom she was bringing up. When her
+son-in-law came home from hunting, it was his custom to bring his wife
+the moose's lip, the kidney of the bear, or some other choice bits of
+different animals. These she would cook crisp, so as to make a sound
+with her teeth in eating them. This kind attention of the hunter to his
+wife at last excited the envy of the old woman. She wished to have the
+same luxuries, and in order to get them she finally resolved to make
+way with her son's wife. One day, she asked her to leave her infant son
+to the care of the orphan boy, and come out and swing with her. She
+took her to the shore of a lake, where there was a high range of rocks
+overhanging the water. Upon the top of this rock, she erected a swing.
+She then undressed, and fastened a piece of leather around her body,
+and commenced swinging, going over the precipice at every swing. She
+continued it but a short time, when she told her daughter to do the
+same. The daughter obeyed. She undressed, and tying the leather string
+as she was directed, began swinging. When the swing had got in full
+motion and well a-going, so that it went clear beyond the precipice at
+every sweep, the old woman slyly cut the cords and let her daughter
+drop into the lake. She then put on her daughter's clothing, and thus
+disguised went home in the dusk of the evening and counterfeited her
+appearance and duties. She found the child crying, and gave it the
+breast, but it would not draw. The orphan boy asked her where its
+mother was. She answered, "She is still swinging." He said, "I shall go
+and look for her." "No!" said she, "you must not--what should you go
+for?" When the husband came in, in the evening, he gave the coveted
+morsel to his supposed wife. He missed his mother-in-law, but said
+nothing. She eagerly ate the dainty, and tried to keep the child still.
+The husband looked rather astonished to see his wife studiously
+averting her face, and asked her why the child cried so. She said, she
+did not know--that it would not draw.
+
+In the mean time, the orphan boy went to the lake shores, and found no
+one. He mentioned his suspicions, and while the old woman was out
+getting wood, he told him all he had heard or seen. The man then
+painted his face black, and placed his spear upside down in the earth,
+and requested the Great Spirit to send lightning, thunder, and rain, in
+the hope that the body of his wife might arise from the water. He then
+began to fast, and told the boy to take the child and play on the lake
+shore.
+
+We must now go back to the swing. After the wife had plunged into the
+lake, she found herself taken hold of by a water-tiger, whose tail
+twisted itself round her body, and drew her to the bottom. There she
+found a fine lodge, and all things ready for her reception, and she
+became the wife of the water-tiger. Whilst the children were playing
+along the shore, and the boy was casting pebbles into the lake, he saw
+a gull coming from its centre, and flying towards the shore, and when
+on shore, the bird immediately assumed the human shape. When he looked
+again, he recognized the lost mother. She had a leather belt around her
+loins, and another belt of white metal, which was, in reality, the tail
+of the water-tiger, her husband. She suckled the babe, and said to the
+boy--"Come here with him, whenever he cries, and I will nurse him."
+
+The boy carried the child home, and told these things to the father.
+When the child again cried, the father went also with the boy to the
+lake shore, and hid himself in a clump of trees. Soon the appearance of
+a gull was seen, with a long shining belt, or chain, and as soon as it
+came to the shore, it assumed the mother's shape, and she began to
+suckle the child. The husband had brought along his spear, and seeing
+the shining chain, he boldly struck it and broke the links apart. He
+then took his wife and child home, with the orphan boy. When they
+entered the lodge, the old woman looked up, but it was a look of
+despair; she instantly dropped her head. A rustling was heard in the
+lodge, and the next moment she leaped up and flew out of the lodge, and
+was never heard of more.
+
+
+
+
+MUKAKEE MINDEMOEA,
+
+OR
+
+THE TOAD-WOMAN.
+
+AN ODJIBWA LEGEND.
+
+
+Great good luck once happened to a young woman who was living all alone
+in the woods, with nobody near her but her little dog, for, to her
+surprise, she found fresh meat every morning at her door. She felt very
+anxious to know who it was that supplied her, and watching one morning,
+very early, she saw a handsome young man deposit the meat. After his
+being seen by her, he became her husband, and she had a son by him. One
+day, not long after this, the man did not return at evening, as usual,
+from hunting. She waited till late at night, but all in vain. Next day
+she swung her baby to sleep in its tikenagun, or cradle, and then said
+to her dog: "Take care of your brother whilst I am gone, and when he
+cries, halloo for me." The cradle was made of the finest wampum, and
+all its bandages and decorations were of the same costly material.
+After a short time, the woman heard the cry of her faithful dog, and
+running home as fast as she could, she found her child gone and the dog
+too. But on looking round, she saw pieces of the wampum of her child's
+cradle bit off by the dog, who strove to retain the child and prevent
+his being carried off by an old woman called Mukakee Mindemoea, or the
+Toad-Woman. The mother followed at full speed, and occasionally came to
+lodges inhabited by old women, who told her at what time the thief had
+passed; they also gave her shoes, that she might follow on. There were
+a number of these old women, who seemed as if they were all
+prophetesses. Each of them would say to her, that when she arrived in
+pursuit of her stolen child at the next lodge, she must set the toes of
+the moccasins they had loaned her pointing homewards, and they would
+return of themselves. She would get others from her entertainers
+further on, who would also give her directions how to proceed to
+recover her son. She thus followed in the pursuit, from valley to
+valley, and stream to stream, for months and years; when she came, at
+length, to the lodge of the last of the friendly old Nocoes, or
+grandmothers, as they were called, who gave her final instructions how
+to proceed. She told her she was near the place where her son was, and
+directed her to build a lodge of shin-goob, or cedar boughs, near the
+old Toad-Woman's lodge, and to make a little bark dish and squeeze her
+milk into it. "Then," she said, "your first child (meaning the dog)
+will come and find you out." She did accordingly, and in a short time
+she heard her son, now grown, going out to hunt, with his dog, calling
+out to him, "Monedo Pewaubik (that is, Steel or Spirit Iron), Twee!
+Twee!" She then set ready the dish and filled it with her milk. The dog
+soon scented it and came into the lodge; she placed it before him.
+"See, my child," said she, addressing him, "the food you used to have
+from me, your mother." The dog went and told his young master that he
+had found his _real_ mother; and informed him that the old woman, whom
+he _called_ his mother, was not his mother, that she had stolen him
+when an infant in his cradle, and that he had himself followed her in
+hopes of getting him back. The young man and his dog then went on their
+hunting excursion, and brought back a great quantity of meat of all
+kinds. He said to his pretended mother, as he laid it down, "Send some
+to the stranger that has arrived lately." The old hag answered, "No!
+why should I send to her--the Sheegowish."[85] He insisted; and she at
+last consented to take something, throwing it in at the door, with the
+remark, "My son gives you, or feeds you this." But it was of such on
+offensive nature that she threw it immediately out after her.
+
+After this the young man paid the stranger a visit, at her lodge of
+cedar boughs, and partook of her dish of milk. She then told him she
+was his real mother, and that he had been stolen away from her by the
+detestable Toad-Woman, who was a witch. He was not quite convinced. She
+said to him, "Feign yourself sick, when you go home, and when the
+Toad-Woman asks what ails you, say that you want to see your cradle;
+for your cradle was of wampum, and your faithful brother, the dog, bit
+a piece off to try and detain you, which I picked up, as I followed in
+your track. They were real wampum, white and blue, shining and
+beautiful." She then showed him the pieces. He went home and did as his
+real mother bid him. "Mother," said he, "why am I so different in my
+looks from the rest of your children?" "Oh," said she, "it was a very
+bright clear blue sky when you were born; that is the reason." When the
+Toad-Woman saw he was ill, she asked what she could do for him. He said
+nothing would do him good, but the sight of his cradle. She ran
+immediately and got a cedar cradle; but he said "That is not my
+cradle." She went and got one of her own children's cradles (for she
+had four), but he turned his head and said, "That is not mine." She
+then produced the real cradle, and he saw it was the same, in
+substance, with the pieces the other had shown him; and he was
+convinced, for he could even see the marks of the dog's teeth upon it.
+
+He soon got well, and went out hunting, and killed a fat bear. He and
+his dog-brother then stripped a tall pine of all its branches, and
+stuck the carcass on the top, taking the usual sign of his having
+killed an animal--the tongue. He told the Toad-Woman where he had left
+it, saying, "It is very far, even to the end of the earth." She
+answered, "It is not so far but I can get it;" so off she set. As soon
+as she was gone, the young man and his dog killed the Toad-Woman's
+children, and staked them on each side of the door, with a piece of fat
+in their mouths, and then went to his real mother and hastened her
+departure with them. The Toad-Woman spent a long time in finding the
+bear, and had much ado in climbing the tree to get down the carcass. As
+she got near home, she saw the children looking out, apparently, with
+the fat in their mouths, and was angry at them, saying, "Why do you
+destroy the pomatum of your brother?" But her fury was great indeed,
+when she saw they were killed and impaled. She ran after the fugitives
+as fast as she could, and was near overtaking them, when the young man
+said, "We are pressed hard, but let this stay her progress," throwing
+his fire steel behind him, which caused the Toad-Woman to slip and fall
+repeatedly. But still she pursued and gained on them, when he threw
+behind him his flint, which again retarded her, for it made her slip
+and stumble, so that her knees were bleeding; but she continued to
+follow on, and was gaining ground, when the young man said, "Let the
+Oshau shaw go min un (snake berry) spring up to detain her," and
+immediately these berries spread like scarlet all over the path for a
+long distance, which she could not avoid stooping down to pick and eat.
+Still she went on, and was again advancing on them, when the young man
+at last said to the dog, "Brother, chew her into mummy, for she plagues
+us." So the dog, turning round, seized her and tore her to pieces, and
+they escaped.
+
+      [85] A term compounded from _sheegowiss_, a widow, and _mowigh_,
+      something nasty.
+
+
+
+
+ERONENIERA,
+
+OR
+
+AN INDIAN VISIT TO THE GREAT SPIRIT.[86]
+
+AN ALGONQUIN LEGEND.
+
+
+A Delaware Indian, called Eroneniera, anxious to know the Master of
+Life, resolved, without mentioning his design to any one, to undertake
+a journey to Paradise, which he knew to be God's residence. But, to
+succeed in his project, it was necessary for him to know the way to the
+celestial regions. Not knowing any person who, having been there
+himself, might aid him in finding the road, he commenced juggling, in
+the hope of drawing a good augury from his dream.
+
+The Indian, in his dream, imagined that he had only to commence his
+journey, and that a continued walk would take him to the celestial
+abode. The next morning very early, he equipped himself as a hunter,
+taking a gun, powder-horn, ammunition, and a boiler to cook his
+provisions. The first part of his journey was pretty favorable; he
+walked a long time without being discouraged, having always a firm
+conviction that he should attain his aim. Eight days had already
+elapsed without his meeting with any one to oppose his desire. On the
+evening of the eighth day, at sunset, he stopped as usual on the bank
+of a brook, at the entrance of a little prairie, a place which he
+thought favorable for his night's encampment. As he was preparing his
+lodging, he perceived at the other end of the prairie three very wide
+and well-beaten paths; he thought this somewhat singular; he, however,
+continued to prepare his wigwam, that he might shelter himself from the
+weather. He also lighted a fire. While cooking, he found that, the
+darker it grew, the more distinct were those paths. This surprised,
+nay, even frightened him; he hesitated a few moments. Was it better for
+him to remain in his camp, or seek another at some distance? While in
+this incertitude, he remembered his juggling, or rather his dream. He
+thought that his only aim in undertaking his journey was to see the
+Master of Life. This restored him to his senses. He thought it probable
+that one of those three roads led to the place which he wished to
+visit. He therefore resolved upon remaining in his camp until the
+morrow, when he would, at random, take one of them. His curiosity,
+however, scarcely allowed him time to take his meal; he left his
+encampment and fire, and took the widest of the paths. He followed it
+until the middle of the day without seeing anything to impede his
+progress; but, as he was resting a little to take breath, he suddenly
+perceived a large fire coming from under ground. It excited his
+curiosity; he went towards it to see what it might be; but, as the fire
+appeared to increase as he drew nearer, he was so overcome with fear,
+that he turned back and took the widest of the other two paths. Having
+followed it for the same space of time as he had the first, he
+perceived a similar spectacle. His fright, which had been lulled by the
+change of road, awoke him, and he was obliged to take the third path,
+in which he walked a whole day without seeing anything. All at once, a
+mountain of a marvellous whiteness burst upon his sight. This filled
+him with astonishment; nevertheless, he took courage and advanced to
+examine it. Having arrived at the foot, he saw no signs of a road. He
+became very sad, not knowing how to continue his journey. In this
+conjuncture, he looked on all sides and perceived a female seated upon
+the mountain; her beauty was dazzling, and the whiteness of her
+garments surpassed that of snow. The woman said to him in his own
+language, "You appear surprised to find no longer a path to reach your
+wishes. I know that you have for a long time longed to see and speak to
+the Master of Life; and that you have undertaken this journey purposely
+to see him. The way which leads to his abode is upon this mountain. To
+ascend it, you must undress yourself completely, and leave all your
+accoutrements and clothing at the foot. No person shall injure them.
+You will then go and wash yourself in the river which I am now showing
+you, and afterward ascend the mountain."
+
+The Indian obeyed punctually the woman's words; but one difficulty
+remained. How could he arrive at the top of the mountain, which was
+steep, without a path, and as smooth as glass? He asked the woman how
+he was to accomplish it. She replied, that if he really wished to see
+the Master of Life, he must, in mounting, only use his left hand and
+foot. This appeared almost impossible to the Indian. Encouraged,
+however, by the female, he commenced ascending, and succeeded after
+much trouble. When at the top, he was astonished to see no person, the
+woman having disappeared. He found himself alone, and without a guide.
+Three unknown villages were in sight; they were constructed on a
+different plan from his own, much handsomer, and more regular. After a
+few moments' reflection, he took his way towards the handsomest. When
+about half way from the top of the mountain, he recollected that he was
+naked, and was afraid to proceed; but a voice told him to advance, and
+have no apprehensions; that, as he had washed himself, he might walk in
+confidence. He proceeded without hesitation to a place which appeared
+to be the gate of the village, and stopped until some one came to open
+it. While he was considering the exterior of the village, the gate
+opened, and the Indian saw coming towards him a handsome man dressed
+all in white, who took him by the hand, and said he was going to
+satisfy his wishes by leading him to the presence of the Master of
+Life.
+
+The Indian suffered himself to be conducted, and they arrived at a
+place of unequalled beauty. The Indian was lost in admiration. He there
+saw the Master of Life, who took him by the hand, and gave him for a
+seat a hat bordered with gold. The Indian, afraid of spoiling the hat,
+hesitated to sit down; but, being again ordered to do so, he obeyed
+without reply.
+
+The Indian being seated, God said to him, "I am the Master of Life,
+whom thou wishest to see, and to whom thou wishest to speak. Listen to
+that which I will tell thee for thyself and for all the Indians. I am
+the Maker of Heaven and earth, the trees, lakes, rivers, men, and all
+that thou seest or hast seen on the earth or in the heavens; and
+because I love you, you must do my will; you must also avoid that which
+I hate; I hate you to drink as you do, until you lose your reason; I
+wish you not to fight one another; you take two wives, or run after
+other people's wives; you do wrong; I hate such conduct; you should
+have but one wife, and keep her until death. When you go to war, you
+juggle, you sing the medicine song, thinking you speak to me; you
+deceive yourselves; it is to the Manito that you speak; he is a wicked
+spirit who induces you to evil, and for want of knowing me, you listen
+to him.
+
+"The land on which you are, I have made for you, not for others:
+wherefore do you suffer the whites to dwell upon your lands? Can you
+not do without them? I know that those whom you call the children of
+your great Father supply your wants. But, were you not wicked as you
+are, you would not need them. You might live as you did before you knew
+them. Before those whom you call your brothers had arrived, did not
+your bow and arrow maintain you? You needed neither gun, powder, nor
+any other object. The flesh of animals was your food, their skins your
+raiment. But when I saw you inclined to evil, I removed the animals
+into the depths of the forests, that you might depend on your brothers
+for your necessaries for your clothing. Again become good and do my
+will, and I will send animals for your sustenance. I do not, however,
+forbid suffering among you your Father's children; I love them, they
+know me, they pray to me; I supply their own wants, and give them that
+which they bring to you. Not so with those who are come to trouble your
+possessions. Drive them away; wage war against them. I love them not.
+They know me not. They are my enemies, they are your brothers' enemies.
+Send them back to the lands I have made for them. Let them remain
+there.
+
+"Here is a written prayer which I give thee; learn it by heart, and
+teach it to all the Indians and children." (The Indian, observing here
+that he could not read, the Master of Life told him that, on his return
+upon earth, he should give it to the chief of his village, who would
+read it, and also teach it to him, as also to all the Indians). "It must
+be repeated," said the Master of Life, "morning and evening. Do all that
+I have told thee, and announce it to all the Indians as coming from the
+Master of Life. Let them drink but one draught, or two at most, in one
+day. Let them have but one wife, and discontinue running after other
+people's wives and daughters. Let them not fight one another. Let them
+not sing the medicine song, for in singing the medicine song they speak
+to the evil spirit. Drive from your lands," added the Master of Life,
+"those dogs in red clothing; they are only an injury to you. When you
+want anything, apply to me, as your brothers do, and I will give to
+both. Do not sell to your brothers that which I have placed on the earth
+as food. In short, become good, and you shall want nothing. When you
+meet one another, bow, and give one another the ... hand of the heart.
+Above all, I command thee to repeat, morning and evening, the prayer
+which I have given thee."
+
+The Indian promised to do the will of the Master of Life, and also to
+recommend it strongly to the Indians; adding that the Master of Life
+should be satisfied with them.
+
+His conductor then came, and leading him to the foot of the mountain,
+told him to take his garments and return to his village; which was
+immediately done by the Indian.
+
+His return much surprised the inhabitants of the village, who did not
+know what had become of him. They asked him whence he came; but, as he
+had been enjoined to speak to no one until he saw the chief of the
+village, he motioned to them with his hand that he came from above.
+Having entered the village, he went immediately to the chief's wigwam,
+and delivered to him the prayer and laws intrusted to his care by the
+Master of Life.
+
+      [86] Pontiac told this story to the assembled Indians in 1763, to
+      enlist them in his plan to resist the transfer of the country to
+      the English authority, on the fall of the French power in the
+      Canadas.
+
+
+
+
+THE SIX HAWKS,
+
+OR
+
+BROKEN WING.
+
+AN ALLEGORY OF FRATERNAL AFFECTION.
+
+
+There were six young falcons living in a nest, all but one of whom were
+still unable to fly, when it so happened that both the parent birds
+were shot by the hunters in one day. The young brood waited with
+impatience for their return; but night came, and they were left without
+parents and without food. Meeji-geeg-wona, or the Gray Eagle, the
+eldest, and the only one whose feathers had become stout enough to
+enable him to leave the nest, assumed the duty of stilling their cries
+and providing them with food, in which he was very successful. But,
+after a short time had passed, he, by an unlucky mischance, got one of
+his wings broken in pouncing upon a swan. This was the more unlucky,
+because the season had arrived when they were soon to go off to a
+southern climate to pass the winter, and they were only waiting to
+become a little stouter and more expert for the journey. Finding that
+he did not return, they resolved to go in search of him, and found him
+sorely wounded and unable to fly.
+
+"Brothers," he said, "an accident has befallen me, but let not this
+prevent your going to a warmer climate. Winter is rapidly approaching,
+and you cannot remain here. It is better that I alone should die than
+for you all to suffer miserably on my account." "No! no!" they replied,
+with one voice, "we will not forsake you; we will share your
+sufferings; we will abandon our journey, and take care of you, as you
+did of us, before we were able to take care of ourselves. If the
+climate kills you, it shall kill us. Do you think we can so soon forget
+your brotherly care, which has surpassed a father's and even a mother's
+kindness? Whether you live or die, we will live or die with you."
+
+They sought out a hollow tree to winter in, and contrived to carry
+their wounded nestmate there; and, before the rigors of winter set in,
+they had stored up food enough to carry them through its severities. To
+make it last the better, two of the number went off south, leaving the
+other three to watch over, feed, and protect the wounded bird.
+Meeji-geeg-wona in due time recovered from his wound, and he repaid
+their kindness by giving them such advice and instruction in the art of
+hunting as his experience had qualified him to impart. As spring
+advanced, they began to venture out of their hiding-place, and were all
+successful in getting food to eke out their winter's stock, except the
+youngest, who was called Peepi-geewi-zains, or the Pigeon Hawk. Being
+small and foolish, flying hither and yon, he always came back without
+anything. At last the Gray Eagle spoke to him, and demanded the cause
+of his ill luck. "It is not my smallness or weakness of body," said he,
+"that prevents my bringing home flesh as well as my brothers. I kill
+ducks and other birds every time I go out; but, just as I get to the
+woods, a large Ko-ko-ko-ho[87] robs me of my prey." "Well! don't
+despair, brother," said Meeji-geeg-wona. "I now feel my strength
+perfectly recovered, and I will go out with you to-morrow," for he was
+the most courageous and warlike of them all.
+
+Next day they went forth in company, the elder seating himself near the
+lake. Peepi-geewi-zains started out, and soon pounced upon a duck.
+
+"Well done!" thought his brother, who saw his success; but, just as he
+was getting to land with his prize, up came a large white owl from a
+tree, where he had been watching, and laid claim to it. He was about
+wresting it from him, when Meeji-geeg-wona came up, and, fixing his
+talons in both sides of the owl, flew home with him.
+
+The little pigeon hawk followed him closely, and was rejoiced and happy
+to think he had brought home something at last. He then flew in the
+owl's face, and wanted to tear out his eyes, and vented his passion in
+abundance of reproachful terms. "Softly," said the Gray Eagle; "do not
+be in such a passion, or exhibit so revengeful a disposition; for this
+will be a lesson to him not to tyrannize over any one who is weaker
+than himself for the future." So, after giving him good advice, and
+telling him what kind of herbs would cure his wounds, they let the owl
+go.
+
+While this act was taking place, and before the liberated owl had yet
+got out of view, two visitors appeared at the hollow tree. They were
+the two nestmates, who had just returned from the south after passing
+the winter there, and they were thus all happily reunited, and each one
+soon chose a mate and flew off to the woods. Spring had now revisited
+the north. The cold winds had ceased, the ice had melted, the streams
+were open, and the forest began rapidly to put on its vernal hue. "But
+it is in vain," said the old man who related this story, "it is in vain
+that spring returns, if we are not thankful to the Master of Life who
+has preserved us through the winter. Nor does that man answer the end
+for which he was made who does not show a kind and charitable feeling
+to all who are in want or sickness, especially to his blood relations.
+These six birds only represent one of our impoverished northern
+families of children, who had been deprived of both their parents and
+the aid of their elder brother nearly at the same time."
+
+      [87] Owl.
+
+
+
+
+WEENG,
+
+THE SPIRIT OF SLEEP.
+
+
+Sleep is personified by the Odjibwas under the name of Weeng.[88] The
+power of the Indian Morpheus is executed by a peculiar class of
+gnome-like beings, called _Weengs_. These subordinate creations,
+although invisible to the human eye, are each armed with a tiny
+war-club, or puggamaugun, with which they nimbly climb up the forehead,
+and knock the drowsy person on the head; on which sleepiness is
+immediately produced. If the first blow is insufficient, another is
+given, until the eyelids close, and a sound sleep is produced. It is
+the constant duty of these little agents to put every one to sleep whom
+they encounter--men, women, and children. And they are found secreted
+around the bed, or on small protuberances of the bark of the Indian
+lodges. They hide themselves in the Gushkeepitau-gun, or smoking pouch
+of the hunter, and when he sits down to light his pipe in the woods,
+are ready to fly out and exert their sleep-compelling power. If they
+succeed, the game is suffered to pass, and the hunter obliged to return
+to his lodge without a reward.
+
+In general, however, they are represented to possess friendly
+dispositions, seeking constantly to restore vigor and elasticity to the
+exhausted body. But being without judgment, their power is sometimes
+exerted at the hazard of reputation, or even life. Sleep may be induced
+in a person carelessly floating in his canoe, above a fall; or in a war
+party, on the borders of an enemy's country; or in a female, without
+the protection of the lodge circle. Although their peculiar season of
+action is in the night, they are also alert during the day.
+
+While the forms of these gnomes are believed to be those of _ininees_,
+little or fairy men, the figure of Weeng himself is unknown, and it is
+not certain that he has ever been seen. Most of what is known on this
+subject, is derived from Iagoo, who related, that going out one day
+with his dogs to hunt, he passed through a wide range of thicket, where
+he lost his dogs. He became much alarmed, for they were faithful
+animals, and he was greatly attached to them. He called out, and made
+every exertion to recover them in vain. At length he came to a spot
+where he found them asleep, having incautiously ran near the residence
+of Weeng. After great exertions he aroused them, but not without having
+felt the power of somnolency himself. As he cast his eyes up from the
+place where the dogs were lying, he saw the Spirit of Sleep sitting
+upon the branch of a tree. He was in the shape of a giant insect, or
+_monetos_, with many wings from his back, which made a low deep
+murmuring sound, like distant falling water. But Iagoo himself, being a
+very great liar and braggart, but little credit was given to his
+narration.
+
+Weeng is not only the dispenser of sleep, but, it seems, he is also the
+author of dulness, which renders the word susceptible of an ironical
+use. If an orator fails, he is said to be struck by Weeng. If a warrior
+_lingers_, he has ventured too near the sleepy god. If children begin
+to nod or yawn, the Indian mother looks up smilingly, and says, "They
+have been struck by Weeng," and puts them to bed.
+
+      [88] This word has the sound of _g_ hard, with a peculiarity as
+      if followed by _k_.
+
+
+
+
+ADDIK KUM MAIG,[89]
+
+OR
+
+THE ORIGIN OF THE WHITE FISH.
+
+
+A long time ago, there lived a famous hunter in a remote part of the
+north. He had a handsome wife and two sons, who were left in the lodge
+every day, while he went out in quest of the animals, upon whose flesh
+they subsisted. Game was very abundant in those days, and his exertions
+in the chase were well rewarded. The skins of animals furnished them
+with clothing, and their flesh with food. They lived a long distance
+from any other lodge, and very seldom saw any one. The two sons were
+still too young to follow their father to the chase, and usually
+diverted themselves within a short distance of the lodge. They noticed
+that a young man visited the lodge during their father's absence, and
+these visits were frequently repeated. At length the elder of the two
+said to his mother:
+
+"My mother, who is this tall young man that comes here so often during
+our father's absence? Does he wish to see him? Shall I tell him when he
+comes back this evening?" "Bad boy," said the mother, pettishly, "mind
+your bow and arrows, and do not be afraid to enter the forest in search
+of birds and squirrels, with your little brother. It is not manly to be
+ever about the lodge. Nor will you become a warrior if you tell all the
+little things you see and hear to your father. Say not a word to him on
+the subject." The boys obeyed, but as they grew older, and still saw
+the visits of this mysterious stranger, they resolved to speak again to
+their mother, and told her that they meant to inform their father of
+all they had observed, for they frequently saw this young man passing
+through the woods, and he did not walk in the path, nor did he carry
+anything to eat. If he had any message to deliver, they had observed
+that messages were always addressed to the men, and not to the women.
+At this, the mother flew into a rage. "I will kill you," said she, "if
+you speak of it." They were again intimidated to hold their peace. But
+observing the continuance of an improper intercourse, kept up by
+stealth, as it were, they resolved at last to disclose the whole matter
+to their father. They did so. The result was such as might have been
+anticipated. The father, being satisfied of the infidelity of his wife,
+watched a suitable occasion, when she was separated from the children,
+that they might not have their feelings excited, and with a single blow
+of his war-club dispatched her. He then buried her under the ashes of
+his fire, took down the lodge, and removed, with his two sons, to a
+distant position.
+
+But the spirit of the woman haunted the children, who were now grown up
+to the estate of young men. She appeared to them as they returned from
+hunting in the evening. They were also terrified in their dreams, which
+they attributed to her. She harassed their imaginations wherever they
+went. Life became a scene of perpetual terrors. They resolved, together
+with their father, to leave the country, and commenced a journey toward
+the south. After travelling many days along the shores of Lake Superior,
+they passed around a high promontory of rock where a large river issued
+out of the lake, and soon after came to a place called Pauwateeg.[90]
+
+They had no sooner come in sight of these falls, than they beheld the
+skull of the woman rolling along the beach. They were in the utmost
+fear, and knew not how to elude her. At this moment one of them looked
+out, and saw a stately crane sitting on a rock in the middle of the
+rapids. They called out to the bird, "See, grandfather, we are
+persecuted by a spirit. Come and take us across the falls, so that we
+may escape her."
+
+This crane was a bird of extraordinary size and great age. When first
+descried by the two sons, he sat in a state of stupor, in the midst of
+the most violent eddies. When he heard himself addressed, he stretched
+forth his neck with great deliberation, and lifting himself by his
+wings, flew across to their assistance. "Be careful," said the crane,
+"that you do not touch the back part of my head. It is sore, and should
+you press against it, I shall not be able to avoid throwing you both
+into the rapids." They were, however, attentive on this point, and were
+safely landed on the south shore of the river.
+
+The crane then resumed his former position in the rapids. But the skull
+now cried out, "Come, my grandfather, and carry me over, for I have
+lost my children, and am sorely distressed." The aged bird flew to her
+assistance. He carefully repeated the injunction that she must by no
+means touch the back part of his head, which had been hurt, and was not
+yet healed. She promised to obey, but soon felt a curiosity to know
+where the head of her carrier had been hurt, and how so aged a bird
+could have received so bad a wound. She thought it strange, and before
+they were half way over the rapids, could not resist the inclination
+she felt to touch the affected part. Instantly the crane threw her into
+the rapids. "There," said he, "you have been of no use during your
+life, you shall now be changed into something for the benefit of your
+people, and it shall be called Addik Kum Maig." As the skull floated
+from rock to rock, the brains were strewed in the water, in a form
+resembling roes, which soon assumed the shape of a new species of fish,
+possessing a whiteness of color, and peculiar flavor, which have caused
+it, ever since, to be in great repute with the Indians.
+
+The family of this man, in gratitude for their deliverance, adopted the
+crane as their totem, or ancestral mark; and this continues to be the
+distinguishing tribal sign of the band to this day.
+
+      [89] This term appears to be a derivative from Addik, the
+      reindeer, and the plural form of the generic Gumee, water,
+      implying deer of the water.
+
+      [90] Saut Ste. Marie.
+
+
+
+
+BOKWEWA,
+
+OR
+
+THE HUMPBACK MAGICIAN.
+
+ODJIBWA.
+
+
+Bokwewa and his brother lived in a secluded part of the country. They
+were considered as Manitoes, who had assumed mortal shapes. Bokwewa was
+the most gifted in supernatural endowments, although he was deformed in
+person. His brother partook more of the nature of the present race of
+beings. They lived retired from the world, and undisturbed by its
+cares, and passed their time in contentment and happiness.
+
+Bokwewa,[91] owing to his deformity, was very domestic in his habits,
+and gave his attention to household affairs. He instructed his brother
+in the manner of pursuing game, and made him acquainted with all the
+accomplishments of a sagacious and expert hunter. His brother possessed
+a fine form, and an active and robust constitution; and felt a
+disposition to show himself off among men. He was restive in his
+seclusion, and showed a fondness for visiting remote places.
+
+One day he told his brother that he was going to leave him; that he
+wished to visit the habitations of men and procure a wife. Bokwewa
+objected to his going; but his brother overruled all that he said, and
+he finally departed on his travels. He travelled a long time. At length
+he fell in with the footsteps of men. They were moving by encampments,
+for he saw several places where they had encamped. It was in the
+winter. He came to a place where one of their number had died. They had
+placed the corpse on a scaffold. He went to it and took it down. He saw
+that it was the corpse of a beautiful young woman. "She shall be my
+wife!" he exclaimed.
+
+He took her up, and placing her on his back, returned to his brother.
+"Brother," he said, "cannot you restore her to life? Oh, do me that
+favor!" Bokwewa said he would try. He performed numerous ceremonies,
+and at last succeeded in restoring her to life. They lived very happily
+for some time. Bokwewa was extremely kind to his brother, and did
+everything to render his life happy. Being deformed and crippled, he
+always remained at home, while his brother went out to hunt. And it was
+by following his directions, which were those of a skilful hunter, that
+he always succeeded in returning with a good store of meat.
+
+One day he had gone out as usual, and Bokwewa was sitting in his lodge,
+on the opposite side of his brother's wife, when a tall, fine young man
+entered, and immediately took the woman by the hand and drew her to the
+door. She resisted and called on Bokwewa, who jumped up to her
+assistance. But their joint resistance was unavailing; the man
+succeeded in carrying her away. In the scuffle, Bokwewa had his hump
+back much bruised on the stones near the door. He crawled into the
+lodge and wept very sorely, for he knew that it was a powerful Manito
+who had taken the woman.
+
+When his brother returned, he related all to him exactly as it
+happened. He would not taste food for several days. Sometimes he would
+fall to weeping for a long time, and appeared almost beside himself. At
+last he said he would go in search of her. Bokwewa tried to dissuade
+him from it, but he insisted.
+
+"Well!" said he, "since you are bent on going, listen to my advice. You
+will have to go south. It is a long distance to the residence of your
+captive wife, and there are so many charms and temptations in the way,
+I am afraid you will be led astray by them, and forget your errand. For
+the people whom you will see in that country do nothing but amuse
+themselves. They are very idle, gay, and effeminate, and I am fearful
+they will lead you astray. Your journey is beset with difficulties. I
+will mention one or two things, which you must be on your guard
+against. In the course of your journey, you will come to a large
+grape-vine lying across your way. You must not even taste its fruit,
+for it is poisonous. Step over it. It is a snake. You will next come to
+something that looks like bear's fat, transparent and tremulous. Don't
+taste it, or you will be overcome by the pleasures of those people. It
+is frog's eggs. These are snares laid by the way for you."
+
+He said he would follow the advice, and bid farewell to his brother.
+After travelling a long time, he came to the enchanted grape-vine. It
+looked so tempting, he forgot his brother's advice and tasted the
+fruit. He went on till he came to the frog's eggs. The substance so
+much resembled bear's fat that he tasted it. He still went on. At
+length he came to a very extensive plain. As he emerged from the forest
+the sun was setting, and cast its scarlet and golden shades over all
+the plain. The air was perfectly calm, and the whole prospect had the
+air of an enchanted land. The most inviting fruits and flowers spread
+out before the eye. At a distance he beheld a large village, filled
+with people without number, and as he drew near he saw women beating
+corn in silver mortars. When they saw him approaching, they cried out,
+"Bokwewa's brother has come to see us." Throngs of men and women, gayly
+dressed, came out to meet him. He was soon overcome by their flatteries
+and pleasures, and he was not long afterward seen beating corn with
+their women (the strongest proof of effeminacy), although his wife, for
+whom he had mourned so much, was in that Indian metropolis.
+
+Meantime, Bokwewa waited patiently for the return of his brother. At
+length, after the lapse of several years, he set out in search of him,
+and arrived in safety among the luxuriant people of the South. He met
+with the same allurements on the road, and the same flattering
+reception that his brother did. But he was above all temptations. The
+pleasures he saw had no other effect upon him than to make him regret
+the weakness of mind of those who were led away by them. He shed tears
+of pity to see that his brother had laid aside the arms of a hunter,
+and was seen beating corn with the women.
+
+He ascertained where his brother's wife remained. After deliberating
+some time, he went to the river where she usually came to draw water.
+He there changed himself into one of those hair-snakes which are
+sometimes seen in running water. When she came down, he spoke to her,
+saying, "Take me up; I am Bokwewa." She then scooped him out and went
+home. In a short time the Manito who had taken her away asked her for
+water to drink. The lodge in which they lived was partitioned. He
+occupied a secret place, and was never seen by any one but the woman.
+She handed him the water containing the hair-snake, which he drank,
+with the snake, and soon after was a dead Manito.
+
+Bokwewa then resumed his former shape. He went to his brother, and used
+every means to reclaim him. But he would not listen. He was so much
+taken up with the pleasures and dissipations into which he had fallen,
+that he refused to give them up, although Bokwewa, with tears, tried to
+convince him of his foolishness, and to show him that those pleasures
+could not endure for a long time. Finding that he was past reclaiming,
+Bokwewa left him, and disappeared forever.
+
+      [91] _i.e._, the sudden stopping of a voice.
+
+
+
+
+AGGODAGAUDA AND HIS DAUGHTER,
+
+OR
+
+THE MAN WITH HIS LEG TIED UP.
+
+
+The prairie and forest tribes were once at war, and it required the
+keenest eyes to keep out of the way of danger. Aggodagauda lived on the
+borders, in the forests, but he was in a by-place not easy to find. He
+was a successful hunter and fisher, although he had, by some mischance,
+lost the use of one of his legs. So he had it tied, and looped up, and
+got over the ground by hopping.
+
+Use had given him great power in the sound leg, and he could hop to a
+distance, which was surprising. There was nobody in the country who
+could outgo him on a hunt. Even Paup-Puk-keewiss, in his best days,
+could hardly excel him. But he had a great enemy in the chief or king
+of the buffaloes, who frequently passed over the plains with the force
+of a tempest. It was a peculiarity of Aggodagauda, that he had an only
+child, a daughter, who was very beautiful, whom it was the aim of this
+enemy to carry off, and he had to exert his skill to guard her from the
+inroad of his great and wily opponent. To protect her the better, he
+had built a log house, and it was only on the roof of this that he
+could permit his daughter to take the open air, and disport herself.
+Now her hair was so long, that when she untied it, the raven locks hung
+down to the ground.
+
+One fine morning, the father had prepared himself to go out a fishing,
+but before leaving the lodge put her on her guard against their arch
+enemy. "The sun shines," said he, "and the buffalo chief will be apt to
+move this way before the sun gets to the middle point, and you must be
+careful not to pass out of the house, for there is no knowing but he is
+always narrowly watching. If you go out, at all, let it be on the roof,
+and even there keep a sharp lookout, lest he sweep by and catch you
+with his long horns." With this advice he left his lodge. But he had
+scarcely got seated in his canoe, on his favorite fishing-ground, when
+his ear caught opprobrious strains from his enemy. He listened again,
+and the sound was now clearer than before--
+
+    "Aggodagauda--one legged man,
+    Man with his leg tied up;
+    What is he but a rapakena,[92]
+    Hipped, and legged?"
+
+He immediately paddled his canoe ashore, and took his way home--hopping
+a hundred rods at a leap. But when he reached his house his daughter
+was gone. She had gone out on the top of the house, and sat combing her
+long and beautiful hair, on the eaves of the lodge, when the buffalo
+king, coming suddenly by, caught her glossy hair, and winding it about
+his horns, tossed her on to his shoulders, swept off in an opposite
+direction to his village. He was followed by his whole troop, who made
+the plains shake under their tread. They soon reached, and dashed
+across a river, and pursued their course to the chief's village, where
+she was received by all with great attention. His other wives did all
+they could to put the lodge in order, and the buffalo king himself was
+unremitting in his kindness and attention. He took down from the walls
+his pibbegwun, and began to play the softest strains, to please her
+ear. Ever and anon, as the chorus paused, could be heard the words--
+
+    "Ne ne mo sha makow,
+    Aghi saw ge naun.
+    My sweetheart--my bosom is true,
+    You only--it is you that I love."
+
+They brought her cold water, in bark dishes from the spring. They set
+before her the choicest food. The king handed her nuts from the
+pecan-tree, then he went out hunting to get her the finest meats and
+water fowl. But she remained pensive, and sat fasting in her lodge day
+after day, and gave him no hopes of forgiveness for his treachery.
+
+In the mean time, Aggodagauda came home, and finding his daughter had
+been stolen, determined to get her back. For this purpose he
+immediately set out. He could easily track the king, until he came to
+the banks of the river, and saw that he had plunged in and swam over.
+But there had been a frosty night or two since, and the water was
+covered with thin ice, so that he could not walk on it. He determined
+to encamp till it became solid, and then crossed over and pursued the
+trail. As he went along he saw branches broken off and strewed behind,
+for these had been purposely cast along by the daughter, that the way
+might be found. And the manner in which she had accomplished it was
+this. Her hair was all untied when she was caught up, and being very
+long, it caught on the branches as they darted along, and it was these
+twigs that she broke off for signs to her father. When he came to the
+king's lodge it was evening. Carefully approaching it, he peeped
+through the sides and saw his daughter sitting disconsolately. She
+immediately caught his eye, and knowing that it was her father come for
+her, she all at once appeared to relent in her heart, and asking for
+the dipper, said to the king, "I will go and get you a drink of water."
+This token of submission delighted him, and he waited with impatience
+for her return. At last he went out with his followers, but nothing
+could be seen or heard of the captive daughter. They sallied out in the
+plains, but had not gone far, by the light of the moon, when a party of
+hunters, headed by the father-in-law of Aggodagauda, set up their yells
+in their rear, and a shower of arrows was poured in upon them. Many of
+their numbers fell, but the king being stronger and swifter than the
+rest, fled toward the west, and never again appeared in that part of
+the country.
+
+While all this was passing, Aggodagauda, who had met his daughter the
+moment she came out of the lodge, and being helped by his guardian
+spirit, took her on his shoulders and hopped off, a hundred steps in
+one, till he reached the stream, crossed it, and brought back his
+daughter in triumph to his lodge.
+
+      [92] Grasshopper.
+
+
+
+
+IOSCO;
+
+OR,
+
+THE PRAIRIE BOYS' VISIT TO THE SUN AND MOON.
+
+AN OTTAWA LEGEND.
+
+
+One pleasant morning, five young men and a boy about ten years of age,
+called Ioscoda, went out a shooting with their bows and arrows. They
+left their lodges with the first appearance of daylight, and having
+passed through a long reach of woods, had ascended a lofty eminence
+before the sun arose. While standing there in a group, the sun suddenly
+burst forth in all its effulgence. The air was so clear, that it
+appeared to be at no great distance. "How very near it is," they all
+said. "It cannot be far," said the eldest, "and if you will accompany
+me, we will see if we cannot reach it." A loud assent burst from every
+lip. Even the boy, Ioscoda, said he would go. They told him he was too
+young; but he replied, "If you do not permit me to go with you, I will
+mention your design to each of your parents." They then said to him,
+"You shall also go with us, so be quiet."
+
+They then fell upon the following arrangement. It was resolved that
+each one should obtain from his parents as many pairs of moccasins as
+he could, and also new clothing of leather. They fixed on a spot where
+they would conceal all their articles, until they were ready to start
+on their journey, and which would serve, in the mean time, as a place
+of rendezvous, where they might secretly meet and consult. This being
+arranged, they returned home.
+
+A long time passed before they could put their plan into execution. But
+they kept it a profound secret, even to the boy. They frequently met at
+the appointed place, and discussed the subject. At length everything
+was in readiness, and they decided on a day to set out. That morning
+the boy shed tears for a pair of new leather leggings. "Don't you see,"
+said he to his parents, "how my companions are dressed?" This appeal to
+their pride and envy prevailed. He obtained the leggings. Artifices
+were also resorted to by the others, under the plea of going out on a
+special hunt. They said to one another, but in a tone that they might
+be overheard, "We will see who will bring in the most game." They went
+out in different directions, but soon met at the appointed place, where
+they had hid the articles for their journey, with as many arrows as
+they had time to make. Each one took something on his back, and they
+began their march. They travelled day after day, through a thick
+forest, but the sun was always at the same distance. "We must," said
+they, "travel toward Waubunong,[93] and we shall get to the object, some
+time or other." No one was discouraged, although winter overtook them.
+They built a lodge and hunted, till they obtained as much dried meat as
+they could carry, and then continued on. This they did several times;
+season followed season. More than one winter overtook them. Yet none of
+them became discouraged, or expressed dissatisfaction.
+
+One day the travellers came to the banks of a river, whose waters ran
+toward Waubunong. They followed it down many days. As they were
+walking, one day, they came to rising grounds, from which they saw
+something white or clear through the trees. They encamped on this
+elevation. Next morning they came, suddenly, in view of an immense body
+of water. No land could be seen as far as the eye could reach. One or
+two of them lay down on the beach to drink. As soon as they got the
+water in their mouths, they spit it out, and exclaimed, with surprise,
+"Shewetagon awbo!" [salt water.] It was the sea. While looking on the
+water, the sun arose as if from the deep, and went on its steady course
+through the heavens, enlivening the scene with his cheering and
+animating beams. They stood in fixed admiration, but the object
+appeared to be as distant from them as ever. They thought it best to
+encamp, and consult whether it were advisable to go on, or return. "We
+see," said the leader, "that the sun is still on the opposite side of
+this great water, but let us not be disheartened. We can walk around
+the shore." To this they all assented.
+
+Next morning they took the northerly shore, to walk around it, but had
+only gone a short distance when they came to a large river. They again
+encamped, and while sitting before the fire, the question was put,
+whether any one of them had ever dreamed of water, or of walking on it.
+After a long silence, the eldest said he had. Soon after they lay down
+to sleep. When they arose the following morning, the eldest addressed
+them: "We have done wrong in coming north. Last night my spirit
+appeared to me, and told me to go south, and that but a short distance
+beyond the spot we left yesterday, we should come to a river with high
+banks. That by looking off its mouth, we should see an island, which
+would approach to us. He directed that we should all get on it. He then
+told me to cast my eyes toward the water. I did so, and I saw all he
+had declared. He then informed me that we must return south, and wait
+at the river until the day after tomorrow. I believe all that was
+revealed to me in this dream, and that we shall do well to follow it."
+
+The party immediately retraced their footsteps in exact obedience to
+these intimations. Toward the evening they came to the borders of the
+indicated river. It had high banks, behind which they encamped, and
+here they patiently awaited the fulfilment of the dream. The appointed
+day arrived. They said, "We will see if that which has been said will
+be seen." Midday is the promised time. Early in the morning two had
+gone to the shore to keep a look-out. They waited anxiously for the
+middle of the day, straining their eyes to see if they could discover
+anything. Suddenly they raised a shout. "Ewaddee suh neen! There it is!
+There it is!" On rushing to the spot they beheld something like an
+_island_ steadily advancing toward the shore. As it approached, they
+could discover that something was moving on it in various directions.
+They said, "It is a Manito, let us be off into the woods." "No, no,"
+cried the eldest, "let us stay and watch." It now became stationary,
+and lost much of its imagined height. They could only see _three_
+trees, as they thought, resembling trees in a pinery that had been
+burnt. The wind, which had been off the sea, now died away into a
+perfect calm. They saw something leaving the fancied island and
+approaching the shore, throwing and flapping its wings, like a loon
+when he attempts to fly in calm weather. It entered the mouth of the
+river. They were on the point of running away, but the eldest dissuaded
+them. "Let us hide in this hollow," he said, "and we will see what it
+can be." They did so. They soon heard the sounds of chopping, and
+quickly after they heard the falling of trees. Suddenly a man came up
+to the place of their concealment. He stood still and gazed at them.
+They did the same in utter amazement. After looking at them for some
+time, the person advanced and extended his hand toward them. The eldest
+took it, and they shook hands. He then spoke, but they could not
+understand each other. He then cried out for his comrades. They came,
+and examined very minutely their dresses. They again tried to converse.
+Finding it impossible, the strangers then motioned to the Naubequon,
+and to the Naubequon-ais,[94] wishing them to embark. They consulted
+with each other for a short time. The eldest then motioned that they
+should go on board. They embarked on board the boat, which they found
+to be loaded with wood. When they reached the side of the supposed
+island, they were surprised to see a great number of people, who all
+came to the side and looked at them with open mouths. One spoke out,
+above the others, and appeared to be the leader. He motioned them to
+get on board. He looked at and examined them, and took them down into
+the cabin, and set things before them to eat. He treated them very
+kindly.
+
+When they came on deck again, all the sails were spread, and they were
+fast losing sight of land. In the course of the night and the following
+day they were sick at the stomach, but soon recovered. When they had
+been out at sea ten days, they became sorrowful, as they could not
+converse with those who had hats on.[95]
+
+The following night Ioscoda dreamed that his spirit appeared to him. He
+told him not to be discouraged, that he would open his ears, so as to
+be able to understand the people with hats. I will not permit you to
+understand much, said he, only sufficient to reveal your wants, and to
+know what is said to you. He repeated this dream to his friends, and
+they were satisfied and encouraged by it. When they had been out about
+thirty days, the master of the ship told them, and motioned them to
+change their dresses of leather, for such as his people wore; for if
+they did not, his master would be displeased. It was on this occasion
+that the elder first understood a few words of the language. The first
+phrase he comprehended was _La que notte_, and from one word to another
+he was soon able to speak it.
+
+One day the men cried out, land! and soon after they heard a noise
+resembling thunder, in repeated peals. When they had got over their
+fears, they were shown the large guns which made this noise. Soon after
+they saw a vessel smaller than their own, sailing out of a bay, in the
+direction toward them. She had flags on her masts, and when she came
+near she fired a gun. The large vessel also hoisted her flags, and the
+boat came alongside. The master told the person who came in it, to tell
+his master or king, that he had six strangers on board, such as had
+never been seen before, and that they were coming to visit him. It was
+some time after the departure of this messenger before the vessel got
+up to the town. It was then dark, but they could see people, and
+horses, and odawbons[96] ashore. They were landed and placed in a
+covered vehicle, and driven off. When they stopped, they were taken
+into a large and splendid room. They were here told that the great
+chief wished to see them. They were shown into another large room,
+filled with men and women. All the room was Shoneancauda.[97] The chief
+asked them their business, and the object of their journey. They told
+him where they were from, and where they were going, and the nature of
+the enterprise which they had undertaken. He tried to dissuade them
+from its execution, telling them of the many trials and difficulties
+they would have to undergo; that so many days' march from his country
+dwelt a bad spirit, or Manito, who foreknew and foretold the existence
+and arrival of all who entered into his country. It is impossible, he
+said, my children, for you ever to arrive at the object you are in
+search of.
+
+Ioscoda replied: "Nosa,"[98] and they could see the chief blush in
+being called _father_, "we have come so far on our way, and we will
+continue it; we have resolved firmly that we will do so. We think our
+lives are of no value, for we have given them up for this object.
+Nosa," he repeated, "do not then prevent us from going on our journey."
+The chief then dismissed them with valuable presents, after having
+appointed the next day to speak to them again, and provided everything
+that they needed or wished for.
+
+Next day they were again summoned to appear before the king. He again
+tried to dissuade them. He said he would send them back to their
+country in one of his vessels: but all he said had no effect. "Well,"
+said he, "if you will go, I will furnish you all that is needed for
+your journey." He had everything provided accordingly. He told them,
+that three days before they reached the Bad Spirit he had warned them
+of, they would hear his Sheshegwun.[99] He cautioned them to be wise,
+for he felt that he should never see them all again.
+
+They resumed their journey, and travelled sometimes through villages,
+but they soon left them behind and passed over a region of forests and
+plains, without inhabitants. They found all the productions of a new
+country: trees, animals, birds, were entirely different from those they
+were accustomed to, on the other side of the great waters. They
+travelled, and travelled, till they wore out all of the clothing that
+had been given to them, and had to take to their leather clothing
+again.
+
+The three days the chief spoke of meant three years, for it was only at
+the end of the third year, that they came within the sight of the
+spirit's sheshegwun. The sound appeared to be near, but they continued
+walking on, day after day, without apparently getting any nearer to it.
+Suddenly they came to a very extensive plain; they could see the blue
+ridges of distant mountains rising on the horizon beyond it; they
+pushed on, thinking to get over the plain before night, but they were
+overtaken by darkness; they were now on a stony part of the plain,
+covered by about a foot's depth of water; they were weary and fatigued;
+some of them said, let us lie down; no, no, said the others, let us
+push on. Soon they stood on firm ground, but it was as much as they
+could do to stand, for they were very weary. They, however, made an
+effort to encamp, lighted up a fire, and refreshed themselves by
+eating. They then commenced conversing about the sound of the spirit's
+sheshegwun, which they had heard for several days. Suddenly the
+instrument commenced; it sounded as if it was subterraneous, and it
+shook the ground: they tied up their bundles and went toward the spot.
+They soon came to a large building, which was illuminated. As soon as
+they came to the door, they were met by a rather elderly man. "How do
+ye do," said he, "my grandsons? Walk in, walk in; I am glad to see you:
+I knew when you started: I saw you encamp this evening: sit down, and
+tell me the news of the country you left, for I feel interested in it."
+They complied with his wishes, and when they had concluded, each one
+presented him with a piece of tobacco. He then revealed to them things
+that would happen in their journey, and predicted its successful
+accomplishment. "I do not say that all of you," said he, "will
+successfully go through it. You have passed over three-fourths of your
+way, and I will tell you how to proceed after you get to the edge of
+the earth. Soon after you leave this place, you will hear a deafening
+sound: it is the sky descending on the edge, but it keeps moving up and
+down; you will watch, and when it moves up, you will see a vacant space
+between it and the earth. You must not be afraid. A chasm of awful
+depth is there, which separates the unknown from this earth, and a veil
+of darkness conceals it. Fear not. You must leap through; and if you
+succeed, you will find yourselves on a beautiful plain, and in a soft
+and mild light emitted by the moon." They thanked him for his advice. A
+pause ensued.
+
+"I have told you the way," he said; "now tell me again of the country
+you have left; for I committed dreadful ravages while I was there: does
+not the country show marks of it? and do not the inhabitants tell of me
+to their children? I came to this place to mourn over my bad actions,
+and am trying, by my present course of life, to relieve my mind of the
+load that is on it." They told him that their fathers spoke often of a
+celebrated personage called Manabozho, who performed great exploits. "I
+am he," said the Spirit. They gazed with astonishment and fear. "Do you
+see this pointed house?" said he, pointing to one that resembled a
+sugar-loaf; "you can now each speak your wishes, and will be answered
+from that house. Speak out, and ask what each wants, and it shall be
+granted." One of them, who was vain, asked with presumption, that he
+might live forever, and never be in want. He was answered, "Your wish
+shall be granted." The second made the same request, and received the
+same answer. The third asked to live longer than common people, and to
+be always successful in his war excursions, never losing any of his
+young men. He was told, "Your wishes are granted." The fourth joined in
+the same request, and received the same reply. The fifth made an humble
+request, asking to live as long as men generally do, and that he might
+be crowned with such success in hunting as to be able to provide for
+his parents and relatives. The sixth made the same request, and it was
+granted to both, in pleasing tones, from the pointed house.
+
+After hearing these responses they prepared to depart. They were told
+by Manabozho, that they had been with him but one day, but they
+afterward found that they had remained there upward of a year. When
+they were on the point of setting out, Manabozho exclaimed, "Stop! you
+two, who asked me for eternal life, will receive the boon you wish
+immediately." He spake, and one was turned into a stone called
+Shin-gauba-wossin,[100] and the other into a cedar tree. "Now," said he
+to the others, "you can go." They left him in fear, saying, "We were
+fortunate to escape so, for the king told us he was wicked, and that we
+should not probably escape from him." They had not proceeded far, when
+they began to hear the sound of the beating sky. It appeared to be near
+at hand, but they had a long interval to travel before they came near,
+and the sound was then stunning to their senses; for when the sky came
+down, its pressure would force gusts of wind from the opening, so
+strong that it was with difficulty they could keep their feet, and the
+sun passed but a short distance above their heads. They however
+approached boldly, but had to wait sometime before they could muster
+courage enough to leap through the dark veil that covered the passage.
+The sky would come down with violence, but it would rise slowly and
+gradually. The two who had made the humble request, stood near the
+edge, and with no little exertion succeeded, one after the other, in
+leaping through, and gaining a firm foothold. The remaining two were
+fearful and undecided: the others spoke to them through the darkness,
+saying, "Leap! leap! the sky is on its way down." These two looked up
+and saw it descending, but fear paralyzed their efforts; they made but
+a feeble attempt, so as to reach the opposite side with their hands;
+but the sky at the same time struck on the earth with great violence
+and a terrible sound, and forced them into the dreadful black chasm.
+
+The two successful adventurers, of whom Iosco now was chief, found
+themselves in a beautiful country, lighted by the moon, which shed
+around a mild and pleasant light. They could see the moon approaching
+as if it were from behind a hill. They advanced, and an aged woman
+spoke to them; she had a white face and pleasing air, and looked rather
+old, though she spoke to them very kindly: they knew from her first
+appearance that she was the moon: she asked them several questions: she
+told them that she knew of their coming, and was happy to see them: she
+informed them that they were half way to her brother's, and that from
+the earth to her abode was half the distance. "I will, by and by, have
+leisure," said she, "and will go and conduct you to my brother, for he
+is now absent on his daily course: you will succeed in your object, and
+return in safety to your country and friends, with the good wishes, I
+am sure, of my brother." While the travellers were with her, they
+received every attention. When the proper time arrived, she said to
+them, "My brother is now rising from below, and we shall see his light
+as he comes over the distant edge: come," said she, "I will lead you
+up." They went forward, but in some mysterious way, they hardly knew
+how: they rose almost directly up, as if they had ascended steps. They
+then came upon an immense plain, declining in the direction of the
+sun's approach. When he came near, the moon spake--"I have brought you
+these persons, whom we knew were coming;" and with this she
+disappeared. The sun motioned with his hand for them to follow him.
+They did so, but found it rather difficult, as the way was steep: they
+found it particularly so from the edge of the earth till they got
+halfway between that point and midday: when they reached this spot, the
+sun stopped, and sat down to rest. "What, my children," said he, "has
+brought you here? I could not speak to you before: I could not stop at
+any place but this, for this is my first resting-place--then at the
+centre, which is at midday, and then halfway from that to the western
+edge.[101] Tell me," he continued, "the object of your undertaking
+this journey and all the circumstances which have happened to you on
+the way." They complied, Iosco told him their main object was to see
+him. They had lost four of their friends on the way, and they wished to
+know whether they could return in safety to the earth, that they might
+inform their friends and relatives of all that had befallen them. They
+concluded by requesting him to grant their wishes. He replied, "Yes,
+you shall certainly return in safety; but your companions were vain and
+presumptuous in their demands. They were Gug-ge-baw-diz-ze-wug.[102]
+They aspired to what Manitoes only could enjoy. But you two, as I said,
+shall get back to your country, and become as happy as the hunter's
+life can make you. You shall never be in want of the necessaries of
+life, as long as you are permitted to live; and you will have the
+satisfaction of relating your journey to your friends, and also of
+telling them of me. Follow me, follow me," he said, commencing his
+course again. The ascent was now gradual, and they soon came to a level
+plain. After travelling some time he again sat down to rest, for we had
+arrived at Nau-we-qua.[103] "You see," said he, "it is level at this
+place, but a short distance onwards, my way descends gradually to my
+last resting-place, from which there is an abrupt descent." He repeated
+his assurance that they should be shielded from danger, if they relied
+firmly on his power. "Come here quickly," he said, placing something
+before them on which they could descend; "keep firm," said he, as they
+resumed the descent. They went downward as if they had been let down by
+ropes.
+
+In the mean time the parents of these two young men dreamed that their
+sons were returning, and that they should soon see them. They placed
+the fullest confidence in their dreams. Early in the morning they left
+their lodges for a remote point in the forest, where they expected to
+meet them. They were not long at the place before they saw the
+adventurers returning, for they had descended not far from that place.
+The young men knew they were their fathers. They met, and were happy.
+They related all that had befallen them. They did not conceal anything;
+and they expressed their gratitude to the different Manitoes who had
+preserved them, by feasting and gifts, and particularly to the sun and
+moon, who had received them as their children.
+
+      [93] The East--_i.e._ place of light.
+
+      [94] Ship and boat. These terms exhibit the simple and the
+      diminutive forms of the name for ship or vessel. It is also the
+      term for a woman's needlework, and seems to imply a tangled
+      thready mass, and was perhaps transferred in allusion to a ship's
+      ropes.
+
+      [95] Wewaquonidjig, a term early and extensively applied to white
+      men, by our Indians, and still frequently used.
+
+      [96] Odawbon comprehends all vehicles between a dog train and a
+      coach, whether on wheels or runners. The term is nearest allied
+      to vehicle.
+
+      [97] Massive silver.
+
+      [98] My father.
+
+      [99] A rattle.
+
+      [100] A hard primitive stone, frequently found along the borders
+      of the lakes and watercourses, generally fretted into image
+      shapes. Hardness and indestructibility are regarded as its
+      characteristics by the Indians. It is often granite.
+
+      [101] This computation of time separates the day into four
+      portions of six hours each--two of which, from 1 to 6, and from 6
+      to 12 A.M. compose the _morning_, and the other two, from 1 to 6,
+      and from 6 to 12 P.M. compose the _evening_.
+
+      [102] This is a verbal form, plural number, of the transitive
+      adjective--foolish.
+
+      [103] Midday, or middle line.
+
+
+
+
+THE ENCHANTED MOCCASINS.
+
+ODJIBWA.
+
+
+There once lived a little boy, all alone with his sister, in a very
+wild uninhabitable country. They saw nothing but beasts, and birds, the
+sky above them, and the earth beneath them. But there were no human
+beings besides themselves. The boy often retired to think, in lone
+places, and the opinion was formed that he had supernatural powers. It
+was supposed that he would perform some extraordinary exploits, and he
+was called Onwe Bahmondoong, or he that carries a ball on his back. As
+he grew up he was impatient to know whether there were other beings
+near them: she replied, that there was, but they lived in a remote
+distance. There was a large village of hunters and warriors. Being now
+well grown, he determined to seek his fortune, and asked her to make
+him several pairs of moccasins to last him on the journey. With this
+request she complied. Then taking his bow and arrows, and his war-club,
+and a little sack containing his _nawappo_, or travelling victuals, he
+immediately set out on his journey. He travelled on, not knowing
+exactly where he went. Hills, plains, trees, rocks, forests, meadows,
+spread before him. Sometimes he killed an animal, sometimes a bird. The
+deer often started in his path. He saw the fox, the bear, and the
+ground-hog. The eagles screamed above him. The ducks chattered in the
+ponds and lakes. He lay down and slept when he was tired, he rose up
+when he was refreshed. At last he came to a small wigwam, and, on
+looking into it, discovered a very old woman sitting alone by the fire.
+As soon as she saw the stranger, she invited him in, and thus addressed
+him: "My poor grandchild, I suppose you are one of those who seek for
+the distant village, from which no person has ever yet returned. Unless
+your guardian is more powerful than the guardian of your predecessors,
+you too will share a similar fate of theirs. Be careful to provide
+yourself with the Ozhebahguhnun--the bones they use in the medicine
+dance[104]--without which you cannot succeed." After she had thus
+spoken, she gave him the following directions for his journey. "When
+you come near to the village which you seek, you will see in the centre
+a large lodge, in which the chief of the village, who has two
+daughters, resides. Before the door you will see a great tree, which is
+smooth and destitute of bark. On this tree, about the height of a man
+from the ground, a small lodge is suspended, in which these two
+daughters dwell. It is here so many have been destroyed. Be wise, my
+grandchild, and abide strictly by my directions." The old woman then
+gave him the Ozhebahguhnun, which would cause his success. Placing them
+in his bosom, he continued his journey, till at length he arrived at
+the sought-for village; and, as he was gazing around him, he saw both
+the tree and the lodge which the old woman had mentioned. Immediately
+he bent his steps for the tree, and approaching, he endeavored to reach
+the suspended lodge. But all his efforts were vain; for as often as he
+attempted to reach it, the tree began to tremble, and soon shot up so
+that the lodge could hardly be perceived. Foiled as he was in all his
+attempts, he thought of his guardian and changed himself into a small
+squirrel, that he might more easily accomplish his design. He then
+mounted the tree in quest of the lodge. After climbing for some time,
+he became fatigued, and panted for breath; but, remembering the
+instructions which the old woman had given him, he took from his bosom
+one of the bones, and thrust it into the trunk of the tree, on which he
+sat. In this way he quickly found relief; and, as often as he became
+fatigued, he repeated this; but whenever he came near the lodge and
+attempted to touch it, the tree would shoot up as before, and place the
+lodge beyond his reach. At length, the bones being exhausted, he began
+to despair, for the earth had long since vanished from his sight.
+Summoning all resolution, he determined to make another effort to reach
+the object of his wishes. On he went; yet, as soon as he came near the
+lodge and attempted to touch it, the tree again shook, but it had
+reached the arch of heaven, and could go no higher; so now he entered
+the lodge, and beheld the two sisters sitting opposite each other. He
+asked their names. The one on his left hand called herself
+Azhabee,[105] and the one on the right Negahnahbee.[106] Whenever he
+addressed the one on his left hand, the tree would tremble as before,
+and settle down to its former position. But when he addressed the one
+on his right hand, it would again shoot upward as before. When he thus
+discovered that, by addressing the one on his left hand, the tree would
+descend, he continued to do so until it had resumed its former
+position; then seizing his war-club, he thus addressed the sisters:
+"You, who have caused the death of so many of my brothers, I will now
+put an end to, and thus have revenge for the numbers you have
+destroyed." As he said this he raised the club and laid them dead at
+his feet. He then descended, and learning that these sisters had a
+brother living with their father, who would pursue him for the deed he
+had done, he set off at random, not knowing whither he went. Soon
+after, the father and mother of the young women visited their residence
+and found their remains. They immediately told their son Mudjikewis
+that his sisters had been slain. He replied, "The person who has done
+this must be the Boy that carries the Ball on his Back. I will pursue
+him, and have revenge for the blood of my sisters." "It is well, my
+son," replied the father. "The spirit of your life grant you success. I
+counsel you to be wary in the pursuit. It is a strong spirit who has
+done this injury to us, and he will try to deceive you in every way.
+Above all, avoid tasting food till you succeed; for if you break your
+fast before you see his blood, your power will be destroyed." So
+saying, they parted.
+
+His son instantly set out in search of the murderer, who, finding he
+was closely pursued by the brother of the slain, climbed up into one of
+the tallest trees and shot forth his magic arrows. Finding that his
+pursuer was not turned back by his arrows, he renewed his flight; and
+when he found himself hard pressed, and his enemy close behind him, he
+transformed himself into the skeleton of a moose that had been killed,
+whose flesh had come off from his bones. He then remembered the
+moccasins which his sister had given him, which were enchanted. Taking
+a pair of them, he placed them near the skeleton. "Go," said he to
+them, "to the end of the earth."
+
+The moccasins then left him and their tracks remained. Mudjikewis at
+length came to the skeleton of the moose, when he perceived that the
+track he had long been pursuing did not end there, so he continued to
+follow it up, till he came to the end of the earth, where he found only
+a pair of moccasins. Mortified that he had been outwitted by following
+a pair of moccasins instead of the object of his revenge, he bitterly
+complained, resolving not to give up the pursuit, and to be more wary
+and wise in scrutinizing signs. He then called to mind the skeleton he
+met on his way, and concluded that _it_ must be the object of his
+search. He retraced his steps towards the skeleton, but found, to his
+surprise, that it had disappeared, and that the tracks of _Onwe
+Bahmondoong_, or he who carries the Ball, were in another direction.
+He now became faint with hunger, and resolved to give up the pursuit;
+but when he remembered the blood of his sisters, he determined again to
+pursue.
+
+The other, finding he was closely pursued, now changed himself into a
+very old man, with two daughters, who lived in a large lodge in the
+centre of a beautiful garden, which was filled with everything that
+could delight the eye or was pleasant to the taste. He made himself
+appear so very old as to be unable to leave his lodge, and had his
+daughters to bring him food and wait on him. The garden also had the
+appearance of ancient occupancy, and was highly cultivated.
+
+His pursuer continued on till he was nearly starved and ready to sink.
+He exclaimed, "Oh! I will forget the blood of my sisters, for I am
+starving;" but again he thought of the blood of his sisters, and again
+he resolved to pursue, and be satisfied with nothing but the attainment
+of his right to revenge.
+
+He went on till he came to the beautiful garden. He approached the
+lodge. As soon as the daughters of the owner perceived him, they ran
+and told their father that a stranger approached the lodge. Their
+father replied, "Invite him in, my children, invite him in." They
+quickly did so; and by the command of their father, they boiled some
+corn and prepared other savory food. Mudjikewis had no suspicion of the
+deception. He was faint and weary with travel, and felt that he could
+endure fasting no longer. Without hesitancy, he partook heartily of the
+meal, and in so doing was overcome. All at once he seemed to forget the
+blood of his sisters, and even the village of his nativity. He ate so
+heartily as to produce drowsiness, and soon fell into a profound sleep.
+Onwe Bahmondoong watched his opportunity, and, as soon as he found his
+slumbers sound, resumed his youthful form. He then drew the magic ball
+from his back, which turned out to be a heavy war-club, with one blow
+of which he put an end to his pursuer, and thus vindicated his title as
+the Wearer of the Ball.
+
+      [104] The idea attached to the use of these bones in the medicine
+      dance is, that, by their magical influence, the actor can
+      penetrate and go through any substance.
+
+      [105] One who sits behind.
+
+      [106] One who sits before.
+
+
+
+
+LEELINAU.
+
+A CHIPPEWA TALE.
+
+
+The Pukwudjininees, or fairies of Lake Superior, had one of their most
+noted places of residence at the great sand dunes of _Naigow Wudjoo_,
+called by the French _La Grandes Sables_. Here they were frequently
+seen in bright moonlight evenings, and the fishermen while sitting in
+their canoes on the lake often saw them playing their pranks, and
+skipping over the hills. There was a grove of pines in that vicinity
+called the manito wac, or Spirit wood, into which they might be seen to
+flee, on the approach of evening, and there is a romantic little lake
+on those elevated sand-hills, not far back from the Great Lake, on the
+shores of which their tracks could be plainly seen in the sand. These
+tracks were not bigger than little children's footprints, and the
+spirits were often seen in the act of vanishing behind the little
+pine-trees. They love to dance in the most lonesome places, and were
+always full of glee and merriment, for their little voices could be
+plainly heard. These little men, the pukwudjininees, are not deeply
+malicious, but rather delighted in mischief and freaks, and would
+sometimes steal away a fisherman's paddle, or come at night and pluck
+the hunter's feathers out of his cap in the lodge, or pilfer away some
+of his game, or fish. On one occasion they went so far as to entice
+away into their sacred grove, and carry off a chief's daughter--a small
+but beautiful girl, who had been always inclined to be pensive, and
+took her seat often in these lonesome haunts. From her baby name of
+_Neenizu_, my dear life, she was called Leelinau, but she never
+attained to much size, remaining very slender, but of the most pleasing
+and sylph-like features, with very bright black eyes, and little feet.
+Her mother often cautioned her of the danger of visiting these lonely
+fairy haunts, and predicted, playfully, that she would one day be
+carried off by the Pukwudjees, for they were very frolicsome,
+mischievous and full of tricks.
+
+To divert her mind from these recluse moods and tastes, she endeavored
+to bring about an alliance with a neighboring forester, who, though
+older than herself, had the reputation of being an excellent hunter,
+and active man, and he had even creditably been on the war path, though
+he had never brought home a scalp. To these suggestions Leelinau had
+turned rather a deaf ear. She had imbibed ideas of a spiritual life and
+existence, which she fancied could only be enjoyed in the Indian
+elysium, and instructed as she was by the old story-tellers, she could
+not do otherwise than deem the light and sprightly little men who made
+the fairy footprints as emissaries from the _Happy Land_. For this
+happy land she sighed and pined. Blood, and the taking of life, she
+said, the Great Spirit did not approve, and it could never be agreeable
+to minds of pure and spiritual moulds. And she longed to go to a region
+where there was no weeping, no cares, and no deaths. If her parents
+laughed at these notions as childish, her only resource was silence, or
+she merely revealed here motions in her eyes. She was capable of the
+deepest concealment, and locked up in her heart what she feared to
+utter, or uttered to deceive. This proved her ruin.
+
+At length, after a series of conversational interviews on the subject,
+she announced her willingness to accede to the matrimonial proposals,
+and the day was fixed for this purpose. She dressed herself in the
+finest manner possible, putting flowers in her hair, and carrying a
+bunch of wild flowers, mixed with tassels of the pine-tree in her hand.
+One only request she made, which was to make a farewell visit to the
+sacred grove of the fairies, before she visited the nuptial bower. This
+was granted, on the evening of the proposed ceremony, while the
+bridegroom and his friends gathered in her father's lodge, and
+impatiently waited her return. But they waited in vain. Night came but
+Leelina was never more seen, except by a fisherman on the lake shore,
+who conceived that he had seen her go off with one of the tall fairies
+known as the fairy of Green Pines, with green plumes nodding o'er his
+brows; and it is supposed that she is still roving with him over the
+elysian fields.
+
+
+
+
+WILD NOTES OF THE PIBBIGWUN.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+The Pibbigwun                                                     307
+
+The Chippewa Girl                                                 307
+
+Doubt                                                             308
+
+Fairy Whisperings                                                 309
+
+Song of the Opechee                                               310
+
+Chant to the Fire-fly, the Watasee                                311
+
+Fairy Chief's Carol                                               312
+
+Song of a Captive Creek Girl                                      312
+
+Female Song                                                       313
+
+Male Song                                                         313
+
+Love of the Forest                                                314
+
+Light of Christianity in the Wigwam                               315
+
+The Nocturnal Grave Lights                                        316
+
+Manito                                                            317
+
+Niagara, an Allegory                                              318
+
+Chileeli, a Spirit's Whisperings                                  319
+
+Stanzas on the State of the Iroquois                              322
+
+The Loon's Foot--a Song                                           324
+
+Tulco, Prince of Notto                                            325
+
+On Presenting a Wild Rose plucked on the Sources
+of the Mississippi                                                326
+
+The Red Man                                                       327
+
+The Skeleton wrapped in Gold                                      330
+
+Waub Ojeeg's Death Whisperings                                    332
+
+To the Miscodeed                                                  333
+
+The Star Family                                                   335
+
+Song of the Wolf-Brother                                          339
+
+Abbinochi                                                         341
+
+To Pauguk                                                         342
+
+
+
+
+NOTES.
+
+
+THE PIBBIGWUN.[107]
+
+
+I ope my voice, not with the organ's tone,
+  Deep, solemn and majestic; not with sounds
+Of trump or drum, that cheer armed squadrons on,
+  In coats of steel, o'er lines of bloody grounds,
+Nor is my tone, the tone of rushing storms,
+  That sweep in mad career through forests tall,
+Up-tearing gnarled oaks, with sounds of hellish forms,
+  That bode destruction black, and death to all.
+Nor is it yet the screaming warrior, loud,
+  With hand upraised to mouth, hyena-strong,
+That tells of midnight onrush, hell-endowed,
+  And bleeding scalp of aged, mild and young.
+Ah no! it is a note that's only blown,
+  Where kindness fills the heart, and every thrill
+Is peace and love, while music's softer tone
+  Steals on the evening air, its simple aims to fill,
+Waking the female ear to carols of the Pibbigwun.
+
+      [107] Indian flute.
+
+
+
+THE CHIPPEWA GIRL.
+
+
+They tell me, the men with a white-white face
+Belong to a purer, nobler race;
+But why, if they do, and it may be so,
+Do their tongues cry, "Yes"--and their actions, "No?"
+
+They tell me, that white is a heavenly hue,
+And it may be so, but the sky is blue;
+And the first of men--as our old men say,
+Had earth-brown skins, and were made of clay.
+
+But throughout my life, I've heard it said,
+There's nothing surpasses a tint of red;
+Oh, the white man's cheeks look pale and sad,
+Compared to my beautiful Indian lad.
+
+Then let them talk of their race divine,
+Their glittering domes, and sparkling wine;
+Give me a lodge, like my fathers had,
+And my tall, straight, beautiful Indian lad.
+
+
+
+DOUBT.
+
+
+Ninimosha,[108] think'st thou of me,
+When beneath the forest tree?
+Do'st thou in the passing wind,
+Catch the sighs I've cast behind?
+Ah! I fear--I fear--I fear,
+Evil bird hath filled thine ear.
+
+Ninimosha, in the clear blue sky,
+Canst thou read my constancy,
+Or in whispering branches near,
+Aught from thy true lover hear?
+Ah! I fear--I fear--I fear,
+Evil bird hath filled thine ear.
+
+      [108] My sweetheart.
+
+
+
+FAIRY WHISPERINGS.
+
+Supposed to be addressed to, and responded by a young pine-tree, in a
+state of transformation.
+
+INVOCATION.
+
+
+Spirit of the dancing leaves,
+Hear a throbbing heart that grieves,
+Not for joys this world can give,
+But the life that spirits live:
+Spirit of the foaming billow,
+Visit thou my nightly pillow,
+Shedding o'er it silver dreams,
+Of the mountain brooks and streams,
+Sunny glades, and golden hours,
+Such as suit thy buoyant powers:
+Spirit of the starry night,
+Pencil out thy fleecy light,
+That my footprints still my lead
+To the blush-let Miscodeed,[109]
+Or the flower to passion true
+Yielding free its carmine hue:
+Spirit of the morning dawn,
+Waft thy fleecy columns on,
+Snowy white, or tender blue,
+Such as brave men love to view.
+Spirit of the greenwood plume,
+Shed around thy leaf perfume,
+Such as springs from buds of gold
+Which thy tiny hands unfold.
+Spirits, hither quick repair,
+Hear a maiden's evening prayer.
+
+      [109] Claytonia Virginica.
+
+
+
+RESPONSE.
+
+
+Maiden, think me not a tree,
+But thine own dear lover free,
+Tall and youthful in my bloom
+With the bright green nodding plume.
+Thou art leaning on my breast,
+Lean forever there, and rest!
+Fly from man, that bloody race,
+Pards, assassins, bold and base;
+Quit their dim, and false parade
+For the quiet lonely shade.
+Leave the windy birchen cot
+For my own light happy lot;
+O'er thee I my veil will fling,
+Light as beetle's silken wing;
+I will breathe perfume of flowers,
+O'er thy happy evening hours;
+I will in my shell canoe
+Waft thee o'er the waters blue;
+I will deck thy mantle fold,
+With the sun's last rays of gold.
+Come, and on the mountain free
+Rove a fairy bright with me.
+
+
+
+SONG OF THE OPECHEE, THE ROBIN.
+
+The Chippewas relate that the robin originated from a youth who was
+subjected to too severe a task of fasting.
+
+
+In the boundless woods there are berries of red,
+  And fruits of a beautiful blue,
+Where, by nature's own hand, the sweet singers are fed,
+  And to nature they ever are true.
+
+We go not with arrow and bow to the field,
+  Like men of the fierce ruddy race,
+To take away lives which they never can give,
+  And revel the lords of the chase.
+
+If danger approaches, with instant alarm
+  We fly to our own leafy woods,
+And there, with an innocent carol and charm,
+  We sing to our dear little broods.
+
+At morning we sally in quest of the grain
+  Kind nature in plenty supplies,
+We skip o'er the beautiful wide-stretching plain,
+  And sport in the vault of the skies.
+
+At evening we perch in some neighboring tree
+  To carol our evening adieu,
+And feel, although man assert he is free,
+  We only have liberty true.
+
+We sing out our praises to God and to man,
+  We live as heaven taught us to live,
+And I would not change back to mortality's plan
+  For all that the mortal can give.
+
+Here ceased the sweet singer; then pluming his breast,
+  He winged the blue firmament free,
+Repeating, as homeward he flew to his rest,
+  Tshee-ree-lee--Tshee-ree-lee--Tshee-ree-lee!
+
+
+
+EVENING CHANT OF INDIAN CHILDREN TO THE WATASEE, THE FIRE-FLY.
+
+
+Fire-fly, fire-fly! bright little thing,
+Light me to bed, and my song I will sing.
+Give me your light, as you fly o'er my head,
+That I may merrily go to my bed.
+Give me your light o'er the grass as you creep,
+That I may joyfully go to my sleep.
+Come, little fire-fly--come, little beast--
+Come! and I'll make you to-morrow a feast.
+Come, little candle that flies as I sing,
+Bright little fairy-bug--night's little king;
+Come, and I'll dance as you guide me along,
+Come, and I'll pay you, my bug, with a song.
+
+
+
+SONG OF A FAIRY CHIEF.
+
+Addressed to the winds on transferring his sister to a position as
+one of the planets in the morning sky.
+
+
+Blow, winds, blow, my sister lingers
+  From her dwelling in the sky,
+Where the moon with rosy fingers
+  Shall her cheeks with vermil dye.
+
+There my earliest views directed,
+  Shall from her their brilliance take
+And her smiles through clouds reflected,
+  Guide me on, by wood and lake.
+
+While I range the highest mountains,
+  Sport in valleys, green and low,
+Or beside our Indian fountains,
+  Raise my tiny hip hallo.
+
+
+
+SONG OF A CAPTIVE CREEK GIRL,
+
+Who was an exile in a distant northern tribe, confined on an island
+in Lake Superior.
+
+
+To sunny vales, to balmy skies,
+My thoughts, a flowery arrow, flies;
+I see the wood, the bank, the glade,
+Where first, a wild wood girl, I played.
+I think on scenes and faces dear;
+They are not here--they are not here.
+
+In this cold sky, in this lone isle,
+I meet no friends, no mother's smile.
+I list the wind, I list the wave;
+They seem like requiems, round the grave,
+And all my heart's young joys are gone;
+It is alone--it is alone.
+
+
+
+FEMALE SONG.
+
+
+My love is a hunter--he hunts the fleet deer,
+With fusil or arrow, one-half of the year;
+He hunts the fleet deer over mountain and lea,
+But his heart is still hunting for love and for me.
+
+My love is a warrior; when warriors go,
+With fusil or arrow, to strike the bold foe,
+He treads the bright war-path with step bold and free,
+But still his thoughts wander to love and to me.
+
+But hunter or warrior, where'er he may go,
+To track the swift deer, or to follow the foe,
+His heart's warm desire, field and forest still flee,
+To go hunting his love, and make captive of me.
+
+
+
+MALE SONG.
+
+
+My love, she gave to me a belt, a belt of texture fine,
+Of snowy hue, emboss'd with blue and scarlet porcupine;
+This tender braid sustain'd the blade I drew against the foe,
+And ever prest upon my breast, to mark its ardent glow.
+And if with art I act my part, and bravely fighting stand,
+I, in the din, a trophy win, that gains Nimosha's hand.
+
+My love, she is a handsome girl, she has a sparkling eye,
+And a head of flowing raven hair, and a forehead arched and high;
+Her teeth are white as cowry shells, brought from the distant sea,
+And she is tall, and graceful all, and fair as fair can be.
+And if with art I act my part, and bravely wooing stand,
+And with address my suit I press, I gain Nimosha's hand.
+
+Oh, I will search the silver brooks for skin of blackest dye,
+And scale the highest mountain-tops, a warrior's gift to spy!
+I'll place them where my love shall see, and know my present true;
+Perhaps when she admires the gift, she'll love the giver, too.
+And if with art I act my part, and bravely wooing stand,
+I'll gain my love's unsullied heart, and then I'll gain her hand.
+
+
+
+THE LOVE OF THE FOREST.
+
+
+To rove with the wild bird, and go where we will,
+Oh, this is the charm of the forest-life still!
+With our houses of bark, and our food on the plain,
+We are off like an eagle, and back there again.
+
+No farms can detain us, no chattels prevent;
+We live not by ploughing--we thrive not by rent;
+Our herds rove the forest, our flocks swim the floods,
+And we skim the broad waters, and trip through the woods.
+
+With ships not of oak wood, nor pitchy, nor strong,
+We sail along rivers, and sail with a song;
+We care not for taxes--our laws are but few;
+The dart is our sickle, our ship the canoe.
+
+If enemies press us, and evil fear stray,
+We seize on our war-clubs, and drive them away,
+And when there is nothing to fear or withstand,
+We lift the proud rattle, and dance on the land.
+
+In feasting and dancing, our moments are gay;
+We trust in the God who made heaven and day;
+We read no big volumes, no science implore,
+But ask of our wise men to teach us their lore.
+
+The woods are our pastures; we eat what we find,
+And rush through the lands like a rattling wind.
+Heaven gave us the country; we cling to the west,
+And, dying, we fly to the Lands of the Blest!
+
+
+
+LIGHT OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE WIGWAM.
+
+
+Oh why, ye subtle spirits, why
+Lift I my eyes to yonder floating sky,
+Where clouds paint pictures with so clear a hue?
+A heaven so beautiful it must be true.
+
+For if I but to earth withdraw my eyes,
+  And fix them on the creature man
+To scan his acts, the dear, fond picture dies,
+  And worse he seems in thought, and air, and plan
+Than the hyena, beast that only digs
+For food, and not rejoices in the dart,
+That stopped the warm blood current of the heart.
+
+Had men but had just what the earth can give,
+  It would be misery, and lies, and blood,
+Pinching and hunger, so that he who lives
+  But lives, as some poor outcast drowning in a flood.
+And then--ah, tell me!--whither goes the soul?
+
+Oh why, ye spirits blest, oh why
+Is truth so darkened to the human eye?
+As if a sombre cloud all heaven made black,
+And the sun shone but through a chink or crack,
+Within a wall, where light is but the accident of things,
+And not the purport. Truth may be then as the white men write,
+And all our tribes in a darkness set, instead of light.
+
+
+
+NOCTURNAL GRAVE LIGHTS.
+
+It is supposed to be four days' journey to the land of the dead;
+wherefore, during four nights, the Chippewas kindle a fire on the
+grave.
+
+
+Light up a fire upon my grave
+                When I am dead.
+'Twill softly shed its beaming rays,
+To guide the soul its darkling ways;
+And ever, as the day's full light
+Goes down and leaves the world in night,
+These kindly gleams, with warmth possest,
+Shall show my spirit where to rest
+                When I am dead.
+
+Four days the funeral rite renew,
+                When I am dead.
+While onward bent, with typic woes,
+I seek the red man's last repose;
+Let no rude hand the flame destroy,
+Nor mar the scene with festive joy;
+While night by night, a ghostly guest,
+I journey to my final rest,
+                When I am dead.
+
+No moral light directs my way
+                When I am dead.
+A hunter's fate, a warrior's fame,
+A shade, a phantom, or a name,
+All life-long through my hands have sought,
+Unblest, unlettered, and untaught:
+Deny me not the boon I crave--
+A symbol-light upon my grave,
+                When I am dead.
+
+
+
+MANITO.
+
+"Every exhibition of elementary power, in earth or sky, is deemed, by
+the Indians, as a symbolic type of a deity."--_Hist. Inds._
+
+
+In the frowning cliff, that high
+Glooms above the passing eye,
+Casting spectral shadows tall
+Over lower rock and wall;
+In its morn and sunset glow,
+I behold a Manito.
+
+By the lake or river lone,
+In the humble fretted stone,
+Water-sculptured, and, by chance,
+Cast along the wave's expanse;
+In its morn and sunset glow,
+I behold a Manito.
+
+In whatever's dark or new,
+And my senses cannot view,
+Complex work, appearance strange,
+Arts' advance, or nature's change--
+Fearful e'er of hurt or woe,
+I behold a Manito.
+
+In the motions of the sky,
+Where the angry lightnings fly,
+And the thunder, dread and dire,
+Lifts his mighty voice in fire--
+Awed with fear of sudden woe,
+I behold a Manito.
+
+Here my humble voice I lift,
+Here I lay my sacred gift,
+And, with heart of fear and awe,
+Raise my loud _Wau-la-le-au_.
+
+Spirit of the fields above,
+Thee I fear, and Thee I love,
+Whether joy betide or woe,
+Thou, thou art my Manito.
+
+
+
+NIAGARA, AN ALLEGORY.
+
+
+An old gray man on a mountain lived,
+  He had daughters four and one,
+And a tall bright lodge of the betula bark
+  That glittered in the sun.
+
+He lived on the very highest top.
+  For he was a hunter free,
+Where he could spy, on the clearest day,
+  Gleams of the distant sea.
+
+"Come out! come out!" cried the youngest one;
+  "Let us off to look at the sea!"
+And out they ran, in their gayest robes,
+  And skipped and ran with glee.
+
+"Come, Su;[110] come, Mi;[111] come, Hu;[112] come, Cla;"[113]
+  Cried laughing little Er;[114]
+"Let us go to yonder deep blue sea,
+  Where the breakers foam and roar."
+
+And on they scampered by valley and wood,
+  By earth and air and sky,
+Till they came to a steep where the bare rocks stood,
+  In a precipice mountain high.
+
+"Inya!"[115] cried Er, "here's a dreadful leap!
+  But we are gone so far,
+That, if we flinch and return in fear,
+  Nos[116] he will cry, 'Ha! ha!'"
+
+Now, each was clad in a vesture light,
+  That floated far behind,
+With sandals of frozen water drops,
+  And wings of painted wind.
+
+And down they plunged with a merry skip,
+  Like birds that skim the plain;
+And "Hey!" they cried, "let us up and try,
+  And down the steep again!"
+
+And up and down the daughters skipped,
+  Like girls on a holiday,
+And laughed outright at the sport and foam
+  They called Niagara.
+
+If ye would see a sight so rare,
+  Where Nature's in her glee,
+Go, view the spot in the wide wild West,
+  The land of the brave and free!
+
+But mark--their shapes are only seen
+  In Fancy's deepest play;
+But she plainly shows their wings and feet
+  In the dancing sunny spray.
+
+      [110] Superior.
+
+      [111] Michigan.
+
+      [112] Huron.
+
+      [113] St. Clair.
+
+      [114] Erie.
+
+      [115] An exclamation of wonder and surprise.--_Odj. lan._
+
+      [116] My father.--_Ib._
+
+
+
+CHILEELI.
+
+The Chippewas relate that the spirit of a young lover, who was killed
+in battle, determined to return to his affianced maid, in the shape of
+a bird, and console her by his songs. He found her in a chosen retreat,
+where she daily resorted to pass her pensive hours.
+
+
+Stay not here--the men are base,
+I have found a happier place,
+Where no war, or want severe,
+Haunts the mind with thoughts of fear;
+Men are cruel--bloody--cold,
+Seeking like lynx the rabbit's wold,
+Not to guard from winds or drought,
+But to suck its life's blood out.
+Stay not here--oh, stay not here,
+'Tis a world of want and fear.
+
+I have found those happy plains,
+Where the blissful Spirit reigns,
+Such, as by our wise men old,
+All our fathers have foretold.
+Streams of sparkling waters flow,
+Pure and clear, with silver glow;
+Woods and shady groves abound,
+Long sweet lawns and painted ground;
+Lakes, in winding shores extend,
+Fruits, with flowers, inviting blend;
+While, throughout the green-wood groves,
+Gayest birds sing out their loves.
+Stay not here, my trustful maid,
+'Tis a world for robbers made.
+
+I will lead you, soul of love,
+To those flowery haunts above,
+Where no tears or pain are found--
+Where no war-cry shakes the ground;
+Where no mother hangs her head,
+Crying: "Oh, my child is dead!"
+Where no human blood is spilt,
+Where there is no pain, or guilt;
+But the new-freed spirit roves
+Round and round, in paths of loves.
+Pauguk's[117] not admitted there,
+Blue the skies, and sweet the air;
+There are no diseases there;
+There no famished eyeball rolls,
+Sickness cannot harm the souls;
+Hunger is not there a guest,
+Souls are not with hunger press'd,
+All are happy, all are blest.
+Rife the joys our fathers sought,
+Sweet to eye and ear and thought,
+Stay not here, my weeping maid,
+'Tis a world in glooms arrayed.
+
+      [117] Death.
+
+Wishes there, all wants supply,
+Wants of hand, and heart, and eye;
+Labor is not known--that thorn
+Pricks not there, at night or morn,
+As it goads frail mortals here,
+With its pain, and toil, and fear;
+Shadows typical and fair,
+Fill the woods, the fields, the air,
+Stately deer, the forests fill,
+Just to have them is to will;
+Birds walk kindly from the lakes,
+And whoever wants them, takes;
+There no drop of blood is drawn,
+Darts are for an earthy lawn.
+Hunters, warriors, chiefs, are there,
+Plumed and radiant, bright and fair;
+But they are the ghosts of men,
+And ne'er mix in wars again;
+They no longer rove with ire,
+Wood or wold, or sit by fire;
+Council called--how best to tear,
+From the gray-head crown its hair,
+Dripping with its vital blood,
+Horror--echoed in the wood.
+Stay not here--where horrors dwell,
+Earth is but a name for hell.
+
+Oh, the Indian paradise is sweet,
+Naught but smiles the gazers meet;
+All is fair--the sage's breast,
+Swells with joy to hail each guest--
+Comes he, from these sounding shores,
+Or the North God's icy stores,
+Where the shivering children cry,
+In their snow-cots and bleak sky;
+Or the far receding south,
+Burned with heat, and palsied drought,
+All are welcome--all receive,
+Gifts great Chibiabos gives.
+Stay not, maiden--weep no more,
+I have found the happy shore.
+
+Come with me, and we will rove,
+O'er the endless plains of love,
+Full of flowers, gems, and gold,
+Where there is no heart that's cold,
+Where there is no tear to dry
+In a single human eye.
+Stay not here; cold world like this,
+Death but opes the door to bliss.
+
+
+
+ON THE STATE OF THE IROQUOIS, OR SIX NATIONS.
+
+In 1845, the Legislature of New York directed a census of these
+cantons, which evinced an advanced state of industry.
+
+
+The lordly Iroquois is tending sheep,
+  Gone are the plumes that decked his brow,
+For his bold raid, no more the wife shall weep--
+          He holds the plough.
+
+The bow and quiver which his fathers made;
+  The gun, that filled the warrior's deadliest vow;
+The mace, the spear, the axe, the ambuscade--
+          Where are they now?
+
+Mute are the hills that woke his dreadful yell--
+  Scared nations listen with affright no more;
+He walks a farmer over field and dell
+          Once red with gore.
+
+Frontlet and wampum, baldric, brand, and knife,
+  Skill of the megalonyx, snake and fox,
+All now are gone!--transformed to peaceful life--
+          He drives the ox.
+
+Algon, and Cherokee, and Illinese,
+  No more beneath his stalwort blow shall writhe:
+Peace spreads her reign wide o'er his inland seas--
+          He swings the scythe.
+
+Grain now, not men, employs his manly powers;
+  To learn the white man's arts, and skill to rule,
+For this, his sons and daughters spend their hours--
+          They go to school.
+
+Glory and fame, that erewhile fired his soul,
+  And nerved for war his ever vengeful arm,
+Where are your charms his bosom to control?--
+          He tills a farm.
+
+His war-scar'd visage, paints no more deform--
+  His garments, made of beaver, deer, and rat,
+Are now exchanged for woollen doublets warm--
+          He wears a hat.
+
+His very pipe, surcharged with sacred weed,
+  Once smoked to spirits dreamy, dread and sore,
+Is laid aside--to think, to plan, to read--
+          He keeps a store.
+
+This is the law of progress--kindlier arts
+  Have shaped his native energies of mind,
+And back he comes--from wandering, woods and darts
+          Back to mankind.
+
+His drum and rattles, both are thrown away--
+  His native altars stand without a blaze,--
+Truth, robed in gospel light, hath found her way--
+          And hark! he prays!
+
+
+
+THE LOON'S FOOT.
+
+
+I thought it was the loon's foot, I saw beneath the tide,
+But no--it was my lover's shining paddle I espied;
+It was my lover's paddle, as my glance I upward cast,
+That dipped so light and gracefully as o'er the lake I passed.
+            The loon's foot--the loon's foot,
+              'Tis graceful on the sea;
+            But not so light and joyous as
+              That paddle blade to me.
+
+My eyes were bent upon the wave, I cast them not aside,
+And thought I saw the loon's foot beneath the silver tide.
+But ah! my eyes deceived me--for as my glance I cast,
+It was my lover's paddle blade that dipped so light and fast.
+            The loon's foot--the loon's foot,
+              'Tis sweet and fair to see,
+            But oh, my lover's paddle blade,
+              Is sweeter far to me.
+
+The lake's wave--the long wave--the billow big and free,
+It wafts me up and down, within my yellow light canoe;
+But while I see beneath heaven pictured as I speed,
+It is that beauteous paddle blade, that makes it heaven indeed.
+            The loon's foot--the loon's foot,
+              The bird upon the sea,
+            Ah! it is not so beauteous
+              As that paddle blade to me.
+
+
+
+TULCO, PRINCE OF NOTTO.
+
+Tulco, a Cherokee chief, is said to have visited, in 1838, the rotunda,
+or excavations, under the great mound of Grave Creek, while the Indian
+antiquities were collected there, and the skeleton found in the lower
+vault was suspended to the wall, and the exudations of animal matter
+depended from the roof.
+
+
+'Tis not enough that hated race
+Should hunt us out from grove and place,
+And consecrated shores, where long
+Our fathers raised the lance and song--
+'Tis not enough that we must go
+Where unknown streams and fountains flow,
+Whose murmurs heard amid our fears,
+Fall only now on foeman's ears--
+'Tis not enough, that with a wand
+They sweep away our pleasant land,
+And bid us, as some giant foe,
+Or willing or unwilling go;
+But they must ope our very graves,
+To tell the dead they too are slaves!
+And hang their bones upon the wall,
+To please their gaze and gust of thrall;
+As if a dead dog from below
+Were made a jesting-stock and show!
+
+See, from above! the restless dead
+Peer out, with exudation dread--
+That hangs in robes of clammy white,
+Like clouds upon the inky night;
+Their very ghosts are in this place,
+I see them pass before my face;
+With frowning brows they whirl around
+Within this consecrated mound!
+Away--away, vile caitiff race,
+And give the dead their resting-place.
+
+They point--they cry--they bid me smite
+The Wa-bish-kiz-zee[118] in their sight!
+Did Europe come to crush us dead,
+Because on flying deer we fed,
+And worshipped gods of airy forms,
+Who ride in thunder-clouds, the storms?
+Because we use not plough or loom,
+Is ours a black and bitter doom
+That has no light--no world of bliss?--
+Then is our hell commenced in this.
+
+      [118] White men.
+
+      *      *      *      *
+
+Nay, it is well--but tell me not
+The white race now possess the spot,
+That fury marks my brow, and all
+I see is but my fancy's pall
+That glooms my eyes--ah, white man, no!
+The woe we taste is solid woe.
+Comes then the thought of better things,
+When we were men, and we were kings.
+Men are we now, and still there rolls
+A monarch's blood in all our souls!
+A warrior's fire is in our hearts,
+Our hands are strong in feathery darts;
+And let us die as they have died
+Who are the Indian's boast and pride!
+Nor creep to graves, in flying west,
+Unplumed, dishonored, and unblest!
+
+
+
+ON PRESENTING A WILD ROSE
+
+PLUCKED ON THE SOURCES OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
+
+
+Take thou the rose, though blighted,
+  Its sweetness is not gone,
+And like the heart, though slighted,
+  In memory it blooms on.
+
+Thy hand its leaves may nourish,
+  Thy smiles its bloom restore;
+So warmed its buds may flourish,
+  And bloom to life once more.
+
+Yet if they bloom not ever,
+  These thoughts may life impart
+To hopes I ne'er could sever
+  One moment from my heart.
+
+Oh, then, receive my token,
+  From far-off northern sky,
+That speech, once kindly spoken,
+  Can never--never die.
+
+
+
+THE RED MAN.
+
+
+  I stood upon an eminence, that wide
+O'erlooked a length of land, where spread
+The sounding shores of Lake Superior;
+And at my side there lay a vale
+Replete with little glens, where oft
+The Indian wigwam rose, and little fields
+Of waving corn displayed their tasselled heads.
+A stream ran through the vale, and on its marge
+There grew wild rice, and bending alders dipped
+Into the tide, and on the rising heights
+The ever-verdant pine laughed in the breeze.
+
+  I turned around, to gaze upon the scenes
+More perfectly, and there beheld a man
+Tall and erect, with feathers on his head,
+And air and step majestic; in his hands
+Held he a bow and arrows, and he would have passed,
+Intent on other scene, but that I spake to him:
+"Pray, whither comest thou? and whither goest?"
+"My coming," he replied, "is from the Master of Life,
+The Lord of all things, and I go at his commands."
+
+  "Then why," I further parleyed, "since thou art
+So much the friend of Him, whom white men seek
+By prayer and rite so fervently to obey--why, tell,
+Art thou so oft in want of e'en a meal
+To satisfy the cravings of a man? Why cast abroad
+To live in wilds, where oft the scantiest shapes
+Of foot and wing must fill thy board, while pallid hunger strays
+With hideous shouts, by mountain, vale, and stream?"
+
+  "The Great Spirit," he replied, "hath not alike
+Made all men; or, if once alike, the force of climes,
+And wants and wanderings have estranged them quite.
+To me, and to my kind, forest, and lake, and wood,
+The rising mountain, and the drawn-out stream
+That sweeps, meandering, through wild ranges vast,
+Possess a charm no marble halls can give.
+We rove, as winds escaped the Master's fists--
+Now, sweeping over beds of prairie flowers--
+Now, dallying on the tops of leafy trees,
+Or murmuring in the corn-fields, and, when tired
+With roving, we lie down on beds where springs
+The simple wild flower, and some shreds of bark,
+Plucked from the white, white birch, defends our heads,
+And hides us from the blue ethereal skies,
+Where, in his sovereign majesty, this Spirit rules;
+Now, casting lightning from his glowing eyes--
+Now, uttering thunder with his mighty voice.
+
+  "To you, engendered in another clime
+Of which our fathers knew not, he hath given
+Arts, arms, and skill we know not, or if ever knew,
+Have quite forgot. Your hands are thickened up
+With toils of field and shop, where whirring wheels resound,
+And hammers clink. The anvil and the plough
+Belong to you; the very ox construes your speech,
+And turns him to obey you. All this toil
+We deem a slavery too heavy to be borne,
+And which our tribes revolt at. Oft we stand
+To view the reeking smith, who pounds his iron
+With blow on blow, to fit it for the beast
+That drags your ploughshares through the rooty soil.
+The very streams--bright ribbons of the woods!--are yoked,
+And made to turn your mills, and grind your corn;
+And yet this progress stays not in its toils
+To alter nature and pervert her plans.
+Steam drags your vessels now, that once
+Leapt in their beauty by the winds of heaven.
+Some subtle principle ye find in fire,
+And with a cunning art fit rattling cars
+To run on strips of iron, with scream and clang
+That seem symbolic of an angry power
+Which dwells below, and is infernal called.
+The war-crowned lightning skips from pole to pole
+On strings of iron, to haste with quick intelligence.
+
+  "Once, nature could be hid, and fondly think
+She had some jewels in the earth, but now ye dig
+Into her very bowels, to recover morsels sweet
+She erst with deglutition had drawn in. The rocks
+Your toils dissolve, to find perchance some treasure
+Lying there. Is yonder land of gold alone
+Your care? Observe along these shores
+The wheezing engine clank--the stamper ring.
+Once, hawks and eagles here pursued their prey,
+But now the white man ravens more than they.
+No! give me but my water and God's meats,
+And take your cares, your riches, and your thrones.
+What the Great Spirit gives, I take with joy,
+And scorn those gains which nothing can content.
+
+  "Drudge ye, and grind ye, white man! make your pence,
+And store your purses with the shining poison.
+It was not Manito who made this trash
+To curse the human race, but Vatipa the black,
+Who rules below--he changed the blood of innocence
+And tears of pity into gold, and strewed it wide
+O'er lands where still the murderer digs
+And the deceptious delve, to find the cockle out
+And pick it up, but laughs the while to see
+What fools they are, and how himself has foiled
+The Spirit of Good, that made mankind
+Erst friends and brothers. Scanty is my food,
+But that sweet bird, chileelee, blue of wing,
+Sings songs of peace within the wild-wood dell
+And round the enchanted shores of these blue seas--
+Not long, perhaps, our own--which tell me of a rest
+In far-off lands--the islands of the blest!"
+
+
+
+THE SKELETON WRAPPED IN GOLD.
+
+In digging, in 1854, a railroad in Chili, seventy feet below the
+surface, in a sandy plain, which had been an ancient graveyard, an
+Indian skeleton, wrapped in a sheet of solid gold, rolled into the
+excavation. Its appearance denoted an ancient Inca, of the Atacama
+period.
+
+
+The Indian laid in his shroud of gold,
+  Where his friends had kindly bound him;
+For, in their raid so strong and bold,
+  The Spaniards had never found him.
+
+Kind guardian spirits had watched him there,
+  From ages long--long faded,
+Embalmed with gems and spices rare,
+  And in folds of sweet grass braided.
+
+And priestly rites were duly done,
+  And hymns upraised to bless him,
+And that gold mantle of the sun,
+  Put on, as a monarch to dress him.
+
+"Sleep on," they said, in whispers low,
+  "Nor fear the white man's coming,
+For we have put no _glyph_ to show,
+  The spot of thy entombing.
+
+"Inca, thy warfare here is done,
+  Each bitter scene or tender,
+Go to thy sire, the shining Sun,
+  In kingly garb and splendor.
+
+"Earth hath no honors thou hast not,
+  Brave, wise, in every station,
+Or battle, temple, council, cot,
+  Beloved of all thy nation.
+
+"Take thou this wand of magic might,
+  With signet-jewels glowing,
+As heralds to the God of Light,
+  Where, father, thou art going.
+
+"A thousand years the charm shall last,
+  The charm of thy ensealment,
+Till there shall come a spirit vast,
+  To trouble thy concealment."
+
+And safe he slept in Tlalcol's[119] train,
+  With all his genii by him,
+Through Atacama's pleasing reign,
+  Ere Manco came a-nigh him.
+
+      [119] Tlalcol, the keeper of the dead, corresponds to the
+      Chebiabo of the Algonquins.
+
+_That_ golden reign spread arts anew,
+  O'er all his Andes mountains,
+And temples that his sires ne'er knew,
+  Arose beside their fountains.
+
+Pizarro's bloody day flew past,
+  Nor shook his place of sleeping,
+Though, as with earthquakes, deep and vast,
+  The land with ruins heaping.
+
+Nor had the cherished ruler more,
+  Broke the deep trance from under,
+But that a stronger, sterner power,
+  Arose the charm to sunder.
+
+No gentle genii more could wield,
+  The wand of his dominion;
+No power of Indian guardian yield,
+  Or wave her golden pinion.
+
+It was the spirit of _progress_ fell,
+  And trade, and gain united,
+Who swore an oath, and kept it well,
+  That Tlalcol's blessing blighted.
+
+Deep dug they down in Chili's hills,
+  Deep--deeper laid their levels,
+To drive those cars, whose screaming fills
+  The ear, with sounds like devils.
+
+And as they dug, they sang and dug,
+  As digging for a treasure,
+That should, like dire Arabic drug,
+  Rise, with unmeasured measure.
+
+Old Indian arts, and Indian spells,
+  And all their subtle seeming,
+Passed quick away--as truth expels,
+  The palsied power in dreaming.
+
+Down rolled the cherished Indian corse,
+  The sands no more could hold him,
+Nor rite--nor genii--art or force,
+  Nor golden shroud enfold him.
+
+
+
+WAUB OJEEG'S DEATH WHISPERINGS.
+
+
+I go to the land where our heroes are gone, are gone,
+That land where our sages are gone;
+And I go with bright tone, to join hearts who are one,
+That drew the bold dart at my side, at my side,
+That drew the bold dart at my side.
+
+Those lands in the bright beamy west, the west,
+Those lands in the bright beamy west,
+As our fathers foretold, are the plenty crowned fold,
+Where the world-weary warrior may rest, may rest,
+Where the war-honored hero may rest.
+
+My life has been given to war, to war,
+My strength has been offered to war,
+And the foes of my land, ne'er before me could stand,
+But fled as base cowards in fear, in fear,
+They fled like base cowards in fear.
+
+My warfare in life it is done, it is done,
+My warfare, my friends, it is done;
+I go to that Spirit, whose form in the sky,
+So oft we have seen in the cloud-garnished sun,
+So oft in dread lightning espy.
+
+My friends, when my spirit is fled, is fled,
+My friends, when my spirit is fled,
+Ah, put me not bound, in the dark and cold ground,
+Where light shall no longer be shed, be shed,
+Where daylight no more shall be shed.
+
+But lay me up scaffolded high, all high,
+Chiefs, lay me up scaffolded high,
+Where my tribe shall still say, as they point to my clay,
+He ne'er from the foe sought to fly, to fly,
+He ne'er from the foe sought to fly.
+
+And children, who play on the shore, the shore,
+And children who play on the shore,
+As the war-dance they beat, my name shall repeat,
+And the fate of their chieftain deplore, deplore,
+And the fate of their chieftain deplore.
+
+
+
+TO THE MISCODEED.[120]
+
+
+Thy petals, tipped with red, declare
+The sanguinary rites of war;
+But when I view thy base of white,
+Thoughts of heaven's purity invite.
+Symbols at once that hearts like thee
+Contain _two_ powers, in which we see
+A passion strong to war inclined,
+And a soft, pure, and tender mind.
+
+Earliest of buds when snows decay
+From these wild northern fields away,
+Thou comest as a herald dear,
+To tell us that the spring is near;
+And shall with sweets and flowers relume
+Our hearts, for all the winter's gloom.
+Soon the opeechee[121] comes to sing
+The pleasures of an early spring;
+Soon shall the swelling water's roar
+Tell us that winter is no more;
+The water-fowl set up their cry,
+Or hasten to more northern sky;
+And on the sandy shore shall stray,
+The plover, the _twee-tweesh-ke-way_.
+Soon shall the budding trees expand,
+And genial skies pervade the land;
+The little garden hoes shall peck,
+And female hands the moss beds deck;
+The apple-tree refresh our sight,
+With its fair blows of pink and white;
+The cherry bloom, the strawberry run,
+And joy fill all the new Seegwun.[122]
+
+      [120] Spring beauty, C. Virg.
+
+      [121] Robin.
+
+      [122] Spring.
+
+
+
+THE STAR FAMILY.
+
+
+Waupee found a deep-trod circle
+  In the boundless prairie wide;
+In the grassy sea of prairies,
+  Without trace of path beside.
+
+To or fro, there was no token
+  Man had ever trod the plain;
+And he gazed upon the wonder,
+  Gazed the wonder to explain.
+
+I will watch the place, quoth Waupee,
+  And conceal myself awhile;
+This strange mystery to unravel,
+  This new thing to reconcile.
+
+Tracks I know of deer and bison,
+  Tracks of panther, lynx, or hind,
+Beasts and birds of every nature,
+  But this beaten ring is blind.
+
+Do the spirits here assemble,
+  War-dance light to trip and sing?
+Gather Medas of the prairie,
+  Here their magic charm to fling?
+
+Waupee crept beneath the hushes,
+  Near the wondrous magic ring;
+Close beneath the shrubs and grasses,
+  To behold so rare a thing.
+
+Soon he heard, high in the heavens,
+  Issuing from the feathery clouds--
+Sounds of music, quick descending,
+  As if angels came in crowds.
+
+Louder, sweeter, was the music,
+  Every moment that he stayed;
+Till a basket, with twelve sisters,
+  Was with all its charms displayed.
+
+Down they came, in air suspended,
+  As if by thin silver cords;
+And within the circle landed,
+  Gay and bright as beauteous birds.
+
+Out they leaped with nimble gestures,
+  Dancing softly round and round;
+Each a ball of silver chiming,
+  With the most enchanting sound.
+
+Beauteous were they all--but one so
+  More than all the other eleven,
+Youngest she, he sighed to clasp her
+  To his ardent, glowing breast.
+
+Up he rose from his concealment,
+  From his flower-encircled bed;
+But, as quick-eyed birds, they spied him,
+  Stepped into the car and fled.
+
+Fled into the starry heavens,
+  While with open ear he stood,
+Drinking the receding music,
+  As it left his solitude.
+
+Now, indeed, was he a stranger,
+  And a fugitive alone;
+For the peace that once he cherished,
+  With the heavenly car had flown.
+
+Touched his heart was by love's fervors,
+  He no longer wished to rove;
+Lost the charm of war and hunting,
+  Waupee was transfixed by love.
+
+Ah! 'tis love that wins the savage
+  From his wanderings, and can teach,
+Where the truth could never touch him,
+  Where the gospel could not reach.
+
+Long he mourned--and lingering, waited
+  Round the charmed celestial ring;
+Day by day he lingered, hoping
+  Once to hear those angels sing.
+
+To deceive, the quick eyes glancing,
+  An opossum's form he tries;
+And crouched low, beside the circle,
+  Stooped, that he might win the prize.
+
+Soon the sounds he heard descending,
+  Soon they leaped within the ring;
+Joining hand in hand in dancing,
+  Round and round--sweet revelling.
+
+Up he rose, quick disenchanted,
+  Rose and clasped his female star,
+While, as lightning, quick the eleven
+  Leaped, and rose within their car.
+
+Home he took her to his wigwam,
+  Sought each varied way to please;
+Gave her flowers and rarest presents,
+  All to yield her joy and ease.
+
+And a beauteous son rewarded
+  Love so constant, true, and mild;
+Who renewed in every feature,
+  Nature's lonely forest child.
+
+But, as thoughts of youth will linger
+  Long within the heart's fond core;
+So she nursed the pleasing passion,
+  Her star-home to see once more--
+
+Made an ark of wicker branches,
+  All by secret arts and care;
+Sought the circle with her earth-boy,
+  Fleeing to her Father star.
+
+There, at length, the boy grew weary,
+  Weary e'en of heavenly spheres,
+Longing for earth's cares and pleasures,
+  Hunting, feasting, joys, and tears.
+
+"Call thy husband," quoth the star chief,
+  "Take the magic car and go;
+But bring with thee some fit emblems,
+  Of the sounding chase below.
+
+"Claw, or wing, or toe, or feathers,
+  Scalp of bird or beast to tell;
+What he follows in the wood-chase,
+  Arts the hunter knows so well."
+
+Waupee searched the deepest forests,
+  Prairies vast, or valleys low;
+All to find out the rarest species,
+  That he might the star-world show.
+
+Then he sought the ring of magic,
+  With his forest stores so rare;
+And within the starry basket,
+  Rose with all his emblems fair.
+
+Joys of greeting--joys of seeing--
+  Hand to hand, and eye to eye;
+These o'ercrowned with smiles and laughing,
+  This lodge-meeting in the sky.
+
+Then a glorious feast was ordered,
+  To receive the forest guest;
+While the sweet reunion lighted,
+  Joy in every beating breast.
+
+Broad the feasting board was covered,
+  The high starry group to bind;
+When the star chief rose to utter
+  His congratulations kind.
+
+"List, my guests--the Spirit wills it,
+  Earth to earth, and sky to sky;
+Choose ye each a claw or pinion,
+  Such as ye may wish to try."
+
+Wondrous change! by arts' transformance,
+  At the typic heavenly feast;
+Each who chose a wing a bird was,
+  Each who chose a claw, a beast.
+
+Off they ran on plains of silver,
+  Squirrel, rabbit, elk, or deer;
+White Hawk chose a wing, descending
+  Down again to forests here,
+
+Where the Waupees are still noted
+  For their high essays of wing;
+And their noble deeds of bravery,
+  In the forest, mount, and ring.
+
+
+
+SONG OP THE WOLF-BROTHER.
+
+
+Nesia, my elder brother,
+  Bones have been my forest meal,
+Shared with wolves the long, long winter,
+  And their nature now I feel.
+
+Nesia, my elder brother,
+  Now my fate is near its close;
+Soon my state shall cease to press me,
+  Soon shall cease my day of woes.
+
+Left by friends I loved the dearest,
+  All who knew and loved me most;
+Woes the darkest and severest,
+  Bide me on this barren coast.
+
+Pity! ah, that manly feeling,
+  Fled from hearts where once it grew,
+Now in wolfish forms revealing,
+  Glows more warmly than in you.
+
+Stony hearts! that saw me languish,
+  Deaf to all a father said,
+Deaf to all a mother's anguish,
+  All a brother's feelings fled.
+
+Ah, ye wolves, in all your ranging,
+  I have found you kind and true;
+More than man--and now I'm changing,
+  And will soon be one of you.
+
+Lodge of kindred once respected,
+  Now my heart abhors your plan;
+Hated, shunned, disowned, neglected,
+  Wolves are truer far than man.
+
+And like them, I'll be a rover,
+  With an honesty of bite
+That feigns not to be a lover,
+  When the heart o'erflows with spite.
+
+Go, ye traitors, to my lodge-fire;
+  Go, ye serpents, swift to flee,
+War with kinds that have your natures,
+  I am disenthrall'd and free.
+
+
+
+ABBINOCHI.
+
+A MOTHER'S CHANT TO HER SICK INFANT.
+
+
+Abbinochi,[123] baby dear,
+Leave me not--ah, leave me not;
+I have nursed with love sincere,
+Nursed thee in my forest cot--
+Tied thee in thy cradle trim
+Kind adjusting every limb;
+With the fairest beads and bands
+Deck'd thy cradle with my hands,
+And with sweetest corn panaed
+From my little kettle fed,
+Oft with miscodeed[124] roots shred,
+Fed thee in thy baby bed.
+
+Abbinochi, droop not so,
+Leave me not--away to go
+To strange lands--thy little feet
+Are not grown the path to greet
+Or find out, with none to show
+Where the flowers of grave-land grow.
+Stay, my dear one, stay till grown,
+I will lead thee to that zone
+Where the stars like silver shine,
+And the scenes are all divine,
+And the happy, happy stray,
+And, like Abbinochi, play.
+
+      [123] A child.
+
+      [124] Claytonia Virginica.
+
+
+
+TO PAUGUK.
+
+(This is the impersonation of death in Indian mythology. He is
+represented with a bow and arrows.)
+
+
+Pauguk! 'tis a scene of woe,
+This world of troubles; let me go
+Arm'd to show forth the Master's will,
+Strike on thy purpose to fulfil.
+I fear not death--my only fear
+Is ills and woes that press me here.
+Want stares me in the face, or woe,
+Where'er I dwell--where'er I go;
+Fishing and hunting only give
+The pinching means to let me live;
+And if, at night, I lay me down,
+In dreams and sleep my rest to crown,
+Ere day awakes its slumbering eyes,
+I start to hear the foe's mad cries,
+Louder and louder, as I clutch
+My club, or lance, or bow and dart,
+And, springing with a panther's touch,
+Display the red man's bloody art.
+
+Nay, I am sick of life and blood,
+That drowns my country like a flood,
+Pouring o'er hill, and vale, and lea,
+Lodge, ville, and council, like a sea,
+Where one must gasp and gasp for breath
+To live--and stay the power of death.
+Ah! life's good things are all too poor,
+Its daily hardships to endure.
+My fathers told me, there's a land
+Where peace and joy abound in hand,
+And plenty smiles, and sweetest scenes
+Expand in lakes, and groves, and greens.
+No pain or hunger there is known,
+And pleasure reigns throughout alone--
+I would go there, and taste and see
+A life so beauteous, bless'd and free,
+Where man has no more power to kill,
+And the Great Spirit all things fills.
+Blanch not, Pauguk, I have no fear,
+And would not longer linger here;
+But bend thy bow and aim thy dart,
+Behold an honest hunter's heart:
+Thereby a dart, a boon may give,
+A happy life on high to live.
+
+'Tis all the same, in countries here,
+  Or where Pacific billows roar,
+We roved in want, and woe and fear
+  Along the Mississippi shore.
+And where Missouri's waters rush,
+  To tell to man that God is strong,
+We shrank as from a tiger's touch,
+  To hear the white man's shout or song.
+O not for us is peace and joy
+  Arising from the race that spread,
+Their purpose only's to destroy--
+  Our only peace is with the dead.
+Think not my heart is pale with fear,
+But strike, Pauguk--strike boldly here.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Myth of Hiawatha, and Other Oral
+Legends, Mythologic and Allegoric, of the North American Indians, by Henry R. Schoolcraft
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