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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/35909-h.zip b/35909-h.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5c54d42 --- /dev/null +++ b/35909-h.zip diff --git a/35909-h/35909-h.htm b/35909-h/35909-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f501614 --- /dev/null +++ b/35909-h/35909-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,4689 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of Indian Legends Retold, by Elaine Goodale Eastman. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> + p {margin-top: .75em; text-align: justify; margin-bottom: .75em;} + + h1,h2 {text-align: center; clear: both;} + h3 {text-align: center; clear: both; padding-top: 2em;} + + div.centered table {margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;} + + body {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + + a {text-decoration: none;} + + img {border: none;} + + .hidden {display: none;} + + .pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ + /* visibility: hidden; */ + position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-style: normal; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; + } /* page numbers */ + + .amends {margin-left: 8%; margin-right: 8%;} + + .bb {border-bottom: 2px black solid; padding-bottom: 1em;} + .bl {border-left: 2px black solid; padding-left: 1em;} + .bt {border-top: 2px black solid; padding-top: 1em;} + .br {border-right: 2px black solid; padding-right: 1em;} + .bbox {border: 2px black solid; padding: 1em; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 3em;} + + .center {text-align: center;} + .smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + + .dropcap {float: left; width: auto; padding-right: 3px; font-size: 350%; line-height: 83%;} + /* Plain dropcaps */ + + .caption {font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-size: 90%; padding-bottom: 2em;} + + .figcenter {margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 2em;} + + .cpoem {width: 60%; margin: 0 auto;} /* centers poem and maintains span indentation */ + .poem {margin-left:10%; margin-right:10%; text-align: left;} + .poem br {display: none;} + .poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + .poem span.i0 {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} + + .tdh {text-align: left; vertical-align: top; padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em;} /* left align hanging cell */ + .tdr {text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;} /* right align cell */ + .tdc {text-align: center; vertical-align: top;} /* centre align cell */ + .tdcb {text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;} /* centre align cell */ + .tdlsc {text-align: left; vertical-align: top; font-variant: small-caps;} /* left align cell small caps font */ + + .sig {text-align: right; margin-right: 4em;} /* signature aligned right */ + + .xlrgfont {font-size: 200%;} + .lrgfont {font-size: 140%;} + .smlfont {font-size: 85%;} + + .padtop {padding-top: 3em;} + .padbase {padding-bottom: 3em;} + .ipadboth {padding-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 2em;} + + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +Project Gutenberg's Indian Legends Retold, by Elaine Goodale Eastman + +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: Indian Legends Retold + +Author: Elaine Goodale Eastman + +Illustrator: George Varian + +Release Date: April 19, 2011 [EBook #35909] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK INDIAN LEGENDS RETOLD *** + + + + +Produced by K Nordquist, Sam W. and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + + + + + +</pre> + + + + +<div class="figcenter ipadboth" style="width: 388px;"> +<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="388" height="600" +alt="Front cover of the book" /> +</div> + + + + +<h1 class="padtop">INDIAN<br /> +LEGENDS RETOLD</h1> + +<p class="center padtop">BY</p> + +<p class="center lrgfont">ELAINE GOODALE EASTMAN</p> + +<p class="center padtop"><span class="smlfont">WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY</span><br /> +<br /> +GEORGE VARIAN</p> + + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 106px;"> +<img src="images/ilr01.jpg" width="106" height="150" +alt="Publisher's logo" /> +</div> + + +<p class="center padtop padbase">BOSTON<br /> +LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY<br /> +1919</p> + + +<p class="center padtop padbase"><i>Copyright, 1919</i>,<br /> +<span class="smcap">By Little, Brown, and Company</span>.<br /> +——<br /> +<i>All rights reserved</i><br /> +<br /> +Published, September, 1919</p> + +<p class="center smlfont padtop padbase">Norwood Press<br /> +Set up and electrotyped by J. S. Cushing Co., Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.<br /> +Presswork by S. J. Parkhill & Co., Boston, Mass., U.S.A.</p> + + +<div class="centered"> +<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Books by the author"> + <tr> + <td class="tdc bt bl br">BOOKS BY<br /> +ELAINE GOODALE EASTMAN</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdc bl br">——</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc bl br">Yellow Star</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc bl br">Indian Legends Retold</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdc bl br">——</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdc bl br"><i>In Collaboration with</i><br /> +CHARLES A. EASTMAN</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc bl br bb">Wigwam Evenings</td> + </tr> +</table> +</div> + + + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 398px;"> +<a name="captive" id="captive"></a> +<img src="images/ilr02.jpg" width="398" height="600" +alt="The chief is attacked by the hawks" /> +</div> + +<p class="caption">THE CAPTIVE<br /> +The murdered dove instantly became a whole flock of hawks.<br /> +<i>Frontispiece. See page <a href="#Page_18">18</a>.</i></p> + + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>v]</a></span></p> + +<h2>ACKNOWLEDGMENT</h2> + + +<p>The author wishes to thank the Bureau +of American Ethnology, Washington, D.C., +for kind permission to make use of certain +of the stories contained in their collections.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>vii]</a></span></p> + +<h2><a name="introduction" id="introduction"></a>INTRODUCTION<br /> +<br /> +<span class="smlfont">THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INDIAN LEGENDS</span></h2> + + +<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HE first Indian legends, repeated +by the fireside to children, deal +with the animals humanized, their +gifts and their weaknesses, in such a way +as to be a lesson to the young. Our +view of the creation allows a soul to +all living creatures, and rocks and trees +are reverenced as sharers in the divine. +Beyond their simplicity and realism there +is always the unexplained, the background +of mystery and spirituality.</p> + +<p>These animal fables serve as an introduction +to more complicated stories with +human actors, which almost always have +their hidden moral and are accepted by +our people as guides to life. They are +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>viii]</a></span> +full of humor and poetry, of pride, +tenderness, boastfulness, and real heroism. +Human lives are mingled with the +supernatural, with elements and mysterious +powers, bringing swift punishment +for wrong-doing. This is the basis +of our Indian philosophy, the groundwork +early laid in the mind of the child, for +him to develop later in life by his own +observation.</p> + +<p>One who reads these stories carefully +and thoughtfully will understand something +of Indian psychology. Mystery +to the Indian is not mystery after all, +but a reflection of the Great Mystery +which opens out as simply as a flower. +To us nothing is strange or impossible. +It seems natural that an animal or even +a rock should speak; God is in it and +speaks through it.</p> + +<p>It must be remembered that these +are only fragments of what were once +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>ix]</a></span> +consecutive and continued stories, too +long and involved to be set down here in +full. With just such stories the foundation +of my early education was laid in +the cold winter evenings, and the impression +made was permanent. The +characters were real people to me, and +the tales of the old men and old women +fostered a love of nature, reverence, a +kindly spirit, and finally patriotism and +the inspiration to heroic effort. Like +the other boys, I was expected to learn +them by heart and rehearse them in +the family circle. It is gratifying to +have these old stories saved for the +children of another race and generation.</p> + +<p class="sig smcap">Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa).</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>xi]</a></span></p> + +<h2>CONTENTS</h2> + + +<div class="centered"> +<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Table of contents"> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc"> </td> + <td class="tdr"><small>PAGE</small></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc">Introduction</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#introduction">vii</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc">A Little Talk about Indians</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#talk">1</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc">Pima Tales</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#pima">11</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc">Cherokee Tales</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#cherokee">23</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc">Choctaw Stories</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#choctaw">51</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc">Iroquois Tales</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#iroquois">65</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc">Tsimshian Tales</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#tsimshian">77</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdlsc">Alaskan Stories</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#alaskan">137</a></td> + </tr> +</table> +</div> + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>xiii]</a></span></p> + +<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> + + +<div class="centered"> +<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="List of illustrations"> + <tr> + <td class="tdh">The murdered dove instantly became a whole flock of hawks</td> + <td class="tdr" colspan="2"><a href="#captive"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdh">One contrived to pull her son down but the other six went up into the sky</td> + <td class="tdcb"><small>PAGE</small></td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#stars">44</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdh">He makes it choose one of three gifts</td> + <td class="tdcb">“</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#spirit">55</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdh">He rudely pushed her backward until she fell down</td> + <td class="tdcb">“</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#tides">83</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdh">He discovered the woman in a small pool</td> + <td class="tdcb">“</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#woman">111</a></td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td class="tdh">He took him to a tall stump in the very middle of the lake and there he left him</td> + <td class="tdcb">“</td> + <td class="tdr"><a href="#porcupine">144</a></td> + </tr> +</table> +</div> + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiv" id="Page_xiv"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1"><!-- unnumbered half title page --></a></span></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>3]</a></span></p> + +<p class="center xlrgfont">INDIAN LEGENDS RETOLD</p> + + + +<h2 class="padtop"><a name="talk" id="talk"></a>A LITTLE TALK ABOUT INDIANS</h2> + + +<p><span class="dropcap">M</span>ANY of us think of the American +Indians as all one people. +We talk of “the Indian language.” +There are more than fifty distinct +Indian languages.</p> + +<p>There are many other important differences +between the various tribes. The +nature of the country, the kinds of game +and other foods, the climate, winds, trees, +all have their effect in molding the daily +lives of the people. Their habits and customs +are reflected in their legends and +popular tales as in a looking-glass.</p> + +<p>The mountains, plains, and seashore +are the great natural features of our +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>4]</a></span> +country, and corresponding to these we +have coast tribes, prairie tribes, and +forest-dwellers or mountaineers among +the natives. If you try, you will soon +be able to tell from reading a story +what part of the country it came from. +It is an interesting study to read and +compare the legends of different tribes.</p> + +<p>The Cherokees lived originally in the +South Atlantic States and some few still +have their homes in the mountains of +North Carolina, but the greater part of +the tribe was forcibly removed many +years ago to the old Indian Territory. +There they developed a civilized government, +established schools and colleges, +and are now well educated and intermixed +with white people. The stories +repeated here were gathered from the +eastern or parent branch. Their shrewdness +and quick wit is very noticeable. +Sequoyah, whose impressive statue stands +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>5]</a></span> +in bronze in the rotunda of the Capitol +at Washington, was the famous Cherokee +who invented an alphabet.</p> + +<p>The Choctaws formerly lived in Mississippi +and Louisiana but are now one of the +Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma (once +Indian Territory).</p> + +<p>The Tsimshians are Indians of the North +Pacific coast and in the old days lived +mainly by fishing. They also hunted deer, +bears, and other animals. Their houses and +boats were made chiefly of cedar wood, +and they also wove the bark of the cedar +into baskets, ropes, mats, and even clothing. +The salmon and the cedar were to +them what the buffalo was to the Indians +of the Great Plains, so you will not be +surprised by the many references to them +both in these stories. There is a strong +likeness between their customs and those +of the Alaskan tribes.</p> + +<p>The home of the brave and manly +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>6]</a></span> +Iroquois was in the valley of the St. +Lawrence, the basins of Lakes Erie and +Ontario, and most of what is now the +State of New York. They were an exceptionally +gifted people, wise in state-craft +and active in warfare. They +believed in the manlike form and magic +power of the creatures and elements.</p> + +<p>The Pimas are a gentle, peaceable, +brown-skinned people, living in Arizona, +making fine pottery, weaving beautiful +mats and baskets, and raising corn. +Like the other desert tribes, their songs +and stories have much to do with the +rain clouds, upon which their crops depend. +They formerly stood in great +fear of the warlike Apaches, who often +attacked them and carried off women +and children captive.</p> + +<p>I suppose you all know that these legends +were not written down at all until white +people or educated Indians put them into +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>7]</a></span> +books. They were made up by unknown +story-tellers, far back in the past, and +repeated by old men and women for the +amusement and instruction of the young +folks. Thus they were handed down, +with some changes or additions, from +one generation to another.</p> + +<p>Indians had good memories. There +were no libraries or museums or universities. +All their wisdom and their traditions +were stored up in the heads of the +people, and a thing once forgotten was +lost forever. They had not even a +notebook or memorandum to help out +a poor memory.</p> + +<p>It is not so simple to invent a short +tale that is witty and ingenious, with +as much point and meaning as have most +of these we are giving you, as you will +soon find out if you try to make up some +fables or fairy tales of your own. To +remember and tell over such a story in +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>8]</a></span> +a clear and effective way, without missing +any of its logical or dramatic quality—even +this is no very easy matter. +The hearing and repeating of the legends +took in large part the place of both school +and story-books to the Indian boy or girl, +and it is good practice for any of us.</p> + +<p>It seems likely that every tribe has +in its folklore a mischievous character +with supernatural powers, who is at +the same time a butt for jokes and a +successful wonder-worker. He is boastful +and resourceful, always trying to +outwit other people, and in his turn is +often outwitted. Among the Sioux this +character is known as Unktomee, the +Spider; the Tsimshians call him the +Raven; the Cherokees the Rabbit.</p> + +<p>Besides this clown, as it were, whose +tricks and troubles are endless, every +animal has its personal or human side, +sometimes one that is obvious, and again +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>9]</a></span> +it may be decidedly puzzling. The +Turtle, for instance, is depicted as +a famous warrior (we hardly see why) +and the Porcupine as a wise man, which +we should scarcely have expected. On the +other hand, it seems quite natural to find +the Grizzly Bear the chief among animals, +and the Eagle the leader among birds.</p> + +<p>Indian legends are broadly classed as +“myths” and “folk tales.” The first +tell in a fanciful way how the world was +made, how winter, summer, fire, tides, +and many other familiar things or conditions +came into being. They go back +to a time which all Indians believed in, +when the animals were real people and +could talk as we do. They could do +many wonderful things besides that we +cannot do. The Winds, Cold, the Stars, +and so on are personified; that is, they +are described and act as persons, and +there are also giants, witches, water +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>10]</a></span> +sprites and fairy people who change +their nature at will.</p> + +<p>In many of the folk tales, which come +nearer being a record of actual or possible +happenings, the lovable and domestic +qualities of Indians are brought +out very clearly. Notice the loving +brothers and the affectionate husband +in “The Woman Who Became a Beaver” +and “The Wooden Wife.” The duty of +hospitality is taught in the story of +“Grizzly Bear and the Four Chiefs”, +kindness to animals in “The Feast of +the Mountain Goats”, patience with +children in “The Naughty Grandchildren” +and “The Stars and the Pine.” +In every instance the right-doer is rewarded, +the selfish man and the trickster +are punished. I hope that you will enjoy +these stories as much as I have done, and +that they may help you to know and like +better the first Americans.</p> + + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11"><!-- unnumbered half title page --></a></span></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>13]</a></span></p> + +<h2><a name="pima" id="pima"></a>PIMA TALES</h2> + + +<h3>CHILDREN OF THE CLOUD</h3> + +<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HERE was sorrow on the Casa +Grande (the Great Pueblo), for +the prettiest woman in the village +would accept no man for her husband. +Her suitors were many and impatient, +but her black glossy locks were still +wound above her ears in the manner +of virgins, and she steadily refused to +allow them to hang down in the matron’s +coils.</p> + +<p>One day a great Cloud came out of +the east, looked down upon the maiden +and wished to marry her, for she was +very beautiful. A second time and a +third he floated silently overhead, and +at last he found her tired out with work +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>14]</a></span> +and lying asleep at her mat-weaving. +He let fall a single drop of rain upon her, +and by and by twin boys were born.</p> + +<p>Now when the boys were about ten +years old, they began to notice that +other boys had fathers whom they welcomed +home from war and the chase. +“Mother,” said they, “who shall we +call our father?”</p> + +<p>“In the morning look to the east,” +their mother answered, “and you will +see a stately white cloud towering heavenward. +That cloud is your father.”</p> + +<p>Then they begged to go visit their +father, and she refused, for she was +afraid; but when the boys grew large +and strong she could no longer keep them, +since they were determined to go. She +told them to journey four full days to +the eastward and not to stop once on +the way.</p> + +<p>Her sons followed her instructions, +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>15]</a></span> +and in four days they came to the house +of the Wind. “Are you our father?” +asked they.</p> + +<p>“No,” replied Wind, “I am your +uncle. Your father lives in the next +house; go and find him.”</p> + +<p>They did so, but Cloud sent them back +to Wind, telling them that he was really +the one whom they sought. Again Wind +sent them to Cloud. Four times they +went back and forth, and the fourth time +Cloud saw that they were persistent and +he said to them: “You say that you +are my sons. Prove it!”</p> + +<p>Instantly the younger son sent forked +lightning leaping across the heavens, +while the elder caused the heat lightning +to flash in the distance. The skies +opened and rain came down in torrents, +enough to drown a mere mortal, but the +boys only laughed at the roar and rush +of the tempest. Then Cloud saw that +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>16]</a></span> +they were in truth his children, and he +took them to his house.</p> + +<p>After they had been there a long time, +they began to miss their mother sorely, +and finally they wished to return to earth. +Their father gave each a magic bow and +arrows, strictly charging them to avoid +any whom they might meet on the homeward +path.</p> + +<p>First the Eagle on mighty wing swooped +toward them, and they turned aside. +Then came the Hawk, and afterward +the Raven, but the boys managed to +elude all of these. Last the Coyote +sought to intercept them, and whichever +way they turned, he was always +before them. So they stepped out of +the road and stood one on either side to +allow him to pass. But when Coyote +came opposite to them, each was changed +into a plant of the mescal, the sacred agave, +which is both food and drink to the Indian.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>17]</a></span></p> + +<h3>THE CAPTIVE</h3> + +<p>There was once a little boy who was +brought up by his grandmother. While +he was yet very young, his mother had +been taken captive by the warlike +Apaches. He thought about her a great +deal, for he had heard that they treat +their prisoners cruelly.</p> + +<p>One day he made up his mind to run +away and find her. The way was long +and hard, but at last he descried the +enemy’s camp upon the plain, and when +he came nearer, he could see a woman +standing, looking toward the mesa and +her old home. He knew her at once +by the white scars which covered her +arms, showing where she had been tortured +with fire. The child turned himself +into a dove and flew straight to his +mother, who took him in her hands, and +recognized him as her son.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>18]</a></span> +She caressed and fondled him, but +told him that he must fly home again +before the Apache chief returned, as it +would not be safe for him to stay. While +they were talking together, the chief +entered suddenly.</p> + +<p>“What do you mean by whispering +to that dove?” he demanded fiercely. +“There is sorcery here.” And he took +the bird in his powerful hands and +squeezed it so that the delicate flesh +and bones oozed out between his fingers.</p> + +<p>The woman screamed, and the murdered +dove instantly became a whole +flock of hawks, which beat the chief down +with their wings and pecked out his eyes. +While they attacked him, the captive escaped, +and returned to her own people.</p> + + +<h3>THE NAUGHTY GRANDCHILDREN</h3> + +<p>An old woman had set her pot on the +fire with the soup for dinner, and as her +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>19]</a></span> +two grandchildren were playing near, +she cautioned them not to upset the pot. +The boy and girl were in a frolicsome +mood, chasing one another with shouts +of laughter; and as they ran they heedlessly +struck against the pot, which +rolled over and broke in pieces, spilling +the rich broth into the ashes.</p> + +<p>Now when their grandmother saw the +mischief they had done in spite of her +warning, she caught and whipped them +both. Thereupon the children determined +to run away.</p> + +<p>As soon as she missed them, the old +woman followed the runaways out into +the desert, calling loudly upon them to +come back, for she had only punished +them for their own good and loved them +both dearly. However, run as fast as +she might, she could never come up with +them. The two children were never +seen again; but it is said that they were +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>20]</a></span> +turned into two giant cacti and still +stand side by side upon the plain.</p> + + +<h3>BLUEBIRD AND COYOTE</h3> + +<p>In the old days the animals wore no +such fine clothing as now, and the bluebird +was of an ugly dun color, which +made him very unhappy. One fine +morning he came to a lake shining like +turquoise, and something told him to +bathe in the water.</p> + +<p>Lightly he skimmed above the waves +and dipped his wings four times, singing +as he did so:</p> + +<div class="cpoem"> +<div class="poem"> +<div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">“Here is blue water—<br /></span> +<span class="i0">I go in—<br /></span> +<span class="i0">I am all blue!”<br /></span> +</div> +</div> +</div> + +<p>The fourth time that he sang the verse +and shook the water from his feathers, +they really became bright blue!</p> + +<p>Just then Coyote appeared, in time to +see the transformation. “If you can +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>21]</a></span> +make yourself beautiful by bathing in +the lake, I can do as much,” said he, and +accordingly he took the plunge. Coyote +could not swim, and he choked and +strangled and was almost drowned. +When at last he contrived to get upon +dry land, he was shivering with cold. +He rolled and rolled in the warm sand, +which stuck to his fur, and he became +dirt color, just as you see him now.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23"><!-- unnumbered half title page --></a></span></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>25]</a></span></p> + +<h2><a name="cherokee" id="cherokee"></a>CHEROKEE TALES</h2> + + +<h3>THE FIRST FIRE</h3> + +<p><span class="dropcap">I</span>N the old days there was no fire on +earth, and the world was a cold and a +dreary place, especially at night and +in the winter. Think what it would be if +we had no hearth at which to warm ourselves, +no coals to broil our venison!</p> + +<p>One night, in the midst of a thunderstorm, +the lightning struck a great hollow +sycamore, and it began to burn. When +the people saw it, they all wanted to +get some fire, but the tree stood in a +swamp where there was no firm ground +for them to walk on. Many tried and +were stuck fast in the bog.</p> + +<p>The Raven easily flew across and got +so close to the blaze that his feathers +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>26]</a></span> +were burnt black, and black they have +been to this day, but he brought back +no fire. Then the Screech Owl tried, +and he flew to the top of the burning +tree from which he looked down on the +hot coals, and got the red eyes that he +has had ever since. The large Hooting +Owl followed his brother, and the +smoke gave him those white rings around +his eyes that you have all noticed. The +Black Snake said he would try, and he +wriggled into a small hole at the foot of +the tree, but he was immediately burnt +black, and was scorched so badly into +the bargain that he has done nothing +but twist and squirm to this day. Not +one of them brought back any fire.</p> + +<p>At last the little Water Spider wove a +silken basket which he placed on his +back, and then he spun a fine silken +thread for a bridge and ran across on it. +He reached the tree safely, put a tiny +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>27]</a></span> +live coal in the basket, and brought it +back to the waiting tribes of earth.</p> + + +<h3>ICE MAN PUTS OUT THE FIRE</h3> + +<p>Once upon a time there was a forest +fire, and the fire went deep down to the +roots of a poplar tree, and there it smoldered +for a long time. The people tried +to put it out, but they could do nothing. +By and by they grew frightened, fearing +lest it might burn down to the middle of +the earth, or spread over all the world. +So they sent a messenger to the far north, +to beg the Ice Man to help them.</p> + +<p>Now the Ice Man is a little fellow, with +two heavy braids of black hair hanging +over his shoulders. After he had heard +all about the fire, he nodded, and loosening +one braid he breathed upon the +strands. Instantly the wind began to +blow. He shook out the hair again, +and it began to rain. When he undid +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>28]</a></span> +the other braid, it hailed violently, and +the fourth time he blew upon his hair, +the storm became so terrific that the +messenger hastened homeward.</p> + +<p>When he got home, he saw the fire at +the roots of the poplar was still burning, +and the pit looked deeper and wider than +ever. Many people were standing sadly +about it, and as they stood there the +wind began to blow. Soon a cold rain fell +hissing on the hot coals. Then large hailstones +were mixed with the rain, and before +long the tempest grew so fierce that they +were forced to run for shelter. When it +stopped at last, they came out again to +look, and the pit of fire was nothing but +black coals covered with lumps of ice.</p> + + +<h3>THE ORIGIN OF SICKNESS AND +MEDICINE</h3> + +<p>There was a time when man and the +animal people were friends, and talked +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>29]</a></span> +the same language, and even intermarried +with one another. Later on, +the human race declared war upon the +animals and began to kill them in great +numbers, using their flesh for food and +their skins for clothing, so that there +was great fear and anger among them. +At last the old White Bear chief called +all the Bears in council to decide what +should be done.</p> + +<p>After much talk, it was agreed to make +bows and arrows of their own with which +to defend themselves, and one of the +Bears sacrificed his life to furnish sinew +for the bowstring. When all was ready, +and the Bear chief undertook to try the +new weapon, his long claws caught on +the string so that he could not handle it. +Some one then proposed that they all +cut their claws, and they were on the +point of doing this when the thought +occurred to another that they would be +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>30]</a></span> +unable to climb trees or seize their prey +if they had no claws, and would be in +danger of starving to death. In the end, +the meeting broke up without coming to +any decision, and Bears were hunted +just the same as ever.</p> + +<p>The White Deer next called all the +Deer together, and they decided to +punish with rheumatic pains every +hunter who should kill one of their +number without asking pardon for the +offense. Ever since that time, the +hunters have been very careful to beg +the Deer’s pardon whenever it becomes +necessary to shoot one, although now +and then some one tries to avoid the +penalty by building fires on his trail.</p> + +<p>The other animals followed the Deer’s +example, and each made haste to invent +a disease with which to torment the +human race. The Fish and the Snakes +threatened him with bad dreams, and +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>31]</a></span> +the little Grub, who was tired of being +trodden upon, heard them with such +joy that he fell over backward and has +never stood on his feet since. Only +the Ground Squirrel said modestly that +as man had never done him any harm +he had no wish for revenge, whereupon +the others were so angry that they +scratched him severely, and he bears the +marks on his back to this day.</p> + +<p>However, they reckoned without the +plants, which were friendly to man, and +promptly devised a remedy for each +disease. We should be grateful to them +whenever we are made to suffer by the +revengeful spirit of the animals, for in +the kindly vegetable world we can find +a cure for every ill.</p> + + +<h3>THE FIRST STRAWBERRY</h3> + +<p>It is told that the first man and woman +quarreled, and the woman left her +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>32]</a></span> +husband. He followed her sorrowfully, but +she never once looked back. At last +the Sun took pity on the man.</p> + +<p>“Do you still love her?” asked the +Sun, and the man said he did, and prayed +to the Sun to help him win her back again.</p> + +<p>Then the Sun caused all manner of +delicious fruits to spring up in her path. +The woman saw luscious purple huckleberries, +but she went right on over them. +A service tree laden with sweet red fruit +stood in front of her, and she passed it +by. Finally she came upon a patch of +scarlet strawberries, the first that ever +grew, and these she could not resist.</p> + +<p>She stooped to taste one, and at once +the thought of her husband came into +her mind. All the sweetness of their +love enfolded her, and she stood quite +still in the strawberry patch until he +came up with her, and embraced her, and +they went back together.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>33]</a></span></p> + +<h3>HOW THE TERRAPIN BEAT THE RABBIT</h3> + +<p>The Terrapin once challenged the +Rabbit to a race, which the latter regarded +as a joke.</p> + +<p>“The Terrapin is doubtless a wit,” said +he, “and a great warrior as well, but +every one knows that he cannot run. +I shall give him a big handicap, and +even then I cannot help beating him.”</p> + +<p>The course lay over four ridges, and +the Rabbit told the Terrapin to go ahead +to the top of the first ridge, so that when +the signal to start was given he was already +out of sight.</p> + +<p>When the Rabbit reached the top of +the first ridge, he was surprised to catch +a glimpse of the Terrapin almost at the +top of the second. He ran faster, and +as his rival was soon hidden in the long +grass, he saw nothing more of him till +he was mounting the second ridge, and +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>34]</a></span> +there was the Terrapin already passing +the third. When the Rabbit with great +leaps ascended the third ridge, behold! +the Terrapin was about to cross the +fourth, and the next minute he had won +the race.</p> + +<p>This is the way it was done. The +Terrapin had several friends who looked +exactly like himself, so he stationed one +of them at the top of each of the first +three ridges, with orders to hide in the +long grass as soon as the Rabbit came near. +He himself stayed at the fourth rise until +his competitor came in sight, when he +crept over it and so came out ahead.</p> + + +<h3>HOW THE TURKEY GOT HIS BEARD</h3> + +<p>Now the animals all suspected some +trick in this case, and the Turkey in +particular was heard to say that he would +contrive to get even.</p> + +<p>Soon afterward he saw the Terrapin +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>35]</a></span> +coming back from war, creeping along +with a fresh scalp hung about his short +neck and trailing on the ground.</p> + +<p>“How, my friend!” he exclaimed, +“you do not wear your scalp right; +only let me show you.”</p> + +<p>The Terrapin let the Turkey take the +scalp and hang it about his own neck, +while he strutted proudly to and fro.</p> + +<p>“Does it not look well?” the Turkey +asked.</p> + +<p>“Well enough,” the other admitted, +“but you may give it back to me now.”</p> + +<p>“First let me show you another way +to wear it,” cried the Turkey, and he +adjusted the scalp and flew with it into +a tree where the other could not follow. +Thus he boasts the stolen ornament to this +day.</p> + + +<h3>HOW THE DEER GOT HIS HORNS</h3> + +<p>Perhaps you never heard that there +was once a time when the Deer’s head +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>36]</a></span> +was as smooth as that of the doe, and +as he and the Rabbit were both great +jumpers and proud of their ability, a +match was arranged, the winner to receive +a fine pair of antlers as a prize. +They were to start at one side of a dense +thicket, and the first one to make his +way through to the further side and back +again would be judged the winner.</p> + +<p>Now the Rabbit said that he had +never before been in that part of the +country, and he asked permission to look +about a little, which was agreed to. +However, he was gone so long that they +suspected he might be up to one of his +tricks, so one of the judges followed him +quietly. There he was, busily gnawing +off branches and making a road through +the underbrush!</p> + +<p>When he finally came out, he was told +that on account of his dishonesty the +horns would be given to the Deer, and +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>37]</a></span> +furthermore, since he was so fond of +gnawing at bushes, he might continue +to do so for the rest of his life.</p> + + +<h3>WHY THE DEER’S TEETH ARE BLUNT</h3> + +<p>Although it was not the Deer’s fault +that the Rabbit lost the prize, the +Rabbit was greatly provoked and laid his +plans to get even. Cutting a stout grapevine +almost in two with his teeth, he laid +it across the Deer’s path and began leaping +back and forth, snapping at the vine.</p> + +<p>“What are you doing that for?” +asked the Deer, when he caught him at +this game.</p> + +<p>“Only look! I can bite this tough +vine in two with one snap of my sharp +teeth,” replied the Rabbit.</p> + +<p>“Let me see you do it,” the Deer +suggested.</p> + +<p>So the Rabbit sprang at the vine and +bit it in two, where it was already almost +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>38]</a></span> +cut through. “You cannot do anything +like that,” he declared proudly.</p> + +<p>“If you can do it, I am sure I can,” +the Deer insisted, and the Rabbit made +haste to drag forward a heavy vine. +The Deer leaped at it and tried to bite +it as the other had done, but caught his +heels and fell headlong. Again and +again he tried without success.</p> + +<p>“My friend,” put in the Rabbit, who +had been looking on and pretending to +sympathize, “how can you expect to +bite anything in two with such blunt +teeth as you have? Just let me file +them for you a bit, and they will soon +be as sharp as mine.”</p> + +<p>The Deer was hot and embarrassed +and very foolishly gave his consent. +Thereupon the sly Rabbit got a rough +stone and filed off the Deer’s teeth almost +down to the gums, so that he could not +bite off anything at all.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>39]</a></span></p> + +<h3>WHY THE POSSUM’S TAIL IS BARE</h3> + +<p>A long time ago, the Possum had a +fine bushy tail of which he was very +proud, so much so that he would even +sing of it at the dance. As the Rabbit’s +tail is short and stubby, he had no +patience with such absurd vanity, and +at last he thought of a way to put a stop +to it.</p> + +<p>There was to be a large council and +dance to which all the animals were invited, +and Rabbit stopped in on his way +home to inquire whether Possum was +going.</p> + +<p>“I shall not attend unless I can be +assured of a good seat,” declared Possum +with much dignity, “for I think my tail +entitles me to so much, at least.”</p> + +<p>“Certainly, I will arrange that,” replied +Rabbit, with a great show of +deference, “and I shall be glad if you +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>40]</a></span> +will allow me to send a barber to comb +and dress your beautiful tail so that it +may appear to the best advantage.”</p> + +<p>On these conditions Possum agreed to +attend the dance, and the Cricket, who +was an expert barber, was sent to him +with private instructions. As fast as he +combed and brushed the tail, he wrapped +it around with red string to keep it +smooth, and no sooner had he finished +his work than Possum hurried away in +good spirits.</p> + +<p>He found the council house crowded, +but all made room for him at once, and +when his turn came he quickly unwrapped +his long tail and took the center of the +floor, waving it proudly as he danced. +He was greatly surprised to be greeted +with loud peals of laughter. He ventured +to speak of his tail in the accompanying +song, and the people laughed +louder than ever. At last, looking down, +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>41]</a></span> +he discovered that the Cricket, according +to the secret orders he had received, +had shaved that splendid tail to the very +roots, and it has remained entirely bare +ever since.</p> + +<p>In his great mortification, Possum +rolled over on his back helpless, and this +he still does whenever he is taken by +surprise.</p> + + +<h3>THE OWL GETS MARRIED</h3> + +<p>There was once a woman who had a +marriageable daughter. Many men came +wooing, but the mother told the girl +never to accept any but a skilled hunter, +who would keep the lodge well supplied +with meat.</p> + +<p>One evening the Owl called, in the +shape of a handsome young man, and +asked the girl to be his wife.</p> + +<p>“Are you a good hunter?” she asked.</p> + +<p>He said that he was, and upon this +she agreed to marry him.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>42]</a></span> +On the day after the wedding, the +bridegroom went forth to hunt, and at +night he returned with nothing but some +scraps that the hunters had thrown +away. He excused himself by saying +that he had had bad luck, and the next +morning he declared that he would try +fishing instead.</p> + +<p>When at evening he brought home +only a worthless minnow or two, the +old lady advised her daughter to follow +him quietly the next time and see what +he did. She did so and was horrified to +see her husband turn into a great Owl +and fly to the top of a dead tree, where +he sat watching for some small fish that +might be dropped by a Hawk or an +Eagle.</p> + +<p>She went home in disgust, and presently +he returned with a story of an Owl which +had driven away his game.</p> + +<p>“I think you are the Owl,” declared +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>43]</a></span> +the young woman, and she turned him +out of doors.</p> + +<p>The poor Owl went off by himself and +pined away till he lost all his flesh, and is +now nothing more than a big head and a +bundle of feathers.</p> + + +<h3>THE STARS AND THE PINE</h3> + +<p>Once there were seven little boys who +spent most of their time down at the +town house, playing a game with wheel-shaped +stones and a curved stick like +a hockey-stick. Their mothers thought +they played too much, and one day, +when they were boiling the corn for +dinner, they put some round stones in +the pot and served these to the little +boys instead of corn.</p> + +<p>This made the boys angry, and instead +of staying at home they went right +back to the town house and began to +dance. Round and round they went, +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>44]</a></span> +faster and faster, until their feet came +quite off the ground, and they were +dancing on air. When their mothers +came to look for them, they were already +out of reach.</p> + +<p>The mothers screamed, and one caught +up a game stick and contrived to pull +her son down, but the other six went +straight up into the sky; and there they +are now, as the six bright stars named +Pleiades, which the Cherokees call “The +Boys.”</p> + +<p>As for the seventh little boy, he struck +the ground with such force that he sank +in and was seen no more. His wretched +mother watered the spot every day with +her tears, and after a long time there +sprang up a slender shoot of green which +grew into a pine tree. This was the +very first pine. Perhaps you did not +know that the Pine has a heart of flame +and is a brother to the Stars.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<a name="stars" id="stars"></a> +<img src="images/ilr03.jpg" width="400" height="600" +alt="A mother tries to catch her son with a game stick" /> +</div> + +<p class="caption">THE STARS AND THE PINE<br /> +One contrived to pull her son down, but the other six went up into the sky.<br /> +<i>Page 44.</i></p> + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>45]</a></span></p> + +<h3>THE MAN WHO MARRIED THE +THUNDER’S SISTER</h3> + +<p>A certain young man went to a dance +one evening and met there two strange +young women, both of whom had the +longest and handsomest hair he had ever +seen. He looked at them a great deal +from a distance and finally spoke to +them, and before the dance broke up +he had asked the younger and prettier +of the two sisters to be his wife.</p> + +<p>In reply she told him to fast for seven +days and she would meet him again at +the same place.</p> + +<p>The young man was so deeply in love +that he gladly accepted the hard condition, +and after going without any food +for the prescribed time, he went to +another dance. There he met again +the two sisters with the beautiful long +hair. When it was time to leave, the +younger one said that he might follow +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>46]</a></span> +her, but she warned him that if he ever +told where he went or what he saw, he +would surely die.</p> + +<p>They all went along a footpath until +they came to a small brook, when the +two girls stepped quietly into the water +and continued on their way. The young +man hesitated at first, but when his +sweetheart turned her head and beckoned +he stepped boldly in, and it was as if +he were walking in deep, soft grass.</p> + +<p>Presently the brook ran into a wide +and deep river, and now he stopped +short, for he was afraid of being drowned.</p> + +<p>“Oh,” said the girl, “that is only the +road to our home!” So in he plunged, +and he did not seem to be in the water +at all but in the long meadow grass.</p> + +<p>The girls led him to a cave under a +great rock and offered him a seat, but +when he looked at the seat he saw that +it was an immense live turtle. He said +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>47]</a></span> +then that he would rather stand. But +what surprised him most was to see +both young women take off their lovely +hair and hang it up beside the doorway, +leaving their heads quite bare.</p> + +<p>Soon there came a loud clap of thunder, +and directly after a flash of lightning +that disclosed a tall man entering the +cave. This was the brother of the girls, +and his name was Thunder. He invited +the youth to ride with him and +offered him a horse which turned out to +be a large water snake. The young man +refused the invitation, for he had become +a good deal frightened and decided that +he would rather go home.</p> + +<p>There came another frightful peal and +a dazzling flash, and the next thing he +knew he was lying on the river bank +with his feet in the water. He reached +his home safely, but he could not resist +telling his friends about his wonderful +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>48]</a></span> +experience; therefore within three days +he died, for no one may tell of a visit +to the underworld and live.</p> + + +<h3>THE ENCHANTED LAKE</h3> + +<p>In the depths of the Great Smoky +Mountains there lies a hidden lake which +no human eye has ever seen. The +hunters know where it must be, for +sometimes one has come near enough to +scent its freshness, and to hear the rustle +of thousands of wings as the ducks rise +in great clouds from its cool, green depths. +Yet when he approaches, he perceives +only a dry hollow in the heart of the +woods.</p> + +<p>All the creatures know this lake; it +is their City of Refuge; mortal eye cannot +find them there, and when one of +them is wounded, he has only to plunge +into its mysterious waters, and he comes +out whole.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>49]</a></span></p> + +<h3>THE BEAR MAN</h3> + +<p>A hunter once trailed a bear and shot +many arrows into its body, but to his +surprise they seemed to make no impression. +Finally the bear stopped, +pulled out the arrows, and turning to +the man, he handed them back to him, +saying pleasantly:</p> + +<p>“You see it is no use—you can’t kill +me. Better give it up and come home +with me instead!”</p> + +<p>The hunter was curious and followed +the bear to his den, where he slept +all winter, gradually growing thick +black hair over his whole body. When +spring came, he was wakened by the +shouts of his friends as they surrounded +the den.</p> + +<p>Not knowing what else to do, he went +forth to meet them, looking like a bear, +but walking upright like a man. He +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>50]</a></span> +spoke to them, and they knew his voice +and spared his life.</p> + +<p>“You have done wrong,” said they, +“and we cannot allow you to remain +here. Come back with us—your poor +wife mourns for you as for one dead!”</p> + +<p>“I wish for nothing but to come back,” +the Bear Man declared. “Tell her, however, +that for seven days I must neither +eat nor speak. That will break the +charm, and I shall be once more a man! +Otherwise I must die.”</p> + +<p>Accordingly he betook himself to a +solitary teepee on the outskirts of the +village, and there continued his fast. His +wife was told that he still lived, and was +overcome with joy. Five days she waited +for him to come to her, and at the end +of the fifth day she could wait no longer. +She went to him, threw herself into his +arms, and compelled him to answer her +questions, thus causing his death.</p> + + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51"><!-- unnumbered half title page --></a></span></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>53]</a></span></p> + +<h2><a name="choctaw" id="choctaw"></a>CHOCTAW STORIES</h2> + + +<h3>WHY POSSUM HAS A LARGE MOUTH</h3> + +<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HERE had been a long dry season, +and the Deer had grown very +thin. Meeting Possum one day, +he could not help noticing how well-fed +and contented the other appeared.</p> + +<p>“How is it that you are so fat in a time +of drouth and famine?” inquired the +Deer, whose skin hung loosely upon a +rack of bones.</p> + +<p>“It is simple enough,” replied the +Possum. “I live upon persimmons.”</p> + +<p>“But how do you reach them?” persisted +the Deer. “It seems to me they +hang very high.”</p> + +<p>“Oh, that is easy,” declared Possum, +who is fond of a joke. “I go to the top +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>54]</a></span> +of yonder hill, run down very fast and +hit the tree with my head just as hard as +I can. That shakes off the fruit. Then +I have only to sit on the ground and eat +and eat till I can eat no more.”</p> + +<p>“It sounds easy, to be sure,” agreed +the Deer, who was hungry enough to +try anything. He went to the very top +of the hill, rushed down violently, and +struck the tree with such force that he +was killed instantly. At this the wicked +Possum laughed so hard that it stretched +his mouth, which has remained wide to this +day.</p> + + +<h3>THE GOOD LITTLE SPIRIT</h3> + +<p>Perhaps you have wondered why some +men are wise and do good, while others +in their ignorance do nothing but harm. +If so, I will tell you a secret.</p> + +<p>In a cave not far from the homes of +men there dwells a good little spirit. He +is very old, his hair is long and white, +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>55]</a></span> +and he is about as tall as a child three +years old.</p> + +<p>Now every child, when it reaches the +age of three or four, sometimes wanders +away out of sight of home, and the spirit +is constantly on the watch for this to +happen. He comes out of hiding, takes +the little one by the hand and leads it +away to his cave. There he makes it +choose one of three gifts: a knife, a +bunch of poisonous flowers, and a handful +of healing herbs.</p> + +<p>If the child takes the knife, he will do +only harm all his days. If he is misled +by the beauty of the poisonous blossoms, +he will never be wise; but if he takes the +good medicine, he will be a wise man +and a healer, who will bless and help his +people.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<a name="spirit" id="spirit"></a> +<img src="images/ilr04.jpg" width="400" height="600" +alt="A child considers which gift to choose" /> +</div> + +<p class="caption">THE GOOD LITTLE SPIRIT<br /> +He makes it choose one of three gifts.<br /> +<i>Page 55.</i></p> + + +<h3>FOLLOWERS OF THE SUN</h3> + +<p>There were once four brothers, who as +soon as they noticed that the sun rose +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>56]</a></span> +in one quarter and set in another, made +up their minds to follow on to the place +of his setting. They were very young +when they set out toward the west, and +as the years passed they grew to be tall +youths, then strong men in their prime, +yet they could never overtake the Sun.</p> + +<p>Old age had begun to creep upon the +travelers when at last they reached the +shores of the Everywhere Salt Water +(the ocean). Behind its shining rim the +golden ball descended, and they were +given power to follow, and where sky +and water met to reach their journey’s +end.</p> + +<p>“Why are you here who have not yet +died?” asked the Sun.</p> + +<p>“We have done nothing but follow +you all our lives,” replied the brothers.</p> + +<p>“Only the dead come here,” the Sun +insisted. “You will have to go back.”</p> + +<p>He sent them each home on the wings +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>57]</a></span> +of a buzzard, and thus returned to their +amazed people four feeble old men, who +had been where no mortal ever went +before. When they had told all their +strange story, they lay down and died, +and so returned to the glories of heaven, +which they alone of all men had seen +before their time.</p> + + +<h3>THE HUNTER WHO BECAME A DEER</h3> + +<p>A hunter who had traveled all day +without finding any game shot a doe near +sunset, and as he was very tired, he lay +down near the body and went to sleep.</p> + +<p>In the morning, when he awoke, he +perceived the doe looking at him lovingly +out of large, soft eyes. As he returned +her gaze, she astonished him yet more +by speaking.</p> + +<p>“Will you come home with me?” +she pleaded.</p> + +<p>The young man hesitated, but there +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>58]</a></span> +was something strangely appealing about +this beautiful woman, as she now seemed +to him to become. Almost without +knowing what he did, he arose and followed +her.</p> + +<p>By and by, they came to a great cave +under the mountain, where it seemed +that all the Deer lived with their chief, +an immense buck with powerful antlers. +The hunter was hospitably received; +but all along the sides of the cave he +noticed piles of deer hides, with hoofs +and horns. This puzzled him not a +little; nevertheless he ate with them, +lay down among them, and presently +slept.</p> + +<p>Now while the young man slept, the +Deer tried skin after skin till they found +one which fitted him, and they also +fitted a pair of antlers to his head and +hoofs to his hands and feet. In the +morning, he opened his eyes and +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>59]</a></span> +perceived that he also was a Deer, and he +remained with the herd.</p> + +<p>In the meantime, his mother and his +relatives continued to search for him +throughout the forest. After some +weeks, they discovered the lost one’s +bow and arrows, hanging on the branch +of the tree under which he had slept after +shooting the doe. They all gathered on +the spot and began to sing songs of magic.</p> + +<p>Soon a herd of deer appeared in the +distance, coming nearer and nearer as +they were drawn by the singing. At +last one spoke, and immediately they +knew his voice for that of the missing +hunter. His mother cried bitterly, and +insisted that they should take off the +deer’s hide from her son and restore him +to his own shape again.</p> + +<p>“We dare not,” protested his brothers +and his cousins. “It might endanger +his life!”</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>60]</a></span> +“Even so,” she replied, weeping, “I +had rather see my son dead than wearing +the form of a beast!”</p> + +<p>When they began to tear off the deer’s +hide, behold! it had grown fast to his +own skin, and he began to bleed.</p> + +<p>“Go on! go on!” exclaimed the +mother in agony, and they persisted +until the man died. Then at last they +carried home his body and gave it +honorable burial.</p> + + +<h3>PRETTY WOMAN</h3> + +<p>Once in time of famine there were +two children deserted by their parents, +because they could not find food enough +for all. The boy and girl were perishing +of hunger when they were discovered +wandering in the wood by Old Crow +Woman. The kind old body took them +to her poor teepee and went out to search +for something to eat.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>61]</a></span> +While she was gone, the girl, who was +very clever, picked four grains of corn +out of the dust and tossed them into the +air. In this way each grain became a +fine full ear, which they roasted and ate. +She then threw up the small skin tent, +and it came down large and beautiful. +She took her little brother in her arms +and threw him up, and he was a tall +youth. Finally she said to him: +“Brother, throw me up, too!” and he +did as she asked.</p> + +<p>The half-starved little girl came down +again a remarkably pretty woman, and +when Old Crow returned with a few +grains of corn in her beak, she was +astonished to find so beautiful a girl +sitting and making moccasins before the +largest and handsomest lodge she had +ever seen.</p> + +<p>When the Mole poked his long nose +through the earth to look at Pretty +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>62]</a></span> +Woman, she ordered him back, saying, +“I am not the light.”</p> + +<p>Three times the Hummingbird circled +round her head with buzzing wings, but +she drove him away. “I am not a +flower,” said she. He went home and +told all the people that he had seen the +most beautiful woman in the world, and +the woods were soon full of suitors.</p> + +<p>Since Old Crow Woman was the girl’s +chaperon, they all appealed to her. One +said: “I will lay down the richest of +bear skins for her to walk on, all the +way to my village.”</p> + +<p>“That will never do,” replied the old +woman. “She might slip on the skins +and hurt herself.”</p> + +<p>The second lover offered to lay down +a line of mortars all the way. “You +must not do that,” said Old Crow. +“The mortars might roll and trip her +up.”</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>63]</a></span> +The third man declared: “My people +shall lie down on the ground, and she +may tread upon them as she comes to +me a bride!”</p> + +<p>To this the old woman made no objection, +and Pretty Woman walked all +the way to her future home upon the +bodies of the people.</p> + + +<h3>THE CRANE AND THE HUMMINGBIRD</h3> + +<p>Once there was a beautiful girl who +had many suitors, and among the most +persistent were the Crane and the Hummingbird. +She rather fancied the latter, +since the Crane was a long-legged, awkward +fellow, not at all to her taste. In +order to rid herself of his pretensions +once and for all, she told them that they +might fly round the world, and the first +one to return should be her husband. +As the Hummingbird is very swift, she +had no doubt of the result.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>64]</a></span> +At the end of the first day, he had +indeed a long start. Well pleased, he +tucked his head under his wing and +went to sleep. About midnight, the +Crane overtook him and flew on. The +Hummingbird passed him at breakfast +time and again secured a long lead. But +in the night time, while he slept, the unwearied +Crane flew on, each night overtaking +him earlier, till he had gained a +whole day and won the race.</p> + +<p>After all, he did not win a wife, for +the maiden was so much chagrined by +the failure of her plan that she has stayed +single to this day.</p> + + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65"><!-- unnumbered half title page --></a></span></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>67]</a></span></p> + +<h2><a name="iroquois" id="iroquois"></a>IROQUOIS TALES</h2> + + +<h3>THE THUNDERERS</h3> + +<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HERE were once three comrades +who went upon the warpath, +and when they were a long way +from home, one had the misfortune to +fall and break his leg. The other two +made a litter in which they undertook +to carry him, but there was a ridge of +high mountains to cross, and the way +grew very painful and difficult. At last +they became discouraged, set the litter +down, went a little aside and consulted +together in whispers.</p> + +<p>By and by they took up their burden +again, and coming to a deep crevasse +they let it fall as if by accident, so that +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>68]</a></span> +the injured man rolled into the abyss. +They went home and reported that they +had met the enemy and that their comrade +had died of his wounds. To console +his weeping wife, they assured her +that he had fought bravely; also that +they had tended and cared for him until +he died and had then given him suitable +burial.</p> + +<p>In the meantime, the abandoned one +fell to the bottom of the pit, where to +his surprise he beheld a very old man +sitting with his hands clasped about his +withered knees.</p> + +<p>“What is this?” inquired the old sage. +“Is it possible that your comrades have +deserted you and left you to perish +miserably?”</p> + +<p>“It seems that they have done so,” +calmly replied the youth.</p> + +<p>“You may live, nevertheless,” the +other promised, “if you will agree to +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>69]</a></span> +my conditions. I am now too old to +hunt. Stay here and keep me supplied +with game as long as I live, and I will +cure your leg.”</p> + +<p>As the young man had no choice, he +agreed without hesitation, and the ancient +bound up his limb with healing herbs, +fed and tended him until he was able to +hunt.</p> + +<p>There was game in abundance in that +part of the country, and the old man +told him that if ever he shot more than +he could carry, he should call out and he +would come to his assistance. One day +the hunter succeeded in killing an immense +bear, and while he was skinning it, behold! +three very tall strangers clad in +garments of cloud appeared close by.</p> + +<p>“We are the Thunderers,” said they. +“We should be glad to help you, for you +have not deserved your misfortunes. +That old man for whom you hunt is +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>70]</a></span> +not what he seems to be. Call him, +and you shall see!”</p> + +<p>Since the youth saw no harm in calling +his benefactor to help him with the +game, he did as they advised, and the +aged man climbed out of the pit very +cautiously, first calling aloud to inquire +if there were any cloud in the sky.</p> + +<p>“There is none,” replied the hunter, +and the other hobbled forward, continually +peering into the heavens as if +in fear of some enemy. Suddenly a +rumble of thunder was heard, and immediately +he turned and fled in the form +of a Porcupine, throwing back sharp +quills like arrows as he ran. Louder +and louder pealed the thunder, and just +as he reached the edge of the pit a bolt +of lightning struck the Porcupine, and +he fell dead into his den.</p> + +<p>After this the young man returned to +his own people.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>71]</a></span></p> + +<h3>THE WINGED HUNTER</h3> + +<p>A lone hunter had spent all of his +arrows, and was at a loss. He was a +long way from home. Upon the lake +were many wild geese, but how was he +to kill them? Finally he swam underneath +the flock, caught several by the +feet, and tied them to his belt with +withes of basswood bark. When the +geese flew up into the air, they carried +the hunter with them.</p> + +<p>Now he planned to loosen one or two +of the birds so that he might sink gradually +to the ground, but the rest broke +loose suddenly, and he fell into a tall, +hollow stump where he remained a prisoner. +To be sure, it was only a day or +two before some women came near after +wood, but his cries frightened them, so +that they retreated. Later they returned +with their men and released him.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>72]</a></span> +Immediately the hunter made new +arrows with which he killed both deer +and bears, extracting oil from the latter +which he kept in leathern bottles. He +now wished to return home; but since +he had tried flying, walking seemed to +him too laborious. After much thought, +he made himself a pair of wings out of +a thin piece of tanned deerskin, and flew +homeward, carrying the bottles for ballast, +and letting fall one or two into the +wigwams of the women who had set +him free.</p> + + +<h3>GREAT HEAD</h3> + +<p>High up on an inaccessible cliff, there +dwells an immense Head, very fierce, +with long, bushy hair and huge staring +eyes. The people call it the Great Head, +and fear it very much.</p> + +<p>There was once a family of ten boys +who lost their parents at about the same +time of a mysterious disease. As they +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>73]</a></span> +knew no near relatives, the brothers +continued to live alone in the forest. +However, one day the eldest failed to +return from the hunt, and in the morning +the second brother went to look for him. +That night he, too, was missing. On +the next day, the third brother set out +to search for the others, and so on until +only one of the ten was left.</p> + +<p>Now the youngest brother had scarcely +started on their trail when he stumbled +over a queer little old man, half buried +in the ground, and entirely covered with +green mold.</p> + +<p>When he had dug him out and revived +him by rubbing him with oil, the boy told +the stranger his story.</p> + +<p>“I can tell you what has become +of your brothers,” exclaimed the little +old man. “Without doubt, it is my +brother, Great Head, who has enticed +them away.”</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>74]</a></span> +“What! the Great Head is your +brother?” asked the boy.</p> + +<p>“Yes, he is,” replied the little old man.</p> + +<p>“Then you must know his ways and +can help me to outwit him.”</p> + +<p>“I can tell you what he eats. Huge +billets of maple wood—only maple—are +his favorite tid-bit.”</p> + +<p>“And is there anything he is afraid +of?” the boy inquired.</p> + +<p>“He fears my arrows, which grow ever +larger as they fly!”</p> + +<p>First the boy worked very hard chopping +a great maple tree into blocks; +then he invited Great Head to a feast. +But Great Head would not come.</p> + +<p>Then the little man, his brother, crept +slyly to the foot of the cliff through the +long grass, and sent forth a magic arrow, +which grew larger and larger as it sped +toward the mark. A great noise arose, +like that of a hurricane rushing through +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>75]</a></span> +a forest. Down tumbled Great Head to +the foot of the precipice, and the nine +youths whom he had held captive were +freed from the spell, and came joyfully +home again.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77"><!-- unnumbered half title page --></a></span></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>79]</a></span></p> + +<h2><a name="tsimshian" id="tsimshian"></a>TSIMSHIAN TALES</h2> + + +<h3>HOW THE DAYLIGHT CAME</h3> + +<p><span class="dropcap">A</span> LONG, long time ago the son of +the first chief of the animal +people set out upon a journey. +Dressed in the skin of a raven, and +carrying in his beak a magic bag which +his father had given him, he flew eastward +over a dark and watery waste. +When he had flown far and was tired, +he dropped a stone in the sea, and +it became an island, upon which he +rested.</p> + +<p>Again he rose up and flew onward upon +slow black wings, no blacker than the +gloom that covered the face of the world. +As he skimmed the surface of the waves, +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>80]</a></span> +he scattered from his enchanted bag +the spawn of every kind of fish, so that +the sea was filled with finny life. Then +he turned toward shore, and over the +dry land he cast berries and seeds of all +plants that are good for food, so that +the earth too was ready to burst with +fruitfulness, only there was no sun to +warm it into life.</p> + +<p>Raven became very tired of the eternal +darkness, and at last he flew straight +upward until he found the hole in the +sky, and went right through the hole. +There he left the raven’s skin lying and +flew on till he came to a spring of clear +water, bubbling up with a sound like +maidens’ laughter near the wigwam of +the Chief of Heaven. He turned himself +into a leaf and floated in the pool, +waiting for the chief’s daughter. When +she came, she was indeed very beautiful. +Stooping, she dipped up the leaf +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>81]</a></span> +in her bucket and drank it with the +water.</p> + +<p>Now the maiden returned to her home, +and not long after a child was born to +her. The baby grew very fast. He was +stronger than any child ever seen, yet +he cried continually. Soon he was creeping +about the floor and crying all the +time in a loud voice. The wise old men +were called in to explain these cries, and +the wisest one of all told the princess +that her son was crying for a large box +that hung under the roof. This was +the box that held the daylight.</p> + +<p>Since nothing else would do, they took +down the box and gave it to the child +to play with. For four days he rolled +it about the floor; then one day, when +no one was looking, he lifted it to his +shoulders, got to his feet, and ran out +of the door with it. He sped as fast as +he could to the hole in the sky, put on +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>82]</a></span> +the raven’s skin that he found lying +there, and flew down to earth with the +precious box.</p> + +<p>Now the Frog people were fishing down +there, and they made a great noise and +confusion in the darkness. Raven called +upon them to be silent, but they paid +no attention to him. The big frogs +were bellowing very loud, and the little +frogs were piping high and shrill, and +there was no peace or quiet anywhere. +Raven told them twice to be less noisy, +and when they would not, he said, “Then +I shall open the box.”</p> + +<p>So he opened it, and daylight overspread +the earth.</p> + + +<h3>THE OLD WOMAN AND THE TIDES</h3> + +<p>Again Raven flew over the waters +till he reached the mainland and the +wigwam of the old, old woman who +holds the tide lines in her hand. At that +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>83]</a></span> +time the tide would remain high for +many days at a time, so that the people +could get no clams or other sea food. +It happened that Raven was very hungry +for clams, but he entered the hut +and sat down, saying pleasantly:</p> + +<p>“Good day, grandmother: there is fine +digging to-day. I have just had all the +clams I could eat.”</p> + +<p>“Nonsense!” exclaimed the old woman. +“What are you talking about, Raven? +You know very well that the clams are +all covered.”</p> + +<p>“Yes, but I’ve had all the clams I +want,” he insisted.</p> + +<p>“That isn’t so,” she declared.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 402px;"> +<a name="tides" id="tides"></a> +<img src="images/ilr05.jpg" width="402" height="600" +alt="Raven attacks the old woman" /> +</div> + +<p class="caption">THE OLD WOMAN AND THE TIDES<br /> +He rudely pushed her backward until she fell down.<br /> +<i>Page 83.</i></p> + +<p>Upon this he rudely pushed her backward +until she fell down, and her mouth +and eyes were filled with dust. Of +course she was forced to let go the tide +lines, so that the tide ran quickly out, +and the beach was covered with fine +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>84]</a></span> +fat clams and other shellfish. Raven +did not come back to the hut until +he had eaten as many as he possibly +could.</p> + +<p>“My eyes are blinded with dust,” +mourned the old woman. “Will you +not give me back my sight?”</p> + +<p>“I will, if you will promise to slacken +the tide lines twice a day,” he replied.</p> + +<p>So she said that she would, and from +that time to this the tides have run in +and out twice each day.</p> + + +<h3>HOW THE FIRE WAS BROUGHT</h3> + +<p>After a time, Raven saw that the +people were discontented without fire, +for they could neither cook their food +nor warm themselves when it was cold. +He remembered that they had fire at +home in his father’s village, so he flew +westward once more until he came to +the wigwams of the animal people. But +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>85]</a></span> +however hard he begged, they would +not give him what he had come for.</p> + +<p>Raven made a new plan. He went a +little way off and sent the Sea Gull to +the camp with this message:</p> + +<p>“A handsome young chief will come +to feast and dance in the dwelling of +your chief. See that all is ready.”</p> + +<p>He knew that the people would prepare +for their guest, so he caught a Deer +and tied a bundle of pitch-pine to its +tail, for at that time the deer had a long +tail like that of the fox. He borrowed +the canoe of the Great Shark, and with +the Deer came in it to the village.</p> + +<p>As he expected, the house of his father +the chief was full of people, and there +was a big fire made and much feasting +and merriment. All the creatures were +dancing and singing, and the very birds +clapped their wings for joy.</p> + +<p>The Deer entered, leaping and dancing, +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>86]</a></span> +and his grace was much admired, +but as he danced around the fire he +swung his long tail over it, and the pitch +blazed up. He ran out, sprang into the +sea and swam off, with his lighted tail +flaring above the waves like a torch. +Many sprang into their canoes and +tried to follow him, but he escaped and +reached our shores in safety. There he +struck a dead fir tree with his blazing +tail and said to it:</p> + +<p>“You shall burn as long as the years +last!”</p> + +<p>We should remember that it is to him +we owe the gift of fire, for his tail was +burned off, and since that day all Deer +have had a short black tail.</p> + + +<h3>RAVEN AND THE CRAB</h3> + +<p>Raven had been flying all night over +the ocean, and he had grown very hungry +indeed, but what was there to eat? +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>87]</a></span> +At sunrise he reached a sand spit, and +there sat a large Crab. Raven thought +he might be good to eat, but he was a +little timid about attacking him, so he +merely touched him on the back, saying, +“Let us have a game, grandfather!”</p> + +<p>“Certainly not,” replied the Crab +gruffly.</p> + +<p>But Raven grew bolder and touched +him again and again, crying out teasingly, +“Come on, let us have a game, +grandfather!”</p> + +<p>Presently the tide turned, and about +that time the Crab grew angry. He +seized Raven by the leg and walked very +slowly into the water with him.</p> + +<p>“Dear grandfather, only let me go!” +begged Raven, for he was terribly +frightened.</p> + +<p>Crab paid no attention to his prayers +and cries, but walked on the bottom of +the sea until he felt sure that his enemy +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>88]</a></span> +was dead, when he let go of him, and +Raven came up and floated lifeless on +the top of the waves.</p> + +<p>A light wind wafted him ashore, and +he lay for a long time motionless on the +warm sand. At last the sun revived +him, and he awoke. He looked at his +raven skin and saw that it was sadly +draggled and some of the feathers had +come off, but he was so thankful to be +alive that he only said to himself, “After +all, I have not done so badly!”</p> + + +<h3>THE BEAUTIFUL BLANKET</h3> + +<p>Not long after this, Raven grew tired +of the jet-black robe that his father had +given him, and one day he exchanged it +for a beautiful blanket of many colors, +such as is worn to dances. He had not +gone very far when the gay blanket fell +to pieces, and he was cold and sorrowful.</p> + +<p>He did not know what else to do, so +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>89]</a></span> +he went back to look for his raven skin +and found it lying by the roadside. He +put it on again, but soon came upon +another dance blanket even handsomer +than the first. Forgetting the lesson he +had just had, he tore his old robe in half +and threw it away with contempt, and +dressed himself in the other. Then he +walked on, thinking how well he must +look in the eyes of any whom he might +chance to meet.</p> + +<p>This fine dandy was greatly pleased +when he saw a strange village near at +hand, until, glancing downward, he found +to his dismay that he was covered with +nothing but moss and lichens. Crying +bitterly, he was once more forced to go +back in search of his raven skin; after +hunting a long time he found it, but it +was torn in two. Sadly he pinned it +about his body as well as he could and +again turned his steps toward the village.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>90]</a></span> +While he was still a little way off, +Raven plucked up spirit and gathered +a piece of rotten spruce wood, which +by his magic art he turned into a slave. +Lacking a fine blanket, he made for himself +some large ear ornaments out of +common clam shells which he found on +the beach. Then he ordered his slave +to walk before him, crying in a loud +voice:</p> + +<p>“People of the village, here comes my +master, who is a great chief! You will +know him by the costly ornaments of +abalone shell in his ears!”</p> + +<p>It is said that the strangers were +deceived by this fine talk and invited +the pretender to their chief’s wigwam, +where a feast was given in his honor.</p> + + +<h3>RAVEN AND THE HUNTERS</h3> + +<p>One day Raven happened to see a +boat load of hunters coming home with +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>91]</a></span> +plenty of game. As usual, he was hungry, +and it occurred to him to take the +shape of a woman in the hope of obtaining +some food.</p> + +<p>Sure enough, when the hunters noticed +a good-looking young woman on the +shore, they beached their canoe and +took her on board. She had a child in +her arms, and the child cried incessantly.</p> + +<p>“It is hungry,” the woman explained; +so they made much broth of wild ducks +and fed the child and its mother. They +feasted most of that night, and the head +man was so well pleased with the supposed +woman that he offered to marry +her. All went well till they awoke in +the morning, when, to his surprise and +disgust, the new wife looked like a man.</p> + +<p>“So it is you, up to your tricks again, +you good-for-nothing Raven! Be off +with you!” exclaimed the angry hunter, +and he cast him overboard.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>92]</a></span> +Raven put on his feathered robe and +flew off without any trouble, and at the +same moment the baby turned to a crow +and flew away also.</p> + + +<h3>RAVEN AND THE CHILDREN</h3> + +<p>Raven was out for a walk and came +upon a crowd of children playing with +whale’s blubber. Huge piles of it lay +at their feet, and they were throwing +lumps at one another in great glee. He +stopped and spoke to them.</p> + +<p>“Where did you get all that blubber?” +he asked.</p> + +<p>“Oh,” answered the oldest boy, “we +climb up that tall tree you see over +yonder and jump down from the topmost +limb. As we land, we cry out, ‘Be +piled up, all my blubber!’ and it is so.”</p> + +<p>Raven immediately climbed the tree +and jumped off the highest branch, +shouting, “Be piled up, all my blubber!”</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>93]</a></span> +Nothing happened except that he +struck the ground so hard that he was +lame for several days. Meanwhile the +children picked up the blubber and ran +off, laughing heartily.</p> + + +<h3>RAVEN AND HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW</h3> + +<p>Once upon a time Raven came to a +small house away from everybody, where +lived two women, a widow and her young +daughter. The elder woman asked him +in and gave him a good supper, and as +the house appeared to be well stocked +with dried fish and other necessaries, +he proposed that evening to marry the +daughter and was accepted.</p> + +<p>The next day, after a hearty breakfast, +he borrowed the old woman’s stone +ax and went out. He told the two +women that he was going to cut down a +cedar tree and make a boat for the fishing, +and he charged his wife to see that +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>94]</a></span> +her mother had a good meal ready for +him on his return. Before night he +came back very hungry, saying that he +had felled the tree and would begin +next day to hollow out the canoe.</p> + +<p>This went on for some time, Raven +going forth every morning with the ax +and returning in the afternoon, apparently +tired out, and with so great an +appetite that the widow’s stores of food +were getting low. They could hear the +blows of the ax from time to time in the +depths of the forest, but somehow the +boat was never quite finished.</p> + +<p>At last one morning the old woman +said to her daughter, “Go quietly, my +child; follow your husband without letting +him know it, and see for yourself +what progress he is making.”</p> + +<p>The young wife did as she was told, +and there was the trickster pounding +a rotten stump with the stone ax so as +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>95]</a></span> +to make the sounds they had heard. +When she told her mother what she had +seen, the two women packed up all the +goods they had left and went away.</p> + +<p>When Raven went home that night, +he found only the empty hut, which +was as much as he deserved.</p> + + +<h3>RAVEN AND THE SALMON WOMAN</h3> + +<p>Now Raven had been unfortunate for a +long time and was poorer than ever, but +he had at last contrived to build a small +hut and make a boat and a spear. Just +as he was ready to go fishing, a heavy +fog came down and covered the face of +the water, hiding his boat entirely. When +the fog lifted, there sat a beautiful +woman in the bow of the canoe.</p> + +<p>“You have come to my boat; will +you be my wife?” asked Raven.</p> + +<p>And the woman consented, saying, +“Yes, if you will be always kind to me, +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>96]</a></span> +my husband. Remember, I am the Salmon +Woman.”</p> + +<p>“Then we shall have plenty of fish +in our lodge,” exclaimed the pleased +bridegroom.</p> + +<p>And he was right, for next morning +his new wife rose early and stepped barefoot +into the little brook that ran close +by their hut. Instantly salmon by hundreds +came leaping up the stream, and +she called to him, saying:</p> + +<p>“Husband, come! the creek is full of +silver salmon!”</p> + +<p>After he had speared many, he went +after wood with which to smoke their +abundant catch, and as he feared the +birds might come down and steal some +of his fish while he was gathering the +wood, he left one of his eyes to watch +the boat, telling it to be sure and call +him in case the birds came near the +salmon.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>97]</a></span> +Soon the eye cried out, “Master, come +quickly! the birds are here.” But as +he was very busy he merely replied, +“Hide the fish under the seat until I +come,” and went on with his work.</p> + +<p>When he came back to the boat with +a load of wood, he found to his sorrow +that the greedy creatures had not only +eaten up all the fish but his eye also.</p> + +<p>Crying bitterly, Raven went back to +his wife, who asked him what the matter +was. When he told her, she had only +to touch the empty socket, and immediately +he had a new eye quite as +good as the other. As for the stolen +fish, he did not miss them at all, for the +tiny stream was now so full of salmon +that there was scarcely any water to be +seen.</p> + +<p>Although their poor hut was well +supplied with food, and his meals well +cooked, and his wife was as loving and +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>98]</a></span> +kind as she was beautiful, nevertheless +Raven would leave her in the morning +and be gone all day without saying where +he went. By and by he began to come +home in a bad temper and to speak to +her harshly. One evening he exclaimed:</p> + +<p>“Well, who has been to see you to-day?”</p> + +<p>“No one has been to see me, my +husband,” she replied. “No one ever +comes to this lonely place.”</p> + +<p>“Don’t try to deceive me,” said he +roughly. “A man has been here in my +absence. I know it, because I have +been gambling this long time, and at +first I had good luck, but to-day my luck +was bad; therefore I know you have had +a man here.”</p> + +<p>Then the Salmon Woman felt insulted, +and without speaking to him she +turned to the dried fish that hung from +the ceiling.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>99]</a></span> +“Come, O my tribe!” she cried, and +all the fish came to life and followed her. +She sprang into the water and swam +away, and they all swam after her, +leaving the unkind husband alone and +hungry once more.</p> + + +<h3>THE ANIMALS IN COUNCIL</h3> + +<p>It is now many years since the ancient +friendship between man and the animal +tribes was broken, and since that time +the animals have been hunted continually +and go about in fear of their lives. +One day Grizzly Bear invited all the +larger beasts to meet at his wigwam and +discuss the matter. Deer, Elk, Wolf, +and many others were present when +Grizzly Bear made his great speech in +which he spoke of the constant danger +they were in and the need of finding a +remedy, and finally proposed that they +petition He-Who-Made-Us to lengthen +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>100]</a></span> +the winter and cause very deep snows +with extreme cold, so that the hunters +could not get about.</p> + +<p>All agreed to this plan, but Wolf got up +and proposed that before acting upon it +they should consult the smaller animals +and even the Insect tribes. “For,” said +he, “if we ignore them now they may +make trouble for us later on.”</p> + +<p>The others had no objection, and next +day Beaver, Squirrel, Mink, Muskrat, +all four-footed creatures down to the +little Mouse, and all of the Insect tribes +as well, were invited to join in the +council.</p> + +<p>It was a great gathering. The larger +animals sat on one side of a wide semicircle, +and the smaller on the other side. +Again Grizzly Bear made the first speech, +telling of the meeting of the day before +and of his suggestion, and asking all +present for their opinion on the matter.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>101]</a></span> +After a silence, Porcupine arose and +remarked that the idea might do well +enough for those who had warm fur +coats, but that many of the little people +were not so well protected against severe +weather, and as for the feeble Insects, if +the winters should become any longer +or colder than they were already, they +would all perish, therefore they could +not agree to the proposal.</p> + +<p>“I don’t care whether you agree or +not,” growled the Bear. “We larger +animals have decided that this is the +best thing to do, and we are going to do +it anyhow.”</p> + +<p>“I fear you are short-sighted,” replied +Porcupine, who found that he had +used the wrong argument. “You large +animals are always roaming the woods +in search of something to eat, and if +the winters grow any colder there will +be no food for you, that is certain. All +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>102]</a></span> +life will perish, even the roots of the +grass on which the Deer lives, and the +berry bushes of which the Bear is so fond +will be frozen. You will all starve, but +we shall live, for we Porcupines can live +on the bark of trees; and as for the +smallest Insects, they can burrow into +the earth and survive.”</p> + +<p>The other animals were impressed by +this speech and began to say among +themselves, “How wise he is!” “Now +who would have thought of that?” and +“I think we should reconsider the matter.”</p> + +<p>“Ah, ha, ha!” laughed Porcupine, and +he was so pleased with himself that he +stuck his thumb into his mouth and +then bit it off, which is the reason that +he has only four fingers and no thumb.</p> + +<p>Now the animals called him the wisest +of their number and accepted his decision, +and as for those who would not +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>103]</a></span> +agree, Porcupine filled them full of sharp +quills, on which account they all stand +in awe of him to this very day.</p> + + +<h3>THE FOUR WINDS</h3> + +<p>Once there were four great chiefs who +lived in the four corners of the earth, +and their names were North Wind, +South Wind, East Wind, and West +Wind. The other three all hated North +Wind, for he was very rude and boisterous, +and insisted upon blowing his +bitter blast into their faces at all times +of the year, so that the tender fruit +buds and fragile blossoms were never +safe from his withering breath.</p> + +<p>Finally they united to make war upon +him, and after a long struggle they succeeded +in gaining his promise that he +would only blow for half the year, which +helped matters a little.</p> + +<p>Now the South Wind had four sturdy +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>104]</a></span> +sons and a beautiful daughter, while +North Wind’s family consisted of twin +boys, one of whom was called Frosted, +and the other Frozen. No sooner were +the children grown up than Frosted +wished to marry the daughter of South +Wind, who was as fair and gentle as a +summer’s day, but she would have nothing +to say to him.</p> + +<p>The next year Frozen came courting. +He was a handsome fellow, very determined, +and proved more fortunate than +his brother. The wedding feast was the +finest ever known in that part of the +country. It lasted for seven days, at +the end of which Frozen carried home +his bride in a tempest of wind and rain.</p> + +<p>When South Wind’s daughter reached +the land of perpetual snow and ice, she +very soon regretted her rash choice. +There was not so much as a spark of fire +in the house, which was built of ice +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>105]</a></span> +blocks, and day and night she was chilled +to the very marrow of her bones. Meanwhile +the rest of the family were saying, +“What a pleasant season we are having!” +and “The weather seems unusually mild +for this time of the year!”</p> + +<p>At last she could bear it no longer, and +one day as she sat sadly on the beach +she picked up a bit of yellow driftwood +and carved it into the shape of a duck. +When she had finished, she tossed the +duck into the air, saying:</p> + +<p>“Fly south, little duck, and tell my +father that I am very unhappy here in +the cruel northland!” And the duck +flew away southward.</p> + +<p>Far in the southland the South Wind’s +wife stood in the door of their wigwam +and called to her husband, “Look, husband! +Spring is coming, for I see the +ducks returning!”</p> + +<p>The little yellow duck came on, and +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>106]</a></span> +as soon as he was near enough he gave +the daughter’s message:</p> + +<p>“Your child is very unhappy there in +the cruel northland!”</p> + +<p>When South Wind understood it, he +was angry and called his four strong sons +to his side. “Boys,” said he, “go at +once to North Wind’s house and bring +home your sister!”</p> + +<p>The eldest son started first in the shape +of a great gray cloud, and when the little +bride saw the cloud in the distance she +was glad, for she felt sure that it was her +brother. But immediately North Wind +went out with his two sons to meet him +and drove him back, so that she wrung +her hands in sorrow.</p> + +<p>The second brother went as a very +black cloud, and he got a little farther +than the first when he too was fiercely +attacked and beaten back. Then the +bride of Frozen cried bitterly, for she +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>107]</a></span> +began to be afraid she must stay there +forever.</p> + +<p>The third brother went as a great +storm of rain, and he had nearly reached +the spot where his sister was eagerly +waiting, when the icy wind turned the +rain to hail and drove it back, and the +poor girl was in despair.</p> + +<p>However, there was still the youngest +brother. He went as a sharp-edged and +thin cloud which slipped right by North +Wind and reached his palace, where he +turned all the ice to water. The whole +country was flooded, and North Wind +and his family were helpless.</p> + +<p>“Not only does your son lose his +bride,” cried the victorious son of South +Wind, as he retreated with his sister, +“but I shall take away three of your +months also. From this time forth you +are allowed to blow but three months in +the year.”</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>108]</a></span> +Thereupon the four Winds divided +the year among them in this fashion: +to North Wind the three winter months, +to East Wind the spring, to West Wind +the summer, and the autumn to South +Wind.</p> + + +<h3>THE FEAST OF THE MOUNTAIN GOATS</h3> + +<p>In the old days the hunters were many +and skillful. They killed hundreds of +mountain goats for their flesh and skins +and left their bones lying unburned on +the rocks, which was a great dishonor. +Moreover, their children were thoughtless.</p> + +<p>One day, a young man whose name +was Really Black Raven Feather was +walking along the beach, and he saw a +group of boys making merry with a kid. +They would seize it and throw it into the +water, watch its struggles for a time, then +drag it ashore half drowned, and as +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>109]</a></span> +soon as the poor creature was able to +walk, they would throw it in again. +When they tired of this sport, they built +a fire and put the kid in the fire, to dry, +as they said; but before it was more +than scorched this young man pulled +it out and scolded the boys severely for +their cruelty, so that they all ran away.</p> + +<p>Not long after this, a messenger came +down from the hills inviting all the +villagers to a feast, and as was the +custom they followed the messenger. +They came to a large wigwam on the +mountain side which they had never +seen before, and all were seated within +this immense tent. Really Black was +given a seat immediately behind the +tent pole, which was unusually heavy.</p> + +<p>Soon a crowd of people wearing goats’ +headdresses came dancing and singing +over the rocks. They danced around +and in front of the wigwam, and presently +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>110]</a></span> +the chief dancer kicked so high that he +touched the tent covering with his goat’s +hoof. Instantly it fell down on the +heads of the guests and became a mountain +which crushed them to death. Only +Really Black was saved. He clung to +the tent pole, which became a giant spruce +growing out of the side of the mountain. +Therefore he and his descendants have +always respected the goats, and taken +care to burn their bones when it was +necessary to hunt them for food or +clothing.</p> + + +<h3>THE WOMAN WHO BECAME A BEAVER</h3> + +<p>There was once a man who took his +wife with him to hunt raccoons at a +distance from the village. They were +very successful. Every night the man +shot several of the animals, and in the +daytime they were both busy skinning +them and trying out the fat. One day +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>111]</a></span> +the young wife became tired of work +and she approached her husband and +tried to attract his attention, saying +playfully:</p> + +<p>“Look at me, my husband!”</p> + +<p>It is true that she was a pretty woman, +but the man was bent on skinning his +game just then and took no notice of +her. Seeing that he made no answer, +she kept on teasing him to look at her. +At last he grew provoked.</p> + +<p>“Go away,” said he crossly; “you are +no better than these raccoons!”</p> + +<p>At this the young woman was much +hurt and went away without speaking. +Her husband finished his work and then +came to his supper, but no meal had +been prepared for him, and no wife was +to be seen. He called and called, but +no one answered. After searching for +her some time, he discovered the woman +taking a bath in a small pool, which she +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>112]</a></span> +had made for herself by piling up sticks +and pebbles to dam the stream.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 405px;"> +<a name="woman" id="woman"></a> +<img src="images/ilr06.jpg" width="405" height="600" +alt="The man sees the woman in the pool" /> +</div> + +<p class="caption">THE WOMAN WHO BECAME A BEAVER<br /> +He discovered the woman in a small pool.<br /> +<i>Page 111.</i></p> + +<p>“Come, my wife, it is time to eat,” +begged the young husband.</p> + +<p>“You have said that I am no better +than the raccoons,” she answered, “and +I am very much ashamed. I prefer to +stay where I am.”</p> + +<p>He went back to their hut, but came +again later in the evening and tried hard +to persuade her.</p> + +<p>“My wife, you know that I love you,” +he protested. “I only spoke as I did +because I was thinking of my work and +I wanted to get through with it. I am +sorry for what I said, and I did not mean +anything by it. Come, now, you should +not stay in the water so long or you will +be sick; and besides, it is time to go to +bed.”</p> + +<p>She would not listen to him, however, +and he noticed that the dam had grown +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>113]</a></span> +higher, and the pool was much bigger +than before.</p> + +<p>The woman did not come to bed at +all that night, and the deserted husband +could not sleep for thinking of his wife +swimming about in the cold water. He +lay awake, listening to the lapping of +the little waves and the slap of her +leathern apron as it struck the water +when she dived.</p> + +<p>Next morning the pool had become a +pond, and out in the middle of it he +could still see her swimming about. +For the third time he called to her and +pleaded with her to come out, but she +would not answer him at all, so he went +home very sorrowful.</p> + +<p>Now the young woman had six +brothers, and when they heard what +had happened, they all declared that +they would go and bring home their +sister. Their brother-in-law guided them +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>114]</a></span> +to the spot where he had left her and behold! +a large lake filled the valley, and +there was a beaver house under the dam.</p> + +<p>The young men saw several young +beavers swimming about, and presently +they heard a great beaver tail spank the +water. Looking closely, they recognized +the woman, but she was covered from +head to foot with soft brown fur, and +her leathern apron had become the flat +tail of a beaver.</p> + +<p>At this they wept much, and with +one voice implored her to come home.</p> + +<p>“No,” said the beaver woman. “My +husband has said that I am no better +than the raccoons, and I am too much +ashamed to live with mankind any +longer. Do not trouble about me +further, for I shall never come back.”</p> + +<p>“Let us go away and leave her,” +said the eldest brother, for he did not +know what else to do.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>115]</a></span> +“No,” said the youngest. “Let us break +the dam; then all the water will run out, +and she will be compelled to come.”</p> + +<p>They broke the dam and destroyed +the beaver house. The woman lay face +downward in the mud at what had been +the bottom of the lake. She was quite +dead. In all points she was like a +beaver, but when they turned the body +over, grieving much, the face was the +face of the offended wife.</p> + + +<h3>THE TEN PRINCES</h3> + +<p>The ten sons of a chief went hunting, +and all took their wives with them except +the youngest brother, who was unmarried. +They all camped together at +night, and in the morning the eldest +prince went out in search of game.</p> + +<p>The first thing he saw was a fat porcupine +coming toward him, which he +easily caught. He wrung its neck, and +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>116]</a></span> +hung it on the branch of a tree, and +went on.</p> + +<p>Near the top of a hill, he met a handsome +white she-bear and shot her dead. +He kept on to the very top, and looking +down, perceived a strange town at the +foot, which made him very curious. He +walked up boldly to the first hut, +in which a pretty young woman sat +alone. She beckoned to him through +the window, but he had scarcely entered +when some one called out from the next +dwelling:</p> + +<p>“You have a visitor. Send him here: +the chief wishes to see him.”</p> + +<p>At the chief’s door, several young men +met the stranger with much kindness +and greatly admired his weapons, which +they begged to be allowed to examine. +As soon as he went in, the chief greeted +him with all hospitality. He ordered +that the softest robes be brought for his +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>117]</a></span> +seat and caused him to be served with +the choicest food. While he ate, his +weapons were returned to him and laid +at his side. When night came, the +chief said, “Bring the best blanket for +our guest; he will remain with us to-night”; +and it was done.</p> + +<p>In the morning a cry arose, “The +bears are coming!”</p> + +<p>“Let my best hunters go out against +them,” ordered the chief. Now the +young prince was an expert hunter and +had a mind to display his skill, so he +hastened to attack the foremost bear. +He drew out his best arrow, but to his +astonishment the arrow broke. Hurriedly +he seized his spear, and the spear +broke. In a moment the grizzly bear +was upon him and bore him to the +ground.</p> + +<p>As soon as he was dead, the young +men dragged his body into the chief’s +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>118]</a></span> +hut, where the chief caused it to be cut +in pieces and hung up to dry.</p> + +<p>Now when this young man did not +come back to camp on that day or the +next, his wife grew anxious, and the +next in age offered to go in search of +him. He set out in the same direction, +and half-way up the hill he met a fat +porcupine, which he clubbed and hung +in a tree as his brother had done. A +little further on, he saw a white she-bear +and killed her, after which he went +toward the village which he observed +in the distance.</p> + +<p>The pretty young woman invited him +to come in, and the young men welcomed +him cordially and took away his weapons, +which they returned to him as he sat +feasting in the house of the chief. In +short, everything happened to him exactly +as it had happened to his brother; +and in the morning, when his arrows +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>119]</a></span> +broke off short, he was at the mercy of +the bear, and his body was cut up and +hung beside that of the first.</p> + +<p>Next day, the third youth went to +look for the other two, and so on, until +all were gone except the youngest. The +nine widows mourned continually, and +they begged the last brother not to follow +the others, for if he should, they felt +sure that he too would be lost and they +would all be left without a protector. +However, he insisted upon going, assuring +them that not only would he come +back safe and sound, but would bring +back their husbands also.</p> + +<p>He took the same path up the hill, +and when he saw the fat porcupine +coming to meet him, it occurred to him +that he had better let her pass unharmed, +and he did so. A little later, he met the +white she-bear and shot her; but when +he came to her he could not help laying +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>120]</a></span> +his hand gently on her side and exclaiming +aloud, “How beautiful she is!”</p> + +<p>Instantly the bear became a handsome +young woman, who smiled upon +him, and warned him of the dangers that +he would meet in the Bears’ town at +the foot of the hill.</p> + +<p>“These people are really Bears,” said +she, “and I am one of them sent to +deceive you. But you have no wife, +and I like you very much. Do not +let the young men take your weapons +even for a minute, or they will change +them to dry sticks as they did those of +your nine brothers, who killed me without +remorse.”</p> + +<p>Finally she gave him two small pups +and told him to hide them in his robe, +and if ever he was in trouble to set them +one by one on the ground, saying, “Red, +grow up quick and help me!” “Spot, +grow up quick and help me!” and it +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>121]</a></span> +should be so. Then she kissed and +embraced him, and he went on down +the hill to the village.</p> + +<p>In the first hut he came to he found +his sweetheart again, and she greeted +him lovingly. When the chief sent for +him, she delayed parting with him as +long as she could, but was at last forced +to let him go, with many charges as to +the best way to outwit her kinsmen. +Accordingly he kept fast hold of his +weapons, when the young men crowded +admiringly about him, and even lay +awake all night lest they should take +them from him while he slept.</p> + +<p>In the morning, when the Bears came +on as before, and the chief called for men +to go out and meet them, the young +prince drew his bow and shot the foremost +through the heart. More followed, +and he killed them one after another until +his arrows were all gone. Then he fought +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>122]</a></span> +with his spear until he was tired out, and +still the Bears came on.</p> + +<p>Finally he remembered the pups that +his sweetheart had given him, and he +placed the first one on the ground, saying, +“Grow up quick, Red, and help +me!”</p> + +<p>Instantly the pup became an immense +dog which rushed at the Bears +and drove them back.</p> + +<p>Then he put down the second pup, +saying, “Grow up quick, Spot, and help +me!” and another savage dog attacked +and put to rout the last of his enemies.</p> + +<p>Then the young man returned to the +Bear chief’s wigwam for his nine brothers. +He took down the pieces of their bodies +and laid them side by side, and they all +came to life and followed the hero and +his Bear wife back to their own camp, +where they were welcomed with great +rejoicings.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>123]</a></span></p> + +<h3>THE GIRL WHO REJECTED HER COUSIN</h3> + +<p>In the old days, a chief’s daughter +was expected to marry the son of her +uncle, and so keep the chieftainship in +the family. But there was once a proud +princess who behaved very badly to +her cousin when he came wooing, according +to the custom.</p> + +<p>“I must be sure that you love me,” +she said.</p> + +<p>“I do love you,” he declared.</p> + +<p>Upon which she answered, “Then +prove your love by making a cut down +your right cheek.”</p> + +<p>The young man immediately took +out his knife and slashed his right cheek +so that the blood streamed over his face.</p> + +<p>When the cut had healed, he went +again to his cousin and asked for her +hand with some confidence, but she said:</p> + +<p>“First you must cut your left cheek +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>124]</a></span> +also, and then I shall know that you +really love me.”</p> + +<p>The young man did not like to do it, +but he would not give up, and he slashed +his left cheek also.</p> + +<p>He waited for the second cut to heal +and then went to her with his scarred +face and begged her to marry him at +once.</p> + +<p>“Yes,” said she, “I will marry you, +for you have done well,” and she kissed +him, so that he became more in love +than ever. Finally she told him sweetly +that she was not yet entirely satisfied, +and that before the wedding he must +cut off all his hair.</p> + +<p>Now short hair is considered a disgrace +to a man, and the prince was most +unwilling to cut his off, but at last he +yielded and went to her to ask that the +wedding day might be set. But she +refused to see him, merely sending a +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>125]</a></span> +servant with the message that he must +be quite mad to suppose that she would +marry such a hideous object as he had +made of himself.</p> + +<p>The poor young man was very unhappy, +and he left his home and wandered +away until he came to a small hut that +stood all by itself under a hill.</p> + +<p>An old woman opened the door and +kindly asked him to come in—“that +is,” said she, “if you are the chief’s son +who was rejected by his cousin.”</p> + +<p>“I am he,” declared the youth.</p> + +<p>“What can I do for you?” asked the +old woman.</p> + +<p>He answered that he wanted nothing +more than to be as he had been, before +he disfigured himself at the bidding of +the cruel young woman.</p> + +<p>Accordingly the crone prepared a bath +for him, and when he came out his skin +was smooth and fine, without any mark +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>126]</a></span> +upon it. She combed his hair with a +comb of ivory, and it became long and +splendid and fell over his shoulders +like a mantle, so that he was far handsomer +than before.</p> + +<p>When he went back to the village, all +the people admired him as a being from +another world, and his cousin put on +her best robes and walked to and fro, +trying to attract his attention, but he +did not even glance at her. Finally +she sent her servant with a message, +asking him to come and see her.</p> + +<p>When he did not appear, she sent a +second time, and inquired very humbly +what she could do to please him. He +told the messenger to say that if she +would slash her right cheek with a knife, +he would come.</p> + +<p>So the princess cut open her right +cheek, and when the cut had healed she +sent to her cousin again. This time he +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>127]</a></span> +made answer that she must first cut +her left cheek also, and she did as he +ordered.</p> + +<p>When her messenger came to the prince +a fourth time, he directed that her mistress +cut off all her beautiful hair, declaring +that he would then be entirely +satisfied. Crying bitterly, the poor girl +cut it off and sent it to her lover, but he +threw it on the ground with contempt, +saying that nothing would induce him +to look upon the face of a woman who +had so disfigured herself.</p> + +<p>The wise men say that since this +happened, women have not been allowed +to choose their husbands, or to refuse +the men who have been selected for them +to marry.</p> + + +<h3>GRIZZLY BEAR AND THE FOUR CHIEFS</h3> + +<p>There were once four chiefs who were +brothers and lived in one village. In +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>128]</a></span> +the dead of winter, when food was +scarce, a lean stranger came among +them and stopped at the hut of the +eldest brother.</p> + +<p>He was courteously received and +seated by the fire, as is the custom, and +the chief asked him where he came from.</p> + +<p>“I have come a long way,” replied +the stranger.</p> + +<p>“And what have you eaten on the +way?”</p> + +<p>“I have eaten nothing but snow,” he +said.</p> + +<p>Then the chief ordered a dish of snow +and a spoon to be placed before his +guest, but he got up without touching +it and went on to the house of the second +brother.</p> + +<p>Here he was again asked where he +came from and what he had eaten on +the road, and when he answered that he +had eaten only snow, he was given a +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>129]</a></span> +large dish of it with a spoon. The same +thing happened at the third house.</p> + +<p>When the traveler came to the dwelling +of the youngest brother, and the +host heard that he had eaten nothing +but snow and was starving, he said to +his wife, “Wife, see if there is still a dried +salmon left.”</p> + +<p>She looked, and found a single one, +half of which she broiled and gave it on +a dish to the stranger.</p> + +<p>After he had eaten, he made ready to +go on, but his host said, “Wife, give +our guest the other half of the salmon to +eat on the journey,” and she did so.</p> + +<p>Then the stranger said to him, “All +the others ridiculed a starving man, but +you were a true host. Your kindness +shall be rewarded. Meet me to-morrow +at the mouth of the river.”</p> + +<p>The young chief did as he was told, +and behold! a great grizzly Bear, who +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>130]</a></span> +presented him with leggings, a grizzly-bear +headdress, and a magic bow which +killed all manner of game. From that +day he never went hungry, but became +the envy of his elder brothers and the +richest man in the village.</p> + + +<h3>THE WOODEN WIFE</h3> + +<p>Once there was a young man newly +married who was very fond of his wife. +She was not only a pretty woman, but +she wove the most beautiful dancing-blankets +of any one in the tribe.</p> + +<p>One day this young man went into +the mountains to hunt wild goats, from +whose hair his wife might weave more of +her much-prized blankets, and she went +with him to keep his hut and to cook for +him. While they were yet far from the +village, the girl fell sick, and although he +did all that he could for her, the young +husband soon saw that she was dying.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>131]</a></span> +“Tell me, my dear, what can I do for +you?” he begged, as he hung over her.</p> + +<p>“Only do not leave me soon, my +husband! Do not soon forget our love,” +sighed the wife, and she died.</p> + +<p>The goat-hunter mourned her truly, +and he did as she had asked him to do. +He remained on the spot where he had +lost her and seemed to have no thought +of going back to the village. He kept +her body with him in the hut as long as +he could, and when at last he was forced +to lay it away, he carved an image out +of cedar wood and set it up in front of +her loom, so that as one entered the hut +it seemed that a woman sat there, weaving +a dancing-blanket. Every morning +he went out hunting goats, and when he +returned in the evening he would call +out as he came near the hut, saying:</p> + +<p>“Come out, my wife, and see what I +have brought you!”</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>132]</a></span> +Then he would answer himself in a +woman’s voice, “I cannot come just +now, my husband. I am weaving, and +the wool may become snarled if I leave +my loom.”</p> + +<p>Presently he would enter the wigwam, +come up behind his wooden wife, and +kiss her lovingly.</p> + +<p>After a time, the story of these strange +doings spread to the village, and two +young girls, sisters, being filled with +curiosity, decided to come and find out +for themselves what truth there might +be in the rumors that were about. When +they reached his lonely hut, the hunter +was away as usual, so they raised the +door-flap and peeped in. There sat the +wooden wife in front of the loom, with +her back to them, exactly like a woman +weaving.</p> + +<p>“Elder sister,” said they, “we are +hungry.” But when she did not move +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>133]</a></span> +nor speak, they knew that she was not +a real woman, and they hid in a corner +behind some blankets until the husband +should return.</p> + +<p>By and by they heard his voice outside +the hut, telling his wife to come out +and see the game he had brought, and +then her usual answer that she was busy +weaving and could not come just then. +Next he came in, put his arms about the +wooden wife, and kissed her fondly.</p> + +<p>Upon this the elder girl could not help +laughing so that he heard it and discovered +them both. But the young man +was a courteous host. He begged them +to be seated and offered them food, and +the elder sister ate heartily; she even +over-ate, while the younger was very +quiet and took but a taste of each dish. +The hunter took note of their conduct, +and when supper was over, he asked the +younger girl to be his wife.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>134]</a></span> +“I will marry you,” said she, “if you +will put away your wooden wife.” Accordingly +he destroyed the image that +he had made, and married the girl, and +they lived happily together for many +years.</p> + + +<h3>ILDINI</h3> + +<p>Ildini lived at End-of-trail, with his +wife and two boys. One day he went +fishing when the wind blew strong from +the shore. It blew his boat so far out +that he could not get back. All day and +all night he was blown about the cold +gray waters. He became very hungry +and chilled to the bone.</p> + +<p>Ildini prayed and sang for a fair wind. +This was his song:</p> + +<div class="cpoem"> +<div class="poem"> +<div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">“Ocean Spirit, calm the waves for me!<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Come closer to me, my Power!<br /></span> +<span class="i0">Calm the waves, so that I may go home!”<br /></span> +</div> +</div> +</div> + +<p>After many days the wind went down +and the canoe floated near a strange +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>135]</a></span> +shore, but by now the man was so weak +that he could not land. On the shore he +saw no one but a little child, scarcely +big enough to talk. He told the child +his name, “Ildini”, and the little fellow +repeated it over and over as if it were a +game—“Ildini—Ildini—Ildini!” He +ran home still saying over the new name, +and exclaimed to his grandfather: +“Grandfather, come—Ildini!” He +kept saying this until the old man followed +and discovered the canoe and the +fisherman, who was by this time unable +to stand.</p> + +<p>He called his wife to help him and +together they carried Ildini to their +house, where they rubbed his limbs, +warmed him and gave him broth, a little +at a time. When he had recovered, he +became the chief of that tribe, and +learned their ways and their language. +He never ceased to mourn for the two +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>136]</a></span> +sons whom he had left behind at End-of-trail, +but he did not weep for his +wife, for he believed her faithless and +thought that she had been the cause of +his misfortune. In truth she supposed +him dead and had long since married +another.</p> + + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137"><!-- unnumbered half title page --></a></span></p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p> + + + + +<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>139]</a></span></p> + +<h2><a name="alaskan" id="alaskan"></a>ALASKAN STORIES</h2> + + +<h3>THE MAN WHO ENTERTAINED BEARS</h3> + +<p><span class="dropcap">T</span>HERE was once a man who had +lost all of his family in a terrible +sickness that came upon the people +of his village. He was all alone in the +world and very sorrowful. He did not +know what to do. First he thought he +would get into his canoe and paddle away +till he came to another village. Then it +occurred to him that they might think he +had run away from home because he had +been accused of witchcraft or of some +other shameful thing.</p> + +<p>He considered taking his own life, +but did not like to do it. Finally he +concluded to go among the bears and +let them kill him. He found a bear +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>140]</a></span> +trail, and lay down in it till he heard the +bushes breaking and saw several grizzly +bears coming along the trail. An unusually +large bear was at their head.</p> + +<p>Suddenly the man became frightened +and felt that he had chosen a hard death. +He arose and spoke to the leading bear.</p> + +<p>“Brother,” said he, “I am come to +invite you to a feast in honor of my +dead. I have lost my children and my +wife and there is none left of my blood +and of my house. Will you help me to +do honor to their spirits?”</p> + +<p>The largest bear turned toward the +others and whined, as if he were telling +them of the invitation. Then they all +went back, and the man hurried home +to prepare his feast. He took away all +the old sand from his fireplace and replaced +it with clean sand. He brought +a load of wood and picked many berries, +both cranberries and huckleberries. He +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>141]</a></span> +also told his neighbors what guests he +expected, and they all supposed him +crazed by sorrow.</p> + +<p>Next morning he arose early and +painted himself with unusual care. When +all was ready, he stood in the doorway +of his house awaiting his guests. Presently +he saw the bears entering the mouth +of the creek in single file, the great bear +in the lead, just as on the day before. +The other villagers saw them too and +ran and hid themselves in their houses, +terrified out of their wits; but their +host stood still to receive them and give +them the seats of honor, the chief in +the middle seat, as is the custom.</p> + +<p>First he served them with large trays +of cranberries covered with grease, and +as soon as the bear chief began to eat +of the food the others followed his example. +The other courses were served +and eaten in the same way. When all +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>142]</a></span> +had finished eating and were about to +retire, each in turn licked some of the +paint from his breast and arms in sign +of their sympathy.</p> + +<p>On the next day, the smallest bear +came back alone in human form, and +spoke to his host in his own tongue, telling +him that he was a man who had long +since been captured and adopted into +the Bear tribe. “The Bear Chief,” said +this person, “is very sorry for you, because +he too has lost all of his friends. +He understood your sorrow and for that +reason refrained from killing you. I +was not permitted to speak to you in +his presence, but he wishes you to remember +him when you mourn for your +dead.”</p> + +<p>Ever since this time, the old men, +when they kill a grizzly bear, paint a +cross on its skin. It is also commanded +that when you give a feast you should +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>143]</a></span> +invite every one, even your enemies, +just as this man invited the Bears, who +are the enemies of human kind.</p> + + +<h3>BEAVER AND PORCUPINE</h3> + +<p>Once in the old days Beaver and Porcupine +were comrades and went everywhere +together. Now Beavers are much +afraid of Bears, who break down the +beaver dams so as to let off the water, +catch them and eat them. But the +Bear fears the sharp quills of the Porcupine, +therefore the little fellow acted +as guard to his friend. Porcupine often +visited Beaver in his house, which is +dry and comfortable, and unfortunately +annoyed his host by leaving some of his +quills there.</p> + +<p>One day Porcupine proposed to call on +his friend, and Beaver offered to carry +him on his back, since the prickly one +cannot swim. But instead of taking +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>144]</a></span> +him to his home under the dam, he took +him to a tall stump in the very middle +of the lake, and there he left him!</p> + +<p>There Porcupine was compelled to +stay until the lake froze over, and he +could walk home on the ice.</p> + +<p>Beaver contrived to explain the whole +thing as a joke, and the pair appeared +to be on as good terms as ever. One +fine day the Bear appeared.</p> + +<p>“What shall I do? Save me! save +me!” cried Beaver in terror.</p> + +<p>“Certainly, friend; just get upon my +back and I will carry you to safety,” +replied Porcupine.</p> + +<p>Beaver did as he was told, and was +taken to the top of a very tall tree and +left to himself. He did not know how +to climb and was afraid to try to get +down alone.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<a name="porcupine" id="porcupine"></a> +<img src="images/ilr07.jpg" width="400" height="600" +alt="Porcupine perches on top of the stump" /> +</div> + +<p class="caption">BEAVER AND PORCUPINE<br /> +He took him to a tall stump in the very middle of the lake and there he +left him.<br /> +<i>Page 144.</i></p> + +<p>“Oh, do help me down!” he cried; +but it was of no use to beg. After +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>145]</a></span> +staying up there so long that he grew +dizzy and almost starved to death, he +finally contrived to scramble down the +tree; and they say that is why the bark +of trees is rough and full of scratches to +this day. We are also told that it is +on account of this happening that people +who have loved each other very much +sometimes quarrel, and are no longer +friends.</p> + + +<h3>MOUNTAIN DWELLER</h3> + +<p>Two sisters belonging to a well-known +family one day became very hungry and +helped themselves to some of their +mother’s fat meat, notwithstanding the +girls were strictly forbidden to eat anything +between meals.</p> + +<p>When the mother found it out she was +angry, especially with her elder daughter, +for the younger was still a child. +She not only scolded the girl, but slapped +her severely. At last she said: “Since +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>146]</a></span> +you are so fond of eating, you had better +go and marry Mountain Dweller!”</p> + +<p>Now Mountain Dweller is a being who +lives alone upon the mountains and is +supposed to be a great hunter. Up to +this time, no mortal had ever seen him. +The girls were more deeply offended +by her words than by the blows she had +given the elder, and that night when their +mother slept they ran off into the woods.</p> + +<p>They had wandered a long way and +were crying with fear and hunger when +they heard some one chopping wood in +the distance. “Perhaps it is really he,” +said the elder sister, and they followed +the sound.</p> + +<p>There stood a man whose face was +painted red. He was kind and asked +the girls what they were doing so far +from home.</p> + +<p>As soon as they had told him, he invited +them into his house near by, and +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>147]</a></span> +they found it large and well stored with +abundance of meat. They remained +there as he asked them, and the elder +sister in time became his wife.</p> + +<p>Now the mother had soon repented +her hasty speech and both parents +searched everywhere for their daughters. +When they could not find them, they +mourned them as dead. A year passed, +and the mourners’ feast had been given, +when one day Mountain Dweller said +to his wife and his sister-in-law: +“Wouldn’t you like to see your father +and mother again?”</p> + +<p>“Oh, yes, yes!” exclaimed the little +girl, but the other thought not, for the +insult was hard to forgive. At last she +consented to go, whereupon her husband +hunted continually and prepared a large +quantity of meat for a present to his +father-in-law.</p> + +<p>“Make a little basket, no larger than +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>148]</a></span> +the end of your thumb,” he told her; +and when it was finished, he put into it +all those canoe loads of meat, hung it +on his finger, and the three of them went +down the mountain to the old home of +the two girls.</p> + +<p>Their little brother was playing outside +the hut and saw them first. He +ran inside. “Mother, mother!” he +cried, “my two sisters are coming!”</p> + +<p>“Nonsense,” scolded his mother. +“Your sisters have been dead a long +time, as you well know. Did we not +give the mourners’ feast for them this +last moon?”</p> + +<p>“Nevertheless I ought to know my +own sisters, and I do know them,” the +boy persisted. “They are coming—they +are here!”</p> + +<p>The mother came to the door and saw +them, and instantly she threw herself +upon their necks, crying for joy.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>149]</a></span> +The next morning, the elder daughter +said to her: “Mother, back there in +the woods a little way there is a basket +for you. Send my brother to bring it.”</p> + +<p>The boy went and soon came back +saying that it was too heavy for him. +The whole village went, but all of them +together could not carry the basket. +Finally the young wife went herself, and +she brought it easily in one hand. But +when she set it down in the house and +began to unpack it, behold! the place +was filled and running over with meat of +all kinds. There was a great feast and +every one was pleased, but unfortunately +the girls’ mother ate so much that in +the night she became very ill, and by +morning she was dead.</p> + +<p>This is a story told to discourage +greediness.</p> + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>150]</a></span></p> + +<h3>THE EAGLE CREST</h3> + +<p>It is well known that there is a certain +clan which claims the Eagle for its +crest or totem, and this is how it happened.</p> + +<p>There was once a very poor man, so +poor that he could not even get enough +to eat. He was always cruising around +in a small canoe, trying to catch a few +little fish with which to keep himself +alive. One day he caught nothing, and +as he had brought no food with him in +the boat he became very hungry.</p> + +<p>Early in the morning, as he lay on +the shore, he heard a voice but could not +tell where it came from. The voice +said: “I have come after you.” The +man looked all around him, but saw only +a young Eagle perched upon the branch +of a tree. Then the voice said quite +plainly: “My grandfather has sent me +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>151]</a></span> +to get you.” This time the Eagle looked +to him like a real person, and he followed +it into the woods.</p> + +<p>The trail led to a fine large house high +up on a cliff, and inside there was plenty +of good food. There were also mats to +sit upon and all the comforts to be found +in good houses. The Eagles treated the +poor man well, and since he was wretched +and despised among his own people, he +wanted to stay with them always. He +married one of the Eagle women and +became one of them.</p> + +<p>Now the mother and brothers of this +man were just as poor and contemptible +as he had been, and he pitied them, now +that he himself was well off. Whenever +he saw his brother out fishing, he would +leave some fish where the other could +find it. The brother was astonished at +his luck and could not account for it.</p> + +<p>One night his mother had a dream. +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>152]</a></span> +She dreamed that a large fish might be +found upon a certain point of land, and +when they went there, the fish was +where she had dreamed she saw it. +Soon afterward she dreamed that they +must camp on a certain spot, where they +would find much food. While they +camped there, they all saw an Eagle +bring a fish ashore, after which he sat +upon a branch not far from them, and +exclaimed: “Do not be afraid; it is I!”</p> + +<p>Such is the origin of the Eagle clan, +which is now a large one and respected +of all the people.</p> + + +<h3>THE GIRL WHO MARRIED THE FIRE +SPIRIT</h3> + +<p>Many men wished to marry the chief’s +pretty daughter, but she laughed at +them all. One day as she sat quite +close to the fire, a spark snapped upon +her dress and burned a tiny hole in it. +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>153]</a></span> +She pointed at the fire and called it a +bad name in her anger, for it must be +admitted that the girl had a quick +temper.</p> + +<p>That night the chief’s daughter was +missing. All the people sought for her. +They searched every house in the village +and in the other villages, wherever men +lived who had proposed for her hand. +When she could not be found anywhere, +they employed the wisest medicine men. +In a far distant village there lived one +whose power was much talked about, +and when he was consulted he said to +the chief:</p> + +<p>“Your daughter may have said something +to displease the Fire Spirit. Let +your fire go out, and have every one in +your village do the same; then you may +hear something.”</p> + +<p>The chief came home and sent his +crier through the village to ask that +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>154]</a></span> +every fire be allowed to go out. When +this had been done, the girl came up +between the stones of the fireplace. +The Fire Spirit had taken her to be his +wife!</p> + +<p>After this, she was permitted to spend +a part of her time with her family, but +whenever the burning wood whistled (as +you have sometimes heard it do) she +knew that her spirit husband wanted her, +and she was obliged to go to him at once.</p> + +<p>One day, as she was sitting in her +father’s house stirring a dish of boiling +soap-berries, a young man who was in +love with her, and who was encouraged +by her mother in the hope that he might +be able to keep her always with them, +took hold of the spoon. Instantly the +fire whistled loudly, and the young wife +was terrified.</p> + +<p>“He wants me,” she murmured, as she +disappeared. They never saw her again.</p> + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>155]</a></span></p> + +<h3>THE SHADOW WIFE</h3> + +<p>A certain young man lost his wife +when they had been married only a few +days, and he was very sorrowful. All +night he lay awake thinking about her. +The next night and the next it was the +same. In the morning they took away +her body to bury it, and he put on his +best clothes and started off.</p> + +<p>All day he walked and all night; he +could not stop; daylight found him still +walking. He heard voices a long way +off, and he followed them. At last he +saw light through the thick trees and +came out of the woods upon the shore +of a quiet lake. All this time he had +been walking upon the death road, the +road of spirits, but he did not know it.</p> + +<p>On the other side of the lake he saw +people and called to them, but to his +surprise no one seemed to hear him. +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>156]</a></span> +After he had grown hoarse with shouting, +he whispered to himself: “Why is it, I +wonder, that no one hears me? It is +not so far over there!”</p> + +<p>Immediately they heard him, and one +said: “It is a person come up from +Dreamland. Let us go and bring him +across!”</p> + +<p>They came in a canoe and carried him +across the lake, and when he reached +the other side, the very first person he +saw was his wife! Her eyes were red, +and he saw that she had been crying for +him. What joy to see her again! He +was so happy that he could hardly bear +it. The people offered him food, but +his wife warned him not to eat, for if +he did so, she said, he could never return +to earth.</p> + +<p>As it was, they went back together in +the canoe, which is called “Ghost’s +Canoe”, and started hand-in-hand down +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>157]</a></span> +the long trail that led to his father’s +house. They walked for a day and a +night, and when they arrived, he left +her standing outside and went to speak +to his father.</p> + +<p>“Father,” said the young man, “I +have brought my wife home!”</p> + +<p>“Why don’t you bring her in?” asked +his father.</p> + +<p>So they arranged robes to make a +soft seat, and he went out to fetch her +and came in again, but the people saw +him alone. There was something like a +shadow that came after. Wherever the +young man went, this shadow could be +seen to follow him. The shadow wife +never spoke, at least not in the day +time, but at night her voice could be +heard plainly. The people in the house +complained that it kept them awake. +It seemed as if the two were talking and +playing together all the night long.</p> + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>158]</a></span> +There was a former lover of the girl +who grew very jealous when her husband +by his love brought her back from Ghost +Land, and one night he hid himself behind +their bed and suddenly raised the +curtain. As he did so, there was heard +a rattling of dry bones and then silence. +In the morning the young husband lay +dead, and the spirits of both went back +to Ghost Land.</p> + + +<h3>THE SELF-BURNING FIRE</h3> + +<p>One winter there was a great famine +on the Copper River. The people began +to die of hunger, first the children, then +the old people, and finally the young and +strong, until at last but eight men were left.</p> + +<p>These eight men set out to walk to +another village where food might be +found, but they had not gone far when +one perished of cold and starvation. +They buried him and went on. Soon +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>159]</a></span> +another froze to death, and a third lay +down exhausted, and so on until only +one was left.</p> + +<p>Now this man felt wonderfully strong +and walked on rapidly, notwithstanding +he felt great sorrow at the loss of his +comrades. Late that evening, he heard +a shout ahead of him on the trail. He +followed the sound and came to a great +fire burning in the midst of snow and ice. +Then he knew that it was the fire he had +heard calling to him.</p> + +<p>When he had warmed himself thoroughly +and was about to start on again, +he heard a crackling of bushes behind +him. He looked back, and one by one +his frozen comrades came up the trail +and warmed themselves at the fire, +followed by all the people who had starved +to death in the village. This is the Self-Burning +Fire which has mysterious power +and is worshiped by the Indians.</p> + + +<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>160]</a></span></p> + +<h3>THE LONG WINTER</h3> + +<p>It was almost summer time when +some boys who were playing in a boat +pulled out of the water a long piece of +drifting seaweed and put it in again on +the other side of the canoe. For this +trifling, not only the mischievous boys +were punished, but all the people in their +village.</p> + +<p>For winter at once came on again with +fresh fury, and snow was piled so high +in front of the houses that the people +were soon in want of food. Their winter +stores were exhausted, and they would +have starved to death, had it not been +for a bluejay which one day perched on +the edge of a smoke hole with a spray of +fresh elderberries in its beak.</p> + +<p>“Kilnaxe! Kilnaxe!” screamed the +jay. Now this was the name of a neighboring +town. So all the people took the +<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>161]</a></span> +cedar bark they had prepared to make +their summer houses of and went to +Kilnaxe, where they found it was full +summer and the berries already ripe. +Winter lingered only about their own +village.</p> + +<p>From this story we learn that one must +not insult anything—not even a piece +of seaweed.</p> + + + + +<div class="bbox"> +<p><b>Transcriber's Note</b></p> + +<p>Archaic spelling is preserved as printed.</p> + +<p>The following typographic errors have been repaired:</p> + +<div class="amends"> +<p>Page <a href="#Page_9">9</a>—beside amended to besides—"They could do many wonderful +things besides that we cannot do."</p> + +<p>Page <a href="#Page_42">42</a>—has amended to had—"... he returned with a story of an +Owl which had driven away his game."</p> +</div> + +<p>The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page. +Other illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not +in the middle of a paragraph.</p> + +<p>The list of other books by the author has been moved to follow the title page.</p> + +<p>Repeated half-titles have been deleted.</p> + +<p>Omitted page numbers were blank or half titles in the original book.</p> +</div> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Indian Legends Retold, by Elaine Goodale Eastman + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK INDIAN LEGENDS RETOLD *** + +***** This file should be named 35909-h.htm or 35909-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/9/0/35909/ + +Produced by K Nordquist, Sam W. and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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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: Indian Legends Retold + +Author: Elaine Goodale Eastman + +Illustrator: George Varian + +Release Date: April 19, 2011 [EBook #35909] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK INDIAN LEGENDS RETOLD *** + + + + +Produced by K Nordquist, Sam W. and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + + + + + + + + + INDIAN + LEGENDS RETOLD + + BY + ELAINE GOODALE EASTMAN + + WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY + GEORGE VARIAN + + + [Decoration] + + + BOSTON + LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY + 1919 + + + + _Copyright, 1919_, + By Little, Brown, and Company. + + _All rights reserved_ + + Published, September, 1919 + + + Norwood Press + Set up and electrotyped by + J. S. Cushing Co., Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. + Presswork by + S. J. Parkhill & Co., Boston, Mass., U.S.A. + + + + + BOOKS BY + ELAINE GOODALE EASTMAN + + Yellow Star + Indian Legends Retold + + + _In Collaboration with_ + CHARLES A. EASTMAN + + Wigwam Evenings + + + + + [Illustration: THE CAPTIVE + The murdered dove instantly became a whole flock of hawks. + _Frontispiece. See page 18._] + + + + +ACKNOWLEDGMENT + + +The author wishes to thank the Bureau of American Ethnology, +Washington, D.C., for kind permission to make use of certain of the +stories contained in their collections. + + + + +INTRODUCTION + +THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INDIAN LEGENDS + + +The first Indian legends, repeated by the fireside to children, deal +with the animals humanized, their gifts and their weaknesses, in such +a way as to be a lesson to the young. Our view of the creation allows +a soul to all living creatures, and rocks and trees are reverenced as +sharers in the divine. Beyond their simplicity and realism there is +always the unexplained, the background of mystery and spirituality. + +These animal fables serve as an introduction to more complicated +stories with human actors, which almost always have their hidden moral +and are accepted by our people as guides to life. They are full of +humor and poetry, of pride, tenderness, boastfulness, and real +heroism. Human lives are mingled with the supernatural, with elements +and mysterious powers, bringing swift punishment for wrong-doing. This +is the basis of our Indian philosophy, the groundwork early laid in +the mind of the child, for him to develop later in life by his own +observation. + +One who reads these stories carefully and thoughtfully will understand +something of Indian psychology. Mystery to the Indian is not mystery +after all, but a reflection of the Great Mystery which opens out as +simply as a flower. To us nothing is strange or impossible. It seems +natural that an animal or even a rock should speak; God is in it and +speaks through it. + +It must be remembered that these are only fragments of what were once +consecutive and continued stories, too long and involved to be set +down here in full. With just such stories the foundation of my early +education was laid in the cold winter evenings, and the impression +made was permanent. The characters were real people to me, and the +tales of the old men and old women fostered a love of nature, +reverence, a kindly spirit, and finally patriotism and the inspiration +to heroic effort. Like the other boys, I was expected to learn them by +heart and rehearse them in the family circle. It is gratifying to have +these old stories saved for the children of another race and +generation. + + Charles A. Eastman (Ohiyesa). + + + + +CONTENTS + + + PAGE + + Introduction vii + + A Little Talk about Indians 1 + + Pima Tales 11 + + Cherokee Tales 23 + + Choctaw Stories 51 + + Iroquois Tales 65 + + Tsimshian Tales 77 + + Alaskan Stories 137 + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + + + The murdered dove instantly became a whole + flock of hawks _Frontispiece_ + + One contrived to pull her son down but the + other six went up into the sky PAGE 44 + + He makes it choose one of three gifts " 55 + + He rudely pushed her backward until she + fell down " 83 + + He discovered the woman in a small pool " 111 + + He took him to a tall stump in the very + middle of the lake and there he left him " 144 + + + + +INDIAN LEGENDS RETOLD + + + + +A LITTLE TALK ABOUT INDIANS + + +Many of us think of the American Indians as all one people. We talk of +"the Indian language." There are more than fifty distinct Indian +languages. + +There are many other important differences between the various tribes. +The nature of the country, the kinds of game and other foods, the +climate, winds, trees, all have their effect in molding the daily +lives of the people. Their habits and customs are reflected in their +legends and popular tales as in a looking-glass. + +The mountains, plains, and seashore are the great natural features of +our country, and corresponding to these we have coast tribes, prairie +tribes, and forest-dwellers or mountaineers among the natives. If you +try, you will soon be able to tell from reading a story what part of +the country it came from. It is an interesting study to read and +compare the legends of different tribes. + +The Cherokees lived originally in the South Atlantic States and some +few still have their homes in the mountains of North Carolina, but the +greater part of the tribe was forcibly removed many years ago to the +old Indian Territory. There they developed a civilized government, +established schools and colleges, and are now well educated and +intermixed with white people. The stories repeated here were gathered +from the eastern or parent branch. Their shrewdness and quick wit is +very noticeable. Sequoyah, whose impressive statue stands in bronze +in the rotunda of the Capitol at Washington, was the famous Cherokee +who invented an alphabet. + +The Choctaws formerly lived in Mississippi and Louisiana but are now +one of the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma (once Indian Territory). + +The Tsimshians are Indians of the North Pacific coast and in the old +days lived mainly by fishing. They also hunted deer, bears, and other +animals. Their houses and boats were made chiefly of cedar wood, and +they also wove the bark of the cedar into baskets, ropes, mats, and +even clothing. The salmon and the cedar were to them what the buffalo +was to the Indians of the Great Plains, so you will not be surprised +by the many references to them both in these stories. There is a +strong likeness between their customs and those of the Alaskan tribes. + +The home of the brave and manly Iroquois was in the valley of the St. +Lawrence, the basins of Lakes Erie and Ontario, and most of what is +now the State of New York. They were an exceptionally gifted people, +wise in state-craft and active in warfare. They believed in the +manlike form and magic power of the creatures and elements. + +The Pimas are a gentle, peaceable, brown-skinned people, living in +Arizona, making fine pottery, weaving beautiful mats and baskets, and +raising corn. Like the other desert tribes, their songs and stories +have much to do with the rain clouds, upon which their crops depend. +They formerly stood in great fear of the warlike Apaches, who often +attacked them and carried off women and children captive. + +I suppose you all know that these legends were not written down at all +until white people or educated Indians put them into books. They were +made up by unknown story-tellers, far back in the past, and repeated +by old men and women for the amusement and instruction of the young +folks. Thus they were handed down, with some changes or additions, +from one generation to another. + +Indians had good memories. There were no libraries or museums or +universities. All their wisdom and their traditions were stored up in +the heads of the people, and a thing once forgotten was lost forever. +They had not even a notebook or memorandum to help out a poor memory. + +It is not so simple to invent a short tale that is witty and +ingenious, with as much point and meaning as have most of these we are +giving you, as you will soon find out if you try to make up some +fables or fairy tales of your own. To remember and tell over such a +story in a clear and effective way, without missing any of its +logical or dramatic quality--even this is no very easy matter. The +hearing and repeating of the legends took in large part the place of +both school and story-books to the Indian boy or girl, and it is good +practice for any of us. + +It seems likely that every tribe has in its folklore a mischievous +character with supernatural powers, who is at the same time a butt for +jokes and a successful wonder-worker. He is boastful and resourceful, +always trying to outwit other people, and in his turn is often +outwitted. Among the Sioux this character is known as Unktomee, the +Spider; the Tsimshians call him the Raven; the Cherokees the Rabbit. + +Besides this clown, as it were, whose tricks and troubles are endless, +every animal has its personal or human side, sometimes one that is +obvious, and again it may be decidedly puzzling. The Turtle, for +instance, is depicted as a famous warrior (we hardly see why) and the +Porcupine as a wise man, which we should scarcely have expected. On +the other hand, it seems quite natural to find the Grizzly Bear the +chief among animals, and the Eagle the leader among birds. + +Indian legends are broadly classed as "myths" and "folk tales." The +first tell in a fanciful way how the world was made, how winter, +summer, fire, tides, and many other familiar things or conditions came +into being. They go back to a time which all Indians believed in, when +the animals were real people and could talk as we do. They could do +many wonderful things besides that we cannot do. The Winds, Cold, the +Stars, and so on are personified; that is, they are described and act +as persons, and there are also giants, witches, water sprites and +fairy people who change their nature at will. + +In many of the folk tales, which come nearer being a record of actual +or possible happenings, the lovable and domestic qualities of Indians +are brought out very clearly. Notice the loving brothers and the +affectionate husband in "The Woman Who Became a Beaver" and "The +Wooden Wife." The duty of hospitality is taught in the story of +"Grizzly Bear and the Four Chiefs", kindness to animals in "The Feast +of the Mountain Goats", patience with children in "The Naughty +Grandchildren" and "The Stars and the Pine." In every instance the +right-doer is rewarded, the selfish man and the trickster are +punished. I hope that you will enjoy these stories as much as I have +done, and that they may help you to know and like better the first +Americans. + + + + +PIMA TALES + + +CHILDREN OF THE CLOUD + +There was sorrow on the Casa Grande (the Great Pueblo), for the +prettiest woman in the village would accept no man for her husband. +Her suitors were many and impatient, but her black glossy locks were +still wound above her ears in the manner of virgins, and she steadily +refused to allow them to hang down in the matron's coils. + +One day a great Cloud came out of the east, looked down upon the +maiden and wished to marry her, for she was very beautiful. A second +time and a third he floated silently overhead, and at last he found +her tired out with work and lying asleep at her mat-weaving. He let +fall a single drop of rain upon her, and by and by twin boys were +born. + +Now when the boys were about ten years old, they began to notice that +other boys had fathers whom they welcomed home from war and the chase. +"Mother," said they, "who shall we call our father?" + +"In the morning look to the east," their mother answered, "and you +will see a stately white cloud towering heavenward. That cloud is your +father." + +Then they begged to go visit their father, and she refused, for she +was afraid; but when the boys grew large and strong she could no +longer keep them, since they were determined to go. She told them to +journey four full days to the eastward and not to stop once on the +way. + +Her sons followed her instructions, and in four days they came to the +house of the Wind. "Are you our father?" asked they. + +"No," replied Wind, "I am your uncle. Your father lives in the next +house; go and find him." + +They did so, but Cloud sent them back to Wind, telling them that he +was really the one whom they sought. Again Wind sent them to Cloud. +Four times they went back and forth, and the fourth time Cloud saw +that they were persistent and he said to them: "You say that you are +my sons. Prove it!" + +Instantly the younger son sent forked lightning leaping across the +heavens, while the elder caused the heat lightning to flash in the +distance. The skies opened and rain came down in torrents, enough to +drown a mere mortal, but the boys only laughed at the roar and rush of +the tempest. Then Cloud saw that they were in truth his children, and +he took them to his house. + +After they had been there a long time, they began to miss their mother +sorely, and finally they wished to return to earth. Their father gave +each a magic bow and arrows, strictly charging them to avoid any whom +they might meet on the homeward path. + +First the Eagle on mighty wing swooped toward them, and they turned +aside. Then came the Hawk, and afterward the Raven, but the boys +managed to elude all of these. Last the Coyote sought to intercept +them, and whichever way they turned, he was always before them. So +they stepped out of the road and stood one on either side to allow him +to pass. But when Coyote came opposite to them, each was changed into +a plant of the mescal, the sacred agave, which is both food and drink +to the Indian. + + +THE CAPTIVE + +There was once a little boy who was brought up by his grandmother. +While he was yet very young, his mother had been taken captive by the +warlike Apaches. He thought about her a great deal, for he had heard +that they treat their prisoners cruelly. + +One day he made up his mind to run away and find her. The way was long +and hard, but at last he descried the enemy's camp upon the plain, and +when he came nearer, he could see a woman standing, looking toward the +mesa and her old home. He knew her at once by the white scars which +covered her arms, showing where she had been tortured with fire. The +child turned himself into a dove and flew straight to his mother, who +took him in her hands, and recognized him as her son. + +She caressed and fondled him, but told him that he must fly home +again before the Apache chief returned, as it would not be safe for +him to stay. While they were talking together, the chief entered +suddenly. + +"What do you mean by whispering to that dove?" he demanded fiercely. +"There is sorcery here." And he took the bird in his powerful hands +and squeezed it so that the delicate flesh and bones oozed out between +his fingers. + +The woman screamed, and the murdered dove instantly became a whole +flock of hawks, which beat the chief down with their wings and pecked +out his eyes. While they attacked him, the captive escaped, and +returned to her own people. + + +THE NAUGHTY GRANDCHILDREN + +An old woman had set her pot on the fire with the soup for dinner, and +as her two grandchildren were playing near, she cautioned them not to +upset the pot. The boy and girl were in a frolicsome mood, chasing one +another with shouts of laughter; and as they ran they heedlessly +struck against the pot, which rolled over and broke in pieces, +spilling the rich broth into the ashes. + +Now when their grandmother saw the mischief they had done in spite of +her warning, she caught and whipped them both. Thereupon the children +determined to run away. + +As soon as she missed them, the old woman followed the runaways out +into the desert, calling loudly upon them to come back, for she had +only punished them for their own good and loved them both dearly. +However, run as fast as she might, she could never come up with them. +The two children were never seen again; but it is said that they were +turned into two giant cacti and still stand side by side upon the +plain. + + +BLUEBIRD AND COYOTE + +In the old days the animals wore no such fine clothing as now, and the +bluebird was of an ugly dun color, which made him very unhappy. One +fine morning he came to a lake shining like turquoise, and something +told him to bathe in the water. + +Lightly he skimmed above the waves and dipped his wings four times, +singing as he did so: + + "Here is blue water-- + I go in-- + I am all blue!" + +The fourth time that he sang the verse and shook the water from his +feathers, they really became bright blue! + +Just then Coyote appeared, in time to see the transformation. "If you +can make yourself beautiful by bathing in the lake, I can do as +much," said he, and accordingly he took the plunge. Coyote could not +swim, and he choked and strangled and was almost drowned. When at last +he contrived to get upon dry land, he was shivering with cold. He +rolled and rolled in the warm sand, which stuck to his fur, and he +became dirt color, just as you see him now. + + + + +CHEROKEE TALES + + +THE FIRST FIRE + +In the old days there was no fire on earth, and the world was a cold +and a dreary place, especially at night and in the winter. Think what +it would be if we had no hearth at which to warm ourselves, no coals +to broil our venison! + +One night, in the midst of a thunderstorm, the lightning struck a +great hollow sycamore, and it began to burn. When the people saw it, +they all wanted to get some fire, but the tree stood in a swamp where +there was no firm ground for them to walk on. Many tried and were +stuck fast in the bog. + +The Raven easily flew across and got so close to the blaze that his +feathers were burnt black, and black they have been to this day, but +he brought back no fire. Then the Screech Owl tried, and he flew to +the top of the burning tree from which he looked down on the hot +coals, and got the red eyes that he has had ever since. The large +Hooting Owl followed his brother, and the smoke gave him those white +rings around his eyes that you have all noticed. The Black Snake said +he would try, and he wriggled into a small hole at the foot of the +tree, but he was immediately burnt black, and was scorched so badly +into the bargain that he has done nothing but twist and squirm to this +day. Not one of them brought back any fire. + +At last the little Water Spider wove a silken basket which he placed +on his back, and then he spun a fine silken thread for a bridge and +ran across on it. He reached the tree safely, put a tiny live coal in +the basket, and brought it back to the waiting tribes of earth. + + +ICE MAN PUTS OUT THE FIRE + +Once upon a time there was a forest fire, and the fire went deep down +to the roots of a poplar tree, and there it smoldered for a long time. +The people tried to put it out, but they could do nothing. By and by +they grew frightened, fearing lest it might burn down to the middle of +the earth, or spread over all the world. So they sent a messenger to +the far north, to beg the Ice Man to help them. + +Now the Ice Man is a little fellow, with two heavy braids of black +hair hanging over his shoulders. After he had heard all about the +fire, he nodded, and loosening one braid he breathed upon the strands. +Instantly the wind began to blow. He shook out the hair again, and it +began to rain. When he undid the other braid, it hailed violently, +and the fourth time he blew upon his hair, the storm became so +terrific that the messenger hastened homeward. + +When he got home, he saw the fire at the roots of the poplar was still +burning, and the pit looked deeper and wider than ever. Many people +were standing sadly about it, and as they stood there the wind began +to blow. Soon a cold rain fell hissing on the hot coals. Then large +hailstones were mixed with the rain, and before long the tempest grew +so fierce that they were forced to run for shelter. When it stopped at +last, they came out again to look, and the pit of fire was nothing but +black coals covered with lumps of ice. + + +THE ORIGIN OF SICKNESS AND MEDICINE + +There was a time when man and the animal people were friends, and +talked the same language, and even intermarried with one another. +Later on, the human race declared war upon the animals and began to +kill them in great numbers, using their flesh for food and their skins +for clothing, so that there was great fear and anger among them. At +last the old White Bear chief called all the Bears in council to +decide what should be done. + +After much talk, it was agreed to make bows and arrows of their own +with which to defend themselves, and one of the Bears sacrificed his +life to furnish sinew for the bowstring. When all was ready, and the +Bear chief undertook to try the new weapon, his long claws caught on +the string so that he could not handle it. Some one then proposed that +they all cut their claws, and they were on the point of doing this +when the thought occurred to another that they would be unable to +climb trees or seize their prey if they had no claws, and would be in +danger of starving to death. In the end, the meeting broke up without +coming to any decision, and Bears were hunted just the same as ever. + +The White Deer next called all the Deer together, and they decided to +punish with rheumatic pains every hunter who should kill one of their +number without asking pardon for the offense. Ever since that time, +the hunters have been very careful to beg the Deer's pardon whenever +it becomes necessary to shoot one, although now and then some one +tries to avoid the penalty by building fires on his trail. + +The other animals followed the Deer's example, and each made haste to +invent a disease with which to torment the human race. The Fish and +the Snakes threatened him with bad dreams, and the little Grub, who +was tired of being trodden upon, heard them with such joy that he fell +over backward and has never stood on his feet since. Only the Ground +Squirrel said modestly that as man had never done him any harm he had +no wish for revenge, whereupon the others were so angry that they +scratched him severely, and he bears the marks on his back to this +day. + +However, they reckoned without the plants, which were friendly to man, +and promptly devised a remedy for each disease. We should be grateful +to them whenever we are made to suffer by the revengeful spirit of the +animals, for in the kindly vegetable world we can find a cure for +every ill. + + +THE FIRST STRAWBERRY + +It is told that the first man and woman quarreled, and the woman left +her husband. He followed her sorrowfully, but she never once looked +back. At last the Sun took pity on the man. + +"Do you still love her?" asked the Sun, and the man said he did, and +prayed to the Sun to help him win her back again. + +Then the Sun caused all manner of delicious fruits to spring up in her +path. The woman saw luscious purple huckleberries, but she went right +on over them. A service tree laden with sweet red fruit stood in front +of her, and she passed it by. Finally she came upon a patch of scarlet +strawberries, the first that ever grew, and these she could not +resist. + +She stooped to taste one, and at once the thought of her husband came +into her mind. All the sweetness of their love enfolded her, and she +stood quite still in the strawberry patch until he came up with her, +and embraced her, and they went back together. + + +HOW THE TERRAPIN BEAT THE RABBIT + +The Terrapin once challenged the Rabbit to a race, which the latter +regarded as a joke. + +"The Terrapin is doubtless a wit," said he, "and a great warrior as +well, but every one knows that he cannot run. I shall give him a big +handicap, and even then I cannot help beating him." + +The course lay over four ridges, and the Rabbit told the Terrapin to +go ahead to the top of the first ridge, so that when the signal to +start was given he was already out of sight. + +When the Rabbit reached the top of the first ridge, he was surprised +to catch a glimpse of the Terrapin almost at the top of the second. He +ran faster, and as his rival was soon hidden in the long grass, he saw +nothing more of him till he was mounting the second ridge, and there +was the Terrapin already passing the third. When the Rabbit with great +leaps ascended the third ridge, behold! the Terrapin was about to +cross the fourth, and the next minute he had won the race. + +This is the way it was done. The Terrapin had several friends who +looked exactly like himself, so he stationed one of them at the top of +each of the first three ridges, with orders to hide in the long grass +as soon as the Rabbit came near. He himself stayed at the fourth rise +until his competitor came in sight, when he crept over it and so came +out ahead. + + +HOW THE TURKEY GOT HIS BEARD + +Now the animals all suspected some trick in this case, and the Turkey +in particular was heard to say that he would contrive to get even. + +Soon afterward he saw the Terrapin coming back from war, creeping +along with a fresh scalp hung about his short neck and trailing on the +ground. + +"How, my friend!" he exclaimed, "you do not wear your scalp right; +only let me show you." + +The Terrapin let the Turkey take the scalp and hang it about his own +neck, while he strutted proudly to and fro. + +"Does it not look well?" the Turkey asked. + +"Well enough," the other admitted, "but you may give it back to me +now." + +"First let me show you another way to wear it," cried the Turkey, and +he adjusted the scalp and flew with it into a tree where the other +could not follow. Thus he boasts the stolen ornament to this day. + + +HOW THE DEER GOT HIS HORNS + +Perhaps you never heard that there was once a time when the Deer's +head was as smooth as that of the doe, and as he and the Rabbit were +both great jumpers and proud of their ability, a match was arranged, +the winner to receive a fine pair of antlers as a prize. They were to +start at one side of a dense thicket, and the first one to make his +way through to the further side and back again would be judged the +winner. + +Now the Rabbit said that he had never before been in that part of the +country, and he asked permission to look about a little, which was +agreed to. However, he was gone so long that they suspected he might +be up to one of his tricks, so one of the judges followed him quietly. +There he was, busily gnawing off branches and making a road through +the underbrush! + +When he finally came out, he was told that on account of his +dishonesty the horns would be given to the Deer, and furthermore, +since he was so fond of gnawing at bushes, he might continue to do so +for the rest of his life. + + +WHY THE DEER'S TEETH ARE BLUNT + +Although it was not the Deer's fault that the Rabbit lost the prize, +the Rabbit was greatly provoked and laid his plans to get even. +Cutting a stout grapevine almost in two with his teeth, he laid it +across the Deer's path and began leaping back and forth, snapping at +the vine. + +"What are you doing that for?" asked the Deer, when he caught him at +this game. + +"Only look! I can bite this tough vine in two with one snap of my +sharp teeth," replied the Rabbit. + +"Let me see you do it," the Deer suggested. + +So the Rabbit sprang at the vine and bit it in two, where it was +already almost cut through. "You cannot do anything like that," he +declared proudly. + +"If you can do it, I am sure I can," the Deer insisted, and the Rabbit +made haste to drag forward a heavy vine. The Deer leaped at it and +tried to bite it as the other had done, but caught his heels and fell +headlong. Again and again he tried without success. + +"My friend," put in the Rabbit, who had been looking on and pretending +to sympathize, "how can you expect to bite anything in two with such +blunt teeth as you have? Just let me file them for you a bit, and they +will soon be as sharp as mine." + +The Deer was hot and embarrassed and very foolishly gave his consent. +Thereupon the sly Rabbit got a rough stone and filed off the Deer's +teeth almost down to the gums, so that he could not bite off anything +at all. + + +WHY THE POSSUM'S TAIL IS BARE + +A long time ago, the Possum had a fine bushy tail of which he was very +proud, so much so that he would even sing of it at the dance. As the +Rabbit's tail is short and stubby, he had no patience with such absurd +vanity, and at last he thought of a way to put a stop to it. + +There was to be a large council and dance to which all the animals +were invited, and Rabbit stopped in on his way home to inquire whether +Possum was going. + +"I shall not attend unless I can be assured of a good seat," declared +Possum with much dignity, "for I think my tail entitles me to so much, +at least." + +"Certainly, I will arrange that," replied Rabbit, with a great show of +deference, "and I shall be glad if you will allow me to send a barber +to comb and dress your beautiful tail so that it may appear to the +best advantage." + +On these conditions Possum agreed to attend the dance, and the +Cricket, who was an expert barber, was sent to him with private +instructions. As fast as he combed and brushed the tail, he wrapped it +around with red string to keep it smooth, and no sooner had he +finished his work than Possum hurried away in good spirits. + +He found the council house crowded, but all made room for him at once, +and when his turn came he quickly unwrapped his long tail and took the +center of the floor, waving it proudly as he danced. He was greatly +surprised to be greeted with loud peals of laughter. He ventured to +speak of his tail in the accompanying song, and the people laughed +louder than ever. At last, looking down, he discovered that the +Cricket, according to the secret orders he had received, had shaved +that splendid tail to the very roots, and it has remained entirely +bare ever since. + +In his great mortification, Possum rolled over on his back helpless, +and this he still does whenever he is taken by surprise. + + +THE OWL GETS MARRIED + +There was once a woman who had a marriageable daughter. Many men came +wooing, but the mother told the girl never to accept any but a skilled +hunter, who would keep the lodge well supplied with meat. + +One evening the Owl called, in the shape of a handsome young man, and +asked the girl to be his wife. + +"Are you a good hunter?" she asked. + +He said that he was, and upon this she agreed to marry him. + +On the day after the wedding, the bridegroom went forth to hunt, and +at night he returned with nothing but some scraps that the hunters had +thrown away. He excused himself by saying that he had had bad luck, +and the next morning he declared that he would try fishing instead. + +When at evening he brought home only a worthless minnow or two, the +old lady advised her daughter to follow him quietly the next time and +see what he did. She did so and was horrified to see her husband turn +into a great Owl and fly to the top of a dead tree, where he sat +watching for some small fish that might be dropped by a Hawk or an +Eagle. + +She went home in disgust, and presently he returned with a story of an +Owl which had driven away his game. + +"I think you are the Owl," declared the young woman, and she turned +him out of doors. + +The poor Owl went off by himself and pined away till he lost all his +flesh, and is now nothing more than a big head and a bundle of +feathers. + + +THE STARS AND THE PINE + +Once there were seven little boys who spent most of their time down at +the town house, playing a game with wheel-shaped stones and a curved +stick like a hockey-stick. Their mothers thought they played too much, +and one day, when they were boiling the corn for dinner, they put some +round stones in the pot and served these to the little boys instead of +corn. + +This made the boys angry, and instead of staying at home they went +right back to the town house and began to dance. Round and round they +went, faster and faster, until their feet came quite off the ground, +and they were dancing on air. When their mothers came to look for +them, they were already out of reach. + +The mothers screamed, and one caught up a game stick and contrived to +pull her son down, but the other six went straight up into the sky; +and there they are now, as the six bright stars named Pleiades, which +the Cherokees call "The Boys." + +As for the seventh little boy, he struck the ground with such force +that he sank in and was seen no more. His wretched mother watered the +spot every day with her tears, and after a long time there sprang up a +slender shoot of green which grew into a pine tree. This was the very +first pine. Perhaps you did not know that the Pine has a heart of +flame and is a brother to the Stars. + + [Illustration: THE STARS AND THE PINE + One contrived to pull her son down, but the other six went up + into the sky. + _Page 44._] + + +THE MAN WHO MARRIED THE THUNDER'S SISTER + +A certain young man went to a dance one evening and met there two +strange young women, both of whom had the longest and handsomest hair +he had ever seen. He looked at them a great deal from a distance and +finally spoke to them, and before the dance broke up he had asked the +younger and prettier of the two sisters to be his wife. + +In reply she told him to fast for seven days and she would meet him +again at the same place. + +The young man was so deeply in love that he gladly accepted the hard +condition, and after going without any food for the prescribed time, +he went to another dance. There he met again the two sisters with the +beautiful long hair. When it was time to leave, the younger one said +that he might follow her, but she warned him that if he ever told +where he went or what he saw, he would surely die. + +They all went along a footpath until they came to a small brook, when +the two girls stepped quietly into the water and continued on their +way. The young man hesitated at first, but when his sweetheart turned +her head and beckoned he stepped boldly in, and it was as if he were +walking in deep, soft grass. + +Presently the brook ran into a wide and deep river, and now he stopped +short, for he was afraid of being drowned. + +"Oh," said the girl, "that is only the road to our home!" So in he +plunged, and he did not seem to be in the water at all but in the long +meadow grass. + +The girls led him to a cave under a great rock and offered him a seat, +but when he looked at the seat he saw that it was an immense live +turtle. He said then that he would rather stand. But what surprised +him most was to see both young women take off their lovely hair and +hang it up beside the doorway, leaving their heads quite bare. + +Soon there came a loud clap of thunder, and directly after a flash of +lightning that disclosed a tall man entering the cave. This was the +brother of the girls, and his name was Thunder. He invited the youth +to ride with him and offered him a horse which turned out to be a +large water snake. The young man refused the invitation, for he had +become a good deal frightened and decided that he would rather go +home. + +There came another frightful peal and a dazzling flash, and the next +thing he knew he was lying on the river bank with his feet in the +water. He reached his home safely, but he could not resist telling his +friends about his wonderful experience; therefore within three days +he died, for no one may tell of a visit to the underworld and live. + + +THE ENCHANTED LAKE + +In the depths of the Great Smoky Mountains there lies a hidden lake +which no human eye has ever seen. The hunters know where it must be, +for sometimes one has come near enough to scent its freshness, and to +hear the rustle of thousands of wings as the ducks rise in great +clouds from its cool, green depths. Yet when he approaches, he +perceives only a dry hollow in the heart of the woods. + +All the creatures know this lake; it is their City of Refuge; mortal +eye cannot find them there, and when one of them is wounded, he has +only to plunge into its mysterious waters, and he comes out whole. + + +THE BEAR MAN + +A hunter once trailed a bear and shot many arrows into its body, but +to his surprise they seemed to make no impression. Finally the bear +stopped, pulled out the arrows, and turning to the man, he handed them +back to him, saying pleasantly: + +"You see it is no use--you can't kill me. Better give it up and come +home with me instead!" + +The hunter was curious and followed the bear to his den, where he +slept all winter, gradually growing thick black hair over his whole +body. When spring came, he was wakened by the shouts of his friends as +they surrounded the den. + +Not knowing what else to do, he went forth to meet them, looking like +a bear, but walking upright like a man. He spoke to them, and they +knew his voice and spared his life. + +"You have done wrong," said they, "and we cannot allow you to remain +here. Come back with us--your poor wife mourns for you as for one +dead!" + +"I wish for nothing but to come back," the Bear Man declared. "Tell +her, however, that for seven days I must neither eat nor speak. That +will break the charm, and I shall be once more a man! Otherwise I must +die." + +Accordingly he betook himself to a solitary teepee on the outskirts of +the village, and there continued his fast. His wife was told that he +still lived, and was overcome with joy. Five days she waited for him +to come to her, and at the end of the fifth day she could wait no +longer. She went to him, threw herself into his arms, and compelled +him to answer her questions, thus causing his death. + + + + +CHOCTAW STORIES + + +WHY POSSUM HAS A LARGE MOUTH + +There had been a long dry season, and the Deer had grown very thin. +Meeting Possum one day, he could not help noticing how well-fed and +contented the other appeared. + +"How is it that you are so fat in a time of drouth and famine?" +inquired the Deer, whose skin hung loosely upon a rack of bones. + +"It is simple enough," replied the Possum. "I live upon persimmons." + +"But how do you reach them?" persisted the Deer. "It seems to me they +hang very high." + +"Oh, that is easy," declared Possum, who is fond of a joke. "I go to +the top of yonder hill, run down very fast and hit the tree with my +head just as hard as I can. That shakes off the fruit. Then I have +only to sit on the ground and eat and eat till I can eat no more." + +"It sounds easy, to be sure," agreed the Deer, who was hungry enough +to try anything. He went to the very top of the hill, rushed down +violently, and struck the tree with such force that he was killed +instantly. At this the wicked Possum laughed so hard that it stretched +his mouth, which has remained wide to this day. + + +THE GOOD LITTLE SPIRIT + +Perhaps you have wondered why some men are wise and do good, while +others in their ignorance do nothing but harm. If so, I will tell you +a secret. + +In a cave not far from the homes of men there dwells a good little +spirit. He is very old, his hair is long and white, and he is about +as tall as a child three years old. + +Now every child, when it reaches the age of three or four, sometimes +wanders away out of sight of home, and the spirit is constantly on the +watch for this to happen. He comes out of hiding, takes the little one +by the hand and leads it away to his cave. There he makes it choose +one of three gifts: a knife, a bunch of poisonous flowers, and a +handful of healing herbs. + +If the child takes the knife, he will do only harm all his days. If he +is misled by the beauty of the poisonous blossoms, he will never be +wise; but if he takes the good medicine, he will be a wise man and a +healer, who will bless and help his people. + + [Illustration: THE GOOD LITTLE SPIRIT + He makes it choose one of three gifts. + _Page 55._] + + +FOLLOWERS OF THE SUN + +There were once four brothers, who as soon as they noticed that the +sun rose in one quarter and set in another, made up their minds to +follow on to the place of his setting. They were very young when they +set out toward the west, and as the years passed they grew to be tall +youths, then strong men in their prime, yet they could never overtake +the Sun. + +Old age had begun to creep upon the travelers when at last they +reached the shores of the Everywhere Salt Water (the ocean). Behind +its shining rim the golden ball descended, and they were given power +to follow, and where sky and water met to reach their journey's end. + +"Why are you here who have not yet died?" asked the Sun. + +"We have done nothing but follow you all our lives," replied the +brothers. + +"Only the dead come here," the Sun insisted. "You will have to go +back." + +He sent them each home on the wings of a buzzard, and thus returned +to their amazed people four feeble old men, who had been where no +mortal ever went before. When they had told all their strange story, +they lay down and died, and so returned to the glories of heaven, +which they alone of all men had seen before their time. + + +THE HUNTER WHO BECAME A DEER + +A hunter who had traveled all day without finding any game shot a doe +near sunset, and as he was very tired, he lay down near the body and +went to sleep. + +In the morning, when he awoke, he perceived the doe looking at him +lovingly out of large, soft eyes. As he returned her gaze, she +astonished him yet more by speaking. + +"Will you come home with me?" she pleaded. + +The young man hesitated, but there was something strangely appealing +about this beautiful woman, as she now seemed to him to become. Almost +without knowing what he did, he arose and followed her. + +By and by, they came to a great cave under the mountain, where it +seemed that all the Deer lived with their chief, an immense buck with +powerful antlers. The hunter was hospitably received; but all along +the sides of the cave he noticed piles of deer hides, with hoofs and +horns. This puzzled him not a little; nevertheless he ate with them, +lay down among them, and presently slept. + +Now while the young man slept, the Deer tried skin after skin till +they found one which fitted him, and they also fitted a pair of +antlers to his head and hoofs to his hands and feet. In the morning, +he opened his eyes and perceived that he also was a Deer, and he +remained with the herd. + +In the meantime, his mother and his relatives continued to search for +him throughout the forest. After some weeks, they discovered the lost +one's bow and arrows, hanging on the branch of the tree under which he +had slept after shooting the doe. They all gathered on the spot and +began to sing songs of magic. + +Soon a herd of deer appeared in the distance, coming nearer and nearer +as they were drawn by the singing. At last one spoke, and immediately +they knew his voice for that of the missing hunter. His mother cried +bitterly, and insisted that they should take off the deer's hide from +her son and restore him to his own shape again. + +"We dare not," protested his brothers and his cousins. "It might +endanger his life!" + +"Even so," she replied, weeping, "I had rather see my son dead than +wearing the form of a beast!" + +When they began to tear off the deer's hide, behold! it had grown fast +to his own skin, and he began to bleed. + +"Go on! go on!" exclaimed the mother in agony, and they persisted +until the man died. Then at last they carried home his body and gave +it honorable burial. + + +PRETTY WOMAN + +Once in time of famine there were two children deserted by their +parents, because they could not find food enough for all. The boy and +girl were perishing of hunger when they were discovered wandering in +the wood by Old Crow Woman. The kind old body took them to her poor +teepee and went out to search for something to eat. + +While she was gone, the girl, who was very clever, picked four grains +of corn out of the dust and tossed them into the air. In this way each +grain became a fine full ear, which they roasted and ate. She then +threw up the small skin tent, and it came down large and beautiful. +She took her little brother in her arms and threw him up, and he was a +tall youth. Finally she said to him: "Brother, throw me up, too!" and +he did as she asked. + +The half-starved little girl came down again a remarkably pretty +woman, and when Old Crow returned with a few grains of corn in her +beak, she was astonished to find so beautiful a girl sitting and +making moccasins before the largest and handsomest lodge she had ever +seen. + +When the Mole poked his long nose through the earth to look at Pretty +Woman, she ordered him back, saying, "I am not the light." + +Three times the Hummingbird circled round her head with buzzing wings, +but she drove him away. "I am not a flower," said she. He went home +and told all the people that he had seen the most beautiful woman in +the world, and the woods were soon full of suitors. + +Since Old Crow Woman was the girl's chaperon, they all appealed to +her. One said: "I will lay down the richest of bear skins for her to +walk on, all the way to my village." + +"That will never do," replied the old woman. "She might slip on the +skins and hurt herself." + +The second lover offered to lay down a line of mortars all the way. +"You must not do that," said Old Crow. "The mortars might roll and +trip her up." + +The third man declared: "My people shall lie down on the ground, and +she may tread upon them as she comes to me a bride!" + +To this the old woman made no objection, and Pretty Woman walked all +the way to her future home upon the bodies of the people. + + +THE CRANE AND THE HUMMINGBIRD + +Once there was a beautiful girl who had many suitors, and among the +most persistent were the Crane and the Hummingbird. She rather fancied +the latter, since the Crane was a long-legged, awkward fellow, not at +all to her taste. In order to rid herself of his pretensions once and +for all, she told them that they might fly round the world, and the +first one to return should be her husband. As the Hummingbird is very +swift, she had no doubt of the result. + +At the end of the first day, he had indeed a long start. Well +pleased, he tucked his head under his wing and went to sleep. About +midnight, the Crane overtook him and flew on. The Hummingbird passed +him at breakfast time and again secured a long lead. But in the night +time, while he slept, the unwearied Crane flew on, each night +overtaking him earlier, till he had gained a whole day and won the +race. + +After all, he did not win a wife, for the maiden was so much chagrined +by the failure of her plan that she has stayed single to this day. + + + + +IROQUOIS TALES + + +THE THUNDERERS + +There were once three comrades who went upon the warpath, and when +they were a long way from home, one had the misfortune to fall and +break his leg. The other two made a litter in which they undertook to +carry him, but there was a ridge of high mountains to cross, and the +way grew very painful and difficult. At last they became discouraged, +set the litter down, went a little aside and consulted together in +whispers. + +By and by they took up their burden again, and coming to a deep +crevasse they let it fall as if by accident, so that the injured man +rolled into the abyss. They went home and reported that they had met +the enemy and that their comrade had died of his wounds. To console +his weeping wife, they assured her that he had fought bravely; also +that they had tended and cared for him until he died and had then +given him suitable burial. + +In the meantime, the abandoned one fell to the bottom of the pit, +where to his surprise he beheld a very old man sitting with his hands +clasped about his withered knees. + +"What is this?" inquired the old sage. "Is it possible that your +comrades have deserted you and left you to perish miserably?" + +"It seems that they have done so," calmly replied the youth. + +"You may live, nevertheless," the other promised, "if you will agree +to my conditions. I am now too old to hunt. Stay here and keep me +supplied with game as long as I live, and I will cure your leg." + +As the young man had no choice, he agreed without hesitation, and the +ancient bound up his limb with healing herbs, fed and tended him until +he was able to hunt. + +There was game in abundance in that part of the country, and the old +man told him that if ever he shot more than he could carry, he should +call out and he would come to his assistance. One day the hunter +succeeded in killing an immense bear, and while he was skinning it, +behold! three very tall strangers clad in garments of cloud appeared +close by. + +"We are the Thunderers," said they. "We should be glad to help you, +for you have not deserved your misfortunes. That old man for whom you +hunt is not what he seems to be. Call him, and you shall see!" + +Since the youth saw no harm in calling his benefactor to help him with +the game, he did as they advised, and the aged man climbed out of the +pit very cautiously, first calling aloud to inquire if there were any +cloud in the sky. + +"There is none," replied the hunter, and the other hobbled forward, +continually peering into the heavens as if in fear of some enemy. +Suddenly a rumble of thunder was heard, and immediately he turned and +fled in the form of a Porcupine, throwing back sharp quills like +arrows as he ran. Louder and louder pealed the thunder, and just as he +reached the edge of the pit a bolt of lightning struck the Porcupine, +and he fell dead into his den. + +After this the young man returned to his own people. + + +THE WINGED HUNTER + +A lone hunter had spent all of his arrows, and was at a loss. He was a +long way from home. Upon the lake were many wild geese, but how was he +to kill them? Finally he swam underneath the flock, caught several by +the feet, and tied them to his belt with withes of basswood bark. When +the geese flew up into the air, they carried the hunter with them. + +Now he planned to loosen one or two of the birds so that he might sink +gradually to the ground, but the rest broke loose suddenly, and he +fell into a tall, hollow stump where he remained a prisoner. To be +sure, it was only a day or two before some women came near after wood, +but his cries frightened them, so that they retreated. Later they +returned with their men and released him. + +Immediately the hunter made new arrows with which he killed both deer +and bears, extracting oil from the latter which he kept in leathern +bottles. He now wished to return home; but since he had tried flying, +walking seemed to him too laborious. After much thought, he made +himself a pair of wings out of a thin piece of tanned deerskin, and +flew homeward, carrying the bottles for ballast, and letting fall one +or two into the wigwams of the women who had set him free. + + +GREAT HEAD + +High up on an inaccessible cliff, there dwells an immense Head, very +fierce, with long, bushy hair and huge staring eyes. The people call +it the Great Head, and fear it very much. + +There was once a family of ten boys who lost their parents at about +the same time of a mysterious disease. As they knew no near +relatives, the brothers continued to live alone in the forest. +However, one day the eldest failed to return from the hunt, and in the +morning the second brother went to look for him. That night he, too, +was missing. On the next day, the third brother set out to search for +the others, and so on until only one of the ten was left. + +Now the youngest brother had scarcely started on their trail when he +stumbled over a queer little old man, half buried in the ground, and +entirely covered with green mold. + +When he had dug him out and revived him by rubbing him with oil, the +boy told the stranger his story. + +"I can tell you what has become of your brothers," exclaimed the +little old man. "Without doubt, it is my brother, Great Head, who has +enticed them away." + +"What! the Great Head is your brother?" asked the boy. + +"Yes, he is," replied the little old man. + +"Then you must know his ways and can help me to outwit him." + +"I can tell you what he eats. Huge billets of maple wood--only +maple--are his favorite tid-bit." + +"And is there anything he is afraid of?" the boy inquired. + +"He fears my arrows, which grow ever larger as they fly!" + +First the boy worked very hard chopping a great maple tree into +blocks; then he invited Great Head to a feast. But Great Head would +not come. + +Then the little man, his brother, crept slyly to the foot of the cliff +through the long grass, and sent forth a magic arrow, which grew +larger and larger as it sped toward the mark. A great noise arose, +like that of a hurricane rushing through a forest. Down tumbled Great +Head to the foot of the precipice, and the nine youths whom he had +held captive were freed from the spell, and came joyfully home +again. + + + + +TSIMSHIAN TALES + + +HOW THE DAYLIGHT CAME + +A long, long time ago the son of the first chief of the animal people +set out upon a journey. Dressed in the skin of a raven, and carrying +in his beak a magic bag which his father had given him, he flew +eastward over a dark and watery waste. When he had flown far and was +tired, he dropped a stone in the sea, and it became an island, upon +which he rested. + +Again he rose up and flew onward upon slow black wings, no blacker +than the gloom that covered the face of the world. As he skimmed the +surface of the waves, he scattered from his enchanted bag the spawn +of every kind of fish, so that the sea was filled with finny life. +Then he turned toward shore, and over the dry land he cast berries and +seeds of all plants that are good for food, so that the earth too was +ready to burst with fruitfulness, only there was no sun to warm it +into life. + +Raven became very tired of the eternal darkness, and at last he flew +straight upward until he found the hole in the sky, and went right +through the hole. There he left the raven's skin lying and flew on +till he came to a spring of clear water, bubbling up with a sound like +maidens' laughter near the wigwam of the Chief of Heaven. He turned +himself into a leaf and floated in the pool, waiting for the chief's +daughter. When she came, she was indeed very beautiful. Stooping, she +dipped up the leaf in her bucket and drank it with the water. + +Now the maiden returned to her home, and not long after a child was +born to her. The baby grew very fast. He was stronger than any child +ever seen, yet he cried continually. Soon he was creeping about the +floor and crying all the time in a loud voice. The wise old men were +called in to explain these cries, and the wisest one of all told the +princess that her son was crying for a large box that hung under the +roof. This was the box that held the daylight. + +Since nothing else would do, they took down the box and gave it to the +child to play with. For four days he rolled it about the floor; then +one day, when no one was looking, he lifted it to his shoulders, got +to his feet, and ran out of the door with it. He sped as fast as he +could to the hole in the sky, put on the raven's skin that he found +lying there, and flew down to earth with the precious box. + +Now the Frog people were fishing down there, and they made a great +noise and confusion in the darkness. Raven called upon them to be +silent, but they paid no attention to him. The big frogs were +bellowing very loud, and the little frogs were piping high and shrill, +and there was no peace or quiet anywhere. Raven told them twice to be +less noisy, and when they would not, he said, "Then I shall open the +box." + +So he opened it, and daylight overspread the earth. + + +THE OLD WOMAN AND THE TIDES + +Again Raven flew over the waters till he reached the mainland and the +wigwam of the old, old woman who holds the tide lines in her hand. At +that time the tide would remain high for many days at a time, so that +the people could get no clams or other sea food. It happened that +Raven was very hungry for clams, but he entered the hut and sat down, +saying pleasantly: + +"Good day, grandmother: there is fine digging to-day. I have just had +all the clams I could eat." + +"Nonsense!" exclaimed the old woman. "What are you talking about, +Raven? You know very well that the clams are all covered." + +"Yes, but I've had all the clams I want," he insisted. + +"That isn't so," she declared. + + [Illustration: THE OLD WOMAN AND THE TIDES + He rudely pushed her backward until she fell down. + _Page 83._] + +Upon this he rudely pushed her backward until she fell down, and her +mouth and eyes were filled with dust. Of course she was forced to let +go the tide lines, so that the tide ran quickly out, and the beach was +covered with fine fat clams and other shellfish. Raven did not come +back to the hut until he had eaten as many as he possibly could. + +"My eyes are blinded with dust," mourned the old woman. "Will you not +give me back my sight?" + +"I will, if you will promise to slacken the tide lines twice a day," +he replied. + +So she said that she would, and from that time to this the tides have +run in and out twice each day. + + +HOW THE FIRE WAS BROUGHT + +After a time, Raven saw that the people were discontented without +fire, for they could neither cook their food nor warm themselves when +it was cold. He remembered that they had fire at home in his father's +village, so he flew westward once more until he came to the wigwams of +the animal people. But however hard he begged, they would not give +him what he had come for. + +Raven made a new plan. He went a little way off and sent the Sea Gull +to the camp with this message: + +"A handsome young chief will come to feast and dance in the dwelling +of your chief. See that all is ready." + +He knew that the people would prepare for their guest, so he caught a +Deer and tied a bundle of pitch-pine to its tail, for at that time the +deer had a long tail like that of the fox. He borrowed the canoe of +the Great Shark, and with the Deer came in it to the village. + +As he expected, the house of his father the chief was full of people, +and there was a big fire made and much feasting and merriment. All the +creatures were dancing and singing, and the very birds clapped their +wings for joy. + +The Deer entered, leaping and dancing, and his grace was much +admired, but as he danced around the fire he swung his long tail over +it, and the pitch blazed up. He ran out, sprang into the sea and swam +off, with his lighted tail flaring above the waves like a torch. Many +sprang into their canoes and tried to follow him, but he escaped and +reached our shores in safety. There he struck a dead fir tree with his +blazing tail and said to it: + +"You shall burn as long as the years last!" + +We should remember that it is to him we owe the gift of fire, for his +tail was burned off, and since that day all Deer have had a short +black tail. + + +RAVEN AND THE CRAB + +Raven had been flying all night over the ocean, and he had grown very +hungry indeed, but what was there to eat? At sunrise he reached a +sand spit, and there sat a large Crab. Raven thought he might be good +to eat, but he was a little timid about attacking him, so he merely +touched him on the back, saying, "Let us have a game, grandfather!" + +"Certainly not," replied the Crab gruffly. + +But Raven grew bolder and touched him again and again, crying out +teasingly, "Come on, let us have a game, grandfather!" + +Presently the tide turned, and about that time the Crab grew angry. He +seized Raven by the leg and walked very slowly into the water with +him. + +"Dear grandfather, only let me go!" begged Raven, for he was terribly +frightened. + +Crab paid no attention to his prayers and cries, but walked on the +bottom of the sea until he felt sure that his enemy was dead, when he +let go of him, and Raven came up and floated lifeless on the top of +the waves. + +A light wind wafted him ashore, and he lay for a long time motionless +on the warm sand. At last the sun revived him, and he awoke. He looked +at his raven skin and saw that it was sadly draggled and some of the +feathers had come off, but he was so thankful to be alive that he only +said to himself, "After all, I have not done so badly!" + + +THE BEAUTIFUL BLANKET + +Not long after this, Raven grew tired of the jet-black robe that his +father had given him, and one day he exchanged it for a beautiful +blanket of many colors, such as is worn to dances. He had not gone +very far when the gay blanket fell to pieces, and he was cold and +sorrowful. + +He did not know what else to do, so he went back to look for his +raven skin and found it lying by the roadside. He put it on again, but +soon came upon another dance blanket even handsomer than the first. +Forgetting the lesson he had just had, he tore his old robe in half +and threw it away with contempt, and dressed himself in the other. +Then he walked on, thinking how well he must look in the eyes of any +whom he might chance to meet. + +This fine dandy was greatly pleased when he saw a strange village near +at hand, until, glancing downward, he found to his dismay that he was +covered with nothing but moss and lichens. Crying bitterly, he was +once more forced to go back in search of his raven skin; after hunting +a long time he found it, but it was torn in two. Sadly he pinned it +about his body as well as he could and again turned his steps toward +the village. + +While he was still a little way off, Raven plucked up spirit and +gathered a piece of rotten spruce wood, which by his magic art he +turned into a slave. Lacking a fine blanket, he made for himself some +large ear ornaments out of common clam shells which he found on the +beach. Then he ordered his slave to walk before him, crying in a loud +voice: + +"People of the village, here comes my master, who is a great chief! +You will know him by the costly ornaments of abalone shell in his +ears!" + +It is said that the strangers were deceived by this fine talk and +invited the pretender to their chief's wigwam, where a feast was given +in his honor. + + +RAVEN AND THE HUNTERS + +One day Raven happened to see a boat load of hunters coming home with +plenty of game. As usual, he was hungry, and it occurred to him to +take the shape of a woman in the hope of obtaining some food. + +Sure enough, when the hunters noticed a good-looking young woman on +the shore, they beached their canoe and took her on board. She had a +child in her arms, and the child cried incessantly. + +"It is hungry," the woman explained; so they made much broth of wild +ducks and fed the child and its mother. They feasted most of that +night, and the head man was so well pleased with the supposed woman +that he offered to marry her. All went well till they awoke in the +morning, when, to his surprise and disgust, the new wife looked like a +man. + +"So it is you, up to your tricks again, you good-for-nothing Raven! Be +off with you!" exclaimed the angry hunter, and he cast him overboard. + +Raven put on his feathered robe and flew off without any trouble, and +at the same moment the baby turned to a crow and flew away also. + + +RAVEN AND THE CHILDREN + +Raven was out for a walk and came upon a crowd of children playing +with whale's blubber. Huge piles of it lay at their feet, and they +were throwing lumps at one another in great glee. He stopped and spoke +to them. + +"Where did you get all that blubber?" he asked. + +"Oh," answered the oldest boy, "we climb up that tall tree you see +over yonder and jump down from the topmost limb. As we land, we cry +out, 'Be piled up, all my blubber!' and it is so." + +Raven immediately climbed the tree and jumped off the highest branch, +shouting, "Be piled up, all my blubber!" + +Nothing happened except that he struck the ground so hard that he was +lame for several days. Meanwhile the children picked up the blubber +and ran off, laughing heartily. + + +RAVEN AND HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW + +Once upon a time Raven came to a small house away from everybody, +where lived two women, a widow and her young daughter. The elder woman +asked him in and gave him a good supper, and as the house appeared to +be well stocked with dried fish and other necessaries, he proposed +that evening to marry the daughter and was accepted. + +The next day, after a hearty breakfast, he borrowed the old woman's +stone ax and went out. He told the two women that he was going to cut +down a cedar tree and make a boat for the fishing, and he charged his +wife to see that her mother had a good meal ready for him on his +return. Before night he came back very hungry, saying that he had +felled the tree and would begin next day to hollow out the canoe. + +This went on for some time, Raven going forth every morning with the +ax and returning in the afternoon, apparently tired out, and with so +great an appetite that the widow's stores of food were getting low. +They could hear the blows of the ax from time to time in the depths of +the forest, but somehow the boat was never quite finished. + +At last one morning the old woman said to her daughter, "Go quietly, +my child; follow your husband without letting him know it, and see for +yourself what progress he is making." + +The young wife did as she was told, and there was the trickster +pounding a rotten stump with the stone ax so as to make the sounds +they had heard. When she told her mother what she had seen, the two +women packed up all the goods they had left and went away. + +When Raven went home that night, he found only the empty hut, which +was as much as he deserved. + + +RAVEN AND THE SALMON WOMAN + +Now Raven had been unfortunate for a long time and was poorer than +ever, but he had at last contrived to build a small hut and make a +boat and a spear. Just as he was ready to go fishing, a heavy fog came +down and covered the face of the water, hiding his boat entirely. When +the fog lifted, there sat a beautiful woman in the bow of the canoe. + +"You have come to my boat; will you be my wife?" asked Raven. + +And the woman consented, saying, "Yes, if you will be always kind to +me, my husband. Remember, I am the Salmon Woman." + +"Then we shall have plenty of fish in our lodge," exclaimed the +pleased bridegroom. + +And he was right, for next morning his new wife rose early and stepped +barefoot into the little brook that ran close by their hut. Instantly +salmon by hundreds came leaping up the stream, and she called to him, +saying: + +"Husband, come! the creek is full of silver salmon!" + +After he had speared many, he went after wood with which to smoke +their abundant catch, and as he feared the birds might come down and +steal some of his fish while he was gathering the wood, he left one of +his eyes to watch the boat, telling it to be sure and call him in case +the birds came near the salmon. + +Soon the eye cried out, "Master, come quickly! the birds are here." +But as he was very busy he merely replied, "Hide the fish under the +seat until I come," and went on with his work. + +When he came back to the boat with a load of wood, he found to his +sorrow that the greedy creatures had not only eaten up all the fish +but his eye also. + +Crying bitterly, Raven went back to his wife, who asked him what the +matter was. When he told her, she had only to touch the empty socket, +and immediately he had a new eye quite as good as the other. As for +the stolen fish, he did not miss them at all, for the tiny stream was +now so full of salmon that there was scarcely any water to be seen. + +Although their poor hut was well supplied with food, and his meals +well cooked, and his wife was as loving and kind as she was +beautiful, nevertheless Raven would leave her in the morning and be +gone all day without saying where he went. By and by he began to come +home in a bad temper and to speak to her harshly. One evening he +exclaimed: + +"Well, who has been to see you to-day?" + +"No one has been to see me, my husband," she replied. "No one ever +comes to this lonely place." + +"Don't try to deceive me," said he roughly. "A man has been here in my +absence. I know it, because I have been gambling this long time, and +at first I had good luck, but to-day my luck was bad; therefore I know +you have had a man here." + +Then the Salmon Woman felt insulted, and without speaking to him she +turned to the dried fish that hung from the ceiling. + +"Come, O my tribe!" she cried, and all the fish came to life and +followed her. She sprang into the water and swam away, and they all +swam after her, leaving the unkind husband alone and hungry once more. + + +THE ANIMALS IN COUNCIL + +It is now many years since the ancient friendship between man and the +animal tribes was broken, and since that time the animals have been +hunted continually and go about in fear of their lives. One day +Grizzly Bear invited all the larger beasts to meet at his wigwam and +discuss the matter. Deer, Elk, Wolf, and many others were present when +Grizzly Bear made his great speech in which he spoke of the constant +danger they were in and the need of finding a remedy, and finally +proposed that they petition He-Who-Made-Us to lengthen the winter and +cause very deep snows with extreme cold, so that the hunters could not +get about. + +All agreed to this plan, but Wolf got up and proposed that before +acting upon it they should consult the smaller animals and even the +Insect tribes. "For," said he, "if we ignore them now they may make +trouble for us later on." + +The others had no objection, and next day Beaver, Squirrel, Mink, +Muskrat, all four-footed creatures down to the little Mouse, and all +of the Insect tribes as well, were invited to join in the council. + +It was a great gathering. The larger animals sat on one side of a wide +semicircle, and the smaller on the other side. Again Grizzly Bear made +the first speech, telling of the meeting of the day before and of his +suggestion, and asking all present for their opinion on the matter. + +After a silence, Porcupine arose and remarked that the idea might do +well enough for those who had warm fur coats, but that many of the +little people were not so well protected against severe weather, and +as for the feeble Insects, if the winters should become any longer or +colder than they were already, they would all perish, therefore they +could not agree to the proposal. + +"I don't care whether you agree or not," growled the Bear. "We larger +animals have decided that this is the best thing to do, and we are +going to do it anyhow." + +"I fear you are short-sighted," replied Porcupine, who found that he +had used the wrong argument. "You large animals are always roaming the +woods in search of something to eat, and if the winters grow any +colder there will be no food for you, that is certain. All life will +perish, even the roots of the grass on which the Deer lives, and the +berry bushes of which the Bear is so fond will be frozen. You will all +starve, but we shall live, for we Porcupines can live on the bark of +trees; and as for the smallest Insects, they can burrow into the earth +and survive." + +The other animals were impressed by this speech and began to say among +themselves, "How wise he is!" "Now who would have thought of that?" +and "I think we should reconsider the matter." + +"Ah, ha, ha!" laughed Porcupine, and he was so pleased with himself +that he stuck his thumb into his mouth and then bit it off, which is +the reason that he has only four fingers and no thumb. + +Now the animals called him the wisest of their number and accepted his +decision, and as for those who would not agree, Porcupine filled them +full of sharp quills, on which account they all stand in awe of him to +this very day. + + +THE FOUR WINDS + +Once there were four great chiefs who lived in the four corners of the +earth, and their names were North Wind, South Wind, East Wind, and +West Wind. The other three all hated North Wind, for he was very rude +and boisterous, and insisted upon blowing his bitter blast into their +faces at all times of the year, so that the tender fruit buds and +fragile blossoms were never safe from his withering breath. + +Finally they united to make war upon him, and after a long struggle +they succeeded in gaining his promise that he would only blow for half +the year, which helped matters a little. + +Now the South Wind had four sturdy sons and a beautiful daughter, +while North Wind's family consisted of twin boys, one of whom was +called Frosted, and the other Frozen. No sooner were the children +grown up than Frosted wished to marry the daughter of South Wind, who +was as fair and gentle as a summer's day, but she would have nothing +to say to him. + +The next year Frozen came courting. He was a handsome fellow, very +determined, and proved more fortunate than his brother. The wedding +feast was the finest ever known in that part of the country. It lasted +for seven days, at the end of which Frozen carried home his bride in a +tempest of wind and rain. + +When South Wind's daughter reached the land of perpetual snow and ice, +she very soon regretted her rash choice. There was not so much as a +spark of fire in the house, which was built of ice blocks, and day +and night she was chilled to the very marrow of her bones. Meanwhile +the rest of the family were saying, "What a pleasant season we are +having!" and "The weather seems unusually mild for this time of the +year!" + +At last she could bear it no longer, and one day as she sat sadly on +the beach she picked up a bit of yellow driftwood and carved it into +the shape of a duck. When she had finished, she tossed the duck into +the air, saying: + +"Fly south, little duck, and tell my father that I am very unhappy +here in the cruel northland!" And the duck flew away southward. + +Far in the southland the South Wind's wife stood in the door of their +wigwam and called to her husband, "Look, husband! Spring is coming, +for I see the ducks returning!" + +The little yellow duck came on, and as soon as he was near enough he +gave the daughter's message: + +"Your child is very unhappy there in the cruel northland!" + +When South Wind understood it, he was angry and called his four strong +sons to his side. "Boys," said he, "go at once to North Wind's house +and bring home your sister!" + +The eldest son started first in the shape of a great gray cloud, and +when the little bride saw the cloud in the distance she was glad, for +she felt sure that it was her brother. But immediately North Wind went +out with his two sons to meet him and drove him back, so that she +wrung her hands in sorrow. + +The second brother went as a very black cloud, and he got a little +farther than the first when he too was fiercely attacked and beaten +back. Then the bride of Frozen cried bitterly, for she began to be +afraid she must stay there forever. + +The third brother went as a great storm of rain, and he had nearly +reached the spot where his sister was eagerly waiting, when the icy +wind turned the rain to hail and drove it back, and the poor girl was +in despair. + +However, there was still the youngest brother. He went as a +sharp-edged and thin cloud which slipped right by North Wind and +reached his palace, where he turned all the ice to water. The whole +country was flooded, and North Wind and his family were helpless. + +"Not only does your son lose his bride," cried the victorious son of +South Wind, as he retreated with his sister, "but I shall take away +three of your months also. From this time forth you are allowed to +blow but three months in the year." + +Thereupon the four Winds divided the year among them in this fashion: +to North Wind the three winter months, to East Wind the spring, to +West Wind the summer, and the autumn to South Wind. + + +THE FEAST OF THE MOUNTAIN GOATS + +In the old days the hunters were many and skillful. They killed +hundreds of mountain goats for their flesh and skins and left their +bones lying unburned on the rocks, which was a great dishonor. +Moreover, their children were thoughtless. + +One day, a young man whose name was Really Black Raven Feather was +walking along the beach, and he saw a group of boys making merry with +a kid. They would seize it and throw it into the water, watch its +struggles for a time, then drag it ashore half drowned, and as soon +as the poor creature was able to walk, they would throw it in again. +When they tired of this sport, they built a fire and put the kid in +the fire, to dry, as they said; but before it was more than scorched +this young man pulled it out and scolded the boys severely for their +cruelty, so that they all ran away. + +Not long after this, a messenger came down from the hills inviting all +the villagers to a feast, and as was the custom they followed the +messenger. They came to a large wigwam on the mountain side which they +had never seen before, and all were seated within this immense tent. +Really Black was given a seat immediately behind the tent pole, which +was unusually heavy. + +Soon a crowd of people wearing goats' headdresses came dancing and +singing over the rocks. They danced around and in front of the wigwam, +and presently the chief dancer kicked so high that he touched the +tent covering with his goat's hoof. Instantly it fell down on the +heads of the guests and became a mountain which crushed them to death. +Only Really Black was saved. He clung to the tent pole, which became a +giant spruce growing out of the side of the mountain. Therefore he and +his descendants have always respected the goats, and taken care to +burn their bones when it was necessary to hunt them for food or +clothing. + + +THE WOMAN WHO BECAME A BEAVER + +There was once a man who took his wife with him to hunt raccoons at a +distance from the village. They were very successful. Every night the +man shot several of the animals, and in the daytime they were both +busy skinning them and trying out the fat. One day the young wife +became tired of work and she approached her husband and tried to +attract his attention, saying playfully: + +"Look at me, my husband!" + +It is true that she was a pretty woman, but the man was bent on +skinning his game just then and took no notice of her. Seeing that he +made no answer, she kept on teasing him to look at her. At last he +grew provoked. + +"Go away," said he crossly; "you are no better than these raccoons!" + +At this the young woman was much hurt and went away without speaking. +Her husband finished his work and then came to his supper, but no meal +had been prepared for him, and no wife was to be seen. He called and +called, but no one answered. After searching for her some time, he +discovered the woman taking a bath in a small pool, which she had +made for herself by piling up sticks and pebbles to dam the stream. + + [Illustration: THE WOMAN WHO BECAME A BEAVER + He discovered the woman in a small pool. + _Page 111._] + +"Come, my wife, it is time to eat," begged the young husband. + +"You have said that I am no better than the raccoons," she answered, +"and I am very much ashamed. I prefer to stay where I am." + +He went back to their hut, but came again later in the evening and +tried hard to persuade her. + +"My wife, you know that I love you," he protested. "I only spoke as I +did because I was thinking of my work and I wanted to get through with +it. I am sorry for what I said, and I did not mean anything by it. +Come, now, you should not stay in the water so long or you will be +sick; and besides, it is time to go to bed." + +She would not listen to him, however, and he noticed that the dam had +grown higher, and the pool was much bigger than before. + +The woman did not come to bed at all that night, and the deserted +husband could not sleep for thinking of his wife swimming about in the +cold water. He lay awake, listening to the lapping of the little waves +and the slap of her leathern apron as it struck the water when she +dived. + +Next morning the pool had become a pond, and out in the middle of it +he could still see her swimming about. For the third time he called to +her and pleaded with her to come out, but she would not answer him at +all, so he went home very sorrowful. + +Now the young woman had six brothers, and when they heard what had +happened, they all declared that they would go and bring home their +sister. Their brother-in-law guided them to the spot where he had +left her and behold! a large lake filled the valley, and there was a +beaver house under the dam. + +The young men saw several young beavers swimming about, and presently +they heard a great beaver tail spank the water. Looking closely, they +recognized the woman, but she was covered from head to foot with soft +brown fur, and her leathern apron had become the flat tail of a +beaver. + +At this they wept much, and with one voice implored her to come home. + +"No," said the beaver woman. "My husband has said that I am no better +than the raccoons, and I am too much ashamed to live with mankind any +longer. Do not trouble about me further, for I shall never come back." + +"Let us go away and leave her," said the eldest brother, for he did +not know what else to do. + +"No," said the youngest. "Let us break the dam; then all the water +will run out, and she will be compelled to come." + +They broke the dam and destroyed the beaver house. The woman lay face +downward in the mud at what had been the bottom of the lake. She was +quite dead. In all points she was like a beaver, but when they turned +the body over, grieving much, the face was the face of the offended +wife. + + +THE TEN PRINCES + +The ten sons of a chief went hunting, and all took their wives with +them except the youngest brother, who was unmarried. They all camped +together at night, and in the morning the eldest prince went out in +search of game. + +The first thing he saw was a fat porcupine coming toward him, which he +easily caught. He wrung its neck, and hung it on the branch of a +tree, and went on. + +Near the top of a hill, he met a handsome white she-bear and shot her +dead. He kept on to the very top, and looking down, perceived a +strange town at the foot, which made him very curious. He walked up +boldly to the first hut, in which a pretty young woman sat alone. She +beckoned to him through the window, but he had scarcely entered when +some one called out from the next dwelling: + +"You have a visitor. Send him here: the chief wishes to see him." + +At the chief's door, several young men met the stranger with much +kindness and greatly admired his weapons, which they begged to be +allowed to examine. As soon as he went in, the chief greeted him with +all hospitality. He ordered that the softest robes be brought for his +seat and caused him to be served with the choicest food. While he ate, +his weapons were returned to him and laid at his side. When night +came, the chief said, "Bring the best blanket for our guest; he will +remain with us to-night"; and it was done. + +In the morning a cry arose, "The bears are coming!" + +"Let my best hunters go out against them," ordered the chief. Now the +young prince was an expert hunter and had a mind to display his skill, +so he hastened to attack the foremost bear. He drew out his best +arrow, but to his astonishment the arrow broke. Hurriedly he seized +his spear, and the spear broke. In a moment the grizzly bear was upon +him and bore him to the ground. + +As soon as he was dead, the young men dragged his body into the +chief's hut, where the chief caused it to be cut in pieces and hung +up to dry. + +Now when this young man did not come back to camp on that day or the +next, his wife grew anxious, and the next in age offered to go in +search of him. He set out in the same direction, and half-way up the +hill he met a fat porcupine, which he clubbed and hung in a tree as +his brother had done. A little further on, he saw a white she-bear and +killed her, after which he went toward the village which he observed +in the distance. + +The pretty young woman invited him to come in, and the young men +welcomed him cordially and took away his weapons, which they returned +to him as he sat feasting in the house of the chief. In short, +everything happened to him exactly as it had happened to his brother; +and in the morning, when his arrows broke off short, he was at the +mercy of the bear, and his body was cut up and hung beside that of the +first. + +Next day, the third youth went to look for the other two, and so on, +until all were gone except the youngest. The nine widows mourned +continually, and they begged the last brother not to follow the +others, for if he should, they felt sure that he too would be lost and +they would all be left without a protector. However, he insisted upon +going, assuring them that not only would he come back safe and sound, +but would bring back their husbands also. + +He took the same path up the hill, and when he saw the fat porcupine +coming to meet him, it occurred to him that he had better let her pass +unharmed, and he did so. A little later, he met the white she-bear and +shot her; but when he came to her he could not help laying his hand +gently on her side and exclaiming aloud, "How beautiful she is!" + +Instantly the bear became a handsome young woman, who smiled upon him, +and warned him of the dangers that he would meet in the Bears' town at +the foot of the hill. + +"These people are really Bears," said she, "and I am one of them sent +to deceive you. But you have no wife, and I like you very much. Do not +let the young men take your weapons even for a minute, or they will +change them to dry sticks as they did those of your nine brothers, who +killed me without remorse." + +Finally she gave him two small pups and told him to hide them in his +robe, and if ever he was in trouble to set them one by one on the +ground, saying, "Red, grow up quick and help me!" "Spot, grow up quick +and help me!" and it should be so. Then she kissed and embraced him, +and he went on down the hill to the village. + +In the first hut he came to he found his sweetheart again, and she +greeted him lovingly. When the chief sent for him, she delayed parting +with him as long as she could, but was at last forced to let him go, +with many charges as to the best way to outwit her kinsmen. +Accordingly he kept fast hold of his weapons, when the young men +crowded admiringly about him, and even lay awake all night lest they +should take them from him while he slept. + +In the morning, when the Bears came on as before, and the chief called +for men to go out and meet them, the young prince drew his bow and +shot the foremost through the heart. More followed, and he killed them +one after another until his arrows were all gone. Then he fought with +his spear until he was tired out, and still the Bears came on. + +Finally he remembered the pups that his sweetheart had given him, and +he placed the first one on the ground, saying, "Grow up quick, Red, +and help me!" + +Instantly the pup became an immense dog which rushed at the Bears and +drove them back. + +Then he put down the second pup, saying, "Grow up quick, Spot, and +help me!" and another savage dog attacked and put to rout the last of +his enemies. + +Then the young man returned to the Bear chief's wigwam for his nine +brothers. He took down the pieces of their bodies and laid them side +by side, and they all came to life and followed the hero and his Bear +wife back to their own camp, where they were welcomed with great +rejoicings. + + +THE GIRL WHO REJECTED HER COUSIN + +In the old days, a chief's daughter was expected to marry the son of +her uncle, and so keep the chieftainship in the family. But there was +once a proud princess who behaved very badly to her cousin when he +came wooing, according to the custom. + +"I must be sure that you love me," she said. + +"I do love you," he declared. + +Upon which she answered, "Then prove your love by making a cut down +your right cheek." + +The young man immediately took out his knife and slashed his right +cheek so that the blood streamed over his face. + +When the cut had healed, he went again to his cousin and asked for her +hand with some confidence, but she said: + +"First you must cut your left cheek also, and then I shall know that +you really love me." + +The young man did not like to do it, but he would not give up, and he +slashed his left cheek also. + +He waited for the second cut to heal and then went to her with his +scarred face and begged her to marry him at once. + +"Yes," said she, "I will marry you, for you have done well," and she +kissed him, so that he became more in love than ever. Finally she told +him sweetly that she was not yet entirely satisfied, and that before +the wedding he must cut off all his hair. + +Now short hair is considered a disgrace to a man, and the prince was +most unwilling to cut his off, but at last he yielded and went to her +to ask that the wedding day might be set. But she refused to see him, +merely sending a servant with the message that he must be quite mad +to suppose that she would marry such a hideous object as he had made +of himself. + +The poor young man was very unhappy, and he left his home and wandered +away until he came to a small hut that stood all by itself under a +hill. + +An old woman opened the door and kindly asked him to come in--"that +is," said she, "if you are the chief's son who was rejected by his +cousin." + +"I am he," declared the youth. + +"What can I do for you?" asked the old woman. + +He answered that he wanted nothing more than to be as he had been, +before he disfigured himself at the bidding of the cruel young woman. + +Accordingly the crone prepared a bath for him, and when he came out +his skin was smooth and fine, without any mark upon it. She combed +his hair with a comb of ivory, and it became long and splendid and +fell over his shoulders like a mantle, so that he was far handsomer +than before. + +When he went back to the village, all the people admired him as a +being from another world, and his cousin put on her best robes and +walked to and fro, trying to attract his attention, but he did not +even glance at her. Finally she sent her servant with a message, +asking him to come and see her. + +When he did not appear, she sent a second time, and inquired very +humbly what she could do to please him. He told the messenger to say +that if she would slash her right cheek with a knife, he would come. + +So the princess cut open her right cheek, and when the cut had healed +she sent to her cousin again. This time he made answer that she must +first cut her left cheek also, and she did as he ordered. + +When her messenger came to the prince a fourth time, he directed that +her mistress cut off all her beautiful hair, declaring that he would +then be entirely satisfied. Crying bitterly, the poor girl cut it off +and sent it to her lover, but he threw it on the ground with contempt, +saying that nothing would induce him to look upon the face of a woman +who had so disfigured herself. + +The wise men say that since this happened, women have not been allowed +to choose their husbands, or to refuse the men who have been selected +for them to marry. + + +GRIZZLY BEAR AND THE FOUR CHIEFS + +There were once four chiefs who were brothers and lived in one +village. In the dead of winter, when food was scarce, a lean stranger +came among them and stopped at the hut of the eldest brother. + +He was courteously received and seated by the fire, as is the custom, +and the chief asked him where he came from. + +"I have come a long way," replied the stranger. + +"And what have you eaten on the way?" + +"I have eaten nothing but snow," he said. + +Then the chief ordered a dish of snow and a spoon to be placed before +his guest, but he got up without touching it and went on to the house +of the second brother. + +Here he was again asked where he came from and what he had eaten on +the road, and when he answered that he had eaten only snow, he was +given a large dish of it with a spoon. The same thing happened at the +third house. + +When the traveler came to the dwelling of the youngest brother, and +the host heard that he had eaten nothing but snow and was starving, he +said to his wife, "Wife, see if there is still a dried salmon left." + +She looked, and found a single one, half of which she broiled and gave +it on a dish to the stranger. + +After he had eaten, he made ready to go on, but his host said, "Wife, +give our guest the other half of the salmon to eat on the journey," +and she did so. + +Then the stranger said to him, "All the others ridiculed a starving +man, but you were a true host. Your kindness shall be rewarded. Meet +me to-morrow at the mouth of the river." + +The young chief did as he was told, and behold! a great grizzly Bear, +who presented him with leggings, a grizzly-bear headdress, and a +magic bow which killed all manner of game. From that day he never went +hungry, but became the envy of his elder brothers and the richest man +in the village. + + +THE WOODEN WIFE + +Once there was a young man newly married who was very fond of his +wife. She was not only a pretty woman, but she wove the most beautiful +dancing-blankets of any one in the tribe. + +One day this young man went into the mountains to hunt wild goats, +from whose hair his wife might weave more of her much-prized blankets, +and she went with him to keep his hut and to cook for him. While they +were yet far from the village, the girl fell sick, and although he did +all that he could for her, the young husband soon saw that she was +dying. + +"Tell me, my dear, what can I do for you?" he begged, as he hung over +her. + +"Only do not leave me soon, my husband! Do not soon forget our love," +sighed the wife, and she died. + +The goat-hunter mourned her truly, and he did as she had asked him to +do. He remained on the spot where he had lost her and seemed to have +no thought of going back to the village. He kept her body with him in +the hut as long as he could, and when at last he was forced to lay it +away, he carved an image out of cedar wood and set it up in front of +her loom, so that as one entered the hut it seemed that a woman sat +there, weaving a dancing-blanket. Every morning he went out hunting +goats, and when he returned in the evening he would call out as he +came near the hut, saying: + +"Come out, my wife, and see what I have brought you!" + +Then he would answer himself in a woman's voice, "I cannot come just +now, my husband. I am weaving, and the wool may become snarled if I +leave my loom." + +Presently he would enter the wigwam, come up behind his wooden wife, +and kiss her lovingly. + +After a time, the story of these strange doings spread to the village, +and two young girls, sisters, being filled with curiosity, decided to +come and find out for themselves what truth there might be in the +rumors that were about. When they reached his lonely hut, the hunter +was away as usual, so they raised the door-flap and peeped in. There +sat the wooden wife in front of the loom, with her back to them, +exactly like a woman weaving. + +"Elder sister," said they, "we are hungry." But when she did not move +nor speak, they knew that she was not a real woman, and they hid in a +corner behind some blankets until the husband should return. + +By and by they heard his voice outside the hut, telling his wife to +come out and see the game he had brought, and then her usual answer +that she was busy weaving and could not come just then. Next he came +in, put his arms about the wooden wife, and kissed her fondly. + +Upon this the elder girl could not help laughing so that he heard it +and discovered them both. But the young man was a courteous host. He +begged them to be seated and offered them food, and the elder sister +ate heartily; she even over-ate, while the younger was very quiet and +took but a taste of each dish. The hunter took note of their conduct, +and when supper was over, he asked the younger girl to be his wife. + +"I will marry you," said she, "if you will put away your wooden +wife." Accordingly he destroyed the image that he had made, and +married the girl, and they lived happily together for many years. + + +ILDINI + +Ildini lived at End-of-trail, with his wife and two boys. One day he +went fishing when the wind blew strong from the shore. It blew his +boat so far out that he could not get back. All day and all night he +was blown about the cold gray waters. He became very hungry and +chilled to the bone. + +Ildini prayed and sang for a fair wind. This was his song: + + "Ocean Spirit, calm the waves for me! + Come closer to me, my Power! + Calm the waves, so that I may go home!" + +After many days the wind went down and the canoe floated near a strange +shore, but by now the man was so weak that he could not land. On the +shore he saw no one but a little child, scarcely big enough to talk. He +told the child his name, "Ildini", and the little fellow repeated it +over and over as if it were a game--"Ildini--Ildini--Ildini!" He ran +home still saying over the new name, and exclaimed to his grandfather: +"Grandfather, come--Ildini!" He kept saying this until the old man +followed and discovered the canoe and the fisherman, who was by this +time unable to stand. + +He called his wife to help him and together they carried Ildini to their +house, where they rubbed his limbs, warmed him and gave him broth, a +little at a time. When he had recovered, he became the chief of that +tribe, and learned their ways and their language. He never ceased to +mourn for the two sons whom he had left behind at End-of-trail, but he +did not weep for his wife, for he believed her faithless and thought +that she had been the cause of his misfortune. In truth she supposed him +dead and had long since married another. + + + + +ALASKAN STORIES + + +THE MAN WHO ENTERTAINED BEARS + +There was once a man who had lost all of his family in a terrible +sickness that came upon the people of his village. He was all alone in +the world and very sorrowful. He did not know what to do. First he +thought he would get into his canoe and paddle away till he came to +another village. Then it occurred to him that they might think he had +run away from home because he had been accused of witchcraft or of +some other shameful thing. + +He considered taking his own life, but did not like to do it. Finally +he concluded to go among the bears and let them kill him. He found a +bear trail, and lay down in it till he heard the bushes breaking and +saw several grizzly bears coming along the trail. An unusually large +bear was at their head. + +Suddenly the man became frightened and felt that he had chosen a hard +death. He arose and spoke to the leading bear. + +"Brother," said he, "I am come to invite you to a feast in honor of my +dead. I have lost my children and my wife and there is none left of my +blood and of my house. Will you help me to do honor to their spirits?" + +The largest bear turned toward the others and whined, as if he were +telling them of the invitation. Then they all went back, and the man +hurried home to prepare his feast. He took away all the old sand from +his fireplace and replaced it with clean sand. He brought a load of +wood and picked many berries, both cranberries and huckleberries. He +also told his neighbors what guests he expected, and they all supposed +him crazed by sorrow. + +Next morning he arose early and painted himself with unusual care. +When all was ready, he stood in the doorway of his house awaiting his +guests. Presently he saw the bears entering the mouth of the creek in +single file, the great bear in the lead, just as on the day before. +The other villagers saw them too and ran and hid themselves in their +houses, terrified out of their wits; but their host stood still to +receive them and give them the seats of honor, the chief in the middle +seat, as is the custom. + +First he served them with large trays of cranberries covered with +grease, and as soon as the bear chief began to eat of the food the +others followed his example. The other courses were served and eaten +in the same way. When all had finished eating and were about to +retire, each in turn licked some of the paint from his breast and arms +in sign of their sympathy. + +On the next day, the smallest bear came back alone in human form, and +spoke to his host in his own tongue, telling him that he was a man who +had long since been captured and adopted into the Bear tribe. "The +Bear Chief," said this person, "is very sorry for you, because he too +has lost all of his friends. He understood your sorrow and for that +reason refrained from killing you. I was not permitted to speak to you +in his presence, but he wishes you to remember him when you mourn for +your dead." + +Ever since this time, the old men, when they kill a grizzly bear, +paint a cross on its skin. It is also commanded that when you give a +feast you should invite every one, even your enemies, just as this +man invited the Bears, who are the enemies of human kind. + + +BEAVER AND PORCUPINE + +Once in the old days Beaver and Porcupine were comrades and went +everywhere together. Now Beavers are much afraid of Bears, who break +down the beaver dams so as to let off the water, catch them and eat +them. But the Bear fears the sharp quills of the Porcupine, therefore +the little fellow acted as guard to his friend. Porcupine often +visited Beaver in his house, which is dry and comfortable, and +unfortunately annoyed his host by leaving some of his quills there. + +One day Porcupine proposed to call on his friend, and Beaver offered +to carry him on his back, since the prickly one cannot swim. But +instead of taking him to his home under the dam, he took him to a +tall stump in the very middle of the lake, and there he left him! + +There Porcupine was compelled to stay until the lake froze over, and +he could walk home on the ice. + +Beaver contrived to explain the whole thing as a joke, and the pair +appeared to be on as good terms as ever. One fine day the Bear +appeared. + +"What shall I do? Save me! save me!" cried Beaver in terror. + +"Certainly, friend; just get upon my back and I will carry you to +safety," replied Porcupine. + +Beaver did as he was told, and was taken to the top of a very tall +tree and left to himself. He did not know how to climb and was afraid +to try to get down alone. + + [Illustration: BEAVER AND PORCUPINE + He took him to a tall stump in the very middle of the lake and + there he left him. + _Page 144._] + +"Oh, do help me down!" he cried; but it was of no use to beg. After +staying up there so long that he grew dizzy and almost starved to +death, he finally contrived to scramble down the tree; and they say +that is why the bark of trees is rough and full of scratches to this +day. We are also told that it is on account of this happening that +people who have loved each other very much sometimes quarrel, and are +no longer friends. + + +MOUNTAIN DWELLER + +Two sisters belonging to a well-known family one day became very +hungry and helped themselves to some of their mother's fat meat, +notwithstanding the girls were strictly forbidden to eat anything +between meals. + +When the mother found it out she was angry, especially with her elder +daughter, for the younger was still a child. She not only scolded the +girl, but slapped her severely. At last she said: "Since you are so +fond of eating, you had better go and marry Mountain Dweller!" + +Now Mountain Dweller is a being who lives alone upon the mountains and +is supposed to be a great hunter. Up to this time, no mortal had ever +seen him. The girls were more deeply offended by her words than by the +blows she had given the elder, and that night when their mother slept +they ran off into the woods. + +They had wandered a long way and were crying with fear and hunger when +they heard some one chopping wood in the distance. "Perhaps it is +really he," said the elder sister, and they followed the sound. + +There stood a man whose face was painted red. He was kind and asked +the girls what they were doing so far from home. + +As soon as they had told him, he invited them into his house near by, +and they found it large and well stored with abundance of meat. They +remained there as he asked them, and the elder sister in time became +his wife. + +Now the mother had soon repented her hasty speech and both parents +searched everywhere for their daughters. When they could not find +them, they mourned them as dead. A year passed, and the mourners' +feast had been given, when one day Mountain Dweller said to his wife +and his sister-in-law: "Wouldn't you like to see your father and +mother again?" + +"Oh, yes, yes!" exclaimed the little girl, but the other thought not, +for the insult was hard to forgive. At last she consented to go, +whereupon her husband hunted continually and prepared a large quantity +of meat for a present to his father-in-law. + +"Make a little basket, no larger than the end of your thumb," he told +her; and when it was finished, he put into it all those canoe loads of +meat, hung it on his finger, and the three of them went down the +mountain to the old home of the two girls. + +Their little brother was playing outside the hut and saw them first. +He ran inside. "Mother, mother!" he cried, "my two sisters are +coming!" + +"Nonsense," scolded his mother. "Your sisters have been dead a long +time, as you well know. Did we not give the mourners' feast for them +this last moon?" + +"Nevertheless I ought to know my own sisters, and I do know them," the +boy persisted. "They are coming--they are here!" + +The mother came to the door and saw them, and instantly she threw +herself upon their necks, crying for joy. + +The next morning, the elder daughter said to her: "Mother, back there +in the woods a little way there is a basket for you. Send my brother +to bring it." + +The boy went and soon came back saying that it was too heavy for him. +The whole village went, but all of them together could not carry the +basket. Finally the young wife went herself, and she brought it easily +in one hand. But when she set it down in the house and began to unpack +it, behold! the place was filled and running over with meat of all +kinds. There was a great feast and every one was pleased, but +unfortunately the girls' mother ate so much that in the night she +became very ill, and by morning she was dead. + +This is a story told to discourage greediness. + + +THE EAGLE CREST + +It is well known that there is a certain clan which claims the Eagle +for its crest or totem, and this is how it happened. + +There was once a very poor man, so poor that he could not even get +enough to eat. He was always cruising around in a small canoe, trying +to catch a few little fish with which to keep himself alive. One day +he caught nothing, and as he had brought no food with him in the boat +he became very hungry. + +Early in the morning, as he lay on the shore, he heard a voice but +could not tell where it came from. The voice said: "I have come after +you." The man looked all around him, but saw only a young Eagle +perched upon the branch of a tree. Then the voice said quite plainly: +"My grandfather has sent me to get you." This time the Eagle looked +to him like a real person, and he followed it into the woods. + +The trail led to a fine large house high up on a cliff, and inside +there was plenty of good food. There were also mats to sit upon and +all the comforts to be found in good houses. The Eagles treated the +poor man well, and since he was wretched and despised among his own +people, he wanted to stay with them always. He married one of the +Eagle women and became one of them. + +Now the mother and brothers of this man were just as poor and +contemptible as he had been, and he pitied them, now that he himself +was well off. Whenever he saw his brother out fishing, he would leave +some fish where the other could find it. The brother was astonished at +his luck and could not account for it. + +One night his mother had a dream. She dreamed that a large fish might +be found upon a certain point of land, and when they went there, the +fish was where she had dreamed she saw it. Soon afterward she dreamed +that they must camp on a certain spot, where they would find much +food. While they camped there, they all saw an Eagle bring a fish +ashore, after which he sat upon a branch not far from them, and +exclaimed: "Do not be afraid; it is I!" + +Such is the origin of the Eagle clan, which is now a large one and +respected of all the people. + + +THE GIRL WHO MARRIED THE FIRE SPIRIT + +Many men wished to marry the chief's pretty daughter, but she laughed +at them all. One day as she sat quite close to the fire, a spark +snapped upon her dress and burned a tiny hole in it. She pointed at +the fire and called it a bad name in her anger, for it must be +admitted that the girl had a quick temper. + +That night the chief's daughter was missing. All the people sought for +her. They searched every house in the village and in the other +villages, wherever men lived who had proposed for her hand. When she +could not be found anywhere, they employed the wisest medicine men. In +a far distant village there lived one whose power was much talked +about, and when he was consulted he said to the chief: + +"Your daughter may have said something to displease the Fire Spirit. +Let your fire go out, and have every one in your village do the same; +then you may hear something." + +The chief came home and sent his crier through the village to ask +that every fire be allowed to go out. When this had been done, the +girl came up between the stones of the fireplace. The Fire Spirit had +taken her to be his wife! + +After this, she was permitted to spend a part of her time with her +family, but whenever the burning wood whistled (as you have sometimes +heard it do) she knew that her spirit husband wanted her, and she was +obliged to go to him at once. + +One day, as she was sitting in her father's house stirring a dish of +boiling soap-berries, a young man who was in love with her, and who +was encouraged by her mother in the hope that he might be able to keep +her always with them, took hold of the spoon. Instantly the fire +whistled loudly, and the young wife was terrified. + +"He wants me," she murmured, as she disappeared. They never saw her +again. + + +THE SHADOW WIFE + +A certain young man lost his wife when they had been married only a +few days, and he was very sorrowful. All night he lay awake thinking +about her. The next night and the next it was the same. In the morning +they took away her body to bury it, and he put on his best clothes and +started off. + +All day he walked and all night; he could not stop; daylight found him +still walking. He heard voices a long way off, and he followed them. +At last he saw light through the thick trees and came out of the woods +upon the shore of a quiet lake. All this time he had been walking upon +the death road, the road of spirits, but he did not know it. + +On the other side of the lake he saw people and called to them, but to +his surprise no one seemed to hear him. After he had grown hoarse +with shouting, he whispered to himself: "Why is it, I wonder, that no +one hears me? It is not so far over there!" + +Immediately they heard him, and one said: "It is a person come up from +Dreamland. Let us go and bring him across!" + +They came in a canoe and carried him across the lake, and when he +reached the other side, the very first person he saw was his wife! Her +eyes were red, and he saw that she had been crying for him. What joy +to see her again! He was so happy that he could hardly bear it. The +people offered him food, but his wife warned him not to eat, for if he +did so, she said, he could never return to earth. + +As it was, they went back together in the canoe, which is called +"Ghost's Canoe", and started hand-in-hand down the long trail that +led to his father's house. They walked for a day and a night, and when +they arrived, he left her standing outside and went to speak to his +father. + +"Father," said the young man, "I have brought my wife home!" + +"Why don't you bring her in?" asked his father. + +So they arranged robes to make a soft seat, and he went out to fetch +her and came in again, but the people saw him alone. There was +something like a shadow that came after. Wherever the young man went, +this shadow could be seen to follow him. The shadow wife never spoke, +at least not in the day time, but at night her voice could be heard +plainly. The people in the house complained that it kept them awake. +It seemed as if the two were talking and playing together all the +night long. + +There was a former lover of the girl who grew very jealous when her +husband by his love brought her back from Ghost Land, and one night he +hid himself behind their bed and suddenly raised the curtain. As he +did so, there was heard a rattling of dry bones and then silence. In +the morning the young husband lay dead, and the spirits of both went +back to Ghost Land. + + +THE SELF-BURNING FIRE + +One winter there was a great famine on the Copper River. The people +began to die of hunger, first the children, then the old people, and +finally the young and strong, until at last but eight men were left. + +These eight men set out to walk to another village where food might be +found, but they had not gone far when one perished of cold and +starvation. They buried him and went on. Soon another froze to death, +and a third lay down exhausted, and so on until only one was left. + +Now this man felt wonderfully strong and walked on rapidly, +notwithstanding he felt great sorrow at the loss of his comrades. Late +that evening, he heard a shout ahead of him on the trail. He followed +the sound and came to a great fire burning in the midst of snow and +ice. Then he knew that it was the fire he had heard calling to him. + +When he had warmed himself thoroughly and was about to start on again, +he heard a crackling of bushes behind him. He looked back, and one by +one his frozen comrades came up the trail and warmed themselves at the +fire, followed by all the people who had starved to death in the +village. This is the Self-Burning Fire which has mysterious power and +is worshiped by the Indians. + + +THE LONG WINTER + +It was almost summer time when some boys who were playing in a boat +pulled out of the water a long piece of drifting seaweed and put it in +again on the other side of the canoe. For this trifling, not only the +mischievous boys were punished, but all the people in their village. + +For winter at once came on again with fresh fury, and snow was piled +so high in front of the houses that the people were soon in want of +food. Their winter stores were exhausted, and they would have starved +to death, had it not been for a bluejay which one day perched on the +edge of a smoke hole with a spray of fresh elderberries in its beak. + +"Kilnaxe! Kilnaxe!" screamed the jay. Now this was the name of a +neighboring town. So all the people took the cedar bark they had +prepared to make their summer houses of and went to Kilnaxe, where +they found it was full summer and the berries already ripe. Winter +lingered only about their own village. + +From this story we learn that one must not insult anything--not even a +piece of seaweed. + + + + +Transcriber's Note + +Archaic spelling is preserved as printed. + +The following typographic errors have been repaired: + + Page 9--beside amended to besides--"They could do many wonderful + things besides that we cannot do." + + Page 42--has amended to had--"... he returned with a story of an + Owl which had driven away his game." + +The frontispiece illustration has been moved to follow the title page. +Other illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are +not in the middle of a paragraph. + +The list of other books by the author has been moved to follow the +title page. + +Repeated half-titles have been deleted. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Indian Legends Retold, by Elaine Goodale Eastman + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK INDIAN LEGENDS RETOLD *** + +***** This file should be named 35909.txt or 35909.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/9/0/35909/ + +Produced by K Nordquist, Sam W. and the Online Distributed +Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was +produced from images generously made available by The +Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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