algonquin indian tales

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Algonquin IndianTales, by Egerton R.Young

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Title' Algonquin Indian Tales

Author' Egerton R. oung

Release (ate' )anuary *+, -- /EBook

10891]

Language: Englis

!ara"ter set en"oding: A#!II


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$$$ #TART %& T'I# (R%)E!T *+TE-ER*E-%% AL*%/+I IIA TALE# $$$

(rodu"ed by )uliet #uterland, Andrea-all and te %nline istributed(rooreading Tea2

AL*%/+I IIA TALE#

!%LLE!TE -Y E*ERT% R. Y%+*

A+T'%R %& 3-Y !A%E A %*4TRAI,33T'E A(%#TLE %& T'E %RT',3 3T'REE-%Y# I T'E 5IL %RT' LA,3 ET!.

6Illustration: Te rabbit tells

anaboo7oo o is troubles.]

190

!'IE& -I* !A%E# LETTER

*E%R*IA I#LA, LAE #I!%E. RE;.E*ERT% R. Y%+*.

EAR &RIE: Your boo< o storiesgatered ro2 a2ong 2y tribe as =ery


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2u" >leased 2e. Te reading o te2brings u> te days o long ti2e ago?en I ?as a boy and eard our old

>eo>le tell tese tales in te ?ig?a2sand at te "a2> @re.

I a2 =ery glad tat you are in tis ?aysa=ing te2 ro2 being orgotten, and Ia2 sure tat 2any >eo>le ?ill be glad toread te2.

5it best ?ises, E!'E !'E%!arles -ig !anoeB, !ie o te%Cib?ays.

ITR%+!T%RY %TE

In all ages, ro2 te re2otest antiquity,te story4teller as Dourised. E=iden"eso is eisten"e are to be ound a2ongte 2ost an"ient 2onu2ents and?ritings in te %rient. In Egy>t, ine=e,-abylon, and oter an"ient lands eDourised, and in te o2es o te

noblest e ?as e=er an onored guest.Te oldest "olle"tion o ol


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Hitopadesa, and te autor ?as ;esnoo#ar2a. % tis "olle"tion, #ir 5illia2

)ones, te great %rientalist, ?rote, 3Te

ables o ;esnoo are te 2ostbeautiul, i not te 2ost an"ient,"olle"tion o a>ologues in te ?orld.3 Asar ba"< as te sit "enturytranslations ?ere 2ade ro2 te2.

Te sa2e lo=e or 2yts and legendsobtains to4day in tose %riental lands.Tere, ?ere te an"ient and istori" sostubbornly resist any "ange44in (ersia,India, !ina, and indeed all o=er tat=enerable East44te 2an ?o "an re"itete an"ient a>ologues or legends o te>ast "an al?ays se"ure an audien"e and"o22and te "losest attention.

5ile te general i2>ression is tat tere"ital o tese old 2yts and legendsa2ong %riental nations ?as or te 2ere>asti2e o te "ro?ds, it is ?ell to bearin 2ind tat 2any o te2 ?ere used asa 2eans to "on=ey great truts or to

re>ro=e error. 'en"e te re"ital o te2?as not "on@ned to a 2erely inquisiti=eaudien"e tat desired to be a2used. 5ea=e a good ea2>le o tis in te "aseo te re"ital by )ota2, as re"orded in


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te boo< o )udges, o te legend o tegatering o te trees or te >ur>ose oa=ing one o te2 anointed ologue in te ?orld.3

Te des>oti" nature o te go=ern2entso tose %riental nations "aused te>eo>le oten to use te able or 2yt asan indire"t ?ay to re>ro=e or "ensure?en it ?ould not a=e been sae toa=e used a dire"t or2 o s>ee". Teresult ?as tat it attained a igerdegree o >ere"tion tere tan a2ongany oter >eo>le. An e"ellent ea2>leis atans re>roo o a=id by te

re"ital o te able o te >oor 2anse?e la2b.

Te red Indians o A2eri"a a=e Custlybeen a2ous or teir 2yts andlegends. 5e a=e ne=er eard o a tribetat did not a=e a store o te2. E=en

te ardy Es


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daring trader or ad=enturous e>lorer,on te traditions tat a=e "o2e do?nto i2. Te inter"ange o =isits

bet?een te nortern Indians and teEs


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2yts, is te 2ost ?idely >osed 2ira"ulousbirt ?o >layed su" >ro2inent >arts

in Indian legends. 'e does not see2 toa=e been "lai2ed by any one >arti"ulartribe. oubtless legends o i2 ?eretrans2itted do?n ro2 te ti2e ?ente di=ision o tribes ad not soetensi=ely tala"eG ?en >era>ste Algonquin, no? so subdi=ided, ?as

one great tribe, s>ea


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as tat ?as te one 2ost requentlyused by te Indians a2ong ?o2 ?eli=ed or =isited.

Tere is 2ore unani2ity about isorigin, a2ong te tribes, tan about isna2e. Te al2ost uni=ersal re>ort istat e ?as te son o udCe @re andin 2any a ?ig?a2. 'e also ?ises intis ?ay to e>ress is a>>re"iation oand indebtedness to te ad2irableRe>orts o te #2itsonian Institution.'e as tere obtained =eri@"ation o and

uller inor2ation "on"erning 2any anal2ost orgotten legend.

In regard to a nu2ber o te @nest ote >otogra>i" illustrations in te


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=olu2e te autor grateullya"any,

?itout ?ose assistan"e it ?ould a=ebeen i2>ossible to rea" 2any o tesubli2e and ro2anti" >la"es ere>ortrayedG until =ery re"ently


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and of the 1rigin of 8osquitoes.

!'A(TER III.

8ore about 8ary and the 0hildren%%8innehaha 5tung by the Bees%%9o! the BeesGot Their 5tings%%4hat 9a$$ened to the Bearsthat Tried to 5teal the 9oney.

!'A(TER I;.

The &o#e 5tory of 4akontas%%9is Test of theT!o 8aidens%%9is 0hoice%%The Transfor"ationof 8isticoosis.

!'A(TER ;.

The 5tartling Placard%%4hat 9a$$ened to the

&ittle Runa!ays%%The Rescue%%8ary Tells The"the &egend of the 5!allo!s%%9o! 5o"e 0ruel8en !ere Punished !ho Teased an 1r$hanBoy.

!'A(TER ;I.

5ou!anas Tells of the 1rigin and ;ueer

(oings of 6anahboo7hoo%%9o! 9e &ost 9isBrother 6ah$ootee, the 4olf%%4hy the


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The &egend of the Bad Boy%%9o! 9e !as0arried A!ay by Annungitee, and 9o! 9e !asRescued by 9is 8other.

!'A(TER ;III.

9a$$y 0hrist"as 9olidays%%Indians 8ade Glad!ith Presents%%5ou!anas Tells 9o!6anahboo7hoo 5tole the 3ire fro" the 1ld8agician and Ga#e It to the Indians.

!'A(TER IH.

isit by (og Train, at 3ifty%=#e Belo!?ero%%5ou!anas Tells 9o! the Indians 3irst&earned to 8ake 8a$le 5ugar.

!'A(TER HI.

8ary Relates the &egend of the 1rigin of

(isease%%The ;ueer 0ouncils 9eld by theAni"als Against Their 0o""on Ene"y, 8an.

!'A(TER HII.


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The 6a"ing of the Baby%%A 0anoe Tri$%%The&egend of the (isco#ery of 8edicine%%9o! the0hi$"unk 0arried the Good 6e!s.

!'A(TER HIII.

In the 4ig!a" of 5ou!anas%%9o! Gray 4olfPersecuted 4aubenoo, and 9o! 9e !asPunished by 6anahboo7hoo.

!'A(TER HI;.

The Pathetic &o#e 5tory of 4aubenoo%%TheTreachery of Gray 4olf%%The &egend of the4hisky )ack.

!'A(TER H;.

A 6o#el Race' the 4ol#erine and the Rock%%9o! the 4ol#erine:s &egs !ere 5hortened%%APunish"ent for 0onceit.

!'A(TER H;I.

The &egend of the T!in 0hildren of the 5un%%9o! They Rid the Earth of 5o"e of the Great

8onsters%%Their Great Battle !ith 6ikoochis,the Giant.

!'A(TER H;II.


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5ou!anas Tells of the ;ueer 4ay in !hich6anahboo7hoo (estroyed 8ooshekinnebik,the &ast of the Great 8onsters.

!'A(TER H;III.

4elco"e 5$ringti"e in the 6orthland%%9o!6anahboo7hoo


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Partridge.

!'A(TER HHII.

6anahboo7hoo:s Ride on the Back of theBu77ard, !ho &ets 9i" 3all%%A 5hort%li#edTriu"$h%%4hy the Bu77ard has 6o 3eathers on9is 9ead or 6eck.

!'A(TER HHIII.

A 8oonlight Tri$ on the &ake%%The &egend ofthe 1r$han Boy%%9is A$$eal to the 8an in the8oon%%9o! 9e 0onquered 9is Ene"ies.

!'A(TER HHI;.

5ou!anas:s &o#e for 5ou!anaquena$eke%%

9o! 6anahboo7hoo 0ured a &ittle Girl Bittenby a 5nake%%9o! the Rattlesnake got ItsRattle%%The 1rigin of Tobacco%%6anahboo7hooin Trouble.

!'A(TER HH;.

The (ead 8oose%%The Ri#alry Bet!een the Elk

and the 8oose Peo$le, and Their >arious0ontests%%The (isaster that Befell the &atterTribe%%The 9a7e of the Indian 5u""er.

Glossary


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I&&@5TRATI165

The rabbit tells 6anahboo7hoo of his troubles

4ith the children cuddled around, 5ou!anasbegan

The !ild and $icturesque


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The big rock !as surely gaining on hi" /note'not in actual tetC

5un dance lodge of the Blood Indians

They both thre! their "agic sticks

9e took a lea$ into the o$en "outh

9e ran a!ay !est, to the great "ountains

4ig!a"s and Indians

The Indian story%teller

6anahboo7hoo then "ounted on the back ofthe great bu77ard

4ith 8ary and


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Birch Tree Bark is 5carred%%4hy the Raccoonhas Rings on 9is Tail.

4ithout e#en knocking at the door therenoiselessly entered our northern ho"e t!olarge, unhandso"e Indians. They $aid not theslightest attention to the gro!n%u$ $alefaces$resent, but in their ghostly !ay "archedacross the roo" to the corner !here the t!olittle children !ere $laying on the oor.;uickly but gently $icking the" u$ theys!ung the" to their shoulders, and then,!ithout a !ord of salutation or e#en a glanceat the $arents, they noiselessly $assed out ofthat narro! door and disa$$eared in the#irgin forest. They !ere $agan 5aulteau, byna"e 5ou!anas and )akoos.

The Indian na"es by !hich these t!o children!ere called by the nati#es !ereD5agastaooke"ou,D !hich "eans the D5unriseGentle"an,D and D8innehaha,D D&aughing4aters.D

To the !ig!a" of 5ou!anas, D5outh 4ind,D

these children !ere being carried. They hadno fear of these big Indians, though the boy!as only si years old, and his little sister butfour. They had learned to look !ith laughingeyes e#en into the =ercest and ugliest of


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these red faces and had "ade the" theirfriends.

5o e#en no!, !hile being carried a!ay a"ongthe dense trees, they "errily laughed andshouted to each other. The bright $atches ofsunshine on the ground, the singing birds,and the fe! brilliant%hued su""er o!ers,brought forth their ecla"ations of delight,!hile all the ti"e the gra#e, silent Indianshurried the" on dee$er and dee$er into theforest. et carefully they guarded their$recious loads, and as the antlered deer in$assing through the thick !oods and underthe lo! branches ne#er strike trunk or bough,so these sons of the forest glided s!iftly on!ithout allo!ing any hurt to co"e to thechildren of the $aleface, e#en if at ti"es the

faint trail led the" o#er sli$$ery rocks andunder lo! intert!ining branches.

The !ig!a" of 5ou!anas !as $itched in abeautiful s$ot at the edge of the great forestnear the sandy, rocky eastern shore of &ake4inni$eg. This great lake is !ell called The

5ea, !hich is the "eaning of its Indian na"e.It is about as long as &akes 1ntario and Erieco"bined and in so"e $laces is eighty "iles!ide.


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At the entrance of the !ig!a", !hich !as"ade of a cou$le of tanned reindeerskins, thechildren !ere carefully lifted do!n fro" the

"en:s shoulders and then taken into thisIndian abode. 0o"ing in suddenly fro" thebright sunshine it !as so"e ti"e before theycould see distinctly. The door a$ of deerskinhad dro$$ed like a curtain behind the". Allthe light there !as ca"e in through the holein the to$, !here the $oles of the !ig!a"

crossed each other. Presently, ho!e#er, they!ere able to see a circle of Indian childrengathered around a s"all =re that s"olderedon the ground in the center of the tent. It !asno! in the $leasant su""er ti"e, but the =re!as needed for so"ething else than !ar"th,as the little 5agastao and 8innehaha

disco#ered before long. They !ere soonseated in the circle !ith the red children, !ho,young though they !ere, !ere a !ee bitstartled at seeing these little $alefaces. The!hite children, ho!e#er, si"$ly laughed !ithglee. This out!ard de"onstration see"ed#ery i"$ro$er to the silent red children, !ho!ere taught to refrain fro" e$ressions oftheir gladness or sorro!.

The Indians had brought the !hite children fora characteristic reason. They had said a"ongthe"sel#es, DIf the !hite father and "other


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lo#e us as they say they do !e !ill test the"by taking a!ay their children !ithout asking$er"ission.D They also !ished to sho! their

o!n lo#e for the children, and so had reallybrought the" to a children:s feast.

It !as $erha$s as queer a tea $arty as youe#er heard of. There !as no table on !hich to$ut the good things $re$ared for the feast. 6o$lates, no cu$s and saucers, no kni#es, nos$oons, not e#en a chair There !ere nocakes, no tarts, no ja", no $ies, not e#en anybread and butter

D4ell, !hat a feastD you say. D4ithout any$lace to sit, or good things to eatD 6ot toofast There !ere both of these. There !as thela$ of "other earth, and so do!n on the

ground, !ith bearskins and deerskins on it forrugs, the children sat. Then the deerskin door!as again o$ened and in ca"e Indians !ithbirch%bark dishes, called rogans, in !hich!ere nicely $re$ared !ild ducks, rabbits, and$artridges. But as they !ere uncooked theycould not yet be eaten by the no! e$ectant,

hungry children.

Then began the $re$aration of the feast.5o"e of the Indians added dry !ood to the=re until there !as a hot, s"okeless bla7e.


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1thers took out their shar$ hunting kni#esand cle#erly cut u$ the ducks, rabbits, and$artridges. Then these $ieces !ere s$itted on

the ends of shar$ $oints of hard !ood andskillfully broiled or toasted in the hot a"es.As fast as the dainty bits of "eat !ere cookedand a little cooled they !ere gi#en to thechildren in their =ngers, and in that !ay thelittle ones had their feast.

6o!, $lease don:t turn u$ your noses at sucha feast. Think of it' out in a !ig!a" in thelo#ely forest, !here the !ild birds sing andthe squirrels chatter, !here is heard the"usic of the !a#es $laying on the shore but afe! yards a!ay, !ith great friendly Indians asyour !aiters The #ery air of that northernsu""er gi#es you an a$$etite ready for

anything.

Those little $eo$le, red and !hite, soonbeca"e the jolliest of friends, and as the!hite children could s$eak the Indianlanguage as !ell as their o!n they !ere soonall chattering a!ay "ost "errily !hile they

daintily $icked the bones. 1f course this !ayof eating !as hard u$on their hands, faces,and clothing, but !hat healthy child e#erga#e a second thought%%if a =rst%%to any ofthese thingsF


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After a ti"e this feast, as all feasts "ust,ca"e to an end. Then the question !as,D4hat shall !e do net for the childrenFD for

the !hole day had been $lanned by thegro!n%u$ Indians for the entertain"ent of thelittle $eo$le. 0anoes had been collected onthe shore of 4inni$eg, handy if it should bedecided that they all should go for anafternoon outing on the !ater. 9o!e#er,5ou!anas, !ho had gone out to look at the

sky and obser#e the !inds and !a#es, no!ca"e in and re$orted that he thought they!ould better $ut o2 the canoe tri$ to so"eti"e !hen the lake !as "ore cal". It !asthen suggested that the children be asked!hat !ould $lease the" "ost. The little folks,!hite and red, !ere not slo! in gi#ing their

decision.DTell us a story about 6anahboo7hoo.D

D4ho shall be the story%tellerFD

There !as a hearty call for D5ou!anasD

1n co"ing in fro" in#estigating the !eather,

but a fe! "inutes before, 5ou!anas hadseated hi"self on a robe and !as no!enjoying his calu"et, or $i$e. 5toical thoughhe !as, his dark eyes ashed !ith $leasure atthe unani"ous call of the children, but,


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Indianlike, it !ould ha#e been a great breachof "anners if he had let his delight be kno!n.Then, again, Indianlike, it !ould ne#er ha#e

done to ha#e see"ed to be in a hurry. TheIndian children !ell kne! this, but !ho e#erheard of !hite children that could sit likestatues, gra#e and digni=ed, !hile the story%teller took ti"e to =nish s"oking a large $i$eof tobaccoF

5o it !as in this case. In their !ild ecite"entand eagerness to ha#e the story begin, both5agastao and 8innehaha s$rang u$ and,rushing to!ard 5ou!anas, #ied !ith eachother in seeing !hich could =rst $luck thehalf%s"oked calu"et fro" his "outh. 5uchaudacity a$$alled the Indian children andfairly took the breath a!ay fro" the older

Indians. 3or !as not 5ou!anas a chief, andthe calu"et al"ost a sacred thing !hilebet!een his li$sF

5ou!anas, ho!e#er, !as greatly delighted.9ere !as a ne! e$erience, and the #eryboldness of the children of the $alefaces !as

an e#idence of their unbounded con=denceand lo#e. To little 5agastao the calu"et !assurrendered, and, !ith the children cuddledaround hi", 5ou!anas began his story'


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/Illustration' D4ith the children cuddledaround hi" 5ou!anas began his story.DC

D6o!, you "ust kno! that 6anahboo7hoo !asa queer fello!. 9e could "ake hi"self as tallas a tree or as s"all as a turtle or snake.6othing could kill hi". 9e could not bedro!ned e#en if dro$$ed hundreds of feetinto the lake, nor burned to death e#en if hetu"bled into the =re. 9e often "et !ithaccidents, but he al!ays ca"e u$ right againand !as ready for so"e other ad#enture inso"e ne! sha$e. 9e has left his "arks on therocks and trees, lea#es and o!ers. Al"ostany!here !e look !e see signs that6anahboo7hoo has been around. As histe"$er !as #ery uncertain he so"eti"escaused trouble and injured the a$$earance of

things !hich !ere once "ore beautiful thanthey are no!. But in general he !as the friendof our race and !orked changes that !ere forour good.

D1ne day, as 6anahboo7hoo !as !alkingalong on a sandy shore, he felt #ery hungry. It

!as no! in the autu"n of the year. As he!andered on he sa! an object "o#ing to!ardhi". 9e had not long to !ait before he sa!that this object !as a great black bear. 9e$ulled u$ a young tree by the roots and hid


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hi"self, $re$aring to kill the bear !hen heshould co"e near. 4hen the bear ca"e near6anahboo7hoo "ade a big ju"$ out of his

hiding $lace and killed the bear !ith one blo!.Then he built a big =re, and ha#ing singed allthe hair o2 the bear he cut hi" u$ and nicelyroasted hi". 4hen the "eat !as cooked6anahboo7hoo cut it u$ into =ne $ieces, forhe intended to enjoy his feast by eatingleisurely.

D4hile he !as thus busy $re$aring his feasthe !as annoyed by a strange sound a"ongthe tree to$s that rubbed together !hen the!ind ble!. 6anahboo7hoo !as #ery quick%te"$ered, and as the noise continued hedeter"ined to sto$ it. 5o he left his feast onthe ground and cli"bed a!ay u$ one of those

trees to the s$ot !here the other $ressedagainst it. 9e !as endea#oring to $ull the t!ogreat trees a$art !hen one of his hands gotcaught bet!een the" and !as =r"ly held.4hile struggling to get loose he heard a $ackof !ol#es running to!ard his bear "eat. This"ade hi" struggle the harder to get his hand

free. The =erce !ol#es soon scented the foodand had a good ti"e de#ouring it, in s$ite ofthe shoutings of 6anahboo7hoo.

D4hen 6anahboo7hoo at length got his hand


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free and ca"e do!n he found nothing left ofhis feast but the skull of the bear. 9e !as #eryangry, not only at the !ol#es that had eaten

his feast but also at the trees that had heldhi", the great 6anahboo7hoo, in so tight agri$. As the !ol#es had run a!ay he couldnot, at $resent, $unish the", but he resol#edthat he !ould so $unish these great birchtrees that they !ould ne#er gi#e hi" such asquee7e again. 5o he $re$ared a great !hi$

and !ith it he se#erely thrashed the trees. @$to this ti"e the birch had been the "ostbeautiful of trees. Its great trunk !as of the$urest !hite, !ithout any ble"ish or blotchu$on it. But e#er since the thrashing6anahboo7hoo ga#e it it has had to carry the"arks of that terrible !hi$$ing and that is

!hy the !hite birch tree is so co#ered !ithscars.

D4hen 6anahboo7hoo had ceased thrashingthe trees he found hi"self so #ery hungrythat he resol#ed to eat the brains that !ere inthe head of the bear, that had beeno#erlooked by the !ol#es. 9o!e#er, he found

the skull #ery hard. 5o he transfor"ed hi"selfinto a little snake, and in this !ay got insideof the bear:s skull and enjoyed his feast. Infact he enjoyed it too "uch, for !hen he !asthrough !ith his eating he could not get out of


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the skull, he !as so full. 9o!e#er, he !as ableto roll along, skull and all, but as he could notsee !here he !as going he bu"$ed along in a

#ery erratic "anner until at length hetu"bled into a big lake and sank at =rst dee$do!n under the !a#es.

D4hen he ca"e u$ to the surface he just $uta $art of the head of the bear out of the!ater, as does the bear !hen s!i""ing.Then he listened intently. It !as not longbefore 6anahboo7hoo heard #oices saying'

D:&ook There is a bear s!i""ing. &et us killhi".D

D5o there !as a chase on the lake, and it !asnot long before the Indians ca"e u$, in their

canoe, and one of the" !ith his stone astruck the bear:s head such a blo! that hes$lit o$en the skull.

DThis just suited 6anahboo7hoo, and instantlyhe s$rang out and "ade for the shore.

DThen 6anahboo7hoo journeyed on and again

he began to feel #ery hungry. The brains ofthe bear !ere not "uch to one !ho had hadhis "ind set on eating the !hole carcass. It!as not long before he "et the raccoona!k!ardly carrying a birch roganthat he had


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stolen fro" a cou$le of blind "en. 5eeing the"erry s"ile on the raccoon:s face,6anahboo7hoo bade hi" a good day, and

asked hi" !hat !as a"using hi".

DThe raccoon, !ho did not kno! that it !as6anahboo7hoo !ith !ho" he !as talking,told hi" ho! he obtained the dish. 4hen6anahboo7hoo heard this he !as #ery angryat the raccoon for his heartless trick.

DIt see"s that there !as quite a largesettle"ent of $eo$le !ho had a"ong the" acou$le of blind "en. As these Indians !erehunters they had to be on the "o#e a gooddeal of the ti"e follo!ing the ga"e. As theother $eo$le !ere kind%hearted, instead ofkilling these old blind "en, no! that they

!ere unable to hunt, they arranged for the"a !ig!a" in a safe, quiet $lace, near thelake. Then they ga#e the" a kettle and bo!land other necessary things and cut a large$ile of !ood and $laced it close at hand. Inorder that they "ight be able to get !ater fortheir cooking and yet not stu"ble into the

!ater their friends fastened a ro$e, for theirguidance, fro" the door of the !ig!a" to a$ost on the edge of the lake.

DThe old "en !ere no! quite co"fortable.


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Their friends ca"e frequently !ith abundantsu$$lies of food and the blind "en !ere ableto do their o!n !ork and !ere ha$$y

together. They di#ided the day:s !ork so thatone day one !ould be the cook !hile theother !ould bring in the !ood and go for the!ater. 6et day they !ould change about. Itga#e each enough to do, and not too "uch.

D3or a long ti"e the t!o "en li#ed contentedand ha$$y. But it ha$$ened that one day theraccoon !as out $ro!ling along the shore,looking for so"ething to eat, !hen heha$$ened to =nd the end of the ro$e that !astied to the $ost at the !ater:s edge.

D6o! you "ust kno!,D said 5ou!anas, Dthat,net to the !ol#erine, the raccoon is the

biggest "ischief in the !oods. 9e is full oftricks, but he is #ery cunning and sus$icious.5o before he interfered !ith the ro$e hecautiously follo!ed it u$ and found that itsother end !as at the !ig!a" of these t!o oldblind "en. 9earing no noise, he cautiously$eered into the !ig!a" and sa! the" both

slee$ing near the =re. There !as a s"ell ofso"ething good to eat, and the raccoondecided to !ait around to see if he could notget hold of it.


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D4hile he !as thus !aiting the old "en !okeu$, and one said to the other, :8y brother, Ia" feeling hungry let us $re$are our dinner.:

D:>ery !ell,: said the other :it is your turn togo to the lake for !ater !hile I "ake the =re.:

D4hen the raccoon heard this he ran do!n tothe lake and quickly untied the ro$e fro" thestake and, dra!ing it back, tied it to a clu"$of bushes on the land. 4hen the old "an !ith

the kettle felt his !ay along the ro$e until hereached its end he tried to di$ u$ the !ater asusual, but all in #ain. There !as nothing butthe dry earth and bushes. 6ot =nding any!ater he returned to his brother !ith the sadne!s that the lake had dried u$, and thatalready bushes !ere gro!ing !here

yesterday there !as $lenty of !ater. 4hen hisbrother heard this doleful story he laughed atit, and said'

D:4hy, that cannot be $ossible. 6o bushescould gro! u$ in such a short ti"e.:

D9o!e#er his brother declared it !as the

case, and so the other one said, :4ell, let "ego, and see if I can =nd so"e !ater.:

D4hen the tricky raccoon heard this hehurried back and at once untied the ro$e fro"


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the bushes and refastened it to the $ost nearthe !ater. 4hen the second brother ca"ealong he easily found the !ater, and =lling

the kettle he returned to the !ig!a" !herehe #igorously accused his brother of lying. 9e,$oor fello!, could not understand it and !as"uch $er$leed.

DThe $re$aration of their dinner !ent on, andsoon it !as ready. There !as, ho!e#er,another one $resent that the blind "en hadno sus$icion of, and that !as the raccoon,!ho had no! noiselessly co"e into the!ig!a" and greedily sat !atching the$re$arations. This dinner consisted of eight$ieces of "eat !hich, !hen cooked, !ere$laced in their rogan, or !ooden bo!l. 4henready they sat do!n !ith this bo!l bet!een

the" and began to eat. Each took a $iece of"eat, and they talked of #arious things !hilethey ate.

DThe raccoon no! noiselessly took four of the$ieces of "eat out of the bo!l and beganeating the". 5oon one of the "en reached

into the bo!l, to get another $iece of "eat,and =nding only t!o $ieces left, he said'

D:8y brother, you "ust be #ery hungry, to eatso fast. I ha#e only had one $iece of "eat,


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and there are only t!o left.:

D:I ha#e not taken the",: !as the re$ly, :but Isus$ect that you are the greedy one !ho haseaten the".:

DThis "ade the other brother #ery angry, andas they thus !ent on arguing, the raccoon, to"ake "atters !orse, and to ha#e, as he told6anahboo7hoo, so"e "ore s$ort !ith the oldblind fello!s, hit each of the" a s"art blo!

on the face. The $oor old "en, each belie#ingthat the other had struck hi", began to =ghtand so they u$set the roganand lost the restof their dinner and nearly set the !ig!a" on=re.

DThe raccoon then sei7ed the t!o re"aining

$ieces of "eat and the bo!l, and, !ith shoutsof laughter, rushed out of the !ig!a". Theold "en, hearing this, $ercei#ed that they hadbeen fooled, and they at once sto$$ed=ghting and a$ologi7ed to each other.

DThe raccoon:s rascally trick "ade6anahboo7hoo #ery angry. Indeed he had had

a good deal of trouble to kee$ fro" letting theraccoon kno! !ho he !as. 5o just as soon asthe raccoon had =nished he said'

D:I a" 6anahboo7hoo. Those old blind "en


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are "y brothers, and I:ll teach you a lessonyou !ill ne#er forget:

D5o he sei7ed the raccoon and killed hi", andcarried his body back to the tent of the blind"en and "ade out of it a great feast forthe", and declared that in future the oldraccoons should ha#e to carry as "any circleson their tails as $ieces of "eat that had beenstolen out of the roganof the blind "en.D

DGood for 6anahboo7hooD shouted 5agastao.D8r. Raccoon couldn:t $lay any tricks on hi".6o! tell us another story.D

But here 8innehaha inter$osed.

DI think,D said she, D!e had better go ho"eno!, for father and "other "ay begin to thinkthey ha#e lost their little ones.D

D&et us !ait until dark,D said 5agastao, Dandthen 8ary !on:t see our dirty clothesD 3ortheir greasy =ngers had soiled the" badly.

The !ishes of the little girl, ho!e#er,

$re#ailed, and so it !as not long ere theIndian salutations, D4at cheer 4at cheerD!ere shouted to all, and once "ore the t!ochildren !ere hoisted u$on the shoulders ofthe big Indians, and in the sa"e "anner in


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!hich they had been brought to the !ig!a"in the forenoon they rode ho"e in thebeautiful gloa"ing.

>ery tired !ere they, yet not so !eary butthat they !ere able !ith their little hands torub so"e of the $aint o2 the faces of their bigstal!art carriers and daub it on their o!n. Thee2ect !as so ludicrous that their "errylaughter reached the ears of their e$ectant$arents e#en before they e"erged fro" thegloo" of the forest.

!'A(TER II.

The 0hildren:s Return%%Indignation of 8ary,the Indian 6urse%%9er Pathetic 9istory%%9er&o#e for the 0hildren%%The 5tory of 4akonda,

and of the 1rigin of 8osquitoes.

In reaching ho"e the children !ere quietlyrecei#ed by their $arents, !ho, understandingIndian !ays, had no desire to lessen theirinuence by =nding fault !ith the" forcarrying o2 the children. They treated the

"atter as though it !ere one of e#erydayoccurrence.

8ary, the Indian nurse, ho!e#er, did notregard the incident so cal"ly. 4hen thechildren !ere brought back dirty, greasy,


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bedaubed, and so tired that they could hardlyhold u$ their little heads, her indignationkne! no bounds, and as she !as $erfectly

fearless she couched her senti"ents in the"ost #igorous $hrases of the e$ressi#e 0reelanguage.

The history of Indian 8ary !as #ery strange.Indeed there !as an incident in her life so sadthat fro" the day of her reco#ery she !asconsidered to be under the s$ecial care of theGood 5$irit, so that e#en the "ost inuentialchiefs or hunters had a su$erstitious fear ofsho!ing any te"$er, or "aking any bitterretort, no "atter !hat she "ight say.

ears before this ti"e 8ary !as the !ife of acruel $agan Indian !ho bore the English na"e

of Robinson. Although she !as slight of =gure,and ne#er #ery strong, he eacted fro" 8arya great deal of hard !ork and !as #eed andangry if, !hen hea#ily burdened !ith thega"e he had shot, she did not "o#e asra$idly along on the trail as he did, carryingonly his gun and a""unition.

1nce, !hen they !ere out in the !oods so"e"iles fro" his !ig!a", he shot a full%gro!ndeer and ordered her to bring it into the ca"$on her back. Picking u$ his gun he started on


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ahead, and being a large, stal!art "an, and"o#ing !ith the usual ra$idity of the Indianson the ho"e!ard trail, he soon reached his

!ig!a". @nfortunately for hi"%%and, as itturned out, for 8ary also%%he found so"e free%traders/+C at his abode a!aiting his return.They had fe! goods for trade in their out=t,but they had a keg of =re !ater, !hich hase#er been the scourge of the Indians.

/3ootnote +' 3ur buyers !ho !ere not agentsof the 3ur 0o"$any.C

Robinson infor"ed the" of his success inshooting the deer and that it !as e#en no!being brought in. The traders not only$urchased !hat furs Robinson had on handbut also the t!o hind quarters of the deer

!hich 8ary !as bringing ho"e. Robinson atonce began drinking the =re !ater !hich hehad recei#ed as $art $ay"ent.

9e !as naturally irritable, and short%te"$erede#en !hen sober, but he !as "uch "ore so!hen under the inuence of s$irituous liquors.

The un$rinci$led traders, kno!ing this, and!ishing to see hi" in one of his tantru"s,began in a bantering !ay to question !hetherhe had really shot a deer, since his !ife !asso long in co"ing !ith it.


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This "ade hi" si"$ly furious, and !hen 8arydid at length arri#e, laboring under the t!o%hundred%$ound deer, she !as "et by her

husband no! !ild !ith $assion and the !hite"an:s =re !ater. &ittle sus$ecting danger shethre! the deer fro" her shoulders, !here ithad been su$$orted by the carrying stra$across her forehead. 4eary and $anting, sheturned to go into the !ig!a" for her skinningknife, but ere she had gone a do7en ste$s she

!as startled by a yell fro" Robinson !hichcaused her instantly to turn and face hi". Thesight that "et her eyes !as a$$alling. Beforeher stood her husband !ith an u$liftedglea"ing a in his hands and curses on histongue. 5eeing that there !as no chance toy fro" hi" she thre! herself to!ard hi",

ho$ing thereby to esca$e the blo!. 5hesucceeded in sa#ing her head, but the aburied itself in her s$ine.

8ary:s $iercing screa"s s$eedily brought anu"ber of Indians fro" neighboring!ig!a"s. 4hen they found $oor 8ary lyingthere in agony, !ith the a still i"bedded in

the bones of her back, their indignation kne!no bounds.

Indians, as a rule, ha#e great self%control, butthis sight so stirred the" that there !as #ery


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nearly a lynching. Robinson, no! sobered byhis fears, clearly foresa! that terrible !ouldbe his $unish"ent, and !hile the Indians and

traders turned to attend to 8ary:s !ounds the!retched husband stealthily sli$$ed a!ay intothe forest and !as ne#er again seen there.Ru"ors, ho!e#er, at length reached 8arythat he had ed a!ay to the distant


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/Illustration' DThe !ild and $icturesque


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had only been for a $leasant outing of an houror so.

D4ell, 8ary,D !ould be the greeting of her"istress, !hile 8ary:s quiet res$onse !ouldbe the Indian greeting of, D4at cheerD

Then things !ould go on as usual for $erha$sanother si "onths, !hen 8ary !ould indulgeagain in one of her tantru"s, !ith the sa"eha$$y results.

5he dressed the children in $icturesque Indiancostu"es%%coats, dresses, leggings,"occasins, and other articles of a$$arel ofdeer skin, tanned as soft as kid, andbeautifully e"broidered !ith silk and bead!ork. 6ot a s$ot could a$$ear u$on their

gar"ents !ithout 8ary:s notice, and as sheal!ays ke$t changes ready she !asfrequently disrobing and dressing the" u$.

4hen 5ou!anas and )akoos ca"e that"orning and $icked u$ the children 8aryha$$ened to be in another roo". 9ad shebeen $resent she !ould doubtless ha#e

interfered in their "o#e"ents. As it !as,!hen she "issed the children her indignationkne! no bounds, and only the "ost e"$haticco""ands of her "istress restrained her fro"rushing after the". All day long she had to


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content herself !ith "uttering her $rotests!hile, as usual, she !as busily e"$loyed !ithher needle. 4hen, ho!e#er, the t!o stal!art

Indians returned in the e#ening !ith thechildren on their shoulders the stor" broke,and 8ary:s "ur"urings, at =rst "ere$rotests, beca"e loud and furious !hen theha$$y children, so tired and dirty, !ere setdo!n before her. The Indians, kno!ing of thesad tragedy in 8ary:s life, !ould not sho!

anger or e#en annoyance under her scathing!ords, but, !ith the stoical nature of theirrace, they quietly endured her !rath. Thisthey !ere "uch better $re$ared to do sinceneither of the $arents of the !hite childrensee"ed in the slightest degree disturbed bytheir long absence or the tirade of the

indignant nurse. 4ith high%bred courtesy they$atiently listened to all that 8ary had to say,and !hen the stor" had s$ent itself theyturned and noiselessly retired.

The children !ere !orn out !ith their day:sad#enture, and their "other inti"ated that8ary ought at once to bathe the" and $ut

the" to bed. This, ho!e#er, did not satisfy8ary. It had beco"e her custo" to dressthe" u$ in the afternoons and kee$ the"a$$areled in their brightest costu"es duringthe rest of the day therefore no! the !eary


43/328

children, after being bathed, !ere againdressed in their best and brought out forins$ection and a light su$$er before retiring.

The bath and the su$$er had so refreshedthe" that !hen 8ary had tucked the" intotheir beds they !ere !ide a!ake and askedher to tell the" a story. But slee$ !as !hatthey needed no! "ore than anything else,and she tried to quiet the" !ithout anyfurther !ords, but so thoroughly aroused !ere

they that they declared that if she refusedthey kne! so"ebody !ho !ould be glad toha#e the" #isit hi" again, and that he !ouldtell the" lots of beautiful things.

This hint that they "ight return to the!ig!a" of 5ou!anas !as too "uch for 8ary,!ho #ery freely ga#e utterance to her

senti"ents about hi". The children gallantlyca"e to the defense of the old Indian andalso of 6anahboo7hoo, of !ho" 8ary s$oke"ost slightingly, saying that he !as a "eanfello! !ho ought to be asha"ed of "any ofhis tricks.

D4ell,D re$lied 5agastao, Dif you !ill tell usbetter stories than those 5ou!anas can tell usabout 6anahboo7hoo, all right, !e !ill listento the". But, "ind you, !e are going to hearhis 6anahboo7hoo stories too.D


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D1, indeed,D said 8ary, !ith a conte"$tuoustoss of her head, Dthere are "any storiesbetter than those of his old 6anahboo7hoo.D

D4on:t it be fun to see !hose stories !e likethe best, 8ary:s or 5ou!anas:sD said8innehaha, !ho foresa! an interestingri#alry.

8ary had no! co""itted herself, and so,al"ost !ithout reali7ing !hat it !ould co"e

to, she found herself $itted against 5ou!anas,the great story%teller of the tribe. 9o!e#er,being deter"ined that 5ou!anas should notrob her of the lo#e of the children, she !aste"$ted to begin her story%telling e#enthough the children !ere ehausted, and so it!as that !hen the lad asked a question 8ary

!as ready.

D5ay, 8ary,D said 5agastao, Dthe "osquitoesbit us badly to%day. (o you kno! !hy it is thatthere are such troubleso"e little thingsF Isthere any story about the"FD

Des. 4akonda, one of the strange s$irits, sent

the",D said 8ary, Dbecause a !o"an !as la7yand !ould not kee$ the clothes of herhusband and children clean and nice.D

DTell us all about it,D they both cried out.


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8ary quieted the", and began the story.

D&ong ago, !hen the $eo$le all dressed indeerskins, there !as a "an !hose na"e !asPug%a%"ah%kon. 9e !as an industrious fello!,and had often to !ork a good deal in dirty$laces. The result !as that, although he hadse#eral suits of clothes, he see"ed ne#er toha#e any clean ones.

DIt !as the duty of his !ife to scra$e and

clean his gar"ents and !ash and res"okethe" as often as they needed it. But sheneglected her !ork and !ould go o2gossi$ing a"ong her neighbors. 9er husband!as $atient !ith her for a ti"e, but at length,!hen he heard that 4akonda !as co"ing to$ay a #isit to the $eo$le, to see ho! they

!ere getting along, he began to bestir hi"selfso as to be decently attired, in clean,handso"e a$$arel, to "eet this $o!erfulbeing, !ho !as able to confer great fa#ors onhi", or, if ill%dis$osed, to injure hi" greatly.

D9e endea#ored to get his !ife to go to !ork

and re"o#e the dirt that had gathered on hisgar"ents. 5he !as so la7y that it !as onlyfro" fear of a beating that she e#er did "akeany atte"$t to do as he desired. 5he took thegar"ents and began to clean the", but she


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!as in a bad hu"or and did her !ork in sucha slo#enly and half%hearted !ay that there!as but #ery little change for the better after

the $retended cleaning.

D4hen the ne!s !as circulated that 4akonda!as co"ing, the husband $re$ared to dresshi"self in his best a$$arel, but great indeed!as his anger and disgust !hen he found thatthe gar"ents !hich he had ho$ed to !ear!ere still disgracefully gri"y.

D4hile the angry husband !as chiding the!o"an for her indolence 4akonda suddenlya$$eared. To hi" the "an a$$ealed, andasked for his ad#ice in the "atter.

D4akonda quickly res$onded, and said' :A

la7y, gossi$ing !ife is not only a disgrace toher husband, she is annoying to all aroundher and so it !ill be in this case.:

DThen 4akonda told her husband to takeso"e of the dirt !hich still clung to hisgar"ents, !hich she !as su$$osed to ha#ecleansed, and to thro! it at her. This the "an

did, and the $articles of dirt at once changedinto "osquitoes. And so, e#er since,es$ecially in the !ar" days and nights ofearly su""er !hen the "osquitoes !ith theirsinging and stinging co"e around to trouble


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us, !e are re"inded of this la7y, slo#enly!o"an, !ho !as not only a trial to herhusband, but by her lack of industry and care

brought such a scourge u$on all the $eo$le.D

D(idn:t 4akonda do anything elseFD"ur"ured the little lad but that blessed thingcalled slee$ no! enfolded both the little ones,and !ith "utterings of D6anahboo7hoo%%4akonda%%5ou!anas%%8aryD%%they !ere soonfar a!ay in childhood:s ha$$y drea"land.

!'A(TER III.

8ore about 8ary and the 0hildren%%8innehaha 5tung by the Bees%%9o! the BeesGot Their 5tings%%4hat 9a$$ened to the Bearsthat Tried to 5teal the 9oney.

The net "orning !hile 8ary !as dressingthe" the children told her of their ad#enturesin the !ig!a" of the Indians. 8ary !as reallyinterested, though she $retended to bedisgusted at the !hole thing, and $rofessed,in her Indian !ay, to be quite shocked !hen

they both con=dentially infor"ed her thatthey had had such a good ti"e that they !eregoing again e#en if they had to run a!ay andbe !hi$$ed for it.

This !as terrible ne!s for 8ary, and $laced


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her in an a!k!ard $osition. To tell the $arentsof the children:s resol#e !as so"ething she!ould ne#er do, as it "ight bring do!n u$on

the" so"e of the $unish"ent !hich !asquite contrary to her $rinci$les. et, on theother hand, to let the" go and to gi#e noinfor"ation "ight cause "ore trouble thanshe liked to think of.

6either could she bear the thought of the t!ochildren returning fro" another day:s outing!ith their neat clothing and $retty facessoiled and dirty. (o as they "ight, she hadne#er once infor"ed on the", and she had no"ind to begin no!. 5he earnestly $leaded!ith the" not to carry out their resol#e. Thelittle ones !ere shre!d enough to see thatthey had thoroughly alar"ed her, and they

!ere in no hurry to surrender the $o!er !hichthey sa! they had o#er her.

8ary ne#er said a !ord in English. 5heunderstood a good deal that others said, butshe ne#er e$ressed herself in other than theIndian language. 9ence both little 5agastao

and 8innehaha al!ays talked !ith her in hero!n tongue.

8innehaha, seeing 8ary:s aniety at theirdeter"ination to run a!ay to the Indians,


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thought of co"$ro"ising the "atter byinsisting that 8ary should tell the" "oretales. If she !ould do this they D!ould not run

a!ay #ery soonD es$ecially did shee"$hasi7e the D#ery soon.D This !as hardlysatisfactory to 8ary, but as it !as the best$ro"ise she could get she !as obliged toconsent.

&ittle 5agastao, !ho !as 8ary:s fa#orite, once"ore unsettled her !hen he said, D6o!, 8ary,re"e"ber, !e ha#e only $ro"ised not to runa!ay #ery soon. That "eans that !e intend todo it so"e ti"e.D

It see"s that the little cons$irators had talkedit all o#er in the "orning in their beds, andhad decided ho! they !ould get stories out of

8ary !ithout really $ro"ising not to run a!ayto the !ig!a" of 5ou!anas.

The children, being dressed, !ere taken do!nby 8ary to $rayers and breakfast, after !hichan hour !as allo!ed in su""er%ti"e foroutdoor a"use"ent before the lessons

began. &ittle 5agastao generally s$ent hishour, either !ith his father or so"e trustyIndian, $laying !ith and !atching thega"bols of the great dogs, of !hich not a fe!!ere ke$t at that "ission ho"e. 8innehaha


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!as !ith her "other, and !as interested inthe besto!al of gifts to the $oor !ido!s andchildren !ho generally ca"e at that hour.

1!ing to the isolated situation of the "ission,and the fact that there !ere no organi7edschools !ithin hundreds of "iles, so"e hoursof the forenoon !ere de#oted to theeducation of the children in the ho"e. Theafternoons, according to the season, !erede#oted to reading and a"use"ent.

8ary, the nurse, !hile able to read uently inthe 0ree syllabics, had no kno!ledge ofEnglish. As the children:s education$rogressed they !anted to teach 8ary. 5hestubbornly resisted, ho!e#er, declaring that ifthey taught her to read English they !ould

!ant to "ake her talk it.

The "other noted the unusual e$ectancy"anifested by the children during the day,and on inquiring the reason !as $ro"$tlyinfor"ed that 8ary had $ro"ised to tell the"a story, or legend, and Dhad got to do it.D

D4hy has she gotto do itFD said the lo#ing"other, struck !ith the e"$hasis !hich theyhad $laced on the !ord.

The little "ischiefs !ere cunning enough to


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see that they had nearly run the"sel#es intotrouble, and !ere !isely silent. 8ary alsonoticed this, and at once her great loyalty to

the little folk "anifested itself, and quicklyturning to her "istress she said, !ith ane"$hasis !hich !as quite unusual'

D8ary has $ro"ised the" a story, and as sheal!ays kee$s her !ord she has gotto tell it.D

5aying this she quickly s$rang fro" the oor,

!here she had been sitting, and taking a childby each hand she "arched !ith the" out ofthe roo".

D9urrah for you, 8ary you sa#ed us thatti"e,D said little 5agastao.

8ary !ould not ha#e been sorry if in so"e!ay the $arents recei#ed an inkling of !hat!as in the "inds of the children, yet she hadsuch $eculiar ideas that she !ould ne#erherself be the one to con#ey that infor"ation.

(uring the brief su""er "onths the$leasantest !alks !ere along the shores of

the lake. 8any !ere the cosy little ca#e%likeretreats !here 8ary often led the children.There, !ith the sunlit !aters before the", andthe ri$$ling !a#es "aking "usic at their feet,the old nurse crooned out "any an Indian


52/328

legend or eciting story about the red "en ofthe $ast. To%day, ho!e#er, she !as $er$leedby the attitude of the children and could not

select any story that she thought of suHcientinterest to di#ert their "inds fro" 5ou!anasand 6anahboo7hoo. 5o for a ti"e they!andered on along the $leasant shore, orturned aside to gather the brilliant !ildo!ers.

A screa" of $ain fro" 8innehaha interru$tedtheir $leasure. In gathering so"e !ild liliesshe !as stung on both hands by so"e honeybees that !ere in the o!ers. 8ary quickly"ade a batter of clay and bound u$ the!ounded hands in it. Then she sat do!n andtook the child in her la$.

D6aughty bees to sting "e like this,D said8innehaha, !ith tears strea"ing do!n hercheeks. DI !as not doing the" any har".D

Des, you !ere, and so !ere !e all,D said thebrother. D4e !ere carrying o2 the o!ersfro" !hich they get their honey, !hich is

their food.DD4ell, they "ight let us ha#e a fe! o!ers!ithout stinging us,D re$lied 8innehaha.

The intense $ain of the stings ra$idly abated


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under 8ary:s ho"ely but skillful treat"ent,and as the child still retained her $lace in8ary:s la$ she said,

D0an you tell us !hy such $retty little thingsas bees ha#e such terrible stingsF 8y handsfelt as if they !ere on =re !hen I !as =rststung, and I could not hel$ crying out !ith the$ain.D

D4ell,D said 8ary, Dthere !as a ti"e !hen the

bees had no stings, and they !ere ashar"less as the house ies. They !ere just asindustrious as they are no!, but they had anya"ount of trouble in kee$ing their honey fro"being stolen fro" the", for e#ery creaturelo#es it.

DIn #ain they hid their co"bs a!ay u$ inhollo! trees and in the clefts of high rocks.The bears, !hich are #ery fond of honey, !eree#er on the lookout for it, and !ere #erycle#er in getting it !hen once they found!here it !as hidden a!ay. Birds !ith longbeaks !ould suck it out, and e#en the little

squirrels !ere al!ays stealing it. The result!as that !hole s!ar"s often star#ed in thelong !inters, because all their honey, !hich istheir !inter food, !as stolen fro" the". Thebees !ere in danger of being destroyed. They


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ga#e u$ !orking in great nu"bers together,and scattered into little co"$anies, and in the"ost secret $laces tried to store a!ay a little

honey, just enough to kee$ the" ali#e fro"season to season. But e#en these little hi#es!ere often disco#ered and the honeyde#oured.

DThings had co"e to such a $ass !ith the"that they had al"ost gi#en u$ ho$e of lasting"uch longer.

D3ortunately for the", !ord !as circulatedthat 4akonda, the strong s$irit%%the one !hosent the "osquitoes%%!as co"ing around on atour, to see ho! e#erything !as $rogressing.9e !as greater than e#en 6anahboo7hoo, and!as $erha$s a relati#e of his, but he #ery

seldo" a$$eared, or did anything for anyone.9o!e#er, it ha$$ened that he had this yearleft his beautiful ho"e at 5$irit &ake and !asjourneying through the country, and he !as!illing to hel$ all !ho !ere in real distress.

D5o the bees resol#ed to a$$ly to hi" for

hel$. 4akonda recei#ed the" #ery graciously,and ate heartily of the $resent of beautifulhoney !hich so"e of the" had "ade and hadsucceeded in kee$ing out of the !ay of bearsand their other ene"ies.


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D4hen his feast of honey !as o#er he listenedto their tales of sorro! and !oe. 9e !asindignant !hen he heard of the nu"bers of

their ene"ies, and of the $ersistency of theirattacks u$on such industrious little creatures.

D3or a ti"e 4akonda !as uncertain as to thebest "ethod to ado$t to hel$ the". 9edis"issed the" for that day, and told the" toco"e again on a day he "entioned, sayingthat by that ti"e he !ould kno! just !hat todo%%for hel$ the" he !ould. The bees !ere sodelighted !ith this ne!s that they could notkee$ it to the"sel#es but "ust go and telltheir cousins, the !as$s and hornets, ande#en bu"blebees.

D4hen the a$$ointed ti"e arri#ed the bees

!ere on hand%%and so !ere the !as$s,hornets, and bu"blebees. 4akonda!elco"ed the bees "ost kindly, but !as alittle sus$icious about their #isitors, and heasked so"e shar$ questions. But the bees!ere in such good hu"or about the hel$ that!as co"ing that they did not refer to the bad

habits of their cousins at all. Then 4akonda"ade a s$eech to the bees, and told the"ho! "uch he lo#ed the" for their industrioushabits, !hich he !ished all creatures had. 9e$raised the" for the fact that, instead of idly


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!asting the su""er days, they used the" ingathering u$ food for the long, cold !inter.

DThen he $roceeded to gi#e the" the terriblestings !hich they ha#e had e#er since, and asthe !as$s and hornets clai"ed to be theircousins 4akonda !as good%natured enoughto gi#e the" the sa"e sort of !ea$ons. 5o"e$eo$le, es$ecially boys, think this !as a,great "istake, and !ould be #ery glad if4akonda had refused to gi#e stings to theyello! !as$ and the black hornet.D

D4ell, !hat ha$$ened after the bees got theirstingsFD said 5agastao.

DA good deal ha$$ened,D said 8ary, Dand that#ery soon. A lot of the", !ithout as "uch

e2ort to conceal their nest as for"erly,selected a tall, hollo! tree, and using a bigknot hole as the door began secreting theirhoney in it. They had "ade the co"bs, and!ere no! =lling the", !hen along ca"e acou$le of bears. These ani"als, as you ha#ebeen told, are great honey thie#es, but they

al!ays had hard !ork to =nd !here the ti"idbees had cunningly hid it a!ay, and no! theycould hardly belie#e that right here beforethe" !as a great s!ar" of bees =lling the air!ith their bu77ing as they e! in and out of


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the knot hole.

D4ith saucy assurance they at once begancli"bing the tree, e$ecting to be able to $uttheir long $a!s into that big hole and dra!out the co"bs. But they ne#er reached thatknot hole. The noise they "ade in theircli"bing alar"ed the bees. 1ut they ca"e ingreat nu"bers, and no!, instead of yingaround in a $anic, like so "any house ies,and seeing their honey de#oured, they atonce e! at their ene"ies, the bears. Theystung the" on their noses and about theireyes and li$s, and indeed in e#ery s$ot !herethey could $ossibly reach the" !ith theirterrible ne! !ea$ons.

DThe bears could not "ake out !hat the

trouble !as. They ho!led !ith rage andterror, yet they !ere resol#ed to get thathoney, and still tried to cra!l u$ higher on thetree. But at length the bees "ustered in such#ast nu"bers%%for those a!ay gatheringhoney, as they returned, joined in the attack%%that the bears beca"e !ild !ith $ain and

fear, and had to gi#e u$ their e2ort and dro$to the ground. E#en then the bees ga#e the"no $eace, and continued to sting the" untilthey !ere obliged to run into the dark forestfor relief.


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DThus it ha$$ens no! that al"ost allcreatures that bother the bees are si"ilarlytreated.D

/Illustration' DThey ho!led !ith rage andterror.DC

D4ell,D said 8innehaha, Dthey need not ha#estung "e because I !as $icking a fe! o!ersbut, after all, I a" glad they ha#e their stingsor I su$$ose !e should ne#er ha#e any

honey.D

DThey are not big enough to ha#e "uchsense,D re$lied 5agastao, Dand so they go fore#eryone that gets in their !ay.D

8ary no! carefully re"o#ed the clay$oultices, !hich had e2ectually done their!ork. A !ash follo!ed, in the !aters of thelake !hich ri$$led at their feet, and soon notthe slightest trace of the sting re"ained. Bythe ti"e they reached ho"e both $ain andtears !ere !ell%nigh forgotten.

That e#ening before the children !ere sent to

bed they o#erheard )akoos, !ho had co"e tothe house !ith #enison to sell, telling in thekitchen a story that he had heard fro"5ou!anas about a naughty fello!, called8aheigan, !ho tried to ca$ture a beautiful


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kind%hearted "aiden, 4aubenoo, and of ho!6anahboo7hoo thrashed hi", and thenafter!ard, because of so"e naughty children

not holding their tongues, 4aubenoo !asturned into the 4hisky )ack.

4hat the little children o#erheard had #ery"uch ecited their curiosity, and so !hen8ary !as $utting the" to bed they de"andedfro" her the full story.

As this !as one of the 5aulteau Indianlegends, !hile 8ary !as a 0ree, she !as notfa"iliar !ith it. 5he told the children that shekne! nothing about it, but this by no "eansset their curiosity at rest.

!'A(TER I;.

The &o#e 5tory of 4akontas%%9is Test of theT!o 8aidens%%9is 0hoice%%The Transfor"ationof 8isticoosis.

A fe! days later 8ary !as annoyed by ha#ingthe children tell her frankly that they did notthink she !as a =rst%class story%teller. 3or if

she had been she ought to ha#e been able toans!er 8innehaha:s question about !hat6anahboo7hoo did to 8aheigan !hen he triedto catch 4aubenoo.


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8ary !as #eed at herself that she !asunable to ans!er the question, for she !ellkne! that the children !ould not rest satis=ed

until they had the story told the" by so"eone, $ossibly 5ou!anas hi"self. Indeed,kno!ing the" so !ell, she had fully resol#edto $ost herself fro" one of the noted story%tellers !ho ha#e all the Indian legends at theirtongue ti$s. But as yet she !as ignorant inthis "atter, and therefore fell considerably in

the children:s esti"ation. Alary !asso"e!hat hurt by noticing, $erha$s for the=rst ti"e, 5agastao and 8innehaha!his$ering con=dentially to each other. Thechildren con#ersed !ith 8ary only in her o!nlanguage, !hich at that ti"e they $erha$sunderstood better than they did English. 6o!,

"uch to 8ary:s annoyance, their con=dential!his$erings !ere carried on in English. Beingsensiti#e and quick%te"$ered, !hen she sa!this sudden break in their a2ections to!ardher she !as inclined to resent it, and askedthe reason !hy she !as not allo!ed to kno!!hat they !ere talking about.

Blunt little 5agastao s$oke u$ at once'

D8innehaha and I ha#e talked it o#er, andha#e decided that unless you tell us betterstories, and ones !hich you kno! all about,


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!e:re going to run a!ay to the !ig!a" of5ou!anas.D

This !as hu"iliating and distressing ne!s.8ary fancied she had told the" a good story,and that !ith a fe! others like it she couldsatisfy their curiosity and kee$ the" at ho"euntil the brief su""er !ould ha#e $assed.6ot so, ho!e#er, thought the children. Theysa! their ad#antage and !ere resol#ed tokee$ it, and !hen their lessons !ere o#er andthey !ere left entirely in the charge of 8arythey taed the little !o"an in a !ay thatobliged her to eercise all her gifts as a story%teller, and she !as far fro" being a $oor one.

1ne day she took the" out in a graceful birchcanoe a"ong the $icturesque islands. They

landed on one of these islands, and s$entso"e ti"e in e$loring its beauties andresting !here gre! a $rofusion of the fragrantIndian grass. They !ere for a ti"e "uchinterested in the #arious !ild birds that then!ere so nu"erous and fearless. Beautifulgulls of di2erent #arieties !ere there nesting,

and by follo!ing 8ary:s directions the children!ere delighted to =nd that they coulda$$roach #ery near to the nests of so"e ofthe" !ithout disturbing the "other bird !hileher "ate, in fearless con=dence, stood on


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guard beside her.

/Illustration' The startling $lacard.C

/Illustration' 4hile her "ate stood besideher.C

D6o!, 8ary, hurrah for a storyD cried thechildren, as they sat at lunch.

4hile 8ary !as !ondering !hat she !ouldtell the", 8innehaha, !ith all the restless,inquisiti#e s$irit of childhood, noticing theceaseless rustling "o#e"ents of the lea#es inthe stately northern $o$lar !hile the lea#es ofall the other trees !ere so still, said'

D4hy is it, 8ary, that e#en !hile the lea#es onthe other trees are so quiet those al"ost

round ones are e#er stirringFD

8ary kne! the Indian legend, and at once$roceeded to narrate it.

DIt is belie#ed by our $eo$le,D said 8ary, Dthatthere are other $ersons just as cle#er as6anahboo7hoo, and as able to do !onderfulthings, but they are #ery seldo" heard of.5o"e of the" !ere the children of 4akonda,the $o!erful s$irit !ho d!elt in the region of5$irit &ake, !here they say it is al!ayssunshine. 8any strange things ha#e been told


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about the", but e#erybody says they arekind%hearted, and ne#er did anything to injureany of our $eo$le unless it !as !ell deser#ed.

The story is that long ago one of these sons of4akonda, !hose na"e !as 4akontas, couldnot =nd a !ife to suit hi" in his o!n beautifulcountry, and so he ca"e to the regions !herethe Indians d!elt.

D3or a long ti"e he !andered throughoutgreat regions of country before he foundanyone !ho interested hi". 9o!e#er, in hisjourneyings 4akontas !ent into the !ig!a"of so"e Indians !here there !ere t!o lo#ely"aidens, so #ery beautiful that he fell in lo#e!ith both of the". 9e !as in the disguise of a#ery =ne%looking young hunter. 5o cle#er !ashe in the use of his bo! and arro! that at the

end of e#ery hunting ecursion he returnedladen !ith the richest s$oils of the chase. 9efell "ore and "ore in lo#e !ith the t!o girls,and kno!ing, of course, that he could only getone of the" he found a great diHculty in"aking his choice. 9e had already gone tothe girl:s father, and after =nding out fro"

hi" the $rice de"anded for his daughter,!ithout "entioning !hich one, #ery quicklyby his "agic $o!ers he obtained the hea#y$rice and laid it at the father:s feet. Both ofthe girls see"ed equally $leased !ith hi",


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and each one secretly ho$ed that she "ightbe the object of his choice. 5till he hesitated,and although he tried "any e$eri"ents yet

they so nearly equaled each other incle#erness and beauty that he !as stillundecided. 9o!e#er, there !as a greatdi2erence in their dis$ositions. 4hile one !as$roud and jealous, and had a #ery bittertongue, the other !as just the o$$osite !hileone !as #ery sel=sh, the other !as generous

and kind%hearted. But 4akontas !as not ableto =nd this out at =rst, and after he hadconsidered #arious $lans he decided that he!ould $ut on one of his "any disguises andthus try the".

D5o he started o2 as though going on ahunting e$edition, but soon after he !as out

of sight he quickly assu"ed the for" of a$oor and aged Indian, and ca"e to the ho"eof these t!o beautiful sisters, and asked forassistance. 4akontas chose a ti"e !hen hekne! the rest of the fa"ily !ere a!ay fro"the !ig!a", in order that he "ight see ho!the t!o sisters !ould act to!ard hi".

D4hen he !alked into the !ig!a", fornobody e#er knocks at an Indian tent, the"aidens !ere a little startled at thussuddenly seeing this rough%looking old


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beggar%"an in their "idst. The sel=sh, $roudgirl, !hose na"e !as 8isticoosis, at oncebegan assailing hi", and cried, :Au!asta

kena: Get out go a!ay, youJ

DIn #ain he $leaded that he !as aged andhungry. 5he !ould not listen to hi".

D1"e"ee, the other young Indian "aiden,!ho had not said a !ord, but had been$itying hi" fro" the =rst "o"ent she sa!

ho! feeble and sad he looked, no! interfered,and re"onstrated !ith her sister, !hosetongue ke$t u$ a constant strea" of abuse.Taking the old "an to her side of the !ig!a"she seated hi" on a rug of deerskins andthen built u$ before hi" a bright =re. Thenshe quickly brought in #enison, cooked it

nicely, and ga#e hi" the broth for drink andthe "eat for food. 9e thanked her gratefully,but she checked his !ords and said that hergreatest joy !as in "aking others ha$$y. 6otsatis=ed !ith !hat she had done, andnoticing that his shoes !ere old and !orn, shetook out of her beaded !orkbag a $air of

s$lendidly !orked "occasins, and $ut the"on his feet.

DAll this ti"e, !hile this good%hearted,generous 1"e"ee !as treating the $oor old


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"an so kindly, the $roud, sel=sh 8isticoosis!as talking as hard and as fast as she couldagainst such deeds of kindness to all old

$eo$le. In her o$inion, !hen they had got soold and hel$less as that old fello! !as, theyought to be killed by their relati#es.

DThe old "an again e$ressed his thanks tothe kind sister, and then !ent his !ay.

D5oon the girls began to think of arraying

the"sel#es for the return of their friend andlo#er. The $roud, sel=sh 8isticoosis s$ent allthe ti"e in =ing herself u$ in the "ostelaborate "anner. 5he had lately beco"equite jealous of her sister, and she !asresol#ed to so outshine her in a$$earancethat the handso"e young hunter !ould surely

$refer her. But 1"e"ee a na"e !hich"eans a do#eJ thought to herself'

D:8y father and "other and the rest of thefa"ily !ill soon be returning to the !ig!a",tired and hungry, and the best thing I can do!ill be to ha#e a good dinner ready for the"

all.: 5o, only taking ti"e to co"b and brushher luuriant hair and "ake herself neat andtidy for her !ork, she set about cooking the"eal. 5he skillfully $re$ared #enison andbear:s "eat, and the =nest of =sh.


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D9ardly had she =nished her !ork and seene#erything nicely cooked before she heard theha$$y shoutings of her younger brothers, and

the s!eet birdcalls of her little sisters.

DAs 1"e"ee and her sister 8isticoosishurried out to greet the" they !ere sur$risedto see the handso"e stranger gliding along inhis beautiful canoe alongside of the larger oneof the fa"ily. 1f course, the sight of theirlo#er ecited the t!o girls. 8isticoosis, !hohad s$ent all the hours in arraying herself inher =nery and adorn"ent, boldly thrustherself to the front, and cro!ded out the"odest 1"e"ee, !ho !as ushed by thebusy !ork of cooking the dinner, and !as!isely dressed in a costu"e !hichhar"oni7ed !ith her face and !ith the !ork in

!hich she had been engaged so industriously.

DThe instant the handso"e young Indianlanded%%fancy the a"a7e"ent of the t!o girlsto notice that he had on his feet the sa"ebeautiful "occasins that, not "any hoursbefore, 1"e"ee had gi#en to the aged feeble

"an Before anyone could utter a !ord heca"e striding u$ to the girls, and said'

D:As an old, !eary "an, I ca"e to your!ig!a" a fe! hours ago. 8isticoosis ga#e "e


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nothing but abuse, yet "y only cri"e !asthat I !as old. 9er tongue !ent on and on!ithout sto$$ing, and all of her !ords !ere

!ords of abuse for the old "an and angerthat he should ha#e been left to li#e so long.But 1"e"ee, kind%hearted 1"e"ee, $itiedthe $oor old "an. 5he "ade hi" sit do!n ona couch of deerskins, that he "ight rest histired li"bs. 5he built a =re and !ar"ed hi".5he took of the best of the #enison, and "ade

hi" food and drink, and then ere he left she$ut on his feet the "ost beautiful of her"occasins. All her gifts to the unkno!n old"an !ere the best she had.

D:5ee the beautiful "occasins, the gift of1"e"ee

D:I !as that old "an%%I a" no! the lo#er longseeking a bride. I ha#e "ade "y choice. T!obeautiful "aidens for a ti"e di#ided "yheart. There is no di#ision no!. By testingthe" I ha#e found out that only one is lo#ely!ithin.

D:That no "an "ay ha#e to $ut u$ through life!ith the unceasing clatter of the tongue of8isticoosis, she !ill be fro" this ti"e theunbeautiful as$en tree, !hile her tongue shallbe the lea#es that !ill ne#er again be still


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e#en in the gentlest bree7e. The lea#es ofother trees shall rest at ti"es, but the as$enlea#es, no! the tongue of 8isticoosis, shall

e#er be restless and unquiet.:

DAnd e#en !hile he !as s$eaking, 8isticoosis,!ho !as a"a7ed and asha"ed at the !ordshe s$oke, beca"e rooted to the ground, andgradually turned into an as$en tree.

DThen, turning fro" her to the "aiden of his

choice, he eclai"ed'

D:But 1"e"ee, the lo#ing, the tender, thekind%hearted, thou art "y heart:s choice:

D5aying this, the handso"e hunter o$ened hisar"s, and 1"e"ee s$rang to!ard hi". 3or a"o"ent he held her in his ar"s then he said'

D:I a" 4akontas, and to the beautiful ho"e of4akontas thou shalt be taken.:

DThen there !as a !onderful transfor"ationas quickly as a buttery bursts fro" itschrysalis, so suddenly !as 1"e"ee

transfor"ed into a beautiful do#e and thehunter as quickly assu"ed the sa"e lo#elyfor". Together they arose into the air, ande! a!ay to the unkno!n but beautiful ho"eof 4akontas, in the land of $er$etual


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sunshine.D

!'A(TER ;.

The 5tartling Placard%%4hat 9a$$ened to the&ittle Runa!ays%%The Rescue%%8ary Tells The"the &egend of the 5!allo!s%%9o! 5o"e 0ruel8en !ere Punished !ho Teased an 1r$hanBoy.

4hen 8ary entered the children:s bedroo"

one bright, $leasant "orning she !as a"a7edat =nding both of the beds e"$ty and a $ieceof foolsca$ $a$er $inned to the dressingtable. The !riting on it !as beyond her $o!erto read. 5he re"e"bered no! that thechildren had begged her not to co"e #eryearly in the "orning to !ake the" u$, and as

their requests !ere as a la! she had lingeredas long as she dared, and indeed had onlygone to call the" !hen her "istress hadasked the reason for their nona$$earance.6ot until she had sho!n the $a$er, !ith itsinscri$tion, to the kitchen "aid, !ho couldread English, did its full "eaning burst u$on

her. 1f course, she !as #ery "uch troubled,and yet such !as her loyalty to the childrenthat she hesitated about letting the $arentskno! !hat had occurred. 5he !as fully a!arethat she could not long kee$ the startling


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ne!s fro" the", and yet she !as stillresol#ed that ne#er should any infor"ation bei"$arted by her that "ight bring do!n u$on

the" any $unish"ent, no "atter ho! "uchdeser#ed.

It !as a long, rough trail through the $ri"iti#eforest to the !ig!a" of 5ou!anas. 9o! longthe children had been a!ay she could not tell.8ary, !ith Indian shre!dness, had felt theirbeds, and had found the" both quite cold, soshe kne! the little "ischiefs had been o2 atleast an hour. 5he interrogated not only the"aid in the kitchen but also


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!ould #ery quickly ha#e left hi" and hisIndian attendant far behind.

At length, !ith a sudden start, both dogs,gro!ling o"inously, dashed o2 ahead, utterlyregardless of all e2orts "ade by their "asterto restrain the". This sus$icious conduct onthe $art of the dogs of course alar"ed thefather and his Indian co"$anion, and asra$idly as the rough trail !ould allo! theyhurried on in the direction taken by the dogs.5oon their ears !ere greeted by a chorus ofloud and angry yel$ing. 3ear ga#e s$eed toboth the "en, and soon they dashed out fro"the forest into the o$ening of an Indian:sclearing. 9ere !as a sight that =lled the"!ith alar", and al"ost terror. 5tanding on a$ile of logs !ere little 5agastao and

8innehaha. 5agastao erect and fearless, !itha club about as large as an ordinary cane,!hile behind hi", leaning against a highfallen log, !as 8innehaha. 5urrounding the"!ere se#eral =erce, !ol=sh Indian dogs,a"ong !ho" )ack and 0u2y, !ild and furious,!ere no! "aking dire ha#oc. 1ne after

another, !ounded and li"$ing, the cursskulked a!ay as the t!o "en rushed u$ tothe children.

D9a ha hurrah for our )ack and 0u2y aren:t


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they the boss dogsD shouted the fearlesslittle runa!ays, and no! that the #ictory !as!on they ni"bly s$rang do!n fro" their high

retreat and, a$$arently !ithout the slightestfear, congratulated both their father and theIndian on the su$eriority of their o!n dogs.

Tre"bling !ith aniety, the anious father,thankful at the narro! esca$e of his children,as he clas$ed the" in his ar"s could not butbe a"a7ed at the indi2erence of the littleones to the great danger fro" !hich they hadjust esca$ed. After $etting )ack and 0u2y fortheir great bra#ery and courage the returnjourney !as begun, "uch to the regret of thechildren, !ho $leaded hard to be allo!ed toresu"e their tri$ to the !ig!a" of 5ou!anasto hear the stories of 6anahboo7hoo.

/Illustration' D5urrounding the" !ere se#eral=erce, !ol=sh Indian dogs.DC

The father !as $erfectly a"a7ed at thisrequest, and of course it !as sternly refused.9e had started o2 in $ursuit of the runa!ays

!ith a resol#e to $unish the" for this seriousbreach of ho"e disci$line, but his alar" attheir danger and his thankfulness for theiresca$e had so stirred hi" that he could not$unish the" nor e#en chide the" at the ti"e.


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All he could do !as to bring the" safely ho"eagain and, as usual in such e"ergencies, turnthe" o#er to the tender "ercies of their

"other.

5turdily the children "arched on ahead for a!hile, then


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had not considered the "atter in that light.6o!, in #ie! of the !eariness of 8innehaha,it !as decided to lea#e the "atter of

disci$line in abeyance until a little of theecite"ent had $assed a!ay.

In the "eanti"e 5agastao !as ready to talk!ith e#erybody about the !hole a2air. Itsee"s that he and 8innehaha had decidedthat 8ary !as Dno goodD in telling stories. 9esaid her stories neither frightened the" nor"ade the" cry, but 5ou!anas !as the boss"an to tell 6anahboo7hoo stories. 9e saidthey got u$ before anybody !as stirring, that"orning, and dressed the"sel#es so quietlythat nobody heard the". They re"e"beredthe trail along !hich 5ou!anas and )akooshad carried the". After they had !alked for

so"e ti"e they ca"e to !here there !as alarger trail, and they turned into it, and ca"eu$on a lot of dogs that had been chasingso"e rabbits. 5oon the rabbits got a!ay fro"the dogs, !hen they reached those trees thathad been cho$$ed do!n. 8innehaha !as the=rst to notice that the dogs had turned back,

and !ere co"ing after the", and sheshouted'

D:1, look those dogs think !e are rabbits, andthey are co"ing for us:D


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D4hen I sa! they really !ere co"ing,D said5agastao, D8innehaha and I ju"$ed u$ on thelogs, and !e cli"bed u$ as high as !e could,

and I took u$ a stick, and then I stood u$ !ith8innehaha behind "e, and I shook the stickat the", and%%and I shouted'

D:A !us, ati"uk:D Get a!ay, you dogsJ

DThey ca"e so near on the logs that I hit oneor t!o of the", !hile all of the others on the

ground ke$t barking at us. But I ke$t shoutingback at the", :A !us, ati"uk: 8y it !asgreat fun. Then all at once !e heard )ack and0u2y, and, I tell you soon there !as "orefun, !hen our big dogs s$rang at the". E#eryti"e an Eski"o !as tackled by )ack or 0u2yhe !ent do!n, and !as soon ho!ling fro" the

!ay in !hich he !as shaken. And they hadnearly thrashed the !hole of the" !hen $a$aand


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con=ne"ent to their o!n roo" the net day,until si o:clock in the e#ening, on a diet ofbread and !ater. At this 8ary !as si"$ly

furious. 5he !ell kne!, ho!e#er, that it !asnecessary for her to control herself in her"aster:s and "istress:s $resence. 5he"anaged to hold her tongue, but her ashingeyes and an occasional "utter, !hich !ouldco"e out as she !ent about her usual duties,sho!ed the s"oldering =re that !as burning

inside. The children had been duly lecturedfor their breach of disci$line and then, thate#ening, consigned to their roo" for theiri"$rison"ent !hich !as to last until the nete#ening. That night 8ary took u$ her"attress and blankets and !ent and sle$t onthe oor bet!een the t!o beds of the

children, and in s$ite of orders, so the "aidsaid, she secretly carried u$ a goodly si7edbundle fro" the kitchen.

The day !as one of unusual quietness, as theli#ely $air, !ho generally ke$t the house fullof "usic, !ere no! su$$osed to be a!ay inhu"iliation and disgrace. All regretted that

the $unish"ent had to be inicted and thechildren "ade to reali7e their naughtiness inthus running a!ay, and all !ere lookingfor!ard to the hour of si o:clock !ith$leasant antici$ation. 4hen it arri#ed !ord


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!as sent to the children that their hours ofi"$rison"ent !ere o#er, and that they !ereto $resent the"sel#es in the library. ;uick

and $ro"$t !as the res$onse, and noisily andhurriedly the t!o darlings ca"e rushing do!nthe stairs, follo!ed by 8ary. They !erearrayed in their "ost beautiful a$$arel, and!ere e#idently $re$ared by their nurse to go!ith her for a !alk.

The father, feeling that it !as necessary,began to "ake a fe! re"arks e$ressi#e ofregret that he had thus been obliged to$unish the", !hen he !as interru$ted bylittle 5agastao !ith the honest and candidre"ark, s$oken in a !ay !hich, !hile$erfectly fearless, !as yet de#oid of allrudeness or i"$ertinence'

D1, father dear, you needn:t feel badly aboutus at all, as 8ary has been !ith us all day andhas told us lo#ely stories.D

DAnd 8ary brought us ta2y candy,D broke indarling 8innehaha, !ith equal candor Dand

so"e currant cakes and other nice things, so!e got on #ery !ell after all.D

These candid utterances on the $art of thet!o children not only a"a7ed but a"used the$arents, and !ere another re#elation of


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8ary:s !onderful lo#e for the children and herde=ance of disci$linary "easures !hich shethought "ight cause the slightest $ain or

sorro!. And here she stood in the o$en door,and as soon as their father:s !ords and theiro!n rather startling DconfessionsD !ere endedshe called the" to her and a!ay they !entfor a long !alk along the beautiful shore ofthe lake, lea#ing their $arents to conjecture!hether the $unish"ent that had been

inicted !ould $roduce any #ery salutaryresults.

4hen the children !ere gathered thate#ening in the study !ith their $arents little5agastao said'

DPa$a, 8innehaha and I ha#e been talking it

all o#er !ith 8ary and she has sho!n us thatit !as naughty on our $arts to run a!ay as !edid and !e are sorry that !e did anythingthat caused you and "a""a sorro! andaniety about us, and so, ... 4ell, !e kno!you !ill forgi#e us.D And as the four little ar"s!ent t!ining around the $arents: necks there

!as joy and gladness all round, and it !ase#ident that there !as no danger of theesca$ade being re$eated.

The follo!ing are a cou$le of the legends that


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8ary told the" !hile they !ere $risoners intheir o!n roo" that day.

T9E &EGE6( 13 T9E 54A&&145.

D&ong ago,D said 8ary, Dthere !ere so"eIndian fa"ilies !ho li#ed on the to$ of a #eryhigh hill, like a "ountain. They had quite anu"ber of s"all children, and I a" sorry tosay they !ere #ery naughty and !ould oftendisobey their $arents. 1ne of their bad deeds

!as to run a!ay, and thus "ake the fatherand "other #ery unha$$y until they returned.Their $arents !ere #ery "uch afraid thatso"e of the 4indegoos or !ild ani"als !ouldcatch the" !hen they thus ran a!ay bythe"sel#es, !ith no strong "an to guardthe".

D5o the $arents tried to "ake their ho"es asnice as $ossible for the". They "ade all sortsof toys for the" and ga#e the" nice littlebo!s and arro!s, and other things, that oughtto ha#e a"used the" and ke$t the" ha$$yat ho"e. All the e2orts of their $arents,

ho!e#er, !ere of no use. They soon !eretired of their ho"e a"use"ents, and !hentheir $arents: backs !ere turned they !ouldrun a!ay.

DAt length their conduct beca"e so bad, and


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the $arents found the"sel#es so $o!erless to$re#ent it, that they decided to a$$eal to theIndian 0ouncil for assistance. 3or a ti"e the

stern co""ands of the 0hief !ere listened toand obeyed. Then they neglected his !ords,and about as frequently as e#er they !erefound $laying truant fro" their ho"es and$arents.

DAt length, on one occasion !hen they had allrun a!ay and had been o2 for se#eral daysand could not be found, their fathers and"others called u$on 4akonda to look forthe" and to send the" ho"e. 4akonda !as#ery angry !hen he heard about thesenaughty children running a!ay so "uch, andso he set o2 in a hurry to =nd the". After along search he disco#ered the" on the bank

of a "uddy ri#er "aking "ud huts and "udani"als. 9e !as so angry at the" that he atonce turned the" into s!allo!s, and said,:3ro" this ti"e for!ard you !ill e#er be!anderers and your ho"es !ill al!ays be"ade of "ud,: and so it has been.D

DI say, 8ary, did you re"e"ber that yarnbecause 8innehaha and I ran a!ayFD said5agastao.

D4ell, !e !ere not "aking "ud huts,D said


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8innehaha.

8ary !as not to be caught, ho!e#er, e#en ifshe did lo#e the" so "uch, and she did notans!er 5agastao:s question, although in herheart she !as not sorry if he sa! so"ethingin the legend that !ould deter hi" fro" againrunning a!ay.

914 518E 0R@E& 8E6 4ERE P@6I59E(491 TEA5E( A6 1RP9A6 B1.

DThere !as once an old grand"other !ho !asleft alone !ith only an or$han grandson. All ofher other relati#es !ere dead. This boy !as a#ery industrious little fello!, and did all thathe could to hel$ his grand"other. They bothhad to !ork #ery hard to ha#e suHcient to

kee$ the" fro" star#ing. Together they !ouldgo out in their canoe and catch =sh. They alsoset "any snares in the forest to catch rabbits,$artridges, and other s"all ga"e.

DBecause they !ere so $oor the clothing ofthis or$han boy !as "ade $artly ofrabbitskins and $artly of the skins of birds.

4hen he !as not busy hel$ing hisgrand"other he, like other little boys, !as$leased to go out and $lay !ith the otherchildren of the #illage. 5o"e of the "en ofthe #illage !ere #ery fond of teasing hi", and


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so"e !ere e#en cruel to hi", because of the$oor clothing he had to !ear. 1ften the $oorboy !ould return to the !ig!a" of his

grand"other crying and !ee$ing because the"en of the #illage had not only teased hi" onaccount of his $oor clothing but had al"osttorn his coat into $ieces. 9is grand"otherentreated the "en to sto$ teasing the $oorboy, !ho could not hel$ his $o#erty. 5he!ould $atiently "end his $oor torn clothes

and try to cheer hi" u$ !ith the ho$e thatsoon these foolish, cruel "en !ould see ho!!rong it !as to treat hi" thus.

DBut they only see"ed to get !orse instead ofbetter, and so the grand"other got #eryangry at last and deter"ined to ha#e itsto$$ed.

D5o she !ent o2 to 4akonda and told hi" allabout it. 4akonda !as #ery busy just then,but he ga#e her so"e of his "agical $o!ersand told her !hat to do !hen she reached herho"e.

D4hen she arri#ed there she found hergrandson al"ost naked fro" the abuse of thecruel "en, !ho, =nding that she !as absent,had been "ore cruel than e#er to hi". 5hethen infor"ed hi" that she !as able no! to


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$ut a sto$ to all their cruel actions. 5o shetold hi" to di#e into a $ool of !ater that !asnear at hand. 9e did as she had co""anded,

and there he found an underground channelthat led out into the great lake.

D4hen he ca"e u$ to the to$ of the !ater inthe lake he found hi"self transfor"ed into abeautiful seal. 9e at once begun $layingabout in the !a#es as seals are often seendoing.

DIt !as not long before he !as seen by the$eo$le of the #illage, and, of course, the "en!ere #ery anious to secure this #aluableseal. 0anoes !ere quickly launched and a!aythe "en $addled !ith their s$ears to try andca$ture it. But the boy, no! transfor"ed into

the seal, quickly s!a" a!ay fro" the", asinstructed by his grand"other, and so ke$tthe" busy $addling on and on farther fro"the shore. 4hen they see"ed al"ostdiscouraged the seal !ould suddenly di#edo!n, and then rea$$ear in the !ater justbehind the". Then, before the "en could turn

around and s$ear hi", he as suddenly di#edunder the !ater again. The $ursuit !as soeciting that these cruel "en did not noticeho! far out fro" land they had no! co"e.They did, ho!e#er, after a ti"e see their


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danger, for suddenly a =erce gale s$rang u$,and the !a#es rose in such fury that theyu$set the canoes and all of the !icked "en

!ere dro!ned. 4hen the old grand"othersa! this she once "ore eerted the "agical$o!ers !ith !hich she had been intrusted by4akonda, and calling to her grandson toreturn ho"e he instantly co"$lied !ith herrequest. 9e s$eedily s!a" back to her, andshe at once transfor"ed hi" into his hu"an

for".DThus freed fro" his tor"entors, he #eryra$idly gre! u$ to "anhood and beca"e agreat hunter, and !as kind to hisgrand"other as long as she li#ed.D

!'A(TER ;I.

5ou!anas Tells of the 1rigin and ;ueer(oings of 6anahboo7hoo%%9o! 9e &ost 9isBrother 6ah$ootee, the 4olf%%4hy the


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The old "an began in this !ay'

D4hen the great "ountains are !ra$$ed inthe clouds !e do not see the" #ery !ell. 5o itis !ith 6anahboo7hoo. The long years thatha#e $assed since he li#ed ha#e, like the fogsand "ists, "ade it less easy to say eactly!ho he really !as, but I !ill try to tell you.6anahboo7hoo !as not fro" one tribe only,but fro" all the Indians. 9ence it is that his#ery na"e is so di2erent.

DThe 1jib!ay call hi" 8isha!abus%%GreatRabbit the 8eno"ini call hi" 8anabush. 9ehad other na"es also. 1ne tribe called hi")ouskeha, another 8essou, another8anabo7ho, and another 9ia!atha. 9is father!as 8udjekee!is, the 4est 4ind. There !as

an old !o"an na"ed 6oko"is, thegranddaughter of the "oon, !ho had adaughter !hose na"e !as 4enonah. 5he !asthe "other of t!in boys, but at their birth shedied and so did one of the boys. 6oko"is!ra$$ed the li#ing child in soft dry grass, laidit on the ground at one end of her !ig!a",

and $laced o#er it a great !ooden bo!l to$rotect it fro" har". Then in her grief shetook u$ the body of 4enonah, her daughter,and buried it, !ith the dead child, at so"edistance fro" her !ig!a". 4hen she


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returned fro" thus laying a!ay her dead shesat do!n in her !ig!a", and for four days"ourned her loss. At the end of that ti"e she

heard a slight noise in her !ig!a", !hich shesoon found ca"e fro" that !ooden bo!l.Then as the bo!l "o#ed she suddenlyre"e"bered the li#ing child, !hich she hadforgotten in her great grief at the loss of its"other. 4hen she re"o#ed the bo!l fro" its$lace, instead of there being the baby boy

she had $laced there she beheld a little !hiterabbit, and on taking it u$ she said, :1 "ydear little rabbit, "y 8anabush: 6oko"istook great care of it and it gre! #ery ra$idly.

D1ne day, !hen 8anabush !as quite large, itsat u$ on its haunches and ho$$ed slo!lyacross the oor of the !ig!a", and caused

the earth to tre"ble.

D4hen the bad 4indegoos, or e#il s$irits !hod!ell underground, felt the earth to thustre"ble they said, :4hat is the "atterF 4hathas ha$$enedF A great 8unedoo s$iritJ isborn so"e!here.: And at once they began to

de#ise "eans by !hich they "ight kill8anabush, or 6anahboo7hoo, as he !as no!called, !hen they should =nd hi".

DBut 6anahboo7hoo did not long continue to


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look like a rabbit. As he !as su$erior to other$eo$le he could change hi"self to any for"he liked. 9e !as "ost frequently seen as a

=ne strong young Indian hunter. 9e called the$eo$le his uncles. 4hen he gre! u$ he saidto his grand"other, the old 6oko"is, that theti"e had co"e !hen he should $re$arehi"self to go and hel$ his uncles, the $eo$le,to better their condition. This he !as able todo, seeing he !as "ore than hu"an, for his

father !as the 4est 4ind and his "other agreat%granddaughter of the "oon. 5o"eti"eshe !as the beautiful !hite rabbit then he!ould be a !olf or a !ol#erine then he !ouldbe a lo#ely bird. 9e could e#en changehi"self to look like a dry old stu"$ or abeautiful tree. 5o"eti"es he !oul

algonquin indian tales

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