Part 4

While the Indians were sitting by the fire they suddenly saw a man passing along in the dusk. He was carrying on his back a strange blanket which was sewn with caribou sinew for thread, as the Indians had no cotton thread. It was made of dozens and dozens of muskrat skins covered with fish-scales all sorted as to color and size, and the lining was made of many, many squirrel-skins also covered with fish-scales, which were also well matched for color, making a beautiful and very warm water-proof covering for his body.

“Where are you going and what are you going to do?” asked an old man of the tribe.

“I’m going to become a young man again,” he replied.

“How will you do that?” asked another old person.

“We will go with you,” said one of the party, “for we like youth, for then we can hunt the beaver and moose in far-away mountains.”

“Do as you please,” the stranger replied indifferently.

“Let us go,” said a young brave to two of his brothers-in-law, and they got up and went to their tents to get their bows and quivers and long hunting moccasins, for it had rained in the morning, and the ground was not yet dry.

The stranger called to them, “Hurry!” and seemed out of sorts; but the Indians paid no attention to his mood and smiled at his haste.

After saying good-by to their people, they joined the stranger and walked through a dark wood until they came to a lake shore. Suddenly the strange man who had been walking ahead of them, said: “Xwui!” and went through a hole in the ice to the bottom of the deep lake where his wife and many children were awaiting him. He did not greet his wife as though he was fond of her, and to one of his children he said roughly:

“Tell the men on the shore to do as I have done.”

So the three men went to the hole through which the stranger had gone, and dove to the bottom. Then they walked to a settlement on the sands of the lake where there were many tents made of all kinds of skins--of moose, caribou, white deer, muskrat, lynx, beaver, and many skins the Indians had never seen before--and around the tents, walking about, were many people, who did not look at them.

The children of the strange Underwater Man would take bits of tough grass and make fish snares. Then they would wait for a big fish to come swimming along, swishing his tail and looking many ways with his strange eyes. The children would hold out the snare, saying, “To nai,” which means “fish” in the beaver language. Then the fish would swim into the snare and be caught, and would say, as he wriggled to free himself, “Do ha-s tei-ul tuk,” which means, “Do not kill me.” Then the children would take the fish to their mother, and she would cook it on hot stones that lay near a spring of boiling water that came from the bed of the lake.

The stranger called to the three men to come to his tent and eat. They did so, and he shared the fish with them.

Suddenly some one stepped on the foot of the man who had asked his brothers-in-law to go with the stranger. He looked up, and saw a giant frog standing on his left foot. He could not believe his own eyes, for he had never seen a frog so large. The frog said to him:

“I was once a man like yourself, but years ago, while picking berries on the shore of the lake, I fell into the water and became a frog. I have the secret, and if you wish to become a frog who can live both on land and in the water, which has its advantages, I will tell you where you can get some wonderful berries, red and sweet. Eat of them and lie down on the bottom of the lake, and after you have been sound asleep you will awake and be as you see me.”

The man who owned the beautiful blanket was angered that the frog had given the secret to them, and said: “I do not like it that the minds of your people are so intent on us.”

As the visitors were growing very short of breath from being so long under water, they said: “We will return to our people, but must go in a canoe as the water is making us ill.” So the Underwater Man loaned them an old canoe.

“Take care how you use my canoe, for it is not very good,” he called to them in a warning way. They paddled nearly to the shore. Then the canoe melted away. The men swam for the land, but when they reached it one was missing. The other two believed that their brother was dead, but as they sat on a big rock they saw his head appear and reappear, and once when his head was above water he called:

“I am held by the frog. Help me!” So the two swam out, but when they came near to the man he said:

“Go back; I am free, the frog has gone!”

The men swam ashore and stood up. When they looked again they saw a great jack-fish--they could not see their brother. The jack-fish swam toward them and walked on its tail upon the shore. Like magic it turned into a man, and they all returned to the camp, to tell the wonders of their adventure.

Suddenly the old man who had gone to sleep began to groan and cry out. His wife, who was also very old, said: “Hocini, my husband, is dreaming.” The old man then woke up and said in a frightened way: “The frog, the frog. Where is he?” and his wife said:

“Poor old man, the frog is in the lake,” and Hocini said: “I have been dreaming again,” and his wife said “Yes,” and laughed, and so did the old man.

WATC’ AGIC KILLS THE TALKING-BIRDS

Once there was a man who wandered all over the earth. He had as his companions many kinds of birds who could not, or would not, talk or sing without his consent. He was a man who talked little but thought much, and noises worried him, especially the noises made by talking-birds like the parrot and the magpie.

In his wanderings he would meet many kinds of people who did not like him, because when they spoke to him he would only say “Yes” or “No” to any questions they would ask. Of course, his attitude toward all he met made them angry, and when he visited the villages the second time, many of the Indians threatened to kill him. The places in which he thought he would be in the most danger he would go around and not show himself or his bird companions, for he was very kind to them, and they held him in great respect, although he had told them he would surely rid himself of their company if they should talk so loud that his enemies could hear them. They also feared him, for many times had they seen the way he had treated other birds, and they knew what his mission was.

One day, after a long walk, they came to the foot of a high hill. Around the hill and coming from afar, they could see great numbers of birds.

“This,” said the man, “is the ‘City of Birds,’ and no man dare go among them. If he should, they would pick his eyes out. Many times have I heard my father tell of his band of beavers who went among them, and of their fate.”

“Let us go!” spoke up a great eagle. “I will defend you. My parents’ nest was on yonder mountain, and I have many relations living among them.”

“As you will,” said the man, “but let us wait until night falls and they are asleep.”

The eagle had been talking matters over with his companions, and they all, with the exception of a few of the smaller birds, decided to go, happen what might. So at dusk they started.

The road was long and dusty, and many times they had to wait for the vain birds to clean their plumage and arrange their feathers, but it was better so, because many of the older birds of the City of Birds had not returned to their nests. The man, although impatient, thought they might have been discovered if this cause for their delay had not happened.

As they approached the city, a night-hawk who was just going to work, gave a wild scream. This caused a great awakening in the town, and all the birds went to the public square in alarm.

The eagle said “Go on.” So the party boldly went among the crowd. Some, I can assure you, were very much frightened; but they had great confidence that some of the relations of the eagle would be living, and would no doubt befriend them.

When the mayor of the town, a great pelican, saw the strange bundle the man carried on his back, he said: “My good brother, what have you on your back?”

“They are my songs,” the man replied.

“Ah!” said the mayor, “sing them, and I will have my troupe of dancing flamingoes keep time to your songs.”

“Those who dance to my songs, and those who do not, if strangers to me, must keep their eyes shut when I sing,” said the man.

The mayor called to the crowd that was chattering so loud his voice could hardly be heard. So he called again:

“Do you agree, my townsmen?”

He opened his mouth so wide that a great fish he had eaten for supper floundered out of his pouch. Before repeating his question he leaned over and picked it up. Again he repeated, “Do you all agree to keep your eyes closed when the gentleman sings?”

“We will do as you desire,” many of them replied.

So it was agreed. A great fountain in the middle of the square contained many fish both large and small. These fish were for the use of the mayor only, as he was getting old, and to climb the long hill from the river made him both tired and cross. So the man said:

“Come near the fountain. My songs are of running water and brooks, and it will inspire me to sing them more to your pleasure.”

So the crowd moved near the big basin full of water, deep and very wet.

“Bring your flamingoes and I will begin,” said the man.

The eagle called him aside and said: “During your song they will know because their eyes are shut, how dark it is for the thousands they have made blind.” The man did not reply, but walked close to the fountain.

“Eyes shut!” he called loudly, and the people all closed their eyes and he began to sing in a harsh voice, for he could not sing, and disliked any kind of music.

“I will sing of Mayor Pelican, And of his pretty daughter,-- And of a dashing pelican Who in matrimony sought her. And while I sing I’ll wring your necks, And throw you in the water.”

All the people smiled but kept their eyes closed, fearing he would stop his funny song. So he continued to wring their necks and throw them into the deep water of the fountain.

After he had treated them all alike, he said to his companions:

“We are quite safe now; let us remain here until morning, as there are many places of shelter and plenty of food.”

So it was agreed, and they resumed their journey about dawn the following day.

Transcriber’s Notes

• Italics represented with surrounding _underscores_.

• Small caps converted to ALL CAPS.

• Duplicate half title before first chapter removed.

• Illustrations relocated close to relevant content.

• Footnote numbered and moved below the relevant paragraph.

• Obvious typographic errors silently corrected.

• Variations in hyphenation kept as in the original.