Indian Legends Retold - free ebook by Elaine Goodale Eastman

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Indian Legends Retold

Elaine Goodale Eastman

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57 chapters

INDIAN LEGENDS RETOLD

INDIAN LEGENDS RETOLD

BY ELAINE GOODALE EASTMAN WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY GEORGE VARIAN BOSTON LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 1919 Copyright, 1919 , By Little, Brown, and Company . —— All rights reserved Published, September, 1919 Norwood Press Set up and electrotyped by J. S. Cushing Co., Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. Presswork by S. J. Parkhill &amp; Co., Boston, Mass., U.S.A. THE CAPTIVE The murdered dove instantly became a whole flock of hawks. Frontispiece. See page 18 ....

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The author wishes to thank the Bureau of American Ethnology, Washington, D.C., for kind permission to make use of certain of the stories contained in their collections....

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INTRODUCTION THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INDIAN LEGENDS

INTRODUCTION THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INDIAN LEGENDS

T HE first Indian legends, repeated by the fireside to children, deal with the animals humanized, their gifts and their weaknesses, in such a way as to be a lesson to the young. Our view of the creation allows a soul to all living creatures, and rocks and trees are reverenced as sharers in the divine. Beyond their simplicity and realism there is always the unexplained, the background of mystery and spirituality. These animal fables serve as an introduction to more complicated stories with human

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A LITTLE TALK ABOUT INDIANS

A LITTLE TALK ABOUT INDIANS

M ANY of us think of the American Indians as all one people. We talk of “the Indian language.” There are more than fifty distinct Indian languages. There are many other important differences between the various tribes. The nature of the country, the kinds of game and other foods, the climate, winds, trees, all have their effect in molding the daily lives of the people. Their habits and customs are reflected in their legends and popular tales as in a looking-glass. The mountains, plains, and seas

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CHILDREN OF THE CLOUD

CHILDREN OF THE CLOUD

T HERE was sorrow on the Casa Grande (the Great Pueblo), for the prettiest woman in the village would accept no man for her husband. Her suitors were many and impatient, but her black glossy locks were still wound above her ears in the manner of virgins, and she steadily refused to allow them to hang down in the matron’s coils. One day a great Cloud came out of the east, looked down upon the maiden and wished to marry her, for she was very beautiful. A second time and a third he floated silently

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THE CAPTIVE

THE CAPTIVE

There was once a little boy who was brought up by his grandmother. While he was yet very young, his mother had been taken captive by the warlike Apaches. He thought about her a great deal, for he had heard that they treat their prisoners cruelly. One day he made up his mind to run away and find her. The way was long and hard, but at last he descried the enemy’s camp upon the plain, and when he came nearer, he could see a woman standing, looking toward the mesa and her old home. He knew her at on

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THE NAUGHTY GRANDCHILDREN

THE NAUGHTY GRANDCHILDREN

An old woman had set her pot on the fire with the soup for dinner, and as her two grandchildren were playing near, she cautioned them not to upset the pot. The boy and girl were in a frolicsome mood, chasing one another with shouts of laughter; and as they ran they heedlessly struck against the pot, which rolled over and broke in pieces, spilling the rich broth into the ashes. Now when their grandmother saw the mischief they had done in spite of her warning, she caught and whipped them both. The

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BLUEBIRD AND COYOTE

BLUEBIRD AND COYOTE

In the old days the animals wore no such fine clothing as now, and the bluebird was of an ugly dun color, which made him very unhappy. One fine morning he came to a lake shining like turquoise, and something told him to bathe in the water. Lightly he skimmed above the waves and dipped his wings four times, singing as he did so: The fourth time that he sang the verse and shook the water from his feathers, they really became bright blue! Just then Coyote appeared, in time to see the transformation

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THE FIRST FIRE

THE FIRST FIRE

I N the old days there was no fire on earth, and the world was a cold and a dreary place, especially at night and in the winter. Think what it would be if we had no hearth at which to warm ourselves, no coals to broil our venison! One night, in the midst of a thunderstorm, the lightning struck a great hollow sycamore, and it began to burn. When the people saw it, they all wanted to get some fire, but the tree stood in a swamp where there was no firm ground for them to walk on. Many tried and wer

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ICE MAN PUTS OUT THE FIRE

ICE MAN PUTS OUT THE FIRE

Once upon a time there was a forest fire, and the fire went deep down to the roots of a poplar tree, and there it smoldered for a long time. The people tried to put it out, but they could do nothing. By and by they grew frightened, fearing lest it might burn down to the middle of the earth, or spread over all the world. So they sent a messenger to the far north, to beg the Ice Man to help them. Now the Ice Man is a little fellow, with two heavy braids of black hair hanging over his shoulders. Af

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THE ORIGIN OF SICKNESS AND MEDICINE

THE ORIGIN OF SICKNESS AND MEDICINE

There was a time when man and the animal people were friends, and talked the same language, and even intermarried with one another. Later on, the human race declared war upon the animals and began to kill them in great numbers, using their flesh for food and their skins for clothing, so that there was great fear and anger among them. At last the old White Bear chief called all the Bears in council to decide what should be done. After much talk, it was agreed to make bows and arrows of their own

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THE FIRST STRAWBERRY

THE FIRST STRAWBERRY

It is told that the first man and woman quarreled, and the woman left her husband. He followed her sorrowfully, but she never once looked back. At last the Sun took pity on the man. “Do you still love her?” asked the Sun, and the man said he did, and prayed to the Sun to help him win her back again. Then the Sun caused all manner of delicious fruits to spring up in her path. The woman saw luscious purple huckleberries, but she went right on over them. A service tree laden with sweet red fruit st

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HOW THE TERRAPIN BEAT THE RABBIT

HOW THE TERRAPIN BEAT THE RABBIT

The Terrapin once challenged the Rabbit to a race, which the latter regarded as a joke. “The Terrapin is doubtless a wit,” said he, “and a great warrior as well, but every one knows that he cannot run. I shall give him a big handicap, and even then I cannot help beating him.” The course lay over four ridges, and the Rabbit told the Terrapin to go ahead to the top of the first ridge, so that when the signal to start was given he was already out of sight. When the Rabbit reached the top of the fir

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HOW THE TURKEY GOT HIS BEARD

HOW THE TURKEY GOT HIS BEARD

Now the animals all suspected some trick in this case, and the Turkey in particular was heard to say that he would contrive to get even. Soon afterward he saw the Terrapin coming back from war, creeping along with a fresh scalp hung about his short neck and trailing on the ground. “How, my friend!” he exclaimed, “you do not wear your scalp right; only let me show you.” The Terrapin let the Turkey take the scalp and hang it about his own neck, while he strutted proudly to and fro. “Does it not lo

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HOW THE DEER GOT HIS HORNS

HOW THE DEER GOT HIS HORNS

Perhaps you never heard that there was once a time when the Deer’s head was as smooth as that of the doe, and as he and the Rabbit were both great jumpers and proud of their ability, a match was arranged, the winner to receive a fine pair of antlers as a prize. They were to start at one side of a dense thicket, and the first one to make his way through to the further side and back again would be judged the winner. Now the Rabbit said that he had never before been in that part of the country, and

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WHY THE DEER’S TEETH ARE BLUNT

WHY THE DEER’S TEETH ARE BLUNT

Although it was not the Deer’s fault that the Rabbit lost the prize, the Rabbit was greatly provoked and laid his plans to get even. Cutting a stout grapevine almost in two with his teeth, he laid it across the Deer’s path and began leaping back and forth, snapping at the vine. “What are you doing that for?” asked the Deer, when he caught him at this game. “Only look! I can bite this tough vine in two with one snap of my sharp teeth,” replied the Rabbit. “Let me see you do it,” the Deer suggeste

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WHY THE POSSUM’S TAIL IS BARE

WHY THE POSSUM’S TAIL IS BARE

A long time ago, the Possum had a fine bushy tail of which he was very proud, so much so that he would even sing of it at the dance. As the Rabbit’s tail is short and stubby, he had no patience with such absurd vanity, and at last he thought of a way to put a stop to it. There was to be a large council and dance to which all the animals were invited, and Rabbit stopped in on his way home to inquire whether Possum was going. “I shall not attend unless I can be assured of a good seat,” declared Po

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THE OWL GETS MARRIED

THE OWL GETS MARRIED

There was once a woman who had a marriageable daughter. Many men came wooing, but the mother told the girl never to accept any but a skilled hunter, who would keep the lodge well supplied with meat. One evening the Owl called, in the shape of a handsome young man, and asked the girl to be his wife. “Are you a good hunter?” she asked. He said that he was, and upon this she agreed to marry him. On the day after the wedding, the bridegroom went forth to hunt, and at night he returned with nothing b

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THE STARS AND THE PINE

THE STARS AND THE PINE

Once there were seven little boys who spent most of their time down at the town house, playing a game with wheel-shaped stones and a curved stick like a hockey-stick. Their mothers thought they played too much, and one day, when they were boiling the corn for dinner, they put some round stones in the pot and served these to the little boys instead of corn. This made the boys angry, and instead of staying at home they went right back to the town house and began to dance. Round and round they went

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THE MAN WHO MARRIED THE THUNDER’S SISTER

THE MAN WHO MARRIED THE THUNDER’S SISTER

A certain young man went to a dance one evening and met there two strange young women, both of whom had the longest and handsomest hair he had ever seen. He looked at them a great deal from a distance and finally spoke to them, and before the dance broke up he had asked the younger and prettier of the two sisters to be his wife. In reply she told him to fast for seven days and she would meet him again at the same place. The young man was so deeply in love that he gladly accepted the hard conditi

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THE ENCHANTED LAKE

THE ENCHANTED LAKE

In the depths of the Great Smoky Mountains there lies a hidden lake which no human eye has ever seen. The hunters know where it must be, for sometimes one has come near enough to scent its freshness, and to hear the rustle of thousands of wings as the ducks rise in great clouds from its cool, green depths. Yet when he approaches, he perceives only a dry hollow in the heart of the woods. All the creatures know this lake; it is their City of Refuge; mortal eye cannot find them there, and when one

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THE BEAR MAN

THE BEAR MAN

A hunter once trailed a bear and shot many arrows into its body, but to his surprise they seemed to make no impression. Finally the bear stopped, pulled out the arrows, and turning to the man, he handed them back to him, saying pleasantly: “You see it is no use—you can’t kill me. Better give it up and come home with me instead!” The hunter was curious and followed the bear to his den, where he slept all winter, gradually growing thick black hair over his whole body. When spring came, he was wake

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WHY POSSUM HAS A LARGE MOUTH

WHY POSSUM HAS A LARGE MOUTH

T HERE had been a long dry season, and the Deer had grown very thin. Meeting Possum one day, he could not help noticing how well-fed and contented the other appeared. “How is it that you are so fat in a time of drouth and famine?” inquired the Deer, whose skin hung loosely upon a rack of bones. “It is simple enough,” replied the Possum. “I live upon persimmons.” “But how do you reach them?” persisted the Deer. “It seems to me they hang very high.” “Oh, that is easy,” declared Possum, who is fond

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THE GOOD LITTLE SPIRIT

THE GOOD LITTLE SPIRIT

Perhaps you have wondered why some men are wise and do good, while others in their ignorance do nothing but harm. If so, I will tell you a secret. In a cave not far from the homes of men there dwells a good little spirit. He is very old, his hair is long and white, and he is about as tall as a child three years old. Now every child, when it reaches the age of three or four, sometimes wanders away out of sight of home, and the spirit is constantly on the watch for this to happen. He comes out of

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FOLLOWERS OF THE SUN

FOLLOWERS OF THE SUN

There were once four brothers, who as soon as they noticed that the sun rose in one quarter and set in another, made up their minds to follow on to the place of his setting. They were very young when they set out toward the west, and as the years passed they grew to be tall youths, then strong men in their prime, yet they could never overtake the Sun. Old age had begun to creep upon the travelers when at last they reached the shores of the Everywhere Salt Water (the ocean). Behind its shining ri

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THE HUNTER WHO BECAME A DEER

THE HUNTER WHO BECAME A DEER

A hunter who had traveled all day without finding any game shot a doe near sunset, and as he was very tired, he lay down near the body and went to sleep. In the morning, when he awoke, he perceived the doe looking at him lovingly out of large, soft eyes. As he returned her gaze, she astonished him yet more by speaking. “Will you come home with me?” she pleaded. The young man hesitated, but there was something strangely appealing about this beautiful woman, as she now seemed to him to become. Alm

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PRETTY WOMAN

PRETTY WOMAN

Once in time of famine there were two children deserted by their parents, because they could not find food enough for all. The boy and girl were perishing of hunger when they were discovered wandering in the wood by Old Crow Woman. The kind old body took them to her poor teepee and went out to search for something to eat. While she was gone, the girl, who was very clever, picked four grains of corn out of the dust and tossed them into the air. In this way each grain became a fine full ear, which

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THE CRANE AND THE HUMMINGBIRD

THE CRANE AND THE HUMMINGBIRD

Once there was a beautiful girl who had many suitors, and among the most persistent were the Crane and the Hummingbird. She rather fancied the latter, since the Crane was a long-legged, awkward fellow, not at all to her taste. In order to rid herself of his pretensions once and for all, she told them that they might fly round the world, and the first one to return should be her husband. As the Hummingbird is very swift, she had no doubt of the result. At the end of the first day, he had indeed a

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THE THUNDERERS

THE THUNDERERS

T HERE were once three comrades who went upon the warpath, and when they were a long way from home, one had the misfortune to fall and break his leg. The other two made a litter in which they undertook to carry him, but there was a ridge of high mountains to cross, and the way grew very painful and difficult. At last they became discouraged, set the litter down, went a little aside and consulted together in whispers. By and by they took up their burden again, and coming to a deep crevasse they l

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THE WINGED HUNTER

THE WINGED HUNTER

A lone hunter had spent all of his arrows, and was at a loss. He was a long way from home. Upon the lake were many wild geese, but how was he to kill them? Finally he swam underneath the flock, caught several by the feet, and tied them to his belt with withes of basswood bark. When the geese flew up into the air, they carried the hunter with them. Now he planned to loosen one or two of the birds so that he might sink gradually to the ground, but the rest broke loose suddenly, and he fell into a

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GREAT HEAD

GREAT HEAD

High up on an inaccessible cliff, there dwells an immense Head, very fierce, with long, bushy hair and huge staring eyes. The people call it the Great Head, and fear it very much. There was once a family of ten boys who lost their parents at about the same time of a mysterious disease. As they knew no near relatives, the brothers continued to live alone in the forest. However, one day the eldest failed to return from the hunt, and in the morning the second brother went to look for him. That nigh

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HOW THE DAYLIGHT CAME

HOW THE DAYLIGHT CAME

A LONG, long time ago the son of the first chief of the animal people set out upon a journey. Dressed in the skin of a raven, and carrying in his beak a magic bag which his father had given him, he flew eastward over a dark and watery waste. When he had flown far and was tired, he dropped a stone in the sea, and it became an island, upon which he rested. Again he rose up and flew onward upon slow black wings, no blacker than the gloom that covered the face of the world. As he skimmed the surface

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THE OLD WOMAN AND THE TIDES

THE OLD WOMAN AND THE TIDES

Again Raven flew over the waters till he reached the mainland and the wigwam of the old, old woman who holds the tide lines in her hand. At that time the tide would remain high for many days at a time, so that the people could get no clams or other sea food. It happened that Raven was very hungry for clams, but he entered the hut and sat down, saying pleasantly: “Good day, grandmother: there is fine digging to-day. I have just had all the clams I could eat.” “Nonsense!” exclaimed the old woman.

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HOW THE FIRE WAS BROUGHT

HOW THE FIRE WAS BROUGHT

After a time, Raven saw that the people were discontented without fire, for they could neither cook their food nor warm themselves when it was cold. He remembered that they had fire at home in his father’s village, so he flew westward once more until he came to the wigwams of the animal people. But however hard he begged, they would not give him what he had come for. Raven made a new plan. He went a little way off and sent the Sea Gull to the camp with this message: “A handsome young chief will

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RAVEN AND THE CRAB

RAVEN AND THE CRAB

Raven had been flying all night over the ocean, and he had grown very hungry indeed, but what was there to eat? At sunrise he reached a sand spit, and there sat a large Crab. Raven thought he might be good to eat, but he was a little timid about attacking him, so he merely touched him on the back, saying, “Let us have a game, grandfather!” “Certainly not,” replied the Crab gruffly. But Raven grew bolder and touched him again and again, crying out teasingly, “Come on, let us have a game, grandfat

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THE BEAUTIFUL BLANKET

THE BEAUTIFUL BLANKET

Not long after this, Raven grew tired of the jet-black robe that his father had given him, and one day he exchanged it for a beautiful blanket of many colors, such as is worn to dances. He had not gone very far when the gay blanket fell to pieces, and he was cold and sorrowful. He did not know what else to do, so he went back to look for his raven skin and found it lying by the roadside. He put it on again, but soon came upon another dance blanket even handsomer than the first. Forgetting the le

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RAVEN AND THE HUNTERS

RAVEN AND THE HUNTERS

One day Raven happened to see a boat load of hunters coming home with plenty of game. As usual, he was hungry, and it occurred to him to take the shape of a woman in the hope of obtaining some food. Sure enough, when the hunters noticed a good-looking young woman on the shore, they beached their canoe and took her on board. She had a child in her arms, and the child cried incessantly. “It is hungry,” the woman explained; so they made much broth of wild ducks and fed the child and its mother. The

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RAVEN AND THE CHILDREN

RAVEN AND THE CHILDREN

Raven was out for a walk and came upon a crowd of children playing with whale’s blubber. Huge piles of it lay at their feet, and they were throwing lumps at one another in great glee. He stopped and spoke to them. “Where did you get all that blubber?” he asked. “Oh,” answered the oldest boy, “we climb up that tall tree you see over yonder and jump down from the topmost limb. As we land, we cry out, ‘Be piled up, all my blubber!’ and it is so.” Raven immediately climbed the tree and jumped off th

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RAVEN AND HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW

RAVEN AND HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW

Once upon a time Raven came to a small house away from everybody, where lived two women, a widow and her young daughter. The elder woman asked him in and gave him a good supper, and as the house appeared to be well stocked with dried fish and other necessaries, he proposed that evening to marry the daughter and was accepted. The next day, after a hearty breakfast, he borrowed the old woman’s stone ax and went out. He told the two women that he was going to cut down a cedar tree and make a boat f

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RAVEN AND THE SALMON WOMAN

RAVEN AND THE SALMON WOMAN

Now Raven had been unfortunate for a long time and was poorer than ever, but he had at last contrived to build a small hut and make a boat and a spear. Just as he was ready to go fishing, a heavy fog came down and covered the face of the water, hiding his boat entirely. When the fog lifted, there sat a beautiful woman in the bow of the canoe. “You have come to my boat; will you be my wife?” asked Raven. And the woman consented, saying, “Yes, if you will be always kind to me, my husband. Remember

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THE ANIMALS IN COUNCIL

THE ANIMALS IN COUNCIL

It is now many years since the ancient friendship between man and the animal tribes was broken, and since that time the animals have been hunted continually and go about in fear of their lives. One day Grizzly Bear invited all the larger beasts to meet at his wigwam and discuss the matter. Deer, Elk, Wolf, and many others were present when Grizzly Bear made his great speech in which he spoke of the constant danger they were in and the need of finding a remedy, and finally proposed that they peti

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THE FOUR WINDS

THE FOUR WINDS

Once there were four great chiefs who lived in the four corners of the earth, and their names were North Wind, South Wind, East Wind, and West Wind. The other three all hated North Wind, for he was very rude and boisterous, and insisted upon blowing his bitter blast into their faces at all times of the year, so that the tender fruit buds and fragile blossoms were never safe from his withering breath. Finally they united to make war upon him, and after a long struggle they succeeded in gaining hi

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THE FEAST OF THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

THE FEAST OF THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

In the old days the hunters were many and skillful. They killed hundreds of mountain goats for their flesh and skins and left their bones lying unburned on the rocks, which was a great dishonor. Moreover, their children were thoughtless. One day, a young man whose name was Really Black Raven Feather was walking along the beach, and he saw a group of boys making merry with a kid. They would seize it and throw it into the water, watch its struggles for a time, then drag it ashore half drowned, and

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THE WOMAN WHO BECAME A BEAVER

THE WOMAN WHO BECAME A BEAVER

There was once a man who took his wife with him to hunt raccoons at a distance from the village. They were very successful. Every night the man shot several of the animals, and in the daytime they were both busy skinning them and trying out the fat. One day the young wife became tired of work and she approached her husband and tried to attract his attention, saying playfully: “Look at me, my husband!” It is true that she was a pretty woman, but the man was bent on skinning his game just then and

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THE TEN PRINCES

THE TEN PRINCES

The ten sons of a chief went hunting, and all took their wives with them except the youngest brother, who was unmarried. They all camped together at night, and in the morning the eldest prince went out in search of game. The first thing he saw was a fat porcupine coming toward him, which he easily caught. He wrung its neck, and hung it on the branch of a tree, and went on. Near the top of a hill, he met a handsome white she-bear and shot her dead. He kept on to the very top, and looking down, pe

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THE GIRL WHO REJECTED HER COUSIN

THE GIRL WHO REJECTED HER COUSIN

In the old days, a chief’s daughter was expected to marry the son of her uncle, and so keep the chieftainship in the family. But there was once a proud princess who behaved very badly to her cousin when he came wooing, according to the custom. “I must be sure that you love me,” she said. “I do love you,” he declared. Upon which she answered, “Then prove your love by making a cut down your right cheek.” The young man immediately took out his knife and slashed his right cheek so that the blood str

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GRIZZLY BEAR AND THE FOUR CHIEFS

GRIZZLY BEAR AND THE FOUR CHIEFS

There were once four chiefs who were brothers and lived in one village. In the dead of winter, when food was scarce, a lean stranger came among them and stopped at the hut of the eldest brother. He was courteously received and seated by the fire, as is the custom, and the chief asked him where he came from. “I have come a long way,” replied the stranger. “And what have you eaten on the way?” “I have eaten nothing but snow,” he said. Then the chief ordered a dish of snow and a spoon to be placed

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THE WOODEN WIFE

THE WOODEN WIFE

Once there was a young man newly married who was very fond of his wife. She was not only a pretty woman, but she wove the most beautiful dancing-blankets of any one in the tribe. One day this young man went into the mountains to hunt wild goats, from whose hair his wife might weave more of her much-prized blankets, and she went with him to keep his hut and to cook for him. While they were yet far from the village, the girl fell sick, and although he did all that he could for her, the young husba

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ILDINI

ILDINI

Ildini lived at End-of-trail, with his wife and two boys. One day he went fishing when the wind blew strong from the shore. It blew his boat so far out that he could not get back. All day and all night he was blown about the cold gray waters. He became very hungry and chilled to the bone. Ildini prayed and sang for a fair wind. This was his song: After many days the wind went down and the canoe floated near a strange shore, but by now the man was so weak that he could not land. On the shore he s

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THE MAN WHO ENTERTAINED BEARS

THE MAN WHO ENTERTAINED BEARS

T HERE was once a man who had lost all of his family in a terrible sickness that came upon the people of his village. He was all alone in the world and very sorrowful. He did not know what to do. First he thought he would get into his canoe and paddle away till he came to another village. Then it occurred to him that they might think he had run away from home because he had been accused of witchcraft or of some other shameful thing. He considered taking his own life, but did not like to do it. F

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BEAVER AND PORCUPINE

BEAVER AND PORCUPINE

Once in the old days Beaver and Porcupine were comrades and went everywhere together. Now Beavers are much afraid of Bears, who break down the beaver dams so as to let off the water, catch them and eat them. But the Bear fears the sharp quills of the Porcupine, therefore the little fellow acted as guard to his friend. Porcupine often visited Beaver in his house, which is dry and comfortable, and unfortunately annoyed his host by leaving some of his quills there. One day Porcupine proposed to cal

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MOUNTAIN DWELLER

MOUNTAIN DWELLER

Two sisters belonging to a well-known family one day became very hungry and helped themselves to some of their mother’s fat meat, notwithstanding the girls were strictly forbidden to eat anything between meals. When the mother found it out she was angry, especially with her elder daughter, for the younger was still a child. She not only scolded the girl, but slapped her severely. At last she said: “Since you are so fond of eating, you had better go and marry Mountain Dweller!” Now Mountain Dwell

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THE EAGLE CREST

THE EAGLE CREST

It is well known that there is a certain clan which claims the Eagle for its crest or totem, and this is how it happened. There was once a very poor man, so poor that he could not even get enough to eat. He was always cruising around in a small canoe, trying to catch a few little fish with which to keep himself alive. One day he caught nothing, and as he had brought no food with him in the boat he became very hungry. Early in the morning, as he lay on the shore, he heard a voice but could not te

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THE GIRL WHO MARRIED THE FIRE SPIRIT

THE GIRL WHO MARRIED THE FIRE SPIRIT

Many men wished to marry the chief’s pretty daughter, but she laughed at them all. One day as she sat quite close to the fire, a spark snapped upon her dress and burned a tiny hole in it. She pointed at the fire and called it a bad name in her anger, for it must be admitted that the girl had a quick temper. That night the chief’s daughter was missing. All the people sought for her. They searched every house in the village and in the other villages, wherever men lived who had proposed for her han

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THE SHADOW WIFE

THE SHADOW WIFE

A certain young man lost his wife when they had been married only a few days, and he was very sorrowful. All night he lay awake thinking about her. The next night and the next it was the same. In the morning they took away her body to bury it, and he put on his best clothes and started off. All day he walked and all night; he could not stop; daylight found him still walking. He heard voices a long way off, and he followed them. At last he saw light through the thick trees and came out of the woo

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THE SELF-BURNING FIRE

THE SELF-BURNING FIRE

One winter there was a great famine on the Copper River. The people began to die of hunger, first the children, then the old people, and finally the young and strong, until at last but eight men were left. These eight men set out to walk to another village where food might be found, but they had not gone far when one perished of cold and starvation. They buried him and went on. Soon another froze to death, and a third lay down exhausted, and so on until only one was left. Now this man felt wonde

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THE LONG WINTER

THE LONG WINTER

It was almost summer time when some boys who were playing in a boat pulled out of the water a long piece of drifting seaweed and put it in again on the other side of the canoe. For this trifling, not only the mischievous boys were punished, but all the people in their village. For winter at once came on again with fresh fury, and snow was piled so high in front of the houses that the people were soon in want of food. Their winter stores were exhausted, and they would have starved to death, had i

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