64 THE LABRADOR PENINSULA. CHAP. iv. 



about by the fury of the elements, until at length they 

 exhausted their rage, and the waters became still. 



As soon as the fair weather commenced, Nanakboozho 

 considered various schemes by which he might be enabled 

 to recover the lost world. Whilst meditating deeply, he 

 happened to notice a musk-rat that was on his log- 

 canoe ; he forthwith commanded the animal to dive, and 

 endeavour to bring up a piece of rnud from the bottom. 



The musk-rat plunged at once into the water and went 

 down. After a long time he came up to the surface, ap- 

 parently dead ; his master took him up, and on examining 

 the arms of the animal, he found a lump of clay under one 

 of the shoulders ; this lump he pressed between his hands, 

 and when he made it very thin, he carefully placed it 

 upon the surface of the water. This piece of mud became 

 in the course of a few days a large island, which continued 

 to increase until the earth was formed, as we have it now. 

 The new earth again became the habitation of human 

 beings, covered with luxuriant verdure, and furnished with 

 all things necessary for the use of man and other animals. 



Another interesting legend of the Odahwahs, related by 

 Assikinack, is as follows : 



' Several brothers, or a body of men of the tribe, pur- 

 sued and hard pressed by fierce enemies, were being driven 

 to the ends of the earth. When it was impossible for 

 them to retreat farther, one of them suddenly turned 

 round, and with a stick struck the earth, which imme- 

 diately opened. AH their pursuers were swallowed up in 

 the yawning abyss, when the earth closed again, and thus 

 saved his companions from death. This legend, heard by 

 me in childhood, has almost entirely escaped my memory 

 since, and thus I can only relate the substance of it.' 



