AND ESKIMOS OP UNGAYA. 115 



They liad been several days without food and even longer without fire. The only thing that 

 remained in the tent was a net which belonged to the young hare. He endeavored to cheer his grand- 

 mother; and so often told her such impossible things, that she paid but little attention to the wild 

 schemes he was awaiting the day to carry out. The pangs of hunger caused him to announce to his 

 grandmother that he would take the net and catch some fish from the lake hard by. The poor old 

 woman was amazed at such a statement, and said, " Every day you conceive some new project, but of 

 all, the one for a hare to catch fish is the greatest. You are aware that the hare never wets its fur. "We 

 cannot eat raw fish ; and, there is no fire over which to cook them." 



The hare arose early next morning and put the net in order. He then went to the lake and set 

 it where he had often seen the fish making ripples on the water. After placing the net in position he 

 returned to the tent and slept. On the following day he went to the net and found it so full of fish 

 that he could not di-aw it ashore. Every mesh in the net held a fish and many more were swim- 

 ming in the water it surrounded. The hare cut a hole in the side of the net, to allow some of the 

 fish to escape, in order that he might be able to drag the remainder on shore. He did so, and when 

 they were hauled on shore ho found he had so many fish that he erected stages and hung the fish up 

 to dry. A large number were put in a pile to be taken home. The net was now stretched out and 

 mended. When it was dry, he rolled it up in a bundle and put it under his arm. 



He took the fish and the net to the tent, and shewed his grandmother what he had done. She 

 was well pleased at the prospect of food, but regretted they had no fire. The young hare replied, 

 " Never mind. There is an Indian camp on the other side of the river, and I shall go to them and 

 get some fire." The poor old grandmother now thought her grandson certainly insane, that he 

 should dare to venture into the midst of an Indian camp to procure fire. She said, " My child, you 

 know the Indian is our woi'st enemy, far more to be feared than the owl or hawk, or even than 

 the fox that ciouches behind the rocks and bushes along our pathway." The hare made no reply, 

 but took his net under his arm and went to the river bank which separated the Indian camp from his 

 home. When he arrived there ho gave a shout and a number of huge whales came puffing and plunging 

 up the river. At the command of the hare they arranged themselves so that by springing from the 

 back of one to the other he was able to cross to the other side. He now dismissed the whales, but 

 enjoined upon them to come at an instant's call. Just at this moment a party of Indian boys and girls 

 came rushing from the weeds and grass that grew near the water's edge. The noise frightened 

 the poor hare nearlj^ out of his skin. He suddenly thought of a plan to outwit them. He sprang into 

 the water and wetted his fur, then rolled into the sand and dust until he was covered with dirt. He 

 now stretched himself along the ground and pretented to be dead. As the children came noisily along, 

 one perceived the hare and threw a stone at him, remarking, "There is a dead hare, let us take it 

 home." One of his companions said, " Do you not see tiiat it has been drowned and the river has cast 

 it on the shore ? Sec how dirty it is, as though dead for several days." The boy piclced it up and dragged 

 it to the tent. He laid it down near the fireplace, in the centre of the tent, and said, " There is a hare 

 that we got upon the river bank." An old man told one of the girls to take the skin from the hare 

 and prejîare the iiesh for food. The girl did not immediately do so as she was playing with the other 

 children. The hare was frightened so much that his heart thumped against his side and he wished 

 that the firebrands would bi'cak and scatter the fire so that he could get a coal. He now opened half of 

 one eye and looked about. He saw an opening only in the top of the tent, the place where the smoke 

 goes out. The old man again told the child to skin the hare. The creature now thought its last 

 moment had come. At the same instant, however, the fire-sticks broke, and as they fell, a shower of 

 sparks sent one on the net which he still held under his arm. The Indian girl started to pick up the 

 hare, whereupon the animal gave a bound through the smoke-hole and ran toward the I'iver. The 

 Indians ran yelling at the top of their voices, frightening the creature so badly that he forgot to call 

 the whales, and with a prodigious bound he leaped across the stream. Then he quietly entered his 

 tent and coolly told his grandmother : " Here is the fire." 



