AND ESKIMOS OF UNGATA. 117 



The lost Indian asked hie brother to save the skin of the right arm of the beaver which had been 

 his wife. The brother brought to him the arm, and the husband then gave it to an old woman to skin, 

 telling her to dry the skin and return it to him. The woman did so, and in a little while the skin was 

 returned to the husband, who put it in his belt. The others noticed this, but made no remark. The 

 flesh of the beavers was now cooked and they feasted long upon it. They tried to prevail upon him to 

 have some of the meat, but he refused to touch it. At last he became hungry and thej' again asked 

 him to have some of the flesh. He replied that he would eat only the meat of the male. They gave 

 him a portion, and when he tasted it he took a second piece, which was that of a female beaver. He 

 tasted of it, and instantly a huge river gu.shed from his side. The other Indians ran out of the tent 

 to save themselves. 



They looked down the rvier and saw the husband swimming away by the side of his beaver wife. 



3. — The Wolverine and the Rock. 



At the close of a pleasant summer afternoon, a wolverine was strolling along a hill-side, where 

 grew clumps of evergreens, and at the bottom of the slope, birches and poplar trees fringed the stream 

 that coursed idly through the valley below. Absorbed with his thoughts how to obtain his morrow's 

 dinner, he came to a largo rock which sat on the surface of the ground. Walking directly up to it, 

 he accosted it with the remark, " Was that you who was walking just now ? " 



The rock quickly I'cplied, " I cannot walk. I cannot even move from the spot wlie; e I am." 

 The wolverine retorted, " It was you walking, for I saw you." The rock intimated in unmistakable 

 words that the wolverine had stated falsely. The wolverine replied, " You need not speak in that 

 manner, for I have seen you walking." The wolverine started off and dared the rock to follow him. 

 The animal went back and with a smart blow of its paw slapped the face of the rock and taunted it, 

 challenging it to run a race with him, or see if it could catch him. The rock replieil, "Did I not tell 

 you I can neither run or walk ? But," added he, " I can roll." The wolverine laughed and said, 

 " That is just what I want you to do." The wolverine trotted off and looked back. The rock gave a 

 surge and slowly moved from its bed in the soil. Slowly it rolled over, to])pled and turned. A plunge, 

 and it moved down the hill-side toward the beast which, with head turned back, was laughing at the 

 awkwaid motions of the ill-shai^ed mass tumbling behind him. The rock kept along close to the heels 

 of the wolverine, both each moment increasing their speed — the one to escape, and the other rolling 

 and bounding down the slope. The wolverine now found that the rock could roll faster than he could 

 run. It began to leap over logs and stones which served to make the rock jump the faster. On they 

 went, the beast fearing each moment would be his last, the rock plunging along to the plain below. 

 A largo log lay at the foot of the hill and over it the wolverine jumped without touching it. The I'ock 

 halted ibr a moment, and with a bound sprang high in the air and alighted on the tail and hinder 

 limbs of the terrified beast it was pursuing. Il came to a standstill. The wolverine screamed with 

 pain, exclaiming, " Go avcay ; get off of me. You are breaking my bones." The rock remained fiim, 

 and replied, " You tormented me, sti-uck me, and defied me to run after you. I shall not stir until 

 some one removes me." The wolverine replied, " If you do not get off from me, I shall call my 

 brothers the wolves and foxes to come and push you ottV With loud shrieks the wolverine called his 

 brothers to come. 



The wolves hearing the sound of their brother's voice, stealthily crept toward the place, taking 

 care to secrete their bodies among the bushes until they came near. The foxes slipped among the 

 grasses and weeds, until they saw the wolves standing near a large rock. They saw their brother 

 lying under it, and inquired how he came to be in such a predicament. The wolverine said he had 

 been walking along the hill-side and heard the rock threaten to kill him. He stopped and asked 

 if he had ever offended any of the rock's relations, and if he had forgotten the many favors he had 



