191 s] Chipewyan Stories. 45 



The man who always travelled ahead, passed a small pond which 

 he did not think it necessary to mark. When the old woman, her daughter 

 and child came to this pond, they sat down ; the man meanwhile continued 

 his journey until he pitched his tent. When he became anxious to know 

 what delayed his family, he went back to look for them. When he 

 arrived at the pond he had not marked, he found nothing there but a 

 Beaver house, and the pond that before was so small was now increased 

 into a large lake. He called out for his family and was answered by the 

 inhabitants of the Beaver house, "We are not human beings now, but 

 Beaver". The disconsolate husband then returned to his tent alone, 

 where he remained for a few days. He had a pair of snowshoes partly 

 made whilst his wife was alive and he now used to add a little towards their 

 completion every day. Several times when coming home from hunting 

 he noticed a bird coming out through the tent chimney. One day he 

 stopped this up, and also another hole that was in the tent, and when he 

 returned home that day he found his wife sitting there. Henceforward 

 he hunted nothing but Beaver, for there were a large number on the lake. 

 After killing a few, he desired his wife to live on the meat, and 

 he would eat the grease. Once on coming back from hunting the Beaver, 

 he saw his wife's fingers were rather greasy, and he accused her of 

 stealing the grease. He was so much displeased with her that he said, 

 "Always look at the moon at night, and you will see me there". 



The wife was now left alone without any companion but a dog. 

 She then went to a certain place with the dog. A man with whom she 

 was acquainted met her at this place and lived with her for a short time. 

 From this couple descended the human race. 



CHAPTER III. 



The Man who married the Mouse. 



Two brothers went off in a canoe and found a lot of young geese 

 which they tied together to make a raft. Both fell asleep in the 

 canoe, and when they again opened their eyes the geese appeared to 

 have grown to full size. They went ashore and came to a rock, to the 

 top of which they went, and saw there a house inhabited by a man, his 

 wife and son; the man was not at home so both brothers sat down in 

 the house till he should return ; when he returned he told his wife that 

 the two brothers were of a smaller race of people than his. 



