191 3] Chipewyan Stories. 49 



the boys had to carry his brother; he soon got warm and swinging the 

 axe which he held in his hand, he threw it out before him, by accident. 

 A creek immediately formed where the Beaver teeth axe fell, and the boys 

 could not get across, so they sat down to think. They had not been 

 there long when a large white bird — larger than a Swan — came to them 

 (the Chipewyans call this bird "Whadatsha", they are yet to be found 

 on their hunting grounds; the bird has a large crop in his breast, like a 

 Ptarmigan). This bird appears to have been the Father of the two 

 boys, who was transformed after death. The bird took up the boys and 

 flew across the River with them. After he had put the children across, the 

 woman's head came to the river, and asked him to take her across, so 

 he took up the head, and when half way across dropped it into the 

 River. After the head fell into the water he watched it drifting along, and 

 at last saw it disappear in the shape of a Sturgeon. The white bird gave 

 the smaller of the boys, who was crying, one of his quills to pacify him. 



The boys again went on their journey and came to the seacoast; 

 when they got there, the Devil (a bad spirit "Beshtinly") came to them 

 in a canoe. " That is a fine Gull you have", said Beshtine, "give him 

 to me" ; and at the same time, saying it was too far for the boy to step to 

 the canoe, put his paddle so that the boy could walk on it. When he 

 had stepped on to the paddle, Beshtine threw him into the canoe, and 

 left the other boy standing on the beach. Beshtine then went away. 

 The boy who was left began to cry, and at last turned to and howled 

 like a wolf. He called to his brother, who was in Beshtine's canoe and 

 said, " I am now a wolf ". Beshtine had a daughter, and when he reached 

 her tent, he said, "I have brought you a husband, go and bring him", 

 for he had left the young fellow in the canoe. After the girl had seen 

 the boy, she thought he looked so strange that she went back to her 

 Father without him. Beshtine sent her again for the boy, and said, 

 "He has been crying in the canoe, and that is why he appears so ugly 

 to you". The girl then went and brought the boy to the tent. 



After he had been washed, she combed his hair, dressed him 

 and gave him something to eat. After he had grown to be a man, 

 he thought, "If there was some birch here I would make some bows and 

 arrows". Beshtine asked his daughter what he was saying, and when 

 she told him, he said he would take the young fellow in his canoe to 

 where there was some birch; this he did and left him there. Beshtine 

 then returned to his tent. When the young man had made his bows 

 and arrows he was turned into the shape of a Gull, and flew back to the 

 tent. He then wished to have some quills to put on his arrows, so his 

 old Father-in-law, Beshtine, took him to an Eagle's nest across the 



