or Five Indian Natio'ns of Canada. SSJ 



his heels, clenched him a-ain. The conflict was renewed, 

 and, after a hard and ohstinate resistance, the ev.l sp.rit was 

 overcome, and ccnstramed to cry for n-.ercy. Havmg bound 

 hinisrlf by a solemn promise to behave better in future, he 

 was dismissed, and permitted to go at large. 



" But he was no sooner at liberty than his wicked appe- 

 tites returned. His enoa^icments lor good behaviour were 

 broken. And he employed himself with an industry 

 worthy of a better cau.e', in creating gnats, musqu.toes, 

 horneis, and rattle-snakes, and in producing briers nettles, 

 thorns, and poisonous plants, to the full extent of h.s abi- 

 lity, for the purpose of disfiauring the earth, and of annoy- 

 in o- to the uttermost of his power the human creatures, 

 whom he foresaw would be broug.U into existence, and be 

 devoted to the good spirit's will. 



'« For, now, another important event took place, which 

 .-ave orioin to the human race. On a sudden, many ol the 

 animals who had lived on the land and m the water, un- 

 derwent a strance transmutation. They hud aside their ac- 

 customed (]<iure and disposition, and were tran^tovmeci. 

 the males toymen, and the females to women. _ And ac- 

 cordin<r to the brutal species whence the human individuals 

 are rep^.rted to have sprang, do the Tiuhans denommate 

 their families and tri!)es. And thus the descendants o the 

 lear. the ^cer, xh^ tortoise, ihi^ rcolf ana ol many oilers, 

 distinguish themselves very carefully by the name ol thc.r 



lirsl progenitor. ,, • , • • ^e .i.. 



" Thus was the world produced/' m the opinion ofc the 

 Iroquois; " thus the ruling powers introduced into it, and 

 thus the race of man brought into existence. 



" As to the ear.h itself, it rests upon the back o. the im- 

 mense tortoise, who, in the beginning, received the female 

 visitor frombevond the clouds. He supports it, balances it, 

 and carries it with him wherever he swmis on i'^/;;'^ ";- 

 pause of watK^rs. And the old pers.ms reUte that some 

 of their warriors and hunters have travelU-d so lar to the 

 westward, that thev have actually seen h.s enormous leg 

 project from his body, beneath t!ie .hell, uhere the wavts 

 !)f the ocean r<.ll atrainst him in vam 1 hev liave aUo re- 

 marked, when hv. feels uneasy and changes his posture the 

 motion communicated to the land occasions earlliquakes; 

 and when he inclines a little to one side or the "^h"'J\^ 

 subjects a portion of the earth to inundations and deluges. 



XXXVII. On 



