486 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT [eth.ann.18 



a red bear. It turned and looked at the old woman until she called out 

 to it to go and spare none. 



The bear then went away until he came to the village on the great 

 river. It met a man just going for water and it quickly tore him to 

 pieces; then the bear stayed near this village until he had killed more 

 thau half of the people, and the others were preparing to leave it in 

 order to escape destruction. He then swam across the Yukon and 

 went over the tundra to the farther side of Kiiskokwim river, killing 

 every one he saw, for the least sign of life seemed to fill him with 

 fury until it was destroyed. From the Kuskokwim the bear turned 

 back, and one day it stood on the creek bank where it had become 

 endowed with life. Seeing the people on the other bank he became 

 filled with fury, tearing the ground with his claws and growling, and 

 began to cross the creek. When the villagers saw this they were much 

 frightened and ran about, saying, "Here is the old woman's dog; we 

 shall all be killed. Tell the old woman to stop her dog." And they 

 sent her to meet the bear. The bear did not try to hurt her, but was 

 passing by to get at the other people when she caught it by the hair 

 on its neck, saying, "'Do not hurt these people who have been kind to 

 me and have given me food when I was hungry." 



After this she led the bear into her house and, sitting down, told 

 Mm that he had done her bidding well and had pleased her, but that 

 he must not injure people any more unless they tried to hurt or abuse 

 him. When she had finislied telling him this she led him to the door 

 and sent him away over the tundra. Since this time there have always 

 been red bears. 



THE LAST OF THE THUNDERBIRDS {Mt-TtGn'-O-WIK) 

 (From the lower Yukon) 



Very long ago there were many giant eagles or thunderbirds living 

 in the mountains, but they all disappeared except a single pair which 

 made their home on the mountain top overlooking the Yukon river near 

 Sabotnisky. The top of this mountain was round, and the eagles had 

 hollowed out a great basin on the summit which they used for tlieir 

 nest, around the edges of which was a rocky rim from which they could 

 look down upon the large village near the water's edge. 



From their i)erch on this rocky wall these great birds would soar 

 awa> on their broad wings, looking like a cloud in the sky, sometimes 

 to seize a reindeer from some passing herd to bring back to their young; 

 again they would circle out, with a noise like thunder from their shaking 

 wings, and descend upon a fisherman in his canoe on the surface of the 

 river, carrying man and canoe to the top of the mountain. There the 

 man would be eaten by the young thunderbirds and the canoe would 

 lie bleaching among the bones and other refuse scattered along the 

 border of the nest. 



Every fall the young birds would fly away into the northland, while 

 the old ones would remain. Then came a time, after many hunters had 



