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



wish had been formed the Grass-stem became an Herb like those it had 

 envied, and for a short time it remained in peace. 



One day it saw the women coming back carrying sharp-pointed picks, 

 with which they began to dig np these herbs and eat some of the roots, 

 while others were i)ut into baskets and carried home. The change- 

 ling was left when the women went home in the evening, and having 

 seen the fate of its companions, it wished it had taken another form ; 

 so looking about, it saw a small, creeping plant which pleased it, being 

 so tiny and obscure; without delay it wished and became one of them. 

 Again passed a time of quiet, and again came the women tearing up its 

 companions but overlooking the changeling. Once more the latter was 

 tilled with fear and by wishing became a small tuber-bearing plant like 

 others growing near. Scarcely had this change been made when a 

 small tundra mouse came softly through the grass and began digging 

 up one of the tubers of a similar plant near by, holding it in its fore- 

 paws and nibbling it, after which the mouse went on again. ''To be 

 secure I must become a mouse," thought the changeling, and at once 

 it became a Mouse and ran off, glad of the new change. Now and 

 then it would jjause to dig up and eat one of the tubers as the other 

 mouse had done, or it would sit up on its hind feet to look around at 

 the new scenes that came in view. While traveling nimbly along in 

 this manner, the Mouse saw a strange, white object coming toward it, 

 which kept dropping down upon the ground, and after stopping to eat 

 something would fly on again. When it came near the Mouse saw that 

 it was a great white owl. At the same moment the owl saw the Mouse 

 and swooped down upon it. Darting off, the Mouse was fortunate 

 enough to escape by running into a hole made by one of its kind, so 

 the owl flew away. 



After a while the Mouse ventured to come out of its shelter, though 

 its heart beat painfully from its recent fright. "I will be an owl," 

 thought the Mouse, " and in this way will be safe." So again it changed 

 with the wish into a beautiful white Owl, and with slow, noiseless wing 

 flaps set off" toward the north, pausing every now and then to catch 

 and eat a mouse. After a long flight Sledge island came in view, and 

 the Owl thought it would go there. When far out at sea its untried 

 wings became so tired that only with great difficulty did it manage to 

 reach the shore, where it perched upon a piece of driftwood that stood 

 up in the sand. In a short time it saw two fine-looking men pass along 

 the shore, and the old feeling of discontent arose again. " I will be a 

 man," it thought, and, with a single flap of the wings, it stood upon 

 the ground, where it changed immediately into a fine young Man, but 

 was without clothing. Night came over the earth soon after, and Man 

 sat down with his back against the stick of wood on which, as an 

 Owl, he had perched, and slept there until morning. He was awakened 

 by the warm sun, and upon rising Chiin-uli'-luk, as he called himself, 

 felt stiff and lame from sitting in the cold night air. 



