34 BUEEAU OP AMEElCAiSf ETHNOLOGY [bull. 48 



endeavored to escape, but before she could do so she was seized and locked in a small 

 cave. 



A large frog hopped from a hole in the far corner of the cave, and going to the girl, 

 said: " Do you know what that noise is? " "No," replied the girl, "what is it?" The 

 frog told her the Devil and his men were sharpening their knives to kill her. At this 

 she became more frightened than before, but the frog quieted her by saying: "Now, 

 if you will listen and do just as I say you will escape. I will open this door and there- 

 upon you must run swiftly out and down the wide road. Soon you will reach a road 

 on the left, but do not take it; keep to the broad road. Then you will come to the 

 junction of three roads, and you must take the middle one. Shortly afterward you 

 will reach a broad bayou where there will be a small boat on -the shore. Here you 

 will be safe." 



After saying this to the girl the frog hopped up a beam to the top of the door, which 

 he unlocked. As soon as the door swung open the girl ran out and followed the roads 

 as she had been directed. Finally she arrived at the bayou, jumped into the small 

 boat, and, seizing the paddle, pushed out from the shore. As she neared the middle 

 of the bayou she heard voices calling her, and looking in the direction of the sound 

 she saw the Devil standing on the bank just where she had been a few moments before. 

 He called the girl, who was not able to resist him, so she pushed the boat toward the 

 spot where he stood. "Come nearer," said the DevU, "so that I can step into your 

 boat." The girl said she could not do so, but she rested one end of her paddle on the 

 side of the boat and the other end on the shore, telling the Devil to walk on the bridge 

 thus made. He started to do so, but just as he reached the middle the girl jerked 

 the paddle and the Devil fell into the water. He sank straight to the bottom of the 

 bayou and never came up. 



In time the Devil's body broke into many small pieces, which became hard, forming 

 the gravel now found on the bottoms of the bayous. 



Skate'ne 



Late one afternoon several children were playing near their house when suddenly 

 they saw a woman approaching. She was very old and stooping, and her hair was 

 white. The children were greatly frightened and ran into the house, but soon returned 

 to the old woman, who said to them: "Children, do not be afraid of me, for nothing 

 will harm you. I am your great-great-great-grandmother, and neither you nor your 

 mother has ever seen me. Now, go to the house and tell her that I have come. ' ' The 

 children did so. Then they took a deer skin and spread it on the ground for the old 

 woman and carried her food and drink. She then asked the children when their 

 father went to sleep and in which part of the house he lay, and the children told 

 her all. 



That night, after all had gone to sleep, the old woman entered the house and cut 

 off the man's head, which she put into a basket she carried for that purpose; then she 

 covered the man's body with his blanket and quietly left the house. The next 

 morning the man's wife was surprised to find him asleep (as she supposed), since it 

 was his custom to go hunting before sunrise. So she spoke to him, and as he did not 

 answer she pulled off his blanket. When she saw that his head was missing she 

 became greatly alarmed. 



After cutting off the man's head Skate^ne, the old woman, immediately left the 

 house and started down the road. Soon she met a large bear, who said to her, "\Miat 

 have you covered up in your basket, old woman?" "You must not see it," said 

 she, "for if you look on it you will lose your eyes; it is poison and bad." The bear 

 was contented and went on his way. 



Then she met many other animals, and at last came two wildcats. "Stop, old 

 woman, and show us what you have in your basket," called one of the wildcats, "we 

 must see what you carry." The old woman repeated what she had told the bear and 



