506 THE ESKIMO ABOUT BERING STRAIT (ETH. ANN. 18 
wish had been formed the Grass-stem became an Herb like those it had 
envied, aud 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 up these herbs and eat some of the roots, 
while others were put 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 
filled with fear and by wishing became a small tuber-bearing plant like 
others growing near. Searcely 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 pause 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 Ow], and with slow, noiseless wing 
flaps set off toward the north, pausing every now and then to cateh 
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 inthe sand, In a short time it saw two fine-looking men pass along 
the shore, and the old feeling of discontent arose again. “TI will bea 
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-ih/-lik, as he ealled himself, 
felt stiff and lame from sitting in the cold night air. 
