TORNER.) 



FOLKLORE. 347 



The wolverene was glad to rest, but sat down and began to look ahead 

 in the distance for the returning hunters. After a few minutes he 

 looked around and saw the tent standing there. The wolves then sent 

 the wolverene for dry brush, while they gathered green branches for 

 the tent floor. He brought so small a quantity that it would not 

 sufiice. The young wolves returned at the same time and they 

 dii'ccted hiui to again procure some brush. When he returned he 

 found they had stripped all the fat off of the deer meat, al- 

 though, he had not seen them" bring any when they returned, and 

 l)lace(l it around the Inside edges of the tent. The brush was put 

 down and again the leader jumped over it and a bright, crackling fire 

 started up. The wolves then said to themselves in a low tone of voice : 

 "Let us go outside and see what our brother will do when he is left 

 alone with the fiit." They went outside and immediately the wolverene 

 selected the nicest and largest piece of fat and began to swallow it- 

 The wolves at the same moment inquired of him: "Brother, are there 

 any holes in the tent cover!" His mouth was so full, in his haste to 

 swallow the fat, that it nearly choked him. They repeated their in- 

 quiry and the wolverene gasped out the answer, "yes." The wolves 

 then said : " Let us go inside." The wolverene sprang away from the 

 fat and sat down by the fire. They put on a large kettle of meat and 

 soon had their supper ready. They gave the wolverene all the fattest 

 portions they could find. Having eaten so much of the frozen fat he 

 became so violently ill, when the hot food melted the cold fet in his 

 stomach, that he vomited a long time, and was so weak that he became 

 chilly and shivered so much that he could not sleep. He asked for a 

 blanket, but one of the wolves placed his own bushy tail on the body 

 of the wolverene to keep him warm. The wolverene shook it ofi' and 

 exclaimed: "I do not want your foul-smelling tail for a blanket." So 

 the wolf gave him a nice and soft skin blanket to sleep under. When 

 he awakened he announced his intention to retiu'n to his family, as they 

 would soon be dead fiom hunger. One of the old wolves directed the 

 younger ones to make u^) a sledload of meat for the wolverene to take 

 home with him. The wolf did so, but made the load so large and long 

 that the wolverene could not see the rear end of the sled. When it 

 was ready they told him of it, and, as he was about to start, he requested 

 they would give him some fire, as he could not make any without. 

 The leader asked how many nights he would be on the journey home- 

 ward. He answered, three nights. The wolf told him to lie down in 

 the snow. He did so and the wolf jumped over his body three times, 

 but strictly enjoined upon him not to look back at the sled as he was 

 going along. The wolverene promised he would comply with his iu- 

 structions. After the animal had started and got some little distance 

 from the camp of the wolves he thought of the peculiarly strange things 

 he had witnessed while among those animals; and, to test himself, he 

 concluded to try the method of making a fire. He stopped, gathered 



