HEwS] FICTION 113 



15. Gaqga (the Crow) Makes a Journey amd Kills Many People 



A man, a Gaqga, was traveling. He did not know whence he came, 

 nor whither he was going. As he journeyed along he continually 

 thought: "How did I come to be alive? Whence did I come? 

 Whither am I going?" 



After traveling a long time, he saw smoke through the forest, and 

 approaching it, he found four hunters, named Djodjogis.^^ Being 

 afraid to go near them, he hid in the thickets and watched them. The 

 ne.xt morning, after they had departed to hunt, Gaqga crept up to 

 their camp and stole their meat, which he carried into the woods, 

 where he made a camp for himself. He was lonely and said, " 1 wish 

 there was some other people here." 



One morning he saw that some person was living west of his camp. 

 Going to the lodge, he found a man, his wife, and five children ; they 

 were Djofiiaik " people. Gaqga ate the youngest child first and then 

 he ate the other four; in the meanwhile the father and the mother 

 strove to drive him away, but they could not. Then, leaving old 

 Djofiiaik and his wife crying for their children, he went home. 

 Some time after this he saw another camp oflF in the southeast, where 

 he found a family of Ganogeshegea ^^ people. Being afraid of the old 

 people, he ran off, but they ran after him and beat him on the head 

 until they had driven him far away. Then the man said, " Is it not 

 a shame that such little fellows should beat me," but he dared not go 

 back. 



Now he roamed over all the forest, but he could not find his camp. 

 At last, saying, " Well, let it go; I do not care," he walked on toward 

 the north. Just before dark he saw a camp. Going cautiously 

 toward it, he saw therein four men and a large quantity of meat. 

 That night he hid in the woods. Ne.xt morning, looking toward the 

 camp, he again saw the four hunters, and thought, "I will wait 

 until they have gone to hunt and then I will ge^t their meat." 



Soon after this he heard the hunters moving around; then all be- 

 came quiet and he concluded that they had gone. He crept slowly 

 toward the camp, but when he reached it he could not find a bite of 

 meat. These were the same four brothers from whom he had stolen 

 before. They had now finished hunting, and had packed their meat 

 and started for home. Disappointed by this failure, he walked on; 

 toward night he saw a camp, and, creeping near it, he again saw 

 the four hunters. He listened to what they were saying. One said, 

 " I wonder who stole our meat that day." Another said : " I think 

 that man is walking around in the woods. I think his name is 

 Gaqga." "Oh," thought Gaqga, "they are talking about me. They 

 will be on the watch. How can I get their meat?" Then he said, 

 "I wish them all to sleep soundly." They fell asleep, and he went 

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