180 SENHCA FICTION, LEGENDS, AM) MYTHS [etii. anx, S2 



iifiiiin.st the eagle, the turtle, and the beaver elans on the other. The 

 little hoy took- the side of the wolf and the bear: they said, " If y<»' 

 win, you will own all this country.'" They played, and he won for 

 them. '•Now." tln'v said, "you are the owner of all the country." 

 On reaching home tiie little boy said to his father, "I have won all 

 the beautiful country of the east; you come and he the ciiief of it." 

 His father consented, and going to the country of tlie east with the 

 two boys, there they lived. That is the story. 



35. Tin: I''aiiiit.kss Whf, and tiik Tiii;i:k Old Mf.n 



A iiiiiii and Ills wife went into the forest to 'lunt. They built a 

 lodge of hemlock boughs, lu which they lived very happily. In 

 the course of time a boy was born to them. They had plenty of 

 meat, for the man was a successful hunter. While he was away 

 hunting in the forests his wife would Inisy herself in dressing the 

 meat, in bringing bark to keep up the fii-e. and in taking caie of the 

 child. Later another child, a girl, was born. 



Everything went well until the boy was large enough to do errands. 

 Then his mother began to send him for water, which was at some 

 distance from the cabin. For some reason unknown to her the child 

 was much afraid of going to the spring. Whenever his mother 

 ordered him to go he would complain and try to beg off: but, taking 

 ])im by the hair, .she would lead him to the door, push him out. 

 throwing the water vessel after him. Then the child knew he must 

 pick up the vessel and go. When he had brought the water into 

 the lodge the mother would wsish herself, comb her hair cai'efully, and 

 after donning her best robe she would take the forehead sti'ap and 

 hatchet and go away, telling the boy that she was going for baik for 

 the fire and that he must stay with his si.ster. 



This conduct was i-epeated at the same time every day for a long 

 while. Then the mother began to be very cruel to the boy. She did 

 not feed him properly, and neglected him in every way. seeming 

 almost to hate him. At last the boy told his father that his mother 

 did not give him enough to eat. The father had noticed that she 

 was cross and cruel to the child, and had begun to think that some- 

 thing was wrong. Finally as he and the son were lying down to- 

 gether one night on one side of the fire and the mother and the 

 little girl on the other side, the father began to questi<m the boy 

 about what took jilace at home while he was away hunting. Then 

 the boy told him that about the same time every day his mother 

 sent him after water to a place where he was afraid to go: that then, 

 after washing herself and combing her hair, she would go off into 

 the woods for bark for the fire, and I'emain a long time. 



