?,Kw,x:r] FICTION 231 



Tlieii the fat man's friends, all coining out of the water, went to the 

 starting place. When they looked at the dead land runner they said : 

 •• Oh, what a fool '. Oh, what a fool ! " 



Now, the old man, the water runner, was a mud turtle. The land 

 ruimer was a bear, but he had been a fox until he lost his tail in the 

 ice. Bears are all stub-tailed since the fox lost his tail in the ice. 



46. The Woman Who Became a Maneater Through the Orenda 

 OF Hek Husband's Dogs 



There was once a man who, in company with his wife and little 

 daughter, went hunting in a distant region. Having arrived at his 

 destination, the man built a brush lodge in the woods. Every day he 

 went in pursuit of game. 



The man had three dogs, who were his brothers, and of whom he 

 was fond. He shared his food with them and felt bad if they were 

 ill-used. When he left them at home he always told his wife to feed 

 them well and to take good care of them, but in spite of this she abused 

 the dogs; no matter how long he was away, she would give them 

 nothing to eat. At last, the smallest of the three dogs told the man 

 how badly they were treated, saying, "Our sister-in-law never gives 

 us anything to eat; whatever she cooks, she herself eats; if you will 

 watch her, you will see how it is." When her husband was around 

 the woman was kind to the dogs in order to deceive him. The little 

 dog, however, told him all that happened in the lodge while he was 

 away hunting. 



Now, the little dog was fond of good things; so one night he said 

 to his brothers, " I will get some food without asking, if only you 

 will help me." He had noticed tliat the woman kept food for her- 

 self, which she hid under the skins on which she slept, and had seen 

 her hide there a skin bag of roasted corn. He said further to his 

 brothers, " You are large and strong and can get it while she is 

 asleep." "No," said the large dog; "we are heavy and awkward, 

 and we would only awaken her; but you are light and small, and so 

 can lie down by her without being noticed." " Very well ; I will 

 try," was the little dog's answer to this. 



So at midnight, when all were sound asleep, the little dog, making 

 his way to the bag of roasted corn hidden under the woman's head, 

 pulled it carefully until he got it out. The large dogs had drawn 

 the door flap aside for him, and all three, well pleased, ran off toward 

 the spring, where they could obtain water to wash down the roasted 

 corn. The little dog said to one of his brothers, " You can carry the 

 bag now." In taking it he tore it open, when they found it was 

 merely a pouch of roots, bark, and leaves instead of a bag of corn ; 

 so they had got into trouble for nothing. Then the large dog said, 

 "The safest way for us is to carry this bag back, and you who got it 



