S^wi't^ legends 563 



perish." The hunter's wife ran out as swiftly as possible, and having 

 cut the basswood poles and sharpened them, i-eturned to the lodge. 

 The other woman then said : " You must harden *-^ their points 

 in the fire by turning them over carefully; let them be burning. As 

 soon as we meet at the doorway we shall fight, and we shall fight on 

 the outside of the lodge. And, of course, there can be no doubt that 

 he will overpower me, for he is very powerful. When he throws me 

 and falls on the top of me, you must quickly take one of the burning 

 poles from the fire and thrust it in anum ejus, turning it around 

 therein vigorously, and then withdraw it. You must quickly do like- 

 wise with the other two burning poles. Thereupon, he will soon be- 

 come weak, and then I shall overcome him. Just at present you must 

 keep still and must watch carefully those poles, for they are our 

 only hope of success. Now he is coming on the run close at hand. 

 Have courage and aid me, oh, my friend !" 



The stranger had barely uttered these words when she and her 

 husband met in a death struggle at the doorway of the lodge; they 

 fought outside so as to have more room in their struggles. In a 

 short time the man tripped his wife, and they fell to the ground with 

 the man uppermost. At once the hunter's wife swiftly ran into the 

 lodge, and seizing one of the burning poles thrust it in anum ejus, 

 and having turned it round and round violently a moment with- 

 drew it. Then she did likewise as quickly as possible with the second 

 and third burning poles. This terrible treatment had its effect, and 

 in a moment the strange woman was able to free herself, and strug- 

 gling from under her weakened husband she strangled him to death. 

 All this time she kept saying to her friend, " Have courage, oh. my 

 friend ! Stand near by and wait." Then returning to the lodge, she 

 said : " Oh. my friend. I am thankful indeed that you have helped me 

 in my trouble." Having recovered her breath, she added : " Now I 

 will cast the body far away yonder, as far as one can see." So say- 

 ing, she dragged away the body of her husband, disappearing with 

 it in the distance ; but it was not very long before she returned to the 

 lodge, whereupon she said : " I have left the body far away. Now 

 we two unfortunate ones — myself and my child — will return to our 

 home, departing from this place. All that I desired was that she 

 should see her father. I thank you for what you have done for us. 

 Our kinsfolk dwell far away from here in the forests; thither we 

 two shall return. Now we depart." 



In a short time the strange woman and her child had disappeared 

 into the forest. They had been gone a long while when the hunter 

 returned to the lodge. He had nothing to say to his wife. There- 

 upon she resolved not to tell what had taken place while he was 

 away hunting until she reached home. At first the husband and 

 wife did not converse at all. But finally the former said: "To- 



