Iewi'^] legends 587 



In time this did happen, for one day he killed a partridge, which 

 he carried home. On entering the lodge his uncle exclaimed : " Wu\ 

 my nephew ! I am very thankful you are returning home, having 

 killed a large game animal. What is the name of the animal you 

 have killed? What kind of animal is it? Do you know?" In 

 reply the youth said : " I do not know." The old man, going to- 

 ward his nephew, grasped the partridge so quickly that he raised the 

 young boy off the ground, saying : " Hand me at once the body of the 

 thing which you are bringing back killed, for you, of course, do not 

 know what kind of thing it is." Then the old man, going aside and 

 taking a seat, began to pluck and dress the partridge, saying at the 

 same time: "This thing requires, of course, nothing but dumplings." 

 Setting a kettle over the fire, he made dumplings which he put into 

 the kettle with the partridge. The old man kept on saying, as he 

 watched the bird cooking: "Perhaps this will taste exceedingly 

 good to us two." The grease floated on the top of the water, for the 

 bird was very fat. Then the old man, removing the kettle from the fire, 

 set it aside. He put into a bai'k bowl or dish a share for his nephew, 

 saying: " Oh, my nephew ! this is what you may eat," but he held it 

 just over the fire. When the young boy arose to receive his portion 

 and reached out for the dish, his uncle, grasping his hand along with 

 the dish, pulled the nephew over the fire, wherein he fell on his elbows. 

 At once he arose covered with hot coals, and took a seat aside on his 

 own side of the fire. Dissimulating his evil purpose, the old man said : 

 "I am in too much of a hurry, for I thought that I held it aside 

 from the fireplace." The nephew was greatly astonished at what 

 his uncle had done to him, for he never had illtreated him before; 

 and the lad began to weep, saying to himself : " I wonder why he 

 has done this thing to me." 



The next morning the old man said : " Oh, my nephew ! arise. 

 Game animals visually go about the clear places very early in the 

 morning. So arise and go out to hunt." 



After arising and making needed preparations, the nephew started 

 out to hunt in the forest. He kept on thinking : " My uncle has 

 indeed abused me very much." As the boy went from place to place 

 he was much surprised to hear a man at a distance say, TcUf 

 and he directed his steps toward the spot whence he believed the 

 sound came. Soon he was surprised to see the skull of an old man 

 protruding out of the ground. As the boy approached the skull 

 said to him : " Oh, my nephew ! you are much to be pitied now, for 

 affairs have taken a turn which will cause you misfortune. Exert 

 yourself with all your (magic) power, for he will indeed out- 

 match your orenda (magic power) if it so be that you do not learn 

 to remember the things which you have killed." Thus spoke the 

 skull of the old man. 



