168 THE MENOMINI INDIANS [eth.ans. 14 



air like a knife it assumed life. Pa'skine'a T struck the flying animal 

 upon the head, bringing it to the ground; then, picking it up and throw- 

 ing it back to the old man, he said, "Here, old man, is your breech- 

 cloth; do you expect that you can harm me with a piece of wildcat 

 skin?" The old man became infuriated and threw the cloth a second 

 time, hoping by this means to cleave the skull of Pa'skine'u T , but 

 Pa'skiue'ir again struck it to the ground, after which he picked it up 

 and threw it across the room to the old man, this time saying, "Here, 

 old man, keep your breecheloth ; you can do me no harm." 



The old man was one of the ana'maqki'u, who dwell under the ground, 

 and who are the enemy of mankind. But he found that P;i'skine'u v 

 was a very powerful being and was afraid to attempt openly to destroy 

 him. 



Finally the old man said, "My daughter has prepared a feast for you; 

 so take seats and the food will be brought out." 



Pa'skine'u T and the Buzzard were requested to eat before the old man, 

 and, while each of the guests received a bowl of food, Pii'skinc'u v found 

 that his dish held nothing but a mass of eyeballs taken from the vic- 

 tims which the old man had destroyed. Pa'skine'u v then pushed the 

 dish toward the old man, saying, "Here, old man, I do not care for this 

 dish; I am not accustomed to eating human flesh, especially eyeballs, 

 so you take them." The old man received the dish, but left it by his 

 side untasted. 



Pa'skine'u T then remarked upon the good looks of the old man's 

 daughter — the youngest one, who remained at home and who attended 

 to his wants. To this the old man replied, "Whoever is able to jump 

 across my wigwam may have her for his wife." 



Pa/skineV then said, "I am able to jump across your wigwam, so 

 we will go outside." 



They all went to the outside of the mountain, when Pa'skiue'u v leaped 

 into the air and jumped across the mountain without any difficulty; 

 whereupon the old man said to Pa'skine'u T , "You have won the girl; 

 take her." 



The old man did this so that he might gain more power over Pii'ski- 

 ne'u T in order to destroy him, but his first wife, who was also a daughter 

 of the old man, remained with Pa'skine'u T , so as to guard him against 

 danger. ' 



The new young wife then said to Pa'skine'u T , " Let us visit my 

 mother; she lives on the top of a steep rock, and will be glad to see 

 my husband." So they all left the abode of the old man and started off 

 to visit his wife, the mother of Pa/skine'ir's wives. After a long jour- 

 ney they saw in the distance a high rock, upon which was perched a 

 solitary wigwam covered with rush mats. When they arrived at the 

 ba-^e of the rock, the young wife called out to her mother, " Mother, let 

 down your ladder, so that we may come up to visit you." The old 

 woman then let down a ladder and told them to ascend, after which 



