174 THE MENOMINI INDIANS [eth.ann.14 



and looking for the sap to drop into the vessels, but none was to be 

 seen. When she had gone around among the trees, and cut holes for 

 as many vessels as she had made Ma'nabush went back and looking 

 into the vessels saw that all of them had suddenly become half full of 

 thick sirup. 



Ma'nabush dipped his finger into the sirup and tasted it. Finding 

 it sweet, he said, "My grandmother, this is all very good, but it will 

 not do to have these trees produce sirup in this manner. The people 

 will not have any work if they make sugar so easily; they must cut 

 wood to boil the sirup for several nights, and to keep them occupied 

 that they may not get into bad habits; I will change all this." 



So Ma'nabush climbed to the very top of one of the trees, when he 

 took his hand and scattered water all over the maples, like rain, so that 

 the sugar should dissolve and flow from the trees in the form of sap. 

 This is why the uncles of Ma'nabush and their descendants always 

 have to work hard when they want to make sugar. Wood must be cut, 

 vessels must be made, and the sap that is collected must be boiled for 

 a long time, otherwise the people would spend too much time in idleness. 



Having brought about this benefit to the Indians, Ma'nabush finally 

 became jealous of the attentions of the Bear, who always called at his 

 grandmother's wigwam when he went away. Killing this intruder, 

 Ma'nabush finally left the land of the Indians and sought a resting 

 place where the hunters, already referred to in the ritual of the Mita'wit, 

 went to seek him and to ask for favors. 



The myth then continues as follows: 



One day Ma'nabush went away into the woods to hunt for something 

 to eat, but being unsuccessful he returned to his wigwam. When he 

 entered he saw his grandmother seated upon a mat with her hair nicely 

 combed, as he had never seen it before. So he said to her: 



"Grandmother, I see you have combed your hair very nicely and put 

 on clean clothes; have you had a visitor, or why have you done so?" 



His grandmother made no satisfactory reply, and he asked nothing 

 further regarding the circumstance; but he suspected that some one 

 had been there and that she did not want him to know it. 



On the following day Ma'nabush again went away into the woods to 

 hunt, and when he returned he again found his grandmother seated 

 upon a mat, her hair nicely arranged, and her best skirt and leggings 

 on. He said nothing, but his suspicions became stronger that someone 

 had been to the wigwam during his absence. 



On the following morning Ma'nabush again went away into the woods 

 to hunt, and when he returned to the wigwam he found his grand- 

 mother just as he had found her twice before. 



The next morning Ma'nabush pretended to go into the woods to hunt 

 as before, but he soon came back near to his wigwam to discover who 

 visited his grandmother. He suspected that it was the Bear, but he 

 wanted to be certain. He had not long to wait before he heard the Bear 



