194 THE MENOMINI INDIANS [eth.akn. 14 



The signification of the words is, that, "We have defeated him who 

 always won." 



While the Moose people were thus exulting in the destruction of the 

 hunter, his young wife sat mourning and weeping in her wigwam with 

 her head and body shrouded in a large robe. While she was thus 

 weeping for her husband, the various ma'nidos heard her, and said to 

 one another, " I^et us visit the widow of Nauo'kupa'qkweni'si t;i v , and get 

 her to take one of us as husband." They agreed, and the Wolf led 

 them to her wigwam; but while they were deliberating over this plan 

 she heard their words; so when the Fox came to where the young 

 widow sat and said to her, "I have returned; I am your husband; take 

 tiie." she replied, saying, "No, leave me; you are not my husband." 

 Then the Fox pulled away the robe that covered her and threw some 

 water in her face. 



The woman then wept again at receiving such harsh treatment, but 

 after a while she became pacified and went to sleep. On the next night 

 the Eabbit came to her and said, "I have returned; I am your hus- 

 band; take me." She paid no attention to this, but said, "No, leave; 

 you are not my husband," whereupon the rabbit suddenly pulled the 

 robe aside, exposing her face, and threw water on it. 



Then she wept anew, lamenting her fate and the treatment she was 

 receiving at the hands of the ma'nidos. 



On the following night the Dog came to the young woman and said, 

 " I have returned ; I am your husband; take me." She would not look 

 up to see who spoke, but replied, "No, leave me; you are not my 

 husband." Then the Dog pulled aside the robe from her face and threw 

 some water on it. Again she began her lamentations and continued 

 to dwell upon her distress, until at last she fell asleep. 



These three ma'nidos remained in the vicinity of the wigwam to see 

 who would be so fortunate as to get the woman for his wife. 



The hunter's mother-in-law was a very small old woman, who had a 

 very small dog. The crone visited the spot where the hunter had been 

 cut to pieces, aud where there was still some blood on the ground; this 

 the little dog licked up, but it made him eager to find more. While 

 this was happening the old woman heard laughter in a wigwam a short 

 distance away, on the side toward the Moose settlement. She ap- 

 proached very cautiously, and on peeping in the wigwam to see what 

 was causing such merriment, she observed that the Moose women had 

 congregated to talk and to eat the little pieces of the hunter's flesh 

 which had been gathered. One old woman was eating the heel just as 

 the little dog entered the wigwam, when one of her companions said to 

 her, "Do you see that little dog? He looks so angry that 1 believe 

 he will bite you; " and before she could reply the little dog had sprung 

 upon her and bitten her, and in the excitement the canine snatched up 

 the heel-bone with his jaws aud escaped to where the hunter had been 

 cut to pieces. The dog had congregated a great number of the 



