286 THE (EGIHA LANGUAGE—MYTHS, STORIES, AND LETTERS. 
of the path around the lake, behold, he found out the Snake. He was coming back 
around the lake. Following his own trail, he was coming back again. 
The young man changed himself into a red-tail fish. The little Fish lay, causing 
ripples in the water. The Snake lay in sight on the hill. The Snake questioned him. 
“T seek a person. And as you walk on the very surface in full view, if even a bird 
goes flying along, you will see it,” said the Snake. ‘Yes, it is so; but I have not seen 
him. If I see him, I will tell you,” said the Fish. So the Snake went right with the 
current. He followed along the very edge of the stream. At length a very gray 
Toad was sitting. Just thus the Snake arrived. ‘A person having been approaching 
here, you may have seen him. Even if there was only a shadow, you may have seen 
it. Iseek him,” said he. ‘Yes, my friend, when I lay by day, a person was here; a 
person came very near shaking the ground by walking; but whither or how he went, 
I do not know,” said the Toad. ‘That was he. That was he whom I seek,” said the 
Snake. And he departed, following the course of the stream. And when he thought 
that he had cut him off, the young man had not arrived. Again was the Snake 
returning around the bank. And there was no one at the place where he arrived. 
Again was he returning, following his own trail by the stream. At length he was 
coming back in the very middle of the path on the bank of this very large stream. 
Behold, a very large Fish lay in shallow water by the bank. The Snake questioned him. 
“T have sought a person, my friend, but I have not found him,” said he. ‘The one 
with whom you talked yonder is he,” said the Fish. ‘Is it possible! I went to much 
trouble to meet him, and even then when I saw him I did not recognize him,” said the 
Snake. And he went homeward. And the large Fish was the young man. And the 
Snake reached his home, at the place to which he had taken the young man. Then was 
a Muskrat approaching from up-stream. The Snake took hold of him. “I will question 
you,” said he. “About what may you ask me? Speak quickly,” said the Muskrat. 
“When I talked to a person, I caused him to stand here, and I think that you are he,” 
said the Snake. ‘ No,” said the Muskrat. ‘Why! I know the person with whom you 
say that you talked. When I sat in this place, a man went along, passing over my lodge, 
despite all my efforts to prevent him. He broke a stick under the water by bearing on it. 
When he asked me to go with him under the water, he broke for me whatever I carried 
home to sit on,” said the Muskrat. And the Snake said, “On what day was it?” 
“Why! Yesterday when the sun had become very high, he went, passing over my 
lodge. And when he went thither, he broke the stick by bearing on it,” said the Musk- 
rat. And the Snake believed him. ‘My friend, you speak the very truth,” said the 
Snake. Again he departed, passing by the bank of the stream. And along this bank of 
the stream the red-willows were leaning down close to the water. A Red-breasted turtle 
was sitting there. The Snake took hold of him. “TI will question you. I have sought 
a person regularly, but I have not found him,” said the Snake. ‘Not so at all. L 
have just now come back in sight. I have just come again in sight from this pond. 
Therefore, my friend, I have not deceived in any particular,” said the Red-breasted 
turtle. The Snake departed. At length a very green Frog was sitting, floating by 
the edge of the shallow water. The Snake arrived there. ‘My friend, I have sought 
a person regularly. At length you may have seen him,” said he. ‘ Yes,” said the 
Frog. ‘Come, tell about it. I have sought a person regularly, but I have not found 
him, I hope that you will tell me very accurately if you have seen him,” said the 
