

ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 537 



view beyond. They determine to settle beyond this point, -where they 

 will be out of sight of their old camp. In the meantime the poor deserted 

 girl does the best she can in her lonely state for her strange family. Of 

 the twelve puppies two only are females, all the rest are males. When 

 they are old enough to run about the mother returns with them to her 

 father's house in the abandoned village. One evening she split some 

 pitch-wood for torches, and, lighting one of these, she went down to the 

 beach to dig for clams. She had not long been engaged at her task when 

 she heard sounds of singing and dancing coming from the village. She 

 rushes back to see what it all means, and as she nears her own dwelling 

 perceives the sounds to come from it. At the door one of the two young 

 bitches is standing. AVhen the latter sees her mother approaching she 

 warns the others within the house, and the sounds at once cease. The 

 mother's suspicions are, however, roused, and when she enters the house 

 she asks them who had been singing. She gets no response to her question 

 from the puppies, who are now speechless. She is sure, however, she 

 had heard the sound of human voices, which indeed she had, for her 

 progeny partook of the wizard-nature of their father, and had the power 

 to throw off their dog-natures at will. This they had done in their 

 mother's absence, and had sung and danced to the following words : ' Our 

 mother thinks we are dogs, but we know better.' This they repeated 

 many times. As soon as the sister who was watching informed them 

 that their mother was returning they stopped their singing and dancing, 

 put on their dog-skin coverings, which they had thrown aside for the 

 occasion, and resumed the form and character of puppies once more. 

 Hence when their mother questioned them they made no response. After 

 looking round the place she returned to her work on the beach. This 

 time she took a mat with her. When she got to the beach she 

 stuck the torch in the mud and made to go on with her digging as 

 before. Her intention was, however, to return to the house unobserved, 

 and learn if possible the meaning of the dancing and singing she had 

 heard before, and which now began again as soon as she had got to the 

 beach. To this end she took her shdq (clam-digger) and, planting it 

 firmly in the ground behind the flaming torch, hung upon it tiie mat she 

 had brought for the purpose, thus shutting off the light from the village, 

 and causing a line of shadow to appear between the beach and the house. 

 Under cover of this she stealthily makes her way back to her dwelling. 

 She sees one of the bitches standing in the doorway as before, but, being 

 in the deep shadow of the mat, she herself is not seen by the watcher. 

 She is thus able to get close to the building. She steals round behind it 

 and peeps in through some chink in the wall, and is greatly astonished to 

 see all her children, except the watcher at the door, in human guise, with 

 their dog-raiment thrown aside. She enters suddenly from the rear,' and 

 before they are aware of her presence, pounces upon their dog-garments 

 and casts them into the fire, where they are quickly consumed. Thus she 

 breaks the wizard's charm and overcomes his ' medicine,' and her children 

 retain thereafter their human form. She now reproaches them for the 

 deception they had practised upon her. ' It is entirely due to you and 

 your dog disguises,' said she, ' that I have been deserted by all my people 

 and left in my present forlorn condition.' They all listen in silence for 



' As the old houses had but one door or means of ingress and egress, this entrance 

 on the part of the mother from behind is not clear. My narrator was himself avi are 

 of this discrepancy, but was unable to explain it. 



