we 
ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, 5357 
blanket, restored the hole as before, and slunk home to his own quarters. 
For three successive nights he repeated this action, after which he 
returned no more, but went about his business as usual and -awaited 
results. In the meantime life had not gone very merrily with the 
maiden. Pent up in her narrow quarters she grew wearier each day as 
the weeks went by, and begged her aunt again and again to allow her to 
come out of her basket. But this the old chieftainess would not do. 
But as time went on the maiden presently discovered herself to be in a 
peculiar and distressing condition. It seemed as if she would shortly 
become a mother. When the first consciousness of her condition dawned 
upon her she would not believe it, but as the days went by she could no 
longer entertain any doubt of it. She hid the matter from her relative 
until it was no longer possible to do so, and then the aunt was angry 
indeed, and bitterly reproached her niece for the disgrace she was bring- 
ing upon her, and would not at first believe that the girl herself was 
innocent in the matter. But having presently convinced herself of this, 
she set her wits to work to discover who it was that had outwitted her 
in this way. But though exceedingly wise and versed in much magic she 
yet could not discover directly who the offender was, but was obliged to 
get her information in a roundabout way. But now the maiden’s full 
time had come, and she was delivered of a male child, who grew in an 
incredibly short space of time into a strong and vigorous boy. The old 
chieftainess, having thought out her plan of action, now sent once more 
for her public crier, young Night-hawk, and bade him inform the village 
of the birth of a child to her niece, and tell his companions that they 
were all to present themselves at her house on a certain day, and bring 
each of them a present for the child. 
This they all did, with the exception of two, each burning with 
curiosity to learn when the maiden had returned, and who had secured 
her for wife. The bidding of the tribe to her house was part of the old 
aunt’s plan for discovering the father of her grand-nephew. By her 
magic powers’ she had learnt that if each visitor presented the child with 
a gift, he would accept and retain one only, viz. the present offered by 
his own father, and would reject with disdain those of all the others. 
Thus she would be able to discover the perpetrator of the deed. On the 
day appointed each brought his present. As they descended they offered 
their presents one by one to the child, who took them, only to throw 
them aside again the next moment. This happened until all the presents 
had been made, and all the visitors had assembled. As the child had 
shown no interest in anything that had yet been offered him, the old 
woman knew from this that some one must be absent. She therefore 
angrily demanded who had disobeyed her injunctions ; and after some 
little delay and calling of names it was ascertained that Young Rabbit 
and his brother Lynx were absent. A messenger was immediately 
despatched for them, and in a few minutes they arrived, Rabbit descend- 
ing first. As Rabbit clambered down the notched pole that served for 
ladder, the child now for the first time evinced some interest in what 
was going on, and looked up and smiled at Rabbit and held out his hand 
for the present. For a moment he seemed inclined to play with it, but 
threw it aside at once when he perceived Lynx descending. As the latter 
approached he crowed and laughed and clapped his hands with delight, 
eagerly stretching them out for Lynx’s present, which he retained and 
immediately began to play with. The old chieftainess knew from this 
