Sa —=<x---- =” °° 
ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 541 
But you will not attain your desire unless I assist you. This I will doin 
return for your kindness to me. Take this root, peel off the skin, and eat 
it when you are going to rest for the night, carefully preserving the root 
itself for the future. In your sleep you will have adream. Come to me 
in the morning and tell me what you dreamt, and I will advise you of 
your future course.’ The youth took the root, promising to doas she bade 
him. Before he lay down to sleep he carefully skinned the root as he had 
been bidden, and then ate the skin, putting the root aside. In his sleep, 
as the old woman had foretold, he had a strange and peculiar dream. He 
dreamt that he had arrived at the Shaman’s house, and had been sent by 
him to perform three herculean tasks, which if he accomplished he was to 
have the Shaman’s beautiful daughter to wife, but if he failed he was to 
be cast to a fierce and dreadful beast, which the Shaman kept in aden for 
the purpose of devouring the bodies of the young men who failed to 
accomplish his tasks. Next morning he related his dream to the old 
woman, who then told him the nature of his first task, adding that if 
he succeeded in accomplishing this he would receive help and advice 
from another source with regard to the others. ‘You will have to clear 
a large tract of forest land in a given time; and so dense is the forest, 
and the time allowed to do the work so short, that you cannot possibly do 
it of yourself ; but if you will be careful to follow my instructions you 
will be enabled to perform the task within the allotted time and outwit the 
Shaman. When he takes you to the field and asks if you will undertake 
the work, answer boldly, ‘Yes, if you will supply me with a suitable 
tool.’ He will at once consent to do this ; then ask to see his mattocks. 
When they are placed before you laugh at him, and ask if he thinks you 
can use such children’s tools as those. He will be surprised, and ask you 
what kind of tools you want. Request him then to have a mattock made 
for you that will take the strength of twenty men to lift. He will be 
astonished, but will do as you request.’ ‘But,’ interrupted the youth, 
‘what shall I do with such an unwieldy instrument as that? I am not 
stronger than twenty men.’ ‘Be patient and listen,’ replied the old 
woman. ‘The root I gave you last night is a “magic” root. Eat a 
morsel of it now and test it.’ The youth bit off a mouthful, and before 
he had finished chewing it he felt a strange power enter his body, and 
with it a desire to exercise his strength. ‘Take up this log,’ said the 
old woman, ‘and swing it round your head.’ The youth obeyed, and took 
up a log that required the strength of a dozen ordinary men to lift, and 
swung it round his head as if it had been a spear-haft. ‘Now,’ said the 
old woman, when he had cast the log to one side, ‘you need not fear the 
weight of your heavy mattock ; only if you desire the root to be effective 
you must give good heed to my instructions. You will be tempted to 
partake of the food from the Shaman’s table before you set out to perform 
your task. This you must on no account do. Turn your back upon his 
breakfast and satisfy your appetite with the root I gave you. Eat it on 
an empty stomach and have confidence in its virtue, and you will 
successfully accomplish your labours.’ The youth thanked the old woman 
for her good advice and the root, and, bidding her good day, continued on 
his way. On the following day he came to the residence of the great 
Shaman. As he approached the house the younger daughter of the 
Shaman saw him coming, and perceiving him to be a goodly, well-favoured 
youth, her heart went out to him, and she was moved with pity, knowing 
the evil that awaited him at her father’s hands. When he arrived at the 
