x A LITTLE BROTHER OF THE BEAR 283 
straits for a meal, since no crayfish would venture 
near shore. At length he bethought him of an 
expedient to decoy his enemy. Knowing that the 
crayfish feed on worms, he procured a quantity of 
old rotten wood (filled with worms), and stuffing it 
into his mouth and ears, and powdering it over his 
body, he lay down by the water’s edge, to induce 
the belief that he was dead. An old crayfish came 
warily out of the water, and crawled around and over 
the body of his enemy; then called to his fellows : 
“Assibun is dead,~-come up and eat him!” 
When a multitude had gathered the raccoon 
sprang up and devoured the whole crowd. While 
he was still busy with the fragments of his feast, 
a little female crayfish, carrying her infant sister 
on her back, came up, seeking her relatives. Dis- 
covering what had happened, she went boldly up 
to the monster, and said: 
“Here, Assibun, you behold me and my little 
sister. Weare all alone. You have eaten up our 
parents and all our friends, — eat us, too.” 
Then she sang a long death-chant, the end of 
which was in this strain : 
“ Once my people, lodge and band, 
Stretched their numbers through the land; 
Roving brooks and limpid streams, 
By the moon’s benignant beams. 
First in revel, dance, and play, 
Now, alas! ah! where are they? 
Clutch us, monster, — eat us soon 
Assibun, amoon.” 
