Alaskan and Mackenzie Delta Traditions 45 A 



look for food ashore, she said, but in reality she hid behind a mound and watched. 

 All day the wolf sat there, patiently waiting. Now the sun was low in the west; 

 with a quick jerk he pulled up his hooks — -there was nothing on them. He was 

 boiling over with rage. "That fox hasbeen fooling me," he said. "I'll follow 

 her and eat her." He tried to stand up, but his tail was frozen to the ice. He 

 tugged and tugged, and at last with a desperate wrench he broke loose, but he 

 left his tail behind. He looked for the fox's trail and followed her over the 

 tundra, mad with pain and anger, and with blood pouring from the roots of his" 

 tail. The fox fled and hid in a hole in a bank. After a time the wolf approached. 

 "Come out," he said, "I'm going to eat you." "What's the matter," said the fox, 

 peering out with her head on one side and with one eye closed; "I never saw 

 you before. What do you want?" "You fooled me today down on the ice and 

 made me lose my tail. Now I'm going to eat you." "I don't know anything 

 about it," replied the fox, emerging from her hole; "You see that fox away 

 over there; that must be the one. I heard some steps a litcle while ago outside 

 my hole." "Thank you," said the wolf, "I'll soon catch her;" and he seit off 

 again, the fox watching him. Soon he stumbled and fell, and a few moments 

 afterwards lay dead, for he had drained all the blood in his body. The fox 

 sprang up and danced around, exclaiming, "How clever I am." That winter 

 she lived on the carcase of the wolf, and when it was finished she piled the bones 

 into a heap and went away. 



Summer came round and the fox again wandered about in search of food. 

 One day she saw an enormous black bear, bigger than any she had ever seen. 

 She was in a bad temper and called to the fox, "Do you know anything about 

 my son?" "No," said the fox, "I don't know anything about him." "He left 

 home last summer," said the bear, "To go and look for caribou, and he never 

 came back. I have found his bones on the hill-side." "I don't know anything 

 about it," answered the fox; "I never saw him. Come and show me where the 

 bones are." So the two went along together and came to the place where the 

 fox had killed the bear and piled the bones together. Here the mother began 

 to weep. The fox was very sympathetic, but said at last. "Well, weeping won't 

 mend matters. I think I know who killed him. You wait here a little while." 

 So the fox went away and cUmbed a low ridge; looking down on the other side, 

 she saw a great brown bear. Then she ran back quickly to the black bear and 

 said, "There's a big brown bear over there. I think he killed your son. Go and 

 fight him. He is very big and strong, but I'll help you." So the black bear 

 went to fight the brown bear. Both were very strong and the fight lasted a long 

 time. The fox jumped around pretending to take part in it, but cunningly did 

 nothing save get herself covered all over with blood. At last the black bear 

 was victorious, and her adversary lay dead on the ground. Then she turned to 

 the fox and said, "Thank you, my son.i You have been very kind. You shall 

 have all this meat as a reward. I am very tired myself and don't want any of 

 it; you can have it all." She turned to go away but fell dead also. The fox 

 danced triumphantly and ate them both. 



17. The Mice 

 (Told by Jennie Thomsen) 



The great mouse qidyaiyud received an invitation from the small species 

 uyjunaq to go and celebrate a dance together. But when qidyaiyud stood up 

 to dance uyjunaq sang: 



qidyaiyud aya qutai iUynihymn aya hai 

 "qidyaiyud his teeth are black." 



1 The bear called the fax "son" because it was very grateful to it for the help it had apparently given, such help 

 as might be expected from a son — so, at least, the narrator thought. 



Cf. Joohelson, pp. 37, 376; Journal of American Folk-Lore, Vol. XXVIII, p. 256. 



72753—4 



