46 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



they agreed to settle by running in opposite 

 directions round the lake, and whichever 

 arrived first at the starting point, was to 

 evince his superiority by some signal act 

 of power. The squirrel beat, ran up a tree, 

 and loudly demanded light, which instantly 

 beaming forth, discovered a bird dispelling 

 the gloom with its wings ; the bird was 

 afterwards recognised to be a crow. The 

 squirrel next broke a piece of bark from 

 the tree, endowed it with the power of 

 floating, and said, " Behold the material 

 which shall afford the future inhabitants of 

 the earth the means of traversing the wa- 

 ters." 



The Indians are not the first people who 

 have ascribed the origin of nautics to the 

 ingenuity of the squirrel. The Copper In- 

 dians consider the bear, otter, and other 

 animals of prey, or rather some kind of 

 spirits which assume the forms of these 

 creatures, as their constant enemies, and 

 the cause of every misfortune they endure ; 

 and in seasons of difficulty or sickness 

 they alternately deprecate or abuse them. 



