132 THE CREATION AND DELUGE. 



and power over them as well as over the Indians, 

 who pray to him to protect them and keep 

 them alive. Sir Alexander Mackenzie, in 

 speaking of the Chepewyan or Northern In- 

 dians, who traverse an immense track of country, 

 to the north of the Athabasca lake, says, that 

 the notions which these people entertain of the 

 creation are of a singular nature. They believe 

 that the globe was at first one vast and entire 

 ocean, inhabited by no living creature except a 

 mighty bird, whose eyes were fire, whose 

 glances were lightning, and the clapping of 

 whose wings was thunder. On his descending 

 to the ocean, and touching it, the earth in- 

 stantly arose, and remained on the surface of 

 the waters. They have also a tradition amongst 

 them, that they originally came from another 

 country, inhabited by very wicked people, and 

 had traversed a great lake, where they suffered 

 much misery, it being always winter, with ice 

 and deep snow. At the Copper-Mine River, 

 where they made the first land, the ground was 

 covered with copper. They believe also that in 

 ancient times their ancestors lived till their feet 

 were worn out with walking, and their throats 

 with eating. They describe a deluge, when 

 the waters spread over the whole earth, except 

 the highest mountains, on the tops of which 



