14 
namuya niha-klh-itwan, ayisk usdm ninisiwandtsihisundn. kih-kita^ 
hamowdw aylsiyiniw dkd kit-ay amihdt ; dwakuh uhtsi kdh-itwdydn. 
“ ndhiyaw kdy-isiylhkdsut pikuh kdy-itak : dkdyah ayamikdhkan ! 
namuya kiya kd-miyitdn. ntawdsimisah uhtsitaw nimiydw wdpiski-wiydSf 
kita-kakwdtakihutf wiya d-klh-nipahdt ntawdsimisah , ” klk-itwdw dsah 
manitow. 
dkuykikuhk dyakdw pdyak plkiskwdwin. 
Once upon a time, long ago — I am now telling a sacred story — once 
upon a time, of old, a certain man dwelt in a lone lodge with his wife and 
his two children. Then presently, whenever he went away, his wife put 
on her finery. He did not know why his wife put on her finery. So then 
at one time he merely pretended to go away to hunt; he hid himself, 
thinking of her, “Let me see what she will do." And then he saw her 
beating a tree, and a serpent came out, and he saw that his wife had it 
for a lover, at once he was very angry. When his wife struck the tree, 
she said, “My husband, now I have come!" He was very angry. He was 
jealous; for the serpent was loved more than he. Those of whom I mean to 
tell the sacred story were Wisahketchahk’s mother and father. So now 
that man was very angry; he could not sleep. 
He said to his wife: “I am going far away to hunt." 
He really went very far away to hunt. He stayed over one night. 
“Why did you stay out over night?" his wife asked him. 
“I have been far off to hunt," he told her; “But you, you are to 
fetch the meat," he told his wife. 
“Very well,” said she. 
As soon as his wife had gone, he took her skirt and put it on. He went 
to where that serpent was inside the tree. 
“My husband, I have come!" he said to the serpent. 
Really, it came out. He cut through its neck with a knife; he took 
the serpent home; he made broth. Then he hid his children. 
One must keep in mind that before the earth existed they had many 
kinds of power. He plunged his two children into the ground. And that 
woman, too, had great power for all things, and could talk even to every 
kind of thing and accordingly receive answer from it. And then the man 
forbade every object that was in their dwelling to tell her anything. 
Then his wife arrived. He gave her the serpent to eat w^hich he had 
cooked into broth. 
“Oh, what is this," asked the woman, “which tastes so good?" 
“The blood of your husband, the serpent; from it I have made this 
for you," he told her. 
The woman was angry. 
“It is not true, is it, that you have done even this?” she asked him. 
She went to where she was in the habit of visiting the serpent. Then 
she struck the tree. The serpent did not come out. She was very angry, 
as she came back, loudly bewailing it. When she entered the dwelling, 
her husband cut off her head. Then he rose into the air, to flee. 
