The Great Being, who governs the world, having finished his work, and
cheated every thing which is found upon the land, in the air, or in
the water, called to him the red man, and his younger brother, the
white man, and said to them, "Children, come hither." So saying, he
carried them to a great pen or fold, upon one side of which stood a
large coop, and on the other a big pond of water. In the pen or fold
were a vast many animals, all four-legged, the deer, the bison, the
horse, the cow, the panther, the musk-ox, the antelope, the goat, and
the dog, with many more, such as the beaver, the otter, the mink, and
the musk-rat, which lay with their tails in the pond and their heads
in the pen; and others, such as the tortoise and the alligator, whose
snouts preferred water, while their tails stuck to the land. In the
coop were a vast many birds and fowls, some of beautiful and varied
plumage, while others were robed in dirty and dingy feathers; some
were very tender, and good to eat, and some were tough, and but
so-so. I need not particularise the fishes, for my brother knows well
enough what they are. When the young men had spent a long time in
examining the animals, and birds, and fishes, admiring and praising
them, as who would not that has never before seen them, the Great
Creator addressed them thus:
"My sons, I have created many creatures, and breathed into them the
breath of life; I have made the forests resound with the cry of bears,
and panthers, and bisons; I have caused the air to be so thickly
inhabited, that you can scarcely move without having your cheeks
fanned by the breath of the wings of my birds; I have made the rivers
populous with finny people. These--all things--I have created, are for
your use, and to you two I give them, equally and alike." So saying,
he began to divide the animals, and birds, and beasts, between them.
To the red son, whom he loved best, because he was strong and feared
nothing, he gave the beasts which partook of his own cunning and
courage--the bear, the dog, the panther, the fox, and the beaver, to
which he added for food, the deer, the elk, and the bison; to the
pale-faced son he gave the horse to carry him, because his legs were
weak, the cow, the hog, the sheep, and the cat. The white son took, of
the feathered tribes, the fowl which crows at the glimmering of
light, the duck and the goose, which love to dabble in mud, and the
turkey, which sings a song that is none of the best; and the red man
took the eagle, the owl, and all the rest of the birds. The fishes
were not divided, because they could not be kept apart, but the sons
agreed that the better marksman, the Indian, should prey upon those
which called for a true aim with the spear, while the pale face should
angle for those which required less skill, and were caught with less
trouble.
When the division had taken place, as far as it was ever to take
place, the white son took his gifts, and carried them carefully to a
pleasant and clean field, where there was a bright sun, much water
close at hand, and plenty of sweet and juicy grass. He then commenced
the task of making his animals tame and tractable. He put pieces of
trees across their necks, fastening them together by two and two, the
cow and the horse, the hog and the sheep, the cat and the dog; but the
hog pulled back so hard, and was so contrary, and the cat and the dog
quarrelled so much and fought so furiously, that he unyoked the two
last pair, and never attempted to make them work together again. With
the horse and cow, however, which he found exceeding tractable, he
succeeded in turning up the earth, for the planting of his corn, and
his beans, and his pumpkins. He also made the cow serviceable, by
obtaining a delicious drink from her udder, and he made the horse
further valuable and useful by fixing a string to his mouth, and by
throwing a bear-skin over his back, when, mounting him, he made him
carry him whithersoever he would. The sheep gave him a soft down
whereof he made his robes, and the blankets he sells to the Indians;
the hog furnished him with meat; the dog helped him in many ways; but
I know not to what use he put the cat. So the white son of the Great
Spirit brought all his animals to be tame and useful, either making
them afford him milk and meat, or help him to prepare the ground for
the seeds he was commanded to plant therein.
My brother demands what did the red man with the gifts which were
appointed to him. I will tell him. He looked on them very curiously
for a minute, then wrapped them up loosely in his blanket, and laid
them aside, intending to do with them the next day as his white
brother had done with his. Just then the remembrance of something came
across his mind, which led him astray from his purpose, and he thought
no more of the blanket or the creatures which it contained, until many
moons had passed away. When the remembrance of the imprisoned animals
returned to his mind, he repaired to the spot where he had deposited
them--nothing remained but the blanket. He immediately commenced a
search for them, and found the pleasure and excitement so great and
exhilarating, that ever since he has adopted this mode of obtaining
his meat, instead of the method of raising tame animals followed by
the foolish white men. It is still his favourite pursuit, and he no
longer regrets his want of care, or wishes to repair his error. While
the white man is doomed to hear the cackling of geese and the grunting
of hogs, the lowing of kine and the bleating of sheep, and to watch
over all and to tend all with the care and nursing which a mother
bestows upon her helpless child, the red man with his arrows slung to
his shoulder, and his mocassins tight-laced to his legs, escapes to
the howl of the panther, and finds joy in the cry of the wolf. Over
mountain, and through forest, goes the happy Indian, free as the air,
while the white man is chained to his dull and spiritless pursuits,
and fettered by his endless cares. The Great Being, doubtless,
intended the Indian good when he made the apportionment of the
creatures, but the Indian has never found fault with the incident
which released him from the care of them, and gave him the pleasant
occupation of hunting in lieu thereof.