A little while they sit there; then dawn comes; men of the different
families (clans) pass them; to all these they urgently call: "help us."
It happened that these star husbands had made a moss bed on top of the
hemlock. Now who of all the animals in the forest should pass by (step
along) or of men who dwell in the clearings, who should be first passing
but Tiyum (Moose), the first!
"O my elder brother, release us (or: let us down)." He looks up: "I have
already been married this autumn." This he says to them. Again another
passes them, the fierce bear: then once more what they had implored they
repeat; if only he can quietly get them down, they will marry him. Bear
only growlingly replies: "I was married this spring; one wife, that is
enough for him who is a man." This then he says to them.
Then again someone passes, even Marten whom they had deserted; joyfully
they call to him; they beg him that they may return home with him. He
lies to them, as if they were strangers; he replies to them: "Really, I
was married last spring." Afterwards he goes his way. So he departs; he
leaves the water-sprites alone.
* * * * *
And finally, Lox passes along, whom they call the Indian Devil, more
cunning than any other beasts in the woods; he is more terrible than
all, as many as there are. Then, when they beg him for help, he
considers how he may torment them and tease them, but these with whom he
is dealing are not more (=less!) resourceful than himself, because they
depart(ed) from the earth, they go (went) to the heavens; they chang(ed)
their husbands; these watersprites even more thoroughly understand (what
they are about than Lox).
The elder woman is thinking out plans, how she may well do what she
wished. So then, she loosens her hair-string and entangles it in the
twigs tying it in knots, so that Lox will take a very long time to
loosen it. Lox brought down the eldest one very politely to the ground;
then again he fetches the other one; this one he helps down; she thanks
Lox, but she begs him to fetch from the trees her hair-string which she
leaves (left) up in the tree. She says: "be sure not to break it or
injure it in any way; you have only to loosen thoroughly (well) every
knot."
* * * * *