A man of large stature and great activity of mind and body found
himself standing alone on a prairie. He thought to himself--
"How came I here? Are there no beings on this earth but myself? I must
travel and see. I must walk till I find the abodes of men."
So as soon as his mind was made up he set out, he knew not whither, in
search of habitations. No obstacles diverted him from his purpose.
Prairies, rivers, woods, and storms did not daunt his courage or turn
him back. After travelling a long time he came to a wood in which he
saw decayed stumps of trees, as if they had been cut in ancient times,
but he found no other traces of men. Pursuing his journey he found
more recent marks of the same kind, and later on he came to fresh
traces of human beings, first their footsteps, and then the wood they
had cut lying in heaps.
Continuing on he emerged towards dusk from the forest, and beheld at a
distance a large village of high lodges, standing on rising ground. He
said to himself--
"I will arrive there at a run."
Off he started with all his speed, and on coming to the first lodge he
jumped over it. Those within saw something pass over the top, and then
they heard a thump on the ground.
"What is that?" they all said.
One came out to see, and, finding a stranger, invited him in. He found
himself in the presence of an old chief and several men who were
seated in the lodge. Meat was set before him, after which the chief
asked him where he was going and what his name was. He answered he was
in search of adventures, and that his name was Pauppukkeewis
(grasshopper). The eyes of all were fixed upon him.
"Pauppukkeewis!" said one to another, and the laugh went round.
Pauppukkeewis made but a short stay in the village. He was not easy
there. The place gave him no opportunity to display his powers.
"I will be off," he said, and taking with him a young man who had
formed a strong attachment for him and who might serve him as a
mesh-in-au-wa (official who bears the pipe), he set out once more on
his travels. The two travelled together, and when the young man was
fatigued with walking Pauppukkeewis would show him a few tricks, such
as leaping over trees, and turning round on one leg till he made the
dust fly in a cloud around him. In this manner he very much amused his
companion, though at times his performance somewhat alarmed him.
One day they came to a large village, where they were well received.
The people told them that there were a number of manitoes who lived
some distance away and who killed all who came to their lodge.
The people had made many attempts to extirpate these manitoes, but the
war parties that went out for this purpose were always unsuccessful.
"I will go and see them," said Pauppukkeewis.
The chief of the village warned him of the danger he would run, but
finding him resolved, said--
"Well, if you will go, since you are my guest, I will send twenty
warriors with you."
Pauppukkeewis thanked him for this. Twenty young men offered
themselves for the expedition. They went forward, and in a short time
descried the lodge of the manitoes. Pauppukkeewis placed his friend
and the warriors near him so that they might see all that passed, and
then he went alone into the lodge. When he entered he found five
horrible-looking manitoes eating. These were the father and four sons.
Their appearance was hideous. Their eyes were set low in their heads
as if the manitoes were half starved. They offered Pauppukkeewis part
of their meat, but he refused it.
"What have you come for?" asked the old one.
"Nothing," answered Pauppukkeewis.
At this they all stared at him.
"Do you not wish to wrestle?" they all asked.
"Yes," replied he.
A hideous smile passed over their faces.
"You go," said the others to their eldest brother.
Pauppukkeewis and his antagonist were soon clinched in each other's
arms. He knew the manitoes' object,--they wanted his flesh,--but he
was prepared for them.
"Haw, haw!" they cried, and the dust and dry leaves flew about the
wrestlers as if driven by a strong wind.
The manito was strong, but Pauppukkeewis soon found he could master
him. He tripped him up, and threw him with a giant's force head
foremost on a stone, and he fell insensible.
The brothers stepped up in quick succession, but Pauppukkeewis put his
tricks in full play, and soon all the four lay bleeding on the ground.
The old manito got frightened, and ran for his life. Pauppukkeewis
pursued him for sport. Sometimes he was before him, sometimes over his
head. Now he would give him a kick, now a push, now a trip, till the
manito was quite exhausted. Meanwhile Pauppukkeewis's friend and the
warriors came up, crying--
"Ha, ha, a! Ha, ha, a! Pauppukkeewis is driving him before him."
At length Pauppukkeewis threw the manito to the ground with such force
that he lay senseless, and the warriors, carrying him off, laid him
with the bodies of his sons, and set fire to the whole, consuming them
to ashes.
Around the lodge Pauppukkeewis and his friends saw a large number of
bones, the remains of the warriors whom the manitoes had slain. Taking
three arrows, Pauppukkeewis called upon the Great Spirit, and then,
shooting an arrow in the air, he cried--
"You, who are lying down, rise up, or you will be hit."
The bones at these words all collected in one place. Again
Pauppukkeewis shot another arrow into the air, crying--
"You, who are lying down, rise up, or you will be hit," and each bone
drew towards its fellow.