jutted out like a shelf far over the beach, and behind it was a wall
of rock around which he could not climb. He had no means of making a
ladder, and his cries would not be heard upon the beach because of the
constant roaring of the surf. He thought he would surely starve to
death, and that night he cried himself to sleep. But in the night he
again saw his mother in his slumbers. And she said, "You are a foolish
boy. Why do you not use the thoughts I send you? To-morrow skin the
eagle and crawl inside the skin. If the wide wings can hold the Eagle
in the air they can likewise hold you. Drop off from the cliff and you
will land safely on the beach." The next day the boy did as the vision
of the night had told him. He carefully skinned the Great Eagle. Then
he crawled inside the skin and thrust his arms through the skin just
above the wings, so that his extended arms would hold the wings
straight out beneath them. Then he prepared to drop down. But when he
looked over the cliff, he was very frightened, for the sight made him
dizzy. On the beach, men looked like flies, they were so far away. But
he remembered the promise made to him in his slumbers. So he pushed
himself from the cliff and dropped down. The wings of Great Eagle let
him fall gently through the air and he landed safely and unhurt upon
the beach. He crawled out of the skin and set out for his home. It was
a long journey, for Great Eagle had carried him far away, but towards
evening he reached his home safely, and his mother received him with
great gladness.
The boy began to boast of his adventure, and he told how he had killed
Great Eagle and how he had dropped down unscathed from the cliff. He
spoke of himself with great pride and of his strength and his
shrewdness. But the old woman from the Land of the Little People, the
fairies of the hills, who was still present with his mother, said,
"Oh, vain boy, do not think so highly of yourself. Your strength is
nothing; your shrewdness is nothing. It was not these things that
saved you, but it was the strength of our thoughts. These alone endure
and succeed when all else fails. I have taught you the uselessness of
all material things, which in the end are but as ashes or as dust. Our
thoughts alone can help us in the end, for they alone are eternal."
And the boy listened and wondered at what the old woman from the Land
of Little People had said, but he boasted of his strength no more.
THE SONG-BIRD AND THE HEALING WATERS
Once when the snow lay very deep on the ground and the days were grey
with frost, there was great sorrow in an Indian village. A dreadful
plague had come upon the place and had carried away many of the
people. Neither old nor young were proof against its ravages, and the
weak and the strong fell helpless before its power. The people tried
every means to get rid of the plague, but they had no success. And
they prayed to all their good spirits to help them, but no help came.
In the tribe was a young warrior who had lost his parents and all his
brothers and sisters because of the dreaded disease. Now his young
wife fell sick, and he was in great sorrow, for he thought that she
would soon follow his parents into the Land of the Shadows. And so he
went about in great fear, not knowing when the end would come.
One day he met an old woman in the forest. "Why do you look so
sorrowful?" she asked him. "I am sad because my young wife is going to
die," he answered; "the plague will carry her off like the others."
But the old woman said, "There is something that will save your wife
from death. Far away in the East is a bird of sweet song which dwells
close to the Healing Waters. Go until you find it. It will point you
to the spring, the waters of which alone can heal." And the young man
said, "I must find the Healing Waters. Wherever they may be upon the
earth, I must find them." So he went home and said good-bye to his
friends, and set out eastward on his quest.
All the next day he searched eagerly for the Waters, listening always
for the bird of the sweet song. But he found nothing. The snow lay
deep in the forest and he moved along with difficulty. He met a rabbit
in his path and he said, "Tell me where I shall find the Healing
Spring?" But the rabbit scurried away over the snow and made no
answer. Then he asked a bear, but he met with the same rebuff. Thus
for many days and nights he wandered on, crossing rivers and climbing
steep hills, but always without success.
Then one day he emerged from the snow country and came to a land where
the airs were warmer and where little streams were flowing. Suddenly
he came upon the body of a dead man lying across his path. He stopped
and buried the body, for he thought that it was not right to leave it
lying bare upon the ground for the birds to peck at. That night as he
went along in the moonlight he met a Fox in his path. "Hello," said
the Fox. "What are you looking for so late at night in the forest?"
And he answered, "I am looking for the bird of the sweet song, who
will show me the way to the Healing Waters." And the Fox said, "I am
the spirit of the man you buried yesterday by the forest path, and in
return for your kindness to me I shall do a kindness to you. You have
always been good to the animals and the birds, and you have never
killed them needlessly, nor when you did not require them for clothing
or for food. And you have always been careful of the flowers and the
trees, and you have often protected them from harm. So now they want
to be good to you, and I am going to guide you. But first you must
rest, for you are tired from your long journey."
Then the young man lay down to sleep and the Fox stood guard beside
him. As he slept he dreamed. And in his dream he saw his wife pale and
thin and worn, and as he looked he heard her singing a song of
wonderful melody. Then he heard a waterfall rippling near him and it
said, "Seek me, O warrior, and when you find me your wife shall live,
for I am the Healing Waters." In the morning the Fox led him but a
short distance through the forest and on the branch of a tree he heard
a bird singing a song of wonderful melody, just as he had heard in his
dream of the night before. He knew now that this was the bird of the
sweet song of which the old woman in the forest had spoken. Then, as
he listened, he heard the sound of a waterfall rippling not far away.
He searched for it, but he could not find it. And Fox said, "You must
seek it; you must not despair; it will not come to you unless you
search." So he searched again, and soon he thought he heard a voice
speaking beneath his feet. "Release us," it called, "set us free and
your wife and your people shall be saved." He seized a sharp stick and
dug rapidly into the earth where he had heard the voice. He worked
eagerly and quickly, and he had not dug far when the spring gushed
forth and boiled upwards carrying to the world its healing power. And
the young man knew that at last he had found the cure for his ills. He
plunged into the spring and bathed himself in the water, and all his
weariness left him and he was strong again.
Then the young man moulded from the soft earth a large pot. He baked
it in the fire until it was quite hard. "Now," said the Fox spirit, "I
will leave you. Your kindness has been rewarded. You will need me no
more, for you have found the Healing Waters." And he disappeared as
mysteriously as he had come. The young man filled his clay pot with
the sparkling water and hastened back to his home, running through the
forest with the speed of the wind, because of his renewed strength.
[Illustration: THEN THE YOUNG MAN LAY DOWN TO SLEEP AND FOX STOOD
GUARD BESIDE HIM]
When he reached his native village, the people met him with sad faces,
for the plague was still raging and they told him that his young wife
was about to pass to the Land of the Shadows. But he hurried to his
home, and he forced some of the Healing Waters between his wife's
parched lips, and bathed her hands and her brow until she fell into a
deep slumber. He watched by her side until she awoke, and when sleep
left her she was well again. Then with his Healing Waters he cured all
the people in the village, and the cruel plague left them and there
was no more sickness in the land. And since that time no plague has
spread among his tribe. In this way the Mineral Springs, the places of
Healing Waters, came upon the earth, bearing health and happiness
wherever they rise, and accompanied always by the songs of birds.
THE BOY WHO OVERCAME THE GIANTS
Once long ago, before the white man came to Canada, an orphan boy was
living alone with his uncle. He was not very happy, for he had to work
very hard, and tasks more fitted for a man's shoulders than for a
boy's were often placed upon him. When his parents died and left him
without brother or sister, his uncle took him to his own home because
there was no one else to take care of him. But he treated him very
cruelly and often he wished to get rid of him. It mattered not how
well the boy did his work or how many fish and animals he caught, his
uncle was never satisfied, and often he beat the boy harshly and with
little cause. The boy would have run away but he did not know where to
go, and he feared to wander alone in the dark forest. So he decided to
endure his hardships as best he could.
Now it happened that in a distant village near the sea there lived a
Chief who was noted far and wide for his cruelty. He had a wicked
temper, and he was known to have put many people to death for no
reason whatsoever. More than all else, he hated boastfulness and he
had scanty patience with anyone who was vain of his own strength. He
pledged himself always to humble the proud and to debase the haughty.
The boy's uncle had heard of this wicked ruler, and he said, "Here is
a chance for me to get rid of the boy. I will tell lies about him to
the Chief."
It chanced just at this time that three giants came into the Chief's
territory. Where they came from, no man knew, but they dwelt in a
large cave near the sea, and they caused great havoc and destruction
in all the land. They ate up great stores of food, and all the little
children they could lay their hands on. The Chief used every means to
get rid of the giants, but without success. Night after night his best
warriors went to the cave by the ocean to seek out the giants, but not
a man returned. A piece of birch bark bearing a picture of a warrior
with an arrow in his heart, found the next day at the Chief's door,
always told him of the warrior's fate. And the giants continued their
cruel work, for no one could stop them.
Soon all the country was in great terror. The Chief wondered greatly
what was to be done. At last he thought, "I will give my daughter to
the man who can rid me of these pests." His daughter was his only
child and she was very beautiful, and he knew that many suitors would
now appear to seek her hand, for although the task was dangerous, the
prize was worth while. When the wicked uncle in the distant village
heard of it, he thought, "Now I can get rid of the boy, for I will
tell the Chief that the boy says he can kill the giants." So taking
his nephew with him he went to the Chief's house and begged to see
him. "Oh, Chief," he said, "I have a boy who boasts that before many
days have passed he can free your land from the giants." And the Chief
said, "Bring him to me." The man said, "Here he is." The Chief was
surprised when he saw the small boy, and he said, "You have promised
that you can rid my land of giants. Now we shall see if you can do it.
If you succeed you may have my daughter. If you fail, you will die. If
you escape from the giants, I will kill you myself. I hate vain
boasters, and they shall not live in my land."
The boy went and sat by the ocean, and cried as hard as he could. He
thought that he would surely die, for he was very small and he had no
means of killing the giants. But as he sat there an old woman came
along. She came quietly and quickly out of the grey mist of the sea.
And she said, "Why are you crying?" And the boy said, "I am crying
because I am forced to attack the giants in the cave, and if I cannot
kill them I shall surely die," and he cried louder than before. But
the old woman, who was the good fairy of the sea, said, "Take this bag
and this knife and these three little stones that I will give you, and
when you go to-night to the giants' cave, use them as I tell you and
all will be well." She gave him three small white stones and a small
knife, and a bag like the bladder of a bear, and she taught him their
use. Then she disappeared into the grey mist that hung low on the
ocean and the boy never saw her again.
The boy lay down on the sand and went to sleep. When he awoke, the
moon was shining, and far along the coast in the bright light he could
see an opening in the rocks which he knew was the entrance to the
giants' cave. Taking his bag and his knife and the three little
stones, he approached it cautiously with a trembling heart. When he
reached the mouth of the cave he could hear the giants snoring inside,
all making different noises, louder than the roar of the sea. Then he
remembered the old woman's instructions. He tied the bag inside his
coat so that the mouth of it was close to his chin. Then he took one
of the stones from his pocket. At once it grew to immense size, so
heavy that the boy could scarcely hold it. He threw it at the biggest
giant with great force, and it hit him squarely on the head. The giant
sat up staring wildly and rubbing his brow. He kicked his younger
brother, who was lying beside him, and said in great anger, "Why did
you strike me?" "I did not strike you," said his brother. "You struck
me on the head while I slept," said the giant, "and if you do it again
I will kill you." Then they went to sleep again.
When the boy heard them snoring loudly again, he took a second stone
from his pocket. At once it grew great in size and the boy hurled it
with great force at the biggest giant. Again the giant sat up staring
wildly and rubbing his head. But this time he did not speak. He
grasped his axe, which was lying beside him, and killed his brother
with a blow. Then he went to sleep again. When the boy heard him
snoring, he took the third stone from his pocket. At once it grew to
great size and weight, and he hurled it with all his force at the
giant. Again the giant sat up with great staring eyes, rubbing the
lump on his head. He was now in a great rage. "My brothers have
plotted to kill me," he yelled, and seizing his axe he killed his
remaining brother with a blow. Then he went to sleep, and the boy
slipped from the cave, first gathering up the three stones, which were
now of their usual small size.
The next morning when the giant went to get water from the stream, the
boy hid in the trees and began to cry loudly. The giant soon
discovered him and asked, "Why are you crying?" "I have lost my way,"
said the boy, "my parents have gone and left me. Please take me into
your service, for I would like to work for such a kind handsome man,
and I can do many things." The giant was flattered by what the boy
said, and although he liked to eat little children, he thought, "Now
that I am alone, I ought to have a companion, so I will spare the
boy's life and make him my servant." And he took the boy back to his
cave, and said, "Cook my dinner before I come home. Make some good
stew, for I shall be very hungry."
When the giant went into the forest the boy prepared the evening meal.
He cut up a great store of deer meat and put it in a large pot bigger
than a hogshead, and made a good meat stew. When the giant came home
in the evening he was very hungry, and he was well pleased to see the
big pot filled with his favourite food. He seated himself on one side
of the pot, and the boy seated himself on the other side, and they
dipped their spoons into the big dish. And the boy said, "We must eat
it all up so that I can clean the pot well and ready for the corn mush
we will have for breakfast." The stew was very hot, and to cool it
before he ate it the giant blew his breath on what he dipped out. But
the boy poured his own share into the bag under his coat, and said,
"Why can't you eat hot food--a big man like you? In my country men
never stop to cool their stew with their breath." Now the giant could
not see very well, for his eyesight was not very good, and the cave
was dark, and he did not notice the boy putting the stew in the bag so
quickly. He thought the boy was eating it. And he was shamed by the
boy's taunts because he was so much larger than the boy, so he ate up
the hot stew at once in great gulps and burned his throat badly. But
he was too proud to stop or to complain.
When they had eaten half the potful, the giant said, "I am full. I
think I have had enough." "No, indeed," said the boy, "you must show
that you like my cooking. In my country men eat much more than that,"
and he kept on eating. The giant was not to be outdone by a boy, so he
fell to eating again, and they did not stop until they had consumed
the whole potful of stew. But the boy had poured his share into the
bag and when they had finished he was swelled out to an immense size.
The giant could scarcely move, he had eaten so much, and he said, "I
have eaten too much; I feel very full, and I have a great pain in my
belly." And the boy said, "I do not feel very comfortable myself, but
I have a way to cure pains." So saying he took his little knife and
thrust it gently into the side of the bag and the stew oozed out and
he was soon back to his normal size. The giant wondered greatly at the
sight, but the boy said, "It is a way they have in my country after
they have had a great feast." "Does the knife not hurt?" asked the
giant. "No, indeed," said the boy, "it brings great relief." "My
throat is very sore," said the giant, for the hot stew had burned him.
"You will soon feel better," said the boy, "if you will do as I have
done." The giant hesitated to do this, but soon he felt so
uncomfortable that he could bear it no longer. He saw that the boy was
feeling quite well. So he took his long knife and plunged it into his
stomach. "Strike hard," said the boy, "or it will do you no good."
The giant plunged the knife into the hilt, and in an instant he fell
dead.
Then the boy took the stones and the bag and the knife which the Woman
of the Mist had given him and went and told the Chief what he had
done. The Chief sent his messengers to the cave to make sure that the
boy spoke the truth. Sure enough, they found the three giants lying
dead. When they told the Chief what they had seen, he said to the boy,
"You may have my daughter as your wife." But the boy said, "I do not
want your daughter. She is too old and fat. I want only traps to catch
fish and game." So the Chief gave the boy many good traps, and he went
into a far country to hunt game, and there he lived happily by
himself. And his wicked uncle never saw him again. But the land was
troubled no more by giants, because of the boy's great deeds.
THE YOUTH AND THE DOG-DANCE
Once long ago, when the Indians dwelt in the country in the
north-west, a youth went far away from his native village to catch
birds. His people lived near a lake where only small birds nested, and
as he wanted large and bright-coloured feathers for his arrows and his
bonnet he had to go far into the forest, where larger birds of
brilliant plumage lived. When he reached the Land of Many Feathers far
in the north country, he dug a pit on the top of a high hill. Then he
covered the pit with poles and over the poles he spread grass and
leaves so that the place looked like the earth around it. He put meat
and corn on the grass, and tied the food to the poles so that the
birds could not carry it away. Then he climbed down into the pit and
waited for the birds to come, when he could reach up and catch them by
the feet and kill them.
All day long and far into the night the youth waited for birds, but no
birds came. Towards morning he heard a distant sound like that of a
partridge drumming. But the sound did not come nearer. The next night,
as the youth watched and waited in the pit, he heard the same sound,
and he said, "I will see where the noise comes from and I will
discover the cause, for it is not a partridge, and it is very
strange." So he climbed out of the pit and went in the direction of
the sound. He walked along rapidly through the forest until he came at
dawn to the shore of a large lake. The drumming came from somewhere in
the lake, but as he stood listening to it, the sound suddenly stopped.
The next night the youth heard the drumming louder than before. Again
he went to the lake. The sound was again distinct as it rose from the
water, and when he looked he saw great numbers of birds and animals
swimming in the lake in the moonlight. But there was no explanation of
the strange sound. As he sat watching the animals and birds, he prayed
to his guardian spirit to tell him the cause of the drumming. Soon an
old man came along. He was old and bent and wrinkled, but his eyes
were kind. The youth gave him some tobacco and they sat down together
on the edge of the lake and watched the swimmers in the dim light, and
smoked their pipes.
"What are you doing here?" asked the old man. "I am trying to learn
the cause of the strange drumming," said the youth. "You do well
indeed to seek it," said the old man, "and to seek to know the cause
of all things. Only in that way will you be great and wise. But
remember there are some things the cause of which you can never find."
"Where have you come from?" said the boy. "Oh," said the man, "I
lived once upon a time like you in the Country of Fancy where great
Dreams dwell, and indeed I live there still, but your dreams are all
of the future while mine are of the past. But some day you too will
change and your thoughts will be like mine." "Tell me the cause of the
drumming," said the boy. And the old man said, "Take this wand that I
will give you and wave it before you go to sleep, and maybe you will
see strange things." Then he gave the boy a wand and disappeared into
the forest and the boy never saw him again. The boy waved the wand and
fell asleep on the sand as the old man had told him. When he awoke he
found himself in a large room in the midst of many people. Some of
them were dancing gracefully, and some sat around and talked. They
wore wonderful robes of skins and feathers, of many different colours.
The boy wished he could get such feathers for his own clothes and his
bonnet. But as he looked at the people he was suddenly aware that they
were none other than the animals and birds he had seen for two nights
swimming in the lake in the moonlight. They were now changed into
human form, through some strange and miraculous power. They were very
kind to the youth and treated him with great courtesy.
At last the dancing ceased and the talking stopped, and one who seemed
to be the Chief stood up at the end of the room and said, "Oh, young
stranger, the Great Spirit has heard your prayers, and because of
your magic wand we have been sent to you in these shapes. The
creatures you see here are the animals and birds of the world. I am
the Dog, whom the Great Spirit loves well. I have much power, and my
power I shall give to you, and I shall always protect you and guard
you. And even if you should treat me with cruelty I shall never be
unfaithful to you, nor shall I ever be unkind. But you must take this
Dance home with you and teach it to your people and they must
celebrate the Dance once a year." Then he taught the youth the secrets
of their Dance.
When the youth had learned the Dance, the Chief turned to his
companions and said, "My comrades and brothers, I have taught the
young stranger the secrets of the Dance. I have given him my own
power. Will you not have pity on a creature from earth and give him
some of the power of which you too are possessed?"
For a long time no one spoke, but at last Owl arose and said, "I too
will help him. I have power to see far in the darkness, and to hunt by
night. When he goes out at night I will be near him and he shall see a
great distance. I give him these feathers to fasten in his hair." And
the Owl gave him a bunch of feathers, which the youth tied to his
head.
Then Buffalo came forward and said, "I too will help him. I will give
him my endurance and my strength, and my power to trample my enemies
underfoot. And I give him this belt of tanned buffalo-hide to wear
when he goes to war." And he gave the youth a very wondrous belt to
fasten around his waist.
The animals and birds, one after the other, gave him gladly of their
power. Porcupine gave him quills with which to decorate his leather
belt and his bonnet, and he said, "I too will aid you, and when you
make war I will be near you. I can make my enemies as weak as
children, and they always flee when I approach, for they fear the
shooting of my quills. When you meet your foes you will always
overcome them, for I give you power as it was given to me."
And Bear said, "I will give you my toughness and my strength, and a
strip of fur for your leather belt and your coat. And when you are in
danger, I will not be far away."
Then Deer said, "I give you my swiftness so that you may be fleet of
foot. And when you pursue your enemies you will always overtake them,
and should you flee from them, you will always out-run them in the
race."
Then the birds spoke again, and Crane said, "I give you a bone from my
wing to make a war-whistle to frighten your enemies away or to summon
your people to your assistance when you need them. And I give you my
wings for your head-dress."
The giant Eagle then spoke and said, "Oh, youth, I will be with you
wherever you go, and I will give you my strength and my power in war.
And even as I do, you will always see your enemies from afar, and you
can always escape them if you so desire." And he gave him a large
bunch of wonderful eagle feathers to tie in his hair as a token of his
fidelity.
And finally, Wild-Cat said, "I give you my power to crawl stealthily
through the grass and the underbrush and to spring unexpectedly on
your foes and take them unawares. And I give you too my power of
hiding from my enemies." And he gave him strips of his fur to decorate
his clothing in token of his friendship.