His grandmother made
him four sticks, and with these he used to beat time when singing his queer
songs. Some of them were very queer, and ended up with 'He! he! ho! ho! ha!
ha! hi! hi!' Others were in reference to some special benefits he would
confer on his uncles. In one of them, referring to his going to steal the
fire for them, he sings:
"'Help to my uncles I'm bringing,
Their sorrows I'll change into singing.
From their enemies the fire I'll steal,
That its warmth the children may feel.
"'Disguised will be Nanahboozhoo,
That his work may the better be done;
But his jolly deeds ever will tell who
Has been sporting around in his fun.'
"At first he was a jolly fellow, full of fun, and did lots of good things
for his uncles. He showed them the plants and roots good for food, and
taught them the arts of surgery and medicine, but as the years went by he
did some things that caused him to be feared very much. His uncles always
went to him when they got into trouble, but whether he would help them or
not depended much on the humor he was in when they came.
[Illustration: The beautiful reflections in the water.]
"After he had lived for years in the first wigwam which he had built, and
taught the people of the earth many things, his father, the West Wind, held
a council with the North Wind and the South Wind and the East Wind, and
as Nanahboozhoo was never married, and was living such a lonely life, they
determined to restore to life, and give to reside with him, his twin
brother who had died at his birth.
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