"
"Tell us one of the stories," urged little Minnehaha.
The arrival of some other canoes at this point interrupted the
conversation. The newcomers were on their way to the wigwam of Souwanas,
who was their chief. He was about to go on with them, but when he saw the
look of disappointment on the faces of the children he, with his usual
thoughtful kindness, transferred the two beavers and the muskrats from his
own canoe to one of the late arrivals. Then telling the people to give them
to his wife, to have them all cooked and ready for dinner, by which time he
would join them, he sent the people on their way. Having lighted his
calumet, with the children seated near him, he began:
"Nanahboozhoo's life commenced long before the great flood of waters that
covered the earth, about which all of our tribes have heard something. He
had his own wigwam and furnished it with everything he wanted. One day when
walking on the shore of a great river he saw some sea lions lying on the
sandy beach, basking in the sun. These animals, like the beaver, could live
as well in the water as on the land. As he closely watched them from a
distance, and saw the rich, shiny skins, he thought what a nice tobacco
pouch could be made out of one of them. When Nanahboozhoo once set his
heart on anything he at once began to work hard to secure it. He tried
various plans to capture one of these sea-lions, but none of them
succeeded. They were too clever to be caught as other animals are, and he
saw that he would have to adopt some unusual method.
Pages:
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165