Nanahboozhoo, however, easily thwarted their evil schemes, but at
length some of them were so bad that his anger was aroused and he exerted
all his magic power.
"'Moose you are by name,' he said to them, 'and for your bad deeds I change
you into the animals after whom you are named. Hereafter you will live in
the swamps, among the willows and young birch. On them you will have to
browse for a living. For a little variety in your food you may, in the
summer time, go out into the shallow waters and paw up and eat the great
roots of the water-lilies.'
"Thus the Elks again had peace and quietness. Gambling was never again
allowed among them, and Nanahboozhoo, after receiving their grateful
thanks, returned to his own country."
"What did he do after that?" asked Sagastao.
"Not much, for a while; but after a time he decided to go away up North.
Each fall, however, he comes and looks around to see how everything is
going on. Then he rests on some of the mountains and has a big smoke, which
settles down on the hillsides and valleys and makes the beautiful hazy
time which we all call the Indian Summer."
"Well," said Minnehaha, "if the smoke of Nanahboozhoo's big pipe of peace
makes the beautiful haze of the lovely Indian Summer, it is about the best
thing I have heard yet of tobacco smoke doing."
And so say we all.
GLOSSARY
* * * * *
Ana-mak-qui, _Evil spirits or magicians_.
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