"
And seeing him and hearing this, fear came upon her; but she laughed
aloud to hide it, and said, "I did but chase him in sport, for I love
Sable." But Pogumk replied grimly, "I know thee and thy tricks, thou
the evil one." Then, as his magic had come to him, he used his power,
and put Pitcher with her back against a tree; and there she stayed,
stuck to it, unable to get away. But the chief and Sable went to the
camp. Now Pitcher had a hatchet and wedge, and with much ado she cut
herself away, and the Black Cats heard her pounding and chopping all
night long. And in the morning she came to them, and there was a great
piece of wood sticking to her back, and they laughed her to scorn, and
sang at her,--
"He who made the chief
Stay on a distant island,
He is stuck by the chief
Fast with his back to a tree."
Now Pitcher the Witch, being mad with shame and spite, fled from the
face of man, and ran through the woods like a wild wolf. And so she
came to Bar Harbor (Pes'sonkqu', P.), and sat down on a log, and said,
with her heart full of bitterness and malice, "I would that I could
become something which should torment all men." And as she said this
she became a mosquito (T'sis-o, P.), and so it came to pass that
mosquitoes were made. And to this day men see that wherever the Black
Cat is, there too is the Sable not far away.
Pages:
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70