"
All this happened as he foretold; for the young men indeed tried to
take his life, and to escape them Mikchich jumped over the lodge, so
that he seemed like a bird flying. But the third time he did this he
was caught on the top of the tent-poles, and hung there dangling in the
smoke which rose from below.
[Illustration: THE MUD TURTLE JUMPING OVER THE WIGWAM OF HIS
FATHER-IN-LAW.]
Then Glooskap, who was seated in the tent, said, "Uncle, I will now
make you the _sogmo_, or great chief of the Tortoises, and you
shall bear up a great nation." Then he smoked Mikchich [Footnote: In a
verbal Passamaquoddy narrative (John Gabriel), and in one given in
_The Maritime Provinces_, this was effected by Glooskap with
tobacco-smoke from his pipe. In Mr. Rand's manuscript it is the smoke
of the tent-fire. The Passamaquoddy narrations are invariably more
spirited and _humorous_ than the Micmac.] so long that his skin
became a hard shell, and the marks of the smoke may be seen thereon to
this day. And removing his entrails he destroyed them, so that but one
short one was left. And he cried aloud, "_Milooks_! (M.) My
nephew, you will kill me!" But the nephew replied, "Not so. I am giving
you great life. From this time you may roll through a flame and never
feel it, and live on land or in the water. And though your head be cut
off, it will live for nine days, and your heart, even, shall beat as
long when taken from your body.
Pages:
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77