VI. Kuloskap and the Ice-Giants.
It was at Saco, Maine, there lives a man with his two sons and a daughter. All are great wizards; all are Kiwa‛kws (Ice-Giants) who eat people, men, women and children. Everything they do is wickedness, horrible deeds, and in the world (people are) tired of them and their evil acts.
Once, when they were young, Kuloskap was a friend to them; he makes their father his father, their brothers his brethren, their sisters his sisters. As they grow older, he learns of their evil deeds. Kuloskap says: "Now I shall go, I shall seek the truth; if this is true, I shall go do it? They must die. Not one will I spare who eats people. It makes no difference who it may be."
This family lived at Saco on the sandy field in the bed of the river of Saco at Elnowebit, or Ogyagwch, between Kearsarge and the big rock where the water-fairies live.
This old man, the father of the wizards and the father adopted by him (Kuloskap), was one-eyed and half gray. Then Kuloskap made himself like these two(?) (= like him). One cannot distinguish which is which (lit. who is the same). He enters the wigwam and he sits down by the old man.
These brothers who kill hear someone talking; slyly they look in; they see a newcomer so like their father, that no one can know that it is not the same; they say: "A great wizard this, but he must be tried or he goes."
Their sister takes a whale's tail; she cooks it for the stranger. She puts it on birchbark new peeled. One of the brothers enters; he takes it; this one says: "You are eating too well." He removes it to his house. Kuloskap says: "What was given to me, that is mine. So then I shall take it back. But he only sits still; he wishes it to return. Back it comes on the new peeled birchbark to where it was before.
W'titm'nya wut kak: "k'tci m'teaulin, kenok-lo tcewi-ekwetcila kesena madcehe." Kisi-pilit w'p'tciptonya k'tci wuskenis, putupewi w't-apekîk'n. K'tci wuskidcinwit w't-ekwetci-tumakan etut s'nit tekui w'petin'l, te‛po kekeskw w'taketon. W'milan Kuloskapyil; ansa w't'li-tumakan, te‛po w'tcitcin'l ewekedcil; tahalo-tep wut'mak'natekw.
Aptc wesiwestoltidcik itmuk: "k'matc wut k'tci m'teaulin, kenok-lo tcewitc ekwetcila." Nit w'p'tciptowanya k'tci t'makn'l eli-p'sunpit mel-kiknewik w't'mawei. Katama tan te‛po el-iyit ski‛tap skat m'teau-lin'wikw katama w'kisi-w't'mekhawiyil. Nit wiunenan; m'si-te wen w'tume; wesiwestoltidcik esalawult'wuk. Kuloskape-lo pusnelal; m'si-te okyakw'siye-te w't'maweyau.
W'titm'nya: "k'matc wut k'tci m'teaulin, kenok-lo metc-tetc ekwetcila." Metcte w'k'timawe-wutumhutinyal. Wikwam peskelo-te-li; ketethat'mok peskelosanya peskwun-te. Eli-p'kedasawet tahalo-tep stekke tesakwi epit wutcuk. Nek'ma-lo katama akwam'k w'kesi-kisi-kapwitmowunya. Itmo‛tit yut kak: "katama teplokewakniu; nadci-epuskumhotine."
Et'li epuskumhoti'tits pemi-Sakdiamkiak eli-p't'keyik sipok. Natci-epuskumhoti‛tit; Kuloskape wut-li m'skowal epuskhumak'w'l tcibinakw't wuskiyatep p'mau‛sowi, el-apitesesuk kwihiu wuk'nik. Teketc-up aptc k'tuk w'ski‛tap naka w'puk'lu-kon w'temtemakon-tep w'sit.
Kuloskape etudci-siktelmit w't-itm'n: "k't-el-nit-eli-kes-elayew'ltyuk. Wulîk'n, kenok-lo m'si-te ulayew'ltine kilon-te k't-epushumak'nen'wuk." Etutci peskem'l k'sitlekwi epusik sepayiu sipok; w'tumakan pesket-kwun; w't'li-kwulpeton wuskiyatep akwami tcibinakw't katik k'tuk. M'teaulin'wuk madcephohot'wuk tahalo-tep apikw'sîk'n madcepaulat ma‛tekweso; ansa-te w'li-piyem-hantowiktowak.
Nit Kuloskape w'tumum-ki-t'kem'n. Nsamakwan pitpe-sakhiak-kaneso; wedciyak pemtenyiket; m'site k'tak'mikw kintakw't al-takw'sol-ti'tit. Nit Kuloskape etutci-t'lintakw w't'lintowâk'n m'site wenihi w'kisi-kwulpela. Nikt wesiwestoltidcik naka w'mitâkw'sowal nemes-wi awultok; matcyelokoltinya eli-pitpek samakwan; w'skitapyik al-te elkilol-towuk. Malem-te sopekok et'li-temek. Nitetc et'liyawi‛tit as-kemiu. Pest'mokati ak'notmak'n; nikt nestowodcik sak'maskwesisuk nemes-wiā wuletwuk; wesweyik naka w't'mak'nowa wikomanya. Elmi-pekete-sauhutok pi‛tceseknadcik. Nitc metc-te-ke eli-nimiyat w'tem-hot'wuk.
They say: "This indeed is a great wizard, but he must be tried or he goes." After they eat, they fetch in a great bone, a whale's jaw. The oldest Indian tries to break it with both his hands, but it bends only a little. He gives it to Kuloskap; he really breaks it; he uses only his thumb; like a pipe-stem it snaps.
Again the brothers say: "He is a very great wizard, but he must be tried." Then they fetch a great pipe filled with strong tobacco. No one who is not a wizard can smoke it. This they pass around; everyone smokes; the brothers swallow the smoke. Kuloskap fills it full; he burns out all the tobacco (with a single puff).
They say: "He is a very great wizard, but once (more) he must be tried." They all try to smoke with him still. The wigwam is closed; they hope to smother him with smoke. He puffs away, as if he were sitting on top of a mountain. They cannot bear it any longer. They say: "This is not worth while; let us play ball."
Where they played is near Saco where it bends in the river. They begin to play ball; Kuloskap finds that the ball is a hideous skull alive, which snaps near his heels. If he were another man and it bit him, it would cut off his foot.
Kuloskape then laughs (and) says: "You then are playing such a game; it is well, but let us all play with our own balls." So he goes to where a tree stands near the river; he breaks off a bough; he turns it into a skull more hideous than the other. The wizards run away from it, as when a lynx chases rabbits; they are really completely beaten.
Then Kuloskap stamps on the ground. The water foaming, rushed down; it comes from the mountains; all the earth rings with the roar. Then Kuloskap sings a song such as can change the form of everyone. These brothers and their father become fish; they rush off together where the water foams; they are as long as men. Then (they go) to the sea where it is deep. There they dwell forever. Passamaquoddy story; the three (in the above story) were chief's daughters; they become fish; they turn and take their pipes. They swim away smoking, getting farther and farther away. There yet, as they see them, they are smoking.