XIII. The Raccoon.
One fine day in the morning, Lox went in the form of a raccoon, (for) he, going through the world, could go in many forms; here he walks; then as usual(?) he goes along. Then right ahead of him comes a big bear; he is very glad to see the raccoon. So he (the bear) makes up his mind to kill him, if only he can. First, to punish him for the way he behaves, secondly (because) he (the bear) is hungry and (wants to) eat him for breakfast.
The raccoon goes off; he crawls into a hollow tree. The bear begins to root it up; the raccoon knows that when the tree will tumble, then he will go too. Raccoon starts to sing, as if he cared nothing for the bear: "All the digging and pushing of this tree will not catch me; push in backwards, so that you may catch me and I shall die. This you cannot do since the hole is too small." When Bear hears this; he is glad, for he sees that he can easily dig it out. When he comes in backwards, the raccoon seizes his back; he holds him (there) until he dies.
Then Raccoon comes out; he makes mittens of the bear-skin. Once more he starts off; a little way he went; where a wigwam is with rising smoke he enters; a family of little black-cats is there; he greets them; he says: "O my children, comb me out; I will sell you these my bear-skin mittens." So the black-cats comb him out; they part his hair and they brush his tail. Then in a little while, he falls asleep, while they are brushing him. They are so hungry that they eat the raccoon's mittens; having scraped off the flesh, they cook them and eat them.
When Raccoon wakes up, he looks at them and screams out; he says: "Where are my bear-skin mittens?" They are frightened; they answer him: "We have cooked and eaten them." Then Raccoon attacks them; he leaves one, he chokes one; only the infant he misses; he (the baby) does not talk yet; Raccoon thinks he will not be able to tell.
Nit espuns wikwelan metcinelidcihi pokumkesis naka w'sakiulan el-keplasik wiutci-sakhiyat k'tci pokumk naka w'mektunyakw'han. Wedci-lithasit "wetckowi w'lit-hasoltidcik nidcanisuk;" nit wiwisatekwan; "etudci w'lithasusolti‛tit nimiyi‛tit." Petcia; katama-te-lo wen madce-siu. Nit w'pilwithasin; ke‛kw's waplesso. Kamatc neksa-kwulpithasa m'sakiyo. S'laki-te w'not'wal wik'wus'l; w'sakitkwihin el-malkasuk. Metc w'sami wasiswiu w'kisadcmin, kenok-lo kamatc nsutweyo. W'pakikatm'n mekses; w't'li-wikhosin eskwatonat naka wiuniu w'tonik: "haha," w'mitâkw's'l (sic!) it'mul: "ni-ta nk'tcitcya, tahalo-te eli-p'mau-sit; espuns nit." Ni-te-na w'madcephekwalan. Nanakiu (w')tel-mikwut Pokumk wiskilwehenakw'so sluyat pusket-kw'n (kesena: epusiyakwem) tahalop w'skidcin.
Espuns w't-elapman: "ah, katama kak epusiyakwem nkisi-nepakowun. Pakw'yaskwe yaka nepihit." Pokumk na w'k'tcitci‛ton eliat; w't-elian elmi-walskekekw; p'tcipton peskw'n'l ni tukmat espunsul tan-te etu-takek. Nit pusketesen; sipelipetwesen espuns wunyak'n'k naka kul-meso eli-puspek; tepet-lo w't'lithasin pokumk espuns nit wilitpan m'si-te w'natetemowanul. En yaka w'matcahan. Nit espuns w't'li-sanke-wusit teki Pokumk matcahat. Nek'm na w'matcahan.
K'tci m'teaulin kak nakikau; wakeses w'k't'kik-w'lalat. Nit elmiyat; petcosan eyolti‛tit k'tciyawiwuk epidcik et'liknatidcihi wa‛sis. W'tiyan: "k'matc menakadceyo eli-madceknekw wasisuk; nilun n'm'kinansnuk." Nikt wuli epidcik w'tiyanya: "tanuplo aptc tan nt'li-kisiknanen;" "nit-ta k'nestomolnia nilun elelo‛ket; pawatnuk w'nuksakinya, nkitcita-phan'wuk nsamakwan enkwetci t'pok; ipa peskw makoyikw; k'nestomolnia elelo‛ket k'ti-nuksaknut." W'milan peskwul. W'madcephan sipok; w'totem'n pekw'm naka w'piselan wasisul; wespasa‛kiwik w'nadciphan wedci-muskeladcil. Asekithasoltowuk to epidcik. Eli-aseki-kisetolit, nit m'siu-te kesi‛tit epidcik ponanya w'nidcaniswa sipok aptc welakwiyik. Ni-te na espuns wutci-wiwisa-matcahan w'k't'kik-lo-wasiskok. M'sī-te wapalkikw'dcoltukmetcinetuk.
Aptc k'tuk wikwam w'petciyan; etelelhetidcik epidcik w'lik'n ewe‛ke-tit metekninakwak t'litutit m'tekw'yil. W'tiyan: "kamatc menakdci-nakw't eli-litwekw yut'l; nilun n'm'tkinansnuk ntcikwamenenwul skwutewamkok; tceke milikw ewekemek; k'ti-kim'lnya;" w'milan peskw'n;
Then Raccoon takes the dead black-cats and sets them up in the road-way from where the big black-cat will pass and they are seen by her. She thinks: "at my coming the children are joyful;" then she hurries; "they are so glad to see me." She comes; no one moves. This she thinks is strange; something is wrong. Very quickly she turns her thought to sorrow. Then (the baby) hears its mother; he crawls out of a hole. He is still too young to tell, but he is very clever. He picks up charcoal; he draws (lines) on his cheek and around his mouth: "ha-ha," said the father, "this one I know, as if he were alive; this is Raccoon." Then he starts in pursuit. By and bye, he (the raccoon) sees Black-Cat furiously angry, brandishing a club, as if he were an Indian.
Raccoon looks at him: "Ah, no club can kill me. A bulrush indeed will kill me." Black-Cat knows where to go; he goes where there is a swamp; he fetches one; then he strikes Raccoon where he can do it. But it bursts; it spreads over Raccoon's head and it sticks to him being wet; Black-Cat thinks this is Raccoon's brain all coming out. So then he goes on. Then Raccoon lies quiet until Black-Cat goes on. He then goes on (himself).
Great magic things he does, but little does he benefit others. Then he goes on; he comes to where many women are suckling their children. He says to them: "this is very slow, how you bring up children; in our country (it is otherwise)." These good women say to him: "How then should we rear them?" "Now you shall understand how we do it; when we want them to grow fast, we dip them in water when it is cold; however, do you lend me one; you shall understand how we do it, when we wish to rear quickly." One (woman) gives him one. He takes it to the river; he lifts the ice and drowns the child; in the morning he fetches it taking it out a grown man. The women marvel. As he does it so wonderfully, then all the women, as many as there are, put their children into the river in the evening. Then Raccoon hurries away from those other children. All those treated badly die.
Again to another wigwam he comes; a number of women are making bags of properly cured skins. He says to them: "Very slow it seems for you, how you make these; in our country we cook them in the ashes; give me what you are using; you shall learn;" they
w'pon'm'n et'li-k'samketek skwutewamkok; wakes eli-nesemuk w'mus-kamkwetiton; wuli-wikhasik naka wulik'n m'tekwap. Aptc hasehita-soltowulk; ni-te m'siu w'tcitkwaninya na nek'mau; musketutit m'si-te wikwitatekul naka nkikwakw-te; m'si-te wekitonyakul. Naptc w'matcahan.
Malem-te petciye k'tci sipok; kata w'k'tcitci‛towun tan-etc w't'li-kisi-kwuskasin. Yut el-apit sipwakok, w'nimian pemakwesit k'tci wiwilmekw tahalo-li-ko wesumwit k'tci aktalakw; nekapo. Espuns w'tiyan: "musumi, kwusukholin ekamak'm;" "k't'lal, n'konis; te‛pes n'pakamuk." Ni-te na w'madcem'n. Ka‛kakosuk naka yokt k'tci kakakwut w'madci-w'malikinanya: "ke‛kw nikt it'muk sipsuk-li," kwetcikeso; it'muk: "wiwisayi wiwisaphan nit espuns k'p'mausowâk'n kiket." Nit wiwilmekw katama w'nimi‛towun k'tak'mikw; keskw-te eli-wiskiyat. Malem-te pukweskwatesin; epasiu-te pedci-niw'metesin sipwakok. Espuns w'kapetat'kwihin. Nitaul tan w't'litpiyan asityiu, kata espuns w'kisi-k'tcitci‛towun.
Nit elmiyat; petcosan m'kisiwiminul (kesena: sakw'tewiminul). W'tiyan: "tanpal k't-elkowinya nil moholekw?" "K'mutc'kolp'n espuns p'dc'l nilun m'sī p'suliminuk." "Ni-ta katama k'pawalo‛pa." Metc-te elmiyat; musk'm'n epusisul kiktcekalkwi-minsuk; "neke tan-etc k'telko-winya moholekw?" "Kiktcekolp'n etatc nilun m'siu kiktcekalkwi-minsul;" "ah, ni-te miyau nil eli-pawat'm-li," asitewut'm; w'mitsin. Malem-te memi‛po; w'matcahan. S'laki-te petci sikmiyaumulsiu, stepal wes-sikyot (or w'sikyot) kekw'siyul almi-potasik. En w'kiktceka-pelusin naka w'kiktceka-pelusin; katama-te witcokemkowun (kesena: w'kikho-kowun). Malem-te w'muskum'n kowapskek penapskw nit eswatckwesit teki metwepusit w'ketcik. Metc-te teke wewinakw't eli-katama piyeswi‛kw espuns-te pemkiskak.
Nit-te-te-na w'metapeksin.
give him one; he puts it where it is hot in the ashes; in several minutes he takes it out; it is a well made and excellent bag. So they think it over; then all cook theirs; when they take them out, all are scorched and burnt; all are spoiled. So again he goes away.
Then he comes to a big river; he does not know how to cross it. Here while looking around on the shore of the river, he sees an old wiwilmekw like a horned big alligator; blind. Raccoon says to him: "grandfather, ferry me over the lake;"--"Certainly, grandson, only (get) on my back." Then he starts off. The crows and the big ravens begin to mock them; "What do these birds say?" asks (the worm). They say: "Quickly hurry that raccoon over for your life." But the worm does not see the shore; he is nearing it very closely. So he dashes forward; he runs himself half into the river bank. The raccoon jumps off. What befalls him (wiwilmekw) further, the raccoon cares nothing about (knows nothing about).
So he goes on; he comes to some blackberries. He says to them: "Would you agree with me, if I ate you?"--"We should agree badly with you Raccoon, because we are all choke-berries."--"Then I do not want you." He still goes on further; he finds bushes of itch-berries: "now how would you agree with me, if I ate you?"--"We should make you itch, for we are all itch-berries;"--"Ah, then this is just what I want," he answers; he eats them. So he eats his fill (and) goes on. But soon he begins to feel badly, as if he were tormented by things which irritate him. Then he scratches and scratches; it does not help him (save him). So he finds a ragged rock where he rubs up and down until (the hair) comes off his arse. Even until now until this day, it is seen that the raccoon is without hair (on his arse).
Here then is the end.