"Oh," he replied, "I am only travelling for pleasure!"
"Do not try to deceive me," said the old Bear. "I know well whom you seek! Berry-Picker passed this way only yesterday, on her way to rejoin her people."
"And where do her people live?" asked the young husband.
"They live not far away, my son; but be on your guard; they are a deceitful people and will give you much trouble!"
Thanking the old man, he hurried on, and soon came to the village of the Bears. It was a large village, and the people seemed to have plenty to eat and to be very merry, for they were singing and dancing. As the stranger drew near, every young woman in the great camp came running to meet him. They all looked alike, for every one was dressed in glossy black and all were plump and handsome, and they all crowded about him as if to embrace him, crying:
"Welcome home, my husband!"
Now the young man became very angry, for he knew that the Bears were trying to deceive him, and that if he did not know his own wife, they would take his life. He took no notice of any of the young women, but turned his back on the village and went home to his own country.
This story is told for a warning to those who wish to marry among strangers.