(b) Nenebuc Tempers the Wind.
One summer Nenebuc was unable to get fish for the whole summer on account of the high winds. The people almost starved, and then Nenebuc became very angry. He did not like to see his grandfather starving and his anger was aroused against the West Wind for blowing so much. So he told his grandfather that he was going to kill the West Wind for this, but the old man said to him, “Don’t kill him. Make him let the wind blow a while and then stop, so that everything will be all right, but don’t kill him.” “Well, I won’t be long away and I’ll punish my brother”, replied Nenebuc.
So he went away and finally met his brother, the one with the two horns, who lived in the west. Nenebuc hammered him soundly with a club and broke one of his horns. This hurt him, but did not kill him. Then Nenebuc said, “Don’t blow so hard any more. You don’t care for your grandfather, but I do and I fear he and the people will starve.” Then he arranged things with his brother and went back. After this he went fishing and found it calm with only a little puff of wind now and then. Then the West Wind told his three brothers not to blow, for if they did Nenebuc would come and kill them. The winds became frightened at this and did not blow at all, and because of this the water grew thick and stagnant and Nenebuc was [[31]]unable to fish. Then his grandfather said, “We are going to die. There is no wind and the water is bad. Did you kill the West Wind?” “No,” said Nenebuc. “I will go and see him and tell him to send the wind once in a while, not too often but just right.” So Nenebuc went to his brother, the West Wind, and said to him, “I came here to tell you that I want a little wind once in a while, but not too much.” Then everything was arranged satisfactorily. Shortly after this Nenebuc’s grandparents died and were heard of no more.[4]
(c) Nenebuc Starts Travelling, Anum Suum Castigat for Deceiving Him, Changes the Colour of the Partridge Family, and Originates Rock Tripe from his Scabs for the Benefit of the People.
Now Nenebuc grew up and was alone. He was a man and began to travel. He knew all kinds of things concerning the trees, the world, and everything which his grandfather had taught him. He set out on his first journey and went toward the mountains. In one day’s walk he climbed over three great mountains, something that no man could do. When he reached the top of the first mountain he found a goose and killed it. In like manner he killed a goose on the tops of the second and third mountains. Then he went down to the lake below. He was very, very tired from his first day’s journey. He made a fire with his bow-drill[5] and put his geese in the sand, which he had heated to bake them in. He buried them with their legs sticking out. He lay down by the fire and ano suo dixit to watch the geese while he slept, so that no one would steal them. Just as he was dozing off to sleep, anus ejus dixit, “Somebody’s coming for your geese!” and Nenebuc jumped up. Sed anus ejus eum deci piebat. It did this three or four times. At last Nenebuc grew angry. He took a club and anum suum percussit and told it not to do that again. Then he went to sleep. Some people came along and stole the geese, but left the legs sticking in the same place.
When Nenebuc awoke, anum suum interrogavit, “Did any one come?” “I don’t know,” anus ejus respondit. “As soon as [[32]]you fell asleep, I slept. I don’t know.” Nenebuc then pulled up the legs of the geese and found nothing else. “It’s well cooked,” said he. He made a big fire. “Now I’ll punish you,” ano suo dixit and he held it over the fire. “Tcį·′įį!” clamavit anus ejus. “You can cry all you want to. I’ll punish you,” said Nenebuc, ano suo strepitum urendi faciente. He didn’t feel the burns then. Then he started walking.
Next day he felt a little sick and anus ejus scabi osus fuit. In walking he got turned around and saw his own tracks. “Somebody’s passed here,” he said to himself, when he saw them. Then he saw some kind of meat lying on the ground, and he tasted it. “Somebody had some meat here,” he said. Then the little bird Gitci·′gi·‵tci·gane‵cįc[6] (Tom-tit) cried out, “Nenebuc scabies suas edit!” “Oh no, those are not my scabs. Some old woman passed by and left some dry meat,” said he. But at last he discovered se scabies suas edisse, but even then he didn’t care. He kept on walking and felt very sick.
By and by he came upon a brood of young partridges and said, “Where is your mother?” “Our mother is away,” said they. “What’s your names?” They answered “Kαckuŋge′s·i” (“Jump out and frighten”). Nenebuc turned around upon hearing this and super totam familiam defaecavit. Up to this time the Partridges had been white, but after this they have always been brown.
Then Nenebuc went to a high bluff near by. He was tired, sick, and hungry, and he lay upon the bluff sleeping. Partridge came home and said to his young when he saw what Nenebuc had done to them, “Who did this?” “A man came along and asked us our name and, when we told him ‘Kαckuŋge′s·i,’ super nos defaecavit. He said he wasn’t frightened by us.” And so the young Partridges told their father where Nenebuc had gone. The old Partridge followed his tracks until he came to where Nenebuc lay on the cliff. He saw him lying right on the edge, so he walked up slowly to him and then suddenly buzzed his wings, and Nenebuc jumped up and fell over the cliff. As he slid down, anum suum in lapidibus scabit and all the scabs rubbed off. As he lay on the ground he saw the scabs and said, [[33]]“These Indians will call this wa·′kwαní[7] and when they go hungry they can make soup for themselves, these Ojibwa, forever.” Then he was cured.