Figure 1. Night set-line.
His brother began crying and ran back to his grandmother in the wigwam, saying, “My little brother is koga′miko, ‘swallowed in the water’.” Then his grandmother began crying and the two were crying together. Soon after this they again [[66]]set their night lines. When they looked toward the lake, three days later, they saw the float sticks together and the boy said, “We have a fish.” But the grandmother cried and would not look toward the lake where her grandson had died. But soon she went along in the canoe, crying, and pulled in the line. At the end was a very large fish, and they could see that his stomach was full of something. He was so large that they could scarcely pull him into the canoe. However, they managed to get him in and then they paddled to the shore and dragged the fish to a place where they could conveniently clean it. They cut his belly, which was distended, and out jumped the younger brother. “I’m scalded with the intestines! (Ninbabe′nəs,)”[34] he cried. “I’m scalded. I’ve been here three [[67]]days.” He was already beginning to be digested. The grandmother was very glad to get her grandson back again. That is the end.
(14) Lynx and His Two Wives.
There was a time when Lynx had two wives, the one a Rabbit and the other a Marten. The three lived in a wigwam. At this time Lynx drove beaver during the winter time.[35] Rabbit was a very good hunter. But Lynx this winter had very poor luck and they became very hungry. Lynx beat his wives because they couldn’t find the beaver. He said to them, “If you don’t get some beaver for me, I’ll eat both of you.” At this they became very much frightened. So Rabbit went to a beaver place, and putting a stick in the hole, she felt a beaver in it. Then Rabbit went home and told Marten, and they both were glad to get a beaver and save their lives. Then they both went back to the hole. While Rabbit was pulling the beaver out of the hole and had hold of his hind quarters, Lynx came along and tickled Rabbit, so that she let go and the beaver escaped. Lynx was bent on mischief. He said, “If you don’t get some beaver, I’ll kill you tonight.”
Rabbit and Marten went home and burrowed a tunnel in the snow, inside the wigwam. Then they both went into a hole to hide and closed the hole behind them. When Lynx reached home, he was unable to find his wives, but he knew they were somewhere near. So he began to pull up testes suos in se and then he began dancing.[36] He said to himself, “When they hear this funny thing, they will laugh.” Pretty soon Marten laughed, and Lynx, digging her out of the hole, killed and ate her. Soon he grew hungry and tried the same trick. But Rabbit was very much afraid and would not laugh. Lynx kept on doing this for some time and finally gave it up. He sat near the fire and cut his belly open, taking out some of his intestines which he roasted and ate. At last, when he had eaten all his intestines, he came to his heart. When he pulled at this, “Huk, huk”! it made a noise. At last he jerked and pulled [[68]]at it so hard that he died. This is the end. But all the grandchildren of Lynx have testicles as they are to-day.
(15) Story of Seal Rock in Lake Timagami.
Once upon a time, on a small island in Lake Timagami, some people went ashore, and one of the women left her baby in a cradle-board on a rock, while she went a short distance off. When she came back, the baby was gone; it had been taken by a big manitu (magic) seal who lived in a rock and he had taken the child inside with him. The child’s father was also a manitu, so he began burrowing and digging into the rock for his baby and he dug a channel. This hole is there yet. When he reached the baby, it was dead, and the seal was gone. It had dived and crossed two miles under water to Seal island and gone into a big rock there. He dove and followed, as he was mi·te·′ and came to the big rock where the seal had gone in. With his chisel he split the rock, but the seal escaped. The rock is there yet, split down the centre.
(16) Rabbit, Lynx, and Fisher.
At the time of which my story speaks Lynx and Fisher had the same sharp nose and face. Fisher used to jump right through a big boulder as high as a man whenever he wanted to. One day he told Lynx to try to beat him and jump through. So Lynx tried to do it and smashed his face flat, as it is now. He went away very sore. Soon he met Rabbit. “Kwe, kwe,” Lynx asked Rabbit, “where are you going?” Rabbit answered, “I am going to the short flat-faced country.” Lynx did not understand the joke, and he let Rabbit pass.
Lynx went on and came to a stream into whose waters he looked, and saw some flints. He tried to reach some to pick them up and beheld himself in the water. He discovered how ugly he was. “I’m so ugly. That is what Rabbit meant when he met me. I’ll fix him.” So he went back, struck Rabbit’s trail, and followed him. So he followed the trail until it went into a hole in the snow under a bush. Lynx looked in and saw Rabbit sitting there, reading. He asked Rabbit, “Has anybody [[69]]been passing here lately Hee!” Rabbit made no answer. Lynx asked this question twice and at last Rabbit spoke, “Tsc, tsc, it’s Sunday to-day.” Lynx asked the same question again and received the same reply. Then Rabbit said, “Why don’t you go around and find his track?”. When Lynx went around, Rabbit ran out and off. When Lynx saw him run, he chased him and caught him.