The Punishment of the Stingy, and Other Indian Stories

by George Bird Grinnell

Some little time after this Bluejay and his sister were again hungry. Bluejay said: “Let us go and visit Black Bear.” Early the next morning they set out, and before noon they reached the Black Bear’s house and went in and sat down.

They looked around. No food was to be seen. Pretty soon the Bear built a fire and began [[25]]to heat stones. Bluejay was wondering what food would be given them, and he said to his sister: “What will he give us to eat?”

When the stones were hot the Bear took his knife and cut the soles from his feet, and cut a big piece of meat out of his thigh. Then he rubbed his hands over the wounds, and at once they were healed. Then he cut the flesh that he had taken from his feet and from his thigh into small pieces and put it in the kettle, and put the hot stones in the kettle and boiled it. When it was cooked he placed the kettle before them, and said to them: “Eat, my friends; you must be hungry.” They ate, and pretty soon they were satisfied. When they were ready to go home Ioí said to her brother: “You go down first, or else you will be talking a great deal.” Bluejay said: “No, you go down first.” His sister went, and when she had gone Bluejay said to the Bear: “Come to-morrow and visit us.” The Bear said he would do so; then Bluejay and his sister went home to their house.

Early the next morning Bluejay got up and made a fire, and went up on the roof of his house. After a while, he called out to his sister: “A canoe is coming,” and she answered: [[26]]“It comes because you invited him.” Pretty soon the Bear paddled up to the beach and landed, and came up to the house, and they all sat down. Bluejay began to heat the stones in the fire and to get ready for cooking. When the stones were hot he sharpened his knife and began to cut his feet, but, oh, it hurt him very much. It hurt him so much that he fainted away. They blew on him until he recovered.

The Bear said: “You can do only one thing, Bluejay.” The Bear took his knife and slowly cut the soles off his feet. He cut a piece of flesh out of his thigh. Then he rubbed his hands over the wounds and immediately they were healed. Then he cut the flesh in small pieces and boiled it. When he had finished cooking and it was done, he threw it down before them, and went home to his house. Bluejay’s feet were sore.

After a number of nights they were again hungry. Then Bluejay said to his sister: “Let us go visiting again. To-morrow we will go and visit the Beaver.” Early in the morning they started out, and before very long they reached the Beaver’s house. The Beaver was on the roof of his house. He came down, and [[27]]they went in and sat down. After a little while the Beaver went out and brought into the house a bundle of willow twigs, which he put down before them. Then he took a dish and went out and brought it back filled with mud. Bluejay and his sister could not eat these things, and pretty soon they got ready to go home. As they were about to start, his sister said to him: “You go down first to the beach, or else you will talk a great deal.” The Bluejay said to his sister: “No, you go down first.” So she went down first to the beach. When she had gone Bluejay said: “Come to my house to-morrow to fetch your dish,” and the Beaver answered: “I will come to-morrow.”

Early next morning Bluejay got up and made a fire, and went up on the roof of his house. After he had sat there for a while, he called out to his sister: “A canoe is coming.” She answered: “It comes because you asked it to come.” The Beaver landed and came up the beach and entered the house, and they all sat down. Bluejay went out of the house, and after he had been gone a little while he came back with a bunch of willow twigs, and he put them before the Beaver, who began to eat them, and [[28]]soon ate them all up. Then Bluejay ran down to the beach and got some mud, which he put before the Beaver. The Beaver ate it all and went home.

Not many days after this they were again hungry, and Bluejay said: “Let us go visiting again. To-morrow let us go to visit the Seal.” Early the next morning they started, and at length they came to the house of the Seal. The Seal had five children. After they had been sitting a while in her house, the Seal said to her children: “Go to the beach and lie down there.” They went down to the edge of the water and lay there. Then the Seal took a stick and went down there, too, and when she reached her children she struck the youngest one on the head and it lay there. She said to the others: “Dive down,” and they did so, and when they came to the surface of the water there were five of them. Then she dragged up to the house the one that she had killed and singed it, and when she had finished singeing it she cut it up. She boiled it, and when it was cooked she gave it to Bluejay and his sister. They ate, and presently they were satisfied. When they were getting ready to go home his [[29]]sister said to her brother: “You go down first.” He answered: “No, you go down first. You always want to stay where they give us food.” So his sister went down to the beach. Then Bluejay said to the Seal: “Come to-morrow and visit us, and fetch your kettle.” The Seal said: “I shall come.” Then Bluejay and his sister went home to their house.

Early next morning Bluejay got up and went on to the roof of his house. After a while he called out to his sister: “A canoe is coming.” She answered him: “It comes because you have asked them to come.” The canoe came to the beach, and the Seal and her children landed and pulled the canoe up on the beach, and then came up to the house. Pretty soon Bluejay said to his sister’s children: “Go to the beach and lie down there.” The children went and lay down at the edge of the water. Bluejay took a stick and went down and struck the youngest one on the head. Then he said to the other children: “Quick now, dive.” They dived, but when they came up there were only four. Five times they dived, but the one that Bluejay had struck remained dead. Then Ioí and her children cried for the dead one. [[30]]

The Seal said: “Bluejay only knows how to do one thing.” She struck one of her daughters on the head with a stick, and said to the others: “Quick, dive.” They dived, and when they came up again all five of them were there. Then she singed her daughter, and when she had finished singeing her she cut her up and threw her down before Bluejay and his sister, saying: “You may eat this.” Then they tied up and buried the dead child, and the Seals went home.