After a while the bear came around by the same track, looking for a fish to eat, and saw the salmon. First he sniffed at it, and noticed that it smelled a little different, but very good. Then he sniffed again, and, being very hungry, he opened his big mouth wide, and the mink popped right down his throat. Down he went, down as far as he could jump, biting hard all the time. The crow was watching from the willows, and pretty soon the bear danced around on his hind legs and fell to the ground. Quickly the crow flew to the bear, and with his little knife cut a door for the poor frightened mink to jump out of.
“See,” said the crow, “I told you it was easy to kill the big bear. Now we have killed him, we will have meat all winter, and will not have to go out to hunt in bad weather.”
The mink said nothing, but went to work to help the crow fix up the bear into fine steaks.
They dried the meat and hung it up, and there was enough to feed the whole village.
One night the crow said to the mink, “Cousin, once upon a time in the olden days people of one village used to invite the people of another village to come to a feast and dance. I should like to do that myself.”
“Why,” said the mink, “I have never heard of that before. I don’t know what that would be like, but I should love to see it.”
“We will do it,” said the crow. “We have plenty of fine bear meat for every one, and we will give a party. I will tell you what to do, Cousin, and tomorrow you will start, but you must do just what I tell you.”
Then they went to sleep, and early in the morning, the crow sent his cousin to the sea.
“You walk until you come to a village,” said he, “but don’t stop at that one; go right on until you come to a second village; pass that one also. When you come to the third village, stop, and the people will ask you where you come from. Say to them, ‘I come from a big village. We have a chief in our village, and he has sent me to invite you all to his big dance.’ If they ask you what kind of a chief you have, don’t tell them it is a crow, because if you tell them that, no one will come. Just say, ‘We have a fine chief.’”
When the crow had finished talking, the mink jumped on to the ice, and went toward the sea. He went on until he came to a village, but he did not stop at that one; he passed it as his cousin had told him to do, and went on again. Then he came to the second village, but he passed that one too, and at last came to the third village. Here he stopped, and the people were happy when he gave them his cousin’s invitation.