The husband quickly began to make his hunting lodge ready for occupation and also kindled a large fire. While the wife was warming up the meats and the corn bread the husband kept on repairing the lodge by filling up the crevices with moss and replacing such pieces of bark as had fallen off. He desired to make the lodge warm and comfortable, especially on account of their baby. When it was too dark to continue his work the wife called him to their supper. They were happy and contented. After finishing their meal they prepared their rude bed and retired for the night. Before falling asleep the husband said to his wife: “Tomorrow I will go out to hunt again.”
Next morning, as soon as they had finished eating breakfast, the husband said to his wife: “I am about to start out to hunt now, and you two will remain alone. Perhaps I may not return until just before sunset. Of course, should I have very great success, I will return home at once.” So saying, he left the lodge. Just before sunset he returned, carrying by means of the forehead strap the entire body of a fine deer. He set to work at once skinning the carcass. When this task was completed he quartered the animal and hung up the parts to cure, but not before he had selected some choice pieces for their supper. These the young wife quickly prepared, and they ate their evening meal in peace and quiet. The wife was, of course, very much pleased to have fresh venison to eat; she was indeed happy. Then they retired for the night and were soon asleep. In the morning the husband again started out to hunt, saying to his wife: “You two will remain at home alone,” assuring her that he would return as soon as he was successful in his hunting.
Thus many days passed. The hunter was very successful in his hunting, always bringing home large quantities of venison, bear, moose, and elk meat and various other kinds of game. He and his wife had a great quantity of meat hanging around the sides of their lodge to cure, and also many fine furs and skins.
Toward sunset one day the young wife went out of the lodge to procure fuel for the fire while the child lay asleep. As she was walking around, she heard sounds made by some one approaching through the woods; thereupon she hastily gathered an armful of wood and, quickly reentering the lodge, took a seat near her sleeping baby. In a short time, as she looked out through the openings in the forest, she saw suddenly a very large woman approaching, bearing on her back an unusually large child. At once she became fearful, exclaiming: “What shall I do to save us? Perhaps we two shall now die?” So saying, she quietly awaited the coming of the strange woman. In a few minutes the latter entered the lodge and, standing in the doorway, said to the frightened woman: “Do not have any fear of me, for I come with no ill feeling in my mind [[561]]toward you and yours; there is no evil in my mind, so, above all, do not fear me.” With these words, she walked to the opposite side of the fire and took a seat there. The young wife noticed that the two children were exactly the same size. Although the stranger kept comforting her by telling her not to be afraid, that she had not come to the lodge for any evil purpose, her hostess was so fearful that she made no replies, but she kept thinking: “It is certainly unfortunate that my husband does not return at once. I wish he would come. This is ill-omened.” Meanwhile the strange woman continued to remain quiet. Looking at her face, one would think that she was human, although she was so tall and so stout that she appeared uncanny.
Now there came sounds from a distance, as the sun was low in the west, and the expected husband returned home. He entered his lodge, bearing by means of the forehead strap the entire carcass of a deer. He cast the burden down, giving merely a passing glance at the woman seated on the opposite side of the fire, without saying a word. The young wife then set to work getting his supper. When she had set the food before him he said to her: “You would better give some food to the woman sitting on the opposite side of the fire.” His wife willingly obeyed this suggestion, carrying to her in a bark bowl a generous supply of food, and saying: “This is for you to eat.” But the woman (or what seemed to be one) refused to accept it, answering: “I do not eat that kind of food.” At this the wife, of course, went back to her side of the fire. Her husband sat with his back toward the strange woman and studiously refrained from saying a word, but kept on eating. In a few minutes the strange woman spoke, saying: “He knows what kind of food I am accustomed to eat.” At once he rose, and, reaching up, took down a quarter of venison, which he threw over the fire back of him toward the strange woman. She caught this as it came to her. The wife was intently watching what was taking place. The stranger proceeded at once to eat the raw venison, and in a short time she had devoured the entire quarter. While eating, the strange woman kept saying: “I am very glad indeed. My wish has been fulfilled, for I desired to come here on a visit.” When night had come and they were ready to retire to rest, the husband prepared his mat at the feet of his wife and child, while the strange woman and her child lay on the opposite side of the fire, which was the guest’s side according to custom. The young wife of the hunter, who was thoroughly frightened, kept thinking: “I just do not know what may befall us that is untoward.”
In the morning the husband arose, and having rebuilt the fire, his wife proceeded quite early to prepare breakfast for them. [[562]]When they two were about to begin eating the husband again took down a quarter of venison, which he threw over his shoulder across the fire to the strange woman, who caught it and began to eat it raw, the blood even dripping from her mouth, so ravenously did she eat. When they had eaten breakfast the strange woman said: “Now, my wish has been fulfilled—my wish to visit this place.” All remained there in the lodge. After a while, however, the strange woman arose, carrying her child, and, walking over to where the hunter was seated, said to him: “Lo, take this child, for it is but your own child. Here it is.” Shrinking away, the husband drew back his hands, but the woman, preferring that he should have the child, gave it to him, so he had to accept it. Thereupon, the woman said, “I desired that he should just look on his child, and it was for this reason that we two came hither.” So saying, she returned to the opposite side of the fire, where she again seated herself. The husband sat still, holding his child, dubious as to its real character. After a while he arose, and going over to the place where the woman sat, on the opposite side of the fire, he gave the child back to its mother. Then returning to his own side of the room, saying, “I am now going out to hunt again,” he started from the lodge.
In the meantime the two women remained in the lodge with their children of the same size. The strange woman said to her companion in a comforting way: “You must not have any fear of me.” When her child fell asleep she laid it down on her couch and carefully covered it with a skin robe. Then, turning to her hostess, she said: “I will fetch some fuel, because it is so difficult and trying for you at all times to have to bring it.” With these words she left the lodge in quest of wood. She was absent a long time, when suddenly there came a sound, dā—h, which drew nearer and nearer, as if one were dragging some great object along the ground. On looking out to see the cause of the noise, the hunter’s wife saw the strange woman approaching with a huge tree in her arms, which she threw down just outside the doorway; it was a whole dead tree, which was dry and hard. She proceeded at once to break up the tree, and when she had finished her task there was a great pile of wood—fuel for the lodge fire. The wife of the hunter was greatly astonished at the enormous strength of the strange woman, and she again was filled with great fear. Then the other woman, entering the lodge, said: “I have now supplied you with a quantity of fuel.” Thereupon, she seated herself on the opposite side of the fire.
She had just taken her seat, when suddenly she arose, saying: “ʼAʻʹhăʻ! Now comes my husband trailing me. Have courage now, oh, my friend! and help me. Hasten! Be quick! Go cut basswood poles, three in number, and you must sharpen them. You must be quick about it, too, for if he shall overpower us we two must [[563]]perish.” The hunter’s wife ran out as swiftly as possible, and having cut the basswood poles and sharpened them, returned to the lodge. The other woman then said: “You must harden[425] their points in the fire by turning them over carefully; let them be burning. As soon as we meet at the doorway we shall fight, and we shall fight on the outside of the lodge. And, of course, there can be no doubt that he will overpower me, for he is very powerful. When he throws me and falls on the top of me, you must quickly take one of the burning poles from the fire and thrust it in anum ejus, turning it around therein vigorously, and then withdraw it. You must quickly do likewise with the other two burning poles. Thereupon, he will soon become weak, and then I shall overcome him. Just at present you must keep still and must watch carefully those poles, for they are our only hope of success. Now he is coming on the run close at hand. Have courage and aid me, oh, my friend!”
The stranger had barely uttered these words when she and her husband met in a death struggle at the doorway of the lodge; they fought outside so as to have more room in their struggles. In a short time the man tripped his wife, and they fell to the ground with the man uppermost. At once the hunter’s wife swiftly ran into the lodge, and seizing one of the burning poles thrust it in anum ejus, and having turned it round and round violently a moment withdrew it. Then she did likewise as quickly as possible with the second and third burning poles. This terrible treatment had its effect, and in a moment the strange woman was able to free herself, and struggling from under her weakened husband she strangled him to death. All this time she kept saying to her friend, “Have courage, oh, my friend! Stand near by and wait.” Then returning to the lodge, she said: “Oh, my friend, I am thankful indeed that you have helped me in my trouble.” Having recovered her breath, she added: “Now I will cast the body far away yonder, as far as one can see.” So saying, she dragged away the body of her husband, disappearing with it in the distance; but it was not very long before she returned to the lodge, whereupon she said: “I have left the body far away. Now we two unfortunate ones—myself and my child—will return to our home, departing from this place. All that I desired was that she should see her father. I thank you for what you have done for us. Our kinsfolk dwell far away from here in the forests; thither we two shall return. Now we depart.”
In a short time the strange woman and her child had disappeared into the forest. They had been gone a long while when the hunter returned to the lodge. He had nothing to say to his wife. Thereupon she resolved not to tell what had taken place while he was away hunting until she reached home. At first the husband and wife did not converse at all. But finally the former said: “Tomorrow [[564]]we will start for home.” So the next day he made the necessary preparations for their journey, putting their belongings into two packs. When all was ready for their departure he placed the smaller pack on his wife’s back by means of the forehead strap, and the larger on his own back in the same way. Then they left their hunting camp for home much sooner than they had expected to do.