It so happened that there was a kettle of boiling oil over the fire; this boiling oil was bear’s fat. The beast came on the run to the opening of the cavern, and, crouching low, thrust in her nose. At once the mother of the two fugitives cast a ladleful of boiling oil into the face of the great bear. The pain caused made the bear fall over backward some distance from the cavern, and she began to howl and writhe around on the ground. But the relentless old woman carried out the kettle of boiling oil to the spot and poured the remainder on her enemy, which finally died there in great agony, just as the old woman had threatened.
Then the old woman, their mother, said to the two returned children: “You two who have been absent for so long a time have now returned home again; and I suppose that you would have been made captives had you not escaped. Now, you and I will dwell together again.” Thereafter the mother and her children were again contented in their minds and dwelt together happily.[454]
Suddenly he saw a man lying prostrate with his feet in the water, who was groaning and saying, ʼĕñʻ, ʼĕñʻ, ʼĕñʻ. Hahadodagwatʻha said to him: “Well, what is the matter with you, my friend?” The man replied: “I am very ill; have pity on me and take me to a dry place and lay me there.” Unsuspecting, the young man said: “So be it. I suppose that I can carry you on my back.” When he knelt down, the strange man had great difficulty in getting on his back and in securing a hold on the young man’s neck.
Then Hahadodagwatʻha arose, and going a short distance to a dry and pleasant piece of ground, said to his patient: “Now, you can lie here.” But the stranger replied: “Oh! just a little farther.” But Hahadodagwatʻha answered, “Lie down here.” The man would not consent to dismount, however, but kept on saying: “Only a little farther.” So Hahadodagwatʻha went some distance, when he said again: “Now, get off; this is a fine place in which you can lie down.” But the man persisted in saying: “Only a little farther.” Hahadodagwatʻha would not consent to carry him any farther, saying: “You must now get down by all means.” Thereupon he began to shake himself with great violence, saying: “Get down! Why do you not get down?” But the man would not get off his back, although Hahadodagwatʻha told him that he was very tired. Then, going to a hickory tree standing near by, Hahadodagwatʻha said: “If you do not get down, I will rub you off against this tree;” but the man remained without making any reply. Hahadodagwatʻha rubbed his body violently against the hickory tree standing there, saying the while: “Why do you not get down?” But he himself was injured by the rubbing, so he gave up the task. He said: “This man has caused me great (prospective) trouble.” For a long time he continued [[678]]bearing his burden around from place to place. Finally he exclaimed: “It is very distressing to me that you do not get off my back.”
At last Hahadodagwatʻha decided on more heroic measures. He kindled a lot of dry fagots, and he made a large and very hot fire. Then he asked the man again: “What have you decided to do? Why do you not get off my back?” Making no reply, the man remained on his back. Thereupon the young man proceeded to lie down with his back to the fire in an attempt to burn off his tormentor. But the man, notwithstanding the great heat, stuck fast. In a short time Hahadodagwatʻha himself was not able to stand the intense heat, for his own skin began to scorch. Being thus baffled again, he stood up. He said to his tormentor: “This conduct on your part is very distressing to me; now you and I must die together.” But he received no reply from the man. Hahadodagwatʻha was indeed very tired from carrying this burden around from place to place. Finally he decided on another course of action. Going to a very high and steep cliff and lying down on the edge, he said to his tormentor: “I will roll over the brink unless you get off my back.” There was no reply to these remonstrances. The man merely kept on breathing. Lastly Hahadodagwatʻha said to him thrice: “Now, get off my back;” but the man remained silent, as before. Thereupon the former exclaimed: “We two now die!” at the same time rolling over the brink. The two turned over and over, but fell slowly, their bodies finally coming down very lightly on the bottom of the chasm. Then the young man said: “Now, get off of my back; I am very tired.” Still the man would not in the least heed this pleading.
Once more the young man said: “You shall now get off my back.” Going aside, he stripped off basswood bark, of which he made a noose. Climbing an elm tree near by, he carried his burden to the very top, where he fastened the rope to a large branch and the noose around the neck of the man on his back and also around his own. When he was ready he again said: “Look here! If you do not get off my back, we two shall die now indeed.” But the man made no reply. Then the young man said: “I will now cast my body down to that place yonder.” Before doing so he again asked the man: “Shall we two live? It is for you to decide. Get down from my back.” But still he received no reply to his pleadings. Without further parley he said: “Now, we two shall die,” and cast himself down. But the great branch broke off[455] and floated down slowly until it rested on the ground. Arising, the young man said: “This is exceedingly distressing to me. You have made me very tired, and I am almost exhausted.” But he received no mercy from the man. [[679]]
Suddenly he remembered that he had in his bosom a very small dog, whereupon he started to find a red-willow rod, bearing at the same time his burden. Soon he found the desired rod, which he cut off. Taking from his bosom the dog, which was black in color, he began to strike it with the red-willow rod. At once the dog began to increase greatly in size; soon it became the usual size of dogs. Additional strokes caused it to grow larger and larger until at last it attained the size of a very large bear, one of the largest known. Then the young man said to the dog: “My servant, remove from my back the body of the man who is clinging there,” saying “Wăʹʼs.” At once the monstrous dog, seizing the man by the back of the neck, began to shake him with great force. The body of Hahadodagwatʻha was whirled about in the terrific struggle, in which the gripped opponents fell and arose in many places; the struggle lasted until the dog seized the man by the throat and began to choke him. In a short time it was able to pull off the man and to fling his body aside. Then Hahadodagwatʻha sat near by until his tormentor died, for he himself was entirely exhausted.
Then he said: “Come here, my dog! I am thankful to you, for you have saved me from destruction. You are the cause of my being now alive. Let us two start for home and let us go to the place where dwell together they who are your brothers.” So they started and went on for some distance and then encamped for the night. Thereupon the young man said: “As regards me, I am very hungry; so it behooves you to kill a deer.” At once the dog ran afar off, and in a short time it returned, dragging along the body of a fawn. This the young man skinned, and after quartering the carcass he set pieces of it all around the fire to roast. It was night, and when the roasts were done they two ate their supper, the man and the dog, sharing the meat. In the morning they again started for their home, and they kept traveling until they stopped for the night. In turn the young man went hunting for raccoons, climbing a tree in order to kill them. Having dressed and cooked a raccoon, they ate it. When they had finished eating, they laid down together, the man and his dog.
In the morning they two started, and they had not gone far when they saw in the distance a lodge. In this they were surprised to find a man half of whose hair was red, and there they found, too, the younger sister of the young man. The latter said: “Now has returned our brother who was lost, the Dog.” They asked him: “Where did you two meet?” He answered: “We met at the place of high cliffs. It was he who saved my life when I was in danger of death. This is the reason why we have been able to return to the place where you two, his brother and sister, dwell and where your mother also dwells. Now I give myself up here where you dwell, and we shall all be together always, because he has saved my life and is [[680]]your brother. I, too, am a master of game and a good hunter. So we shall be very contented in our minds.” Then the man half of whose hair was red said: “So be it. I, too, am a good hunter, and I will also help to make ourselves contented.” Thus did they make a compact that they would all compose a single family for all time.
This is the length of the legend.