An old war chief came to the wigwam of Red Eagle. The old chief wanted to marry the young daughter of Red Eagle. He brought many furs and much food to pay for her. Red Eagle told his daughter that this old chief was to be her husband.
White Cloud was the name of the girl. She shed many tears when the war chief was gone. She was afraid to show her dislike before.
Red Eagle said: “He has brought his presents to us. We have taken them. We cannot give them back. He is a great war chief, and we cannot offend him.”
White Cloud knew that no one on earth could help her. She could not live. Her wigwam was near the water. She jumped into her canoe, but she did not know what she was doing, for she paddled far out into the river. The rapids were near, and the dashing water carried her little boat down the rapids to the falls of the great waters.
Hinun, the god of clouds and rain, lived under the great falls. His wigwam was behind the falling waters. He saw the maiden in her canoe. He rushed out from [[128]]his hiding place and spread his great wings. He caught the boat before it was dashed to pieces on the rocks, and carried White Cloud to his cave behind the falling waters.
Here White Cloud lived many weeks. Hinun taught her many ways of healing. He told her why so many of her village had sickened and had gone from earth. There was an evil spirit under the ground on which her people lived. If she would wait in his wigwam he would kill it.
Hinun came back from watching the harvest of corn, and told her that the old war chief was dead. She could go back to her own wigwam, and he carried her back on his wings to the shore. She remembered the medicines he had taught her.
Red Eagle was glad to see his daughter again. Her mother was sick with grief for her. White Cloud cured her by standing beside her bed. She cured many with the new medicines.
White Cloud begged of the tribe to move to a better place for their village. She told them all that Hinun had said. They moved the village to another place, but the evil spirit followed them.
Hinun came and found the evil spirit. He struck it with lightning from the clouds. The evil spirit was killed. It was like a great serpent, as long as twenty arrow flights. It floated down the waters of Niagara. [[129]]Its body lodged between the rocks. It was so heavy it bent the rocks. It bent them like a horseshoe, and they are that shape to this day.