🧚 Bluejay, the Imitator · page 2

Early the next morning Bluejay got up and made a fire, and went up on the roof of his house.90 After a while, he called out to his sister: “A canoe is coming,” and she answered: “It comes because you invited him.”91 Pretty soon the Bear paddled up to the beach and landed, and came up to the house, and they all sat down.92 Bluejay began to heat the stones in the fire and to get ready for cooking.93 When the stones were hot he sharpened his knife and began to cut his feet, but, oh, it hurt him very much.94 It hurt him so much that he fainted away.95 They blew on him until he recovered.96

The Bear said: “You can do only one thing, Bluejay.”97 The Bear took his knife and slowly cut the soles off his feet.98 He cut a piece of flesh out of his thigh.99 Then he rubbed his hands over the wounds and immediately they were healed.100 Then he cut the flesh in small pieces and boiled it.101 When he had finished cooking and it was done, he threw it down before them, and went home to his house.102 Bluejay’s feet were sore.103

After a number of nights they were again hungry.104 Then Bluejay said to his sister: “Let us go visiting again.105 To-morrow we will go and visit the Beaver.”106 Early in the morning they started out, and before very long they reached the Beaver’s house.107 The Beaver was on the roof of his house.108 He came down, and they went in and sat down.109 After a little while the Beaver went out and brought into the house a bundle of willow twigs, which he put down before them.110 Then he took a dish and went out and brought it back filled with mud.111 Bluejay and his sister could not eat these things, and pretty soon they got ready to go home.112 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.”113 The Bluejay said to his sister: “No, you go down first.”114 So she went down first to the beach.115 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.”116

Early next morning Bluejay got up and made a fire, and went up on the roof of his house.117 After he had sat there for a while, he called out to his sister: “A canoe is coming.”118 She answered: “It comes because you asked it to come.”119 The Beaver landed and came up the beach and entered the house, and they all sat down.120 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 soon ate them all up.121 Then Bluejay ran down to the beach and got some mud, which he put before the Beaver.122 The Beaver ate it all and went home.123

Not many days after this they were again hungry, and Bluejay said: “Let us go visiting again.124 To-morrow let us go to visit the Seal.”125 Early the next morning they started, and at length they came to the house of the Seal.126 The Seal had five children.127 After they had been sitting a while in her house, the Seal said to her children: “Go to the beach and lie down there.”128 They went down to the edge of the water and lay there.129 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.130 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.131 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.132 She boiled it, and when it was cooked she gave it to Bluejay and his sister.133 They ate, and presently they were satisfied.134 When they were getting ready to go home his sister said to her brother: “You go down first.”135 He answered: “No, you go down first.136 You always want to stay where they give us food.”137 So his sister went down to the beach.138 Then Bluejay said to the Seal: “Come to-morrow and visit us, and fetch your kettle.”139 The Seal said: “I shall come.”140 Then Bluejay and his sister went home to their house.141

Early next morning Bluejay got up and went on to the roof of his house.142 After a while he called out to his sister: “A canoe is coming.”143 She answered him: “It comes because you have asked them to come.”144 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.145 Pretty soon Bluejay said to his sister’s children: “Go to the beach and lie down there.”146 The children went and lay down at the edge of the water.147 Bluejay took a stick and went down and struck the youngest one on the head.148 Then he said to the other children: “Quick now, dive.”149 They dived, but when they came up there were only four.150 Five times they dived, but the one that Bluejay had struck remained dead.151 Then Ioí and her children cried for the dead one.152

The Seal said: “Bluejay only knows how to do one thing.”153 She struck one of her daughters on the head with a stick, and said to the others: “Quick, dive.”154 They dived, and when they came up again all five of them were there.155 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.”156 Then they tied up and buried the dead child, and the Seals went home.157

After a time these two were again hungry, and Blue jay said: “Let us go and visit the Shadows.”158 His sister said: “We will go to-morrow.”159 Early next morning they started, and at last they reached the home of the Shadows and went up to the house.160 It was full of food, and on the beds there were lying ornaments, clothing, coats, blankets of deer skin, of mountain-goat wool, and of ground-hog skin.161 Blue jay said to his sister: “Where are these people?”162 His sister answered: “They are here, but you cannot see them.”163

Blue jay took up one of the large ear ornaments.164 “Look out!165 You are pulling my ear, Bluejay!” cried a person.166 Bluejay was surprised, for he saw no one, and he dropped the ear ornament.167 Then they heard many people laughing.168 He took hold of a ground-hog blanket, and pulled at it.169 “Let go of my ground-hog blanket, Bluejay,” said a person, but he could see no one.170 He looked under the bed for the one who had spoken, and again they heard people laughing.171 He took up a coat made of goat wool, and somebody cried out, “Why do you lift my coat, Bluejay?”172 He took hold of a nose ornament, and a person cried, “Let go of my nose ornament, Bluejay.”173 Then a basket fell down from above.174 He lifted it up and put it back.175 Then he began to look under the bed and all through the house for persons, and again they heard many people laughing.176 His sister said to him: “Stay here quietly.177 They are Shadows, and so you cannot see them.”178 They ate some of the food.179

When it got dark Bluejay said, “We will sleep here.”180 So they slept there during the night, but all through the night they had bad dreams, for so the Shadows punished Bluejay, because he had teased them.181 Then Bluejay and his sister went home, and his sister said, “Now we have gone visiting enough.”182