🧚 Opening, part 10 · page 2

Then Kulóskap the God, Arose in all his might, Tremendous--for he rose Up to the clouds above-- And took the Giant Bird As if he were a duck, And, tying fast his wings, Cast him afar, adown Into a deep dark cleft Between the splintered rocks, And left him lying there.71

Then all the Indians Could go in their canoes As freely as they chose For many days and months.72 But then as time went by, They noted day by day That all the waters grew So stagnant and so foul That even the Master found He could not row his bark; All was so thick and dead, And rottenness and slime Crept into all the world.73 And then he thought upon The Giant Bird, and went To find him, far away.74 As he had left him, so He found him, for the Bird, The Spirit of Air, Can never truly die.75

And so he picked him up, And then with care untied One single wing, but left The other tightly bound.76 And since that time the Wind Has never been so wild As ’t ever was of yore.77 L.78

FOOTNOTES:79

[34] Wuchoʿsen, that is the great eagle which blows the winds.80

=Canto Fourth=81

THE MASTER AND THE SORCERERS82

I83

KULÓSKAP AND WINPE; OR, THE MASTER’S FIRST VICTORY84

[_Micmac_]85

_Piʾche ktagudimol.86 _[35]87

All in the olden time, Or in the first of all, Of all things here on earth, Men were as animals And animals as men.88 But how this mystery was, No one can understand, Though some explain it thus: As Man was made the first, All creatures first were men, But as they gave themselves To this or that desire Like that of animals, And all their souls to it, So were they changed to brutes.89

Yet ere this came to pass There was a middle time When they could change their forms To beasts or men at will; Yet more and more and more Even as men, they showed In all, the Animal.90

Then Kulóskap the Great Lived on a wooded isle With many Indians Whose names and natures, too, Were all of beasts and birds.91

These men, and most of all The one called Pulowech, The Partridge, had attained To certain magic power.92 These, as they found him great, Grew jealous of the Lord, He who was ever Man; And so they all resolved To leave him in the isle.93 But with them take away His grandmother, likewise Marten, the boy, who served The Master in his lodge.94 In Micmac Marten’s name Is Abistanēūch; he Was of the Elfin kind, One who could change his form To what he pleased.95 For all Relating to the Lord Was wonderful and strange.96

This Marten ever ate From a small dish of bark Called Witchkwîdlakunchich.97 Whene’er he left this plate Kulóskap always knew The place where it was laid, And by a glance thereat Could tell whate’er had happed Unto his family.98 Kulóskap had, beside, A wondrous magic belt Which gave him endless strength And untold mystic power.99 Yet to increase his might, Even he, the Lord of Men, Must often all alone, Dwell in the wilderness, And fast and pray and dream, Until by penance strong He gained once more his power.100

Among his enemies Who dwelt upon the isle, Was one named Winpe, who Of all was terrible; So he and all the rest, With Marten as a slave, Likewise the grandmother, One day when Kulóskap Was hunting in the North Got into their canoes With all their worldly gear, And sailed, far, far away.101

Now when the Lord returned And saw that all were gone, He sought and found the dish Which Marten had concealed, And on it read the truth: How he had been deceived And whither all had fled.102

Now, it is said, the Lord To gain tremendous power, Or such grand mastery As man had never won, Went to the wilderness, And there for seven years So trained his mighty mind By penance into will, That when the time was o’er He knew that he had won, And that no thing on earth No sorcerer nor fiend, Giant nor devil grim, Could now resist his power.103 So when the time had come He called his dogs, and went Down to the shore and looked Far o’er the rolling sea, And sang the magic song Which all the Whales obey.104 Soon in the distance rose A small dark spot, which grew In size as it drew near. ’105 Twas but a little whale; It came unto the Lord, But he was now a giant; He stepped upon the whale.106 It sank beneath his feet; He laughed and said, “Begone!107 Thou art too small for me!”108

He sang again the song, But now with all his power; And then there came the Queen Of all the whales, and she Was as a giantess Even among her kind; She bore him easily Unto Kespūgitk, then She paused and said, “O Lord!109 I dare not further go, For I shall run ashore.”110 And this he wished because He would not wet his feet, And so he lied and said: “The land is far away.”111 So she went boldly on, Till she beheld below, The bottom of the sea With many shells on it; And then she said in fear: “The land, does it not seem To thee like a bow-string?”112 “No!”113 He answered, “Land is far.”114

The water grew so shoal That soon she heard the song Of many Clams, who lay Deep shelled below the sand.115 They were the enemies Of Kulóskap the Man, Their only enemy, And so they sang to her: “Hasten and throw him off, And drown him in the sea.”116 But great Putúp the whale Who did not know their tongue, Asked what the words might mean?117 And he replied in song “They tell you to make haste; _Nenagimk_, ’to hurry’; To hurry, to hurry along, Away--as fast as you can.”118

The whale like lightning flew Until she found herself High up upon the shore, Then she, too, cried in woe: “Alas, alas!119 Nujich!120 My grandchild, you have been My death at last--for now I cannot leave the land; I shall swim in the sea no more!”121

But Kulóskap answered her: “Nʾgumi, have no fear!122 You shall not suffer, for You shall swim in the sea once more.”123 Then with a push of his bow Against her head, he sent The whale into the sea, Into the deep once more.124

And then the whale rejoiced, But ere she went she said: “O darling grandson mine!125 O Master!126 Hast thou not Tobacco in thy pouch, Therewith a pipe to spare?”127 And he replied, “Ah yes!128 I see you want a smoke, I have what you require.”129

He gave the whale a pipe, Tobacco and a light And so she sailed away Rejoicing as she went, A-smoking as she swam; While Kulóskap, the Lord, Leaning upon his bow Beheld the long low cloud Which trailed behind her, till She vanished far away.130

So to this very day, The Indians, when they see A whale who blows, cry out: “Behold, it smokes a pipe, The pipe of Kulóskap.”131