🧚 Opening, part 11

And so the Lord went on, Meeting at every step Adventures wild and strange; Witches and sorcerers Sought to delay his steps, Until at last he came To Uktâkumkuk, or Néwfoundland, where his foes Had been, then fled away.1

Again he sang his song, And once again a whale Carried him far away, Away unto the North; And now he found indeed That he had gained his end, Since by the shore he saw A wigwam, and therein His sorrowing grandmother And Marten well-nigh dead; Winpe the sorcerer Had treated them full ill.2 Greatly did they rejoice To see their Lord once more; And then Kulóskap said: “When Winpe shall return Do all that’s in your power To irritate the man To make him mad with wrath; So shall he lose his power, For anger weakeneth will.”3

They did what he required When Winpe came again, Till in a roaring rage He sought to take their lives; When lo! before their eyes The Master stood and gazed In aspect terrible, Upon his angry foe.4 Winpe fell back a pace To gain once more his power; It came and it was great.5 With all his evil will The sorcerer raised his strength And as it came he grew In giant stature, till His head was o’er the pines; And truly in those days The pines were higher far Than those we have to-day:6

But Kulóskap the Great The Lord of Men and Beasts, Laughed as the thunder roars.7 And grew until his head Was far above the clouds, Until he reached the stars, And ever higher still, Till Winpe seemed to be A child beneath his feet.8

Then, holding him in scorn, Kulóskap the great lord Smote Winpe with his bow As one might strike a dog; Down fell the sorcerer dead!9

FOOTNOTES:10

[35] I will tell you of long ago.11

II12

HOW A WITCH SOUGHT TO CAJOLE THE MASTER13

[_Micmac_]14

_Kes saak.15 _[36]16

This is a story of the olden time.17 It chanced that great Kulóskap met a witch, An evil being who had made herself Look like a fair young girl, and that so well By all the deepest art of sorcery, That she was sure the Lord could never see Through her disguise--wherein she was a fool, Because he read her at a single glance.18

She bade him take her out in his canoe; So forth they sailed over a summer sea With a sweet breeze.19 The witch upon the way Sought to beguile the Lord with loving words To which he made no answer, knowing well What kind of passenger he had on board.20

And so she played all her cajoleries, While he remained as grim as any bear, Replying with a growl to loving words; Till in a rage she changed her melody Into the curse which raises up the storm As if to show defiance of his power.21 And it was terrible when the wind howled Over the waves which madly rose and fell Like great white wolves a-jumping while they run; And the red lightnings flashed, while the great sea Grew dark as if to show their fire the more.22

And then the Master was enraged indeed, That a vile witch should dare to play such tricks With him, the mighty Lord of Beasts and Men; And, driving the canoe unto the beach, He leaped ashore, and giving it a push He sent it headlong out to sea again, And cried: “Sail with the devil if you will, But ne’er on earth again in human form!”23

Then she in terror cried: “What must I be?24 Oh, Master, say what shape shall I assume?”25 And he replied: “Whatever form you please-- That grace alone I give thee.”26 In despair She plunged into the deep and there became The _wĕbĕtumekw_, a ferocious shark Which has upon its back a mighty fin Like a great sail when swimming in the sea.27

So the canoe and witch were changed as one To the great evil fish, and to this day The Indians when they see it, ever cry: “Behold the girl, who in the olden time Was punished by the Master.”28 That is all!29 L.30

FOOTNOTES:31

[36] Of old time.32

III33

HOW KULÓSKAP FOUGHT THE GIANT SORCERERS AT SACO34

[_Passamaquoddy_]35

_Yut nʾkani aknodʾmâgon uch Kulóskap.36 _[37]37

This is a tale of Kulóskap, An old one.38 There was a father Who had three sons and a daughter, And all were Mteolinwuk, That is, they were magicians Of terrible power, and giants; They ate men, women, and children; Yea, they did everything That was wicked and horrible; And the land grew tired of them And of all their abominations.39 Yet when this family Was young, Kulóskap had been Ever and truly their friend; He had made their father his father, The brothers his brothers, the sister His sister by adoption, As Indians often do.40

But, as they all grew older, And the Master began to hear On every side of their sins.41 He said: “I will go among them And find if this be true; If it be so, they shall die-- I will not spare one of those Who oppress and devour mankind, I care not who he may be.”42

This evil family dwelt Near the place that now is Saco, Upon the sandy field Which is in the Intervale, Or the summer bed of the river, Among the White Mountains, which lie Between Kèzitwâzuch, Or Mount Kearsarge the mighty, And Kchibenabesk The towering rock, and near Wʾnâgʾmeswuk Wigît The Home of the Water Elves.43

Now the old man, the father Of all these evil sorcerers, Had only one eye, and he Was half gray like a stony mountain; Then the Master made himself Like to the hoary old fellow; There was not between them The difference of a hair.44 So having taken this form He entered into the wigwam And sat by the agèd man.45

Then the murdering brothers Who never spared a soul, Hearing that some one was talking, Peeped slyly in, and seeing A stranger so like their father That they knew not which was which, Said: “This is a great magician, But he shall be tried ere he goes, And that right bitterly.”46

Then the giantess sister took The tail of a whale, and cooked it, And gave it to the stranger That he might eat it, when Just as it lay before him On the platter, and on his knees, The elder brother entered And saying: “This is too good For a beggar like you,” took it Away to his own wigwam.47 And then the Master said: “That which was given to me Is mine--so I take it again.”48 And sitting still he _willed_ Or wished for it to return.49 And lo! the dish came flying Again into his lap!50 And he ate from it, undisturbed.51 Then the brothers said: “This truly Is a very great magician, But he shall be tried ere he goes, And that right bitterly!”52

When he had eaten, they brought A mighty bone; the jaw Of a whale, and the elder brother With great ado, and using Both arms and all his strength, Bent it a little, and proudly He held it to the Master Who with the thumb and finger Of his right hand alone, Snapped it like a green twig, And crumbled it to powder.53 Then the brothers said again: “This is truly a great magician, But he shall be tried ere he goes, And that right bitterly.”54

Then they brought an enormous pipe Full of the strongest tobacco;]55

Then they brought an enormous pipe Full of the strongest tobacco; No man, not even a sorcerer Could have smoked such fearful stuff.56 And as it was passed around All of them smoked.57 The brothers Blew the smoke through their nostrils As if it were light as air.58 But the Master filled it full And, lighting it, burned all The tobacco into ashes At one puff, with a single pull!59 Blowing all the smoke through his nose Even as they had done.60 Then they said and now in anger: “This is truly a great magician; But he shall be tried ere he goes”-- They never said it again!61