🧚 Opening, part 14

He said.1 “I must go again To be absent hunting to-morrow.”2 He went to the top of a hill Overlooking the lake, where he watched her.3 She went and sat by the shore; Then rose afar in the water What seemed to his sight to be A shining flake of ice, But when it came to the shore ’Twas a tall and slender man All clad, as it seemed, in silver.4 The woman leapt up and embraced him, And gave him many kisses.5

The husband in awe and anger Went forth to other people, And left his wife forever; But soon her father and mother Came to her home to see her, And dwelt with her many days.6 And every day, when returning From an absence they knew not whither, She brought them furs and venison, With fish and fowl in plenty.7

They asked her whence she had it?8 She answered, “I have another, A husband who suits me better Than him whom first I married.9 This one can give me all.10 He is a better hunter.”11 She sent them away with presents, With many silver bracelets, With many ear-rings and brooches And said: “Do not return Till the ice is here in winter.”12

When they returned they found her White as a silver lily: Her Indian hue had faded; And soon she gave birth to offspring But her children all were serpents.13 Then the parents went away; But even as they left her She said: “When you come again You will see me but never know me!”14

Years after three Indian hunters Who had heard this wondrous story Sought by the lake for the wigwam.15 It was standing still, but empty, But all the wood about it Was full of great black serpents Which from the grass uprising Would look them in the face Then glide away in silence.16 L.17

FOOTNOTES:18

[47] Far away in the north.19

III20

THE WIZARD SNAKE21

[_Abenaki_]22

_Noñwat nizwak noñkskwesizak.23 _[48]24

Long years ago, two lovely Indian girls Were wont to leave their people every week, Embarking secretly in birch canoe.25 Their tribe knew neither why nor where they went.26 One summer’s noon a hunter chanced to stray Close to a well-hid pond in forest deep, Where, puzzled by the sound of plashing spray, He stole behind the alders for a peep.27 There swam the damsels in abandoned glee, Their hair all streaming with a loathly snake.28 Then when they felt the hunter’s look of awe Straightway they dived beneath the surface foul.29 In horror, back the hunter made his way And told the Indians what his eyes had seen.30 Then, all together left the happy town And struggling through the brush and tangled wood Went straightway to that fearsome pool to save The damsels from a fate too dread to tell.31 But ah, when they drew near, they heard them sing, All sad and woful in a wailing chant: “No more, no more may we turn back again, For mortal eye hath seen us in our sin.”32 P.33

FOOTNOTES:34

[48] Long ago there were two maidens.35

IV36

THE MEASURING WORM37

[_Abenaki_]38

_Noñwat alnoñbak liwʾlalmoñldamōk Ali mʾdaulinʾwak aïdit.39 _[49]40

Long, long ago the Indians believed in witches’ power.41 One day a man was hunting far from human sights and sounds, Deep in the wildest forest glades, nor thought of magic wiles, When suddenly he heard a voice which said to him: “Depart, And come again to this same spot at earliest streak of dawn.”42 Awestruck, the hunter at the hour appointed sought once more To hear the mystic tones which came to him he knew not whence.43 So at the morrow’s dawn he trod again the darksome glade; And once again he heard the voice command him in this wise: “Begone from here and seek the spot where yawns a precipice.44 There on the earth thine eyes shall see a liver freshly cut This eat and then depart; but come again, I’ll give thee strength.”45 Then on the following day, he brought his bow and arrows sharp And heard the voice command him: “Do thou shoot at yonder tree,” He shot, and saw his arrow pass straight through the doomèd tree.46

Astonished beyond measure then, he bade his mother look.47 “_O kini nikʾn_,” “mother, see,” he cried in wonder great.48 His mother saw and straightway feared; began to watch the lad, And marked that when he lay at night no sleep would come to him, But always after little time he’d rise and steal away, Till daylight dawned and then he would come creeping back to bed.49 At last, all tortured by her pain and harrowed by her fears, She questioned him and said: “My son, where hast thou been all night?”50 Quoth he: “My friend and I have played together in the wood.”51 She asked once more: “My son, pray tell what is it that you do.”52 “We have been killing serpents vile and eating them,” said he; “A serpent’s liver eaten giveth magic gifts to man.53 I am not as I was before, but have the power to move And climb from ledge to ledge as doth a worm, upon my head.54 My friend hath taught me how to pass through ways impassable To all save us.”55 “Who is thy friend?”56 His mother asked of him.57 “His name is Tatebákwunowat, which means ‘a Measuring Worm.’58 Of sport like this I never dreamed;” and yet the mother feared, And told her agèd husband that their son was lost to them; For he’d become _mʾdaulin_ and endowed with secret might.59 Then spake the father: “This shall cease; I know a way to save The foolish lad.”60 So when the evening came, he locked him in And would not let him forth to roam in spite of all his prayers.61 Then came the sound of some one walking heavily and hard, The old man looked and saw a Thing of horror at his door, Large eyes, short arms, short body and long legs of insect shape.62 “Set free thy son thou foolish one,” the loathsome wizard cried.63 “Not I,” replied the father, and at once let fall the flap Before his wigwam door.64 The lad grew very ill and begged, Entreated and implored that he might be allowed to roam As he had done before, but only got the answer “No.”65

Yet once again when morning’s light shone whitely on the trees, Another wizard slowly came before the wigwam door.66 At his approach the leaves and shrubs all rustled as from wind.67 “Why dost thou seek to keep thy son from getting magic power?68 He hath the magic gift to be the greatest of the great Among us men who practise arts unknown to thee and thine.”69 So spoke the wizard scornfully; the father stern replied: “I have no wish that son of mine should be like thee and thine.”70 Then quoth the wizard: “Thou shalt see thy son die here to-night, For we have taken him too far to let him back to thee.”71 “I care not if he die or no,” the father answering said, And moaning with an angry moan the wizard drew away And soon was lost to sight amid the waving forest leaves.72

In awful agony the boy lay stretched upon the earth Retching and crying out as one who soon must breathe his last.73 Till suddenly he vomited a mass of serpent skins, And then at last cast up the magic liver from his mouth.74 This was the end of all his woe, for when that loathsome thing Had left his body he arose all strong and purged and clean And never more was known to seek to practise magic arts.75 P.76

FOOTNOTES:77

[49] Long ago the Indians believed there were wizards.78

V79

THE PʾMULA OR AIR-DEMON80

[_Abenaki_]81

_Noñwat agua ni alnoñbak pʾmigowak kʾpiwi.82 _[50]83

In days of yore some Indians were camping in the woods And one of them when near a stream heard a strange sound o’erhead.84 At once he looked and lo he saw a sprite of upper air, Called by the Indians, Pʾmûla, alighting on a ledge.85

The demon took a piece of yellow metal from his lips And bent himself to drink and then, restoring to his mouth The metal, spread his spacious wings and, rising, soared away.86 The man perceived that power to fly lay hidden in this charm, And so at once decided he would steal the thing away.87 It was not long before he heard again the rush of wings.88 This time, though, when the demon had alighted, he ran forth, And, snatching up the yellow charm, said, laughingly: “Ha, ha, My friend, do thou lie there a while, and I will fly about!”89 Then the Pʾmûla told the man: “If thou wilt let me go, I’ll give to thee another charm which aye will bring thee luck.”90 The Indian at once believed the demon’s given word And gave him back the yellow charm which brings the power of flight.91 Soaring aloft the Pʾmûla at once was lost to view But after a brief period returned and gave the man The two great eye-rings of a snake, and once again was gone.92 No sooner had the hapless wight these eye-rings in his hands, Than every kind of snake and beast that roam the northern woods Surrounded him, till, terrified, he rushed to his canoe.93 E’en there a giant serpent’s head confronted him agape.94 Then, quite beside himself with fear, he fled to thickest wood, And when at length all out of breath and weary with the chase He had to pause, he saw that still a host of snakes was there.95 Then suddenly he thought: “This dread comes from the magic rings.”96