🧚 Opening, part 8

Then to frighten the Beaver The Master threw at it Several handfuls of earth, Which falling to eastward Of what is called Partridge Island, Became the Five Islands, and The pond which was left behind Became the Basin of Minas.1

Yet another tradition tells That after cutting the dam The Master sat and watched, And yet no Beaver came forth, For Kwâbît had escaped by a hole Which led back to the other side; Kulóskap then tore up A rock and he threw it Very far indeed, One hundred and fifty miles, To frighten the Beaver back; But over the Grand Falls Kwâbît had gone in haste And so for the time escaped; Yet the stone remaineth there As a wonder to this day.2

However, others declare That by this rock the Beaver Was killed while swimming away; For thus the tale was told By a Penobscot woman As she sat weaving a basket, A basket or _abaznoda_ Of that sweet-scented grass Which Indians dearly love.3

Kulóskap gave the names To everything on earth; He first made man and woman Bestowing on them life; He also made the winds To make the waters move; The Turtle was his uncle, Tiakēūch the Mink Was his adopted son, While Mūnŭmkwech, the Woodchuck-- She was his grandmother.4 The Beaver built a dam The greatest ever seen.5

Kulóskap turned it away, And killed the Beaver, too; At Mûschik he killed a moose; The bones are there e’en now, At Bar Harbor, turned to stone.6 The entrails of the moose, Across the bay he cast Unto his dogs, and they, Which were also turned to stone, To this day may be seen there, As I have seen them myself; And there, too, in the rock Are the prints of his arrow and bow.7

FOOTNOTES:8

[25] Kulóskap and the Beaver.9

III10

THE SABLE AND THE SERPENT11

[_Passamaquoddy_]12

_Kulóskap wtiwaspʾnil nequt Otloketmul nʾmokswesul.13 _[26]14

All of the olden time, All in a year it befell That Kulóskap had a foe: A very evil man, A very sinful beast, A very vile magician, Who after he had tried A hundred tricks in vain Took on the form of a snake, A serpent of awful size, In hope to kill the Lord.15

Now the Master had a boy His faithful servitor, Nʾmokswes or the Sable; A boy of elfin kind Who played the magic flute Wherewith he could entice All birds and animals To come to him, when they Once heard its wondrous sound.16

It happened on a time When Kulóskap was afar, The Sable broke his flute, And, deeply crushed with grief, Would not return again, But wandered far away Into the wilderness.17 And all of this the Lord Knew well--for by his art He knew when aught went wrong Pertaining to himself.18 Then, when returned, he asked The old, old grandmother Where Sable was? but she Could only weep.19 And then, The Master said: “I’ll roam Forever if I must, But I will find the boy.”20

So he went forth, resolved, Following Sable’s trail, And tracked him through the snow, Three days and nights, and then Heard some one sing afar; It was the magic song Which sorcerers only sing When in the direst need, And death is drawing near.21 So, circling round the place, Kulóskap looked adown, And saw a lodge, and heard The voice distinctly sound, As he grew nearer; it Was Sable’s wondrous voice; Then heard him sing a curse Against all serpent kind, And he was wandering About the place to seek A stick, extremely straight.22

The Master understood What this all meant: how that Sable had been enticed Into the wilderness By Atoʾsis the Snake, And that the Serpent-chief Was in the lodge, and he Had sent the Sable forth To seek a long straight rod For evil magic deeds.23 Then, softly singing, he Bade Sable disobey, And get a crooked stick, As twisted as could be, And told him carefully What more he was to do.24

Then Sable found in fact A very rugged rod, As twisted as a worm, When it is wounded; then As he came in, the Snake Cried out, amazed and wroth, “How hast thou dared to bring To me a stick like that?”25 But Sable, answering, Replied, “It is not straight, But what is crookedest May be the straightest made, And I do know a charm Whereby this may be done; I will but heat this stick A little in the fire, And sing the proper spell And then it shall be straight.”26

Now Atoʾsis the Snake, Like all the crafty folk, Was very curious And so looked closely on.27 But Sable, when the stick Was burning, or red hot, Thrust it into his eyes; (It had a forked end) Utterly blinding him; Then headlong rushed away.28

The serpent followed him, But, even as he left The wigwam, there he met The Master, who forthwith Struck him a mighty blow And slew him out of hand; Of old times this befell-- And thus my story ends.29

FOOTNOTES:30

[26] Kulóskap had a servant once who was a Sable.31

IV32

KULÓSKAP AND THE TURTLE33

[_Micmac and Passamaquoddy_]34

_Nekke meiawet nektuk Piliomeskasik ktakʾmigw otlian Pikto.35 _[27]36

When the Master left _Uktâkumkûk_, Called by the English Néwfoundlánd, He went to Piktook or Pictou, Which means “the rising of bubbles,” Because at that place the water Is ever strangely moving.37 There he found an Indian village And in the village a man Whom he loved through all his life.38

Yet it was not because this man, Whose name in Micmac is Mikchik And in our Passamaquoddy Chikwenóchk “the Turtle,” Was great or well favored or rich; He was truly none of these, Being very poor and lazy, No longer young or lively, Nor in any way clever or wise.39 It is said he was the uncle Of Kulóskap, but many declare It was only by adoption.40 [28] However, he always bore His trials with such good nature, His wants with such merry patience, That the Master took strangely to him With most unwonted affection, As if he had determined To make of the idler a man; Which verily came to pass Quite soon, and very quaintly, As you shall presently hear.41 When he came to Piktook, A town of a hundred wigwams, Kulóskap being a handsome And very stately warrior With the air of a great chief, Was greatly admired by all, Especially the women; So that every one felt honored Whose wigwam he deigned to enter; Yet he saw the folk very seldom, And dwelt with old uncle Mikchik Delighting in his fancies, Quaint ways and old time stories, Very old songs of the fathers; Such things were the joy of his heart.42

Now ’twas the time for holding The great and yearly feast With dancing and merry games; But Kulóskap cared not to go As guest or as performer.43 However, he asked his uncle, “Wilt thou not go to the feast?44 All the fair girls of the forest, All the beautiful matrons, All the bewitching widows From far and wide will be there; Why hast thou never married?45 There are many nice women a-waiting, ’Tis evil living alone.”46

Thus answered Uncle Turtle: “I am poor and old and homely, With no garments fit for a feast; Therefore ’tis better for me To smoke my pipe at home.”47

“Well, if that be the only hindrance, Uncle,” replied the Master, “I can turn tailor I trow, And fit you to a turn-- Fit you as if by magic, Or in fact by magic itself; Therefore have thou no care As to your face or outside, For to him who hath the art ’Tis as easy to make a man over As any suit of clothes.”48