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In the days of old,
when the stars came down on earth and talked with men, two young girls
lived. The eldest was a silly girl and a regular torment to her younger
sister, who was her opposite in every thing. One summer evening they
went down to the riverside, and, after bathing, Jay down under a large
tree and talked about many things. At last they spoke about the stars,
and the elder began to say how she would like to marry that big shining
star, and in fun the younger one chose the smallest star. Well, they
fell asleep, and by and by awoke to find that the stars had come down as
their husbands. The big star was a very old red-eyed man, but the small
star was young and handsome. So they were carried up to the sky, and the
younger sister was very happy. The elder sister, however, was very
miserable, and kept teasing her sister to find a way to escape. At last,
after a great deal of trouble, the younger sister consented to leave her
star husband; so off they went to find some way of getting back to
earth. They found a wise woman, who gave them a large basket, and, after
tying them in and cautioning them not to open their eyes when she let
them down to earth, she bound their eyes, and, taking a long rope,
opened a door in the sky and let them down. Now, the eldest sister,
whose great fault was curiosity, wished to know why they were not to
look as they were going down. Her sister begged her to keep quiet, or
they might get into trouble. She, however, insisted on seeing where they
were going. As she looked they struck a tall tree, and there the basket
stuck.
“Now, just see what you have done, you stupid girl. How are we going to
get down?”
They could not move. They called to the animals that passed below, “Come
and help us get down.” They all refused but the carcajou. Before he came
up he wanted them to promise that they would marry him. After a long
time they consented to the proposition. He clambered up the tree and
wished to take the younger sister down first.
“Oh, no; you must take my eldest sister, or I won’t marry you.” So he
was forced to take the elder down first. Then the young sister took her
hair-string and wound it round and round the tree, and knotted it many
times. Then the carcajou came to take her down. So they went on to his
lodge, but before they reached the place the younger sister exclaimed
that she had lost her hair-string, and that she must have it.
“Where did you lose it?”
“How do I know? Please go and look for it.” Carcajou went to look for
it, and after a long hunt he found it tied at the top of the tree. In
the meantime the two sisters ran as quickly as they could, so as to
escape from the carcajou, or wolverine. Towards evening they sat down to
rest, and they heard a baby crying in the woods.
“Hist! There is a child crying,” said the elder. “I must go and find
it.”
"No, no, please don’t go; perhaps it is only a trick of Carcajou.”
But this silly girl went off to look for the child. In a little while
she came back with a child tied in a beautiful cradle, and she sang to
it and kissed it, and made a great to do over it, when all at once she
saw it change to Carcajou, who laughed heartily at them for trying to
run away from him.
“So you thought you could deceive me, but I tell you that I can turn
myself into anything, and you can’t escape me. Here, take your
hair-string, and get my supper ready.”
She Came Back with a Child Tied in a.
Cradle. “The
sisters went to work cooking the supper, and the younger one put in some
roots that caused sleep. The carcajou liked his supper, and then rolled
off into a deep sleep.
“Come, sister, let us be quick, for he will sleep for a very long time,
and let us run away.”
How fast they ran, scarcely stopping to take breath. At last they came
to a large river. How, how could they cross? They called to the fish to
come and help them, but they all refused. Just then a large drake flew
down and swam towards them, and asked them what they wanted.
“Oh, brother, would you be so kind as to take us across the river?”
“Well, I don’t know; what will you give me? Will you marry me.”
They promised to be his wives. Then he crossed first one and then the
other—he carried them on his back. He took them to his favourite swamp,
and there gave them roots to eat.
“Now, this evening I am going to a big dance, but I won’t be away long,
so keep up the fire and go to sleep.”
They promised faithfully. Then he bathed himself and plumed each feather
till he shone, and put his song on his back, and off he flew.
Then the young sister hunted for two rotten logs, so she might dress
them as women. At last she found what she wanted, and dressed them, and
lay them down, and off they ran. By and by the drake came home and
snuggled down between his wives. First one would pinch him, and then the
other, and so on, till he woke. “Stop pinching me, I say!” Then he would
sleep, but at last the pinching became so hard that he awoke, and found
that instead of women he was lying between logs, just full of ants. The
women escaped and got home safely. |
