he picks up his tomahawk and slays her. He sees a kettle boiling water on the fire; he cuts off her head. He puts her head in the pot and hides her body. This seems very much like a jest to him in his heart. It pleases him very much.

Then later when the lads return, they miss their mother. Then they look in the pot where they find her head; well they know who does this. Then they, being brave, follow, (but) not being armed, they do not hurt him; they (only) take away (his gloves). To them, when they return, comes the lads' uncle, the Crow. He overtakes him; all he can do is to snatch his cap (Lox's hat). Then he (Lox) not feeling (at all) ashamed, calls out loudly; he says: "Thanks, my head is now cool." He cries: "My head; it was getting hot."

Again another one of his relatives comes, the eagle; he follows him (Lox). He is able to snatch away Lox's coat; then he (Lox) thanks him. He says: "I was wishing for my young brother; he could carry my coat for me." "Thanks," he answers. Then Culloo comes; now he is the most fierce, as many as there are, of all living things. Then pursuing him, he picks him (Lox) up; he carries him up in his talons to the top of the heavens. So then he throws him down; Lox falls all day coming down the sky, from the beginning (of the day) when the sun rises until sunset, and Lox comes down to the earth. Just before he is let drop, he sings a mocking song while he is up in the air (on high) about what he sees; these words: "Our country seems as if lost; heigh-ho, heigh-ho; it seems as if our country were blue" (Micmac).

When he is let fall, this mischievous bold Lox, pretending to flap his arms as if they were wings, imitates with his mouth as if he were mocking the strong winged Culloo. Just as he comes down to the earth; he speaks a little; he says a magic spell: "Let not anything happen to my backbone." The trouble (taken) by all the birds is nought. He is all smashed; his blood and brains are all scattered in every direction; (but) his backbone is whole. That indeed is his life.

After several days, his younger brother comes: "What is happening here?" That bone then speaks: "my leg, come here;" his leg appears. Again it speaks: "my arm, come here." Then when the last thing that was broken arrived, he arises. This is just the same

brave and mischievous Lox; always the Indian devil. "Not yet," he says, "do I die." Not anything can kill him; it is hard to get rid of him.

Then these brothers go along further. Then they come to the top of a high mountain; here is placed a great rock, a round rock; they say to it: "Let us run a race," and they roll it using great trees (as levers). So it rolls along until it stops at the bottom. They run along with it, always mocking (they beg it; they race with it).

They did not have long to wait; while sitting and cooking they hear something coming like something chasing through the woods. Now that is the big rock; in anger it had rested a little while; then rushing at once through the forest, smashing the mighty trees it acts like the thunder; it cuts down the trees like grass, coming like lightning; more and more strongly it runs up. After the wizards this rock comes along. The younger dodges aside like a snake, but the elder Indian could just say his charm: "noogoon uskudeskooch," that is "My backbone shall remain entire as always." This great rock rolls on through the air until its sound dies out on the wind.

Then the younger brother says to the backbone: "Why lie you there?" When it hears these charmed words, the bone calls out: "My body, come here," (and) "My leg, come here," and to all the broken members as always, until he who began to decompose is again completely restored (Mitchell: recomposed) and he who was dead lives again. He says like one waking: "what have I been doing?"

The younger brother causes him to hear (tells him) everything. Then he is very angry. (When Lox is angry), it is not only a little. He says in his wrath: "Shall I, the Indian devil himself, be able to be slain by birds and stones and not be revenged?" They go on in the woods; they trace it (the rock) by logs and also by trees; when they find it they burn round about it; with great rocks they hammer it until they smash it in pieces, until it is dust. Thus Lox is avenged.

But now a wonder (occurs); he who is the spirit of the rocks turns the dust into black flies, into the stinging things and other

evil creatures which irritate men and beasts. Thus his hatred always remains until the end (of time). When they have vented their ill will on the rock, when they see the blackflies, these two pass through the forest, until they come to a village of good people; he knows what manner of men they are. So Lox thinks what evil trick he will play. For in all his life nothing pleases him like mischief; the more he does, the more he will be pleased. So this comes into his head.

He turns himself into a beautiful girl and they are pleased with him; as soon as the older sons arrive, they welcome so fair a virgin. The young chief in the village wants her very much. It does not indeed take long before she comes to him (before he gets her). He does not delay at all. Lox knows this skein before it is spun; he thinks that it is high time for him to show his hand (lit. put his hand to it). Wonder is in the village, when it is reported one evening that the chief's wife will soon be a mother.

When it is time, Lox says to "her" husband that, according to the custom of his people, he must be alone until the child is born. When it is time they hear in the wigwam a small child crying; the women who wait run in; they receive it; they are given the child by the mother, well wrapped up; they fetch it to the young chief. He is much astonished when he loosens the package one roll; again another tied up hard; still again another; again another sewed up strong; when he opens it, he finds inside two dried up young moose.

The young chief is so angry that he dashes it in the fire. Then he seizes his tomahawk; he rushes to the wigwam to his wife, but Lox is a man once more; he thinks that he does not wish anyone to disturb him, so, with his brother, he goes into the woods, they rushing down to a river.

Lox thinks it would be well, if he can elude the pursuers, so he makes a dam of trees and earth; the water scarcely trickles(?) down. Then he hides in a cave; Lox imitates the noise (of the water) "boo-oo-oo;" but where he lies no man knows. Lox himself is snared. The water above (him) is gathered like a lake. Then the dam bursts; the water overwhelms him and he drowns. No one mourns him. Then Lox is finished; not again is anything related about him, but

whether he is ended or not is not certain; perhaps again he will be found alive. Many stories, fine ones, tell that Lox never dies.

XIII. The Raccoon.

One fine day in the morning, Lox went in the form of a raccoon, (for) he, going through the world, could go in many forms; here he walks; then as usual(?) he goes along. Then right ahead of him comes a big bear; he is very glad to see the raccoon. So he (the bear) makes up his mind to kill him, if only he can. First, to punish him for the way he behaves, secondly (because) he (the bear) is hungry and (wants to) eat him for breakfast.

The raccoon goes off; he crawls into a hollow tree. The bear begins to root it up; the raccoon knows that when the tree will tumble, then he will go too. Raccoon starts to sing, as if he cared nothing for the bear: "All the digging and pushing of this tree will not catch me; push in backwards, so that you may catch me and I shall die. This you cannot do since the hole is too small." When Bear hears this; he is glad, for he sees that he can easily dig it out. When he comes in backwards, the raccoon seizes his back; he holds him (there) until he dies.

Then Raccoon comes out; he makes mittens of the bear-skin. Once more he starts off; a little way he went; where a wigwam is with rising smoke he enters; a family of little black-cats is there; he greets them; he says: "O my children, comb me out; I will sell you these my bear-skin mittens." So the black-cats comb him out; they part his hair and they brush his tail. Then in a little while, he falls asleep, while they are brushing him. They are so hungry that they eat the raccoon's mittens; having scraped off the flesh, they cook them and eat them.

When Raccoon wakes up, he looks at them and screams out; he says: "Where are my bear-skin mittens?" They are frightened; they answer him: "We have cooked and eaten them." Then Raccoon attacks them; he leaves one, he chokes one; only the infant he misses; he (the baby) does not talk yet; Raccoon thinks he will not be able to tell.

Then Raccoon takes the dead black-cats and sets them up in the road-way from where the big black-cat will pass and they are seen by her. She thinks: "at my coming the children are joyful;" then she hurries; "they are so glad to see me." She comes; no one moves. This she thinks is strange; something is wrong. Very quickly she turns her thought to sorrow. Then (the baby) hears its mother; he crawls out of a hole. He is still too young to tell, but he is very clever. He picks up charcoal; he draws (lines) on his cheek and around his mouth: "ha-ha," said the father, "this one I know, as if he were alive; this is Raccoon." Then he starts in pursuit. By and bye, he (the raccoon) sees Black-Cat furiously angry, brandishing a club, as if he were an Indian.

Raccoon looks at him: "Ah, no club can kill me. A bulrush indeed will kill me." Black-Cat knows where to go; he goes where there is a swamp; he fetches one; then he strikes Raccoon where he can do it. But it bursts; it spreads over Raccoon's head and it sticks to him being wet; Black-Cat thinks this is Raccoon's brain all coming out. So then he goes on. Then Raccoon lies quiet until Black-Cat goes on. He then goes on (himself).

Great magic things he does, but little does he benefit others. Then he goes on; he comes to where many women are suckling their children. He says to them: "this is very slow, how you bring up children; in our country (it is otherwise)." These good women say to him: "How then should we rear them?" "Now you shall understand how we do it; when we want them to grow fast, we dip them in water when it is cold; however, do you lend me one; you shall understand how we do it, when we wish to rear quickly." One (woman) gives him one. He takes it to the river; he lifts the ice and drowns the child; in the morning he fetches it taking it out a grown man. The women marvel. As he does it so wonderfully, then all the women, as many as there are, put their children into the river in the evening. Then Raccoon hurries away from those other children. All those treated badly die.

Again to another wigwam he comes; a number of women are making bags of properly cured skins. He says to them: "Very slow it seems for you, how you make these; in our country we cook them in the ashes; give me what you are using; you shall learn;" they

give him one; he puts it where it is hot in the ashes; in several minutes he takes it out; it is a well made and excellent bag. So they think it over; then all cook theirs; when they take them out, all are scorched and burnt; all are spoiled. So again he goes away.

Then he comes to a big river; he does not know how to cross it. Here while looking around on the shore of the river, he sees an old wiwilmekw like a horned big alligator; blind. Raccoon says to him: "grandfather, ferry me over the lake;"--"Certainly, grandson, only (get) on my back." Then he starts off. The crows and the big ravens begin to mock them; "What do these birds say?" asks (the worm). They say: "Quickly hurry that raccoon over for your life." But the worm does not see the shore; he is nearing it very closely. So he dashes forward; he runs himself half into the river bank. The raccoon jumps off. What befalls him (wiwilmekw) further, the raccoon cares nothing about (knows nothing about).

So he goes on; he comes to some blackberries. He says to them: "Would you agree with me, if I ate you?"--"We should agree badly with you Raccoon, because we are all choke-berries."--"Then I do not want you." He still goes on further; he finds bushes of itch-berries: "now how would you agree with me, if I ate you?"--"We should make you itch, for we are all itch-berries;"--"Ah, then this is just what I want," he answers; he eats them. So he eats his fill (and) goes on. But soon he begins to feel badly, as if he were tormented by things which irritate him. Then he scratches and scratches; it does not help him (save him). So he finds a ragged rock where he rubs up and down until (the hair) comes off his arse. Even until now until this day, it is seen that the raccoon is without hair (on his arse).

Here then is the end.