NO. 3
��PENOBSCOT TRANSFORMER TALES
��223
��ni-'snoldji o'denal e'tcwi-adodjosa-'nil There will be two villages equally to be passed* through
nilil sppka - 'mane kabma'uzi' ni'"kwup' these if you succeed with you will live. Now
kda"tcwi' ni-'a wi'djo"kemal
must I help you."
namoni'mkwes-u udli'kha'sin mi'gana'gwik Then Woodchuck searched in a bark vessel,
omo'skanaman ka'dagwa'bi'zun udr'lan she took out a belt. She said,
r'yu da'nteliktcwe'ldaman kdli-
"Here whatever you wish it will,
gi-zobeda'man i'br'tde kalo'ldamgn
obey you, only speak to it
e'li'tcwe'ldaman nagasi-'bi Kwun'a'was what you wish." Then Long-Hair
udr'lan o"kmas - al mo'za'k
said to his grandmother, "Do not
nsa'hi-'katc nda'gwe'dji' nenawe'lmasi' worry about me, I shall try to take care of myself
gweni'"la tcumi-'na be'djHa udr'lan while going. Surely again I shall come." He said
o"k3mas-al o'wa noda'mpgan
to his grandmother, "This my pipe
kaivaga'damo'lan panapskwa"s - 9n o'wa I leave with you, stone pipe, this
gabcr'nan elkwe'srnan nakadabr'na^'wan place in your bed as you lie down, and you watch it.
tan gwe'ni' nr'wigit mo'za'k sa'hr'kat As long as it is empty, don't worry;
azo"ke na - 'mrha'de udo'ta'oban
but, on the other hand, if you see it contains
paga"kan ka'dabrna'wan na'djan
blood, watch it, for then
eda'li da'yine's-a' sa'n?gwa"k ke'nuk there is present danger, but if
a'nda psa'n-abekwe nabma'uzin nizna-'bi not it is full, I am alive, soon
be'dji'le
I shall come back."
��TRANSLATION
Far up the river, at the head of Penobscot River, where there was a village called Crooked Channel, there lived a great chief named Lone- Light. He was a great and powerful magician, beloved by his people, and he had seven sons. Six were strong, and these he loved ; but the youngest was small, and that one he loved not. On this account he gave him away to his mother-in-law, Woodchuck. Then Wood- chuck raised him as her grandchild, and called him Long-Hair, for he had such nice hair. Very much she loved her grandson. Then she taught him how to hunt beasts, first of all how to set snares for rabbits.
There came a famine, and all the people left the place and abandoned Woodchuck and her grandson. Then Long-Hair began to hunt. First of all, rabbits he hunted, so that they could eat. Then Long-Hair wanted his grandmother to make him a bow and arrows, so that he could hunt partridges. Woodchuck made for him a bow and arrows. The first time he went about, Long-Hair, strange to say, killed seven partridges. So much Wood- chuck rejoiced on account of this, that she danced, and said to her grandson, "Now, little grandson, indeed we shall live from now on. You will hunt big animals. Now, I shall give you your grandfather's bow." Then Woodchuck took out a bark basket. Search- ing in it, she took out a bow of ivory, and flint arrows, and said, "Grandson, that bow is your grandfather's bow. Henceforth whatever beasts you may see will never escape you." The first time he went about, Long-Hair, strange to say, killed seven deer. "How is it, grandmother, that no more people exist any- where?" Woodchuck wept; and for a long time she pondered, then she said, "My grand- child, there do exist other people, your rela- tives and my relatives, but they abandoned us here to starve to death. In spite of it, however, we are living yet. They moved away in the direction whence comes up the
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